Patent Publication Number: US-6712000-B1

Title: Arrangement of bearings pertaining to a cylinder of a rotary printing press

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to the seating of a cylinder of a rotary printing press. The cylinder is supported by a bearing which is located exterior of the press side frame in an intermediate bushing. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A seating of an exchangeable cylinder is known from EP 0 714 767 B1. One bearing is arranged in the vicinity of the barrel outside of the lateral frame. 
     DE 15 61 048 A shows the seating of a forme cylinder. The bearing is located outside of the lateral frame. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,749 discloses a bearing with two tapered roller bearings. One of the tapered roller bearings is located inside the lateral frame. 
     EP 0 734 857 A2 describes a seating for rollers. The bearing is arranged outside of the frame at a distance less than the inner diameter of the bearing. 
     DE 196 46 135 A1 shows a printing press with cylinders seated on one side, which cylinders are overlaid by bushings. The base body of these cylinders has a lesser diameter than the outer diameters of the bearing bushing. 
     EP 0 878 299 A1 discloses a newspaper printing press. The plate cylinder of the press has a length-to-diameter ratio of 8.4:1 to 9:1. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the present invention is directed to providing a seating for a cylinder of a rotary printing press. 
     In accordance with the present invention, this object is attained by supporting the journal of the cylinder in a bearing which itself is located completely outside of a side frame of the press. The bearing is situated in a bushing that is supported in the side frame. The outer diameter of the bushing is greater than the diameter of the cylinder. The bearing is supported in the bushing at a defined spacing distance from the inner face of the lateral frame. 
     The advantages which can be realized by the present invention reside, in particular, in that a high degree of rigidity of the seating of the cylinder is achieved by the special arrangement of the bearing. The printing quality is improved by this highly rigid cylinder seating. 
     The removal of a cylinder is also made easier by the seating, and the setting of the bearing play is simplified. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     A preferred embodiment of the present invention is represented in the sole drawing FIGURE and will be described in greater detail in what follows. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A cylinder  01  of a rotary printing press has a barrel  02  with a diameter d 02 , for example d 02 =150 mm, and is rotatably seated in a lateral frame  04  by a journal  03 , as seen in the sole drawing. The lateral frame  04  has a frame width b 04  of, for example b 04 =80 mm, and is provided with a bore in which a bearing bushing  06 , for example an eccentric bushing  06 , for setting an axial distance of cylinder  01  from an adjoining cylinder  07 , is arranged. This bushing  06  has a collar  08  which is received in a chamfer on the outer face of side frame  04 . Bushing  06  is secured against being displaced in the axial direction by screws, for example. An interior bore  09  of the bushing  06 , on the side of the bushing  06  facing the barrel  02  of the cylinder  01 , is provided with a bushing interior shoulder  11 . An exterior diameter d 06 , for example d 06  =210 mm, of the bushing  06  and of the bore in the lateral frame  04  is greater than the diameter d 02  of the barrel  02  of the cylinder  01 . A length  106 , for example  106 =155 mm, of the bushing  06  is greater than a width b 04  of the lateral frame  04 , so that the bushing  06  projects past the inner face of the lateral frame  04  in the direction toward the cylinder  01 . 
     A bore  12  for receiving a bearing  13  of an exterior diameter d 13 , for example d 13 =150 mm, is provided in the shoulder  11  of the bushing  06 . A longitudinal axis  14  of this bore  12  in the bushing  06  for receiving a bearing  13  is offset by an eccentricity e, for example e=5 mm, in respect to the longitudinal axis  16  of the cylindrical outer surface  17  of the bushing  06 . A first lateral or inner end surface of the bearing  13  facing the barrel  02  of the cylinder  01  terminates with the inner end of the bushing  06 . A second lateral or outer end surface of the bearing  13 , facing away from, and spaced from the barrel  02  of the cylinder  01  terminates with the end of the shoulder  11  that is closer to the lateral frame  04 . The lateral or inner end surface of the bearing  13 ; i.e. the bearing surface facing the barrel  02 , has a spacing distance a 04 , for example  04 =85 mm, from the inner surface of the lateral frame  04  and is located outside of the lateral frame  04 . The distance a 04  is greater than 0 mm and is less than the diameter of the journal  03  of the cylinder  01 , or then the diameter di 13  of the inner ring of the bearing  13 , i.e. 0&lt;a 04 &lt;di 13 . At its largest point, the inner ring of the bearing  13  has an interior diameter di 13 , for example di 13 =100 mm. 
     The inner diameter di 13  of the bearing  13  is at least half the diameter d 02 /2 of the cylinder  01 , preferably di 13 ≧0.6≧d 02 . 
     Preferably, the second lateral or outer end surface of the bearing  13 , with respect to the barrel  02 , is also located at a distance away from the inner surface of the lateral frame  04 , i.e. outside of the lateral frame  04 . 
     The first lateral or inner end face of the bearing  13 : i.e. the end facing the barrel  02 , is arranged at a distance a 02 , for example a 02 =10 mm, from the barrel  02 . Preferably, a ratio of the diameter d 02  of the barrel  02  to this distance a 02  is greater or equal to 15, i.e. d 02 /a 02 ≧15. 
     The bearing  13  is preferably a cylindrical roller bearing with a tapering inner ring. The bearing play can be set by displacing the inner ring in the axial direction. 
     A journal bushing  18 , extending through the lateral frame  04 , is arranged, displaceable in the axial direction, on the journal  03  of the cylinder  01 . A first, inner front face of the journal bushing  18  of the cylinder  01 ; i.e. the face of bushing  18  facing the barrel  02  of the cylinder  01 , acts on the radially inner race of the bearing  13 . A setting device  19 , for example a disk  19  provided with a centering collar and screwed to a front face of the journal  03 , acts on a second or outer front face of the bushing  18 ; i.e. the face of bushing  18  facing away from the barrel  02  of the cylinder  01 . Spacer elements  21  can be arranged between the disk  19  and the front face of the journal  03 . 
     An end of the journal bushing  18  facing away from the barrel  02  is provided with a gear wheel  22  for driving the cylinder  01 . It is also possible to provide a second gear wheel, for example for driving an inking or damping unit. 
     This cylinder  01  is preferably a forme cylinder  01  and preferably acts in cooperation with a transfer cylinder  07 . A diameter d 07 , for example d 07 =300 mm, of the transfer cylinder  07  preferably is approximately twice the diameter d 02  of the forme cylinder  01 . 
     A ratio of a length  102  of the barrel of cylinder  01  to its diameter d 02  is 6 to 12, preferably 8.5 to 9.5. 
     Only one side of the seating or support of the cylinder has been described for the sake of simplicity. The second side of the seating of cylinder  01  is arranged substantially identically, except for the gear wheel  22 , but is laterally reversed. The two associated lateral frames  04  here have a spacing distance&gt;1300 mm, for example 1540 mm. 
     If the seating or support of the cylinder  01  utilizes several bearings  13 , the distance a 02  is understood to be from a bearing  13  closest to the lateral frame  04 . All bearings of this seating for rotating the cylinder  01  are located completely outside of the frame  04 . Preferably a single bearing is provided for each side of the cylinder. 
     While a preferred embodiment of an arrangement of bearings pertaining to a cylinder of a rotary printing press in accordance with the present invention has been set forth fully and completely hereinabove, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art that various changes in, for example, the type of printing press, the type of material being printed and the like could be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention which is accordingly to be limited only by the following claims.