METHOD AND DEVICE FOR REPLACING THE PRINTING ROLLER OF A PRINTING UNIT OF A PRINTING MACHINE

• US 20170043570A1
• Filed: 04/28/2015
• Published: 02/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bobst Firenze S.R.L. (JBF Finance SA)
• Original Assignee: Bobst Firenze S.R.L. (JBF Finance SA)
• Inventors: BASTICI, Massimo, D'Annunzio, Federico, Maccalli, Giacomo, MACCALLI, Mauro
• Granted Patent: US 9,840,074 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 13/20 Supports for bearings or supports for forme, offset, or impression cylinders
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 13/30 Bearings mounted on sliding supports
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 13/40 fluid-pressure operated
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 27/06 for attaching printing elements to forme cylinders
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 27/105 for attaching cylindrical printing formes
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 5/24 for flexographic printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41P 2217/15 Machines with cylinders only supported on one side, e.g. cantilever construction
• CPC Class Codes: B41P 2227/21 Means facilitating exchange of sleeves mounted on cylinders without removing the cylinder from the press

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for replacing the printing roller in a printing unit, in particular for in line rotary flexographic machines.

Claims

1. A device for replacing the printing roller of a printing unit, comprising:

a work station for a first working printing roller associated with a first support spindle;

a holding station for a second held printing roller associated with a second support spindle;

a removal station for removing a printing roller from a support spindle;

said work station being arranged in a substantially intermediate position between said removal station and said holding station; and

displacement means for displacing said first support spindle from said work station to said removal station and for displacing said second support spindle from said holding station to said work station;

said displacement means comprising two guides each of which extends from said work station as far as said holding station and said removal station, respectively, said first support spindle and second support spindle being slidably connected to said guides so as to allow the simultaneous displacement of said first printing roller from said work station to said removal station and of said second printing roller from said holding station to said work station, said device further comprising a support structure which defines two opposite sides, said displacement means being located on a first side, said first and second printing rollers projecting from a second side opposite to said first side, two through-incisions are formed in said support structure, said first spindle and second spindle being each arranged so as to pass through a respective incision so that a first end of each spindle projects from said first side in order to be connected to said displacement means, while a section of said spindle projecting from said opposite side of said support structure is occupied by said printing roller.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein one end of each of said guides close to the respective holding or removal station is hinged with said first side of said support structure.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein each of said guides is composed of two parallel rails having, slidably associated with them, two carriages rigidly associated with said first end of said first support spindle and said second support spindle.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein each pair of rails is associated with a pivoting plate, said hinging arrangement being formed on said plate.

5. The device according to claim 2, wherein said incisions are inclined relative to each other so as to define a substantially V-shaped configuration, said work station being arranged at the apex of said V.

6. The device according to claim 5, whereby, owing to said hinging arrangement and said engagement of said first and second spindles inside said respective incision, each guide assumes a condition inclined substantially in accordance with said respective incision, so that said guides are substantially inclined in a V-like configuration relative to each other.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein said displacement means comprise actuating means for displacing said carriages along said respective guide.

8. The device according to claim 1, further comprising locking means configured to press said printing roller against an anilox roll and a counter-roll of said printing unit.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein said actuating and locking means are actuators of the oil-hydraulic or pneumatic type.

10. A method for replacing printing rollers of a printing unit, implemented by a device such as that according to claim 1, comprising:

providing a first working printing roller in a work station, associated with a first support spindle;

providing a second held printing roller in a holding station, associated with a second support spindle;

displacing, by means of displacement means, said first support spindle from said work station to a removal station and displacing at the same time, by means of said displacement means, said second support spindle from said holding station to said work station;

in said removal station removing said first printing roller from said first support spindle; and

wherein said displacement means comprising a pair guides each of which extends from said work station as far as said holding station and from said work station as far as said removal station, said first support spindle and second support spindle being slidably connected respectively to one of said guides, said displacement means also comprising actuating means configured to perform the independent displacement of each support spindle along the respective guide so as to allow the simultaneous displacement of said first printing roller from said work station to said removal station and of said second printing roller from said holding station to said work station.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said displacement of said first spindle from said work station to said removal station and simultaneously said displacement of said second support spindle from said holding station to said work station is performed by means of displacement on said respective two guides, owing to the action of actuating thrusting means.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, once said second spindle is in the working position, thrusting means are activated in order to press said second printing roller against an anilox cylinder and a counter-roll of said printing unit.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said thrusting means are deactivated so as to allow removal of said printing roller from said working position.

14. A flexographic printing machine, comprising a device of claim 1.