Multiple feed cylinder press

A stencil screen printing press comprising:

• a rotational stock gripping and advancing cylinder having a pair of ends;
• a stencil screen carriage and stencil screen frame on said carriage, reciprocable back and forth over said cylinder;
• a squeegee mount adjacent said cylinder ends, for mounting a squeegee above said cylinder and across said stencil screen carriage and frame;
• cams for vertically moving said squeegee between a lowermost print position and a slightly raised flood position, both within said stencil screen frame;
• high lifts engaging said squeegee mount and actuable to high lift said squeegee up out of said stencil screen frame and allow removal of said stencil screen frame from said press;
• and
• nonprint lifts engaging said squeegee mount and actuable to lift said squeegee mount away from said cams and said squeegee out of print position, but still within said stencil screen frame, to thereby allow said stencil screen frame to cycle without printing while allowing observable stencil screen frame movement testing.

A stencil screen printing press having a rotationally reciprocable print cylinder with gears on the ends thereof, a linearly reciprocable stencil screen carriage above said print cylinder for being reciprocated over said print cylinder, a squeegee subassembly above said stencil screen carriage and print cylinder, and a reciprocable rocker drive for reciprocating said stencil screen carriage and said print cylinders comprising:

• a drive shaft parallel to said print cylinder;
• said stencil screen carriage being connected to said drive shaft to be reciprocated thereby;
• a pinion gear on said drive shaft;
• an elongated drive rod and gear rack having first and second ends, and a rack of teeth along said second end and engaged with said pinion gear;
• a pivotal bearing support supporting said gear rack in engagement with said pinion gear;
• and
• a drive crank rotationally connected at said first end of said drive rod and gear rack, whereby rotation of said drive crank will reciprocate said drive rod and gear rack while rocking it about said pivotal bearing support, to thereby rotationally reciprocate said pinion gear to rotatably drive said drive shaft in opposite directions causing rotational reciprocation of said cylinder and linear reciprocation of said carriage.

A stencil screen printing press comprising:

• a reciprocally movable stencil screen carriage for mounting a stencil screen frame and stencil;
• a sheet retaining print cylinder beneath and cooperative with said carriage being rotationally reciprocable simultaneously with carriage reciprocation;
• a squeegee above and cooperative with said carriage and said print cylinder;
• a sheet feeder assembly for advancing sheets to said print cylinder to be printed;
• said sheet feeder assembly comprising:
• a stock support for supporting a stack of sheets to be fed;
• a feed table having sheet advancing belts for advancing sheet stock to said print cylinder;
• a sheet feeder head having driven, reciprocable, sheet pickup advancers adjacent said feed table and said stock support, positioned to pick up and advance individual sheets from said stock support to said sheet advancing belts of said feed table;
• a power source;
• said stock support having a front end adjacent said feed table, and a rear end displaced from said feed table;
• tracks above said stock support, longitudinally arranged between said front end and said rear end of said stock support;
• said sheet feeder head having said sheet pickup advancers projecting toward said stock support front end;
• said sheet feeder head being movably mounted on said tracks between said front end with said sheet pickup advancers at said front end for sheet feed by said sheet pickup advancers, and at said rear end for either sheet feed or stream feed by said sheet pickup advancers;
• a sheet feeder head position actuator operably connected to said sheet feeder head for moving said sheet feeder head to different positions at said front end for front feed of sheets, and at said rear end for rear feed of sheets;
• and
• a movable drive connection from said power source to said sheet feeder head for enabling drive of said sheet pickup advancers in said different front end and rear end positions.

A stencil screen printing press comprising:

• a reciprocally movable stencil screen carriage for mounting a stencil screen frame and stencil;
• a sheet retaining print cylinder beneath and cooperative with said carriage being rotationally reciprocable simultaneously with carriage reciprocation;
• a squeegee above and cooperative with said carriage and said print cylinder;
• a sheet feeder assembly for advancing sheets to said print cylinder to be printed;
• said sheet feeder assembly comprising:
• a stock board for supporting a stack of sheets to be fed;
• a feed table having sheet advancing belts for advancing sheet stock to a printing press;
• a sheet feeder head having driven, reciprocable, sheet pickup advancers adjacent said feed table and said stock board, positioned to pick up and advance individual sheets from said stock board to said sheet advancing belts of said feed table;
• a power source;
• first and second drive connection mechanisms connected to said sheet advancing belts from said power source;
• said first drive mechanism arranged to drive said feed belts at a variable speed feed rate for advancing sheets separated from each other;
• said second drive mechanism arranged to drive said feed belts at a slower constant feed rate for advancing sheets overlapped with each other in a stream;
• first and second drive releases for said respective first and second drive mechanisms, operable to engage or release said first and second drive mechanisms alternately;
• said stock board having a front end adjacent said feed table, and a rear end displaced from said feed table;
• tracks above said stock board, longitudinally arranged between said front end and said rear end of said stock board;
• said sheet feeder head being movably mounted on said tracks;
• a sheet feeder head position actuator operably connected to said sheet feeder head for moving said sheet feeder head to different positions at said front end for front feed of sheets, and at said rear end for rear feed of sheets;
• and
• a movable drive connection from said power source to said sheet feeder head for enabling drive of said sheet pickup advancers in said different positions.