Printing mechanism and means for cooling transfer and form cylinders

A printing mechanism for waterless offset printing, comprising:

• a frame having side walls, one of the side walls having an opening therein;
• a form cylinder having walls which define a cylinder jacket with an inner mantel surface;
• a transfer cylinder having walls which define an inner mantel surface, the transfer cylinder having a first, drive end and a second end with radial bores to permit a passage of pressurized air, the form cylinder and the transfer cylinder being rotatably mounted to the side walls of the frame;
• a sleeve-shaped form removably mounted on the transfer cylinder, the sleeve-shaped form being moveable, by passing pressurized air through the radial bores in the transfer cylinder so as to expand the sleeve-shaped form, onto and off of the cylinder through the opening in the one of the side walls of the frame;
• means for internally cooling the transfer cylinder by circulating a fluid through a channel defined in part by the inner mantel surface so that the fluid contacts the inner mantel surface, the cooling means including a coolant feed tube arranged in the cylinder body so as to extend between the first and second ends of the cylinder body, a separating tube arranged within the cylinder body so as to surround the feed tube to form a cooling chamber between the separating tube and the cylinder jacket and a pressure chamber between the separating tube and the feed tube, the radial bores being in fluid communication with the pressure chamber, a coolant feed line connected to a first end of the feed tube at the drive end of the cylinder body so as to supply a fluid coolant, radial passages being arranged in the second end of the cylindrical body so as to place a second end of the feed tube in fluid communication with the cooling chamber, an outlet line in fluid communication with the cooling chamber at the first, drive end of the cylinder body so as to permit an outflow of coolant;
• and
• connection means provided at the first, drive end of the cylinder body for releasably connecting a pressurized air supply to the pressure chamber.

A printing mechanism for waterless offset printing, comprising:

• a frame having sidewalls;
• a form cylinder;
• a transfer cylinder;
• an inking mechanism arranged at the form cylinder, the inking mechanism including driven ink distributing rollers and an ink fountain roller, the cylinders and the rollers being mounted between the sidewalls of the frame;
• first cooling means mounted to one of the sidewalls for cooling the sidewall;
• two first thermal sensors, one sensor being respectively mounted on each of the sidewalls, for controlling the first cooling means so that both sidewalls are maintained at essentially the same temperature;
• second cooling means for cooling at least one of the form cylinder and the transfer cylinder;
• at least one second thermal sensor arranged at at least one of the form cylinder and the transfer cylinder for controlling the second cooling means;
• means for cooling the ink distributing rollers;
• at least one-third thermal sensor arranged at at least one of the ink distributing rollers for controlling the ink distributing roller cooling means;
• means for cooling the ink fountain roller;
• and
• a fourth thermal sensor arranged at the ink fountain roller for separately controlling cooling of the ink fountain roller.