Ink curing and drying apparatus

Claim 2

Ink curing apparatus comprising a housing having openings for feeding a printed web therethrough, at least one lamp assembly within said housing, said lamp assembly including a reflector, a high intensity ultraviolet light radiating lamp, means rotatably supporting said assembly within said housing for moving said reflector from one position wherein said ultraviolet radiation is directed toward said web to another position wherein said radiation is directed away from said web, an energy absorbing chamber adjoining said lamp assembly and receiving said radiation when said assembly is in said other position, air circulating means for circulating air about said reflector and said chamber and means shielding said light radiating lamp from said circulated air in both of said positions.

Claim 3

Ink curing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said lamp assembly includes an elongated cylindrical shell having an elongated opening extending longitudinally thereof, means supporting said reflector and lamp within said shell, said reflector being positioned to direct said radiation outwardly through said opening, said shell including a second opening opposite the first said opening and end openings and said air circulating means circulating air through said second opening, over the back side of said reflector and discharging it through said end openings.

Claim 4

Ink curing apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said lamp has an elongated cylindrical envelope terminating at its ends in neck portions of reduced diameter and electrical connectors carried by said neck portions, said supporting means includes transverse plates adjoining the ends of the first said opening to support and close the ends of said reflector, said plates including openings for receiving the neck portions of said envelope, said plates being further arranged to permit the flow of air entering the first said opening to pass beyond said plates for discharge through said end openings and means carried by said plates and sealing the openings about said neck portions.

Claim 5

Ink curing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said energy absorbing chamber comprises an elongated U-shaped channel having legs extending toward said lamp assembly, the width of said channel being at least equal to the width of said reflector, and said reflector when in said other position being aligned with said U-shaped channel.

Claim 6

Ink curing apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said housing includes a pair of partitions disposed transversely of said web and defining end chambers, at least one lamp assembly disposed on at least one side of said web and rotatably carried by said partitions, said lamp assembly including an elongated shell extending through said partitions and having an elongated opening extending between said partitions to receive said reflector, plates within said shell and adjoining the ends of said reflectors, said plates each having a central opening and an offset opening to the rear of said reflector, said shell having a second opening disposed between said partitions and opposite the first said opening and said channel extends between said partitions.

Claim 7

Ink curing apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said housing includes at least one conduit extending between said partitions and communicating with said end chambers, said blowers communicate with and force air into the space between said partitions and one of said end chambers includes air venting means.

Claim 8

Ink curing apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said lamps are cylindrical and have narrowed neck portions with electric terminals extending from the ends thereof, said neck portions extending through the central openings in said plates, sockets carried by the ends of said shell for engaging said electric terminals aNd means sealing said central openings of said plates about said neck portions.

Claim 9

Ink curing apparatus according to claim 1 including means responsive to the speed of said printed web through said housing to reduce the voltage on said lamp should the speed fall to 25 percent of the normal speed and means responsive to termination of the movement of said web to rotate said lamp assembly from said one position to said other position.

Claim 10

Ink curing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said lamp has an elongated cylindrical envelope terminating at its end in neck portions and electrical connectors carried by said neck portions, a shell surrounding the back of said reflector and transverse plates within said shell and adjoining the ends of said reflector to close the ends thereof, said plates including openings for receiving the neck portions of said envelope, said plates being further arranged to permit the flow of air entering the first said opening to pass beyond said plates for discharge through said end openings and means carried by said plates and sealing the openings about said neck portions.

Claim 11

Ink curing apparatus comprising a housing having openings for feeding a printed web therethrough, at least two lamp assemblies within said housing and disposed on opposite sides of said web each lamp assembly including a reflector, a high intensity ultraviolet light radiating lamp, means rotatably supporting said assembly within said housing for moving said reflector from one position wherein said ultraviolet radiation is directed toward said web to another position wherein said radiation is directed away from said web, an energy absorbing chamber adjoining said lamp assembly and receiving said radiation when said assembly is in said other position, air circulating means for circulating air about said reflector and said chamber and means shielding said light radiating lamp from said circulated air in both of said positions, said energy absorbing chamber comprising an elongated U-shaped channel having legs extending toward said lamp assembly, the width of said channel being at least equal to the width of said reflector, and said reflector when in said other position being aligned with said U-shaped channel, said housing further including a pair of partitions on each side of said web and disposed perpendicular to and transversely of said web to define end chambers, said partitions rotatably carrying said lamp assemblies, each of said lamp assemblies further including an elongated shell extending through said partitions and having an elongated opening extending between said partitions to receive said reflector, plates within said shell and adjoining the ends of said reflectors, said plates each having a central opening and an offset opening to the rear of said reflector, said shell having a second opening disposed between said partitions and opposite the first said opening and said channel extends between said partitions, air and light baffles extending between said partitions and closing the areas between each shell and the housing wall and between each energy absorbing chamber and the housing wall to completely shield the web passing through the housing and the lamps from said cooling air.

Claim 12

Ink curing apparatus comprising a housing having openings for feeding a printed web therethrough, at least two lamp assemblies within said housing and disposed on opposite sides of said web each lamp assembly including a reflector, a high intensity ultraviolet light radiating lamp, means rotatably supporting said assembly within said housing for moving said reflector from one position wherein said ultraviolet radiation is directed toward said web to another position wherein said radiation is directed away from said web, an energy absorbing chamber adjoining said lamp assembly and receiving said radiation when said assembly is in said other position, air circulating means for circulating air about said reflector and said chamber and means shielding said light radiating lamp from said circulated air in both of said positions, said energy absorbing chamber comprising an elongated U-shaped channel having legs extending toward said lamp assembly, the width of said channel being at least equal to the width of said reflector, and said reflector when in said other position being aligned with said U-shaped channel, said housing further including a pair of partitions on each side of said web and disposed perpendicular to and transversely of said web to define end chambers, said partitions rotatably carrying said lamp assemblies, each of said lamp assemblies further including an elongated shell extending through said partitions and having an elongated opening extending between said partitions to receive said reflector, plates within said shell and adjoining the ends of said reflectors, said plates each having a central opening and an offset opening to the rear of said reflector, said shell having a second opening disposed between said partitions and opposite the first said opening and said channel extends between said partitions, air and light baffles extending between said partitions and closing the areas between each shell and the housing wall and between each energy absorbing chamber and the housing wall to completely shield the web passing through the housing and the lamps from said cooling air.

Claim 13

Ink curing apparatus according to claim 10 wherein at least two lamp assemblies each with an associated energy absorbing chamber are disposed on each side of said web and along the length of the web, the energy absorbing chambers being positioned at 90* relative to the reflectors when the latter are in said one position, air shielding means between each energy absorbing chamber and the adjoining shell and said baffles extend from the outermost shells and energy absorbing chambers to the adjoining housing walls.

Claim 14

Ink curing apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said means for moving said lamp assemblies from said one position to said other position includes a slidably mounted rod, couplings between each lamp assembly and said rod and means for reciprocating said rod to rotate said lamp assemblies through an angle of approximately 90*.