Spoked Roller End Fitting With Circumferential Grooves for Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexography print rollers face challenges with heavy and complex designs that hinder easy disassembly, balancing, and fluid sealing, particularly due to the use of glued components and radial drilling which can clog and fail to maintain a flat printing surface.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight, rigid tip with circumferential grooves and a composite ring allows for easy disassembly and balancing of the inner tube, featuring a fluid circuit with precise diameter control and antistatic properties, enabling reversible assembly and improved sealing under pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the inner tube is joined by adhesive on the end fittings, then the roller structure is sealed, but the inner tube cannot be replaced without destroying the fitting
Solution Approach 1:
The end fitting is divided into two separable parts: a outer cylindrical part that remains fixed to the roller, and an inner cylindrical part that can be removed and replaced. The adhesive joins these two parts together, creating a sealed connection that can be disassembled by removing the inner part without damaging the outer part or the fitting itself.
2Productivity
If radial bores are drilled into the nozzle, then air can be conveyed to the outer diameter, but the holes can become clogged and are difficult to size
Solution Approach 1:
The air conveyance function is extracted from the traditional radial bore drilling approach and implemented through a circumferential groove system. The groove is formed by removing material along the circumference, creating an open channel that is much less prone to clogging than small drilled holes. The groove geometry can be precisely controlled during machining to ensure proper air flow.
3Adaptability or versatility
If two concentric tubes are used with a cylinder head, then ink can be supplied through grooves, but the roller becomes very heavy and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The roller is segmented into two functional parts: the porous outer tube that provides ink supply through its material structure rather than requiring a separate cylinder head and groove system, and the simplified end fittings that connect the tubes. This segmentation eliminates the heavy cylinder head component while maintaining ink supply functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The outer tube is made from porous material that allows ink to be supplied from the center to the periphery through its porous structure. This eliminates the need for a separate cylinder head with machined channels and grooves, significantly reducing the roller's weight and complexity while maintaining the ink supply function.
4Productivity
If the porous outer tube surface is used for printing, then ink can be distributed, but the surface deformability prevents a flat printing surface
Solution Approach 1:
The roller design applies different properties to different parts: the outer tube has a porous structure for ink distribution capability, while the end fittings provide rigid structural support and positioning. The porous nature of the outer tube is localized to the printing surface area, while the structural integrity is maintained through the rigid end fittings and the tube's overall construction, allowing both ink distribution and surface flatness to be achieved.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~4A
AI summary
The present invention concerns an end-fitting (2) intended to constitute a spacer for a roller consisting of two concentric tubes (10, 11) of axis xx', comprising spokes (20) linking two inner (201) and outer (200) cylindrical parts, characterised in that a fluid circuit extending from the centre towards the periphery comprises a first circumferential groove (50) arranged in the inner cylindrical part (201) and a second circumferential groove (41) arranged in the outer cylindrical part (200), linked by at least one pipe (22). This end-fitting (2) helps reduce the weight of the roller by approximately 20%, assists in the balancing of the roller by ensuring the inside of the roller is accessible between the two tubes (10, 11) and allows easy, index-free assembly as a result of the circumferential grooves (41, 50). An end-fitting with spokes allows access to the inside of the roller when it is mounted, and thus both allows finer balancing than with solid end-fittings which require the outer tube to be pierced, and allows this balancing to be invisible from the outside of the roller.