A method of preparing a plate cylinder and a printing apparatus

Abstract

This invention discloses a method for preparing a printing plate cylinder and a printing device, aiming to enable direct plate making on the cylinder and facilitate plate modification. The method for preparing the printing plate cylinder involves a cylinder body and a digital inkjet printing device. The cylinder body has a hydrophilic outer peripheral surface. A computer acquires a printing file containing graphic information and sends the printing file to the digital inkjet printing device. The digital inkjet printing device sprays a hydrophobic material onto the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder body according to the printing file. The hydrophobic material is treated to cure, and the cured hydrophobic material constructs a printing plate for printing graphic information on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder body. This invention belongs to the field of printing technology.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of printing technology, and more specifically, relates to a method for preparing printing plate cylinders and printing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, there are two main methods in the printing industry: offset printing and digital printing.

[0003] Flatbed printing relies on CTP plate making to form a latent image on the substrate. Then, through chemical treatment, the photosensitive coating is removed, revealing the oleophilic graphic information. After that, the substrate can be transferred to the printing roller for printing. This printing method has good printing effect and high efficiency. However, because it requires plate making, any modifications require re-making of the plate and replacement of the substrate on the printing roller. It also requires storing past substrates, which is quite troublesome.

[0004] Digital printing involves directly outputting computer file data to a digital printing press and printing using inkjet technology. This method eliminates the need for plate making and makes modifications easier; however, inkjet nozzles are prone to clogging during prolonged printing, affecting the printing results. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main objective of this invention is to provide a method for preparing printing plate cylinders and printing equipment, which allows for direct plate making on the cylinder and makes plate modification more convenient.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method for preparing a printing plate cylinder is provided, relating to a cylinder body and a digital inkjet printing device, the cylinder body having a hydrophilic outer peripheral surface, and further comprising the following steps:

[0007] Step 1: The computer acquires the print file containing graphic information and sends the print file to the digital inkjet printing equipment;

[0008] Step 2: The digital spraying equipment sprays the hydrophobic material onto the outer circumference of the cylinder according to the printed file;

[0009] Step 3: Treat the hydrophobic material to cure it. The cured hydrophobic material forms a printing plate on the outer circumference of the cylinder for printing graphic information.

[0010] In the above-mentioned method for preparing printing cylinder, in step 1, after obtaining the printing file, it is detected whether there is already a printing plate on the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder;

[0011] If present, clear the printing plate before proceeding to step 2; otherwise, proceed directly to step 2.

[0012] In the above-described method for preparing printing cylinders, the digital inkjet printing equipment includes an inkjet printing unit and a drive unit, wherein the drive unit drives the inkjet printing unit to move along the axial direction of the cylinder.

[0013] In step 2, the cylinder rotates continuously, and the printing unit moves along the axial direction of the cylinder to spray hydrophobic material onto the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder.

[0014] In the above-described method for preparing printing cylinders, the digital inkjet printing equipment includes an inkjet printing unit and a drive unit, wherein the drive unit drives the inkjet printing unit to move along the axial direction of the cylinder.

[0015] In step 2, the cylinder rotates intermittently, and the printing unit reciprocates along the axial direction of the cylinder to spray hydrophobic material onto the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder.

[0016] In the above-described method for preparing printing cylinders, the digital inkjet printing equipment includes an inkjet printing unit;

[0017] In step 2, the cylinder rotates continuously, and the printing unit sprays hydrophobic material onto the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder.

[0018] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a printing apparatus is provided, comprising a printing plate cylinder, a water application unit, an inking unit, a digital inkjet printer, and a drying unit;

[0019] The printing cylinder includes a cylindrical body, the cylindrical body having a hydrophilic outer peripheral surface;

[0020] The digital spraying equipment is used to spray hydrophobic material onto the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder;

[0021] The drying unit is used to process the hydrophobic material on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder to solidify it. The solidified hydrophobic material forms a printing plate on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder for printing graphic information.

[0022] The water-applying unit is used to apply water, so that water adheres to the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder.

[0023] The inking unit is used to adhere ink to the printing plate.

[0024] The printing equipment described above also includes a plate removal unit and a cleaning unit, wherein the plate removal unit is used to remove the printing plate from the cylinder;

[0025] The cleaning unit is used to clean the cylinder;

[0026] The drying unit is used to dry the cleaned cylinder.

[0027] In the above-mentioned printing equipment, the printing plate cylinder is rotatable, and the digital inkjet printing equipment, the water application unit, the inking unit, the plate removal unit, the cleaning unit, and the drying unit can all be close to or far away from the printing plate cylinder.

[0028] In the aforementioned printing equipment, the digital inkjet printer, the water application unit, the inking unit, the plate removal unit, the cleaning unit, and the drying unit are arranged sequentially along the rotation direction of the printing plate cylinder.

[0029] In the above-mentioned printing equipment, the digital inkjet printing equipment includes a printing unit and a driving unit, wherein the driving unit drives the printing unit to move along the axial direction of the cylinder.

[0030] One of the above-described technical solutions of the present invention has at least one of the following advantages or beneficial effects:

[0031] In this invention, simply sending the graphic information to a computer allows the digital inkjet printing equipment to spray hydrophobic material into a specific pattern based on the graphic information, forming a printing plate on the cylinder for printing. If the graphic information needs to be changed, simply remove the hydrophobic material and re-spray a new printing plate. This is convenient and practical, eliminates the need for CTP plate making, improves efficiency, and ensures printing quality. Attached Figure Description

[0032] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments;

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the printing equipment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the printing equipment of the present invention during plate making;

[0035] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the printing equipment of the present invention during printing;

[0036] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the printing equipment of the present invention during plate changing;

[0037] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the digital inkjet printing equipment of the present invention operating in the first working mode;

[0038] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the second operating mode of the digital inkjet printing equipment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the third operating mode of the digital inkjet printing equipment of the present invention.

[0040] The figure labels for each figure are as follows:

[0041] 1. Printing cylinder; 2. Digital inkjet printing equipment; 21. Printing unit; 3. Wet application unit; 4. Inking unit; 5. Drying unit; 6. Plate removal unit; 7. Cleaning unit; 8. Transfer roller; 9. Substrate. Detailed Implementation

[0042] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0043] Example 1

[0044] A method for preparing a printing plate cylinder, involving a cylinder body and a digital inkjet printing device, wherein the cylinder body has a hydrophilic outer peripheral surface, and a hydrophilic coating or a hydrophilic layer material can be applied to the cylinder body to make the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder body hydrophilic;

[0045] It also includes the following steps:

[0046] Step 1: The computer obtains the print file containing graphic information and sends the print file to the digital inkjet printing equipment; the graphic information is the pattern to be printed. After the digital inkjet printing equipment obtains the print file, it knows the content of the graphic information.

[0047] Step 2: The digital spraying equipment sprays the hydrophobic material onto the outer circumference of the cylinder according to the printing file; after the digital spraying equipment knows the graphic information, it constructs the spraying plan and then sprays the hydrophobic material onto the outer circumference of the cylinder. After the spraying is completed, the layout of the hydrophobic material on the cylinder is the pattern to be printed.

[0048] Step 3: Treat the hydrophobic material to cure it. The cured hydrophobic material forms a printing plate on the outer circumference of the cylinder for printing graphic information. Then, the printing plate is used to adhere ink, and printing can be carried out.

[0049] In step 1, after obtaining the printing file, it is checked whether there is a printing plate on the outer circumference of the cylinder. This can be determined by visual inspection or by program detection to check whether printing plate preparation has been performed before.

[0050] If so, clear the printing plate before proceeding to step 2; otherwise, proceed directly to step 2.

[0051] Cleaning the printing plate involves first removing the printing plate from the cylinder, then cleaning the cylinder to prevent any residual material, and finally drying the cylinder to ensure that the outer surface of the cylinder is dry and clean.

[0052] Therefore, it can be seen that as long as the graphic information is sent to the computer, the digital inkjet printing equipment can spray the hydrophobic material into a specific pattern according to the graphic information, form a printing plate on the cylinder, and then print. If the graphic information needs to be changed, the hydrophobic material can be removed and a new printing plate can be sprayed. It is convenient and practical, eliminates the need for CTP plate making, improves efficiency, and ensures printing effect.

[0053] In step 2, there are three ways to spray the hydrophobic material:

[0054] The first type of digital inkjet printing equipment includes a printing unit and a drive unit. The drive unit drives the printing unit to move along the axial direction of the cylinder. When spraying hydrophobic material, the cylinder rotates continuously. The printing unit moves along the axial direction of the cylinder to spray the hydrophobic material onto the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder. In this way, printing is done in circles, and finally, a printing plate is formed.

[0055] The second type is a digital inkjet printing device, which includes a printing unit and a drive unit. The drive unit drives the printing unit to move along the axial direction of the cylinder. When spraying hydrophobic material, the cylinder rotates intermittently, and the printing unit moves back and forth along the axial direction of the cylinder to spray the hydrophobic material onto the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder. In this way, it is printed row by row, and finally forms a printing plate.

[0056] The third type is a digital inkjet printing device that includes a printing unit. The printing unit does not move along the axial direction of the cylinder, but rather spans the cylinder along the axial direction. When spraying hydrophobic material, the cylinder rotates continuously, and the printing unit sprays the hydrophobic material onto the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder. In this method, the printing unit has a large coverage area, can spray at multiple points, and prints multiple circles and rows simultaneously to finally form a printing plate.

[0057] Example 2

[0058] Reference Figures 1 to 7 A printing device, comprising a printing plate cylinder 1, a water application unit 3, a digital inkjet printer 2, an inking unit 4, a drying unit 5, a plate removal unit 6, and a cleaning unit 7.

[0059] The printing cylinder 1 is rotatable, and the digital inkjet printing equipment 2, water application unit 3, inking unit 4, plate removal unit 6, cleaning unit 7 and drying unit 5 can all be close to or away from the printing cylinder 1.

[0060] The printing cylinder 1 includes a cylinder body, which has a hydrophilic outer peripheral surface. A hydrophilic coating or a hydrophilic layer material can be applied to the cylinder body to make the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder body hydrophilic.

[0061] Digital spraying equipment is used to spray hydrophobic materials onto the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder;

[0062] The drying unit 5 is used to treat the hydrophobic material on the outer circumference of the cylinder to solidify it; and it can also dry the cleaned cylinder.

[0063] Water-applying unit 3 is used for water supply, so that water adheres to the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder;

[0064] Inking unit 4 is used to adhere ink to the printing plate;

[0065] The plate removal unit 6 is used to remove the printing plate from the cylinder;

[0066] Cleaning unit 7 is used to clean the cylinder;

[0067] The operation of printing equipment includes plate-making, printing, and plate-changing processes:

[0068] Reference Figure 2 During the plate-making process, the water-applying unit 3, the inking unit 4, the plate-removing unit 6, and the cleaning unit 7 are first controlled to be away from the printing cylinder 1, so that the water-applying unit 3, the inking unit 4, the plate-removing unit 6, and the cleaning unit 7 do not contact the cylinder. The digital inkjet printing equipment 2 and the drying unit 5 are close to the printing cylinder 1. The computer obtains the printing file containing graphic information and sends the printing file to the digital inkjet printing equipment 2. According to the printing file, the digital inkjet printing equipment sprays the hydrophobic material onto the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder. The drying unit 5 processes the hydrophobic material on the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder to cure it. The cured hydrophobic material builds a printing plate for printing graphic information on the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder.

[0069] Reference Figure 3 During the printing process, the digital inkjet printer 2 and the drying unit 5 are controlled to be away from the printing plate cylinder 1, while the water application unit 3 and the inking unit 4 are brought close to the printing plate cylinder 1. The water application unit 3 applies water to the outer circumference of the cylinder, and then the inking unit 4 applies ink to the printing plate. Since there is water in other parts of the cylinder, the ink will not adhere to other places, but will only stay on the printing plate. After that, the printing plate transfers the ink to the transfer roller 8, and the transfer roller 8 then presses the ink onto the substrate 9 to complete the printing.

[0070] Reference Figure 4 During the plate changing process, the water unit 3 and the inking unit 4 are controlled to be away from the printing plate cylinder 1, while the plate removal unit 6, the cleaning unit 7 and the drying unit 5 are brought close to the printing plate cylinder 1. The plate removal unit 6 removes the printing plate from the cylinder, then the cleaning unit 7 cleans the cylinder, and finally, the drying unit 5 dries the cylinder to keep it dry and clean. Then the plate making process can be performed.

[0071] In this embodiment, the printing cylinder 1 is equipped with a first driving device to drive the cylinder to rotate. The first driving device can be an electric motor, a hydraulic motor, or a pneumatic motor. The digital inkjet printing equipment 2, the water application unit 3, the inking unit 4, the plate removal unit 6, the cleaning unit 7, and the drying unit 5 are all equipped with second driving devices. Each second driving device can drive the corresponding unit to move closer to or away from the printing cylinder 1. The second driving device can be a linear module, a cylinder, or a hydraulic cylinder.

[0072] In this embodiment, the digital inkjet printing equipment 2, the water application unit 3, the inking unit 4, the plate removal unit 6, the cleaning unit 7, and the drying unit 5 are arranged sequentially along the rotation direction of the printing plate cylinder 1.

[0073] In this embodiment, the digital inkjet printing equipment 2 sprays hydrophobic material in three ways:

[0074] The first type, referring to Figure 5 The digital inkjet printing equipment 2 includes a printing unit 21 and a drive unit. The drive unit drives the printing unit 21 to move along the axial direction of the cylinder. When spraying hydrophobic material, the cylinder rotates continuously. The printing unit 21 moves along the axial direction of the cylinder to spray the hydrophobic material onto the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder. In this way, the printing is done in circles, and finally a printing plate is formed.

[0075] The second method, refer to Figure 6 The digital inkjet printing equipment 2 includes a printing unit 21 and a drive unit. The drive unit drives the printing unit 21 to move along the axial direction of the cylinder. When spraying hydrophobic material, the cylinder rotates intermittently, and the printing unit 21 moves back and forth along the axial direction of the cylinder to spray the hydrophobic material onto the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder. In this way, it is printed row by row, and finally forms a printing plate.

[0076] The third type, refer to Figure 7 The digital inkjet printing equipment 2 includes a printing unit 21. The printing unit 21 does not move along the axial direction of the cylinder, but rather spans the cylinder along the axial direction. When spraying hydrophobic material, the cylinder rotates continuously. The printing unit 21 sprays the hydrophobic material onto the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder. In this way, the printing unit 21 has a large coverage area and can spray at multiple points, printing multiple circles and rows simultaneously to finally form a printing plate.

[0077] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method of preparing a plate cylinder, characterized in that The invention relates to a cylindrical body and a digital inkjet printing device, wherein the cylindrical body has a hydrophilic outer peripheral surface, and further includes the following steps: Step 1: The computer acquires the print file containing graphic information and sends the print file to the digital inkjet printing equipment; Step 2: The digital spraying equipment sprays the hydrophobic material onto the outer circumference of the cylinder according to the printed file; Step 3: Treat the hydrophobic material to cure it. The cured hydrophobic material forms a printing plate on the outer circumference of the cylinder for printing graphic information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that In step 1, after obtaining the printing file, it is detected whether there is already a printing plate on the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder; If present, clear the printing plate before proceeding to step 2; otherwise, proceed directly to step 2.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The digital inkjet printing equipment includes a printing unit and a driving unit, wherein the driving unit drives the printing unit to move along the axial direction of the cylinder. In step 2, the cylinder rotates continuously, and the printing unit moves along the axial direction of the cylinder to spray hydrophobic material onto the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder.

4. The method of preparing a plate cylinder according to claim 1, characterized in that, The digital inkjet printing equipment includes a printing unit and a driving unit, wherein the driving unit drives the printing unit to move along the axial direction of the cylinder. In step 2, the cylinder rotates intermittently, and the printing unit reciprocates along the axial direction of the cylinder to spray hydrophobic material onto the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder.

5. The method for preparing a printing plate cylinder according to claim 1, characterized in that, The digital inkjet printing equipment includes a printing unit; In step 2, the cylinder rotates continuously, and the printing unit sprays hydrophobic material onto the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder.

6. A printing apparatus, characterized in that, It includes printing cylinders, water application unit, inking unit, digital inkjet printing equipment, and drying unit; The printing cylinder includes a cylindrical body, the cylindrical body having a hydrophilic outer peripheral surface; The digital spraying equipment is used to spray hydrophobic material onto the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder; The drying unit is used to treat the hydrophobic material on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder to cure it. The cured hydrophobic material forms a printing plate for printing graphic information on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder. The water-applying unit is used to apply water, so that water adheres to the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder. The inking unit is used to adhere ink to the printing plate.

7. The printing equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes a plate removal unit and a cleaning unit, wherein the plate removal unit is used to remove the printing plate on the cylinder; The cleaning unit is used to clean the cylinder; The drying unit is used to dry the cleaned cylinder.

8. The printing equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that, The printing plate cylinder is rotatable, and the digital inkjet printing equipment, the water application unit, the inking unit, the plate removal unit, the cleaning unit, and the drying unit can all be close to or far away from the printing plate cylinder.

9. The printing equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that, The digital inkjet printing equipment, the water application unit, the inking unit, the plate removal unit, the cleaning unit, and the drying unit are arranged sequentially along the rotation direction of the printing plate cylinder.

10. The printing equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The digital inkjet printing equipment includes a printing unit and a driving unit, wherein the driving unit drives the printing unit to move along the axial direction of the cylinder.

Images