The invention relates to a sealing system, the sealing system comprising two first sealing members (62) which are each disposed at opposite lateral ends (56) of a doctor blade chamber (48), and two second sealing members (64) which are each disposed at opposite lateral ends (60) of the rotatable roller (46), wherein in operational mode, each of the two first sealing members (62) is in rotating contact with each of the two second sealing members (64) such that a leakage of ink at the opposite lateral ends (56) of the doctor blade chamber (48) is prevented.

Methods, systems, and apparatus for thermal transfer printing include a band of material comprising a polyimide film, the band and a thickness of the band are selected based on heat transfer characteristics through the band; a print roller or platen configured and arranged to support a substrate; a printhead configured and arranged to thermally transfer ink from the band of material to the substrate; a combined heating and re-inking system comprising a heated ink roller comprising a textured outer surface, wherein a first portion of the heated ink roller contacts the band to cause ink on the band to re-melt, flow and replace at least some of the portion of the ink transferred to the substrate previously before arriving at the printhead again for a next print, and a second portion of the heated ink roller receives new ink; and a control system that matches the band and substrate speeds.

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for flexographic printing of a web of packaging material with printing ink and an inlet module for a flexographic printing apparatus. The apparatus may include an ink pan or chamber, and an anilox roll rotary at least partly inside the ink chamber for picking up and transferring printing ink from the ink chamber to an impression cylinder which is rotary in transfer contact with the anilox roll. The ink chamber may be elongated and extend axially along the anilox roll, the ink chamber having a first axial end and a second axial end opposite the first axial end. The apparatus may further include a first printing ink inlet arranged at the first axial end and a second printing ink inlet arranged at the second axial end.

A flexographic printer is provided with: a printing plate for transferring ink at an ink transfer site to an object to be printed S; an anilox roll for supplying ink to the printing plate at an ink supply site; a plate cylinder on which the printing plate is wound and rotated; and an ink solvent supply unit for supplying a solvent for the ink on the surface of the printing plate in a post-ink transfer region that is downstream of the ink transfer site in the plate cylinder rotation direction and upstream of the ink supply site in the plate cylinder rotation direction.

A fluid distribution device, for applying a fluid onto a transfer roller, comprises includes an elongated chamber, at least one inlet for letting a fluid into the chamber, a longitudinal opening extending in the axial direction and adapted to face a transfer roller to allow fluid to exit the chamber and contact the transfer roller, and at least one wiper blade extending along at least a portion of the longitudinal opening. The chamber includes, at each of the two axial ends of the chamber, a wall separating the chamber from a cavity. The wall has a wall surface arranged to face the transfer roller when the device is in use. The wall is dimensioned so that the wall surface will be distanced from the transfer roller when the device is in use, so as to allow fluid to be present in a gap between the wall surface and the transfer roller.

Certain examples of seals that can move along a slit are disclosed. The seals can comprise a first leaf, a second leaf, and a biasing member to push the first leaf away from the second leaf. Also, apparatus for applying a fluid, and printing systems are described.

An ink supply system (10) comprises an ink chamber (12); an ink line (14) with a Venturi nozzle (16), wherein the ink chamber (12) has an inlet (18), which is connected to the ink line (14) upstream of the Venturi nozzle (16), and an outlet (24), which is connected to the suction side of the Venturi nozzle (16); an ink reservoir (30) from which the ink is transferred by a pump (28) to the inlet (18) and into the ink line (32); and an ink return line (32), which connects the downstream end of the Venturi nozzle (16) with the ink reservoir (30).

The invention provides a combination of an ink reservoir and doctor blade assembly (2) and a rotatable cylinder (3) for a printing press, which form a chamber for containing ink, wherein the ink reservoir and doctor blade assembly (2) comprises a scaling assembly (203) for scaling an axial end of the chamber, or sealing a sub-chamber of the chamber from another sub-chamber of the chamber, wherein the sealing assembly (203) comprises a seal (2031) presenting a seal contour (SC) to sealingly engage a circumferential surface of the cylinder (3), and a flexible biasing device (2032) forming one or more cavities (2041-2043), and being arranged to receive a pressurized fluid in the one or more cavities (2041-2043), for biasing the seal (2031) into sealing engagement with the cylinder (3), wherein the combination is arranged according to one or both of the following alternatives (a) and (b): (a): in an axis perpendicular plane, which is perpendicular to the rotational axis of the cylinder (3) and coincides with a cross-section of the biasing device, the biasing device (2032) has a peak (2032P) or a summit (2032S) which is located within an extension (EXTSC) of the seal contour (SC) along a reference plane (RP) which coincides with the rotational axis of the cylinder (3) and which is perpendicular to a seal location plane (SLP) which coincides with the rotational axis of the cylinder (3) and a circumferential mid-point of the seal contour (SC), (b): the biasing device presents one or more surfaces which extend, in the axis perpendicular plane, in parallel with the seal location plane (SLP), and which face at least partly away from the seal location plane (SLP), and/or one or more surfaces which face partly away from the reference plane (RP), and the seal (2031) covers any such surface.

Provided are a blade device equipped with a blade member which can accurately adjust pressing force due to a blade member, and a printing machine and a coating device equipped with the blade device. A blade device according to the present invention has: a blade member contacting with a plate roll to which coating material is to be applied; an upper holder contacting with the blade member from one surface side of the blade member; a lower holder contacting with the blade member from another surface side of the blade member; a tube contacting with the blade member and configured to expand and contract by pressure of fluid; and a tube positioning part which is provided on the upper holder and positions the tube closer to the roller, in a direction in which the blade member extends, than a tip end of the lower holder is. The tube adjusts a pressing force, of the tip end of the blade member, against the roller by being expanded or contracted while being held by the tube positioning part and the blade 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).