The present invention concerns an inking for a flexographic or a rotogravure press. The inking system uses a very small amount of ink coupled with an ink source made of two tanks with two different inks. Thanks to feedback given by measuring the output directly on the printed support, the system mixes the ink in the optimal proportions to ensure an optimal printing quality at any time. It can compensate any effect due to environmental changes like the humidity or the temperature. This system, coupled with a seven colours press allows for the replacement of spot colours in most cases thereby saving times and costs.

An apparatus and methods of decorating exterior surfaces of metallic containers are provided. More specifically, the present disclosure provides a novel metering roller for an inking assembly of a decorator. An adjustment mechanism is operable to move the metering roller to a first ink transfer position during a decoration run. In the first ink transfer position, the metering roller receives ink from an ink roller without contacting the ink roller. In one embodiment, during the production run, the metering roller is in contact with and transfers ink to a transfer roller. When the decoration run stops, the adjustment mechanism can move the metering roller to a second dwell position such that the metering roller does not receive ink from the ink roller.

This document discloses a system to dispense a precise and continuous amount of ink for a large printing press. The dispensing system can be judiciously combined into a more elaborate dispensing system that uses two chambers with ink having a different density to dispense ink with a precise, adjustable and stable ink density. The dispensing system can be used to compensate the drifts in quality observed in presses when the speed, or any environmentable parameters vary.

An apparatus and methods of monitoring and adjusting a decorator for metallic containers are provided. More specifically, the present invention relates to apparatus and methods used to provide a decoration on a predetermined portion of a metallic container body. The decorator includes a sensor that senses decorations on metallic containers. A control system receives information related to the sensed decorations from the sensor and then determines if the decorations at least meet predetermined color, density, thickness, orientation, and consistency targets. The control system can optionally automatically adjust elements of the decorator to correct a deficient decoration. In one embodiment, the control system can automatically send a signal to the decorator to adjust the color, density, orientation, positioning, and consistency of decorations transferred to the metallic containers. In another embodiment, the control system can send a signal to adjust a position of an inking assembly, an ink roller, a ductor roller a plate cylinder, a printing plate, a blanket cylinder, and a transfer blanket of the decorator.

A method is provided for setting a layer thickness of a covering coating material to be applied to a substrate by an application device. The coating material is applied to the substrate in a printing machine or in a paper-processing machine. The coating material is applied at various points on the substrate by the use of the application device in a machine process. At each of at least one first point on the substrate, the coating material is applied in a grid having a plurality of grid points, and at each of at least one other second point on the substrate, the coating material is applied over the full area. Each first point on the substrate forms a grid zone and each second point on the substrate forms a solid zone. A control unit connected to a sensing device determines respective values of the optical density of the layer of the coating material applied on the points on the substrate using data captured by the sensing device at the first and second points on the substrate. The control unit defines the layer thickness of the coating material currently applied to the substrate by the application device in an ongoing machine process. At the defined thickness, the value of the optical density determined in a grid zone corresponds to the value of the optical density determined in a solid zone, as the layer thickness of the coating material having an opacity of 100%.

The present invention discloses an accurate digital ink supply method for a printing press. The present invention adopts metering-type ink delivery units to replace the ink keys of the traditional printing press, and the metering-type ink delivery units directly deliver the ink to the corresponding ink zones on the metering basis of either volume or mass, realizing the quantitative supply of ink to each one of the ink zones. The present invention can perform accurate adjustment in real time, is high in automation and digitalization degree and large in adjustable range, realizes one-way ink delivery and avoids ink return.

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 portion of a metallic container body. The decorator includes a sensor that senses decorations on metallic containers. A control system receives information related to the sensed decorations from the sensor and then determines if the decorations at least meet predetermined color, density, thickness, orientation, and consistency targets. The control system can automatically adjust elements of the decorator to correct a deficient decoration. In one embodiment, the control system can automatically adjust ink blades associated with a plurality of inking assemblies of the decorator to adjust the color, density, orientation, positioning, and consistency of decorations transferred to the metallic containers. In another embodiment, the control system can adjust a position of an inking assembly, an ink roller, a plate cylinder, a printing plate, a blanket cylinder, and a transfer blanket of the decorator.

A printing system (10) is provided for printing on a material, comprising an ink formulation module (12) comprising at least one ink reservoir (14) and an ink adjustment system (16), a printing unit (18) for applying ink to the material, a sensor module (22) comprising at least one probe (24) for generating color measurement data, and a control module (25) being connected to the ink formulation module (12), the sensor module (22) and the printing unit (18). The color measurement data comprises at least one ink color value of the ink before being applied on the material by the printing unit (18). The control module (25) is configured to receive the color measurement data from the sensor module (22) and to transmit an ink adjustment request to the ink formulation module (12), wherein the ink formulation module (12) is configured to adjust the ink composition of the ink in the at least one ink reservoir (14) based on the ink adjustment request.

The present invention relates to a device or method for detecting and adjusting the printing parameters in flexographic printing machines.

The present invention concerns an inking for a flexographic or a rotogravure press. The inking system uses a very small amount of ink coupled with an ink source made of two tanks with two different inks. Thanks to feedback given by measuring the output directly on the printed support, the system mixes the ink in the optimal proportions to ensure an optimal printing quality at any time. It can compensate any effect due to environmental changes like the humidity or the temperature. This system, coupled with a seven colours press allows for the replacement of spot colours in most cases thereby saving times and costs.