TM 5-3610-286-10
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DESCRIPTION OF MAJOR SYSTEM (CONT)
inking form rollers; (3) to deposit a fine, smooth layer of ink on the
image area of the plate; (4) to pick up fountain solution from the plate,
emulsify some of this solution into the ink, and evaporate the rest into
the atmosphere; and (5) to pick up any foreign matter from the plate
and keep it in the inking assembly until washup.
There are three main
sections of the inking assembly.
The first section is the ink fountain
section, which is the ink reservoir.
The ink fountain looks like a “V” on
its side (>), with the lower leg of the “V’* being the fountain blade and
the upper leg being the fountain roller.
The fountain roller turns and
draws ink through the gap set between the roller and the blade by the ink
fountain keys. While the fountain roller turns, the ductor roller is held
in contact with it, and takes ink from the fountain roller for transfer
through the rest of the inking assembly.
The second inking assembly
section is the ink distribution section, which consists of oscillator
rollers, rider rollers, and distributor rollers. These rollers break down
ink viscosity and transfer ink to the third section, the form roller
section. The form roller section receives ink from the ink distribution
section and transfers it to the plate in uniform thickness.
The rollers
also pick up dampening solution and foreign materials from the plate and
distribute them back into the inking assembly.
d. Dampening Assembly.
The conventional dampening assembly, in
conjunction with the inking assembly, is the heart of the lithographic
process. The TSS Printing Press works on the simple premise that oil and
water do not mix (oil = ink, water = dampening solution).
Water sticks to
the non-image areas of the plate, but not to the image areas.
Ink sticks
to the image area of the plate, but not to the non-image areas. The
dampening assembly consists of:
(1) a dampening fountain, which holds the
fountain solution; (2) a fountain roller , which carriers solution from the
fountain to the ductor roller; (3) a ductor roller (covered with a thick,
absorbent cloth called a molleton cover) , which turns against the fountain
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