US2660115A - Circumferential cylinder register mechanism for rotary printing machines - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 24, 1953 M RAS 2,660,115 CIRCUMFERENTIAL CYLINDER REGISTER MECHANISM FOR ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES Filed D80- 28, 1949 mum/ram Max R S v 37 MMIL, -e PM ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 24, 1953 CIRCUMFERENTIAL CYLINDER REGISTER MECHANISM FOR ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES Max Ras, Zurich, Switzerland Application December 28, 1949, Serial No. 135,424

Claims priority, application Switzerland January 7, 1949 2 Claims. (Cl. 101-248) My present invention relates, generally, to improvements in rotary rolling-contact printing machines and, in particular, to the circumferential cylinder registering mechanism thereof.

In offset machines, to which my present invention has special reference, the cylinders are driven through a pair of helical gear wheels, and the additional rotation of a cylinder required for circumferential cylinder registering is brought about through axially displacing one of said gear wheels.

When the driving gear wheels are rigidly connected to the appurtenant cylinders, which is of advantage from the standpoint of operation, some of said gear wheels and also the cylinder blankets and plates have to be made of excessive width or length, since on adjusting the lateral cylinder register it may happen that the spurgear driven plate cylinder has to be displaced toward one machine side, while the adjustment of the circumferential cylinder register, which in ofiset machines is done on the offset or rubber cylinder, may require a displacement toward the other machine side. Another adjusting device, which does not possess the said advantage, has a gear train intermediate of the cylinders, which train comprises two rim gears of different diameters and may operate as conventional or as epicyclic gear drive. By means of such latter gearing, the cylinder while rotating may be reset through a stationary adjusting mechanism. Such device, however, has the disadvantage that the entire force for driving the cylinders has to pass through these relatively small planet wheels which thus are given a comparatively high number of revolutions. The multiple tooth engagements may cause an increased backlash, wh1ch again may cause register differences.

In the mechanism according to my present invention, the displaceable helical gear wheel comprises a further lateral toothed rim which engages a rim provided with inside teeth, which latter rim is connected to the gear wheel keyed to the cylinder axle.

One form of my present invention is shown by way of example in the accompanying draw- In Fig. l, a plate or form cylinder I, a rubber cylinder 2, and a counterpressure cylinder 3 are mounted in a machine frame 4. The cylinders are driven, e. g. by way of a pair of bevel gears 5, by means of a gear 6 having skewed or helical teeth, which gear is keyed to the shaft of the counterpressure cylinder 6 and engaged with an axially displaceable gear wheel I having skewed or helical teeth. Aspur gear wheel 8 rigidly keyed to the axle of rubber cylinder 2 and meshing with gear wheel I by internal gear means drives a spur wheel 9. A handwheel I0 arranged on the machine side opposite to the drive gear, serves for adjusting the lateral register, and a second handwheel II serves for adjusting the circumferential register.

As shown in Fig. 2, the gear wheel I which is provided with skewed or helical teeth, is mounted axially displaceable on the extended hub I2 of spur wheel 8 and is provided on its side with an external gear I3 which meshes with an internal gear Id of spur wheel 8 which is rigidly keyed to the cylinder axle I6. Drive is transmitted by way of the internal gears I3, I4 from gear wheel 1 onto the spur wheel 8.

For the purpose of axially displacing the helical gear wheel I, in order to adjust the circumferential register, there is provided a rod I'I traversing the hollow cylinder axle I6. The rod- IT at one end is coupled to gear wheel I by means; of a disc I8 and screws I9, and at the otherend to an adjusting mechanism shown in section; in Fig. 3 and actuated by means of handwheel II.

The cylinder I is axially displaceable rela-- tively to the machine frame 4 by means of hand-- wheel ID for lateral register, and such displacement does not affect the position of the cylin ders 2 and 3 which are axially non-displaceable Circumferential register of cylinder I with re-- spect to cylinders 2 and 3 is brought about by" turning handwheel I I whereby the rod I! and thus the gear wheel 'I is axially displaced. Gear wheel I, being in mesh with the helical gear:

wheel 6, is rotated by virtue of its axial displacement with respect to the latter, and spur wheel 8 follows the rotation of gear wheel I and inturn rotates the spur wheel 9 so as to turn the cylinder I into circumferential register with the cylinders 2 and 3. It is to be noted that the gear wheels I and 9 are of lesser face width than the respective gear wheels 6 and ii meshing therewith, and that also the intermeshing internal gears I3, I 1 'are of substantial width, and the wheels I and 8 thus may be axially displaced to quite some extent with respect to the wheels 6 and 9 and still be in engagement therewith. It further is to be noted that the mechanism for axially displacing the cylinder l by means of handwheel I0 is similar to that shown in Fig. 3 for axiallx displacing the; rod I1, and gear wheel 1.

The internal; gearing 1,3, M has; the advantage of a comparatively large diameter, which feature prevents any substantial backlash in the circumeferential direction. The power is distributed onto all the teeth, and the-i=esulting low tooth: pressure allows a remarkably easy axial displacement of the internal gears I3, I 4 relatively to each other.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a circumferential cylinder register mech anism for rotary printing machines in which the cylinder drive mechanism comprises a pair of helical gear wheels and a spur gear wheel rigidly keyed to the axle of a cylinder and having intergears between the spur gear and one of hfi iQal gear wheels wherein the axial displacement, at said latter helical gear wheelv causes the. additional rotation of arcylinder as; required, for cilfiumferential cylinder register theimproyfiment consisting in incorporating; an;

4 extended hub on said spur gear wheel, said ex tended hub bearing the axially displaceable helical gear wheel, an external gear on the side of said helical gear wheel, and an internal gear on said spur gear wheel meshing with said external gear for transmitting rotation of said axially displaceable helical gear wheel to said spur gearwheel.

2. In circumferential cylinder register mechanism as claimed claim 1, a hollow cylinder axle for one said cylinder supporting said spur gear wheel, arod inserted through said hollow axle,,.sa-id rod at one end being connected to the said displaceable helical gear wheel and a manuall-y actuableadiusting mechanism connected ta theother endthereof. 7

MAX RAS.

Bzefexences Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 745,469 'Ba-rber Feb. 4'; 15930 2002584 Rawson May 28, 1935 2,539,066 Jan. 23', 1951 2,554,345 Potdevin 1\'Iay'22,1951

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