US1911325A - Rotary printing machine - Google Patents

Description

May 30, 1933. H. w. SANDERSON 1,911,325

ROTARY PRINTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 24, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR HAROLD WILLIAM SANDERSON 7215 aii'orneyj May 30, 1933. H. w. SANDERSON 1,911,325

ROTARY PRINTING MACHINE I 7 Filed Aug. 24, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Y HAROLD WILLIAM SANDERSON 15y IZL'S aiioi-neys Patented May 30, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

HAROLD WILLIAM SAN ERsO or COLLSELS, DENHAM, ENGLAND, AssmNon 01' cm:-

HALF TO THE WALL PAPER MANUFACTURERS LIMITED, or LONDON, ENGLAND ROTARY PRINTING MAOHIN E Application filed August 24, 1931, Serial No. 559,070, and in Great Britain October 22, 1930,

This invention relates to multi' colour rotary printing machines of the kind having a pressure cylinder; two or more prmting rollers; impression rollers intermediate the printing rollers and the pressure cylinder and in frictional engagement wlth and rotating at the same peripheral speed as the;

said pressure cylinder, and toothed wheels and pinions'for driving the pressure cylinder andthe printing rollers, the gear ratio being such that the saidtoothed wheels and pinions and the said' pressure cylinder rotate atthe same peripheral speed, and this invention has for its object to provide an improved multi-colour rotary printing machine of the aforesaid kind whereby new -printing effects are producedand which is eminently suitable for printing, from surface printing rollers,wallpapers, calicoes and the i 1 1 The gear rat-i0 of the aforesaid trainof 6 like. 1 I I According to this invention the machine is provided with a printing roller, orvprinting rollers having a diameter different from the diameter of the pitch circle of the driving pinion or pinion's,thereof so that the peripheral speed of the said printing roller, or printing rollers,"is greater or less than the speed of travel of the web of paper, or other material (hereinafter referred to as a web of paper) passing between this roller, or

these rollers, and a yieldable co-acting impression roller, or rollers,whereby the design printed onthe said" web of paper is either shorter or longer than that on the said printing roller, or rollers, and conse-' quently new printing effects are produced. I will more particularly describe this invention with reference to the'accompanying drawings inwhich Figures 1 and 2 illustrate, in elevations at right angles to each other, so much of a multi-colour rotary printing machine as is necessary to show the application of this invention thereto.

In the example of machine illustrated 1 indicates a pressure cylinder having: a nonyieldable circumferential surface and rotated at a predeterminedspeed by means of a toothed wheel 2 to which rotary motion is transmitted from a driving shaft 3 througha toothed wheel 4, secured thereto, and a. pinion 5 on a stud secured to the framerA of the machine, which frame is presumed to beremoved in Figure 1 in ordertoshow, clearly parts that would be obscured by the said frame. 6511 Concentric witlrthe toothed wheel 2 is a toothed wheel 6 to which rotary motion'is transmitted from the driving shaft'3 by a. toothed wheel 4a Spaced around the toothed Wheel 6 and in engagement therewith are toothed pinions 7 secured to the shafts of surface printing rollers 8*(herein-s after referred to asthe printing rollers) for driving the. said printing rollers directly.

toothed wheels and pinions is such that the peripheral speed of the pressure cylinder 1,; the toothed vwheel 6 and the toothed'pinions 7 in engagement therewith is the same. Situated between the ends of the pressure cylinder 1 and the main frames A are auxiliary frames A! carrying adjustable intermediaryrollers 9 (hereinafter referred to as the yieldable impression rollers) covered with any suitable yieldable material. These yieldable impression rollers are situated between the printing rollers 8 and the pressure cylinder 1 and are rotated by their frictional engagement with the said pres'- sure cylinder. The direction of rotation of the yieldable impression rollers'9 is op-i posite to'that of the pressure cylinder 1 and the printing rollers 8. The web of paper 10 passes, as hitherto, between the printing-- rollers 8 and the yieldable impression roll-' ers 9 and bears with sufficient pressureions the latter rollers as to travel through the machine at a speed equal to the peripheral speed of the pressure cylinder 1, andlthe, said printing rollers only hear on thersaidf web of paper with suflicient pressure as to apply colour thereto, without retarding or accelerating the speed of travel of the said web. The printing rollers 8 are secured to their respective pinions 7 in such manner that the said rollers can be easily removed and replaced by others when desired, and the yieldable impression rollers 9 are rotat ably mounted in such manner that they l1ke- 10 wise can be removed and replaced by others when desired. By this means any desired pair OfcO-acting printing and impression rollers can be removed and replaced by another pair having diameters different from the diameters of the pair removed and this can be'eifected without changing the driving pinions 7 or their position relatively to the toothed wheel 6 with which they engage so that the gear ratio remains unaltered. As the distance between the axes of the driving pinions 7 and the periphery of the pressure cylinder 1 is constant it is preferred when changing a pair of co-acting printing and yieldable impression rollers 5;: for another pair. of different diameters, as

aforesaid, that the sum of the radius of the printing roller and the diameter of the yieldable impression roller of the pair' of rollers substituted be equal to the sum of the gogradius of the printing roller and the diameter of the yieldable impressionroller of the pair of rollers removed, so that the slight pressure of the printing rollers is trans.- mitted, through the saidyieldable impresgglsionrollers, to the pressure cylinder 1. If desired, however, any one, or more than one,

of the yieldable impression rollers 8 maybe out of contact with thepressure cylinder 1.

. In niulti-colour printing machines in ac- 'g: cordance with this inventiontany pair, or any desired numberof pairs, ofco-acting printing and yieldable impression rollers in which the diameter of the printing roller is different from the diameter of the pitch 5." circle of the driving pinion of the said printing roller may be employed and as the web of paper travels through the machine at a constant speed, the designs printed thereon by each of the said printing rollers go will be either shorter or longer, according to the relative diameters ofthe printing roller and the pitch circle of its driving pinion, than that on the said printing roller, thereby producing new printing effects. In 'multicolour'printing machines of the kind to which this invention relates,'it has hitherto been the practice to employ a pressure cylinder of large diameter relatively to that of the printing rollers and to cover the 55 circumference of the said cylinder with rounds of lapping of calico, flannelette, or the like.- With this type of'pressure cylinder the printing rollers have to bear with I, greater pressure on the web of paper pass- CS'ing over the said printing rollers than is necessary for printing in order that the overlap of the blanket at its joint shall be compressed to conform with the diameter of the main portion. Further, owing to the blanket getting dirty or to its constant changing of diameter due to the tightening of the lapping, it is necessary to replace periodically the blanket by another, which necessitates dismantling the machine and in consequence it is out of use for a considerable time. By providing a pressure cylinder 1 having a non-yieldable surface, as aforesaid, that is, by dispensing with the blanket, or other yieldable material on the said pressure cylinder, and interposing between the metallic surface of the-said cylinder and each of the printing rollers 8 an intermediary roller 9 covered with yieldable material, as aforesaid, permits of the pressure to be adjusted as required, and this pressure, owing to the absence of the blanket and its overlapping seam,'may be less than hitherto so that wear is reduced and lessnpower is required to drive the machine.

Any suitable, or known, means maybeprovided for conveying. colourto the surface printing rollers and any suitable means may also be providedfor rotating the pressure cylinder and the toothed wheel concentric V 1 therewith at the same peripheral speed.

What I claim is :V.

1. In avrotary printingmachine having a.

pressure cylinder, a plurality of printing 7 rollers, impressionrollers intermediate the printing rollers and the pressure cylinder and in frictional engagement. with and rotating at thesame "peripheral-speedas the said pressure cylinder, ear mechanism for driving the pressure cyl nder andthe printing rollers, the gear ratio being such that the gears of said gear mechanism and the said pressure cylinder rotate at the same peripheral speed, at least one of said printing rollers having a diameter difierent fromthe diameter of the pitch circle of its driving gear,'so that the peripheral speed of the:

said printing roller is different from the speed of travel of a web passing between said roller andits co-acting impression roller whereby the design printed on the said web is caused to'difi'er in length from thaton the printing roller.

2. A rotary printing machine in accordance with the preceding claim; wherein the pressure cylinder has a non-yieldable surface and the impression rollers intermediate the said pressure cylinder and the printing roller have yieldable surfaces. i

3. In a rotary printing machine having a pressure cylinder, a plurality of printing rollers, impression rollers intermediate the printing rollersv and the pressure cylinder, means for rotating said pressure cylinder and said impression rollers at the samepe ripheral speed, means for driving some of said printing rollers at a. different peripheral speed than said pressure cylinder and impression rollers.

4. In a rotary printing machine having printing rollers, a pressure cylinder and impression rollers for driving and printing upon a Web, means for driving said pressure cylinder, impression rollers and Web at the same peripheral speed, means for driving some of said printing rollers at a different peripheral speed than said Web,

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, at London, England this thirtieth day of July 1931.

HAROLD WILLIAM SANDERSON.

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