Apparatus and method for forming high definition lithographic images on containers
AssigneeBall Corporation
InventorsChris Carreras, Kellie M. Hedberg
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Abstract
The present invention relates to using soft secondary plates and specialty inks in a printing process. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus and methods of using soft secondary plates made of a rubber comprising a saturated chain of polymethylene or a photopolymer material to decorate an exterior surface of cylindrical metallic containers with high definition graphics and other indicia.
Claims20
An apparatus for forming a high-definition lithographic image on an exterior surface of a metallic container, comprising:
- a first plate cylinder;
- a first printing plate attached to a circumference of the first plate cylinder, the first printing plate including a first ink receiving region bordered by a non-ink receiving region;
- a first inker operable to transfer a first ink to the first ink receiving region of the first printing plate;
- a blanket cylinder;
- a flexible transfer plate affixed to the blanket cylinder, the flexible transfer plate including a first image surrounded by a relief region, wherein the relief region aligns with the non-ink receiving region of the first printing plate, wherein the blanket cylinder is operable to move the flexible transfer plate into contact with the first printing plate such that the first ink is transferred from the first ink receiving region to the first image on the flexible transfer plate;
- and
- a support cylinder operable to move the metallic container into contact with the flexible transfer plate, wherein the flexible transfer plate transfers the first ink to the exterior surface of the metallic container.
A method of decorating an exterior surface of a metallic container with an image, comprising:
- providing a first printing plate on a first plate cylinder of a decorator, the first printing plate including a first ink receiving region bordered by a non-ink receiving region;
- transferring a first ink from a first inker of the decorator to the first ink receiving region;
- transferring the first ink from the first ink receiving region to an image formed on a flexible transfer plate that is affixed to a blanket cylinder of the decorator, wherein the image on the flexible transfer plate is surrounded by a relief region that aligns with the non-ink receiving region of the first printing plate;
- and
- moving the flexible transfer plate into contact with the exterior surface of the metallic container, wherein the image defined by the first ink is transferred to the exterior surface of the metallic container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.