US2718848A

US2718848A - Ink fountain for printing presses

Info

Publication number: US2718848A
Application number: US272988A
Authority: US
Inventors: Curtis S Crafts
Original assignee: GOSS PRINTING PRESS CO Ltd
Current assignee: GOSS PRINTING PRESS Co; GOSS PRINTING PRESS CO Ltd
Priority date: 1952-02-23
Filing date: 1952-02-23
Publication date: 1955-09-27
Anticipated expiration: 1972-09-27

Description

Sept. 27, 1955 c. s. CRAFTS 2,718,848

INK FOUNTAIN FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Feb. 23, 1 952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Imvaru-rok 57, CuvtLJ (I Greg-t1:

TTORNBYJ down. the ink fountain is located above the web, asin center p This invention relates to printing presses and more particularly to an improved overshot ink fountain for use therewith.

As compared with undershot fountains, overshot ink fountains have the advantage of complete freedom from leakage of ink at all times, even when the press is shut This advantage is particularly significantwhere color and half deck presses, which are frequently used to adapt ordinary newspaper presses for color printing.

When undershot fountains are used on center color or half deck presses, objectionable ink leakage between the fountain roller and the knife is usually experienced, particularly when a continuous ink feeding arrangement is employed rather than an oscillatingductor roller. With a continuous ink feeding arrangement, considerable clearance-must ordinarily be provided between the fountain roller and the feed roller, withthe result that a correspondingly great clearance is necessary between the fountain rollerand the knife in order to provide a sufli- .CleilflY thick film of ink on the fountain roller. 1 Under 'these conditions, objectionable leakage of ink almost invariably occurs between the fountain cylinderand the knife. 7 e

In the case of overshot ink fountains, leakage of ink is eliminated, but heretofore certain drawbacks have impaired the usefulness of overshot fountains for press units employing colored? ink. In newspaper printing practice, the color'of. the ink employed in center color -and;half deck press units is frequently changed in order \to accommodate various arrangements of color pages on the web. Since thorough cleaning of the ink fountain isrequiredto make a color change, the fountain should be easy to clean. lMoreover, it should be operative with .as small a pool of ink as possible, since the ink removed from the fountain in making a color 'change is ordinarily United States Patent discarded due to contamination by cleaning solvents and h the like. Heretofore, however, the virtues of easy cleaning and -low ink capacity have been considered incom- .patible, inasmuch ,as it has been considered necessary to .provide a large, space between the ink fountain roller and-the bottom of the'ink trough in order' to facilitate cleaning.

One of the principal objects of the present invention iswto provide an overshot ink fountain which combines the advantages .of easy cleaning and low ink capacity.

A further object isto provide an improved overshot ink fountain constructed so that a color changecan be 'made with a minimum of time, effort and wastage of ink.

; Another object is to provide an improved ink fountain adapted to'be employed advantageously on center color and:half deck printing press units.

. Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in coninection with the accompanying drawings in which: ;:Figure 1 is a sectional view of an illustrative ink fountain-constructed in accordance with the invention, the

:.Y. Z,.b. g taken'transverseio the.-.fountainroller... H

2,718,848 Patented Sept. 27', 1955 Fig. Zis a fragmentary view of the fountain taken at right angles to Fig. 1 and at a downwardly inclined angle, edgewise with respect to a removable bottom plate forming a part of the fountain. L

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 4 taken with the bottom plate removed.

Referringin'greater detail to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the invention is illustrated as embodied in an overshot ink fountain having an ink trough or pan 12. Positioned in the trough and adapted to dip into the ink therein is a fountain roller 14 mountedpat each end in suitable bearings (not shown) and driven at a small fraction of the press speed by suitable means (not either continuous or intermittent ink feeding, but preferably it is of the continuous feed type, and is illustrated as such. From the ink drum the ink is transported to a plate cylinder by means of a series of rollers not shown.

In this instance the ink fountain 10 comprises a base or body 24 of heavy cast construction. Formed integrally therewith is a rear wall 26, preferably inclined, which merges with a generally horizontal lower wall or apron28, the rear wall 26 being both a side and a bottom element of the ink trough 12. It will be observed that the rear wall 26 extends longitudinally of the roller 14. To facilitate cleaning, considerable spacing is provided between the rear wall 26 and the fountain roller 14, and an even greater spacing may be provided between toward the front along the longitudinal dimension of the roller 14. j l

In each section of the ink trough or pan 12', an individual upwardly inclined panel'or plate 38 is removably positioned to provide afront wall therefor. To minimize the ink capacity of the trough, a minimum of clearance is provided between the panel 38 and the fountain roller 14. When in place in the fountain, the panel is sealed against ink leakage by means of a'plurality of soft, resilient, rubberlike sealing strips 40, sec'ured to the underside thereof along its lower and inclined lateral edges, by means of clamping screws 42 threaded into clamping strips 44. The sealing strips engage respective sealing bars 46, rigidly secured to the rear wall 26 and the division pieces 34. An especially effective seal is obtained between the strips and the bars by providing the latter with relatively sharp, chisellike upper edges adapted to bite into the strips; ,A suitable handle 52 is mounted on the panel ,to facilitate removal and installation thereof.

In order to clamp the panel 38 in place while providing for quick removal thereof, the ink fountain is equipped with a plurality of clamping mechanisms 54,

which in this instance comprise eccentric shafts 56 journaled at their opposite ends in brackets 58 and 60, se-

underneath the eccentrics 66. Each eccentric is .pro-

vided with a square drivingh'eadtifia by means of'whic'h it maybe rotated so as to engage one ofthe 'Z-s'haped brackets 62 and thereby clamp the panel downwardly :against'the sealing bars 46. Top'rovide added rigidity for the panel 38, an angle bracket is-mounted'along the lower edge thereof.

In preparation for apress run, the trough 12 of the inkfountain is filledwith ink to a level such as to immerse the'lower portion of the fountain roller 14. Because of the close spacingbetween the removable panel 38 and the roller, a relatively small quantity of ink will s'uffice to place the fountain into operation. For this reason the ink'level in the fountain can be kept low to avoid wastage of ink in the eventthat 'a color change is tobe made.

In the usual manner, the ink in the fountain-adheres tothe roller 14 and is smoothed into a -film of suitable thickness by the knife 16, as the roller is driven counter clockwise by the press. roller 14 by the more rapidly rotating feed roller 17 "and is transferred successively tothe roller 18 and the drum 20 and thence to the printing plate.

Ink is wiped off the fountain If the color of the ink is to be changed at the end of the press run, the panel '38 is unlocked byrotating the eccentric shafts 56 with a suitable wrench-applied to the square heads 66a. When the eccentrics have thus been disengaged from the Z-brackets 62, the handle 52 'is-grasped'and the'panel slid edgewise out of the fountain, whereupon the ink remaining in the trough 12 drains downwardly upon the apron 28. Removal of the panel 38 does not require removal of the roller 14.

The retaining plate maybe removed so that the ink can 'be scraped over the front edge of the apron into a suitable receptacle. With'the panel '38 'removed, it

isa simple matter to clean the sloping rear wall 26,-the division pieces 34, and the roller 14. The usual cleaning implements and cloths may readily be inserted through the space between the roller and the rear wall.

After the fountain has been cleaned, the retaining plate "30 is replaced and the panel 38 is installed with the sealing strips'40 engaging the sealingbars'46. To clamp the panel inplace, the eccentrics 66 arerotated into clamping engagement with "the lower flanges of the Z'-brackets 62. As finally positioned, the eccentricsare on dead center as shown in Fig. 4 so that thepan'el "cannot'be dislodged by vibrationor the like. "Itwill 'be apparent that the panel 38 may'thus 'bere'movecl or replaced in a matter of seconds.

I claim as my invention: 1. In an overshot ink fountain for a printing press,

the combination comprising an ink trough having fixed end and rear walls, an access panel forming a movable front wall of the ink trough, sealing means interposed between the lower side of the panel and the end and rear walls, and means including a pair of eccentric shafts extending along the edges of the panel adjacent the end walls for removably clamping the panel into sealing enmovably clamping the panel against the sealing means.

3. In an overshot'ink fountain for a printing-.press,

the combination comprising an ink trough having fixed end and rear walls, a flat access panel forming a removable front ink trough wall, soft resilient sealing strip means around the edges of the panel on its underside, a plurality of sealing bars on the end and rear walls for engaging the sealing strip means, and clamping means for removably securing the panel against the sealing bars.

4. In an overshot ink fountain-for a printing press, the combination comprising an ink trough having fixed end and rear walls, a flat access panel forming-a removable front ink trough wall, soft resilient sealing strip means around the edges of the panel on its underside, a plurality of sealing bars on the end and rear walls for engaging the sealing strip means, and eccentric shafts extending along the edges of the panel adjacent the end walls for removably securing the panel against the sealing bars.

5. In an overshot ink fountain for a printingpress, the combination comprisin'g'anink trough having'fixed end and rear walls, a flat access panel forming a removable front ink trough wall, softresilient sealing strip means around the edges of the panel on its underside, a plurality of sealing bars on the end and rear-walls for engaging the sealing strip means, apair of Z-brackets secured to thepanel along its edges adjacent the end walls, the brackets having outwardly extending lower flanges, and a pair'of eccentric shafts engageable with the lower flanges for removably s'ecuring the panel against the sealing bars.

6. In an'ink fountain for a-printing press or the like,

the combination comprising a frame, a generally horizontal ink roller journaledin-said frame, a trough member underlyingsaid roller and supported in said'frame,

said troughmember being of generally L-shape having a forwardly and-downwardly slopingrearwall and a generally horizontal apron extending forwardly from the lower edge of said rear'wall and joined thereto, the spacone another'and forming an ink-tight joint with'said rear wall and said apron, a removable panel member of flat rectangular shape extending bridgingly between'the'dn- 'wardly facing surfaces of said divider'members, said 'panel me'mberbeing arranged closely adjacent said roller and in V formationwiththe rearwall of said trough member so that the roller :liesr-ge'nerally above the root of the V,- and manually releasable sealing means for 'seal- -ing theedges'of' saidipanel to said-divider members and tosaid rear wallrespectively; said apron having anupwardly' extending ink retaining member along its for- 'wardedge to'retain the inkon saidapron when the panel memberis removed.

7. In an ink fountain for' a' printing press or the like,

'the'combination comprising -a"frame, a generally horizontalihk roller'journaled in said frame, atrough member underlying said roller and*supported in-"said'frame, said trough member having a forwardly and down- 'wardly-sloping rear'wall positioned adjacent said roller and further having an apron joined thereto and' extending forwardly from the lower edge --ofsaid rear wall, the

spacing between-said apron'and said roller being substantially greater than the spacing =between 'said rearwall and said roller to afiord access between the trough 'member and said roller for cle'aningp'urposes, said troughmember having vertical walls: spaced fromone another and forming an ink-tight joint with said rearwalland'said apron, a removablepanel member ofrectangular configuration extending bridgingly between said divider walls, said panel member 1 being arranged closely adjacent: said roller" and inV formation with the rear -wall 'of said-trough member so that the-roller lies generallyaabove' the root of the V,

a d manually-releasable sealing mea'ns for 'sealing'the edges of said panel to said divider members and said rear wall respectively.

8. In an ink fountain for a printing press or the like, the combination comprising a frame, a generally horizontal ink roller journaled in said frame, an ink trough underlying said roller and supported in said frame, said ink trough having a forwardly and downwardly sloping rear wall positioned adjacent said roller and having a generally horizontal apron extending forwardly from the lower edge of said rear wall, the spacing between said apron and said roller being substantially greaterthan the spacing between said rear wall and said roller to afford access between the apron and said roller for cleaning purposes, said ink trough having vertical end walls spaced from one another, a removable panel membe'rof rectangular configuration extending bridgingly between said vertical end walls, said panel member being arranged closely adjacent said roller and in V formation with the rear wall of the ink trough so that the roller lies generally above the root of the V, and manually releasable sealing means for sealing the edges of said panel to said divider members and said rear wall respectively.

9. In an ink fountain for a printing press or the like, the combination comprising a frame, a generally horizontal ink roller journaled in said frame, a trough mem- 25 her underlying said roller and supported in said frame, said trough member having a forwardly and downwardly sloping rear wall and a generally horizontal apron extending forwardly from the lower edge of said rear ,wall, said trough member having vertical end walls References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,193,089 Crafts Mar. 12, 1940 2,431,900 Worthington Dec. 2, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 666,705 France May 28, 1929