Chambered flexographic ink units with quick-change, blade thickness compensating clamping mechanism

Abstract

A flexographic printer ink unit has an elongated body with an elongated ink chamber recessed into one side of the body. The chamber is defined in part by a pair of elongated walls. An elongated blade, doctor or containment, is positioned on each of the opposite elongated walls. An elongated clamping bar is coupled with a separate one of the wall to rotate about a pivot axis defined by a set of T bars mounted along each wall. One longitudinal edge of each clamping bar holds the blade against a proximal edge of the proximal elongated wall to form an edge of the ink chamber. One or more plungers are movably coupled with the ink unit body and pressed against the clamping bar on a side of the bar pivot axis opposite the one longitudinal edge of the bar so as to pivot the one longitudinal edge of the bar against the proximal edge of the wall to secure the blade there between. The plunger is carried in a conventional toggle clamp. The plunger is an assembly with a spring loaded smaller plunger located at its working tip, which adjusts the plunger automatically for wear and minor dimensional changes in the blade and/or seal. The plunger can be threaded into a threaded sleeve of a conventional toggle clamp to permit further gross adjustment of plunger height/position.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.