Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
  • B41F—PRINTING MACHINES OR PRESSES
  • B41F7/00—Rotary lithographic machines
  • B41F7/02—Rotary lithographic machines for offset printing
  • B41F7/12—Rotary lithographic machines for offset printing using two cylinders one of which serves two functions, e.g. as a transfer and impression cylinder in perfecting machines
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
  • B41M—PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; COLOUR PRINTING
  • B41M1/00—Inking and printing with a printer's forme
  • B41M1/06—Lithographic printing
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
  • B41M—PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; COLOUR PRINTING
  • B41M1/00—Inking and printing with a printer's forme
  • B41M1/14—Multicolour printing
  • B41M1/20—Multicolour printing by applying differently-coloured inks simultaneously to different parts of the printing surface
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
  • B41M—PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; COLOUR PRINTING
  • B41M3/00—Printing processes to produce particular kinds of printed work, e.g. patterns
  • B41M3/008—Sequential or multiple printing, e.g. on previously printed background; Mirror printing; Recto-verso printing; using a combination of different printing techniques; Printing of patterns visible in reflection and by transparency; by superposing printed artifacts
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
  • B41P—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO PRINTING, LINING MACHINES, TYPEWRITERS, AND TO STAMPS
  • B41P2213/00—Arrangements for actuating or driving printing presses; Auxiliary devices or processes
  • B41P2213/70—Driving devices associated with particular installations or situations
  • B41P2213/73—Driving devices for multicolour presses
  • B41P2213/734—Driving devices for multicolour presses each printing unit being driven by its own electric motor, i.e. electric shaft

Definitions

• the present invention relates generally to printing presses and more particularly to printing presses with fixed cutoffs.
• U.S. Patent No. 5,868,071 discloses a variable cutoff printing press.
• the press includes a pair of plate cylinders and a pair of blanket cylinders with all of the cylinders having a cylindrical body and a central axis of rotation.
• the blanket cylinders are linearly adjustably positionable along the perpendicular to the adjustment axes to adjust the spacing between the plate and blanket cylinders to accommodate blanket sleeves of different thicknesses.
• U.S. Patent No. 5,950,536 discloses a press that has an impression plate mounted on the frame in the case of a non-perfecting press or an identical, mirror image assembly of plate and blanket cylinders in the case of a perfecting press.
• the plate cylinder sleeve is variable, whereby a length of an image to be printed is varied proportionally to the variable outer diameter while maintaining the outer diameter of the gapless blanket cylinder sleeve constant.
• U.S. Patent No. 7,032,515 discloses mounting a sub-frame on an existing frame of a printing press. New plate and blanket cylinders having different sizes than the plate and blanket cylinders used in the existing printing press may be mounted in the sub-frame to provide different printing lengths/cut offs.
• the present invention provides a web printing press printing a web having a first side and a second side including:
• a first plate cylinder having a first diameter for printing a first image on the first side of the web
• a second plate cylinder having a second diameter different from the first diameter for printing a second image on the second side of the web also provides a method of printing a web including the steps of: [0009] printing a first side of the web using a first plate cylinder having a first diameter; and [0010] printing a second side of the web using a second plate cylinder having a second diameter; [0011] the first diameter being different from the second diameter.
• FIG. 1 shows a printing press in accordance with the present invention
• FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of a printing press in accordance with the present invention.
• Figs. 3, 4 and 5 show images printed on a web by the printing press shown in Fig. 2.
• a printing press including a print unit having two print couples, a first print couple with a fixed cutoff and a second print couple with a different fixed cutoff allows a single print unit to print two different cutoffs.
• a printing press including a print unit having two print couples, a first print couple with a fixed cutoff and a second print couple with a different fixed cutoff allows a single print unit to print two different cutoffs.
• the length of the fixed cutoffs may be integer multiples of each other.
• Fig. 1 shows a printing press 10 including six print units 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70. Each print unit prints a different color, for example, yellow, magenta, cyan, black, gold or silver, on web 12.
• Print unit 20 includes two print couples 23 and 27; one couple is located on either side of a web 12.
• Each print couple 23, 27 includes a plate cylinder 22, 28 and an associated blanket cylinder 24, 26.
• a radius Rpi of plate cylinder 22 is, for example, 3.50 inches.
• a radius R B I of blanket cylinder 24 is, for example, 3.50 inches also.
• a radius Rp 2 of plate cylinder 28 is, for example, 4.46 inches, and a radius RB 2 of blanket cylinder 26 is, for example, 4.46 inches also.
• a motor 80 drives plate cylinder 22.
• a second motor 82 drives blanket cylinders 24 and 26.
• a third motor 84 drives plate cylinder 28.
• This motor arrangement allows selective contact between plate cylinders 22, 28 and blanket cylinders 24, 26 respectively, for example, for non- perfecting printing or for plate changing.
• Other motor arrangements for example, motor arrangements in auto-transfer printing presses, are also preferred.
• Printing units 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 are arranged similarly to printing unit 20.
• Each printing unit 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 includes two print couples 33, 37, 43, 47, 53, 57, 63, 67, 73, 77.
• Each print couple 33, 37, 43, 47, 53, 57, 63, 67, 73, 77 includes one plate cylinder 32, 38, 42, 48, 52, 58, 62, 68, 72, 78 and an associated blanket cylinder 34, 36, 44, 46, 54, 56, 64, 66, 74, 76, respectively.
• Printing press 10 also includes a roll 14 and a windup roll 16. Web 12 travels from roll 14 to windup roll 16.
• web 12 is printed by printing units 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, web 12 is dried by a dryer 18.
• Windup roll 16 can then be removed and cut to a proper size, for example, for packaging material.
• the printed web may be delivered to another printing device, for example, a coater, a rewinder, a sheeter, a folder or other inline finishing device.
• the blanket cylinder In a printing couple, it is preferable for the blanket cylinder to have a radius similar to the associated plate cylinder radius or an integer multiple thereof. For example, in printing couple 23 the radius Rpi of plate cylinder 22 is 3.50 inches and the radius R B I of blanket cylinder 24 is 3.50 inches also.
• a second embodiment of the present invention, printing press 110 is shown in Fig 2.
• Printing press 1 10 is preferable when both sides of web 1 12 are printed at the same time.
• Printing press 1 10 includes a four color printing section 102.
• Printing section 102 includes four print units 120, 130, 140, 150. Each print unit 120, 130, 140, 150 prints a different color, for example, yellow, magenta, cyan or black, on web 1 12.
• Print unit 120 includes two print couples 123 and 127; one couple is located on either side of web 112.
• Each print couple 123, 127 includes a plate cylinder 122, 128 and an associated blanket cylinder 124, 126.
• a radius Rp 3 of plate cylinder 122 is, for example, 3.50 inches.
• a radius R B3 of blanket cylinder 124 is, for example, 3.50 inches also.
• a radius Rp 4 of plate cylinder 128 is, for example, 7.00 inches, and a radius R B4 of blanket cylinder 126 is, for example, 7.00 inches also.
• Each plate cylinder and blanket cylinder may include printing plates and blankets respectively. As shown in printing unit 120, a printing plate 222 is mounted on an outer circumference of plate cylinder 122 and a printing plate 228 is mounted on an outer circumference of plate cylinder 128. A blanket 224 is mounted on blanket cylinder 124. A blanket 226 is mounted on blanket cylinder 126. Blankets 224, 226 may be gapless, axially removable blanket sleeves.
• plate cylinders may include multiple plate lock-up mechanisms carrying multiple printing plates.
• Plate cylinder 138 includes two plate lock-up mechanisms 160 and 162.
• Two printing plates 238 and 239 are mounted on plate cylinder 138.
• Printing plates 238 and 239 may carry a same image or different images.
• plate cylinders 142, 148 may be imaged directly and need not carry printing plates.
• a motor 180 drives plate cylinder 122.
• a second motor 182 drives blanket cylinders 124 and 126.
• a third motor 184 drives plate cylinder 128.
• This motor arrangement allows selective contact between plate cylinders 122, 128 and blanket cylinders 124, 126, respectively, for example, for non-perfecting printing or for plate changing. Other motor arrangements, for example, motor arrangements in auto-transfer printing presses, are also preferred.
• Printing units 130, 140 and 150 are arranged similarly to printing unit 120. Each printing unit 130, 140, 150 includes two print couples 133, 137, 143, 147, 153, 157.
• Each print couple 133, 137, 143, 147, 153, 157 includes one plate cylinder 132, 138, 142, 148, 152, 158 and an associated blanket cylinder 134, 136, 144, 146, 154, 156, respectively.
• Printing press 110 also includes a folder 104 including roll top of former 106, nip rollers 108, cutting cylinders 114 and a fan 116. Web 112 travels through printing section 102 and folder 104 where the web may be processed and folded into printed products.
• the radius of printing plates 128, 138, 148 and 158 should be an integer multiple of the radius of printing plates 122, 132, 142 and 152. This relationship between radius Rp 3 and radius Rp 4 is needed to keep proper circumferential registration of images printed on web 112.
• printing plate 122 has a radius Rp 3 of 3.50 inches and a cutoff of 22 inches.
• Printing plate 128 has a radius Rp 4 of 7.00 inches and a cutoff of 44 inches.
• Radius Rp 4 of printing plate 128 is two times radius Rp 3 of printing plate 122.
• Figs. 3, 4 and 5 show images printed on web 112.
• print couple 123 (Fig. 2) prints an image A on a top side 210 of web 112 while images C and D are printed on an underside 212 along the same length of web 112 by print couple 127 (Fig. 2).
• two printing plates may be mounted around an outer circumference of plate cylinder 128 or one printing plate may be mounted which includes images C and D.
• an image B is printed on the underside 212 of web 1 12, for example, by print couple 127, while print couple 123 (Fig. 2) prints two image A images on the top side 210 along the same length of web 1 12.
• print couple 123 Fig. 2
• a position of an image on one side could vary relative to a position of an image on the other side.
• the diameters for plate cylinders 122 and 128 having images A and B and images A, C and D should be integer multiples of one another.
• the resultant printed web will have multiple repeat images on one side of web 1 12 and a full print length on the other side of web 1 12.
• Fig. 5 shows two image B images printed on the underside 212 of web 112, for example by print couple 127, while print couple 123 (Fig. 2) prints two image A images on the top side 210 along the same length of web 112.
• printing press 110 also may be used to print web 1 12 conventionally, for example, an image A on the top side 210 corresponding to an image B on the underside 212 and this being repeated along web 112.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Rotary Presses (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Cited By (1)

Citations (4)

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• 2008
  • 2008-05-15 JP JP2010506340A patent/JP2010524746A/ja active Pending
  • 2008-05-15 CN CN200880014025XA patent/CN101687411B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2008-05-15 WO PCT/US2008/006354 patent/WO2008134089A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2008-05-15 EP EP08767786A patent/EP2146850B1/en not_active Not-in-force

Patent Citations (4)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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