ROTARY SCREEN PRINTING USING MANDRELS

1 . A printing press, comprising:

two mandrels positioned with axes aligned and in parallel;

a plurality of wheel elements, with a different one of the wheel elements disposed around each end of each of the mandrels, wherein at least one of the wheel elements on one of the mandrels is a drive wheel;

a rotary screen extending lengthwise between and around the wheel elements at the ends of the mandrels; and

an ink repository positioned to provide ink to the rotary screen.

2 . The printing press as defined in claim 1 , wherein each of the wheel elements comprises a unitary wheel.

3 . The printing press as defined in claim 1 , wherein the wheel elements at each mandrel comprise large diameter ends of a sleeve disposed around the mandrel, with the sleeve having a smaller diameter portion relative to the large diameter ends in between the large diameter ends.

4 . The printing press as defined in claim 3 , wherein the ink repository is disposed in a space around the sleeve between the large diameter ends of at least one of the mandrels.

5 . The printing press as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:

a plurality of sleeves, a different sleeve disposed around each different mandrel.

6 . The printing press as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of flexible bands, at least one flexible band extending over the rotary screen and around each wheel element and co-extensive with a portion of the rotary screen.

7 . The printing press as defined in claim 6 , wherein the flexible bands are attached to the rotary screen.

8 . The printing press as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:

means for facilitating movement of at least one of the mandrels toward or away from the other of the mandrels to provide lengthwise tensioning of the rotary screen.

9 . The printing press as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:

means for providing lateral tensioning of the rotary screen.

10 . The printing press as defined in claim 9 , wherein the means for providing lateral tensioning comprises

a flexible band extending around each wheel element and co-extensive with a portion of the rotary screen, wherein the flexible band is made with an outward camber.

11 . The printing press as defined in claim 9 , wherein the means for providing lateral tensioning comprises:

a flexible band extending around each wheel element and co-extensive with a portion of the rotary screen, and

a nip wheel running on the flexible band with a canted axis relative to the axis of the mandrel.

12 . The printing press as defined in claim 9 , wherein the two wheel elements disposed at opposite ends of the one of the mandrels are drive wheels, and wherein the means for providing lateral tensioning comprises an axis of rotation of the two drive wheel elements being disposed at an outward angle relative to the axis of the one mandrel on which it is disposed.

13 . The printing press as defined in claim 1 , wherein the ink repository is disposed between the wheel elements on at least one of the mandrels adjacent the rotary screen and includes therein an element for forcing ink through the rotary screen to a substrate, wherein the element for forcing ink is radially adjustable and/or tangentially adjustable relative to the rotary screen.

14 . The printing press as defined in claim 13 , wherein the element for forcing ink comprises a squeegee holder holding a squeegee, with the squeegee holder rotating around an eccentric disposed around one of the mandrels to adjust the squeegee radially.

15 . The printing press as defined in claim 13 , wherein the element for forcing ink comprises a squeegee holder holding a squeegee and rotating around an eccentric disposed around one of the mandrels to adjust the squeegee radially, wherein the eccentric is rotatable to adjust the squeegee tangentially.