Abstract: An improved method and system for cleaning a cylinder of a printing press. One method involves soaking a strip of cleaning fabric on a press with a low volatility organic compound solvent. Excess solvent, if any, is removed to place the strip of cleaning fabric in functional equilibrium with the solvent. The cleaning fabric is then used to clean a cylinder. Alternatively, the strip of cleaning fabric is soaked on site by contacting the strip of cleaning fabric with the solvent and wrapping the strip of cleaning fabric into a cleaning fabric supply roll. The cleaning fabric is then brought in engagement with a printing press having a cylinder to be cleaned without disposing a sleeve around the fabric roll and without substantially disturbing the distribution of the solvent in the fabric roll and detrimentally affecting the cleaning ability of the fabric.

Abstract: An adjustable cutting bar having a pair of cutting blades for use on a rotary press folding machine includes a rotatable shaft supported on a frame, a first cutting blade secured to the shaft for common rotation therewith, and a second cutting blade rotatably mounted to the shaft to permit circumferential rotation of the second cutting blade relative to the first cutting blade. A drive system is operatively connected to the first and second cutting blades for rotating the first and second cutting blades at a common peripheral speed.

Abstract: A non-contact sheet handling system includes a first valve controlling air flow to a manifold and a second valve controlling air flow from the manifold to an air pan. A non-contact plate having venturis covers the air pan. In an alternate embodiment, the system includes a diffuser that diffuses air flow in the air pan. A method of using a non contact sheet handling system includes adjusting a first and second valve to set air flow to a first and second area, respectively, of the system and adjusting a third valve to set air flow to the first and second valves.

Abstract: A fly stripping mechanism for stripping sheet-like objects such as printed material from a rotating fly assembly having a plurality of fly pockets is disclosed. A cam adjacent the fly assembly remains stationary as the fly assembly rotates. A lever is disposed adjacent each fly pocket and is also pivotally mounted to the fly assembly. A cam follower is connected to each lever. As the fly assembly rotates, the cam follower follows the contour of the cam. The contour of the cam slows the rotation of the cam followers relative to the rotational speed of the fly assembly. The slowed rotation of the cam followers in turn causes an end portion of the lever to move from a position adjacent a rearward portion of the fly pocket toward a forward portion of the fly pocket, thereby ejecting printed material from the fly pocket.

Abstract: A fault tolerant multi-drop communications system (10) having a plurality of communication nodes (14), and a main control system (12) for the communication nodes (14). The system (10) has a device for disenabling a node (14) having a fault while maintaining communications between the main control system (12) and the remaining nodes (14).

Abstract: A cleaning system employing a highly viscous cleaning agent. A highly viscous cleaning agent is placed on a strip of cleaning fabric whereby the strip of cleaning fabric is made functional for cleaning cylinders of printing presses. The strip of cleaning fabric is wrapped around the center piece. The strip of cleaning fabric may then be brought into contact with a cylinder to be cleaned in order to clean the cylinder. The highly viscous cleaning agent may be made by mixing a viscosity adding agent with a low volatility, organic compound solvent. Additionally, water or another additive may be mixed in for improved cleaning properties. The method of making the same is also discussed.

Abstract: A cleaning system for a printing press using pre-soaked, reduced volume of air in cleaning fabric and a method for making the system are disclosed. The system includes a cleaning fabric treated to reduce the amount of air volume the cleaning fabric contains. The cleaning fabric is saturated to functional equilibrium with a low volatility organic compound solvent. The cleaning fabric is wrapped around an elongated core to form a fabric roll. The saturated, wrapped fabric roll may be used to clean a cylinder of a printing press. The saturated, wrapped fabric roll may be inserted in a sealable sleeve, the sealable sleeve being in contact with the fabric roll and then sealed, thus permitting transporting and storage of the system until use without detrimentally affecting the cleaning ability of the fabric.

Abstract: In order to control the delivery of a liquid to a vessel, a liquid level control system includes a regulated supply of low pressure air delivered to an air supply tube which extends to a liquid vessel for discharging the low pressure air at a preselected level within the liquid vessel. The control system also includes a sensor sensing fluctuations in air pressure at an intermediate point along the air supply tube. In particular, the sensor senses a first air pressure when the liquid is below the preselected level and sensing a second, higher air pressure when the liquid is at or above the preselected level. The sensor is in communication with the liquid supply source to produce a signal upon sensing the second, higher air pressure in the air supply tube. When the higher pressure is sensed, the sensor sends the signal it produced and the liquid supply source is responsive to the signal to stop supplying liquid to the liquid vessel.

Abstract: In order to facilitate removal and replacement of blanket and impression sleeves in a rotary offset printing press, the blanket and plate cylinders are supported in cantilever fashion. The cantilevered cylinders allow axial removal and replacement of the blanket and impression sleeves without temporary support of the cylinder and without removal of any bearings. Each cylinder is rotatably supported on a cantilevered support shaft having a bore therethrough. A drive shaft operatively connected to a drive motor extends through the support shaft bore and engages the inner surface of the generally hollow cylinder. A blanket or impression sleeve mounted on the cylinder is removable using compressed air, which is routed through a bore in the drive shaft and through a plurality of radially oriented passage in a flange on the end of the drive shaft.

Abstract: In order to permit automated setting of operating parameters while also facilitating the removal of paper jams, a device for adjusting the gap size between folding rollers of a rotary press folding machine includes a pair of counter-rotating folding rollers which define a folding nip or gap therebetween. Each folding roller is mounted to one end of a pivoting support arm, and a link arm is slidably and pivotably mounted to the other end. An extensible member connects the link arms to each other, which enables the distance between the rollers to be quickly and easily adjusted. An inflatable bag is disposed between the support arms which forces the rollers towards each other to resist spreading of the rollers when a paper passes through the gap between the rollers. The bag can be quickly deflated from a remote location to allow removal of jammed papers, and can be quickly re-inflated to the desired setting to minimize down time.

Abstract: A mixing and dispersing apparatus for emulsion ink in a printing press is disclosed. The apparatus includes a vessel having walls defining an upper chamber and a lower chamber. A motor drives a shaft carrying a propeller having pitched blades, disposed in the upper chamber. The shaft also carries a rotor disposed below the propeller. The rotor includes downwardly extending teeth that are disposed adjacent to inner and outer stator walls. The inner and outer stator walls are perforated by slots therein and are fixed with respect to the vessel. The propeller mixes ink and fountain solution and propels the mixture downward toward the rotor, which shears and disperses the ink and fountain solution into the lower chamber, forming a suitably stable emulsion ink. The emulsion ink is then pumped to an ink distribution rail for use of some of the emulsion ink for printing, with the remainder of the emulsion ink being recirculated to the mixing and dispersing apparatus.

Abstract: One or more flexible printing plates are installed on a print cylinder through the use of one or more slots formed axially along the cylinder. A resilient spring clip is inserted into the slot, followed by a plate registration bracket with a registration pin which is secured in the slot by retaining screws. Each printing plate has a lead edge and a tail edge with a notch in each edge. A lead edge is inserted into the slot and is tensioned against a side wall of the slot by the spring clip. The notch on the lead edge engages the registration pin on the bracket. A tail edge is then inserted into the slot between the lead edge and the spring clip. The tail edge notch also engages the registration pin.

Abstract: An ink separation device for a printing press ink feed control having a device for printing a color chart having randomly distributed color patches, and recording the cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink dot sizes (CMYK) for each color patch, a device for measuring the red, green, blue and infrared reflection value (RGBI) from each color patch, and recording the RGBI value for each of the color patches, a device for defining a transfer function which maps a four-dimensional RGBI vector into a four-dimensional CMYK vector, a device for forming RGBI measurements over a reference copy, and transferring each of the RGBI measurements into the corresponding CMYK ink dot size value, a device for forming RGBI measurements over a production copy, and transferring each of the RGBI measurements into the corresponding CMYK ink dot Size value, a device for forming the dot size ratio between the production copy and the reference copy to form the ink volume ratio between the reference and production copies and a device for a

Abstract: A tension control device (50) for a printing press (10) having an adjustment roller (52), a device (64 and 66) for measuring the tension on opposed sides of a web (14) passing downstream from the adjustment roller (52), and a device (82) responsive to the measuring device (64 and 66) for automatically approximately equalizing the tension of the web (14) on the adjustment roller (52) on opposed sides of the adjustment roller (52).

Abstract: A control system (60) for a printing press having a printed copy, a device (68 and 70) for manually using the copy to control operation of the press based on information on the copy, and device (80 and 82) for automatically reading the copy while excluding any control by target information on the copy, and controlling operation of the press based upon information on the copy.

Abstract: In order to provide a variable cutoff printing press, the press includes a pair of plate cylinders and a pair of blanket cylinders with all of the cylinders having a cylindrical body and a central axis of rotation. The plate cylinders are each mounted perpendicular to at least one side frame in a fixed position such that the axes of the plate cylinders are maintained in spaced parallel relation. The blanket cylinders are also each mounted perpendicular to the side frame by a pair of linear slide assemblies such that the axes of the blanket cylinders are maintained in spaced parallel relation. The linear slide assemblies accommodate linear adjustable positioning of the blanket cylinders along spaced parallel adjustment axes generally in the plane of the side frame. With this arrangement, the blanket cylinders are linearly adjustably positionable along and perpendicular to the adjustment axes to adjust the spacing between the plate and blanket cylinders to accommodate blanket sleeves of different thicknesses.

Abstract: A control system (10) for a four-color printing press (11) having a device (21) for detecting the energy reflected from a paper surface in both the visible region and the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, a device (23) for converting the output of the detecting device (21) to a set of variables which represent the amount of ink presented on the paper for any of the cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks, and a device (25) responsive to the converting device (23) for adjusting the four-color printing press (11) to maintain the color consistency with or without an additional color control target.

Abstract: There is disclosed a pre-packaged, pre-soaked cleaning system for use to clean the cylinders of printing machines. The system includes a pre-soaked fabric roll saturated to equilibrium with low volatility organic compound solvent which is wrapped around a cylindrical core having open ends to form a roll. The saturated, wrapped fabric roll is inserted in a heat-sealable or heat-shrinkable and heat-sealable plastic sleeve, the sleeve being to intimate contact with the fabric roll after being subjected in heat-sealing or heat-shrinking and heat-sealing, thus permitting transporting and storage of the system until use without detrimentally affecting the cleaning ability of the fabric roll.The system may also include a slotted canister in which the saturated wrapped roll is inserted before it is placed into the plastic sleeve and heat-sealed or heat-shrunken and heat-sealed thereon or end caps inserted in the open ends of the core.A method for making the system is also disclosed.