FOLDING DEVICE OF A PRINTING PRESS AND METHOD FOR OPERATING THE FOLDING DEVICE
A folding device of a printing press and a method for operating the folding device is disclosed. A folding element is activatable via control elements, where the control elements control a movement of the folding element. The movement of the folding element is controllable in a variable section-based sequence or a variable product-based sequence or a variable time-based sequence.
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This application claims the priority of German Patent Document No. DE 10 2013 102 728.8, filed Mar. 18, 2013, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention relates to a folding device of a printing press. The invention furthermore relates to a method for operating the folding device.
From practice, folding devices of printing presses are already known, with the help of which transverse folds and/or longitudinal folds can be formed on signatures which are severed from a printed, in particular web-like, structure. Here, perforated folding devices and gripper folding devices are distinguished in principle, namely dependent on whether so-called folding knife cylinders of the folding device utilize pins or grippers as holding elements for the position fixing of the signatures to be folded on the folding knife cylinder. From practice it is likewise already known to collect multiple signatures into a signature stack during the folding of the signatures. As folding elements, a folding device comprises interacting folding knives and folding jaws.
From DE 44 26 987 A1 a folding device of a printing press with multiple cylinders is known, namely with a cutting cylinder, a pin and folding knife cylinder, a folding jaw cylinder and a gripper and folding knife cylinder. Via the cutting cylinder, signatures can be severed from the printed substrate. Between the pin and folding knife cylinder and the folding jaw cylinder, first transverse folds can be formed on the signatures and between the folding jaw cylinder and the gripper and folding knife cylinder, second transverse folds can be formed on the signatures.
From DE 44 26 987 A1 it is known furthermore that the pin and folding knife cylinder, the folding jaw cylinder and the gripper and folding knife cylinder each consist of two cylinder bodies or cylinder segments which can be twisted relative to one another. Thus, the relative position of the cylinder bodies of the pin and folding knife cylinder, the relative position of the cylinder bodies of the folding jaw cylinders and the relative position of the cylinder bodies of the gripper and folding knife cylinders can be changed in order to change a format setting and/or a positive overlap setting.
From DE 10 2005 017 232 A1 and from DE 10 2006 051 569 A1 further folding devices of a printing press are known, namely details of a so-called collecting cylinder of the folding devices, wherein the collecting cylinder can, for example, be the pin and folding knife cylinder of the folding device of DE 44 26 987 A1.
Thus it is known from the prior art that holding elements of the collecting cylinders of a folder can be activated via control elements, wherein according to this prior art the activation of the holding elements is effected via control cams and cams collect interacting with the control cams. Thus it is known from DE 10 2006 051 569 A1 that in a non-collecting mode of the collecting cylinder the holding elements of the latter are exclusively activated by the control cams and that in a collecting mode of the collecting cylinder the control cams together with the cams collect activate the holding elements of the collecting cylinders. Both via the mechanical control cams as well as via the mechanical cams collect is it possible to activate the holding elements of the collecting cylinders exclusively in a fixed and/or time sequence which is cyclical based on section or product-based. For this reason, such folding devices are primarily suitable for use on printing presses, with which, for example, via an offset printing process same printing images are always recurringly printed on a substrate.
For use on digital printing presses or printing presses which utilize a printing form-variable printing method, i.e. with which the printed print pages are variably modifiable, the folding devices which are known from the prior art are only suitable conditionally. There is therefore a need for a folding device for a printing press, which is also suitable for digital printing presses or other printing presses with a printing form-variable printing process, such as, for example, an inkjet printing process.
According to the invention, the movement of the folding elements and the movement of any existing holding elements can be controlled via control elements in any variable section or product-based and/or time sequence.
With the folding device according to the invention, the movement of the folding elements and the movement of any existing holding elements of the folding device can be controlled via control elements in any variable section or product-based and/or time sequence.
The sequence can be predetermined according to time units as a function of the web speed (=time-based sequence) or will be varied by means of the sections of the folding unit or the cutting device (=section-based sequence) or with the help of the printed products or product parts (=product-based sequence).
For this reason, the folding device according to the invention is particularly preferred for use on digital printing presses or other printing presses with a printing form-variable printing method.
Preferentially, a time-based distance of folding operations carried out via the movement of the folding elements and/or a time-based distance of collecting operations carried out via the movement of the holding elements can be variably controlled. Furthermore, a lifting movement of the folding elements while carrying out folding operations and/or a lifting movement of the holding elements while carrying out collecting operations can be variably controllable. By means of this it is then ensured that products which variably differ widely can be produced on the folding device in any time-based sequence.
According to an advantageous further development of the invention, different control elements interact for folding and collecting where appropriate. Thus, the movement of the folding elements and the movement of the holding elements for folding and where appropriate for collecting can be controllable via mechanical control elements formed as control cams in such a manner that the respective control cams control the movement of the folding elements and the movement of the holding elements in a defined, fixed time-based sequence. With the mechanical control elements formed as control cams, further mechanical control elements formed as cams collect can interact in such a manner that in a first operating mode of the folding device the movement of the folding elements and the movement of the holding elements is exclusively controllable by the respective control cams in a first fixed time-based sequence, and that in a second operating mode of the folding device the movement of the folding elements and the movement of the holding elements is controllable through interaction of the respective control cams and respective cams collect in a second fixed time-based sequence.
For folding and where appropriate collecting, the movement of the folding elements and/or the movement of the holding elements is controllable via electrical or electromechanical control elements in such a manner that the respective electrical or electromechanical control elements control the movement of the folding elements and/or the movement of the holding elements in any variable time-based sequence. These electrical or electromechanical control elements can interact with the mechanical control elements in such a manner that in particular when the electrical or electromechanical control elements are not active, the latter permit activation of the folding elements and/or of the holding elements through the mechanical control elements, wherein as in particular when the mechanical or pneumatic or electropneumatic or electrical or electromechanical control elements are active, the latter prevent activation of the folding elements and/or of the holding elements through the mechanical control elements.
The above interaction of the mechanical or pneumatic or electropneumatic or electrical or electromechanical control elements for activating the folding elements and/or holding elements in any variable time-based sequence with the mechanical control elements, which serve for activating the folding elements and/or holding elements in fixed time-based sequences, is particularly preferred.
Preferred further developments of the invention are obtained from the following description. Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail with the help of the drawings without being restricted to this.
The present invention relates to a folding device and to a method for operating such a folding device.
The folding device 10 of
Thus it is evident from
For forming a second transverse fold on a signature 16 between the folding jaw cylinder 13 and the gripper and folding knife cylinder 22, a holding element of the gripper and folding knife cylinder 22 formed as a gripper 24 grips a signature provided with a first transverse fold in the region of the first transverse fold, wherein the folding element of the gripper and folding knife cylinder 22 formed as a folding knife 23 presses this signature 16 into an opened holding element of the folding jaw cylinder 13 formed as a folding jaw 19b subject to forming a second transverse fold on the signature.
The folding knife cylinder 12 comprises two cylinder bodies 25 and 26, which can be twisted relative to one another in the circumferential direction. A first cylinder body 25 carries the pins 17 or holding elements and a second cylinder body 26 carries the folding knives 18 or folding elements. In order to be able to perform a format changeover and/or positive overlap changeover on the folding device 10, the two cylinder bodies 25, 26 can be twisted relative to one another in order to adapt the circumferential distance between the pins 17 and the folding knife 18 of the pin and folding knife cylinder 12.
In the exemplary embodiment of
In an analogous manner, the gripper and folding knife cylinder 22 is also formed of two cylinder bodies, wherein a first cylinder body of the gripper and folding knife cylinder 22 carries the grippers 24 and a second cylinder body of the gripper and folding knife cylinder 22 carries the folding knives 23, the circumferential distance of which can be changed by twisting the cylinder bodies of the gripper and folding knife cylinder 22.
This is also evident from
Furthermore,
The gear 31 which is assigned to the cylinder body 25 of the pin and folding knife cylinder 12 is in engagement with a gear 31 in a further gear plane, which is assigned to the cutting cylinder 11. In a further gear plane, further gears 31 are in engagement, namely the gear which is assigned to the cylinder body 28 of the folding jaw cylinder 13 and the gear 31 of the gripper and folding knife cylinder 22 assigned to the cylinder body 30.
For the format changeover and/or positive overlap changeover in the region of the cylinders 12, 13 and 22, the respective cylinder bodies 25, 26 and 27, 28 and 29, 30 respectively are twisted relative to one another, wherein this is performed by driving the gears 32, 33. During such a format changeover or positive overlap changeover, the cylinder bodies 25 and 26 can be twisted relative to one another in the region of the pin and folding knife cylinder 12 in order to adjust the circumferential distance between the pins 17 and the folding knives 18. In the region of the folding jaw cylinder 13, the cylinder bodies 27 and 28 can be twisted relative to one another in order to change the distance between the folding jaws 19a and 19b.
In the region of the gripper and folding knife cylinder 22, the cylinder bodies 29 and 30 can be twisted relative to one another in order to adjust the circumferential distance between the grippers 24 and the folding knives 23.
As is best evident from
In particular when the folding devices which are shown in
Here it is possible to activate the holding elements and folding elements of the folding devices in different fixed, cyclical time-based sequences, namely to ensure on the one hand a colleting mode and on the other hand a non-collecting mode of the folding device.
With the folding device of a printing press according to the invention, the movement of the folding elements and/or the movement of the holding elements is controllable via control elements in any variable section or product-based and/or time-based sequence. Thus, a section or product-based and/or time-based distance of folding operations carried out via the movement of the folding elements 18, 19 and 19a, 19b and 23 and/or a time-based distance of collecting operations carried out via the movement of the holding elements 17, 24 can be variably controlled in a time-based manner. Where appropriate, a lifting movement of the folding elements 18, 19 and 19a, 19b and 23 and/or a lifting movement of the holding elements 17, 24 is variably controllable when carrying out collecting operations in order to produce a wide range of different printed products on the folding device in any sequence in this way.
The lifting movement of the folding elements when performing folding operation and/or the lifting movement of the holding elements when collecting operations can be adjusted in steps or continuously.
A preferred embodiment of the invention is described making reference to
According to
The control element 42 is an electrical or electromechanical control element, which according to
Although the invention in
In the exemplary embodiment of
Although making reference to
Preferentially, the pneumatically or electropneumatically or electromechanically activatable control elements 42 comprise magnets 47, which in an energised or active state in
With the present invention, a completely new type of operation of a folding device is possible. Thus, folding elements and/or holding elements of a folding device can be activated in any variably section or product-based and/or time-based sequence. Through this it is possible, for example, to produce products in any section or product-based and/or time-based sequence, which can differ with respect to their thickness or with respect to the number of their collected signatures and/or with respect to the type and number of the formed folds in any way in a variable section or product-based and/or time-based sequence. The folding device is suitable in particular for digital printing presses or other printing presses with a printing form-variable printing method, such as, for example, an inkjet printing method.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS
- 10 Folding device
- 11 Cutting cylinder
- 12 Folding knife cylinder/pin and folding knife cylinder
- 13 Folding jaw cylinder
- 14 Substrate
- 15 Cutting knife
- 16 Signature
- 16′, 16″ Folded signature
- 17 Holding element/pin
- 18 Folding element/folding knife
- 19, 19a, 19b Folding element/folding jaw
- 20, 20a, 20b Folding strip
- 21, 21a, 21b Folding strip
- 22 Folding knife cylinder/gripper and folding knife cylinder
- 23 Folding element/folding knife
- 24 Holding element/gripper
- 25 Cylinder body
- 26 Cylinder body
- 27 Cylinder body
- 28 Cylinder body
- 29 Cylinder body
- 30 Cylinder body
- 31 Gear
- 32 Gear
- 33 Gear
- 34 Drive motor
- 35 Motor
- 36 Motor
- 37 Clutch
- 38 Clutch
- 39 Control element/control cam
- 40 Control lever
- 41 Control element/cam collect
- 42 Control element
- 43 Folding device
- 44 Control lever
- 45 Folding element/folding knife
- 46 Control element/control cam
- 47 Magnet
- 48 Web/web ribbons
- 49 Pin cylinder
The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
Claims
1. A folding device of a printing press, comprising:
- a folding element, wherein the folding element is activatable via control elements, wherein the control elements control a movement of the folding element, and wherein the movement of the folding element is controllable in a variable section-based sequence or a variable product-based sequence or a variable time-based sequence.
2. The folding device according to claim 1, wherein a time-based distance of folding operations performed via the movement of the folding element is variably controllable.
3. The folding device according to claim 1, wherein a lifting movement of the folding element is variably controllable during a folding operation.
4. The folding device according to claim 3, wherein the lifting movement of the folding element during the folding operation is adjustable in steps or continuously.
5. The folding device according to claim 1, wherein the control elements include a mechanical control element.
6. The folding device according to claim 1, wherein the control elements include a control cam and a cams collect.
7. The folding device according to claim 5, wherein the control elements include a pneumatic or an electro-pneumatic or an electrical or an electro-mechanical control element.
8. The folding device according to claim 7, wherein the pneumatic or the electro-pneumatic or the electrical or the electro-mechanical control element interacts with the mechanical control element such that when the pneumatic or the electro-pneumatic or the electrical or the electro-mechanical control element is in an inactive state the pneumatic or the electro-pneumatic or the electrical or the electro-mechanical control element permits an activation of the folding element via the mechanical control element, and such that when the pneumatic or the electro-pneumatic or the electrical or the electro-mechanical control element is in an active state the pneumatic or the electro-pneumatic or the electrical or the electro-mechanical control element prevents an activation of the folding element via the mechanical control element.
9. The folding device according to claim 1, wherein the folding element is a folding knife or a folding jaw.
10. The folding device according to claim 1, further comprising a holding element, wherein the holding, element is activatable via control elements, wherein the control elements control a movement of the holding element, and wherein the movement of the holding element is controllable in a variable section-based sequence or a variable product-based sequence or a variable time-based sequence.
11. The folding device according to claim 10, wherein the holding element is a pin or a gripper.
12. The folding device according to claim 1, wherein the folding device is a cylinder folding device for forming transverse folds.
13. The folding device according to claim 1, wherein the folding device is a folding device for forming longitudinal folds.
14. A method for operating a folding device of a printing press, comprising the step of:
- controlling a movement of a folding element via control elements in a variable section-based sequence or a variable product-based sequence or a variable time-based sequence.
15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of controlling a movement of a holding element via control elements in a variable section-based sequence or a variable product-based sequence or a variable time-based sequence.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 17, 2014
Publication Date: Sep 18, 2014
Applicant: manroland web systems GmbH (Augsburg)
Inventors: Tilmar GEISLER (Augsburg), Hubert SCHALK (Thierhaupten)
Application Number: 14/216,534
International Classification: B65H 45/16 (20060101);