METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DECORATOR COMPONENT IDENTIFICATION AND SELECTED ADJUSTMENT THEREOF

• US 20120216689A1
• Filed: 10/19/2011
• Published: 08/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pressco Technology Inc.
• Original Assignee: Pressco Technology Inc.
• Inventors: Cochran, Don W., Baker, Roger A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,882,306 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 101/39
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 17/002 Supports of workpieces in machines for printing on hollow articles
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 17/22 by rolling contact
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 33/0036 Devices for scanning or checking the printed matter for quality control
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 33/02 Arrangements of indicating devices, e.g. counters
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 1/06 Lithographic printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 1/40 Printing on bodies of particular shapes, e.g. golf balls, candles, wine corks sublimation or volatilisation of pre-printed design B41M5/035
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/952 Inspecting the exterior surface of cylindrical bodies or wires G01N21/956 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/956 Inspecting patterns on the surface of objects contactless testing of electronic circuits G01R31/308; testing currency G07D; manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H01L22/10

Abstract

Automated inspection technology is integrated with a cylindrical container print decorator machine to optimize the decoration process by making critical process and machine information properly and immediately available for corrective adjustments to the process. With this information, a high speed decoration machine operator will be made directly aware of the portions or subsystems of the decorator machine not functioning properly. The information directly facilitates, and can even recommend, corrective adjustments that are necessary to the decorator to better optimize printing functions. It is possible to use this information to optimize the operation of the decorator. It is possible to use this information by way of a properly configured control system, after specific augmentation capabilities are added to the decorator machine, to automatically close the loops with specific decorator printing machine parts or subsystems to dramatically improve the decorating process even while the machine is printing.

Claims

1. A system for printing patterns on peripheral surfaces of cylindrical containers comprising:

a mandrel wheel having a plurality of mandrels disposed thereon, each mandrel being operative to carry an individual cylindrical container around a periphery of the mandrel wheel;

a print blanket wheel having a plurality of print blankets disposed thereon, the print blanket wheel being adjustable, each print blanket being operative to print a pattern on a peripheral surface of individual cylindrical container carried by a mandrel of the mandrel wheel;

an inspection system operative to inspect the cylindrical container for faults or variations in the printed pattern on the individual cylindrical containers, the inspection system being operative to identify the individual mandrel which carried an individual cylindrical container and a corresponding print blanket that printed on the individual cylindrical container, and operative to generate fault or variation information; and

,

a control system operative to receive the fault or variation information to facilitate correction of the system.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising motors or servo-systems for each mandrel to facilitate automated adjustment of the individual mandrels based on the fault or variation information.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising adjustable components for each mandrel and wherein adjustment of the individual mandrels is manual and based on the fault or variation information.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising motors or servo-systems for each print blanket wheel or individual print blankets to facilitate automated adjustment of the wheel based on the fault or variation information.

5. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein adjustment of the print blanket wheel or individual print blankets is manual and based on the fault or variation information.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein adjustment to the individual mandrels, the print blanket wheel or individual print blankets comprises adjustment of pressure on the individual cylindrical containers during printing.

7. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the cylindrical containers are cans.

8. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the inspection system comprises an identification module to identify the individual mandrel, which carried an individual cylindrical container and a corresponding print blanket that printed on the individual cylindrical container, based on data from at least one of a part detection photo-detector, position one sensors, proximity detectors, counters and encoders.

9. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the inspection system is located where the pin chain is configured such that the long, circularly symmetrical axis of the can being imaged, is substantially out of parallel with at least one of the adjacent cans.

10. The system as set forth in claim 9 wherein the can being inspected is more than 5 degrees out of parallel with both of its immediately adjacent cans.

11. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the control system is operative to communicate the fault or variation information to an operator.

12. The system as set forth in claim 11 wherein the control system communicates some aspect of the fault or variation information graphically on a video display.

13. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the control system is a video inspection control system operative to communicate suggestions for corrective adjustment of the system to an operator based on the fault or variation information.

14. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the control system examines the cans on a realtime basis, while the decorator is actively decorating but employs algorithms to determine if any of the observed process variations are statistically significant before utilizing the inspection data to recommend a change to the process.

15. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a module operative to maintain a log of at least one of fault or variation information, warnings issued, statistical trending indications, time stamps for variations, suggestions for adjustment, verifications that suggestions were followed and automatic adjustments effected.

16. The system as set forth in claim 11 wherein the log is a secure log.

17. A method for controlling printing patterns on peripheral surfaces of cylindrical containers comprising:

printing a pattern on a peripheral surface of individual cylindrical container carried by a mandrel of the mandrel wheel;

inspecting the cylindrical containers for faults or variations in the printed pattern on the individual cylindrical containers;

identifying the individual mandrel which carried an individual cylindrical container or a corresponding print blanket that printed on the individual cylindrical container;

generating fault or variation information based on detected faults or variations and the identifying; and

,

processing the fault or variation information to facilitate correction of the system.

18. The method as set forth in claim 17 wherein the cylindrical container is a metal can.

19. The method as set forth in claim 18 wherein the inspecting is executed in a realtime manner while the decorator is actively running and providing nearly immediate fault information.

20. The method as set forth in claim 19 wherein the decorator is printing the containers at a speed of in excess of 900 containers per minute.

21. The method as set forth in claim 17 wherein the processing comprises notifying an operator.

22. The method as set forth in claim 17 further comprising manually correcting the system.

23. The method as set forth in claim 17 wherein the manual correction comprises adjusting the individual mandrel or the print blanket.

24. The method as set forth in claim 17 further comprising automatically correcting the system.

25. The method as set forth in claim 24 wherein the automatic correction comprises adjusting the individual mandrel or the print blanket.

26. A method for controlling and optimizing the printing of patterns on peripheral surfaces of cylindrical can bodies comprising:

configuring a can decorator machine which is integrally connected to an automated vision inspection system to inspect each can at production speed soon after printing;

printing a pattern on the peripheral surface of each individual can carried by a mandrel of the mandrel wheel by making rolling contact with a print blanket which is carried on a speed synchronized print blanket wheel;

inspecting the can body for visual faults or variations in the printed pattern on each individual can body;

identifying at least one of the individual mandrel, print blanket, colors, and other machine components which were in contact with each individual can in the decorator machine;

generating and associating fault or variation information related to specific machine component adjustments that may be needed to further optimize or correct the decorating process; and

,

sending electrical signals to a control system operative to automatically make the recommended adjustments to the specific machine components in need of adjustment;

27. The method as set forth in claim 26 wherein the additional step is taken of checking the decorated cans related to the change that was made to verify that the changes that were enacted did actually properly correct the process variation;

if the enacted change did not correct the decoration, recommending further changes to optimize the decoration process further; and

,

sending further electrical signals to the control system to automatically make the new recommended changes to further optimize the decoration.