EP1088657B1

EP1088657B1 - Printing machine

Info

Publication number: EP1088657B1
Application number: EP00120257A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hiroyoshi Komori Corp. Sekiyado Plant Kamoda
Original assignee: Komori Corp
Current assignee: Komori Corp
Priority date: 1999-09-30
Filing date: 2000-09-27
Publication date: 2008-10-29
Anticipated expiration: 2020-09-27
Also published as: ATE412520T1; JP2001096722A; DE60040641D1; EP1088657A1; ES2319160T3

Abstract

A printing machine includes an intaglio cylinder (32); a plurality of chablon rollers (33a to 33d) in contact with the intaglio cylinder (32); and a plurality of ink supplying units (34a to 34d) for supplying ink to the corresponding chablon rollers (33a to 33d). The intaglio cylinder (32) and the chablon rollers (33a to 33c) are supported by a main frame (30). The lowermost chablon roller (33d) and the lowermost ink supplying unit (34d) are supported by a first subframe (35) capable of moving toward and away from the main frame (30). The ink supplying units (34a to 34c) are supported by a second subframe (36) capable of moving toward and away from the main frame (30). Thus, an open space can be formed easily around all of the chablon rollers (33a to 33d) and the ink supplying units (34a to 34d). <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a printing machine, and, more particularly, to an intaglio printing machine.
FIG. 3 shows a main portion of an intaglio printing machine disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 10-291297 .
As shown in FIG. 3, a transfer cylinder 112 is in contact with an impression cylinder 113 supported by a main frame 110. A sheet fed from a sheet feeder 111 is held by an unillustrated gripper device and is then transferred to an unillustrated gripper device of the impression cylinder 113. An intaglio cylinder 114 supported by the main frame 110 is in contact with the impression cylinder 113. An ink collecting cylinder 115 supported by the main frame 110 is in contact with the intaglio cylinder 114. Chablon rollers 116a to 116d supported by the main frame 110 are in contact with the ink collecting cylinder 115. Ink supplying units 117a to 117d for supplying ink to the chablon rollers 116a to 116d are attached to a slide frame 122 capable of moving toward and away from the main frame 110 while being slidably supported by a guide rail 121.
A wiping roller 118 supported by the main frame 110 is in contact with the intaglio cylinder 114 while being located downstream of the ink collecting cylinder 115 with respect to the direction of rotation of the intaglio cylinder 114. A delivery cylinder 119 supported by the main frame 110 is in contact with the impression cylinder 113 while being located downstream of the intaglio cylinder 114 with respect to the direction of rotation of the impression cylinder 113. A delivery chain 120 having an unillustrated gripper bar is looped around the delivery cylinder 119. The gripper bar of the delivery chain 120 receives a sheet held by the gripper device of the impression cylinder 113 and transfers the received sheet.
The above-described intaglio printing machine operates in the following manner. The ink supplying units 117a to 117d feed ink to the intaglio cylinder 114 via the corresponding chablon rollers 116a to 116d and the ink collecting cylinder 115. Excess ink is removed by the wiping roller 118. The thus-supplied ink is transferred onto a sheet which has been transferred onto the impression cylinder 113 via the paper feed chain 111 and the transfer cylinder 112. The thus-printed sheet is delivered to the gripper bar of the delivery chain 120 via the delivery cylinder 119 and is then delivered to an unillustrated delivery unit.
In the above-described intaglio printing machine, the ink supplying units 117a to 117d and the chablon rollers 116a to 116d undergo maintenance and inspection in the following manner. The chablon roller 116b is caused to be supported by the slide frame 122. Then, the slide frame 122 is slid along the guide rail 121 so as to move the ink supplying units 117a to 117d and the chablon roller 116b away from the ink collecting cylinder 115, thereby forming an open space around the ink supplying units 117a to 117d and the chablon rollers 116a to 116d.
In the above-described intaglio printing machine disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 10-291297 , the lowermost chablon roller 116d is located in a low position and is biased toward the intaglio cylinder 114, causing a user to encounter difficulty in maintenance and inspection thereof. Also, among the ink supplying units 117a to 117d, the lowermost ink supplying unit 117d is difficult for the user to perform maintenance and inspection, such as replenishment of ink, adjustment of the amount of ink, and cleaning of a roller, because the lowermost ink supplying unit 117d is located below the other ink supplying units 117a to 117c.
EP-A-0 563 077 and EP 0 873 866 disclose printing machines wherein all the ink supplying cylinders and all the ink supplying means are supported by a first subframe.
GB 345 421 discloses a printing machine with a main frame and two subframes, the two subframes being arranged on either side of the main frame so that they can be moved towards and away from the main frame in opposite directions. The first subframe supports only one ink supplying cylinder and ink supplying means whereas the second subframe supports all other ink supplying cylinders and ink supplying means. The problem with this prior art design is the amount of space required to move the subframes away from the main frame for maintenance and inspection purposes.
An object of the present invention is to provide a printing machine allowing easy maintenance and inspection of all ink supplying units and ink supplying cylinders.
To achieve the above object the present invention provides a printing machine comprising an ink receiving cylinder; a plurality of ink supplying cylinders in contact with said ink receiving cylinder; and a plurality of ink supplying means for supplying ink to said ink supplying cylinders, respectively, wherein said ink receiving cylinder is supported by a main frame; the lowermost ink supplying cylinder of said ink supplying cylinders and the lowermost ink supplying means of said ink supplying means are supported by a first subframe capable of moving towards and away from said main frame; and said ink supplying means other than said ink supplying means supported by said first subframe are supported by a second subframe; characterized in that the first subframe and the second subframe are capable of moving towards and away from said main frame in the same direction.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of an intaglio printing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are explanatory views showing the action of a main portion of the intaglio printing machine of FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 2(a) shows a state during printing, and FIG. 2(b) shows a state at the time of maintenance or inspection; and
FIG. 3 is a schematic structural view of a main portion of a conventional printing machine.

An intaglio printing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will next be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
As shown in FIG. 1, a root-end portion of a sheet feeder table 21 is connected to a sheet feeder 10 for feeding a stack of sheets 100 one by one. A swing unit 22 is disposed on a projected-end portion of the sheet feeder table 21. The swing unit 22 is adapted to transfer the sheet 100 to an unillustrated gripper device disposed on a transfer cylinder 23. The transfer cylinder 23 is in contact with a transfer cylinder 24 having an unillustrated gripper device. The transfer cylinder 23 is adapted to transfer the sheet 100 held by the gripper device thereof to the gripper device of the transfer cylinder 24.
The transfer cylinder 24 is in contact with a triple-size impression cylinder 31 supported by a main frame 30. The diameter of the triple-size impression cylinder 31 is three times that of the chablon rollers 33a to 33d. The transfer cylinder 24 is adapted to transfer the sheet 100 held by the gripper device thereof to an unillustrated gripper device of the impression cylinder 31. A triple-size intaglio cylinder 32 supported by the main frame 30 and serving as an ink receiving cylinder is in contact with the impression cylinder 31 while being located downstream of the delivery cylinder 24 with respect to the direction of rotation of the impression cylinder 31. The diameter of the intaglio cylinder 32 is three times that of the chablon rollers 33a to 33d. Three chablon rollers 33a to 33c supported by the main frame 30 and serving as ink supplying cylinders are in contact with the intaglio cylinder 32 while being located downstream of the impression cylinder 31 with respect to the direction of rotation of the intaglio cylinder 32, and are arranged at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction of the intaglio cylinder 32.
A first subframe 35 is disposed under the chablon rollers 33a to 33c and in such a manner as to be movable toward and away from the main frame 30. The chablon roller 33d serving as an ink supplying cylinder is disposed on the first subframe 35. When the first subframe 35 is located close to the main frame 30, the chablon roller 33d is in contact with the intaglio cylinder 32 while being located downstream of the chablon roller 33c with respect to the direction of rotation of the intaglio cylinder 32.
A second subframe 36 is disposed in the vicinity of the circumferential surfaces of the chablon rollers 33a to 33c in such a manner as to be movable toward and away from the main frame 30 and such that the first subframe 35 is located inside the second subframe 36. The first subframe 35 and the second subframe 36 can move independently of each other. Ink supplying units 34a to 34c are disposed on the second subframe 36. When the second subframe 36 is located close to the main frame 30, the ink supplying units 34a to 34c can feed ink to the corresponding chablon rollers 33a to 33c. An ink supplying unit 34d for supplying ink to the chablon roller 33d is disposed on the first subframe 35.
A wiping roller 37 is in contact with the intaglio cylinder 32 while being located downstream of the chablon roller 33d with respect to the direction of rotation of the intaglio cylinder 32. A lower portion of the wiping roller 37 is immersed in a wiping liquid contained in a wiping tank 38.
A delivery cylinder 41 is in contact with the impression cylinder 31 while being located downstream of the intaglio cylinder 32 with respect to the direction of rotation of the impression cylinder 31. The delivery cylinder 41 is constituted by a sprocket 42, which is rotatably provided. An unillustrated chain guide is provided between the sprocket 42 and anther sprocket 43 which is paired with the sprocket 42, and an endless chain 44 is looped around the sprockets 42 and 43. A plurality of unillustrated gripper bars for receiving the sheets 100 from the gripper device of the impression cylinder 31 are mounted on the chain 44 at predetermined intervals along the direction of travel of the chain 44. A plurality of delivery units 45 serving as stacker means are disposed under the chain 44.
In the above-described intaglio printing machine, when the sheet 100 is fed onto the sheet feeder table 21 from the sheet feeder 10, the sheet 100 is transferred to the transfer cylinder 23 by the swing unit 22 and is then transferred to the impression cylinder 31 from the transfer cylinder 23 via the transfer cylinder 24. Meanwhile, when ink is supplied from the ink supplying units 34a to 34d to the intaglio cylinder 32 via the chablon rollers 33a to 33d, excess ink is removed by the wiping roller 37. The thus-supplied ink is transferred onto the sheet 100 held on the impression cylinder 31. The thus-printed sheet 100 is transferred to the delivery cylinder 41 from the impression cylinder 31. Subsequently, the sheet 100 is gripped by the gripper bar of the chain 44. The thus-gripped sheet 100 is transferred to a position located above the delivery unit 45 as the chain 44 travels as a result of rotation of the sprockets 42 and 43.
In the above-described intaglio printing machine, the chablon rollers 33a to 33d and the ink supplying units 34a to 34d undergo maintenance and inspection in the following manner. As shown in FIG. 2, when the second subframe 36 is moved away from the main frame 30, the ink supplying units 34a to 34c are moved away from the chablon rollers 33a to 33c. When the first subframe 35 is moved away from the main frame 30, the chablon roller 33d and the ink supplying unit 34d, which are located under the intaglio cylinder 32, are moved away from the intaglio cylinder 32 (see FIG. 2(b)).
Thus, an open space can be formed easily between the ink supplying units 34a to 34c and the chablon rollers 33a to 33c. Also, an open space can be formed easily above the chablon roller 33d and the ink supplying unit 34d.
Accordingly, the configuration of the above-described intaglio printing machine facilitates maintenance and inspection of all of the ink supplying units 34a to 34d and the chablon rollers 33a to 33d.
The above embodiment is described while mentioning the chablon rollers 33a to 33d in direct contact with the intaglio cylinder 32. However, for example, as in the case of the previously mentioned conventional intaglio printing machine, an ink collecting cylinder serving as an ink receiving cylinder may be interposed between the chablon rollers and the intaglio cylinder.
The above embodiment is described while mentioning the chablon rollers 33a to 33c supported by the main frame 30. However, the chablon rollers 33a to 33c may be supported by the second subframe 36.
The above embodiment is described while mentioning an intaglio printing machine. However, the present invention may be embodied in the form of any printer so long as the printer includes a plurality of ink supplying cylinders in contact with an ink receiving cylinder, and a plurality of ink supplying units for supplying ink to the corresponding ink supplying cylinders.
A printing machine of the present invention yields the following effects. Through moving of a first subframe away from a main frame, at least a lowermost ink supplying cylinder of ink supplying cylinders and a lowermost ink supplying unit of ink supplying units can be moved away from an ink receiving cylinder. Through moving of a second subframe away from the main frame, remaining ink supplying cylinders other than ink supplying cylinders supported by the main frame and the first subframe, and remaining ink supplying units other than the ink supplying unit supported by the first subframe can be moved away from the ink receiving cylinder. Accordingly, an open space can be formed easily around all of the ink supplying cylinders and the ink supplying units, thereby facilitating maintenance and inspection of all of the ink supplying cylinders and the ink supplying units.

Claims

A printing machine comprising an ink receiving cylinder (32); a plurality of ink supplying cylinders (33a to 33d) in contact with said ink receiving cylinder (32); and a plurality of ink supplying units (34a to 34d) for supplying ink to said ink supplying cylinders (33a to 33d), respectively, wherein said ink receiving cylinder (32) is supported by a main frame (30); the lowermost ink supplying cylinder (33d) of said ink supplying cylinders (33a to 33d) and the lowermost ink supplying unit (34d) of said ink supplying units (34a to 34d) are supported by a first subframe (35) which is movable towards and away from said main frame (30); and said ink supplying units (34a to 34c) other than said ink supplying unit (34d) supported by said first subframe (35) are supported by a second subframe (36) characterized in that the first subframe (35) and the second subframe (36) are movable towards and away from said main frame (30) in the same direction.
A printing machine as described in claim 1,
characterized in that said ink receiving cylinder is an intaglio cylinder (32) or an ink collecting cylinder; and said ink supplying cylinders are four chablon rollers (33a to 33d).
A printing machine as described in claim 2,
characterized in that said intaglio cylinder (32) has a diameter three times that of said chablon rollers (33a to 33d).
A printing machine as described in claim 1,
characterized in that said second subframe (36) is disposed such a manner that said first subframe (35) is located inside said second subframe (36) during printing.
A printing machine as described in claim 1,
characterized in that said first subframe (35) and said second subframe (36) can move independently of each other.
A printing machine as described in claim 1,
characterized in that said ink supplying cylinders (33a to 33c) other than said at least lowermost ink supplying cylinder (33d) of said ink supplying cylinders (33a to 33d) are supported by said main frame (30) or said second subframe (36).