Flexographic printer and box-making machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10160195-B2
Application number	US-201515505610-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2015
Priority date	Oct 20, 2014
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

A flexographic printer is provided with: a printing plate for transferring ink at an ink transfer site to an object to be printed S; an anilox roll for supplying ink to the printing plate at an ink supply site; a plate cylinder on which the printing plate is wound and rotated; and an ink solvent supply unit for supplying a solvent for the ink on the surface of the printing plate in a post-ink transfer region that is downstream of the ink transfer site in the plate cylinder rotation direction and upstream of the ink supply site in the plate cylinder rotation direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A flexographic printer, comprising:
a printing plate which transfers ink at an ink transfer site to an object to be printed;
an anilox roll which supplies ink to the printing plate at an ink supply site;
a plate cylinder around which the printing plate is wound and rotated;
an ink solvent supply unit which supplies a solvent for ink to the surface of the printing plate in a post-ink transfer region which is a downstream of the ink transfer site in a rotation direction of the plate cylinder and an upstream of the ink supply site in the rotation direction of the plate cylinder; and
a guide which covers the post-ink transfer region from the outside of the plate cylinder and guides the solvent for ink supplied by the ink solvent supply unit to the surface of the printing plate without covering a pre-ink transfer region which is downstream of the ink supply site in the rotation direction of the plate cylinder and upstream of the ink transfer site in the rotation direction of the plate cylinder.

2. The flexographic printer according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a tray which receives the solvent for ink attached to the guide.

3. The flexographic printer according to claim 2 ,
wherein the guide and the tray are separately provided from each other.

4. The flexographic printer according to claim 2 ,
wherein the guide and the tray are integrally provided with each other.

5. The flexographic printer according to claim 1 ,
wherein the ink solvent supply unit includes
a storage portion in which the solvent for ink is stored,
an ultrasonic mist generator which atomizes the solvent for ink in the storage portion by ultrasonic waves, and
a communication portion which communicates with the storage portion and the post-ink transfer region.

6. The flexographic printer according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a blowing unit which feeds the solvent for ink atomized by the ultrasonic mist generator to the communication portion.

7. The flexographic printer according to claim 5 ,
wherein the communication portion has a shape which rises and is inclined as the communication portion approaches the post-ink transfer region.

8. The flexographic printer according to claim 5 ,
wherein the communication portion has a curved crank structure.

9. The flexographic printer according to claim 1 ,
wherein the ink solvent supply unit includes a two-fluid sprayer which mixes two fluids of the solvent for ink and gas with each other and sprays the mixture.

10. The flexographic printer according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a temperature-humidity sensor which detects a temperature or humidity of the post-ink transfer region.

11. The flexographic printer according to claim 10 , further comprising:
a controller which controls a supply amount of the solvent for ink supplied by the ink solvent supply unit based on the temperature or humidity detected by the temperature-humidity sensor.

12. The flexographic printer according to claim 1 ,
wherein printing is performed using water based ink.

13. The flexographic printer according to claim 1 ,
wherein the object to be printed is transported while being suctioned.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Mach Systems Ltd

Inventors

• Yamamoto Osamu
• Sugimoto Kazuya
• Hatano Osamu

Classifications

• B41F33/0045

  for automatically regulating the ink supply · CPC title

• B41F17/26

  by rolling contact · CPC title

• B31B50/88

  Printing; Embossing · CPC title

• B41F35/02

  for forme cylinders · CPC title

• B41F31/20

  Ink-removing or collecting devices · CPC title