A device for measuring elevated areas of the surface of a rotary body in the form of a cylinder, a roller, a sleeve or a plate of a printing press, for example a flexographic printing plate, includes a first motor for rotating the rotary body about a rotational axis and a measuring unit for contactless measurement. The measuring unit for contactless measurement includes at least one radiation source and at least one area scan camera. The measuring unit for contactless measurement preferably includes a reference object, for example a wire tensioned in an axially parallel manner, a second motor and optionally a further second motor, for adjusting the measuring unit and/or the reference object perpendicularly to the rotational axis. The device makes it possible to measure elevated areas, for example flexographic print dots, quickly and with high precision. A system having the device is also provided.

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.

According to the invention there is an apparatus for printing onto cylindrical structures comprising: a plurality of inker devices each comprising a print cylinder and one or more servomotors for adjustably controlling the position or orientation of a print cylinder; a blanket device comprising a plurality of print blankets, in which the blanket device is configured to bring each print blanket into contact with the print cylinders to transfer ink from the print cylinders to the print blanket, and to bring each print blanket into contact with a cylindrical structure to achieve printing thereon; a transporter for transporting the cylindrical structures into and out of contact with the print blankets; and an automatic print correction system comprising a print inspection device for detecting a misregistration of ink transferred from one or more of the print cylinders onto a print blanket, and a controller for controlling the servomotors of the print cylinders to correct the misregistration in response to data received from the print inspection device.

Systems for marking a moving film that include a triggering apparatus (140) that repeatedly provides a trigger signal, a controller (120) that receives the trigger signal and generates a marking signal, and a marking device (130) that receives the marking signal and marks the film are provided Also provided are methods for marking a moving film that employ the systems. Apparatuses for marking a moving film that include the triggering apparatus and the controller are also provided. Methods for making metallized marked films that include a film marked by these systems and a metallized layer, in which at least one marking is embedded within the film are also provided. Also provided are methods for making packages and packing a product in these packages, in which the packages include the metallized marked films are also provided.

A method for printing on an article can include selecting a shape model. The shape model is generated from a first image and includes a fiducial, a reference location, and a graphic marker, the fiducial is located in the first image. The reference location is based on a location of the fiducial in the first image, and the graphic marker is positioned at a pre-selected location relative to the reference location. The method can also include locating the fiducial in a second image of an article, by a computing device, establishing the reference location in the second image of the article, positioning the graphic marker within the second image of the article at the pre-selected location, and printing a graphic on the article at a graphic location, the graphic location on the article corresponds to the pre-selected location of the graphic marker on the second image of the article.

A feedback information generation method for a solder inspection apparatus includes: receiving an input of information on the number of buffers which are disposed between the solder inspection apparatus and a screen printer for printing solder on printed circuit boards and are configured to support the printed circuit boards to be introduced into the solder inspection apparatus so as to put the printed circuit boards on standby; generating feedback information by using the input information and an inspection result of the printed circuit boards by the solder inspection apparatus; and transmitting the feedback information to the screen printer. Feedback information may be generated in consideration of the number of buffers, thereby preventing the feedback information from being excessively generated as well as ensuring the accuracy of the feedback information.

A system and method for the overprint on flexible supports are described. In particular, the overprint system 1 comprises a printing unit 2 comprising a rotatable printing cylinder 3, having printing zones at the surface thereof, and first actuating means 14, configured to drive in a controllable manner the printing cylinder 3 rotation. The system further comprises a first reel 5 for unwinding a flexible support 4 to be printed, which has preset zones to be overprinted, and a second reel 8 for rewinding the flexible support 4, once it has been printed. A plurality of winding rolls 7 arranges an unwinding path, for the flexible support 4, comprised between the first 5 and the second 8 reels, and passing through the printing unit 2. The system then comprises second actuation means 20, configured to drive in a controllable manner the flexible support 4 advancement along the unwinding path (upstream of the printing unit 2 in the unwinding direction), and control means 10, configured to control in a coordinated manner both the first actuating means 14 and the second actuation means 20, so as to determine at every moment a correspondence of the preset zones to be overprinted of the flexible support 4 with respective printing zones of the printing cylinder 3.

A method of generating alignment data for a printhead. The method includes the steps of: printing a calibration pattern using the printhead, the calibration pattern including rows of spaced apart fiducials, each fiducial having a plurality of concentric shapes representing a code sequence; imaging the fiducials at a first resolution to generate imaged fiducials; cross-correlating a template fiducial with the imaged fiducials at a plurality of different displacement s relative to each imaged fiducial, the template fiducial having a configuration matching the imaged fiducials; determining a two-dimensional set of cross-correlation values for each imaged fiducial, each set of cross-correlation values indicating a center of a respective fiducial; and generating alignment data for the printhead using the sets of cross-correlation values.

A device for handling foil for use in a printing process during which portions of a layer of the foil are transferred to a substrate comprises a foil input unit for inputting at least one foil web to the device, a number of rotatable shafts and bars for directing the at least one foil web to the printing press and retrieving at least one used foil web from the printing press, an arrangement for controlling operation of the device, and a web tension feedback unit for detecting at least one characteristic related to an actual web tension during operation of the device so as to realize web tension control by adjusting motion and/or positioning of at least one of the rotatable shafts and bars in case the characteristic appears to deviate from a reference related to a set web tension.

A rotary screen transfer printing machine and a control system thereof. The rotary screen transfer printing machine having a feeding unit, a printing unit, a drying unit, and a receiving unit; the printing unit has at least one rotary screen transfer printing assembly and a guide belt assembly; each rotary screen transfer printing assembly has a rotary screen plate roller and a transfer roller; the rotary screen plate roller is close to the transfer roller; the transfer roller is seamlessly coated with rubber or a resin having good affinity for a water-based ink. A control system includes: a motion controller; a conveying synchronization module, used for controlling the feeding unit, the printing unit, the drying unit, and the receiving unit to synchronize the conveying speeds of the four units; and a rotary screen transfer printing synchronization module.