US3413919A - Method and means for supporting the backing cylinder of printing apparatus to facilitate replacing an endless member extending partly around it - Google Patents

Description

3,413,919 DER OF N U. HOCUTT Dec. 3, 1968 METHOD AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE BACKING CYLIN PRINTING APPARATUS TO FACILITATE REPLACING A ENDLESS MEMBER EXTENDING PARTLY AROUND IT 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 23, 1965 INVENTOR. Urey 1900112? 3,413,919 LINDER OF U. HOCUTT PORT Dec. 3, 1968 METHOD AND MEANS FOR SUP ING THE BACKING CY PRINTING APPARATUS TO FACILITATE REPLACING AN ENDLESS MEMBER EXTENDING PARTLY AROUND IT Filed Oct. 23, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Urey l/acaZZ Dec. 3, 1968 ocu 3,413,919

METHOD AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE BACKING CYLINDER OF PRINTING APPARATUS TO FACILITATE REPLACING AN ENDLESS MEMBER EXTENDING PARTLY AROUND IT Filed Oct. 23, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Urey floral? United States Patent 3,413,919 METHOD AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE BACKING CYLINDER OF PRINTING APPARA- TUS TO FACILITATE REPLACING AN ENDLESS MEMBER EXTENDING PARTLY AROUND IT Urey Hocutt, Baltimore, Md., assignor to The Johnson Fast Print Machine Corporation, Brooklandville, Md., a corporation of Maryland Filed Oct. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 503,486 9 Claims. (Cl. 101216) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A heavy backing cylinder is suspended between two support members on a combination of an axial sleeve and a shaft which is reciprocal within the sleeve to project one end of the shaft beyond one end of the sleeve or withdraw the shaft end into the sleeve. One end of the sleeve is disposed within a bearing in one of the support members and one end of the shaft is normally projected into a bearing in the other of the support members. For passing an endless printers blanket over and around the suspended cylinder, or removing it, the cylinder is temporarily supported by projecting a pair of print rolls, or the mandrels on which they are mounted, or other means, against the cylinder, or against a narrow yoke interposed between the print rolls or mandrels or other means and the cylinder, and the projected shaft end is withdrawn from said other support member into the sleeve thereby providing space between one end of the cylinder and one support member through which the blanket can be passed.

This invention relates to method and apparatus for supporting the backing cylinder of printing apparatus in which a length of material to be printed is passed between a series of print rolls and a printers blanket which extends partly around the backing cylinder, to facilitate placing, removing and replacing the endless member.

Placing, removing and replacing an endless printers blanket around a suspended, heavy backing cylinder, of the kind used in a cloth printing assembly, for example, has been a difficult and time-consuming operation. In a cloth printing assembly a length of cloth to be printed is passed, together with an endless printers blanket, between a heavy backing cylinder and a series of positively-driven print rolls, which press the cloth and blanket against the surface of the backing cylinder, this pressure being sufiicient to cause rotation of the backing cylinder.

In this assembly, in addition to a heavy backing cylinder and its support means, there are a number of print roll subassemblies each comprising, a print roll, demountably supported on a mandrel, a color box, a color transfer brush, and a doctor blade, in addition to means of rotating the print rolls. Both the backing cylinder and the print roll subassemblies are heavy and bulky. In the prior art devices the print roll subassemblies are adjustable only a distance on the order of one inch, toward and away from the backing cylinder, to adjust the pressure which the print rolls exert on a length of material being passed partly around the backing cylinder between the print rolls and the printers blanket, which is an endless member extending partly around the backing cylinder and traveling in an endless path over a number of guide rollers.

From time to time the endless blankets are damaged and have to be replaced. This has been a very time-consuming operation, often requiring a day and a half, because all of the print roll subassemblies, which vary in number according to the printing operation but may comprise as many as twelve, have to all be disassembled and removed from their support means, and the backing cylinder has to be jacked up so that a bearing for one spindle ice of the cylinder can be lifted out of a V-shaped seat, provided at the top of spaced end support members, and slid off the spindle. A damaged blanket was then moved off the cylinder through the space previously occupied by the bearing between the spindle and one end support means, and another blanket was then slid in through the space previously occupied by the bearing, and pulled over and around the cylinder, after which the jack was removed and all of the print roll subassemblies had to be reassembled and replaced.

It has been suggested to obtain space between the cylinder and one end support means by relative movement between the cylinder and one end support means. But moving a backing cylinder relative to an end support means is unsatisfactory because of the weight and bulk of the cylinder and because all of the print roll subassemblies still have to be removed unless means are provided for moving the subassemblies toward and away from the backing cylinder a distance much greater than one inch. While moving one end support means away from the cylinder is more practical than moving the cylinder itself, it is still necessary to remove and replace all of the print roll subassemblies because the support means for the cylinder also comprises the support means for the several print roll subassemblies.

In United States Patents 2,821,913, Feb. 4, 1958; 2,893,- 310, July 7, 1959; and 3,177,805, Apr. 13, 1965; and in co-pending United States application Ser. No. 239,546 filed Nov. 23, 1962, means are disclosed for moving print roll subassemblies, individually or in unison, a substantial distance, much more than one inch and on the order of one foot or more, toward and away from the backing cylinder. By using the method and structure disclosed herein, and preferably also moving the print roll subassemblies toward and away from the backing cylinder, as required, with or without the print rolls on the support mandrels, in the manner disclosed in said United States patents and pending patent application, the whole operation of replacing a damaged printers blanket is reduced to a matter of minutes, and the need for a jack or other separate means for lifting and supporting the backing cylinder, is eliminated.

An object of the invention is to simplify, and greatly reduce the time required for replacing a printers blanket which extends partly around the heavy backing cylinder of a cloth printing assembly.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple, dependable method and apparatus whereby a temporary separation between a suspended heavy cylinder and its support means may be achieved, providing space through which an endless member may be passed in or out of the enclosure formed by the cylinder and its support means.

Another object of the invention is to accomplish temporary support of the backing cylinder of a printing assembly, in a positive way, with the support being provided or withdrawn in a minimum of time and with a minimum of effort.

Another object of the invention is to provide for the moving an endless member onto, or off of, the backing cylinder of a printing assembly with a minimum of disturbance of the parts of the assembly.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved structure for suspending a heavy body such as the backing cylinder of a cloth printing assembly.

The invention will best be understood by reading the following description in connection with the drawings, in which,.

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of an embodiment of the invention showing an endless blanket pulled laterally partly ofi a backing cylinder and also partly off guide rollers, in readiness to be removed from the closure defined by the backing cylinder and its support means, but with the end of the shaft still seated in the bearing provided by one end support member.

FIGURE 2 is an end view of a cloth printing assembly including a backing cylinder and eight print roll subassemblies, with the print rolls removed from the two of the supporting mandrels which are advanced against a yoke, positioned against the under surface of the cylinder, to temporarily support the cylinder, and showing also lead rollers, for an endless blanket passing partly around the cylinder, and for a length of cloth which is advanced with the blanket between the blanket and the series of print rolls,

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section taken on the lines 33 of FIGURE 2, showing the shaft separated from the end support member bearing, and the backing cylinder being supported by print roll mandrels (only one of a pair of Supporting mandrels can be seen in this view) from which the print rolls have been removed, and which have been advanced beyond the other mandrels and the print rolls thereon, and pressed against a yoke interposed against the under surface of the cylinder and showing an endless blanket being move-d laterally through the space thus provided between the shaft and the end support member and its bearing,

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary end view, taken on the lines 44 of FIGURE 3, partly in section, showing the two mandrels, on either side of the vertical center line of the cylinder, pressed against the yoke interposed against the under surface of the cylinder, and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the cylinder and its support means, indicating how the slide supports are disposed on the inner surfaces of the end support members.

In the described embodiment of the invention a heavy cylinder, 10, which is the backing cylinder of a cloth printing machine, is mounted for rotation between spaced opposed end support members 12 and 14 which rise from the base 16 and are interconnected by the tie rods 18.

The support members 12 and 14 are illustrated as uprights of sheet steel generally circular in form, and having around their inner faces a number of slide supports 20 mounted on the laterally extending brackets 22. The slide supports 20 are disposed radially with respect to the axis of the cylinder.

As shown in FIGURE 2 there are eight pairs of slide supports or nips 20 mounted on the opposed inner surfaces of end supports 12 and 14. Each slide support carries a slide 26 which is provided with a bearing housing 28, and the respective ends of a mandrel 32 are received and rotatably supported in the bearing housings comprising each opposed pair of bearing housings. On each slide support or nip 20 a power fluid cylinder is provided having a piston 24 attached to the slide 26, and, by known means, not shown herein, as for example by the means fully described in Patents 2,893,310 and 3,177,805 referred to above, the power cylinders may be actuated to move selected pairs of mandrel supporting slides toward and away from the backing cylinder, and thus bring the mandrels themselves, or the print rolls ordinarily supported on the mandrels if the operator chooses to leave the print rolls on these mandrels, against the under surface of the cylinder or against an intermediate member or yoke 36 which may be interposed between the mandrels and the cylinder to receive the thrust of the temporarily supporting mandrels. The yoke 36 is narrow relative to the length of the cylinder and may be interposed after the blanket has been slid partly off the cylinder as shown in FIGURE 1, and it is thicker than the blanket so the mandrels pressing against the yoke will not also press on the portion of the blanket still disposed around the cylinder.

One or more of the mandrels 32, but preferably two to prevent lateral movement of the cylinder, may be moved up against the under surface of the cylinder, or against the buffer member or yoke 36 interposed between the mandrel means and the cylinder, to serve as temporary supporting means while one end of the cylinder is separated from, and is unsupported by, one of its end support means, to provide a space between the cylinder and the end support means through which an endless printers blanket B, may be moved, to position it extending partly around the cylinder, or to remove it from around the cylinder, as for example to replace a damaged blanket with another blanket.

It is preferred to temporarily support the cylinder by the force exerted on it by the two mandrels 32, which, as shown in FIGURE 4, are the two mandrels supported by the pairs of slides which are disposed adjacent to, but on opposite sides of, a vertical plane passing longitudinally through the axis of the backing cylinder. It will be understood that an abutment member may be mounted on a mandrel and used instead of the mandrel as the abutment means pressing directly against cylinder 10, or against the buffer yoke member 36 which is preferably curved to conform to the curvature of the under surface of cylinder 10. Thus for example one or more of the print rolls 34 which are mounted on the mandrels during a printing operation may be pressed directly or indirectly against the cylinder 10, thus serving in place of the mandrels as the gross member contacting the abutment means.

As is shown in FIGURE 3 the backing cylinder is suspended between the end support members 12 and 14 by means of shaft 42 and the tubular member or sleeve 38. The ends of the cylinder comprise hubs which rest on the bearing 40a and 40b provided on the external surface of sleeve 38. As shown sleeve 38 is stationary, the cylinder 10 is rotatable around it, and shaft 42 is reciprocable axially within it. The end of shaft 42 at the viewers right hand as seen in FIGURE 1, is extended beyond the end of sleeve 38 and is received in the bearing 44 provided by end support 14. The end of sleeve 38 at the viewers left hand is extended beyond the end of shaft 42 and is received in the bearing 39 provided in the end support 12. The left hand end of shaft 42 is positively engaged within sleeve 38 by the inner end of the screw 46, which extends through, and is threadedly engaged in, a bearing 48 provided in the transverse member 50 detachably mounted at, or adjacent to, the end of sleeve 38. At its outer end screw 46 is provided with a hand wheel 47 by which the screw may be rotated, and shaft 42, caused by the engagement of screw 46 in bearing 48, to move axially within sleeve 38, in a direction determined by the direction in which screw 46 is rotated. To facilitate reciprocable movement of shaft 42 portions 42a of it are made of reduced diameter to decrease friction between the shaft and the inner surface of sleeve 38.

For replacing an endless blanket B screw 46 is turned to move shaft 42 away from end support member 14 and its bearing 44 until suificient space is provided between the bearing and the end of the shaft to allow the endless member to be moved laterally through the space. For removing an endless blanket B of the kind indicated in the drawings the end of shaft 42 is drawn away from the closest part of its end support means, Which in the illustrated embodiment of the invention is the bearing 44, approximately two inches which provides a gap g through which the blanket B may be moved laterally. A replacement blanket may be moved laterally through the gap in the same way.

It will be understood that before removing shaft 42 from its bearing 44, temporary support for the cylinder will have been provided, preferably by advancing one or more cross members against its under surface, or against the buffer member 36, as is described above and shown in the drawings, and holding them there while the shaft 42 is being reciprocated and as long as it is unsupported at one end, which ordinarily is only long enough for a damaged blanket to be removed and another blanket substituted. By the method and means disclosed herein this exchange requires only a matter of minutes instead of the many hours required previously.

As illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2 the endless blanket B is lead to the backing cylinder over the lead rollers 54 mounted between brackets 12 on support 52, and is led away from cylinder 10 over the rollers 58, mounted between brackets b depending from a support 56. A length of cloth C to be printed is led to the backing cylinder over rollers 60 mounted between brackets 0 depending from support 52, and is led away from the backing cylinder over rollers 62 mounted between brackets 0 supported on support member 56. When blanket B is moved off or onto the backing cylinder it must also be moved off its lead or guide rollers. In order to be able to slide the blanket laterally off the rollers by which it is supported the roller spindles are detachable from their supporting brackets at one end and supported at the other end so that the rollers may be freed at one end and tilted down in the direction of the end of the cylinder shaft which is disconnected from its end support member. In FIGURE 1 a roller 58 is shown detached from its supporting bracket b at one end, and inclined downwardly, and the blanket B is shown partly off roller 58 as well as partly off the backing cylinder. Other rollers may be manipuated in the same way. The rollers for the length of cloth C may be mounted and manipulated in the same way but ordinarily there is no similar problem about removing a length of cloth since it is not endless and it may be cut off at desired distances.

There has thus been provided a method and apparatus in which the above mentioned objects are realized in a thoroughly practical and simple manner.

What I claim is:

1. A print roll assembly for supporting an endless member comprising, a pair of spaced opposed support members, a tubular member, and a shaft disposed axially within said tubular member, a first bearing provided by one of said support members and adapted to receive one end of said shaft, a second bearing provided by the other of said support members and adapted to receive one end of said tubular member, means for reciprocating the shaft axially of the tubular member to project said one end of the shaft into said first bearing, and to withdraw the said end of the shaft from said first bearing, and a cylinder mounted on said tubular member.

2. The assembly claimed in claim 1 in which a transverse member is provided adjacent the end of the sleeve which is supported in said second bearing, a bearing for a screw is provided by the transverse member, and a screw extends through said bearing with its inner end anchored to said shaft, and with a handle on its outer end by which the screw may be rotated to reciprocate the shaft and screw relative to the screw bearing and thus move the projecting end of the shaft into and out of, said first bearing.

3. The assembly claimed in claim 1 including means for contacting the under surface portion of the cylinder and means for exerting force to press the contacting means against the cylinder while the end of the shaft is withdrawn from said first bearing.

4. The assembly claimed in claim 1 including, an endless member supported by the cylinder, means projectable toward the cylinder, and yoke means, thicker than the endless member, interposed between the projectable means and the cylinder to provide temporary support for the cylinder while the said end of the shaft is withdrawn from said first bearing.

5. The assembly claimed in claim 3 including a plurality of pairs of arms projecting outwardly from said support members, cross members slideable on said pairs of arms respectively for movement toward and away from said cylinder, and means for moving the cross members along said pairs of arms into contact with the cylinder surface.

6. The method of temporarily providing space between one end of a heavy print roll backing cylinder and one of a pair of support members between which the backing cylinder is suspended, to permit an endless printers blanket to be passed through said space, for removing an endless blanket from around the heavy cylinder, and for placing an endless member around the heavy cylinder, which comprises, employing a combination of a sleeve and a shaft reciprocal axially within the sleeve to support the heavy cylinder between said support members, with one end of the sleeve received in a bearing in one of the support members and one end of the shaft projected beyond the other end of the sleeve and received in a bearing in the other of the support members, and exerting lifting force against the under surface portion of the cylinder to coact with said one end of the sleeve in supporting the cylinder while temporarily withdrawing the projected end of the shaft into said sleeve.

7. The method claimed in claim 6 including the step of introducing means thicker than the endless member against the under surface of the cylinder and exterting the lifting force against said introduced means.

8. The method claimed in claim 6 in which the lifting force is exerted through cross member means mounted on slides movable toward and away from the cylinder on arms projecting from the support members respectively.

9. The method claimed in claim 6 in which the lifting force is exerted at a plurality of points on opposite sides of the transverse mid-section of the cylinder.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,329,325 1/1920 Mascord 101-2l6 2,408,144 9/1946 Huebner 101- 219 XR 2,821,913 2/1958 Johnson 101-178 2,893,310 7/1959 Johnson 101-182 3,173,361 3/1965 Verlik 101-178 XR 3,205,815 9/1965 Liessem 101-219 ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner.

C. D, CROWDER, Assistant Examiner.

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