This invention relates to the field of rotary printing, and more particularly, to an ink roll or other cylinder which may be removed and replaced with another ink roll or cylinder much more easily and quickly than previously possible.
In rotary printing, such as in flexographic printing of multi-colored images, it is well known that different ink rolls having different surface configurations must be used so as to print most clearly in different situations. For example, so-called xe2x80x9chigh line-countxe2x80x9d ink rolls are required for high or detailed graphics, while xe2x80x9clow line-countxe2x80x9d ink rolls are required for solid color or so-called xe2x80x9cblockxe2x80x9d printing. This is particularly true when printing on sheets of corrugated cardboard so as to form advertising displays, or containers for many different products. In flexographic printing, aqueous inks are used, and the ink rolls are sometimes referred to herein as anilox rolls.
As a result of the above-indicated requirements, it is often necessary to remove one ink roll of a certain line-count and replace it with another ink roll of a different line-count before beginning the next run of sheets to be printed. In the past, the removal and replacement of ink rolls has taken many hours and has resulted in substantial losses of production. For example, the ink roll is closely surrounded by other structures such as the ink fountain and the printing cylinder, as well as the train of drive gears in a multi-stage printing machine. Thus, it has been necessary to disassemble many components of the machine in order to free the ink roll and its one-piece journal so as to remove it from the machine. In addition, it will be understood that each ink roll may be in the order of 10 feet in length, and may weigh 1,500 pounds or more, which further complicates the removal and replacement process, and results in many hours of down time for the operator.
The present invention provides a mounting system for quick and easy removal and replacement of ink rolls and other cylinders by providing mounting structures which are vertically split, and a two-piece ink roll and journal structure which enables the ink roll to be separated from the journal, thereby allowing the journal to remain mounted in the printing machine while only the ink roll or cylinder is removed and replaced.