US2885999A

US2885999A - Fluid distribution system

Info

Publication number: US2885999A
Application number: US662694A
Authority: US
Inventors: George W Dieffenbacher; Orest A Meykar
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: General Electric Co
Priority date: 1957-05-31
Filing date: 1957-05-31
Publication date: 1959-05-12
Anticipated expiration: 1976-05-12

Description

M y 1959 G. w. DIEFFENBACHER ET AL 2,885,999

. FLUID DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM Filed May 51, 195'? I23 I24 I25 -NIZ|NG GEARING INVENTORS GEORGE W. DIEFFENBACHER,

OREST A. MEYKAR,

BY {47M www THEIR ATTORNEY.

United States Patent FLUID DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM George W. Dieflfenbacher, Fairfield, N.Y., and Orest Meykar, Greensburg, Pa., assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application May 31, 1957, Serial No. 662,694

4 Claims. (Cl. 118602) This invention relates to the art of distributing fluid to an object, and more particularly to the art of distributing printing fluid in desired quantifies to objects having varying absorption characteristics.

In recent years the automatic control and automatic programming of equipments have received increased emphasis. In order to utilize such programmed equipment under the varying conditions imposed during production runs, equipment flexibility is needed. For example, recent developments in the production of color coded wire have resulted in the introduction of machinery for the printing of selectable lengths of color coded wire from raw stock as required. This raw stock will be changed, dependent upon the needs of the production equipment. In order to imprint wire coming from different stocks it has been found that the diflerent absorption characteristics of the wire required distribution It is a further object of our invention to provide a printing fluid distribution system characterized by dripless operation.

It is a further object of our invention to provide an improved method and means for the distribution of printing fluid.

In accordance with one embodiment of our invention we have provided a plurality of fluid transfer rollers extending between a reservoir of fluid and an object. One roller is immersed in the reservoir to pick up printing fluid. A scraper with an axially centered notch is mounted in peripheral contact with the pickup roller to remove all fluid except a thin axially centered band of fluid. The band of fluid is transferred to the center of the first fluid transfer roller by peripheral contact therewith. The fluid is then transported to the object through the plurality of transfer rollers which are arranged in sequence having peripheral contact with the preceding roller. Each roller from the fluid pickup roller to the roller in contact with the object to be imprinted is of progressively smaller axial Width and is axially centered with respect to the preceding roller. Fluid which is not absorbed by the object is transferred back to the reservoir along the portions of the rollers extending beyond the area of peripheral contact.

The features of our invention which we believe to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. Our invention, itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description 2,885,999 Patented May 12, 1959 2 taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of our invention and Figure 2 is a side plan view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1.

The operation of our invention can best be understood by reference to Figures 1 and 2 together. In these figures there is shown an object 101 upon which it is desired to imprint a pattern with the printing fluid 102 contained in reservoir 103. The object 101 may be, for example, a wire drawn from a stock reel 104 to a takeup reel 105. Power to rotate the takeup roller 105 may be supplied through the synchronizing reel 106 from the motor source 107.

In order to pick up printing fluid from the reservoir 103 a pickup roller 108 is partially immersed in the printing fluid 102. The pickuproller is fixedly mounted on shaft 109 which passes through the reservoir wall and is rotated by the affixed gear 110. The fluid picked up by the pickup roller 108 is transferred as indicated by arrow 135 to the first fluid transfer roller 112 through peripheral contact therewith. In order to transfer the fluid in a band to the center of the transfer roller 112 and in a predetermined quantity, scraper 113 is mounted in peripheral contact with roller 108. The notch 114 allows fluid transfer in such quantity as is dictated by the size of the notch. The scraper may be constructed of any convenient material such as sheet metal or plastic. The notch is of such size as to transfer sufficient fluid to properly imprint the object with the highest absorption characteristic. The scraper is mounted on the reservoir by conventional means such as bracket connections to the sidewalls of the reservoir 103. The fiuid transfer roller 112 is mounted on shaft 115 which rotates in journal 116 as gear 127 is driven. Synchronism of roller 108 with roller 112 is maintained by the meshing of gears 110 and 127.

The printing fluid is subsequently transferred to the object by rollers 117 and 118 as indicated by

arrows

136, 137 and 138 through peripheral contact with the preceding roller. Rollers 117 and 118 are respectively mounted on

shafts

119 and 120 which are rotated in journals 121 and 122 through the operation of

gears

123 and 124 respectively. Synchronism of rotation of the fluid transfer rollers is maintained by the enmeshment of gear

train comprising gears

110, 127, 123 and 124. Power for rotation of this gear train is obtained from gear 125 mounted on shaft 126. Synchronism between the rotation of this gear train and the associated rollers with the speed of object movement is maintained by deriving rotational power from the synchronizing gearing 106 which provides the power for object movement.

Since the fluid transferred to object 101 is suflicient to properly imprint objects with the highest absorption characteristics, many objects will not require this quantity of fluid for proper imprinting. Excess fluid is fed back to the reservoir 103. Excess fluid remains on the periphery of transfer roller 118 and is moved to the line of peripheral contact of roller 118 with roller 117 as indicated by arrow 130. At the line of contact excess fluid will be squeezed out to form a fillet 131. Since transfer roller 117 is wider than transfer roller 118, and since the peripheral contact of roller 118 is axially centered on roller 117, roller 117 has an axial portion of its surface available to pick up the fluid in the fillets and to transport this fluid to roller 112, as indicated by arrows 132. In the same manner excess fluid is then returned over

path

133 and 134 to the reservoir 103. The scraper 113 will insure the return of the excess fluid to the supply.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this fluid distribution system provides substantially drip-free operation since excess fluid is returned directly to the reservoir. In applications where banks of such distribution systems are necessary the lack of dripping allows design utilization in smaller space since baffles and protective guards can be dispensed with.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the relative Widths of the successive rollers may be varied to suit the particular application, taking into account the range of absorption characteristics of the objects to be processed. When using this fluid distribution system for imprinting stock insulated wire, it was found that the relative dimensions given in Table I were satisfactory.

. Table 1 Component: Width (inches) 108 As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, when imprinting the object with various colors, the viscosity of the fluid will vary greatly, dependent upon the color desired. It has been found, however, that a notch having a base width of 0.040-inch and a 90 degree included angle at the apex transferred sufficient fluid to properly imprint insulated Wire with any color. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that imprinting of larger objects having varying absorption characteristics will require a larger notch for the transfer of a greater quantity of printing fluid. The notch should be of such size as to transfer suflicient fluid to properly imprint the object with the highest absorption characteristic. Excess fluid is returned to the reservoir, eliminating the need for adjustment of fluid supply for each object.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the fluid pickup roller might be constructed of a single thin grooved pickup roller. The return of the fluid to the reservoir would then be made through the action of scrapers in peripheral contact with the first transfer roller.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made Without departing from the invention in its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Apparatus for applying fluid to an object in a desired pattern comprising a pattern printing roller rotatably mounted in peripheral contact With said object, a fluid containing reservoir, means for transferring fluid from said reservoir to said pattern roller comprising a fluid pickup roller rotatably mounted adjacent said reservoir with a portion of the periphery thereof immersed in said fluid,

4 a first fluid transfer roller rotatably mounted in axially centered peripheral contact with said pickup roller, a second fluid transfer roller rotatably mounted between and in peripheral contact with said first transfer roller and said pattern printing roller, each of said contacting rollers from said pattern roller to said pickup roller being of larger axial dimensions than the preceding roller, means for applying fluid in a predetermined quantity to said object, and means for returning fluid in excess of that required to imprint said object to said reservoir, said fluid applying means and said return means comprising a scraper having a notch therein mounted in peripheral contact with said pickup roller.

2. In combination, fluid reservoir means and means to apply said fluid to an object and to return excess fluid to said reservoir, comprising a fluid transfer roller to pick up fluid from said reservoir, scraper means having a notch therein in peripheral contact with said pickup roller, and a plurality of rollers, said plurality of rollers comprising a first roller in peripheral contact with said pickup roller, a last roller in peripheral contact with said object, and the remainder of said plurality of rollers positioned between said first and last rollers, each of said rollers from the first to the last being positioned in peripheral contact with the preceding rollers, axially centered with respect to the preceding roller, and of smaller axial dimension than th preceding roller.

3. In combination, a fluid containing reservoir, a fluid pickup roller rotatably mounted adjacent said reservoir with a portion of the periphery of said roller immersed in said fluid, a first fluid transfer roller rotatably mounted in axially centered peripheral contact with said fluid pickup roller, said pickup roller having an axial extension beyond the area of peripheral contact with said fluid transfer roller on both sides of said area of contact, scraper means mounted adjacent said reservoir in fluid removing contact with the peripheral sides of said fluid pickup roller on both sides of an axially centered band, a second fluid transfer roller of smaller axial dimension rotatably mounted in axially centered, peripheral contact with said first transfer roller, and means for simultaneously rotating said pick-up and transfer rollers.

4. Apparatus for the application of printing fluid to objects having different absorption characteristics comprising a fluid pickup roller rotatably mounted, a plurality of peripherally abutting rollers rotatably mounted extending between said pickup roller and said object, each roller in said plurality being axially centered with respect to and of smaller axial dimension than the preceding roller, and scraper means mounted in fluid removing contact with the periphery of said pickup roller on both sides of an axially centered band.

No references cited.