An improved flexographic printer including:
- a frame;
- an ink roll, the ink roll being rigidly mounted on a shaft, the shaft and ink roll being rotatably mounted on said frame;
- a printing roll rigidly mounted on a printing roll shaft, the printing roll shaft being rotatably mounted in a supporting frame structure, the supporting frame structure being rigidly mounted on the frame with said printing roll contacting said ink roll;
- an ink trough supported by said frame, the ink trough containing a quantity of ink, the ink being applied to a cylindrical surface of the ink roll as the ink roll rotates past the ink trough;
- a pair of pivotably mounted members supported by said frame, each member having a first arm, the pair of first arms supporting opposite ends of a reverse angle doctor blade assembly, said reverse angle doctor blade assembly supporting a doctor blade, the doctor blade having a wiping edge at one end thereof which engages the cylindrical surface of the ink roll, the doctor blade being mounted so as to form an obtuse angle relative to the cylindrical surface of the ink roll approaching the doctor blade, the doctor blade assembly being advanced by said pivotably mounted members into an operative position in which the wiping edge of the doctor blade engages the cylindrical surface of the ink roll with said wiping edge being in parallel alignment with a longitudinal axis of said ink roll and at a location on the cylindrical surface intermediate a location of the ink trough and a further location where the ink roll engages the printing roll, in a direction of rotation of the ink roll;
- a second arm of each pivotably mounted member being engaged by actuator means continuously applying a force to each pivotally mounted member pivoting each pivotably mounted member about a respective pivot point with the wiping edge of the doctor blade being continuously biased into line contact with the cylindrical surface of the ink roll at equal force along the length of said doctor blade;
- a shaft portion mounted on each end of the doctor blade assembly, a mounting bracket mounted on each shaft portion by means of a self-aligning bearing situated in each mounting bracket, each mounting bracket engaging cooperating means mounted on the first arm of each pivotably mounted member, the cooperating means releasably retaining the mounting brackets in contact with the first arms of the pivotably mounted members, at least one end of said doctor blade assembly includes adjusting means, said adjusting means comprising a member rigidly secured to the shaft portion of the assembly, said member supporting an adjustment screw having a ball-like end in engagement with a cooperating slot located in a follower member, the follower member being slidably movable along a curved path situated on a holder, the holder being secured to a side of the doctor blade assembly mounting bracket and the curved path being of constant radius with respect to a centre of its respective shaft portion, a position of the follower member on the curved path being manually adjustable by clamp means in order to releasably retain said follower member at a desired location on said curved path, said manual adjustment of said follower member permitting the member secured to the shaft portion and its engaging means to be set in a desired angular position relative to said respective mounting bracket, whereby an angle of said doctor blade with respect to a tangent to the cylindrical surface of said ink roll is obtainable, the ball-like end of the adjusting screw permitting the mounting bracket to pivot on the shaft portion about said ball-like end in any position of engagement of the ball-like end with the cooperating slot in the follower member, whereby tilting of said mounting bracket relative said shaft portion and member rigidly mounted thereon is obtained and self-aligning movement of said doctor blade assembly relative to said ink roll is achieved.