U.V. curing machine
AssigneeContinental Can Company, Inc.
InventorFrederick H. Bautz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for continuously curing can bodies coated with a photopolymerizable ink. The can bodies are placed onto spindles. The spindles are mounted onto a conveyor chain and pass the can bodies through a first U.V. lamp chamber. The U.V. lamp chamber is oriented to cure first opposed sides of the can bodies. Then the can bodies are carried on the conveyor chain in a different direction, so that as the can bodies pass through the second U.V. lamp chamber second opposed sides of the can bodies are cured. The first and second opposed can body sides are at right angles to each other. After the can body has passed through the first and second U.V. lamp chambers the entire can body exterior has been cured.
Claims19
A process for curing the exterior surface of a tubular body which has been coated with photopolymerizable ink, said process comprising the steps of;
- applying first and second ultra-violet radiant energy to first opposed areas of the exterior of a tubular body from first opposed directions, turning the tubular body circumferentially through an angle of substantially 90.degree., and applying third and fourth ultra-violet radiant energy to second opposed areas of the exterior of the same body from second opposed directions which second opposed areas are centered in a plane normal to a central plane of said first opposed areas whereby ultra-violet radiant energy is applied to all of the exterior surface of said tubular body with generally equal intensity, the tubular body being freely supported.
A process for curing a can body which has been coated with a photopolymerizable ink, said process comprising the steps of;
- moving a coated can body laterally in a first generally straight line, applying radiant energy in the frequency range of 400 to 4,000 Angstroms a first time to the exterior surface of said can body from opposed directions and in a direction generally perpendicular to said straight line, and perpendicular to the axis of said can body to cause curing of first and second opposed side areas of said can body, altering the lateral direction of motion of said can body into a second straight line whereby the orientation of the can body as to its direction of motion in the second straight line is rotated 90.degree. about its axis with respect to the orientation of the can body as to the direction of motion thereof when moving in the first straight line, and applying radiant energy in the frequency range of 400 to 4,000 Angstroms a second time to the exterior surface of said can body from opposed directions and in a direction generally perpendicular to said second line of motion and perpendicular to said second line of motion and perpendicular to said axis of said can body to cause curing of third and fourth side areas of said can body whereby the entire exterior surface of said can body is cured.
An ultra-violet curing machine for curing the exterior surface of can bodies coated with photopolymerizable ink, said curing machine comprising;
- a conveyor chain, pins mounted at spaced intervals along said conveyor chain and extending laterally from said conveyor chain whereby said pins each may receive a can body for supporting can bodies on said pins, a first expanse of conveyor chain, first and second ultra-violet lamps mounted on opposite sides of the plane of said first expanse of conveyor chain and said pins for applying radiant energy to first and second opposed side areas of can bodies, a sprocket for accommodating said conveyor chain around it and changing the direction of movement of said conveyor chain, a section of conveyor chain extending from said first expanse of conveyor and around part of said sprocket, a second expanse of said conveyor chain extending from said section of conveyor chain and in a direction relative to said first expanse of conveyor chain so that the direction of the conveyor chain is altered by an angular amount to rotate said can bodies through an angle of ninety degrees about their axes relative to their positions in said first expanse of said conveyor chain, and third and fourth ultra-violet lamps mounted on opposite sides of the plane of said second expanse of conveyor chain for receiving can bodies in their newly rotated positions and said pins for applying radiant energy to third and fourth side areas of said can bodies whereby said third and fourth ultra-violet lamps apply radiant energy to can body side areas rotated at 90.degree. from the can body exposed to said first and second ultra-violet lamps, and all exterior portions of the curved areas of said can bodies are exposed to about the same intensity of radiant energy so that curing of the photopolymerizable ink on said exterior surface of said can bodies is effected.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.