US3161127A - Cylinder support means for rotary printing machine - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 15, 1964 CYLINDER SUPPORT MEANS FOR ROTARY PRINTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 15, 1962 mQE vQE

I IIII I vu mm J. LIME Dec. 15, 1964 CYLINDER SUPPORT MEANS FOR ROTARY PRINTING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 15 1962 Dec. 15, 1964 I J. LIME 3,161,127

CYLINDER SUPPORT MEANS FOR ROTARY PRINTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 15, 1962 s sheets-sheet a i I lL FIG.6

United States Patent ()filice in 3.16 7 I CYLINDER; SUPPORT MEAN S FGR- RGTARY PRINTJNG MAGHINE Jean Lime, Haut-Rhine, France, assignor to- Societa Alsacienne de- ConstructionsMechaniques, Haunt-Rhine,

F aucaa qmpanx tE nce Filed Jan. 19.62, Ser, No. 166,012 Claimsprjprity,application. France Jan. 18, 1961 C. aimS=. (Cl.- 101- 53).

This invention relates to rotary machines for printing on webs of fabric and, other flexible sheet materials, of

the type in which the web is passed around. a backingv cylinder usually comprise a tank adapted to contain P in fluid. f a en ol r, a u oll pp in the tank and tangentially engaging the pattern cylinder and one or more s'queegees engaging the surface. of the pattern cylinder.

' In prior printing machines of this kind, it was generally necessary prior to setting the machine in operation for a particular printing process to perform a relatively com-. plicatedsequence of steps. The printing cylinders, each in the form of a hollow cylindrical pattern r011 removably fitted over a shaft carrying a coaxial drive gear, had: to be placed in position in the bearings provided therefor on the machine frame. The colour tanks, supply cylinders and Squeegees had each, to be fitted in posi-. t-ion. Accurate adjustments had then. to be made on the machine to ensure circumferential and axial register of each the pattern cylinder relative to the common central backing roll over which, the web was to be fed. Finally the tanks had be filled with the respective printing liquids. At every change in pattern, or any change in colour on the pattern, the aforementioned components had to be dismounted, and cleaned and remounted, or replaced with clean components. All such operations were time consuming and considerably reduced the elficiency of a printing process.

More recently it has been suggested in order to simplify the above preparatory procedure, to provide each printing assembly including a printing cylinder, colour tank, squeegee means and drive and adjusting means, as a separate, bodily detachable unit. However a serious drawback of this otherwise practical arrangement has been that it provided no means of avoiding the necessity of eifecting an axial register adjusting operation each time such a printing assembly unit was remounted on the machine frame. Now such axial register adjustment is a rather tedious operation requiring a substantial amount of trial and error and involving a waste of a non-negligable length of fabric web.

It is an object of this invention to eliminate this limitation, and to provide a printing machine of the type described having bodily detachable printing assembly units in which the axial register adjustment will not be destroyed every time such a unit is taken down and remounted or replaced with another unit, but will instead be preserved. Other objects will appear.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a machine for printing on a web of material comprising a frame; a backing roll mounted on the frame and adapted to receive said web therearound; at least one bodily detachable printing assembly comprising a pat- 3,l5l,l27 Patented Dec. 15, 1964 tern cylinder having a pair of opposite journals, bearing members rotatably surrounding the respective journals, and means for supplying printing liquid to said cylinder attached, to said bearingmembers; bearing supports on the machine. frame adapted to; receive. the bearing members of a printing assembly removably therein; means on. the frame operative. to engage. the assembly in themounted condition thereof to drive the cylinder in rotation, and. to urge the cylinder against the roll; means, for adjusting the axial position. of th P inting cylinder relative tov the frame; and means for indexingithe adjusted position.

In one embodiment, the bearing members are fixed in axial position relative to, the cylinder journals and the axial adjusting means. comprise means for adjusting the axial position of at least one of the bearing members relative to the related bearing support.

In another embodiment, the bearing members are ad-. justahle in axial position. relative to the cylinder journals and said axial adjusting means comprise means for ad.- justing the axial position of a least one of saidv bearing members relative to the related, journal.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described for purposes of illustration with. reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG, 1 is an elevational. view of part of an improved printing machine showing a portion of a common backing roll and a single printing assembly in operative position on the machine.

FIG. 2 is a view on a vertical plane normal to the plane of FIG. 1 partly in section on. line H of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3. is a partial view in horizontal section. on line III of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a large-scale view showing a detail of the axial adjusting means shown in. FIG. 3;

FIG; 5 is a partial view generally corresponding to that of FIG, 1 but relating to a modified embodiment of the invention; and

FIG, 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 on line VI--VI of FI 5 Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the rotary printing assembly illustrated comprises a pair of spaced bracket supports 1 and 1a upstanding from a conventional machine frame not shown, and rotatably supporting between them an etched pattern cylinder 2. Adjacent the pattern cylinder is supported on the frame, through means not shown, a large diameter backing roll. 3, and the, or each, printing cylinder 2 is pressed resiliently against the surface of the backing roll 3 by means presently described.

The etched pattern printing cylinder 2 is recessed and removably. fitted around a core shaft 4 provided with aligned opposite journals 5. and 6 which are respectively received in bearing members 7 and 8. The bearing members 7 and 8 are freely received in recesses 11 and 12 formed in the brackets 1 and 1a. Resilient pressure is exerted on both bearings members 7 and 8 in a horizontal direction transverse to the cylinder axis for applying the printing cylinder against the backing roll, by means of a pair of sliding carriages one of which is shown at 13, and each carrying a part-spherical cradling element 14 which receives within it a complementary part-spherical convex surface formed on each of the bearing members 7 and 3 as clearly seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. Any suitable means, here shown as hydraulic jacks 16, are provided to exert force on the carriages 1-3 in a direction to urge the printing cylinder assembly against the backing roll 3.

Secured, as by screws, to the inwardly facing surfaces of end flanges 2 1, 2-2, of the bearing members 7 and 8; are a pair of flanges 23 and 24 which serve to support in a manner presently made clear the remaining omp n o e P nt as embly lu i a feed roll 25, a paint or ink tank 26, a squeegee 27 and a wiper squeegee 28. These components are supported as follows.

The tank 26 rests upon a pair of horizontally pro ecting brackets 31 and 32 secured to the respective plates 23 and 24 (FIG. 2). Formed at the top of the wall of tank 26 are a pair of oppositely positioned bearing supports 34 and 35 open at the top and receiving therein the trunnion ends 36 of a shaft on which the feed roll 25 is secured, so that said feed roll rotates in partly immersed condition within the tank. Secured on one projecting end of the shaft 36 beyond the related bearing support 35 is a drive gear 37 meshing with a gear 38 secured on the shaft 4 carrying the pattern cylinder 2 so as to be driven therefrom. Shaft 4 in turn is driven by way of a gear 41 secured on one end of it and meshing with a drive gear, not shown, through a conventional circumferential-register indexing device, not illustrated, well-known in the construction of rotary printing machines of this general class.

The squeegee 27 (FIG. 1) is mounted through a supporting part 43 secured to side plates 23, 24, while the wiper squeegee 28 in this example is similarly secured to the sides of the tank 26.

For locating the printing cylinder core journal 6 in axial position within the bearing member 8, there is provided on one side a shoulder 46 of said journal engaging the inner face of member 8 and on the other side a stop ring 47 secured to the journal 6 and engaging against the outer face of the bearing member. The opposite journal is displaced axially with the related bearing member 7 since any axial movement of the sleeve 8 is transmitted through the reservoir 26 to the sleeve 7 and such simultaneous axial movement of both sleeves 7 and 8 is possible only when the arcuate supporting member for the sleeve 7 is freely movable in the axial direction so that the sleeve 7 and its arcute supporting member will move axially when sleeve 8 is moved axially upon axial adjustment of its arcute supporting member.

To accomplish axial registery between the printing cylinder 2 supported on the core 4, and the work, there is provided a generally conventional axial adjusting mechanism for the bearing member 8, as schematically shown in FIG. 3, comprising a threaded shank 51 extending through a complementarily threaded hole formed in a boss 52 of the cariage 13, the shank 51 having its inner end connected for axial displacement but not for rotation with the cradling member 14. In the embodiment the connection between the threaded shank and the cradle 14 is provided as shown in FIG. 4 which is an enlarged view. The smooth end of shank 51 extends into a recess of the cradle member 14 and has an annular groove 55 formed in it, which groove is engaged in tangential relation by a pin 54 extending through a transverse hole formed in cradle 14. Thus the shank 51 is free to rotate relatively to the carriage and cradle 14 while being connected for bodily axial displacement together with it. By rotating the shank 51, as by means of a wrench acting on a hexagonal head secured to the outer end of the shank, the cradle 14 is shifted transversely across the related carriage 13 in either direction and the bearing member 8 and core 4 are shifted by a corresponding amount in the same axial direction, whereby the desired axial register can be achieved between the pattern cylinder 2 and the work. During such adjusting displacements the other journal 5 of the pattern cylinder will automatically shift of itself within its bearing member 7 without developing any strains within the printing cylinder. 7

After the registering adjustments have been completed the adjusted position is indexed through suitable indexing mechanism as shown in FIG. 2 and including an index member 69 (provided with Vernier means if desired), extending from the bearing member 8 and movable in front of a calibrated scale 61 extending from the related bracket 1 of the frame. The scale posit1on of index member can be noted after removal of the printing cylinder 2 so that when said cylinder is repositioned on the machine, it will simply be necessary to 16:8.djllSt the bearing member 8 to such a position that Index 60 again indicates the previously noted calibration on scale 61.

It will be understood that in cases where 1t 1s contemplated that the sequence in which the various pattern cylinders of the machine are mounted may be altered as for varying the colour scheme on the machine, 1t would be necessary that the calibrated scales such as 61 serving to index the axial registering adjustments of the respective printing cylinders should all be aligned in a common plane normal to the axis of the central backing cylinder.

With the arrangement described, on removal of a pattern cylinder with both its bearing members, all of the other associated components, described above, are simultaneously removed since all said components are sup ported from the side plates 23 and 24 respectively secured to the bearing members 7 and 8 in which the pattern cyinder is journalled. This feature greatly expedites and facilitates dismantling and remounting operations, and avoids destroying the axial register adjusting on dismantling.

The form of embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 differs from the one just described in two features. While both features have been shown applied concurrently for illustrative purposes, it will be understood that they are actually independent of one another and may Well be used separately. The first of these features is that the hydraulic jacks such as 16a serving to urge the printing cylinder 2 against the backingroll 3, are dis posed between the cylinder 2 and the axis of the backing roll, so that they operate by a pulling rather than by a thrusting action this arrangement being substantially similar to that described in French Patent 1,202,873 filed February 14, 1958, to which reference may be had for a more detailed description of this particular feature.

With this arrangement, the pattern cylinder and its core 4 can very easily be removed from the machine by first swinging the cover 71 of carriage 72 to its open position (shown in chain lines in FIG. 5), and then withdrawing the assembly including the printing cylinder 2 and its core in the forward direction. It is noted that the carriage 72 supports the bearing member and forms part of the hydraulic jack assembly 1611.

In this embodiment the tank, feed roll with its drive gear, and the squeegees 27 and 28 are all mounted in substantially the same way as in the first embodiment and have been designated by the same reference numbers. The bodily removal of the components is thus effected in the same way as earlier described.

The second point of difference of the embodiment being described lies in the axial register adjusting meclia) nism used, as shown in FIG. 6, such adjustment rather than being effected by a displacement of a bearing member in its support, is performed by axial displacement of the journal 6a of printing cylinder core 4 relatively to its bearing member 8a. For this purpose the journal 6a is arranged to be axially slidable within its bearing a distance amply sufiicient to provide for any axial registering adjustments that may be required to be performed. Such adjustment in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 6 is shown as being effected by means of a handwheel 81 having an externaly threaded hub 82 engaged in a threaded bore 83 of bearing member 8a. The outer end of journal 6a is connected for axial displacement but not for rotation with the hub of the handwheel, the connection being here shown as comprising a dual ball thrust bearing having an intermediate race 84 secured to the journal 6a while its outer races 85 and 86 are secured to the hub 82 of the handwheel. A set screw 87 makes it possible to block the handwheel in any adjusted position.

When handwheel 81 is rotated in either direction the hub 82 is moved in or out of the bearing member 8a and the journal 6a is displaced axially in the same direction and by an equal amount.

This axial registering displacement is especially advantageous since it makes it possible to preserve the adjustment of the printing cylinders regardless of how many times they may be removed from the machine and of how many different printing cylinders requiring different axial adjustments may have to be mounted between the times a given cylinder is removed and replaced. Since the bearings are always mounted in a fixed axial position relative to the machine frame, and since the axial registering adjustment is effected by relative displacement between the printing cylinder core and the bearing, such adjustment will be preserved, since the bearing and its journal are not separated the one from the other on removal of the whole sub-assembly from the machine. Care should of course be taken not to remove the pattern cylinder from its core.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments thereof illustrated and described and that many modifications may be made therein depending on the particular applications desired, without exceeding the scope of the invention. Thus, the invention is applicable to any type of rotary printing machine using intaglio or half-tone or other type of printing rollers or cylinders. Also, while there was described a first embodiment using one form of axial regis ter adjustment in combination with a cylinder-applying jack operating by pushing action and a second embodiment using another form of axial register adjustment in combination with a cylinder-applying jack operating by pulling action, it will be evident that the type of axial registering adjustment mechanism used is not dependent on the type of jack operation and that the two features may therefore be interchanged as between the two embodiments. Other possible modifications will readily appear.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for printing on a web of material comprising a frame; a backing roll mounted on the frame and adapted to receive said web therearound; at least one bodily detachable printing assembly comprising a printing cylinder having a pair of opposite journals, bearing members rotatably surrounding the respective journals, a pair of parallel spaced plates secured to inner sides of the respective bearing members and extending transverse to the cylinder on opposite sides thereof, a printing fluid tank removably supported from said plates, a supply roll rotatably supported across said plates in contact with said cylinder and dipping in said tank, and squeegee means supported from said plates and engaging said cylinder; bearing supports on the frame adapted to receive the bearing members of a printing assembly removably five to the cylinder journals and said axial adjusting means comprising means for adjusting the axial position of said bearing members relative to the bearing supports, and means for indexing the adjusted position thereof.

2. In a rotary printing machine having a backing cylinder, at least one mobile printing unit including a printing roll mounted on a rotary shaft, a pair of spaced bearing sleeves on said shaft, an ink reservoir having two opposite side walls attached to the inner ends of said sleeves so as to maintain the latter in fixed axially spaced relationship on said shaft, and means carried by said reservoir for continuously inking said printing roll, means including two spaced slide blocks for urging said sleeves radially towards said backing cylinder, an arcuate member carried by each slide block for removably supporting said sleeves, and means for adjusting said shaft lengthwise relative to said slide blocks.

3. In a rotary printing machine having a backing cylinder, at least one mobile printing unit including a printing roll mounted on a rotary shaft, a pair of spaced bearing sleeves on said shaft, means for preventing axial movement of one of said sleeves relative to said shaft, an ink reservoir suspended between said sleeves so as to maintain the latter in fixed axially spaced relation on said shaft, and means carried by said reservoir for continuously inking said printing roll, means including two spaced slide blocks for urging said sleeves radially towards said backing cylinder, an arcuate member carried by each slide block for removably supporting said sleeves, each arcuate supporting member being guided on the corresponding slide block for horizontal transverse movement relative to the slide block, means for preventing axial movement of one of said sleeves relative to its arcuate supporting member, and means supported by one of said slide blocks and connected to the arcuate supporting member carried thereby for adjusting said mobile printing unit lengthwise relative to said slide blocks.

4. In a rotary printing machine having a backing cylinder, at least one mobile printing unit including a printing roll mounted on a rotary shaft, a pair of spaced bearing sleeves slidable on said shaft, an ink reservoir suspended from the inner ends of said sleeves to maintain the latter in fixed axially spaced relation on said shaft, and means carried by said reservoir for continuously inking said printing roll, means including two spaced slide blocks for urging said sleeves radially towards said backing cylinder, an arcuate member carried by each slide block for removably supporting said sleeves while preventing axial movement thereof relative to said shaft, and means mounted at the outer end of one of said sleeves and drivingly connected to the corresponding end of said shaft for adjusting the latter lengthwise relative to said reservoir.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,868,385 Greenwood July 19, 1932 2,309,646 Jacobson Feb. 2, 1943 2,321,329 Stafford et al. June 8, 1943 2,988,989 Crawford June 20, 1961 3,063,368 Liessern Nov. 13, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 267,211 Great Britain Mar. 8, 1927 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,161,127 December 15, 1964 Jean Lime It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

In the grant, lines l to 3,, for "Jean Lime, of Haut-Rliine, France, assignor to Societe Alsacienne de Constructions Mechaniques, of Haut-Rhine, France, read Jean Lime, of

Haut-Rhin, France, assignor to Societe Alsacienne de Constructions Mecaniques, of Haut-Rhin, France, line 12,

for "Societe Alsacienne de Constructions Mechaniques, its successors" read Societe Alsacienne de Constructions Mecaniques, its successors in the heading to the printed specification, lines 4 to 6, for "Jean Lime Haut-Rhine, France, assignor to Societe Alsacienne de Constructions Mechaniques, Haut-Rhine, France" read Jean Lime, Haut-Rhin, France, assignor to Societe Alsacienne de Constructions Mecaniques,

- Haut-Rhin, France Signed and sealed this 3rd day of August 1965.

(SEAL) ATTEST:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents

Claims (1)

1. A MACHINE FOR PRINTING ON A WEB OF MATERIAL COMPRISING A FRAME; A BACKING ROLL MOUNTED ON THE FRAME AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID WEB THEREAROUND; AT LEAST ONE BODILY DETACHABLE PRINTING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A PRINTING CYLINDER HAVING A PAIR OF OPPOSITE JOURNALS, BEARING MEMBERS ROTATABLY SURROUNDING THE RESPECTIVE JOURNALS, A PAIR OF PARALLEL SPACED PLATES SECURED TO INNER SIDES OF THE RESPECTIVE BEARING MEMBERS AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSE TO THE CYLINDER ON OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF, A PRINTING FLUID TANK REMOVABLY SUPPORTED FROM SAID PLATES, A SUPPLY ROLL ROTATABLY SUPPORTED ACROSS SAID PLATES IN CONTACT WITH SAID CYLINDER AND DIPPING IN SAID TANK, AND SQUEEGEE MEANS SUPPORTED FROM SAID PLATES AND ENGAGING SAID CYLINDER; BEARING SUPPORTS ON THE FRAME ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE BEARING MEMBERS OF A PRINTING ASSEMBLY REMOVABLY THEREIN; MEANS ON THE FRAME OPERATIVE TO ENGAGE AN ASSEMBLY IN THE MOUNTED CONDITION THEREOF TO DRIVE THE CYLINDER IN ROTATION AND TO URGE THE CYLINDER AGAINST THE ROLL; MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE AXIAL POSITION OF THE PRINTING CYLINDER OF THE MOUNTED ASSEMBLY RELATIVE TO THE FRAME INCLUDING MEANS FOR INDEXING THE ADJUSTED POSITION, SAID BEARING MEMBERS BEING FIXED IN AXIAL POSITION RELATIVE TO THE CYLINDER JOURNALS AND SAID AXIAL ADJUSTING MEANS COMPRISING MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE AXIAL POSITION OF SAID BEARING MEMBERS RELATIVE TO THE BEARING SUPPORTS, AND MEANS FOR INDEXING THE ADJUSTED POSITION THEREOF.

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