JPH0423271B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention generally relates to a printing device that includes a cylinder that uses electrostatic techniques to transfer pigment to a substrate. The present invention can be practically used to print multicolor images on long strips or on substrates in the form of paper, textiles, and the like.

Multicolor printing on conventional printing presses is a complex process in terms of color separation, cylinder formation, printing press operation, supply of pigments or inks to individual cylinders or other plates, etc.

In recent years, several developments have been made toward the use of electrostatic technology to print in multiple colors on printing presses that use electrostatic technology. As is known, photoelectrostatic imaging charges the surface of a photoconductive coating in the dark, exposes it to a light image, and then tones the latent image with fine particles in powder form or in suspension in a solvent. toning). The toned or developed image can be transferred to a receptor or fused in place directly on the electrophotographic member. A portion of the member is a photoconductive coating. One recently developed coating is a high-gain, high-resolution, easily chargeable, fully dischargeable, wholly inorganic, microcrystalline photoconductive material that is particularly characterized by: It has the property of being rough and extremely flexible when coated on a thin flexible substrate. This material is disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,025,339. In addition to being flexible, this coating has the following advantages: it can be imaged quickly on high-speed printing presses, can be easily discharged by ambient light, and
Therefore, as described below, it can include an image of toner, which is insulative, and then charged to impart a charge to the insulative toner, while causing the charge in the non-toned areas to dissipate in the light. has advantages. The secondary toner can then adhere to the primary toned image and be transferred to the substrate.

Thin-walled metal sleeves of electrodeposited nickel, copper, iron or other metals have been successfully used in textile and other substrate printing applications. The plated metal sleeve can be made of, for example, tin, chrome, nickel or other metals. These sleeves are 1
It has a thickness of a fraction of a mm, a length of several meters and a
It can have a diameter such as 3m. These are seamless and easily supported on a printing press. One form of the sleeve is U.S. Patent No. 2,287,122.
Such a sleeve is perforated so that ink or pigment can be displayed onto the substrate passing through the wall of the cylinder by doctor means. The wall has a surface with a suitable design to close some holes while leaving others open.

For electrostatic use, these sleeves are sprayed with a coating of the aforementioned and non-porous photoconductive material. An important advantage of this type of sleeve is that it is lightweight, quite strong and collapsible, making it economical to package and ship.

In the use of sleeves, these must be mounted in cylindrical form on the printing press and supported within them by means of devices which are adapted to receive and transfer the pigment and which are easily attached or removed. The sleeve must be designed so that it maintains a rigid cylindrical shape during use.

Rothwell British Patent No. 15 January 1958 Advertising
No. 789177; German Publication No. 1231258 of Kelm d'Abreu, published on December 29, 1965, June 25, 1965
Austrian Patent No. 240879 and
Reference may be made to Publication No. 1181237 of Chimar-Doubreu, published November 12, 1965, for a description of several devices for pressurizing a sleeve using an inflatable tube. As is clear from these publications, the cylinders described in these publications have an externally attached pattern (UK Patent No. 789177,
German Publication No. 1181237, Austrian Patent No. 240879) or processed to produce sleeves by electrical methods (Deutsche Publication No. 1181237).
Reference may be made to US Pat. No. 3,372,801 of March 12, 1968 regarding flexible sleeve packaging.

Considerable difficulties have been encountered in providing equipment for mounting such collapsible sleeves on high speed printing presses. However, their functional use in such printing devices is of great benefit.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a mounting device for an elongated flexible, normally collapsible, thin-walled metal sleeve for use as an ink transfer or image transfer device in a rotary printing press, comprising a rotatable frame, said frame being connected to an axle. consisting of a disc having an annular cup-shaped flange attached to each end of the shaft and having an inner diameter that closely approximates the outer diameter of the sleeve, with means for sealing the ends of said sleeve to said flange; The flange is adapted to provide the sleeve with the correct cylindrical shape and sealingly attach the ends of the sleeve; the disc is adapted to restrain axial movement of the ends of the sleeve; means for supplying fluid pressure within the sleeve to maintain said sleeve in an inflated state by internal pressure, said sleeve being constructed such that said sleeve is not mechanically supported over the remainder of its length between its ends; Provides a mounting device with features.

According to the present invention, a sleeve that would normally collapse can be formed into an even, rigid, and correct cylindrical shape without mechanically supporting both ends of the sleeve, especially when the sleeve is formed into the correct cylindrical shape using an attachment device. It becomes uniformly shaped along the longitudinal direction and can maintain this shape.

The invention will be explained with reference to the figures.

A metal sleeve 10 of the type shown in perspective view in FIG.
is used in the present invention, and is mounted on an uncoated base member 12, which is made of nickel, copper, or the like, formed by electrodeposition, and is very thin, with a thickness of approximately 1 mm. 1/2 in size and therefore flexible, the cylinder can also be provided with a nickel sleeve plated with chrome or other metals. A completely inorganic, microcrystalline, highly sensitive, easily charged, highly conductive material, such as ultra-pure cadmium sulfide, is sprayed onto the base member 12. The properties of this material and the method for spraying it are disclosed in the above-mentioned US Pat. No. 4,025,339. Electrodeposition techniques for base member 12 and some of its properties are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,287,122, except that base member 12 is non-porous instead of perforated as in U.S. Pat. No. 2,287,122. are doing.

In forming the base member 12, the resulting product is typically cylindrical; likewise, in spraying the coating 14, the outer shape of the base member 12 is maintained cylindrical.
Base member 1 for forming an oval coating substrate
2 can also be sprayed.

For mounting the metal sleeve 10, a cylindrical shape is used for high-speed printing machines, especially multicolor printing machines.
However, the sleeve 10 can be collapsed to some extent without damaging the metal substrate or the coating of microcrystalline photoconductive material. The metal substrate including the base member 12 has sufficient stiffness to be handled, and has dimensions of approximately 2 m in length and approximately 1/6 m in diameter, without being crushed or wrinkled in the axial direction. , and can be easily compressed along the metal, crushed laterally, and deformed into an oval shape as shown in FIG. 1, for example. Similarly, it can be rolled into a partially recessed shape,
It shall be possible for the volume to be considerably smaller than if it were in the form of a perfect cylinder. This point is disclosed in US Pat. No. 3,372,801. This allows many sleeves to be packaged in a single small package as shown in FIG. 2, in which case two additional metal sleeves 11, 13 are contained within the metal sleeve 10. Obviously, it is possible to squeeze more than two sleeves into one bundle.

FIG. 3 shows an apparatus using metal sleeve 10. FIG. By way of example, a printing press 16 is shown which is of the type that deposits two colors of ink or dye contained within sources 18 and 20 in register onto a long strip substrate 22 of paper or the like. be. The substrate 22 is guided by rolls 24, 26, 28, 30 and past a support roll or drum 32 on which printing is performed. Two sleeves of the type described above are shown at 10. The direction of rotation of the drum 32 is indicated by the arrow 34.
The orientation of each of the sleeves 10 is indicated by arrows marked on the sleeves.

In this apparatus, the sleeve 10 is assumed to have an image carried as a primary color image on its outer surface. These images can be applied while the sleeve 10 is off the printing press 16, after which the sleeve is placed into the machine.

In use, the metal sleeve is charged by a suitable corona device 36, 38, this charging takes place in the light and the charge on the photo-inducible coating disappears immediately;
Only the charge on the primary toner remains. The type of toner selected is such that when developed, ie, when melted, it is insulating. Sources 18 and 20 contain ink or dye consisting of secondary toner. The polarity of the secondary toner particles is set to be opposite to that of the charge on the primary toner. This can be done electrophoretically or by triboelectric techniques. As the charged images pass through sources 18 and 20, they pick up secondary toner from their respective reservoirs and apply it to the surface of substrate 22. An electrical bias can be used to aid in this transfer. Transfers occur in a consistent manner.

After the transfer is complete and the image has passed through the interlock between the metal sleeve and support roll 32, the printing cycle is repeated. Although not normally required, residual secondary toner, if any, can be removed from the surface of sleeve 10 at stations 40, 42 by suitable solvents or mechanical means. Suitable solvents and/or mechanical means shall not affect the primary toner.

The sleeve 10 comprises an image with developed tones;
treated with suitable reactants or chemicals to render the toned surface hydrophobic and the non-toned surface hydrophilic;
The sleeve can be used as a printing cylinder, and printing can be performed using an oil-based ink on a water-supplied offset printing machine. It is preferred to use the sleeve in printing devices that operate by electrostatic technology.

As mentioned above, the sleeve 10 is required to be fully cylindrical and relatively rigid in use, and to be easily installed and removed from the printing press using its attachment device or support. Make it possible. Similarly, it is required that it can be easily installed and removed from the mounting device.

FIG. 4 shows one type of mounting device for mounting the sleeve 10 for use on a printing press.
The attachment device 44 essentially consists of a device that suspends the sleeve in a cylindrical configuration and maintains it in an inflated state and at a low pressure using a fluid, such as oil, air, or the like, directed into the interior of the sleeve 10. This includes devices such as: It has been found that the sleeve 10 is quite solid and retains its cylindrical shape at pressures slightly greater than atmospheric pressure, such as about 0.5 to 0.7 atmospheres greater than surroundings. This is considered a surprising result.

The sleeve end should be gripped tightly in a cylindrical shape to prevent wrinkling or bulging.

In FIG. 4, the mounting device is essentially formed by two short shafts 46 and 48, shaft 48 being solid and shaft 46 being solid.
is hollow. The flanged disc 50 has an inwardly directed annular cup-shaped flange 52 whose inner diameter closely matches the outer diameter of the sleeve 10.
The hub 54 connects the web 51 of the disk 50 to the hollow shaft 46.
The center of the shaft 46 is the through hole 5.
6, the inner end of which may be plugged as indicated at 58, has a lateral opening indicated at 60 which communicates with a radial passage 62 which passes through the hub 54 but which is not connected to the disc. 50, and the web 51 is non-porous.

The inner end of the shaft 46 has a large washer 64 which supports and is secured to, for example by welding, an elongated rigid metal cylinder 66. This cylinder is placed within an axially extending spacer device which will be described below.

The opposite end of cylinder 66 is attached to a second washer 68 welded to shaft 48 so that shafts 46 and 48 are aligned and rotate together. The second disk 70 has a central hub 72 that can be permanently or non-rotationally fixed to the shaft 48 and has a central hub 72 .
It can be held in place by a nut as shown at 4. The main body 76 of the disc is imperforate and has an inward cup-shaped annular flange 78 at its outer periphery with the same inner diameter as the flange 52.

Disc 50 with suitable fittings 80 and 82
and 70 to prevent fluid from leaking outside.

Disk 50 is held in place by a nut 81 that engages on threaded end 83 of shaft 46.

In use, the sleeve 10 is cylindrical and
It is fitted inside the flange 78 and adhered in place with a suitable adhesive to initially create a removable connection that is fluid tight. Flange 52 is not in place at this time. After installing the right end of the sleeve 10,
Disc 50 is slidable over the left side end of sleeve 10 and bonded in place again using a non-adhesive film to provide a second fluid-tight connection. Once the adhesive has set, the entire assembly is assembled into the device 16.
A hydraulic fluid or the like is admitted into the bore 56 through a suitable fitting attached to the left end of the shaft 46. This fitting is required to maintain a fluid tight connection during rotation. Many such fittings are known to those skilled in the art. This fitting is indicated at 57 and is connected to a fluid source 61 by conduit 59 (FIG. 1).

Fluid is conveyed within the annular space between central cylinder 66 and sleeve 10, which serves to keep sleeve 10 fully inflated and rigid during use.
The presence of the internal cylinder allows the rigidity of the sleeve 10 to be maintained using a very small amount of fluid;
When air or other gas is used as the fluid, the amount of pressure required to maintain the inflated condition is lower than it would be if the shaft ran the length of the device and the cylinder 66 was not present. The cylinder 66 is a disk 50
and 70, and also serves to align and rotate shafts 46 and 48 together. The entire assembly is described by the word "skeleton".

The internal pressure required to keep the sleeve inflated on the printing press is low enough that air pressure, which is readily available from sources commonly found in factories and manufacturing facilities, is sufficient. Furthermore, the method of transferring ink to the substrate does not require mechanical pressure in preferred constructions using sleeves, and mechanical tension alone is often sufficient to maintain the sleeves in their normal configuration.

Two other versions of the invention are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, respectively, but the principles of construction and operation are essentially the same for all sleeve support devices, including that shown in FIG. . Each has means for clamping or gripping the ends of the sleeve 10 in a fluid-tight connection, during which clamping the sleeve is formed into a cylindrical shape, and each has a device for clamping or gripping the end of the sleeve 10 in a fluid-tight connection, during which clamping the sleeve is formed into a cylindrical shape; Each has a device for admitting fluid inside the sleeve to inflate it but maintain it in a rigid cylindrical shape, and each has a device for mounting the device on the printing press. A practical method of introducing fluid and maintaining internal pressure is accomplished by having a structure on the press that interfaces with the sleeve support while the sleeve is rotating.
It is also possible to have a sleeve support device with a device for directing fluid inside the sleeve and sealing it under a certain pressure, thus keeping the entire device in a fully inflated state independent of the printing press. It is possible.

The attachment device 90 of FIG. 5 differs from that of FIG. 4 primarily in that the end of the sleeve is held in place by a pneumatically or hydraulically inflatable cushion. A pair of short shafts 92
and 93, each of which has a rigid internal cylinder 94 at its inner end, but both shafts are hollow. The right shaft 93 has only one hole 96;
This connects to one or more radial passages 98 in the end washer 100 of the cylinder 94, and an expandable elastomer mark union 10 is secured to the end of the cylinder 94 by a suitable band 104 in this passage.
Leads to the inside of 2. Fixing can be accomplished with room temperature vulcanizable adhesives or other adhesives.

A similar cushion 106, shown in a deflated state, is provided at the left end of cylinder 94. This is because this end is shown as it is being assembled. Shaft 92 differs from shaft 93 and from that of FIG. 4 in that it has concentric passages. It has a central hole or tube 108 and a large removable second hole 1.
10, which are arranged inside each other and independent of each other. The central passage formed by hole 108 is connected by a short section of conduit 114 through a fitting 112 through the interior of cylinder 94 to a lateral opening 116, to which it is connected by a suitable fitting 118. Outer aperture 110 connects to one or more radial passages 120 leading into the interior of cushion 106 .

Assembly is carried out as follows: the end cup discs 122, 124 are brought into removable engagement with the sleeve 10, with the nut 12
6,128 and then directs the first fluid to the hole 96,
108 to inflate cushions 104 and 106 to tighten sleeve 10 in place, and then a second fluid is introduced into inner tube 108 to maintain sleeve 10 as a rigid cylinder. A second fluid is maintained between the cylinder 94 and the interior of the sleeve 10. A shaft seal is not necessary for device 90.

The device 140 shown in FIG. 6 utilizes a cylindrical elastomeric boot to keep the sleeve 10 rigid so that no fluid contacts the inside of the sleeve.
Also, there is no need for fluid-tight contact between the end disc and the sleeve 10. The device has an internal rigid cylinder 142 connected to a pair of short end shafts 144, 146 to which discs 148 and 150 are connected using nuts 152 and 154, respectively.
are involved. Attached to the exterior of cylinder 142 is an elongated elastomeric sleeve-like boot 156 whose ends are secured to the exterior of cylinder 142 by suitable means such as annular bands 158 and 160. A hollow bore 162 in the shaft 146 terminates axially within the cylinder 142 at 164 and is connected at 168 to a conduit 166 connected to an opening in the side wall of the cylinder 142, as shown, for example, at 170. Thus, passage for fluid coming from outside of cylinder 142 is provided by hole 162 leading to chamber 172 formed between the inside of boot 156 and the outside surface of cylinder 142.

The method of assembly and inflation of device 140 is easy to implement. This is because everything is in place at one end, i.e. at the right end, the sleeve 10 is slipped into position in the cup of disc 150 in the absence of fluid, and the second disc 148 is in place in the cup of the sleeve. The nut 15 is removably engaged on the left side end.
2 is screwed on and fluid is supplied. This causes the boot 156 to inflate and
Rigidity is provided to the sleeve 10. This forms a solid foundation for the sleeve 10 during use.

In an alternative device 240 shown in FIG. 7, equivalent elements to those in FIG. 6 are designated with the same second and third numerals and the numeral "2" for the first. The main differences between devices 140 and 240 are as follows. That is, the entire interior of cylinder 242 carries fluid, in this case gas, and the end washers of cylinder 242 both act as end washers and as disks 148,150. They are therefore numbered 248 and 250. Fluid is admitted by hole 262 in shaft 246 and enters chamber 272 via passageway 270.

Device 240 is advantageous in that it excludes a portion consisting of an external cup-shaped disc and therefore does not require a portion of device 240 that projects radially beyond the sleeve 10 itself. The device is therefore lightweight, simple in construction, and more economical than device 140.

8-11 show modifications of the present invention. This is generally designated 300 and includes multiple lateral passages 3 for air.
13 includes a central hollow shaft 312 of metal. Although other fluids may be used, air will be discussed below for convenience. This is because air is the most convenient to use in printing equipment.

The ends of the central shaft 312 are closed by plugs 314, 316 to which the central shaft is welded as shown at 318 and 320, respectively. A flanged disk is connected to each of these plugs by suitable means, and disk 32
2 is shown on the left and disk 324 is shown on the right. These discs 322, 324 are the same, and their function and structure will be described later. Plug 314,
316 is generally cylindrical, with each circular 322,3
24 includes hollow cylindrical hubs shown at 326 and 328 which removably engage the respective plugs 314 and 316 on the exterior thereof, and the airtight connection is provided by an O-ring 33.
It should be appreciated that this may be maintained by a suitable packing such as 0.

The discs 322, 324 have internal radial reinforcing ribs 332, 334 integral with the web or body of each disc.
, and each disc is non-porous to maintain the air pressure to be maintained within the device 300.

The structures at both ends of the hollow shaft 312 are different. These allow multiple embodiments of the invention to be used together or separately. In other words, the structures on the left side can be used alone or in pairs on the right side, and the structures on the right side can be used alone or in pairs on the left side. One of each structure can be used together at both ends.

Turning to the construction of the left end of the device 300, the bung 314 has a cylindrical axial recess formed in its outer end, indicated at 336, and a coaxial socket 338 located in the center of the recess 336. is a simple air valve 340 of the so-called Schraeder type, which communicates via a passage 342 with an internal chamber 344 of the hollow shaft 312. As previously mentioned, this shaft has a transverse passage 313 that connects the outer annular chamber 346 and the inner chamber 3.
44 communicates. A thin metal sleeve 348 of electrodeposited nickel or the like with an outer photoconductive coating is adapted to be clamped cylindrically over the device 300 and kept inflated by air pressure. This is accomplished by admitting pressurized air through valve 340 and into chamber 344.

Disc 322 has an inwardly directed radial flange 349
, which engages on the axial end of the stopper 314;
It has a hole and a threaded socket to aid in assembly of the device. For example, the illustrated device provides six equally spaced holes with a hole aligned with each rib 332 and thus aligned with the threaded socket at the axial end of the plug 314. One such hole is shown at 350 and the threaded socket is shown at 352. These holes and sockets receive screws 354 that pass through the outer cup or into the flange member 356 to secure the disc 322 to the plug 314.

Centering flange member 356 connects centering socket 35
8, which has a cylindrical exterior and a recess 33.
6 and has a tapered interior as shown at 360 and a key groove shown at 362. The radial flange portion 36 also overlaps the flange 349.
Equipped with 3. The flange member 356 has holes aligned with the flange portion 363 for screws 354, but also has several holes 364 with threaded sockets 366 formed in the flange 349 to receive other screws 368. They are forced to line up.
The screw passes through the flange portion 363. These screws 368 are only three in number as shown in FIG. 9, and their function is to ensure proper alignment of the disc 322 and flange member 356, but more importantly to aid in assembly. There is a particular thing.
The two parts 322 and 356 can be assembled before the disc 322 engages the stopper.

In FIG. 10, which is an enlarged view of the exterior of the disk 322, a thickened annular rim 370 is provided, and an annular rim 370 having an annular shape coaxially with the center and extending axially over its entire circumference is provided on the inner surface (right side surface) of the annular rim 370. A seat or groove 372 is formed. An elastic ring 374 is seated on the bottom (left end) of this groove 372, and an annular rim 370
A spaced apart passage 376 is provided in the elastic ring 374 that is in line with a hole 378 provided in the elastic ring 374 . This hole 378 opens in an external shallow groove 380 provided on the outside of the rim 370. A cylindrical pressure ring 382 is provided and the passage 37
A plurality of threaded studs 384 are attached to the left axial end of pressure ring 382 at spaced circumferential locations in line with hole 378 and hole 378 . Pressure ring 382 is connected to disk 32
2, a threaded stud 384 is passed through these passages and holes and a nut 386 is threaded onto the threaded stud.

Prior to tightening nuts 386, the device 300 is assembled with the sleeve 348 and the assembled disc 322, flange member 356 and pressure ring 3 are assembled.
The sleeve 348 can be easily slid into position as 82 and properly positioned. Next, tighten the nut 386 and attach the pressure ring 382 to the elastic ring 3.
74 to force the elastic ring 374 out of the groove 372 and expand it, firmly clamping the sleeve 348 in place.

Assuming that the same structure and operation is utilized for the right-hand assembly of the apparatus 300, the use of the -340 built into this printing press allows pumping to pressures of approximately half atmospheric pressure. Centering is provided by the tapered socket 358, and the keyway can be utilized to securely drive the device to the appropriate mechanical drive associated with the printing press.

The right end of the device need not be provided with a valve corresponding to valve 340, but may be provided with a blind end corresponding to tapered socket 358 at the axial end of plug 316. In fact, there is no need for a second keyway in this position.

However, a second structure is shown in FIG. 8 in which different functions may be performed by other valves.

The only difference between the structure on the right end and the structure on the left end of device 300 shown in FIG. 8 is the valve assembly mounted on the right end. Valve housing 390 is attached to right hand bung 316 which has opening 392 into chamber 396 . A movable valve 394 is seated at the right end of the chamber 396 by an O-ring 398 that is crimped onto the axial inlet 400;
The movable valve 394 is held in this position by the spring 402.
hold. Even when the apparatus 300 is removed from a printing press incorporating the apparatus 300, the chamber 34
The strength of spring 402 is determined by the strength required to maintain the pressure within 4,346. When assembled into a printing press, the stem 404 of the valve member 406 pushes the movable valve 394 away from its seat and the inlet 40
0 is kept open.

The valve member 416 has an axial passage and the inlet 4
00, and the internal airtightness is maintained by a suitable O-ring. An O-ring is provided on the outer surface 410 of the valve member 406 to provide a friction and gas-tight connection to a fitting that may supply external air pressure to the device 300. Although this joint is not shown in Figure 8,
In FIG. 1, a joint 412 is symbolically shown as a rotary air connection. Spring 402 holds valve member 406 in engagement with fitting 412 .

As will be apparent from this description, air is maintained and supplied to the interior of the sleeve 348 from an external source through the valve member 406 to apply air pressure to the sleeve 348 and maintain the sleeve 348 in the condition shown.

FIG. 11 shows a printing press incorporating apparatus 300 therein, which utilizes an external pressure source. The apparatus 300 is attached to a frame 414 of a printing press 416.
Although shown attached to the frame 414 in the drawing, this frame 414
Diagrammatically shows a very small part of. Printing machine 416
A substrate in the form of a paper web 418 is guided through and passed over an idler roller 420 and a drive roller 422 attached to the frame 414 . Printer drive 424 may be mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, or a combination thereof, and is controlled as appropriate in modern printing presses. A mechanical drive system reaching several rotating parts is indicated by dashed line 426.

A pressure source 428 provides pressure to the fitting 412 through a pressure regulator 430 and air lines 432, 434. The precise pressure within sleeve 348 is controlled by pressure regulator 430. The setting of this pressure regulator 430 may be made manually by a controller 436 or may be automatically varied for certain purposes through a line 438.

Pressure switch 440 is capable of sensing sudden changes in pressure within tube 434 and is connected to tube 434 by conduit 442 . The sudden formation of a large hole in sleeve 348, or rupture of sleeve 348, causes a sudden drop in pressure within chamber 346. This pressure drop occurs in tube 434, and pressure regulator 430 acts to equalize this pressure. The sudden change in pressure sensed by pressure switch 440 activates the pressure switch to shut down the press drive and prevent damage.

Minor air leaks within chamber 346 are monitored by pressure regulator 430 as a matter of course.

Printing press 416 typically has some type of transducer system (not shown) for displaying multiple printing combinations, as well as for picking up signals from such systems and for connecting electrically or pneumatically to the line. 444 transmits this signal to sensor 446. The sensor 446 generates a signal that activates the registration adjustment device 448. This registration adjustment device is nothing more than an automatic adjustment of the set point of the pressure regulator. Since the sleeve 348 is made of very thin metal,
It has been found that it can be expanded slightly beyond its normal diameter by as little as a dimension of mm. This may affect the interprinting such that the normal interprinting control is increased rather than replaced.

The pressure adjustment made by the interfacing regulator 448 is applied to the pressure regulator 430 by a tube 438.

Examples of the invention include the following.

(1) In a mounting device for a non-perforated thin-walled metal sleeve that is flexible in the unsupported state and collapses when unsupported, used for ink transfer in a printing press, etc., A. a shaft having a plug at the opposite end; B comprises an elongated hollow shaft with a transverse passage through the shaft between parts, B each plug being capable of removably coupling the device to a printing press, and with a centerline of said hollow shaft; of a structure capable of being rotated by the drive of a printing press having a defined axis; C. provided with an imperforate disk coaxial with said axis and connected to each of the plugs, said disk extending radially inwardly from its outer edge; The edge has circumferential grooves located opposite to each other, the diameter of which grooves is substantially larger than the outer diameter of the hollow shaft, and the grooves are axially opposed to each other, and the grooves are axially opposed to each other. forming a locking portion for an end of said thin metal sleeve adapted to be coupled to said disk, said sleeve being configured to extend between said disks and spaced apart from said hollow shaft; a resilient O-ring that connects within the groove;
and locking rings movable axially within the grooves for engaging and forcing the O-rings into the grooves to clamp the thin-walled sleeves in their respective grooves, thereby locking the ends of the sleeves. has a circular shape coaxial with the shaft, E. When the sleeve is installed between its clamped ends, there is no support other than fluid pressure; F. Furthermore, the locking ring is in a clamped state. G means for securing the plug with a valve G within the at least one said plug which allows pressurized fluid to be introduced into the interior of the sleeve when the sleeve is attached to the device; A device is provided to maintain pressure within the device.

(2) The valve is mounted on the printing press and opened during rotation so that the device can be connected to an external pressure source.

(3) When the device is removed from the printing press, the valve closes automatically and maintains the above pressure.

(4) The means for fixing the lock ring includes a bolt passing through the outer surface of the disk member so as to engage the fastening ring located inside the groove.

(5) The structure that allows this device to be connected to a printing machine includes a tapered socket formed in each corresponding plug coaxial with the shaft, and at least one of these sockets is provided with a key, and a key is provided in at least one of these sockets. The socket is adapted to engage a male member connected to the printing press, and at least the socket provided with a key is adapted to engage one of the rotating male members.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 is a perspective view of a sleeve of the type to be installed by the apparatus of the invention, showing the sleeve retaining its rigid cylindrical shape so that it can be used as an ink transfer device in a printing press; FIG. 2
The Figures are cross-sectional views of several such sleeves, showing the sleeves assembled in a small space for storage or transportation, and Figure 3 shows two sleeves of the invention to illustrate the associated apparatus of the invention. FIG. 4 is a central sectional view of a sleeve support device constructed according to the present invention; FIG. 5 is a partially broken view similar to FIG. 4 of a modified example of the present invention; FIG. 7 is a similar cross-sectional view showing a modification of the structure of FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a similar view taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 9. 9 is a central sectional view of the printing press, with parts removed and illustrating a further embodiment of the invention; FIG. 9 is an end elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 8, viewed from the left; FIG. thing, figure 10 is figure 8
9 and 9, and FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic representation of a printing press having a sleeve according to the invention, showing the apparatus using an external pressure source actuated by an external control device. It is something. 10...metal sleeve, 12...base member,
18, 20... supply source, 22... substrate, 32...
Support roll, 36, 38...corona device, 40,
42... Station, 46, 48... Axis, 50
... Disk, 51 ... Web, 54 ... Hub, 56
... Through hole, 64 ... Washer, 66 ... Metal cylinder, 70 ... Second disk, 72 ... Center hub, 78
...Flange, 80, 82...Putskin, 90...
... Mounting device, 92, 93 ... Short shaft, 94 ... Internal cylinder, 98 ... Passage, 100 ... Washer end, 1
04... Band, 108... Tube, 114... Conduit, 1
16...Side opening, 118...Mounting tool, 122,1
24... End cup-shaped disc, 142... Cylinder,
144, 146... end short shaft, 156... boot,
158, 160... annular band, 172... chamber, 240... device, 242... cylinder, 27
0...Aisle, 313...Side passage, 314,316
...Plug, 322,324...Disc, 330...O
-Ring, 332, 334...Reinforcement rib, 338
... socket, 340 ... air valve, 346 ... outer annular chamber, 348 ... metal sleeve, 37
0... Annular rim, 372... Groove, 374... Elastic ring, 376... Passage, 378... Hole, 380...
Groove, 382...Pressure ring, 384...Threaded stud, 386...Nut, 390...Valve housing, 392...Opening, 394...Movable valve, 396
... Chamber, 398 ... O-ring, 400 ... Inlet, 402 ... Spring, 404 ... Stem, 406
... Valve member, 412 ... Joint, 414 ... Frame, 416 ... Printing machine, 418 ... Paper, 420 ...
... Idle roller, 422 ... Drive roller, 424 ...
...Printing press drive device, 428...Pressure source, 430...
...Pressure regulator, 432,434...Air pipe, 43
6... Controller, 438... Tube, 440... Pressure switch, 442... Conduit, 444... Tube, 446
...sensor, 448...printing adjustment device.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A mounting device for an elongated, flexible, normally collapsible, thin-walled metal sleeve for use as an ink transfer or image transfer device in a rotary printing press, comprising a rotatable frame, said frame being mounted on an axis. 46,
48 and attached to each end of this shaft and sleeve 1
a disc 50,7 with an annular cup-shaped flange 52,78 with an inner diameter very close to the outer diameter of 0;
0, comprising means for sealing both ends of the sleeve to the flange, the flange being adapted to give the sleeve a proper cylindrical shape and sealingly attaching the ends of the sleeve, the disc being adapted to seal the ends of the sleeve against the axis of the ends of the sleeve. means 5 for supplying fluid pressure inside the sleeve to maintain said sleeve in an inflated state by uniform internal pressure along the inner surface of said sleeve;
6, 62, 114, wherein the sleeve is configured such that the sleeve is not mechanically supported over the remainder of its length between its ends. 2. The frame includes a shaft 312 and discs 322, 324 attached to each end of the shaft, each disc being inserted into a respective end inside the sleeve 348 to connect the ends to a cylinder. An attachment device according to claim 1, characterized in that it can be formed into a shape. 3. An inflatable sleeve-like boot 156 is disposed inside the sleeve, and means 162, 166 are provided for supplying pressurized fluid directly into the inflatable boot in an amount such that the sleeve is sufficiently rigid. A mounting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: