Granted Patent B2

US 12,384,145 · App. 17/750,370 · Granted Aug 12, 2025

Inventors: Avshalom Lean (Hod Hasharon, IL); Ittai Wiener (Mevaseret Zion, IL); Matan Bar-On (Hod Hasharon, IL)

Assignee: LANDA CORPORATION LTD.

B41J2/0057B41F21/05B41J13/223B41J2002/012

Abstract

Claims (62)

1. A method of operating components of a printing system 100 , the method comprising:

I. transporting ink-images 50 , which are disposed on an intermediate transfer member (ITM) 210 , to an impression station 216 , the impression station 216 comprising:

i. a rotatable impression cylinder 220 having an impression cylinder gap 320 , and

ii. a pressure cylinder assembly 318 comprising:

(A) a pressure cylinder 218 having a pressure cylinder gap 330 and operative to rotate synchronously with the impression cylinder 220 and in an opposing direction thereto, the pressure cylinder 218 comprising an angle portion 335 joining a trailing edge 331 of the pressure cylinder gap 330 and an outer circumferential surface 332 of the pressure cylinder 218 ,

(B) a compressible blanket 219 disposed around at least a portion of the circumference of the pressure cylinder 218 , and

(C) a margin insert 375 interposed between the pressure cylinder 218 and the compressible blanket 219 at least at the angle portion 335 , such that a local external geometry of the pressure cylinder assembly 318 at the angle portion 335 is changed by the presence of the margin insert 375 ,

II. at the impression station, applying pressuring force between the pressure cylinder 218 and the impression cylinder 220 so as to transfer ink image(s) 50 from the intermediate transfer member (ITM) 210 to substrate 231 ,

wherein the change in the local external geometry of the pressure cylinder assembly 318 due to the presence of the margin insert 375 is effective to reduce a dimension of an unprinted margin 235 on a leading edge 233 of the substrate 231 .

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pressure cylinder assembly 318 additionally comprises:

(D) a packing sheet 315 disposed around at least a majority of the circumference of the pressure cylinder 218 , interposed between the pressure cylinder 218 and the compressible blanket 219 , such that the margin insert 375 is interposed between the packing sheet 315 and the compressible blanket 219 .

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pressure cylinder assembly 318 additionally comprises:

(D) a packing sheet 315 disposed around at least a majority of the circumference of the pressure cylinder 218 , interposed between the pressure cylinder 218 and the compressible blanket 219 , such that the margin insert 375 is interposed between the pressure cylinder 218 and the packing sheet 315 .

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the local external geometry of the pressure cylinder assembly 318 at the angle portion 335 is determined at least in part by the thickness and location of the margin insert 375 .

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the impression cylinder gap 320 of the rotatable impression cylinder 220 houses a plurality of grippers 350 which are substantial recessed within the impression cylinder gap 320 .

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein

i. a surface of the impression cylinder 220 comprises a deflected portion 325 displaced circumferentially from the grippers 350 , and

ii. during each rotation of the impression cylinder 220 , transfer of an ink image 50 from the ITM 210 to the substrate 231 starts at a first transfer point 340 on the surface of the impression cylinder 220 located between the grippers 350 and the deflected portion 325 .

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the distance between the grippers 350 and the first transfer point 340 is determined at least in part by the thickness and location of the margin insert 375 .

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the deflected portion 325 includes a deflection in the surface of the impression cylinder 220 , the deflection having an angle selected so as to cause the portion of said surface between the deflected portion 325 and the grippers 350 to be substantially lined up with an upper surface of a gripper anvil 302 .

9. A method of operating components of a printing system 100 , the method comprising:

providing an impression cylinder 220 of the printing system the impression cylinder 220 having an impression cylinder gap 320 housing a plurality of grippers 350 substantially recessed therein;

providing a pressure cylinder assembly 318 comprising a pressure cylinder 218 and a plurality of pressure cylinder coverings, the plurality of pressure cylinder coverings having in combination a differential thickness with respect to location on the circumference of the pressure cylinder 218 ; and

applying pressuring force between the pressure cylinder 218 and the impression cylinder 220 so as to transfer ink image(s) 50 from an intermediate transfer member (ITM) 210 of the printing system to substrate 231 ,

wherein:

A. during the transferring, a leading edge 60 of the ink image 50 is aligned with a first transfer point 340 is displaced circumferentially from the grippers 350 on the surface of the impression cylinder 220 , the location of the first transfer point 340 corresponding to a dimension of an unprinted margin 235 at the leading edge 233 of the substrate 231 ; and

B. the differential thickness provided by the plurality of pressure cylinder coverings is effective to cause a change in the location of the first transfer point 340 and thereby reduce the dimension of the unprinted margin 235 .

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the distance between the grippers 350 and the first transfer point 340 is determined at least in part by the thickness and location of the second pressure cylinder covering 375 .

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the recessing of the grippers 350 impression cylinder gap 320 is effective to reduce a force on the ITM 210 caused by the ITM's traversal of the grippers 350 .

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein:

i. a surface of the impression cylinder 220 comprises a deflected portion 325 displaced circumferentially from the grippers 350 , and

ii. the deflected portion 325 includes a deflection in the surface of the impression cylinder 220 , the deflection having an angle selected so as to cause the portion of said surface between the deflected portion 325 and the grippers 350 to be substantially lined up with an upper surface of a gripper anvil 302 .

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of pressure cylinder coverings additionally comprises a third cylinder covering 315 , disposed around at least a majority of the circumference of the pressure cylinder 218 and interposed between the pressure cylinder 218 and the second cylinder covering 375 .

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of pressure cylinder coverings additionally comprises a third cylinder covering 315 , disposed around at least a majority of the circumference of the pressure cylinder 218 and interposed between the second cylinder covering 375 and the first pressure cylinder covering 219 .

15. A method of operating a pressure cylinder assembly 318 of printing system 100 , the method comprising:

(A) providing the pressure cylinder assembly, the pressure cylinder assembly comprising:

a. a pressure cylinder 218 ;

b. first cylinder covering 219 , disposed around at least a majority of the circumference of the pressure cylinder 218 ; and

c. a second cylinder covering 375 , interposed between the pressure cylinder 318 and first cylinder covering 219 , and disposed around less than 5% of the circumference of the pressure cylinder 218 ,

(B) operating the pressure cylinder assembly such that:

i. a pressuring force between the pressure cylinder 218 and an impression cylinder 220 of the printing system transfers ink images 50 from an intermediate transfer member (ITM) 210 of the printing system to substrate 231 ; and

ii. a change in the local external geometry of the pressure cylinder assembly 318 due to the presence of the second cylinder covering 375 is effective to reduce a dimension of an unprinted margin 235 on a leading edge 233 of the substrate 231 .

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the printing system 100 additionally comprises an impression cylinder having an impression cylinder gap 320 housing a plurality of grippers 350 substantially recessed therein.

17. The method of claim 15 , the pressure cylinder 218 having a pressure cylinder gap 330 , wherein:

i. the pressure cylinder 218 comprises an angle portion 335 joining a trailing edge 331 of the pressure cylinder gap 330 and an outer circumferential surface 332 of the pressure cylinder 218 , and

ii. the second cylinder covering 375 overlays the angle portion 335 .

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the second cylinder covering 375 overlays a portion of the circumference of the pressure cylinder 218 that is operative to benefit the transfer to substrate 231 of the leading edge 60 of each ink image 50 .

19. The method of claim 15 , additionally comprising a third cylinder covering 315 , disposed around at least a majority of the circumference of the pressure cylinder 218 and interposed between the pressure cylinder 218 and the second cylinder covering 375 .

20. A method of installing a margin insert 375 to a printing system 100 , the method comprising:

providing the printing system, the printing system comprising:

a. an intermediate transfer member (ITM) 210 comprising a flexible belt operable to have ink images 50 formed thereupon by droplet deposition at an image-forming station 212 ; and

b. an impression station 216 configured for transfer of the ink images 50 to substrate 231 after they are conveyed to the impression station 216 by the ITM 210 , the impression station 216 comprising:

i. a rotatable impression cylinder 220 having an impression cylinder gap 320 , and

ii. a pressure cylinder assembly 318 comprising:

(A) a pressure cylinder 218 having a pressure cylinder gap 330 and operative to rotate synchronously with the impression cylinder 220 and in an opposing direction thereto, the pressure cylinder 218 comprising an angle portion 335 joining a trailing edge 331 of the pressure cylinder gap 330 and an outer circumferential surface 332 of the pressure cylinder 218 ,

(B) a compressible blanket 219 disposed around at least a portion of the circumference of the pressure cylinder 218 , and

interposing the margin insert 375 between the pressure cylinder 218 and the compressible blanket 219 at least at the angle portion 335 , such that a local external geometry of the pressure cylinder assembly 318 at the angle portion 335 is changed by the presence of the interposed margin insert 375 ,

wherein the change in the local external geometry of the pressure cylinder assembly 318 due to the presence of the margin insert 375 is effective to subsequently reduce, during operation of the printing system, a dimension of an unprinted margin 235 on a leading edge 233 of the substrate 231 .

21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising:

(D) disposing a packing sheet 315 around at least a majority of the circumference of the pressure cylinder 218 , such that: the packing sheet is interposed between the pressure cylinder 218 and the compressible blanket 219 , and (ii) at least one of a first condition and a second condition is true, wherein the first and second conditions are defined as follows:

according to the first condition, the margin insert 375 is interposed between the packing sheet 315 and the compressible blanket 219 ; and

according to the second condition, the margin insert 375 is interposed between the pressure cylinder 218 and the packing sheet 315 .

Assignments (3)

Continuity (3)

References Cited (26)