Abstract: The sheet fed rotary press includes a feed cylinder cooperating with a feed table extending in a plane situated below and in spaced relationship from the periphery of the feed cylinder. An auxiliary gripper system located under the feed cylinder provides for the transfer of respective sheets from the feed table to the feed cylinder.

Abstract: A sheet-feeding arrangement for transferring sheets from supply stack to a printing machine includes a sheet-feeding table having a rear end and a front end. A pair of belt conveyors are provided in the arrangement for advancing a group of overlapped sheets from one end of the table to another. A first pair of stops for preliminary aligning of the sheets being advanced is arranged rearwardly from the front edge of the table and a second pair of stops are arranged at the front edge of the table for final aligning of the sheets being transferred. The first pair of stops are spaced from the second pair of stops in the direction of sheet advancement by a distance which is at least equal to the length of the individual sheet of the stream to prevent interference of the group of the following advancing sheets with the group of the preceding advancing sheets being moved from the preliminary steps towards the final stops.

Abstract: The reciprocating auxiliary gripper system includes a parallel linkage the coupler of which supports a spring-biased gripper in the form of a suction head which is lifted upon application of suction to a spring space, so that the sheet performs during its transport from a takeover position on the feed table to a transfer position opposite a feed cylinder an additional movement superposed to the rocking movement of the linkage.

Abstract: The method comprises the steps of feeding from a stack of sheets to be printed the first sheet on a feedboard, aligning the leading edge of the sheet with a preliminary stop line whereby the sheet is brought to a rest position, sucking from below the preliminary aligned sheet and removing the preliminary stop line, forwarding the preliminary aligned and positively coupled sheet in feeding direction to a second stop line and relieving the suction whereby the leading edge of the sheet is finally aligned and a successive sheet is fed to the first stop line or the preliminary alignment of its leading edge, laterally adjusting the register of the first sheet abutting against the second stop line, removing the second stop line and advancing the first sheet into the press.

Abstract: The method comprises the steps of feeding from a stack of sheets to be printed the first sheet on a feedboard, aligning the leading edge of the sheet with a preliminary stop line whereby the sheet is brought to a rest position, sucking from below the preliminarily aligned sheet and removing the preliminary stop line, forwarding the preliminarily aligned and positively coupled sheet in feeding direction to a second stop line and relieving the suction whereby the leading edge of the sheet is finally aligned and a successive sheet is fed to the first stop line or the preliminary alignment of its leading edge, laterally adjusting the register of the first sheet abutting against the second stop line, removing the second stop line and advancing the first sheet into the press.

Abstract: An elongated array of partially overlapping sheets advances to a printing machine and, prior to entering the same the individual sheets of the array, one after another, are aligned both along their front edges and along one of their lateral edges. This is accomplished by first displacing the respective sheet transversely of the array so that a lateral marginal portion adjacent to the one lateral edge becomes exposed, after or during alignment along the front edge, and by subsequently engaging the exposed lateral marginal portion of the respective sheet and displacing the latter a further distance only transversely of the array into a position in which the one lateral edge is aligned. Subsequently to the alignment along both of the above-mentioned edges, the respective sheet may be partially returned by a given distance prior or during feeding of the sheet into the printing machine.

Abstract: Sheets are displaced from a supply to a continuously rotating receiver drum in a printing machine by means of a transfer drum having at least two angularly spaced grippers. The drum carrying the gripper is rotated at a relatively slow speed, and each of the grippers can be angularly displaced on the transfer drum and relative to the other gripper. Thus each gripper is accelerated after it picks up a sheet at the pickup station so that when it reaches a transfer station where it passes the sheet off to the receiver drum it is moving at the same speed as the receiver drum. Thereafter each gripper is uniformly decelerated so that when it has returned to the pickup station it is moving at the same speed as the sheet thereat.

Abstract: A printing machine has a plurality of printing stations which print images on both major surfaces of each sheet passing through the printing machine. A reversing arrangement turns the respective sheet between two of the printing stations so that the major surface of the respective sheet having a fresh image thereon faces downwardly. A support arrangement is provided which supports this sheet during its advancement to the next following printing station, and includes a blow casing having upwardly oriented passages through which air issues in upward direction to create an air cushion between the respective sheet and the blow casing for supporting the respective sheet during its advancement. An elongated bracket is arranged upwardly of the blow casing and supports a region of the respective sheet which is devoid of the image, during the advancement of the sheet in a path portion located upwardly of the blow casing.

Abstract: A printing machine receives single sheets which are removed from a stack by the suction cups of a feeding mechanism which is combined with a monitoring unit serving to detect the absence of sheets at the undersides of suction cups or the lifting of two or more sheets. The monitoring unit employs a transducer having two feelers which determine the thickness of lifted sheet material and an indicating device which is actuated by the feelers and produces signals serving to indicate the absence of sheets, the lifting of two or more sheets and/or to control the operation of the printing machine. The suction cups can form part of the transducer when the latter is designed to detect only the absence of sheets or they form part of a second transducer which is provided in addition to the first mentioned transducer.

Abstract: A printing machine receives single sheets which are removed from a stack by the suction cups of a feeding mechanism which is combined with a monitoring unit serving to detect the absence of sheets at the undersides of suction cups or the lifting of two or more sheets. The monitoring unit employs a transducer having two feelers which determine the thickness of lifted sheet material and an indicating device which is actuated by the feelers and produces signals serving to indicate the absence of sheets, the lifting of two or more sheets and/or to control the operation of the printing machine. The suction cups can form part of the transducer when the latter is designed to detect only the absence of sheets or they form part of a second transducer which is provided in addition to the first mentioned transducer.