EP0836939B1

EP0836939B1 - Printing machine

Info

Publication number: EP0836939B1
Application number: EP96918946A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sergei Nicolaevich Maximovsky; Grigory Avramovich Radutsky
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-06-20
Filing date: 1996-06-10
Publication date: 2001-11-28
Anticipated expiration: 2016-06-10
Also published as: EP0836939A4; CN1192179A; CN1069582C; RU2082615C1; EP0836939A1; RU95109218A; WO1997000774A1; DE69617430D1; KR19990022990A; JPH11508199A; DE69617430T2

Description

The present invention relates to a printing device according to claim 1.

The document "Matrix screen printer", IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 20, No. 1, June 1977, XP-002073035, discloses a matrix screen printer having a printing form in the form of a mesh, means for applying ink to all cells of the mesh and means for selectively forcing the ink through the cells and transferring it to the material being imprinted, said latter means providing a carrier stream (e.g. compressed air) incident upon the entirety of the mesh and a laser beam to heat and fluidize ink in selected cells according to the pattern to be printed, where the velocity of the stream is adjusted to allow fluidized ink only to be transferred from the mesh onto the material while assuring that the ink in the remaining cells remains within the mesh.

The document "Printing and display of information by selective pricking of liquid films across the interstices in a screen by means of selective corona charging and electrostatic stress", IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 21, No. 5, October 1978, XP-002073051, discloses a matrix printer comprising a corona ion source, an insulating baffle with an arry of ports each of which is provided with a gating electrode connected to logic electronics, a belt with an array of interstices, all of which are filled with ink, and a back electrode to accelerate ions from the source toward the screen belt. Ink films in selected interstices of the belt are charged with the ions by appropriate control of the gating electrodes. Transfer of the ink onto a sheet of paper is accomplished by arranging the belt and the paper in an electrostatic field that deflects the selected ink films to such an extent that they burst due to extensive stretching or to formation of a spark or to contact with the paper. The document "Color display-printer employing corona charging of dye molecules to selectively color liquid film and electrostatic means to transfer ink to paper", IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 21, No. 5, October 1978, XP-002073052, describes how ionized dye particles may be used to add color capability to this matrix printer.

The document Diploma No. 65, BI No. 19, 1969 discloses the following:

Academician A.M. Prokhorov, candidate in physics and mathematics G.A. Askar'yan, candidate in physics and mathematics G.P. Shipulo (P.N. Lebedev Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR) have discovered a previously unknown phenomenon, namely "light-hydraulic effect." During the study of passing of a powerful beam of a quantum generator in liquid they have found that when that beam was focused, intense hydraulic waves were created.

In past, an electric spark was used to create intense hydraulic pulses (the so called "electrohydraulic effect") as well as explosions where charges were employed or impacts from bodies moving with high speeds.

Where light-hydraulic effect takes place, energy release is ensured owing to a powerful short light pulse. Short duration of the pulse and its front of rise in modorn lasers have been found to be much shorter than in all known methods of exciting hydraulic waves. In creating light-hydraulic effect, substantial role play nonlinear processes in which large-scale absorption of low-intensity light takes place.

The authors have observed various light-hydraulic effects (deformation of bodies immersed in water near the focus, liquid ejection, dish ruptures etc.) which confirms the high amplitude of shock waves.

On the basis of the examination of Application No. OT-6867 of I7 July I968, carried out by the Academy of Sciences of the UkrSSR, the Committee on Inventions and Discoveries (USSR Council of Ministers) decided I8 March I969 to register the scientific discovery "Light-hydraulic effect" under No. 65 with priority date 28 February I963 (the date of the receiving of the article by the editorial board of "Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics," I963, vol. 44, No. 6, p. 2I80).

FORMULA OF THE DISCOVERY: "A previously unknown phenomenon has been discovered (established) of originating of hydraulic shock pulses (momenta) during absorption inside liquid of a light beam of a quantum generator (laser) (light-hydraulic effect)."

This scientific discovery has a very great scientific and practical value. Based on it, nonlinear acoustic properties of matter can be investigated in shock waves with very large amplitudes, and anomalies in propagation of such waves; intense shock pulses with large amplitude can be obtained in small volumes and used for microforming(stamping), processing, material hardening, for elimination of cavitation effects, for producing intense sound and ultrasound pulses used in active location and communication. The light-hydraulic effect can be also employed to increase the destructive effect of the light beam on materials containing inclusions or cracks filled with water or melt.

The light-hydraulic effect has several substantial advantages as compared to the electrohydraulic effect, namely short duration of light pulses that can be ensured with the use of extremely simple devices (antireflecting cells, rotating prisms) at high energy levels; small initial volume of energy release matching the focus volume, which increases sharply the shock momentum (action) of the light-hydraulic pulse. Elimination of electrodes when using the light-hydraulic effect also gives practical advantages since in electrohydraulic devices electrodes are located in zones of high temperatures and pressures and are quickly destroyed as a result. The light-hydraulic effect has another valuable characteristic, namely that it allows intense sound pulses to be excited in a noncontact way by a light beam directed onto the water surface. It has been shown that shock pressures of up many millions atmospheres can be reached.

The object of the invention is to create a printing machine which immediately after finishing printing a preceding publication could begin printing a subsequent publication without replacement of the printing form.

This object is achieved according to the characterizing portion of claim 1.

A printing form is made in the form of a mesh, all the cells of which are filled with ink, and means for selectively forcing ink through the cells of the mesh is made in the form of a quantum-mechanical generator of a light beam with a device for focussing it to the size of a cell of the mesh and with a device for deflecting that beam over the rows of its cells.

With such an embodiment of the machine, the beam of the quantum-mechanical generator of a light beam in accordance with a program, knocks out drops of ink from corresponding cells of the mesh onto paper, and since the ink is applied to all cells of the mesh of the form in each cycle of printing, there is no need to replace the form in the machine which operates according to a program directly from the computer.

It is advisable that the quantum-mechanical generator of a light beam be provided with a beam diameter modulator in order to expand, in accordance with the program, the zone of mesh cells which are simultaneously covered by the beam.

Such a realization of the machine makes it possible to obtain polygraphic matter with a wide range of color gradation.

It is also advisable that the printing machine be provided with means for forcefully cleansing the mesh cells of the form of ink not transferred onto the surface of the material being imprinted after completion of one deflection cycle of the light beam.

Such a realization of the machine eliminates overfilling of the mesh cells of the form, which are not used in one printing cycle, with ink.

The invention will now be explained by a description of concrete embodiments, which do not limit the instant invention, and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a printing machine schematically;

Fig. 2 shows a fragment of a mesh with cells from which the ink has been forced out by the beam of a laser.

As shown in Fig. 1, the proposed printing machine comprises a form cylinder 1, made in the form of a mesh with cells 2, and a printing cylinder 3, between which a paper sheet 4 moves. The form cylinder 1 is linked by means of rolls 5 and 6 to a vessel 7 containing ink. A slot nozzle 8, through which compressed air is supplied, is disposed inside the cylinder 1. A means 9 for selectively forcing ink through the cells 2 of the mesh is also disposed inside the cylinder 1. This means is made in the form of a quantum-mechanical generator 10 of a light beam 11 with a beam diameter modulator 12, with a device 13 for focusing the beam 11 to the size of a mesh cell and with a device 14 for deflecting that beam along the rows of cells 2.

The proposed printing machine operates in the following manner.

By means of a drive (not shown in the drawing), the form cylinder 1, the printing cyclinder 3, the rolls 5, 6 rotate in the direction shown by the arrows, the paper sheet 4 moves and air is forced into the nozzle 8. By means of rolls 5 and 6, ink is applied in a uniform thin layer from the vessel 7 onto the mesh of the form cylinder 1, filling its cells 2. The light beam 11 of the quantum-mechanical generator 10 is focused, deflected in a horizontal plane along the row of cells 2 of the mesh of the form cylinder 1 and, in accordance with a program, knocks ink out of corresponding cells of the mesh in each of its rows, the ink being transferred to the paper sheet 4. The knocking out of the ink takes place in accordance with the discovery of the "light-hydraulic effect" (Diploma No. 65, BI No. 19, 1969), wherein, when there is absorption of a light beam generated by a quantum-mechanical generator in a liquid, impact momentum occurs. A fragment of the mesh of the form cylinder 1, from the cells 2 of which ink has been knocked out, is shown in Fig. 2. The cells 2 of the form cylinder 1, from which ink is not transferred to the sheet 4 after passage through the zone of deflection of the light beam 11, are forcefully freed of ink by blowing compressed air from the nozzle 8 through them.

The shape of the proposed printing machine is not necessarily cylindrical. It can also be, for example, flat and execute reciprocal motion relative to the beam being deflected transverse thereto.

The form can also be stationary, and the laser beam may be deflected over the whole field thereof.

The proposed printing machine can also print multicolor matter. In order to do this, it should comprise several of the printing sections described above, and the paper sheet 4 will be sequentially passed between cylinder 1 and 3 of those sections.

The printing machine is designed to print different polygraphic matter, both simple and highly artistic.

Claims

A printing machine comprising a printing form (1) in the form of a stencil applied on a mesh, a means (5, 6, 7) for applying ink onto the form (1), a quantum-mechanical generator of a light beam (10) generating a beam (11) to be incident upon a selection of cells (2) and a means (10, 11, 13, 14) for forcing the ink through the cells (2) of the stencil and carrying it onto the surface of the material (4) being imprinted, whereas the printing form (1) is made in the form of a mesh, all the cells (2) of which are filled with ink, wherein the means (10, 11, 13, 14) for forcing the ink through the cells (2) of the mesh is made in the form of the quantum-mechanical generator of a light beam (10) operable in the mode of generating a light-hydraulic effect in the ink filling the predetermined cells (2), said quantum-mechanical generator of a light beam comprising a device (13) for focusing the beam (11) to the size of a mesh cell (2) and a device (14) for deflecting that beam along the rows of cells (2).
A printing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the quantum-mechanical generator of a light beam (10) is provided with a beam diameter modulator (12) to widen the zone of mesh cells (2) simultaneously covered.
A printing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that it is provided with means (8) for forcefully cleansing the mesh cells (2) of the form (1) of ink not transferred to the surface of the material being imprinted after completion of one deflection cycle of the light beam (11).