Printing – Inkers – Roller
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-13
2003-06-03
Colilla, Daniel J. (Department: 2854)
Printing
Inkers
Roller
C101S367000, C101S363000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06571703
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a device for sealing off an ink-guiding reservoir, such as an ink duct or fountain, in a printing machine, whether a web or sheet material-processing printing machine.
The published European Patent Document EP 0 812 687 A2 discloses an ink duct or fountain for printing machines and a method of operating a printing machine. The solution described therein is concerned with sealing off the side surfaces of an ink duct which is provided on an ink-duct roller of an inking unit operating in accordance with the anilox principle, for example. Arranged on the ink duct is an ink-duct roller, against which an inking chamber, which is defined by two doctor blades, is set. The two doctor blades are a metering doctor blade and a doctor blade for removing contaminates, both being accommodated on end surfaces bounding the inking chamber. The end surfaces which bound the inking chamber and accommodate the doctor blade and the contaminant-removing doctor blade are supported on the ink-duct roller. In the aforementioned disclosure of the European Patent Document EP 0 812 687 A2, a first pressure is exerted on the ink-duct roller by the end surfaces, and a second, higher pressure is exerted on the metering doctor blade and the doctor blade for removing the contaminants. In addition, recesses are provided in the end surfaces and are closed by a circumferential closed web, in order to produce a higher local stiffness at the doctor-blade clamping points than at the roller surface.
The published German Patent Document DE 34 08 183 C1 has disclosed an ink duct or fountain for printing machines, having a lower part forming an ink duct blade. This ink duct blade is adjustable with respect to the ink-duct roller, the ink supply being located between the lower part and the ink-duct roller and being defined at both ends by ink-duct jaws which seal off the ink duct with respect to the circumferential surface of the ink-duct roller by a sealing surface. The ink that emerges as a result of leakage losses is fed back to the ink supply again, by which contamination of the inking unit is avoided. For this purpose, on the ink-duct jaws, more specifically on the respective sealing surfaces thereof facing towards the ink-duct roller, a contact surface is formed, which covers part of the width of the ink-duck jaw and extends obliquely with respect to the latter, so that the lower end of the contact surface faces toward the inner side of the ink duct. In addition to an obliquely extending contact surface, this surface may also be formed so as to extend spirally or helically.
The sealing action of the contact surface disclosed by the published German Patent Document DE 34 08 183 C1 depends to a great extent upon the manufacturing precision of the ink-duct jaws, and also upon the positioning accuracy thereof relative to the ink-duct roller. A deviation in the curvature of the ink-duct jaw and the ink-duct roller remains, because of manufacturing tolerances which inevitably occur. The resilient elastomeric material used for the ink-duct jaws is subject to moisture and temperature fluctuations, to which the printing machine is subjected in relation to a wide range of production conditions. The dimensional stability of a synthetic material is not ensured under these environmental influences. As a result, in spite of an initially functioning sealing action, leaks at the ink duct can occur over the course of operation of the printing machine.
Finally, the published French Patent 2 734 512 has disclosed a further ink duct for a printing machine, wherein the ink-duct jaws are likewise set by an adjusting element against the ink-duct roller surface in order to achieve a sealing action. With the aforementioned adjusting device, inaccuracies which have been determined and which result during the manufacture of the ink-duct jaws are intended to be compensated for. The contact surface of the ink-duct jaws on the ink-duct roller should run cylindrically in order to ensure continuous contact around the surface of the ink-duct roller. By using the improvement disclosed by the French Patent 2 734 512, the cylindricity of the contact surfaces cannot be maintained, because with the proposed construction only part of the surface curvature of the contact surface of the ink-duct jaw is deformed. It is therefore not possible for an optimum sealing action to be achieved by using the proposed improvement disclosed by the French Patent 2 734 512.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention, to provide, based upon the outlined prior art, a device for sealing off an ink-guiding reservoir in a printing machine by which sealing is ensured during all operating phases of the printing machine.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, a device for holding an ink supply in an ink-feeding device in an inking unit of a printing machine, the ink supply being held in a reservoir defined by lateral surfaces having contact surfaces for sealing off the ink supply with respect to a rotating surface, comprising a resilient element for sealing off a gap, the resilient element being received in respective side parts of an ink-feeding device, and setting elements for applying a setting force to the side parts.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the contact surfaces are curved, and the setting force sets the side parts with the curved contact surface thereof against a surface part of an ink-supply conveying surface.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the ink-feeding device includes an ink-duct blade, and the side parts have a planar surface by which the side parts are set against the ink-duct blade by the setting force.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the side parts are formed with respective recesses for accommodating therein the resilient sealing elements for transmitting the setting force.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the resilient elements for sealing off the gap are enclosed on many sides by the recesses.
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the resilient elements contact the rotating surface for conveying the ink supply along contact lines extending perpendicularly to the rotating surface.
In accordance with yet a further feature of the invention, the contact lines on the resilient element define a concave curvature.
In accordance with yet an added feature of the invention, the setting elements for producing the setting force are accommodated in the side parts.
In accordance with yet an additional feature of the invention, the setting elements for producing the setting force are supported on stops provided on a component of the ink-feeding device.
In accordance with still another feature of the invention, the ink-feeding device includes an ink-duct blade, the rotating surface is on a roller for conveying the ink supply, and the side parts are movable relative to the rotating surface of the roller for conveying the ink supply, and relative to the ink-duct blade.
In accordance with still a further feature of the invention, the setting elements for producing the setting force are actable on an upper side of the side parts.
In accordance with still an added feature of the invention, the ink-feeding device includes an ink-duct blade, and a flat surface of the side parts accommodates a sealing element which, due to the setting elements, seals off a gap with respect to the ink-duct blade.
In accordance with still an additional feature of the invention, a side of the resilient element facing towards the rotating surface has a friction-reducing coating applied thereto.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the friction-reducing coating covers part of the width of the resilient element.
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an ink duct in an inking unit of a printing machine, for holding an ink supply in a reservoir defined by lateral surface
Colilla Daniel J.
Greenberg Laurence A.
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Locher Ralph E.
Stemer Werner H.
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