Flow-restricted printing cylinder for a removable printing sleeve

Abstract

A printing cylinder for accepting an axially-removable printing sleeve includes a cylinder body having an outer surface, the outer surface having at least one hole and a supply line in the cylinder body for supplying fluid to the at least one hole. The supply line has at least one flow restrictor designed to alter fluid flow as a function of the at least one hole being covered by an axially-removable printing sleeve. Also provided is a printing press having two such cylinders and a common pressure source. A method for axially removing a printing sleeve over a printing cylinder includes the steps of applying fluid pressure to an inside of a printing sleeve located on a printing cylinder through holes at a work side end of the printing cylinder and through other holes between the holes at the work side end and a gear side end of the printing cylinder, sliding the printing sleeve in a direction of the work side end of the printing cylinder, and automatically restricting flow through the other holes when the printing sleeve no longer is located over the other holes.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.