Abstract: A clamping gripper for sheet-fed rotary printing presses wherein tensions produced in the paper by adhesion forces of the blanket do not react in run-on shifts of the center of a main gripper member mounted for rotation with a fit clearance on the gripper shaft. A spring is so disposed, and the bearing plane and the gripper support surface are so inclined relative to one another, that the resultant force due to the spring force, thrust and bearing load intersect the gripper finger at the transfer point.

Abstract: A resilient sheet gripper for a sheet-fed rotary printing press having a gripper shaft to which is secured a pivoting clamping member in resilient relationship with a pivotable gripper finger having a fulcrum and adjsutable biasing, is provided including a base member mounted loosely around the gripper shaft, a joint on the base member for pivotally securing the finger to the base member, a plurality of compression springs disposed on opposite sides of the gripper shaft with associated stops for adjustably pressing the gripper finger and the base member against the clamping member, and another stop which acts against the cylinder upon closure of the gripper finger thereby moving the fulcrum of the gripper finger from the gripper shaft to the joint so as to change the gripper finger lever transmission which then increases the retaining force.

Abstract: A suction roll sheet transfer device disposed between a sheet feed table and the front lays of a sheet fed rotary printing press including a first set of suction rolls adapted for oscillating movement between a position substantially in the plane of said feed table for engaging successive sheets under suction pressure and transferring the sheet in register toward the front lays of the press and a raised position for engaging a preceeding sheet and separating it from the following sheet disposed therebelow, even when the sheets are in strongly adhering relation to each other during high speed printing operations. Suction pressure is communicated to the suction rolls in predetermined timed intervals, commencing upon retraction of the suction rolls substantially to the plane of the feed table.

Abstract: A densitometric sensing device in which a density measuring head, which is part of the device, traverses an ink test strip printed on a page which is fed to or placed on the device. The problem of misalignment between the thus-placed ink test strip and the scanning direction of the density measuring head is avoided by providing a plurality of density measuring receivers in the measuring head, mounted transverse to the direction of travel so that the ink test strip is always under some of the receivers. The measured density values of all of the receivers are passed to a comparison circuit which cooperates with a logic circuit to determine from the values of the signals themselves which should be used to produce a composite density value, which is then used as the density for the zone being scanned.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the production of structured retaining areas on sheet grippers, sheet gripper supports or similar gripper facilities for machines for handling and processing sheets by the formation of a non-etchable dot structure on the base member and the subsequent etching out of intervening areas. To provide structured retaining areas having a smoothly shaped surface, the dot structure is produced by screen printing or pressure pad printing and after the etching-out of unprinted areas, a hard smoothing coating, preferably of chromium or ceramic, is applied to the structural retaining area.

Abstract: A series-produced sheet-fed offset rotary press having drum transfer systems in which sheet conveyance is carried out entirely through mechanical gripper transfers from a first impression cylinder to a transfer cylinder, then successively to a double-size transfer drum, then to a turning cylinder and then to a second impression cylinder and which are selectively engageable for multi-color printing on one side or alternately for perfecting printing and wherein, to change over sheet movement between these two operational modes the double-size transfer drum is selectively movable into one of two positions and is variable in its direction of rotation, the double-size transfer drum being engageable, in the first position and first direction of rotation and with the transfer cylinder disengaged, with two double-size impression cylinders for one-sided multi-color printing; while, in a second position and in the second direction of rotation, for perfecting, the double-size transfer drum can be lowered into engagement

Abstract: An improved sheet gripper system disposed on the impression cylinder of a printing press having regular sheet grippers mounted on a gripper shaft on the impression cylinder with additional grippers provided in the spaces between the regular grippers, which spaces are intended for cooperating transfer grippers, the additional grippers being adapted to retract into a gripper channel and extend out into the gripper plane only in one zone of the movement of the impression cylinder in which the between-gripper spaces are freed of the cooperating transfer grippers so that the front edge of a sheet is held by both the regular grippers, as it passes through the printing zone, and the additional grippers and the tension to which the printing material is subjected is greatly reduced, and the registry and print quality are improved.

Abstract: A job strip encoding printing process data is disposed on an indicia-free zone of an associated printing plate. The printing process data include process control data, press presetting data and organization data for the entire print order using the associated printing plate. Preferably, all of the important printing adjustments are computer controlled and the printing machine includes a scanner for automatically reading the job strip when the printing plate is clamped onto the plate cylinder of the printing machine. The job strip is not integral with the printing plate so that the printing process data are easily changed. The job strip, however, is attached to the printing plate and therefore the printing process data and associated printing plates are not mixed up in the print shop. The job strip is elongated and aligned parallel and adjacent to a longitudinal edge portion of the printing plate which is clamped to the plate cylinder.

Abstract: In accordance with the invention a varnishing unit in a printing machine is provided which simultaneously varnishes and perfects printing sheets. The varnishing unit comprises a rotating impression cylinder in contact with a rotating varnishing cylinder to create a nip between the two cylinders through which sheets are individually drawn. In order to perfect each sheet at the nip, the impression cylinder has at least one plate or a blanket secured to its surface. Depending on whether a plate or a blanket is secured to the impression cylinder, an appropriate dampening and inking means is provided. Similarly, the varnishing cylinder is supplied a controlled quantity of varnish by a varnishing means.

Abstract: The invention relates to an inking mechanism for letterpress and offset printing machines comprising a vibrator having a plurality of discs which are disposed side by side and which are adapted to reciprocate individually and independently of one another between a duct roller and a transfer roller, and the width of each of which corresponds to a specific inking zone. The disc each consist of a middle part and an outer ring with a covering and are disposed side by side without gaps on a stationary carrier tube. Each middle part is mounted movably on the carrier tubes and has a circular outer periphery on which the outer ring is rotatably mounted and a drive for the individual movement of the middle part is provided inside each disc.

Abstract: An inking unit for a printing machine including a duct consisting of a plurality of adjacent duct segments mounted individually on the duct roller of the machine wherein each duct segment forms a carrier for at least some of the ink metering elements. The mounting of the duct segments on the duct roller is such that it substantially eliminates the hydrodynamic pressure forces occurring at the duct roller and the ink metering elements during operation. As a result, the duct roller deflection and the influence thereof on the metering gap are greatly reduced so that readjustment of the ink metering elements with respect to one another during operation can be dispensed with.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for perfecting printing on paper sheets, one side being printed by the offset method and the other side being printed by direct planography, is provided for a five-cylinder sheet-fed offset press having an impression cylinder, first and second plate cylinders and first and second blanket cylinders, the latter being disposed respectively between the plate cylinders and the impression cylinder, wherein one or more printing plates suitable for direct planography are clamped on the impression cylinder in accordance with the size relationship between the impression cylinder and the blanket cylinders, the first plate cylinder and first blanket cylinder are arranged so as not to transfer indicia although the blanket cylinder is engaged with the impression cylinder, the effective diameter (d) of the first blanket cylinder is made slightly less than the dimension that corresponds to an integral multiple (or reciprocal thereof) of the effective diameter (D) of the impression cylinder, and the pr

Abstract: An apparatus and method for automatically checking and correcting register adjustment of a multi-color sheet-fed printing press wherein register marks are read by an ink densitometer on a remote control desk. The densitometer head is mounted on an X,Y positioning mechanism under the control of a register control computer so that the densitometer head scans cross-shaped register marks to determine both axial and peripheral register error. Preferably both right-hand and left-hand marks are used in order to pecisely determine skew or diagonal error, and the densitometer head rapidly traverses from one mark to the other mark. Preferably each register mark is made up of offset component marks of the primary colors and the positions of the marks are matched with their respective colors by the time sequence of scan path points of intersection. One color is chosen as a reference from which desired positions are calculated for the other component marks.

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 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 system for presetting register and color zone adjusting devices in a multi-color rotary printing machine uses digitally-driven optical scanners axially traversing the plate cylinders under control of at least one numerical computer. Machine-specific characteristics are programmed in non-volatile memory as referenced values. Data processing is not required to be conducted external to the printing machine. The system is compact and requires practically no re-adjustment or entry of desired values from the machine operator. The machine operator, however, may enter coordinates for printing areas on the printing plate in order to speed up the scanning process for determining the initial color zone preset. The scanner multi-functionally scans the printing plate for both register adjustment and for integrating the ratio of printing to non-printing area for each inking zone.

Abstract: An inking or damping unit is provided for rotary printing machines in which a metering roller and transfer roller are in contra-rotating contact under pressure and a liquid feed with a self-regulating level is disposed above and between the rollers. Zonal liquid transfer is made by way of intermediate zone rollers arranged closely together side by side on a carrier tube and eccentrically movable thereon such that the intermediate rollers accurately transfer the liquid from the transfer roller to a following machine roller.

Abstract: For the rapid simultaneous engagement, disengagement and adjustment of all the applicator rollers at the plate cylinder of a printing machine, cam discs are mounted on the journals independently of the plate cylinder bearing. In an offset printing machine, the inking and damping rollers are each associated with their own cam discs. The cam discs are pivotable by means of drives, about the journals, with respect to adjustable stops for the engagement positions and end stops for the disengaged positions of the applicator rollers. The applicator rollers are mounted on rocker arms with respect to the stationary axis of the distributors preceding the applicator rollers and are adjustable with respect to the plate cylinder through the agency of adjustment means which co-operate with the cam discs. Adjustment of the applicator rollers during operation is effected by way of the cam discs which, in addition to the disengagement lobes, have cam zones for the roller engagement and adjustment.

Abstract: An arrangement for securing impression as well as skew adjustment of one cylinder relative to another in a printing press. One of the cylinders has a bearing assembly occupying a cylindrical opening in the press frame. The bearing assembly includes a cylinder bearing having parallel planar support surfaces on opposite sides. An annular eccentric guide bearing has a cylindrical outer surface which is fitted into the cylindrical opening in the frame. The guide bearing is provided with opposed parallel way surfaces perpendicular to the plane containing the axes of the cylinders for slidably receiving and supporting the cylinder bearing. A first adjustment is provided for rockably positioning the guide bearing.

Abstract: An automatic register adjustment system for a multicolor printing machine has a computer for remote control of register adjusting devices and computer drivable optical scanners traversably mounted for axial movement with respect to the cooperating plate cylinders so that the axial and peripheral coordinates of register marks engraved on the printing plates are determinable. Before printing starts, the printing plates are automatically adjusted for precise register with respect to each other. The register marks may be placed at any desired position on the printing plates and the reference coordinates are freely programmable since the optical scanners can approach any desired point on the printing plate. The scanners, for example, are reciprocated in synchronism with plate cylinder rotation at a speed generally proportional to the rotational speed of the printing machine so that the axial and peripheral coordinates of the register marks are simultaneously sensed.