Printing – Rolling contact machines – Rotary
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-12
2003-04-22
Hirshfeld, Andrew H. (Department: 2854)
Printing
Rolling contact machines
Rotary
C101S216000, C101S226000, C101S227000, C101S232000, C101S248000, C270S052160
Reexamination Certificate
active
06550385
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a cam-independent drive for folding components, such as folding blades or movable folding jaws, on folders disposed downline from rotary printing machines.
The published patent document WO 98/06581 discloses a cylinder drive for cylinders of rotary printing machines. The drive motor of the cylinder is flange-mounted on an eccentric bushing accommodating the cylinder bearing and, when the eccentric bushing is suitably adjusted by an actuating cylinder, is also moved synchronously with the cylinder. The drive motor and the cylinder journal are connected to one another via an interposed coupling.
In the published German Patent Documents DE 195 30 956 A1 and DE 196 16 629 A1, devices for changing over a product-guiding cylinder in a folder are described. These German patent documents disclose a device for changing over a product-guiding cylinder of a folder from collecting to non-collecting production and the reverse. The collecting cylinder is equipped, on the circumference thereof, with at east one folding blade and at least one set of holding elements. Also provided are both a folding-blade control cam, having a circumferential contour forming a control cam for actuating elements which generate the movement of the folding blades, and a holding-element control cam having a circumferential contour forming a control cam for the actuating elements which generate the movement of the holding elements. A device for the drive-independent movement of one of the control cams in order to change over or convert between collecting and non-collecting production is also provided, as well as automatically activated actuating elements for the radial movement of the actuating elements of the folding blades and of the holding elements, which move the actuating elements both axially and radially. The mechanical outlay or expense shown in the two last-mentioned publications for driving the folding elements is very high, and the ability to displace the control cams actuating the latter is very great.
In folders disposed downline from rotary printing machines, the cylinders carrying folded products are provided with folding components, such as folding blades, folding jaws, pins or holding devices for gripping the copies. These folding components are generally driven by control rollers which run on cam sections defining the actuating time of the control roller of the corresponding folding component. The surfaces of the control cam are produced in special production steps, are ground and machined with an extremely high surface quality. In order to increase the service life, the surfaces on which the control cams run are subjected to single-stage or multi-stage hardening processes. The control cams for the folding components therefore constitute components, in a folder, which are very complicated to produce and are, therefore, extremely costly.
In conventional cam/control roller arrangements for driving folding components in a folder at high speeds, lifting the control roller off the running surfaces of the cams occurs, caused by the action of centrifugal force. Consequently, the control rollers have high bias forces applied to them in order to suppress any lifting of the rollers off the running surfaces of the cams. Undesired associated phenomena of the bias forces applied to the control rollers are the high forces to which the components are therefore forcibly subjected, which can lead to insidiously occurring premature material fatigue.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the indicated technical problem, it is an object of the invention to provide a cam-independent drive for folding components that serves as a cost-effective replacement for cam control, and achieves a low maintenance requirement.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, in a folder, a folding cylinder having folding components accommodated on the periphery thereof and being phase-dependently operatable, and cylinder segments for carrying the folding components, the cylinder segments being adjustable in relation to one another and being mounted coaxially in side walls, comprising separate drives, respectively, for driving each of the folding components, a rotary leadthrough via which energy is supplied to the separate drives, and a speed controller for speed-dependently controlling the separate drives.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, a respective speed controller is assigned to each of the separate drives.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, in the folder, the speed controller is common to all of the separate drives and is disposed outside the folding cylinder.
In accordance an added feature of the invention, the folding cylinder includes a rotary encoder for transmitting the position of the respective folding components to the speed controller.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the rotary encoder has a resolving power of 213 scale divisions.
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the folding cylinder includes a transmitter/receiver pair via which a reference position is transmittable between a stationary component and a rotating component.
In accordance with yet a further feature of the invention, the folder includes a cutting cylinder, and a reference position of the folder is determinable by sensing the rotary position of the cutting cylinder.
In accordance with an added aspect of the invention, there is provided an assembly of the folder and a rotary printing machine disposed upline therefrom, wherein the rotary printing machine includes a transfer roller, and wherein a reference position of the rotary printing machine is determinable by sensing the rotary position of the transfer cylinder.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the folding cylinder includes an optical wave guide via which the reference position is transmittable to the speed controller.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the folding cylinder includes mechanical transmission elements provided between the drive and the respective folding components.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the folding components are mounted on shafts formed at least partly of titanium.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for operating, independently of control cams, folding components accommodated on the circumference of a folding cylinder, which comprises: determining a reference position of at least one of a folder and a rotary printing machine; positioning the folding components with respect to the determined reference position; and transmitting to a speed controller an offset between the reference position and actual positions of the folding components.
In accordance with still another mode, the method of the invention includes determining the reference position by determining the rotary position of a cutting cylinder in the folder.
In accordance with still a further mode, the method includes determining the reference position by determining the rotary position of a transfer cylinder in the rotary printing machine.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a folder for a rotary printing machine, having a folding cylinder equipped, on the periphery thereof, with phase-dependently operatable folding components, the folding components being movable relative to one another in accordance with a format and a folding mode and being accommodated coaxially in side walls, comprising a separate drive for driving the folding components, a rotary leadthrough via which energy is supplied to said separate drive, and a speed controller via which the separate drive is speed-dependently drivable.
In accordance with a concomitant aspect of the invention, there is provided a rotary printing machine in combination with a folder which is equipped with at least one folding cylinder having, on the periphery thereof, phase-dependently actuatable folding com
Colin Alain
Deviras Louis
Elkotbi Sherif
Guerinet Gerard
Marmin Jean-Claude
Crenshaw Marvin P.
Heidelberger Druckmaschine AG
Hirshfeld Andrew H.
Stemer Werner B.
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