CZ284747B6 - Tampon printing apparatus for transferring defined amounts of printing medium to a flat unit - Google Patents

Abstract

The tampon (20) of the tampon printing device is provided with a roughening which increases its effective surface area and exhibits an increased printing environment while maintaining the same external shape and volume. The roughening of the surface can be formed by a grid, groove or knobs on at least a portion of the tampon surface (20) for transferring the printing environment. The tamping printing device is intended to at least partially apply the printing environment to the substrates in a predetermined pattern. The substrate is a conductor plate for manufacturing integrated circuits, a pharmaceutical delivery and / or dosage form, a convex label, or a polymeric blank. ŕ

Description

Pad printing equipment for transferring a defined amount of printing environment to a printed unit

Technical field

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a tampon printing apparatus for transferring a defined amount of a printing environment to a printing unit, and to the use thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pad printing methods have been known since 1968 and are also suitable for printing uneven surfaces to which flexible printing media transfer tampons adapt. A tampon printing apparatus is described, for example, in DE-OS 19 39 437. The image element to be printed is etched deep in the printing plate. The printing medium is transferred to this printing block by dispensing the printing medium absorbed by the printing block, the remaining printing medium being perfectly removed from the printing block by a tampon and transferred to the object to be printed. An overview of the use and properties of the tampon printing process can be found in the prospectus of the company. TAMPOPRINT GmbH, Daimlerstrasse 27/1 in Komtal-Munchingen, which was taken into account to avoid repetition in its entirety.

Tampon printing devices are very convenient because they are space-consuming as they can be easily integrated into the production line and also closed, helping to process highly efficient or toxic printing environments such as pharmaceuticals, etching inks, starters polymerization and the like, to protect the operating personnel, but also to reduce the rate of evaporation of volatile substances.

However, the use of a tampon printing device for applying precisely defined amounts of printing environment has not been tried hitherto; surprisingly, it has been shown that by means of the already known tamponage printing process, accurate dosing of the basis weight of the printing medium up to 26 g / m ^{2 is possible} in a printing process with a variation of ± 2% or less.

In this connection, it is possible, as stated in the co-pending German patent application "Method for the production of a drug delivery and / or dosage form by means of a printing process", with the same application date and the same applicant to apply highly sensitive drugs or control membranes basis weight on corresponding substrates.

By using the prior art means, that is to say variations of the tampon material (in the case of using softer tampons, more printing medium is transferred) as well as the viscosity of the printing medium, only a slightly increased but still constant amount of printing medium could be applied to the substrate; however, this amount was not sufficient to coat larger basis weights, such as above 100 g / m ² , so that the tampon printing process was not suitable for producing thicker layers of materials in one predetermined pattern, for example, layers using this method.

Expensive screen printing methods or complicated multi-step coating methods were used.

Accordingly, it is an essential object of the invention to provide a further known device to the extent that it is possible to transfer to a substrate a greater amount of printing medium than has been the case hitherto using a conventional swab.

- 1 GB 284747 B6

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This problem has been solved by a tampon printing apparatus for transferring a defined amount of printing medium to a printing unit by means of a tampon, wherein the tampon is provided with a roughening which increases its active surface area and thus exhibits increased printing environment capacity while maintaining the same external shape and volume.

The roughening of the surface is formed by a screen, groove or knob formed on at least a portion of the surface of the tampon for transferring the printing environment.

A tampon printing apparatus is used to at least partially apply a printing environment to substrates in a predetermined pattern, wherein the substrate is an integrated circuit conductor plate, a pharmaceutical feeder and / or dosage form component, a convex label, or a polymer blank.

The surface enlargement is further achieved by treating the finished tampon body or by forming an enlarged tampon surface while shaping the tampon body in a suitable form.

Such tampons, in contrast to conventional smooth-surface tampons, are suitable for carrying up to more than three times the amount of print media as compared to the amount of media that could be transferred using the same mold.

Further development of the known tampon printing apparatus according to the invention has made it possible for the first time to use this apparatus or method in completely new areas, preferably for the production of coatings. This is the case, for example, in the manufacture of high-ink labels, integrated circuits, whereby photo-paints or even conductor material can be printed; furthermore, it is applicable to the targeted deposition of polymerization initiators on polymer blanks, the application of etching fluids for the production of etched patterns, the transfer of colors to porcelain, the manufacture of pharmaceutical delivery and / or dosage forms such as tablets or dermally applicable systems which carry substances through the mucous membrane, as in rectal and vaginal forms of use.

A particularly preferred use is in the manufacture of patch transdermal therapeutic systems.

With the invention it is possible to increase the amount of printing medium that is transmitted during the printing process unexpectedly, yet to maintain a surprisingly constant dosage within narrow limits.

By means of the device according to the invention, a printing medium containing the active substance in small quantities without loss of the active substance can be produced in the desired form for the first time, as has hitherto been the case with conventional coating methods, for example transdermal therapeutic systems. and avoiding problematic disposal of active substance waste,

Furthermore, it is now possible to apply multiple printing environments such as multiple inks, paints and adhesives, adhesive and media containing aseptic or active agents and patches simultaneously and spatially separate from each other in a single manufacturing step, thereby saving a single manufacturing step . Plates, as well as tampons, can be tempered if certain adhesives are to be treated with temperature-sensitive materials or even materials that can only be processed in the heated state. It is likewise possible to cool these, as well as the entire plant, when temperature-sensitive materials are to be processed or worked up.

By selecting a suitable material for the tampons, various requirements can be met, so that, for example, all rubber-resilient materials known to the person skilled in the art, such as natural and synthetic rubber, and in particular silicone rubber, can be selected according to the desired

-2GB 284747 B6 properties such as workability, solvent resistance, heat resistance, or sufficient flexibility at low temperatures.

The tampon form may be selected with respect to the substrate being processed; it is possible to use all conventional forms, both frustoconical and flat and ovoid swabs with an enlarged printing surface.

By means of the printing process, a printing surface having a weight of about 200 g per square meter or more can be transferred by means of the apparatus according to the invention; further improvements can be achieved by conventional process improvements known to those skilled in the art, such as the use of a softer tampon, other printing media or the like.

Overview of the drawings

Further features and advantages of the invention are explained with reference to the accompanying drawing. They show:

FIG. 1 shows a tampon printing apparatus when applying a printing medium to a substrate;

FIG. 2 shows the tampon printing apparatus of FIG. 1 when receiving a new printing medium from a printing block; FIG. 3 shows a tampon according to the invention with enlarged surface area; FIG. 4 another tampon according to the invention with enlarged surface area; and FIG. 6 shows a plan view of another active ingredient layer with two different active ingredients produced by the tampon printing apparatus according to the invention, and FIG. 7 shows a further preferred dragee-shaped delivery form produced by the apparatus of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Figure 1 schematically depicts the application of a printing medium layer using a tampon 20 produced in accordance with the invention to a flat substrate 22. In this process, a flexible egg-shaped silicone rubber tampon 20 is printed with a printing medium coating in the region of the enlarged surface 23 a step of the apparatus of depressing the printing plate 24 (see FIG. 2), shaped in accordance with the desired pattern of the printing medium to be applied to a flat substrate, leaving a uniform layer thickness of the printing medium after the swab 20 has been lifted. In the same way, it is possible to print uneven substrates, optionally round substrates or corrugated substrates, as well as dish shapes, etc.

FIG. 3 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the egg tampon 20 of the present invention, in which areas of the surface 23 that serve to transfer the printing environment are formed by grooves depressing the surface 23 to increase and receive more printing media. The amount of printing medium absorbed in the process is determined by the etching depth and etching shape of the printing block 24 from which the printing medium is perfectly removed after it has been applied to the printing block 24 at a uniform thickness using a spatula and removed and transferred in this form.

-3GB 284747 B6

FIG. 4 shows another preferred embodiment of the tampon 20, which is substantially cylindrical. On the application or transfer surface of the tampon 20, there are provided studs to increase the surface area, which also serve to absorb a greater amount of printing environment.

FIG. 5 shows an active substance-containing patch which can be produced by the device according to the invention. This can be produced, for example, by uniformly printing a flute-like, acrylic adhesive layer 16 on the cover film 15, here siliconized paper, which is removed prior to use, as well as a circular control layer 18, which controls it by constant thickness and its chemical-physical properties. and, finally, by printing the active substance-containing container layer 14 with the tampon printing apparatus according to the invention and subsequently laminating with an impermeable layer, here an aluminum polyester laminate 10. Both the control layer 18, the properties of which are only guaranteed at high thickness coefficient, If the active substance content can also be obtained in a pharmaceutically usable suitable form only at large coating thicknesses and areas, it can be applied by the device according to the invention.

FIG. 6 shows the plaster as in FIG. 5 before applying the backing layer 10, showing a plaster with two active substances 14 and 14 '. This embodiment is also feasible in a single step of the process of applying the active substance 14, 14 'by the tampon printing apparatus according to the invention, and even here the self-adhesive ring 16, which is impermeable to the active substance, is clearly visible.

Fig. 7 is another pharmacological dosage form that can be made by the device of the invention, dragees 30, coated with a sugar sheath having a two-layered core 34, 36, which can be made by printing the layer 36 on a circular support without waste material.

Other embodiments, combinations and use of the device according to the invention can be realized by the person skilled in the art, having regard to their knowledge, which are within the scope of the invention.

Claims (3)

PATENT CLAIMS A tampon printing apparatus for transferring a defined amount of printing medium to a printing unit by means of a tampon (20), characterized in that the tampon (20) is provided with a roughening which increases its effective surface area and thus exhibits increased printing environment capacity while maintaining of the same external shape and volume. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the roughening of the surface area forms a grid, grooving or knobs on at least a portion of the surface of the tampon (20) for transferring the printing medium. Use of a tampon printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 for at least partially applying the printing medium to a substrate in a predetermined pattern, wherein the substrate is an integrated circuit conductor plate, a pharmaceutical feeder and / or dosage form component, a bulging label or a polymer blank. .