Inca Digital Printers Limited

Masonite Corporation

Perstorp Ab

Richard William Eve

Karine A Luetgert

Scott Fellin

William R S Baxter

William Ronald Stuart Baxter

Stephen Temple

Alan N Syrop

An ink jet printing apparatus for printing on a moving substrate () is described. The apparatus comprises ink jet printheads () for printing on a surface of the substrate, a plurality of rollers () arranged to move the substrate () relative to the printheads (), and a pressure source (). The pressure source () is arranged to apply a negative gauge pressure () to the substrate (). The application of the pressure can hold the substrate flat and can reduce undesired movement of the substrate relative to the rollers (). The apparatus allows for high quality full colour images to be printed onto substrates in a single pass using an ink jet printer.

Printing moving substrates

A method of printing an image on an object includes the steps of: providing an object having an exterior surface having a planar portion and a channel recessed from the planar portion; applying a first ground coat on the exterior surface; drying the first ground coat; and spraying droplets of ink on the dried ground coat to form an image, wherein the droplets are sprayed from an ink jet printhead that is maintained at a constant distance from the plane of the planar portion of the object.

Method and apparatus for creating an image on an article, and article resulting therefrom

In an inkjet device for containing, degassing and supplying ink, gas is supplied to a container for the ink so that the gas bubbles through the ink in the container. A controller controls a gas supplying means to operate in at least two modes including a degassing mode in which the pressure in the container is at a degassing pressure and the gas supplying means is controlled to supply the gas at a pressure above the degassing pressure to bubble through the ink, and an ink supplying mode in which the container is at an ink delivery pressure. In preferred examples, the ink container is arranged for supplying ink to a printhead; using the degassing arrangement, the formation of bubbles in the ink at the printhead can be reduced.

Inkjet device and method

A printing apparatus is adapted for printing on a printing surface of a three-dimensional object. The apparatus comprises an inkjet printheadhaving a plurality of nozzles, and being operative to effect relative movement of the printhead and the object, during printing, with a rotational component about an axis of rotation and with a linear component, in which the linear component is at least partially in a direction substantially parallel with the axis of rotation and wherein the nozzle pitch of the printhead is greater than the grid pitch to be printed onto the printing surface in the nozzle row direction. In preferred examples, a substantially helical path is printed on the surface and improved ink jet printing of three dimensional objects can be achieved.

Printing apparatus and method

Method and apparatus for creating an image on an article and printed article

A method of and apparatus for producing a mixed batch of consumer products without the use of a mechanical mixer to carry out the mixing. An image sequencing means is provided which sequences images to be printed by a digitally-controlled printhead. Varying images are placed on consumer products or parts thereof&mdash;e.g. cigarette cards&mdash;as those products or parts of products pass under the printhead at a point in the production line. The consumer products, once assembled, are packaged directly from the production line to form mixed batches of product&mdash;without an additional mixing step.

Method and apparatus for packaging products with different markings

A process for impregnating a continuous sheet of glass fibre web, paper, carbon fibre, cloth etc., which comprises feeding the sheet continuously into a closed vessel filled to a suitable height with a polymer solution, immersing the sheet under the surface of polymer solution while causing solvent boiling to occur and solvent vapor bubbles to flow out of the sheet, whereby bubbles of gas, such as air held or absorbed in the sheet during the immersion, are automatically removed from the sheet and then withdrawing the sheet from the vessel.

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Cambridge, United Kingdom

Richard William Eve