Flexographic printing press

Abstract

A printing press includes a central impression drum seated in bearings in a printing press frame. The drum is provided with a drive. At least one printing unit has a driven printing cylinder, which can be pressed against the central impression drum, and an inking roller, which can be pressed against the printing cylinder and which operates in combination with a cleaning inking system. The central impression drum, the printing cylinder and the inking roller have gears on their axles for driving them. The anilox roller is provided with a special continuous running drive. The printing cylinder gear can be coupled with the central impression drum and the anilox roller gear can be coupled with the printing cylinder gear by parallel displacement of the printing cylinder and anilox roller, respectively. The inking roller is driven both for continued running at a continuous-run rotational speed which is lower than the operational rotational speed and for cleaning the doctor blade assembly in a reversed direction at a rotational speed which is higher than the operational rotational speed. In order to drive the inking roller in this way, it can be coupled by a first shiftable clutch to the inking roller gear and by a second shiftable clutch to a variable-speed and reversible inking roller drive.