Apparatus for printing indicia on objects

In apparatus for printing indicia on objects in which a conveyor successively transports the individual objects to a printing station and a die roll in the printing station is synchronously rotatable to successively move printing dies arranged upon its periphery from an inking roll into printing engagement with the objects as they are delivered to the printing station, the improvement comprising:

• a plurality of inking rolls adapted to be charged respectively with inks having different characteristics;
• a rotatable turret for supporting the inking rolls in circumferentially spaced relation, said inking rolls being respectively independently supported on said turret by a rotatable shaft;
• means for selectively moving one of said inking rolls into operative engagement with the die roll comprising a manually rotatable supporting shaft for said turret;
• means for driving the selected inking roll in synchronized relation to the die roll comprising drive gears respectively carried by each of said inking roll shafts, said gears having splined connection with their associated shafts enabling relative sliding axial movements between the gears and shafts;
• and
• means including a rotatable yoke having connections respectively with said drive gears, and being operative to retain said gears with their planes of rotation in coincidental relation.

In apparatus for printing indicia on objects in which a conveyor successively transports the individual objects to a printing station and a die roll in the printing station is synchronously rotatable to successively move printing dies arranged upon its periphery from an inking roll into printing engagement with the objects as they are delivered to the printing station, the improvement comprising:

• a plurality of inking rolls adapted to be charged respectively with inks having different characteristics;
• a rotatable turret for supporting the inking rolls in circumferentially spaced relation;
• means for selectively moving one of said inking rolls into operative engagement with the die roll comprising a manually rotatable supporting shaft for said turret;
• means for releasably locking said turret in the respective operating positions of the selected inking roll including adjustment means for slightly varying the angularly locked position of the turret in order to adjust the engagement pressure between the selected inking roll and the die roll;
• said locking means comprising at least one rotatable indexing plate formed with a hole for releasably receiving a locking plunger, said indexing plate being movable relative to the turret for adjusting its angularly locked position;
• and
• means for driving the selected inking roll in synchronized relation to the die roll.