Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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IELD OF T~E INY~NTION.
The present invention relates to a roller
constructi~n~for inkers or dampers, in which the roller iR
held in po8~ion ~y stub 3h&ft~ in side ~all~ in the printing
machine, or a fra~e thereof, ~nd more particularly to an.inker
roller construction ~uitable for short ~n~ train ink2rs ln
rotary offset and ~lexo printing ~achine~.
BACKGROU~D.
Sho~t ink trsin in~er systems, for example of ~he
type described~in the referenced German Patent Disclosure
Docu-ent DE-OS 37 04 433~ require ~requent exchnnge of the inker
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rollers which, typlcally, are anilox rollerz. 2Y.change i8
necessary due to ~he differences in printed subject matter
to be applied, and printed effects to be ohtained. The
diversity of printed effects required also necessitates
a wide range for the quantity of ink, and hence differences
in the sl~e, number, and shape of the cells per unit surface,
to provide different acceptance characteristics for ink on
the anilox roller. Maintaining a large number of an~lox
rollers of different surface characteristics and cons~r~ction
is c06tly; interchange of the rollers as such is dificult
in many machines due to the lack of space,or arrangement
of rollers and cylinders in the machine which interferes
with easy exchange of the rolle.rs. Even inker rollers which
are coated with a plastic or rubber surface, or have a
plastic or rubbar jacket, require frequent exchange, due
to wear on the surface of the roller. Difficulties in
exchange of the rollers again arise, which i~ even worse
if the inker application rollers are of substantial
diameter, for example of ~he diameter of forme cylinders.
THE INVENTION.
It ls an ob;ect to provide a construction for
application of ink, and) if desired, of damping ~luid,
for rotary printing machines, and particularly if the
inker rol~ers are rollers with cells, or inker rol~ers
havlng different cell cons~ruction or characteristics;
i the application ~ystem uses different ~ypes of rollers,
then the inventio~ is directed to ensuring that the surface
of the roller can be readily exchanged, without requiring
disassembly of the entire roller from the inker and/or damper
structure.
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Briefly, the roller i6 made of somewhat smallPr
diameter than previously customary and i~ fltted with a
selectively replaceable sleeve, which can be positioned
over the roller, the sleeve having a predetermined selected
surface configuration or characteri~tic. One of the side
walls of the machine is formed with at least one opening
having a diameter at least slightly larger than the diameter
of the roller with the slee~e thereon or, respectively,
sllghtly larger than the sleeve as such. The bearing for
the stub shaft of the roller a~ that end is removable from
the side ~all, to permit, after removal of the bearing,
removal of the sleeve from the roller through the opening
and placement therethrough of ano~her sleeve on the roller.
An auxiliary support system is provided, engageable with the
roller to support and position the roller while being
re~ained by only one remai~i~g bearlng in the side wall other
than the one formed with the opening.
The system has the advantage that the surface whlch
is ~ub~ect to ~ear or sub~ect to replacemen~ ~ ma~ch
the surface characteristics to required printing ~obs can be
easily e~changed without requiring interchange of the
en~ire roller and removal thereo from the prin~ing machine,
which may cause extensive service and cost~.
DRAWINGS:
Pig. 1 i8 a schematic representation of a printing
machine utillzing short ink train inker~, shown ln disengaged
position, that i8, removed from the associated inker roller~
in ~hich the inker rolle~ are anilox rolle~;
Fig. 2 is a greatly enlarged schematic representation,
partly in ~ection, of a roller, and its positioning wi~hin
the printing machine;
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Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vle~ of an auxiliary holdlng
arrangement for the roller of Fig. 2; and
Fig. 4 is a sche~atic end vie~ of a portion of the
side wall, showing access openings for a cover sleeve for
the roller of the printing machine.
DETA~LED D~SCRIPTION.
The invantion will be descrlbed w~th reference to a
short ink train inker system, which is suitable, for example,for
a pr~nting m2chine with prin~ing unit~ 100, 2, 3, each ~ving a plate
cylinder 5, a blanket cylinder 4, an ink application roller 6 and an anllox
roller 7. Each one of the plate cylinders 5, addltionally, has a damper
8 associated therewlth. Each one of ~he anilox rollers 9
receives ink from a respective inker supply 9. The inker
supplies 9 are chambered doctor blade systems, which include
a chambered doctor blade unit 10 which can be engaged and
disengaged from the associated anilox roller 7. In Fig. 1,
the systems 9 are shown disengaged from the anilox roller.
The an~lox roller 7, fur~her, can be disengaged from surface
contact with ~he ink;application roller 6.
Fig. 1 illustrates the ink application roller 6 to have
the same diameter as the plate cylinder 5; it may be
differently construct~d, however, for example to have the
same diameter as the anilox roller 7; or the anilo~ roller 7
may have the diameter of the ink application roller 6 or
that of the plate cylinder 5. The invention will be
described wlth referenee to the anilox roller 7, is no~
limi~ed ~hereto, however, 8ince the invention may be used
also in connection with the ink application roller or
cylinder 6, or in connectlon with other types of ln:ker sy~tems;
or for application to damper rollers 8a, 8b of the dampers 8.
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A web W is threaded between the blanket cyll~der~ 4,
as shown schematically in Fig. 1.
The short ink traln inkers 9 include7 b~sides the
chambered unit 10, an ink supply pump 17 which supplies
ink through an ink supply hose 13. A holder 27 is provlded
for an ink trough, shown only schematically; the holder 19
holds the chambered doctor 'blade unit 10 in position, and
permits pivoting thereof in engagement with or removal
from the associated anilox roller 7. The referenced
applications describe sui~able arrangements.
A cross bar 29 retalns the sys~ems in position and provides
a guideway to transmit rotary power to the ink pumps 17.
None of these elements form part of the present invention;
they are described only for completeness's sake.
In accordance with a feature of the inven~ion, the
anilox roller 7 which, as noted, may have the same diameter
as the in~ applicat~n roller 6,has a body~7' with'two axially
laterally extending stub shafts 32, 33 (Fig. 2) which retain
the anilox roller body 7'in the side walls 1, 1~ o the
~0 prin~ing mac~ine. In accordance ~ith a further feature of
the inv~ntlon, one o the side walls, as s.hown the side walls
1, which may be ~exmed the "I wall", iB fo~med with an
opening 31 located ~ least in the region of the inker
9. A ~urther openi~g with the same, or larger diameter
may be provided, see Fig. 4, the further opening 30 being
coaxi~l with or matching the diameter of the ink ~pplication
roller 6. In any case, the openings 30, 31 must ha~e a
diameter which i8 SO dimensioned that a sleeve 34, to be applied
to the inker roller body' 7', in accordance with the invention,
may be slid through the respective opening 30 or 31, that is,
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must have a sllghtly larger diameter. If the invention is
used wlth the anilox roller 7, sleeve 34 will have a
surface profile or ~rface shape with cell~ or a screen
pattern applied thereon, ln engraved form. In accordance
with the respectlve printing job to be prln~ed, ~he anilox rcller
body 7Ican be covered with a suitable sleeve 34, by sliding
the sleeve 34 through the opening 31, the sleeve having the
desired profile characteristic required of the anilox roller 7,
so that the necessary ink can be supplied to the plate
cylinder 5.
Before the surface sleeve 34 can be inserted through
the opening 31 and fitted on the roller ~dy 7',the stub shaft 33
must be freed or released. A bearing, not shown in Fig. 2
and flttet in the side wall 1, normally placed in the openipg
lS 31, must be removed from the side wall, see Fig. 2. The roller
body 7~ n accordance with the lnvention, 1~ held in
stable po31tion. The stub shaft 32, extending to~ards the
left, in Fig. 2, from the roller body 7' is laterally extended
and cooperates with an auxi~ry holding sy~tem ~ to 43.
The stub shaft 32 is retained in a bearing 32a fitted into the
side wall ~'; the bearing 32a~may be identical to a bearing
fitted in the openlng 31, and removed when the sleeve 34 is
to be applled.
The auxiliary holding system 36-43 is secured in the
drive gear box 35. When the bearing normally in opening 31
i8 removed, the then freed right end of the anilox roller ~ i8
maintained in the position shown in Fig. 1 so that the
sleeve 34 can be fitted over the roller body from the right
(Fig. 2). This is readily possible, for example by slightly
expanding the sleeve 34 with conpre6sed air, and to clamp it
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wlth other auxiliary clamplng elements on the ~oller 7.
To facilitate application of the sleeve 34, t may be for~ed
with a slightly conical opening, or slightly conical, as a whole,
to then, in use, fit tightly over the rolle~ body 7'.
The auxiliary holding system 36-43, e~sentially,
includes an auxiliary shaft 36, extending approximately
transve~csely to the stub shaft 32 and fitted ln the gear box
35, held at its two outer ends in ve~tical walls 35a, 35b
(Fig. 3) of gear box 35. The auxiliary shaft 36 is formed with
a conical recess 38, preferably located about centrally
thereof, The stub shaft 32 is seated in the conlcal recess,
see Figs. 2 and 3, ~o hold the anilox roller before the
be~ring, not shown, aL the right side is removed from the
opening 31 and thus from the stub shaft 33 to permit rPmQval from, or
application of ~che sleeve 34 over the roller~body 7. The
auxiliary shaft 36 is eccentrically retained in the side
~alls 35a~ 35b, as shown at 42. The stub shaft terminates
in a polygonal end, for e~ample in a square end 43, 80 that
it can be rotated by use of a suitable lever, wrench or
the like. Upon eccentric shifting of the shaf~ 36,
the shaf~ wlll engage and disengage from the stub shaft 32.
Rotating the shaft 36 permits vertical adJustment of the
position~ of the roller 7 so that its desired position can be
obtained. This desired po~ition can be indicated by a
2S positionable s~op 41.
The stub shaft 36 is formed w$th a thread at the left
side therQof on which two posi~loning nuts 39, 40 are
screwed, to provide for left-right shifting of the recess 38,
and hence of ths stub ~haft 32 within the gear box 35, and
bet~deen the walls 35a, 35b thereof. Conse~u~tltly, the
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roller 7 can be adju6ted up-down by rotatlon of the
eccentrically retained auxlliary shaft 36 and right-left
by ad~ustment of the nuts 39, 40. Thla permits locating
~he roller 7 between the side walls 1, 1' ln a prede~erminea
position, and holding the roller in that po~ition, to permit
ready placement of the sleeve 34 through the associated
opening 31. After the sleeve 34 i8 placed on the roller b~dy 7',
the bearing, not shown, is seated on the shaft 33 of theassembled
roller 7 and secured in the side wall 1 in any suitable
~anner, as well known. The square end 43 of the auxiliary
shaft 36 is then rotated sufficie~tly to at l~ast sllghtly
lift the roller 36 off the stub shaft 32 so that the roller 7
and the stub shaft 32 are freely rotatable. The roller 7 can
be driven via a gear 37 from an external drive source which
lS can be coupled to the main drive of the printlng machine.
The auxiliary holdIng arrangement, a~ illustrated,
ie a preferred one; other arrangements ~y be used, the
invention baing directed, primarily, to an lnker system
ln which the inker roller i8 not a single unitary elsment but,
rather, comprlses a roller body 7'on which a sleeve 34 with
the desired surface configuration i8 applied, while the
roller 7 is in position in the printing machine, to eliminate
exchange of the entire roller 7, and disengagement from the
drive source, if it ls only desired to change the su~face
characteristic thereof. Thus, different arrangements may be
used to hold the roller 7 in po~i~ion after one side is
released in order to app~y the sleeve 34 thereon.
The basic principle may be used, of course, also with
rollers ln the damping system~ which m~y be desirable for
B~me a~plications. For example, rollers 8a, 8b may hsve surface
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sleeves located thereon of particular desired
characteristics for desired printing applications; in
~hat case, suitable openings in the side walls, ma~ching the
pos~~dns of the rollers, can be formed and the roller~
supplied with sleeves, as described above.
The use of inker rollers with replaceable surface
sleeves, such as sleeve 34, shown in broken lines in Pig. 2,
permits interchange of the surface, for example after the
sleeve is somewhat worn, and after the sleeve which may be
of plastic or rubber, or some other material, should be inter-
changed to provide a new, or a different surface, e.g. grid or profile
characteristic for cells which transfer ink. It is not
necessary to exchange the entire roller which in many
machines is difficult to carry out due to ~he relative
inaccessibility of inkers in the printing machines.
Various changes and modifications may be made within
the scope o~ the inventive concept.
