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Printing Industry Shaft Couplings

Product News Wednesday, June 20, 2012: ABSSAC LIMITED

Shaft couplings for the printing industry are required to work with absolute precision to guarantee a register pressure and therefore ensure a high print quality.

The high precision requirement starts in the actual printing mechanism and continues through the refinement process to quality assurance on the final product. To maintain the precision movement the Schmidt-Kupplung range of shaft couplings are found in many areas of the printing processes. For example in the drives for printing mechanisms the couplings can be found driving ink rollers and duct rollers or in the drives for rotary die cutting machines and cutting rollers they can be found where guaranteed precise stamping or cutting processes are performed.

Driven equipment is also commonly required to be axially displaced during operation and it is this displacement that can be disproportionate to the DBSE (distance between shaft ends) in the printing machines. Other designs of shaft couplings simply cannot accept such large parallel shaft offsets, without requiring a much longer DBSE. In addition, other coupling designs may suffer from a degradation of torque capacity and increased backlash during operation when required to accommodate such a high degree of parallel offset. The Schmidt-Kupplung allows for this exceptional axial movement whilst reliably transmitting backlash free torque. Most importantly, the Schmidt-Kupplung delivers all these advantages in an extremely compact design. For example it is possible to have a parallel shaft offset of 275mm in an overall length of 284mm !. (Offset Plus V3300 series)

Another unique advantage of the Schmidt-Kupplung is that during the printing operation, individual rollers may also need to be adjusted, replaced or even removed from the machine. Ease of connection and the unique properties of the Schmidt Kupplung design allow for the axial displacement of roller holders up and away from the press so that maintenance or roller change can be carried out. There is no need to stop the printing machines at this time.

The use of precision couplings from the Semiflex range are employed where very high output and productivity are required. High torque and high speed are easily catered for with the Semiflex range of shaft couplings. At Abssac we can also offer customer-specific couplings from the Semiflex range in areas such as the axially guided cutting rollers.

Another perfect use of the Semiflex coupling is during offset printing. The printed sheet is subject to a continuous visual check via Densitometric sensing which allows for the quantitative measurement of optical density in light-sensitive materials, such as paper. The antibacklash features of precision drive coupling ensure that the individual measuring points are exactly achieved. Shaft couplings from the Controlflex range are utilised in a typical drive for a travelling sensor head where less torque but high torsional stiffness and zero-backlash rotation is required.

For further details please contact our sales office who will be more than happy to discuss your applications.