Abstract: A pile changing device for a printing press delivery mechanism which includes a first conveyor for delivering sheets from the press seriatim to a piling space, the sheets being accumulated on a pile board in the form of a skid. A track extends from the piling space to a second conveyor. A fork lift mechanism is provided having a carriage which is shiftable on the track. Control means, which is automatically triggered when the skid becomes full, causes the fork lift mechanism to remove the skid from the piling space and to deposit it on the second conveyor. Upon removal of the full skid from the piling space the control means causes feeding of an empty skid via a third conveyor from a skid magazine into a precise sheet-receiving position. an auxiliary pile board is interposed on the path of the delivered sheets during the brief interval when there is no skid in sheet-receiving position.

Abstract: A control system for optimizing the starting angle of a vibrating roller for production of an evenly distributed film of ink on the printing plate of a printing press, particularly an offset press, in which a reciprocating drive connection is provided between the press drive and the vibrating roller for reciprocation of the latter. A chart is provided for each one of a complete set of reference distribution starting angles for the vibrating roller, each chart showing for each starting angle a corresponding ink density distribution curve which, when matched to the observed ink density distribution in a printed product, provides direct reading of optimum starting angle. A variable phase changer is interposed in the drive connection leading to the vibrating roller for directly setting the starting angle to optimum value.

Abstract: An automatic ink feed control for a printing machine. Several ink-dosing elements are arranged across the width of the printing machine for dosing the application of ink to a printing plate, and these ink-dosing elements are individually adjustable by an adjusting device. The ink density of several control areas on the printed material is measured by a scanning measuring device, and a computer control compares these measured ink densities to desired ink densities in order to effect control of the adjustment of the ink-dosing elements by the adjusting device.

Abstract: An ink metering system for a printing press for metering ink to individual column positions on a printing plate in which the fountain blade is formed in individual sections having power actuators to establish film-forming gaps at corresponding positions. Linear follow-up potentiometers are provided having their slides respectively coupled to the blade sections so that when the potentiometers are connected to a source of reference voltage, and the sections initially adjusted, the slider voltage provides a direct indication of the width of the gap. To change the setting over the entire width of the blade, a variable voltage supply is provided with a control for shifting the voltage from reference level to a calibrated level of offset voltage, on one side or the other of the reference, to bring about a percentage change in voltage at each of the adjustable blade sections.

Abstract: A sheet flattener for a sheet-fed printing press or the like in which sheets having a tendency to curl are conveyed edgewise from a source to a receiver along a path of flow. A pair of cylindrical members, or rollers, define between them a receiving space which extends cross-wise with respect to the direction of sheet movement. A vacuum is applied in the receiving space so that a conveyed sheet is drawn against the rollers in a cusped profile, undergoing an abrupt bend at the point of the cusp in a direction opposite to the direction of curling tendency so that the curl is neutralized. At least the downstream one of the roller is mounted for rotational movement at the speed of the sheet thereby to reduce the frictional drag of the sheet. In the preferred embodiment both rollers are mounted for rotation and the surfaces thereof are roughened with a two-dimensional pattern of shallow projections to minimize contact with the surface of the sheet and to prevent relative slippage.

Abstract: An ink roller for a printing press having a cylindrical outer shell presenting a roller surface and having a control fluid-displacing core, a hollow cylindrical partition being interposed between the shell and the core to define inner and outer annular passageways connected in series having respective inlet and outlet openings. A source of cooling fluid is connected to the inlet opening so that a feed stream of cooling fluid flows longitudinally through the inner passage and turns around to form a cooling stream flowing in counterflow relation through the outer passage. The cylindrical partition is formed of conductive material so that heat absorbed at a given region of the roller surface by the cooling stream flows radially inwardly for absorption by the feed stream at substantially the same rate, so that the cooling stream has only minimum net gain or loss of heat; this tends to equalize the temperature along the length of the cooling stream and hence along the length of the roller surface.

Abstract: A device for use in a sheet delivery mechanism for a printing press for forcibly seating a sheet on a delivery pile notwithstanding the cushion of air below the sheet. The device includes a pair of tube assemblies arranged parallel to one another above the delivery pile symmetrically on opposite sides of the delivery center line, with each tube assembly consisting of inner and outer tubes in snugly telescoped relation, air being supplied to the inner tubes under pressure. The tubes within each assembly have registrable arcuately extensive ports.

Abstract: A device for continuously cleaning a bearer in a printing press which includes a carrier in the form of a plate pivoted on the frame for the movement toward and away from the bearer. Mounted on the end portion of the carrier, and oriented in a generally axial direction, is a first scraper in the form of a doctor blade of stiff but wearable material and a second scraper in the form of a relatively soft, lubricated bar of felt, the carrier being biased for simultaneous contact of the scrapers against the bearer surface. The first scraper is oriented at a slight angle with respect to the bearer axis so that the material which is scraped from the bearer tends to be urged sideways for continuous discharge. The second scraper occupies a pocket in the carrier so that it may be rotationally indexed into a new position in the pocket as its presented edge becomes worn.

Abstract: A control system for a reversible screwing tool for tightening and loosening screws in a printing press or the like which includes a pair of angularly spaced pick-up devices coupled to the shaft of the tool for generating respective series of impulses. Monostable pulse generators are coupled to the respective pick-up devices, the generator coupled to the pick-up device in leading position, for counterclockwise rotation, being set to produce an output pulse which is substantially wider than that produced by the generator which is connected to the pick-up device in trailing position so that during counterclockwise rotation the output pulses from the generators timingly overlap one another. The generators feed into the input terminals of an AND gate which is, in turn, connected to a counter which counts the pulses resulting from counterclockwise rotation of the shaft.

Abstract: A device for loading an ink fountain of a printing press directly from sealed cans of ink. The device includes a base plate having a pair of vertical threaded pillars laterally spaced to define a working area adequate to accommodate cans of ink in all normally available sizes. A pressure plate flatly superimposed above the working area has captive bushings which threadedly engage the pillars, the bushings being rotated in unison for lowering the pressure plate to the base plate. An aperture is generally centered in the base plate. Thus when the base plate is seated above the fountain and a can of ink having a puncture alined with the aperture is engaged between the pressure plate and the base plate, ink is squeezed through the aperture directly into the fountain accompanied by accordion type collapse of the can into empty flattened condition.

Abstract: A device for measuring ink film thickness in the inking system of a printing press which includes a pair of hollow transparent rollers, at least one of which is resilient so that when the rollers are in rolling engagement with one another and with an ink-carrying roller in the press, there is a longitudinally extending ribbon-like area of engagement between them through which an enclosed film of ink is fed in a thickness which varies in accordance with the thickness of the ink film in the press. A longitudinally extensive light projector in one of the rollers cooperates with a correspondingly dimensioned light collector in the other, the collector being coupled to a photocell having an output indicator. The projector and collector are both in the form of optical cross section transformers, the projector being coupled fiber-optically to an external light source. A filter assembly is interposed in the light path manually switchable for application, to the film, of light of complementary color.

Abstract: A lithographic printing press having the usual plate cylinder, blanket cylinder and impression cylinder in pressure engagement with one another, the bearings having at least a normal amount of play so that the journals are supported in normal elevated positions in the bearings depending upon the direction of the pressure vectors, at least the blanket and impression cylinders having phased gaps in the surfaces thereof, tending to cause cyclical, momentary loss of support accompanied by dropping of the blanket cylinder from the normal journal position in the bearing as the region of the gap is traversed, followed immediately by lifting of the blanket cylinder back to normal position resulting in cyclical impact.

Abstract: A device for registering of sheets, received in an underlapped stream, upon a feed table. The feed table has a retractable front stop and a side guide defining a condition of accurate register for the sheet. Cooperating with the side guide is a wiping mechanism which includes a lower wiping member and a cooperating upper wiping member for engaging a sheet between them for wiping the same into laterally registered position. A pre-gripper grips the leading edge of a registered leading sheet for transporting it forwardly and upwardly to a receiving cylinder thereby forming a wedged-shaped gap above the following sheet. Upon formation of the gap the upper wiping member is momentarily inserted into the gap in active wiping position, with the result that the following sheet is fully registered while it is still partially covered by the leading sheet.

Abstract: A dampening system for a lithographic printing press which includes, in series, a driven fountain roller, an adjustable intermediate roller, a driven distributor roller, and an adjustable form roller, the latter engaging the printing plate, the intermediate and form rollers being mounted upon respective throw-off levers. A single actuator is used, connected to the form roller throw-off lever. The intermediate roller throw-off lever is effectively in the path of final movement of the form roller throw-off lever, for throw-off by the latter, so that upon subsequent restoration to working position a water path is completed progressively through all of the rollers starting with the fountain roller, and with the form roller touching the plate last, thereby to insure, regardless of the length of the period of throw-off, that the form roller will be wetted to proper degree, free of either flooding or starvation, before being applied to the plate.

Abstract: A flexible metal printing plate for a lithographic printing press made up of a sheet of iron having a thin adherent top layer of a metal more noble than iron and having a thin layer of sacrificial metal conductively bonded to the underside of the iron sheet, the sacrificial metal being less noble than iron as determined by its position above iron in the electromotive series, the preferred sacrificial metal being zinc.

Abstract: A device for removing curling tendency in sheets, particularly sheets fed to printing presses, in which the sheets are conveyed over two beam-like supporting members arranged transversely with respect to the direction of sheet movement and presenting supporting surfaces which are spaced parallel to one another on one side of the sheet to define a groove in between them. Suction is applied within the groove to draw a passing sheet downwardly into the groove to produce a relatively sharp concave bend in the sheet thereby to counteract the curling tendency. The cross-sectional profile of the groove is variable by a movable member to vary the profile of the groove and hence the degree of sharpness of the bend, thereby permitting the degree of correction to be varied while keeping the suction substantially constant. The device, in both preferred and alternate embodiments, has provision for removing curling tendency in opposite directions.

Abstract: A printing press having a plate cylinder and a cooperating cylinder, a layer of packing being interposed under the plate. A film of ink is applied to the plate by a plurality of form rollers. An eccentric bushing is interposed between the plate cylinder and the frame of the press rockable from a reference position to an adjusted position for increasing the spacing between the axes of the plate cylinder and its cooperating cylinder as necessary to accommodate an increase in the thickness of the packing. A cam sector is mounted at the end of the plate cylinder having spirally curved segments for radially supporting the rollers with respect to the plate and mounted for rocking movement for camming the rollers relatively away from the axis of the plate cylinder.

Abstract: A device for the lateral and longitudinal positioning of sheets on the feed table of a printing press, with the leading edge of the sheet engaging a set of front stops and the lateral edge of the sheet in contact with a side guide, enabling accurate registered pick up by a transfer cylinder or the like. Cooperating laterally swingable wiper members are provided both above and below the sheet having friction shoes for wiping the sheet in the direction of the side guide. The friction shoes are connected to the respective wiper members in such a way as to provide freedom of relative movement at right angles to the direction of wipe so that the sheet may move against the front stops at the same time that is being wiped toward the side guide.

Abstract: The invention relates to an auxiliary pile board assembly for use in the temporary support of sheets at the delivery end of a sheet fed printing press and on which sheets are deposited during replacement of the main pile board. The assembly includes a pair of longitudinal rails of equal length spaced parallel to one another with first and second cross rails spanning the space between them. The first cross rail extends perpendicularly between corresponding ends of the longitudinal rails while the second cross rail extends between the longitudinal rails and is adjustably slidable with respect thereto. An auxiliary pile board of limited dimension is interposed between, and supported upon, the cross rails.

Abstract: A sheet positioning mechanism for the feed table of a sheet-fed printing press which includes a set of releasable front stops and a side guide, with a wiper adjacent the side guide, the wiper having a limited zone of action. The sheets are fed in a straight stream, in shingled relation, along the feed table, the stream being laterally spaced from the side guide and out of the zone of action. A pair of swingable suckers are provided near the front end of the table and laterally spaced below the sheet path, the suckers being swung forwardly in unison about an arcuate path synchronized with the arrival of the sheet to be positioned so that such sheet is transported both forwardly in the direction of the front stops and laterally from its position in the stream into the zone of action of the wiper so that the wiper acts exclusively on the sheet to be positioned without interference by the overlapped closely following sheet.