Patrick Lee Bumgardner

US Patent:

20130075363, Mar 28, 2013

Filed:

Sep 23, 2011

Appl. No.:

13/242794

Inventors:

Patrick Lee Bumgardner - Chesnee SC, US

Assignee:

Kings Mountain International, Inc. - Kings Mountain NC

International Classification:

B44C 1/22
B05C 5/00
B05D 3/06

US Classification:

216 48, 216 41, 427595, 118620

Abstract:

This invention relates to methods and apparatuses for creating a textured press plate by spreading ink over the press plate using a heater. Some embodiments provide a method that includes: (a) dispensing radiation-curable ink onto a press plate; (b) spreading the ink over the press plate by heating the ink; and (c) irradiating the ink so that the ink is at least partially cured and/or fixed, and/or such that the spreading of the ink is at least partially slowed and/or stopped. In some embodiments, the irradiating the ink occurs after the spreading the ink. In other embodiments, the ink acts to resist a chemical solution, and the method further includes etching a surface portion of the press plate by exposing the portion to a chemical solution, where the surface portion includes the ink, and where the etching the surface portion occurs after the irradiating the ink.