US2430965A

US2430965A - Inking mechanism using water base inks

Info

Publication number: US2430965A
Application number: US439811A
Authority: US
Inventors: Taylor Auburn
Original assignee: GOSS PRINTING PRESS CO Ltd
Current assignee: GOSS PRINTING PRESS Co; GOSS PRINTING PRESS CO Ltd
Priority date: 1942-04-21
Filing date: 1942-04-21
Publication date: 1947-11-18
Anticipated expiration: 1964-11-18

Description

Nov. 18, 1947. A. TAYLOR I INKING MECHANISM USING-WATER BASE INK 1 Filed April 21, 1942 INVENTOR Au/51/r/7 741/0)" ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 18, 1947 INKING MECHANISM USING WATER BASE INKS Auburn Taylor, Charleston, The Goss Printing Press W. Va., assignor to Company, Chicago,

111., a corporation of Illinois Application April 21, 1942, Serial No. 439,811

6 Claims.

The present invention relates to printing presses, and more particularly to the inking means and mechanism of rotary printing presses.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, Or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations, andimprovements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a. part hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of the print ing units of a rotary web perfecting printing press embodying the invention, certain parts being shown in cross section and certain other parts not being shown for the sake of simplicity; and

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse cross section of one of the adjustable pitch pulleys shown in Fi 1.

It is an object of the present invention to provide improved inking mechanism for printing presses which will insure the printing of an evenly and uniformly inked product. Another object is to provide inking means particularly adapted to letter press printing presses which will evenly and uniformly deposit and distribute ink upon the plate cylinder preparatory to taking the impression upon the material to be printed. Still another object is the provision of such inking means which will fulfill the functions desired and demanded using'inks of widely varying material composition and physical characteristics. It is a further object ofthe invention to provide a printing press with inking means which, when the press is in operation, 'will at all times transfer ink from the ink source at the press to the plate cylinders and uniformly and evenly distribute it upon those cylinders regardless of whether so called water inks or oil inks are to be used with the press.

In accordance with the present invention ink ing mechanism in most respects of a generally customary design is provided for a printing press, comprising an ink fountain, a fountain roller rotatably mounted in the fountain and driven by suitable mechanism from the printing press driving means, an ink distributing drum rotatably mounted on the printing press frame and 1 ing with water base inks it likewise driven from the printing press driving means, and a plurality of inking rolls some of which are arranged between the fountain roller and the ink distributing drum and others about the circumference of the distributing drum, to transfer ink from the fountain to the drum and distribute the same thereupon in an even and uniform enveloping film. The ink transfer roller nearest the fountain roller and transferring ink therefrom is preferably a spiral roller in order to insure an even and uniform distribution of the ink. Where water base inks are to be used in the printing press it has been found that certain of the parts of the inking mechanism which have conventionally been made of steel or are steel surfaced are unsuitable to give the best printing results. a much higher pigment content than do the inks in which oil or a similar substance is used as a base. Thus in black printing ink, an oil base ink will contain on the order of twelve (12%) percent carbon, while a suitable water base ink may be composed on the order of twenty-five (25%) percent carbon. In the process of printis therefore desirable to use much thinner ink films on the various rollers of the inking mechanism, but when this is done with inking mechanisms of conventional design it has been found that the finished product is marred by specks and cannot be regarded as a satisfactory marketable product. Furthermore, it is necessary when using water base inks in the inking mechanism to make provision against the rusting of the various members of the mechanism with which the ink has contact.

The present invention provides an inking mechanism which completely overcomes the difficulties referred to in the use of water base inks. The inking rollers of the mechanism have outer cylindrical surfaces made of rubber or some composition similar in physical character, while the fountain roller, spiral roller and ink distributing drum are provided with outer cylindrical surfaces of a relatively non-rusting material which is polished to a relatively high degree, preferably to a mirror surface. One very satisfactory manner of providing light weight and durable members with the properties desired is to chrome plate them and finish and polish them to the necessary accurate dimensions and to a polish approaching a mirror finish. The fountain blade and the inner portion of the ink fountain may likewise be provided with rust proof surfaces in order to provide a durable construction for use with water base inks.

The water base inks contain Each printing couple of a rotary web perfecting printing press is provided with an inking mechanism as already described, and these printing couples each comprise a plate cylinder and an impression cylinder, both driven from the printing press driving mechanism and between which the web of paper or other material is led for printing. The plate cylinder of each printing couple is arranged to lie adjacent the steel ink distributing drum of an inking mechanism, and between the plate cylinder and the distributing drum are arranged a pair of ink form rollers of rubber or composition. These rollers are each in peripheral contact with the cylindrical surface of the ink distributing drum and the printing plates carried by the plate cylinder whereby ink is transferred from the distributing drum and deposited on the plates for impression on the web. Means are provided for driving one of the ink form. rollers for each printing couple and for varying the speed at which said rollers are driven, and these means comprise a pair of pulleys with V-shaped belt grooves, one of said pulleys being mounted on an end of the impression cylinder for coaxial rotation therewith and the other being similarly mounted on an end of the ink form roller. The pulley on the impression cylinder is of the adjustable pitch type and a continuous belt of regular trapezoidal cross section engages the grooves. of both pulleys whereby the ink form roller is driven from the impression cylinder.

In order to vary the speed at which the ink form roller is. driven a roller is mounted on the printingpress frame to engage one reach of the continuous belt between the ink form cylinder and the impression cylinder, and an adjusting screw is provided for control by the pressman to engage the roller against the belt reach with greater or less pressure. In this manner the effective diameter of the variable pitch pulley on the impression cylinder may be varied by the pressman with a resultant variation in the driven speed of the ink form roller.

It will be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description as well are exemplary and explanatory of the invention but are not restrictive thereof.

Referring now to the illustrative embodiment of the present invention as shown in the accompanying drawings the printing press is illustratively shown as a rotary web perfecting press comprising a pair of impression cylinders IO, N (Fig. 1) and a pair of plate cylinders l2, l3 forming together a pair of printing couples through which the web W is led in the direction of the indicating arrows thereon for printing on both sides of the web. Suitable guide rollers l4, |.5, l6 and I! are provided to give the web W a desired path through the printing couples.

The inking mechanism for each printing couple may comprise an ink fountain 20 in which a fountain roller 2| is rotatably mounted and driven in any customary and well known manner from the printing press driving mechanism (not shown). A spiral ink or multiple disc transfer roller 22 of the type shown and described in my prior U. S. Patent No. 2,154,544 is suitably rotatably mounted to closely approach peripheral contact with fountain roller 2| and to have such contact with a transfer roller 23, which completes the transfer of ink from the fountain 20 to the surface of the ink drum 24 and evenly distributes it over the cylindrical outer surface of that drum in a film of the desired thickness. Inking

rollers

25, 26, 21 are suitably rotatably mounted, as for instance upon the printing press frame (not shown), in a customary manner for oscillatory axial movement, to have peripheral engagement with the surface of ink drum 24, and serve further to evenly distribute printing ink in a film of uniform consistency and depth upon drum 24.

The

inking rollers

25, 26, 21 and the transfer roller 23 are formed with outer cylindrical surfaces of rubber or composition, but the fountain roller 2|, the spiral roller 22, and the ink drum 24 are provided with outer cylindrical surfaces of relatively rust-proof material which is at the same time highly conducive to the spread of ink, in order that satisfactory results may be obtained using water base inks. A practical way of obtaining the desired results is to chrome plate such rollers made of steel or other ferrous materials and then to properly and accurately grind the rollers to the desired measurements. Thereafter the surfaces of the rollers are polished to a high degree and preferably to a mirror finish, although a finish of slightly less perfection has been found to be satisfactory. Other materials highly conducive to ink spread and relatively resistant to rusting may be used to provide a surface for these rollers which will be satisfactory.

The ink form rollers 30, 3| are rotatably mounted to lie between plate cylinder l2 and the ink drum 24. These rollers have outer cylindrical surfaces of rubber or composition and are in peripheral contact with the inked surface of drum 24 and the printing plates carried by cylinder l3, thereby transferring ink to the plate cylinder for impression upon web W.

Mechanism is provided for driving the ink form roller 3| at speeds to be determined and varied by the pressman, and as illustratively shown in Fig. 1 a pulley 35 is coaxially mounted on the end of roller 3| for rotation therewith. Another pulley indicated generally as 36 is coaxiallymounted on the end of the impression cylinder H for rotation therewith, and the

pulleys

35, 36 have V-shaped grooves to accommodate the continuous belt 3! of regular trapezoidal cross section.

As shown in Fig. 2 the pulley 36 is of an adjustable pitch type and comprises a pair of annular discs 40, 4| mounted by a splined connection for axial and against relative rotar movement upon shaft 42, to which is also fixed the impression cylinder A coiled spring 43 is positioned on the end of shaft 42 and is compressed between the outer pulley disc 40 and nut 44 threaded on the end of the shaft, jam nut 45 being also there positioned to maintain the desired compression on the spring.

A pressure roller 48 is mounted for free rotary movement on arm 49 which is pivotally mounted on a hanger 5U suitably supported by the printing press frame or otherwise as may be desired. An adjusting member 5| is integral with the arm &9 and extends therefrom at substantially right angles, and journalled in this member is the adjusting screw 52 which is threaded into hanger 5|]. It will be observed that by turning the hand wheel 53 of the adjusting screw 52 the roller 48 may be made to press against the belt 31 with greater or less pressure and thus to displace the adjacent reach of the belt more or less from its natural path. With an increased pressure of roller 48 upon belt 31 the belt will be forced deeper into the widening groove of pulley 36, resulting in a lessening of the effective diameter of the pulley and a slower driven speed for the ink'form roller 3|, while a lessening of pressure of roller 48 will result in an opposite effect upon pulley 36 and an increase in driven speed for roller 3|.

The present invention, in its illustrative embodiment as herein shown and described, provide a driven ink form roller for transfer and distribution of ink from an ink drum to the printing plates of a printing press plate cylinder, and means under the control of the pressman are provided for varying the driven speed of the roller. As is entirely familiar to those skilled in the present art the plate and impression cylinders of a printing couple are driven during the operation of the press at several times the speed of the inking mechanism, including the ink drum herein shown as drum 24, and there is consequently a sliding contact between the surfaces of ink form rollers such as rollers 30 and 3| and the members of different rotating speeds which they contact, cylinder l3 and drum 24. It has been found that in certain circumstances this slippage is not a uniform motion of the ink rollers 3| but may be an intermittent slippage resulting from alternately slower and faster rotation of the rollers. This action often results in uneven distribution of ink upon the printing plates and an unsatisfactory printed product, and the difliculty arises particularly when printing is to be done with a so-called water base ink.

The present invention obviates the difliculties referred to by providing for the constant drive Of an ink form roller and the adjustment of its driven speed to obtain the best printing results. The invention has been shown and described in a present preferred embodiment wherein only the ink form roller nearer the point of printing relationship between the plate cylinder, the impression cylinder and the web, is driven, and this embodiment has been found to give the uniform inking of the printing plates desired.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What I claim is:

1. A rotary printing press including inking mechanism comprising, in combination, a cylindrical printing member to be inked, an impression cylinder to cooperate with the printing member to print on an interposed running web, an ink supply cylinder to carry ink on its outer cylindrical surface, a plurality of form rollers in peripheral contact with the printing member and the supply cylinder, means for driving from the printing press that one of the form rollers which contacts the surface of the ink drum sooner to reach the point of impression on the Web, and means under the control of the pressman for varying the driven speed of the form roller.

2. A rotary printing press including inking mechanism comprising, in combination, a cylindrical printing member to be inked, an impression cylinder to cooperate with the printing member in printing, driving means for the impression cylinder, an ink supply cylinder to carry ink on its outer cylindrical surface, a form roller in axial alignment with the supply cylinder and printing member and adapted to have surface contact with each, and variable speed driving means between the impression cylinder and the form roller, comprising a pulley mounted on the impression cylinder for coaxial rotation therewith,

a pulley mounted on the form roller for coaxial rotation therewith, one of said pulleys being of automatically variable pitch, an endless belt on the pulleys, and adjustable pressure means engaging one reach of the belt, whereby the pitch of the automatically variable pitch pulley may be varied by varying the pressure of the pressure means on the belt.

3. Inking mechanism for rotary printing presses using water base inks comprising, in combination, an ink drum from which ink is transferred to the member of the printing press to be inked, an ink fountain, a fountain roller mounted in the ink fountain, and ink transfer rollers between the fountain roller and the ink drum, the fountain roller, ink drum and ink transfer roller nearest the fountain roller having outer cylindrical surfaces of highly polished rust resisting material.

4. Inking mechanism for rotary printing presses comprising, in combination, an ink drum from which ink is transferred to the member of the printing press to be inked, an ink fountain, a fountain roller mounted in the ink fountain, and a pair of ink transfer rollers between the fountain roller and the ink drum, the ink transfer roller nearest the ink drum having an outer cylindrical surface of rubberlike material and the ink drum, fountain roller, and ink transfer roller nearest the fountain roller having outer cylindrical surfaces of chromium polished to a substantially mirror finish.

5. Inking mechanism for rotary printing presses using water base inks comprising, in combination, an ink fountain, a fountain roller mounted in the fountain, an ink drum, a pair of ink transfer rollers between the fountain roller and ink drum, the ink transfer roller nearest the ink drum having an outer cylindrical surface of rubberlike material, the ink drum, the fountain roller, and the ink transfer roller nearest the fountain roller having outer cylindrical metallic surfaces of highly polished rust resisting material, a form roller in peripheral contact with the ink drum and the member of the printing press to be inked, means for driving the form roller from the printing press, and means for varying the driven speed of the form roller.

6. Inking mechanism for rotary printing presses using water base inks comprising, in combination, an ink supply cylinder to carry ink on its outer cylindrical surface, said cylinder having an outer cylindrical surface of highly polished rust resisting metal, a form roller in peripheral contact with said ink supply cylinder and a member of the printing press to be inked, means for driving the form roller from the printing press, and means for varying the driven speed of the form roller.

AUBURN TAYLOR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,214,950 Aller Sept. 1'7, 1940 2,134,159 Von Hofe Oct. 25, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 460,092 Great Britain Jan. 19, 1937