Kiwi Coders Corporation

By Allen McKay, Executor

James G McKay, Deceased

A method for the high speed application of printing code indicia. The articles to be imprinted are carried by a conveyor consecutively past an imprinting zone wherein printing heads on an imprinting wheel intercept the article at an imprinting location. The articles are spaced uniformly a predetermined distance, the lateral movement of the articles is restricted through the imprinting zone, a positive force is applied to the tops of the articles to immobilize the articles at the same time the imprint is applied and the speed of the circumferential rotation of the imprinting wheel is correlated with the speed of the conveyor and the number of printing heads carried by the imprinting wheel.

Method for high speed application of printing code indicia

A high speed machine for imprinting code indicia consecutively upon individual articles moving in a line along the upper reach of a conveyor to an imprinting zone arranged along the conveyor path. The imprinting is performed by plural printing heads carried by an imprinting wheel. The speed of rotation of the imprinting wheel being correlated with the speed of the conveyor and the number of printing heads carried by the imprinting wheel. The articles are spaced uniformly one from the other a predetermined distance with their lateral movement being restricted during passage of the articles through the imprinting zone, a positive force being directed downward upon the top of each article at least at the time the imprint is applied thereto. The inking is effected by way of a train of rotary wheel members, each of which has a different circumferential speed so as incrementally to change the point of contact of adjacent rotary members uniformly to apply and spread the ink about the circumference of the respective wheels during transfer. A free end of a driven applicator arm is passed through an ink bath and engages one of the wheel members once per revolution. The speed of application of the ink by the arm to one of said wheels is controlled independently of the speed control for the conveyor and the printing wheel. A control also is provided for monitoring the gaps between articles so as to assure operation of the machine upon a continuous stream of articles and to stop the operation of the conveyor when articles are absent.

Growing community of inventors

Palatine, IL, United States of America

By Allen McKay, Executor