METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRINTING CANS FROM HEAT TRANSFER PAPER

摘要

A method and apparatus for continuous heat transfer of ink images onto the outer surfaces of continuously moving generally cylindrical articles (46, 48) from a length of continuously moving heat transfer sheet material having thereon a series of uniformly spaced heat transferable ink images by use of an elongated wrapping and heating tube (20) for continuously wrapping a portion of the sheet material into intimate contact with the outer surface of each cylindrical article as the sheet material and the cylindrical members move through the tube and for heating the wrapped portion of the sheet material and the cylindrical articles during movement through the tube to cause transfer of the ink image to the articles within the tube. The sheet material is thereafter unwrapped and diassociated from the decorated cylindrical members after passing through the tube during continuous movement of the sheet material and the printed cylindrical members.