Colored, embossed and printed elongate articles and method and apparatus to color, emboss and print the same
A method and apparatus for coloring generally elongated or planar articles, such as window blind slats, utilizes a roller, such as an anilox roller, and enclosed doctor blade subassembly for metering an amount of colorant transferred to the object, and a felt-wiper subassembly for removing colorant from a roller, such as a discharge roller. A generally elongated or planar article having a first and second surface treated by coloring, embossing, and/or printing.
1 . An apparatus for coloring or printing generally elongated or planar objects comprising:
a first roller rotatably connected to a support frame; and
a second roller rotatably connected to said support frame and located in series with said first roller;
wherein said first roller is selected from the group consisting of anilox rollers and gravure printing rollers; and
wherein said second roller is selected from the group consisting of embossing rollers, transfer rollers, and blank rollers.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a transfer roller disposed between said first roller and said second roller and located in series with said first roller.
3 . The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a third roller located in series with said second roller.
4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , said third roller being selected from the group consisting of embossing rollers, discharge rollers, and blank rollers.
5 . The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a wiper unit assembly for said discharge roller, said wiper unit assembly comprising a discharge roller wiper blade having a length generally corresponding to a length of said discharge roller and a felt surface generally adjacent said discharge roller wiper blade.
6 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a doctor blade assembly connected to said support frame, said doctor blade assembly comprising a wiper blade having a length generally corresponding to a length of said first roller, a first side strip adjacent a first end of said wiper blade, and a second side strip adjacent a second end of said wiper blade wherein said second end opposes said first end.
7 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first roller is interchangeable and easily removed from said support frame.
8 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second roller is interchangeable and easily removed from said support frame.
9 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of apparatuses in line with said apparatus configured to color, print or emboss said object without substantial interruption between said apparatuses.
10 . The apparatus of claim 9 wherein a first roller of a first apparatus is an anilox roller and a first roller of a second apparatus is a gravure printing roller.
11 . A method for coloring generally elongated or planar objects comprising: applying colorant to a first roller;
scraping excess colorant from an outer surface of said first roller with a doctor blade;
enclosing at least a portion of said first roller during said applying and scraping steps; and
transferring the colorant from said first roller to an object.
12 . The method of claim 11 , said transferring step further comprising the steps of contacting said first roller with a transfer roller to receive said colorant from said first roller, and contacting a surface of the object with said transfer roller to transfer said colorant to said object.
13 . A method for coloring and printing a generally elongated or planar object comprising the steps of:
providing a first apparatus having an anilox roller;
providing a second apparatus having a gravure printing roller;
applying color to said anilox roller and to said gravure printing roller;
contacting said object with said anilox roller;
transferring said color from said anilox roller to said object;
contacting said object with said gravure printing roller; and
transferring said color from said gravure printing roller to said object.
14 . The method of claim 13 further comprising an embossing roller located in series with said anilox roller.
15 . The method of claim 14 further comprising the steps of contacting said object with said embossing roller and embossing a design onto said object.
16 . The method of claim 13 further comprising an embossing roller located in series with said gravure printing roller.
17 . The method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of contacting said object with said embossing roller and embossing a design onto said object.
18 . The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of removing and replacing said anilox roller with a gravure printing roller.
19 . The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of removing and replacing said gravure printing roller with an anilox roller.
20 . The method of claim 14 further comprising the steps of removing and replacing said embossing roller with a transfer roller.
21 . The method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of removing and replacing said embossing roller with a transfer roller.
22 . A generally elongated or planar article comprising:
a first end;
a second end;
a first surface; and
a second surface oppositely disposed thereto;
wherein said first surface includes a treatment thereon selected from the group consisting of coloring, embossing, printing, and combinations thereof; and
wherein said second surface includes a treatment thereon selected from the group consisting of coloring, embossing, printing, and combinations thereof.
23 . The article of claim 22 further comprising a third surface having a treatment thereon selected from the group consisting of coloring, embossing, printing, and combinations thereof.
24 . The article of claim 23 further comprising a fourth surface oppositely disposed from said third surface, said fourth surface having a treatment thereon selected from the group consisting of coloring, embossing, printing, and combinations thereof.
25 . The article of claim 22 , said first and second ends having a treatment thereon selected from the group consisting of coloring, embossing, printing, and combinations thereof.
26 . The article of claim 22 further comprising a height extending between said first surface and said oppositely disposed second surface.
27 . The article of claim 22 further comprising a width extending between said third surface and said oppositely disposed fourth surface.
28 . The article of claim 25 , said height being from about 1 mm to about 125 mm.
29 . The article of claim 26 , said width being from about 5 mm to about 300 mm.
30 . The article of claim 22 , said article being composed of a material selected from the group consisting of wood, metal, thermoplastic resins, polymerized thermoplastic resins, and mixtures thereof.
31 . The article of claim 22 , said article having a shape selected from the group consisting of flat, round, quarter-moon, half-moon, C-shaped, U-shaped, annular, arched, beveled, chamfered, channels, concave, convex, notched, rectangular, and tubular.