Filing Information

Inventor(s)	Kenneth Wolnick · William Decker ·
Assignee(s)	WOLNICK KENNETH · DECKER WILLIAM ·  View assignee updates
Attorney/Agent(s)	Lathrop & Clark ·
Primary Examiner	Clifford D. Crowder ·
Application Number	US7116476
Filing date	11/03/1987
Issue date	03/07/1989
Predicted expiration date	11/03/2007
U.S. Classifications	101/416.1  · 101/426  ·
International Classifications	F26B 330  ·
Kind Code	A
International Classifications	101416 R;416 A;426 ·

Patent Family

Abstract

An infrared dryer for printing presses has a main body (12), an ink shield (14), and a control box (16). The main body (12) has infrared lamps (30) positioned below a multiple-layer roof of sheet metal aluminum. The infrared lamps (30) are oriented toward the wet ink of printed matter at the delivery end of a printing press and the main body (12) is mounted within the printing press accordingly. The roof is comprised of an inside reflector (20) immediately above the infrared lamps (30) , a ligh box (22), and a direct space panel (b 24). These roof elements are separated by spacers (28) so that there are gaps between the elements. Fans (34) are employed to cool the main body (12) from the ehat generated by the infrared lamps (30). The fans (34) are mounted over a hole (36) in the direct spacer panel (24) and exhaust from the fans (34) goes through fan holes (38) and vent holes (48) in the other roof elements and through the gaps created by the spacers (28). Power is supplied to the infrared lamps (30) through bus bars (32) that are positioned in the gap created between the inside reflector (20) and light box (22) and is also cooled by the exhaust of the fans (34). The ink shield (14) is independent of the main body (12) and is positioned between the ink and water systems of the printing press and the main body (12) to act as a heat barrier to prevent the ink from thinning. A fan (106) is also mounted within the ink shield (14) to assist in cooling of the ink.

Independent Claims | See all claims (38)

1. 1. An infrared dryer that dries the ink on printed matter delivered from printing presses, comprising:(a) means for radiating infrared upon wet ink that has been applied to printed matter that is placed in the vicinity of the means for radiating,(b) a heat conducting roof that is positioned above the means for radiating infrared, the roof being composed of multiple layers of sheet metal, at least one of the layers having holes and the layers being gapped so that the air may pass through the holes and flow between the layers, and(c) means for forcing air downwardly toward the printed matter through the holes in the layers where it can flow outwardly through the gaps between the layers to cool the surfaces of the roof.
2. 24. An infrared dryer that dries the ink on printed matter delivered from printing presses, comprising:(a) plural parallel infrared lamps having electrical contacts at their two ends and arranged for radiating infrared upon wet ink that has been applied to printed matter that is placed in the vicinity of the lamps,(b) two parallel electrically conducting bus bars each formed of solid metal, the lamps being in direct contact at their ends with and engaged between the bus bars with the electrical contacts of the lamps forming electrical contact with the bus bars,(c) a power cord having two leads, wherein each of the two leads is attached to a respective bus bar, and(d) a reflector mounted above the lamps to reflect infrared toward the printed matter.
3. 36. A method of drying ink on printed matter delivered from printing presses, comprising the steps of:(a) positioning printed matter having wet ink in the vicinity of an infrared dryer that is a source of infrared radiation,(b) exposing the wet ink of the printed matter to infrared radiation which is reflected by a reflecting layer of sheet metal, and(c) cooling the reflecting layer by transferring heat in the reflecting layer generated by the source of infrared radiation through successive layers of sheet metal that have gaps between them and holes in the layers by blowing air downwardly through the holes in the layers so that air flows outwardly through the gaps between the layers.