The invention relates to a device for applying adhesive tape (40) to the cylindrical surface (21) of a cylindrical body (20), said device comprising: at least two axially parallel securing rolls (30a, 30b) designed to make contact with the cylindrical surface of the cylindrical body; an adhesive tape feed for feeding the adhesive tape (40) to the cylindrical body (20); and means for rotating the cylindrical body (20) about its cylindrical axis.

An apparatus (1) for preparing a flexographic printing sleeve (3) comprises a support structure (21), comprising first support mechanism (2) which defines a workstation for rotatably supporting a first flexographic printing sleeve (3) such that it can rotate about a preset axis (K-K), a roll (11) of double-sided adhesive tape rotatably supported by a second support mechanism (10), and a first feeding and guiding mechanism (13) for unwinding the double-sided adhesive tape (12) from the roll (11) and directing the double-sided adhesive tape (12) to the surface of the first sleeve (3).

Disclosed is a correction system for an alignment film printing plate, including: a roller and a printing plate mounted as a sleeve outside of the roller, wherein a first end portion of the printing plate is provided thereon with a plurality of columns of buckle groups, and a second end portion of the printing plate is provided thereon with a plurality of columns of slot groups engaged with the buckle groups. The correction system for the alignment film printing plate further includes an image controller used for measuring a deviation value between an actual position and a preset position for printing of an alignment film on a substrate. The correcting system of the alignment film printing plate has a simple structure and is capable of realizing different stretching degrees of an alignment film pattern at different positions on the printing plate, so as to improve a correction effect of the printing plate. As a result, deviation can be reduced between an actual position and a preset position for printing of the alignment film on the substrate, without significant increase in costs.

The invention relates to the use of an adhesive tape to adhesively bond printing plates, during which the impairment of the adhesive bonds by air bubble inclusions between the adhesive tape and a substrate should be reduced. This is achieved by using an adhesive tape comprising at least one adhesive layer, wherein the adhesive layer has at least one groove that does not extend to one of the edges of the adhesive layer, and the portion of the entire groove volume of the adhesive layer that is associated with such grooves is more than 50%.

A printing screen, comprising a sheet, at least sections of at least one pair of opposite edges of which are folded such as to define attachment elements, and a printing screen unit including at least one pair of interface members attachable to the attachment elements at the at least one pair of opposite edges of the sheet.

A printing plate unit to be demountably mounted on a printing plate mounting portion of a plate cylinder includes a printing plate and a printing plate coupling member. A length of the printing plate coupling member is larger than a width of the printing plate so that the printing plate coupling member is provided with a projecting portion projecting from the printing plate formed cylindrically in an axial direction. The printing plate unit is fitted to the printing plate mounting portion from one end side, and is demounted from the same one end side by gripping the projecting portion of the printing plate coupling member in a state both end portions of the printing plate formed into a cylindrical shape are coupled to each other by the printing plate coupling member.

A method is provided for automatically exchanging a sleeve (18a) of a printing tool (14, 16, 18, 22, 24) mounted in a printing machine (12), in particular a flexographic printing machine, by means of a printing tool handling unit (28) comprising a coupling interface (36). In one step of the method the printing tool handling unit (28) is temporarily coupled to a coupling interface (46) located at the end of a shaft (54, 56, 58, 60) of the printing tool (14, 16, 18, 22, 24) with its coupling interface (36). In a further step, the printing tool handling unit (28) transports the printing tool (14, 16, 18, 22, 24) to a separation unit (78) comprising at least one clamping device (80, 82, 84) and places the printing tool (14, 16, 18, 22, 24) in the clamping device (80) of the separation unit (78). The printing tool (14, 16, 18, 22, 24), in particular a sleeve (18a) of the printing tool (14, 16, 18, 22, 24), is clamped by the clamping device (80), and the printing tool handling unit (28) separates the shaft (54, 56, 58, 60) from the sleeve (18a) by pulling the shaft (54, 56, 58, 60) out of the sleeve (18a) while the sleeve (18a) is clamped in the clamping device (80).

A printing unit for making prints from printing plates on plate elements conveyed by a transport system having at least one plate cylinder mounted rotatably and suitable for carrying initially at least one earlier printing plate and then at least one later printing plate, the printing unit includes a primary support suitable for supporting the later printing plate, in a standby configuration, during printing using the earlier printing plate and during the unwinding of the earlier printing plate, and in an engaged configuration, during the winding of the later printing plate onto the plate cylinder, a portion of the later printing plate being attached to the plate cylinder, and a secondary support suitable for supporting the earlier printing plate unwound from the plate cylinder, in which the primary support includes a primary fastening member for fastening the later printing plate in the standby configuration, and a primary fastening mechanism for fastening the later printing plate in the engaged configuration.

The invention relates to a correction device for correcting the consequences of a deviation in the position of a movable camera which is placed in a positioning device for flexible printing plates, wherein the camera is configured to detect at least the carrier and the device comprises display means for displaying the image detected by the camera, wherein the correction device is provided with a position reference member detectable by the camera, with position signal generating means for generating a signal representing the actual position of the camera from the signal detected by the camera, with comparing means for comparing the signal representing the actual position of the camera to the signal representing the target position of the camera and generating a correction signal, and with image correction means for correcting the image displayed by the display means using the correction signal. Positioning errors in the display of the image recorded by the camera are hereby avoided.

For a flexographic printing apparatus, an apparatus (1) and method for mounting a printing plate (2) on a printing cylinder (4) or a printing sleeve including a system for pre-alignment (5, 8) of a printing plate (2) and real-time alignment (5, 8) of the printing plate (2) during mounting.