Printing – Stenciling – Rotary machines
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-05
2001-12-04
Yan, Ren (Department: 2854)
Printing
Stenciling
Rotary machines
C101S116000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06324972
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a rotary screen-printing device for printing a substrate, comprising:
at least one printing station for a removable stencil, a printing-medium feed and a squeegee;
substrate-conveying means for guiding a substrate past said printing station;
first and second stencil-bearing means for supporting opposite ends of a stencil; and
first and second support means for supporting opposite ends parts of a squeegee; said second support means comprising a moveable support member which can move between a position in which it supports a squeegee and a position in which it does not support a squeegee, and said first support means being designed in such a manner that they are able to hold a squeegee in a floating position if said support member of said second support means is in the non-supporting position.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A device of this nature is known from EP-A-0,863,000. The rotary screen-printing device comprises a printing station which is arranged on an angle and has a removable stencil and a squeegee extending through the latter. During a printing process, the squeegee is supported at two end parts. The first end part is fixedly connected to a pivot point, and the second end part is supported on a moveable support member. The first end part is also fixedly connected to an actuable lifting cylinder. While a stencil is being changed, the moveable support member can be disengaged from the second end part of the squeegee. The squeegee is then held in place by the fixed connection of the first end part to the pivot point and the lifting cylinder. Then, the lifting cylinder can be actuated in such a manner that the squeegee rotates about its pivot point and moves into a position where it is at an angle with respect to the substrate-conveying means. The stencil also tilts upwards and can easily be pushed off the squeegee, which is clamped securely in place on one side.
A drawback of this known device is that the squeegee is fixedly connected to the device. The squeegee cannot easily be removed from the device. Consequently, the length and type of the squeegee are substantially fixed, which may be a drawback since, in practice, printing is carried out using various printing widths and/or types of squeegee. During a cleaning operation, the squeegee must, out of necessity, be washed on the device itself. A further drawback is that the squeegee cannot be tilted about its longitudinal axis. The fixed connection to the pivot point and the lifting cylinder makes this impossible. For example, in the case of a squeegee having a support strip and a roller squeegee, it is consequently impossible to adjust the gap width between the support strip and the roller squeegee. Since, in practice, roller squeegees of different diameters are frequently used for printing, this means that the gap width will vary accordingly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to overcome the above drawbacks and, in particular, to provide a rotary screen-printing device, squeegees of which can easily be removed from the device and, if desired, cleaned or replaced by squeegees of a different type and/or of a different length.
This object is achieved according to the invention by means of a rotary screen-printing device according to claim
1
. The device comprises first and second support means for supporting opposite first and second end parts of a squeegee. The first support means comprise a support member and a delimiting member, which are both intended to act on the first end part of the squeegee. The support member is a free resting point for supporting the squeegee, and the delimiting member is a free stop point for delimiting the squeegee upwardly. The delimiting member lies further towards the outside, with respect to the centre of gravity of the squeegee, than the support member. The squeegee can be fitted freely with one of its end parts between the first support means and thus can remain suspended, clamped in on one side. The remainder of the squeegee is then hanging freely, so that it is possible to push a stencil over the squeegee in the axial direction. After an end part of the squeege has been clamped into the first support means, a support member of the second support means can be brought into engagement with an opposite end part, after which the squeegee is then supported at two ends. During a printing process, the delimiting member may optionally remain in contact with the squeegee. Subsequently, the squeegee can be clamped in again on one side in the first support means, after which the support member of the second support means can be moved into a position in which the squeegee is no longer supported and where the second support means are not standing in the way of the stencil being removed. Highly advantageously, it is possible for the squeegee to be removed from the first support means at any desired moment, for example for a cleaning operation, for replacement by another type of squeegee or for replacement by a squeegee of a different length. The free enclosure between the support member and the delimiting member can provide support and guidance during fitting or removal of the squeegee. This is particularly advantageous for long and heavy squeegees, and even enables such squeegees to be removed or fitted by one person without there being any risk of damage to the squeegees. Consequently, the device is highly flexible and is easy to adapt to the requirements of individual users. The free enclosure of the squeegee in the first support means advantageously enables the squeegee to tilt about its longitudinal axis, for example if roller squeegees of different diameters are used. In particular, the first and/or second support means are, for this purpose, provided with a clamping mechanism, in order for it to be possible for the squeegee to be clamped securely in a desired tilted position. The clamping mechanism may, for example, be formed by a clamping screw which acts on an end part of the squeegee.
Preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the subclaims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4077320 (1978-03-01), Weber et al.
patent: 5213033 (1993-05-01), Bourgeois et al.
patent: 5992313 (1999-11-01), Zimmer
patent: 0 485 912 A1 (1992-05-01), None
patent: 0 855 957 B1 (1998-08-01), None
patent: 0 863 000 A1 (1998-09-01), None
Hoffmann & Baron , LLP
Stork Brabant B.V.
Yan Ren
LandOfFree
Rotary screen-printing device with support means for a squeegee does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Rotary screen-printing device with support means for a squeegee, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Rotary screen-printing device with support means for a squeegee will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2570620