For a flexographic printing apparatus, an apparatus (1) and method for mounting a printing plate (2) on a printing cylinder (4) or a printing sleeve including a system for pre-alignment (5, 8) of a printing plate (2) and real-time alignment (5, 8) of the printing plate (2) during mounting.

An apparatus for aligning an edge, such as a leading edge of a plate, in particular a printing plate or a printing plate precursor. The apparatus includes a support configured for supporting the plate on a support surface, and to be located upstream of a treatment station. At least two movable elements are arranged to be moved by an edge, such as a leading edge, of the plate. The at least two movable elements include a first and a second movable element; a detection means configured to detect a first and second measure representative for a first and second position of the first and second movable element, respectively, at least one controllable component configured to perform an action on the plate, and a control means configured to control the at least one controllable component based on the first and second measure.

An automatic applicator of a sticky back material to a printing sleeve is disclosed. The applicator includes a controller that is programmable with data relating to the size and desired positioning of the sticky back material to the sleeve. The sticky back material is secured to a transport system and cut to the desired size by a cutter, creating a sheet. The sheet is then transported between a pressure roller and the sleeve. The pressure roller applies pressure to the sticky back sheet, applying the sheet to the sleeve. A mandrel grips and rotates the sleeve to apply the sticky back sheet around an exterior surface of the sleeve.

An Adhesive Printing Form Attachment Layer comprises a permanently sticky layer, characterized in that the Adhesive Printing Form Attachment Layer is in the shape of a tube, preferably a seamless tube, and the permanently sticky layer forms at least the outer surface of the tube. The Adhesive Printing Form Attachment Layer can be used to adhesively fix a printing plate, preferably a flexographic printing plate, to a printing cylinder during the printing operation. The Adhesive Printing Form Attachment layer provides for easy replacement and easy installation on a printing sleeve or printing cylinder. Also provided are an assembly, comprising an adhesive printing form attachment layer according to the invention mounted on a printing sleeve, and a method of operating a printing machine, the method comprising forming the assembly by pulling the adhesive printing form attachment layer over the printing sleeve.

The invention relates to a device for applying adhesive tape (40) to the cylindrical surface (21) of a cylindrical body (20), said device comprising: at least two axially parallel securing rolls (30a, 30b) designed to make contact with the cylindrical surface of the cylindrical body; an adhesive tape feed for feeding the adhesive tape (40) to the cylindrical body (20); and means for rotating the cylindrical body (20) about its cylindrical axis.

An apparatus (1) for preparing a flexographic printing sleeve (3) comprises a support structure (21), comprising first support mechanism (2) which defines a workstation for rotatably supporting a first flexographic printing sleeve (3) such that it can rotate about a preset axis (K-K), a roll (11) of double-sided adhesive tape rotatably supported by a second support mechanism (10), and a first feeding and guiding mechanism (13) for unwinding the double-sided adhesive tape (12) from the roll (11) and directing the double-sided adhesive tape (12) to the surface of the first sleeve (3).

The invention relates to the use of an adhesive tape to adhesively bond printing plates, during which the impairment of the adhesive bonds by air bubble inclusions between the adhesive tape and a substrate should be reduced. This is achieved by using an adhesive tape comprising at least one adhesive layer, wherein the adhesive layer has at least one groove that does not extend to one of the edges of the adhesive layer, and the portion of the entire groove volume of the adhesive layer that is associated with such grooves is more than 50%.

For a flexographic printing apparatus, an apparatus (1) and method for mounting a printing plate (2) on a printing cylinder (4) or a printing sleeve including a system for pre-alignment (5, 8) of a printing plate (2) and real-time alignment (5, 8) of the printing plate (2) during mounting.

A system and method for aligning a generally flat, planar object and for facilitating the mounting of the generally flat planar object, such as a printing plate, in near perfect alignment in a cylindrical manner. A printing plate cylinder is covered with stickyback having a release liner. A narrow axial strip of release liner is removed and replaced with a piece of release liner that may be pulled or tugged from beyond the end of the printing cylinder. The printing plate is next rolled into a cylindrical form and held in place on a device which allows registration marks on the printing plate to align the two ends of the printing plate prior to the printing plate ends being temporarily adhered to one another using a piece of tape or similar product. The aligned printing plate is next slid over the printing cylinder which is covered with sticky back. The piece of release liner covering the section of previously removed stickyback is removed and a portion of the aligned printing plate is adhered to the stickyback at that point. The piece of tape holding the two ends of the printing plate in alignment is now removed along with the remainder of the release liner on the stickyback of the printing cylinder and the remainder of the printing plate is attached to the printing cylinder, providing an aligned printing plate on a printing plate cylinder. A machine vision system is used to record and certify the alignment and can also be used to aid in the alignment process based on prior aligned plates or a reference target alignment position.

An automatic applicator of a sticky back material to a printing sleeve is disclosed. The applicator includes a controller that is programmable with data relating to the size and desired positioning of the sticky back material to the sleeve. The sticky back material is secured to a transport system and cut to the desired size by a cutter, creating a sheet. The sheet is then transported between a pressure roller and the sleeve. The pressure roller applies pressure to the sticky back sheet, applying the sheet to the sleeve. A mandrel grips and rotates the sleeve to apply the sticky back sheet around an exterior surface of the sleeve.