Intaglio printing plate coating apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9970096-B2
Application number	US-201715588627-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2017
Priority date	Apr 12, 2012
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

There is described an intaglio printing plate coating apparatus comprising a vacuum chamber having an inner space adapted to receive at least one intaglio printing plate to be coated, a vacuum system coupled to the vacuum chamber adapted to create vacuum in the inner space of the vacuum chamber, and a physical vapour deposition (PVD) system adapted to perform deposition of wear-resistant coating material under vacuum onto an engraved surface of the intaglio printing plate, which physical vapour deposition system includes at least one coating material target comprising a source of the wear-resistant coating material to be deposited onto the engraved surface of the intaglio printing plate. The vacuum chamber is arranged so that the intaglio printing plate to be coated sits substantially vertically in the inner space of the vacuum chamber with its engraved surface facing the at least one coating material target. The intaglio printing plate coating apparatus further comprises a movable carrier located within the inner space of the vacuum chamber and adapted to support and cyclically move the intaglio printing plate in front of and past the at least one coating material target.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An intaglio printing plate coating apparatus comprising:
a vacuum chamber having an inner space adapted to receive at least one intaglio printing plate to be coated;
a vacuum system coupled to the vacuum chamber and adapted to create vacuum in the inner space of the vacuum chamber; and
a physical vapour deposition (PVD) system adapted to perform deposition of wear-resistant coating material under vacuum onto an engraved surface of the intaglio printing plate, which physical vapour deposition system includes at least one coating material target comprising a source of the wear-resistant coating material to be deposited onto the engraved surface of the intaglio printing plate,
wherein the vacuum chamber is arranged so that the intaglio printing plate to be coated sits substantially vertically in the inner space of the vacuum chamber with its engraved surface facing the at least one coating material target,
wherein the intaglio printing plate coating apparatus further comprises a movable carrier located within the inner space of the vacuum chamber and adapted to support and cyclically move the intaglio printing plate in front of and past the at least one coating material target
wherein the movable carrier is adapted to translate the intaglio printing plate back and forth within the inner space of the vacuum chamber and along a translation path in front of and past the at least one coating material target,
and wherein the movable carrier is guided along the translation path by way of lower and upper guiding rails which are secured to lower and upper inner walls of the vacuum chamber.

2. The intaglio printing plate coating apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the physical vapour deposition system is a sputtering system comprising:
at least one sputtering target in the form of a magnetron acting as the coating material target;
sputtering gas supply adapted to supply a sputtering gas to the inner space of the vacuum chamber; and
an ionization system adapted to cause sputtering of the wear-resistant coating material of the at least one sputtering target and deposition of the sputtered wear-resistant coating material onto the engraved surface of the intaglio printing plate.

3. The intaglio printing plate coating apparatus as defined in claim 2 , wherein the sputtering system comprises at least two sputtering targets each comprising a source of a wear-resistant coating material to be sputtered.

4. The intaglio printing plate coating apparatus as defined in claim 3 , wherein the source of wear-resistant coating material to be sputtered is pure chromium.

5. The intaglio printing plate coating apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the vacuum chamber and movable carrier are arranged so that the intaglio printing plate to be coated is inclined rearwards.

6. The intaglio printing plate coating apparatus as defined in claim 5 , wherein an angle of inclination between the engraved surface of the intaglio printing plate and a vertical plane does not exceed 20 degrees.

7. The intaglio printing plate coating apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the vacuum chamber exhibits an elongated shape with first and second extremities at both ends of the translation path of the movable carrier and wherein a first seal door is provided at the first extremity of the vacuum chamber, which first seal door provides an access to the inner space of the vacuum chamber to allow loading of an intaglio printing plate to be coated or unloading of a coated intaglio printing plate.

8. The intaglio printing plate coating apparatus as defined in claim 7 , wherein the first extremity of the vacuum chamber is coupled to a cleanroom from which loading or unloading of intaglio printing plates to or from the vacuum chamber is performed.

9. The intaglio printing plate coating apparatus as defined in claim 7 , wherein a second seal door is provided at the second extremity of the vacuum chamber, which second seal door provides a further access to the inner space of the vacuum chamber for maintenance purposes.

10. The intaglio printing plate coating apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein removable protective panels are provided on at least a rear inner wall of the vacuum chamber behind the movable carrier.

11. The intaglio printing plate coating apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the movable carrier is adapted to receive an intaglio printing plate support onto which the intaglio printing plate is mounted, which intaglio printing plate support is removable from the movable carrier together with the intaglio printing plate.

12. The intaglio printing plate coating apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the vacuum chamber comprises a frontal opening communicating with the inner space of the vacuum chamber and accommodating a retractable seal panel onto which the at least one coating material target is located, which retractable seal panel can be moved between a retracted position during maintenance operations, thereby providing access to the inner space of the vacuum chamber through the frontal opening, and a working position where the frontal opening is closed in a sealed manner by the retractable seal panel, thereby bringing the at least one coating material target to an operating position within the frontal opening.

13. The intaglio printing plate coating apparatus as defined in claim 12 , wherein the retractable seal panel is pivoted at one end onto the vacuum chamber.

14. The intaglio printing plate coating apparatus as defined in claim 13 , wherein, in the retracted position, the retractable seal panel lies substantially horizontally with a surface of the at least one coating material target being oriented upwards.

15. The intaglio printing plate coating apparatus as defined in claim 12 , further comprising a shutter mechanism adapted to selectively create a separation between the inner space of the vacuum chamber and the at least one coating material target located on the retractable seal panel.

16. The intaglio printing plate coating apparatus as defined in claim 12 , wherein the physical vapour deposition system is a sputtering system comprising at least one sputtering target in the form of a magnetron acting as the coating material target and wherein the intaglio printing plate coating apparatus further comprises means adapted to shape a magnetic field of the magnetron.

17. The intaglio printing plate coating apparatus as defined in claim 16 , wherein the means adapted to shape the magnetic field of the magnetron include an electrical winding surrounding the frontal opening and being placed in the vicinity of the at least one coating material target, when brought to the operating position, which electrical winding is energized during a sputtering operation.

18. The intaglio printing plate coating apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the vacuum system comprises a main pump system and at least one turbomolecular vacuum pump.

19. The intaglio printing plate coating apparatus as defined in claim 18 , wherein the turbomolecular vacuum pump is coupled to the inner space of the vacuum chamber via a control gate valve.

Assignees

• Kba Notasys Sa

Inventors

• Gremion François
• Claude Laurent

Classifications

• H01J2237/332

  Coating · CPC title

• C23C14/14

  Metallic material, boron or silicon · CPC title

• C23C14/50

  Substrate holders · CPC title

• C23C14/165

  by cathodic sputtering · CPC title

• C23C14/24 Primary

  Vacuum evaporation · CPC title