US2273232A - Printing roll doctor blade reciprocating mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Feb.17,1942. s. B. STAFF RD Em. 2,213,232

PRINTING ROLL DOCTOR BLADE RECIPROCAT ING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 13, 1939 Bnoentors s'fephen 5.51afford Bu Herman A. SmiH-L (J-Linear, Hrberr&(lovay Gimme! Patented Feb. 17, 1942 "PRINTING "ROLL DOCTOR BLADE .RECIPROGATING MECHANISM Stephen B. Stafford, Oxford, and Herman A. "Smith, Holden,-Mass.;-assignors to Rice Barton Corporation. a corporation of vMassachusetts Application September 13, 1939, Serial No. 294,595

11 Claims.

This invention relates to a connecting rod mechanism and more particularly-tea reciprocable mechanism which is :adapted for connecting an oscillating crank arm with-a pivot arm associated with a doctorblacle for reciprocating the same.

' A textile printing -machine-maycomprise one or more backing cylinders around which-the fabric to be printed is passed'andpne or more printing rolls heldrunder pressure against the fabric and a backing cylinder. Theprintingroll is-shaped as: a steel mandrel carrying a' removable copper tube or roll on which the intaglio imprint has been formed. This printing roll has inkapplied thereto by means of;-a transfer roll which" rotates in-an ink bath. It has been'customary to provide 'a thindoctor blade bearing against the printing roll, which is so arranged as to scrape off the excess of ink-and prevent it from contacting withthe fabric to be printed. This doctor blade has been 'reciprocated by mechanism connectediindirectly with the power drive of the machine and usually by means of a rocking arm connected to the blade by a linkage rod having bearings at its opposite ends which permits the relative movement of the parts. Such constructions have-been heretofore so made that it .hasnot been easy to adjust the bearings for wear.. Hence, whenthe linkage connection has become loose,,the 'doctor blade has. reciprocated with a Jerking motion and. has. notproper-ly' scraped the .ink from .the v-printing roll. It,. moreover, -hasbeen difiicult -tmmount and assemblethe necessary parts in a multiple color printing machine and particularly one which had a large number of printing rolls arranged opposite the periphery of asingle backing cylinder.

The primary-object of this invention is to providea connecting rod mechanism -which-wil1 serve to connectan oscillating crankarm'orthe like with a pivot'on' a movable body, such as a doctor blade, which is so constructed" and arranged that the connecting rod may be releasably connected with or "disconnected" from the pivot by manipulation oflo'cking parts-located at a point remote from the pivot and adjacent to the crank arm.

A further object of the invention is to provide a connection between a reciprocable crank. arm and a pivot arm associated with a doctor blade or other movable body which may be releasably connected with the pivot by manipulation of parts remote from the'pivot-without requiring ,ably mounted onthe frame I I.

adjustment of the bearings when theparts are assembled.

Another object is to provide .a connecting mechanism of the above type in which all operations required for assembling and adjusting. the pivot bearings may be accomplished. at a point remote from the pivot which is accessible from the outside of the machine frame. Further objects will'be apparentin the following disclosure.

Referring to the drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of thisinvention:

Fig. 1 is an isometric fragmentary view of those parts of a textile printing machine which pertain to .the present invention;

Fig. 2 is asection on. the line. 22 of Fig.1, showing the doctor blade reciprocating: connecting mechanism; and

Fig. 3 is a section onthe line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

.Asshown in the drawing, one embodiment "of a textile printing machine may comprise one or more printing rolls l0 suitably mounted inbearings on .the two opposed side frames II and I2. The cloth to be printed passes. between the printing rolll0 and.a backing cylinder l4 rotatably mounted in bearings on the frame. An ink transfer'roll I 5 mounted in suitable bearings servesto carry ink from the reservoir [6 to the printing roll. Connected to rotate with the backing cylinder I 4 is a bevel gear l3 meshing with another gear IS on a vertical shaft 20 suit- A bevel 'gearZI at..the-top of .that shaft meshes with another gear 22 -on a cross shaft 23 mounted also on the side frame ll. At the outer end of this cross shaft- 23 is a crank arm 24 suitably arranged so that .as the shaft 231s. rotated'this arm will reciprocate a pitmanrod 25. The lower end of the pitman. rod is connected to a further crank arm 26 on the endof a horizontal shaft 21 which serves as a rock shaft and is arranged to transmit the power to. reciprocate the doctor blade.

,The .doctor blade 30 comprises a thin piece of flexible sheet metal which contacts at a suitable angle with the surface of the printing roll and in causes it to carry out its intended function of removing excess ink from the intaglio surface of the printing roll. The chief problem in previous constructions has been found in the connecting rod which transmits the motion of the rock shaft 21 to the doctor blade 35!. Our construction is intended to provide a connection which permits ready compensation or adjustment for wear, and which is so arranged that the rock shaft and associated parts may be located wherever desired and with the connecting rod at any angle relative to a horizontal line that may be required for operating each of the numerous doctor blades assembled with the several printing rolls of a multi-color machine. The drawing illustrates but a single printing roll in order to avoid con-- fusion of illustration, but it will be appreciated that the printing rolls It! may be arranged beneath and at both sides of the backing cylinder l4 and in many positions, so that the reciprocating mechanism for each of the doctor blades may be suitably arranged and connected with the single central driving mechanism as shown in the drawing.

To these ends, we provide an adjustable connecting rod which connects a rocking or oscillating crank arm 40 on the rock shaft 21 and a pivot arm 42 secured to the sliding rod 32 which carries the doctor blade. The arm 42 has a ball shaped pivot 14 on its outer end, and this ball or pivot is adapted to ride between bearing members 55 and 46 shaped to form a socket for the ball. These are removably and slidably carried within a tube 48. This tube is cut away at 49, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the ball M may be inserted laterally into the inner space of the tube and the parts may be adjusted lengthwise of the tube-as required. Provision may be also made for introducing oil or grease into the space around the ball 44 and the associated surfaces of the bearing members 45 and 2-6. The bearing members 45 and 46 may each be a piece of wood, fiber board, rubber, metal or other suitable material shaped to fit within the end of the tube. The short piece 46 is held in place by the screw cap 50 threaded on the end of the tube. The long piece or rod 45 projects outwardly beyond the lefthand end of the tube 48. The ball M may be replaced by a pin or other type of pivotal connection.

A buffer or washer 52 of resilient hard rubber or other suitable elastic material, such as a spring, is held within the hollow portion of a manually adjustable head 54 in such a position as to engage the end of the rod 45. S aced arms 55 form the sides of this hollow head 54 and they provide clearance for inserting the elastic body within the head. At their outer ends, the arms are integral with a sleeve 56 slidablv mounted on a bushing 51 threaded on the tube 48. The sleeve 55 has two locking or bayonet members 58 which are so shaped and arranged that they may be rotated into interlocking enga ement with the projecting lu s 59 on a sleeve 50 which is freely slidable on the tube 43. The engaging faces of the members 553 and 59 are in parallel planes This sleeve is connected to the crank arm A!) by a hinged joint formed by a pin 52 and ass ciated lugs 63. These lu s 83 are of suitable lengths and preferably such that the crank arms M! are all of the same length f r the various relative positions of the rock shafts and doctor blades required in a multi-color printing neachine. Because of that hinge connection 62, the sleeve 50 can rock only in one direction; and no matter in which direction the rocking crank arm 40 extends, the sleeve 60 will be properly sup ported and can move only in a reciprocating or pitman movement as required. That is, it cannot fall over laterally, as would be the case if a ball joint were provided.

In order to assemblethe parts, the tube 48 is inserted through the sleeve 60 carried by the crank arm 49 and the other parts are put in place. The bayonet connection between parts 58 and 59 is not made until after the ball 44 has been inserted into position between the members and 455. The rod 55 is thereafter adjusted to tighten the bearing by turning the threaded bushing 51 by inserting a suitable tool into one of the holes 64 in the flange of the bushing 51, which thereby positions the member 45 relative to the tube 48. This gives a micrometer adjustment of the bearing members and so serves to tighten or loosen the grip of the bearing members i5 and M5 on the ball head 44. The tube 48 is freely slidable through the sleeve which is pivotally connected to the crank arm 49. To make this connection between the crank arm and the pitman, the adjustable head 54 is slid forward on the bushing 51 until the bayonet members are in position, so that upon rotation of the head 54 they will be brought into locking engagement. The resilient disk 52, or other suitable spring member, is so positioned that it pushes yieldingly against the rod 45 and thus holds the ball and socket joint in a tight relationship, as determined by the adjustment of the threaded sleeve 51 on the tube 45.

It will now be appreciated that any wear in the ball and socket joint may be quickly adjusted from a remote position outside of the side frames and unhampered by the mechanisms of the machine. Once the threaded bushing 51 has been adjusted on the sleeve 4-8 to give the proper tightness for the ball and socket joint, then the pitman rod may be disconnected at any time from the doctor blade to permit regrinding the latter, after which the parts may be again assembled without requiring any further adjustment. That is, it is merely necessary to rotate the head 54 to unlock the bayonet connection and release the ball and socket joint and thereafter to assemble the ball 44 in position and remake the bayonet connection without adjusting the bushing 51. If wear takes place, the bushing 51 may be adjusted at any time to tighten the joint while the parts are still connected. The connecting faces of the bayonet joint members do not involve screws, cams or other shapes which might change the adjustment of the bearings and the pitman length. These faces are in parallel planes perpendicular to the center line of the pitman. Hence, by means of a single lock mechanism, the pitman may be simultaneously connected at its opposite ends with both the crank arm and the doctor blade and without requiring any adjustment for making the connection. This locking mechanism serves to return the previously adjusted parts to predetermined positions. The adjusting bushing 5'! may or may not be adjusted when the parts are assembled, depending on the tightness of the doctor blade bearing.

By suitably moving the cap 50 and the short bearing member 46 and correspondingly moving the bearing rod 45 by means of the threaded bushing 51, the length of the pitman rod may be varied to meet the requirements of the different doctor blades in their various assembled positions on the machine. In a multi-color printing machine, several shafts .521 may be locatedin parallelism and alldriven, if desired,- fromone source-of power. 'These various rock shafts-may have-several crank arms 40-arranged thereon which extend -either upwardly or downwardly and are properly located on the shafts in accordance with the positions of thedoctor blades. In such a machine, the crankarms 40 are preferably made of the same length and the lugs or ears 63 are made of difierent lengths as required so that the throw of each crank arm is the same. By this construction, we are able to connect an oscillating or rocking crank arm or equivalent construction, such as an eccentric, with the doctor blade, whatever may be its location, and the adjustments of pitman length and the bearing tightness may be easily made.

It will be appreciated that many equivalent constructional features may be substituted for those above described and that the connecting rod may be utilized for many purposes; hence the claims are to be interpreted accordingly.

We claim:

1. A connecting rod mechanism comprising an oscillating arm, a movable body having a pivot thereon, a pitman connecting said arm and body which has two relatively movable members providing bearing portions engageable with said pivot and clamping the same therebetween and means remote from the pivot for connecting said members thereto or releasing the pivot therefrom,

2. A reciprocable connecting rod mechanism comprising a power driven oscillating arm, a

pivot connected to move a body, a pitman conmeeting said arm and pivot which includes two members releasably engaging said pivot therebetween and a releasable locking device adjacent the end of the pitman and operable at a point remote from the pivot for connecting said members with the pivot without requiring adjustment of the tightness of the bearings thereof.

3. A connecting rod mechanism comprising a power driven oscillating arm, a pivot connected with a body to be moved, a pitman connecting said arm and pivot having two relatively movable members providing bearings which hold the pivot therebetween, and means including a resilient member located on the pitman remote from the pivot for clamping said members against the pivot or for entirely releasing the pivot and permitting removal of the pitman.

4. A connecting rod mechanism comprising a power driven arm, a pivot connected to move a body, a pitman connecting said arm and body which has two relatively movable members providing bearing portions engageable with said pivot and releasably clampingthe same therebetween, a releasable member on the pitman remote from the pivot which holds said members clamped against the pivot or serves to release the pivot entirely therefrom and means remote from the pivot for moving said members relative to the pivot to adjust the bearings.

5. A connecting rod mechanism comprising a power driven oscillating crank arm, a pivot connected to a movable body, a pitman having a hinge connection with said crank arm which prevents lateral movement of the pitman and means at the end of the pitman adjacent to the hinge connection for releasably connecting said pitman with the pivot and adjusting the tightness of the pivot bearings which provides for a complete release of the pivot from the pitman and removal or assembly of the latter;

' 6. A--connectingrod mechanism comprising: a power-drivenoscillating arm, a pivot connected to -move -a body, a pitman releasably .and adjustably connecting said armand pivot which has two relatively movable members providing bearing portions engageable with the pivot and clamping it therebetween and means including a locking member on the pitman at the opposite end from the pivot which releasably connects said members with the pivot without requiring adjustment of the bearings and means operable at a point remote from the pivot for adjusting the bearings.

7. A reciprocable connecting rod mechanism comprising a power driven oscillating crank arm, an arm having a pivot connected to a movable body and arranged at an angle relative to the plane of reciprocation of the crank arm, a pitman connecting said crank arm and pivot arm having two relatively movable members providing bearings which clamp the pivot therebetween and means at the end of the pitman engaging said crank arm for releasably moving said members into bearing contact with the pivot and for adjusting the bearings, said parts being so constructed and arranged that the pivot may be entirely released from the pitman and. the latter returned to a bearing connection without requiring adjustment of the bearings.

8. A reciprocable connecting rod mechanism comprising an oscillating crank arm, a pivot connected with a movable body, a pitman connecting said crank arm and pivot having two relatively movable members providing bearings which clamp the pivot therebetween, a slidable part pivotally connected with the crank and slidable on one of said members, and a locking head which releasably connects said part and its associated member and clamps the bearings against the pivot.

9. A connecting rod for a reciprocable member comprising an oscillating crank arm, a pivot connected to said member, and a pitman connecting said arm and pivot having two relatively movable members providing bearings clamping the pivot therebetween for any angular position of the pivot relative to the plane of movement of the crank arm, a locking head located at the crank arm end of the pitman which is releasably connected to one member and carries a resilient buffer engaging the other member and means associated with the head for relatively adjusting the positions of said members so as to tighten the bearings, said parts being so constructed and arranged that the pitman may be releasably con nected with or disconnected from the pivot by manipulation of said head at a point remote from the pivot.

10. A connecting rod mechanism comprising an oscillating crank arm, a laterally projecting pivot connected to a reciprocable member and a pitman connecting said crank arm and pivot comprising a tube having a lateral opening near one end and a bearing block close to the opening, a rod slidable within the tube and forming a second bearing, said pivot projecting into the opening and being clamped between the bearings, and an adjustable locking head on the pitman at the end remote from the pivot which releasably secures said tube and rod in bearing engagement with said pivot.

11. A connecting rod for a reciprocable member comprising an oscillatable crank arm, a pivot connected with said member, and a pitman connecting said crank arm and pivot having a tube and a rod slidable therein, each of which provides a bearing clamping the pivot therebetween. a sleeve pivotally connected with the crank arm within which said tube slides, a locking head on the end of the pitman remote from the pivot which releasably engages said sleeve, a buffer on said locking head engaging the end of the rod when the bearings are in position and means for relatively adjusting the tube and rod and thereby tightening the bearings, said parts being so constructed and arranged that the pivot may be entirely released from the pitman by manipulation of the head at a point remote from the pivot.

STEPHEN B. STAFFORD.

HERMAN A. SMITH.

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