The invention concerns a process and an installation for the manufacturing of a coating for an impression cylinder.
In the field of printing technology, different cylinders of printing machines have respective coatings, which serve certain distinct functions. For instance, in the case of electrographic printing, the image generation cylinder, or illustration drum, are often coated with an organic photoconductor on which the latent images are formed. A blanket cylinder, which is used in particular during offset printing and also in the capacity of a transfer drum in toner-based digital printing, and the fuser roller for fixing the print toner on the impression material at another printing pace in the printing machine, are usually coated with an elastomer.
A significant aspect in the avoidance of image degeneration and for the assurance of the printing result, for instance in electrophotographic printing, is the formation of the surface of the illustration drum or the transfer drum with the highest precision. On the basis of wear and tear at the surface of the illustration drum, these drums, as well as transfer drums and fuser rollers are replaced from time to time. The aforementioned high-precision drums and the surface quality maintenance requirements connected to the substitution of new/replacement surfaces are, however, costly and time-consuming.
The surface of transfer drums are known as thin cuffs, also called sleeves, and are self-supporting, and are assembled on a core which serves as carrier. If the surface has worn out, only the coating or the coating together with the thin cuff are substituted where the coating is connected. The carrier of the coating and the coating with the thin cuff or sleeve may continue to be used. Demands on the coating involve minor wall thickness of the coating and low production costs. Depending on the particular cylinder use, further demands may involve an even electrical and/or thermal conductivity, photoconductivity, or an equal wall hardness and elasticity along the coating. The foregoing demands are met in which multiple layer technologies are applied which are, however, disadvantageous since these require a time-consuming and expensive production process. Multiple layers are arranged one after the other in order to form a coating in the known process whereby the layers are each cooled down or hardened before applying the next layer, which results in a long production time.
The objective of the invention is to prepare a coating for an impression cylinder which exhibits a certain hardness, elasticity, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity or photoconductivity, and which is easily and quickly producible.
A procedure for the manufacturing of a coating for an impression cylinder, whereby a cylinder shape is provided for, includes inserting a hollow cylinder between a carrier and a cylinder shape, and inserting material for creating the coating in the space between the carrier and the hollow cylinder (the internal field) and the hollow cylinder and the cylinder shape (the external field). The hollow cylinder is thereafter removed from between the carrier and the cylinder shape at a certain pre-determined velocity. Furthermore, an installation is provided for manufacturing a coating for an impression cylinder featuring a carrier, a cylinder shape, and a hollow cylinder, to be introduced between the carrier and the cylindrical shape, as well as a drive unit to control the velocity of the hollow cylinder.
In an embodiment of the invention, the hollow cylinder is removed from the carrier and cylindrical shape at a pre-selected constant velocity whereby uniform characteristics along the thickness of the coating are achieved. The uniform characteristics of the coating lead to an equal printing format.
In an additional embodiment of the invention, the cylinder is increasingly removed from the carrier and the cylindrical shape at an increasing velocity, whereby specifically non-uniform characteristics along the length of the coating are achieved. In this way for instance the non-uniform actions of force on the coating are compensatable, fields of the coating on which higher forces have an effect, display a higher hardness as fields of the coating on which lower forces have an effect.
The use of ultrasound will substantially facilitate the insertion of material into the spaces between the cylindrical walls in the external and internal fields. The ultrasounds promote the flow of the material and enable an even distribution of the material.
In an advantageous embodiment, the internal surface of the cylindrical shape is equipped with a separating agent for an improved detaching of the cylindrical shape from the coating, whereby the parting of the coating from the internal surface is simplified after the process of manufacturing. A nickel layer with a density of 125 μm is advantageously provided, as well as a primer layer and a thermally hardenable polyurethane layer with a density of 10 mm.
The following gives descriptions of the invention on the basis of the figures, in which:
The curvatures are indicated by the letters a, b, and c. Curve a, marks with regard to quality the behavior of the aforementioned material characteristic K when using an embodiment of the invention. The curvature of curve a steadily drops as a function of density d of coating 2, in other words, the corresponding material characteristic K shows a continual gradient. Curve b marks a curve similar to curve a, however, with a turning point approximately at density dl. Curve c describes a curvature of an embodiment of the invention. This one runs constantly until length dl and then drops steeply, after which curve c continues to run constantly.
The curvature according to curve c is a typical curvature when two layers are mounted on cylinder 5 after and on top of one another, as is the case with the status of technology. The first layer ends at thickness dl, the second layer begins behind thickness dl according to
For instance, carrier 1 can be a thin elastic metal tube made of nickel, aluminum, or a strengthened polymer. Carrier 1 is of a smaller size than external cylindrical shape 10. Carrier 1 and cylindrical shape 10 are closed at their respective ends whereby openings are provided at one end of cylindrical shape 10 which can be closed. The exterior of carrier 1 and the interior of cylindrical shape 10 exhibit a high degree of surface smoothness. It is preferential that the exterior of carrier 1 shows a coating.
Hollow cylinder 5 is displayed by a dotted line, which is located between carrier 1 and cylindrical shape 10. Curved rails 15 are laid out above carrier 1 and cylindrical shape 10, the purpose of which is to transport cylinder 5, along the side surfaces of curved rails 15 when cylinder 5 is removed from carrier 1 and cylindrical shape 10 (see
The different materials are injected into inner area 8 and outer area 7 through valves 3, 3′ as the inner area 8 and outer area 7 are being filled up with the material. A first type of material is injected into inner area 8 through the valve 3, and the opening at the bottom of inner area 8 of the outer cylindrical shape 10 is closed off to retain the material in the inner area 8. Simultaneously, a second type of material is injected into outer area 7 through valve 3′ and the opening at the bottom of outer area 7 of cylindrical shape 10 is closed off to retain the material in the outer area 7. The flow and even distribution of the material is provided by ultrasonic waves and ultrasound generators 16. That is, in this embodiment, two ultrasound generators 16 are located beneath carrier 1 and cylindrical shape 10 which introduce ultrasonic waves from below in between carrier 1 and cylindrical shape 10. Ultrasonic generators may also be provided above and underneath cylindrical shape 10, whereby ultrasonic waves are introduced from above and below between carrier 1 and cylindrical shape 10. A further improvement of the material flow can be achieved in which ultrasonic waves can be utilized with different sequences.
As is shown in
Without control of the velocity of hollow cylinder 5, material characteristics K of coating 2 along the thickness of coating 2 will be obtained according to curve c of
In another embodiment of invention, drive unit 13 is operated at a pre-selected changing velocity. Accordingly, cylinder 5 is moved at the changing velocity from carrier 1 and cylindrical shape 10. As a result thereof, coating 2 is obtained that shows a non-constant material characteristic K with a non-constant curvature. For instance, material characteristic K describes the hardness of coating 2. Thus, in all three curves a, b, and c, of
In the event that carrier 1 is identical to the impression cylinder, coating 2 will remain on carrier 1. In another instance, cylindrical shape 10 is removed from carrier 1 and coating 2. During an implementation, the first and second material is selected in a way that coating 2 is self-supporting and the surfaces of coating 2 are not adherent. This is why coating 2 is easily removable from cylindrical shape 10 and carrier 1. Coating 2 is afterwards stretched on an independent impression cylinder with the desired characteristics.
As described, according to this invention, expensive multiple-layer technologies are avoided. The coating is essentially formed in one manufacturing step. The result is a sleeve made of polyethylenterephthalate as carrier 1 with a conductive layer provided with a vapor application, and as coating 2, an individual photo-receptor layer that includes a mixture of an electron donator or electron acceptor with a thermally hardenable polymer. A pigment may be added to this polymer. As further example, the result is a sleeve made of aluminum as carrier 1 with a 0.5 micrometer thick barrier layer from a polymer and a two micrometer thick charge generation layer. Carrier 1 may be formed with coating 2 of a 20 micrometer thick charge transport layer. The latter includes a mixture of an electron donator or electron acceptor with a thermally hardenable polymer.
As discussed above, the instance has been considered in which the characteristics of coating 2 along thickness d were considered and influenced. A further possibility, concerns the instance when, the characteristics of cylindrical coating 2 along its axis is considered. The characteristics of coating are hereby controlled along its length l by the pre-selected velocity of drive unit 13. For this purpose, drive unit 13 is not constantly operated whereby cylinder 5 is removed from carrier 1 and cylindrical shape 10 at a non-constant velocity.
The curve that is shown in
The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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102 51 616 | Nov 2002 | DE | national |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20040212129 A1 | Oct 2004 | US |