Abstract: A device and method for installing an adhesive-backed printing blanket on a cylinder is provided. The printing blanket has an adhesive backing for holding it on the cylinder and a leading edge substantially perpendicular to the edge of the blanket. The device comprises an angle bar having a generally orthogonal pair of leg forming an inside corner therebetween for receiving the leading edge of the printing blanket to be contiguous therewith. A first one of the legs has an inside surface being an adherend of limited adhesion, the periphery of the adhesive backing adjacent the leading edge being removably adherable thereto. The first leg also has an outside surface formed to be axially aligning with the cylinder when placed thereon. As a result, the leading edge of the printing blanket is held squarely in place on the angle bar while the printing blanket is wrapped evenly around the cylinder.

Abstract: A rubber-covered roll has a cylindrical roll core and a cylindrical sheath of rubber molded about and covering the roll core to provide a rubber-covered roll core. The roll also has a pair of metallic end cap cores and a pair of rubber jackets each molded about one of the end cap cores to partially enclose the same and provide a pair of rubber-jacketed end caps. The rubber-jacketed end caps are attached to opposite ends of the rubber-covered roll core to provide the rubber-covered roll. Each end cap core is annular-shaped and has an inner corner beveled at an approximate forty-five degree angle to define a continuous inner corner surface thereon.

Abstract: A laminated printing blanket having compressible and resilient properties and a method for its production are provided. The compressible characteristics are provided by disposing an intermediate layer having substantially uniformly distributed voids of substantially uniform size between the base layer and the surface layer of the printing blanket. The voids of the compressible intermediate layer are formed by introducing microcapsules into an elastomeric compound formulated for production of the intermediate layer, and by vulcanizing the intermediate layer at a temperature below the melting point of the microcapsules to a degree sufficient to fix the microcapsules in place within the structure of the intermediate layer. A final vulcanizing step completes the curing of all layers to produce a laminated unitary blanket.

Abstract: A printing blanket construction and method and apparatus for making the same are provided, the blanket construction comprising an outer layer formed mainly of polymeric material and having an outer printing surface for carrying liquid printing ink or the like for printing purposes or the like, the outer printing surface having a plurality of separate ink wells interrupting the same in a closely spaced apart generally uniform pattern thereof throughout substantially the entire printing area thereof and with a relatively large number of the wells each having a mouth opening at the printing surface that has a substantially straight-line length across the largest portion thereof of approximately 3 microns to approximately 65 microns.

Abstract: A textile fiber drafting apron and method of manufacture, wherein the apron is free of cord reinforcement and is formed of a single extruded layer of material. The outer fiber working surface has a smoothness comparable to conventional ground surface, and is expressed in terms of average depth of remaining depressions, as measured on a standard measuring device.

Abstract: A reinforced hard porous ink roll assembly and a method of making same. The ink roll assembly of the invention comprises a hard porous material suitable for inking, the improvement comprising a hard ink resistant material encompassing a substantial portion of the outside surface of the roll to provide reinforcement therefor. A method of making the roll of the invention is also provided in which the hard porous inking material is made by metering the polymeric material which is used to form said hard porous material into a mold in increments, and applying pressure to the mold and polymeric material at each increment. After the mold is filled with the polymeric material, the polymeric material is cured. The roll is cooled and a strip of the mold material is milled to expose a small portion of the hard porous inking material in a straight strip parallel to the longitudinal axis of the roll.