# US 4,391,191 A · Reciprocal supporting arrangement for contacting cylinders of a printing unit

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- Number: US 4,391,191 A
- Document ID: US4391191A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/289,651
- Filed: 1981-08-03
- Granted: 1983-07-05
- Earliest claimed: 1979-06-30
- Assignees: Koenig & Bauer Aktiengesellschaft
- Inventors: Hans-Bernhard Bolza-Schunemann
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4391191A

## CPC

- B41F 13/21: Bearer rings
- B41F: PRINTING MACHINES OR PRESSES (manifolding devices or office printing machines B41L)

## Abstract

A reciprocal supporting arrangement for contacting cylinders of a printing unit is disclosed. Non-rotating supporting rings are supported by bearings carried on the cylinder shafts interiorly of the side frames. Additional cylinder bearers or cylinder rings are carried exteriorly of the side frames and thus rotate with the cylinder shafts. The combination of the non-rotating inner supports and the rotatable outer supports take the place of conventional cylinder bearers to support the cylinders of a printing press and to impart the necessary stress or tension so that the cylinders properly contact each other.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An arrangement for the precise support and rotation of first and second cylinders which contact each other in a printing unit of a rotary printing press, the cylinders being carried on shafts which rotate in journals that are carried in spaced side frames, the cylinders being positioned between the spaced side frames, said support arrangement comprising:
spaced pairs of non-rotating support rings carried by the shafts of the first and second cylinders, said support rings on the first cylinder shaft contacting said support rings on the second cylinder shaft to produce an initial stress force between said pairs of support rings to maintain the cylinders spaced an exact distance from each other and to maintain journal deflections constant, said support rings being positioned adjacent planar ends of the cylinders interiorly of the side frames, and being constrained from rotation with the shafts;
at least a first pair of contacting rotatable cylinder rings, one of said rotatable cylinder rings being secured to the shaft of the first cylinder for rotation therewith, and another of said rotatable cylinder rings being secured to the shaft of the second cylinder for rotation therewith, said rotatable cylinder rings being sized to provide a selected peripheral contact force between said cylinder rings to ensure a precise rolling drive for the cylinders and to dampen vibrations, said cylinder rings contacting each other exteriorly of the side frames; and,
drive means to rotate the first and second cylinders.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The support arrangement of claim 1 wherein said rotatable cylinder rings are equipped with friction coatings in the areas which contact each other.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The support arrangement of claim 1 wherein said rotatable cylinder rings are secured to main drive gears for the first and second cylinders, said main drive gears being carried on the cylinder shafts exteriorly of the side frames, the drive gears providing said drive means.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The support arrangement of claim 1 further including a second pair of rotatable cylinder rings, said second pair of cylinder rings being secured on hubs carried on the shafts of the cylinders exteriorly of the side frames and at the opposite ends of the shafts from said first pair of rotatable cylinder rings.