FI101139B - Cleaning system with rotating brushes - Google Patents

Description

101139

This invention relates to a cleaning device for use in the graphic industry, and more particularly to a device with spiral brushes for cleaning parts of a printing press.

More specifically, the invention relates to printing systems according to the preambles of claims 1 and 13.

10 Equipment used in the printing industry is contaminated by material residues that form on it, such as ink and lint detachable from the material to be printed. This problem is related to both printing on paper and printing on fabrics. The residue is also formed in various amounts in all printing equipment. For example, offset printing has become the most common printing method in the newspaper industry.

Offset printing presses generally use a jacket cylinder, i.e., a rubber cylinder or a rubber-coated cylinder, to which printing surfaces formed by an ink are printed thereon. The printing surfaces are then transferred to paper which is guided between the jacket cylinders or the printing cylinder and the jacket cylinder. Continuous printing is made possible by attaching 25 or more printing plates to a plate cylinder designed to contact the rotary cylinder as it rotates.

In printing presses with jacket cylinders, the paper web passes between two jacket cylinders mounted so that one jacket cylinder acts as a printing cylinder for the other cylinder. This results in reprint printing, which means printing both surfaces of the paper web simultaneously.

Dust and fluff from the paper web, which accumulate in the jacket cylinder (s), adversely affect continuous offset printing and degrade the quality of the printed product. The accumulation of dust, fluff or ink in the diaper cylinder thus constitutes a serious drawback and requires the printing press to be stopped in order to carry out the cleaning, which is not desirable. In the Sanoma-5 magazine industry, this problem is very serious, because as the price of newsprint rises, cheaper grades of paper with a higher fluff content are often used instead of more expensive grades of paper.

The accumulation of residual material such as ink, dust and hollow in printing equipment is not only a problem limited to off-set printing, but is generally present in all printing equipment. It is found, for example, in Anilox rolls, aniline printing press plate cylinders and plates, newspaper press tube tubes, metal-15 decorative printing casing cylinders, rollers and printing cylinders, rotogravure cylinders and rollers, textile printing presses, aniline printing presses. The problem of cleaning printing equipment is already widely recognized, as evidenced by previous proposals for printing equipment cleaning equipment.

In some types of printing, the sheets are cut and stacked before they are printed. Adhesion of the sheets to the other is prevented by the use of a dusty substance, for example corn starch. The use of sheets containing corn starch therefore constitutes a material residue problem.

Earlier vacuum devices used to clean jacket cylinders have wet vacuum systems to remove residual material. In these systems, the jacket cylinder segments are continuously immersed in the solvent and cleaned with it. See, for example, U.S. Patents 3,049,997 and 3,309,993 (Grembechi et al.) And U.S. Patent 3,835,779 (Ross et al.). The present invention eliminates the use of solvents by applying a completely dry system for residue removal.

In addition, according to the present invention, a separate vacuum or air flow device is used, which differs from the structure described in 5 IBM Technical Publication "Cleaner to Developer Toner Recirculation", Eide and Witte, Part 21, No. 5, October 1987, pages 359-360, which uses only a small vacuum created by the rotation of the brush.

In addition, the system of the present invention has arms that rotate a rotary brush cleaning device between two operating positions, and also a device that changes the rotation of the brush unit to increase its cleaning performance, which differs from U.S. Patent 4,134,673 (Fisher) and Xerox. Jul-15, "A Cleaning System," Hewit, Volume 3, No. 4, July-August / August 1978, pages 253-254.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved device for removing a tendon containing ink, fluff and / or dust from parts of printing equipment 20.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device with rotating brushes for cleaning cylindrical parts of printing equipment. It is also an object of the present invention to provide such a cleaning device with rotating brushes which does not require a separate operating system.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device with rotating brushes having a high cleaning power.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device with rotating brushes in which the direction of rotation of the printing machine and the brushes is the same, so that the residue can be transferred to a vacuum container.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an easy-to-construct cleaning device with rotating brushes.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device with rotating brushes which performs both radial and lateral cleaning.

More specifically, the invention relates to printing systems according to the characterizing parts of independent claims 1 and 13. Preferred embodiments of the printing system are the subject of dependent claims.

According to the present invention, there is thus provided an apparatus for cleaning printing apparatus parts, such as a rotary jacket cylinder of an offset printing machine, having a helical brush and a brush holder which is periodically pressed against a cylindrical portion of the printing apparatus by moving a pivot arm connecting the cleaning apparatus to an air cylinder. 15 When using the spiral brush unit, the brushes in it rotate in the same direction as the cylindrical part of the printing machine. When the spiral brush acts in connection with the rotation of the cylindrical part, dust and fluff are released from the cylindrical part. The dust and fluff are then sucked into a vacuum system comprising a housing around the spiral brush 20.

The operation of the spiral brush is very important. When the spiral brush bristles touch the cylindrical portion, each brush bends in the radial direction and sweeps the remnant and fluff away from the cylindrical portion and moves it to the vacuum region. 25 In addition to the radial sweep, the brush spiral causes the bristles to move laterally as the brush rotates, further enhancing cleaning.

The spiral brushes can also be divided into segments, so that the different parts of the brushes can be connected and disconnected separately if necessary. Alternatively, the brushes can be adjusted laterally so that they are in line with the different sized parts of the printing press.

The user of the printing press adjusts the automatic connection and operation of the rotary brush cleaning device according to the invention on the basis of various either expected or observed parameters, for example due to the fluff content of the paper and the length of operation of the printing press.

The invention further relates to a device 5 housed in a housing, which is associated with a spiral brush and has the function of removing dirt and fluff from the spiral brush and changing the speed of the rotating spiral brush. The invention may also include a device housed in a housing that engages a cylindrical portion and seals a vacuum system. In addition, the spi-10 angle of the spiral brush and the diameter of the brush bristles may vary to change the speed of the brush when the spiral brush is engaged.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate the above and other objects, structural features and advantages of the present invention upon reading the following description of preferred structures, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a partially cross-sectional perspective view of a rotary brush cleaning system constructed in accordance with a structure 20 of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a side view of a rotary brush cleaning system closed; Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional front view of a brush unit having segmented brushes rotated in the same direction; Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional front view of a brush unit having laterally adjustable brushes; Fig. 6A is a cross-sectional front view of a brush unit; a side view of a brush unit 35 with an adjustable sweeping blade, and Fig. 7 is a front perspective view of the brush unit; whose segmented brushes are twisted in opposite directions.

Figure 1 of the drawings shows a cleaning system comprising rotating brushes according to a structure of the present invention. This cleaning system 20 comprises at least one spiral brush 24, a housing 40 and an air supply device 41.

The rotary brush cleaner 10 according to this structure of the present invention is mounted to operate with the jacket cylinder 28 approximately parallel to its longitudinal axis. The cleaner mounting brackets 30 are attached to the body of the printing press (not shown) outside each end of the jacket cylinder 28. The pivot arms 34 15 connect the brush cleaner 20 to the mounting brackets 30. These pivot arms 34 support the rotating brush cleaner and pivot on the pin 36.

The rotating brush cleaner usually pivots between two operating positions. The pivoting of the arms 34 between these positions is provided by a plurality of actuators 38 attached to the pivot arms 34. The actuator 38 is preferably pneumatically actuated, but manual and electric or hydraulic actuators may also be used if desired. However, a pressurized-25 machine is usually used because printing presses usually have equipment.

In the first operating position, the rotating brush cleaner 20 is turned away from the jacket cylinder 28, whereby, for example, the spiral brushes are easier to replace and / or carry out repair or maintenance work on the printing machine.

In the second operating position, the rotating brush cleaner 20 contacts the surface of the jacket cylinder 28. In this second position, the rotating brush cleaner cleans the jacket cylinder by removing lint and other debris from it.

In one construction 35 of the rotary brush cleaner 20, the vacuum portion generally comprises an approximately U-shaped housing 40 the length of the jacket cylinder and a spiral brush 7 101139 24. The spiral brush 24 is housed in a housing 40 which in turn is secured to pivot arms 34.

In the second operating position, the jacket cylinder 28 rotates a spiral brush 24, which thus rotates in the same direction 5 as the jacket cylinder 28. The contact between the spiral brush 24 and the jacket cylinder 28 in the second operating position can be changed as needed, thus improving the power of the spiral brush 24 to remove and remove the fluff and residue from the jacket cylinder.

Figure 5 shows an alternative construction of a rotary brush cleaner. In Fig. 5, the brush holder 62 is formed in segments so that the individual segments can be lifted so that they do not touch the jacket cylinder during cleaning. Separate segments may be preferred because the diaper cylinders of a newspaper machine are generally made in quarters or sides, i.e., the width of the paper web may be double (full diaper) or simple (half diaper). When using a simple width, the ink can reach 20 cylinders as part of it without a paper path. The ink may then contaminate the continuous brush with such a non-paper web portion of the cylinder. When the brushes are formed in segments, preferably in four segments, they can be lifted from the currently unused area. Thus, in order to achieve maximum flexibility, the rotary brush cleaner may have a number of segments considered suitable in each case. In addition, the lifting of the brushes can take place by any efficient device, either manually, as shown, or by compressed air, electrically or mechanically.

In printing presses with a paper path, the brushes cannot be formed in segments. This is because the width of the paper path used can vary considerably. For such applications, the brush unit can be constructed so that it can be adjusted laterally with the width of the jacket cylinder (see Figure 6). In the structure shown in Fig. 6 101139, the brush holder 68 is positioned in the housing 70 so that it slides in the notches 72. The locking devices 74 hold the brushes in the desired lateral position. The brushes can thus be arranged for the work to be performed in each case.

Various materials can be used for the spiral brushes 24 as long as they do not damage the surface of the casing cylinder 28 of the printing press. Both natural fiber and synthetic materials can be used. The spiral of the spiral brushes may be arranged in different directions and may have a pitch of 1 1/8 "to 1", preferably 1/8 "to 3/8". The stiffness of the bristles can be changed by using bristles of different lengths and diameters. As the spiral angle of the spiral brushes and the diameter of the bristles change, the rotation speed of the brushes changes in the second operating position. The diameter of the circular brushes twisted into a spiral 15 can also be changed, and is preferably 2 "to 3".

The housing 40 (Figure 4), which is an inverted U-shaped channel, has a top surface 44 and parallel sides 46 and 48. The housing 40 is disposed between the pivot arms 20 34 down to the open side directed towards the blanket cylinder 28. Alternatively, U-shaped channel 40 can be placed if desired, in front of or behind the center line of the jacket cylinder 28.

The wiper blade 82 (Fig. 4) is attached to the surface of the housing 40 and is parallel to the housing sides 46 and 48. The wiper blade 82 engages the spiral brush 24 and can be adjusted as shown in Figure 6A to change the contact between it and the spiral brush 24. By changing this contact, the rotational speed of the spiral brush 30 can be changed. When the speed of the rotating spiral brush 24 is less than the speed of the rotating jacket cylinder, the removal of fluff and residue is more efficient.

The flexible wipers 50 (Fig. 4) are located at the ends 46 and 48 of the housing 40 and contact the surface of the jacket 35 with the passeel cylinder 28 to form barrier surfaces in contact with the jacket cylinder with the rotating jacket cylinder in operation.

The fluff and residue 52 (Fig. 4) detached from the cylinder are removed from the housing 40 by an air flow, for example 5 using a vacuum or air pressure. The airflow generating machine 41 (Fig. 1) is connected to the opening 58 of the housing 40 by a hose 56. The fluff and residue 52 are conveyed along the hose 56 by airflow to a suitable discharge unit (not shown).

Figure 7 shows another design alternative to a rotary brush cleaner. The spiral brushes are arranged in four segments in the housing 40. The two brushes 92 and 94 in the left part of the housing 40 are helically wound so that as the brushes rotate the residue enters the opening 90 at the left end of the housing 15 40. The two brushes 96 and 98 in the right side of the housing 40 are in the opposite direction to the left brushes, so that the same mechanical and helical effect transfers the remnant to the second opening 91, 20 at the right end of the housing 40. The rotating brushes thus remove the residue from the cylinder and transfer it to the outlets to enhance the removal function. The helical structure of the brushes can also be changed to direct the residual flow in different directions, for example only at the other end of the housing.

Figure 2-4 shows the general operation of a jacket cylinder cleaning device in an offset printing machine structure according to the present invention. The material web 60 passes between the jacket cylinders 28 rotating in different directions when the pressing 30 then takes place to the front and rear of the web. When printing, the fluff and residue 52 in the paper web 60 accumulate on the surface of the diaper cylinders 28 and, when allowed to remain therein, naturally degrade the quality of the printed product.

35 10 101139 To remove such lint and residue from the surface of the jacket cylinders 28, the rotating brush cleaners 20, which are generally located on the jacket cylinders 28, are turned against the cylinders by means of turning devices formed by the actuators 38. In general, it is not necessary for the rotating brush cleaners 20 to be in continuous contact with the jacket cylinders 28 during printing, but in the event that fluff and residue are formed very rapidly, it is preferred that the brushes be in continuous use. Thus, under normal conditions, the rotating brush cleaners 20 occasionally contact the jacket cylinders for a predetermined time to clean their surface.

The intermittent operation of the brush cleaner according to the invention can be controlled by conventional timing mechanisms 15 which are either related to the rotation of the printing machines or which are controlled by the user of the printing machines. In either case, the operation of the brush cleaner is controlled so that when it is desired to clean the jacket cylinder, the actuator 38 moves the cleaner in the disengagement position (Fig. 3) to the close-20 position (Fig. 2). In the closed position, the spiral brushes 24 contact the surface of the jacket cylinder 28. The spiral brushes 24 are used to remove residue and fluff from the jacket cylinder 28, and after the brushes have rotated the predetermined turns, the actuator 38 is operated again, causing the rotary brush cleaner to disengage as shown in Figure 3.

When the brush cleaner is in operation, the fluff and residue removed by the brushes 24 are sucked out by means of a vacuum system. The fluff and residue are thus effectively removed when the 30 jacket cylinders are printed.

The purifier described above is especially recommended because of its easy construction to install and adjust. For example, the various operating parts are above the jacket cylinder 28, making them easy to install and maintain.

Π 101139

The rotary brush cleaner can be used in the printing industry in general to clean many different printing machines and printing equipment. Examples of such devices are jacket cylinders, printing cylinders 5, Anilox rolls, plate cylinders and plates for aniline printing presses, tube rolls for newspaper printing presses, sheet metal cylinders for decorative printing on metal presses, rollers and printing cylinders for rotogravure printing, or rollers or bunch and rod cleaners. Thus, there is a great need for cleaning in the graphic industry, and this includes the following areas: lithography (offset), aniline printing, gravure printing and letterpress printing.

15 The foregoing is intended only to illustrate the principles of the present invention and is therefore not limited to the specific structures now presented. Those skilled in the art will therefore be able to make various changes, modifications, and substitutions in connection therewith without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (15)

A printing system comprising a moving component (28), dry, rotating brushing means (24) for cleaning the component from dirt and lint, which brushing means are mounted for movement between an operative position in engagement with the component for cleaning it and an idle position away from the component, and means (40, 41) for removing debris from the brush devices, characterized in that the brush devices (24) are designed to rotate in their operative position due to engagement with said movable component (28) and an element (82) engaging with the brushing means for providing a relative sliding movement between the brushing means (24) and the moving component (28) for cleaning it and removing debris from the brushing means. 2. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that the bristles (24) comprise a spiral brush, and the element (82) comprises a flip-flop in engagement with the bristles of the bristles. 3. A system according to claim 2, characterized in that said rocker blade (82) is adjustable to increase or decrease the engagement clearance between the rocker blade and the spiral brush (24) to control the rotational speed of the spiral brush. 4. A system according to claim 3, characterized in that said spiral brush has a pitch angle and bristles diameter selected to adjust the rotational speed of the spiral brush relative to the moving speed of the movable component, independent of the speed control produced by adjustment of the rocker blade. System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the movable component (28) comprises a screen cylinder. 16 101139 System according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the brush devices are mounted in a jaw (40) and actuators (38) are arranged to move the jaw between the operating pin of the brush devices 5 (24) and inoperative positions. System according to claim 6, characterized in that the debris removal device comprises air flow devices (41) which are connected to the debris (40) for removing debris. System according to claim 7, characterized in that it comprises sealing means (50) for providing sealing between the edges of the cover (40) and the moving component (28) when in operative position. 9. A system according to claim 6, 7 or 8, characterized in that said brushing means (24) are adjustable relative to the cap (40). System according to claim 9, characterized in that said brushing devices (24) are divided into sections which are individually movable between a first position away from the moving component (28) and a second position adjacent to said moving component. System according to claim 10, characterized in that the brush segments comprise spiral brushes (24), all of which are wound in the same direction. System according to claim 10, characterized in that the brush segments comprise at least two helical brushes (24) which are wound in opposite directions. A printing system comprising a moving component (28), brushing means (24) for cleaning the component, which brushing means (24) are mounted for movement between an operative position in engagement with the component (28) for effecting cleaning thereof and an overhead -assessing position away from the component, and means (40, 41) for removing debris from the brushing devices, characterized in that the brushing means (24) comprise a rotating brush which is designed to rotate in its operative position. due to its engagement with said movable component (28) such that a rotating brush movement is effected over the surface of said component for cleaning thereof. Printing system according to claim 13, characterized in that it comprises elements (82) for preventing rotation of the brushing means (24) for effecting relative sliding movement between the brushing means (24) and the moving component (28). for cleaning the same. 15. A printing system according to claim 14, characterized in that the bristles (24) comprise a spiral brush and the element (82) comprises a flip-flop in engagement with the bristles of the bristles.