US1033824A - Multiple-color tube-printing machine. - Google Patents

Description

G- H. NEIDLINGERF MULTIPLE COLOR TUBE PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 30, 1909. RENEWED nEu. 16, 1910.

LQ33Q8QQ. I Patented July 30, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W/TNESSES: nwav'r oe 660 1 17. (/lzd/myw' By I ATTORNEYS MULTIPLE COLOR TUBE PRINTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED D110. 30, 1909. RENEWED DEC. 16, 1910.

LQSfifiQN. Patented July 30, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEYS G. H. NEIDLINGER.

MULTIPLE COLOR TUBE PRINTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 30, 1909. RENEWED DEC. 16, 1910.

L83,824 Patented July so, 1912.

3 SHEETSSHEET s.

W/T/VESSES: INVENTOR ATTORNEYS I ries' a plurality of printing plates, so space To alfwhom it may concern:

enonen H. 'NEIDLINGER, or EAST omnenyamwonnsnr, 'ASSIGNGR' 'rojr EEnLEss' TUBE CQ, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ,A CORPORATION: OF: NEW YORK.

MULTIPLE-COLOR TUBE-PRINTING MACHINE,

Application filed December 30, 1909, Serial No. 535,541.

Be'it known that I,.GrEORGE H. NEIDLIN- can, a: citizen of-the United States, and a resident of East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have inventeda new and Improved Multiple-Color Tube-Printing Machine, of which the following is a 'full, clear, and exact description.

This'invention relates to certain improvementsin machines for printing upon the outer surface ofcans, ars, tubes or other substantially cylindrical bodies, and the main object of the invention isto print the articles in a plurality ofcolors properly registering and applied during a single operation of the machine.

In my improved machine, the articles-to be printed upon are caused to rotate about their own axes, and closely adjacent the surface of a printing cylinder, the rate and direction of surface travel of the printing cylinder and the'article to be printed upon, being the same. The printing cylinder carin relation to the relative diameters of the printing cylinder and the article printed upon, that the printing produced by one printing plate and in one color, will bear a definite and predetermined" relationship to ip .brake will holdthe fast pulley and the entire machine against rotation, while the belt- ;runs the. loose pulley. By swinging the le-- ver 27 to the left, the brake is moved out of engagement with the pulley 23., and the belt is brought on. to the the-machinethe printing produced in a-diiferent color by the next printing plate. In connection with the printing cylinder, automatic inking apparatus is employed, by means of which the roper colored ink is applied to each'printmg plate on the cylinder independent of the other printing plates.

The invention consists in the combination and relative arrangement of parts herein: after defined-in the claims, andone embodiment of which is described in detail in this specification.

. Reference 1s to be had to the accompanyof themachine being broken away; and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view-showing-the relatiye arrangement of certain parts-for printing-1n four colors. i

Specification of Letters Patent.

in- Fig. 2.

Renewed December 1c, 1910. S.eri,a1 No, 597,722.:

In the specific machine illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2,1 employ a main frame. or table 10, havingsuitable supporting legsll; and having upwardly-extending substan- =tially parallel side walls 12 and12' which .serve to journal the various parallel-rollers and shafts embodied in the machine, ranged substantially centrally of the platform or table 10,- is a transverse shaft -13, journaled in the two walls 12 and '12 and. 5 I supportingalarge drum orprinting cylin- Fder-I L. At one end of this cylinder is a 5 gear 15, intermeshing with a gear 16 mounted on a stub shaft or on the side wall 12*.

This gear -16.serves to transmit motion to the printing cylinder from the pinion 17 on a main drive shaft 18. The main drive shaft extends throughthe wall 12?, andhas upon its outer end a bevel gear 19, intermeshing with a bevel pinion 20 on a coun tershaft 21, This countershaft has fast- PatentedJuly 30,1912.

and loose pulleys 22 and 23 with which the belt from any suitable power shaft orprime mover may engage. :Qn the rear sideof d ;the wall 12?, is a sliding-bar 24:, having a brake-25 andbelt-engaglng arms 26 at one end, and at-the other end an upwardly-ex.- tending-lever 27 by means of whioh-thebar 24: may be -move.d longitudinally. W iththe arts in the position indicated in Fig.' 1,,the

pulley 22 to run Directly above the shaft 13 and in the" rear of the wall 12*, is an-upwardly-extend j ing-stationary arm 28, shown in dotted lines The arm has an upper movable section '29 bolted thereto and having-at-its upper end a sleeve 30 through whlch ex; Qtends a spindle 31. The spindle l-ies paral- ,lel to the shaft 13, and directly above the same, and maybe adjusted vertically in re- .spect to said shaft by varying the position v ofthe detachable section 29 with respect to the-stationary portion of the arm 28; The, arm 28 'is preferably integral with an out wardly-extending journal box of the shaft 13, and'on' the rear end of the shaft 1s a removable gear wheel 32 0f..substantially the same diameter as the printing drum.

- The spindle 31' extends-through the sleeve 30 and upon its rear end it is provided with a removable pinion 33 meshing with the gear wheel 32. The gears 32 and 33 cause the printing cylinder and spindle 31 to rotate simultaneously and at predetermined relative speeds. The spindle 31 is adapted to receive the hollow tube, can, jar or other article which it is desired to print, andthe gears 32 and 33 are of such-relative proportions that the rate of-surface travel of the article on the spindle, will be the same a as the rate of surface travel of the printin plates on the printing cylinder. The printing cylinder carries a plurality of these printing plates, there being four such plates 34 employed in the form illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. If the printing is to completely encircle the tube or other article to beprinted, each printing plate is of a width substantially equal to the circumference of said tube or other article, and the printing plates are spaced apart a sufficient distance to permit the spindle to make one or more complete revolutions from the time the rear edge of one printing plate passes the. spindle, until the front edge of the next printing plate arrives in operative position.

The form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is adapted for printing two separate colors on the tube, and thus each alternate printing plate will be made somewhat different than the remaining printing plates. For instance, one printing plate may bear an ornamental design and the border for a panel, which are to be printedin one color, and the next printing plate willbear type for printing the rea ing matterinzan ink of a. different color. frontend, so that a: tube may bereadily slipped thereon and may fit friction tight, so as to rotate-with the spindle. The tube is placed in position either while the spindle is stationary orafte'r the time one printing plate leaves the spindle andbefore the next one reaches said spindle. .As one printing plate passes the spindle,'the tube on the spindle is rotated in contact with the printing plate, to transfer the impression to. the outer sur ace of the tube," and the tube re mains in position until after the next printing plate comes into operative engagementwith the tube and passes the same. The tube is then removed and replaced by another before the third printing plate arrives in 0perative position. Thus,.two tubes will be printed, each in two colors during each r0- tat-ion of the .printing cylinder; In case printing .or ornamentation in three different colors'is to be applied to the tube, one of the four plates shown in Fig. 2 would be removed and the tube would be left on the spindle duringa complete revolution. The number of printing plates, their character and their distance apart, will depend upon the character of printing which it. is desired The spindle is v unsupported at its Each inking mechanism includes an ink or color trough 35, having a roller 36'rotatable therein. A larger roller 37 is mounted in the two side plates 12 and 12 and is positively rotated'froni the pinion 17 on the main shaft 18. The roller 37 upon one end, carries a cam section 38, which intermittently engages with a pivoted lever 39, which latter carries a roller 40. With the cam in engagement with the lever, the roller 40 is held in engagement with the roller 36, to receive ink or color from the latter, and as the cam passes out of engagement with the lever, a spring 41 swings the lever to such a position that the roller 40 engages with the large roller 37 and deliversthe ink or color to the latter. p v

Directly above the roller 37 are three rollers 42, 43 and 44, in engagement with each other andwith said roller 37, and which serve merely as distributing rollers to bring the ink or color into an even and uniform coat. The large roller 37 is spaced a short distance from the printing cylinder, and between the roller 37 and the printing cylinder are one or more rollers 45. These rollers are carried by arms 46 pivoted to the two plates 12 and 12 and are capable of swinging upwardly into engagement with the roller 37, as shown at the left-hand side of Fig. 2, or of swinging upwardly past the position shown at the right-hand side of Fig. 2, into engagement with the roller 37. These rollers 45 act to transfer the color, and are so controlled that they swing into operative engagement with the printing cylinder only when the particular or predetermined printing plate" of the latter is passing the point of tangency with the transferring roller. This controlling mechanism may include a cam 47 on the shaft of the roller 37 and adaptedto engage with a small roller 48 on an arm 49 connected to one of the arms'46. The shape of this cam determines the position of the transferring rollers '45, and each cam is so disposed that the transferring .rollers will intermittently swing across the intervening space between the roller 37 and the printing cylinder, and deliver ink or color to the desired printing plate. The shaft of the roller 37 mayserve, not only to rotate the cam which swings the transferring rollers, but also be used for in- 36 in the color troughs. As shown at the left-hand side of Fig. 2, the roller 36 is pro- I while the oscillation of the arm 51 causesits intermittent rotation in the opposite. direction.

As I have previously-stated, I do not wish to be limited in any way to the use of only two different kinds of color plates, and the use of two sets of inking mechanisms, as any number may be employed by slightly adjusting the relative positions of the parts. In Fig. 3, I have shown somewhat diagrammatically, a printing cylinder with eightprinting plates thereon and four separate sets of inking mechanisms, each with its two transferring rollers for intermittently engaging with the roller 87 or .with the desired printing plate. Any other number than four could of course be employed.

The specific machine illustrated is designed for printing upon the outer surface of collapsible tubes before the latter are filled. The spindle is made of such size as to fit friction tight within the tube, and thus positively rotates the latter at the desired speed. It is, of course, evident that the spindle could be made of larger size and the device used for printing upon cans, jars, or any other similar containers. By inclining the axes of the spindle and printing cylinder, the machine may be used for printing upon conical instead of cylindrical walls. v

Hereinafter in the claims I wish the term tube to be considered as covering any form of container, upon the cylindrical or approximately cylindrical walls of which it is desired to print.

. Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A multiple color tube printing machine having a printing cylinder,

a shaft for supporting the same, an arm formed of two adjustably connected sect-ions,fone ,of said sections carrying aisleeve, a spindle mounted within said sleeve and disposed adjacent to and substantially parallel with the periphery of said printing cylinder, and

means for rotating said spindle and said printing cylinder at substantially the same rate of surface travel.

2. A multiple color tube printing machine,- having-a printing cylinder provided. with a gear wheel and a plurality of printing plates, separate inking mechanisms for said separate plates and gear wheel, an arm extending upwardly adjacent one end of said printing cyllnder and formed of a stationary section and a the periphery operated from saidsection adjustably secured thereto and provided with a sleeve, a spindle mounted in said sleeve anddisposed adjacent to and parallel with the periphery of said cylinder andmovable toward or from the same upon the adjustment of said last-mentioned section, and removable intermeshing gears car'- ried by the shaft of said cylinder and by said spindle.

3. A multicolor tube printing machine having a printingcyli'nder, a plurality of printing plates carried thereby, a plurality of separate inking mechanisms, the number of printing plates being a multiple of the number of inking mechanisms, means controlled by the rotation of the cylinder for bringing each inking mechanism into operation a plurality of times during each rotation of said cylinder, a spindle adjacent of the cylinder and supported at one end only and adapted to receive upon the opposite end thereof the tube to be printed, and means for rotating said spindle and said printing cylinder to print the desired number of colors upon the tube during. a fraction of a rotation of said printing cylinder. I

4:. A multicolor tube printing machine having a printing cylinder, a plurality of printing plates carried thereby and project ing outwardly therefrom to leave recesses between adjacent plates, a plurality of inking mechanisms for said inking plates, and a spindle extending substantially parallel with the periphery of the cylinder and adapted to carry a tube in printing relationship to said plates, said tube being removable from said spindle when a recess of the printing cylinder is opposite said spindle.

5. A multicolor tube printing inachine having a printing cylinder, a plurality of printing plates carried thereby and extend- ,ing outwardly therefrom' and spaced apart to leave recesses therebetween, a plurality of inking mechanisms, the number of ink ing mechanisms corresponding to one-half the number of printing plates and each. plate on said cylinder being a duplicate of the plate diametrically opposite thereto, means for bringing each printing mechanism into operation twice during each revolution ofthe cylinder, a spindle supported at one end and extending substantially par allel to the periphery of the cylinder and adapted to receive a tube to be printed, said tube being removable from said spindle :when said spindle is opposite a recess between adjacent printing plates, and means for rotating said spindle and said printing mechanisms at the same rate of surface travel.

6. A multicolor tube printing machine having a print-ing cylinder, a plurality of printing plates carried thereby, each printing plate being a duplicate of the printing contact with said printing plates, a half plate diametrically o posite thereto, an inkrevolution of said printing cylinder serving ing roller, means or rotating the same to complete the printing operation upon twice during each rotation of the printing saidtube. 15

' cylinder, an ink transmitting roller, a cam In testimony whereof I have signed my connected to said inking roller for swinging name to this specification in the presence of said transferring roller into and out of entwo subscribing witnesses.

gagement with a printing plate during each GEORGE H. NEIDLINGER. revolution of the inking roller, and means Witnesses: adapted to support a-tube to be printed and CLAIR W. FAInBA'NK,

permit the rotation of the latter in rolling PHiLIP D. ROLIJHAUS.

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