Abstract: There is described an inspection system (10) for inspecting the quality of printed sheets which are transported by a sheet conveyor system comprising at least one sheet gripper system (3a, 3b) including a plurality of spaced-apart gripper bars (32) for holding the printed sheets by a leading edge thereof. The inspection system (10) comprises an optical quality control apparatus for carrying out inspection of a first side of the printed sheets while the printed sheets are being transported by the sheet gripper system (3b). The optical quality control apparatus includes a line camera (11) for scanning the first side of the printed sheets at an inspection location which is situated at a location proximate to a portion of the sheet gripper system (3b) where the gripper bars (32) transporting the printed sheets undergo a change of direction of displacement while the printed sheets are still being scanned by the line camera (11).

Abstract: There is described a method for touchless counting of substantially planar substrates, especially banknotes, which are stacked in the form of stacks of substrates, said method comprising the following steps: taking at least one sample image of a portion of a side of a stack of substrates, which sample image contains contrast information representing substrate edges that extend along substantially a first direction in the sample image; processing the contrast information representing the substrate edges within the sample image (10), which processing includes subjecting at least one area of interest (20) within the sample image (10) to anisotropic diffusion to produce a processed image containing a substantially coherent set of continuous lines representing the substrate edges; and counting the number of substrate edges in said processed image.

Abstract: There is described a printing press (1; 1*; 1**) comprising an ink-receiving cylinder (9; 8) receiving ink from an inking system (90-93, 90*, 93*; 95-99, 95*, 99*; 100-104, 100*, 104*) having a plurality of ink-applying cylinders or rollers (93, 93*; 99, 99*; 104, 104*) arranged one above the other around part of a circumference of the ink-receiving cylinder (9; 8), the ink-applying cylinders or rollers (93, 93*; 99, 99*; 104, 104*) being inked by a corresponding plurality of inking devices (90, 90*; 95, 95*; 100, 100*), the printing press (1; 1*; 1**) further comprising an inking carriage (52; 55; 57) supporting the plurality of inking devices (90, 90*; 95, 95*; 100, 100*), which inking carriage (52; 55; 57) can be moved with respect to the ink-receiving cylinder (9; 8) between a working position and a retracted position.

Abstract: The invention relates to a sheet guide element for use in an apparatus for transporting sheets by means of a gripper system having at least two grippers spaced apart from each other and a sheet guide surface defined by the sheet guide element. Here, the sheet guide element is provided with depressions in the sheet guide surface, running parallel to the transport direction, at least in some sections, in order at least partially to accommodate the grippers, so that the sheet guide surface described by the sheet guide element in the transport direction runs, at least in some sections, at the same height as the movement path of the sheet leading edge fixed in the gripper system.

Abstract: There is described a method for applying foil material (200) onto successive sheets (S), especially sheets for the production of securities, such as banknotes. In a first step, individual sheets (S) are transported in succession along a sheet transport path. In a second step, at least one continuous band of foil material (200) is applied onto the individual sheets (S) along a direction substantially parallel to a direction of displacement (A) of the individual sheets, thereby forming a continuous flow of sheets linked to one another by the said at least one continuous band of foil material (200). In a third step, the said at least one continuous band of foil material (200) is cut by means of a laser beam (L) such that the continuous flow of sheets is again separated into individual sheets (S) with portions of foil material (200*) remaining on the sheet.

Abstract: There is described a method for controlling the position of numbering wheels (7) of a numbering device (1), which numbering device (1) is of the type comprising a plurality of independently-driven numbering wheels (7) disposed adjacent to one another for rotation about a common rotation axis, the method comprising actuating the numbering wheels (7) between successive numbering iterations, whereby each numbering wheel (7) which has to be rotated to a new target position is driven into rotation until it reaches its new target position. The method further comprises, at least during actuation of the numbering wheels (7), compensating for external factors acting on the numbering wheels (7), such as friction induced by adjacent rotating numbering wheels, by electronically regulating the position of each numbering wheel (7) which is not rotated or which has reached its new target position. Also described is a device for carrying out this method.

Abstract: There is described a device (1) for offline inspection and color measurement of printed sheets for the production of banknotes and like printed securities, comprising (i) a console (10) having a supporting surface (10a) for supporting a sample printed sheet (S), (ii) a multipurpose measuring apparatus (20), which multipurpose measuring apparatus (20) comprises multiple sensors (22, 23) including at least one camera (22) for taking images of selected portions of the sample printed sheet (S) and a color measurement sensor (23) for performing spectrophotometric, colorimetric, and/or densitometric measurements at selected locations on (22, 23) the sample printed sheet (S), (iii) a display (30) for displaying the images taken by the camera (22) and the measurements performed by the color measurement sensor (23), and (iv) a control and processing unit (40) coupled to the multipurpose measuring apparatus (20) and the display (30).

Abstract: There is described an intaglio printing plate (1; 1*) for the production of banknotes and like printed securities, which intaglio printing plate comprises an engraved polymer layer (10) and wherein a surface of the engraved polymer layer is covered by one or more coatings (100; 200, 300) including an outer coating (100; 300) made of a wear-resistant material. The outer coating (100; 300) is advantageously formed by physical vapour deposition (PVD) of the wear-resistant material. Also described is a method of manufacturing the intaglio printing plate (1; 1*).

Abstract: There is described a device and method for magnetically transferring indicia to a coating composition, such as an ink or varnish, applied to at least a part of the surface of a substrate, the coating composition comprising at least one type of magnetic or magnetizable particles. The device comprises a body subjected to a magnetic field generated by appropriate electromagnetic means, which body carries determined indicia in the form of engravings on a surface of the body, which engravings influence orientation of field lines of the magnetic field. The body comprises at least one layer of material of high magnetic permeability in which the engravings are formed. In unengraved regions of the layer of material of high magnetic permeability, the field lines of the magnetic field extend substantially parallel to the surface of the body inside said layer of material of high magnetic permeability.

Abstract: There is described a method for controlling the orientation and/or position of sheets (1) processed on a printing machine, each sheet being provided with at least one marking (12; 15) embedded in the sheet, which marking is embedded in the sheet during manufacturing thereof, prior to processing of the sheet on a printing machine. The marking (12; 15) is disposed in a selected location of the sheet and defines a unique orientation and/or position of the sheet. The method comprises the steps of: —checking for the presence or absence of the marking at the selected location on the sheet and/or of characteristic features of the said marking; and —issuing a warning signal if the marking is not detected at the selected location or if the characteristic features of the marking are not detected at the said selected location. The invention advantageously makes use of features already embedded in the sheets (such as metallic and/or magnetic strips or threads, watermarks, etc.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device and to a method for providing and adjusting a numbering machine with which value papers or sheets of value papers are printed with an individual piece of information, particularly a serial number. The numbering machine comprises carrier discs and numbering units on said carrier discs, wherein a plurality of numbering units are fixed on a carrier disc and a plurality of said carrier discs are fixed on a shaft, and the shaft is driven by at least one drive element with at least one rotary encoder. According to the invention, a position device provides the target position of the carrier discs and the associated numbering units on the associated carrier discs. Such a position device is preferably a light generating device with a light beam, a mechanical stop collar, or a camera with a monitor with a reticle.

Abstract: There is described a cylinder body (10) for orienting magnetic flakes contained in an ink or varnish vehicle applied on a sheet-like or web-like substrate, which cylinder body (10) has a plurality of magnetic-field-generating devices (50, 60) disposed on an outer circumference of the cylinder body (10). The cylinder body (10) comprises a plurality of distinct annular supporting rings (40) distributed axially along a common shaft member (20), each annular supporting ring (40) carrying a set of magnetic-field-generating devices (50, 60) which are distributed circumferentially on an outer circumference of the annular supporting rings (40).

Abstract: The sheet-fed or web-fed printing machine comprises a main unit (1), at least one mobile carriage (2) adapted to be coupled to the main unit for cooperation therewith during printing operations and to be moved away from the main unit during maintenance operations, a control unit for controlling displacement of said mobile carriage toward and away from said main unit, and an access zone (9, 9?) surrounding at least partly the mobile carriage for allowing a human operator to get access to the main unit and mobile carriage, which access zone lies outside of the displacement path (10) of the mobile carriage. The printing machine further comprises detection means (11) for monitoring the access zone and detecting presence of a human operator within the access zone.

Abstract: There is described an inspection system (50) for in-line inspection of sheet or web material on an intaglio printing press, wherein the inspection system comprises an optical quality control apparatus for carrying out inspection of a printed area on a printed side of the sheet or web material, the optical quality control apparatus including a camera system (55) with one or more camera units each comprising at least one line-scan camera (56) for scanning and acquiring an image of the printed area while the sheet or web material is being transported in the intaglio printing press past the camera system (55).

Abstract: Intaglio printing press systems for recto-verso intaglio printing of sheets, in particular for the production of banknotes and the like securities, wherein first and second intaglio printing presses are operatively-coupled to one another by a sheet processing and transporting system comprising an automated guided vehicle system for automatically transporting sheets from a sheet delivery station of the first intaglio printing press where recto printing is performed to a sheet feeding station of the second intaglio printing press where verso printing is performed.

Abstract: There is described an ink wiping system (100) for an intaglio printing press comprising a rotatable wiping roller assembly (102) designed to wipe excess ink from the surface of a rotatable intaglio printing cylinder (80). The rotatable wiping roller assembly (102) comprises a rotatable hollow cylindrical body (110) having an outer surface (110a) positioned to wipe the surface of the printing cylinder (80), and a pressing device (130) disposed inside the cylindrical body (110) and designed lo exert pressure on an inner surface (110b) of the cylindrical body (110) and to allow adjustment of a wiping pressure between the cylindrical body and the intaglio printing cylinder (80).

Abstract: There is described a method for checking the authenticity of security documents, in particular banknotes, wherein authentic security documents comprise security features printed, applied or otherwise provided on the security documents, which security features comprise characteristic visual features intrinsic to the processes used for producing the security documents. The method comprises the steps of (i) acquiring a sample image of at least one region of interest of the surface of a candidate document to be authenticated, which region of interest encompasses at least part of the security features, (ii) digitally processing the sample image by performing a decomposition of the sample image into at least one scale sub-space containing high resolution details of the sample image and extracting classifying features from the scale sub-space, and (iii) deriving an authenticity rating of the candidate document based on the extracted classifying features.

Abstract: There is described a method for checking the authenticity of security documents, in particular banknotes, wherein authentic security documents comprise security features (41-49; 30; 10; 51, 52) printed, applied or otherwise provided on the security documents, which security features comprise characteristic visual features intrinsic to the processes used for producing the security documents. The method comprises the step of digitally processing a sample image of at least one region of interest (R.o.I.) of the surface of a candidate document to be authenticated, which region of interest encompasses at least part of the security features, the digital processing including performing a decomposition of the sample image by means of wavelet transform (WT) of the sample image. Such decomposition of the sample image is based on a wavelet packet transform (WPT) of the sample image, preferably a so-called two-dimensional shift invariant WPT (2D-SIWPT).

Abstract: There is described a numbering device (1) for carrying out numbering in sheet-fed or web-fed numbering presses, the numbering device (1) comprising a numbering unit (6) with rotatable numbering wheels (7) carrying alpha-numerical symbols thereon, which numbering wheels (7) are disposed next to each other and rotate about a common rotation axis (17), the numbering device (1) further comprising electro-mechanical actuation means for setting the position of the numbering wheels (7). The electro-mechanical actuation means are entirely located within the numbering device (1) and are mechanically autonomous, the electro-mechanical actuation means comprising a plurality of independent driving means (15, 18-23; 23*) for actuating a corresponding plurality of the numbering wheels.

Abstract: There is described an ink wiping system (100) for an intaglio printing press comprising a wiping tank (101) and a rotatable wiping roller assembly (102) positioned on and partly located in the wiping tank (101) to wipe excess ink from the surface of a rotatable intaglio printing cylinder (80) of the intaglio printing press. The ink wiping system (100) comprises a supporting mechanism (200) coupled to the wiping roller assembly (102) and designed to move the wiping roller assembly (102) between a working position where the wiping roller assembly (102) is positioned on and partly located in the wiping tank (101) for cooperation with the intaglio printing cylinder (80) and a maintenance position where the wiping roller assembly (102) is moved out of the wiping tank (101) and away from the intaglio printing cylinder (80).