Cleaning system for blanket cylinders

A cleaning system for a blanket cylinder in an offset printing press, said blanket cylinder extending along a longitudinal axis and said system including means for mounting said blanket cylinder for rotation about said longitudinal axis thereof and means for rotating said blanket cylinder about said longitudinal axis,

• cleaning member, means for mounting said cleaning member for rotation about an axis, means for rotating said cleaning member about said rotational axis, means for moving said rotating cleaning member over the surface of said blanket cylinder along a path substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said blanket cylinder, and means for selectively moving said cleaning member into and out of contact with the surface of said blanket cylinder, and
• vacuum means for picking up material removed by said cleaning member from the surface of said blanket cylinder, said vacuum means including a housing substantially surrounding said cleaning member adjacent the surface of said blanket cylinder, means for selectively moving said housing toward and away from the surface of said blanket cylinder between first and second positions, said housing in said first position being closer to the surface of said blanket cylinder than in said second position, said moving means for said housing including means for mounting said housing for movement relative to said cleaning member between said first and second positions.

A removable cleaning system for a blanket cylinder in an offset printing press, said blanket cylinder extending along a longitudinal axis and said system including means for mounting blanket cylinder for rotation about said longitudinal axis thereof and means for rotating said blanket cylinder about said longitudinal axis,

• cleaning member, first means for mounting said cleaning member for rotation about an axis, second means for rotating said cleaning member about said rotational axis, third means for moving said rotating cleaning member over the surface of said blanket cylinder along a path substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said blanket cylinder, and fourth means for selectively moving said cleaning member into an out of contact with the surface of said blanket cylinder, and
• means for supporting said cleaning member and said first, second, third, and fourth means on a unitary support structure, said unitary support structure extending along an axis and having first and second end portions wherein said press includes means for releasably securing the respective end portions of said unitary support structure with the unitary support structure in a first position relative to said blanket cylinder with the axis of said unitary support structure substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said blanket cylinder, said unitary support structure of said cleaning member and said first, second, third, and fourth means being removable as a unit from said press by releasing said end portions of said unitary support structure from said securing means.

A cleaning system for removing dust and lint from a blanket cylinder in an offset printing press during a printing run without using liquid cleaners and without interrupting the printing run,

• said offset printing press including a plate cylinder, said blanket cylinder, and a paper web, said plate cylinder having an image thereon and said offset printing press including means for mounting said plate cylinder, blanket cylinder, and paper web to transfer the image from said plate cylinder to said blanket cylinder and from said blanket cylinder to said paper web during said printing run,
• said blanket cylinder extending along a longitudinal axis and said cleaning system further including means for rotating said blanket cylinder about said longitudinal axis thereof at a first rotational rate during said printing run of said offset printing press with the image on said plate cylinder being transferred to said blanket cylinder and onto said paper web,
• cleaning member, means for mounting said cleaning member for rotation about an axis with at least a first portion of said cleaning member at any one time contacting the surface of said blanket cylinder, means for rotating said cleaning member about said rotational axis, and means for moving said rotating cleaning member across the surface of said blanket cylinder along a path substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said blanket cylinder with at least said first portion of said cleaning member in contact with the surface of said blanket cylinder wherein said means for moving said rotating cleaning member moves said rotating cleaning member across the surface of said blanket cylinder on the fly during an uninterrupted printing run of said press with said blanket cylinder rotating at said first rotational rate with the image on said plate cylinder being transferred to said blanket cylinder and onto said paper web,
• said press having normal operating parameters and control means including means for sensing at least one of said normal operating parameters, means for automatically activating said control means to move said cleaning member away from a contact location with the surface of the blanket cylinder in response to sensing a deviation from said at least one of said normal operating parameters, and means for thereafter re-engaging said cleaning member with the surface of said blanket cylinder substantially at said location to resume the cleaning operation.