US2649734A

US2649734A - Rotary multicolor transfer printing machine

Info

Publication number: US2649734A
Application number: US185385A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ras Max
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1949-10-10
Filing date: 1950-09-18
Publication date: 1953-08-25
Anticipated expiration: 1970-08-25

Description

Aug. 25, 1953 M. RAS 2,649,734

ROTARY MULTICOLOR TRANSFER PRINTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 18, 1950 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTORQ PAS; W

' ATI'ORWEX Aug. 25, 1953 M. RAS

ROTARY MULTIcoLoRTRANsFER PRINTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 18, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //V///VTOR MAXPAJ Patented Aug. 25, 1953 UNITED STATE ROTARY MULTICOLO R TRANSFER PRINTING MACHINE Max Ras, Zurich, Switzerland Application September 18, 1950, Serial No. 185,385

- In Switzerland October 10,1949 I r 7 1 Claim.

My present invention. relates toa rotarymulticolor transfer printing machine of a type difierent from the conventional constructions. It is a so-called in-line machine which is generally used in letterpress printing thanks to being readily accessible, easily attended to and supervised. For multicolor printing also, machines are known which operate according to the principle of the single stands which are arranged in line. In machines of this kind, the inker is situated above the plate cylinder and the dampener below the same, whilst the arrangement is reversed on the other half portion of the printing unit, i. e. the inker I is disposed below the plate cylinder and the dampener above the same. This arrangement has been adopted in order to obtain the best possible accessibility for the inkers and dampeners and to facilitate the insertion, removal, adjustment, rubberizing and washing of the plates. Such arrangement, however, has the disadvantage of rendering difiicult the attendance of the transfer cylinders. Operations such as the replacement, bringing to register, and washing of the rubber cloths, then only can be performed from the side through openings in the machine frame. Such inconvenience is emphasized in the case of machines involving wide paper webs, since the said operations can no longer be performed from the service side of the machine solely. Due to the relatively great distance between dampener and inker, there is a danger that-in case of plates which require only very little dampeningthe small amount of moisture will evaporate. The amount of moisture, therefore, has to be increased beyond what is required for the printing process proper; the water no longer adheres to the plate. Furthermore, the process of guiding the paper web through the machine becomes substantially more complicated. Since the web has to be run above the inkers and dampeners, the web is unnecessarily lengthened, and its supervision and draw-in becomes more difiicult. Covers or flashings have to be provided to prevent, in case of rupture, the web and the paper dust adhering thereto from dropping into the inkers. A further drawback is that a machine of the type referred to above, requires a multiple of movable machine parts such as gear wheels, shafts and the like, considering only the purely mechanical and operational aspects. A further construction, frequently used in the United States, also is based on the principle of single stands, but differs from the construction indicated above in that the web is run underneath the printing-apparatus and inking-appa- 2 w ratus. The operation of drawing-in the web and the supervision thereof is more diflicult yet, and the cover for the web has to be made more sturdy and better yet, since such cover in operation is used as foot bridge.

For the sake' of completeness, a construction yet is mentioned in which all the printing units required for four-color printing are arranged about a large-diameter counter-pressure cylinder. In order to facilitate, to some degree, the service of the individual printing units, the counter-pressure cylinder must be made relatively very large, which in turn calls for a great overall height of the unit. The service of the machine thus is made more complicated, because two men will be required therefor in four-color printing, namely one on the foot bridge for attending the printing units disposed on top of the machine. More time is required for setting up the machine, since access to the inkers and dampeners, as well as to the impression and plate cylinders is rendered more difficult as a result of arranging the various printing units around the large counter-pressure cylinder.

A further drawback is that working on the foot bridge is more tiresome than working on the floor level.

The main object of the invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of prior types of construction. In the printing machine according to my present invention, all the inkers and dampeners are situated below the 1evel of the plate-cylinder center.

One form of invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 shows an elevation,

Fig. 2 shows one of the printing units in vertical section and in a larger scale,

Fig. 3 shows a side view of Fig. 2 in section.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the first printing unit, the cover plates of the two gear boxes having been removed.

As indicated in Fig. 1, the paper web 2 runs from a roll I in succession through three printing units 3-5 and to the folding apparatus 6. Each printing unit comprises two plate cylinders 1, two transfer or offset cylinders 8, and an impression cylinder 9. Inkers l0 and dampeners II are disposed below the level of the platecylinder centers, the dampeners being diagrammatically indicated by nozzles through which water in form of mist is sprayed onto the plate cylinders I via cylinders II.

The cylinders and inkers are driven from a central gear box (not shown) via bevel wheels 3 l2, shafts l3 and bevel wheels [4. All the inkerdriving elements are disposed in the wall 20 which for this purpose is recessed at 20', and the said elements run in an oil bath.

The plate and the transfer cylinders are disposed at a suitable level above the floor and are accessible for service over their entire length. All the operations, such as changing the plates and rubber cloths, overlaying and bringing the plates to register, washing and rubberizing, may be done from the floor, and the operator does not have to crawl into the machine. Another salient advantage of such arrangement is the pronounced clearness of the machine which also is evident from the various driving elements.

The paper guiding means which is disposed above the printing apparatus, is simple and clear and comprises a minimum of idling cylinders which, as known, have to be driven by thev paper web.

What I claim is:

In a rotary multicolor transfer printing machine including a plurality of in-line printing units each comprising two plate cylinders, two transfer cylinders, an impression cylinder, said plate and transfer cylinders being disposed symmetrically with respect to a vertical plane through the axis of the impression cylinder, a vertical main driving shaft in said plane, two meshing bevel gears connected between said shaft 4 and said impression cylinder respectively, inkers and dampeners disposed below the level of the centers of said plate-cylinders, and a drive mechanism for said inkers including two meshing bevel wheels, one of said wheels being connected to the lower end of said main driving shaft, sprocket drive means connected to the other of said two bevel. wheels, and drive gears for each of said inkers and connected to, said latter two bevel wheels by said sprocket drive means.

MAX RAS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 664,119 Bouvet et a1 Dec. 18, 1900 2,047,605 Wolf July 14, 1936 2,053,958v Isbell Sept. 8, 1936 2,183,739 Crafts Dec. 19, 1939 2,297,005 Livingston Sept. 29, 1942 2,351,012 Carpenter June 13, 1944 2,447,887 Worthington Aug. 24, 1948 2,448,975 I-larrold et al. Sept. 8, 1948 2,597,932 Huck et a1. May 27, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 318,809 Great Britain Sept. 12, 1929