Printing press blanket cylinder assembly, mounting and dismounting subassemblies and method of using same

Abstract

A printing blanket cylinder assembly (14',16') with an exposed edge (60) at the end of an inwardly turned mounting member (30M, 34M) protectively enclosed within a mounting slot (32) within a blanket cylinder (16) while an outer layer (40) of the blanket (34) is protectively wrapped around a leading edge (30D) of a metal backing plate (30) to both protect intermediate layers (44, 48) of the blanket (34) and the bonds therebetween from the deleterious effects of dampening liquid while concurrently providing a gap (56) of preselected size to achieve a stress-free boundary for the blanket (34) on opposite sides of the gap (56) for optimal vibration reduction. An ejector mechanism (70) is mounted to the cylinder (16) for pushing the mounting member (30M, 34M) out of the slot (32) during removal of the blanket (34) from around the cylinder (16). The ejector mechanism (70) includes a rotatable adjustment member (74) located outside of the mounting slot (32) and linked with an ejector blade (62) for causing it to move within the mounting slot (32).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.