Abstract: An oscillating roller system for a beverage can decorator is driven back and forth by a cam follower. A cam body having a cam is mounted to a frame of the inker system. Three oscillating cam roller assemblies are positioned about the cam body. Rotation of the cam oscillates the cam followers for each one of the oscillating rollers. Bearings of the oscillating roller assemblies includes an inlet gallery and outlet gallery for a closed loop lubrication system. The rollers are water cooled.

Abstract: Example methods and devices for touch-down detection for a robotic device are described herein. In an example embodiment, a computing system may receive a force signal due to a force experienced at a limb of a robotic device. The system may receive an output signal from a sensor of the end component of the limb. Responsive to the received signals, the system may determine whether the force signal satisfies a first threshold and determine whether the output signal satisfies a second threshold. Based on at least one of the force signal satisfying the first threshold or the output signal satisfying the second threshold, the system of the robotic device may provide a touch-down output indicating touch-down of the end component of the limb with a portion of an environment.

Abstract: In some examples, an ink feed system for providing and feeding printing ink to an inking unit of an intaglio printing unit includes an inking device in the inking unit for inking a first inking unit cylinder. A provision device includes a storage receptacle with an ink reservoir of printing ink that is fed via an outlet and a line to the inking device. Furthermore, a wall of the storage receptacle encompassing the outlet can be heated and/or a metering device may be provided in the line path to support and/or effectuate delivery of the printing ink from the storage receptacle. On an output side, the metering device may provide a mass flow or volume flow that correlates with a working speed of the metering device via a defined relationship, and the metering device may be connected to a control device to control the working speed of the metering device.

Abstract: Methods for operating a flowmeter diagnostic tool are provided that comprise interfacing the diagnostic tool with a flowmeter (5) sensor assembly (10). A base prover volume (BPV), a desired number of passes per run, and/or a maximum number of allowed runs may be input into the diagnostic tool. Flowmeter data is received. An estimated total prove time (TPT) necessary to pass a predetermined repeatability requirement, an estimated minimum number of runs needed to achieve the calculated TPT, and/or an estimated minimum BPV may be calculated.

Abstract: In some examples, an intaglio gravure printing press includes at least one gravure printing unit having at least one forme cylinder, at least one impression cylinder, at least one inking unit and/or at least one ink collecting cylinder. Additionally, at least one assigned inking unit, at least one print head, and at least one wiping device are arranged at the at least one forme cylinder. The wiping device is arranged along the direction of rotation of the forme cylinder, and downstream from the print head when the print head is arranged at the at least one forme cylinder. In addition, the wiping device is arranged along the direction of rotation of the forme cylinder, upstream from a contact region of the forme cylinder with the impression cylinder. Alternatively, in some examples, at least one print head is arranged at the at least one impression cylinder.

Abstract: In a method for controlling a distributor roller of a printing press, the phase position of at least one reversal point of the distributor roller is changed automatically during the ongoing printing. A change is made to the phase position for every specified number of revolutions of a plate cylinder.

Abstract: A method of operating flexographic printing presses having an impression cylinder, printing cylinder carrying a sleeve with a flexographic printing forme or cylinder, uses a sensor adjusting print register of the printing forme or cylinder relative to a further printing forme or cylinder and/or adjusts color density and/or implements color inspection. An image of the sleeve surface with printing forme is recorded by a camera and processed before printing, locating a register mark and/or a color measurement field in terms of x-y positions. A sensor automatically moves for recording the register mark to the y-position of the register mark before adjusting to record the register mark and/or a sensor moves for recording the color measurement field to the y-position of the color measurement field before adjusting to record the color measurement field. Cost-efficient, high-quality industrial printing and further automation is provided.

Abstract: In some examples, a machine for generating optically variable image elements on a substrate includes a printing substrate infeed and a printing unit including a printing mechanism by which a substrate guided on a transport path is printed with a coating agent containing magnetic or magnetizable particles. A device for aligning the magnetic or magnetizable particles includes a first alignment device in the transport path and a further alignment device arranged upstream therefrom. During normal operation, the further alignment device is fixed to a frame at the transport path. The further alignment device includes a plurality of magnets that are spaced apart from one another transversely to the transport direction and, during operation, remain stationary. The number of magnets included in the further alignment device correspond to a number of columns of image-producing print motifs or groups of image-producing print motifs around a circumference of a forme cylinder.

Abstract: A device for measuring a surface or elevations of the surface of a rotary body provided as a cylinder, a roller, a sleeve, or a plate for a graphic industry machine, includes a first motor for rotating the rotary body about an axis of rotation and a measuring device including at least one radiation source, at least one area scan camera, and at least one computer used to take contactless measurements on the surface which is permanently sticky and/or compressible and/or porous and therefore difficult to measure. The measuring device uses a virtual reference object saved on the computer to determine the concentricity of the rotary body on the basis of the measurement results. A system including the measuring device and a flexographic printing press is also provided.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for the screen printing manufacture of a layer of silicone material. The method and apparatus provide for the deposition of a layer of silicone material having a controllable thickness and shape profile as determined by a template forming part of a screen printing assembly. The present apparatus and method provide a fully controlled automated or semi-automated manufacturing process enabling the deposition of a silicone layer onto a substrate layer serving as a conveyor to transport the silicone layer between different units of the process line including a heating/curing unit, a drying unit and a lamination unit.

Abstract: A printing system (200) including a printing roll (220) is provided. The printing roll (220) includes an elastically deformable and compressible inner layer (224) and a thin outer shell (222) to cover the inner layer (224). The thin outer shell (222) includes a pattern of raised print features (223) to receive ink material thereon. The inner layer (224) is softer and thicker than the thin outer shell (222), and optionally, the thin outer shell (222) is removable from the inner layer (224). The inner layer (224) of the printing roll (220) has a thickness, a compression force deflection value and an elastically-deformable compressibility such that the raised print features (223) of the printing roll (220) do not slide or deform with respect to the printed web (2) in an amount to generate a substantially visible dot gain.

Abstract: A doctor blade system of a printing machine comprises a doctor blade (12), a blade support (14) and a clamping element (16), wherein the doctor blade (12) is arranged at a contact surface (24) on a front side (20) of the blade support (14) and pressed against the contact surface (24) by a pressing area (34) of the clamping element (16). The clamping element (16) has a bearing surface (40) arranged at a backside (27) of the blade support (14).

Abstract: An optical gloss meter above an imaging member surface measures fountain solution surface gloss on the imaging member surface in real-time during a printing operation. The measured gloss corresponds to a thickness of the fountain solution layer and may be used in a feedback loop to actively control fountain solution layer thickness by adjusting the volumetric feed rate of fountain solution added onto the imaging member surface during a printing operation to reach a desired uniform thickness for the printing. This fountain solution monitoring system may be fully automated.

Abstract: Ink-based digital printing systems useful for ink printing include a secondary roller having a rotatable reimageable surface layer configured to receive fountain solution. The fountain solution layer is patterned on the secondary roller and then partially transferred to an imaging blanket, where the fountain solution image is inked. The resulting ink image may be transferred to a print substrate. To achieve a very high-resolution (e.g., 1200-dpi, over 900-dpi) print with these secondary roller configurations, an equivalent very high-resolution fountain solution image needs to be transferred from the secondary roller onto the imaging blanket. To increase the resolution of the image on the secondary roller, examples include a textured surface layer added to the secondary roller for contact angle pinning the fountain solution on the roll. Approaches to introduce a micro-structure onto the surface layer of the secondary roller, and also superoleophobic surface coatings are described.

Abstract: A formative surface having a conductive base covered with a dielectric and oleophobic/hydrophobic surface layer is created with defined pits to grow micro-puddles of a defined volume. The formative surface is brought into close proximity with a charge retentive surface carrying a charge image. Fountain solution vapor nucleates and grows preferentially on the base of the pits as micro-puddle droplets. The puddles are charged and extracted from the surface to provide a fog of charged droplets of narrow volume and charge distribution. The charged droplets are attracted and repelled respectively from the charged and discharged image regions of the charge retentive surface, thus developing the charged image into a fountain solution latent image. The developed latent image is then brought into contact with a transfer member blanket and split, thus creating on the blanket a fountain solution latent image ready for inking.

Abstract: A method of operating a flexographic printing press having a printing cylinder carrying a sleeve with at least one flexographic printing forme or a flexographic printing cylinder, and an impression cylinder, includes adjusting contact pressure between the printing cylinder or the flexographic printing cylinder and the impression cylinder by motor. The adjustment is made in an automated way as a function of a dot density of the flexographic printing forme, i.e. of a location-dependent density of printing elevations on the flexographic printing forme or data computationally derived therefrom. A cost-efficient way of producing high-quality prints in an industrial flexographic printing process is thus provided. In addition, the method advantageously provides further automation of the printing process. A flexographic printing press, a flexographic printing press system, and a flexographic printing forme or sleeve for a flexographic printing forme are also provided.

Abstract: Disclosed is a corrugated paperboard printer comprising a chamber which reserves ink, wherein the chamber comprises a chamber frame comprising an ink reservoir which reserves the ink. A steel member and a recovery pipe are arranged on the opposite side of an anilox roll across the chamber frame. The steel member comprises a web extending in an up-down direction, and a first flange and a second flange connected, respectively, to up-down directional opposite ends of the web. The web is penetratingly formed with a maintenance opening in accordance with the position of a coupling port valve or the like. The second flange is formed with an insertion part for allowing the recovery pipe or the like to be inserted therein.

Abstract: Disclosed is a corrugated paperboard printer comprising a pressing device for applying a pressing force to press a chamber which reserves ink toward an anilox roll. The pressing device is configured to apply a first pressing force, and a second pressing force which is greater than the first pressing force, respectively, to a first pressing area and a second pressing area in a back surface of a chamber frame. In a state in which no pressing force is applied by the pressing device, bending occurring in the chamber frame due to a load transmitted from a printing roll to the chamber frame via the anilox roll as printing is performed to a corrugated paperboard sheet is greater in the second pressing area than in the first pressing area.

Abstract: A method includes: mapping a boundary of a volume of flowing fluid; partitioning the volume by a computational mesh; finding a contaminant location at a first sensor that is disposed within the volume; obtaining a measured velocity of the flowing fluid within the volume; generating a reversed velocity vector field within the mesh, in response to the measured velocity; time stepping the contaminant location from the first sensor along the reversed velocity vector field until the contaminant location intersects the boundary of the volume; and finding a contaminant source at the intersection of the time stepped contaminant location with the boundary of the volume.

Abstract: In some examples, a gravure printing unit for printing onto a substrate includes a forme cylinder that has, on an outer circumference, a pattern of recesses for forming an image. The gravure printing unit further includes an inking unit for inking the pattern of recesses on the forme cylinder. The inking unit includes a first inking unit cylinder having line-like recesses on an outer cylindrical surface that correspond to line-like recesses of the pattern of recesses on the outer circumference of the forme cylinder. Two end-aligned line-like recesses on the outer cylindrical surface of the first inking unit cylinder are separated by a supporting ridge and correspond to a single uninterrupted line-like recess on the circumference of the forme cylinder. An upper surface of the supporting ridge lies at a level of an undisrupted region of the outer cylindrical surface of the first inking unit cylinder.