Apparatus for imprinting an elongated member

Apparatus for imprinting the surface of an elongated member moving at high speed, the apparatus including a rotatable printing wheel having a rim having edges formed with a circumferential groove conforming to the surface to be imprinted and depressed printing markings formed in the surface of the groove;

• means for engaging the rim of the printing wheel in tangential, non-slip, frictional contact with the elongated member while the member is drawn longitudinally at high speed;
• a nozzle positioned for aiming an ink jet at a region of the grooved rim of the wheel spaced from the area of contact with the elongated member, the nozzle producing an ink jet having an aperture angle within the edges of the rim;
• and a wiper disposed in a direction against the direction of wheel rotation, contacting the wheel at a location following the inking region, wherein the improvement comprises:
• the printing wheel being mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis, with the inking region and the wiper contact location being on the lower half of the wheel, and
• the wiper having an end face bevelled at an angle between about 65.degree. and 85.degree. with respect to a top surface of the wiper, the wiper being positioned so that an upper edge of the end face contacts the groove surface of the printing wheel between the edges of the rim, with the top surface extending from the contact edge at an angle between about 3.degree. and 10.degree. below the horizontal.