JPH0143629B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a can printing machine, and more particularly to a mandrel for holding cans during can printing operation.

Can printing presses, particularly high speed continuous printing presses, operate with a rotating image support blanket wheel and a counter rotating can support mandrel wheel. A blanket wheel having a width at least equal to the length of the can supports a series of circumferentially spaced wet ink images around its elastic periphery. The mandrel wheel supports a series of circumferentially spaced rotating or mandrel assemblies on which the cans rest. The can rotates around the mandrel wheel and comes into contact with the image and surface of the blanket wheel. The can rotates around a shaft and receives images from the blanket wheel in the circumferential direction. Each mandrel generally has a structure for removing the can from or drawing the can to the mandrel shaft. This structure may be a hollow shaft passing through the center of the mandrel and controllably connected to a vacuum and/or pressurized air line.

The conventional concept of mandrel construction is that it is rigidly attached to the mandrel wheel in order to maintain alignment between the length of the can and the blanket wheel. If the alignment is off, the image transferred to the can will be lighter at the bottom or top of the can. There, the outer surface of the mandrel rotates about its central axis, and ball bearings are generally provided at the axial ends of the central shaft and the outer mandrel sleeve.

The mandrel structure described above is known. US Patent No.
No. 3,356,019 discloses a mandrel having an outer sleeve rotatably fixed to the mandrel shaft by a ball bearing at the axial end of the mandrel sleeve. A similar mandrel construction is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,037,530, in which a mandrel trip mechanism moves the mandrel away from the blanket wheel to prevent printing when the mandrel is empty. US Patent No.
No. 3,388,686, three axially spaced ball bearings are used between the mandrel shaft and the sleeve. The mandrel axis is adjusted obliquely relative to the blanket wheel to prevent deflection of the mandrel axis due to printing blanket pressure.

Therefore, a key point and limitation of conventional mandrel structures is the alignment of the mandrel for correct printing with a Brown Kett wheel. Misalignment is caused by normal manufacturing tolerances, incorrect alignment of the mandrel axis, or eccentricity of the mandrel axis. Another source of misalignment is play in other parts of the mandrel structure, particularly in relatively complex mandrel structures, such as those using trip mechanisms.

The present invention provides a self-aligning mandrel that provides axially uniform pressure between the can and the blanket wheel on the mandrel. The mandrel structure of the present invention includes an outer sleeve that swings 360 degrees axially about a circular centerline located axially approximately midway between the top and bottom of the can.

This mandrel structure is particularly used for two-piece fire canisters that need to be printed as cylinders. As used herein, "can" includes any tubular or open-ended cylindrical article that can be printed with the core structure.

The main shaft structure includes a support member as a generally cylindrical central shaft member fixed to the printing press, and a roughly cylindrical support member that circumferentially surrounds the central shaft member and further supports and positions a can having an axial length. a shaped sleeve and attachment means between the sleeve and the central shaft. This attachment means is provided with a rotatable and swingable attachment between the sleeve and the central shaft, so that as the can on the sleeve rotates and is installed around the blanket wheel, uniform pressure is applied along its entire length. is swung around the axial center line. The attachment means are also used to position the sleeve into a rest position for loading and unloading cans from the sleeve. The attachment means is configured to provide an adjustable amount of rocking determined by the amount of play in the mandrel assembly.
The mounting means are preferably frictionless bearings, i.e.
Bearings with rolling members, for example ball bearings,
These include needle bearings, roller bearings, etc. A ball bearing, which is swing-mounted by movement between the inner and outer races, is mounted between the central shaft and the cylindrical sleeve at the axial centerline of the can on the sleeve to accommodate the swing. In order to achieve rocking and rest position, the needle bearing, which is a roller bearing with a length at least four times the diameter, is moved from the ball bearing to the shaft against an elastic rubber O-ring that moves the sleeve axially relative to the central shaft. Mounted in the direction.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a conventional high-speed continuous printing press in which cans 10 are fed via an infeed chute 11 to a pocket wheel 12 having a plurality of pockets 13, each pocket being It has a concave semi-cylindrical surface that is stationary and held by gravity. Behind and coaxially with the pocket wheel 12 is a mandrel wheel assembly that supports a plurality of mandrel assemblies 15;
and the pocket 1 of the pocket car 12
3, so that the can can be slid from each pocket to the corresponding mandrel by means of chevron fingers and a blow of compressed air. A vacuum applied to the mandrel holds the can in the mandrel sleeve. Each mandrel and the can above it rotate continuously with the mandrel wheel assembly along a generally circular path in the direction of arrow 16 until it approaches the printing blanket wheel 17. The printing blanket wheel is mounted on the machine base 18 in radial opposition to the mandrel wheel. brown butt car 17
is driven in the direction of arrow 20, opposite the direction of arrow 16, and supports around its periphery a smooth segmented rubber printing blanket bearing a wet reversible ink image which is transferred to the can. The width of this printed blanket corresponds to the length of the can. The ink image is placed on a blanket wheel by an ink roller 22 mounted on the machine base 18, and there is one set of ink rollers for each color included in the ink image. Near the blanket car,
The mandrel 15 leaves its circular path and travels in a path formed by a concave cam track, indicated exaggerated at 23, which corresponds to the circumference of the printing blanket. Each mandrel assembly 15 has a rotating mandrel sleeve for rotating the can against the printing blanket and decorating the entire circumference of the can with the blanket. As the plane moves closer to the printing blanket car, the moving press pin belt 24 engages the mandrel sleeve and causes the sleeve to rotate in the direction and speed required by the movement of the printing blanket.
The printing actuation causes recess 23 in the mandrel assembly raceway.
During the movement of the mandrel along , the rotary ring comes into contact with a portion of the printed brown bucket.

During the printing operation, the can becomes recessed or does not seat properly in the mandrel sleeve. To prevent the bare mandrel sleeve from becoming contaminated with ink from the printing blanket, a "skip print" mechanism is provided to prevent the bare mandrel sleeve from coming into contact with the printing blanket. In embodiments of the present invention, U.S. Pat.
A skip-print mechanism, such as that described in No. 4037530, is used, by which the mandrel arm is rotated slightly by signals from an electronic sensor to remove it from the Brown Kett car, as further described with respect to FIG. Leave.

After printing, the can 10 again follows a circular path of travel around the mandrel wheel and passes to a transfer mechanism, such as a continuously rotating transfer wheel 26, which rotates parallel to the mandrel wheel in the direction of arrow 28. It has a circumferential array of transfer devices, such as a suction cup 30 mounted to and extending axially toward the mandrel and rotating in cooperation with the mandrel and passing opposite the mandrel.
The transfer device 30 is conveyed by a transfer car 26 to an output conveyor chain 32 which is driven by a chain drive 34 and has a plurality of pins 36. pin 3
6 extend from the chain toward the can on the transfer car and are spaced apart such that each pin enters the can on the transfer car and supports the can after removal of suction from the suction cup 30. . pin 3
The cans 10 above 6 are moved away from the suction cup and transfer wheel and transported to a drying kettle for subsequent processing.

Mandrel Assembly Turning now to FIG. 2, the mandrel wheel assembly is shown with a portion of the central hub or turret wheel 38, which is mounted coaxially with the pocket wheel 12, and which includes the oscillating mandrel holder 40 and the oscillating mandrel arm 42. It has a plurality of mandrel assemblies spaced apart in the circumferential direction around the turret wheel.

The turret wheel 38 has a pair of aligned openings for supporting an axle 48 that carries an axle arm 42.
A pair of radially outermost outwardly extending ears 44,4
It is equipped with 6. Turret wheel 38 further includes an axially and circumferentially extending shoulder located radially inwardly of the ear. A movable stop block assembly 52 is mounted on the radial surface of the lip and includes a cylinder actuating axially movable positioning block 54 that extends from a first lateral surface 56 to a turret as shown by arrow 60. and a second lateral surface 58 circumferentially spaced relative to the wheel 38. Swingable mandrel arm 42
includes a radially extending arm terminating in an inner tip 64 and an outer head 62 with opposing planes of the locating block 54. The head 62 includes a split sleeve 66 that receives the mandrel holding shaft 68 and a parallel hole 70 that is connected to the shaft 48 . The distal end of the mandrel arm 42 supports axially and circumferentially extending threaded connections 65, 67 that are connected to a coil spring 69, which is compressed against the turret wheel and causes the mandrel arm to The stop block 54 is swung in a direction opposite to the arrow 60 toward one of the surfaces 56, 58. Screw 71 is adjustably threaded into mandrel arm tip 64 to engage surfaces 56, 58 of stop block 54.

The mandrel arm 42 is swung about the support shaft 48 by the expansion and contraction of the stop block 54, which displaces the screw 71 and the mandrel arm 42. The extension and retraction of stop block 54 is in response to an electronic sensor that detects the presence or absence of a can on mandrel assembly 15. Mandrel arm 42
The oscillation displaces the mandrel holder 40 in the direction of arrow 73 and radially displaces the mandrel assembly 15 by a small amount to prevent contact between the mandrel assembly and the printing blanket when the mandrel is not flushed.

The mandrel holder 40 has two opposing front and rear plate parts 7.
2 and 74, and these plate parts are joined by a connecting part 76. The rear plate section has a generally cylindrical (not shown) cam roller 78 that extends rearward and rides on a cam track, and the mandrel holder is swung about the mandrel holding shaft 68 with this cam track cam directed in the direction of arrow 80. and create the concave track 23. Rear plate 7
2 further includes a bearing socket 82 that accommodates a roller bearing 84 that supports the rear part of the holding shaft 68.
The front plate portion 74 has an opening 86 that supports the roller bearing 88 and the front portion of the holding shaft 68 . Retaining shaft 68 is retained within mandrel holder 40 by flanged end piece 90 and extends through swing arm sleeve 66 through opening 89 to pivot the mandrel assembly to the rocker wheel. The front plate portion 74 further includes a mandrel assembly 1 extending forwardly.
5 has an aperture 92 for supporting and receiving it.

As can be seen from the above description of the support structure of the mandrel assembly 15, many tolerances and inaccuracies can disrupt the axial alignment of the mandrel assembly.
Mandrel assembly 1 to support opening 92 of mandrel holder
It is natural that the positioning of 5 influences the alignment. Furthermore, the support and retention openings 82, 86, 92 of the mandrel holder need not be parallel. The mandrel holder 40 is made oblique by making the holding shaft 48 oblique depending on the size and position of the openings of the turret wheel ears 44 and 46. The inner and outer diameters of the bushings 94 used for the apertures also oblique the mandrel retaining shaft 48. The position of the steps 56, 58 of the positioning block affects the swinging position of the arm 42. step surface 56,
Adjustment of the screw 71 which abuts 58 also influences the pivot axle position.

Mandrel Assembly The main mandrel assembly 15 includes a central shaft 96 and a cylindrical sleeve 98, as shown in FIG.
The sleeve surrounds the shaft and is supported on the shaft by first mounting means 100 for pivotally mounting the sleeve and second mounting means 102 for positioning the sleeve in a rest position.

The central shaft 96 has a rear lower portion 104 and a sleeve 98.
and a sleeve support portion extending axially forward and supporting the sleeve. A central fluid passageway 108 extends axially from the bottom through the sleeve support. The rear lower part 104 has a support opening 92
The front plate part 74 is penetrated through the front plate part 74 and fixed thereto by a cylindrical flange part 110, which abuts on the front face of the plate part and a draw nut 112 screwed into the rear face of the lower part, and is attached to the front plate part 74. It comes into contact with the rear surface of the part. Central longitudinal axis 11 of mandrel assembly 15
The lower part is fastened to the plate part by a cylindrical groove 114 extending perpendicularly to the central axis 96 and the central axis 96.
Sleeve support 106 is generally cylindrical and further includes an axially outwardly facing step for supporting a second attachment means, needle bearing assembly 117 . The forwardmost portion of the central shaft 96 has an annular inward step 118 having a vertical rear side wall for snugly receiving the inner race 119 of the first mounting means, which is a ball bearing assembly 121, perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis 116. A fluid passageway 108 extends from a lower rear opening 120 that communicates with a vacuum source through the frontmost surface 123 of the central shaft. The frontmost surface 123 has a central cavity that receives an end nut 122 by which the inner race 119 of the ball bearing assembly 121 is the first attachment means.
hold.

Sleeve member 98 is generally tubular and has a smooth cylindrical outer surface 126 for slidingly supporting can 10 during operation. A cylindrical inner surface 128 is generally parallel to the outer surface 126 and spaced from the central axis 96. A retaining ring 124 is held in an elongated hole in the inner surface 128 of the mandrel sleeve 98 and presses the outer race of the ball bearing assembly 121 axially against the rear wall of the groove 118 of the sleeve 98 to align the outer race with the central axis 116. Position vertically. At the rear, sleeve 98 is stepped axially outwardly from axis 116 to engage the outer race of needle bearing assembly 117 . The front of the ball bearing assembly 121 is outwardly stepped to receive the ball bearing and to secure the lug against the applied rearward force of the retaining ring 124. At the frontmost part, there is a round shoulder shaft 131 on the inner surface.
This shoulder surface corresponds to the end wall 132 of the can 10 and securely seats the can in a fixed position. The predetermined position of the can 10 is such that its sidewall 134 is held flush with the sleeve surface 126 by the vacuum via the passageway 108 and is further drawn axially inwardly by the vacuum so that the sleeve The axial position defined by the shoulders 131, 132 is such that the intermediate portion between the head and bottom of the can 10 and the intermediate portion of the first attachment means 100 defines a circular centerline 136. .

The first attachment means 100 includes a ball bearing assembly 12
1, which is a conventional ball bearing having an inner race 119 seated on the central shaft and a sleeve member 98.
It has an outer race 138 seated on the outer race 138 and a plurality of spherical balls 142 held between the races. A short plate member 144 is provided to prevent dust from entering the surface. The spherical shape of the ball 142 provides some degree of locking between the inner race 119 and the outer race 138, allowing it to swing 360 degrees around the circular centerline 136.

The second attachment means 102 is the needle bearing assembly 11
7, which is a conventional needle bearing, with centerline 116
an outer race 130 that holds a plurality of cylindrical needles 146 facing axially parallel to the inner race 148 and riding on the inner race 148;
has. Although ball bearings or other bearings may be used as the second attachment means, needle bearings are preferred because they are compact, easy to assemble, and have high axial tolerances. Outer race 130 is press fit into a step on inner surface 128 of sleeve 98 . Inner race 148 is supported by a pair of axially spaced resilient rubber O-rings 150, 152 mounted in grooves around a cylindrical surface 154 of the central shaft. The O-ring extends beyond the cylindrical surface 154 so that the elasticity of the O-ring defines the rest position of the mandrel sleeve and keeps the central axis aligned with the inner race 1.
A certain distance away from the inner surface of 48. O-ring 15
The amount of rocking of the sleeve 98 is determined by the constant distance between the cylindrical surface 154 that supports 0,152 and the inner surface of the inner race 148 that contacts the O-ring. The rest position created by the O-ring aligns the mandrel sleeve 98 with the central axis 116. For the above tolerances, this distance is 0.008 inch (0.2 mm). This distance is fairly small, but can be made even smaller with mandrel assemblies that allow more precise positioning, and allows the inner diameter of the can to exceed the outer diameter of the sleeve without affecting can loading and unloading operations. It can be made quite large to the extent that
The main practical limitation is to restore the alignment caused by the prespin belt 24.

The above configuration can be modified in various ways. In addition to the above bearings,
Frictionless bearings may also be used. O-ring 150,
152 is the outer race 13 of the second attachment means 102
0 and the sleeve 98. The rolling member of the second attachment means may then be placed directly on the heat-treated bare metal portion of the central shaft. Swinging 1st
Attachment means are provided by rounding the outer race of the frictionless bearing or by rocking the axle sleeve over the outer race.

Other Mandrel Assemblies The mandrel assemblies described above are preferably readily adapted to conventional mandrel assemblies. However, many variations are also possible that utilize the inventive concept in entirely new designs.

One such variation utilizes a first attachment means having a spherical bearing assembly 156 and a second attachment means having a coiled spring 158, as shown in FIG. The attachment means connects a central shaft 160 having a central fluid passageway 164 to the front plate portion 74 via an end nut 162 in the mandrel assembly as described above. Mandrel sleeve 16
8 is almost the same as the sleeve described above, and
0 and is radially spaced from the central axis 160.

The spherical bearing 156 provides both radial and axial bearing support, and only contact between the sleeve and the central shaft further allows for 360 degrees of circular rotation along the diametrical direction of the centerline 136. This is a standard spherical bearing having an inner race 170, an outer race 172 spaced therefrom, and an elliptical rolling member 174 between the races. inner lace 170
slides rearwardly relative to the central shaft 160 and abuts the rear of the vertical stepped surface of the central shaft. The inner lace 170 is
Snap spring 176 installed in the groove of the center shaft
It is held in the axial direction by the rolling member 174, and is held flush with the central axis in the radial direction. The outer race 172 is the sleeve 16
is slid backward against the cylindrical inner surface 180 of 8;
Retaining ring 17 attached to the inner surface of sleeve 168
8. Outer race 172 is held radially flush with the sleeve by rolling member 174 and urged rearwardly by coil spring 158.

The end coils 182, 184 of the coil spring 158 are turned and ground in a known manner to render them generally parallel and perpendicular to the central axis of the spring. The coil spring thereby applies a uniform circumferential pressure to the rear. Once in position coaxial with the center mandrel axis 116, the mandrel sleeve 168 is angled so that it can be compressed axially along any line around the circumference, further providing uniform compression characteristics and parallel end edges. The uniform force-applying configuration of expands the mandrel sleeve to align it parallel to the central axis at 116. The diameter of the spring 158 is slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the front portion of the sleeve 168 against which the spring slides against the front surface of the spherical bearing outer race 172 during assembly. The spring is compressed slightly outwardly by the locking ring 186 to engage the threaded foremost portion of the inner surface 180 of the mandrel sleeve 168 and is screwed rearwardly into the mandrel sleeve.

The rearward portion 188 of the inner surface of the axle sleeve 168 is spaced apart from the outer surface 190 of the central shaft 160;
The sleeve is swingable so that it can move. As shown in FIG. 4, the sleeve can pivot about a central axis by tilting the inner and outer races 170, 172 of the bearing assembly. The limit of this swing is controlled by the maximum compression of spring 158. Other spring assemblies may be used for the second attachment means, such as a radially extending spring array extending from the rotation bearing of the central shaft to the mandrel sleeve.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described above, many of the concepts of the invention can be implemented with other components and configurations in addition to those described above. It is therefore intended that the claims be construed to include other embodiments except as limited by the prior art.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 uses the mandrel assembly of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the mandrel assembly; FIG. 3 is a side view of the mandrel assembly taken along line 3--3 in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a side view of the mandrel assembly shown in FIG. FIG. In the reference numerals shown in the drawings, 10 is a cane, 15 is a mandrel assembly, 17 is a blanket wheel, 26 is a transfer wheel, 40 is a mandrel holder, 42 is a mandrel arm, 48 is a shaft, 69, 158 is a coil spring, and 78 is a mandrel holder.
is a cam roller, 84, 88 are roller bearings, 96,
160 is the central shaft, 98 is the sleeve, 100 is the first
Attachment means, 102 second attachment means, 108 central fluid passage, 117 needle bearings, 119, 148
Inner race, 121, 156 are ball bearings, 124,
178 is a retaining ring, 130, 138, 172 are outer races, 150, 152 are O-rings, 156 is a spherical bearing, and 168 is a sleeve.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A device for supporting a can during printing by a printing press having a blanket member that transfers printing onto the can by applying pressure to the can, the device being fixed on the printing press. a rigid support member, which is mounted around and substantially coaxially with the support member, and further supports a substantially cylindrical can having an axial length at a predetermined position thereon; a generally cylindrical receiving sleeve; the sleeve is rotatably and swingably mounted relative to the support member; a rest position where the sleeve and the support member are coaxial; and a rest position in which the sleeve is rotatable relative to the support member; a first attachment that is swingable relative to the support member between a non-coaxial position that can be changed in position, and further located near the center of the axial length of the can supported on the sleeve; and second attachment means for rotatably and resiliently mounting the sleeve relative to the support member to position the sleeve in the rest position. Device. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the support member includes a central axis extending along a substantial length of the sleeve. 3. Claim 2, characterized in that the central shaft includes a fluid passage for drawing the can into the sleeve and supporting a can whose inner diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the sleeve. The device described. 4. The second attachment means includes a bearing member axially spaced from the first attachment means and a bearing member spaced apart from the bearing member for imparting a resilient rocking motion between the sleeve and the support member. Any one of claims 1 to 3 includes an O-ring provided between the supporting members.
Equipment described in Section. 5. The first attachment means includes an inner race fixed to the support member, an outer race fixed to the sleeve at a slight spacing from the inner race, and swingable by changing the spacing. 5. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a bearing member having a bearing between the inner race and the outer race. 6. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the first and second attachment means each include a roller bearing. 7. The roller bearing is biased by a resilient O-ring to deflect and return the sleeve to a rest position.
7. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that it is provided between the support member and the sleeve. 8. Claims 1 to 5 characterized in that the second attachment means includes a spring member that applies a uniform force in the circumferential direction between the sleeve and the first attachment means. The device according to any one of the items. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the spring member engages the sleeve and a portion of the first attachment means secured to the sleeve. 10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the spring member includes a compression spring member mounted around the support member.