Auxiliary printing unit for a printing press, in particular a rotary printing press

An auxiliary printing unit and press having provision therefor including, in combination, a press having a press drive and press main frame formed of a pair of frame members mounting an impression cylinder and providing a seating surface adjacent thereto, an auxiliary press unit having a press unit frame dimensioned to fit on the seating surface between the main frame members with stop means thereon to define a working position, a printing cylinder in the auxiliary press unit having a press unit shaft journaled in the frame thereof, the press unit shaft having an axial recess at its end, a coupling assembly journaled in the press frame for interconnecting the press drive and the press unit shaft, the coupling assembly having an internally splined hollow drive shaft coupled to the press drive, the coupling assembly further having an externally splined mandrel slidable endwise therein and having a hub at its inner end dimensioned to mate with the end of the press unit shaft to form a centered connection therewith when the mandrel is inwardly extended toward the press unit shaft while being axially disengaged therefrom when the mandrel is retracted thereby permitting the auxiliary press unit to be slid transaxially into its working position against the stop means, the hub at the inner end of the mandrel being dimensioned to telescope into the recess in the press shaft, the hub having means for expanding its radial dimension so as to center the press unit shaft with respect to the mandrel while forming a driving connection with the latter, and manually operated means for sequentially (a) shifting the mandrel from its retracted position to its extended position and (b) radially expanding the hub to form a tight co-axial driving connection.

An auxiliary printing unit and press having provision therefor including, in combination, a press having a press drive and press main frame formed of a pair of frame members mounting an impression cylinder and providing a seating surface adjacent thereto, an auxiliary press unit having a press unit frame dimensioned to fit on the seating surface between the main frame members with stop means thereon to define a working position, a printing cylinder in the auxiliary press unit having a press unit shaft journaled in the frame thereof, the press unit shaft being hollow at its end to provide a cylindrical recess, a coupling assembly journaled in the press frame for interconnecting the press drive and the press unit shaft, the coupling assembly having an internally splined hollow drive shaft coupled to the press drive, the coupling assembly further having an externally splined mandrel slidable endwise therein between inwardly extended and retracted positions and having a hub at its inner end dimensioned to telescope into the recess at the end of the press unit shaft to provide a driving connection therewith when the mandrel is inwardly extended while being axially disengaged therefrom when the mandrel is retracted thereby permitting the auxiliary press unit to be slid transaxially into its working position against the stop means, said hub including means for radially expanding the same into engagement with the wall of the recess to insure that the driving connection is tight and centered, means including a first cam for sliding the mandrel from its retracted position to its extended position, means including a second cam for expanding the hub, and manually operated means coupled to the cams for causing them to act in sequence and for subsequently restoring the cams to their initial condition in reversed sequence.

An auxiliary printing unit and press having provision therefor including, in combination, a press having a press drive and press main frame formed of a pair of frame members mounting an impression cylinder and providing a seating surface adjacent thereto, an auxiliary press unit having a press unit frame dimensioned to fit on the seating surface between the main frame members with stop means thereon to define a working position, a printing cylinder in the auxiliary press unit having a press unit shaft journaled in the frame thereof, the press unit shaft having an axial recess at its end, a coupling assembly journaled in the press frame for interconnecting the press drive and the press unit shaft, the coupling assembly having an internally splined hollow drive shaft coupled to the press drive, the coupling assembly further having an externally splined mandrel slidable endwise in the drive shaft and having its inner end formed to mate with the end of the press shaft to form a driving connection therewith when the mandrel is inwardly extended toward the press unit shaft, a coil spring for biasing the mandrel to a retracted position thereby permitting the auxiliary press unit to be slid transaxially into its working position against the stop means, and means including a manually operated control shaft in the mandrel for shifting the mandrel to its extended position against the restoring force of the spring.

An auxiliary printing unit and press having provision therefor including, in combination, a press having a press drive and press main frame formed of a pair of frame members mounting an impression cylinder and providing a seating surface adjacent thereto, an auxiliary press unit having a press unit frame dimensioned to fit on the seating surface between the main frame members with stop means thereon to define a working position, a printing cylinder in the auxiliary press unit having a printing unit shaft journaled in the frame thereof, the shaft being hollow to provide a cylindrical recess at its end, a coupling assembly journaled in the press frame for interconnecting the press drive and the press unit shaft, the coupling assembly having an internally splined hollow drive shaft coupled to the press drive, the coupling assembly further having an externally splined mandrel slidable endwise therein between extended and retracted positions and having a cylindrical hub at its inner end dimensioned to mate coaxially with the recess at the end of the press unit shaft, the mandrel also having an off-center register pin for registering with a pin recess on the press unit shaft, first register indicia for relating the press main frame and the mandrel, second register indicia for relating the press unit frame and the press unit shaft so that when the mandrel is in its retracted position alignment of the respective indicia creates a condition of register between the register pin and its recess and so that when the mandrel is subsequently inwardly extended the hub and register pin form a driving connection with the press unit shaft, and manually operated means for shifting the mandrel between its driving and retracted positions.

An auxiliary printing unit and press having provision therefor including, in combination, a press having a press drive and a press main frame formed of a pair of frame members mounting an impression cylinder and providing a seating surface adjacent thereto, a pair of rails on the main frame leading to the seating surface, an auxiliary press unit having a press unit frame dimensioned to fit on the seating surface between the main frame members, stop means engaged by the press unit frame to define a working position therefor, a printing cylinder in the auxiliary press unit having a press unit shaft journaled in the frame thereof, the press unit shaft having a cylindrical recess at its end, a coupling assembly journaled in the press main frame for interconnecting the press drive and the press unit shaft, the coupling assembly having an internally splined hollow drive shaft coupled to the press drive, the coupling assembly further having an externally splined mandrel slidable endwise in the drive shaft between inwardly extended and retracted positions and having a radially expandible hub at its inner end dimensioned to mate coaxially with the recess in the press unit shaft to form a driving connection therewith when the mandrel is inwardly extended, the mandrel and the press unit shaft having respective off-center registering elements thereon which are also axially engaged when the mandrel is inwardly extended, first register indicia on the main frame and mandrel alignable by rotationally positioning the mandrel, second register indicia on the press unit frame and the press unit shaft so related that upon rotation thereof to a position of alignment the registering elements are aligned with one another in readiness for axial engagement, and manually operated means for sequentially (a) shifting the mandrel from its retracted position to its extended position and (b) expanding the hub to insure a tight centered driving connection with the press unit shaft.