An apparatus is disclosed for coating a surface that is movable relative to the apparatus with a layer of metallic particles or particles having a metal-like appearance and reflectivity, the particles adhering more strongly to the surface than to one another. The apparatus comprises at least one spray head for directly or indirectly applying to the surface a fluid stream within which the particles are suspended, a housing surrounding the spray head(s) and defining an interior plenum for confining the fluid stream, the housing having a rim adjacent the surface that is configured to prevent egress of particles from a sealing gap defined between the rim of the housing and the surface to be coated, and a suction source connected to the housing to extract from the plenum the sprayed fluid and particles suspended in the sprayed fluid. In operation, the suction source extracts substantially all particles that are not in direct contact with the surface, so as to leave only a substantially single particle layer adhering to the surface on exiting the apparatus.

A printing apparatus configured to print an image on a can body includes: a blanket transfer device configured to transfer ink on a plurality of printing plates to a blanket; and a can body transfer device configured to transfer the ink having been transferred on the blanket to the can body to print the image on the can body. The plurality of printing plates include a first printing plate and a second printing plate to print a specified image of the image. The first printing plate is configured to print a border image which is a border part of the specified image, and the second printing plate is configured to print a vicinity of the border image in the specified image.

The invention relates to a printing machine with hybrid printing technology for printing on a continuous material web. In order to create a printing machine with hybrid printing technology which is adaptable and flexible in use in the course of the current trend for digitization, the printing machine with according to the invention, hybrid printing technology for printing a continuous material web, is a printing machine with a rotating central cylinder, on the surface of which the material web is guided from a placement point to a separation point for printing; a plurality of inking units for digital printing of the material web are arranged in the region of an upper half of the central cylinder, and a plurality of inking units for flexographic printing of the material web are arranged in the region of a lower half of the central cylinder; an unwinding station is provided for unwinding the material web to be printed from a roll and a winding station is provided for winding the printed material web onto a roll, the unwinding station and the winding station being arranged on a first side of the central cylinder, with supply guide rollers for feeding the material web unwound from the unwinding station to the central cylinder and with discharge guide rollers for discharging the printed material web from the central cylinder to the winding station; the feed guide rollers and the discharge guide rollers being arranged on a second side of the central cylinder, with a feed guide roller for placing the material web onto the central cylinder at the placement point and a strip guide roller for detaching the material web from the central cylinder, the feed guide roller and the strip guide roller being designed in such a way that the placement point and the separation point are arranged on the lower quadrant of the central cylinder.

A coating device, comprising a supply roller having a first contact surface, and a counter-roller placed opposite the supply roller and a second contact surface substantially parallel to the first contact surface. The contact surfaces are at least a substrate width in width and maintain a mutual gap for receiving the substrate therein in contact with both contact surfaces. The supply roller and counter-roller are each rotatable about their central axis. A liquid is supplied to the supply roller. At least the contact surface of the supply roller or the counter-roller is axially adjustable along the central axis thereof. Adjusting means align an edge of the contact surface of the supply roller and the counter-roller with a side of the substrate. An opposite edge of the other of the supply roller and the counter-roller is aligned with an opposite side of the substrate.

A label, and methods and systems for preparing the label. The label includes a lens or lens array. The label includes at least one surface, a portion of which is embossed, and a lens array provided by the embossed portion of the at least one surface. The method includes applying a material to a substrate and contacting a surface of the material with a master engraving to provide an embossed region on a least a portion of the surface of the material, wherein the embossed region provides at least one lens.

A coating device for supplying a liquid to a substrate, particularly in the form of an optionally printed web, foil, strip or sheet, comprises a reservoir for holding a quantity of liquid. Coating means are provided which are able and configured to take liquid from the reservoir and transfer it to the substrate. Supply means deliver the liquid into the reservoir during operation. The supply means are controllable and are able to lead a constant liquid flow into the reservoir. The reservoir is provided with level detecting means which are able and configured to detect a liquid level in the reservoir. Provided between the level detecting means and the coating means is a control which controls the coating means during operation on the basis of a detection (LS) of the liquid level in the reservoir in order to maintain the liquid level at a fixed value.

A printing machine comprising advancement elements for advancing material in sheet form to be printed which are provided at least with a traction drum which is designed to receive, at an entry region, the material in sheet form to be printed and to convey it toward an exit region spaced circumferentially apart, along the direction of rotation of the traction drum about its own axis, from the entry region; analog print stations are arranged around the traction drum, between the entry region and the exit region and, between at least two analog print stations, conveyance means are provided for conveying the material in sheet form to be printed which arrives from the traction drum along an advancement path that has at least one advancement portion for advancing the material in sheet form to be printed which extends substantially straight, along which at least one digital print station is arranged.

A machine arrangement sequentially processes sheet-like substrates with multiple different processing stations each having a substrate-guiding unit and a substrate-processing unit. At least one of the processing stations has, as a substrate-processing unit, at least one non-impact printing device which prints on the substrate. The processing station with the at least one non-impact printing device has a printing cylinder. Each non-impact printing device is arranged at the circumference of the printing cylinder. The printing cylinder is triple-sized or quadruple-sized. A double-sized or a triple-sized transfer drum, or a corresponding feed cylinder, is arranged directly upstream of this printing cylinder. Alternatively, a double-sized or a triple-sized transfer drum, or a corresponding transfer cylinder, is arranged directly downstream of this printing cylinder.

Provided herein are methods and systems for the custom-printing of an item including, e.g., a) accepting customer request data for a workpiece and customer request data for a graphic design to cover at least a portion of the workpiece; b) accepting workpiece identifier data from a workpiece database based on the customer request data; c) accepting print design data from a print design database based on the customer request data for a graphic design; d) associating the print design data with the workpiece identifier data; e) printing the print design data onto a hydrofilm portion; f) placing the hydrofilm portion onto a fluid surface in a dip tank; g) applying an activator to the hydrofilm portion to yield an activated hydrofilm portion; and h) dipping the workpiece into the dip tank, whereby the activated hydrofilm portion is bonded to the workpiece as a result of the dipping.

The present invention is related to a method of curing a coated product comprising a substrate and a UV-curable coating composition applied onto a surface of said substrate, the method comprising the steps of transporting said coated product, by means of a web path, into a curing unit comprising a rotating unit, preferably a cylindrical body, and a treatment area formed between said rotating unit and said web path, said rotating unit and said web path having an even surface, wherein said coated product when being transported through said treatment area contacts the rotating unit and the web path so that no free areas between the coated product and the cylindrical body and the web path are present in said treatment area, and UV-curing said coated product present in said treatment area.