US3162115A - Container side wall printing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 22, 1964 BAUER 3,162,115

CONTAINER SIDE WALL PRINTING APPARATUS Filed July 25 1963 INVENTOR.

Phil/pp J Bauer s& [L 88 United States. Patent M 3,162,115 CONTAINER SIDE' WALL PRINTING APPARATUS Philipp .F. Bauer, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Illinois Tool Works Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 25, 1963, Ser. No. 297,548 Claims. (Cl. 101-39) This invention relates in general to printing apparatus for containers and more particularly relates to apparatus for printing the side walls of containers.

Sheet formed thin walled plastic containers are used in a great variety of packaging applications, for example, for comestibles, cleansing powders, staples, bulk items, and the like. For identification purposes of both the contents of the package and the name of the manufacturer, it is greatly desirable that the side walls of containers be printed. Printing of generally frusto-conical containers in a commercially acceptable trouble-free manner at low cost has presented a grave problem. In order to print containers in an economically feasible manner, the containers must be printed automatically by suitable apparatus. The apparatus used heretofore has been deficient in that the dimensional variations that normally occur in the containers has prevented uniform quality in the printing. While the dimensional variations in the container products have been acceptable from a functional utilization standpoint, the dimensional variations have caused irregular, or indistinct printing, making the whole container a scrap item. This is especially deleterious when it is remembered that the printing on the containers occurs after the complete formation and inspection of the container, thus causing a total loss on the product except for scrap value of the container.

1 The instant invention is directed toward a means for mounting the container during the printing thereof which etficaciously afiords printing within a wide range of dimensional variations of the container.

It is an object of this invention to provide a mandrel means which is mounted on a mandrel arm by a pivotal connection, the pivotal connection affording a limited floating action of the mandrel whereby the container mounted on a mandrel may accommodate itself for efiicacious printing thereof.

More particularly it is an object of this invention to provide a pivotal connection between a mandrel plug and a mandrel arm, the axis of the pivot being located so that it substantially intersects the mid-point of the printing width of the side walls of the containers to be printed.

The novel features that are characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by the following description of a specific embodiment when read in connection with accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partially in section,

Q of a mandrel plug and mandrel arm embodying my inventive concepts;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of FIG. 1 showing the relative movement of the various parts of the assembly;

3,162,115 Patented Dec. 22, 1964 Returning now to FIG. 4 of the drawings, a printing apparatus 10 of conventional type is shown somewhat diagrammatically, having a loading station 12 for a stack of containers 14 located in a dispensing mechanism 16. The containers are loaded on to mandrel means 40 at station 12 whereupon the containers are indexed and firmly tamped on to the mandrel means at a station 18 immediately to the left of station 12. A tamper mechanism 20 in the form of an air cylinder is used to firmly locate the container on the mandrel means. The containers then are moved to a printing station 22 where a printing drum 24 actuated in timed relation by means 26 to the rotation of turret 38, prints suitable indicia and characters on the side walls of the containers as shall be explained.

The turret 38 then indexes the mandrel means and containers to the next succeeding station where cam means 30 and guide means 32 strip the container and guide same for discharge down a chute at the take-off station 34 where the containers are placed on a conveyor 36 for suitable drying and stacking for packaging and shipment to the ultimate consumer.

The turret 38 has a plurality of mandrels 40 mounted on the radial ends of suitable spokes or mandrel arms 42 which are fixedly mounted for rotation as a unit in synchronized movement with the printing drum 24. The mandrel arms 42 are made of relatively heavy cylindrical stock and are fixed at their lower end to a suitable turret carriage means for rotation therewith.

At the radially outwardly ends of arms 42 are a jam nut 44 and a conical nut 46 having a cone surface 47 thereon which are threaded on a suitable threaded portion 48 of the arm. A portion of the arm 42 radially outboard of the threaded portion 48 is of reduced diameter as shown at 50 and the arm terminates with a partial spheroidal surface 52 having a cross bore 54 therein.

A pivot pin 56 is disposed in bore 54 of arm 42 and mounts sleeve member 58 thereto. The sleeve member 58 is formed with an internal bore 60 which cooperates with the spherical portion 52 of the mandrel arm. Sleeve member 58 is formed with suitable apertures 59 for receiving pin 56 as best shown in FIG. 3. The lower end of mounted to the top of sleeve member 58 to engage a spacer member 66 which in turn engages and traps an upper ball bearing means 68. The ball bearing means 68 is trapped between the spacer 66 and a shoulder 70 in the mandrel plug 72. A lower ball bearing means 76 is trapped between shoulder 78 on mandrel plug 72 and a lower shoulder 74 on the outside surface of sleeve member 58.

The mandrel plug 72 maybe formed from plastic such as nylon or the like, and may have a plurality of holes 86 therein for reduction in total amount of material re- FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top view along line 3-3 of 7 FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view, partially semidiagrammatic in form,

of an apparatus utilizing the mandrel means shown in FIGS. 1 through 3;

quired and also provides venting passages for egress of air trapped between the plug and the container. The outer surface 82 of the mandrel plug is generally frustoconical in shape complementary to the frusto-conical shape of the container to be printed. The exact angularity of the surface 82 Will, of course, vary with the particular container to be printed. The containers 84 shown in FIGS. 4 through 7 have a printable side wall portion 86 shown in FIG. 5 and it will be noted that the axis of FIGS. Sand 6 are views of mandrel means, container 7 means and a-printing surface, and the accommodation of the mandrel means to different types of dimensional varithe pivot pin 56 substantially intersects the mid-point of the printing surface 86. The mandrel arms 42 are located relative to the printing drum as best shown in FIGS. 4-7 so that the print receiving surface portion 86 is exactly tangent to the indicia imparting means 88 on the drum 24.

7 3 As the turret 38 indexes the mandrel means 40 having a container 84 loaded thereon to the station 22, the drum 24 with printing indicia imparting means 88 thereon rotate into engagement with surface 86 of the container.

If the container has a thickened side wall portion at 90,

the mandrehas shown in FIG. 5, accommodates itself to this dimensional variation by pivoting on the axis of pin 56. The ball bearing races 68 and 76 allow the container and mandrel portion 72 to rotate freely on the sleeve member 58 so that the entire container side Wall may be printed. As shown in FIG. 6, the mandrel accommodates itself to a thickened upper portion 92 of the; side wall to be printed.- As shown in FIG. 2, the amount of'fre'edom or play in the pivotal movement about the axis 56 is adjustable by adjustment of the nut 46 relative to sleeve 58. For setting up the printing apparatus, nut 46' may be located so that surface 47 engages and holds sleeve member 58 fairly rigidly, then being backed oft" and locked into position to accommodate itself to the dimensional variations of the particular container workpieces being printed.

The instant apparatus has greatly improved the commercial production of printed containers and greatly decreases the number of rejects of containers due to faulty printing. 7 t 7 Although a specific embodiment of apparatus for printing the side walls of container has been shown and described, it is with full awareness that many modifications thereof are possible. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except insofar as is necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. Apparatus for printing the side walls of containers, including rotatable indicia imparting means located at a fixed station and turret means for' moving containers to said fixed station for printing, comprising the improvement of mandrel means mounted on said turret, said mandrel means having an outer configuration substantially complementary to the interior of the container workpiece, and means mounting said mandrel means to said turret means, saidmeans mounting said mandrel means to said'turret means being characterized as affording limited pivotal movement to said mandrel means about anaxis intersecting opposite surfaces on the side Walls of the container workpiece which are to be printed to accommodate to-variations in the thickness of the side walls ofthe container workpiece.

V 2. Mandrel means for holding a container during printing of the side walls of said contanier comprising in combination an elongated member having first and second spaced ends, bore means in said elongated member transverse to the axis of said elongated member ad jacent said first end, pin means mounted in said bore means, sleeve means mounted over said first end and connected to said pin means for limited pivotal movement about said pin means, plug means for engaging a container telescopingly mounted over said sleeve means and concentric thereto, and heating means interposed between said plug means and said sleeve means for rotation of said plug means on said sleeve means, whereby said plug means may be rotated relative to said sleeve means, and said sleeve means may have limited relative pivotal movement to said elongated member.

3. The mandrel means set forth in claim 2 wherein adjustment means is mounted on said elongated member comprising a threaded portion intermediate said first and second ends and nut means on said threaded portion of said elongated member for cooperation with said sleeve means to adjustably limitthe amount of pivotal movement of said sleeve member on said elongated member.

4. The mandrel means set forth in claim 3 wherein said adjustment means is in the form of a conical nut and said sleeve member is formed with a counterbore having a surface adjustably engageableby said conical surface.

5. A turret mechanism for mounting frusto-conical containers during printing of indicia on the side Walls thereof comprising turret means mounted for rotation in a fixed plane and having a plurality of radially extending elongated spoke members extending generally radially outwardly from the center thereof, mandrel means mounted on the radially outward terminal ends of said elongated members, each of said mandrel means being characterized as having an outer configuration substantially complementary to the internal configuration of the container to be printed and further characterized as being mounted to said elongated members by means alfording a limited pivotal movement of said mandrel means about an axis transverse to the major axis of said elongated member, said mandrel means :being further characterized as being rotatable about the major axis of said elongated member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,107,491 2/ 38 McQuiston l0139 2,331,991 10/43 McElwain 101-38 EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. APPARATUS FOR PRINTING THE SIDE WALLS OF CONTAINERS, INCLUDING ROTATABLE INDICIA IMPARTING MEANS LOCATED AT A FIXED STATION AND TURRET MEANS FOR MOVING CONTAINERS TO SAID FIXED STATION FOR PRINTING, COMPRISING THE IMPROVEMENT OF MANDREL MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID TURRET, SAID MANDREL MEANS HAVING AN OUTER CONFIGURATION SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLEMENTARY TO THE INTERIOR OF THE CONTAINER WORKPIECE, AND MEANS MOUNTING SAID MANDREL MEANS TO SAID TURRET MEANS, SAID MEANS MOUNTING SAID MANDREL MEANS TO SAID TURRET MEANS BEING CHARACTERIZED AS AFFORDING LIMITED PIVOTAL MOVEMENT TO SAID MANDREL MEANS ABOUT AN AXIS INTERSECTING OPPOSITE SURFACES ON THE SIDE WALLS OF THE CONTAINER WORKPIECE WHICH ARE TO BE PRINTED TO ACCOMMODATE TO VARIATIONS IN THE THICKNESS OF THE SIDE WALLS OF THE CONTAINER WORKPIECE.

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