INK DISPENSING SYSTEM USING PRESSURE

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. An ink dispensing system comprising a first chamber configured to hold ink under pressure; a first ink channel connecting an output of the first chamber to an output of the ink dispensing system; a first pressure source configured to deliver air with adjustable pressure to the first chamber; a first sensor configured to measure an amount or a flow of ink; and a control system functionally connected to the first pressure source and to the first sensor, wherein the control system is configured to control the amount of ink output by the ink dispensing system by adjusting a pressure value delivered to the first chamber.

2. The ink dispensing system according to claim 1, further comprising a second chamber configured to hold ink under pressure; a second ink channel connecting an output of the second chamber to a junction joining the second ink channel with the first ink channel; a mixer located at the junction or downstream from the junction according to the flow of ink on the first ink channel and configured to mix the ink stemming from both the first chamber and the second chamber together and to output a resulting mixture to the output of the ink dispensing system.

3. The ink dispensing system according to claim 1, wherein the first sensor is configured to measure the flow of ink stemming from the first chamber.

4. The ink dispensing system according to claim 2, further comprising a second sensor configured to measure the flow of ink stemming from the second chamber or configured to measure the amount of ink inside the second chamber; a second pressure source configured to deliver air with adjustable pressure to the second chamber, wherein the control system is configured to control the flow of ink stemming from the second chamber by adjusting a pressure value delivered by the second pressure source thereby controlling the total amount of ink delivered by the ink dispensing system as well as the relative amount of ink stemming from each chamber.

5. The ink dispensing system according to claim 2, further comprising a mixing valve at the junction that controls the relative amount of ink mixed stemming from the first chamber and from the second chamber, respectively, wherein the first pressure source is connected to the first chamber and to the second chamber to deliver air to both chambers with adjustable pressure.

6. The ink dispensing system according to claim 1, further comprising a first ink reservoir configured to deliver ink to the first chamber.

7. The ink dispensing system according to claim 2, further comprising a first ink reservoir configured to deliver ink to the first chamber; and a second ink reservoir configured to deliver ink to the second chamber.

8. An ink dispensing system according to claim 7, further comprising a second sensor configured to measure the flow of ink stemming from the second chamber or configured to measure the amount of ink inside the second chamber; a second pressure source configured to deliver air with adjustable pressure to the second chamber, wherein the control system is configured to control the flow of ink stemming from the second chamber by adjusting a pressure value delivered by the second pressure source thereby controlling the total amount of ink delivered by the ink dispensing system as well as the relative amount of ink stemming from each chamber.

9. An ink dispensing system according to claim 7, further comprising a mixing valve at the junction that controls the relative amount of ink mixed stemming from the first chamber and from the second chamber, respectively, wherein the first pressure source is connected to the first chamber and to the second chamber to deliver air to both chambers with adjustable pressure.

10. A rotary printing unit, comprising an Ink dispensing system according to claim 4; a subsystem comprising a set of cylinders and an ink buffer configured to print a single color channel of a fixed cliché and a control mark on a medium; an optical sensor configured to measure an optical parameter from the printed control mark on the medium and connected to the control system, wherein the ink dispensing system is configured to provide the subsystem with ink, and the control system is functionally connected to the optical sensor and is configured to vary the relative amount of ink stemming from the first chamber and the second chamber whenever the measured optical parameter deviates from a target value to match the measured optical parameter with the target value.

11. The rotary printing unit according to claim 10, wherein there is no ink recirculation channel from the ink buffer to the ink dispensing system configured for transporting ink from the ink reservoir to the ink dispensing system.

Description

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0013] Embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which reference numbers indicate the same or similar elements and in which;

[0014] FIG. 1A shows an example of an ink dispensing system with a chamber, a pressure source and a sensor;

[0015] FIG. 1B shows the example of FIG. 1A picturing the feedback loop to control the pressure of the pump based on the flow sensor reading;

[0016] FIG. 2 shows an example of a dispensing system for controlling the ink composition, composed of one source of pressure, two chambers and a mixer with a mixing valve;

[0017] FIG. 3 shows a variation of the example in FIG. 2 where the mixing valve is replaced by using two pressure sources;

[0018] FIG. 4 shows the example of FIG. 2 where a refill reservoir is connected to every chamber;

[0019] FIG. 5 shows the example of FIG. 3 where a refill reservoir is connected to every chamber;

[0020] FIG. 6 shows the example of FIG. 2 where only one sensor is used;

[0021] FIG. 7 shows the example of FIG. 3 depicting the control system;

[0022] FIG. 8 shows the example of FIG. 6 where the sensor is replaced by a sensor which monitors the level of ink in an ink buffer;

[0023] FIG. 9 shows the example of FIG. 7 using an additional sensor to monitor the level of ink in an ink buffer.

A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND OF SOME OF ITS EMBODIMENTS

[0024] FIGS. 1A and 1B show an example of ink dispensing system 1 that uses a (first) chamber 2 connected to a (first) pressure source 4. The pressure source generates a controllable pressure in the chamber 2 causing the ink 5 to be pushed through the ink outlet 13 into the (first) ink channel 3. A (first) sensor 6 measures the flow of ink travelling through the channel 3 toward the dispensing unit output 14. The flow of ink is controlled by varying the pressure delivered to the chamber 2, for example by acting on the amount and/or pressure of air delivered by the pressure source 4. This solution allows for a precise and continuous ink dispensing.

[0025] Please note that any pressure source disclosed and claimed in this document may be a source of pressurised air with constant pressure connected to controllable air valve (for example a proportional valve), or may be a pump. The controllable air valve delivers a (settable) fraction of the pressure present in the source of pressurised air. Also, when mentioning two pressure sources, it may refer to a single source of pressurised air with two controllable air valves.

[0026] The pressure sources 4,24 in this document deliver air under pressure. By air we mean any gas—but preferably air—that does not interfere with the ink quality (it could be CO2).

[0027] The chambers inlet 12 and outlet 13 (of any exemplary chamber in this document) are preferably positioned and configured such that the air entering the chamber pushes the ink through the outlet 13, without creating bubbles or any other artefacts. Advantageously, the outlet is positioned such that the chamber can be emptied by the air under pressure. For example, to achieve this characteristic, the inlet 12 may be positioned on the top of the chamber 2 and the outlet on the bottom of the chamber 2.

[0028] FIG. 2 shows an example of a dispensing system configured to regulate the composition of the ink at the output 14. It is made of two chambers 2,22 connected to the same source of pressure 4. Each chamber is connected to its respective ink channel 3,23 that transports the ink to the dispensing output 14. An ink mixer 10 is placed on the path of the ink channels, to mix the ink 5 coming from the first chamber 2 (i.e. from the first ink channel 3) with the ink 25 coming from the second chamber 22 (i.e. from the second ink channel 23) together. The mixer 10 is configured to deliver a homogeneous mixture of ink. To control the ink composition, the mixer 10 comprises—or is connected to—a mixing valve 11, whose function is to control the relative amounts of ink extracted from each channel 3,23. Advantageously, the mixer may be able to set any ink ratio at the mixer output, from an ink composition made of 100% of ink 5 stemming from chamber 2 to a composition made of 100% of ink 25 stemming from chamber 22. A second sensor 26 is placed on the second ink channel 23 to measure the flow of ink coming out of the second chamber 22. The first sensor 6 is placed upstream from the mixer on the first ink channel 3 to measure the flow of ink coming out of the first chamber 2. As an alternative, the first sensor 6 may be placed downstream from the mixer 10, thereby measuring the total flow of ink delivered by the dispensing system 1. A control system is connected to the two sensors 6,26, to the mixing valve 11 and to the pressure source for controlling the amount and composition of ink dispensed by the system (the pressure source influences the total flow of ink, while the mixer influences the ink composition).

[0029] Please note that to obtain a reactive system, the path length between the junction point 17 of the ink channels and the output of the dispensing system should be kept as short as possible. Thus, the output of the dispensing system may be the output of the mixer. Also, the mixer can be a passive device, or an active one where an element (for example a rotating helix, a rotating element or an oscillating body) actioned by a motor mixes the ink inside the mixer.

[0030] The first and second chambers are supposed to be filled with inks having different characteristics for regulating the ink composition. For example, the first chamber 2 may be filled with ink having a pigment concentration below specification, while the second chamber 22 may be filled with ink having a pigment concentration above specification. By controlling the ink proportion (for example by acting on the mixing valve 11), the system 1 can dispense ink with an adjustable density. This adjustment capability allows the ink dispensing system 1 to compensate for printing instabilities caused by environmental parameters, like temperature or humidity, or due to the wearing of the printing hardware. To do that, the printing machine (or printing unit) that integrates the dispensing system must have a sensor that monitors the quality of the print and feeds back the measurement. The measurement is compared to the desired value to adjust the composition and/or the amount of the dispensed ink.

[0031] FIG. 3 shows an example where, compared to FIG. 2, the ink composition is controlled by using an additional pressure source 24 instead of the mixing valve 11. Thus, the first pressure source 4 is connected to the first chamber 2, while the second pressure source 24 is connected to the second chamber 22. The amount and composition of ink dispensed by the system are controlled by individually controlling the pressure delivered by each of the two pressure sources 4,24. As an alternative, the flow sensors 6,26 may be replaced by a single flow sensor 6 on the ink channel 3 downstream from the mixing valve.

[0032] FIG. 4 shows the example of FIG. 2 by adding a refill system. Thanks to the refill system, the dispensing system can function non-stop. A first ink reservoir 7 is connected to the first chamber 2 through a refill channel 9. The ink reservoir is advantageously kept at ambient pressure, thus allowing for a simple refill method. A refill pressure source 8 on the refill channel is used to push the ink from the reservoir 7 to the chamber 2. The refill pressure source 8 compensates for the difference in pressure between the reservoir 7 and the chamber 2. Please note that a reservoir (7,27) like the ones in FIG. 4 (and the related refill channel and pressure source) can be added to any chamber of this document to (re)fill the chamber with ink. Here, a second reservoir 27 is connected to the second chamber 22 through a second refill channel 29 with a refill pump 28. The refill pump can be, for example, a diaphragm pump, a gear pump, a peristaltic pump or a piston. Preferably, an anti-return valve 19 is placed on the refill channel (9,29) to prevent the depressurisation of the chamber and/or to prevent ink from flowing back to the reservoir from the chamber. The anti-return valve is particularly useful in embodiments where the pressure source 8 is integrated with the reservoir into a single device, to prevent the depressurisation of the chamber when switching a reservoir with new one during printing. Please note that there is no need to switch reservoirs; a reservoir might be refilled during printing; the anti-return valve 19 gives more flexibility in the use of the ink dispensing system 1 and in the choice of the type of pressure source 8.

[0033] FIG. 5 shows an example where, compared to FIG. 4, the ink composition is controlled by using an additional pressure source 24 instead of the mixing valve 11. In this example, the flow sensor 26 is not optional.

[0034] FIG. 6 shows a modification of the example of FIG. 2, by using only one sensor. The dispensing system of FIG. 6 is adapted for a printing machine having an optical sensor 37 that monitors the quality of the printed medium 34 (not shown). Sensor 6 measures the total flow of ink dispensed by the unit. This measurement is used to make sure that there is neither too much nor too little ink in the inking system of the printing unit. Also, the feedback of the optical sensor 37 of the printing machine or printing unit (or in general the feedback of the quality control system) is used to set or correct the ink mixing proportion by acting on the mixing valve 11.

[0035] FIG. 7 shows the example of FIG. 5 showing the control system 100. The dispensing system of FIG. 7 is adapted for a printing machine having an optical sensor 37 that monitors the quality of the printed medium 34 (not shown). The flow sensors 6,26 measures the flow of ink dispensed by each ink chamber 2,22. Also, the feedback of the optical sensor 37 of the printing machine or printing unit (or in general the feedback of the quality control system) is used to set or correct the ink mixing proportion and amount by acting on the relative and total pressure of the pressure sources 2, 24, respectively, and monitoring the resulting ink flow using the flow sensors 6, 26.

[0036] FIG. 8 shows a modification of the example of FIG. 6, where the sensor 6 is replaced by a level sensor that measures the level of ink present in the ink buffer 35 of the inking system of the printing unit. According to a preferred embodiment, the inking buffer is implemented by exploiting the area above the nip between an inking cylinder 31 and an etched cylinder 30 (anilox or gravure cylinder or plate cylinder) of the printing unit. Nevertheless, it could be implemented using an ink pan, or a chamber with a double doctor blade. The level sensor is used to control the amount of ink that the dispensing system 1 needs to deliver over time. A printing unit has an optical sensor 37 that monitors the quality of the print on the substrate 34 and feeds back the measurement. The measurement is compared to the desired value to adjust the composition of the dispensed ink (i.e., adjust the mixing valve setting). Please note that the part of FIG. 8 showing the printing rollers is approximate: the number of cylinders between the etched cylinder 30 and the impression cylinder 32 may vary depending on the type of printing technology (here a gravure technology is pictured).

[0037] FIG. 9 shows an embodiment according to the example of FIG. 7, where a level sensor measures the level of ink present in the ink buffer 35 of the inking system of the printing unit. As in the example of FIG. 8, the inking buffer is implemented by exploiting the area above the nip between an inking cylinder 31 and an etched cylinder 30 (anilox or gravure cylinder or plate cylinder) of the printing unit. Nevertheless, it could be implemented using an ink pan, or a chamber with a double doctor blade. The level sensor is used to make sure that there is enough ink in the ink buffer. A printing unit has an optical sensor 37 that monitors the quality of the print on the substrate 34 and feeds back the measurement. The measurement is compared to the desired value to adjust the composition of the dispensed ink (i.e. adjust the relative pressure of the sources of pressure 4,24). Please note that the part of FIG. 9 showing the printing rollers is approximate: the number of cylinders between the etched cylinder 30 and the impression cylinder 32 may vary depending on the type of printing technology (here a gravure technology is pictured).

[0038] The control system used to control any embodiments of the invention takes as input the reading of the sensors and a piece of information from the quality control system of the printing machine/unit. Said piece of information can be the measurement of an optical sensor that reads the printed substrate (along with its desired value), or a more abstract piece of information instructing the system to change the ink characteristics in a certain way, or to augment or reduce the ink flow dispensed by the system 1. The control system outputs control signals to the pressure sources 4,24 and/or to the mixing valve, thereby controlling the total amount of ink dispensed by the system 1 and, if applicable, the composition of the ink dispensed.

[0039] The examples that are suited for controlling the ink composition in this document can be extended to embodiments using any number of chambers (greater than two). This would allow controlling more than one parameter of the ink composition, for example by affecting the hue and the density of the dispensed ink.

[0040] Please note that when this document mentions an example of a dispensing system, it means an exemplary embodiment of a dispensing system according to the invention.

[0041] Please note that to regulate the composition of ink to obtain a target value, it is sufficient to be able to modify the relative amount of ink in the ink mixture without measuring the absolute values. For example, the system does not need to know that the ink mixture of the example in FIG. 2 is made of 57% of ink 5 and 43% of ink 25, but only needs to be able to change this ratio and be able to keep the ratio constant.

[0042] Please note that the first ink channel 3 connects the output of the chamber 2 to the output of the dispensing system 14, while the second ink channel 23 connects the output of chamber 22 to the junction 17. Thus, after the junction 17, the first ink channel 3 may contain ink from several ink chambers.

[0043] The output 14 of the dispensing system may be a single output, as depicted in the Figures, or it might be multiple: a set of connections, preferably having the same length, may connect the output of the mixer to several outputs 14 of the dispensing system. In this way, the dispensed ink can be distributed over a larger area or along a line.

[0044] In practice, the pressure used in the chambers ranges typically between 1 and 2 bars, for example, 1.5 bar. They could, however, range from 0.1 to 3 bars.

[0045] Please note that pressure is used to push the ink out of the system 1. The dispensing system is usually dispensing ink continuously, but may also be stopped and restarted when needed. Given the volumes of air/ink under pressure involved in the system, the frequency of this stop and restart process is several orders of magnitude slower than the ones used in ink jet printing, where the ink dispensed is used to create a pattern.

[0046] The volume of the chamber 2,22 is dimensioned so that, when using the printing unit at full speed, full width and at 100% ink coverage, the chamber is designed to consume its ink content in 5 to 10 minutes. This is the time needed for an operator to switch an empty ink reservoir 7,27 with a new—full—one without interrupting the printing process. In our implementation, a chamber 2,22 contains three litres of ink. Alternatively, the chamber 2,22 may contain between two and five litres of ink. In any case, the capacity of an ink chamber is larger than 0.1 litres. Please note that instead of switching a reservoir 7,27 with a new, full one, the operator may simply refill the reservoir with new ink.

[0047] By fixed cliché, we mean a picture that is the same for the whole duration of the printing job (in contrast to digital printing where the pictures may change from page to page).

[0048] Please note that when the dispensing system is running, the ink follows a path from upstream to downstream.