Multi-station full-automatic printing plate cylinder replacing device

Abstract

The invention discloses a multi-station full-automatic printing plate cylinder replacing device, and relates to the technical field of printing machines, the multi-station full-automatic printing plate cylinder replacing device comprises a printing plate cylinder, and the two ends of the printing plate cylinder are each fixedly provided with an assembling disc; the mounting part comprises an arc part, a sliding rail groove is formed in one end of the arc part, and an arc-shaped sliding rail part driven to rotate is arranged in the sliding rail groove in a sliding mode; a hole boring groove is formed in the other end of the arc-shaped part, and the arc-shaped sliding rail part is driven to rotate so that one end of the arc-shaped sliding rail part can be embedded into the hole boring groove to form a ring piece; arc-shaped rail pieces are fixedly arranged at the two ends of the cross beam piece respectively, a plurality of balls are rotationally arranged on the arc-shaped rail pieces, and the balls are in rolling connection with the ring pieces; reinforcing ribs are fixedly arranged on the side face of the assembling disc. According to the invention, through combination of the openable annular track and the roller with the special assembly disc, rapid embedding, positioning and automatic locking of the roller are realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to printing presses, and more specifically to a multi-station fully automatic printing plate cylinder changing device. Background Technology

[0002] In the printing industry, the printing plate cylinder, as the core component that carries the printing plate and directly determines the printing quality, has its replacement efficiency and ease of operation being key factors affecting overall production efficiency. With the increasing market demand for small-batch, multi-variety, and fast-delivery printing, especially in industries such as packaging, publishing, and commercial printing, the technical requirements for rapid plate changeover and reduced downtime in printing presses are constantly increasing. However, traditional printing plate cylinder replacement technology has many limitations in structural design, operation procedures, and automation levels, becoming a bottleneck restricting the improvement of production efficiency.

[0003] Traditional printing plate cylinder installation and replacement primarily rely on mechanical manual operation. Typical structural designs typically use end-face flange connections, keyway fits, or long bolt axial locking to fix the cylinder body to the equipment's support shaft. For example, in some printing units, the printing cylinder is mounted on a rotatable ring-shaped mounting frame via specific connecting components. Although different spare printing cylinders can be switched by rotating a certain angle (e.g., 90°), it is essentially still an intermittent, pre-set station replacement solution. Another approach is to design a liftable printing plate wall panel to raise or lower the printing plate cylinder and its components as a whole, enabling the insertion or removal of different printing units (e.g., different colors), thus attempting to achieve order change without stopping the machine. While these traditional methods have sought structural improvements, they generally suffer from the following prominent problems: First, the replacement process is cumbersome, time-consuming, and labor-intensive, making true efficiency difficult. During replacement, operators typically need to manually loosen multiple fasteners using specialized tools, then remove or install the heavy cylinder axially from a confined space. This process is not only physically demanding but also requires precise alignment to ensure the new cylinder's radial runout and axial position meet extremely high printing accuracy requirements. Any minute installation deviation can be amplified at high speeds, leading to misregistration, ghosting, or mechanical vibration, directly impacting print quality. Case studies have shown that traditional cylinders, due to long-term wear between the shaft head and bushing, develop gaps that cause significant wobbling during accelerated operation, resulting in incomplete transfer of text and images at the gripper edge.

[0004] Secondly, traditional positioning and locking mechanisms suffer from poor precision retention and are prone to secondary problems. To withstand printing pressure and operating torque, traditional connection structures are typically designed to be complex and bulky. Repeated disassembly and installation easily lead to wear on positioning surfaces (such as stops and keyways), causing the mating clearance to gradually increase and reducing installation repeatability accuracy. Furthermore, some mechanical clamping devices, due to unreasonable structural design, may cause the flexible printing plate end to spring back, become entangled, or even jam when releasing the old plate or clamping the new one, resulting in unstable operation and affecting the reliability of plate changing. This instability is particularly pronounced in high-speed, high-intensity production environments, increasing equipment failure rates and operational risks.

[0005] Furthermore, the low level of automation and intelligence makes it difficult to adapt to the needs of modern unmanned or minimally staffed workshops. Currently, a more advanced approach is to introduce industrial robots for gripping and transporting printing rollers. For example, existing solutions use multiple fixed industrial robots to clamp and replace printing plate rollers in the printing unit within their operating area. However, such solutions are often costly, and the design of robot motion trajectories, the versatility of end effectors, and the integration interface with the printing press body presents significant challenges. For the retrofitting of existing printing press units with limited space, deploying large-scale robot systems is often impractical. More commonly, the entire replacement process still heavily relies on manual judgment and execution, making it impossible to integrate with the Production Management System (MES) to achieve automatic plate changing according to production order instructions.

[0006] Finally, traditional designs lack sufficient support for multi-station pre-setting and rapid switching. In production scenarios requiring frequent changes to different patterned rollers, traditional equipment lacks efficient multi-station preparation stations. Although the aforementioned intermittent rotary structures or lifting wall panel structures provide limited backup stations, the methods for fixing and positioning the rollers at these stations are often the same as those at the main work station, failing to fundamentally simplify the most time-consuming action of "loading." How to enable the rollers to complete rapid and accurate pre-alignment and semi-locking in the preparation position, and to achieve "one-click" or automatic final locking and drive connection during switching, is a problem that traditional structures have failed to systematically solve.

[0007] In summary, existing printing plate roller replacement technologies generally face core problems such as low operating efficiency, difficulty in ensuring accuracy, low degree of automation integration, and insufficient support for flexible multi-task production. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to provide a multi-station fully automatic printing plate roller changing device to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a multi-station fully automatic printing plate cylinder changing device, comprising a printing plate cylinder, wherein assembly plates are fixedly installed at both ends of the printing plate cylinder; It also includes an installation part, which includes an arc part, one end of which is provided with a slide rail groove, and an arc-shaped slide rail part that is driven to rotate is slidably disposed in the slide rail groove. The other end of the arc portion is provided with a boring groove, and the arc-shaped slide rail portion is driven to rotate so that one end of it is embedded in the boring groove to form a ring; It also includes a crossbeam, with arc-shaped track components fixedly installed at both ends. Multiple ball bearings are rotatably installed on the arc-shaped track components, and the ball bearings are in rolling connection with the ring component. The side of the assembly plate is fixedly provided with reinforcing ribs, the assembly plate is embedded between the two arc-shaped track components, and the reinforcing ribs abut against the side wall of the crossbeam component.

[0010] Preferably, a first neodymium magnet is embedded in the crossbeam, and a second neodymium magnet magnetically connected to the first neodymium magnet is embedded in the reinforcing rib.

[0011] Preferably, a drive shaft connected to the drive source is welded to the center of the crossbeam.

[0012] Preferably, the two ends of the arc-shaped track are respectively provided with swing arms, and a short shaft is fixedly installed on one side of the swing arms; The side wall of the assembly plate is provided with an arc-shaped groove, and the rotating swing arm causes the short shaft to be embedded in the arc-shaped groove for locking.

[0013] Preferably, the two arc-shaped grooves on the same side are connected by a raised side, the straight-line distance between the two raised side is equal to the distance between the two arc-shaped track components, and the two are interlocked.

[0014] Preferably, the short shaft is locked in the arc-shaped groove, and the swing arm has a horizontal part and an inclined part, with the inclined part being rotatably connected to the arc-shaped track. The assembly plate includes relatively distributed arcuate protrusions, and the diameter of the circumference formed by two of the arcuate protrusions is greater than the diameter of the circumference formed by the two protruding side portions. The side of the arc-shaped protrusion abuts against the horizontal part.

[0015] Preferably, the crossbeam has waist grooves symmetrically distributed about the center of the drive shaft, a movable part is slidably disposed in the waist groove, and a first connecting rod is rotatably disposed on the movable part, the first connecting rod being rotatably connected to the horizontal part; Furthermore, the two first connecting rods located on the same moving part are arranged coaxially and stacked. And in the locked state, the moving part is distributed close to the drive shaft.

[0016] Preferably, a floating ring is slidably disposed on the drive shaft, and a second connecting rod is rotatably disposed between the floating ring and the moving part; Furthermore, when the device is in the locked state, the distance between the floating ring and the crossbeam is at its maximum.

[0017] Preferably, a bolt is rotatably mounted on the floating ring, and the bolt is threaded onto the crossbeam.

[0018] Preferably, the system also includes a drive motor, the output end of which is fixedly mounted with a transmission gear that meshes with a toothed track fixedly disposed on the outer side wall of the arc-shaped slide rail. In the above technical solution, the multi-station fully automatic printing plate cylinder changing device provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects: by optimizing the installation structure of the printing plate cylinder, the convenience and efficiency of installation and replacement operations are significantly improved. Specifically, assembly plates are added to both ends of the printing plate cylinder, and the installation path is flexibly opened and closed through a movable arc-shaped slide rail. During installation, the arc-shaped slide rail is first removed from the boring groove and slid into the slide rail groove, forming an opening on one side, so that the assembly plate can be smoothly embedded into the positioning space between the two arc-shaped track components; at the same time, the reinforcing rib is firmly mounted on the crossbeam component, achieving initial fixation. Subsequently, the arc-shaped slide rail is driven to re-embed into the boring groove, closing into a complete annular track, thereby providing a continuous and stable rolling path for the balls on the arc-shaped track component. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in this invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure provided for an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the printing plate cylinder, assembly tray, and mounting part provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly plate and mounting part provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly disk and short shaft provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the waist groove, the moving part, and the swing arm provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the floating ring, drive shaft, and moving part provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the arc-shaped track component and ball bearings provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1. Printing plate cylinder; 2. Assembly plate; 21. Reinforcing rib; 22. Arc-shaped groove; 23. Protruding side; 24. Arc-shaped protrusion; 3. Mounting part; 31. Arc-shaped part; 311. Boring groove; 32. Slide rail groove; 33. Arc-shaped slide rail part; 331. Gear track; 4. Crossbeam; 41. Arc-shaped track; 42. Ball bearing; 43. Drive shaft; 431. Floating ring; 432. Second connecting rod; 50. Swing arm; 501. Horizontal part; 502. Inclined part; 51. Short shaft; 60. Waist groove; 61. Moving part; 62. First connecting rod; 7. Bolt; 8. Drive motor; 81. Transmission gear. Detailed Implementation

[0022] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] like Figure 1-7 As shown, a multi-station fully automatic printing plate cylinder changing device includes a printing plate cylinder 1, an assembly tray 2, a mounting part 3, a crossbeam 4, and an associated drive and locking mechanism.

[0024] The printing plate cylinder 1 is coaxially fixed at both ends with an assembly plate 2, which serves as the core component for docking the entire cylinder with the changing device. Reinforcing ribs 21 extend radially from the sides of the assembly plate 2 for support and positioning. The mounting part 3 is fixed to the printing equipment frame, and its main body is an arc-shaped portion 31. One end of this arc-shaped portion 31 has a slide rail groove 32 extending along its arc, and the other end has a boring groove 311. An arc-shaped slide rail portion 33 is slidably disposed within the slide rail groove 32 and can rotate and slide under the drive of a driving device (such as the drive motor 8 described later). When the arc-shaped slide rail portion 33 rotates until its free end is embedded in the boring groove 311, the two together form a complete, closed ring. When the arc-shaped slide rail portion 33 exits the boring groove 311, an opening is formed at that location.

[0025] The crossbeam 4 serves as a movable support mechanism, with an arc-shaped track 41 fixedly mounted at each of its two ends. The positions of the two arc-shaped track 41 correspond to the ring formed by the mounting part 3. Multiple freely rotatable ball bearings 42 are arranged circumferentially on the inner side of each arc-shaped track 41. When the crossbeam 4 carries the roller to the working position, the ring is precisely engaged between the two arc-shaped track 41, and the ball bearings 42 form rolling contact with the outer surface of the ring. This allows the crossbeam 4 and the roller it carries to rotate flexibly and with low resistance around the central axis of the ring, which is the basis for realizing the printing function.

[0026] When changing the roller, first control the drive motor 8, and drive the arc-shaped slide rail 33 to rotate through the meshing of the transmission gear 81 at its output end with the toothed groove 331 on the outer wall of the arc-shaped slide rail 33, so that it exits the boring groove 311 and is completely retracted into the slide rail groove 32, thereby forming a loading and unloading opening on the mounting part 3.

[0027] At this point, the crossbeam 4 is manipulated by an external plate-changing robot or drive mechanism (not shown in the figure, but could be a linear module, etc.) to carry the printing plate cylinder 1 to be installed horizontally into the opening. During the movement, the mounting discs 2 at both ends of the printing plate cylinder 1 are precisely embedded into the space between the two arc-shaped track components 41. Simultaneously, the reinforcing ribs 21 on the sides of the mounting discs 2 are smoothly mounted on the upper surface of the crossbeam 4, providing axial support. To further ensure the accuracy and stability of the initial positioning, a first neodymium magnet and a second neodymium magnet can be embedded in the contact surface between the crossbeam 4 and the reinforcing ribs 21, respectively, to achieve rapid pre-adsorption and alignment using magnetic force.

[0028] After the assembly plate 2 is in place, the arc-shaped slide rail 33 is driven to rotate again, so that its end is re-embedded into the boring groove 311, forming a complete and continuous circular track. At this point, the basic rotational motion of the roller has been restored.

[0029] Subsequently, the final locking procedure of the roller is initiated. A drive shaft 43 is welded centrally onto the crossbeam 4, and this drive shaft 43 is connected to a drive source (such as a servo motor). A floating ring 431 is slidably fitted onto the drive shaft 43. The crossbeam 4 also has a pair of waist grooves 60 symmetrically distributed about the center of the drive shaft 43, and a moving part 61 is slidably disposed in each waist groove 60.

[0030] The locking action is transmitted as follows: the drive source rotates the transmission shaft 43, which controls the floating ring 431 to move axially upward or downward via a threaded or cam structure (or via a separate linear drive mechanism). The floating ring 431 is rotatably connected to the two moving parts 61 via a second link 432. Therefore, the axial movement of the floating ring 431 is converted into the synchronous, opposite or backward sliding of the two moving parts 61 within the waist groove 60 via the second link 432.

[0031] Each movable part 61 is rotatably connected to two first connecting rods 62 via coaxial stacking. The other ends of these two first connecting rods 62 are rotatably connected to the horizontal portions 501 of two swing arms 50 on the same side, respectively. The swing arm 50 is rotatably connected to the end of the arc-shaped track 41 via its inclined portion 502, and can swing around the connection point. A short shaft 51 is fixed on the swing arm 50. The side wall of the assembly plate 2 is provided with an arc-shaped groove 22 that mates with the short shaft 51.

[0032] When locking is required, the control floating ring 431 moves (e.g., increasing its distance from the crossbeam 4), driving the two moving parts 61 to slide along the waist groove 60 towards the center of the drive shaft 43. This movement pushes the horizontal parts 501 of the two swing arms 50 through the first connecting rod 62, forcing the swing arms 50 to swing downwards about their hinge point with the arc-shaped track 41, ultimately causing the short shaft 51 fixed thereto to engage with the arc-shaped groove 22 on the side wall of the assembly plate 2. Due to the engaging action of the short shaft 51 and the arc-shaped groove 22, the assembly plate 2 (and thus the entire cylinder) is firmly locked together with the crossbeam 4 and the arc-shaped track 41, preventing relative displacement and ensuring extremely high operational stability of the cylinder during printing.

[0033] To ensure a smooth and precise locking process, this invention also incorporates a sophisticated positioning and self-adjusting design. On the assembly plate 2, a raised side portion 23 is formed between two arc-shaped groove portions 22. The straight-line distance between the outer sides of the two raised side portions 23 is precisely designed to be equal to the distance between the inner sides of the two arc-shaped track components 41. When the assembly plate 2 is inserted, the raised side portion 23 and the inner wall of the arc-shaped track component 41 form an interlocking fit, which achieves the initial precise radial positioning of the roller on the crossbeam component 4.

[0034] Furthermore, the assembly plate 2 also includes two oppositely distributed arcuate protrusions 24, the diameter of which is larger than the diameter of which is formed by the two protruding side portions 23. In the locked state, the horizontal portion 501 of the rocker arm 50 presses down and abuts against the side of the arcuate protrusions 24. This design has beneficial effects: on the one hand, the downward pressure generates a centripetal component force through the arcuate surface, assisting the assembly plate 2 in further radial alignment; on the other hand, it provides additional stable support for the entire locked state.

[0035] To adjust and maintain the locking force, and to ensure that the short shaft 51 can be fully embedded in the groove under different wear conditions, an adjusting bolt 7 is rotatably mounted on the floating ring 431. This bolt 7 is threaded onto the crossbeam 4. By turning the adjusting bolt 7, the initial axial position of the floating ring 431 on the drive shaft 43 can be finely adjusted, thereby setting the starting point of the stroke of the moving part 61 and ensuring that the locking mechanism is always in the optimal working condition.

[0036] Working principle: Installation: When replacing a new roller, first drive the arc-shaped slide rail 33 so that one end exits from the boring groove 311 and slides into the slide rail groove 32, creating an open loading / unloading port on one side of the arc-shaped part 31. Next, the external plate changing mechanism horizontally moves the printing plate roller 1, allowing the mounting discs 2 at both ends to precisely embed themselves between the arc-shaped track members 41 on both sides of the crossbeam member 4 through this opening. During this process, the reinforcing ribs 21 on the mounting discs 2 are stably mounted on the crossbeam member 4, completing initial axial bearing and positioning. Subsequently, drive the arc-shaped slide rail 33 to move in the opposite direction, causing its end to re-embed into the boring groove 311, forming a complete and continuous closed-loop track together with the arc-shaped part 31. This loop then rolls with the balls 42 on the arc-shaped track member 41, restoring the roller's rotational freedom. Finally, the locking mechanism is activated: the rotation of the drive shaft 43 drives the swing arm 50 to swing through the series of linkages of the floating ring 431, the second connecting rod 432, the moving part 61, and the first connecting rod 62, so that the short shaft 51 on it is engaged in the arc-shaped groove 22 on the side wall of the assembly plate 2, thereby firmly locking the roller and the crossbeam 4 and completing the entire installation.

[0037] Disassembly: Disassembly is the reverse process of installation. First, the drive locking mechanism reverses, causing the short shaft 51 on the swing arm 50 to disengage from the arc-shaped groove 22 of the assembly plate 2, releasing the mechanical lock. Then, the drive arc-shaped slide rail 33 disengages again from the boring groove 311, reopening the loading and unloading port. At this point, the external plate changing mechanism can horizontally move the crossbeam 4 along with the unlocked old roller from the open track opening, completing the disassembly.

[0038] The foregoing has only described certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention by way of illustration. Undoubtedly, those skilled in the art can modify the described embodiments in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the foregoing drawings and descriptions are illustrative in nature and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-station fully automatic printing plate cylinder exchange device comprising a printing plate cylinder (1), characterized in that, Both ends of the printing plate cylinder (1) are respectively fixedly provided with an assembling disc (2); Further comprising a mounting portion (3), which comprises a circular arc portion (31), one end of the circular arc portion (31) is provided with a sliding rail groove (32), the sliding rail groove (32) is slidably provided with an arc-shaped sliding rail portion (33) driven to rotate; The other end of the circular arc portion (31) is provided with a boring hole groove (311), and the arc-shaped sliding rail portion (33) is driven to rotate so that one end of the arc-shaped sliding rail portion (33) is embedded in the boring hole groove (311) to form a ring member; Further comprising a cross beam member (4), both ends of the cross beam member (4) are respectively provided with an arc-shaped track member (41), a plurality of rolling balls (42) are rotatably arranged on the arc-shaped track member (41), and the rolling balls (42) are in rolling connection with the ring member; The side surface of the assembling disc (2) is fixedly provided with a reinforcing rib (21), the assembling disc (2) is embedded between the two arc-shaped track members (41), and the reinforcing rib (21) abuts against the side wall of the cross beam member (4).

2. A multi-station full-automatic printing plate cylinder replacement device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cross beam member (4) is inlaid with a first rubidium magnet, and the reinforcing rib (21) is inlaid with a second rubidium magnet which is magnetically connected with the first rubidium magnet.

3. The multi-station full-automatic printing plate cylinder replacing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, A transmission shaft (43) which is in transmission connection with a driving source is centrally welded on the cross beam member (4).

4. A multi-station full-automatic printing plate cylinder replacement device according to claim 3, characterized in that, Both ends of the arc-shaped track member (41) are rotatably provided with a swing arm member (50), and one side of the swing arm member (50) is fixedly provided with a short shaft (51); The side wall of the assembling disc (2) is provided with an arc-shaped recess portion (22), and the swing arm member (50) in rotation makes the short shaft (51) embedded in the arc-shaped recess portion (22) to be locked.

5. A multi-station full-automatic printing plate cylinder replacement device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The straight line distance between the two arc-shaped recess portions (22) on the same side is equal to the spacing between the two arc-shaped track members (41), and the two arc-shaped recess portions (22) are inlaid cooperation.

6. A multi-station full-automatic printing plate cylinder replacement device according to claim 5, characterized in that, When the short shaft (51) is embedded in the arc-shaped recess portion (22) in the locked state, the swing arm member (50) has a horizontal portion (501) and an inclined portion (502), and the inclined portion (502) is in rotational connection with the arc-shaped track member (41). The assembling disc (2) comprises oppositely distributed circular arc convex portions (24), and the diameters of the circumferences formed by the two circular arc convex portions (24) are greater than the diameters of the circumferences formed by the two protruding side portions (23). The side surface of the circular arc convex portion (24) abuts against the horizontal portion (501).

7. A multi-station full-automatic printing plate cylinder replacement device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The cross beam member (4) is provided with waist grooves (60) which are symmetrically distributed about the center of the transmission shaft (43), the waist grooves (60) are slidably provided with moving portions (61), the first connecting rods (62) are rotatably arranged on the moving portions (61), and the first connecting rods (62) are in rotational connection with the horizontal portion (501); The two first connecting rods (62) on the same moving portion (61) are coaxially arranged in layers; When in the locked state, the moving portion (61) is close to the transmission shaft (43).

8. A multi-station full-automatic printing plate cylinder replacement device according to claim 7, characterized in that, A floating ring (431) is slidably arranged on the transmission shaft (43), and a second connecting rod (432) is rotatably arranged between the floating ring (431) and the moving part (61); And in the locked state, the spacing between the floating ring (431) and the cross beam (4) is maximum.

9. A multi-station full-automatic printing plate cylinder replacement device according to claim 8, characterized in that, A bolt (7) is rotatably arranged on the floating ring (431) and is threadedly installed on the cross beam (4).

10. The multi-station full-automatic printing plate cylinder replacing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, A driving motor (8) is further included, and an output gear (81) fixedly installed at an output end of the driving motor (8) is in meshing transmission with a tooth track (331) fixedly arranged on the outer side wall of the arc-shaped slide rail part (33).

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