ES2370778B1 - INK DRYING DEVICE FOR PRINTER MACHINE. - Google Patents

Abstract

Ink drying device for printing machine. # The device comprises an outer casing (10) installed between two bed walls (51, 52) of a printing machine (50) and an inner casing (20) removably housed inside said outer casing (10), which is connected to an air evacuation duct of an air circulation device. The inner housing (20) is connected to an air supply duct and has a longitudinal blow opening to blow air against a substrate on a printing drum (53). Between the outer and inner housings (10, 20) there are suction openings for sucking air and solvent vapors that are led to the air evacuation duct. The outer shell (10) has an end opening at one end and the inner shell (20) is sized to be inserted and removed by sliding in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the drum (53).

Description

Ink drying device for printing machine. Technical field

The present invention concerns an ink drying device applicable to a printing machine, and especially a photographic printer, for drying freshly printed ink on a substrate by a printing group of the printing machine. Background of the invention

Several types of printing machines are known, including fl exographic printers, which include one or more printing groups arranged to successively print inks of different colors on a substrate supported on a rotating printing drum, and where downstream of each Print group There is a drying device adapted to dry freshly printed ink on the substrate before it reaches the next printing group.

One type of known drying device comprises an outer casing fixed between two bed walls of the printing machine and an inner casing removably housed within said outer casing. The outer housing has an air outlet connected to an air evacuation duct of an air circulation device and a longitudinal front opening facing the substrate printed on the printing drum of the printing machine, while the inner housing has an inlet of air connected to an air supply duct of the air circulation device and a longitudinal blow opening for blowing air through said front opening of the outer shell against the printed substrate. Between the outer casing and the inner casing there are suction openings for sucking air mixed with vapors generated by drying the ink, and suction passages for driving air and vapors towards said air outlet.

The outer casing is supported on the bench so that it can pivot about a horizontal axis between a working position in which the blow and suction openings face the print drum and a substantially inverse cleaning and maintenance position, in the which the inner shell can be inserted or removed in a radial direction through the front opening of the outer shell for cleaning and maintenance. A drawback of this construction is the difficult access to the outer housing located between the bed walls of the printing machine. Another drawback is that each time the inner casing is removed, the outer casing loses its working position, which must be recovered and adjusted later when the inner casing is installed again.

or replaced.

Patent ES-A-2112111 describes a printing machine of the aforementioned type, in which the ink drying devices are installed so that they can be extracted to one side of the machine bed by a sliding movement in a direction parallel to the axis of the printing drum in order to allow observing the printing drum, since in some printing machines, especially in relatively small printing machines, the observation of the drum is prevented by the printing groups and the ink drying devices. For this, the entire housing assembly of the ink drying device is guided by a bar parallel to the axis of the printing drum and comprises inlet and outlet sleeves that are coupled with air supply and evacuation ducts when the assembly of Housings are placed in the operating position. However, the disadvantage persists of losing the working position of the outer casing each time the assembly is removed, which makes it necessary to recover and adjust the working position when the casing assembly is installed again in the printing machine.

Exhibition of the invention

The present invention contributes to solve the above and other inconveniences by providing an ink drying device for a printing machine comprising an outer housing installed between two bed walls of a printing machine and an inner housing removably housed within said outer housing. The outer housing has an air outlet prepared to be connected to an air evacuation duct of an air circulation device and a front opening facing a substrate printed on a printing drum of said printing machine. The said front opening is elongated in a longitudinal direction parallel to the axis of the printing drum to substantially cover the entire width of the printing drum.

The inner housing has an air inlet prepared to be connected to an air supply conduit of said air circulation device and at least one longitudinal blow opening for blowing air through said front opening of the outer housing. The said blowing opening is also elongated in said longitudinal direction to substantially cover the entire width of the printing drum. Between the outer shell and the inner shell, on both sides of the blow opening, are suction openings for sucking air and ink drying vapors and suction passages for driving air and ink drying vapors towards said air outlet.

The outer shell has a final opening at one end and the inner shell is sized to pass through said final opening of the outer shell so that the inner shell can be inserted and removed axially, that is to say in a longitudinal direction parallel to the axis of the print drum.

In one embodiment, said end opening of the outer casing is in communication with a passage opening formed in one of said bed walls of the printing machine and the inner casing is sized to also pass through said passage opening of the bed wall, so that the inner housing can be inserted and removed in the longitudinal direction from an outer side of the bed wall.

The air inlet of the inner shell is located at a first end thereof adjacent to the final opening of the outer shell when the inner shell is inserted into the outer shell in a working position. In addition, the air inlet of the inner casing is connected to a splice sleeve that protrudes from the outer side of the bed wall when the inner casing is housed inside the outer casing, so that an air supply conduit, preferably Flexible, it can be easily connected and disconnected from the splice sleeve to facilitate removal and placement of the inner shell.

In one embodiment, the inner housing has at said first end an anchor plate for fixing to an outer side of the bed wall, and the air inlet is formed through said anchor plate. The blow opening is in the form of a longitudinal slit formed in a front wall of the inner shell, which has a cross section that decreases from said first end adjacent to the air inlet to a second closed opposite end.

The outer shell has the air outlet located in a rear wall thereof opposite the front opening. The air outlet is connected to a splice sleeve located between the two bed walls of the printing machine, so that an air evacuation duct can be connected to said splice sleeve almost permanently since the outer shell is remain fixed.

The outer housing has an anchor plate around the final opening for fixing to an inner side of the bench wall in a position such that the final opening is in communication with the passage opening of the bench wall. The outer shell also has a cleaning and maintenance opening in said rear wall opposite the front opening, and therefore located between the two bed walls. A cover is arranged to close or open said cleaning and maintenance opening.

Guiding means are arranged between the outer shell and the inner shell to guide sliding movements of the inner shell relative to the outer shell when the inner shell is inserted and axially removed from the outer side of the bench wall.

The outer casing has longitudinal con fi ning lips located adjacent to outer sides of said suction openings and provided with leading edges located very close to said printing drum of the printing machine although without making contact with it, and fixing means Adjustable allow adjusting the position of said con fi nation lips with respect to the printing drum and fix them in the desired position.

With this construction, the inner casing can be removed and repositioned or replaced from an outer side of one of the bed walls without the need to vary the position of the outer casing adjusted in relation to the printing drum. Brief description of the drawings

The foregoing and other features and advantages will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of some embodiments with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a bed and other elements of a printing machine including a plurality of ink drying devices according to an embodiment of the present invention, where an inner housing of one of the drying devices is removed from a corresponding inner housing;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the outer shell and the inner shell separated in a cleaning and maintenance position, with an open cover, showing a front side thereof;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the outer shell and inner shell separated in a cleaning and maintenance position, with the lid open, showing an opposite rear side thereof;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the outer shell and inner shell mutually coupled in a working position, with the lid closed, showing a front side thereof with an open lid;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the outer shell and inner shell mutually coupled in a working position, with the lid closed, showing an opposite rear side thereof with an open lid; Y

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the ink drying device in the working position, with the lid closed. Detailed description of some embodiments

Referring firstly to Fig. 1, part of a printing machine 50 is shown therein including a bed formed by first and second bed walls 51, 52 between which a print drum 53 arranged to rotate with respect to is supported to horizontal axis. Around said printing drum 53 a plurality of printing groups (not shown) are arranged to successively print inks of different colors on a moving substrate supported on the printing drum while it rotates. Downstream of each printing group there is a corresponding ink drying device adapted to dry the freshly printed ink on the substrate before it reaches the next printing group.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, each ink drying device comprises an outer housing 10 installed in a fixed position between the first and second bed walls 51, 52 and an inner housing 20 removably housed within said housing. exterior 10. The first bed wall 51 has a plurality of passage openings 54 formed therein, each adjacent to one end of one of the ink drying devices. The outer housing 10 of each ink drying device has at its first end a final opening 15 in communication with said passage opening 54 of the first bed wall 51 and the inner housing 20 is sized to pass through the corresponding opening passage 54 of the bed wall 51 and through said final opening 15 of the outer housing 10, so that the inner housing 20 can be inserted and removed axially from an outer side of the bed wall 51.

Fig. 1 shows the inner casing 20 of one of the ink drying devices removed from the outer casing 10 through the corresponding passage opening 54 of the bed wall 51. It should be noted, however, that the openings of step 54 could be omitted depending on the shape and arrangement of the first bed wall 51.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the outer housing 10 comprises a longitudinal front opening 12, which in an operative situation faces the printed substrate on the printing drum 53 of the printing machine 50, and a rear wall 17 in channel shape opposite to the front opening 12. The outer shell 10 has at said first end said end opening 15 and an anchor plate 18 located around the end opening

15. The anchor plate 18 is used to fix the outer housing 10 to an inner side of the wall 51 by means of screws or the like in a fixed position selected so that the final opening 15 is in communication with the corresponding passage opening 54 formed on the first bed wall 51. A second end of the outer housing 10 opposite the final opening 15 is closed by a wall 35 (Fig. 2).

The outer housing 10 has guide fins 33 extending transversely from opposite edges of said rear wall 17 in positions adjacent to the front opening 12. In said guide fins 33 suction openings 13 are formed. In a central region of the aforementioned rear wall 17 of the outer casing 10 there is an air outlet 11 connected to a splice sleeve 16, which, when the outer casing 10 is fixed to the bed of the printing machine 50 in an operative position, is located between the two bed walls 51, 52. The splice sleeve 16 is configured to be connected to an air discharge duct (not shown) of an air circulation device.

The suction openings 13 substantially cover the entire width of the printing drum 53 and are configured so as to provide a larger air passage opening the farther they are from the air outlet 11. In the embodiment shown, the suction openings 13 they are narrower in the central region of the outer shell 10 and gradually widen as they approach the ends, and this is so because the air outlet 11 is in the central region of the outer shell 10. Alternatively the outlet of air 11 could be in other positions and the suction openings 13 could have other configurations.

The inner casing 20 comprises a front wall 25 and a channel-shaped wall 26 fixed to a rear part of said front wall 25. At one first end of the inner casing 20 there is an anchor plate 24 which is used to fix by means of screws or similar to the inner housing to an outer side of the bed wall 51 around the passage opening 54 of the first bed wall 51. At this same first end and through said anchor plate 24 is formed an air inlet 21 connected to a splice sleeve 23, which, when the inner casing 20 is housed inside the outer casing 10 in an operative situation, protrudes from the outer side of the first bed wall 51 (Fig. 1). Said splice sleeve 23 is configured to be connected to an air supply duct (not shown) of said air circulation device.

In the aforementioned front wall 25 of the inner housing 20 a blow opening 22 is formed in the form of a longitudinal slit, although alternatively the blow opening 22 could have any other shape or comprise a plurality of openings. In any case, the blowing opening is configured to blow drying air against the printing drum covering the entire width thereof. The inner housing 20 has a second closed end opposite the air inlet 21, and the cross-section of the inner housing 20 gradually decreases from the first end adjacent to the air inlet 21 to the second closed opposite end.

Opposite guide races 27 are formed on opposite longitudinal edges of the front wall 25 of the inner shell 20 which are coupled with end edges of said guide fins 33 to guide sliding movements of the inner shell 20 with respect to the outer shell 10 when the inner casing 20 is inserted and axially removed from the outer side of the bed wall 51. It should be noted, however, that alternatively the sliding movements of the inner casing 20 with respect to the outer casing 10 could be guided by means other than the guide fins 33 and corresponding guide races 27, and the suction openings 13 could be formed at sites other than the guide fins 33.

In the rear wall 17 of the outer housing 10 there is a cleaning and maintenance opening 19 provided with a cover 30 articulated connected by means of hinges 36 and used to close or open said cleaning and maintenance opening 19 with the help of snap closure devices

31. A perimeter gasket 32 is arranged to be pressed between the cover 30 and a portion of the rear wall 17 around the cleaning and maintenance opening 19 when the cover 30 is closed.

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6 the outer and inner housings 10, 20 mutually coupled in the working position are shown. Figs. 4 and 5 show the respective anchor plates 18, 24 separated at a distance corresponding to the thickness of the first bed wall 51 of the printing machine 50 (which has been omitted for clarity of the drawing). In this working position, the anchor plates 18, 24 of the outer and inner housings 10, 20 are fixed to the first bed wall 51 of the printing machine 50 and the mentioned end edges of the guide fins 33 of the housing exterior 10 are coupled to guide races 27 formed in the front wall 25 of the inner housing 20 (Fig. 7).

In Fig. 7 the circuit is shown schematically by means of arrows followed by the air moved by the air circulation device through the ink drying device in an operative situation, in which the outer and inner housings 10, 20 are mutually coupled and fixed to the first bed wall 51 of the printing machine 50. In this situation, the splice sleeve 23 of the air inlet 21 of the inner housing 20 is connected to the air supply duct (not shown) and the splice sleeve 16 of the air outlet 11 of the outer housing 10 is connected to the air evacuation duct (not shown).

The air moved by the air circulation device enters a blow chamber defined by the channel-shaped wall 26 and the front wall 25 of the inner housing 20 and then is expelled through the blow opening 22 against the substrate printed on the print drum 53 of the printing machine 50 (not shown in Fig. 7). After impacting on the substrate, the air mixed with solvent vapors generated by the drying of the ink is sucked through suction openings 13, which are located between the outer and inner housings 10, 20. The air mixed with vapors of solvent enters a suction chamber that defines suction passages 14 between the rear walls 17, 26 of the outer and inner housings 10, 20 and is finally evacuated through the air outlet 11 and the corresponding splice sleeve 16 towards the air evacuation duct (not shown) of the air circulation device.

The outer casing 10 has longitudinal con fi guration lips 34 located adjacent to the outer sides of said suction openings 13. Front edges of the con fi ning lips 34 are located very close to the surface of the printing drum 53 of the printing machine 50 without coming into contact with the substrate supported therein, so that the con fi nation lips 34 prevent the air mixed with solvent vapors from dispersing and being aspirated through the suction openings 13.

Preferably, the outer casing 10 comprises adjustment means for adjusting the position of said con fi guration lips 34 in relation to the printing drum 53. In one embodiment, the outer casing 10 is fixed in a fixed position relative to the bed and said adjustment means comprise adjustment and fixation means which when they are loosened allow a certain movement of the con fi ning lips 34 with respect to the outer casing 10 to adjust their position and when they are tightened they set the conforming lips 34 to the outer casing 10 in a desired position

In another alternative embodiment, the con fi guration lips 34 are fixed in fixed positions with respect to the outer casing 10 and the adjustment means comprise adjustment and fixing means that when they are loosened allow a certain adjustment movement of the outer casing 10 with respect to to the bed to adjust the position of the con fi ning lips 34 and when they are tightened they set the outer housing 10 with respect to the bed in a desired position.

The position of the air outlet (11) and the corresponding splice sleeve (16) in the different outer housings (10) is variable and depends on the situation of each ink drying device around the printing drum 53. By this reason, position of the splice sleeve (16) in the outer shell (10) shown in Fig. 7 is different than the position of the splice sleeve (16) in the outer shell (10) shown in Figs. 2-4.

It is located on a rear wall (17) thereof opposite the front opening (12) and connected to one located between the two bed walls (51, 52) of the printing machine (50).

Modifications and variations will occur to one skilled in the art from the examples of embodiment shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (13)

1. Ink drying device for printing machine, of the type comprising an outer casing

(10)

installed between two bed walls (51, 52) of a printing machine (50) and an inner housing

(twenty)

housed in a removable way inside said car

outer house (10), where: the outer shell (10) has an air outlet

(eleven)

connectable to an air evacuation duct of an air circulation device and a longitudinal front opening (12) facing a substrate printed on a printing drum (53) of said printing machine (50);

said inner casing (20) has an air inlet (21) connectable to an air supply conduit of said air circulation device and a longitudinal blow opening (22) for blowing air through said front opening (12) of the outer shell (10); Y between the outer and inner housings (10, 20) there are arranged suction openings (13) to aspirate air and ink drying vapors and suction passages (14) to lead them towards said air outlet (11), characterized in that the outer shell (10) has at one end a final opening (15) and the inner shell (20) is sized to pass through said final aperture (15) of the outer shell

(10)

and is inserted and removed from the outer shell

(10)

by movement in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the printing drum (53).

2.

Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said final opening (15) of the outer casing (10) is in communication with a passage opening (54) formed in one of said bed walls (51) of the printing machine (50) and the inner housing (20) is sized to also pass through said passage opening (54) of the bed wall (51) to be inserted and removed axially from an outer side of the bed wall (51).

3.

Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the air inlet (21) of the inner casing (20) is located at a first end thereof and connected to a splice sleeve (23) protruding from the outer side of the bench wall

(51) when the inner shell (20) is housed inside the outer shell (10). Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the inner casing (20) has at said first end an anchor plate (24) for fixing to an outer side of the bed wall (51), and the air inlet (21 ) is formed through said anchor plate (24).

5.

Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the air outlet (11) of the outer casing (10) is located in a rear wall (17) thereof opposite the front opening (12) and connected to a sleeve of splice (16) located between the two bed walls (51, 52) of the printing machine (50).

6.

Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the outer housing (10) has an anchor plate (18) around the final opening (15) for fixing to an inner side of the bed wall

(51) in a position where the final opening (15) is in communication with the passage opening (54) of the bed wall (51).

7.

Device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the outer housing (10) has a cleaning and maintenance opening (19) in said rear wall (17) opposite the front opening (12) and a cover (30) for closing or open said cleaning and maintenance opening (19).

8.

Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer shell (10) has guide fins (33) adjacent to the front opening (12) and the inner shell

(20) has guide races (27) that engage with said guide fins (33) to guide sliding movements of the inner shell (20) with respect to the outer shell (10) when the inner shell (20) is inserted and removed axially from the outer side of the bed wall (51).

9.

Device according to claim 8, characterized in that said suction openings (13) are formed in said guide fins (33).

10.

Device according to claim 1, 2 or 9, characterized in that said suction openings

(13) are configured so that they provide a larger air passage opening the farther they are from the air outlet (11). 11. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer casing (10) has con fi ning lips (34) longitudinal adjacent to outer sides of said suction openings (13) and provided with leading edges located very close to said printing drum (53) of the contactless printing machine (50). 12. Device according to claim 11, characterized in that the outer casing (10) comprises adjustable fixing means for adjusting the position of said con fi guring lips (34) and fixing them in an adjusted position. SPANISH OFFICE OF THE PATENTS AND BRAND Application no .: 201000746 SPAIN Date of submission of the application: 01.06.2010 Priority Date: REPORT ON THE STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE 51 Int. Cl.: B41F5 / 24 (2006.01) B41F23 / 00 (2006.01) RELEVANT DOCUMENTS

Category

Documents cited Claims Affected

TO

EN 2112111 A1 (WINDMOELLER & HOELSCHER) 16.03.1998, the whole document. 1-12

TO

EP 1044813 A2 (PAPER CONVERTING MACHINE CO) 18.10.2000, paragraphs [0007-0019]; figures. 1-12

TO

EN 2177378 A1 (WINDMOELLER & HOELSCHER) 01.12.2002, column 2, line 54 - column 4, line 11; figures. 1-12

Category of the documents cited X: of particular relevance Y: of particular relevance combined with other / s of the same category A: reflects the state of the art O: refers to unwritten disclosure P: published between the priority date and the date of priority submission of the application E: previous document, but published after the date of submission of the application

This report has been prepared • for all claims • for claims no:

Date of realization of the report 23.11.2011

Examiner G. Villarroel Álvaro Page 1/4

REPORT OF THE STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE Application number: 201000746 Minimum documentation sought (classification system followed by classification symbols) B41F Electronic databases consulted during the search (database name and, if possible, terms of search used) INVENES, EPODOC State of the Art Report Page 2/4  WRITTEN OPINION Application number: 201000746 Date of Written Opinion: 23.11.2011 Statement

Novelty (Art. 6.1 LP 11/1986)

Claims Claims 1-12 IF NOT

Inventive activity (Art. 8.1 LP11 / 1986)

Claims Claims 1-12 IF NOT

The application is considered to comply with the industrial application requirement. This requirement was evaluated during the formal and technical examination phase of the application (Article 31.2 Law 11/1986).  Opinion Base.- This opinion has been made on the basis of the patent application as published. State of the Art Report Page 3/4  WRITTEN OPINION Application number: 201000746 1. Documents considered.- The documents belonging to the state of the art taken into consideration for the realization of this opinion are listed below.

Document

Publication or Identification Number publication date

D01

ES 2112111 A1 (WINDMOELLER & HOELSCHER) 16.03.1998

D02

EP 1044813 A2 (PAPER CONVERTING MACHINECO) 18.10.2000

D03

ES 2177378 A1 (WINDMOELLER & HOELSCHER) 01.12.2002

2. Statement motivated according to articles 29.6 and 29.7 of the Regulations for the execution of Law 11/1986, of March 20, on Patents on novelty and inventive activity; quotes and explanations in support of this statement Document D01 cited in the application's memory and considered the closest in the state of the art, consists of a flexographic printer with several printing mechanisms between which blower mechanisms are interleaved for drying the printed web. As is known, it is convenient to control the printing process to be able to observe the printing drum at all times, so that these blower elements become movable to one side of the backpressure cylinder which allows such observation even on small printing machines. This document details a printing machine with six printing mechanisms (18, 20, 22, 24, 26,28) among which four blower devices (30) are arranged in front of the counterpressure cylinder (32). This cylinder is housed between two frame walls or machine bed (34, 36). The blowers (30) run longitudinally parallel to the axis of the counterpressure cylinder (32) and have a trapezoidal shape. Inside the cover covering the blowers there is an air suction tube (38) and an air supply tube (40). The latter has a blowing air duct (42) through which the air flows to the cylinder, is enriched with the solvents of the ink and is drawn through the groove (44) that runs laterally towards the suction tube. A support plate (46) is attached to the frame wall (34) to which a bar (48) is attached parallel to the cylinder through which the blower device (30) can travel through a sleeve (50), all this helped by a handle (52). Although common elements are observed between this blower device and the one claimed in the application, fundamental differences between both are also observed, such as the two outer and inner housings of the blowers as well as their particular structure. Document D02 describes a dryer for drying the ink of a web comprising a first housing (65) with an air inlet (62) and an outlet (86), a source of pressurized air (41) and a second housing ( 91,109) with air inlet (87, 107), air distribution chamber (90, 108) and outlet openings for air to pass from the distribution chamber to the outside of the second housing, the second housing being adapted to be mounted with the holes adjacent to the band and where the inner walls (75, 82) are mounted inside the first housing (65) and form a labyrinthic air passage within said housing between the air inlet and outlet and also counting with an electric heater (67) mounted in said labyrinth to heat the air. Although this document includes a dryer composed of two housings with their corresponding air inlets and outlets for drying the belt, it cannot be deduced from its memory that the inner casing is sized to pass through the final opening of the casing outside and removed from it by a movement in a direction parallel to the axis of the printing drum. Finally, document D03 intends to solve the same problem as the request, that is, to ensure that the blowers allow the printing drum to be displayed at all times by being movable in the radial direction thereto, as is the case in the application. In this case, the blowing device is placed on trolleys with guides fixed to the frame. In the same way as in the requested one there are ducts that feed and evacuate the blowing air. There are also connection pipes (20, 21) that are fixed to the frame and complementary pipes (24, 25) fixed to the blower. The housing (4) of the blower (5) is trapezoidal and has an outlet nozzle (6) in the form of a groove. As can be deduced from this description, the solution adopted differs considerably from the one claimed in the application since this document does not include two housings, one inserted in the other, with removal of the interior according to the direction parallel to the drum. According to the above, it is considered that the application as a whole has novelty and inventive activity according to articles 6.1 and 8.1 of the Law 11/86 of Patents. State of the Art Report Page 4/4