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US 9,409,433 B2Granted
Printing process using soft photopolymer plates
AssigneeBall Corporation
InventorChris Carreras
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to using soft photopolymer plates in a printing process, and more specifically, to an apparatus and methods of using soft photopolymer materials to decorate an exterior surface of cylindrical metallic containers with high definition graphics and other indicia.
Claims22
A method of using a decorator in a printing process to decorate an exterior surface of a plurality of metallic containers with different images, comprising:
- providing a first printing plate positioned on a first plate cylinder of the decorator which includes a first ink receiving region and a relief area that will not receive ink;
- providing a second printing plate positioned on a second plate cylinder of the decorator which includes a second ink receiving region that aligns with the relief area of the first printing plate;
- providing a first transfer plate positioned on a blanket cylinder of the decorator with a face portion defining a first plane, the first transfer plate including a first image in a first predetermined portion of the face portion, wherein at least a portion of the first image has a depth that is lower than the first plane and no portion of the first image projects above the first plane;
- providing a second transfer plate positioned on the blanket cylinder with a face portion defining a second plane, the second transfer plate including a second image in a second predetermined portion of the face portion, wherein at least a portion of the second image has a depth that is lower than the second plane and no portion of the second image projects above the second plane, and wherein the first predetermined portion of the first transfer plate and the second predetermined portion of the second transfer plate each align with the relief area of the first printing plate and the second ink receiving region of the second printing plate during a transfer of ink from the first and second printing plates to the first and second transfer plates;
- applying a first ink to the first ink receiving region of the first printing plate;
- transferring the first ink from the first printing plate to other predetermined portions of the face portions of each of the first and second transfer plates;
- applying a second ink to the second ink receiving region of the second printing plate;
- transferring the second ink from the second ink receiving region of the second printing plate to the first image of the first transfer plate and to the second image of the second transfer plate;
- transferring the first and second inks from the first transfer plate to an exterior surface of a first metallic container, wherein the first metallic container is decorated with the first ink and with the first image formed of the second ink;
- and
- transferring the first and second inks from the second transfer plate to an exterior surface of a second metallic container, wherein the second metallic container is decorated with the first ink and with the second image formed of the second ink.
8 more elements
A method of using a photopolymer plate in a printing process to decorate an exterior surface of a generally cylindrical container, comprising:
- providing a first photopolymer plate with a first image formed thereon, the first photopolymer plate comprised of a photo-curable material that has been cured by light to form the first image, at least a portion of the first image having a depth that is lower than a first plane defined by a face portion of the first photopolymer plate, wherein no portion of the first image projects above the first plane;
- affixing the first photopolymer plate with the first image to a blanket cylinder of a decorator;
- transferring a first ink from a first printing plate to at least a portion of the first photopolymer plate, wherein the first printing plate is interconnected to a first plate cylinder of the decorator;
- transferring a second ink from a second image on a second printing plate to the first photopolymer plate, wherein the second printing plate does not transfer the second ink to the first image, and wherein the second printing plate is interconnected to a second plate cylinder of the decorator;
- and
- transferring the first and second inks from the first photopolymer plate to the exterior surface of a first container to form the first and second images on the first container, wherein the first image is of the first ink and the second image is of the second ink.
3 more elements
A method of decorating an exterior surface of a plurality of cylindrical metal containers with different images in a continuous decorating process, comprising:
- affixing a plurality of photopolymer plates to a blanket cylinder of a decorator, each of the photopolymer plates having a different image formed thereon, at least a portion of each different image having a depth that is lower than a plane defined by a face portion of each photopolymer plate, wherein no portion of each different image projects above the plane of the face portion;
- attaching a first printing plate with a first ink receiving region to a first plate cylinder of the decorator;
- attaching a second printing plate with a second ink receiving region and a relief area to a second plate cylinder of the decorator, the relief area of the second printing plate aligning with the first ink receiving region of the first printing plate;
- applying a first ink to the first ink receiving region of the first printing plate;
- applying a second ink to the second ink receiving region of the second printing plate;
- transferring at least some of the first ink and the second ink from the first and second printing plates to at least a portion of each of the plurality of photopolymer plates;
- and
- transferring the first ink and the second ink from the plurality of photopolymer plates to an exterior surface of the each of the plurality of cylindrical metal containers, wherein each of the plurality of cylindrical metal containers is decorated with the first ink and the second ink.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.