Abstract: A two-color offset printing press having two plate cylinders simultaneously engageable with a single blanket cylinder is disclosed. The plate cylinders and the blanket cylinder are rotatably mounted on a printer head fixed to the mainframe of the press. A first set of dampening and inking rollers is mounted on the printer head and engageable with one of the plate cylinders. A second set of dampening and inking rollers, engageable with the other plate cylinder, is mounted on a ball bushing supported carriage linearly movable to and from the printer head along a pair of parallel rails fixed to the mainframe. Image registry between the two plate cylinders is established by an operator-accessible adjustment mechanism for shifting one of the plate cylinders back and forth along its axis of rotation. An electrical safety interlock system precludes operator access to the carriage-associated plate cylinder during predetermined operating modes of the press.

Abstract: The contact pressure and uniformity of the longitudinal contact between a plate cylinder and associated form rollers of a printing press can be adjusted at a single place by a cam arrangement. The cam arrangement also serves as throw-off mechanism for the form rollers. The uniformity is maintained substantially unaltered after subjecting the plate cylinder to a skewing adjustment.

Abstract: A multiple-color, offset rotary press is disclosed wherein each plate cylinder carries two printing plates, with one of them wrapped around a larger diameter portion of the plate cylinder and the other around a tube slidably fitted over a smaller diameter portion of the cylinder. A shaft secured to the tube and extending coaxially from one end of the plate cylinder, and an axle extending coaxially from the other cylinder end, are mounted on frame means for independent rotary and axial motion. A pair of driven helical gears are mounted respectively on the shaft and the axle for simultaneous rotation therewith but for axial motion relative to same and are meshed respectively with a pair of driving helical gears fixedly mounted on the opposite axles of a corresponding blanket cylinder. The positions of the printing plates are separately adjusted in the circumferential direction by causing axial motion of the driven helical gears, and in the axial direction by causing axial motion of the shaft and the axle.

Abstract: An arrangement for adjusting the rotational phase angle of the form cylinder of a printing machine to obtain proper image registration, for example for multicolor printing operations. Adjustment is accomplished by a toothed ring which can be rotationally adjusted and which is slidably engaged with a connecting gear affixed to a drive gear. A control shaft may be rotated to axially move the drive gear with respect to the toothed ring, and an expandable radial bearing is coupled between the control shaft and the drive gear.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for makeready of a web press having an unwind apparatus for supporting a rolled web of material and having a plurality of rotatable members in spaced alignment defining a path for the web and arranged to perform operations on said web such as printing, perforating, numbering, punching or slitting, wherein the members are rotated in synchronism and are adjustable laterally and/or circumferentially with respect to the web path, is disclosed as comprising markings and scales establishing a reference position in the unwind apparatus for the rolled web and establishing separate side reference positions for each of said rotatable members which has a lateral adjustment with respect to the unwind reference position, and further markings and scales establishing a circumferential reference position for each of said rotatable members with respect to each other.

Abstract: Device for adjusting circumferential and lateral register in a rotary printing machine having support frames at opposite drive and operating sides thereof and a plate cylinder drivable by a spur gear at the drive side, including first and second adjusting members on the operating side for turning the plate cylinder radially relative to the spur gear for driving the plate cylinder for circumferential register adjustment and for axially displacing the plate cylinder for lateral register adjustment. An adjusting spindle which extends axially through a bore formed in the plate cylinder is coupled at the operating side to the first adjusting member and is connected, at the drive side, to a threaded member. A thrust bearing is operatively associated with the threaded member and with the spur gear driving the plate cylinder.

Abstract: In a rotary printing machine having a plate cylinder journalled at opposite ends thereof in a respective bearing and having a helical drive gear for the plate cylinder mounted on the journal thereof, a device for adjusting lateral register by axial shifting of the plate cylinder and for adjusting circumferential register by axial shifting of the helical drive gear, the device includes adjusting members disposed so as to act coaxially upon at least one of the plate cylinder and the drive gear therefor, the adjusting members including a sliding bushing disposed in each bearing of the plate cylinder, a toothed rim threadedly adjustable at each of the plate-cylinder bearings and connected to the respective sliding bushing, and a respective worm spindle meshingly engaging the toothed rim, a disc member secured to the plate-cylinder journal at one of the bearings, and first thrust bearing means engageable with the disc, the sliding bushing at the one bearing being adjustable so as to bear through the first thrust b

Abstract: In an apparatus such as a printing press or collator for performing operations such as printing, perforating, punching, die cutting, and the like on a continuous paper web, a registration unit for changing the phase of a first shaft relative to a second shaft where said shafts are rotatably mounted between parallel frame members of the apparatus, the registration unit having a sleeve rotatably mounted about the second shaft with a concentric output gear mounted thereto and rotatable therewith. An output drive gear is mounted to the sleeve and concentric with the output gear for rotation therewith, said output gear providing the output drive for rotatably driving said first shaft.

Abstract: In an apparatus such as a printing press or collator for performing operations such as printing, perforating, punching, die cutting, crimping and the like on a continuous paper web, a registration unit for particular use in a crimping and tractor station and for changing the phase index of a shaft relative to the web where said shaft is rotatably mounted between parallel frame members of said crimping and tractor station or unit, the registration unit having a sleeve rotatably mounted about the shaft with a sleeve gear drive mounted thereto and rotatable therewith. A second gear drive member is mounted to the sleeve and concentric with the sleeve gear drive for rotation therewith, said sleeve gear drive providing a drive means for rotatably driving said shaft.

Abstract: An improved drive system for driving one unit of a printing press includes first and second meshing gears which are fixedly connected with blanket cylinders of the printing unit. Third and fourth gears are driven by the associated blanket cylinder gears and are connected with the plate cylinders of the printing unit through harmonic drive units. To tend to minimize backlash and enable the blanket cylinders to be thrown off while maintaining the gears in meshing engagement, the plate and blanket cylinder gears have design pitch circles which intersect. The harmonic drive units have internal gears which, during operation of the printing press, are effective to rotate the plate cylinders relative to the plate cylinder gears. To enable the plate and blanket cylinders to be driven at the same surface speed, it is necessary to offset or compensate for the effect of the gears in the harmonic drive units.

Abstract: A drive connection between a sleeve on the printing cylinder of a printing press and a hub on the associated driving gear, the hub being freely telescoped over the surface of the sleeve and the sleeve and hub having radially opposed grooves occupied by a key in the form of an entrainer. The entrainer includes two complimentary wedge portions which are mated along a substantially radially extending plane which is arranged at a shallow angle to the cylinder axis. The entrainer presents parallel lateral surfaces which register with the groove in the hub while only one of the wedge portions registers with the groove in the sleeve.

Abstract: An improved flexographic printer having a separate ink trough and doctor blade assembly, the ink trough providing an ink film to an ink roll and the doctor blade assembly metering the ink on the cylindrical surface of the ink roll. The improved flexographic printer includes a frame, an ink roll rotatably mounted on said frame, and an ink trough supported by said frame adjacent a cylindrical surface of the ink roll. A pair of pivotably mounted members are supported by said frame, each member having a first arm, the pair of first arms supporting a reverse angle doctor blade assembly. The reverse angle doctor blade assembly is adapted to be advanced by said pivotably mounted members into an operative position adjacent the cylindrical surface of the ink roll at a location on the cylindrical surface intermediate a location of the ink trough and a further location where the ink roll is adapted to engage a printing roll, in a direction of rotation of the ink roll.

Abstract: A plate cylinder has a shaft end portion that is rotatably supported in a press frame for axial movement relative thereto. A gear hub is axially movable and coaxially positioned on the shaft end portion. A helical driven gear is coaxially positioned on and non-rotatably secured to the gear hub. The teeth of the driven gear mesh with the helical gear teeth of a drive gear fixed relative to the driven gear. A circumferential adjustment housing is rotatably secured to the gear hub to permit rotation of the gear hub relative to the housing. The housing is non-rotatably positioned for axial movement in a support frame that extends outwardly from the press frame. Resilient members retained within the circumferential adjustment housing urge the housing to move axially relative to the support frame. A circumferential adjustment mechanism is non-rotatably secured to the circumferential adjustment housing and axially moves the housing toward and away from the main frame.

Abstract: A mounting-proofing machine to facilitate mounting of flexible printing plates on a plate cylinder preparatory to operation in a flexographic printing press and to obtain proofs from these plates, whereby the mounted plates may be checked for color registration and other factors. The machine includes a proofing cylinder cantilevered from and rotatable on the free end of a swing arm adapted to transfer the proofing cylinder from a forward-position proofing state in which it makes contact with the surface of a plate cylinder that has been elevated in a vertical plane intersecting the axes of rotation of both cylinders to effect such engagement, to a rear-position mounting state displaced from this plane. In the mounting state, an optical viewer adapted to observe the surfaces of both cylinders in superposed relation is brought into an operative position which is intersected by the vertical plane.

Abstract: A machine for printing a recurrent pattern on sections of predetermined length of a textile web, comprising a number of parallel rotary-screen printing units spaced apart in the direction of web motion, includes a first sensor for detecting the leading edge of an oncoming web section to be imprinted and a second sensor for ascertaining the passage of a mark indicating the start of a printing pattern on the first unit. The odd-numbered units print the first half of the pattern, in different colors, whereas the even-numbered units print the second half in corresponding colors; between printing operations, the screen of each unit is lifted off the web and can be angularly readjusted to compensate for relative disalignment between the web sections and the printing patterns.

Abstract: A machine for printing a recurrent pattern on sections of predetermined length of a textile web, comprising a number of parallel rotary-screen printing units spaced apart in the direction of web motion, includes a first sensor for detecting the leading edge of an oncoming web section to be imprinted and a second sensor for ascertaining the passage of a mark indicating the start of a printing pattern on the first unit. The odd-numbered units print the first half of the pattern, in different colors, whereas the even-numbered units print the second half in corresponding colors; between printing operations, the screen of each unit is lifted off the web and can be angularly readjusted to compensate for relative disalignment between the web sections and the printing patterns.

Abstract: A mechanism for adjusting the circumferential position of a printing cylinder includes first and second meshing helical gears. The helical gears are supported coaxially of the printing cylinder. A first one of the helical gears is fixed to the printing cylinder to rotate with the cylinder. The other of the helical gears is supported for movement axially relative to the first helical gear to effect a camming action therebetween which rotates the first helical gear and thus rotates the cylinder. However, upon axial adjustment of the cylinder, both of the helical gears move simultaneously axially with the cylinder.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed wherein a signal proportional to the speed of a moving web is compared with a signal proportional to the speed of a motor driven rotary, printing member, and a resultant corrective signal is transmitted to the control for the motor, so that the linear speed of the rotary printing member is made equal to the web speed. A plurality of printing members are provided so that the linear speed of each of the printing members is made equal to the web speed and in synchronization one with the other. The method and apparatus as aforesaid are specifically adaptable for rotary screen printing of fabrics, wherein the fabric contactingly engages a plurality of rotating screens in series, and a color is passed through each screen in selected predetermined areas, so that the composite screen printings provides a repetitive design on the fabric.

Abstract: Decorative sheet materials such as foamed vinyl floor coverings comprising, preferably, a base or substrate such as asbestos felt, a layer of foam or cellular resin material on the base having portions of different thickness providing a relief pattern, the foam of the lands having relatively large cells and the foam of the valleys being crushed and having smaller cells with cell walls bonded to each other, a layer of non-cellular transparent resin material overlying both the land and valley areas of the relief pattern, and a printed color pattern or design being provided between the foam resin layer and the transparent resin layer, with colored areas of the pattern or design in accurate registration with and/or predetermined relation to the crushed or valley areas of the foam layer. In addition to the relief and color patterns, the product may also have a third pattern effect in registration with the relief and color patterns, i.e.