Eastman-kodak Company

Michael G Shaughnessy

Carolyn Rae Ellinger

Jason D Steadman

Timothy John Young

Gary A Smith

An ink tray insert is adapted to be inserted into a conventional ink tray in a printing system. The ink tray insert includes a bottom surface having an outer profile that substantially conforms to an inner profile of a bottom surface of the conventional ink tray, and left and right side walls that extend upwards from left and right edges of the bottom surface, respectively. Bearing saddles are mounted on the left and right side walls adapted to receive bearings mounted on a shaft of a fountain roller, the ink tray insert being adapted to supply ink to the fountain roller in an ink transfer zone. A cross-track width of the ink tray insert between the left and right side walls is less than a cross-track width of the conventional ink tray.

Ink tray insert

An inking system is used to transfer a plurality of different inks to an anilox roller in a flexographic printing plate in a flexographic printing system. A fountain roller system including a plurality of coaxial fountain roller elements, each fountain roller element having an ink transfer zone with an ink transfer zone radius, wherein the ink transfer zone radii for the plurality of fountain roller elements are the same. A segmented ink tray includes a plurality of ink tray segments, wherein each fountain roller element is mounted within a corresponding ink tray segment. Each fountain roller element is adapted to receive ink from the corresponding ink tray segment and transfer the received ink to a corresponding zone of the anilox roller.

Inking system with plurality of fountain roller elements

An inking system is used to transfer a plurality of different inks to an anilox roller in a flexographic printing plate in a flexographic printing system. A fountain roller includes a plurality of ink transfer zones separated by recessed zones, and a segmented ink tray includes a plurality of ink tray segments corresponding to each of the ink transfer zones, wherein the fountain roller is positioned such that the ink transfer zones contact the anilox roller. Each ink transfer zone of the fountain roller is adapted to receive ink from the corresponding ink tray segment and transfer the received ink to a corresponding zone of the anilox roller.

Inking system with segmented fountain roller

An inking system for use in transferring ink to a flexographic printing plate in a flexographic printing system includes an anilox member having an ink transfer zone located between first and second recessed bearing contact zones. A radius of the recessed bearing contact zones is less than a radius of the ink transfer zone by at least 0.100 inches. An ink tray includes a floor and first and second end walls. Bearings are mounted outside of the end walls which engage with the first and second bearing contact zones, respectively, thereby positioning the ink tray assembly in a specified position relative to the anilox member. Upper edges of the end walls extend into the recessed bearing contact zones.

Low-volume flexographic inking system

An inking system for use in transferring ink to a gravure printing surface in a gravure printing system includes a gravure cylinder r having a printing zone located between first and second recessed bearing contact zones. A radius of the recessed bearing contact zones is less than a radius of the printing zone by at least 0.100 inches. An ink tray includes a floor and first and second end walls. Bearings are mounted outside of the end walls which engage with the first and second bearing contact zones, respectively, thereby positioning the ink tray assembly in a specified position relative to the gravure cylinder. Upper edges of the end walls extend into the recessed bearing contact zones.

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Hemlock, NY, United States of America

Michael G Shaughnessy