US 5,960,713 A · Retractable printing-coating unit operable on the plate and blanket cylinders simultaneously from the dampener side of the first printing unit or any consecutive printing unit or any rotary offset printing press

Abstract

A retractable in-line inking/coating apparatus can apply either spot or overall inking/coating material to a plate and/or a blanket on the first printing unit or on any consecutive printing unit of any rotary offset printing press. The inking/coating apparatus is pivotally mounted within the conventional dampener space of any lithographic printing unit. The aqueous component of the flexographic printing ink or aqueous coating material is evaporated and dried by high velocity, hot air dryers and high performance heat and moisture extractors so that the aqueous or flexographic ink or coating material on a freshly printed or coated sheet is dry and can be dry-trapped on the next printing unit. The inking/coating apparatus includes dual cradles that support first and second applicator rollers so that the inking/coating apparatus can apply a double bump of aqueous/flexographic or UV-curable printing ink or coating material to a plate on the plate cylinder, while simultaneously applying aqueous, flexograhic or UV-curable printing ink or coating material to a plate or a blanket on the blanket cylinder, and thereafter onto a sheet as the sheet is transferred through the nip between the blanket cylinder and the impression cylinder. A triple bump is printed or coated on the last printing unit with the aid of an impression cylinder inking/coating unit.

Claims26

Dependent claims

In a rotary offset printing press having first and second side frame members and a plurality of printing units each having a plate cylinder, a blanket cylinder, and an impression cylinder supported for rotation in operable combination, the printing units having a delivery side and a dampener side opposite the delivery side, an interunit operator space between printing units and a dampener or a space for a dampener on the dampener side of each unit, the improvement comprising:

a printing apparatus for inking or coating, the printing apparatus having a frame movably coupled to at least one printing unit in the space for a dampener, the printing apparatus being movable between an on-impression operative position and an off-impression retracted position;
the movable frame supporting a removable first applicator roller and a removable second applicator roller, the first applicator roller, being supported for adjustment into and out of ink or coating association with the plate cylinder and the second applicator roll being supported for adjustment into and out of ink or coating association with the blanket cylinder, when the printing apparatus is moved respectively to the on-impression operative position and the off-impression retracted position;
whereby a continuous or spot film of ink or coating can be applied simultaneously by the printing apparatus to a plate on the plate cylinder and the blanket cylinder and ink or coating can be selectively applied to the plate cylinder or blanket cylinder or a plate mounted thereon if one of the first or second applicator rollers is removed from the frame.

A rotary offset printing press having a printing unit of the type having a delivery side and a dampener side, said dampener side having a dampener space for receiving a dampener, comprising, in combination:

a plate cylinder mounted on the printing unit between the delivery side and the dampener side, and a printing plate mounted on the plate cylinder;
a blanket cylinder having an ink or coating receptive blanket disposed in ink or coating transfer engagement with the plate for transferring ink or coating material from the image surface areas of the printing plate to the ink or coating receptive blanket;
an impression cylinder disposed adjacent the blanket cylinder thereby forming a nip between the blanket and the impression cylinder whereby the printing ink or coating material is transferred from the blanket to a substrate as the substrate is transferred through the nip;
support means mounted on the dampener side of the printing unit;
an inking or coating apparatus having a removable first applicator roller and a removable second applicator roller, being positioned in the dampener space in place of a dampener, the inking or coating apparatus being coupled to the support means for movement between an on-impression operative position and an off-impression retracted position wherein the first applicator roller is adjustably supported for movement into and out of ink or coating association with the plate on the plate cylinder while the second applicator roller is adjustably supported for simultaneous movement into and out of ink or coating association with the blanket on the blanket cylinder;
and
whereby a continuous or spot film of ink or coating can be applied by the inking and coating apparatus to a plate on the plate cylinder and a blanket on the blanket cylinder and ink or coating can be selectively applied to the plate on the plate cylinder or the blanket cylinder blanket or a plate thereon.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Retractable printing-coating unit operable on the plate and blanket cylinders simultaneously from the dampener side of the first printing unit or any consecutive printing unit or any rotary offset printing press

Life of this patent

Retractable printing-coating unit operable on the plate and blanket cylinders simultaneously from the dampener side of the first printing unit or any consecutive printing unit or any rotary offset printing press

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims26