Printing cylinder of a rotary printing press and a method for use therewith

A method of using a printing cylinder of a rotary printing press, in which the printing cylinder comprises a jacket having a plurality of coaxial tubes, said plurality of coaxial tubes including a resilient interior tube, a filler body exterior of said interior tube, and a printing forme support exterior of said filler body, said printing cylinder further comprising a support fixedly secured against rotation relative to said jacket, said jacket being rotatable around said support, a row of support elements disposed axially next to each other for providing at least partially individually adjustable printing pressures, said support elements being mounted on said support for radial displacement in a printing plane, said jacket being supported by said support elements in the printing plane, said jacket having an inner chamber that is pressure-tight and chargeable with pressure, said inner chamber of said jacket being selectively chargeable with different pressures to define between adjacent ones of said plurality of coaxial tubes a press fit or, because of a resilient deformation of one or more of said plurality of tubes, a sliding fit with each other, said method comprising the steps of:

• maintaining said inner chamber at a predetermined pressure;
• and
• reducing said pressure to a predeterminate amount for causing resilient deformation of at least one of said interior tube and said filler body and for defining between adjacent ones of said plurality of coaxial tubes a sliding fit.

A printing cylinder for a rotary printing press, said printing cylinder comprising:

• a jacket comprising a plurality of coaxial tubes, said plurality of coaxial tubes comprising:
• a resilient interior tube;
• a resilient filler body exterior of said interior tube;
• and
• a printing forme support exterior of said filler body;
• a support fixedly secured against rotation relative to said jacket, said jacket being rotatable around said support;
• a row of support elements disposed axially next to each other for providing at least partially individually adjustable printing pressures, said support elements being mounted on said support for radial displacement in a printing plane, said jacket being supported by said support elements in the printing plane;
• said jacket having an inner chamber;
• said jacket having at least one cylindrical, coaxial gap for permitting separation of at least one of said filler body and said printing forme support from at least one of said interior tube and said filler body;
• means for sealing said inner chamber of said jacket to be pressure-tight;
• and
• means for communicating said inner chamber with a source of pressure and for selectively maintaining said inner chamber at respective predeterminate different pressures, said means for communicating and selectively maintaining including means for selectively:
• (1) maintaining said inner chamber at a first pressure for applying a resilient force exerted by said resilient filler body against said printing forme support to thereby define a press fit between said filler body and said printing forme support;
• or
• (2) maintaining said inner chamber at a second pressure, said second pressure being less than said first pressure, for discontinuing said resilient force exerted by said resilient filler body against said printing forme support to thereby define a sliding fit between said filler body and said printing forme support for facilitating removal of said printing forme support.

A printing cylinder for a rotary printing press, said printing cylinder comprising:

• a jacket comprising a plurality of coaxial tubes, said plurality of coaxial tubes comprising:
• a resilient interior tube;
• a resilient filler body exterior of said interior tube;
• and
• a printing forme support exterior of said filler body;
• a support fixedly secured against rotation relative to said jacket, said jacket being rotatable around said support;
• a row of support elements disposed axially next to each other for providing at least partially individually adjustable printing pressures, said support elements being mounted on said support for radial displacement in a printing plane, said jacket being supported by said support elements in the printing plane;
• said jacket having an inner chamber;
• said jacket having a first cylindrical, coaxial gap between said filler body and said printing forme support in a first predetermined configuration of said printing cylinder and, in a second predetermined configuration of said printing cylinder, said jacket having a second cylindrical, coaxial gap between said interior tube;
• means for sealing said inner chamber of said jacket to be pressure-tight;
• and
• means for communicating said inner chamber with a source of pressure and for selectively maintaining said inner chamber at respective predeterminate different pressures, said means for communicating and selectively maintaining including means for selectively:
• (1) maintaining said inner chamber at a first pressure for applying a resilient force exerted by said resilient interior tube against said filler body to thereby define a press fit between said interior tube and said filler body, and for applying a resilient force exerted by said resilient filler body against said printing forme support to thereby define a press fit between said filler body and said printing forme support;
• (2) maintaining said inner chamber at a second pressure, said second pressure being less than said first pressure, for discontinuing said resilient force exerted by said resilient filler body against said printing forme support to thereby define a sliding fit between said filler body and said printing forme support in said first predetermined configuration of said printing cylinder;
• or
• (3) maintaining said inner chamber at a third pressure, said third pressure being less than said second pressure, for discontinuing said resilient force exerted by said resilient interior tube against said filler body to thereby define a sliding fit between said interior tube and said filler body, and for discontinuing said resilient force exerted by said resilient filler body against said printing forme support to thereby define a sliding fit between said filler body and said printing forme support in said second predetermined configuration of said printing cylinder.