An ink maintenance system for a printer comprising a first tray having a base and a plurality of side walls, the first tray having a first length and an open top along the length and a second tray having a base and a plurality of side walls, the second tray having a second length and an open top along its length. The system also includes a fan and a filter. To use the system, a print head is positioned in a standby or cleaning position within the printer and ink is ejected from one or more print nozzles into an ink maintenance system within the printer such that the ejected ink is collected in at least one of a catch tray or a filter of the ink maintenance system. The system is then removable from the printer for cleaning.

There is provided a three-dimensional object printing apparatus including a first robot supporting a head having a nozzle for discharging a liquid and changing a position and a posture of the head, and a second robot supporting a three-dimensional workpiece and changing a position and a posture of the workpiece.

A printing mechanism for a sample container is provided with a receiving end provided with a receiving rack, the receiving rack being connected with a fixed receiving plate and a movable receiving plate, wherein corresponding receiving trough and falling channel are formed by splicing and separating the fixed receiving plate and the movable receiving plate; and a discharging end provided with a rotating assembly that receives a sample container falling in the falling channel and drives the sample container to rotate to align an unprinted blank region on the sample container with a printing assembly.

An apparatus for stretching a surface of a pair of shoes for digitally printing onto the surface by an external device, the apparatus comprising: a main plate configured to receive the pair of shoes, the main plate comprising a front end, a rear end opposite the front end, and a medial portion extending between the front and the rear ends, the medial portion being laterally offset from an outer edge of each of the front and the rear ends, a pair of curved grooves disposed at the rear end and being adapted to receive an interior of the heel of each shoe of the pair of shoes; a pair of side arms each being adapted to traverse longitudinally along an edge of the medial portion, and having a V-shaped groove; and a pair of motors each configured to independently cause a longitudinal movement of the pair of side arms.

The present invention relates to a method for surface-treating a part (2), comprising: a measurement step, during which movement means (3), to which the part (2) is secured, are moved and a set of instantaneous velocities, at the surface (1) of the part (2), is determined by means of a measurement sensor (9), a signal processing step, during which a microcontroller (8) determines, from the data representative of the set of instantaneous velocities, a pulse train signal (S) representative of a set of frequencies of ejection of a substance (13) to be deposited, a deposition step, during which the microcontroller (8) transmits the pulse train signal (S) to the deposition means (6) in order to eject the substance (13) according to the pulse train signal (S).

A printing apparatus is provided with: a support member supporting a can body; a movement route in which the support member moves, the movement route being formed into an annular shape and partially including a linear part, which is a linear-shaped movement route; and plural inkjet heads forming an image onto the can body supported by the support member positioned at the linear part. Thus, it is possible to suppress degradation of image quality that may happen in the case of forming a movement route of can bodies into an annular shape when an image is to be formed on a can body by use of the plural inkjet heads.

Provided are a printing jig for an inkjet-type printer and a method for manufacturing printed objects therewith, which jig can be easily produced in accordance with the shape and size of an object to be printed and allows the object to be accurately positioned relative to the printer. The printing jig supports an object to be printed, and is placed in an inkjet-type printer when the object is being printed. The printing jig includes a mounting surface on which the object is to be placed, and a positioning part for positioning the object. The positioning part includes a protrusion preformed on the mounting surface so as to be brought into contact with at least part of the object placed on the mounting surface. The protrusion is made of deposited and cured ink used by the inkjet-type printer.

Provided are a personalized automatic customization method and an apparatus for a ring-pull can. In the apparatus, a bin device is located at an upper part of the apparatus, a distributing device is installed below a bin device, and a pushing device is arranged on a side of the distributing device and a positioning device. A pattern of a marking content is set on the control system, and a feeding wheel is driven to rotate so that a canned beverage falls down. The pushing device pushes the ring-pull can to the positioning device. The control system receives the positioning signal, and a marking header of the marking device is driven to mark on an outer surface of the ring-pull can. The pushing device pushes the ring-pull can towards a second chute, and an electrical thrust cylinder extends the push rod out thereof to push the discharging hopper forward.

An apparatus (200) and method for preparing a cylindrical object having a protective surface coating, such as a necked can (100), for decorating thereon using a printing technique. According to the method, a primer is applied onto the surface coating, and the primer is then dried to form a surface for decorating the object. The apparatus comprises a priming station (260) for applying a primer onto said surface coating, and a drying station (270) for drying the primer.

A container body decorator (10) has a controller (300) with a software stored in a memory. A plurality of ink-jet printing heads (108) is in communication with the controller (300). A segmented image transfer blanket (116) has a circumferential configuration with an inner surface opposite a printing surface. A printing site (124) is located along the segmented image transfer blanket (116). A container body handling module (200) delivers container bodies to the printing site (124).