Inking Roller Pit Arrays for Color Proofing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current color proofing methods in the printing industry lack accuracy in predicting the color of printed products, particularly in flexographic printing, due to limitations in varying the ink carrying capacity of inking rollers, which affects the uniformity and reproducibility of ink layers.
Innovation Solution
The method involves using inking rollers with pit arrays of varying depths and constant dam portion widths, allowing for controlled ink carrying capacity without altering the footprint, thereby improving the uniformity and reproducibility of ink layers, and enabling more accurate color predictions by ensuring the ink layer thickness matches that of the actual print process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the depth of pits is increased to increase ink carrying capacity, then the ink carrying capacity is improved, but the footprint of pits increases and dam portion width decreases affecting uniformity
Solution Approach 1:
The inking roller surface is segmented into multiple independent pit arrays, each with different ink carrying capacities. This segmentation allows selection of the appropriate array for different printing requirements while maintaining consistent dam portion widths within each array, thus resolving the contradiction between ink carrying capacity and uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by varying the depth of pits to control ink carrying capacity while keeping dam portion widths constant. This is achieved through precise control of the stamping process parameters, ensuring that only pit depth changes while other geometric parameters remain stable, thereby maintaining ink layer uniformity across different ink carrying capacities.
2Measurement precision
If multiple pit arrays with different ink carrying capacities are used, then color prediction accuracy is improved, but the complexity of the inking roller increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inking roller is designed with multi-functionality by incorporating multiple pit arrays with different ink carrying capacities on a single roller. This allows the same roller to serve multiple functions - proving different ink layers and predicting colors for various printing conditions - thereby improving color prediction accuracy without requiring multiple separate rollers, thus managing device complexity.
3Quantity of substance
If the footprint of pits is increased to increase ink carrying capacity, then the ink carrying capacity is improved, but the number of pits per unit area decreases affecting uniformity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by ensuring that within each pit array, the dam portion widths are uniform and locally consistent, while allowing different arrays to have different overall characteristics. This local uniformity in dam portions ensures consistent ink layer quality within each array, while the variety of arrays provides different ink carrying capacities for different applications.
Data Source
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Figure 3~5(B)
Figure 6(A)~7(B)
AI summary
An inking roller for colour proofing, having, on its peripheral surface, a plurality of pit arrays (26) formed by pits (86) that are separated from one another by dam portions (88), said pit arrays (26) being different from one another in the total volume of the pits per unit area, characterized in that the dam portions (88) of different pit arrays (26) have the same width (d).