A pair of metallic beverage container bodies is sequentially decorated in a direct single file queue by a dry offset rotary metallic beverage container decorator. A container body has a common design element, a first unique design element in a first color, and a second unique design element in a second color on its outer surface. The first unique design element is located within a boundary of the second unique design element. A second container body has the common design element, a third unique design element in the first color, and a fourth unique design element in the second color on the outer surface. The third unique design element is unique relative to the first and second design elements. The third unique design element is located within a boundary of the fourth unique design element.

A lettering apparatus and a lettering method for a beer barrel are provided. The lettering apparatus includes a worktable, a hydraulic push device installed on the worktable, a first lettering device, and a second lettering device. The second lettering device includes a rotatory disk seat with the Z-axis as its axis. The rotatory disk seat is adapted to install a cask thereon. A circumferential surface of the rotatory disk seat is provided with an inner mold for lettering on an inner side of the cask. The first lettering device includes a connecting frame. The connecting frame is movable linearly along the Y-axis. The connecting frame is provided with an outer mold for lettering on an outer side of the cask. The hydraulic push device controls the outer mold of the connecting frame to move linearly along the X-axis for the outer mold and the inner mold to letter on a side wall of the cask.

Pad printed golf balls comprising a plurality of partially overlapping pad printed areas. The pad printed areas can comprise a surface area occupying at least 20% of a total surface area of the golf ball and a pad printed image occupying a portion of the surface area. Two or more of the pad printed areas can partially overlap in an overlap area where a portion of both a first pad printed image and second pad printed image are located. In some embodiments, an overlap area can have an overlap surface area greater than or equal to 5% of the surface area for a pad printed area.

An apparatus and methods of monitoring and adjusting a decorator for metallic containers are provided. More specifically, the present invention relates to apparatus and methods used to provide a decoration on a predetermined portion of a metallic container body. The decorator includes a sensor that senses decorations on metallic containers. A control system receives information related to the sensed decorations from the sensor and then determines if the decorations at least meet predetermined color, density, thickness, orientation, and consistency targets. The control system can optionally automatically adjust elements of the decorator to correct a deficient decoration. In one embodiment, the control system can automatically send a signal to the decorator to adjust the color, density, orientation, positioning, and consistency of decorations transferred to the metallic containers. In another embodiment, the control system can send a signal to adjust a position of an inking assembly, an ink roller, a ductor roller a plate cylinder, a printing plate, a blanket cylinder, and a transfer blanket of the decorator.

Apparatus for decorating a can body. The apparatus comprises a can body conveying mechanism (1) for conveying can bodies (2) to a printing zone (3), a blanket wheel (4) comprising a plurality of blanket segments (6) and, affixed to each blanket segment, a blanket (7) having a printing surface, the blanket wheel being configured to bring blanket printing surfaces into contact with can bodies within said printing zone, and a plurality of ink stations (5) each comprising a printing plate (31) configured to contact the printing surfaces of passing blankets in order to impart an ink image to the printing surfaces, such that a composite ink image is formed on each blanket printing surface and is printed onto a can body upon contact of the blanket printing surface and the can body within the printing zone. The apparatus is configured such that at least one of the blankets has a surface height variation across its printing surface representing a secondary image to be transferred to can bodies with which the blanket comes into contact. A drive mechanism (32) is provided for causing the printing plates to rotate and a drive mechanism controller for varying the rotational speed of the printing plates to synchronize the positions of the printing plates with blankets onto which ink images are to be transferred.

A mandrel wherein a portion of the mandrel body outer surface is cortical; i.e., flared outwardly, is provided. In this configuration, the necked can is drawn against the conical portion of the mandrel body outer surface while a generally cylindrical portion of the mandrel body extends into the can. Further, the space between the cylindrical portion of the mandrel body and the can is pressurized so as to resist deformations in the can during the decorating process. In an exemplary embodiment, the mandrel includes an elongated mandrel body with an outer surface, a proximal, first end, a proximal medial portion, a distal medial portion, and a distal, second end and having an axis of rotation. The mandrel body outer surface includes an elongated conical portion; the mandrel body outer surface conical portion is disposed adjacently about the mandrel body first end.

Disclosed herein is a method for flexographically printing over a textured surface. The method comprises selecting a substrate for application of a print pattern and advancing the substrate through a flexographic coil paint line in order to apply a primer to at least one side of the substrate. Next a finish coat is flexographically applied to the primed substrate and due to a chemical reaction of the applied finish coat along with supplemental heating, the finish coat forms a textured surface. Next, a print pattern is flexographically applied atop the textured surface.

A printing technique is presented for efficiently printing (i.e. with production lines rates at high resolution and high accuracy) on outer surfaces of a plurality of objects passing in an optimized stream through a printing route/zone. According to this technique, at least one array of printing head units is provided being configured to define at least one printing route along a printing axis, where the at least one printing route is a substantially linear segment of a closed loop lane along which the objects are progressing.

A masking fixture for coating dishware includes a support base having a first ferromagnetic member and a contoured support surface configured for engagement with a lower contour of the dishware. A mask base includes a second ferromagnetic member. The second ferromagnetic member is magnetically attracted to the first ferromagnetic member. The mask base includes a mask guide. A mask includes a masking surface configured for engagement with the upper contour. The mask is moveably coupled to the mask guide for movement between an engaged position in which the masking surface is engageable with the upper contour and a disengaged position. The mask can be moved to the disengaged position to facilitate removal of the mask base from the dishware after a coating operation.

The present invention relates to a UV-curable ink composition, a method for producing a bezel pattern of a display substrate using same, and a bezel pattern produced thereby, the UV-curable ink composition comprising a colorant, an epoxy compound, an oxetane compound, a photopolymerization initiator, and an adhesion promoter, wherein the content ratio of the epoxy compound to the oxetane compound is 1:0.5-1:6, and an adhesion to a glass substrate after curing is 4B or higher according to the ASTM D3359 standard.