Absolute Engineering, Limited

Antony Whiteside

John Robinson

Stephen Wintersgill

Peter Gallagher

Stephen Broadbent

David William Burke

There is disclosed an ultrasonic cleaning bar for cleaning a roller of a printing machine. The ultrasonic cleaning bar comprises: an elongate body defining a longitudinal axis; a doctor blade supported by the body; an ultrasonic transducer for generating ultrasonic waves within the cleaning fluid; and first and second formations positioned at longitudinally opposite ends of the body, the first formation being releasably engageable with a first mounting bracket of the printing machine and the second formation being releasably engageable with a second mounting bracket of the printing machine; and wherein, when the first and second formations are engaged with the first and second brackets, the doctor blade engages a surface of the roller, such that the body, the doctor blade and the roller define a trough therebetween configured to contain a cleaning fluid which contacts the roller.

Cleaning system and method

There is provided a method of cleaning a print roller and a system for performing the same. The method comprises providing an ultrasonic cleaning bar having at least one ultrasonic energy source. The ultrasonic cleaning bar is engaged with an ink-carrying surface of the print roller, the ultrasonic cleaning bar and the ink-carrying surface defining a trough therebetween for containing a cleaning fluid. A cleaning routine is executed, the cleaning routine comprising: filling the trough with the cleaning fluid so that the cleaning fluid contacts the ink-carrying surface; activating the ultrasonic energy source for a period of time to remove contaminants from the ink-carrying surface of the print roller so that the contaminants become suspended in the cleaning fluid; and draining the suspension of cleaning fluid and contaminants from the trough. The method comprises executing the cleaning routine at least two times in succession before cleaning of the print roller is complete.

A system to remove most or substantially all of the residual ink from an ink chamber prior to post print washing, said ink chamber comprising an ink chamber profile provided with a space for ink, at least one inlet and at least one outlet, and with upper and lower doctor blade members detachably mounted on the ink chamber profile, said blades bounding an opening which, in operation, faces and engages with the outer circumference of an engraved cylinder and which extends over the length of the ink chamber profile, the ink chamber profile being sealed at its extremities by flexible seals, said ink chamber profile, end seals, doctor blades and engraved cylinder demarcating an ink cavity, characterized in that there is further provided a shuttle member within the ink cavity, said shuttle member being movable substantially along the entire length of the ink chamber profile in order to aid purging of residual ink from said ink cavity, said shuttle member further being provided with associated drive means to induce movement within said ink cavity.

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Rochdale, United Kingdom

Antony Whiteside