Printing – Printing members – Rolling contact
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-09
2004-09-21
Colilla, Daniel J. (Department: 2854)
Printing
Printing members
Rolling contact
C101S376000, C101S379000, C101S477000, 36, 36, C425SDIG121
Reexamination Certificate
active
06792857
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for storing sleeves for rotary printing machines and to a method for storing sleeves for rotary printing machines.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a result of the increasingly important use of sleeves for rotary printing machines, in particular of rubber-covered cylinder sleeves for rotary offset printing machines, the sleeves are identified and registered by data-based means.
DE 297 20 298 U1 discloses a printing sleeve for flexographic printing machines in whose envelope surface an electronic memory module configured as a transponder is introduced for the purpose of identification.
Using this memory module, an electronically stored identifier individual to the sleeve is possible, this identifier being, for example, a consecutive serial number, manufacturing data, dimensions and materials of the sleeve and/or the pattern applied to the sleeve by the customer or information about the end customer.
Furthermore, the abovementioned information in the electronic memory module can, at least to some extent, be over-written and updated.
This information is over-written and interrogated with the machine at a standstill or on printing sleeves taken out of the machine.
In printing works there is a large number of identified sleeves, which are registered by data-based means and, following one or more printing operations, are put into storage again.
In order to minimize costs, there is in printing works a demand to use sleeves, in particular rubber-covered cylinder sleeves, which have already been used and are suitable for the respective printing operation. However, an exact search for such a “used” sleeve, that is to say one already used once or repeatedly, which is suitable for the printing operation in the store is tiresome and time-consuming.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a system for managing sleeves for rotary printing machines which permits a simple search for an identified sleeve designed as a rubber-covered cylinder sleeve.
According to the invention, the system includes a storage apparatus for storing the sleeves when not in use in the printing machine; a main electronic memory device into which characteristic data for each sleeve can be entered, stored, and managed; means for introducing the sleeves into the storage apparatus; means for reading the characteristic data into the memory device as one of the sleeves is introduced into the storage apparatus; and means for removing one of the sleeves from the storage apparatus in accordance with predefined data and the characteristic data.
A significant advantage is that, by using the system, the use of rubber-covered cylinder sleeves can be optimized. As a result of the specific use, a printing works will always have a plurality of sets of rubber-covered cylinder sleeves in use, so that the specific use of rubber-covered cylinder sleeves, in particular in the case of more than one printing machine, is ensured by means of the apparatus.
Furthermore, the organized stock-keeping of rubber-covered cylinder sleeves is provided by the apparatus.
The apparatus for storing rubber-covered cylinder sleeves is equipped with a memory device.
In this memory device, information and characteristic data to be managed are stored both permanently and also for a short time.
Permanent in the memory device are information and characteristic data such as the identity number of the rubber-covered cylinder sleeve, the description of the rubber-covered cylinder sleeve, test data, manufacturing data, delivery data and the date of first and last use. At the end of the service life, the reason for failure and the total number of rolling revolutions are stored. The test data are to be understood to be physical and geometric test values, such as stiffness values, total thickness and material thickness of the rubber-covered cylinder sleeve, and also diameter and roughness information.
In the memory device for a short time are the information and characteristic data such as production history information and damage status. The damage status means the type and the extent of damage to the rubber-covered cylinder sleeve.
The aforementioned production history information is, for example, data and information about the number of wash cycles, web width, grammage, net number of copies, average rotational speed.
Optimum use of the system according to the invention for managing rubber-covered cylinder sleeves is achieved in particular when rubber-covered cylinder sleeves equipped with memory devices are used. A rubber-covered cylinder sleeve of this type with a memory device is described in the following description of the examples.
The significant factor is that when rubber-covered cylinder sleeves with a memory device are used, it is possible to store, over-write and interrogate characteristic data, these are the information and data identifying the rubber-covered cylinder sleeve individually during the printing operation by using data transmission devices in a rotary printing machine or via a data transmission device connected to the memory device integrated in the storage apparatus.
Likewise, the information and characteristic data to be managed permanently and for a short time and already mentioned above can be stored in the memory device of the rubber-covered cylinder sleeve.
It is significant that additional information, such as function-relevant characteristics, the number of rolling revolutions, production information, the times of the construction and the respective uses and/or the decommissioning, the cause of the failure, reusability, etc., can be applied to the rubber-covered cylinder sleeve directly in the form of electronic characteristic data. Thus, this aforementioned information can be transmitted to the printing machine and/or to the apparatus for storing rubber-covered cylinder sleeves via the memory device of the respective rubber-covered cylinder sleeve.
By means of these characteristic data, it is possible to determine the causes of failure and, in this way, a basis for the assessment of the individual fabrication methods or other manufacturing data is made possible.
A further significant advantage is that, by means of these characteristic data, statements about the service life or the behavior of a rubber-covered cylinder sleeve can be made during its running in one or more printing machines, that is to say over the entire period of the use of the rubber-covered cylinder sleeve in the printing works.
Thus, by means of the information and characteristic data stored both in the memory device of the apparatus according to the invention, and the information and characteristic data applied to the memory device of the rubber-covered cylinder sleeve, the preconditions are provided for the cost-aware use of rubber-covered cylinder sleeves, for example the management and the handling of the rubber-covered cylinder sleeve, that is to say relating to the data-based management and the organized stock-keeping of the rubber-covered cylinder sleeve.
Since no adequate identification is possible on the inner side of the rubber-covered cylinder sleeve, on account of the abrasion, nor on the outer side of the rubber-covered cylinder sleeve, because of the contamination by ink, use is advantageously made of a non-contacting reading and writing method both in the printing machine and in the apparatus for storing rubber-covered cylinder sleeves.
It is significant that the electronic memory device belonging to the rubber-covered cylinder sleeve is configured, for example, as a transponder. However, the electronic memory device can also be, for example, a magnetic strip, a memory chip or the like.
It is advantageous that the transponder or any other memory device can also be fitted and arranged subsequently on rubber-covered cylinder sleeves that are already present at a customer's premises.
In this case, the transponder is not necessarily arranged on the rubber-coated area of the support sleeve. The transponder can, for example, be
Sameit Christian
Schmid Georg
Colilla Daniel J.
Crenshaw Marvin P.
MAN Roland Druckmaschinen AG
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