WO2000000353A1

WO2000000353A1 - Keyless inking module

Info

Publication number: WO2000000353A1
Application number: PCT/US1999/014802
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thaddeus A. Niemiro; Frederick J. Whiting; John W. Manser; Thomas W. Orzechowski
Original assignee: Goss Graphic Systems, Inc.
Priority date: 1998-06-29
Filing date: 1999-06-29
Publication date: 2000-01-06
Also published as: AU5207299A

Abstract

A keyless inking module (10) for a printing press (12) having a fountain roller (40) and a plurality of other rollers (24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36) includes a containment trough for holding ink and a plurality of positive displacement pumps (56) disposed in the trough and submerged in ink when the trough is filled with ink to a proper level. The module further includes a scraper roller (38) having a surface (42) positionable in contact with one of the press rollers, a scraper blade (44) positionable in contact with the scraper roller surface to remove ink from the scraper roller surface and to supply ink to the trough, and a pair of rotatable augers (78) disposed in the trough for agitating the ink in the trough.

Description

KEYLESS INKING MODULE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a keyless inking system for a printing

press.

BACKGROUND ART

Previous state-of-the-art keyless inking systems included a series of gear pumps that distributed ink via dedicated hoses from the pumps to an ink rail, which distributed columns of ink onto an ink roller. Further downstream on the ink train, a recovery

scraper/auger assembly cleaned off the excess ink and moved it into a gravity chute,

which directed the ink into a mixing vessel with an integrated pump. This integrated pump recirculates this excess ink to the gear pumps. The ink path in this system is relatively long, which may result in variations in ink characteristics, such as viscosity, depending on the location in the ink path. This system also requires sophisticated

controlling devices to maintain proper flow, pressure, and level along the ink path.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to overcome one or more of the problems

described above.

According to one aspect of the invention, a keyless inking module for a printing

press having a fountain roller and a plurality of other ink train rollers includes a containment trough for holding ink A plurality of positive displacement ink pump units are disposed in the trough, the pump units being submerged in ink when the trough is filled with ink to a proper level A scraper roller has a surface contacting one of the press rollers, and a scraper blade is positionable in contact with the scraper roller

surface Additionally, a pair of rotatable augers is disposed in the trough for agitating

the ink in the trough

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a review of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawings and the appended claims

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG 1 comprises a schematic view of a printing press with a keyless inking

module,

FIG 2 comprises a schematic view of the keyless inking module of Fig 1,

FIG 3 comprises an elevational view of the keyless inking module, partially in section,

FIG 4 comprises a plan view of the keyless inking module of Fig 3, partially in section,

FIG 5 comprises a cross-sectional view of the keyless inking module of Fig 4, taken along line 5-5 thereof,

FIG 6 comprises an end view of the keyless inking module of Fig 3, FIG 7 comprises a cross-sectional view of the keyless inking module of Fig 4, taken along line 7-7 thereof,

FIG 8 comprises a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a keyless inking module,

FIG 9 comprises an elevational view of a keyless inking module,

FIG 10 comprises a cross-sectional view of a keyless inking module, ink distribution manifold, ink rail manifold, ink rail, and fountain roller,

FIG 11 comprises an elevational view of the ink distribution manifold and ink rail manifold of FIG 10, FIG 12 comprises a plan view of a support beam for a keyless inking module,

FIG 13 comprises an elevational view of the support beam of Fig 12,

FIG 14 comprises a cross-sectional view showing the module mounted on the support beam,

FIG 15 comprises a cross-sectional view of drive system and scraper blade engagement mechanism for a keyless inking module,

FIG 16 comprises a cross-sectional view of a portion of a drive system for a keyless inking module

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate

identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and more particularly to Figs. 1-5 thereof, a keyless inking module 10 for a printing press 12 is shown. The

printing press 12 has an ink train comprising a plurality of rolls or rollers 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, a scraper roller 38, and a fountain roller 40. The printing press 12 also

includes a plate cylinder 14 for retaining a suitable plate having an image to be printed, and a pair of opposing blanket cylinders 16, 18 to receive ink in a pattern from the plate cylinder 14 and a second, corresponding plate cylinder and ink train (not shown). The blanket cylinders 16, 18 are adapted to place the ink pattern onto a paper web 20 passing through a nip 22 between the cylinders to thereby print the images from the

plates on the plate cylinders onto the opposite sides 20a and 20b, respectively, of the web 20. For purposes of better understanding the invention, the printing press 12 is similar to that disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,315,930, the disclosure of which is

hereby incorporated by reference.

The scraper roller 38, which may suitably comprise an oleophilic roller, such as an Arconite roller sold by American Roller Company of Bannockburn, Illinois, can be

gear-driven in a conventional manner by the printing press 12. The scraper roller 38 has a surface 42 in contact with scraper blade 44, which removes excess ink or an ink

pattern from surface 42 of the scraper roller. In this manner, the scraper blade 44

cleans the scraper roller 38 in order to remove the residual ink or ink image which may appear on the roller 38 for collection and use.

As shown in Figs. 1-5, the ink module 10 includes a containment trough or

container 46 for holding the ink and for receiving ink removed by the scraper blade 44 from the scraper roller 38 Container 46, which fits in the press 12 under the scraper roller 38, is made of a lightweight material and is designed to hold ink without leaking Container 46 has a machined base 50 with internal passages 49 that align with positive displacement gear pump outlet ports 48 Each of the ports 48 in the base 50 corresponds to a column of ink on the press 12 and contains an elastomeric ring 52 for sealing a connection 53 to an ink distribution rail 54

The module 10 includes a plurality of positive displacement ink pumps 56, each of which is constructed in a laminar fashion, having a plurality of pumping chambers 58

separated by precision plates 60 Each pumping chamber 58 corresponds to a specific column of ink to be delivered to the press 12 and is capable of supplying a precise amount of ink in a continuous stream from its exit port 48 Each pumping chamber 58 includes a positive displacement pump unit 62, which comprises a pair of rotating

gears 64 that are in mesh Each set of meshing gears 64 is commonly connected to a

pump drive shaft 133, which extends the length of the pump 56, and the pump drive

shafts 133 are each connected to each other and to the main drive shaft 132 via shaft

couplings 136 The meshing gears 64 rotate in the direction indicated by arrows 66, 68, such that ink enters pump unit 62 at intake portion 70 of gear mesh chamber 72,

and is propelled out of gear mesh chamber 72 at gear pump outlet 74 By this

arrangement, each pump unit 62 pumps ink at a substantially equal rate relative to the other pump units 62 After the ink leaves the gear mesh chamber 72 by passing through the gear pump outlet 74, it flows through internal passages 49 in the machined base 50 to the corresponding outlet port 48, which connects to the ink distribution rail 54. Each of the pump units 62 is submerged in ink during operation of the module 10, which makes

suction ports unnecessary. By submerging the pumping units 62 in ink, it is possible to insure that the surfaces of the rotating gears 64 are in constant direct contact with ink. As shown in Figs. 3-5, each module 10 includes a pair of rotationally opposing

augers 78 mounted on bearings 80 parallel to each other with the direction of rotation of the augers 78 being shown by arrows 82, 84. The augers 78, which are positioned near the top of the proper ink level during the operation of the module 10, rotate at all times when the module is in operation during printing. The function of the augers 78 is to agitate the ink to keep it consistent in flow characteristics, to maintain an even ink level, to keep it from congealing, and to help the ink to flow properly into intake

portion 70 of the pump units 62. The opposing rotation of the augers 78 also creates

an upward current of ink from the bottom portion 51 of the containment trough 46 and

brings the ink mass into the center of the space 86 between the augers 78.

With reference to the augers 78, they each include a shaft 88 onto which is

wound a long metal-backed bristle material 90, such as metal-backed nylon, or a

metallic strip or polymeric material, which is helically formed around the circumference

of the shaft 88 with a specific helical pitch, which is, typically, 2 inches. Preferably, the

direction of the helix is reversed in the region of the augers 78 at one end 94 of the trough 46. The wound diameter of the bristle material 90 surrounding the shaft 88 remains constant except for a portion of the shaft 88 towards the end 94 of the augers

78, at which the helix is reversed and the diameter is slightly larger. Typically, the auger diameter is about V inches, with a portion of the auger having a diameter of about 2 inches. This variation in diameters at a specific position along the augers 78 minimizes the separation between opposing auger surfaces and further controls the behavior of the moving ink by causing increased agitation of the ink at the area of increased auger diameter. In another embodiment (not shown), a pair of solid augers may be used instead of augers including bristle material 90.

As will be appreciated, the augers 78 are rotated by the main drive shaft 132,

via suitable gears (not shown) in a conventional manner. As shown in Fig. 5, attached

to the container 46 is a pair of narrow brushes 98 extending lengthwise parallel to the augers 78 wherein each brush 98 is made of a resilient bristled material, such as nylon, and is disposed in contact with a corresponding one of the augers 78. By providing and locating the brushes 98 in this manner, it is possible to continuously shear ink away from the rotating auger shafts 88.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the module 10 includes a scraper blade holder 96,

which extends lengthwise parallel to the augers 78, as well as parallel to the axis 100 of

the scraper roller 38. The blade holder 96 includes a precision groove 102 for holding

the scraper blade 44. Preferably, the groove 102 is slightly wider than the thickness of

the blade 44 so that the groove 102 can give the blade 44 proper support while allowing some flexibility for movement of the blade 44 to allow the blade to align itself effectively with the surface 42 of the scraper roller 38 during normal operation of the press Typically, the blade 44 has a thickness of about 0 012" and the groove 102 has

a width of about 0 030" The blade 44 may be made from spring steel, has a height of about 1 25", and is oriented at an angle of about 20° to about 30° relative to the roller surface 42

A spring-loaded plunger 1 10, shown in Figs 5-6, securely retains the blade 44 in the blade holder 96 Blade 44 includes a hole (not shown) that aligns with plunger 110 when the blade 44 is in proper position As shown in Figs 6-7, the blade holder

96 is attached to container 46 about pivot shaft 114, which is disposed in bearings 116

The angular position of the blade 44, and the contact pressure of the blade against the

scraper roller 38 are determined by the force exerted on the torque arm (lever) 117 to which the blade holder 96 is attached A pusher bar 118 urged by a pneumatic cylinder

120 (see Figs 12 and 15) supplies the force required to rotate the holder 96 and blade

44 into contact with surface 42, and to keep blade 44 in position with the desired

contact pressure The scraping action is self-compensating for blade wear and roller

alignment due to the constant pressure applied by the torque arm 117 during operation

when air pressure is supplied to the cylinder 120 The magnitude of scraping pressure

can be varied intentionally to optimize for ink characteristics as well as other system

variables such as roller surface characteristics and blade edge wear The torque arm

117 that rotates blade holder 96 also includes an internal spring mechanism 122 that allows the blade 44 to retract automatically away from the roller surface when the air pressure in the pneumatic cylinder 120 is released. Retraction of the blade 44 is convenient for module removal, and in situations in which scraping action is not desired, such as when the press 12 is not in operation or when it is being inched in

reverse.

With air pressure applied to cylinders 120 located at opposite ends of the

module 10, the pusher bar 1 18 forces the lever 1 17 to rotate and actuate the scraper blade 44. The resultant force of the blade 44 against the scraper roller surface 42 is directly proportional to the amount of air pressure applied to pneumatic cylinder 120. This arrangement allows for adjustment from moderate to more aggressive (higher pressure) scraping as well as for compensating for blade edge wear and roller surface wear.

In another embodiment of the module, shown in Fig. 8, a blade holder 124

includes a groove 126 for a smoothing blade 128, as well as a groove 102 for the

scraper blade 44. The flexible smoothing blade 128 is disposed at an angle of about 90

degrees relative to the scraper blade 44, and is disposed in approximately a tangential

position to surface 42 of the scraper roller 38, which rotates in the direction indicated

by arrow 130. Under normal scraping conditions, ink eventually accumulates on side

45 of scraper blade 44. A mass of accumulated ink eventually becomes large and heavy enough to begin to separate away from the blade 44 and to drip down on

surfaces below the blade 44. This dripping requires frequent cleaning by the operator of the printing press 12. Depending on the position of the rollers in the press 12, the dripping ink can be deposited on another roller, which causes an unwanted volume of ink, and affects print quality by varying print density. The smoothing blade 128, when combined with scraper 44, prevents accumulating ink from dripping off of the scraper

roller 38. Excess ink that accumulates on side 45 of scraper blade 44 is redeposited on

surface 42 of scraper roller 38. The redeposited ink is then smoothed down by smoothing blade 128, which prevents drips from occurring. The additional film of ink that is spread by the smoothing blade 128 is transferred from scraper roller 38 to the next adjacent roller 30 (see Fig. 1). As shown in Figs. 9-11, the module 10 includes a detachable ink distribution manifold 138. Manifold 138 is fastened to containment trough 46 by mounting bolts

144, which are received in threaded recesses 146. The manifold 138 includes a

plurality of ink ports 148 which are in direct fluid communication with the gear pump outlet ports 48. The connections between the ink ports 148 and outlet ports 48 are sealed by elastomeric rings 52. Each ink port 148 is connected to an ink supply line

140, which is connected to a corresponding port 150 on the ink rail manifold 142.

Each port 150 is removably connected to the ink rail 54 in an arrangement similar to

the connections between the ink distribution manifold ports 148 and the ink outlet

ports 48, with each connection sealed by a suitable elastomeric ring (not shown). As

shown in Fig. 10, the ink rail 54 supplies ink to the fountain roller 40, which supplies

ink to the plate cylinder 14 of the press 12 (see also Fig. 1). By this arrangement, each gear pump unit 62 supplies ink for a specific column of ink on the press As shown by dashed lines 154 in Fig 10, the ink rail 54 may be moved to an "off' position separated from the fountain roller 40 when the press 12 is not in operation

A third ink manifold, the ink injection manifold 152, shown in Figs 5 and 8, is a hollow tube with openings spaced along its length that projects multiple streams of ink into the containment trough 46 Ink is added to trough 46 through the ink injection manifold 152 when the ink level in the trough 46 is low, as detected by a level-sensing apparatus (not shown)

As shown in Figs 12-14, a support beam 162 (cross brace) provides a

mounting surface 164 for the modules 10 Two modules 10 mounted adjacent each other on the support beam 162 are shown schematically in Fig 13 The support beam

162 includes a plurality of nesting pads 166 for mounting the modules 10 Each

nesting pad 166 includes a bolt 168 and knob 170 pivotally attached to the nesting pad 166 Opposite bolt 168 and knob 170, each nesting pad 166 includes a raised edge

172, which forms a receiving notch 174 The bottom of each module 10 includes a skid plate 176 designed to mount on the nesting pad 166 Protruding dowel pins 188 on the nesting pad 166 are used to ensure that the skid plate 176 is properly placed in

position on the nesting pad 166 The skid plate includes a protruding leading edge

178, designed to fit in the receiving notch 174, and a trailing edge 180, which includes

a mounting surface 182 for the threaded bolt 168 and knob 170 To mount the module

10 on the nesting pad 166, the protruding leading edge of skid plate 178 is slid into the receiving notch 174 until it can travel no further Then the bolt 168 is pivoted upwards and inserted in a slot (not shown) in the trailing edge 180 of the skid plate 176 Knob 170 is then threadably tightened relative to the bolt 168 until it binds against the trailing edge 180 of the skid plate Due to the angled surface 186 of the trailing edge 180, tightening the knob 170 applies force both downwards and across the skid plate

176 Accordingly, the module 10 is pushed forward into the receiving notch 174 and downwards against the nesting pad 166 For removal of the module 10 from the

support beam 162, the knobs 170 are threadably loosened relative to the bolts 168 and the bolts 168 are swung out of the way Referring to Figs 12, 13, 15, and 16, a computer-controlled variable speed servo motor 190 attached to a reduction gear unit 192 is utilized to drive the driven components of each module 10, including the positive displacement pumps 56 and the

augers 78 The reduction gear unit 192 includes a sliding output shaft 194 that is attached to a jaw coupling or clutch 196, which ultimately engages with a

complementary coupling 200 (see Figs 2-3) The clutch device 196 relies on lateral

movement of the output shaft 194, which is limited so that the extreme outward

position is suitable to engage the complementary coupling 200, which is connected to

main drive shaft 132 A spring-loaded ball and detent 202 may be used to hold the output shaft 194 in an inward position, which is useful for module removal or for other

reasons for disengagement of the drive system Only a slight hand force is required to

pull the drive clutch jaw 196 into engagement or disengagement The foregoing description is given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as modifications within the scope of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A keyless inking module for a printing press having an ink train

including a fountain roller and a plurality of other rollers, the module comprising:

(a) a containment trough for holding ink; (b) a plurality of positive displacement ink pumps disposed in the trough, the pumps submerged in ink when the trough is filled with ink to a proper level;

(c) a scraper roller having a surface positionable in contact with one of the other rollers of the ink train, a scraper blade positionable in contact with the

scraper roller surface to remove ink from the scraper roller surface and to supply ink to

the trough; and

(d) a pair of rotatable augers disposed in the trough for agitating the

ink in the trough.

2. The module of claim 1 wherein all of the ink pumps are connected to and driven by a common drive shaft.

3. The module of claim 1 wherein the ink pumps each include a plurality

of pumping chambers each of which is defined by a pair of precision plates.

4 The module of claim 3 wherein each of the pumping chambers includes a positive displacement pumping unit comprising a pair of rotating gears in mesh.

5 The module of claim 4 wherein each of the pumping units provides ink for a specific column on the printing press

6 The module of claim 4 wherein each of the pumping units pumps ink at a substantially equal rate relative to the other pumping units

7 The module of claim 1 wherein each of the augers includes a helical metal-backed bristle material thereon

8 The module of claim 7 wherein the bristle material has a helical pitch of about 2 inches along the length of the augers

9 The module of claim 1 wherein each of the augers includes a reversed

helix region of metal-backed bristle material thereon

10 The module of claim 1 further comprising a pair of resilient brushes, each brush disposed in contact with a corresponding auger

1 1. The module of claim 1 further comprising an ink distribution manifold detachably secured to the containment trough.

12. The module of claim 11 wherein each of the pumps includes a plurality

of pumping units each having an outlet port and the ink distribution manifold includes a

plurality of ink ports each in removable communication with a corresponding outlet

port.

13. The module of claim 1 1 wherein the ink distribution manifold is connected to a detachable ink rail manifold for supplying ink to an ink rail that in turn serves to deliver ink to the fountain roller.

14. The module of claim 1 further comprising a level sensing apparatus for

detecting ink level in the trough and an ink injection manifold for adding ink to the

trough when the ink level falls below a selected level.

15. The module of claim 1 wherein the scraper blade is positioned at an

angle of about 20 degrees to about 30 degrees relative to the scraper roller surface.

16 The module of claim 1 further comprising a pneumatic cylinder for providing a variable force to push the scraper blade against the surface of the scraper roller

17 The module of claim 1 further comprising a smoothing blade for

smoothing ink on the surface of the scraper roller

18 A method for supplying ink to a printing press having an ink train including a fountain roller and a plurality of other rollers, comprising the following

steps

(1) providing a keyless inking module, the module including

(a) a containment trough for holding ink,

(b) a plurality of positive displacement ink pumps disposed in the trough, the pumps submerged in ink when the trough is filled with ink to a proper level,

(c) a scraper roller having a surface positionable in contact with one of the other rollers of the ink train, a scraper blade positionable in contact

with the scraper roller surface to remove ink from the scraper roller surface and to

supply ink to the trough, and

(d) a pair of rotatable augers disposed in the trough for agitating the ink in the trough, and (2) removably placing an ink distribution manifold in

communication with the ink pumps, the ink distribution manifold connected to an ink rail manifold, the ink rail manifold removably placed in communication with an ink rail which supplies ink to the fountain roller.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of providing a common drive shaft for operating the ink pumps at a substantially equal rate relative to each other.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of removably

mounting the module on a support beam adjacent to the printing press.