Transfer roller device for printing presses

In a sheet fed rotary printing press of the type having an impression cylinder for printing one said of a sheet with wet ink, and a one and one half to one delivery system for transferring the printed sheet from the impression cylinder to another processing station within the press, the delivery system including a transfer device driven by a drive shaft disposed adjacent the impression cylinder, and operating to engage and support the wet ink side of the printed sheet during the transfer, said transfer device comprising:

• a frame drivingly coupled to said drive shaft and at least two elongated cylindrical rollers releasably mounted to said frame on diametrically opposed sides of said drive shaft, said rollers being mounted for free rotation about axis extending parallel to said drive shaft and disposed to engage and support said wet ink side of said sheet during said transfer, each of said rollers comprising a generally hollow, cylindrical shell having open ends and axle means for supporting said shell to said frame, said shell being coupled with said axle means by bearing means for permitting said shell to rotate freely with respect to said axle means;
• and
• said axle means further comprising a pair of stub axles having inner end portions disposed within said shell and outer end portions projecting outwardly form each end of said shell, the inner end portions being journaled through said bearing means and axially shiftable between extended and retracted positions relative thereto such that the outer end portions can be retracted inwardly with respect to said shell for release of said roller from said frame.

For use in a sheet fed rotary printing press of the type including an impression cylinder for printing a sheet and a drive shaft driving a one and one half to one delivery system for transferring the printing sheet from the impression cylinder to another processing station within the press, a transfer device comprising:

• a frame mounted to said drive shaft;
• at least two rollers releasably supported by said frame and arranged to engage and support said printed sheets during said transfer, each of said rollers comprising an elongated cylindrical shell formed to have a continuous outer peripheral surface and open ends, said rollers each being mounted to said frame for free rotation about axes parallel to said drive shaft and supported by bearing means for free rotation about a pair of stub axles lying along said axes, said stub axles projecting outwardly from said ends of said shell and being releasably coupled to said frame;
• a fabric material covering said outer peripheral surface of each of said rollers, said fabric material being a loosely woven cloth impregnated with a liquid repellant substance and formed as a seamless cylindrical sleeve having open ends, said open ends of said sleeve being inserted into said open ends of said shell;
• and
• end caps releasably press fit within said open ends of said shell to retain said sleeve on said shell.