Cleaning apparatus for printing screen

Abstract

Cleaning apparatus 10 comprises an enclosed washtank 12 and a screen loading unit 13. A pump is arranged to deliver high pressure heated water to an internal screen cleaning nozzle arrangement 14 and a ring-shaped external screen cleaning nozzle arrangement 15 which nozzle arrangements 14, 15 are arranged in a gap 19 between a screen support skid 16 and an entry screen support skid 17. The nozzle arrangement 14 is arranged to direct a spray of water outwardly; the nozzle arrangement 15 is arranged to direct a spray of water inwardly. In use, a cylindrical printing screen to be cleaned is pushed into the apparatus whilst high pressure heated water is being delivered by the internal and external nozzle arrangements 14, 15. As each portion of the screen is disposed opposite the gap 19, between support skids 16 and 17, that portion of the screen is washed on its inside and outside by water directed from the nozzle arrangements 14 and 15 respectively. The screen is pushed into the washtank 12 until the whole length of the screen has passed opposite the gap 19. The cleaned screen is then removed. Water directed from the nozzle arrangements 14, 15 is arranged to contact opposite sides of the screen at superimposed positions so that substantially no resultant force is incident on the screen during cleaning. The use of high pressure, heated water may result in the cleaning of screens at relatively low flow rates of water.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.