US 12,472,761 B2
Printing system
Alessandro Bicego, San Giovanni Lupatoto (IT)
Assigned to UTECO CONVERTING S.P.A., Colognola Ai Colli (IT)
Filed by UTECO CONVERTING S.P.A., Colognola Ai Colli (IT)
Filed on Sep. 27, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/373,656.
Claims priority of application No. 102022000019905 (IT), filed on Sep. 28, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0100870 A1, Mar. 28, 2024
Int. Cl. B41F 3/52 (2006.01); B41F 3/54 (2006.01); B41F 5/24 (2006.01); B41F 33/00 (2006.01); B41M 1/04 (2006.01)
CPC B41M 1/04 (2013.01) [B41F 3/52 (2013.01); B41F 3/54 (2013.01); B41F 5/24 (2013.01); B41F 33/0036 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A printing system comprising a flexographic printing machine comprising at least one impression cylinder, on which a material in sheet form to be printed is wound and around which at least one printing station is arranged which comprises:
a respective plate cylinder, which can be positioned in contact with the material in sheet form to be printed and bears, on a lateral surface thereof, a respective graphic element, and
a respective anilox roller, designed to transfer ink onto the lateral surface of the plate cylinder,
downstream of said at least one printing station, along a direction of advancement of the material in sheet form to be printed, there being at least one respective drying unit for the inks applied to the material in sheet form to be printed, said drying unit being adapted to emit at least one first air flow in a direction of the material in sheet form and to aspirate at least one second air flow from the material in sheet form,
further comprising acquisition means for acquiring a coverage value of the graphic element present on the plate cylinder of said at least one printing station and means for automatically adjusting a flow rate of said first air flow and of said second air flow as a function of a coverage value of the graphic element acquired by said acquisition means, and
control means functionally connected to said acquisition means, respective delivery means for delivering said first air flow and respective means for extracting said second air flow being associated with each drying unit, said control means being configured to drive said delivery means and said extraction means as a function of the coverage value of the graphic element acquired by said acquisition means,
wherein the acquisition means comprise measurement means for measuring the electric current absorbed by the motor that drives the plate cylinder of each printing station, the control means being configured to compare values of the electric current measured by the measurement means with respect to at least one reference value and to determine, based on said comparison, the coverage value of the graphic element present on the plate cylinder of each printing station.