GB2265438A

GB2265438A - A roller, having an outer skin, for a printing press conveyor

Info

Publication number: GB2265438A
Application number: GB9200088A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Chi-Kwan Tong
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-01-03
Filing date: 1992-01-03
Publication date: 1993-09-29
Also published as: DE9217903U1; CN1073910A; JPH0564157U; GB9200088D0; CN1029096C

Abstract

A roller for a printing press comprises a rotatable drum 4 of soft material, such as foam, mounted on wheels 2a, 2b, 2c provided with an outer skin 5, eg of teflon, anchored to the drum, which is capable of limited movement relative to the drum 4. The conveyor enables material to which print is being applied to be handled in a delicate manner, so that the conveyor does not mark the material or cause printing ink to smear. <IMAGE>

Description

CONVEYORS FOR PRINTING PRESSES The present invention relates to conveyors for use in printing presses. Within a printing press there may be a number of different work stations for carrying out different stages in the printing process, and conveyors are provided for conveying the material to which print is to be applied from the printing press input to the various work stations in sequence and then to the printing press output.

One known conveyor comprises an array of wheels which are held in mutually parallel co-axial spaced apart relationship by parallel connecting rods. The conveyor is driven in rotation about its axis, and the rims of the rotating wheels frictionally engage the material to be conveyed, and sweep the material onwards through the printing press.

One disadvantage which arises with conveyors of the type described above is that when the print material is conveyed through a substantial angle it bears more firmly against the rims of the wheels and may become marked by the wheels. For example in some printing presses the printing press input and printing press output are located adjacent to one another for reasons of convenience, and the material to which print is to be applied is conveyed from the input along the printing press through various work stations, then undergoes a U-turn at the far end of the printing press, and is then conveyed back along the printing press through further work stations to the printing press output.While the material bears only lightly against conveyors encountered on its outward or return journey, it bears more firmly against the conveyor at the far end of the printing press which sweeps the material through the U-turn, and this conveyor may mark the material.

An object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor which can handle the material to which print is to be applied in a more delicate manner so as to prevent the material from becoming marked.

The invention provides a conveyor in the form of a drum of soft material provided with an outer skin anchored to the drum but capable of limited movement relative to the drum.

Preferably the skin has an outer surface which is non adhesive or anti adhesive, for example a skin made of or coated with an outer layer of the material sold under the trade mark "TEFLON".

The invention will now be described more particularly by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings which show, by way of example only, one construct on of conveyor in accordance with the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the conveyor, shown partly disassembled; and Figure 2 is an end view of the conveyor.

Referring to the drawings, the conveyor comprises a shaft 1 with journals la, lb at each end thereof, three parallel mutually spaced apart wheels 2a, 2b and 2c mounted on the shaft 1 by means of split brackets 3a, 3b and 3c (one half of each split bracket being attached to the corresponding wheel), a drum 4 of flexible material such as foam mounted on the wheels, and an outer skin 5 anchored to the drum. The outer skin 5 is made of the material sold under the trade mark "TEFLON". The outer skin 5 although anchored to the drum 4 is nevertheless capable, because of its inherent flexibility, of limited movement relative to the drum.

The operation of the conveyor will now be described. When the printing press is in operation the conveyor rotates continuously. The printing press is typically used to print posters, placards or other discrete items, and the items proceed through the printing press in a steady procession, with each item arriving at the conveyor so as to meet the smooth circular face of the conveyor, and not the open segment 6.

As the item arrives at the conveyor, the inked surface of the item is presented to the conveyor. The drum 4 absorbs the impact of the item on the conveyor so that no damage is done to the item.

The conveyor is intended to undergo uniform rotational motion relative to the rest of the printing press, and therefore relative to the procession of items of material to which print is to be applied.

However, it sometimes happens that the conveyor undergoes unintended vibrations, for example vibrations along its axis, or vibrations in its rotational movement. These vibrations may be inherent in the machine or may arise as a result of the impact of the material to which print is to be applies. In either case the outer skin 5 moves with the material to which print is to be applied and relative to the drum 4, and in this way prevents the ink from smearing.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A conveyor for use in a printing press comprising a drum of soft material provided with an outer skin anchored to the drum but capable of limited movement relative to the drum, the drum being drivable in rotation so as to convey material to which print is being applied.

2. A conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the outer skin is substantially non-adhesive.

3. A conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the drum material is resiliently deformable.

4. A conveyor according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the drum and outer skin have a common longitudinally extending gap.

5. A conveyor according to claim 4, wherein the edges of the outer skin running along the common gap extend radially inwards over the corresponding edges of the drum.

6. A conveyor according to claim 5, wherein said edges of the outer skin are wrapped around the corresponding edges of the drum.

7. A conveyor for use in a printing press substantially as herein described with reference to, or with reference to and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.

8. All novel features and combinations thereof.