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US 5,003,876 AGranted
Printing apparatus with dual inking system
AssigneeThe Ward Machinery Company
InventorsJohn R. Harrison, Michael W. Millard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A printing apparatus includes a rotatable anilox roll engageable with a rotatable print cylinder for transferring ink thereto. A rotatable wipe roll and a doctor blade head are selectively engageable with different portions of the anilox roll to provide alternative wipe roll and doctor blade inking systems. Preferably both inking systems have substantially common ink supply and ink return paths with a valve being selectively operable to direct the ink supply path to either the wipe roll or the doctor blade head. Facilities for effecting a wash cycle may be provided to wash either inking system after use. Preferably an interlock arrangement prevents changing in use between the two inking systems until a wash cycle has been completed.
Claims21
Printing apparatus, comprising:
- a frame structure;
- a print cylinder rotatably mounted in said frame structure:
- an ink roll rotatably mounted in said frame structure and engageable with said print cylinder for transferring ink thereto;
- a wipe roll rotatably mounted in said frame structure;
- means for moving said wipe roll into and out of engagement with said ink roll;
- a doctor blade head assembly;
- means for moving said doctor blade head assembly into and out of engagement with said ink roll;
- selection means for actuating said wipe roll moving means and said doctor blade head assembly moving means for selectively engaging either of said wipe roll and said doctor blade head assembly with said ink roll and spacing the other of said wipe roll and said doctor blade head assembly from and out of contact with said ink roll to enable either a wipe roll inking system or a doctor blade inking system to be selected for printing;
- means for supplying ink directly to only one of said wipe roll and said doctor blade head assembly at a time, and only while said one is selectively engaged with said ink roll by said selection means;
- and
- said ink supplying means including a valve, actuated by said selection means between two distribution positions, for directing said ink to said one selectively engaged with said ink roll.
8 more elements
Printing apparatus, comprising:
- a rotatable print cylinder;
- a rotatable anilox roll disposed parallel to and below said print cylinder and engageable with said print cylinder for transferring ink thereto;
- a rotatable wipe roll and a doctor blade head assembly disposed below said print cylinder and on opposite sides of said anilox roll;
- said wipe roll being cooperative with said anilox roll to form a wipe roll inking system, and said doctor blade head assembly being cooperative with said anilox roll to form an alternative doctor blade inking system;
- means for selectively activating either of said inking systems and simultaneously disengaging the other of said inking systems;
- a supply pump for supplying ink;
- and
- said means including a distribution valve selectively movable between two distribution positions to connect said supply pump to pump ink dirctly to said wipe roll or said doctor blade head assembly depending upon which inking system is in use.
5 more elements
Printing apparatus, comprising:
- a rotatable print cylinder;
- a rotatable anilox roll engageable with said print cylinder for transferring ink thereto;
- a rotatable wipe roll cooperable with said anilox roll to effect a wipe roll inking system for inking said anilox roll;
- a doctor blade head cooperable with said anilox roll and having two doctor blades defining an ink reservoir therebetween with said anilox roll to effect a doctor blade inking system for inking said anilox roll;
- said doctor blade head having an ink passageway therein communicating with said ink reservoir;
- means for enabling selection of either inking system;
- in said wipe roll inking system, said wipe roll and said anilox roll cooperatively defining an upper nip trough;
- ink supplying means for supplying ink;
- and
- said selection enabling means including a distribution system connecting said ink supplying means directly to said upper nip trough only in said wipe roll inking system and to said ink passageway only in said doctor blade inking system.
7 more elements
Printing apparatus, comprising:
- a frame structure;
- a print cylinder rotatably mounted in said frame structure;
- an anilox roll rotatably mounted in said frame structure below but cooperable with said print cylinder;
- a rotatable wipe roll and a doctor blade head mounted in said frame structure below said print cylinder and on opposite sides of said anilox roll;
- an ink pan disposed below said wipe and anilox rolls;
- means for moving said wipe roll into engagement with or away from said anilox roll;
- means for moving said doctor blade head into engagement with or away from said anilox roll;
- said doctor blade head having two doctor blades engageable with said anilox roll and defining an ink reservoir therebetween;
- said doctor blade head having an ink inlet and at least one ink outlet, said ink outlet delivering ink from said doctor blade head to said ink pan;
- a source of ink;
- a supply pump connected between said source of ink and a two-position distribution valve selectably changeable to supply ink to either said wipe roll or to said ink inlet of said doctor blade head;
- a return pump connected between said ink pan and said source of ink;
- means for selecting alternative wipe roll and doctor blade inking systems;
- said wipe roll inking system involving having said wipe roll engaged with said anilox roll, said doctor blade head spaced from and out of contact with said anilox roll, and said distribution valve connected to supply ink only to a nip trough between said wipe and anilox roll;
- said doctor blade inking system involving having said wipe roll spaced from said anilox roll, said doctor blade head engaged with said anilox roll, and said distribution valve connected to supply ink only to said doctor blade head reservoir;
- washing means for performing a wash cycle to wash either inking system after use;
- and
- interlocking means for preventing changeover from use of either inking system to the other by said selecting means until after said washing means has been activated and a wash cycle completed.
15 more elements
A flexographic printing apparatus, comprising:
- a rotatable print cylinder;
- a rotatable impression roll cooperable with said print cylinder to print sheet material therebetween;
- an anilox roll cooperable with said print cylinder for transferring ink thereto;
- a wipe roll engageable with said anilox roll to form a wipe roll inking system for inking said anilox roll with a nip being formed between the wipe roll and the anilox roll;
- a doctor blade head having at least one doctor blade engageable with said anilox roll to form a doctor blade inking system for inking said anilox roll with a cavity for ink being defined between said anilox roll and said doctor blade head;
- said nip and said cavity occurring at different locations relative to said anilox roll;
- means for supplying ink to either of said inking systems;
- and
- means for selectively operating said ink supplying means in a wipe roll mode or an alternative doctor blade mode, in said wipe roll mode said ink being supplied to the nip between said wipe and anilox rolls to form an ink fountain in said nip, and in said doctor blade mode said ink only being supplied to said cavity defined between said anilox roll and said doctor blade head to form an ink fountain in said cavity.
6 more elements
A flexographic printing apparatus, comprising:
- a frame structure;
- a print cylinder rotatably mounted in said frame structure;
- an anilox roll rotatably mounted in said frame structure and cooperable with said print cylinder;
- a rotatable wipe roll and a doctor blade head mounted on opposite sides of said anilox roll;
- an ink pan disposed below said wipe and anilox rolls;
- said wipe roll being movable into engagement with or away from said anilox roll;
- said doctor blade head being movable into engagement with or away from said anilox roll;
- said doctor blade head including two doctor blades engageable with said anilox roll and deining an ink reservoir therebetween;
- said doctor blade head having an ink inlet and at least one ink outlet, said ink outlet allowing discharge of ink from said ink reservoir to said ink pan;
- a source of ink;
- a supply pump connected between said source of ink and a two-position distribution valve said valve being selectably changeable to supply ink directly to eighter said wipe roll or said doctor blade head;
- alternative wipe roll and doctor blade inking systems;
- said wipe roll inking system comparising having said wipe roll engaged with said anilox roll, and said distribution valve connected to supply ink directly to a nip trough between said wipe and anilox rolls;
- said doctor blade inking system comprising having said wipe roll spaced from said anilox roll, said doctor blade head engaged with said anilox roll, and said distribution valve connected to supply ink directly to said doctor blade head reservoir via said doctor blade head ink inlet;
- and
- means for selecting either of said wipe roll and doctor blade inking systems.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.