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US 10,737,483 B2Granted
Pattern-free anilox inking system and method
AssigneesXerox Corporation, Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
InventorsJack T. Lestrange, Gregory B. Anderson, Peter J. Knausdorf, Joanne L. Lee
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a digital inking system having an anilox member that carries a patterned metered layer of ink to a digital imaging member, and a doctor blade that removes excess ink from the surface of the anilox member resulting in the patterned metered layer, an overfill form roller in rolling contact with the anilox member adds an overcoat layer of ink on the patterned metered layer for transfer of both layers of ink to the digital imaging member. The overcoat layer of ink uniformly covers all regions of the anilox member and the mattered metered layer of ink, including lands of the anilox cell walls to make the combined layers of ink pattern-free.
Claims20
An inking system for offset printing, comprising:
- an anilox member, the anilox member having a surface including wells defined therein, the surface configured to receive and carry ink for transfer to a digital imaging member;
- an ink supply station in liquid communication with the anilox member to transfer an initial portion of the ink to the surface of the anilox member;
- a metering member in contact with the anilox member, the metering member configured to remove excess ink of the initial portion of ink supplied to the anilox member off lands of the surface of the anilox member resulting in a metered layer of ink on the anilox member, the lands including the top outer surface of the anilox member;
- and
- an overfill roller assembly in rolling contact with the anilox member, the overfill roller assembly including an overfill form roller configured to add an overcoat layer of ink on the metered layer of ink and the lands downstream the metering member to cover the anilox member surface for transfer of both the metered layer of ink and the overcoat layer of ink over the lands between the anilox wells to the digital imaging member, the overcoat layer of ink including ink added over the lands of the surface of the anilox member rendered free of the initial portion of ink by the metering member.
2 more elements
An inking method for offset printing, comprising:
- transferring ink from an ink supply station onto a surface of an anilox member, the surface including wells defined therein to receive and carry the ink for transfer to a digital imaging member;
- metering a metered layer of the ink from the transferred ink onto the surface of the anilox member with a metering member in contact with the anilox member, the metering member configured to remove excess ink transferred to the anilox member off lands of the surface of the anilox member resulting in a metered layer of the ink on the anilox member, the lands including the top outer surface of the anilox member;
- adding an overcoat layer of the ink on the metered layer of ink and the lands downstream the metering member with an overfill roller assembly including an overfill form roller in rolling contact with the anilox member to cover the anilox member surface and form a combined metered and overcoat layer of ink, the overcoat layer of ink including ink added over the lands of the surface of the anilox member rendered free of the initial portion of ink by the metering member;
- and
- transferring the combined metered and overcoat layer of ink over the lands between the anilox wells to the digital imaging member.
2 more elements
An inker, comprising:
- an anilox member, the anilox member having a surface including wells defined therein, the surface configured to receive and carry ink for transfer to a digital imaging member;
- an ink chamber in liquid communication with the anilox member to transfer an initial portion of the ink to the surface of the anilox member;
- a doctor blade in contact with the anilox member, the doctor blade configured to scrape excess ink of the initial portion of the ink supplied to the anilox member off lands of the surface of the anilox member resulting in a metered layer of the ink on the anilox member, the lands including the top outer surface of the anilox member;
- and
- an overfill roller assembly in rolling contact with the anilox member, the overfill roller assembly including an overfill form roller configured to add an overcoat layer of the ink on the metered layer of ink and the lands downstream the doctor blade to cover the anilox member surface for transfer of both the metered layer of ink and the overcoat layer of the ink over the lands between the anilox wells to the digital imaging member, the overcoat layer of ink including ink added over the lands of the surface of the anilox member rendered free of the initial portion of ink by the doctor blade;
- the ink chamber including a first ink supply configured to transfer the initial portion of the ink to the surface of the anilox member, a second ink supply configured to transfer the overcoat layer of the ink to the overfill form roller, and an ink management system configured to move the ink to the first ink supply and the second ink supply, wherein the overfill roller assembly further includes an overfill ink anilox roller between the overfill form roller and the second ink supply to transfer the overcoat layer of the ink to the overfill form roller.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.