US3430882A - Expandable arbor - Google Patents

Description

F. W. MOYNES EXPANDABLE ARBOR March 4, 1969 Filed June 27, 1967' I l/VVE/VTOR FRA/VKW Mam/Es I 3y x a lr, g7

United States Patent 3,430,882 EXPANDABLE ARBOR Frank W. Moynes, 1840 Meadow Lane, Village of Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ill. 60015 Filed June 27, 1967, Ser. No. 649,240 U.S. Cl. 24272 Int. C]. 1365!! 75/18 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention generally relates to expandable arbors or core holders and manufacturing methods therefor, and it relates more particularly to a new and improved arbor which is expandable by fluid pressure into fixed engagement with a workpiece positioned thereon.

In order to facilitate an understanding of this invention it is described hereinafter in connection with a label printing press, but it will be understood by those skilled in the art that certain aspects of the invention may be used in many other applications where expandable arbors are employed.

Presses for printing labels usually include apparatus for transporting the web or tape on which the labels are to be printed through a printing station, and it is important that precise linear registry between the tape and the printing mechanism be maintained. Such registry becomes particularly critical in the printing of multicolor labels. The common practice in the industry is to supply the tape stock in rolls wound on a cylindrical tubular core, and the printed labels are generally supplied to the user in much the same manner. Consequently, in order to insure precise registry of the tape as it moves through the printing station, it is customar to mount the rolls of unprinted and printed tapes on accurately controlled spindles to permit controlled feeding of the tape through the printing station. In the past, arbors employing mechanically expandable elements have been used to lock the tape rolls to the spindles but such arbors have not been entirely satisfactory for several reasons. For example, they are subject to operator errors whereby the cores are not always locked to the spindle when the printing operation is initiated. Also, these arbors become worn with use and sometimes loosen during a printing operation. Moreover, some of the mechanically expandable arbors on the market are difiicult to operate and maintain and in many cases they are complex and expensive to manufacture.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved expandable arbor for locking a workpiece thereto.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a fluid operated expandable arbor which insures that the workpiece and the arbor are in fixed engagement.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved expandable arbor on which a core can be quickly placed and locked thereon.

Briefly, the above and further objects may be realized in accordance with the present invention by providing an elongated member having a spindle connector mounted 3,439,882 Patented Mar. 4, 1969 at one end and provided with a fluid carrying passageway extending through the connector into the body of the member for communication through generally radial passages to the surface of the member intermediate the respective ends thereof. An imperforate elastomeric sleeve is disposed over the elongated member and the end portions thereof are sealed to the end portions of the member thereby providing a sealed space between the inner wall of the sleeve and the outer wall of the elongated member into which the fluid carrying passageway extends. Longitudinally extending, interfitting portions of the elongated member and the sleeve are provided so that when a pressurized fluid is supplied to the passageway to expand the sleeve into fixed engagement with the core or the like mounted thereon, the interengaging portions prevent relative rotational movement between the sleeve and the elongated member. Accordingly, relative movement between the core and the spindle is prevented as long as the passageway remains pressurized.

Further objects and advantages and a better understanding of the present invention may be had by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a label printing press embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinally sectioned view of a core holder and associated drive spindle with a core locked in place thereon;

FIGURE 3 is an end view of the device of FIG. 2 taken from the line 33 and assuming the entire device to be shown therein;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2 assuming the entire device to be shown therein; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 2 assuming the entire device to be shown therein.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a printing press 10 suitable for printing labels or the like. Briefly, the printing press 10 includes a cabinet 11 having a shelf or counter on which is mounted a control panel 13. An expandable arbor 14 for receiving a row of unprinted webbing or tape 15 is mounted on a controllably rotated spindle, not shown, and the unprinted web 16 is fed through a printing station 17 where the labels are printed thereon by a suitable printing mechanism. The web on which the labels have been printed is identified by the numeral 18 and it passes over a suitable guide post 19 and onto a take-up roll 20. The roll 20 is mounted on an expandable arbor 22 suitably connected to a controllably driven spindle (not shown). A waste take-up roll 22 is mounted on an expandable arbor 24 suitable connected to a controllably rotated spindle (not shown).

In order to assure that proper registry of the web is maintained in the printing station and that the roll 29 is properly wound, it is important that the several rolls 15, 20, and 23 be rotated in accurately controlled relationship to one another. Mounted within the cabinet 11 is means well known in the art for rotating the spindles on which the rolls are respectively mounted in this precise predetermined relationship. However, in order to make certain that the respective rolls .rotate in this same relationship, it is necessary that the hollow cores to which they are secured and on which they are mounted be fixedly locked to the associated spindles so that there is no slippage or play between the cores and the spindle.

In accordance with an important aspect of the present invention, the expandable arbors 14, 22 and 24 are pneumatically or hydraulically controlled. Preferably, expansion and contraction of the arbors 14, 22 and 24 are under the control of the operator and for this purpose a pair of control buttons or the like 26, and 28, are provided on the control panel 13. Actuation of the button 26 controls a valve which connects a pressurized fluid to the arbors which causes them to expand into locking engagement with the cores, and actuation of the control buttons 28 vents the arbors to the atmosphere whereby they contract to permit removal of the rolls therefrom. Where desirable, or necessary, an interlock may be pro vided so that the printing operation cannot be initiated until the control button 26 has been actuated to lock the cores in place on the arbors or core holders.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown an expandable arbor or core holder and spindle assembly of the type used in the printing press of FIG. 1. As shown, a spindle 30 is journaled in a pair of spaced apart bearings 31 and 32 respectively mounted in vertically disposed mounting plates 33 and 34. As drive gear 35 is suitably keyed to the shaft 30 and is held in place against an annular shoulder 36 by means of a nut 37 threaded onto the end of the spindle. As viewed in FIG. 2, a leftwardly facing annular shoulder 39 on the spindle abuts the hearing 32 to prevent movement of the spindle inwardly of the cabinet and a retaining ring 40 which is spring-fitted in an annular groove on the spindle abuts the left-hand side of the bearing 31 to prevent outward movement of the spindle relative to the front wall 41 of the cabinet 11 through which the spindle extends. An external annular flange 43 at the front end of the spindle provides a retainer for a coupling nut 44 which is rotata-bly mounted on the forward end of the spindle 30. A pair of torque transmitting lugs 46 and 47 extend axially from the forward end of the spindle and are adapted to be received in complementary recesses 48 and 49 in the face of an externally threaded connector 50 on an expandable arbor or core holder 52' As shown, with the connector member 50 placed snugly against the outer face of the spindle, the nut 44 may be tightened to secure the core holder 52 on the spindle 30.

The spindle 30 is provided with a longitudinally cen tered bore 53 which is counterbored at 54 for conveying a pressurized fluid, such as compressed air, to a blind hole 56 drilled in the arbor 52. A resilient O-ring 57 is received in an annular groove at the face of the spindle and is compressed between the spindle and the connector member 50 to seal the passages through the bores 53, 54 and 56 from the atmosphere.

The arbor or core holder 52 includes a substantially solid, elongated metallic member 60 which is integral with the connector 50 and into which the hole 56 extends. A plurality of radial holes 61 and 62 extend from the center hole 56 to the surface of the member 60 at locations substantially disposed from the ends thereof. A pair of aligned longitudinal grooves 63 and 64 are provided in the surface of the member 60 and a similar set of grooves are provided in the surface diametrically opposite to the grooves 63 and 64. Mounted over the member 60 is an elastomeric sleeve 66 which is sealably bonded at its respective ends to the portion of the member 60. The sleeve 66 is provided with a plurality of ribs 68 and 69 which are complementary to and are received in the grooves 63 and 64 so as to prevent relative rotation between the central portions of the sleeve 66 and the member 60.

In manufacturing the arbor 52 it has been found desirable to mold the sleeve 66 of a thermoformable plastic such, for example, as a polyether urethane of the type sold by Du Pout under the trade name Adibrene directly on the member 60. A good sealable bond between the sleeve and the end portions of the member 60 may be achieved by machining or otherwise providing fine threads 70 on the ends of the member 60. Prior to the molding operation, the entire surface portion of the member 60 intermediate the threads 70 is coated with a release agent so that after the sleeve 66 has been molded on the member 60 the central portions thereof are readily separable from the mating parts of the member 60. However, a good seal and bond is provided at the locations of the threads '70. After the plastic has set, the outer surface of the sleeve 66 may be machined to the desired dimen- 81011.

In use, with the bore 53 in the spindle 30 connected to the atmosphere the sleeve 66 therefor being in an unstressed condition in relatively tight engagement with the mating surfaces of the member 60, a spool having a core 72 may be readily slipped thereover. Then, pressurized fluid such as compressed air is supplied to the bore 53 of the spindle thereby expanding the sleeve 66 into tight fitting engagement with the inner wall of the core 72. As long as the passageway 53 remains pressurized, a tight locking fit between the sleeve 66 and the core 72 is maintained with no chance of slippage. Moreover, since the grooves 63 and 64 and the ribs 68 and 69 have a depth which is substantially greater than the radial expansion of the sleeve 66 when it engages the core 72, the interengagement between the walls of the ribs 68 and 69 and the walls of the grooves 63 and 64 prevents relative angular movement between the central portions of the sleeve 66 and the member 60.

In those applications where the fluid pressure available would be such as to rupture the sleeve 66 or break the bond between it and the member 60 were the passageway 53 to be pressurized without a core being in place on the arbor, a suitable pressure regulator valve may be connected in the line to prevent such an occurrence.

While the present invention has been described in connection with a single embodiment thereof, it will be understood that those skilled in the art may make many changes and modifications without departing from the true spirit and scope of this invention, and therefore, it is intended in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. An expanding arbor for locking a core or the like on a spindle, comprising:

an elongated member having connector means provided at one end thereof for mounting said member on a spindle,

said elongated member having a cylindrical surface,

said member having a passageway therein extending through said connector means for receiving fluid under pressure,

said member having at least one hole in the cylindrical surface thereof communicating with said passagea cylindrical elastomeric sleeve positioned over said member and sealed thereto at the ends of said member,

said sleeve being imperforate and having an internal diameter approxmately equal to the external diameter of said member when said passageway is not pressurized,

means for supplying a fluid under pressure to said passageway, whereby after a core has been placed over said sleeve, pressurized fluid may be supplied between the adjacent surfaces of said member and said sleeve to expand said sleeve into fixed engagement with said core, and

interengaging means on said elongated member and said sleeve along at least a portion of their lengths for preventing relative rotation therebetween when said sleeve is in the expanded condition and for permitting relative radial motion, between the abutting surfaces of said portions,

said interengaging means on said elongated member and said sleeve including at least one longituidnally extending groove in the cylindrical surface of said said sleeve is formed of a polyether urethane and is molded directly onto said cylindrical member.

5. The invention according to claim 1 wherein:

said fluid is air.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,289,519 7/ 1942 Randall 24272 2,697,563 12/1954 Miller. 2,711,863 6/1955 Grettoe 24272 3,108,757 10/1963 Williams 24272 NATHAN L. MINTZ, Primary Examiner.

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