Method of precision finishing a vacuum imaging drum

Abstract

The present invention is for a method of precision finishing a vacuum imaging drum (300) comprising the steps of positioning a finishing tool (352) at an axial starting point; rotating said vacuum imaging drum (300) at a predetermined speed; moving the finishing tool (352) to a radial first position; translating the finishing tool (352) in a first direction, approximately parallel to an axis of rotation (301) of the vacuum imaging drum (300), until at least a portion of a surface of the vacuum imaging drum (300) is transversed; stopping rotation of the vacuum imaging drum (300), wherein a first axial recess (322) is located adjacent the finishing tool (352); returning the finishing tool (352) to the axial starting point; moving the finishing tool (352) to a second radial position (348), wherein the second radial position (348) is closer to the axis of rotation (301) than the first radial position (346); and repeating steps b-g until a predetermined amount of material has been removed from the surface of the vacuum imaging drum (300). In one embodiment, a radial recess (346) is located at the starting point. In another embodiment rotation is stopped at a second radial recess (348). In yet another embodiment, the finishing tool (352) is mounted on a translation stage (220) of a printer (10).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.