Quick change ink supply for printer
AssigneesMarquip, Inc., Phillips Corporation
InventorCarl R. Marschke
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An on demand ink mixing system for a flexographic or similar printer utilizes a chambered doctor blade with a chamber divided by a flexible bladder to form ink chamber and a pressure chamber. Ink use is coordinated with print run length, and ink mixing and the collapse of the ink chamber to essentially zero volume are coordinated to coincide with the end of the run. The flexible bladder is also utilized in the operation of the ink cleaning system to move cleaning solution through all portions of the supply system and printer contaminated by ink mixed for the run.
Claims14
An apparatus for delivering a supply of ink to a print roll for a print run of a given size comprising:
- an ink chamber communicating with a circumferential portion of the roll surface over substantially the full width of the roll;
- a first roll surface-engaging doctor blade closing the ink chamber and defining one circumferential chamber wall;
- a flexible bladder defining an ink chamber rear wall and a front wall of a sealed pressure chamber adjacent the ink chamber;
- an ink supply system adapted to supply ink under pressure to the ink chamber;
- and,
- a pressure supply system for pressurizing the sealed chamber to cause the bladder to collapse toward the surface of the roll and reduce the volume of the ink camber in response to an end of print run signal.
An apparatus for delivering a supply of ink to a chambered doctor blade of a print roll for a print run of a given size comprising:
- a plurality of ink supplies;
- a positive displacement metering device for delivering ink from each ink supply;
- a mixing device interconnecting the metering devices and the doctor blade chamber;
- a volume control device for selectively varying the volume of the doctor blade chamber;
- a controller responsive to a selected color signal to cause the metering devices to deliver inks to the mixing device from said supplies to provide mixed ink of the selected color;
- a mixed ink volume monitor providing an ink volume signal representative of the volume of mixed ink used for a measured portion of the print run;
- and,
- said controller responsive to said ink volume signal and a chamber volume signal to cause said volume control device to reduce the chamber volume at a rate to approach zero volume coincident with the end of the print run.
A method for mixing ink of a selected color on demand for supply to a chambered doctor blade of a print roll, said method comprising the steps of:
- (1) providing sources of inks of different colors;
- (2) supplying selectively metered amounts of inks from said sources to a mixing device to provide mixed ink of the selected color;
- (3) supplying mixed ink from the mixing device to the doctor blade chamber;
- (4) providing said chamber with a movable wall operative to vary the volume of the chamber to a minimum essentially zero volume;
- (5) measuring in real time a portion of the print run completed and the volume of mixed ink used for said portion;
- (6) calculating the remaining volume of mixed ink required to complete the print run from said measured portion and volume used;
- (7) stopping the supply of inks from the sources when the volume used and remaining volume required equal the total volume of mixed ink supplied;
- and,
- (8) moving the chamber wall to reduce the chamber volume to essentially zero with completion of the print run.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.