Apparatus for printing cans from heat transfer paper

Apparatus for continuous transfer of images onto outer surfaces of generally cylindrical members by use of a sheet material having a series of spaced heat transferable ink images thereon comprising:

• means for continuously unwinding a roll of the sheet material and subsequently rewinding the sheet material to provide an unwound continuously moving intermediate length of the sheet material;
• means for feeding in spaced sequence the generally cylindrical members into association with the unwound continuously moving intermediate length of the sheet material;
• means for transporting the generally cylindrical members in a predetermined position relative to the spaced heat transferable ink images on the unwound continuously moving intermediate length of the sheet material;
• means for wrapping a portion of the unwound continuously moving intermediate length of the sheet material about the outer surfaces of the generally cylindrical members into ink transfer relationship therewith;
• means for heating the portion of the unwound continuously moving intermediate length of the sheet material while in wrapped ink transfer relationship with the generally cylindrical members to cause transfer of the images to the outer surfaces of the generally cylindrical members;
• means for unwrapping the portion of the unwound continuously moving intermediate length of the sheet material from the generally cylindrical members after transfer of the ink images thereto;
• and
• means for removing cylindrical members from the unwound continuously moving intermediate length of the sheet material after unwrapping of the portion of the unwound continuously moving length of the sheet material.

Apparatus for continuous application of individual ink images to individual cylindrical articles comprising:

• continuously operable sheet conveying means for causing continuous longitudinal movement at a uniform velocity of an enlongated sheet of material having a plurality of heat transferrable ink images located thereon in sequential uniform equally spaced relationship therealong;
• continuously operable article conveying means for causing continuous longitudinal movement of a plurality of unprinted cylindrical articles at a uniform velocity equal to the velocity of and in the same direction as and in offset parallel relationship with the elongated sheet of material and in sequential uniform equally spaced relationship corresponding to the uniform sequential equally spaced relationship of the heat transfer ink images on the elongated sheet of material and in aligned relationship therewith through an elongated tubular means, said elongated tubular means having an elongated cylindrical passage with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the cylindrical articles and the portion of the elongated sheet of material wrapped thereabout;
• wrapping means comprising an inlet passage portion at one end of said elongated tubular means;
• said wrapping means continuously operably associated with the elongated sheet of material for continuously wrapping a portion of the elongated sheet of material into image transferring relationship with the unprinted articles during continuous movement of the unprinted articles and the elongated sheet of material with adjacent ones of the heat transferrable ink images being sequentially associated with adjacent ones of the unprinted articles;
• heat applying means mounted circumjacent an intermediate portion of said tubular passage;
• and operably associated with the wrapped portion of the elongated sheet of material and the unprinted articles wrapped therewithin for sequentially continuously applying heat thereto during continuous movement of the wrapped portion of the elongated wrapped sheet of material and the articles wrapped therewithin relative to the heat applying means to cause sequential transfer of the adjacent ones of the heat transferrable ink images to the adjacent ones of the unprinted articles;
• unwrapping means comprising an outlet passage portion at the other end of said elongated tubular means and being continuously operably associated with the elongated sheet of material for unwrapping the elongated sheet of material from the articles after transfer of the heat transferrable ink images to the articles;
• and
• discharge article conveying means for disassociating the printed articles from the elongated sheet of material after unwrapping of the elongated sheet of material.