Abstract: The rotary web-fed printing machine has three successively arranged printing units, namely one offset and two intaglio printing units which are all of a similar design to sheet-fed printing units and in which the cylinders (2, 3) forming the printing nip have a plurality of sectors separated by cylinder pits (2a, 3b). Each printing unit has, in front of the printing nip, a first paper-web store (29) and an intermittently controllable first draw-roller unit (30) and, after the printing nip, an intermittently controllable second draw-roller unit (31) and second paper-web store (32), the draw-roller units (30, 31) which have only one suction roller being controllable for the forward and backward movement of the web (P) by means of individually regulated drives (30a, 31a) and at the same time serving for the register check.

Abstract: A brake assembly for stopping moving sheet stacks on a folding table of a rotary printing press and a method of operating the brake assembly is disclosed. A rotatable drum carries a plurality of axially extending stop rods spaced about the periphery of the drum. Each of these stop rods is carried on bearing arms that are spring biased. Each moving sheet stack contacts a stop rod which absorbs the energy of the moving sheet stack and causes it to stop on the folding table. The drum rotates in an intermittent fashion to bring a different stop bar into engagement with each succeeding sheet stack. A gear drive assembly for the brake assembly is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for folding sheet stacks in a web-fed rotary printing press is disclosed. The sheet stacks are severed from groups of paper ribbons and are conveyed by suitable conveying cylinders to spaced folding tables. Each folding table is provided with rotating folding blades and cooperating driving folding roller pairs. Each folding table is further provided with a pulse absorber assembly having a plurality of stop rods or bars which are positioned to contact the leading edge of each group of sheet stacks to halt the motion of the stacks on the folding tables. The halted sheet stacks are then folded. A suitable drive assembly for the pulse absorber is also disclosed.

Abstract: A gear folder for folding paper webs or sheets is provided with a cutting knife cylinder, a counter-cut groove cylinder, and a collecting and folding blade cylinder. The collecting cylinder has an odd number of fields for receipt of sheets and further includes an internal folding blade carrier having an even number of folding blades which selectively project through the periphery of the collecting cylinder to transfer a web to suitable folding rollers. Each of the fields of the collecting cylinder is provided with a pin set to retain the web on the periphery of the cylinder. The pin sets are controlled to selectively retract in conjunction with the projection of the folding blades to allow transfer of a selected sheet or stack of sheets to the folding rollers. The frequency of retraction of the pin sets and projection of the folding blades can be varied to transfer the sheets to the folding rollers after each revolution or only after several revolutions of the collecting drum.

Abstract: A sheet transfer apparatus which can vary the effective spacing between the cutting cylinder and the transfer cylinder and between the transfer cylinder and the folding blade cylinder in a folding cylinder group for a rotary web-fed printing press is disclosed. The cutting knives and complementary counter cut bars of the cutting and transfer cylinders, respectively, are radially adjustable on the cylinders to insure that the webs of paper are accurately cut into sheets and transferred to the pins of the folding blade cylinder. The spacings can be adjusted to allow the folding cylinder group to operate in straight, single collect, and double collect productions.