The free, unimpeded lateral movement of a roller shaft within the roller bracket, or between gears (such as those found on the plate cylinder and blanket cylinder of an offset press) due to wear or poor fit. For ink rollers, a small degree of play is acceptable and will not have deleterious effects on inking or print quality. On press cylinders or other gears, play needs to be reduced as much as possible. Spur gears, which are most susceptible to play, need to be supplemented with backlash gears, while helical gears, by design, reduce play. (See also Roller Setting, Endplay, Spur Gear, Helical Gear, and Plate Cylinder.)
|