6550results about "Printing press parts" patented technology

Apparatus and related methods align magnetic flakes in a carrier, such as an ink vehicle or a paint vehicle to create optically variable images in a high-speed, linear printing operation. Images can provide security features on high-value documents, such as bank notes. Magnetic flakes in the ink are aligned using magnets in a linear printing operation. Selected orientation of the magnetic pigment flakes can achieve a variety of illusive optical effects that are useful for decorative or security applications.

A process of, and apparatus for, three-dimensional printing of an object (200) from modeling material (220) including a printing tray (170) having a surface coating (202), a carpet (210), a support material (215), a support pedestal (210), a barrier layer (230) and a temperature control unit (204).

A transfer printing process that exploits the mismatch in mechanical or thermo-mechanical response at the interface of a printable micro- or nano-device and a transfer stamp to drive the release of the device from the stamp and its non-contact transfer to a receiving substrate are provided. The resulting facile, pick-and-place process is demonstrated with the assembling of 3-D microdevices and the printing of GAN light-emitting diodes onto silicon and glass substrates. High speed photography is used to provide experimental evidence of thermo-mechanically driven release.

Printing one or more value indicia onto a printable medium using a remote device coupled to a computer server via a communications network includes accessing the computer server with the remote device. A user is prompted to select a serial number associated with the printable medium, and the serial number is transmitted to the computer server using the remote device. A print control program is received from the computer server. Information for printing one or more value indicia are transmitted from the computer server to the remote device. The print control program executes on the remote device to print the one or more value indicia to the printable medium using a printer coupled with the remote device.

A printing method includes steps of applying an ink-receptive coating to a substrate; printing an actinic radiation-curable ink jet ink over the coating; and curing the printed ink jet ink. An article printed by the method has a ink-receptive coating layer with a cured print. An apparatus for carrying out the method includes a coating station at which the ink-receptive coating is applied to a substrate, an ink jet printhead at which the energy-curable ink jet ink is applied, and a source of actinic radiation for curing the applied ink. The ink may be applied in sufficient amount to achieve a color density comparable to that obtained using other printing processes such as flexographic or gravure printing processes. The ink-receptive coating layer may be of a thickness sufficient to provide improve surface smoothness and/or reduced drop spread relative to an uncoated substrate.

The invention relates to a web-fed rotary printing press having a plurality of double printing units in which each of the printing units of the double printing units work together in the blanket-blanket method and each has its own drive. Transfer cylinders of each printing unit are driven independently. To permit a rapid change in production, both upon recto and verso printing, the transfer cylinders of the disconnectable double printing units are separable by eccentric bushings or swingable levers such that a web which passes through the printing press is conducted between them without being printed.

An imprint stamp made from a high fluorine content material and a method of fabricating an imprint stamp from a high fluorine content material are disclosed. The imprint stamp includes an imprint pattern that can be formed in the imprint stamp during a molding process wherein the high fluorine content material is applied to a mold that includes a pattern to be replicated in the high fluorine content material to form the imprint pattern. The high fluorine content material of the imprint stamp is resistant to blending, pairing, and swelling. An imprint stamp made from the high fluorine content material can be used for several hundred or more embossing steps without damage or wear to the imprint stamp and/or the imprint pattern.

This invention relates generally to uses of novel nanomaterial composition and the systems in which they are used, and more particularly to nanomaterial compositions generally comprising carbon and a metal, which composition can be exposed to pulsed emissions to react, activate, combine, or sinter the nanomaterial composition. The nanomaterial compositions can alternatively be utilized at ambient temperature or under other means to cause such reaction, activation, combination, or sintering to occur.

An ink composition for ink jet printing contains an amino functionalized polyetheracrylate as radiation curable compound.

A free radical curable liquid for inkjet printing of food packaging materials includes no initiator or otherwise one or more initiators selected from the group consisting of non-polymeric di- or multifunctional initiators, oligomeric initiators, polymeric initiators, and polymerizable initiators; and a polymerizable composition of the liquid consists essentially of: a) 25-100 wt % of one or more polymerizable compounds A having at least one acrylate group G1 and at least one second ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable functional group G2 selected from the group consisting of a vinlyether group, an allylether group, and a allylester group; b) 0-55 wt % of one or more polymerizable compounds B selected from the group consisting of monofunctional acrylates and difunctional acrylates; and c) 0-55 wt % of one or more polymerizable compounds C selected from the group consisting of trifunctional acrylates, tetrafunctional acrylates, pentafunctional acrylates and hexafunctional acrylates. If the weight percentage of compounds B>24 wt %, then the weight percentage of compounds C>1 wt %, and all weight percentages of A, B, and C are based upon the total weight of the polymerizable composition. At least one polymerizable compound B or C is present in the polymerizable composition if the free radical curable liquid contains no initiator.

The present invention relates to an article fabrication system having a plurality of material deposition tools containing one or more materials useful in fabricating the article, and a material deposition device having a tool interface for receiving one of the material deposition tools. A system controller is operably connected to the material deposition device to control operation of the material deposition device. Also disclosed is a method of fabricating an article using the system of the invention and a method of fabricating a living three-dimensional structure.

A method and computer program product for providing paperless customs documentation associated with an international parcel shipment. In various embodiments, the method comprises storing shipping data associated with a parcel shipment, the shipping data designating a destination country and including invoice data, verifying that the destination country accepts electronic customs documentation, and creating an electronic invoice from the shipping data. In various embodiments, the electronic invoice may be easily accessed, such as being transmitted over a network or stored in an RFID transponder associated with the parcel shipment. As a result, the present invention reduces the costs and shipping times associated with preparing, processing, and receiving international shipments by determining whether a country accepts paperless customs documentation and, if so, providing a variety of functions that streamline the international shipping process.

An apparatus, systems, and methods to print multiple fields on a substrate in parallel are provided. The apparatus incorporates a lithographic apparatus composed of two or more lithographic heads coupled to a common housing as a unit, with each head configured to hold a patterned template. Software can be utilized to keep track of what is printed at any given step, and conventional servometers can be used to reposition the head unit and templates in multiple steps to print the remainder of a wafer.

A shaft coupling device for coupling a first shaft and a second shaft together includes a grip unit to be attached to the first shaft and including a grip portion configured to grip the second shaft, the grip portion having an end with notches of a length being parallel with an axial direction of the first shaft. The shaft coupling device also includes a grip force acting unit to be attached to the second shaft and configured to cause a grip force for gripping the second shaft to act on the grip portion by moving the grip portion in a radial direction of the second shaft.

A method for applying a nanoscale resolution pattern of a molecular link onto a surface of a substrate is disclosed. The method referred to as edge transfer lithography, comprises providing a stamp structure (10) having a surface (11) with at least one protruding feature (16). Each protruding feature (16) has a stamp surface of a respective predefined shape at a protruding end thereof. Each protruding feature and its stamp surface are bounded by at least one edge (19), which edge intersects the surface of the stamp structure to form a recess. A solution of the molecular ink and a solvent is applied of the surface of the stamp structure (10) are such that the solution dewets from the surface of the stamp structure (10) is then dried to evaporate the solvent.

A stamp for use in transferring a pattern in nano-scale has a monomolecular antisticking layer. The anti-sticking layer comprises molecular chains, which are covalently bound to the surface of the stamp and which each comprise at least one fluorine-containing group. Each molecular chain contains a group Q, which comprises a bond which is weaker than the other bonds in the molecular chain as well as the covalent bond that binds the molecular chain to the surface of the stamp. Splitting of said bond in the group Q creates a group Q1, which is attached to the part of the molecular chain being left on the surface of the stamp and which is capable of reacting with a fluorine-containing compound to restore the antisticking layer. In a method of manufacturing a stamp for use in transferring a pattern in nanoscale, the stamp is provided with the above-mentioned molecular chain. In a method of repairing a damaged antisticking layer of the above-mentioned stamp, the stamp is treated with a repairing reagent, which has a coupling end, which is capable of reacting with the group Q1, and a fluorine-containing group located at the other end of the repairing reagent.

A UV curing apparatus and method is provided for enhancing the distribution and application of UV light to UV photo initiators in a UV curable ink, coating or adhesive. The UV curing apparatus and method comprises UV LED assemblies in a first row with the UV LED assemblies spaced from adjacent UV LED assemblies. At least one second row of a plurality of UV LED assemblies are provided next to the first row but with the UV LED assemblies of the second row positioned adjacent the spaces between adjacent UV LED assemblies in the first row thereby to stagger the second row of UV LED assemblies from the UV LED assemblies in the first row. Desirably, the rows of staggered UV LED assemblies are mounted on a panel. UV curable products, articles or other objects containing UV photo initiators that are in or on a web can be conveyed or otherwise moved past the rows of UV LED assemblies for effective UV curing. This arrangement facilitates more uniformly application of UV light on the UV curable ink, coating and/or adhesives in the UV curable products, articles or other objects. The apparatus can include one or more of the following: rollers for moving the web, mechanisms for causing the panel to move in an orbital or reciprocal path, and an injection tube for injecting a non-oxygen gas in the area of UV light curing.

A plurality of patterns respectively having different area factor of dot formation area are formed by forward and reverse scanning printing of a print head, and then optical characteristics of the plurality of formed patterns are measured. A function representing the relationship between the printing position offset between the forward and reverse printings is determined from the optical characteristics. Then, respective pattern having a predetermined area factor of dot formation area is formed by means of forward and reverse scanning where the speed is differentiated according to the mode of a printing apparatus, and then the optical characteristics of this pattern is measured. By applying this measured optical characteristics to the function, an adjustment value of the dot formation position conditions between the forward and reverse scans is obtained for each mode. This makes it easy to perform printing registration in a printing apparatus in the case of printing by a forward and reverse scan of a printing head or in the case of printing by means of a plurality of printing heads. In this case, operations by a user etc. are also unnecessary and are easily performed.

To carry out drying of printing ink with the use of Nano sized high-temperature dryness steam. Nano sized high-temperature dryness steam being clustered on Nano oder is generated and jetted to the print side of printed material so that the Nano sized high-temperature dryness steam imparts intramolecular vibrational energy to ink of the print side. Consequently, the Nano sized high-temperature dryness steam being clustered on Nano oder not only passes through fiber pores in the printed material but also collides with the ink of the print side. The Nano sized high-temperature dryness steam having collided with the ink of the print side imparts thermally excited energy as intramolecular vibrational energy to the ink containing polar molecules. The ink is dried by the intramolecular energy.

A computer-controlled system for producing a multi-color image on a substrate using multi-colored cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) pigment materials made from CLC flakes tuned to predetermined bands of color. An image generator automatically generates an image specifying a pattern over which binder material is to be applied to a substrate by a binder material applicator. A plurality of CLC pigment applicators automatically apply patterns of different-color CLC pigment material to the pattern of binder material, which binds thereto as the binder material dries according to its drying characteristics. An output device is used to automatically return the substrate to a different one of CLC pigment applicators after each application of a pattern of different-color CLC pigment material to the pattern of binder material. The output device automatically repeats the return of the substrate to the CLC pigment applicators until all bands of color in the multi-color image are rendered.

Intaglio printing methods and apparatuses are disclosed, involving the use of a curable resin composition (e.g., curable by actinic radiation). The composition may be applied to a substrate, such as a printable material, at a depth of 250 μm or more, in order to create a desirable, three-dimensional effect. To produce this type of printed or coated substrate, the composition is first transferred to cells or recesses, having a depth of these dimensions, onto a printing surface (e.g., a gravure cylinder) and then at least partially cured. The at least partially cured composition is then transferred to the substrate (e.g., paper or plastic) where additional curing may occur, to produce the final printed or coated article.

An apparatus manages a usage amount associated with each of a plurality of functions included in a work flow. The work flow is executed after it is determined whether an operation of each step included in the work flow can be executed or not.

A computer controlled power saving automatic zoned dryer for a printing press has a dryer head facing the substrate travel path, having a multiplicity of IR lamps connected individually or in groups to form a plurality of heating zones running longitudinally and each extending laterally side by side across the substrate travel path. The radiant heat output of each heating zone is controlled separately by means of a control unit connected to a power supply. The control unit individually regulates output of the heating zones. Unneeded zones are turned off to reduce cost of power and conserve energy. A plurality of heat sensors spaced laterally across the substrate path measure the surface temperature of substrate heated areas corresponding to the heating zones being operated and maintain an automatic set point temperature. The temperature of each individual heated area can be regulated automatically by adjusting the output of its heating zone whereby printed substrates having a more even temperature profile are delivered. In an alternate manual mode any zone can be set independently to operate at any percentage of full available power from zero to 100%. Separate high velocity air scrubbers and additional air extraction are used to enhance the total drying effect of the zoned dryer assembly.

A method for calibrating a digitally controllable printing machine having a permanent printing plate, for which image data has been created in machine-independent format in a pre-press stage. The image data is prepared for the printing process by a data processing device and is fed in adapted form to the printing machine 1. The data processing device uses a profile which corresponds precisely with the current machine condition, for the final data preparation for printing. The profile can be addressed using the correct color-space conversion for the printing machine (i.e., calibrated). For this purpose, at the time at which the data is prepared for image setting, a machine condition forecast for the time of printing is called up and, from this, together with the knowledge of the operating materials, the machine profile which most closely approaches that for the print job is determined. This profile is then used for the data preparation.

Large throw-off distances of the transfer cylinders in a double printing unit of a rotary printing machine operating on the rubber/rubber principle are achieved by enabling the two transfer cylinders to be set away from each other, and enabling the two form cylinders to be set away from the respective transfer cylinder. The form cylinder and the transfer cylinder of each printing unit have a drive connection via spur gears, the transfer cylinders are not in tooth engagement via their spur gears, and each printing unit has its own electric motor.

A method of generating a digital AM halftone image output includes the steps of: (a) receiving a grey scale image from an image source; (b) generating an image component from the grey scale image; and (c) producing the digital AM halftone image output. The digital AM image output includes a plurality of halftone dots, each of which comprises at least one ink-receptive portion and at least one non-receptive portion. Patterns of halftone dots prepared in this manner may be sent as a digital output to an platesetter for producing a printing plate.

A process for applying digitally printed applique” indicia which results in decorative and identification elements for decoration and identification when applied to uniforms, fashion, “basic” and performance apparel, swimwear and intimate apparel as well as other textile products, the elements being an alternative to direct embroidery, embroidered emblems, thermo-transfer films, silk screen or sublimated printing. The production process includes the following phases (FIGS. 3A-C): a design phase (1); a separation phase (2); a printing phase (3); an optional traditional embroidery phase (4); and an etching/cutting phase (5). The process can incorporate embroidered elements but has the benefit of reducing or eliminating portions of stitching and or extra applique layers in the emblem. The resulting product has superior care and durability characteristics to screen printing and heat transfers as the image is more wash fast and can be ironed. The heat or pressure transfer capability can allow much faster customization of finished garments.

A special method is provided for more uniformly and quickly curing products with a scratch-resistant UV curable coating or UV curable printing thereon, such as for CDs, DVDs, golf balls, golf tees, eye glass lenses, contact lenses, string instruments, decorative labels, peelable labels, peelable stamps, doors, countertops, etc. The method can also be operated with one or more special UV curing apparatus equipped with a controller, temperature sensors, and heat dissipators.

There is provided a capacitive load driving circuit which applies a driving signal to a capacitive load. The driving circuit includes: an operational amplifier outputting a difference signal between signals from an inverting input terminal and a non-inverting input terminal, and setting a loop gain; a pulse width modulator pulse-width-modulating the difference signal outputted by the operational amplifier, and outputting resultant digital signal; a digital voltage amplifier amplifying a voltage of the digital signal; a first filter smoothing a digital signal from the digital voltage amplifier, and supplying a smoothed signal to the capacitive load as the driving signal; an impedance converting circuit converting an impedance of an output signal of the first filter; and a first feedback circuit feeding-back the driving signal, which is outputted from the first filter, to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier via the impedance converting circuit.