Varnish coating mechanism

Abstract: In a varnish coating mechanism the amount of varnish on the surface of a varnish applying roller (2) is kept uniform by scraping off any excess with a scraper (11). The excess varnish is recycled via a scraper body (12) to a varnish vessel (7) to which varnish is applied by a pump. The contact pressure of a blade (13) of the scraper against the surface of the roller may be adjusted as desired.

Description: This invention relates to a varnish coating mechanism for a leaf-type offset apparatus. In conventional varnish coating apparatus, the varnish layer on a roller surface becomes thinner after varnish is supplied to a blanket drum. Similar to the appearance that a printing blanket drum has, with two surfaces of print and non-print, this varnish blanket drum is covered only partially with varnish. Usually aqueous varnish is coated on a printing surface to drying printing by an in-line method. As the amount of varnish on the roller surface is not uniform, a lustrous surface of the printing cannot easily be produced. Known from the prior art is FR-A-2495546 which discloses the preamble of claim 1. In this arrangement, however, the varnish scraping mechanism removes excess varnish from the varnish cutting roller and fails to address the problem of excess varnish on the applying roller. Accordingly the present invention is characterised in that said varnish scraping blade means scrapes excess varnish remaining on said varnish applying roller after supply to said blanket drum. By means of this arrangement there is provided a varnish coating mechanism in a leaf-type offset apparatus wherein the varnish layer on the applying roller surface can be kept uniform and the printing surface is thus favorably lustrous. Varnish collected in the varnish vessel may be stirred by feeding through a pump. The pump may be linked with a compressor to feed varnish from a varnish container prepared in a warm water container to the varnish vessel. The base roller fitted between the varnish cutting roller and the varnish applying roller is rotated by the force of the varnish applying roller to take up the varnish from a varnish vessel, and the blanket drum applys the varnish from the varnish applying roller to the printing surface. The varnish scraping blade may be mounted on the tip of a blade pressing plate, a varnish scraping body collects the scraped excess varnish and directs it into the varnish vessel. The varnish scraping body may be removably fitted fitted between the frames of the printing machine body. Some embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Fig 1 is an overall schematic view of a conventional varnish coating apparatus; Fig 2 is a plan view of a varnish coating mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig 3 to Fig 7 are enlarged views of a varnish scraper according to an embodiment of the invention; and Fig 8 is a plan view showing a further embodiment of the varnish scraper. Fig 1 shows the conventional varnish coating mechanism for a leaf-type offset apparatus, wherein paper is fed from a feeding means A to a printing section B. The varnish is applied on the printng surface at a varnish coating section C. The varnished paper is then delivered to a paper discharge section D after being dried. The varnish is constantly supplied through a roller d via a base roller a, a varnish cutting roller b linked to the roller a, and a varnish applying roller c. In Fig 2, a varnish scraper 1 is shown on which a varnish scraping blade is mounted at the tip for scraping the varnish covered around the varnish applying roller 2. The scraping blade is easily attached to the scraper 1, and can be designed in any shape to be fitted to the varnish applying roller 2. In operation, as shown in Fig 1, the printing paper which is printed at the printing section B is delivered by a pressing drum, then is varnished on its surface by a blanket drum. The varnished paper will be sent to the paper discharging section D after being dried. During this stage, as shown in Fig 2, the blanket drum 5 has a varnish applied area and a no varnish applied area which results in both thick and thin varnish layers on the varnish applying roller 2. This results in the printing surface not being varnished equally. To solve this problem, a varnish scraper 1 is fitted to the varnish applying roller 2 to scrape the extra varnish N which remains after feeding the blanket drum 5. The varnish N inside the varnish vessel 7 is taken up by a base roller 3. After being rotated against a varnish cutting roller 4, the base roller 3 passes an equal amount of varnish to the varnish applying roller 2. At the same time, the varnish N inside the varnish vessel 7 is rotated through a pump run by a compressor. Numeral 6 is a press drum fitted to the blanket drum 5. As is apparent from Fig 3 to Fig 7, numeral 11 represents a varnish scraper, numeral 12 represents a varnish scraping body and numeral 15 represents a varnish scraping body support. The scraping body is approximately L-shaped in cross-section. A varnish scraping blade 13 screwed on a blade pressing plate 14 is mounted on the varnish scraping body. Scraped varnish is able to flow in body 12, that is to say, the varnish blade 13 fitted to the varnish applying roller 2 scrapes the excess varnish N which remains on the roller 2 surface after supply to the blanket drum 5, and then the excess varnish N is recycled back in the direction of the arrow in Fig 2 through scraping body 12 and into varnish vessel 7. One end of the varnish scraping body support 15 is fitted on one end of the varnish scraping body 12, and another end is fitted removably on a fulcrum pin 19. A varnish scraping body fixture 17 is screwed on the support 15 by a fastening screw 18. An adjusting screw 20 is also screwed in the support 15. A compression spring 21 is plugged in a compression spring fixture pin 22 to fix it on the varnish scraping body support 15. A nut 23 is provided for the adjusting screw 20 to prevent the loosening thereof, and fixing screws 26 are provided for fastening a fulcrum pin fixture 24 to a frame 25. The varnish scraping body 12 can be easily removed by removing the fastening screw 18. The control of the contact pressure between the varnish scraping blade 13 mounted on the tip of the varnish scraping body 12 and the varnish applying roller 2 depends on the operation of the varnish scraping body support 15. If the adjusting screw 20 is screwed in clockwise, the support 15 will move upward by pivoting on the fulcrum pin 19, the compression spring 21 will be compressed and the varnish scraping blade 13 will move away from the varnish applying roller 2, and the contact pressure will be reduced. Similarly, if the adjusting screw 20 is screwed in counter-clockwise, the compression spring 21 will be extended, and the varnish scraping blade 13 will move closer to the varnish applying roller 2. Therefore, the contact pressure will become higher. In Fig 8 a further embodiment is shown in which the varnish scraper 1 is fitted below to the varnish applying roller 2 as indicated in Fig 2. But unlike the upward direction of scraping showed in Fig 2, in Fig 8 the varnish scraper 1 scrapes the excess varnish off in a downward direction. In other words, the difference between Fig 2 and Fig 8 is only the direction of scraping. The operation and effects are exactly same.

Claims: A varnish coating mechanism for a leaf-type offset apparatus, comprising roller means for coating varnish on a printing surface, said roller means comprising a base roller means (3) for taking up varnish (N) from a varnish vessel (7), a varnish cutting roller means (4) for keeping a uniform amount of varnish around said base roller (3), a varnish applying roller means (2) for applying varnish fed by said base roller (3), a blanket drum means (5) for applying varnish fed by said varnish applying roller (2) to a printing surface, and a varnish scraping blade means (1) for scraping excess varnish, said scraped varnish being recycled to said varnish vessel (7) and then fed to said varnish applying roller (2) again after being stirred in said vessel (7), characterised in that said varnish scraping blade means (1) scrapes excess varnish remaining on said varnish applying roller (2) after supply to said blanket drum (5). A varnish coating mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a blade (13) for scraping varnish is mounted on the end of a varnish scraping body (12), and means are provided for recycling said excess varnish via said scraping body, said scraping body being removably fixed between the frames of the printing machine body. A varnish coating machanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein means (20) are provided for adjusting the contact pressure of said blade means (13) on said varnish applying roller (2). A varnish coating mechanism according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein pump means are provided for stirring and supplying said varnish.

Inventors: KOJIMA YASUTAKA, KOJIMA, YASUTAKA
Applicants: AKYAMA INSATSUKI SEIZO KK, AKIYAMA PRINTING MACHINE MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: B41F23
IPC codes: B41F23