Shock absorber cushion for flexographic printing plate and method of use
US6247403A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 16, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jun 19, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 16, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB41M1/04
- WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A sheet of elastomeric material that serves as a shock absorber and cushion for use between a flexographic printing plate and a printing cylinder during printing for compensating for variations in thickness, height and centricity of the printing cylinder and flexographic printing plate to prevent distortions in the image being printed that includes providing an elastomeric sheet having a longitudinal direction in the direction of circumferential travel of the cylinder circumference that includes a plurality or array of protrusions formed of the elastomeric material of predetermined cross-sectional shape and area and the material having a durometer to cushion the flexographic plate in such a way to provide the necessary compensation to ensure a high quality printed image at high speed. The cross-sectional shapes and the array of the longitudinal protrusions provide for material displacement zones that allows the elastomeric material to be compressed and return relatively instantaneously to its original height or near original height in sharing high quality printing compensating for tolerance errors between the drum size and the flexographic plate thicknesses.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.