Patent GB-1095600-A (GB)
IPC: B41F17/22
Abstract: 1,095,600. Printing on cans. COORS PORCELAIN CO. June 11. 1965 [Jan 25, 1965], No. 24797/65. Heading B6C. In a continuous printer and transfer unit the cylindrical surfaces of cans are printed whilst the cans are held on mandrels. The cans are subsequently removed and placed on a pegchain conveyer for subsequent operations thereon. In the apparatus shown, cans 32 arranged in a supply line 33 are guided by a star wheel 31 to radially retractable pockets 34 of a rotating pocket wheel 35. The pocket wheel rotates anti-clockwise-viewed from the left in Fig. 1- and rotation of the shaft 22, on which the wheel is mounted, also rotates a mandrel assembly 25 and a push rod carrier drum 60 and associated parts. Sixteen each of mandrels 50 and pneumatically operated push rods 63 are axially aligned with each other and with cans 32 which rest on unretracted pockets 34. As shown at the top of Fig. 4 the star wheel 31 has guided a can on to a pocket 34. The clockwise rotation of the wheel carries the can to the right and downwardly where it is engaged by the cup end of a push rod 63 and pushed on a mandrel 50 located to the left of the wheel as viewed in Fig. 1. The mandrel assembly 25 also rotates clockwise as viewed from the right, Fig. 1, and carries the can into printing position relatively to the printer drum 90 and offset blankets 93 as shown in Fig. 13 where the blanket 93, imaged by printing cylinders 111, in contact with a can 32 is shown in dotted lines as it appears when the blanket holder 92 has been moved outwardly by a cam 103 into printing position. Again referring to Fig. 4 it will be noted that as soon as the can has been printed, a pocket wheel cam 44 causes retraction of the pocket 34 which supported the can before it was placed on a mandrel 50, whereupon the push rod cup 64 suctionally engages the end of the printed can and withdraws it from the mandrel by moving it to the right of Fig. 1 across the retracted pocket and beyond the pocket wheel. When the can carrying push rod reaches the limit of its stroke to the right, Fig. 1 (at the same time moving clockwise downwardly to the lower left of Fig. 4), the direction of movement is again reversed, toward the left of Fig. 1, and clockwise for placement of the can on a peg of the chain 48. The movement in axial directions of each push rod which takes place in one cycle or rotation of the transfer unit consists of three phases, i.e. a half stroke to the left for loading a can on a mandrel, a full stroke to the right for carrying a can from the mandrel across and beyond the pocket wheel, and a half stroke to the left for unloading. In the event of a deformed can being placed on a mandrel 50, or the can is misplaced relative to the mandrel, an electrical signal is conveyed to a solenoid which instantly retracts the cam 103 and causes the blanket and its holder to be retracted so that the blanket cannot apply ink to the mandrel or a faulty can. This action results merely in the skipping of one printing operation without stopping the machine. Vacuum is supplied for the purpose of holding cans on the mandrels during the printing operation, and air is supplied to release the vacuum and facilitate removal of the cans from the mandrels. After cans 32 have been printed by the printer 21 and before they are placed by the push rods 63 on the pegs of the peg-chain 48, the printed cans are given an overcoating by a unit 115, Fig. 4.