Abstract:
A pad printing machine designed to doubly or multiply print an object. An object support is or can be positioned in stationary manner, at least one pad carrier carrying at least one pad is configured in displaceable manner relative to the stationary object support, and a drying element drying the printing ink on the object to be printed is configured in displaceable manner relative to the stationary object support.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a pad printing machine as claimed in the preamble of claim  1 . 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relaters to a pad printing machine designed to print in double or multiple manner an object to be printed resting on an appropriate support and comprising at least one drying element to dry the printing ink on said object and it is characterized in that said object support is stationary or can be moved into a given stationary position, in that at least one pad carrier is configured, together with one pad, in displaceable manner relative to said stationary object support and the object resting on said support, and in that the drying element is configured in displaceable manner relative to the stationary object support and to the object to be printed resting on said support. 
         [0003]    A particular embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the object support, together with the object to be printed resting on it, is stationary at the same site both during printing and during drying and in that the drying element is displaceable relative to the stationary site of the object support and the object to be printed resting on it and a drying position, the drying element, when parked, being such a distance away from the said object&#39;s surface to be printed that sufficient clearance is provided to a pad carrier together with the pad, to move between a remote position far from the surface to be printed and a printing position to contact the said surface to be printed, where, in the drying position of said drying element the latter is configured so closely to the print surface of the object to be printed as to effectively dry said ink on said print surface, and a remote position being provided for the pad carrier and its pad which shall be such a distance away from the print surface of the object to be printed that sufficient clearance is provided when said pad carrier and pad are situated in said remote position that said pad carrier and pad shall be freely displaceable between its parking and its drying positions. 
         [0004]    Another embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the drying element is designed as a hot compressed air feed applying compressed air to the ink on the print surface of the object to be printed. 
         [0005]    In still another embodiment of the present invention, said compressed air blown through the compressed air feed on the ink on the; print surface of the object to be printed is generated by a hot air blower applying compressed hot air. 
         [0006]    The present invention is especially well suited to drying printed ink during double or multiple printing procedures, also to single-operation drying following completion of multiple printing. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIGS. 1-6  show various topviews of operational states of a pad printing machine of the invention, 
           [0008]      FIG. 7  is a sideview of a printing pad machine detail, 
           [0009]      FIG. 8  is a sideview of a further detail of said pad printing machine, and 
           [0010]      FIG. 9  is a vertical section of a drying element of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0011]    The pad printing machine  2  in topview in  FIGS. 1-6  and in detail in  FIGS. 7 ,  8  and  9  illustratively comprises two pad carriers  12  and  14  each holding an appropriately designed pad  16  shown in  FIG. 8  and supported in turn by a revolving element  18  which is pivotable about an axis of rotation  20 . 
         [0012]    To clean the pad  16 , the pad carrier  12  is displaceable between a cleansing position at a cleansing station  23  ( FIG. 1 ), an ink pickup position at a first ink pickup station  24  ( FIG. 2 ) and a printing position  26  above an object to be printed  28  resting on an object support  30 . The pad carrier  12  is vertically displaceable at all three stations  23 ,  24  and  26  to allow cleaning its pad  16  at the cleansing station  23 , respectively to pick up ink at the ink pickup station  24  from a cliché plate  32  respectively to transfer ink at the printing station  26  onto the object to be printed  28 . 
         [0013]    Illustratively and as shown in  FIG. 4 , the first pad carrier  12  is moved away again from the printing station in a manner that the second pad carrier  14  too shall be absent from this printing station  26 . In this manner enough clearance is created wherein a drying element  36  can be moved by a vertical drive  38  and by a rotary drive  40  from a lower vertical parking position shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3  into a raised position wherein it can be pivoted into the horizontal drying position shown in  FIG. 4 . The ink deposited on the object to be printed  18  is dried in the horizontal drying position by the drying element  36 . 
         [0014]    Following drying, the drying element  36  is moved back by said drives  38  and  40  into the parking position shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3 . Consequently there is a clearance again to displace the two pad carriers  12  and  14  to allow setting their pads  16  onto the object to be printed  28 . 
         [0015]    Said drying procedure takes place between two consecutive printing procedures. Such drying also may take place after each printing procedure, or after every second or third printing procedure etc. 
         [0016]    Following such an intermediate drying procedure, the second pad carrier  14 —after it has picked up ink from a cliché plate  46  at a second ink pickup station  44  as shown for instance in the position of FIG.  4 —is displaced toward the printing station  26  illustratively shown in  FIG. 5  in order to deposit at that site the ink on the object to be printed  28  resting on the object support  30 . 
         [0017]    Thereupon the second pad carrier  14  may be moved away again from the printing station  26 , for instance being moved into the cleansing station  23 , as a result of which both pad carriers  12  and  14  are situated outside the printing station  26  and a clearance is assured within which the drying element  36  can be displaced above the object to be printed  28  to dry it, as illustrated in  FIG. 6 . The pad carrier  14  also is vertically displaceable relative to the rotary element  10  for the purpose of moving its pad up and down between the stations. 
         [0018]    An ink cup  50  and  52  rests on the respective cliché plates  32  and  46  of the two ink pickup stations  24  and  44  and is displaceable relative to its particular cliché plate. In this manner the picture zone  54  respectively  56  is alternatively covered by the ink cup  50  or  52  to pick up ink from said cup or to be moved into a position adjoining the ink cup  50  or  52  wherein the pad  16  of either pad carrier  12  and  14  is able to pick up the ink. In illustrative manner  FIG. 7  shows the ink cup  50  and the cliché plate  32  on a cliché plate rest  58 . In the embodiment mode shown, the cliché plate  32  is stationary whereas the ink cup  50  is relatively displaceable to it as indicated by the arrows  60  and  62 . The ink cup  50  is shown in solid lines in  FIG. 7  next to the picture zone  54 , as a result of which one pad can pick up ink, and it is shown by dashed lines  50 - 2  above the picture zone  54  of the cliché plate  32 . 
         [0019]    In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the drying element  36  is hollow and fitted with an intake aperture  64  to admit preferably heated compressed air from a blower  66  preferably comprising an electric heater  68  to heat said compressed air. The drying element is  36  fitted with a plurality of outlet apertures  70  allowing blowing the preferably heated drying air onto the ink-covered surface of the object to be printed  28  in the manner schematically shown in  FIG. 9 .