METHOD AND DEVICE FOR INSPECTING OR CORRECTING A DIRECT PRINT ON CONTAINERS WITH A RELIEF-LIKE SURFACE CONTOUR

• US 20150138295A1
• Filed: 04/30/2013
• Published: 05/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Krones AG (Krones)
• Original Assignee: Krones AG (Krones)
• Inventors: Lindner, Peter, Winzinger, Frank, Grosch, Sabine
• Granted Patent: US 9,649,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/110
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2203/01 Inspecting a printed medium or a medium to be printed using a sensing device
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/308 with print gap adjustment mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4073 Printing on three-dimensional objects not being in sheet or web form, e.g. spherical or cubic objects B41J3/283, B41J3/286 take precedence; building up a 3D object using individual droplets from jetting heads B29C64/112
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/40733 Printing on cylindrical or rotationally symmetrical objects, e. g. on bottles
• 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: B65D 1/0223 characterised by shape
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/9045 Inspection of ornamented or stippled container walls
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/909 in opaque containers or opaque container parts, e.g. cans, tins, caps, labels

Abstract

Method for inspecting a direct print on containers with a relief-like surface contour, where the relief-like surface contour is at least partially printed onto, the direct print applied onto the relief-like surface contour is, with an inspection device, inspected in terms of its quality and/or position

Claims

1. A method for inspecting a direct print on containers with a relief-like surface contour, wherein said relief-like surface contour is at least partially printed onto,

said direct print applied onto said relief-like surface contour is in terms of its quality and/or position inspected with an inspection device.

2. The method for inspecting a direct print on containers according to claim 1, wherein contour characteristics of said relief-like surface contour and/or printing characteristics of said direct print are detected and correlated in said inspection device.

3. The method for inspecting a direct print on containers according to claim 2, wherein said containers are prior to printing attached in a fixed position to holding devices, wherein in particular said contour characteristics of said relief-like surface contour are detected prior to printing and said printing characteristics are detected after printing.

4. The method for inspecting a direct print on containers according to claim 1, said direct print being, after inspection, corrected with a correction print.

5. The method for inspecting a direct print on containers according claim 1, and a correction signal for calibration of said direct print transmitted is from said inspection device to a direct printing device.

6. The method for inspecting a direct print on containers according to claim 1, and said direct print is performed sequentially by print heads with different printing inks and inspecting at least one of an intermediate result of said direct print between at least two print heads, or the overall result after printing all printing inks.

7. The method for inspecting a direct print on containers according claim 1, partial surfaces of said relief-like surface contour with a tangent that is slanted relative to the basic shape of said container aligned perpendicular to an inspection axis.

8. A device for inspecting a direct print on containers with a relief-like surface contour comprising a direct printing device for at least partial printing onto said relief-like surface contour;

and

at least one inspection device for inspecting said direct print in terms of at least one of its quality or position.

9. The device for inspecting a direct print according to claim 8, where said inspection device comprises at least one of a detection unit for relief-like surface contours or a triangulation unit.

10. The device for inspecting a direct print according to claim 8, where said inspection device comprises at least one camera, where said camera detects printing characteristics of said direct print and/or contour characteristics of said relief-like surface contour.

11. The device for inspecting a direct print according to claim 8, where at least one of said containers, said direct printing device, said inspection device, is arranged pivotably.

12. The device for inspecting a direct print according to claim 8, where said inspection device comprises at least one layer thickness measuring device which measures the thickness of at least one ink layer.

13. The device for inspecting a direct print according to claim 8, where holding devices are provided to receive said containers in a fixed position.

14. A method for correcting a direct print on containers with a relief-like surface contour, wherein said relief-like surface contour is at least partially printed onto with a direct printing device, and

following an inspection, correcting the direct print by at least one of applying a correction print or by removing printing ink applied onto said container.

15. The method for correcting a direct print according to claim 14, wherein said correction print is applied with a separate correction printing device or said direct printing device onto said container.

16. The method for correcting a direct print according to claim 14, wherein said direct print (2) is cured in sections and non-cured sections are corrected.

17. A device for performing the method according to claim 14 for correcting a direct print on containers with a relief-like surface contour comprising a direct printing device for at least partial printing onto said relief-like surface contour,

said device comprises a correction device configured to correct said direct print following an inspection.

18. The device for correcting a direct print on containers according to claim 17, where said correction device includes at least one of said direct printing device, a correction printing device, and/or a device for removing printing ink applied onto said container.

19. The device for correcting a direct print on containers according to claim 17, where said device comprises a transport diverter.

20. The device for correcting a direct print on containers according to claim 17, where said device comprises a carousel having an odd number of container holders.