A liquid transfer apparatus includes: rollers configured to transfer supplied liquid to a blanket cylinder; a roller holding device configured to detachably hold the rollers and perform a rotating operation to move any one of the rollers to a predetermined position facing the blanket cylinder; and a contact-separation unit configured to bring the roller held by the roller holding device and disposed at the predetermined position into and out of contact with the blanket cylinder.

An apparatus for replacing printing sleeves comprising a handling device which can be removably engaged with a printing sleeve and a movement robot for moving the handling device; the handling device comprises a supporting frame, which is connected to the movement robot and supports a supporting rod which protrudes in a cantilevered manner from the supporting frame, and a grip assembly which is able to translate on command, with respect to the supporting frame, along a movement direction that is substantially parallel to the axis of the supporting rod, between an advanced working position and a retracted working position; the grip assembly is actuatable in rotation about an axis that is substantially parallel to the axis of the supporting rod.

An apparatus for replacing printing sleeves which comprises a handling device which can be removably engaged with a printing sleeve and a movement robot for moving the handling device; the handling device comprises a supporting frame and a self-centering grip clamp which is able to translate on command, with respect to the supporting frame, along a movement direction that is substantially parallel to the axis of the supporting rod, between an advanced working position and a retracted working position; the grip clamp has engagement elements which are movable on command between an inactive position and an active position, in which they are radially spaced apart from the axis of the supporting rod, in order to allow their engagement with the internal surface of the printing sleeve.

Correction values (1-n) according to image area ratios in ranges of a printing plate of a preceding print job corresponding to ink fountain keys (4-1-4-n) are obtained. Opening amounts (1b-nb) of the ink fountain keys (4-1-4-n) corresponding to the image of the printing plate (7) of a next print job are corrected by correction values (1-n) to obtain corrected opening amounts (1b-nb). In a state in which ink in an ink roller group (6) has been decreased by scraping and removing it by an ink scraper blade (15) and in a state in which the opening amounts of the ink fountain keys (4-1-4-n ) have been set to the corrected opening amounts (1b-nb), an ink film thickness distribution corresponding to the image of the printing plate of the next print job is formed on the ink roller group (6).

The invention relates to a method for aligning at least two cylinders in a parallel manner relative to each other. In a first step, one cylinder is rotated and moved in a parallel manner towards the other cylinder in order to align a first end of the cylinder, and in a second step, the second end of the cylinder is rotated and moved towards the other cylinder in order to align the second end of the cylinder.

A method is provided for automatically exchanging a sleeve (18a) of a printing tool (14, 16, 18, 22, 24) mounted in a printing machine (12), in particular a flexographic printing machine, by means of a printing tool handling unit (28) comprising a coupling interface (36). In one step of the method the printing tool handling unit (28) is temporarily coupled to a coupling interface (46) located at the end of a shaft (54, 56, 58, 60) of the printing tool (14, 16, 18, 22, 24) with its coupling interface (36). In a further step, the printing tool handling unit (28) transports the printing tool (14, 16, 18, 22, 24) to a separation unit (78) comprising at least one clamping device (80, 82, 84) and places the printing tool (14, 16, 18, 22, 24) in the clamping device (80) of the separation unit (78). The printing tool (14, 16, 18, 22, 24), in particular a sleeve (18a) of the printing tool (14, 16, 18, 22, 24), is clamped by the clamping device (80), and the printing tool handling unit (28) separates the shaft (54, 56, 58, 60) from the sleeve (18a) by pulling the shaft (54, 56, 58, 60) out of the sleeve (18a) while the sleeve (18a) is clamped in the clamping device (80).

A liquid transfer apparatus includes: rollers configured to transfer supplied liquid to a blanket cylinder; a roller holding device configured to detachably hold the rollers and perform a rotating operation to move any one of the rollers to a predetermined position facing the blanket cylinder; and a contact-separation unit configured to bring the roller held by the roller holding device and disposed at the predetermined position into and out of contact with the blanket cylinder.

A roller module includes a roller, a magnetic bearing, a permanent magnet, at least one pair of magnetic coring, and a plurality of gap sensors. The roller has a protrusion and has a cylindrical shape. The protrusion is formed at both outer surfaces of the roller with a stepped portion and has the cylindrical shape. The magnetic bearing is formed at the roller. The permanent magnet is formed at the roller. At least one pair of magnetic coring covers an outer circumference of the protrusion. The gap sensors are formed along an axial direction and a radial direction of the roller.

Disclosed herein is a method of managing a printing apparatus including a thermal print head. The method of managing a printing apparatus includes: starting, by the controller of a printing apparatus, the cleaning of a thermal print head when a predetermined condition is satisfied; selecting, by the controller, a cleaning method based on at least one the satisfied condition and previously stored information; and cleaning, by the controller, the thermal print head by driving at least one of heating elements, included in a plurality of recording elements constituting the thermal print head, according to the selected cleaning method.

An ink supply unit is a unitized member having a casing accommodating components therein. A plurality of plate cylinders are arranged in a circumferential direction at predetermined intervals. The ink supply unit corresponding to the plate cylinder is disposed on a radially outer side of the plate cylinder. The ink supply unit can move between an operation position in which ink can be supplied to the plate cylinder and a standby position located further to a radially outer side than the operation position.