US2054215A - Rotary multicolor printing machine - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 15, 1936. R, T COLVILLE 2,054,215

ROTARY MULTICOLOR PRINTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 16J 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 R. (j. a/ V) SePt- 15, 1935- R. T. coLvlLLE 2,054,215

ROTARY MULTICOLOR PRINTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 16, 1955 Z'SheetS-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 15, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Aust ralia Application August 16, 1933, Serial No. 685,449 In Australia August 30, 1932 5 Claims.

This invention relates to rotary multi-color printing machines and its object is to provide an improved machine whereby printed matter may be produced in a plurality of colors more rapidly 5 than with known machines, at reduced cost, and

with the several colors in accurate register.

A further object of this invention is to avoid the disadvantages which are associated with the release and partial delivery of a sheet before l printing is completed.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a machine in which perfecting may be effected in one, two or more colors on both sides of a sheet simultaneously.

A feature of this improved machine is that printed sheets may be delivered face upward without the aid of wheels, discs or other devices and in such manner that no part of the machine will contact with the wet printed matter.

This invention is characterized in that the impression cylinder has a plurality of faces not less than three and in that in each revolution each sheet, carrying face is preceded and followed by a face which is blank in that revolution.

25 This invention is further characterized in Athat when the impression cylinder has an odd number of faces the face which canies a sheet which is being printed is followed by a blank face and is preceded by a face which is blank until it re- 30 ceives a sheet to be printed during the next revolution, and in that the said sheet carrying face becomes a blank face in the said next revolution.

This invention is further characterized in that when the impression cylinder has an even num- 35 ber of faces alternate faces are permanently blank.

This invention is further characterized in that each cylinder which is adapted to revolve in contact with the impression cylinder has alternate 40 operative -faces and blank spaces and in that during ordinary offset or direct printing each operative face is adapted to contact with a sheet carrying face on the impression cylinder and each blank space registers with a blank face on 45 the impression cylinder.

This invention is further characterized in that during perfecting the face which is to carry a sheet in the next revolution receives an impression from a co-operating cylinder which will be 50 offset on to the inner face of said sheet when itsA outer face receives an impression from another c'o-operating cylinder during said next revolution.

In the presentl embodiment of this invention the impression cylinder has an odd number of 56 faces, not less than three. and each co-operating cylinder associated with it has one face the same size as an impression face, and a space equal to the distance between alternate impression faces.

In a modified arrangement the impression cylinder has an even number of faces, not less than four and alternate faces are permanently blank.

But in order that this invention may be more readily understood it will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which only the main cylinders are diagrammatlcally illustrated, the inking rollers, tripping mechanism and other machine parts being omitted.

Fig. 1 shows parts of a multi-color offset printing machine comprising an impression cylinder having three impression faces two co-operating oifset cylinders and two printing cylinders associated with each offset cylinder.

Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1 but showing the position of the parts after the impression cylinder has revolved one third of a revolution from the position shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 1 but adapted for perfecting in two colors simultaneously on each side of va sheet.

Fig. 4 is a similar view to Fig. 3 but showing the position of the parts after the impression cylinder has revolved one third of a revolution from the position shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a similar view to Fig. 1 but with an impression cylinder having five faces.

Fig. 6 is a similar view to Fig. 1 but showing an impression cylinder having two impression faces and two blank faces.

Fig. '7 shows parts of a direct multi-color printing machine which includes an impression cylinder having five faces combined with four printingcylinders. i

Fig. 8 shows parts of a machine similar to that shown in Fig. 1 but with the offset cylinders and the printing cylinders arranged so that they may be adjusted relatively to driving gear, for perfecting.

Fig. 9 is a similar view to Fig. 8 but with the right hand offset cylinder and thev associated plate cylinders adjusted for perfecting.

Fig. 10 is an end view of an adjustable cylinder.

Fig. 11 is a vertical central section of the parts shown in Fig. 10.

In the drawings, II is the impression cylinder, and in Figs. 1 to 6, I2 and I2a are co-operating offset cylinders, I3, I3FL are plate cylinders associated with offset cylinder I2, and I3b, I3 are plate cylinders associated with offset cylinder I2". The said parts may be combined in a'machine in any known manner with means whereby they may be revolved in unison. Such means and other essential well known parts may be of any suitable construction, combined and arranged in manner well known to printing machine engineers. It will be obvious that more than two offset cylinders may be employed and also that means may be provided whereby matter to be printed maybe deposited in more than two colors on each or any selected offset cylinder.

In Figs. 1 to 4, cylinder II has three impression faces Il, IID and IIc of similar size while in Figs. 5 and 7 the impression cylinder hasflve faces, the two additional faces being marked I Id, I Ic. The said impression faces are spaced apart only a sufficient distance to permit operation of gripper mechanism of well known form (not shown) which co-operates with the leading edge of each impression face to locate a sheet of material. In Fig. 6 the impression cylinder has four faces two of which, II`t and IIB, are operative, while the alternate faces IIh and II* are permanently blank and inoperative.

Each cylinder I2 andv I28L (Figs. 1 to 6) has one offset face I2b the dimensions of which correspond to the dimensions of each impression face and each said lface I2b carries an offset blanket I2d of suitable material such as rubber or rubber composition. The space I2C, on each offset cylinder is blank, and is complementary circumferentially with the space between alternate faces of the impression cylinder.

Each printing cylinder I3 to Iiic has a plate carrying face I3d which corresponds in dimensions with the face I2b on the offset cylinder with which it is associated. The remaining portion I3e of each printing cylinder is blank and is complementary to space I2.

Any suitable feed and delivery means is usable and such means may be located at any suitable position. By way of example feed means as I5 and delivery means as I4, which are suitable for paper, are illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 and Fig. '7 but the position of such means may be varied to suit sheetsv of other material such as cardboard and tin, as shown at |43 and I5n respectivelyin Fig. 6.

In the form shown in Fig. 7 the impression cylinder has five faces II.8l to II but the offset cylinders are omitted the co-operating cylinders being printing cylinders I3t each of which has a plate carrying face I3' which contacts directly with the paper carrying impression faces in each revolution, the blank space I3h on each cylinder I3t registering with impression faces which are blank in that revolution.

Referring now to Fig. 1, assuming that face IIb which is shown in contact with cylinders I2, i2", is carrying a sheet of paper or other,mate rial S1, the matter to be printed which has previously been deposited by the plates on faces i3d on to blankets IZd, is nowvbeing offset from said faces on to the said sheet.

During this'revolution face II (that is the face preceding face IIb) is blank and so also is face II which has just delivered al sheet S2. When the leading edge of face Il* reaches the feed means I1 it commences to receive a sheet S3 but the rear portion of face I I* remains blank until the sheet on ,face IIb is completely printed. Assuming now that the cylinder II turns one third of a revolution, that is from the position in Fig. 1 to that in Fig. 2, face II* carrying sheet S3 revolves toward the printing vposition'preceded by face II which is still blank and the printed sheet SI carried by face IIb is approaching the point at which it will be delivered so that while the sheet on face Il is beingprinted it is preceded and followed by a face which is blank in that revolution. When face Iic reaches the feed point I1 it commences to receive a sheet and the cycle of operations continues as before described.

With an impression cylinder having five faces the cycle cf operations is the same as before described in that the sheet carrying face is preceded and followed by a face which is blank in that revolution. In Fig. 5, S4 is a printed sheet approaching the delivery point, S5 a sheet which is being printed and S6 a sheet to be printed.

In each case the sheet carrying face in one revolution is blank in the next revolution and each face which is blank in that revolution becomes a sheet carrying face in a succeeding revolution.

When perfecting on bothsides of a sheet is to be effected simultaneously, one of the offset cylinders (for example cylinder I2a) is turned through 180 and the printing cylinders associated with it are similarly adjusted (see Figs. 3 and 4) and each face of the impression cylinder II is provided with an offset blanket I6. The. effect of this is that in each revolution the blank faces preceding and following the sheet `carrying face each contact with blankets I2d of cylinder I2a and matter to be printed on the inner side of a sheet is deposited thereon so that during the next revolution, when such face is carrying a sheet, it meets the blanket I2d of cylinder I2 and receives matter therefrom in its outer face, the pressure resulting also in the transfer of the impression from the blanket III on to its inner face so that perfecting is effected on both sides simultaneously. A

In Fig. 3 .E3l is a sheet being printed, S2 a sheet which has just been delivered andl S3 a sheet to be printed as already described with reference to Fig. l the sheets in Fig. 4 being in the same positions as in Fig 2.

To enable an offset cylinder and its associated plate cylinders to be adjusted as described, each said cylinder is connected to its driving gear I8 by bolts I9 which are located at accurately spaced apart intervals. When the machine is to be used f for perfecting the bolts I9, which hold one offset cylinder H2'l for example) and its associated plate cylinders are removed, and the said cylinders are turned through 180 degrees relatively to their respective gears I9, that is from the position shown in Fig. 8 to that shown in Fig. 9 and the bolts I9 arc positioned to secure the respective cylinders in their adjusted positions.

The form shown in Fig., 6 is particularly suitable for relatively stiff material such as sheets of tin or card. In this case as each impression face is separated by a permanently b lankspace and each said face is adapted to receive and deliver a sheet in each revolution, thus as illustrated face at least two offset cylinders operatively mounted in relation to the said impression cylinder, each said offset cylinder having an offset face and a spacethearrangementbeingsuchthatthoonsst face cont'acts with alternate impression faces. a plurality of plate cylinders mounted in operative contact with each onset cylinder. and means whereby an onset cylinder and associated plate cylinders may be circumferentially adjusted so that in each revolution each tace of the impression cylinder which does not carry a sheet in that revolution receives an impression which is onset 4on to the inner tace oi' a sheet when the outer tace of said sheet receives an impression from another onset cylinder in the following revolution.

2. In a multi-color onset printing machine. a main frame, an impression cylinder rotatably mounted therein, an odd plurality of impression faces on said impression cylinder, at least two onset cylinders operatively mounted in relation to the said impression cylinder, an onset face and a space on each onset cylinder. the arrangement being such that the onset face contacts with alternate impression faces. an onset blanket on each face of the impression cylinder and means whereby one or more of said onset cylinders may vbe adjusted circumierentially so thatwhen an onset face of. one onset cylinder is printing on a sheet carrying face oi" thej impression cylinder, the clrcumferentiaily adjusted onset cylinder will contact with faces which precede and follow a sheet carrying face and which do not carry a sheet in that revolution.

3. In a multi-color onset printing machine, a main frame, an impression cylinder rotatably mounted therein. an odd plurality of impression faces on said cylinder, at least two onset cylinders operatively mounted in relation to the said impression cylinder, each said onset cylinder havinganonsetfaceandaspace.thearrange ment being such that the onset face contacts with alternate impression faces. an onset blanket on each tace ofthe impression cylinder and means Awhereby any selected onset cylinder may be circumferentially adjusted so that in each revolution each non-sheet carrying tace on the impression cylinder receives an impression which will be onset on to the inner tace o! a sheet in the i'ollowing revolution.

4. A multicolor onset printing machine comprising iixed framing, a rotatable impression cylinder. an odd plurality of faces on said impression cylinder, means to feed material to receive an impression to each alternate face of the impression cylinder in each revolution, a plurality o! rotatable onset cylinders, an onset face and a space on each onset cylinder the said onset face and vspace being so arranged that in each revolution the onset tace registers with an impression face and the space registers with the impressionv face in advance of and the impression face at the rear of the registering impression face. and a plurality of plate cylinders cooperating with each onset cylinder.

5. In a multicolor onset printing machine as claimed in claim 4, an onset blanket on each face of the impression cylinder. and means whereby one ol' the onset cylinders and the plate-cylinders associated therewith may be adjusted relatively the impression cylinder so. that the onset face of the said onset cylinder deposits an impression directly on the blanket ot each impression face which registers with the space ot the other onset cylinder in that revolution.

ROBERT THOMAS COLVILLE.

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