Printing system and method
OwnerTheodore J Hartkainventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A printing system has a print cylinder on which a raised printing surface is formed in situ preferably by a "rapid prototyping" or "fused deposition modelling" machine operating with electronic images from a computer image processing system. After a printing operation has been completed, and it is necessary to print another image for the next printing operation, the former printing surface is removed in situ from the print cylinder by abrading, scraping, cutting, etc. and the next printing surface with the new image is formed in situ on the same printing cylinder in the same manner described above.
Claims13
A method of relief printing including forming a printing surface in relief on a printing member of a printing machine, comprising the steps of:
- constructing a first printing surface in situ on and raised from the printing member by depositing a flowable thermoplastic material on to the printing member in a predetermined configuration corresponding to an image to be printed and allowing it to solidify and adhere to the printing member to form the printing surface, completing a printing operation, removing the first printing surface in situ from the printing member without disassembling the printing member from the printing machine, and then constructing in the same manner defined above but with a new supply of flowable thermoplastic material a second printing surface in situ on the printing member for use in a subsequent printing operation and wherein there is further included the steps of constructing the printing surface on the printing member using a fused deposition modeling device which deposits the flowable material on the printing member as the device moves along the printing member, and using a computer image processing system to control the deposition of the material.
A method of forming a printing surface on a printing member of a printing machine for relief printing comprising the steps of depositing in situ on the printing member a flowable thermoplastic material with a predetermined configuration, and allowing the material to solidify into the predetermined configuration on the surface of the printing member, and wherein there is further included the steps of using a fused deposition modeling machine to deposit the flowable plastic material and using a computer image-processing system to provide electronic images for configuring the thermoplastic material as it is being deposited on the printing member.
A printing machine for relief printing including a printing member for printing images, first means for depositing a flowable thermoplastic material in a predetermined configuration on the printing member corresponding to an image to be printed, said flowable thermoplastic material being solidifiable into a printing surface raised from a surface of the printing member, and second means for removing the printing surface from the printing member after a printing operation, said printing member being reusable to receive a new printing surface once a previous printing surface is removed by said second means and wherein said first means includes a computer image processing system for producing electronic images for controlling the deposit of said flowable material to obtain the predetermined configuration and, a fused deposition modeling machine which deposits the thermoplastic flowable material in layers one above the other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.