Image registration in a can decorator
AssigneeCrown Packaging Technology, Inc.
InventorMark Ian Davies
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A can decorator having a blanket wheel and a plurality inking stations. Each of one or more of the inking stations comprises a rotatable shaft geared to the blanket wheel, a print cylinder mounted on the shaft for rotation with the shaft during printing operations, and an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the angular position of the print cylinder on the rotatable shaft during set-up and for fixing the angular position for printing operations. There is further provided a rotary encoder for determining the angular position of the print cylinder relative to the rotatable shaft during set-up and for providing an electrical signal indicative of the angular position to an operator interface device.
Claims14
A method of performing print registration in a can decorator having a blanket wheel and a plurality of inking stations, each inking station having a print cylinder and a rotatable shaft defining a cylinder portion that defines a constant diameter over the cylinder portion, the method comprising:
- for each of one or more of the inking stations, performing a set-up procedure including using a rotary encoder to detect an angular position of the print cylinder relative to the rotatable shaft on which the print cylinder is mounted, and
- adjusting the angular position of the print cylinder relative to the shaft using the detected angular position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.