Printing cylinder
OwnerWerner Schulzinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A new and improved printing cylinder or image carrier sleeve which is formed of either carbon fiber/particles or from a relatively thin flat sheet of metal. The flat sheet of metal, for example, stainless steel or tin, is rolled to form a cylinder of desired diameter and welded together along the longitudinal edges. The weld seam or spots may be filed to have a substantially flat and smooth surface. Also disclosed is a mandrel assembly having an outer expansion sleeve member with one or more yield or preferential expansion regions, for example, circumferential grooves for applying pressure to effect outward expansion of said outer sleeve member.
Claims8
An image printing cylinder in combination with an expandable printing mandrel having particular utility for uniformly supporting the image printing cylinder, comprising:
- a first tubular cylinder (13) having axial-spaced end portions each defining a respective cylindrical opening of predetermined dimension;
- a pair of axial-spaced journal members (11, 12) each having an outer cylindrical portion received within a respective one of said cylindrical openings and affixed to the respective tubular end portion;
- a second tubular cylinder (16) having an inner diameter (69) greater than the outer diameter (70) of said first tubular cylinder and being mounted thereon and affixed thereto, said second tubular cylinder having a circumferentially expandable portion axially extending (46) between said journal members;
- actuatable pressure means (18) having a circumferential pressure chamber (17) axially and substantially co-extending with said expandable portion of said second tubular cylinder, said pressure chamber being generally defined between circumferentially spaced wall portions (45) of said first and second tubular cylinders;
- an image printing cylinder (61a,61b) having a relatively thin wall (76) construction and being relatively light weight with an axial length (77) approximately co-extensive with the expandable portion (46) of said second tubular cylinder for being snugly and slidingly mounted thereon, whereby substantially the entire axial length of said image printing cylinder being subjected to a radially directed frictionally engaging and circumferentially outwardly defining force.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.