Thermally insensitive rotary die system

A rotary die system, comprising:

• first and second cylinders;
• a base structure configured to support the first and second cylinders in a rotatable manner about substantially parallel nominal axes that jointly span a plane, the cylinders defining two respective contacting surfaces along which the cylinders touch, as well as two respective processing surfaces that are interspaced by a non-zero gap directed along an inter-axis direction along the plane;
• two first bearing blocks configured to enclose the first cylinder from opposite axial sides along the respective axis, and configured to support the combined weight of at least the first cylinder and the first bearing blocks;
• wherein each of the first bearing blocks is composed of:
• an inner block member configured for accommodating a bearing holding a rotatable shaft of the first cylinder;
• an outer block member with a cut-out accommodating the inner block member;
• a tensioning element for creating a biasing force on the inner block member relative to the outer block member, and
• a plurality of flexure hinges that mechanically interconnect the inner and outer block members, so as to allow the inner block member to translate relative to the outer block member along the inter-axis direction, but to prevent relative motion of the inner block member along transverse directions, while the rotary die system is operational and the cylinders are rotating;
• and
• wherein either the inner block member, the outer block member, and the flexure hinges in each respective first bearing block are jointly formed from a monolithic/unitary body of continuous solid material, or
• the inner block member and the outer block member in each respective first bearing block are interconnected by separate flexure hinges that are mounted in a fixed position in the cut-out between the inner and outer block member.