GB2243672A - Apparatus to support and level machine plinths - Google Patents

Abstract

In order to be able to fasten and level a machine plinth for a rotating screen printing machine on the floor (11), an angular profile (54) is assigned to each opposite vertical wall, the horizontal bar (53) of which angular profile is attached to the floor (11). The vertical bar (52) of said angular profile is clamped against the inside (58) of the assigned plinth wall by means of several tension bolts (42), the tension bolts passing through vertical longitudinal slots of the vertical bar (52) so that a vertical relative movement is possible prior to tightening. At the bottom, the plinth wall has an outwardly protruding horizontal flange (26) with an internal thread (64) for leveling bolts (67) which are supported on the horizontal bar (53) lying below. In the leveled state, all the forces are supported on the floor over a large area via the combination of the plinth wall and the angular profile. <IMAGE>

Description

A APPARATUS TO SUPRORT AND LEVEL MACHINE PLINTHS The invention relates to

an apparatus according to the preamble of the main claim. Where the words "screen printing" are mentioned in the main claim, they are used in the sense of a generic term because such rotating machines are not only used for screen printing, but also for flocking. They are used for processing, for example, textile cutouts. finished T- shirts, sports clothing, umbrellas, bags, printed circuits and other objects.

As with any machine, the ratio of production time to nonproductive time is an important efficiency factor. The printing process takes place during the production time. In the case of screen printing, with rotating machines the stencils are lifted or the pallets are lowered and the pallets are rotated during the nonproductive time after the printing process. As a rule, with a six-color machine there are eight pallets and with a fourteen-color or fourteen-station machine there are sixteen pallets. In addition to the printing stations. with combined machines there can also be drying stations for intermediate driers, flocking stations or glitter stations. The most common printing formats are 500 x 700 mm. This gives rise to machine diameters of between 4.0 and 6.5 m. The machine plinths have horizontal dimensions to the order of 1.0 m and extend in height to the order of one meter, which means that machines which stand on machine plinths which have a relatively small crosssection and are relatively high are top heavy.

Yor the lifting movement between the substrate and the stencil, there are principally two methods:

a) lifting the printing units (doctor blade and stencil holder) or b) lowering the pallet star.

In accordance with a), all the printing units and stencil holders must be lifted approximately 30 to 50 mm. After moving the pallets on (to the next station), the printing units are lowered into printing position as far as possible without jolting or bouncing. It is evident 1 that great weights and acceleration and braking forces occur during this process with large machines of this type. For moving on, the 8 to 16 pallets are accelerated together on a circular path as fast as possible by pneumatic or pneumaticlhydraulic cylinders and, towards the end of the moving on angle, are braked as sharply as possible but without jolting. Here, too,, very great forces occur, in particular angular acceleration and angular deceleration forces.

In the case of smaller printing machines (e.g. six colors), the ratio between the production time and the nonproductive time is approximately 1. 5 to 4.5 seconds. In the case of large machines with fourteen stations, the ratio is approximately 1.5 to 8.0 seconds depending on the number of printing lines. Large machines having. for example, fourteen work stations are obviously considerably more expensive than six-color machines. This applies both to manufacture and to the purchase price and thus also to the hourly rate.

If the efficiency of a screen printing machine of this type is to be increased by reducing the nonproductive time, the pallets must be lifted or lowered as fast as possible. In their rotational movement,, they must be accelerated as much as possible, braked sharply and moved into the end position without jolting. The same applies analogously for the printing works.

According to the laws of dynamics, the inertia forces for the lifting movement and the moving on movement increase as a square of the speed. However, inertia forces are always external forces acting on the machine. In the case of such rotating machinese these forces must be conducted via the machine structure (the machine plinth) into the floor. Such machine plinths can be cubic cast or welded construction elements, but they can also be tubular grid frames which stand on sufficiently strong frame legs.

It is particularly important for the forces to be able to be conducted into the floor without shifting movements. In the case of large machines (for example ten 1 f 1 h printing units or more), the printing units are supported additionally on the outside on the floor so that they do not sag. It is then very particularly important that the machine plinth does not shift under the loads. This would result in severe distortions in the machine centring and a loss of printing quality.

It must be taken into account that very many rotating screen printing machines are used in small commercial companies. In this case, industrial floors with the appropriate strength and appropriate evenness are the great exception.

Hitherto, the machine plinths have been attached in such a way that a plate protruding outwards, through which a leveling bolt is. screwed, is welded onto the machine plinth right at the bottom. This is supported in turn on a floor plate. On both sides of the leveling bolt. heavy load pegs are also screwed through the tab. These pegs are subjected to great transverse forces on their shaft. They are therefore bent back and forth. The machine no longer stands fixedly. The machine becomes distorted. The printing suf f ers losses in quality and the output of the machine becomes uneconomic. Even booms hardly provide a solution but provide many disadvantages.

The object of the invention is to eliminate these faults in the prior art, to allow a reduction of the nonproductive times by conducting greater f orces into the floor, at the same time guaranteeing the precision of the printing, treating the machine gently and conducting the vertical forces into the floor over a large area.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by the features visible from the defining part of the main claim.

Accordingly. the pin-type attachment members are only loaded as intended. These can be machine bolts, wood screws. pegs or the like. The forces can be conducted directly into the floor. The machine plinth does not have any degree of freedom to oscillate about its vertical axis. The forces can be conducted into the floor over large areas. The leveling can be carried out in a h 0 1 straightforward manner. The machine plinth is reinforced additionally. The horizontal bar does not take up much space because the vertical bar rests on the inside in the machine plinth. It does not need to be welded if this is not desired. The parts necessary are parts available in series production. Assembly does not require any special ist knowledge since the arrangement and the meaning and purpose of the necessary individual parts is readily visible and intrinsically clear.

By the features of claim 2, an improvement of the levelability is achieved, as well as larger surfaces to conduct the forces and symmetrical behavior in respect of a plane of symmetry located between the two plinth walls.

By the features of claim 3, a particularly simple corner iron is obtained which can be used from series production without reprocessing because the outside surface of the vertical bar is already by its very nature perpendicular to the- bottom side of the horizontal bar.

By the features of claim 4, larger support surfaces are obtained by the bottom side of the transverse bar and, to be precise, pointing inwards in the machine plinth such that the machine plinth can be approached just as closely, despite the larger support surfaces, as in the case of the Lshaped profile.

By the f eatures of claim 5, a prof lle is obtained, which is exceptionally rigid in the vertical direction for cases in which the floor is exceptionally uneven or where, for other reasonsi particular attention must be paid to the use of a profile which is rigid in the vertical direction.

By the features of claim 6, the vertical bar does not need to be reprocessed on its outside, which is advantageous for all those cases in which the opposite inside of the machine plinth likewise extends vertically. Moreover, the flow of forces is then particularly favorable.

By the features of claim 7. the clamping bolts can be tightened from the outside without their head k 1 L being turned.

By the features of claim 8, a solution is obtained for when it has to be omitted for certain reasons to provide-the longitudinal slots in the vertical bar. Nevertheless, it will probably be easier in most cases to provide the longitudinal slots in the vertical bar.

By the features of claim 9, a particularly good reinforcement is obtained as well as resting surfaces of maximum height and the clamping bolts can be provided at any points, e.g. in the center between the corner regions. All the forces are then conducted into the corner iron.

By the features of claim 10, the finest leveling is achieved.

By the features of claim 11, the pin-type attachment members can be provided at the greatest distance from the center of the machine plinth and are thus the most effective.

By the features of claim 12, on the one hand several pin-type attachment elements can be provided or another passage hole can be used. This is always an advantage when, for example when drilling a certain hole in the floor, the drill is broken off or an unfavorable point is encountered such as, for example, a concrete reinforcing iron or the like.

By the features of claim 13, the heads of the pin-type attachment members can readily be reached and the flange does not, for example, have to be partially removed. This is only the case, of course, if the bar is so much wider that the heads of'the pin-type attachment members together with the associated tools have sufficient space.

By the features of claim 14,, material. is saved and static overdimensioning is avoided. In the minimum case, four leveling bolts are thus sufficient.

By the features of claim 15, a sufficiently high plinth wall is obtained. This is favorable for conducting the forces over large areas and the longitudinal slots can also be made to be sufficiently long. In particular, 1 g- it- is then not necessary in most cases to construct the longitudinal slots to be open at the top edge. Rather, there is then sufficient room in most cases to provide longitudinal slots which are closed at the top and the bottom.

An additional advantage of the invention also lies in the fact that the corner profiles ensure that distance when the leveling bolts have been screwed in which is necessary for a load pick-up means to be inserted between the floor and the machine plinth. These load pick-up means can be forks of fork lift trucks, crowbars or the like. The invention also allows a transport safeguard on the loading surface of a truck. There the machine plinth and thus also the rotating machine can be screwed tightly to the loading surface by means of wood screws. It is also possible. during transport (particularly for removal or erection) to roll the machine by means of rollers (round rods) placed underneath between the angular surface and the floor or the flange surface and the floor since the bottom side forms flat running surfaces. Reference is made to the dimensions 100 x 100 x 800 mm as representative dimensions of a corner iron according to claim 3.

The invention is now described with reference to a preferred exemplary embodiment.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 shows a vertical section through an exemplary embodiment illustrated to scale, Fig. 2 shows the plan view of Fig. 1. partially cut open, Fig. 3 shows an illustration from the left bottom region of Fig. 1 on a scale 1:2.5, Fig. 4 shows a view according to the arrow 4 in Fig..1, the top region being cut open.

Standing on a f loor 11 is a plinth 12 of a screen printing machine which is not 'illustrated in further detail and which is mounted, inter alia, on a lid 13 of the plinth 12 in a manner not illustrated and which is also driven from the latter. A vertical geometrical axis f 1.

14, which is central in relation to the plinth 12 reveals which is the reference line for rotational movements and up and down movements of the rotating screen printing machine. It- exerts forces on the plinth 12 in the longitudinal direction of the geometrical axis 14 and in the direction of rotation in relation to the latter. The lid is part of a cubic box which is open at the bottom, but comprises four walls 16, 17s, 18, 19 which stand vertically and are made of steel sheet. The walls 17, 18 on the one hand and 16. 19 on the other hand are integral and, at their corners 21, 22, are simply bent at right angles to each other; the other two corners 23, 24 are formed by the ends of the associated walls being buttwelded together, as is visible in Fig. 2 on the right at the bottom. The bottom regions of the walls 16, 17, 18, 19 are bent at right angles towards the outside and the flanges 26. 27s, 28, 29 thus formed extend parallel to the lid 13 and, like the latter, perpendicular to the geometrical axis 14. With their flanges 26, 29 at least in the bottom region. the walls 16 to 19 thus form an Lshaped profile which is known to be rigid. The walls 16 to 19 are welded at the top onto the very thick lid 13 by means of seams 31. The invention does not yield from this very rigid construction. A precise and unshiftable position of the plinth 12 is a contributing factor for the screen printing machine being able to work in exact register and, to be precise, despite its overhang above the lid 13. In exact register means in practise that printing, flocking etc. can be done in the range of tenths of millimeters.

In their.end regions, the flanges 26, 27, 28, 29 are bridged in a reinforcing manner by angle brackets 32, 33s, 341, 36 sinces, in this constructions, they do not go around the corners 21s, 22s, 23, 24. Since the arrangement described below is symmetrical in respect of a vertical center plane 37 according to Fig. 2, only the bottom region in Fig. 2 is described in greater detail below.

Horizontal passage holes 38, 39, 41 are drilled through the wall 16 just above the flange 26. The passage holes 38, 39, 41 are all at the same level. Plugged through the passage holes 38, 39, 41 are shafts 42 of flat half-round bolts, to the threads of which nuts 43, 44, 46 are- screwed from the outside. In the inner end region, the shafts 42 have squares 47. These lie in vertically extending longitudinal slots 48, Of 51 of a vertical bar 52 which passes at the bottom into a horizontal bar 53 and thus forms an L-shaped profile 54. At its front side 56 and its rear side 57, the bar 52 extends vertically, level and parallel. The front side 56 rests in a manner which is fixed, unshiftable and under high pressure against the inside 58 of the wall 16 when the nuts 43, 44f 46 have been tightened. Where the corner angle 32 is welded with -its leg pointing to the left according to Fig. 2 in an overlapping manner onto the flange 26, a threaded hole 64 is cut vertically through its leg 63 and through the flange 26. The shaft 66 of a leveling bolt 67 is screwed into said hole, which leveling bolt can be screwed more or less downwards or upwards by turning its head 68. The leveling bolt 67 can be checked using a check nut 67. Its bottom end face 71 stands on the horizontal top side 72 of the bar 53 which, in turn,, [lacuna] with its bottom side 73 which is likewise level and parallel to the top side 72 on the floor 11.

In its region adjacent to the corner 23, the bar 53 has several passage holes 73 located closely adjacently, through which the shaft 76 of a peg bolt, so-called heavy load peg, passes. The latter is fixed in the floor 11. The nut 77 screwed onto it tightens the bar 53 and thus also the Lshaped profile 54 securely and over large areas against the f loor 11 Since there is no or no mentionable gap between the bottom side 73 and. the floor 11, the shaft 76 is only loaded by tension or at least essentially by tension.

Since the conditions in the region of the corner 23 have been described in greater detailf the construction in the region of the corners 21, 22, 24 does not need to be described in greater detail as it is repeated 1 1 exactly in those places.

As shown in Fig. 1, forks 78 of a fork lift truck have sufficient space between the top side of the floor 11 and the bottom side of the flanges 27. 29 to lift the plinth 12 and, if appropriate, also the entire rotating screen printing machine. If the f loor clearance is not sufficient, the leveling bolts 67 can firstly be screwed right in in order to gain height.

The angular acceleration and deceleration forces twisting the plinth are essentially conducted into the floor due to static friction (from weight and bolt tightening force) between the horizontal leg surfaces and the surface of the floor.

1

Claims (1)

1. CLAIMS: 1. An apparatus to support and level machine plinths for rotating

   screen printing machines having a horizontal f irst plate, which has a vertical internal thread, and having a vertical leveling bolt, which is screwed into the internal thread, and having a connection apparatus between the first plate and the machine plinth. and having a foot plate, which can rest at least- indirectly on a f loor and on which the end f ace of the leveling bolt is supported, and having vertical pin-type attachment members, which pass through passage holes in the apparatus and attach the latter to the floor, which has the following features a) at least on one straight plinth wall. a linear corner iron is provided which has at least one horizontal and one'integral vertical bar; b) the vertical bar rests with its outside against the inside of the plinth wall;

   c) provided in the vertical bar are vertical longitudinal slots, the length of which corresponds at least to the effective lift of the leveling bolts; d) congruent with the longitudinal slots, passage holes are provided in the plinth wall.. tension bolts passing through both the longitudinal slots and the passage holes and connecting the -plinth wall fixedly to the vertical bar in the horizontal direction; e) the plinth wall passes at its bottom end into a flange protruding outwards and arranged above the horizontal bar; f) the flange has, at least indirectly, two of the internal threads and the leveling bolts are supported on the top side of the horizontal bar; g) the passage holes for the pintype attachment members are situated in the horizontal bar. 2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein it is provided on two opposite plinth walls.

   1 1 1 k.

   i 3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the corner iron has an Lshaped profile.

   4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the corner iron has a Tshaped profile. the transverse bar of which is horizontal.

   5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1.. wherein the corner iron has a Ushaped profile which is open towards the top.

   6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outside of the vertical bar lies perpendicular to the bottom side of the horizontal bar.

   7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clamping bolts have a square shoulder lying in the elongated hole and the associated nuts are on the outside.

   8. An apparatus in particular as claimed in claim 1. wherein the vertical longitudinal slots are provided in the plinth wall and the passage holes are provided in the verticai bar.

   9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the corner iron extends over the entire available length of the plinth wall.

   10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the leveling bolts are provided in the corner region of the machine plinth.

   11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the passage holes are provided in the corner regions.

   12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein several passage holes are provided in each corner region and said passage holes are spaced slightly apart.

   13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flange is narrower than the horizontal bar arranged below it.

   14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein only two individual apparatuses are provided on two opposite plinth walls.

   15. An apparatus as claimed. in claim 1, wherein the plinth wall extends at least up to the top edge of the vertical bar.

   1 1 k 16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the corner iron has a Z- shaped profile, the top bar of which points inwards.

   17. Apparatus for supporting and levelling a machine plinth having a substantially horizontally extending lower portion when in use, the apparatus comprising first plate means having a portion for fixing to a floor and a portion adapted to abut a wall of a machine plinth, a levelling bolt f or passing through a thread in said substantially horizontally extending lower portion and whose end face is adapted to rest when in use on said portion for fixing to said floor, slot means in said portion adapted to abut said wall, means adapted to pass through hole means in said plinth wall and said slot means for fixing said abutting portion relative to said plinth wall.

   18. An apparatus for supporting and levelling a machine plinth substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

   1 Published 1 91 at The Patent Office. Concept House, Cardiff Road. Newport. Gwent NP9 IRK. Further copies may be obtained fmro Sales Branch, Unit 6. Nine Mile Point. Cwrnfelliffach. Cross Keys. Newport. NPJ 7HZ. Printed by Multiplex techniques ltd, St Mary Cray, Kent.