Keyless inking methods, apparatus, and systems with chamber blade system spanning anilox roll and form roll for digital offset printing
AssigneePalo Alto Research Center Incorporated
InventorTimothy D. Stowe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A variable lithographic inking system includes a chamber blade system configured to supply ink to an anilox member of an inking system. The inking system includes a soft ink transfer roll and a hard form roll. Ink is transferred from the anilox roll to the form roll by way of the transfer roll, and from the form roll to a reimageable surface layer of an imaging member of a variable data lithographic system. An ink layer free of ink history is uniformly applied onto a surface of the form roll, and subsequently transferred to the reimageable surface layer while avoiding or substantially eliminating image ghosting related to inking non-uniformities.
Claims20
A variable lithographic keyless inking method, comprising:
- metering a uniform layer of ink onto a hard form roll from a transfer roll, the transfer roll having a conformable surface, the metering including:
- transferring ink from an anilox roll to the transfer roll at a first transfer nip, the first transfer nip being defined by the anilox roll and the transfer roll,
- transferring ink from the transfer roll to the hard form roll at a second transfer nip, the second transfer nip being defined by the transfer roll and the hard form roll,
- urging the transfer roll against the anilox roll to apply pressure to the ink at the first transfer nip, and
- urging the transfer roll against the hard form roll to apply pressure to the ink at the second transfer nip;
- transferring the ink of the uniform layer directly from the hard form roll to a reimageable surface layer for variable data lithographic printing;
- cleaning a surface of the hard form roll, the cleaning comprising removing ink from the surface of the hard form roll;
- and
- removing dampening fluid from the surface of the hard form roll, the dampening fluid being transferred from the reimageable surface layer to the hard form roll,
- wherein the removing dampening fluid includes using an air knife to selectively evaporate dampening fluid from the surface of the hard form roll.
A keyless variable lithographic inking apparatus, comprising:
- an anilox member, the anilox member being configured to carry ink;
- a transfer member, the transfer member having a conformable surface, and the transfer member being configured to define a first transfer nip with the anilox member;
- a form member, the form member having a hard surface, and the form member being configured to define a second transfer nip with the transfer member;
- an imaging member, the imaging member having a conformable reimageable surface layer, and the reimageable surface layer being configured to define a third transfer nip with the form member;
- and
- a chamber blade system, the chamber blade system having
- a form member doctor blade, the form member doctor blade being configured to contact a surface of the form member for removing ink from the surface of the form member, and
- an air knife to selectively evaporate dampening fluid from the surface of the form member.
A variable lithographic keyless inking system, comprising:
- an inking system for transferring a uniform layer of ink to a reimageable surface layer of an imaging member, the inking system having an anilox member, an intermediate transfer member, and a form member, the intermediate member having a soft surface, and the form member having a hard surface, the anilox member and the intermediate transfer member defining a first ink transfer nip, and the intermediate transfer member and the form member defining a second ink transfer nip, the form member being configured to transfer ink from the form member to the reimageable surface, the reimageable surface layer being a soft surface;
- and
- a chamber blade system, the chamber blade system having
- a form member doctor blade, the form member doctor blade being configured to contact a surface of the form member for removing ink from the surface of the form member, the chamber blade system having a reservoir for receiving the ink removed from the surface of the form member, and
- an air knife to selectively evaporate dampening fluid from the surface of the form member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.