Ink and water tester

Abstract

Abstract An emulsification tester for determining the amount of water a known amount of material such as printers ink or shellac will absorb when agitated or mixed a precise number of times and in a precise manner is disclosed. As is well known by those skilled in the art, certain materials, especially materials such as shellac and printers ink, will not function properly unless these materials have the ability to absorb a proper amount of water. That is, the material must be able to absorb a minimum amount of water but must not absorb an excess amount of water. The tester of this invention allows a precise amount of water and a material to be tested (such as printer ink) to be agitated by mixer blades rotating at a precise selected speed and for a precise number of revolutions. In addition, the tester of this machine further includes means for very positively but slowly rotating the container such that the mixer blades clearly come into contact with all portions of the material in the container and leaves none unagitated. Thus, as an example, the water absorption characteristics of printers ink can be determined after a precise amount of agitation simply by pouring off and measuring the remaining water. The apparatus comprises a heavy-duty mixer which uses a precise DC electric motor which in turn drives a gear box connected to the mixers or agitators such that the agitators rotate at a precise revolution per minute. The container itself is driven at a slow speed (approximately 4 RPM) by a small AC motor. A sensing means connected to one of the agitators or mixer blades senses each revolution of the blades. A pulse representative of each of these revolutions is then provided to a count-down counter which counts each pulse received from said pulsing means. Thus, when a selected number of turns is preset in the counting means, and the machine started, it will be appreciated that once the counter reaches zero, electrical power is interrupted to the DC motor and AC motors thereby stopping the agitation. A light indicator, buzzer or other audible device may be attached to give notice that the mixing is complete. At that time, the water can be poured off and measured to determine the amount absorbed.

Inventors

• 👤 Horace Duke

Bibliographic Details