A printing press for printing on metal cans includes a plurality of inkers. Each inker prints a different color ink on the cans, and includes a first module, a second module, a roller and a support member. The first module has motors to drive output shafts. The second module has ink displacement units, an ink inlet to provide ink to the ink displacement units, ink channels to transfer ink from the ink displacement units to ink outlets of the second module and input shafts to removably couple to the output shafts of the first module. The roller receives ink from the ink displacement units and transfers the ink toward the cans. The support member supports the first and second modules in at least one position relative to the roller. The support member facilitates removal of the second module by a press operator for cleaning the ink channels.

A printing press for printing on metal cans includes a plurality of inkers. Each inker prints a different color ink on the cans, and includes a first module, a second module, a roller and a support member. The first module has motors to drive output shafts. The second module has ink displacement units, an ink inlet to provide ink to the ink displacement units, ink channels to transfer ink from the ink displacement units to ink outlets of the second module and input shafts to removably couple to the output shafts of the first module. The roller receives ink from the ink displacement units and transfers the ink toward the cans. The support member supports the first and second modules in at least one position relative to the roller. The support member facilitates removal of the second module by a press operator for cleaning the ink channels.

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 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.

The present invention relates to using soft photopolymer plates in a printing process, and more specifically, to an apparatus and methods of using soft photopolymer materials to decorate an exterior surface of cylindrical metallic containers with high definition graphics and other indicia.

A foil stamping system includes a foil stamping apparatus capable of arranging and mounting a plurality of foil rolls about a direction orthogonal to a sheet feeding direction for forming a foil image by applying an adhesive on the sheet and stamping foil thereon, and a hardware processor, wherein the hardware processor includes: a foil roil information acquisitor that acquires foil roll information from the foil stamping apparatus; a job information acquisitor that receives and analyzes a job, and acquires job information; and an instructor that specifies a foil roll on the basis of the foil roll information and the job information transmits data for designating the region to be applied to the foil stamping apparatus, and instructs the foil stamping apparatus to perform foil stamping by the specified foil roll.

An apparatus and methods of decorating a metallic container are provided. More specifically, the present invention relates to apparatus and methods used to provide a decoration on a predetermined surface of a metallic container body. The decoration may be registered with decorations previously applied to the container body. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a screen print unit with a cylindrical body. The cylindrical body rotationally applies a predetermined type or color of ink or other coating, such as a varnish, to the cylindrical body. In one embodiment, the apparatus applies a varnish to a selected portion of the cylindrical body without applying the varnish to all of the cylindrical body. Additionally, the apparatus may also include a foiling unit that applies a label to the cylindrical body.

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.

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.

An inking unit of a printing unit and a device for printing on hollow bodies each have a cylindrical lateral surface. The device comprises the inking unit. The inking unit has an anilox roller which receives a printing ink from an ink reservoir and has an inking roller placed against a printing cylinder of the printing unit. A rider roller is arranged axially parallel to the anilox roller in a region between the ink reservoir and the inking roller, that region being located subsequent to the ink reservoir in a direction of rotation of the anilox roller. The ink reservoir interacts with the anilox roller. The rider roller is placed against the anilox roller. The rider roller is rotationally driven by the anilox roller by friction. The inking roller is rotationally driven by the anilox roller by friction. The plate cylinder and the anilox roller are each independently rotationally driven by a motor.