Claims
- 1. In a screen-printing machine for printing on rotatably-held objects of different diameters, a combination comprising support means; at least one printing staton on said support means and past which an object to be printed travels in a path in a predetermined direction, and which includes a movable printing screen and a cooperating movable squeege; means for uniformly rotating said object to be printed at a fixed number of revolutions per unit time, including a gear and a rack extending along said path, said rack being fixed in position on said support means and located at said one printing station so as to be stationary in said direction of movement and also meshing with said gear to rotate said object at a constant rate of peripheral speed for an object of a given diameter; means for moving said squeege at a constant rate of speed; means for adjusting the speed of movement and the stroke of said printing screen whenever an object of a different diameter and therefore of a different peripheral speed than before is to be printed, whereby the periphery of each object is printed at a uniform speed; mounting means for mounting said printing screen, and mounting means for mounting said squeegee; a movable element connected between both of said mounting means and mounted on a support which is movable to-and-fro in said path; and drive means for imparting to-and-fro movements to said movable element so as to effect relative movement between said printing screen and said squeegee.
- 2. A combination as defined in claim 1, said drive means comprising a first rack member fixedly mounted on said mounting means for said squeegee, and a second rack member fixedly mounted on said mounting means for said screen, said first and second rack members being in motion-transmitting engagement with said movable element.
- 3. A combination as defined in claim 1; further comprising centering means for engaging and centering said object by rotating the latter; a drive for rotating said centering means, said drive including a drive wheel in motion-transmitting engagement with a shaft which is connected to said centering means; and feeler means ahead of said printing station and positioned for engagement with and feeling of the object travelling in said path, said feeler means being operative for controlling the operation of said drive wheel.
- 4. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said mounting means for said printing screen includes a printing screen carriage and said mounting means for said squeegee includes a squeegee carriage, and each of said carriages is provided with a rack; and wherein said element is a gear meshing with said racks.
- 5. A combination as defined in claim 1; further comprising an endless conveyor for carrying said object.
- 6. A combination as defined in claim 5, wherein said conveyor comprises two parallel endless conveyor loops, a plurality of traverse members connecting said conveyor loops at spaced locations, and engaging members for said object mounted on said traverse members.
- 7. A combination as defined in claim 6, further comprising centering means at said printing station for centering at least said engaging members and said object with reference to said printing screen and squeegee.
- 8. A combination as defined in claim 1; further comprising engaging means on said machine for engaging said object, including an engaging device and a gripper movable relative thereto.
- 9. A combination as defined in claim 8, and means directly connecting said gripper with said engaging device.
- 10. A combination as defined in claim 8, wherein said engaging device comprises two engaging portions, and said gripper is carried by one of said engaging portions.
- 11. A combination as defined in claim 8, wherein said engaging device comprises two engaging portions of which one is engageable with a top, and the other is engageable with a bottom of said object; and wherein said gripper is carried by said other engaging portion.
- 12. A combination as defined in claim 11, wherein said gripper is swingable in a plane extending normal to the direction of movement of said object.
- 13. A combination as defined in claim 8, wherein said gripper is movable to a first position which it assumes at said printing station and wherein it extends substantially parallel to said engaging device, and to a different second position which it assumes ahead of and beyond said printing station.
- 14. A combination as defined in claim 1, the object having at least two different-diameter portions, further comprising at least one additional printing screen and at least one additional squeegee at said printing station, each printing screen and squeegee being operative for printing on one of said portions so that said portions may be printed simultaneously.
- 15. A combination as defined in claim 14, wherein each of said printing screens is provided with a separate means for adjusting.
- 16. A combination as defined in claim 14; said squeegee mounting means comprising a squeegee carriage supporting both of said squeegees.
- 17. A combination as defined in claim 1; further comprising at least one additional printing station also having a movable element identical to the first-mentioned movable element, said movable elements both being mounted on said support.
- 18. A combination as defined in claim 17, wherein said squeegee includes a carriage for each printing station; and wherein said drive means drives said common support and receives motion from at least one of said carriages.
- 19. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said mounting means for said squeegee includes a carriage formed with a set of teeth and guide means guiding said carriage for reciprocating movement; and a further comprising a pinion meshing with said teeth and operative to effect reciprocating movement of said carriage.
- 20. A combination as defined in claim 3, wherein said drive wheel is a friction drive wheel.
- 21. A combination as defined in claim 3; further comprising a supporting carriage on which said feeler means and said drive are mounted.
- 22. A combination as defined in claim 20, wherein said friction drive wheel is mounted on a movable support.
- 23. A combination as defined in claim 21, said supporting carriage being movable in and opposite to the direction of travel of said object; and means for causing said supporting carriage to travel in synchronism with said object during at least a portion of its movement in said direction of travel.
- 24. A combination as defined in claim 21; further comprising a carrier for said object; and a tiltable elongated mounting structure supporting said carrier, said rack and said supporting carriage.
- 25. A combination as defined in claim 24; further comprising a machine frame; supporting members mounted on said machine frame and having arcuate contact surfaces; and cooperating supporting members mounted on said mounting structure and having corresponding contact surfaces which slidably engage said arcuate contact surfaces.
- 26. A combination as defined in claim 24, and further comprising a plurality of drive members distributed over the elongation of said mounting structure for tilting the same, said drive members being centrally actuatable.
- 27. A combination as defined in claim 21, said supporting carriage being mounted for reciprocal movement in a path; and further comprising a rack member adjacent said path of movement of said carriage; and a gear meshing with said rack member and connected with said drive for operating the latter.
- 28. A combination as defined in claim 22; and further comprising a guide rail for said centering means.
- 29. A combination as defined in claim 9, wherein said means connecting said gripper with said engaging device pivotably connects the former with the latter.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
2402836 |
Jan 1974 |
DE |
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Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 541,411, filed Jan. 16, 1975, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,649.
US Referenced Citations (4)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
541411 |
Jan 1975 |
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