Day International, Inc.

Mario Busshoff

Brett Scherrman

Michael Kockentiedt

Brett Tracy Scherrman

A sleeve for a print cylinder comprising a fiber reinforced, thin-walled material and having a seamless surface ready to be covered with a surface material. The sleeve may be used in flexographic printing, either as a support for photo-polymerized printing plates or rubber layers. The sleeve has the advantages of having low manufacturing cost and providing the necessary heat resistance to withstand rubber vulcanization temperatures. The sleeve is also airtight, and remains properly positioned during printing operations.

Thin-walled reinforced sleeve with integral compressible layer

A bridge mandrel construction is provided which is simple to manufacture, light weight, and easy to mount and dismount from underlying printing cylinders in flexographic and gravure printing systems. The bridge mandrel includes a generally hollow, cylindrically-shaped tube adapted to fit over a print cylinder. A channel extends substantially around the circumference of the inner surface of the tube, and a plurality of orifices extends generally radially outwardly from the channel to the outer surface of the tube. The channel and orifices permit pressurized air to be provided from the interior of the mandrel to its surface for the mounting of a print sleeve onto the mandrel. In one embodiment, the bridge mandrel includes a locking mechanism which is adapted to engage the print cylinder to prevent movement of the mandrel during printing operations.

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Town Ahaus, Germany

Mario Busshoff