Printing – Rolling contact machines – Rotary
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-20
2004-02-03
Hirshfeld, Andrew H. (Department: 2854)
Printing
Rolling contact machines
Rotary
C242S615120
Reexamination Certificate
active
06684777
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for the control of blowing air, in particular in a web-fed rotary printing machine or in a turner bar of a web-fed rotary printing machine. The device is connected to a compressed-air source and is formed with at least one outflow orifice, and the device has a valve element which is moveable into a first position in which blowing air flows from the compressed-air source at least through a first duct to the outflow orifice and which is moveable into a second position in which blowing air flows from the compressed-air source at least through a second duct to the outflow orifice. A volume flow through the second duct is thereby greater than a volume flow through the first duct.
The invention relates, furthermore, to a turner bar, in particular for deflecting a printed material web in a web-fed rotary printing machine.
My earlier U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,531 (see German publication DE 196 37 674 A1) discloses a differential-pressure turning-bar arrangement, by means of which a printed material web, for example a paper web, is deflected from a run-in movement direction to a run-out movement direction, the run-out movement direction being determined by the angle of arrangement of the turner bar to the run-in movement direction and by the looping angle of the material web in relation to the turner bar. In order to prevent the printing ink from being deposited from the freshly printed and, where appropriate, dried material web onto the surface, for example the casing, of the turner bar, the turner bar is connected to a compressed-air supply and is provided with air outlet orifices, out of which blowing air is blown into the region between the turning-bar casing and the material web looping around the turner bar. This results, between the material web and the turning-bar casing, in the formation of an air cushion, on which the material web is moved contactlessly over the turning-bar casing, so that a smudging of printing ink on the looped-around surface region of the turner bar is prevented. The turner bar, has, furthermore, inside it, closing elements, with which the air outlet orifices can be partially closed. The closing elements are provided with a bore, through which blowing air can emerge, even when the air outlet orifice is in the closed state, and are moveable in a guide. When an outlet orifice is covered by a material web, the air stream through the bore is obstructed in the closing element, and, as a result of the dynamic pressure which builds up above the closing element, the latter is moved in the guide into a position in which the closing element releases the air outlet orifice. Blowing air can then flow via a bypass from the compressed-air supply to the air outlet orifice and a sufficiently stable and load-bearing air cushion can form under the material web surrounding the turner bar. However, those air outlet orifices of the turner bar which are not covered by the material web continue to remain closed by the closing element, so that only a reduced air stream which flows through the respective bore in the respective closing element passes outward from them.
What is achieved by the arrangement described is that the air outlet orifices not covered by the material web are acted upon only by reduced blowing air. As a result, the compressed-air supply can have, overall, smaller dimensioning. Furthermore, by the blowing air being controlled automatically by means of the closing elements, complicated remotely controllable components and the laborious climbing to the turning-bar superstructure for setting or changing over the blowing-air orifices are unnecessary.
A disadvantage of my older assembly, however, is that it is relatively difficult to mount and maintain and, moreover, that a turning-bar configuration has to be manufactured individually for each predetermined length of the latter. The disadvantages mentioned lead, furthermore, to increased investment and maintenance or repair costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a blowing air control device, which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a turner bar which, while avoiding the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art, deflects a material web accurately and without any damage.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a device for the control of blowing air, comprising:
a basic body formed with an inlet for connection to a compressed-air source and with at least one outflow orifice;
a valve element moveably disposed between a first position in which blowing air flows from the compressed-air source at least through a first duct to the outflow orifice and a second position in which blowing air flows from the compressed-air source at least through a second duct to the outflow orifice, wherein a volume flow through the second duct is greater than a volume flow through the first duct; and
the basic body being constructed for assembly into a blowing-air body formed of a plurality of the basic bodies.
With the above and other objects in view there is also provided, in accordance with the invention, a turner bar assembly formed with a plurality of modules each including at least one device for the control of blowing air as outlined above and together forming a turner bar. The turner bar is specifically suitable for use in a printing machine, such as a web-fed rotary printing machine.
In other words, a device for the control of blowing air is provided, the device being connected to a compressed-air source and comprising at least one outflow orifice or air outlet orifice, and the device having a valve element which is moveable into a first position in which blowing air flows from the compressed-air source at least through a first duct to the outflow orifice and which is moveable into a second position in which blowing air flows from the compressed-air source at least through a second duct to the outflow orifice, the volume flow through the second duct being greater than the volume flow through the first duct, is distinguished in that the device has a basic body which is designed in such a way that a plurality of such basic bodies can be assembled to form a blowing-air body, in particular a turner bar.
The device according to the invention has, in the first instance, the advantage that it is constructed from two basic elements to be produced or procured cost-effectively, the, for example, essentially disk-shaped valve element and the basic body, so that both the mounting of the device and the subsequent maintenance or repair of the device become possible at low cost and with little labor. There may be provision, moreover, for the basic body to be made multipart and, for example, capable of being assembled.
A further advantage of the device according to the invention arises from the fact that the basic body is designed in such a way that a plurality of such basic bodies can be assembled to form a blowing-air body. It is thereby possible, for example, to construct a turner bar from devices according to the invention with a minimal use of material and minimal labor, as it were in a modular design, and advantageously to provide the required length of the turner bar by the addition or omission of individual devices.
A preferably disk-shaped or flat configuration of the valve element affords the advantage, furthermore, that the, for example, essentially cylindrical basic body can have a small (cylinder) height, so that, with the same predetermined length of, for example, a turner bar, a larger number of devices according to the invention can be assembled to form the turner bar, with the result that the turner bar comprises a larger number of outflow orifices and the sectional control of blowing air with increased spatial definition becomes possible.
Furthermore, the advantage of the prior art that the dimensioning
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Hinze Leo T.
Hirshfeld Andrew H.
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