A method controls the color in a printing press, which includes at least one printing station printing a respective color design. The method includes the procedures of determining a control factor to color model, printing a design on a web and acquiring color characteristics corresponding to the printed design on the web. The method further includes the procedures of determining the color quality of the printed color design and determining a required change to at least one control factor when a correction to the color characteristics of the printed design is required. The change to at least one control factor is determined by determining the at least one control factor with respective color related information, which results in a reference color characteristic, according to the control factor to color model. The method returns to the procedure of printing when a correction is not required.

A printing machine includes: a printing plate attached to a plate cylinder; a blanket configured to transfer ink from the printing plate to a printed material; a blanket wheel configured to rotate the blanket; and at least one of a distance sensor or a temperature sensor. The distance sensor is provided in the blanket wheel and configured to measure a distance of the printing plate to the blanket wheel, and the temperature sensor is provided in the blanket wheel and configured to measure a temperature of the printing plate.

A device for measuring elevations of a surface of a rotary body embodied as a cylinder, roller, sleeve, plate or flexographic printing plate for graphic industry machines includes a first motor for rotating the rotary body about an axis of rotation and a measuring device for contactless measurement which is part of or integrated into a mounter for printing plates. The measuring device allows the printing forme to be measured and analyzed to check mounting quality and to detect diameter differences. The measuring device preferably further includes a reference object, such as a wire tautened in an axially parallel direction, a second motor and, if desired, a further second motor for adjusting the measuring device and/or the reference object in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation. The device provides a fast way of measuring the elevations, such as flexographic print dots, with great accuracy.

The present invention concerns a calibration unit (1, 37) for a roller nip gauge. The roller nip gauge has sensors for length or force measurement. The calibration unit (1, 37) comprises an upper part (3) and a lower part (2). The calibration unit (1, 37) has means to place a part acting on a sensor element (26) of a sensor (25) during calibration in parallel with a surface (9) of the calibration unit (1, 37) receiving the sensor (25).

A can decorator includes a blanket wheel having a plurality of blankets disposed on an outer circumference, a plate cylinder for an inker station, the plate cylinder structured to have rotational contact with the blanket wheel, a mandrel structured to hold a can and have rotational contact with the blanket wheel, and a pressure sensor structured to sense pressure between the plate cylinder and the blanket wheel or between the mandrel and the blanket wheel.

A printing plate pressure adjustment system for a can decorator including a printing plate cylinder assembly having a printing plate cylinder drive shaft, and a blanket wheel. The system, includes an actuator, a control system structured to control operation of the actuator to adjust a pressure, between the printing plate cylinder assembly and the blanket wheel, an eccentric bushing disposed around the printing plate cylinder drive shaft, wherein rotation of the eccentric bushing causes the printing plate cylinder to move toward or away from the blanket wheel, and a drive mechanism coupled between the actuator and the eccentric bushing, wherein operation of the actuator causes the drive mechanism to rotate the eccentric bushing.

The present invention relates to a method for controlling the operation of a printing press and a flexographic printing press for implementing said method, wherein the method comprises performing the following steps: a) capturing information from at least one image printed by said printing press; and b) comparing said information captured from said printed image with at least some digital-format information predetermined in prepress, or digital prepress information, including at least one part of the image to be printed. The method comprises adjusting the pressure and/or register setting of one or more printing units of the printing press, using at least the result of the comparison in said step b). The press is designed in order to implement the method.

The invention relates to a measuring element for flexo printing elements (11) for controlling an application pressure with respect to a printing material support (2), having several printing planes (7, 8, 9) which reduce in the upward direction and do not cover in the surface.

A printing mechanism (10) has a plate cylinder (12) that supports a printing plate (18). A printing plate reference field (100) has a lowest reference field surface (101) lower than the printing plate (18) and a highest reference field surface (105) higher the printing plate in the printing motif region. A control unit can vary a distance between an impression cylinder (28) and the plate cylinder (12) for pressing a printing substrate against the printing plate (18) and can very a distance between an inking roller (20) and the printing plate (18). A first sensor (34) connected to the control unit determines a quality of a printed image of the printing plate reference field (100) on the printing substrate (30) and a second sensor (36) connected to the control unit determines a quality of a negative image of the printing plate reference field (100) on the inking roller (20).

A printing plate pressure adjustment system for a can decorator including a printing plate cylinder assembly having a printing plate cylinder drive shaft, and a blanket wheel. The system includes an actuator, a control system structured to control operation of the actuator to adjust a pressure between the printing plate cylinder assembly and the blanket wheel, an eccentric bushing disposed around the printing plate cylinder drive shaft, wherein rotation of the eccentric bushing causes the printing plate cylinder to move toward or away from the blanket wheel, and a drive mechanism coupled between the actuator and the eccentric bushing, wherein operation of the actuator causes the drive mechanism to rotate the eccentric bushing.