Patent GB-937544-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to rotary printing machines
Inventor: HOLLOWS JACK
IPC: B41F17/18
Filed: 1961-11-25
Abstract: 937,544. Printing on cylindrical articles. UNITED TOOL & ENGINEERING CO. Ltd. April 11, 1962 [Nov. 25, 1961], No. 42235/61. Class 100 (2). [Also in Group XXX] A rotary offset machine for printing in one or more colours on cylindrical articles such as bottles, jars, &c. comprises an endless conveyer 2, Fig. 2, for carrying the articles x one by one beneath the printing cylinder 6, and a pair of rotatable chucks 7, 8, Figs. 5, 6, for holding articles whilst they are being printed, at least one of the chucks being driven from the cylinder 6 so that an article being printed will have a peripheral speed equal to that of the roller 6, and at least one of the chucks being axially moved so as to effect gripping and releasing of an article. The conveyer 2 which has a Geneva-movement drive comprises a pair of endless chains each carrying V-shaped members 36 for supporting the articles. Channel-shaped guides 37, 38 support the upper runs of the chains and are pivoted to the main frame at their outer ends 39, Fig. 10. Their inner ends are pivoted to a bracket 45 which is guided by rods 48 and is adjustable vertically for different sizes of articles by a nut 50 acting on a screwed spindle 47. A member 49 through which the parts 47, 48 pass is adjustable laterally of the machine so as to adjust the spacing of the chains. To the lower end of the rods 48 is attached a bracket 46 carrying a guide roller 61 for the lower run of a chain, so that simultaneous vertical adjustment of the roller occurs if the guides 37, 38 are adjusted, and the tension of the chain is maintained substantially constant. Adjustable side guides 150 for the articles are provided. The chucks 7, 8 are carried by pivoted arms 9, 10, Figs. 5, 6, respectively, and these arms are adjustable simultaneously about their pivots by screw-and-nut arrangements 15, 17 and 16, 18, the screws of which are coupled to a crankoperated shaft 23, Fig. 2. The shaft 92 to which the chuck 8 is attached carries a gear 91 meshing with a gear 90, Fig. 2, on the shaft of the printing cylinder so as to be driven thereby, the gear 91 being interchangeable so as to provide for different-diameter articles. The shaft 92 also is movable axially against the action of springs 127 to effect gripping and release of an article by the chucks, this being achieved by the action of a cam 83 on a lever 120 bearing at one end on a collar 124 fixed to the shaft. The other chuck 7 is pressed outwardly, to an extent limited by a pin-and-slot 109, 101a, by a spring 107 within a sleeve 101 rotatable in the end of the arm 9. The pressure of the spring can be adjusted by means of a tubular member 106 threaded into the sleeve 101. Air can be introduced into flexible articles to be printed through the member 106, and this may be effected automatically. Both chucks are detachable for replacement by chucks of different sizes. According to the Provisional Specification, the articles may be fed to the conveyer from an inclined shoot having two stops, one restraining the next article to be fed and the other the next but one article. The stops are actuated by two pneumatic cylinders controlled electrically or mechanically from the conveyer mechanism.