US2767481A - Means for accurate registering of printing formes for multi-coloured work - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 23, 1956 E. cHRlsTEN 2,767,481

MEANS FOR ACCURATE REGISTERING OF PRINTING FORMES FOR MULTI-COLOURED WORK Filed March 129, 1950 MEANS FOR ACCURATE REGISTERING OF PRINTING FORMES FOR MULTI-COLOURED WORK Ernst Christen, Kriens, Switzerland Application March 29, 1950, Serial No. 152,708

Claims priority, application Switzerland March 30, 1949 4 Claims. (Cl. 33184.5)

This invention relates to a method for the exact registering of printing blocks for multi-colored work independently of the printing press, :as well as .a device for carrying out said method.

In producing two and multicolored prints the registering of the second and further colored printing matter with the first outline forme has up to now been a tedious and time consuming work which had to be carried out on the printing machine itself so that during the time required for such registering work the machine could not be operated productively. Similarly the testing of the correct positioning of the printing formes in the chase on -a separate galley press was an equally Wearisome operation. In both said operations of registering `a large number of proof sheets was :always required for testing.

The present invention obviates said disadvantages and is characterized in that a galley proof is taken from the rst printing forme already fitted into the printing press the proof being made onto a sheet or transparent paper lying exactly aga-inst the front Iand the side stop of the printing press, sai-d galley proof then being fixed to the capital of the chase of a further printing forme with the help of a suitable device or adjustment means by taking into consideration the distance of the front paper stop from the capital stop of the respective printing press, whereupon all elements of this printing matter can be :accurately checked according to the transparent galley proof `and can be correctly registered.

The device according to the present invention for carrying out said method is characterized in that a carrier for fitting to the capital of the chase of the press .and running parallel to the front stop is equipped with a stop -for one edge of a sheet of transparent paper to thereby adjust and secure at a distance from the capital stop at least two clamping means for tix-ing the paper at said one edge.

Preferably the carrier is arranged parallel to the capital and has at least two overhanging beams arranged at right angles to said capital 'and parallel to the imposing stone, said overhanging beams being adjustable as regards their Ioverhang 4and carrying at their free ends a stop :and having associated therewith clamping elements each for said one paper edge.

By way of example `an embodiment of the object of the present invention is illustrated in the enclosed drawing in which:

`Fig. l is a partial front view of the device partly in section,

Fig. 2 a side view of the device partly in section,

Fig. 3 a plan View of a part of the device,

Fig. 4 .a detail of Fig. 2 in section,

Fig. 5 -a section along the line V-V in Fig. 4, and

Fig. 6 a detail of Fig. l to `an enlarged scale.

The adjustment device illustrated and made in accordance with the invent-ion has a rod-'shaped carrier l which can be itted by means of at least two supporting brackets 2 to the capital of the chase of .a printing Iforme, and which has spaced over its entire length -at least two (in the example shown there are four) overhanging arms nited States Pater ice 2 -3 carrying each at their free end a clamping device 4, 5 (Figs. 1 3).

By Way of example the carrier 1 is a square in cross section and extends at least over the whole length of the capital of the chase, for example; it therefore has a total length of 1.3 m. The four overhanging arms '3 are dovetail-shaped in cross section and are fitted for longitudinal displacement in corresponding recesses 1a in the carrier 1. The overhanging arms extend =at right angles to the carrier and are arranged parallel to the imposing stone 6 on which the printing forme is set up. A carrier plate 7 is screwed across each of the dovetail-shaped recess 1a of the Icarrier :1 and provided with a set screw 8 for clamping the overhanging arm 3 in the position of overhang required.

The free end of each overhanging arm 3 carries a downwardly projecting flange 9 (Figs. 2, 5 and 6) to which the web 4a of an L-shaped section 4 is screwed in such a manner that the foot of the section is turned away from the carrier 1. The profile section 4 is arranged parallel to the carrier yl as well yas to the imposing stone `6 and according to Fig. `l it is adapted to `form a part common to two adjacent overhanging arms each and Vconnecting the ends of said overhanging arms. In this manner the ends of all the overhanging arms cou'ld be -connected by a common profile section or each overhanging arm could have a separate profile section. As `can be seen from Figs. 4, 5 and 6 the flange '9 and the web 4a are provided with a vertical slot 10 in the centre of each overhanging arm through which the web of a T-:shaped clamping piece 5 projects in such a manner that the head of the `clamping piece 5 comes to lie opposite thefoot of the prole section 4 and forms the clamping surfaces for securing the edge of a paper Lby means of their surfaces lying face to face. For this purpose the Vclamping piece '5 is adapted for up Iand down displacement in the slot l@ by means of la threaded spindle 11 screwed into a knurled head 12 secured against :axial displacement by two tapered pins `13 projecting laterally into an annular groove 11a on the s-tem of the spindle (Fig. 6).

Each of the supporting brackets 2 for securing the carrier 1 to the capital of the chase consists of a block of :an essentially double-Tashaped form (iFig. 2). Into the bottom recess of this block forming a lower Ua'shaped yframe the capital of the -chase projects to which the supporting brackets 2 are clamped securely by means of a screw lever 14. The top recess of the double-Tshaped block forming an upper U-shaped frame is adapted for the reception of the carrier l Iand of inserts or intermediate means consisting of two jaws .1"5 and 16. These two jaws 15 and 16 are arranged displaceably relative to each other on two bolts -17 which pass below the carrier kl (Fig. l). An inclined clamping screw 18 presses on to a correspondingly inclined recess on the outside of the clamping jaw l5 and thus securely clamps the carrier between the jaws of the insert pieces and consequently at the same time in the recess of the supporting bracket 2.

The embodiment of the supporting brackets 2 and the insert pieces described serve the purpose of enabling a clamping device already in existence in the printing establishment to be used, namely that of a register square for registering and setting up. It is self-evident that the supporting bracket can also be used for the device according to the present invention which clamps the carrier 1 of the device directly without the interposition of insert pieces in which case the surface of the carrier coacting with the set screw 18 is preferably provided with av longitudinal groove having a surface arranged at right angles to the axis of the clamping screw.

On at least one of the overhanging arms 3 a scale with centimetre or typographical graduation could be provided 3 with advantage opposite to which scale a mark could be provided on the carrier to enable the distance between the web 4a of prole section 4 serving as a stop for one edge of the paper to be clamped and the stop of the capital to be read oft directly.

The method according to the present invention and the use of the device described is the following:

Assuming the first printing forme for a multicoloured print, i. e. the so-called contour forme, is ready in the printing machine for the priming operation. A galley proof is now made on a sheet of transparent paper which sheet is accurately positioned against the front and side stop. To increase the contrast of the printed surfaces on the transparent paper, some bronze powder can be applied to the galley proof before it is completely dry whereby said bronze powder adheres to the damp ink, but not to the paper.

By means of this transparent galley proof and with the help of the adjustment device described all further printing formes required for the multi-coloured print can be checked and exactly registered in their chase whilst being outside of the printing machine.

For this purpose the device is irst of all secured to the capital of the chase of the printing forme to be checked by means of two supporting brackets whereupon the overhang of the overhanging arms 3 is adjusted in such a manner that the stop formed by the web 4a of the profile section 4 for the sheet of transparent paper afterwards to be securely clamped is at exactly the same distance from the capital stop of the chase as that of the front stop or abutment for the paper from the capital stop for the chase in the printing machine to be used. This operation can be greatly facilitated by the scale mentioned on one of the overhanging arms. Furthermore a profile section 4 connecting the free ends of at least two, if not all, of the overhanging arms contributes to the rapid adjustment of the overhanging arms, since in this case several overhanging arms are automatically simultaneously adjusted. Afterwards the front edge of the transparent galley proof is pushed between the clamping piece 5 of the profile section until it abuts against the web 4a of said profile section and then the paper edge is securely clamped by tightening the screw 12. in doing this it is obvious that the lateral edge of the sheet of transparent paper must be in the correct position relative to the side stop or abutment of the printing press which can be carried out either by the lateral setting of the paper before tightening the clamping screws i2 or subsequently by lateral displacement of the whole device by corresponding loosening of the set screws 118 on the supporting brackets.

When the paper has been clamped in the correct position relative to the chase then it is at the exact level of the printing face of the printing forme since the clamping surface between the clamping piece 5 and the foot of the profile section 4 are exactly at the level of the printing face above the imposing stone. By viewing through the sheet of transparent paper the register of the various forme elements can be checked in relation to the position of the galley proof and the respective corrections are immediately checkable after having been carried out by means of the transparent galley proof.

After the exact registering of the second printing forme the device is set upon the chase of a further printing forme in multi-coloured work which printing forme is then again checked and registered by means of the transparent galley proof in the same manner as before.

By the method according to the present invention and with the help of the device described it is therefore possible to carry out registering work in multi-coloured printing completely outside of the printing machine on the imposing stone, during which time the printing press is at hand for productive work such as e. g. the printing of the first printing forme.

Thus costly printing machine hours or a wearisome i checking on separate proving presses as well as the possibility of having to use a large number of registering sheets during checking of the machine can be obviated.

Aithough only one specific embodiment of the invention has been described and shown in the drawings, it should be noted that the invention may be realized in modified form and adaptations of the arrangements hercin disclosed may bc made as may readily occur to persons skilled in the art without constituting a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the objects and in the appended claims.

What i claim and wish to secure by Letters Patent is:

i. .A system for use in connection with multi-color printing operations for accurately registering therefor a plurality of printing formes with the chases thereof outside, of a printing press, which is equipped with abutment means .for positioning sheets to be printed; comprising adjustment means for detachably engaging the respective chases of said printing formes and including a carrier, bracket means supporting said carrier and constructed for securement thereof parallel to and along a predetermined edge of the chase of one of said printing formes, stop means arranged on and for displacement at right angles to said carrier, whereby adjustment of said stop means relative to said abutment means of said press may be carried out, and clamping means connected to said stop means for retaining thereon an edge of a transparent sheet bearing a galley proof corresponding to said one printing forme, the chase of another printing forme being registrable with said one printing forme in relation to the position of said galley proof by transferring said adjustment means onto the corresponding edge of the chase of said other printing forme, whereby both said printing formes may be correctly checked in predetermined relation to each other for placement in said press.

2. A. system according to claim 1, said bracket means being profiled to form a lower U-shaped frame portion, tensioning means carried by said bracket means and extending into said lower U-shaped frame portion for securing said bracket means to the chase of the respective printing forme, said bracket means being also provided with an upper U-shaped frame portion including means therefor to securedly said carrier in said bracket means, and arm means extending parallel to said printing formes and displaceable at right angles to said carrier, said arm means supporting said Stop means and said clamping means.

3. A system according to claim 2, including insert means in said upper U-shaped frame portion and located at opposite faces of said carrier when inserted in said upper frame portion, said tensioning means being oriented at an angle to and `being cooperable with said insert means to yadjust said carrier in position in said bracket means.

4. A system according to claim 2, including manipulating means for actuating said clamping means and extending perpendicular to and carried by said arm means, to thereby retain the edge of said transparent sheet at said stop means and for removal from said clamping means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 240,002 Baldwin Apr. 2, `1881 343,608 Pollard June 15,` 1886 1,076,847 Taylor Oct. 28, 1913 1,197,874 Wagner et al. Sept. 12, 1916 1,443,810 Betts et al Ian. 30, 1923 1,779,384- Vandercook et al. Oct. 21, 1930 1,849,597 Simms Mar. 15, 1932 2,097,209 Cooper et al. Oct. 26, `1937 2,115,357 Bancroft et al. Apr. 26, 1938 2,236,000 Koessler et al Mar. 25, 1941 2,277,405 McKiernan Mar. 24, 1942 2,455,735 Condax Dec. 7, `1948 2,512,937 Hartman June 27, 1950

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