Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Ag

Heidelberg Harris, Inc.

Harris Graphics Corporation

Sun Chemical Corporation

Goss International Americas, Inc.

Heidelburg Harris, Inc.

Roland Thomas Palmatier

James Brian Vrotacoe

Roger R Belanger

Robert Richard Murray

Glenn Alan Guaraldi

John Sheridan Richards

Charles Henry Dufour

Jackson Hacker Jones

Peter W Walczak

Michael Stevenson

Kevin Lauren Cote

Ramasamy Krishnan

David Clarke Pollock

Michael A Novick

David Charles Burke

David Crowell Emery

Howard W Hoff

Marilyn C Yamat

Michael Lee Hearn

Hugo Babij

Michael William Hilliard

Clifford Allen Zabkar

Charles Francis Svenson

Richard L McKrell

Brian Robert Elkinson

Eugene J Bergeron

A method for printing which includes the steps of: printing a web of material so as to define a printed web; winding the printed web onto at least one roll; cutting the printed web so as to define at least one printed roll; transporting the at least one printed roll in rolled form to a folder separate from a printing press; and processing the at least one printed roll in the folder into a finished printed product.

Method for assembling printed products

A lithographic newspaper printing press including printing units which are mounted on top of each other, forming a tower arrangement. Each printing unit including a first and a second plate cylinder having a length being substantially four times the width of a newspaper page and having a circumference being substantially equal to the height of a newspaper page. Each printing unit further includes first and a second blanket cylinder associated with said first and second plate cylinders, whereby each of said first and second blanket cylinders has substantially the same diameter as the associated plate cylinder. Each of the blanket cylinders carries a respective continuous sleeve-shaped printing blanket which is axially removable from the respective plate cylinder through an aperture formed in the side wall of the housing of the printing unit, while the respective blanket cylinder is cantilevered in the opposite side wall of the housing.

Lithographic newspaper printing press

A printing device includes a roll-to roll printing press for forming a plurality of printed rolls and a separate assembly device, the assembly device having a plurality of roll unwinding devices separate from the printing press, a first folder accepting at least one first web from the roll unwinding devices and forming first signatures, and a second folder accepting at least one second web from the roll unwinding devices and forming second signatures. Also provided is a printing device having a roll-to-roll printing press for printing an image to a web so as to form at least one printed roll, a roll storage unit for the at least one printed roll, and a folder for folding and cutting the at least one printed roll. The folder is located separately from the printing press, and is part of an assembly device which performs a collecting and binding operation.

Method and device for assembling printed products

A signature transport device has a first transport section for transporting a first signature having a first lead edge and a first trail edge, and for transporting a following second signature having a second lead edge and a second trail edge. The first transport section has a signature exit and defines a transport plane; and a second transport section transports the first and second signatures so that the second lead edge is offset from the transport plane and so that the second lead edge and the first trail edge are separated in a direction perpendicular to the transport plane.

Signature delivery device and method

A method for forming a tubular printing blanket includes the steps of applying a application layer to a base, applying a polymer over the application layer so as to form as flexible inner tubular sleeve, at least one of the application layer and the polymer being an innermost layer of the tubular sleeve, and applying a print layer over the tubular sleeve. The interior of the flexible tubular sleeve can collapse to permit better storage of the blankets.

Flexible tubular printing blanket

A device for manufacturing a printing blanket includes a base sleeve, a liquid applicator applying a radiation-curing polymer to the base sleeve, and a radiation source curing the radiation-curing polymer. A method for forming a tubular printing blanket includes placing a radiation-curable polymer over a base so as to form a layer of a printing blanket, and curing the radiation-curable polymer using a radiation source.

Device and method for manufacturing a tubular printing blanket

A printing cylinder for accepting an axially-removable printing sleeve includes a cylinder body having an outer surface, the outer surface having at least one hole and a supply line in the cylinder body for supplying fluid to the at least one hole. The supply line has at least one flow restrictor designed to alter fluid flow as a function of the at least one hole being covered by an axially-removable printing sleeve. Also provided is a printing press having two such cylinders and a common pressure source. A method for axially removing a printing sleeve over a printing cylinder includes the steps of applying fluid pressure to an inside of a printing sleeve located on a printing cylinder through holes at a work side end of the printing cylinder and through other holes between the holes at the work side end and a gear side end of the printing cylinder, sliding the printing sleeve in a direction of the work side end of the printing cylinder, and automatically restricting flow through the other holes when the printing sleeve no longer is located over the other holes.

Flow-restricted printing cylinder for a removable printing sleeve

A device for cutting a web of material, the web having a web velocity and moving in a web direction. The device includes a plurality of linearly movable cutting elements capable of moving in the same direction as the web direction for cutting the web into signatures, and a plurality of gripper elements interacting with the cutting elements. A method for cutting a web includes the steps of linearly moving a plurality of cutting elements within a signature formation area, the web also moving within the signature formation area, the cutting elements and the web moving in the same direction; cutting the web with the plurality of cutting elements so as to form signatures; gripping the signatures; and varying a length of the signatures by varying a spacing between cutting elements in the signature formation area.

Variable-length cut-off folder and method

A device for manufacturing a tubular printing blanket comprising a sleeve translation device for moving a sleeve, the sleeve providing a support layer for the printing blanket; and at least one ribbon casting device applying a flowable material, the flowable material forming a layer disposed over the sleeve. Also disclosed is a method for forming a tubular printing blanket comprising the steps of translating a sleeve in a first direction and ribbon casting at least one of a compressible layer, reinforcing layer and a print layer about the sleeve as the sleeve translates. A related blanket is also provided.

Method and device for manufacturing a tubular lithographic printing blanket

A lithographic newspaper printing press comprises printing units ( to ) which are mounted on top of each other, forming a tower arrangement ( ). Each printing unit comprises a first and a second plate cylinder ( ) having a length being substantially four times the width of a newspaper page and having a circumference being substantially equal to the height of a newspaper page. Each printing unit further comprises a first and a second blanket cylinder ( ) associated with said first and second plate cylinders ( ), whereby each of said first and second blanket cylinders ( ) has substantially the same diameter as the associated plate cylinder ( ). Each of the blanket cylinders ( ) carries a respective continuous sleeve-shaped printing blanket ( ) which is axially removable from the respective plate cylinder through an aperture formed in the side wall of the housing of the printing unit, while the respective blanket cylinder ( ) is cantilevered in the opposite side wall of the housing.

An apparatus for cleaning a tubular printing blanket, comprises a first end cap mounted to a first end portion of the tubular printing blanket; a second end cap mounted to a second end portion of the tubular printing blanket, a compressed air inlet passing through the first end cap; a compressed air supply coupled to the compress air inlet for supplying compressed air to the inside of the tubular printing blanket for stiffening the tubular printing blanket during a cleaning operation; and a cleaning element which interacts with the outside surface of the tubular printing blanket, for cleaning the tubular printing blanket. A method for cleaning a tubular printing blanket comprises the steps of mounting end caps to the end portions of the tubular printing blanket for sealing the inside of the tubular printing blanket against ambient air; supplying compressed air to the inside of the tubular printing blanket for stiffening the tubular printing blanket; and cleaning the outside surface of the tubular printing blanket

Apparatus and method for cleaning a tubular printing blanket

A method and apparatus for adjusting skew settings in a dampener in a printing press. One or more skew adjustment linkages connect skew adjustment rods for the upper and lower dampeners of each printing unit. The linkage ensures that a single movement by the operator will allow adjustment of the skewing of both the upper and lower dampeners at the same time. The linkage or linkages are preferably connected at one end to skew adjustment brackets, which in turn are connected to a skew adjustment rod for one of the upper or lower dampeners. The skew adjustment rod adjusts the amount of skew of associated pan rolls. Movement of the linkage may be controlled by movement of a spring plunger, which is connected to the linkage or linkages. The spring plunger may be spring biased, and may be adjusted and locked into different skew setting positions using a pinhole arrangement. A web width indicator associated with the spring plunger may be used to guide the operator to an appropriate skew setting for a particular web width. The skew adjustment rod may also include a fine tuning mechanism, used to make minor adjustments to the skew settings for the dampeners, for example, when a particular setting is between one of the settings established by the pin-hole arrangement.

Apparatus and method for adjusting skew in a printing press dampener

A continuous process for manufacturing a gapless tubular printing blanket comprising the steps of continuously forming a tubular sleeve in a sleeve forming station; continuously moving the tubular sleeve axially from the sleeve forming station through a print layer forming station and continuously applying a print layer over said tubular sleeve as it passes through said further print layer forming station to form a gapless tubular printing blanket of indeterminate length. In accordance with one embodiment, the tubular sleeve is rotated as it moves axially from the sleeve forming station through print layer forming station. In accordance with another embodiment the the tubular sleeve is not rotated (i.e. it remains rotationally fixed) as it moves axially from the sleeve forming station through print layer forming station.

Continuous process gapless tubular lithographic printing blanket

A printing unit of a rotary printing press for using various ink types, particularly water-based inks, is provided. The printing unit includes an inking mechanism, a print cylinder, and a blanket cylinder. The inking mechanism and the cylinders are mounted in side walls of the printing unit. A housing at least partially surrounds the inking mechanism and the cylinders to maintain a surrounding atmosphere within an at least semi-enclosed area of the printing unit. A chemical agent may be selectively added to the atmosphere in the semi-enclosed area to reduce the rate of evaporation of a substance in the ink. The printing unit also includes a cooling unit for maintaining an ink carrying surface of one or more of the print form, the printing blanket, and the inking unit at a predetermined temperature which is suitable for printing with water-based inks. The printing unit may be a sheet-fed printing press.

Web- and sheet-fed printing unit using various ink types, particularly water-based inks

A printing unit with a rotatable print cylinder and a rotatable blanket cylinder is provided. A tubular printing blanket is removably mounted on the blanket cylinder. The printing unit may have an imaging unit mounted therein. A printing member, which is mountable on the print cylinder, is imaged by the imaging unit inside the printing unit. The printing member has a continuous surface and may be removed axially from the print cylinder. The printing unit may be configured as a cantilever printing unit, or, alternatively, may be configured with both a gear side frame and a work side frame for supporting the print and blanket cylinders. In order to provide a variable-cutoff capability, a plurality of print cylinder saddles may be provided. Each print cylinder saddle has the same inner diameter for mounting on the print cylinders. However, in order to provide a variable cut-off, the print cylinder saddles may have a variety of outer diameters.

Growing community of inventors

Durham, NH, United States of America

Roland Thomas Palmatier