System for cleaning printing press roller assemblies

A system particularly adapted for cleaning ink residue imbedded in cells of ceramic inking rolls of printing press roller assemblies in a tank unit, said tank unit having a generator of ultrasonic energy, a tank defined by spaced apart sidewalls connected by end walls with said walls having a top edge, and a cleaning solution in said tank, said system comprising:

• a drive mechanism having operative rotational means to engage one end of said roller assembly and position a bottom segment of an outer surface of said roller assembly roll a selective distance below said top edge of said tank walls of said tank unit and position a remaining upper segment of said roll outer surface for visual inspection from above said tank,
• an idle mechanism having rotational means to engage an opposite end of said roller assembly and position said bottom segment of said outer surface of said roller assembly roll a selective distance below said top edge of said tank walls of said tank unit and position said remaining upper segment of said roll outer surface for visual inspection from above said tank,
• said drive mechanism operative rotational means including, support means,
• a motor carried by said support means and having a drive sprocket,
• a pair of spaced apart drive wheels rotatively carried by said support means,
• an idle pulley rotatively carried by said support means to locate between said drive wheels,
• an endless belt extending about said motor drive sprocket and said drive wheels and looping under said idle pulley, and
• said belt having an outer side extending beyond side edges of said drive wheels,
• wherein during operation of said system said drive mechanism and said idle mechanism are carried by said tank, said roller assembly ends supported respectively by said drive mechanism belt and said idle mechanism, said roll bottom segment submerged in said cleaning solution, and said drive mechanism then activated so that said motor drives said belt to rotate said drive wheels in a like direction and revolve said roller assembly so that said ultrasonic energy from said generator in said tank unit propels said cleaning solution into said roll bottom segment cells and scrubs out said imbedded ink residue until said roll outer surface upper segment is observed having a uniformly dull-light appearance indicating cleaning is complete.

A system particularly adapted for cleaning ink residue imbedded in cells of ceramic inking rolls of printing press roller assemblies in a tank unit, said tank unit having a generator of ultrasonic energy, a tank defined by spaced apart sidewalls connected by end walls with said walls having a top edge, and a cleaning solution in said tank, said system comprising:

• a drive mechanism having operative rotational means to engage one end of said roller assembly and position a bottom segment of an outer surface of said roller assembly roll a selective distance below said top edge of said tank walls of said tank unit and position a remaining upper segment of said roll outer surface for visual inspect from above said tank,
• an idle mechanism having rotational means to engage an opposite end of said roller assembly and position said bottom segment of said outer surface of said roller assembly roll a selective distance below said top edge of said tank walls of said tank unit and position said remaining upper segment of said roll outer surface for visual inspection from above said tank,
• said drive mechanism operative rotational means including,
• support means
• motor carried by said support means and having a drive sprocket,
• a pair of spaced apart drive wheels rotatively carried by said support means,
• an idle pulley rotatively carried by said support means to locate between said drive wheels,
• an endless belt extending about said motor drive sprocket and said drive wheels and looping under said idle pulley, and
• said drive mechanism support means including,
• a vertical support plate providing said rotational support for said drive wheels and said idle pulley,
• angle brackets attached to said support plate, said brackets prepared to engage one said end wall of said tank for supporting said drive mechanism therefrom,
• a horizontal platform attached to and extending outward from said vertical support plate to carry said motor, and
• spacers attached to and extending inward from said vertical support plate, said spacers prepared to engage said tank end wall to maintain said drive mechanism in an operative orientation,
• wherein during operation of said system said drive mechanism and said idle mechanism are carried by said tank, said roller assembly ends supported respectively by said drive mechanism belt and said idle mechanism, said roll bottom segment submerged in said cleaning solution, and said drive mechanism then activated so that said motor drives said belt to rotate said drive wheels in a like direction and revolve said roller assembly so that said ultrasonic energy from said generator in said tank unit propels said cleaning solution into Said roll bottom segment cells and scrubs out said imbedded ink residue until said roll outer surface upper segment is observed having a uniformly dull-light appearance indicating cleaning is complete.

A system particularly adapted for cleaning ink residue imbedded in cells of ceramic inking rolls of printing press roller assemblies in a tank unit, said tank unit having a generator of ultrasonic energy, a tank defined by spaced apart sidewalls connected by ends wall with said walls having a top edge, and a cleaning solution in said tank, said system comprising:

• a drive mechanism having operative rotational means to engage one end of said roller assembly and position a bottom segment of an outer surface of said roller assembly roll a selective distance below said top edge of said tank walls of said tank unit and position a remaining upper segment of said roll outer surface for visual inspect from above said tank,
• an idle mechanism having rotational means to engage an opposite end of said roller assembly and position said bottom segment of said outer surface of said roller assembly roll a selective distance below said top edge of said tank walls and position said remaining upper segment of said roll outer surface for visual inspection from above said tank, said idle mechanism including,
• a pair of plates spaced apart by sleeves,
• leg extensions formed on ends of said plates, said leg extensions prepared to connect with said tank for supporting said idle mechanism therefrom, and
• said idle mechanism rotational means defined by a pair of spaced apart idle wheels positioned between and carried by said plates,
• wherein during operation of said system said drive mechanism and said idle mechanism are carried by said tank, said roller assembly ends supported respectively by said drive mechanism and said idle mechanism, said roll bottom segment submerged in said cleaning solution, and said drive mechanism then activated to revolve said roller assembly so that said ultrasonic energy from said generator in said tank unit propels said cleaning solution into said roll bottom segment cells and scrubs out said imbedded ink residue until said roll outer surface upper segment is observed having a uniformly dull-light appearance indicating cleaning is complete.

A system particularly adapted for cleaning ink residue imbedded in cells of ceramic inking rolls of printing press roller assemblies in a tank unit, said tank unit having a generator of ultrasonic energy, a tank defined by spaced apart sidewalls connected by end walls with said walls having a top edge, and a cleaning solution in said tank, said system comprising:

• a drive mechanism having operative rotational means to engage one end of said roller assembly and position a bottom segment of an outer surface of said roller assembly roll a selective distance below said top edge of said tank walls of said tank unit and position a remaining upper segment of said roll outer surface for visual inspect from above said tank,
• an idle mechanism having rotational means to engage an opposite end of said roller assembly and position said bottom segment of said outer surface of said roller assembly roll a selective distance below said top edge of said tank walls and position said remaining upper segment of said roll outer surface for visual inspection from above said tank, said system including a center support defined by,
• a middle section, and
• angle brackets attached one each to ends of said center section,
• wherein during use of said system said drive mechanism and one end of said idle mechanism are carried by said tank, said center support angle brackets seat respectively on said end walls of said tank and an opposite end of said idle mechanism seats on said support member center support, said roller assembly ends are supported respectively by said drive mechanism and said idle mechanism, said roll bottom segment submerged in said cleaning solution, and said drive mechanism then activated to revolve said roller assembly so that said ultrasonic energy from said generator in said tank unit propels said cleaning solution into said roll bottom segment cells and scrubs out said imbedded ink residue until said roll outer surface upper segment is observed having a uniformly dull-light appearance indicating cleaning is complete.

A system for cleaning a printing press roller assembly having a shaft having a first and second end and a roll carried on said shaft between said first and second ends, said system comprising:

• an ultrasonic tank unit having a tank defined by spaced apart sidewalls connected by end walls and filled with a cleaning solution,
• a drive mechanism carried by one said tank end wall, said drive mechanism having a set of drive wheels spaced apart a distance less than a diameter of said shaft, operative means, and a belt connecting said drive wheels to said operative means, said first end of said shaft of said roller assembly carried on said belt to locate a bottom segment of an outer surface of said roll of said roller assembly in said cleaning solution, locate a remaining upper segment of said roll outer surface above said cleaning solution, and locate any gear and bearing means on said shaft first end free from contact with said cleaning solution, and
• an idle mechanism having support means engaging said sidewalls of said tank for ready, selective movement of said idle mechanism along the top of said tank sidewalls, said idle mechanism having a set of freely rotational wheels spaced apart a distance less than a diameter of said roller assembly shaft second end, said shaft second end carried on said wheels to locate said roll outer surface bottom segment in said cleaning solution, locate said remaining upper segment of said roll outer surface above said cleaning solution, and locate any gear and bearing means on said shaft second end free from contact with said cleaning solution,
• wherein during cleaning said drive mechanism slowly rotates said roller assembly shaft so that said cleaning solution is forced by ultrasonic waves generated by said tank unit into cells of said roller assembly roll outer surface then passing through said solution to scrub bits of imbedded ink residue from said cells, and said cleaning continuing until substantially all said ink residue is removed from said cells as indicated by a readily observed change in appearance of said roll outer surface remaining upper segment.

A method of cleaning ink residue from cells in an outer surface of a ceramic roll of a printing press roller assembly, said method comprising the steps of:

• a. filling a tank of an ultrasonic tank unit with a cleaning solution,
• b. locating a drive mechanism next to one end of said tank and an idle mechanism at an opposite end of said tank,
• c. seating respective ends of said roller assembly on a belt of said drive mechanism and on a pair of wheels of said idle mechanism to submerge a bottom segment of an outer surface of said roll in said cleaning solution and locate a remaining upper segment of said outer surface of said roll above said cleaning solution,
• d. activating said drive mechanism to rotate said roller assembly,
• e. activating said ultrasonic tank unit to generate ultrasonic waves having a frequency of about 42 kHz that force said cleaning solution into said roll outer surface cells then in said cleaning solution to scrub out said imbedded ink therein, and
• f. observing during said rotation of said roller assembly a change in appearance of said upper segment of said roll outer surface from a dark-bright to a uniform dull-light to indicate that cleaning of said cells is complete.