Abstract: A screen printing machine for: (i) creating an image-bearing screen; (ii) using the image-bearing screen to create prints on suitable substrates; and (iii) heating the print to cure the print ink. The machine includes an open front cabinet (11) having a mid-level shelf (39) that supports a series of ultraviolet (UV) lamps (41). Recesses (49) in the upper ends of the cabinet walls (31, 33) receive a work surface (21) that supports the image to be printed and a print screen (23). The image is preprinted on a sheet of material (20) that passes UV light except where the image is located. When the UV lamps are energized, a photographic emulsion previously coated onto the screen hardens, except in the area of the image (61). After exposure, the emulsion is washed, to remove unhardened emulsion and create a stencil-like printing screen. Then, the UV lamps (41) are covered (15) and a platen (55) is positioned just below the plane of the recesses (49).
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 20, 1993
Date of Patent:
October 18, 1994
Assignee:
Universal Screen Printing, Inc.
Inventors:
John R. Benedetto, William Gillespie, Jr.