Expansible rotary offset printing machine

Claim 1

Expansible rotary offset printing machine, permitting, selectively, various arrangements of operating cylinders or rollers, in which said operating cylinders or rollers include at least two of: a rubber blanket cylinder; an impression cylinder; a plate cylinder; a transfer cylinder; a sheet removal cylinder of a chain transport system, said machine having: side walls (1); a plurality of operating cylinders or rollers (2-7); and bearing positions (9-14) for said cylinders or rollers at predetermined positions in said side walls, the side walls supporting said cylinders or rollers at the predetermined positions, wherein, in accordance with the invention, the side walls include a positioning layout thereon having a maximum of six predetermined, fixed bearing positions (9-14) for each side wall, one (9) of the positions being arranged and located for the bearing position of, selectively, an impression cylinder (2) or a first rubber blanket cylinder (2'), respectively receiving a substrate (8) which is to be printed; another one (10) of the bearing positions being arranged and located for the bearing of a rubber blanket cylinder (3) for cooperation with the impression cylinder (2) or the first rubber blanket cylinder (2'); a further one (12) of the positions being arranged and located for the bearing of, selectively, a rubber blanket cylinder (5'), or a sheet removal cylinder (5), or a sheet transport drum (5) of a chain transport system (15), any one of said cylinders of the further one (12) of the bearing positions cooperating with, respectively, the impression cylinder (2) or the first rubber blanket cylinder (2') to receive a sheet therefrom; and wherein at least one additional bearing position (FIG. 2: 13; FIG. 3: 14) is provided, arranged and located for the bearing position of, selectively, at least one additional printing cylinder (6, 7) or a sheet transport cylinder (7') of the chain transport system (15); wherein the bearing positions(9-14) accept, selectively, (a) a first printing cylinder configuration of: an impression cylinder (2) located at the first one (9) of the bearing positions, and receiving a substrate sheet (8) on which printing is to be effected; a plate cylinder--rubber cylinder pair (4, 3) and respective bearing positions (11, 10) therefor, for prime printing by cooperation with the impression cylinder, and a sheet removal cylinder (5) located at said further one (12) of the positions (FIG. 1); or (b) a second cylinder configuration of: an impression cylinder (2) located at said one position (9) and two plate cylinder--rubber blanket cylinder pairs (4, 3; 6, 5') located at respective bearing positions and at said further one (12) and additional (13) positions, respectively, the second blanket cylinder (5) also forming a sheet removal cylinder for the chain transport system (15) (FIG. 2); or (c) a third cylinder configuration of: a rubber blanket cylinder (2') receiving the substrate sheet (8) located at said one position (9), a plate cylinder--blanket cylinder pair (4, 3), and a plate cylinder (7) being located at said at least one additional position (14) and cooperating with the blanket cylinder (2') at said one position (9), the further one (12) of the positions having a delivery drum (5) located thereon and forming a looping drum for the chain transport system (15) (FIG. 3); or a fourth cylinder configuration wherein said at least one additional position comprises two positions (13, 14), said one position (9) having a blanket cylinder (2') located thereon, a plate cylinder--rubber blanket cylinder pair (4, 3) located on the side walls; and plate cylinders (6, 7) located at each of said two additional positions (13, 14) and cooperating, respectively, with a rubber blanket cylinder (5') located at said further one position (12) and the rubber blanket cylinder (2') located at said first position, said rubber blanket cylinder (5') at said further one (12) position forming a looping cylinder for the chain transport system (FIG. 4); or (e) a fifth cylinder configuration wherein said at least one additional position comprises two additional positions (13, 14), said at least one position (9) having an impression cylinder located thereon, a plate cylinder--blanket cylinder pair (3, 4) cooperating with said impression cylinder (2), a further plate cylinder (6) being located at one of said additional positions (13), a rubber blanket cylinder (5') being located at said further one position (12) and a transfer drum (7') being located at the second additional position (14) and forming a looping drum for the chain transport system (15) (FIG. 5).