Patent ID: 8628319

Claim:
An apparatus for vacuum thermoforming and printing plastic articles from a substantially continuous web of plastic material, said apparatus comprising: a. a vacuum thermoforming drum for receiving said substantially continuous web, said drum being rotatable about a central axis and having a plurality of die mounting surfaces arranged circumferentially thereon, at least one said die mounting surface comprising a vacuum thermoforming die defining said articles; b. said drum further comprising a gear path and a cam path, i. said gear path comprising a plurality of substantially flat geared sections aligned with said die mounting surfaces and a plurality of substantially curved geared sections between said substantially flat geared sections, ii. said cam path comprising a plurality of substantially flat cam path sections aligned with said die mounting surfaces and a plurality of substantially curved cam path sections between said substantially flat cam path sections; c. a vacuum source operably attached to said drum for drawing said substantially continuous web into contact with said vacuum thermoforming die; d. a drive for rotating said drum; e. at least one print structure arranged in a print structure frame and comprising a printing cylinder adjacent said drum for contacting and imparting ink to said articles after said articles are formed, i. said print structure frame comprising a linear bearing adapted to allow said printing cylinder to move in a constrained motion substantially normal to said central axis, ii. said printing cylinder further comprising a print cylinder shaft having a pinion gear adapted to engage said gear path and a cam roller adapted to engage said cam path; wherein rotation of said drum causes rotation of said gear path and said cam path; rotation of said gear path causes said pinion gear to rotate said print cylinder in synchronism with the rotation of said drum; and said cam roller and said cam path are adapted to maintain engagement of said pinion gear and said gear path as said drum rotates.