Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Samuel Peterson

Christopher Thomas Schaafsma

Christopher J Sobaszek

Marc C Piscitello

Steve Waszkowiak

Gregory B Olejniczak

Graham P Vlcek

Sean M O'Neil

Peter P Dell'Aquila

Sigi Knappik

Christopher Williamson

A printing system includes carriage assemblies, a preparation station, a printing station, and a selection station. The carriage assemblies receive flexible bodies and are coupled to a conveyance assembly that moves the carriage assemblies along a direction of travel. The preparation station receives the flexible bodies from the loading station and manipulates the flexible bodies to at least partially flatten printing surfaces of the flexible bodies. The printing station prints images on the flexible bodies. The selection station examines the images on the flexible bodies and selects one or more of the flexible bodies based on the images. The selection station also individually grips and removes selected flexible bodies from the carriage assemblies and conveys the selected flexible bodies to a first collection location while the other flexible bodies remain on the carriage assemblies and are conveyed to a different, second collection location.

System and method for printing on a flexible body

A doctor assembly for a pad printing system includes a body and a doctor blade. The body has an outer surface and an opposite inner surface that defines a passageway through the body. The inner surface engages a removable pre-filled ink cup to secure the ink cup to the body. The inner surface directs ink from the ink cup through the passageway toward an ink-receiving surface of a clich&#xe9; device. The doctor blade is coupled with the body and engages the clich&#xe9; device. The doctor blade wipes the ink along the clich&#xe9; device as the body laterally moves relative to the clich&#xe9; device. The doctor blade is coupled with the body such that the doctor blade is laterally spaced apart from the inner surface of the body.

Method and system for pad printing with removable pre-filled ink cup

Growing community of inventors

Glenview, IL, United States of America

Samuel Peterson