GB2358893A

GB2358893A - Self-adjusting bearing arrangement for inking or damping units of a printing machine

Info

Publication number: GB2358893A
Application number: GB0030839A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Johann Koeniger
Original assignee: MAN Roland Druckmaschinen AG
Current assignee: Manroland AG
Priority date: 1999-12-18
Filing date: 2000-12-18
Publication date: 2001-08-08
Anticipated expiration: 2020-12-18
Also published as: DE19961190A1; GB0030839D0; GB2358893B; FR2802467A1; DE19961190B4

Abstract

The invention relates to a bearing arrangement of a roller (1) of a damping or inking unit of a printing machine, which bearing, with a simple construction, enables there to be automatic adjustment and readjustment of the roller (1) by means of an elastic component (11) that has a flat spring characteristic via an eccentric bearing ring (6).

Description

2358893 -I- Self-adjusting bearing arrangement for inking or damping units

of a printing machine The invention relates to a bearing arrangement suitable for use with a roller of an inking or damping unit of a printing machine or other rollers.

It is generally known that rollers of an inking or damping unit of a printing machine can be mounted in adjustable roller locks and that by means of these adjustable roller locks the respective roller can be adjusted and set with respect to other rollers located in the interconnected damping or inking unit roller train. A disadvantage of this configuration is that adjusting the mutual setting of the rollers in the inking or damping unit even before the printing machine is commissioned is very time-consuming, since each roller undergoes an expensive settingadjustment process by means of the adjustable roller locks. A further disadvantage of this configuration is that if the roller covering of the roller swells or shrinks in a product ion- related manner, the printing machine must be turned of f in order to correct the setting with the adjustable roller locks at the respective roller or rollers. These correction measures additionally result in unnecessary change-over times and stoppage times of the printing machine.

It is desirable to provide a bearing arrangement for rollers of an inking or damping unit which bearing with a simple construction, renders possible automatic adjustment and readjustment of the roller with respect to further rollers that are located in the inking or damping unit roller train.

The invention is defined in the independent claims, to which reference should now be made. Further advantageous features are detailed in the dependent claims.

is Preferred configurations follow from the subclaims and also from the description in conjunction with the drawings.

The invention provides a bearing arrangement for a roller of an inking or damping unit of a printing machine, the bearing arrangement including an elastic component and a bearing having an eccentric bearing ring, wherein the elastic component is arranged with respect to an axle that supports the bearing, enabling automatic adjustment and readjustment of the roller via the eccentric bearing ring.

The elastic component allows relative (preferably rotational) movement between the axle and eccentric bearing and thereby biases the roller in a predetermined radial direction to contact an adjacent parallel roller.

A significant advantage of one embodiment of the invention is that the roller body may be used as the structural space for the automatically adjusting and readjusting bearing (arrangement) of the roller. All the movable parts of the bearing are thereby protected against the direct action of dirt. It is significant that the entire automatically adjusting and readjusting bearing of the roller can be produced inexpensively out of structurally simple and few component parts and that it can be assembled with ease in or on the roller. Moreover, it readjusts the roller without necessitating a special drive. Such a structural configuration of an automatically adjusting and readjusting bearing of a roller increases the diversity of installation possibilities, thinking here above all of subsequent installations (retrofitting) in machines or rollers that have already been delivered to the customer.

It is to be emphasized in particular that if an elastic component that has a flat spring characteristic is installed, constant contact pressure and thus a is constant printing width may be achieved even given manufacturing-related tolerances or swelling and shrinkage of the roller covering. Furthermore, as a result of the use of the elastic component a protective effect is produced for the roller; if, for example, a printing -material web is wound around the roller, this roller and all the other rollers arranged in the inking or damping unit roller train can yield on account of the elastic bearing. Damage to the inking or damping unit or the inking or damping unit roller train is thus counteracted. A further significant advantage of the automatic adjusting and readjusting bearing of the roller can be seen in the reduction in the commissioning and maintenance times, since the time consuming adjustment process of mutually adjusting and setting the rollers by means of conventional adjustable roller locks falls away as a result of the automatic adjusting and readjusting bearing.

The invention shall be explained in greater detail in the following with reference to an exemplary embodiment. Diagrammatically, in the drawing:

Figure 1 shows a partial longitudinal section through a bearing of a roller according to an embodiment of the invention with automatic adjustment and readj ustment.

In Figure 1, a roller (1) is shown that consists of a roller body (2) which is, for example, a steel tube, with the latter's outer surface being coated with a roller covering (3), for example a rubber covering.

Inside the roller body (2) the roller (1) has a bearing (5) which connects the roller (1) to a fixed axle (4) The bearing (5) consists of an eccentric bearing ring (6) which is mounted in a movable manner on the axle (4) and on which bearing elements (7) are mounted by means of a spacer (8) and a securing element (9). The bearing elements (7) are connected to the roller body (2) by means of a securing element (10).

is The eccentric bearing ring (6) is connected from within the roller body (2) to an elastic component (11) that has a flat spring characteristic and which can be a spring-like component.

The advantage of the above-described arrangement of the elastic component (11) that is described above inside the roller body (2) is that all the movable portions of the bearing (5) are protected against the direct action of dirt.

A further variant, which is not shown, is produced if the elastic component (11) is arranged not in the interior of the roller body (2), but is connected from without to (externally of) the eccentric bearing ring (6).

The elastic component (11) is mounted on the axle (4) by means of a fastening element (12). The eccentric bearing ring (6) is mounted on the axle (4) outside the roller body (2) with a sealing element (13) and a fastening element (14). The sealing element (13) is connected to the fastening element (14) by means of screws (15). By means of a screw (16) the axle (4) is connected to a roller lock (17) which is mounted by means of screws (18, 19) on a frame wall (20). The roller lock (17) that is shown in Figure 1, here an adjustable roller lock (17), can preferably also be configured so that it is not adjustable. Figure 1 shows a case where the automatic adjusting and readjusting bearing (5) is retrofitted in a roller (1) that has already been delivered to the customer. The whole roller (1) is mounted, in a manner that is not shown in detail, in a machine base or machine frame between opposing frame walls (20). Rotation of the roller (1) is effected by means of contact, which is not represented, of the latter's enveloping (outer cylindrical) surface with one or more rollers that are mounted in an inking or damping unit roller train. For example, in the case of paper web offset printing machines this rotation takes place at comparatively high speeds, for example approximately 2000 rpm or even higher speeds.

It is characteristic of the roller (1) that is shown in Figure 1 that the roller (1), after installation in an inking or damping unit or during rotation, enables there to be automatic adjustment and readjustment with respect to other rollers that are located in the inking or damping unit roller train.

This automatic adjustment and readjustment of the roller (1) is effected by means of the elastic component (11) which is pretensioned before installation under torsional movement, that is, torsion. On account of the flat spring characteristic of the elastic component (11) constant contact pressure that results from this pretensioning of the elastic component (11) is exerted on the eccentric bearing ring (6) which is connected to the elastic component (11) and is mounted in a movable manner on the axle (4). The spring-moment rate of the elastic component (11) amounts to approximately 6.8 N mm/degree. As a result of this constant contact pressure the rollers (1) are subject to a constant printing width.

In the event of shrinkage or swelling of the respective roller covering (3) the setting of the rollers (1) in respect of each other changes. In order to counteract this mutual change in the setting of the rollers (1), the eccentric bearing ring (6), to which the contact pressure is applied, readjusts the respective roller body (2) by means of its eccentric torsion about the axle (4).

The adjustment and/or readjustment of the roller (1) thus follows as a result of the torsion of the eccentric bearing ring (6) and thus the roller body (2) connected by means of the bearing elements (7) and also the roller covering (3) that is located on said roller body (2), in a manner conditional upon the contact pressure applied by the elastic component (11).

D The bearing (5) contains blocking and clamping elements which are not shown more specifically and which prevent the pretensioned elastic component (11) from undergoing premature torsion, in opposition to the force that is applied as a result of the pretensioning. After the rollers (1) have been installed, the action of these blocking and clamping elements securing the elastic component (11) to prevent it from undergoing torsion is cancelled so that the rollers (1) move freely and thus the automatic adjustment and readjustment of the respective roller (1) are rendered possible.

In a manner that is conditional upon the position of installation of the roller (1) in the printing machine, as a result of the location of the force due to weight of the roller (1) in relation to the contact pressure it is possible that specific preadjustment of the elastic component (11) will be necessary, although this, like the pretensioning of the elastic component (11), can be carried out in the run-up to installation in the inking or damping unit.

It is to be emphasized in particular that as a result of the installation of an elastic component (11) that has a flat spring characteristic in the automatically adjusting and readjusting bearing (5), constant contact pressure and thus a constant printing width are achieved even given manufacturing-related tolerances. Furthermore, as a result of the use of this elastic component (11) a protective effect is produced for the roller (1); if, for example, a printing -material web is wound around the roller (1) this roller and all the other rollers (1) arranged in the inking or damping unit roller train can yield on account of the elastic bearing (5). Damage to the inking or damping unit or the inking or damping unit roller train is thus counteracted.

Finally, it is to be stressed further that it is possible to apply the invention not only to such rollers (1), preferably self -changing or fixed application and transfer rollers or distributing rollers, as used in inking or damping units, but also to any other type of roller for which the requirement exists that the roller effect automatic adjustment and readjustment with respect to adjacent rollers immediately after installation or whilst it is rotating.

List of reference numerals 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 is 11 12 13 14 is 16 17 18 19 20 Roller Roller body Roller covering Axle Bearing Eccentric bearing ring Bearing element Spacer Securing element Securing element Elastic component Fastening element Sealing element Fastening element Screw Screw Roller lock Screw Screw Frame wall

Claims

Claims:

1. A bearing arrangement f or a roller of an inking or damping unit of a printing machine, the bearing arrangement including an elastic component and a bearing having an eccentric bearing ring, wherein the elastic component is arranged with respect to an axle that supports the bearing, enabling automatic adjustment and readjustment of the roller via the eccentric bearing ring.

A bearing arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the elastic component is a springlike component.

3. A bearing arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the elastic component has a flat spring characteristic.

4. A bearing arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the elastic component is a pretensioned torsion spring of constant spring-moment rate.

5. A bearing arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the roller is mounted in an axially fixed manner on the axle.

6. A bearing arrangement according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the roller is mounted in an axially movable manner on the axle.

7. A bearing arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the elastic component is arranged within the roller.

8. A bearing arrangement according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the elastic component is arranged outside the roller.

9. A bearing arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the elastic component is arranged to connect the eccentric bearing ring and the axle.

10. A bearing arrangement according to any of the preceding claims wherein blocking and damping elements are provided to prevent the elastic component from undergoing premature displacement.

11. A roller assembly including a roller and a bearing arrangement as claimed in any of the preceding claims.

12. A roller assembly or a bearing arrangement substantially as herein described and/or as shown in the Figure.