摘要 |
<p>In order to facilitate removal and replacement of blanket and impression sleeves (52, 90) in a rotary offset printing press, the blanket and plate cylinders (21, 29) are supported in cantilever fashion. The cantilevered cylinders allow axial removal and replacement of the blanket and impression sleeves without temporary support of the cylinder and without removal of any bearings. Each cylinder is rotatably supported on a cantilevered support shaft (34, 72) having a bore (42, 48) therethrough. A drive shaft (54, 92) operatively connected to a drive motor (56, 94) extends through the support shaft bore and engages the inner surface of the generally hollow cylinder. A blanket or impression sleeve mounted on the cylinder is removable using compressed air, which is routed through a bore (68, 108) in the drive shaft and through a plurality of radially oriented passage (66, 106) in a flange (62, 100) on the end of the drive shaft. Each radial passage communicates air to an exit port (67, 107) on the surface of the cylinder, which introduces enough air between the cylinder and the sleeve to permit the sleeve to slide freely for axial removal and replacement.</p> |