Printing apparatus with internal print roll heating structure
AssigneeFrazer Engineering Co. Pty Ltd.
InventorGeoffrey L. Frazer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A printing apparatus and method, which uses an ink composition which is at ambient temperatures and which becomes liquid when heated. The apparatus (1) has an ink roller (2) and a print drum (3). The ink roller (2) is for inking the printing elements (4) provided on the print drum (3). A heating block (5) surrounds and radiantly heats the ink roller (2). To maintain the print drum at elevated temperatures, heating elements (8) are provided in the print drum (3). Circuitry is provided to control the temperature of the heating elements (8) and/or heating blocks (5). The apparatus may be clutch or stepper motor driven, and supplied within a packaging machine to print batch or date or codes or the like onto packaging material.
Claims14
A printing apparatus comprising:
- a print drum having at least one printing element thereon;
- an ink roller, for inking the printing element with an ink composition of the type which is solid at ambient temperatures and which is liquid at elevated temperatures;
- a heating block substantially surrounding said ink roller, to radiantly heat said ink roller, and,
- heating means, independent of the heating block, within said print drum to heat said printing element.
A printing apparatus comprising:
- a print drum having at least one printing element thereon;
- an ink roller, for inking the printing element with an ink composition of the type which is solid at ambient temperatures and which is liquid at elevated temperatures;
- a heating block substantially surrounding said ink roller, to radiantly heat said ink roller, and,
- heating means within said print drum to heat said printing element,
- wherein said inking roller is eccentrically mounted.
A printing apparatus comprising:
- a print drum having at least one printing element thereon:
- an ink roller, for inking the printing element with an ink composition of the type which is solid at ambient temperatures and which is liquid at elevated temperatures;
- a heating block substantially surrounding said ink roller, to radiantly heat said ink roller;
- heating means within said print drum to heat said printing element;
- and,
- control means to control the heating operation of at least one of said heating block and heating means:
- wherein to control the temperature of at least one of said heating block and said heating means, said control means comprises:
- means responsive to the temperature of said one of said heating block and said heating means, and producing a temperature signal;
- summing means to sum the said temperature signal to a periodically variable waveform signal;
- comparator means to compare said summed signal with a present temperature;
- and,
- switching means to operate said one of said heating block and said heating means when said summed signal is larger than said preset value.
A printing apparatus for printing printed indicia at spaced intervals on a web of material to be used as packaging, comprising:
- a print drum having at least one printing element thereon;
- means, responsive to a start signal, for causing rotation of the print drum;
- an ink roller, for inking the printing element with an ink composition of the type which is solid at ambient temperatures and which is liquid at elevated temperatures;
- a heating block substantially surrounding said ink roller, to radiantly heat said ink roller,
- heating means within said print drum to heat said printing element, and
- trigger means to prevent other signals from causing an incorrect start of the print drum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.