Printing press comprising a magnetic orientation unit and a movable drying/curing unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10016971-B2
Application number	US-201515520273-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2015
Priority date	Oct 30, 2014
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

There is described a printing press ( 100 ) comprising a printing group ( 2 ) adapted to apply on a substrate at least one ink or varnish vehicle containing magnetic or magnetisable flakes and at least one magnetic orientation unit ( 10 ) located downstream of the printing group ( 2 ) along a path of the substrate, which magnetic orientation unit ( 10 ) includes at least one magnetic-field-inducing device ( 12 ) adapted to orient the magnetic or magnetisable flakes contained in the ink or varnish vehicle applied on the substrate to induce an optically-variable effect in the ink or varnish vehicle. The printing press ( 100 ) further comprises a drying/curing unit ( 15 ) located along the path of the substrate and cooperating with the magnetic orientation unit ( 10 ), which drying/curing unit ( 15 ) is adapted to dry or cure the ink or varnish vehicle applied on the substrate following orientation of the magnetic or magnetisable flakes. The drying/curing unit ( 15 ) is mounted on a movable supporting structure ( 16 ) that is adapted to move the drying/curing unit ( 15 ) between a working position (WP), where the drying/curing unit ( 15 ) is cooperating with the magnetic orientation unit ( 10 ) and which is located proximate to the path of the substrate next to the magnetic orientation unit ( 10 ), and a retracted position (RP), where the drying/curing unit ( 15 ) is retracted away from the magnetic orientation unit ( 10 ) and from the path of the substrate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A printing press comprising a printing group adapted to apply on a substrate at least one ink or varnish vehicle containing magnetic or magnetisable flakes and at least one magnetic orientation unit located downstream of the printing group along a path of the substrate, which magnetic orientation unit includes at least one magnetic-field-inducing device adapted to orient the magnetic or magnetisable flakes contained in the ink or varnish vehicle applied on the substrate to induce an optically-variable effect in the ink or varnish vehicle,
wherein the printing press further comprises a drying/curing unit located along the path of the substrate and cooperating with the magnetic orientation unit, which drying/curing unit is adapted to dry or cure the ink or varnish vehicle applied on the substrate following orientation of the magnetic or magnetisable flakes,
wherein the drying/curing unit is mounted on a movable supporting structure that is adapted to move the drying/curing unit between a working position, where the drying/curing unit is cooperating with the magnetic orientation unit and is located proximate to the path of the substrate next to the magnetic orientation unit, and a retracted position, where the drying/curing unit is retracted away from the magnetic orientation unit and from the path of the substrate.

2. The printing press as defined in claim 1 , wherein the magnetic orientation unit comprises a rotating cylinder assembly carrying the said at least one magnetic-field-inducing device on an outer circumference of the rotating cylinder assembly,
wherein the substrate is brought in contact to or in close proximity with the rotating cylinder assembly over a defined angular sector,
and wherein the drying/curing unit is located proximate to the outer circumference of the rotating cylinder assembly, in the working position of the drying/curing unit, at a downstream end of the angular sector.

3. The printing press as defined in claim 2 , further comprising a first conveyor system to convey the substrate from the printing group to the magnetic orientation unit and a second conveyor system to convey the substrate from the magnetic orientation unit onwards.

4. The printing press as defined in claim 3 , wherein the printing press is a sheet-fed printing press and wherein the substrate is transferred from the first conveyor system to the magnetic orientation unit and from the magnetic orientation unit to the second conveyor system, the rotating cylinder assembly of the magnetic orientation unit acting as sheet transfer cylinder transporting the substrate over the defined angular sector.

5. The printing press as defined in claim 4 , wherein the first and second conveyor systems are chain conveyor systems with endless chains driving a plurality of spaced-apart gripper bars, which gripper bars are designed to hold a leading edge of the substrate.

6. The printing press as defined in claim 2 , wherein the rotating cylinder assembly is removable from the printing press and wherein the movable supporting structure is designed to move the drying/curing unit to the retracted position in such a way as to free a path to remove the rotating cylinder assembly from the printing press.

7. The printing press as defined in claim 6 , wherein the rotating cylinder assembly is removable from the printing press by lifting.

8. The printing press as defined in claim 2 , wherein the rotating cylinder assembly is located below a floor section of the printing press,
wherein the ink or varnish vehicle is applied onto an upper side of the substrate,
wherein the rotating cylinder assembly is located below the path of the substrate, under the floor section,
wherein the drying/curing unit is located above the path of the substrate,
and wherein the movable supporting structure is designed to move the drying/curing unit from the working position, below the floor section, to the retracted position, above the floor section.

9. The printing press as defined in claim 8 , further comprising a removable cover panel that covers the movable supporting structure and the drying/curing unit, when the drying/curing unit is in the working position, and forms a portion of the floor section.

10. The printing press as defined in claim 9 , wherein the removable cover panel is supported onto a portion of the floor section and designed to be movable with respect to the floor section between a closed position, where the removable cover panel covers the movable supporting structure and the drying/curing unit, when the drying/curing unit is in the working position, and forms the portion of the floor section, and an open position, where the removable cover panel is moved with respect to the floor section to create an opening in the floor section through which the movable supporting structure can be moved.

11. The printing press as defined in claim 9 , wherein the removable cover panel is movable separately from the movable supporting structure.

12. The printing press as defined in claim 1 , wherein the movable supporting structure is designed as a pivotable arm system.

13. The printing press as defined in claim 1 , wherein the drying/curing unit is a UV curing unit.

14. The printing press as defined in claim 13 , wherein the drying/curing unit is a UV-LED curing unit.

15. The printing press as defined in claim 1 , wherein the drying/curing unit comprises a plurality of drying/curing heads supported by the movable supporting structure and which are distributed transversally to the path of the substrate.

16. The printing press as defined in claim 15 , wherein the drying/curing heads are supported onto a guide rail, which guide rail is secured to and movable together with the movable supporting structure,
and wherein a position of each drying/curing head along the guide rail is adjustable.

17. The printing press as defined in claim 1 , wherein the supporting structure further supports cooling and power supply ports to which the drying/curing unit is coupled.

18. The printing press as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a camera to capture live images of the transport of the substrate past the magnetic orientation unit.

19. The printing press as defined in claim 1 , wherein the printing press is a silk-screen printing press.

Assignees

• Kba Notasys Sa

Inventors

• Booth Bradley

Classifications

• B41F15/12 Primary

  with auxiliary equipment, e.g. for drying printed articles · CPC title

• B41F19/005

  with means for applying metallic, conductive or chargeable material · CPC title

• B41F15/14

  Details · CPC title

• B41F23/0453

  by ultraviolet dryers · CPC title

• B41F9/021

  Sheet printing presses · CPC title