High-rigidity adapter sleeve for printing cylinders

摘要

An adapter sleeve has an external layer for supporting a printing cylinder carrying data and/or images to be printed. The adapter sleeve has an internal layer defining a bore enabling the sleeve to be mounted onto a rotary mandrel of a printing machine. Each opposite extreme end of the adapter sleeve includes a rigid, load-bearing, radial spacer member disposed between the layers to provide rigidity and indeformability during the use of the sleeve with time. The inner surface of each of the extreme end radial spacer members is defined by rigid and non-deformable material of very low coefficients of dynamic and static friction.

主权项

1. An adapter sleeve to be mounted onto the exterior surface of an intended rotary mandrel of a printing machine in order to support a printing cylinder carrying data and/or images to be printed, the adapter sleeve comprising:
a layered cylindrical body defining a longitudinal axis and having opposed ends and having an internal layer defining a longitudinal bore that is diametrically expandable by a compressed air cushion enabling the internal layer of the sleeve to be mounted on the intended mandrel; the layered body further defining an external layer surrounding the internal layer and configured with an outer surface for supporting the printing cylinder; at least two rigid, load-bearing, radial spacer members disposed between said layers, one of said radial spacer members being disposed at each of the opposed ends of said layered body, each said radial spacer member being configured to provide rigidity and indeformability during the use of the sleeve with time; at least one of said radial spacer members defining at least one hole wherein said at least one hole is configured to enable compressed air to be fed onto the outer surface of said layer to enable a printing cylinder to be mounted thereon, and at least one intermediate rigid radial spacer member disposed between said radial spacer members at each of the opposed ends of said layered body, each of said at least one intermediate radial spacer members being attached to said external layer and configured to provide rigidity and indeformability during the use of the sleeve with time, each of said at least one intermediate radial spacer members being detached from said inner layer by a radial expansion gap therebetween; wherein the layered body defines at each opposed end thereof an inner surface distinct from the longitudinal bore of the internal layer and having a diameter equal to the diameter of the exterior surface of the intended rotary mandrel, and the space that is defined radially between the external layer and the internal layer and axially between the two radial spacer members of the layered body is substantially empty except for the at least one intermediate rigid radial spacer member or members.