US1965216A - Plate setting means for rotary printing presses - Google Patents

Description

PLATE SETTING MEANS FOR ROTARY PRINTING PRESSES July 3, 1934. R, BROWN 1,965,216

PLATE SETTING MEANS FOR ROTARY PRINTING PRESSES Filed Feb. 21, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 by 210111, 26H5, l/wyf-JM muys, 1934. R.A.BRQWN 1,965,216

PLATE SETTING MEANS FOR ROTARY PRINTING PRESSES Filed Feb. 2l, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 fr? GDF l l /l I\` arg1 Ely 51W, fwf, @wwwa/Hwy;

Patented July 3, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PLATE SETTING MEANS FOR ROTARY PRINTING PRESSES Robert A. Brown, Nashua, N. H., assignor to Nashua Gummed and Coated Paper Company, Nashua, N. H., a corporation of Massachusetts My present invention relates to rotary printing presses, and-particularly multicolor presses, and aims to provide simplified and otherwise improved means for facilitating accurate setting and registration of the plates upon the plate cylinders of such presses. l

In the drawings illustrating by way of example one embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a plan of a portion of a press, including two plate cylinders, having applied thereto one form of device embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section, on a larger scale, taken as upon the line 2-2 of Figpl;

Fig. 3 illustrates a portion of the gauge posiscale;

Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively a plan and a front elevation, on the scale of Fig. 3, of the graduated registering device of Fig. 1 and its positioning means;

Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively transverse and longitudinal vertical sections centrally through one of the end supports or positioning feet for the gauge or registering device; and

Figs. 8 and 9 are respectively a front elevation and a vertical section, on a large scale, of an adjustable index for the gauge.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the pertinent parts of a rotary printing press, which may be of any known or preferred type, are shown sufciently to afford an understanding of my present invention. Two plate cylinders 10, 10 are seen, each having the usual bearers 11 at its ends. These plate cylinders are rotatably supported on the press frames 12, 12 in suitable bearings including the lower bearings 13, Fig. 2, and the removable bearing caps 14.

In Fig. 1, one of the color plates, of -which a series is to be applied to each plate cylinder 10, is indicated at l5. It is important, particularly in connection with multicolor printing, that the individual plates 15, of two or more plate cylinders shall be in accurate registry, both transversely or circumferentially of the cylinders, and also longitudinally or axially of the cylinders. While my invention is susceptible of use in connection with circumferential registering means, the mechanism here shown is more particularly concerned with affording ready' and accurate 50 axial registration of the plates, lengthwise the cylinders.

Each color plate is provided with one or more, and preferably two, setting marks, as indicated at 16, 16 on the plate shown in Fig. 1. Heretofore 55 the usual practice has been to assemble the plates tioning means seen in-Fig. 2, ona still larger of onecolor 'upony thefrst or other cylinder.

Measurements are then made, from one of the cylinder bearers or from some mark on the cylinder, and the plates of the other colors are attempted to be placed on their respective cylinders in accordance with such measurements. Such procedure is difficult and slow. Frequently the plates are found to be out of register on succeeding cylinders, the inaccuracy becoming apparent on the printed proofs, in the failure of succeeding colors to match up. Correction must be made by shifting the plates, following a trial and error method, often necessitating the running of numerous proofs until the error is finally overcome. Considerable time, and also paper, are thus wasted in adjusting the plates and running proofs, during which time the press is not productive.

By the means of my invention, the printing plates may be positioned in accurate registration axially of the cylinders, Without the necessity of taking proofs or of shifting the plates once they have been set on the cylinders.

Referring still to Fig. 1, and as also seen in detail in Figs. 4 and 5, I provide a registration device, illustrated in the form of an elongated member, gauge or setting element 17, adapted to extend the full length of the plate-receiving portion of any of the several cylinders 10. While such element may be variously constructed, it is preferably of a relatively light weight material not subject to length variations, and I have herein shown for the purpose a sheet metal strip, in this instance a flexible metallic tape, preferably of steel, in connection with which I have supplied means for quickly and easily positioning and removing it with respect to any given plate cylinder.

Said gauge 17 accordingly is equipped with end supports or positioning feet, for mounting and demounting it with respect tothe press cylinders. Referring now more particularly to Figs. 3, 6 and 7, each such end support comprises a base or shoe 18 having a concave under face 19, in conformity with the curvature of the cylinders. On the central portion of the shoe 18 is a gauge-receiving part or boss 20, desirably having an inclined upper face substantially as shown. One end portion of the gauge 17 is adapted to be clamped between said boss 20 on the shoe-,18 and the finger piece or clamp 21, the under face lof which conforms to the boss 20. If the clamping faces are inclined, as shown, one edge of the gauge is thereby brought down close to a plate to be registered, and the gauge thus tilted is presented in easily read position.

f `passage of the screw. The

The base and clamping parts 18 and 21 of each end support are releasably held in clamping position as by means of a screw 22 extending centrally downward through the clamp 21 and threaded into a bore 23 in the base 18, the gauge or tape being correspondingly apertured for the upper and lower portions of the end supports, and the gauge, may further be held against relative movement as by one or more pins 24, 24 anchored in one part, herein the base 18, and projecting through holes in the gauge provided for the purpose, into receiving recesses in the other part, The top member or clamp 21 is preferably of a form conveniently grasped, as a finger piece, in -manipulating moval of the gauge with respect to the cylinders,

the gauge, as with the flanged or headed con-` struction substantially as shown.

The described end supports or` positioning feet, and their receiving formations to be referred to, adapt the gauge or tape 17 for mounting along and directly opposite the plate-receiving surface of any plate cylinder, in the direction of the cylinder axes, and at the desired point circumferentially of the cylinders. For so positioning the gauge supports I provide receivingformations, at or near the cylinder ends and concentric with the cylinder axes.` `Said formations may be variously constructed and arranged, and I have herein illustrated but one convenient construction, in thisinstance applied to the cylinder bear- I preferably provide expansible tensioning means intermediate the two end supports, tending to c Adraw the latter toward each other andto hold them frictionally in given position intheir guides, while at the same time holding taut the gauge,

' where the latter is a flexible element, but permittion.` With the described adjacent the ends of the respective cylinders.

As best seen inFigs. 2 to 5, butgappearing also in Fig. 1, ring elements 25 are detachably secured against the inner end faces of the cylinder bearings. Said elements may extend about the entire or any desired partof the periphery of the cylinders, pluralityof sections, herein four. Each ring element, or each section thereof, `is lformed with a receiving formation, herein an arcuate groove `26 in its outer face, between the guide walls 27, 2'7.`

The bottom face of the groove thas a curvature conforming it to the cylinders and to the under faces 19 of the gauge-supporting sh'oes 18. Said rings or guides 25, whether of one piece or of sectional construction, may be attached in any suitable manner, as by means of the screws 28,

Figs. 2 and 3, extending through their inner portions and threaded into the adjacent end faces of the respective cylinder bearings. The receiving formations 26 are proportioned to receive and hold the gauge shoes or supports 18 at different points `about the cylinders,` to locate the gauge or tape 1'7 in the desired operativei position lengthwise the cylinders. i v

The gauge ortape 17 desirably bears a graduated scale 17", marked in any suitable linear units, and extending the full length of the plate-receiving portion of a cylinder. Cooperating with the `gauge are also one or more indexes or adjustable `markers `30, two of which areseen at the lower portion of Fig. 1. Referring to Figs. 8 and 9, each such index completely across the gauge, to or close to the reading edge of the latter, and having on its upper face a registration line 33, Figs. 1 and 4. The gauge, when of the strip or tape form as shown, is received flatwise between the upper and lower parts of the index and thereby supports the latter. `In its unclamped position, each index may be slid along, or removed from and variouslypoand are here illustrated as made up of a` line circumferentially ting it to be slackened for mounting or removal. Accordingly I have here shown the gauge as formed intwo sections, `includ-ing the main or scale-bearing section and` a relatively shortend section 17h. Between the two sections is a coil spring 36 having its ends secured to the adjacent ends of the two gauge sections, tending to draw the latter together and tighten or hold the gauge securely in operative but readily removable posiconstruction it willb'e noted that the gauge, whether flexible orrigid, may be accurately positioned' at one end, relative to a plate setting mark 16, and then mounted in desired operative position, by ing effect `of the tensioning reason of the clampdevice or spring 36,

without necessitating positive locking of the sec-A ond end in some fixed or predeterminedly located holder. The general ease of manipulation of the gauge in quickly mounting it or transferringit from one cylinder to another, is thus substantially improved.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings it will be understood that in the use of the gauge a plate or the entire series of plates is first applied to one cylinder. The registering gauge or tape 17 'is mounted in operative relation to that cylinder, in the proper. of the latter to bring the graduated edge of the gauge above the registration mark or marks of a plate, such as indicated at 16, 16 in Fig. 1. An index or marker 30 is then applied to or moved along the gauge and fixed thereon with its index line 33 directly opposite and in accurate registry with one of the plate registration marks 16, and another index orr marker 30 may similarly be registered with the second or other mark 16, where a plurality of marks is used. If a series or row of plates is to be used, each plate of a row may have its registration mark or marks similarly indicated by an index or indexes adjusted into position at the proper point along the gauge. 'I'he gauge is then removed from this first cylinder and set in `position along another cylinder. By then setting the rplates upon this latter cylinder so that `their registration. marks 16 come directly opposite the one or more indexes already fixed upon the gauge, accurate plate registration between succeeding cylindersis insured. Obviously indexes for any desired number of plates may be set on one gauge, or a plurality of gauges may be used simultaneously, for plates of different rows. i

By'the use ofa plurality of setting marks 16 on each plate, possible variations in the size of corresponding plates of different colors, that'is,`for different cylinders, will be made apparent, and

proper adjustment is made accordingly. This is a distinct advantage, since it often happens, in the process of preparing plates, particularly stereotype plates, that a plate of one color shrinks or expands more than the corresponding plate of another color. In such case, if but one setting mark were used on each plate, for example, near one edge of the plates, these register marks themselves might be in perfect register, but the other edges of the plates might be out of register, due to the different shrinkage or expansion in the two plates. Where two register or setting marks, or other plurality, are provided, at distinctly spaced points, the possible difference in shrinkage or expansion will immediately be evident when the gauge is transferred to the next cylinder. When the gauge indicates such difference, the plate on the second or other cylinder may be located so that its register marks come equally distant from the indexes as set on the gauge, either inside or outside of them, rather than being brought absolutely even when the indexes. Thus the entire difference between the two plates will not be thrown wholly on one side of the plate but will be distributed equally across the whole plate, minimizing the difference.

My invention is not limited to the particular embodiment shown and described herein by way of example, its scope being pointed out in the following claims:

I claim:

1. Plate setting means for rotary presses, cornprising, in combination with a press and its plate cylinders, guide members stationarily mounted adjacent the ends of said cylinders, each providing an arcuate guide formation concentric with its cylinder, an elongated flexible metal gauge having a graduated scale along it, a positioning foot for each end of the gauge, each foot having a concave under face formed concentrically with the press cylinders, and being slidably receivable in said arcuate guide formations, at least one index variably positionable along the gauge, and expansible tensioning means for said gauge, between one end of said scale and the adjacent positioning foot and adapted to retain the positioning feet in selected location in the respective guide formations.

2. Plate-locating means for rotary presses, comprising, in combination with a press and its plate cylinders, guide members adjacent the ends of said cylinders, each providing a guide formation along an arc concentric with the axis of its cylinder, an elongated gauge, a positioning foot for each end of the gauge, each` foot receivable in one of said guide formations, at least one index variably positionable along the gauge, and expansible tensioning means for said gauge at one end portion thereof and adapted to retain the positioning feet in selected location in the respective guide formations.

3. Plate-locating means for rotary presses, comprising, in combination with a press and its plate cylinders, arcuate guide formations mounted about and concentric with the axes of said cylinders, adjacent the cylinder ends, an elongated gauge having for each end a positioning foot receivable in the adjacent guide formation, each foot having arcuate portions for slidably supporting them in one of said guide formations, and expansible tensioning means intermediate the gauge feet adapted to hold the gauge in set position with respect to said guide formations.

4. Plate-locating means for rotary printing cylinders, and spring means for demountably retaining said supporting elements relative to said formations.

5. A plate-locating gauge for rotary presses comprising an elongated member of a length at least that of the plate-receiving portions of the press cylinders, positioning elements for the ends of said member, adapted for mounting at various points about a cylinder, at least one index adjustably positionable along said member, and resilient tensioning means at one end of said member, whereby the latter may be operatively applied by locating its positioning element which is at the end opposite said tensioning means and holding it in said position by the action of said tensioning means.

6. A plate-locating gauge for rotary presses comprising an elongated gauge member having a positioning foot at one end, at least one index,

variably receivable along said member, and resilient means adjacent the other end of said gauge member to tension and hold it in operative position.

'7. A plate registering gauge for rotary presses comprising a fiexible steel tape, end supports therefor, an index variably receivable along and upon the tape, and means to tension the tape in operative position.

ROBERT A. BROWN.

Images