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(11) | EP 3 078 494 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | ROTARY PRINTING ATTACHMENT FOR ROLAND LEF DIGITAL UV FLATBED PRINTERS |
| (57) The world of short run digital rotary printing is a very niche market and one which
is totally untapped. The need to print a small quantity of spherical items, such as
bottles, golf balls, mugs, cups in almost totally unsatisfied as the technology to
print short run digital rotary is as of yet unavailable.
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[0001] The idea behind the Rotaprint is a very simple one. Roland DG Corp produces a printer that is a UV Flatbed printer designed to print on various substrates but cannot print on anything cylindrical. The Rotaprint is an attachment for the LEF series of Flatbed printers that allows it to be print on any cylindrical object with a diameter not exceeding 83mm.
[0002] The unit can be used on anything from a simple golf ball to a bottle of wine and utilizes the machines own Y advance timing mechanism to create a perfectly and timely rotation of the substrate being printed. The Rotaprint integrates perfectly with the printer via magnets and hinges on its wheels that are designed to forward the print-table within the machine. The INOX stainless steel bars allow for precise movement of the spherical object as well as a grip that fully stabilizes the object being printed.
[0003] The dual ends of the machine allow for various spherical objectives with various diameters to be printed as one end caters for the wider objects whilst the other caters for narrower objects. The ease of use to the end user coupled with the fact that an end-user can install or remove the Rotaprint in less than one minute makes it an extremely user-friendly solution. Uneven holders allow for spherical objects with diverse diameters and uneven surfaces with a tolerance of up to 10mm to be printed well due to the different tilt angles that are custom made for the RotaPrint.
1. The Rotaprint allows the Roland LEF-20 to print on spherical objects with a diameter
up to 80mm including uneven spherical objects. This assembly is composed of various
elements and is designed to attach to the LEF range of printers manufactured by Roland.
a. The elements that the assembly are composed of are Plexiglass, circular ball bearings, INOX stainless steel rods, various screws and o-rings, as well as holders for the INOX rods.
2. The Rotaprint is the only device in the world that allows the Roland flatbed series
to print on spherical items.
3. The Rotaprint does not interfere with any of the electrical systems of the printer
and is fully detachable from the machine due to its magnetic adherence system.
4. The Rotaprint caters to objects of various diameters thus the dual ended use where
narrow rods and wider rods are installed on either side.
5. The Rotaprint is the only device that utilizes the machine's own bed movement in order
to turn the spherical objects being printed.
6. The Rotaprint allows users to lay down and remove the unit without the need for any
third party tools.
7. The Rotaprint may be adapted to various other flatbed printers and is the only device
that utilizes the Y advance of any printer in order to perfectly time its own object
rotation movement.
8. Uneven substrate holders allow for printing of objects with a diameter difference
of up to 10mm. These are mounted on the INOX Stainless steel rods.
9. The RotaPrint has no external power supply and doesn't utilize any special software.
10. The unique magnetic attachment mechanism allows the RotaPrint to be attached and removed
easily without any hassles.