Rotary screen printing machine

Claim 1

In a rotary screen printing machine having a frame to support the machine components, a printing support blanket with means on said frame to drivingly support the blanket and the material thereon to be printed, said blanket disposed for travel in a longitudinal direction relative to said frame, with the axis of the cylindrical rotary printing screens used for printing in said machines being disposed generally transversely normal to and above the longitudinal travel direction of said blanket, means on said frame for imparting drive to the rotatable screens mountable on said machine, characterized by improved mounting and adjusting means for the rotary screens whereby a given variety of said screens are adapted to be interchangeably individually mounted on the machine, said improved mounting and adjusting means comprising in combination: a. means (4, 15) connectable with the machine frame and extending transversely to the longitudinal blanket for providing operative support of rotary screen means above said blanket; b. rotary screen means including a rotary cylindrical screen per se constituting a generally central printing screen portion and having opposed end pieces (5, 5) connected to and each projecting in opposite axial directions beyond the respective ends of the central screen portion for supporting said rotary screen; c. A pair of support discs (6, 6'') with means interconnectably mounting them on said respective end pieces spaced axially from the ends of the central screen portion, and transversely normal to, and concentric with the axis of said screen adapted to transmit printing rotation to said axis; d. a pair of screen holders (3, 3'') each mounted adjacent opposite ends of said screen end pieces and on said first operative support means of par a with means for laterally adjusting at least one of the holders thereon transversely relative to said blanket travel; e. each of said screen holders having means (7, 11, 12) for centrally axially orienting and supporting the screen via said screen end pieces of par b, by being interposed in said space between each end of the central screen portion and its said support disc; f. and the axial roller bearing means interposed between each support disc and screen holder and adapted to provide rotation of said rotary screen relative to the screen holders; and g. said screen being held within said screen holders (33'') in an axially stretched manner by the relative adjustment of said at least one laterally adjustable screen holder 3 forcing said screen holders axially against said support discs.