Silk screen transfer printing apparatus for cylindrical objects

Claim 1

Printing apparatus for printing onto a substantially cylindrical vertical surface of a body comprising: a screen printing head containing a heat-flowable ink; means for heating said printing head to render the ink flowable; means mounting the head with the screen substantially horizontal; a print transfer device, said print transfer device including a drum that is rotatable about a horizontal axis and a plurality of print transfer pads spaced about the surface of the drum, each said transfer pad having a face thereon extending parallel to the axis of the drum; means for heating each said transfer pad to maintain ink on said pad in a flowable state; means mounting the print transfer device for rotation between a first stationary position in which the face of a pad is substantially horizontal and a second stationary position in which the face of the pad is substantially vertical; means for bringing the face of the pad into contact with the printing head in said first position so as to take up ink from the printing head; and means for rolling the body about a vertical axis along the face of the pad transverse to the direction of displacement of the pad in said second position so as to deposit ink from the pad around the cylindrical surface of the body, said body being unheated such that the ink deposited on the body rapidly dries on cooling.