Patent GB-686840-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to high-speed cylinder printing presses
IPC: B41F3/46
Filed: 1950-01-09
Abstract: 686,840. Cylinder printing-machines. SCHNELLPRESSENFABRIK AKT.-GES. HEIDELBERG, and BUTTNER, A. Jan. 9, 1950, No. 550/50. Class 100 (ii). In a high-speed cylinder press, of the kind wherein the type bed makes a forward and backward stroke during one revolution of the impression cylinder, and comprising an impression cylinder having two surfaces, one for cooperating with the flat printing forme and the other for co-operating with a printing cylinder, a transfer cylinder adapted to transfer a sheet from one impression surface to the other, and sheet-feeding and sheet-delivery arrangements the printing cylinder mechanism is arranged, in the direction of rotation of the impression cylinder, between the sheet-feeding arrangement and the sheet-delivery arrangement. As shown, an impression cylinder 1, rotating in a counterclockwise direction, co-operates with a printing-forme 8 on a reciprocating bed 9, and with two plate cylinders 13, 28, whereby sheets fed to the impression cylinder by an oscillating arm 15 may be printed in multi-colour. The cylinder 1 has two blankets 2, 3 and two sets of grippers 4, 5, and there is a transfer cylinder 22 arranged beneath a sheet-delivery means comprising grippers 24 arranged on chains 25. The printing-forme 8 may be replaced by embossing &c. elements, in which case one of the blankets on the cylinder 1 is replaced by a steel backing-plate. The cylinder 1 takes a sheet from the arm 15 on each rotation. Various printing &c. operations may be effected:- (1) Printing in one colour by one plate cylinder 13 by feeding a sheet by grippers 16 on the arm 15 to the grippers 5 for the blanket 3, lowering the cylinder 13 for printing, and delivering the sheet to grippers 24. The bed 9 is either stationary, or has no forme thereon: (2) Printing in two colours by the plate cylinders 13, 28 successively on a sheet held by the grippers 5 on the blanket 3: (3) Printing in one colour by the forme 8 on the bed 9 against the blanket 2 by first feeding a sheet to the grippers 5, transferring it to grippers 20 on the transfer cylinder 22, re-transferring it to the grippers 4, printing it by the forme 8 against the blanket 2, and then delivering it to the grippers 24: (4) Threecolour printing in which the plate cylinders 13, 28 print first, and successively in separate colours, against the blanket 3, the sheet then being transferred to the grippers 4 by the transfer cylinder 22, and printing effected in another colour by the flat forme 8 against the blanket 2: (5) Three-colour printing in which the flat forme 8 prints first, the sheet being transferred from grippers 5 to grippers 4 by the cylinder 22, and printing effected against the blanket 2 first by the forme 8 and then successively by the plate cylinders 13, 28 : (6) Embossing &c. with or without printing by substituting a steel backing-plate for the blanket 2, and an embossing &c. forme for the printing-forme 8, the sheet being printed on the blanket 3 and embossed or cut on the steel plate 2. In a modification, there is only one plate cylinder, such as 13, and the transfer cylinder is arranged beneath the sheet-feeding means. In this case, printing can be done in two colours using the flat forme for either the first or second colour.