Fluid pressure biased squeegee blade and counter pressure table therefor

Claim 1

Apparatus for use with cylindrical screen printing machines, comprising: a movable belt for carrying a ribbon of material to be printed; a rotatable cylindrical screen mounted for rotation in contact with said ribbon on said movable belt; a squeegee holder member mounted inside said screen and having a channel-like seat opening downwardly from one portion of said holder and extending parallel to the rotational axis of said screen; an expandible elastic membrane mounted in said channel-like seat; fluid pressure means coupled to said membrane to pressurize and expand said membrane in a controllable manner; a blade of flexible material mounted for contact with the interior surface of said screen and forming an acute angle of incidence with said movable belt; a cylindrical member mounted in said channel-like seat in contact with said elastic membrane and said blade, said membrane acting on said blade through said cylindrical member such that expansion and contraction of said membrane causes a change in the incident angle of said blade; and a counterpressure table disposed adjacent the opposite surface of said belt from said screen, said table having a surface portion in the region opposite said screen inclined with respect to said belt and including a lining of yieldable material covering at least a portion of the surface of said table, and a plate having one end portion fixedly mounted to said table and an opposite end portion overhanging said table and spaced therefrom, said movable belt being supported at least by said overhanging end portion of said plate.