A variable lithographic cleaning apparatus, system and method works on the principle that dust and ink residue may be transferred from a lower surface energy reimageable conformable blanket surface to a higher surface energy surface low durometer cleaning member, such as the tacky roller, and then to an even higher surface energy cleaning member, such as the hard roller, which is hard and robust to scratching. The hard roller can then been scrubbed clean by an ink flushing device having a third cleaning member, such as a melamine sponge, wetted with a cleaning solution with the hard roller dried upon each rotation.

A blade assembly of a waste catchment system for a roller comprises a support plate for attachment to a tray of the waste catchment system and a blade holder. The blade holder is configured to receive a blade having a free edge adapted to engage with the roller to be cleaned. The blade holder includes a channel for receiving and retaining the blade, the blade being insertable into and removable from the blade holder by sliding with respect thereto. The blade holder and the blade comprise respective co-operating elements configured to permit sliding of the blade relative to the blade holder in the longitudinal direction of the blade and to constrain the blade against movement relative to the blade in a direction perpendicular to the said longitudinal axis.

A blade assembly of a waste catchment system for a roller comprises a support plate for attachment to a tray of the waste catchment system and a blade holder. The blade holder is configured to receive a blade having a free edge adapted to engage with the roller to be cleaned. The blade holder includes a channel for receiving and retaining the blade, the blade being insertable into and removable from the blade holder by sliding with respect thereto. The blade holder and the blade comprise respective co-operating elements configured to permit sliding of the blade relative to the blade holder in the longitudinal direction of the blade and to constrain the blade against movement relative to the blade in a direction perpendicular to the said longitudinal axis.

A method for cleaning a printing fluid off a surface of at least one rotatable component of a printing press includes selecting and executing one of a plurality of predefined cleaning operations in an automated way. The selection is made on the basis of a predefined mathematical model executed on a computer and, when the model is executed, a parameter corresponding to an amount of the printing fluid present on the surface is calculated. The improved cleaning method may be applied in all modes of operation of the printing press and in particular allows detergent, cleaning cloth, and/or water to be saved.

There is provided a method of cleaning a print roller and a system for performing the same. The method comprises providing an ultrasonic cleaning bar having at least one ultrasonic energy source. The ultrasonic cleaning bar is engaged with an ink-carrying surface of the print roller, the ultrasonic cleaning bar and the ink-carrying surface defining a trough therebetween for containing a cleaning fluid. A cleaning routine is executed, the cleaning routine comprising: filling the trough with the cleaning fluid so that the cleaning fluid contacts the ink-carrying surface; activating the ultrasonic energy source for a period of time to remove contaminants from the ink-carrying surface of the print roller so that the contaminants become suspended in the cleaning fluid; and draining the suspension of cleaning fluid and contaminants from the trough. The method comprises executing the cleaning routine at least two times in succession before cleaning of the print roller is complete.

There is provided a method of cleaning a print roller and a system for performing the same. The method comprises providing an ultrasonic cleaning bar having at least one ultrasonic energy source. The ultrasonic cleaning bar is engaged with an ink-carrying surface of the print roller, the ultrasonic cleaning bar and the ink-carrying surface defining a trough therebetween for containing a cleaning fluid. A cleaning routine is executed, the cleaning routine comprising: filling the trough with the cleaning fluid so that the cleaning fluid contacts the ink-carrying surface; activating the ultrasonic energy source for a period of time to remove contaminants from the ink-carrying surface of the print roller so that the contaminants become suspended in the cleaning fluid; and draining the suspension of cleaning fluid and contaminants from the trough. The method comprises executing the cleaning routine at least two times in succession before cleaning of the print roller is complete.

An image based correction system compensates for the image quality artifacts induced by thermal ghosting on evolving imaging member surfaces. With thermal ghosting directly tied to previous image content, a feed forward system determines thermal ghosting artifacts based on images previously rendered and generates an open loop gray-level correction to a current image that mitigates undesirable ghosting. For example, the correction system compensates for the thermal ghosting by making the current image lighter in areas that will be imaged onto warmer blanket regions, thereby cancelling out TRC differences between different temperature regions. A temperature sensor is used to measure the temperature of the imaging blanket due to the stresses induced by the image. This data is used to learn the parameters of the temperature model periodically during operation, and used in subsequent corrections to mitigate thermal ghosting in spite of changes in blanket properties over use and time.

A cleaning fabric wound on a roll (12) is used for cleaning printing cylinders (2, 3, 4) of a printing system (1). The cleaning fabric (13) includes a liquid absorbable material configured to be soaked with a cleaning liquid containing a polar additive configured to make the cleaning liquid polar. The roll (12) of cleaning fabric (13) is included in a cleaning cassette (10) which is movable between an idle position out of contact with the printing cylinders, and an active position in which the cleaning fabric (13) included in the cassette (10) is in contact with a printing cylinder to be cleaned.

A cleaning fabric wound on a roll (12) is used for cleaning printing cylinders (2, 3, 4) of a printing system (1). The cleaning fabric (13) includes a liquid absorbable material configured to be soaked with a cleaning liquid containing a polar additive configured to make the cleaning liquid polar. The roll (12) of cleaning fabric (13) is included in a cleaning cassette (10) which is movable between an idle position out of contact with the printing cylinders, and an active position in which the cleaning fabric (13) included in the cassette (10) is in contact with a printing cylinder to be cleaned.

A cleaning arrangement for a coater that has a plate cylinder, the cleaning arrangement having a cleaning web, a tangential moving mechanism configured to controllably move the cleaning web in at least one direction in a plane defined by the cleaning web, a radial moving mechanism configured to controllably move the cleaning web in at least one direction out of the plane, and a controller coupled to the tangential and radial moving mechanisms which is configured to control the moving of the cleaning web into and out of contact with the plate cylinder in conformity with input signals received by the controller.