Abstract:
An apparatus for over the edge printing including a printing squeegee which forces ink through clear portions of a printing screen onto a workpiece. Excess ink which is forced through clear portions of the printing screen and which extend over the edge of the workpiece, are cleaned by a cleaning assembly which includes a cleaning belt. The cleaning belt is unrolled below the printing screen and an excess ink squeegee prints the excess ink onto the cleaning belt which is then cleaned and re-rolled and the apparatus is made ready for the next printing stroke.
Abstract:
This disclosure is directed to a pallet locating and positioning apparatus for use on a screen printing machine having an oval track about which a series of pallets supporting work pieces are indexed from station to station. An internal surface of a side rail of a hollow rectangular pallet engages outwardly biased detenting fingers which are affixed on adjacent parallel lateral edges of a pallet base plate driven about the endless track of the screen printing machine. One finger engages a complementary shaped notch in the side rails accurately detenting the pallet along the longitudinal axis of the pallet base plate. Another finger is in touching engagement with a straight portion of the same side rail urging the pallet outwardly from the adjacent parallel edges of the pallet base plate to which the fingers are attached, thereby causing the internal surface of an opposed parallel side rail of the pallet to come into touching engagement with an opposed lateral edge of the pallet base plate, thereby preventing shifting of the pallet in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the pallet base plate.
Abstract:
This disclosure is directed to a screen printing machine having an oval track or rail about which a series of pallets supporting a work piece are indexed from station to station. The arrangement is such that the pallets travelling about the oval rail are always disposed or maintained in a common plane. A printing head assembly having one or more color stations is operatively associated for movement into and out of printing relationship with one or more of the pallets as the pallets are indexed and maintained in a common plane.
Abstract:
This invention relates to a flood bar and squeegee for printing apparatus. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the flood bar or squeegee comprises an elongated member having an ink engaging face. A plurality of spaced apart fins are arranged across the face. The fins are generally parallel to one another and each end of the member is bent inwardly so as to inhibit the flow of ink to the sides of the screen.
Abstract:
An apparatus and method for transferring an article from one conveyor to another and a printing system incorporating the same, including an array of endless conveyorized strips carried by a roller and a relatively rigid member, the roller and the member being positioned within the strips, and a mover operatively associated with the roller for effecting its rotation and hence movement of the strips. The apparatus is positioned between and in cooperation with adjacent ends of successive conveyors of a printing system. The surface of each strip is characterized by a series of upwardly extending projections, each projection being of a relatively small diameter in relation to its length. The roller is adjacent to the exit end of the apparatus and has disks positioned longitudinally between the strips and coaxially with and about the roller at intervals across its width. The disk diameters are sufficiently greater than that of the roller as to extend above the projections, lifting the article from the projections as it passes over the roller and carrying it to the other conveyor.
Abstract:
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for controlled indexing of an article to a printing station. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the apparatus comprises an endless printing blanket carried by rollers positioned within the blanket and a translatable carriage assembly operatively associated with the blanket. The assembly includes an expandable clamping member which, upon selected expansion, contacts the blanket to secure the assembly thereto. The assembly follows the blanket as it (and the article it supports) are indexed to the printing station. An encoder monitors the distance traveled by the blanket during indexing and corrects for variation between the distance traveled and a preset distance. Upon arrival of the article at the printing station, the clamping member contracts, concomitantly releasing the blanket. A cylinder then returns the assembly a selected distance in position for another indexing movement, and so forth.
Abstract:
For use in spin art decorating, the stretcher is constructed with an expanse of resilient material for supportingly engaging the undersurface of a section of fabric whose outer surface is to receive the liquid coloring agent. The resilient material is suspended by a rectangular rigid frame which is provided with flanges having a series of notches selectably engageable with pins at opposite ends of a carrier arm or beam thereby enabling selection of any one of a number of points for the center of revolution when the frame and article mounted thereon is spun. The stretcher facilitates even application from squeeze bottles of the coloring agents to the garment fabric that is mounted on the stretcher, reduces vibration during spinning, eliminates coloring agent build-up at the geometric center of the stretcher, enhances drying, and yields other advantages.
Abstract:
A printing machine such as a screen printing machine having a series of pallets connected to an endless drive whereby the pallets are sequentially advanced to a printing station. The improvements reside in an arrangement in which the article support portion of the pallets are rendered readily removable to provide for interchangeability and which pallets have connected thereto guide rollers for laterally stabilizing the pallets as they advance through a printing station. An antiwhipping device is also operatively associated with the respective pallets to prohibit whipping the pallets round the ends of the endless drive, and a support arrangement is provided for supporting the pallets traveling along the lower flight of the endless drive.
Abstract:
A squeegee assembly for use on a screen printing machine which includes a squeegee holder and associated squeegee blade having a liquid filled tubular member for exerting a liquid or hydraulic pressure on the squeegee blade in a manner whereby the pressure exerted by the squeegee blade is equalized along the entire length thereof and to provide the squeegee blade with the flexibility necessary to conform to a printing surface. The assembly may also include a piston and cylinder assembly to vary the liquid pressure exerted on the squeegee blade and/or a contour bar through which the liquid pressure is transmitted to the squeegee blade.