Electrostatic Intaglio Printing for Dimensionally Stable Food Containers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional packaging systems for food and drink products, such as cans and jars, face challenges including limited storage density, high energy consumption in production and transport, laborious opening, risk of injury, and difficulties in achieving high-quality multicolored prints on rough surfaces, especially with variable web speeds.
Innovation Solution
A method involving an electrostatically assisted intaglio printing process for a sheetlike composite laminate, comprising a carrier layer, a barrier layer, and an inner polymer layer, where components with recesses containing colorants rotate in a specific sequence, allowing for the application of electrical voltage and ink transfer to achieve improved multicolored prints with reduced missing dots and ink solvent residues, while enabling variable printing speeds and lower production costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional intaglio printing is used on rough laminate surfaces, then printing can be performed, but missing dots increase and print quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the purely mechanical ink transfer process with an electrostatically assisted printing system. Electrons are emitted from a cathode to charge the ink in the recesses, and an electric field is applied during printing to attract the charged ink to the laminate surface, enabling complete ink transfer even from rough surfaces without missing dots
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the electrical charge state of the ink and the electric field conditions during printing. By controlling the voltage applied to the cathode and the electric field strength during the printing process, the system optimizes ink transfer efficiency to eliminate missing dots while maintaining print quality
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple successive printing units are used for multicolored decoration, then color variety is achieved, but printing speed must be reduced for color matching
Solution Approach 1:
The electrostatic printing system enables precise control of ink transfer for each color layer independently through electrical field management, allowing rapid color matching and elimination of speed reduction requirements for multicolored printing
Solution Approach 2:
By controlling electrical parameters (voltage, charge state) for each printing unit, the system achieves rapid color matching and maintains high printing speeds across multiple color applications without compromising print quality
3Ease of manufacture
If liquid printing ink is applied to rough laminate surfaces, then printing can proceed, but the meniscus effect reduces ink absorption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces passive ink absorption based on surface capillary action with an active electrostatic ink transfer mechanism. Electrons charge the ink in the recesses, and an electric field draws the charged ink onto the laminate surface, overcoming the meniscus effect and ensuring complete ink transfer from rough surfaces
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the electrical charge state of the ink from neutral to charged, and applies an electric field during printing to enhance ink transfer. This parameter change eliminates the meniscus effect's negative impact and ensures complete ink absorption even from rough laminate surfaces
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method results in dimensionally stable food and drink containers with improved multicolored prints on rougher surfaces, reduced weight, broader area coverage, and lower production costs, while ensuring safety and efficient ink drying, even at increased printing speeds.
Implementation Method 1
acceleration of electrons by an electrostatic field
Implementation Method 2
electrostatically assisted printing
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method (100) comprising, as method steps, • a) providing • i) a sheetlike composite (300) comprising, as mutually superposed layers, • A) a carrier layer (303), • B) a barrier layer (305), and • C) an inner polymer layer (306), • ii) n components (603, 605, 607), where, for every i from 1 to n, • A) the ith component (603, 605, 607) comprises an ith component surface (801), and • B) the ith component surface (801) comprises a multitude of recesses (802), wherein the recesses (802) each comprise a composition (803) comprising a colourant, wherein the n components (603, 605, 607) rotate in one method direction, wherein, for every i from 1 to (n-1), the (i+l)th component (603, 605, 607) is arranged after the ith component (603, 605, 607) in the method direction; and • b) moving the sheetlike composite (300), such that a first region of the sheetlike composite (300) runs through the following sequence of steps comprising steps b) i) (103, 105) and b) ii) (104, 106) successively for every i from 1 to n in ascending sequence: • i) altering an electrical voltage between the first region and the ith component surface (801), and • ii) contacting an outer surface (301) of the sheetlike composite (300) in the first region with the ith component surface (801); where n is a natural number and is at least 2, where i is a natural number. The invention further relates to an apparatus (600), to a printed sheetlike composite (400), to a container precursor (900) and to a closed container (1000).