Enclosed gravure printing machine

Multi-color gravure web printing machine for continuous prime and verso printing on a web (A) and utilizing ink which is subject to emission of vapors

• comprising the combination of
• a first essentially gas-tight upright housing forming a first tower housing structure (1) having a back wall;
• a first plurality of printing systems (2, 3, 4, 5) positioned above each other and forming a first tower located within the tower housing structure;
• a first plurality of essentially horizontally placed fire-resistant separating walls (19, 20, 21) separating the first tower housing structure into a plurality of chambers (15-18);
• ink drying means (22) located in the chambers and positioned adjacent the back wall, and laterally with respect to the printing systems,
• whereby, upon drying of ink after printing in the respective systems, vapors are released;
• the tower housing structure, the printing systems, the ink drying means, and the fire-resistant separating walls forming a first printing system tower assembly,
• with
• a second printing system tower assembly, similar to said first printing system tower assembly, and positioned back-to-back with respect to said first printing system tower assembly, in which the relative positions of the ink drying means and the printing systems are arranged in mirror-image relation with respect to the first assembly, the ink drying means being located in the chambers of the respective tower assemblies, upon placement of the tower assemblies back-to-back, such that the ink drying means will be adjacent each other and the printing systems remote from each other to be positioned at outer sides of the combination of back-to-back tower assemblies;
• and means for guiding a continuous web (A) of printing substrate through the first printing system tower assembly from an upper printing system in a vertically progressing path between an upper printing system and a lower printing system of the vertically located printing systems for printing on the prime side of the web,
• then guiding said continuous web towards an upper printing system of the second printing system tower assembly,
• and then guiding the continuous web in a generally vertically progressing path between an upper printing system and a lower printing system of the vertically located printing systems of the second printing tower assembly for verso printing on said continuous web of printing substrate.