EP1782962B1 - Roller with an elastic sleeve comprising a tubular element - Google Patents

Abstract

The roller has an elastic lining comprising a firm core (6) whose two ends comprise storage units (2) that work together with a machine manufactured storage unit (10). The core has an elastic layer with a tube-shaped unit (9). The tube-shaped unit is superimposed on the core as a single-layer and is firmly connected with the core, where the tube-shaped unit has an inner hollow space that is filled with compressible medium e.g. air, such that hardness of the roller is changeable. The tube-shaped unit has a connecting piece for guiding the compressible medium into the hollow space.

Description

The present invention relates to an elastic covering roller comprising a solid core, the two ends of which are provided with bearing elements cooperating with machine-rack-fixed bearing elements, which solid core is provided with at least one elastic layer to which at least one elastic layer at least one essentially elastic, non-compressible layer is mounted.

Such a roller is in the document US-A-5 429 048 disclosed.

Such rolls are used in many mechanized production processes. Such rolls are used for example in the graphic industry as smoothing, transport and pressure rollers and printing presses as inking and dampening rollers, as transfer and applicator rollers.

These known rolls usually have a steel core on which an elastic rubber or plastic coating is applied. These elastic layers are not compressible, with the result that when rolling over the viscoelastic rolling resistance must be overcome. With increasing peripheral speed of the roller, this rolling resistance increases disproportionately. Thus, an additional drive power of the machine must be applied for this rolling work expended to the rolling resistance, the rollers are also highly heated. These warmings have negative effects, so that in some production processes, the heat must be dissipated by consuming cooling equipment.

This heating also has a negative impact on the elastic lining of the roller, this is softer, which can affect the quality of the products to be produced, also reduces the life.

To reduce these undesirable phenomena, rolls are used in which the elastic coating consists of several layers. Here, the outer layer is usually harder than the underlying coverings, thereby the roller is more resistant to mechanical and chemical influences. The softer inner layer can be made of a porous one Material, such as foam, exist, whereby the entire surface of the roller is compressible. This means an improvement, but the foam layers are very sensitive, a precise concentricity is only partially feasible. The hardness of the roller is predetermined and can not be changed.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a roller with which the abovementioned disadvantages are avoided and with which additionally the possibility is obtained to be able to optimally adapt the properties of the elastic covering to the respective production conditions as required.

According to the invention, the solution of this object is achieved in that the at least one elastic layer is at least one tubular element which is at least one layer and surface applied to the fixed core and firmly connected to this, the inner cavity can be filled with a compressible medium and on which tubular Element outside the at least one substantially elastic, non-compressible layer is mounted.

With the possibility that the pressure of the compressible medium, with which the inner cavity of this tubular element is filled, can be selected, the elastic qualities, in particular the compressibility, can be optimally adapted to the existing production conditions.

In an advantageous manner, the at least one tubular element is equipped with a connecting piece, via which the compressible medium can be fed into the inner cavity. Thus, the pressure of the compressible medium in the cavity of the tubular element can be adapted to other production conditions via this connection piece.

A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is that the cross-sectional shape of the at least one tubular element is formed substantially as a rectangle. As a result, on the one hand, this tubular element can be optimally connected to the solid core or the layer of the roller adjacent to the inside of this tubular element, for example by gluing, since a flat surface is present. This advantage also results on the outside of this tubular element, with the single-layer and two-dimensional laying on the core of the tubular element is thus obtained on the outside a substantially smooth surface on which the adjoining layer can optimally wind and optionally attach, for example, by gluing.

A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is that the at least one tubular element is wound helically on the fixed core of the roll, whereby a simple production method is achieved and whereby the pressure distribution is optimal.

Advantageously, a single tubular element is applied over the entire length of the roller. This gives identical conditions over the entire length of the roll with regard to the compressibility and hardness of the roll.

A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is that the connecting piece, via which the compressible medium in the inner cavity can be fed or discharged, is arranged in the axis of a bearing element and is connected to the tubular element. This gives the possibility that the properties of this roll during operation to continuously changing production conditions are continuously adaptable by the pressure in the tubular member is increased or decreased.

In an advantageous manner, in each case a connecting piece is attached to the two-sided end regions of the tubular element wound onto the roller. This gives the possibility that the compressible medium during production through the inner cavity of the tubular Element can flow at a predetermined pressure and speed, while you can cool or heat the roller.

Advantageously, each tubular element of NBR or HNBR is formed with a hardness of about 70 ° Shore, which has proven to be an optimal material for many applications.

Advantageously, the compressible medium which can be filled into the cavities of the tubular elements is air. This makes it possible that the air can be easily discharged into the environment to reduce the pressure within the tubular elements.

An embodiment of the invention will be explained in more detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

• Figur 1 den Endbereich einer erfindungsgemässen Walze, zum Teil im Schnitt;
• Figur 2 eine Schnittdarstellung einer Draufsicht auf die erfindungsgemässe Walze gemäss Figur 1, aus welcher die Führung des schlauchförmigen Elements im Endbereich ersichtlich ist;
• Figur 3 eine Schnittdarstellung des Endbereichs der Walze, welche mit einem Anschlussstück ausgestattet ist;
• Figur 4 in schematischer Darstellung die Anordnung eines Anschlussstückes in der Achse des Lagerelementes;
• Figuren 5a bis 5d verschiedene Querschnittformen der verwendbaren schlauchförmigen Elemente.

It shows:

• FIG. 1 the end region of a roll according to the invention, partly in section;
• FIG. 2 a sectional view of a plan view of the inventive roll according to FIG. 1 from which the guidance of the tubular element in the end region can be seen;
• FIG. 3 a sectional view of the end portion of the roller, which is equipped with a connection piece;
• FIG. 4 a schematic representation of the arrangement of a connecting piece in the axis of the bearing element;
• FIGS. 5a to 5d various cross-sectional shapes of the usable tubular elements.

In FIG. 1 the one end region of the inventive roller 1 is shown. This roller 1 is equipped at both ends with bearing elements 2, consisting of a bearing pin 3, which is rotatably mounted in machine frame fixed bearing elements 10. On the journal, a flange 4 is mounted on which flange 4, a hollow cylindrical roller body 5 is placed. This placed on the flange 4 hollow cylindrical roller body 5 forms the fixed core 6 of the roller 1. The front side of the roller body 5 is completed with a cover 7.

On the outer surface 8 of the hollow cylindrical roller body 5 and thus on the core 6 a tubular element 9 is helically wound. This tubular element 9 has in the present embodiment, a rectangular cross-section, as will be described later in detail. This tubular element 9 is wound on the roller body 5, that the lateral cheeks 11 of this tubular element abut each other. This creates on the outside a compact surface 12, which has no bumps. The connection between the tubular element 9 and roller body 5, for example, by gluing, of course, other suitable compounds would be conceivable.

Of course, the tubular element 9 can also be applied differently to the roller body 5, for example, this tubular element 9 can also be arranged in a zigzag side by side in the longitudinal direction.

On the compact surface 12 of the helically wound tubular element 9, a further layer 13 is applied, which may for example be composed of several layers, which are superimposed and interconnected, wherein the outermost layer is a substantially elastic, non-compressible layer 14. Of course, only the elastic, non-compressible layer 14 could be applied to the compact surface 12 formed by the helically wound tubular element 9.

The end 15 of the helically wound tubular element 9 is in the space between the cover 7 and Flange 4 out, as well as out FIG. 2 is apparent. This end 15 of the tubular element 9 can be closed, for example, after the inner cavity 16 of this tubular element 9 has been brought to a predetermined pressure with a compressible medium. This compressible medium may be, for example, air. Depending on how compressible this roller must be, you can work with higher or lower pressure.

As has already been mentioned, such rolls can be used for a variety of applications, for example in the graphic industry as a smoothing, transport and pressure roller and in printing machines as inking and dampening rollers, as transfer and applicator rollers. Such rolls are usually employed on hard rolls, so that the surface of this roll is slightly deformed when this roll is pressed against the hard roll. By using this helically wound tubular element 9 filled with compressible medium, the flexing work can be limited to an absolute minimum, which reduces the negative effects already described in the production processes.

Out FIG. 3 it can be seen that the end 15 of the helically wound tubular element 9 is connected to a connecting piece 17 which is accommodated in the cover 7 of the roller body 5. This connector 17 may be a check valve, so that when the roller 1, for example, by increasing the pressure in the inner cavity 16, the compressibility of the roller 1 can be changed. Of course, it is also possible to reduce the pressure in the inner cavity 16 of the tubular member 9 by the check valve is opened.

From the schematic representation according to FIG. 4 It can be seen that the end of the tubular element 9 is connected to a line 18 which in the center or in the axis 25 through the bearing pin 3 (FIG. FIG. 1 ) is guided. This line 18 opens into the rotating part 19 of a known rotary feedthrough 20, which at the end of the journal. 3 is provided. To the stationary part 21 of the rotary feedthrough 20, a further line 22 is connected, via which even during the rotation of the roller 1, the pressure in the inner cavity 16 of the helically wound on the roll body 5 tubular element 9 is variable. As a result, the hardness of the roller 1 during production can be adapted to the possibly changing values of the production conditions, so that the contact pressure is always optimal. In a known manner, the required sensors can be installed for this purpose, so that this pressure adjustment can be controlled in the inner cavity 16 of the tubular element 9 and carried out automatically.

It is readily conceivable that the configuration of the opposite side of the roller takes place in exactly the same way as in FIG. 4 is shown. It then has a two-sided connection to the tubular element 9, thus pressure adjustments can be made with the corresponding fittings, it is also conceivable that by means of variable flow rate of the compressible medium, which is passed through the helically wound tubular element 9, the roller cooled specifically or can be tempered. As a result, the roll 1 can always be kept in the optimum state, even if the process conditions change.

In the FIGS. 5a 5d cross sections of the tubular element 9 are shown, wherein all embodiments shown here have buckled side walls 23. With these folded-in lateral side walls 23, mutual interference of the turns of this tubular element mounted on the roller body is practically ruled out, and an optimal pressure distribution against the inner and outer surface of the tubular element is obtained. The outer surfaces 8 of all these examples shown here are flat, which simplifies the application of further layers. On the inner side, the tubular element 9 can be provided with a continuous foot 24, as shown in FIG Fig. 5a is shown, which can be made wider or narrower depending on the application. Depending on the desired hardness of the roller 1 narrower or wider tubular elements 9 can be used, the wall thickness can also be selected accordingly. Fig. 5c shows a tubular member whose roller side outer side is provided with an inwardly facing bulge 26. This counteracts a bulging of the outer surface 8 when the tubular element 9 is under pressure. Fig. 5d shows a tubular member whose side walls each have two Einknickungen. This ensures that the outer surface 8 of the tubular element 9, when it is under pressure, can forward this in an optimal manner to the outside.

Of course, other cross-sectional shapes of the tubular element 9 are conceivable, this could for example be circular. Then, the surface of the fixed core 6 could be provided with a helical profiling, in which the tubular element 9 could be inserted and connected, whereby an optimal connection could be achieved. On the outside could be placed on the tubular member 6, an intermediate layer which would be elastic in the circumferential direction and hardly elastic in the longitudinal direction, to compensate for the respective bulges of the tubular element.

A preferred material from which these tubular elements 9 can be made is NBR or HNBR, which have been found to be particularly suitable, and which have a hardness of about 70 ° Shore. Of course, depending on the application, a different material or a different hardness can be used, it is also conceivable that other cross-sectional shapes are used.

The embodiment described above is formed with a single tubular element 9. It would also be conceivable to arrange a plurality of tubular elements next to each other, one would then have the opportunity to be able to select and adjust the hardness of the roller zone by zone.

Claims (9)

1. Roller with elastic covering, comprising a firm core (6), whose two ends are provided with bearing elements (2), which co-operate with bearing elements (10) fixed to the machine frame, which firm core (6) is provided with at least one elastic layer, on which at least one elastic layer at least one substantially elastic, non-compressible layer (14) is put on, characterised in that the at least one elastic layer is at least one tubular element (9), which is superimposed on the firm core (6) in a single layer and overall and is firmly attached thereto, the inner cavity (16) of which element is fillable with a compressible medium, and on which tubular element (9), on the outside, the at least one substantially elastic, non-compressible layer (14) is put on.
2. Roller according to claim 1, characterised in that the at least one tubular element (9) is provided with a connection piece (17), via which the compressible medium is able to be conducted into the inner cavity (16).
3. Roller according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the cross-sectional shape of the at least one tubular element (9) is designed substantially as a rectangle.
4. Roller according to one of the claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the at least one tubular element (9) is wound on the firm core (6) helically.
5. Roller according to one of the claims 1 to 4, characterised in that a tubular element (9) is applied over the entire length of the roller (1).
6. Roller according to one of the claims 2 to 5, characterised in that the connecting piece (19, 20, 21) is disposed in the axis (25) of a bearing element (2), and is connected to the tubular element (9).
7. Roller according to claim 5 or 6, characterised in that one connecting piece (19, 20, 21) each is put on the end regions of both sides of the tubular element (9) wound on the roller (1).
8. Roller according to one of the claims 1 to 7, characterised in that each tubular element (9) is made of NBR or HNBR with a hardness of about 70° Shore.
9. Roller according to one of the claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the compressible medium fillable in the inner cavities (16) of the tubular elements (9) is air.

Images