Patent Publication Number: US-2015059603-A1

Title: Collect printing press

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a collect printing press capable of printing an image line of an image pattern in such a manner as to change the color of the image line. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     In collect printing presses capable of printing an image line of an image pattern in such a manner as to change the color of the image line, inks of multiple colors at positions different in the axial direction are fed onto partial plate cylinders, each including a relief printing plate mounted thereon, by means of an oscillating roller in an oscillating manner in the axial direction, and then transferred to a collecting plate cylinder via a collecting rubber cylinder. In this way, the color of the image line can be changed in the middle in the axial direction without causing any misalignment at all. Thus, these collect printing presses have been utilized to print banknotes, securities, and like for an anti-counterfeit purpose (see Patent Literature 1 listed below, for example). 
     CITATION LIST 
     Patent Literature 
     
         
         {Patent Literature 1} Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-086437 
       
    
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
     There has been a strong demand for collect printing presses as described above to be capable of performing higher anti-counterfeit printing. 
     Solution to Problem 
     A collect printing press according to the present invention for solving the above problem provides a collect printing press, including: an impression cylinder configured to hold and transport a sheet; a blanket cylinder being in contact with the impression cylinder and including a blanket mounted thereon; a collecting plate cylinder being in contact with the blanket cylinder and including a plate mounted thereon; a collecting blanket cylinder being in contact with the collecting plate cylinder and including a blanket mounted thereon; multiple partial plate cylinders each being in contact with the collecting blanket cylinder and including a plate mounted thereon; and multiple ink feeding means for feeding inks to the partial plate cylinders, respectively, in which the plate of the collecting plate cylinder is a relief printing plate, the plate of each of the partial plate cylinders is a lithographic printing plate, and the collect printing press further includes multiple water feeding means for feeding dampening water to the partial plate cylinders, respectively. 
     Advantageous Effect of Invention 
     In the collect printing press according to the present invention, the plate of the collecting plate cylinder is a relief printing plate, and the plate of each of the partial plate cylinders is a lithographic printing plate, and the collect printing press includes the multiple water feeding means for feeding dampening water to the partial plate cylinders, respectively. Thus, gradation can be formed on the lithographic printing plate of each partial plate cylinder not only in the axial direction of the partial plate cylinder but in all directions (360°) without limitation by means of the density and size of dots forming the line image on the lithographic printing plate. The gradation is transferred onto the image pattern (convex portions) on the relief printing plate of the collecting plate cylinder. Thus, it is possible to print an image pattern with gradation that changes the color of the image line gradually in given directions among all directions of the sheet. Accordingly, the collect printing press according to the present invention is capable of performing higher anti-counterfeit printing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING 
       {FIG.  1 }  FIG. 1  is a schematic structural view of a chief part of a main embodiment of a collect printing press according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT 
     An embodiment of a collect printing press according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawing. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment to be described with reference to the drawing. 
     Main Embodiment 
     A main embodiment of the collect printing press according to the present invention will be described with reference to  FIG. 1 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , a rubber cylinder  112  which is a blanket cylinder with a rubber blanket mounted on the outer peripheral surface thereof is in contact with an impression cylinder  111  configured to hold and transport a sheet on the outer peripheral surface thereof. A collecting plate cylinder  113  with a resin relief printing plate mounted on the outer peripheral surface thereof is in contact with the rubber cylinder  112 . A collecting rubber cylinder  114  which is a collecting blanket cylinder with a rubber blanket mounted on the outer peripheral surface thereof is in contact with the collecting plate cylinder  113 . Multiple (three in this embodiment) partial plate cylinders  115 A to  115 C each with a lithographic printing plate (Pre-Sensitized plate/PS plate) mounted on the outer peripheral surface thereof are in contact with the collecting rubber cylinder  114  and arranged in the circumferential direction of the collecting rubber cylinder  114 . 
     Inking devices  116 A to  116 C which are ink feeding means for feeding inks communicate with the partial plate cylinders  115 A to  115 C, respectively. The inking devices  116 A to  116 C respectively include: pairs of ink fountains  116 Aa 1  to  116 Ca 1 ,  116 Aa 2  to  116 Ca 2  configured to store inks; pairs of fountain rollers  116 Ab 1  to  116 Cb 1 ,  116 Ab 2  to  116 Cb 2  configured to draw out the inks from the pairs of ink fountains  116 Aa 1  to  116 Ca 1 ,  116 Aa 2  to  116 Ca 2 , respectively; and ink roller trains  116 Ac to  116 Cc configure to feed the inks drawn out by the pairs of fountain rollers  116 Ab 1  to  116 Cb 1 ,  116 Ab 2  to  116 Cb 2  onto the partial plate cylinders  115 A to  115 C, respectively. 
     Note that the ink fountains  116 Aa 1  to  116 Ca 1  store inks on one side in the axial direction of the fountain rollers  116 Ab 1  to  116 Cb 1 , whereas the ink fountains  116 Aa 2  to  116 Ca 2  store inks on the other side in the axial direction of the fountain rollers  116 Ab 2  to  116 Cb 2 . In this way, each of the inking devices  116 A to  116 C can feed the corresponding one of the partial plate cylinders  115 A to  115 C with inks at positions different in the axial direction. 
     Dampening units  117 A to  117 C which are water feeding means for feeding dampening water communicate with the outer peripheral surfaces of the partial plate cylinders  115 A to  115 C at positions downstream of the contact positions with the collecting rubber cylinder  114  in the rotational direction of the partial plate cylinders  115 A to  115 C but upstream of the contact positions with the ink roller trains  116 Ac to  116 Cc of the inking devices  116 A to  116 C in the rotational direction of the partial plate cylinders  115 A to  115 C, respectively. The dampening units  117 A to  117 C respectively include: fountain pans  117 Aa to  117 Ca configured to store dampening water; water fountain rollers  117 Ab to  117 Cb configured to feed the dampening water inside the fountain pans  117 Aa to  117 Ca, respectively; and water roller trains  117 Ac to  117 Cc configured to feed the dampening water fed from the water fountain rollers  117 Ab to  117 Cb onto the partial plate cylinders  115 A to  115 C, respectively. 
     In a collect printing press  100  according to this embodiment as described above, the dampening units  117 A to  117 C feed the dampening water inside the fountain pans  117 Aa to  117 Ca onto the water fountain rollers  117 Ab to  117 Cb, and then feed the dampening water via the water roller trains  117 Ac to  117 Cc onto the plates (PS plates) of the partial plate cylinders  115 A to  115 C, respectively. Also, the inking devices  116 A to  116 C draw out the inks inside the pair of ink fountains  116 Aa 1  to  116 Ca 1 ,  116 Aa 2  to  116 Ca 2  with the fountain rollers  116 Ab 1  to  116 Cb 1 ,  116 Ab 2  to  116 Cb 2 , and feed the inks to the plates (PS plates) of the partial plate cylinders  115 A to  115 C via the roller trains  116 Ac to  116 Cc, respectively. As result, a water film is formed on non-image-line areas of the plate (PS plate) of each of the partial plate cylinders  115 A to  115 C, and ink films are formed on image-line areas of the plate. The inks are then transferred onto the blanket of the collecting rubber cylinder  114  into image patterns corresponding to the image-line areas of the plates (PS plates) of the partial plate cylinders  115 A to  115 C. Thereafter, the inks transferred from the partial plate cylinders  115 A to  115 C are transferred collectively onto the relief printing plate of the collecting plate cylinder  113  and then transferred via the rubber cylinder  112  onto a sheet held on the outer peripheral surface of the impression cylinder  111 . As a result, collect printing is done on the sheet. 
     Here, since the partial plate cylinders  115 A to  115 C have lithographic printing plates (PS plates) mounted thereon, image lines with gradation in the axial direction and in the circumferential direction of the partial plate cylinders  115 A to  115 C, i.e. in all directions (360°) can be formed on the plates (PS plates) by means of the density and size of dots forming the line images. Thus, the inks expressing the gradation by means of the density and size of dots are transferred on the blanket of the collecting rubber cylinder  114 , copied (transferred) onto the convex portions (image patterns) of the relief printing plate of the collecting plate cylinder  113 , and then transferred via the blanket of the rubber cylinder  112  onto a sheet. As a result, the line images (image patterns) with the gradation in both the widthwise direction and the lengthwise direction of the sheet, i.e. in all directions (given directions) are printed. 
     Thus, with the collect printing press  100  according to this embodiment, it is possible to gradually change the color of an image line (image pattern) in all directions (360°) of a sheet without limitation, instead of using axial oscillation of an oscillating roller to change the color of the image line in the widthwise direction of the sheet by the amount of the oscillation of the oscillating roller, as has been done in conventional practices. 
     Accordingly, the collect printing press  100  according to this embodiment is capable of performing higher anti-counterfeit printing. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY  
     Since being capable of performing higher anti-counterfeit printing, the collect printing press according to the present invention can be utilized highly beneficially in the printing industry and other similar industries. 
     REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
       100  COLLECT PRINTING PRESS 
       111  IMPRESSION CYLINDER 
       112  RUBBER CYLINDER 
       113  COLLECTING PLATE CYLINDER 
       114  COLLECTING RUBBER CYLINDER 
       115 A to  115 C PARTIAL PLATE CYLINDER 
       116 A to  116 C INKING DEVICE 
       116 Aa 1  to  116 Ca 1 ,  116 Aa 2  to  116 Ca 2  INK FOUNTAIN 
       116 Ab 1  to  116 Cb 1 ,  116 Ab 2  to  116 Cb 2  FOUNTAIN ROLLER 
       116 Ac to  116 Cc ROLLER TRAIN 
       117 A to  117 C DAMPENING UNIT 
       117 Aa to  117 Ca FOUNTAIN PAN 
       117 Ab to  117 Cb WATER FOUNTAIN ROLLER 
       117 Ac to  117 Cc WATER ROLLER TRAIN