System and method for engraving a plurality of engraved areas defining

Abstract

An engraving system and method is disclosed having multiple engraving heads wherein the operation of each head is controllable so that a vertical screen and/or horizontal screen may be independently controlled, thereby facilitating enabling each engraving head to engrave in accordance with different screen rulings as may be selected by a user. The engraving system includes a signal generator for controlling the vertical screen by utilizing a plurality of vertical scalers which use a cylinder factor signal corresponding to the rotational position of a cylinder rotatably mounted on the engraver, as well as screen variables, such as a screen angle and a screen ruling, to generate independent vertical scaled or screen signals. These vertical scaled signals are used to independently energize the engraving heads to engrave patterns defining different vertical resolutions or vertical screens. This system and method also discloses a drive system for independently driving the engraving heads using the cylinder factor signal mentioned above and the screen variables which were input by the user to enable the engraving heads to engrave patterns having differing horizontal resolution or horizontal screens. Thus, the method and apparatus enable a user to simultaneously or independently change the vertical screen and horizontal screen and, consequently, the screen ruling for each pattern of engraved areas being engraved.