Kluge Feeder off the tracks
Hello Briar Press,
One of my Kluges was recently run accidentally during makeready. The delivery arm ended up snagging on the stock elevator, causing the wheel that runs along the feeder cam to come off of its track and onto another cam.
I can move the wheel back to the proper cam, but the feeder movement is now off balance, and it tries to deliver sheets when the platen is closed and retrieve sheets when the platen is closing.
Does anyone have any advice on how I can fix the feeder movement? I feel like I need to find the correct position on the cam/press movement in order to “realign” the feeder, but don’t know where to begin. Also, I may need to tighten the central bolt on the feeder in order to prevent the wheel from jumping cams again.
Hoping to hear from anybody on this! Thanks!
James Beard
Vrooooom Press
Austin, TX
Hello James,
Sorry to read about your kluge mishap…very ouchie! Could you post some pictures? Also, which model/year kluge do you have?
Pictures coming up tonight. I’m using a 12x18 N-series Kluge.
sounds like it is out of time. yes send pics.
Sorry for the long delay. I had a few rush jobs come in that I had to print on my second press.
I took a couple of pictures of the cams that guide the feeder. The first issue seems to be that the alignment of the top wheel is off, causing it to transfer to the outermost cam when the two are aligned. I can realign it to the proper cam, but when I do so issue 2 comes up. Issue 2 is that when realigned, the feeder is usually out of time and the feeder will operate out of step with the platen.
As a side note, when the wheel switches or jumps cams, the entire feeder assembly freezes and the arms cease to move.
Let me know if I need to take some more pictures. I’m starting to suspect that a piece in the assembly needs to be tightened.
James Beard
Vrooooom Press
www.vrooooom.org
Detail of the wheel riding the edge of the 2nd cam.
Cam jumped onto 2nd cam, platen open.
Cam on the proper track, platen closed. Note how it wants to shift outward.
Cam on the proper track, platen open.
check to see that the bearing inside the frame or at the frame end of the cam cluster shaft did not slide in or come loose. this will be behind the gear for the cam cluster.