Multi-station printing system

Claim 2

A multi-station screen printing system with a screen printer at each of the stations for printing on a section of continuous web while said web is stationary at a station; means associated with each of said stations for feeding and advancing the web into said station and stopping the web in response to a registry mark thereon and independently of web feeding means at other stations including, a drive roller beyond the screen printer, means for driving said drive roller at either a fast speed or a slow speed, intermittently operable means in advance of the screen printer for holding the web, and control means including means at the station for successively scanning a registry mark on the web for first reducing the drive roller from fast speed to slow speed and then upon a second scanning of said registry mark stopping the drive roller and activating the web holding means to hold the web in position for printing; and means for permitting independent operation of the screen printer at a station on a stationary web independently of the operation at another station including a web loop between said stations, and means for detecting the size of said loop and controlling the web feeding means at the next station beyond the web loop to maintain the loop to a predetermined dimension, said web holding means including a pair of rotatable rollers engaging the web therebetween and a relay operated brake for stopping rotation of said pair of rollers, and said drive roller is a vacuum roller which yieldably holds the web thereagainst whereby stopping of the web by said holding means is permitted by movement between the web and the vacuum roller.

Claim 3

A multi-station screen printing system with a screen printer at each of the stations for printing on a section of continuous web while said web is stationary at a station; means associated with each of said stations for feeding and advancing the web into said station and stopping the web in response to a registry mark thereon and independently of web feeding means at other stations including, a drive roller beyond the screen printer, means for driving said drive roller at either a fast speed or a slow speed, intermittently operable means in advance of the screen printer for holding the web, and control means including means at the station for successively scanning a registry mark on the web for first reducing the drive roller from fast speed to slow speed and then upon a second scanning of said registry mark stopping the drive roller and activating the web holding means to hold the web in position for printing; and means for permitting independent operation of the screen printer at a station on a stationary web independently of the operation at another station including a web loop between said stations, and means for detecting the size of said loop and controlling the web feeding means at the next station beyond the web loop to maintain the loop to a predetermined dimension, and wherein the screen printer at a first station prints leading and trailing registry marks and the screen printer at a succeeding station has a smaller printing area, said scanning means at said first station scanning the leading registry mark to stop the drive roll when the web is positioned for a succeeding printing operation at the first station with the trailing registry mark still in the screen printer area, and the scanning means at the succeeding station scanning the trailing registry mark impressed at the same time as the printed matter on the web which is at said succeeding station.

Claim 4

A multi-station screen printing system with a screen printer at each of the stations for printing on a section of continuous web while said web is stationary at a station; means associated with each of said stations for feeding and advancing the web into said station and stopping the web in response to a registry mark thereon and independently of web feeding means at other stations including, a drive roller beyond the screen printer, means for driving said drive roller at either a fast speed or a slow speed, intermittently operable means in advance of the screen printer for holding the web, and control means including means at the station for successively scanning a registry mark on the web for first reducing the drive roller from fast speed to slow speed and then upon a second scanning of said registry mark stopping the drive roller and activating the web holding means to hold the web in position for printing; and means for permitting independent operation of the screen printer at a station on a stationary web independently of the operation at another station including a web loop between said stations, and means for detecting the size of said loop and controlling the web feeding means at the next station beyond the web loop to maintain the loop to a predetermined dimension, and wherein the screen printer at a first station prints leading and trailing registry marks and the screen printer at a succeeding station has a smaller printing area, said scanning means at said first station scanning the leading registry mark to stop the drive roll when the web is positioned for a succeeding printing operation at the first station with the trailing registry mark still in the screen printer area, and the scanning means at the succeeding station scanning the trailing registry mark impressed at the same time as the printed matter on the web which is at said succeeding station.