Pre-proof temperature controlling assembly

In an off-press apparatus for laminating an image sheet to an image receiving substrate supported on a carrier plate, the apparatus comprising;

• a laminator comprising:
• a support frame having a right frame and a left frame:
• a first lamination roller assembly rotatably mounted between the right frame and the left frame;
• a second lamination roller assembly rotatably mounted between the right frame and the left frame parallel or substantially parallel to the first roller assembly forming a nip between the roller assemblies;
• means for rotating the first roller assembly and/or the second roller assembly;
• means for heating the first lamination roller assembly and the second lamination roller assembly to about a first temperature T1;
• and
• a housing for substantially enclosing the first lamination roller assembly, the second lamination roller assembly, and the heating means, the housing having a housing inlet and a housing outlet, the housing retaining heat generated by the heating means within the housing generally at a second temperature T2 below the first temperature T1;
• a sheet preparation and feed table having an end mounted to the laminater adjacent the housing inlet;
• and
• a sheet output receiving table having an end mounted to the laminater adjacent the housing outlet;
• the improvement comprising:
• a pre-proof temperature controlling assembly comprising:
• a tray with a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface extending from the housing inlet to about the nip such that when an image sheet is placed or stacked on an image receiving substrate on a carrier plate on the table and the stacked sheet, substrate and carrier plate are slid along the table into the housing inlet along the top surface of the tray into the nip between the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly, the roller assemblies will transport the stacked sheet, substrate and carrier plate between the roller assemblies, laminate the sheet and substrate together and transport the laminated sheet and substrate and the carrier plate out the housing outlet onto the sheet output receiving table;
• and
• means for controlling the temperature of the stacked sheet, substrate and carrier plate on the tray at about a third temperature T3 above room temperature T4 and below the second temperature T2 while the stacked sheet, substrate and carrier plate are being fed to and then transported between the roller assemblies, wherein the temperature controlling means comprises:
• a first air blower having a first blower outlet and a first blower inlet positioned to receive air at about a fourth temperature below the third temperature from outside the housing;
• a second air blower having a second blower outlet and a second blower inlet positioned to receive air at about the second temperature from inside the housing;
• and
• a manifold having at least a third outlet and connected to the first outlet and the second outlet for directing air from the first blower and the second blower across the bottom surface of the tray and out the third outlet(s) to control the temperature of the tray and, thus, the stacked sheet, substrate and carrier plate slid on the tray.

In an off-press apparatus for laminating an image sheet to an image receiving substrate supported on a carrier plate, the apparatus comprising:

• a laminator comprising:
• a support frame having a right frame and a left frame;
• a first lamination roller assembly rotatably mounted between the right frame and the left frame;
• a second lamination roller assembly rotatably mounted between the right frame and the left frame parallel or substantially parallel to the first roller assembly forming a nip between the roller assemblies:
• means for rotating the first roller assembly and/or the second roller assembly;
• means for heating the first lamination roller assembly and the second lamination roller assembly to about a first temperature T1;
• and
• a housing for substantially enclosing the first lamination roller assembly, the second lamination roller assembly, and the heating means, the housing having a housing inlet and a housing outlet, the housing retaining heat generated by the heating means within the housing generally at a second temperature T2 below the first temperature T1;
• a sheet preparation and feed table having an end mounted to the laminator adjacent the housing inlet;
• and
• a sheet output receiving table having an end mounted to the laminator adjacent the housing outlet;
• the improvement comprising:
• a pre-proof temperature controlling assembly comprising;
• a tray with a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface extending from the housing inlet to about the nip such that when an image sheet is placed or stacked on an image receiving substrate on a carrier plate on the table and the stacked sheet, substrate and carrier plate are slid along the table into the housing inlet along the top surface of the tray into the nip between the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly, the roller assemblies will transport the stacked sheet, substrate and carrier plate between the roller assemblies, laminate the sheet and substrate together and transport the laminated sheet and substrate and the carrier plate out the housing outlet onto the sheet output receiving table;
• and
• means for controlling the temperature of the stacked sheet, substrate and carrier plate on the tray at about a third temperature T3 above room temperature T4 and below the second temperature T2 while the stacked sheet, substrate and carrier plate are being fed to and then transported between the roller assemblies, wherein the temperature controlling means comprises:
• a manifold comprising a main longitudinal chamber having a first end and a second end, a first inlet chamber connected to the main chamber first end, a second inlet chamber connected to the main chamber second end, and an outlet chamber connected to the main chamber by a passage, the first and second inlet chambers having an exterior port positioned to receive air at room temperature T4 from outside the housing and an interior port positioned to receive air at the second temperature T2 from outside the housing, the outlet chamber having an exterior port positioned to allow air to pass from the outlet chamber to the exterior of the housing;
• an air blower positioned in the outlet chamber to draw air from the passage and exhaust the air out the outlet chamber exterior port;
• and
• a flapper mechanism comprising a first flapper for controlling air flow through the first inlet chamber exterior and interior ports, a second flapper for controlling air flow through the second inlet chamber exterior and interior ports a shaft connected to the flappers, and means for rotating the shaft to control air flow through the first and second inlet chamber exterior and interior ports.