Thin-walled reinforced sleeve with integral compressible layer
AssigneeDay International, Inc.
InventorsMario Busshoff, Michael Kockentiedt, Brett Tracy Scherrman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sleeve for a print cylinder comprising a fiber reinforced, thin-walled material and having a seamless surface ready to be covered with a surface material. The sleeve may be used in flexographic printing, either as a support for photo-polymerized printing plates or rubber layers. The sleeve has the advantages of having low manufacturing cost and providing the necessary heat resistance to withstand rubber vulcanization temperatures. The sleeve is also airtight, and remains properly positioned during printing operations.
Claims31
A thin-walled print sleeve comprising:
- a hollow cylindrical base comprising a fiber-reinforced polymer resin having a wall thickness of from between about 0.1 mm to about 0.8 mm;
- a compressible layer on said cylindrical base;
- and
- a layer of material having an imageable surface on said compressible layer, said cylindrical base being expandable under fluid pressure and providing a fluid-tight seal when said sleeve is mounted.
In combination, a thin-walled print sleeve having a hollow cylindrical base comprising a fiber-reinforced polymer resin with a wall thickness of from between about 0.1 mm to about 0.8 mm, a compressible layer on said cylindrical base, and a layer of a material having an imageable surface on said compressible layer, said print sleeve mounted on a support selected from the group consisting of a print cylinder, a mandrel, and a bridge mandrel.
A method of fabricating a thin-walled print sleeve comprising:
- providing a cylindrical support;
- applying a fibrous material and a polymer resin to said support to form a thin-walled fiber-reinforced resin base sleeve;
- curing said base sleeve;
- working an outer surface of said base sleeve to provide a wall thickness of from between about 0.1 mm to about 0.8 mm;
- applying a layer of compressible material to said outer surface of said base sleeve;
- applying a layer of material having an imageable surface over said compressible material to form said print sleeve;
- curing said print sleeve;
- and
- working an outer surface of said print sleeve to provide a predetermined overall wall thickness.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.