193results about "Printing processes" patented technology

A system of determining and correcting alignment during imprint lithography process is described. During an imprint lithographic process the template may be aligned with the substrate by the use of alignment marks disposed on both the template and substrate. The alignment may be determined and corrected for before the layer is processed.

A system, method, and process that determine and automatically correct registration errors between printed objects and mechanically produced objects using advanced image processing techniques is disclosed. Means are also presented for maintaining all registered functions to within very close tolerances during normal running, with other means for rapidly obtaining initial registration with substantial savings in material waste. The disclosed system and method / process are compatible with the printing and converting industry in which rolls of material are processed by printing a number of colors that require close registration especially in pictorial representation. These roll-fed printing machines are quite versatile and in addition to the printing of any number of colors on both front and back can perform any number of additional operations on the printed web at the same time. Some of these additional operations can be the punching of line holes, scoring, perforation and die cutting all of which impart a specific shape mechanically on the printed web. All of these functions must be initially registered to each other and maintained within close tolerances during normal running conditions. The presently disclosed registration system permits these initial registration procedures to be performed with high accuracy, speed, and across a wide variety of web materials and colors. The system generally applies to any web material (5701) on which register marks (5702) are applied, wherein images of the web are obtained (5703) and image processed (5704) under optional control of an operator interface display (5705), resulting in web press motor control (5706) to affect improved print registration on the web material (5701).

The present invention includes a method of determining a relative position of a substrate and a template spaced-apart therefrom, the substrate having substrate alignment marks disposed thereon and the template having template alignment marks disposed thereon, the method including, impinging first and second fluxes of light upon the substrate and template alignment marks, with the substrate and template alignment marks being responsive to the first flux of light defining a first response, and being responsive to the second flux of light defining a second response differing from the first response; and processing the first and second responses to form a focused image of the substrate and template alignment marks on a common plane, with the focused image indicating the relative position of the substrate and the template.

A device is provided for imprinting a solid or dashed straight line on the surface of a golf ball. The device consists of a semi-rigid stencil that may be snapped securely around the surface of a golf ball. While the golf ball is allowed to rotated freely within the stencil so as to allow a user to rotate the ball to the correct position, a pair of finger grips are provided which, when compressed, clamp the ball in position so as to prevent the ball from rotating while the ball is being marked. The stencil also includes a linear groove adapted to receive a pen, indelible marker or other writing implement for marking the ball with a linear indicia. This indicia can be used for identification purposes, as a putting trainer, and an alignment aid during play. Beveled edges or bumpers may also be included along the inner surface of the groove to assist the user in imprinting the ball and prevent smudging or pooling of the ink or paint used to mark the ball.

A method for reducing vibrations in a printing press, the printing press having a first plate cylinder independently registrable from a second print cylinder. The method includes the steps of determining a lateral position of the first vibrator, roll with respect to the second vibrator roll and rotating the first plate cylinder with respect to the second plate cylinder so as to change the lateral position of the first vibrator roll with respect to the second vibrator roll. A printing press has a controller receiving an input from at least one sensor, the controller rotating the first plate cylinder with respect to the second plate cylinder so as to alter a phase between the first vibrator roll and the second vibrator roll as a function of the input.

An apparatus for producing printing plates on a supporting cylinder is provided. Mountings arranged on a frame accommodate a blank printing plate arranged on a supporting cylinder. The supporting cylinder is driven by a motor. The apparatus allows the supporting cylinder to be exposed at an end opposite the motor by its journal together with the mounting accommodating the journal. Thus, the supporting cylinder is capable of being moved away from the frame at one end, which makes it possible to draw the printing plate axially off the supporting cylinder. The apparatus can be used to produce a variety of printing plates, including: a relief printing plate, an offset printing plate, a sleeve-like printing plate, and a gravure printing plate.

A hand-held device for marking a golf ball has a handle and first and second forks (or arms) for holding the golf ball between the forks. The golf ball is held between a ball-receiving portion of the first fork and a rubber gripper rotationally mounted to the second fork which can be manually turned to rotate the ball between the forks. A spring-loaded marker presses its tip against the ball to inscribe a line as the ball rotates against the tip of the marker. In operation, the device can circumscribe a continuous line around the circumference of the ball without resetting the ball, as well as any arc less than 360 degrees. By resetting the ball perpendicularly after a first arc is inscribed, a second, intersecting arc can be inscribed to define a cross in two easy steps.

The gel method of printing variable information of the present invention involves applying inks onto a substrate that is part of or attached to a cylinder of the printing machine. Imaging is by means of an energy source in the UV, visible or infrared regions, modulated to represent a digital image pattern that has been composed on a computer. The consequence of imaging is to gel the ink and increase its adhesion to the substrate of the printing cylinder. The non-gelled background ink with lower adhesion is then removed by a squeegee action and returned to an ink reservoir. The remaining image is transferred to an offset blanket or directly to print stock by pressure. The process does not use a master, but produces an image that is erased after printing with each cylinder rotation so that the next rotation producing the next print can have fresh information written upon it.

The ink in a printing press, in which a stock of material is being printed in an ongoing printing process, is registered. At least one ink is applied to the stock in several inking zones. A measured value, indicating an ink density, is determined for the at least one ink which is being applied to the stock in the printing process and within the printing press. A relation is formed between the measured ink density for a specific ink in a selected ink zone and a measured ink density value determined for the same ink in at least one other inking zone. The relation between the measured ink density values in different inking zones is formed only if the majority of the inking zones of a specific inking unit of the printing press supply one respective measured ink density value for an ink supplied by that inking unit, and when the measured ink density value reaches at least a predetermined fraction of a preset, desired value in the respective inking zone.

A golf ball having an indicia produced by ink jet printing is disclosed. An ink composition containing a coloring agent and a resin is dispensed on a transfer medium, using an ink jet printer, to form an indicia. The indicia is transferred from the transfer medium to the dimpled surface of a golf ball. In another form of the invention, an indicia is applied directly to a golf ball, without a transfer medium. In this method, an indicia receiving layer is applied on at least a portion of the golf ball surface, then the indicia is printed directly on the indicia receiving layer using an ink jet printer. The indicia on the golf ball has an impact resistance suitable for use in competitive play.

A screen printing apparatus for printing on a board, such as a circuit board, through a screen using a paste prior to surface-mounting electronic components on the board, and more particularly a screen printing apparatus that performs a screen printing while automatically discharging the paste that is accommodated inside the main body.

A combination ball clip and ball liner includes a ball liner for marking a club head guideline, a directional guide line and a 360° horizontal guideline on a golf ball, and a ball clip for holding down a golf ball in the ball liner for marking guidelines. The ball clip includes a hollow mounting block fastened to the ball liner, a smoothly arched clip body pivoted to the hollow mounting block, and an elastic member mounted in the hollow mounting block to bias the smoothly arched clip body, holding the smoothly arched clip body in the ball-holding position.

In a web-fed rotary offset printing machine, operating preferably with variable-format cylinders, both sides of the printing machine are covered, during the operation and resetting of the machine, so that no access, in particular no access to the printing units, is possible. For this purpose, an access module is used between the printing-units, which module is equipped laterally with covers which resemble window roller blinds and cannot be opened while the machine is in operation.

In order to reach optimal web tension relationships rapidly in the folder superstructure when starting up a web-fed rotary printing machine, first of all a web is transported with the print in the printing units thrown off, the pull units lying on the web path being operated with first lead values for optimal web tensions and, after printing has been thrown on, the pull units being operated with second lead values for optimal web tensions.