Abstract: In this ink metering device, the ink metering elements consist of cylindrical rollers with an edge formed by a recess in their convex surface for removal of the ink. The rollers are mounted with their convex surface in a V-shaped groove of a prismatic rail running parallel with the ink fountain roller and are forced against the wall areas of the groove by a sealing bar flexibly supported on the ink fountain. The distance between the edge and ink fountain roller is varied by turning the rollers by a lever arm. The ink metering device can be adjusted very accurately and is not affected by mechanical stresses and changes in the operating temperature.

Abstract: To prevent the formation of ghosts as sheets are pulled off a delivery drum (1) by a transport chain arrangement, the gripper mechanism (3-6) on the chain transport is movably located thereon to impart forward movement to the gripped sheet in addition to the movement of the chain and so that tension on the sheet is continuously maintained. The mechanism for imparting said additional movement includes a holding bracket (12) secured to the chain (2) on which a carrier plate (13) is secured, the carrier plate being movable with respect to the holding bracket and retaining the gripper mechanism. The carrier plate can be moved by an angled cam follower lever (15) secured to the holding bracket and pushing the carrier plate, and hence the gripper mechanism, forwardly in the direction of movement of the chain when the cam follower lever is engaged by a suitably positioned cam.

Abstract: A sheet gripper for the delivery system of a printing machine or the like includes a clamp member adapted to be secured on a pivotable gripper shaft, and a gripper finger mounted resiliently on the clamp member and adapted to be brought into contact with a sheet to be gripped during pivoting of the gripper shaft. The clamp member is made of two sheet-metal parts and includes a base member and a bottom part, which are adapted to be hooked into engagement with one another on one side of the shaft and connected together by a mounting screw on the other side of the shaft to secure the clamp member on the gripper shaft. The gripper finger is also secured on the base member at one end by means of the mounting screw and is adjustable by means of a set screw threadably received in the base member approximately at the other end thereof.

Abstract: To prevent printing of imperfect copy, by a printing machine having a lifter-type inker, which is caused by cyclically recurring rotary oscillations or vibrations, the braking torque introduced upon contact of a lifter roller (3) with the first milling and distribution roller (4) of the inker is prevented from propagating through the gearing drive of the respective inker rollers. To prevent such propagation, the first milling and distributing roller (4) is yieldingly driven at machine speed, for example by frictional drive, transmitted through an elastic surface (6) of a "soft" roller in frictional drive engagement with the first milling and distributing roller (4) as well as with a positively driven subsequent milling and distributing roller (7), or a circumferentially resilient yielding coupling (13) is interposed between the drive shaft element (8) for the first milling and distibuting roller and a positive gear drive (10, 11, 12).

Abstract: To relieve stresses within the rubber of a rubber blanket of a rotary offset printing machine, and prevent escape or squeeze-out of the rubber layer as the blanket rotates, the blanket is formed with interruptions or stress reliefs which, when the blanket is laid out flat, are located in zones corresponding to zones of the printed carrier which are free from printed subject matter, for example along fold lines of the carrier, surrounding pictures or non-printed subject matter, or the like. The interruptions or reliefs can be made by milling, for example longitudinal and transverse notches or grooves (2, 3) or by punching holes through the rubber layer (14), the holes being aligned in single or multiple rows along the zones free from printed subject matter. Stresses within the rubber layer, thus, can be relieved not only at the lateral edges, but also inwardly, and centrally, thereby improving overall register of printed subject matter.

Abstract: To improve the versatility of offset printing machines by permitting, selectively, prime printing or prime-and-verso printing, a printing system of at least one plate cylinder (1) in engagement with a rubber blanket cylinder (7) is provided, the plate cylinder having the customary inker (3) and damper (5) associated therewith. Printing is effected against an impression or counter cylinder (9). The impression or counter cylinder is arranged for application of verso print image on the sheet by having an attachment arrangement (13-24) to attach a flexible planographic printing plate (12) on the surface thereof; a further inker (29) is provided, selectively engageable with the planographic printing plate, if verso printing is to be effected. If the printing plate is an offset printing plate, an additional damper may be provided, selectively engageable therewith.

Abstract: To transfer ink from an ink trough (2, 3) to an ink receiving roller (1), the ink is transferred in the form of axially adjacent rings or circumferential strips of ink. The rings or strips of ink are generated by placing two superposed plates (4, 5), each having front edges (A, B) with recesses or notches (16, 18) therein, the ink flowing through the notches. The width of the ink strips is controlled by axially shifting one of the plates (5) with respect to the other (4) by engagement of the shiftable plates with an eccenter (11-14). The transferred circumferential strips or rings are then milled in the standard milling roller arrangement of printing machine inkers.

Abstract: A machine for scanning printing plates to determine the ratio of "printing" to "non-printing" area for pre-adjustment of the ink dosing elements of a printing machine has an array of electronic photo-sensors, each sensor being disposed in a channel having low-reflection chambers which permit sharp delimination of resolution elements on the printing plate and ensure high definition scanning of different types of printing plates under practical conditions. Preferably the diaphragms dividing the channel into chambers have greater spacing at greater distances from the element sensed on the printing plate. To accommodate printing plates of different materials, means are provided for selecting the wave length of the light source. To prevent measurement error due to changes in the distance from the printing plate to the light source and sensor array, the photosensor array is preferably directed or aimed 60.degree. to 45.degree.

Abstract: A cutting assembly for a sheet fed printing machine having a feed drum for supporting individual sheets and feeding them one after another to the impression cylinder for printing by the blanket cylinder, including a knife blade having a cutting edge, a knife blade support, an arm for mounting the support adjacent the feed drum, the arm being pivoted about an axis parallel to the axis of the feed drum for limited rocking movement toward and away from the feed drum, a stop and a clamp for establishing a reference cutting position for the arm, the feed drum having an anvil extending around its periphery cooperating with the edge of the knife blade for cutting of the sheet as the feed drum rotates, way surfaces between the knife blade support and the arm for guiding the knife blade support for movement in the plane perpendicular to the feed drum and along a path of adjustment which bears a shallow angle to a line of tangency to the feed drum, and a manually operated adjusting screw effectively interposed between

Abstract: A cam drive is used to drive the auxiliary gripper on a sheet-fed printing machine having a control cam and an auxiliary cam and associated cam followers. In order to use a minimum amount of pages and eliminate any bending moments from the forces between the cams, the control cam and the auxiliary cam are disposed in a common plane on two parallel shafts and the control lever and associated followers are disposed in the same plane between the cams.

Abstract: An automatic control system for a zonal ink metering device displaces ink metering elements toward a fountain roller until contact of the individual elements with the fountain roller is detected to establish absolute reference positions. Then the ink metering elements are displaced away from the fountain roller by respective predetermined amounts to obtain a desired ink profile. Once the desired ink profile is obtained, continuous printing is started. During continuous printing, the ink profile is maintained by periodically and sequentially reciprocating one individual ink metering element after another into contact with the fountain roller to reset their respective reference positions. Preferably, contact of the individual ink metering elements with the fountain roller is detected by a pair of electrical contacts in the adjusting devices for the ink metering elements.

Abstract: A device for adjusting the plate or blanket cylinders in a rotary printing press automatically moves the cylinders to predetermined positions for clamping or unclamping the plate or blanket. A memory stores predetermined set values for cylinder position, which are addressed by a triggering unit in response to operation selections. An angle coder senses the actual value of the cylinder position which is compared to the set values obtained from the memory to generate a control signal for adjusting a cylinder drive motor. In a preferred embodiment, the memory also stores the direction for rotating the cylinders as well as a number of cylinder movement steps for plate and blanket clamping and unclamping sequences.

Abstract: Individual ink disk or roller elements (4) are located, axially positioned next to each other on a roller transfer structure; to provide for smooth operation of the ink train rollers, the disks or roller elements of the ink roller structure are in continuous surface engagement with an ink-receiving roller (5) forming part of the roller train, and driven at machine speed, and selectively shiftable about its circumference, by deflection of individual angled levers (6) for selective engagement with a ductor roller of an ink supply, leaving, however, a gap or nip (x) for ink transfer from the ductor roller. The stroke of the deflection of the individual angled levers is adjustable by adjustable stop elements (7; 12, 13, 17', 22) to control the width of the gap or nip between the ink disks or roller elements (4) and the ductor roller, when the disks or roller elements are moved toward the ductor roller.

Abstract: Individual disks or roller elements (4) are located, axially positioned next to each other, on a water roller transfer structure. To provide for smooth operation of rollers of a roller train of the machine, the disks or roller elements (4) of the water roller structure are in continuous surface engagement with a receiving roller, forming part of the machine roller train, and driven at machine speed. The disks or roller elements (4) are individually selectively shiftable about the circumference of the receiving roller (5) by deflection of individual angled levers (6) for selective engagement with a water supply roller (2) operating, for example, in a water trough (1), receiving water from the water supply roller. The receiving roller (5) is axially oscillating or reciprocating, and may form part of the inker of the printing machine and, further, has engagement contact with additional rollers (5', 5") of the inker of which one (5"), for example, also is axially reciprocating or oscillating.

Abstract: Individual ink disk or roller elements (4) are located, axially positioned next to each other on a roller transfer structure; to provide for smooth operation of the ink train rollers (5'), the disks or roller elements of the ink roller structure are in continuous surface engagement with an ink-receiving roller (5) forming part of the roller train, and driven at machine speed, and selectively shiftable about its circumference, by deflection of individual angled levers (6) for selective engagement with the next upstream ink transfer roller, receiving ink from an ink supply roller, operating at a speed slow with respect to machine speed and the ink transfer roller (3).

Abstract: To provide ready access to printing cylinders, including, for example, a satellite cylinder (4), plate and blanket cylinders, and inkers and dampers of a printing system in which the printing couples and associated inkers and dampers are located, essentially, in Y configuration, the side walls of the machine are constructed to have two upstanding arms (2) and only a single support leg (3) to form an amputated or truncated H structure, leaving a space (S) beneath one of the upstanding arms (2) which provides ready access to an operator (I). The upstanding arm (2) which is not above the leg (3) is supported by a post or column structure 20 which, preferably, has a platform (22) thereon. The paper web can be guided in an upwardly extending path (A, B), from either side of the machine, and access to all cylinders and rollers is provided from the left and right side of the machine, respectively, under all paper path (A, B) conditions.

Abstract: To permit relative angular shifting of transmission of rotation between the first gear (1) and a second gear (2), to thereby control the register of a cylinder coupled to the second gear (2) with respect to printing cylinders coupled to the first gear, a third gear (3) is drivingly connected between the first gear (1) and the second gear. The third gear is journalled to rotate about an eccentric portion (6) of a shaft element (9), the shaft element 9 being secured for rocking movement about a central axis (10), from which the eccentric axis (11) is offset. The central axis (10) of the shaft element (9, 6) and the centers of rotation (12, 13) of the first and second gears, respectively, are positioned on a theoretical plane, or line (16) and when the eccentric axis (11) is also located on this theoretical line (16) a normal position is defined.

Abstract: A system for remote sensing, indicating and remote control provides for the non-smear guidance of sheets through a sheet-fed machine and is especially useful for printing machines which print on both sides of the sheets. Sheet guides are adjustable during machine operation from a control panel at a central location outside of the machine. The positions of the sheet guides are preferably displayed in direct comparison with zones of ink application. Also, the sheet guides are adjustable from the control panel so that the guides fall within the gaps between printed areas on the sheet. An immediate and graphic check of the sheet guides is provided.

Abstract: A sheet guiding device for use with a multicolor printing press having multiple printing units and a sheet stacker wherein the sheet guiding means is disposed between at least one of a pair of printing units and the stacker for guiding sheets therebetween, the guiding means including a chain conveyor with sheet grippers overlying a guide surface between the printing units and the stacker with a plurality of air nozzles formed in the surface of the guide surface and communicating with a plurality of flow ducts, the guide surfaces being disposed continuously and uninterruptedly between the printing units and the sheet stacker and the air nozzles being in the form of apertures in the guide surfaces having a diameter of about 15 mm, the area of the apertures being from 15 to 30% of the total guide surface area, the apertures being supplied by low-pressure high-volume-flow fans disposed in the flow ducts and the fans being reversible so that the nozzles can be selectively supplied with air at a positive or negativ

Abstract: The ink dosing elements in the ink fountain of a printing machine are adjusted to reference positions in response to measurement of the amount of ink applied to the fountain roller at the respective inking zones. The reference positions are stored in a data memory for future use or are adjusted in accordance with predetermined values to arrive at the settings of the ink dosing elements for obtaining a desired ink profile. Preferably an optical densitometer mounted on a rail parallel to the fountain roller measures the amount of ink, and the densitometer is initially calibrated at an ink-free zone on the fountain roller. According to a manual embodiment, a first one of the ink dosing elements is brought to a reference position by an operator while viewing the respective inking zone, for example, to obtain a permissible minimum of ink.