Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Ag

Heidelberg Harris, Inc.

Gregory William Weiss

John Joseph Dowling

Matthew A Taylor

John Marshall Gaffney

A method and for mounting a flat printing plate on a cantilevered plate cylinder of a printing press, particularly in a lithographic web-fed rotary printing press. The printing plate is bent into an essentially cylindrical shape and inserted into a hollow tube. The tube and plate are slid from the side over a mandrel mounted on the plate cylinder. The mandrel expands the printing plate to a condition where the mandrel has an outer diameter which is smaller than the inner diameter of the tube and which is larger than the outer diameter of the plate cylinder. The tube and printing plate are slid down the length of the plate cylinder, and the ends of the plate are then locked using a lock-up device. The tube is then removed from the plate cylinder. Air bearings may be used on the mandrel or the plate cylinder, and the mandrel may be expandable.

Method and apparatus for mounting a flat printing plate on a

A lock-up assembly (20) for securing a printing plate (22) on a plate cylinder (10) includes a rotatable lock bar (32) and a spring biased linkage mechanism (36). The linkage mechanism (36) has a first over-center condition in which it rotates the lock bar (32) toward a locked position, and has a second over-center condition in which it rotates the lock bar (32) toward an unlocked position. A movable blocking member (82) blocks the linkage mechanism (36) from switching to the second over-center condition under the influence of centrifugal force when the cylinder (10) is rotating during a printing operation. A hand held tool (40) engages the linkage mechanism (36) to switch it between the first and second over-center conditions upon manual manipulation of the tool (40). The tool (40) also engages the blocking member (82) to move the blocking member (82) from the first position to the second position when the tool (40) is moved into engagement with the linkage mechanism ( 36).

Growing community of inventors

Barrington, NH, United States of America

Gregory William Weiss