The present invention relates to a method to be used for pad-or tampoprinting a whole picture, which con- tains of at least two smaller part-pictures on a detail.

On the market today there are no tampoprinting methods of this kind previosly known, which makes it possible to print larger assembled pictures by tampoprinting.

It is with this technique possible to transfer one picture from a cliche to a detail. This tampoprinted picture will get a smaller surface, because of the surface of the picture is limited to the size of the tampon and of the cliché, which means that the picture can not be wider than about two square decimetres.

With this technique it is only possible to print smaller details such as a picture on a CD-record, a picture on a toy, ceramic gods, a cover on a mobile phone, on a bottle, on a sheet unit e g a glass sheet.

With this method it is only possible to tampoprint pictures of small sizes, where each tampon gives only one picture. When using another method, screen print- ing, it is however possible to print larger pictures, since screenframes can be made of larger sizes than tampons. However, when colour printing with more than at least two colours, problems appear, since this method is not very accurate, which easily can make the colours being moved related to one another, which causes a bad result because of this. It is also known to tampoprint several electrical leading layers side by side in electronic units, such as mobile phone covers, without the intention to create an esthetical picture, which are required in decorative pictures.

Here no greater demands are required on the precision, which means that the covering layer can overlap one another without any esthetical demands, only the elec- tric leading function matters. Ugly seams appear by this method, which can not de accepted on details, which shall be tampoprinted with decorative pictures.

If you want to build a nice decorative pattern, which contains small delicate details and print them on for example a glass sheet, to be placed in a piece of fur- niture or in an oven or in a front in a kitchen device or as a board in a door or things like that, you can of course use the expensive method of screenprinting to print large assembled pictures but than you get a bad quality in the picture as a result. When this method is being used to print many colours it will be even harder. This method is also expensive, messy and takes a long time to practise and is also not good to the environment. With tampoprintning it is not possible at all to print large pictures.

One object of the present invention is to eliminate the disadvantages, which is involved with the methods described, by tampoprinting at least two partpictures in or next to one another, which part-pictures create a larger whole picture.

Thanks to the invention there has now been provided a method to create larger and better pictures than has been possible before recording to known technology.

According to the invention a tampoprinting method is used, where at least one tampon reaches out to tampo- print on at least to places on a detail. Now a larger picture is obtained, than is the case according to known technique, while there is only being printed on one place. According to the invention these larger pictures can be printed also on larger details. This occurs by tampoprinting several times on several places, so that many part pictures together build up the picture, so that these are in a position close to each other or in one another, so that the part pictures together create a larger complete picture.

The tampoprinting procedure is taking place in a tampoprinting machine. This is equipped according to the invention with at least one moving device, which is build up with for example by axles, ribs, arms, frames, ball and socket joint devices, moving tables or things like that, which moving devices can move the tampon and/or the detail according to each other, so that the details print surface will be reachable for tampoprinting at a predestined position anywhere in the room in x-, y-and z-direction, where it can be tampoprinted with at least two part pictures, which shall be placed at a predestined place on the detail.

To be able to simplify the tampoprinting procedure and the reaching ability for the tampon to be able to print in corners, on a bump formation, a hole form- ation or at other places where it is difficult to print, the tampon and/or the table, where the detail is fasten, turns according to a horizontal surface and/or lift or sink before, after or during the tampoprinting procedure on the detail, so that an ap- proaching angel, which is different from a invisible vertical line is shaped between a printing direction and the vertical line. To be able to increase the re- sult of the tampoprint on places where it is difficult to print, the shape on the tampon is formed after the form of the print surface. The printing procedure is working in a way, so that the tampon in a first, step 1 fetches a part picture by a cliche in an exact position supported by instructions, which are pro- grammed in a computers memory by the tampoprinting machine, which also regulates all the movements and taken positions in time and room, which the moving devices undertakes including their tampons and tables during the whole tampoprinting procedure. In this x- and y-position the position is locked. The cliche is being prepared with ink, from a cup situated by the cliche which contains the ink, which cup moves over the cliche, so that the ink fastens in deeps by the cliche and therefore shapes the part picture. The position of the cliche is exactly installed in a pre- destined position. The tampon and/or the table where the detail is fasten, moves later to another x-and y- position after new instructions from the computers memory, so that the tampon in a step 2 is tampoprinting mainly in z-direction on the detail in this new position. Then the part picture 1 is shaped on exactly the predestined place on the detail, when the tampon has pressed against the printing surface and then later on left it. Then the detail shall be completed in the same way as described above with at least one more part-picture to be able to create a complete proper picture. This will be happening in step 3, so that the part-picture two is being fetched from the same or another cliche, which part-picture 2 the is being moved to another programmed position in x-or y-direction than the position part picture 1 has got and then later on being tampoprinted in step 4 with an accurate precision in or next to the first part-picture, so that those two together create a proper complete picture. Of course according to the invention you can add more numbers of steps as being described above and threw this procedure tampoprint produce as many part-pictures you want from a wanted number of similar or different cliches and cups and a wanted number of similar or different shaped tampons.

A prior art of the invention, the tampoprinting machine, is supported with a number of cups and cliches, which are placed in a reachable distance to be able to fetch partpictures with different kinds of tampons. These are being placed to be fetched on a tamponstation, where these are being kept, which each are shaped to suit to the partpictures special design and the shape of the printing surface, which are being there to be fetched at each therefor suited cliche.

The programmed computer memory of the tampoprinting machine knows also in what turn and to what cliche is required tampon shall move to, to be able to fetch the right part picture, so it suites to the print surface of the details and where the partpicture shall be printed on the detail and also in what timing this shall happen. The partpictures connected to each other with good precision against or in each other. After that they are being printed with or without seam. If the partpictures is situated in each other, there will be not always a seam, which will be the case if the partpictures is connected to one another side by side.

If there is a seam, it will be very thin or not even visible, because you can tampoprint with grate accuracy so that the partpictures will be placed edge to edge. Furthermore according to the invention it is possible to tampoprint the partpictures overlapping, so the structure of the partpictures not gives a visible seam. Than you use the design of the picture concerning lines, dots, colours, brightness and/or colour nuance or structures, so that the connection between the part pictures will turn up natural, so that the seam between those will be so little visual as possible or will completely vanish, as fore example when a dark surface is covering a lighter surface. By using the structure of the print surface of the detail, you can put the seam, where a natural ornament is situated, for example in a place where there is a level difference. Then a part picture can be printed in a way, so one edge of the first part picture is following the edge level difference and the second part picture is connected at the same way against the edge as the first picture, so that the seam between those two part pictures mainly will disappear, caused by covering effect of the ornament. You can also according to the invention make the seam very little visible by printing it like seam elements, which overlaps at least one edge between at least to partpictures. A pattern which is repeated between at least two part pictures, for example raster pattern, can be used to print large compete pictures if you print a lot of times. Such patterns are often used on sheet glass, for example on oven doors or other glass panels, such as decorative fronts in shower cabins, mirrors and so on. The seams will be less visible or invisible by letting the distance between for example angled diagonal lines create a seam, so that the tampon, when printing the next part picture, begins in connection to the first part picture with a distance as big as the distance between two lines. If more complicated pattern are required, the tampoprinting is first made one time with the lines printed in one direction, than the same procedure is done again from the start with the lines crossing the printed lines.

Instead of using lines in repeating patterns, dots, squares, triangles, and other mainly small formations, which is appearing a very large scale in the whole picture can be used. Screenprinting on sheet glass is today being practised at a very large scale. Therefore this marketing area gives very great advantages if tampoprinting according to this invention as decried above instead should be used, such as save money, get better quality, timesaving and better environment. The tampoprinting machine can with help from its computer memory also regulate the printing speed and the pressing power of the tampon against the surface of the detail, booth when it is on its way down towards the detail to be able to tampoprint the detail and when it is on its way from there. These charac- teristics improves the tampoprinting technique and helps, by a well done adjustment of pressure and speed, every tampons ability to leave its partpicture against the detail in the best way, so that the partpictures is being printed with a almost invisible seam because of this, so that they even better appears like as a natural complete picture. Different kinds of printing ink can be used to practice this invention for example ceramic printing ink, which can be melted into the printing surface if this surface contains of a ceramic material or a glass material done by a pro- cess in a hot oven, which procedure will be executed after the complete picture is tampoprinted. This printing ink will be very strong against mechanical stress. Another kind of printing ink can also be used.

This ink is being warmed up at least in one of the cups during the printing process. Components in this ink will later, after the printing, harden when it cools down after the printing process and the complete picture gets a certain ornamented structure like the ceramic ink and therefore its not needed to burn it in to the surface of the detail. This suits especially well to decorative pictures according to this invention. Printing ink with a simpler mixture is also available, which can be tampoprinted without a special heating procedure and can with good results be used according to this invention to more simple appli- cations like toys and advertising pictures. Since every colour nuance is printed separately according to the steps, which is desired above, high quality is being created on colour pictures with many different colours. Furthermore printing ink is available, which is used to lead electricity, which for example is used to build up an conductive electrical leading layer to avoid electromagnetic radiation in for example an electronic microwave oven, on which a decorative and precisely formed net formation is needed, which ac- cording to the invention can be produced with a very good result. The greatest advantages with the invention is commonly seen, that it is possible to create a larger picture than before with a method, which is kind to the environment, not so messy, cheap- er, more efficient, faster and furthermore gives a very good result and a much more clear complete picture, even in many colour printing.

The invention is more clearly described below with the aid of preferred examples with reference to the ac- companying drawings, where Fig. 1 shows a detail in a perspective view with three tampoprinted part-pictures, which are placed next to one another to form complete picture with seams, Fig. 2 shows a detail in perspective view with some tampoprinted part-pictures, which are build partly placed next to one another and partly overlapping next to a outcut, Fig. 3 shows a detail in a cross-section by a seam between two part-pictures, which is divided by a distance, Fig. 4 shows a detail in a cross-section by a seam between two part-pictures, which make the part- pictures coming very close to or even tough each other, Fig. 5 shows a detail in a cross-section by a seam between two part-pictures, which is overlapping each other, Fig. 6 shows a detail in a cross-section by a seam between two part-pictures, which is overlapping each other by a seam element, Fig. 7 shows a detail in perspective view of a seam between two part-pictures, which is using the ornament in the surface of the detail to cover the seam, Fig. 8 shows a detail in a view seen from above in a first step A when two part-pictures are tampoprinted and in a second step B of the same detail when to added part-pictures is tampoprinted on top on the two first part-pictures, so that an invisible seam between the part-pictures is created, Fig. 9 shows a perspective view of tamponprinting machine.

As closer can be seen from the example embodiment of the invention according to Fig. 1, a complete picture 1 is shown, which is tampoprinted on a detail 2. It consists of three part-pictures 3,4, and 5, which are tampoprinted next to each other. Part-picture 1 shows a dark nuance. The part-picture 2 has brighter nuance and the part-picture 3 shows only exterior contours 6.

By using the natural structure in the complete picture 40, each part-picture 3,4 and 5 can be tampoprinted close to each other without visible or little visible seams 7. The brighter part-picture 4 is first tampo- printed. In connection to this one the darker will be tampoprinted with a very small seam 7 shaped as over- lapping 19. Then the part-picture 5 will be tampo- printed, so that the contour 6 connects with a slightly visible seam 7 against part-picture 4.

As can be seen from the example of the invention according to Fig. 2 a complete picture 9 can be seen, which is tampoprinted on a detail 2, which is build up with the part-pictures 10,11, and 12. These part- pictures are tampoprinted in each other. Part-picture 10, which consists of only on contour 6 in for example dark brown, is tampoprinted first, to create a trunk in a tree. After that a nuance of green is tampo- printed in part-picture 10, which represents the leaves in the tree."The man"is the part-picture 12, which afterwards is being tampoprinted over the part- picture 11, since"the man"has a darker nuance. A seam 7 is then being done in the form of an outcut 13 which is being done in the part-picture 11, because the nuance in this part-picture shall not disturb the nuance in the part-picture 12. No visible seams appear here in this complete picture 9.

As can be seen in the example of the invention accord- ing to Fig. 3, a seam 14 on a detail 2 can be open be- tween the two part-pictures 16 and 17.

As can be seen in the example of the invention accord- ing to Fig. 4, a seam 15 on a detail 2 can be very close or tough each other between two part-pictures 16 and 17.

As can be seen in the example of the invention accord- ing to Fig. 5 a seam 19 on a detail 2 can be very overlapping between two part-pictures 16 and 17.

As can be seen in the example of the invention according to Fig. 6, a seam 20 can be so big that it can disturb the complete picture 18 on a detail 2 if it is not covered by a seam element 21 between the two part-pictures 16 and 17.

As can be seen in the example of the invention accord- ing to Fig. 7, a seam 22 on a detail 2 between two partpictures 16,17 can be placed in an ornamenting 23 in the printing surface 24, so that it will be hidden there as good as possible.

As can be seen in the example of the invention accord- ing to Fig. 8, a detail 2 is shown, which in a step A first will be printed with diagonal lines in a first part-picture 29, when the tampon has its first position 27. Then the tampon is being moved to a second position 28, where the same diagonal lines is being tampoprinted and creates a second part-picture 30 on a distance 26 from the first part-picture 29, so that an invisible seam 31 is being created between the part-pictures 29,30. By tampoprinting on the same detail again with two added part-pictures in the positions 27,28 in a step B, but with the lines crossing the first lines, which created the part- pictures 29 and 30, a pattern with the invisible seam 31 in the distance 26 to a complete picture 25, is created.

Of course different kinds of seams 7,14,15,19,20,22, 31 between the different kinds of part-pictures 3, 4,5,10,12,18,29,30 as described above can be used to create a complete picture 1,9,25,40 on a detail 2.

In a cliche 46 the part-pictures are made with holes like dots. Between these dots there are distances.

This principle is also used when printing many different colours. To achieve a certain colour in a part-picture, these dots work together, so that the eye understands these dots as one colour. This principle works the same way as when a book and a paper are printed. The distances between the dots are then working as a kind of seam, which has been described above and which can be considered as the different kind of seams 7,14,15,19,20,22,31 between the different kinds of part-pictures 3,4,5,10,12, 18,29,30.

As can be seen in Fig. 9, a preferred embodiment of a tampoprinting machine 32 according to the invention is shown, which consists of at least one moving device 33, which consists of at least one x-axle 34, one y- axle 35 and one z-axle 36, which can move at least one tampon 37 anywhere in the location 38 to any position in x-, y-and z-direction, which are limited to the measures a, b, and c, and which furthermore can turn around its axle 42 and furthermore can tampoprint in different angles 41 in relation to a horizontal position anywhere in the location 38. The tampo- printing machine 32 consists of at least one table 39, on which at least one detail 2 is placed, which table 39 is movable in x-, y-, and z-direction and can also be turned, so that the tampon 37 also can in this way tampoprint in different angles 41. The tampoprinting machine 32 also consists of at least one tampon station 43 with at least two different kinds of tampons 44 and at least one cliche station 45 having at least two different kinds of cliches 46 with cups 47 belonging thereto.