Abstract: A sheet-supporting mechanism for supporting sheets above a side guide recess in the feed table of a sheet-fed rotary printing press includes a plurality of guide bridges disposed in the recess parallel to the direction of sheet travel and slidably mounted on tie-bars in the recess for movement transverse to the direction of sheet travel. A plurality of compression springs are interposed between the lateral faces of the guide bridges to bias the bridges apart and permit the sheet side guide to move in the recess transverse to the direction of sheet travel in order to accommodate sheet formats of varying widths. The springs are preferably leaf springs and are disposed below the upper surface of the bridges which lie in the plane of the surface of the feed table.

Abstract: A screw-in throttle valve and pressure gauge assembly including a valve member and a selectively rotatable screw-in member operatively associated with the valve member for permitting selected positioning of the valve member with respect to a valve seat. The screw-in valve member supports a pressure gauge at a location outside the valve body and the valve member is formed with a capillary bore communicating between a first flow duct downstream of the valve seat and the pressure gauge so that when the screw-in member and valve member are selectively positionable for varying the gap between the valve seat and valve member the valve gauge is simultaneously moveable with the valve member and screw-in member for directly measuring the pressure at the first flow duct without alteration of the pressure gauge.

Abstract: The method of making an adjustable circular wedge which includes the steps of deforming a flat strip of metal by embossment to form a blank having a base side and a longitudinally extending tapering bead presenting a linear wedge surface, with the bead stopping short of the ends of the strip to define flat end portions. The end portions are bent sharply away from the base side of the blank at an angle of 90 degrees. The blank is wrapped about a cylindrical mandrel so that the base side of the strip is formed into a circular inner wall and so that the presented surface of the bead becomes a spiral outer wall to define, with the inner wall, a circular wedge. The flat end portions are then secured rigidly together by welding in face-to-face engagement to form a radially extending arm on the circular wedge for adjustment purposes. It is preferred in the bending step that the bending is along bend lines which intersect the respective ends of the bead for reinforcement of the bent corners.

Abstract: An ink fountain for a printing press having a sub-frame which is mounted on the main frame of the press and which cooperates with a stationary fountain roller. A fountain blade is secured to the sub-frame with provision, interposed between the sub-frame and the blade, for establishing the thickness of ink film fed by the balde when the sub-frame occupies a reference position. The sub-frame has a hinge connection with the main frame for rocking movement about an axis remote from the tip of the blade between the reference position and a downwardly angled position in which an enlarged clearance gap is created at the tip of the blade, with the resulting rush of ink therethrough clearing the tip of the blade of contamination by accumulated particles of dirt or other impurities.

Abstract: An ink fountain construction for a printing press having a trough extending adjacent and parallel to the fountain roller to define a control space occupied by a flow control strip. The control strip is made up of a series of separate and independent flow control segments in the form of identical blocks of rectangular shape arranged snugly side-by-side for zonal control of the ink film fed to the roller. Each segment is rigidly secured to the frame at its lower end. Each segment has a relatively thin central section and is sprung forwardly to bias the presented upper edge of the segment against the fountain roller. A set of pull rods connected to the upper ends of the segments have adjusting means at the rear end to draw the connected segment rearwardly to define a gap with the fountain roller to establish the rate of ink feed in the respective zonal position.

Abstract: A wiper mechanism for lateral shifting of a sheet against a side guide defining a registered reference position. The mechanism includes an oscillated wiper arm under the sheet having an arcuate sheet-engaging wiper surface with a tap roller for pressing the sheet against the wiper surface during the outward movement of the arm. The wiper surface has axially adjacent strips surfaced for different amounts of friction. The roller has an effective width corresponding to the width of one of the strips and is movable into a position of engagement with a selected strip for changing the degree of friction applied to the sheet depending upon the thickness of the sheet being handled.