Inking system with plurality of fountain roller elements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12311652-B2
Application number	US-202318244978-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2023
Priority date	Sep 12, 2023
Publication date	May 27, 2025
Grant date	May 27, 2025

Abstract

An inking system is used to transfer a plurality of different inks to an anilox roller in a flexographic printing plate in a flexographic printing system. A fountain roller system including a plurality of coaxial fountain roller elements, each fountain roller element having an ink transfer zone with an ink transfer zone radius, wherein the ink transfer zone radii for the plurality of fountain roller elements are the same. A segmented ink tray includes a plurality of ink tray segments, wherein each fountain roller element is mounted within a corresponding ink tray segment. Each fountain roller element is adapted to receive ink from the corresponding ink tray segment and transfer the received ink to a corresponding zone of the anilox roller.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An inking system for use in transferring a plurality of different inks to a flexographic printing plate in a flexographic printing system, comprising:
an anilox roller with a cylindrical outer surface having a plurality of cells, the cells being indentations in the outer surface of the anilox roller configured to transfer ink to the flexographic printing plate;
a fountain roller system including a plurality of coaxial fountain roller elements, each fountain roller element having an ink transfer zone with an ink transfer zone radius, wherein the ink transfer zone radii for the plurality of fountain roller elements are the same; and
a segmented ink tray having a bottom surface and left and right side walls that extend upwards from left and right edges of the bottom surface, a plurality of ink tray segments, and bearing saddles mounted on the inside of and adjacent to each of the left and right side walls, which bearing saddles are adapted to receive bearings mounted on a fountain roller shaft, wherein each fountain roller element is mounted within a corresponding ink tray segment;
wherein the fountain roller elements are positioned such that the ink transfer zones contact corresponding zones of the cylindrical outer surface of the anilox roller; and
wherein the ink transfer zone of each fountain roller element is adapted to receive ink from the corresponding ink tray segment and transfer the received ink to the corresponding zone of the anilox roller.

2. The inking system of claim 1 , wherein the segmented ink tray includes a plurality of ink tray inserts that are inserted into a ink tray, each ink tray insert including left and right side walls and bearing saddles mounted on the inside of the left and right side walls of each of the plurality of ink tray inserts, the bearing saddles adapted to receive bearings mounted on a shaft of the corresponding fountain roller element for mounting a corresponding fountain roller element within the ink tray insert, each ink tray insert being adapted to supply ink to the ink transfer zone of the corresponding fountain roller element.

3. The inking system of claim 2 , further including bearing guards positioned on inward faces of the bearing saddles that shield a lower portion of the bearings such that ink cannot penetrate in between the bearings and the bearing saddles.

4. The inking system of claim 1 , wherein the segmented ink tray includes end walls and one or more dividing walls that separate the segmented ink tray into the plurality of ink tray segments, each ink tray segment including bearing saddles mounted on the inside of the left and right side walls of each of the plurality of ink tray segments, the bearing saddles adapted to receive bearings mounted on a shaft of a corresponding fountain roller element within the ink tray segment, the ink tray segments being adapted to supply ink to the ink transfer zone of the corresponding fountain roller elements.

5. The inking system of claim 4 , further including bearing guards positioned on inward faces of the bearing saddles that shield a lower portion of the bearings such that ink cannot penetrate in between the bearings and the bearing saddles.

6. The inking system of claim 1 , wherein different inks are supplied in two or more of the ink tray segments such that the different inks are supplied to the corresponding fountain roller elements and transferred to the corresponding zones of the anilox roller.

7. The inking system of claim 6 , wherein one of the inks is a transparent ink and one of the inks is an opaque ink.

8. The inking system of claim 7 , wherein the transparent ink is a dielectric ink, an adhesive ink, a silver nanowire ink, a carbon nanotube ink, a polymeric ink, or an ink having a low concentration of particulates.

9. The inking system of claim 7 , wherein the opaque ink is used to print fiducial marks useful for aligning patterns printed using the flexographic printing system.

10. The inking system of claim 6 , wherein one of the inks is a high-cost ink and one of the inks is a low-cost ink having a lower cost per unit volume than the high-cost ink.

11. The inking system of claim 10 , wherein the high-cost ink is a conductive ink including silver nanoparticles or a specialty functional ink.

12. The inking system of claim 10 , wherein the low-cost ink is used to print fiducial marks useful for aligning patterns printed using the flexographic printing system.

13. An inking system for use in transferring an ink to a flexographic printing plate in a flexographic printing system, comprising:
an anilox roller with a cylindrical outer surface having a plurality of cells, the cells being indentations in the outer surface of the anilox roller configured to transfer ink to the flexographic printing plate;
a short fountain roller having an ink transfer zone with an ink transfer zone radius, wherein the short fountain roller includes bearings mounted on a shaft of the short fountain roller; and
an ink tray system including an ink tray insert that is inserted into a conventional ink tray, wherein the ink tray insert includes left and right side walls and bearing saddles mounted on the inside of and adjacent to each of the left and right side walls, which bearing saddles are adapted to receive the bearings of the short fountain roller to mount the short fountain roller within the ink tray insert;
wherein the short fountain roller is positioned such that the ink transfer zone contacts a corresponding zone of the cylindrical outer surface of the anilox roller; and
wherein the ink transfer zone is adapted to receive ink from the ink tray insert and transfer the received ink to the corresponding zone of the anilox roller.

Assignees

• Eastman Kodak Co

Inventors

• Steadman Jason D
• Shaughnessy Michael G
• Ellinger Carolyn Rae

Classifications

• B41F5/24

  for flexographic printing · CPC title

• B41F5/06

  with several printing units in sequential arrangement · CPC title

• B41P2233/52

  for registering · CPC title

• B41F33/0081

  Devices for scanning register marks · CPC title

• B41F22/00

  Means preventing smudging of machine parts or printed articles (B41F23/00 takes precedence) · CPC title