Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Ag

Bernard Beier

Bernd Vosseler

Uwe Ernst

Heiner Pitz

Matthias Schloerholz

Andreas Rupprecht

Martin Greive

Peter Hachmann

Axel Hauck

Thomas Wolf

Gerald Erik Hauptmann

Karl-Heinz Filsinger

Andreas Müller

Joachim Sonnenschein

Albert Maul

Rolf Kuendgen

Michael Schwandt

Martin Forrer

Helge Grandt

Rolf Mueller

Gerd Junghans

Achim Scheurer

Eckhard Langenbach

Silas Falter

Stefan Temming

Michaela Agari

Ralf Kissel

Uwe Albrecht

Peter Goos

Hans-Joerg Heimbeck

A light trap for ultraviolet radiation for curing ink on a printing substrate contains a shaped body with more than two shape elements succeeding one another. The shaped body has a side facing the printing substrate and embodied to have step elements in a stepped arrangement as shape elements. Every step element contains a pair formed of a step surface and a riser, the step surfaces and the risers having different inclinations relative to the direction of transport. The step surfaces have a step length L and the riser has a step height H, and is characterized in that the following applies: L>2H. This provides an improved UV screen by use of the light trap while simultaneously simplifying the process of cleaning the light trap. This is preferably used in the process of printing and curing UV inks.

Light trap for UV radiation for curing ink on a printing substrate and printing machine including a light trap

A method for the indirect application of printing liquid onto a printing material provides an intermediate carrier, preferably a circulating belt, a liquid conditioning medium including a first substance applied onto the intermediate carrier and a printing liquid, in particular an inkjet ink, including a second substance applied onto the conditioning medium on the intermediate carrier. The printing liquid is situated as droplets or a layer substantially on the conditioning medium and the droplets or the layer form a contact region on their underside with the conditioning medium. The printing liquid is heated, preferably by way of a dryer and the printing liquid is transferred from the intermediate carrier onto the printing material.

Method for the indirect application of printing liquid onto a printing material

A method for creating a fold preparation pattern includes supplying job-specific signature characteristics to a computer and determining job-specific cutting requirements by using general cutting requirements assigned to respective general signature characteristics in the computer and using the job-specific signature characteristics. The computer accesses a database that contains cutting, trimming, and clipping patterns and compiles job-specific fold preparation patterns in accordance with the job-specific cutting requirements. A computer for implementing the method and a system having the computer are also provided.

Method for creating a fold preparation pattern, computer for implementing the method and system having the computer

A method prints an object, for example a vehicle and specifically the body thereof, wherein at least one area of the surface of the object is printed. The method includes: providing an image; three-dimensionally measuring at least the area; generating a number of spatial points in correspondence with the area; generating a three-dimensional net corresponding with the area; generating path data, i.e. a three-dimensional path for moving a robot for an inkjet printer head; generating raster data, i.e. a raster matrix, in particular a three-dimensional or higher raster matrix, for actuating the inkjet printer head; moving the robot, for example an articulated arm robot, utilizing the path data; and printing the image by the inkjet printer head utilizing the raster data. The method permits multi-color printing of any image onto so-called 3D surfaces of any shape.

Method for printing an object having at least one non-planar, contoured or three-dimensional surface

A system for printing an image, preferably a multicolor halftone image, onto at least one non-planar area of a surface of an object, for example a section of a body of a vehicle, includes an inkjet print head having nozzles, a robot, preferably an articulated robot, creating a primary movement, the primary movement including at least two printing paths of the inkjet print head being lateral to each other, and a device creating a secondary movement, the secondary movement being substantially perpendicular to the primary movement and causing the printing paths to laterally adjoin each other. As a result, undesired streaks between the printing paths may advantageously be reduced or prevented.

System for printing on an object

A device for supplying radiant energy onto a printing substrate (), including at least one radiant energy source () whose light () impinges on the printing substrate () on the path () of the printing substrate () through a printing press at a position () downstream of at least one printing nip () in a printing unit. The radiant energy source () emits light () having a peak-to-valley homogeneity of less than 15% in a direction transverse to the direction of the path () of the printing substrate ().

Device for supplying radiant energy onto a printing substrate

An apparatus for printing surfaces, for example of three-dimensionally shaped vehicle body parts, includes movable print heads having actuable, preferably inkjet, nozzles, and at least one printing position and one parking position into which the print heads can be moved or rotated. At least one first and one second print head have mutually different nozzle configurations, sizes or shapes. In a first mode, the first print head is in a printing position and the second print head is in a parking position, and in a second mode, the first print head is in a parking position and the second print head is in a printing position. The print heads can be on a rotation apparatus which can be on a robot arm. Surfaces of any shape, having curvatures and/or undercuts, can be printed in one or multiple colors (in image terms). A system having the apparatus is also provided.

Apparatus for printing surfaces having a plurality of movable print heads and system having the apparatus

A method of creating a fluid layer in the micrometer range includes transferring a fluid between substrates and forming a fluid layer. A surface energy of a first substrate releasing the fluid is higher than a surface energy of a fluid on the first substrate to create a first fluid deposit on the first substrate. A surface energy of a second substrate accepting the fluid is lower than a surface energy of a fluid on the second substrate to create a second fluid deposit on the second substrate that is reduced as compared to the first fluid deposit. A surface energy of a third substrate accepting the fluid is higher than a surface energy of a fluid on the third substrate to create a substantially homogeneous third fluid deposit on the third substrate that forms the fluid layer.

Method of creating a fluid layer in the submicrometer range

An image-recording device for generating image spots () by n individually controllable light sources (), which each have a distance s, i being=1 . . . n, to an object line (), in a projection line () of the object line () on a printing form (), which moves with a velocity component v normally to the direction defined by the projection line () and tangentially to the surface of the printing form. The image-recording device is distinguished by the triggering device () having an assigned time-delay device (), which delays the tripping instant of the triggering device for each light source () as a function of the particular distance s. The image-recording device may advantageously by used in direct imaging print units or printing-form exposure units.

Image-recording device for generating a number of image spots in projection line

A method for imaging a printing form, in which a laser () generates a sequence of pulses () of electromagnetic radiation corresponding to the image information of an image area () to be generated on the printing form (), and the image area () to be generated on the printing form () is patterned according to the image information by interaction with the electromagnetic radiation, has the feature that the sequence of pulses () of electromagnetic radiation is amplified by an amplifier (); the amplifier () being discharged in a controlled manner by additional pulses () corresponding to a non-image area () of the printing form () in such a way that interference pulses of the amplifier () are prevented.

Method and device for imaging of a printing form

A method for printing an image on a printing substrate, a number of portions of fluid printing ink being produced on a printing ink carrier () through energy input by a number of image spots () of an array () of individually controllable VCSEL light sources, and the fluid printing ink being transferred to the printing substrate. A device for inputting energy () to a printing-ink carrier (), includes a number () of individually controllable laser light sources which have a modular design consisting of subarrays () and are disposed in an array (), and further includes printing-ink carrier () with which is associated an axis of rotation () and on the surface of which can be produced a number of image spots () of the laser light sources. The subarrays of laser light sources are VCSEL bars (), and rows of image spots () of the VCSEL bars are inclined with respect to the axis of rotation ().

Method for printing an image on a printing substrate and device for inputting energy to a printing-ink carrier

A device for spotwise imaging printing surfaces includes a laser light source producing at least one laser beam movable relative to a printing surface, the laser beam defining an image spot on the printing surface, the laser beam having a laser power. A laser control varies the laser power or an exposure time as a function of a distance of the laser light source from the image spot.

Laser imaging with variable printing spot size

A multibeam laser light source, comprising a plurality of individual laser light sources arranged in an array and including a first and a second laser light source for emitting respective light beams spaced from one another, said first laser light source having a resonator with a given pump energy distribution therethrough, the spacing of the light beam emitted by said first laser light source from the light beam emitted by said second laser light source being variable by varying said given pump energy distribution through said resonator of said first laser light source; an image-setting or imaging device therewith; a printing form exposer with the imaging device combination; a printing unit with the imaging device combination; and a printing press with the printing unit combination.

Multibeam laser light source with variable light source spacing for setting images on printing forms

A device for recording images on a printing form, including an array of light sources and imaging optics for generating (n&times;m) imaging spots on a printing form, which is distinguished by the array of light sources including an array of mutually independently controllable VCSEL light sources. One specific imaging spot may be formed on the printing form by combining the light emitted by a subarray of the VCSEL light sources. Due to the advantageous beam properties of VCSEL light sources, such as the small divergence and negligible astigmatism, the device for recording images on printing forms is especially advantageous for use in a printing-form imaging unit or in a print unit.

Image-recording device for a printing form, having an array of VCSEL light sources

An individually drivable array of single stripe laser diodes is proposed for imaging printing plates. An imaging optics is used to produce n image points which have a spatial interval l between adjacent points. An interleaving raster scan line method is indicated, which, given proper selection of the increment, enables each dot to be exposed exactly once.

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Ladenburg, Germany

Bernard Beier