EP0046261B1 - Folding apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a folding apparatus with at least one cylinder provided with folding flaps, which cooperates with a cylinder of an activated cross cutting unit provided with at least one folding knife for dividing the paper web into sheet-shaped products and by means of which at least one delivery station can be loaded.

The printed image created on a printed paper web is determined by the division of the printing plate or printing plates used. Depending on the printed image, a paper web is therefore divided into sheet-like products the length of an entire plate cylinder circumference or a partial circumference, usually half a plate cylinder circumference. The resulting cut, produced with the cross cutters, is normally designed as a tooth cut, which is often perceived as optically disturbing. The edge containing the tooth cut must therefore often be removed by a smooth cut. There is currently no folder in which products cut both over the whole and half of the circumference with respect to the circumference of the plate cylinder can be provided with a smooth cut that removes the edge containing the tooth cut simultaneously with the folding process.

Proceeding from this, it is therefore the object of the present invention to design a folder of the type mentioned at the outset so universally that cut products can be produced on different formats, preferably over the entire circumference as well as half the circumference with respect to the circumference of the plate cylinder, and in any case in the process the edge containing the tooth cut can already be removed in the folder, so that the designed products do not require any reworking.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that the cylinder provided with folding jaws is assigned a plurality of cross-cutters, each working with a different cutting format, which can be activated alternatively, that the cylinder provided with folding jaws has a circumferential division corresponding to half of the smallest cutting format, formed by tool receiving points, that the cylinder equipped with folding jaws can be equipped with folding jaws arranged at a distance from the folding blades of the respectively activated cross cutting unit and with opposite to them by half the folding jaw spacing in the direction of rotation, scissor cut knives protruding over its circumference and that the cross cutting units can be fitted to the cylinders provided with folding jaws Downstream in the direction of rotation, the knife carrier cylinder upstream of the delivery stations, the circumference of which corresponds at least to the largest cutting format and which is at a distance from the sc cutting knife of the cylinder provided with folding jaws, which cooperate with this, can be fitted with scissor cutting knives.

In spite of the versatility achieved, these measures result in a simple and clear structure, since practically a common folding jaw cylinder is assigned to all cross-cutting units and practically only one knife carrier cylinder assigned to the folding jaw cylinder is required to produce the desired smooth cut. The integration of the smooth cutting device into the folding device results in an efficient production, since the so-called three-side cutters previously used for this purpose can be omitted. Nevertheless, the accuracy of the smooth cut that can be achieved here and the possibilities with regard to the edge position of the smooth cut go beyond the possibilities given in a three-side cutter.

In an advantageous further development of the superordinate measures, the knife carrier cylinder can be provided with its scissor cut knife or its scissor cut knives adjacent, in the direction of rotation behind it, preferably rigidly arranged puncture needles, which are made of foamed material, to accomplish an orderly transport of the strips separated when the scissor cut knives interact the cooperating cylinder provided with folding jaws can be associated with supports. In order to reliably remove the strips picked up by the puncture needles, the knife carrier cylinder can simply be suctioned off.

A further advantageous measure can consist in that the cylinder provided with folding flaps can at least partially be equipped with removable or interchangeable folding or cutting tools. This measure enables the assembly to be adapted to the requirements of the respectively activated cross cutting unit even with a relatively small cylinder circumference. Expediently, exchangeable cassettes assigned to the removable or interchangeable fold or cutting tools can be provided for this purpose, which can be inserted into corresponding receiving locations on the cylinder side formed by radial grooves. This measure advantageously enables a very quick changeover.

Further expedient refinements and advantageous developments of the superordinate measures result from the following description of a preferred exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawing in conjunction with the remaining subclaims.

• Fig. 1 einen erfindungsgemässen Falzapparat mit zwei Querschneidwerken, bei dem das auf halben Umfang schneidende Querschneidwerk aktiviert ist und
• Fig. 2 denselben Falzapparat, wobei jedoch das auf ganzen Umfang schneidende Querschneidwerk aktiviert sein soll.

The drawing shows:

• Fig. 1 a folder according to the invention with two cross-cutters, in which the half-cutting cross-cutting unit is activated and
• Fig. 2 the same folder, but the cutting across the entire circumference should be activated.

The folder shown in the drawings consists of a central cylinder 1, the circumference of which is uniform, by receiving points for the various folding and cutting elements Has formed division and around which two cross-cutters 2 and 3, a knife carrier cylinder 4 downstream of the cross-cutters in the cylinder rotation direction, as well as a belt guide 6 leading to a delivery star 5 and a directly loadable delivery star 7 arranged below it. The cross cutting units 2 and 3 each consist of a cylinder 9 having a cutter bar 8 and a cylinder 13 attached to it, one or more cutter grooves 10 assigned to the cutter bar 8 and these adjacent puncture needles 11 as well as the area between two successive cutting grooves of folding knives 12. A pair of draw rollers 14 is assigned to each cross cutting unit 2 or 3. The cross cutting unit 2 activated in FIG. 1 cuts sheet-shaped products with a length corresponding to half a plate cylinder circumference from the paper web 15 drawn off from a paper former (not shown in more detail here). The cross cutter 3 activated in FIG. 2 produces arcuate products with a format length corresponding to an entire plate cylinder circumference. The cylinders 9 provided with knife bars 8 accordingly have varied diameters. To passivate the cross cutting unit 2 or 3 which is not required in each case, the cutter bar 8 is simply removed and the puncture needles 11 and folding cutter 12 are stopped. The respective associated pair of draw rollers 14 can also be passivated by pivoting a draw roller.

The cylinder 13 of the cross cutter 2, which is assigned to the smaller format and activated in FIG. 1, is provided with three punctures 11 and folding knives 12 on the circumference. The diameter of the cylinder 13 is therefore three times the diameter of the associated cylinder 9 receiving the cutter bar 8, the circumference of which corresponds to half the circumference of the plate cylinder. The cylinder 13 of the cross cutter 3 activated in FIG. 2 and assigned to the larger format has the same diameter as the assigned cylinder 9, which is dimensioned here in accordance with the plate cylinder diameter, and is equipped with a puncture 11 and a folding knife 12 opposite it. The folding blades 12 of the respectively activated cross cutter 2 or 3 work together in a known manner with assigned folding jaws 16 of the cylinder 1. The folding knives 12 and associated folding jaws 16 are arranged so that they pass through the contact area between the cylinder 1 and the respectively activated cylinder 13 together, the sheets held by the punctures 11 at their front end with the corresponding release from the folding knives 12 to form a transverse fold can be pressed into the respective adjacent flap 16. The punctures 11 which detect the sheets cut from the paper web 15 at their front end also enable a plurality of sheets to be collected one above the other, which are then transferred together to the cylinder 1. The collected products can be stitched together at the point of the later cross fold. In the exemplary embodiment shown, this is only desired in the area of the cross cutting unit 2. A cylinder 17, which has the same diameter and accordingly has three stapling stations, is assigned to the cylinder 13 of the cross cutting unit 2. In addition to the jaws 16, the cylinder 1 is provided with these scissors-type cutters 18, each of which is arranged in the direction of rotation. The scissor cut knives 18 cooperate with a second scissor cut knife 19 arranged on the knife carrier cylinder 4 to produce a smooth cut parallel to the transverse fold in the region of the rear edge of the products located on the cylinder 1 and held by the folding jaws 16. With this smooth cut parallel to the transverse fold, the edge with the tooth cut produced in the respectively activated cross cutter 2 or 3 and the punctures generated by the punctures 11 can be removed.

The cylinder 1 has a circumferential division such that when interacting with the cross-cutting unit 3 assigned to the larger format, as can be seen in FIG. 2, at least two and correspondingly when interacting with the cross-cutting unit 2 assigned to the smaller format, as can be seen in FIG. 1 a plurality of folding jaws 16, distributed uniformly on the circumference, and scissors-type cutters 18, each of which are arranged at half the folding jaw spacing, are available. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the cylinder 1 is provided with a 45 ° division, which results in eight tool holding points, the spacing of which corresponds to half of the cutting format corresponding to half the circumference of the plate cylinder, which is activated in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, the cylinder 1 is accordingly equipped with four folding jaws 16, which are offset by 90 ° relative to one another, and four scissors-type cutters 18, which are arranged 45 ° behind them. When the cross cutting unit 3 according to FIG. 2 is activated, two folding jaws 16 offset by 180 ° relative to one another and scissors-type cutters 18 moved back by 90 ° are used. The rest of the existing tool receiving points of the cylinder 1 can be unoccupied or occupied with other tools, as will be explained in more detail below.

When comparing FIGS. 1 and 2, it can be seen that two scissor-cut knives offset by 180 ° are used in both cases. These scissor-cut knives can therefore be permanently installed, as indicated at 18 '. Instead of the scissors cutters offset by 90 ° when processing the smaller cut format, folding jaws are required when processing the larger cut format. To ensure a simple off Interchangeability of the folding or cutting tools to be arranged on the cylinder 1, the cylinder 1 is provided at least at the relevant tool receiving points with tool holders formed by radial grooves 20, in which cassettes 21 with the corresponding tools can be inserted quickly and easily. The cassettes 21 can be locked by quick release. The folding flaps 16 present in the mode of operation according to FIG. 1, the space of which is not required in the mode of operation according to FIG. 2, merely need to be passivated. In the mode of operation according to FIG. 2, between each folding flap 16 and the respectively assigned scissors-type cutting knife 18, which is arranged in the direction of rotation, there is a free tool receiving point, which in the exemplary embodiment shown is equipped with a cassette 21 with a folding knife 22 for producing a second transverse fold.

According to the retrofitting of the cylinder 1, the knife carrier cylinder 4 can also be retrofitted such that a second scissor-cut knife 19 is available when a scissor-cut knife 18 passes through. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the effective scope of the knife carrier cylinder 4 corresponds to the larger cut format generated on the cross cutting device 3 activated in FIG. 2. As long as the cross cutting unit 2 assigned to the smaller cutting format is activated, the knife carrier cylinder 4, as can be seen from FIG. 1, is equipped with two opposing scissor cutting knives 19 which can be expediently removed. To convert to the mode of operation according to FIG. 2, a scissor cut knife 19 is removed. The scissor cut knives 19 of the knife carrier cylinder 4 are associated with puncture needles 23 arranged behind them in the direction of rotation, which pick up the strips cut off in the smooth cut produced by the scissor cut knives 18 and 19. A point 24, which is made of foamed material and is arranged on the adjacent cylinder 1, can be assigned to the puncture needles 23 which are expediently arranged with respect to the adjacent scissor-cut knives 19 and which, in the case of the cassettes 21, can be arranged thereon together with the adjacent scissor-cut knife 18. The knife carrier cylinder 4 is simply sucked off on a circumferential area downstream of the smooth interface to remove the cut strips. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the knife carrier cylinder dips into a suction channel 25 behind the smooth interface.

The products located on the cylinder 1, which are provided with a transverse fold and trimmed parallel to them, are removed from the cylinder 1 in the region of the band guide 6 or the delivery star 7 arranged downstream of this in the direction of rotation of the cylinder 1. For this purpose, the products must be lifted out of the folding jaws 16. In the area of the delivery star 7, a flap 26 which is pivotably mounted on the machine frame side is provided for this purpose, which passes under the products to be lifted out with tongues engaging in the folding flaps 16. A pressure roller 27, which is assigned to the cylinder 1 and is arranged between the belt guide 6 and the delivery star 7, is provided to ensure the safe transport of the products released by the folding flap 16 that passes through the flap 26. The scissor cut knives 18 of the cylinder 1 protrude beyond the cylinder circumference. The flap 26 is therefore controlled in such a way that its tongues pass over the scissors-cutting knives 18 which protrude beyond the circumference of the cylinder 1. The products fed to the delivery star 7 are simply lifted off the cylinder 1 with their rear edge. To achieve the required free space, the pressure roller 27 is provided with a flattened portion which faces the cylinder 1 during the passage of the scissor-cut knife 18. The pressure roller 27 is driven in such a way that the peripheral speed of the cylinder 1 results in the area outside the flattening. The pressure roller 27 can simply consist of a spindle with attached cams containing the flattened portion. In the rest position with the belt guide 6 activated, the pressure roller 27 can simply be set such that the flattening faces the cylinder 1. The drive is therefore conveniently carried out via a clutch pin. To control the flap 26, a control disk which is arranged in the region of an end face of the cylinder 1 and which is moved by a sensing element can simply be provided. The flap 26 can also be in operation with the passivation star 7 passivated, in order to ensure unimpeded passage of the scissor cut knives 18. However, it would also be readily conceivable to simply pivot the flap 26 away from the cylinder 1 in the passivated position to such an extent that the scissor-cut knives 18 can pass unhindered.

In the area of the belt guide 6, a take-over cylinder 29 is provided for lifting the products out of the folding flaps 16 and is provided with lifting grippers 30 which engage in the folding flaps 16 and remove the products to be fed to the belt guide 6 from the cylinder 1 and pull them into the belt guide. The take-over cylinder 29 is so far away from the cylinder 1 that the scissor-cut knives protruding over the circumference can pass unhindered. The lifting grippers 30 are automatically removed from the scissor cut knives 18 as a result of the rotation of the transfer cylinder 29. The extraction grippers 30 can expediently be controlled in such a way that the products to be fed to the band guide 6 are already gripped in the area of the passing flap 16 and are only released when they are securely drawn into the band guide, which in a manner known per se from an upper set of belts and a lower set of belts, each with belts arranged side by side, between which the extraction grippers 30 can reach. For Control of the extracting gripper 30 can simply be provided a control cam which is adjacent to an end face of the take-over cylinder 29 and which is fixed to the frame and which is traversed by in each case one pushbutton connected to the extracting gripper 30 and having a spindle which extends in the direction of rotation. The circumference of the take-over cylinder 29 corresponds to the circumference of the adjacent knife carrier cylinder 4. In the manufacture of products cut over their entire circumference in accordance with FIG. With this assembly, every second product is excavated in the production of products cut to half the circumference according to FIG. 1. The design stars 5 and 7 can be acted upon alternately. If, however, the delivery star 7 is passivated and all products are to be applied to the delivery star 5, two spindles provided with extraction grippers 30 and opposite one another must be provided in accordance with the knife configuration of the knife carrier cylinder 4.

In the manufacture of products cut according to FIG. 2 over their entire circumference, these can, as already indicated above, be provided with a second transverse fold with the fold blades 22 arranged here between the two folding flaps 16 and the scissor cut blades 18 assigned to them. In this case, the take-over cylinder 29 can be equipped with a folding flap 31 which is assigned to the folding knives 22 and which is to be easily exchangeable for a row of grippers. The opposite row of grippers can also be removed when the folding flap 31 is activated or simply set in style. This state is the basis of Figure 2. In the state on which FIG. 1 is based, with alternating loading of the delivery stars 5 and 7, the folding flap 31 opposite the activated removal grippers 30 is simply passivated. To control the folding flap 31, a laterally arranged control cam can also be provided.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the take-over cylinder 29 is designed as the deflecting roller adjacent to the cylinder 1 of the upper set of bands of the band guide 6 leading to the cylinder 1. The take-over cylinder 29 is accordingly encircled by the tapes 32 of the upper set of tapes and is contacted by the tapes of the lower set of tapes. This integration of the take-over cylinder 29 into the band guide 6 ensures a high level of positional accuracy of the drawn products, which in the case of a work station upstream of the delivery star 5, for example in the form of a sword folding mechanism for producing a further longitudinal fold, a high level of working accuracy can be expected. In the area of the folding flap 31, the strips 32 can simply run in tracks that are deepened relative to the cylinder circumference so that the folding flap 31, the sections of which extend between the individual strips, is accessible from the outside. However, it would also be conceivable to assign the take-over cylinder 29 to a flap provided with lifting tongues, for example of the type indicated at 26, which engages in the grippers or the folding flap. In this case, the takeover cylinder 29 could remain untwisted. When the delivery star 7 is used exclusively, the band guide 6 is passivated. This is done simply by stopping the lifting grippers 30 or folding flap 31. It would also be conceivable to drive the take-over cylinder 29 and the entire belt guide 6 via a coupling provided with a register pin, which is simply released for passivation.

The above description of FIGS. 1 and 2 shows that the folder according to the invention manages with a few basic elements despite a high degree of versatility, without having to change production, e.g. from once cross-folded products to twice cross-folded products or the like, a significant changeover effort has to be accepted.

Claims (10)

1. A folder comprising at least one cylinder provided with folding flaps which co-acts with a cylinder provided with at least one folding knife in a transverse cutting means for severing a paper web into sheet-like products and by means of which at least one support station can be acted upon, characterized in that the cylinder (1) provided with said folding flaps (16) is associated with a plurality of transverse cutting means (2 and 3) which operate using a different cutting format and are adapted to be activated alternatively, that said cylinder (1) includes that segment of the circumference corrsponding to half of the smallest cutting format and formed by tool take-up positions, that said cylinder (1) is adapted to be equipped with folding flaps (16) disposed in the spaced relation of said folding knives (12) of the respectively activated transverse cutting means (2 or 3) and with scissor cutting knives (18) offset relative thereto by half the folding flap spacing opposite to the direction of rotation and projecting beyond the circumference thereof, and that a knife support cylinder (4) located to the rear of the transverse cutting means (2 and 3) in the direction of rotation but in front of the support station is mounted on said cylinder (1), the circumference of said knife support cylinder corresponding to at least the largest cutting format and being adapted to be equipped with scissor cutting knives (19) which co-operate therewith and are disposed in spaced relation to the scissor cutting knives (18) of said cylinder (1).

2. The folder as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that said scissor cutting knives (19) of said knife support cylinder (4) face towards puncture needles (23) located to the rear of the same in the direction of rotation.

3. The folder as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that foam rubber supports (24) mounted on the cylinder (1) opposite the knife support cylinder (4) are associated with puncture needles (23) preferably fixed with respect to the associated scissor cutting knife (19).

4. A folder as set forth in at least one of the preceding claims 2 or 3, characterized in that the knife support cylinder (4) has a circumferential region located to the rear of the cutting site of said scissor cutting knives (18 and 19) which is placed in an aspiration duct (25).

5. The folder as set forth in at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cylinder (1) provided with said folding flaps (16) is at least partially equipped with removable or interchangeable folding or cutting elements.

6. The folder as set forth in claim 5, characterized in that interchangeable cartridges of identical size associated with said removable or interchangeable folding or cutting elements are provided which can be used in tool take-up positions provided on the side of the cylinder and formed by radial grooves (20).

7. The folder as set forth in at least one of the preceding claims comprising a support wheel (7) disposed directly behind the cylinder (1) provided with said folding flaps (16), characterized in that said cylinder (1) is associated on the side of the support wheel with a controlled flap (26) with lifting fingers which engage said folding flaps (16) and move past said scissor cutting knives (18) and a pressing roller (27) disposed adjacent to said flap (26) which comprises a flattened section associated with said cylinder (1) during the passage of said scissor cutting knives (16).

8. The folder as set forth in at least one of the preceding claims including a belt guide (6) associated with said cylinder (1) comprising said folding flaps (16), characterized in that said cylinder (1) is associated in the area of said belt guide (6) with a take-over cylinder (29) which is adapted to be equipped with controlled lifting grippers (30) which are disposed in the spaced relation of the folding flaps (16) of said cylinder (1) and which move past said scissor cutting knives (18) owing to the rotation of said take-over cylinder (29).

9. The folder as set forth in claim 8, characterized in that said cylinder (1) comprising said folding flaps (16) can be equipped with folding blades (22) which are respectively disposed adjacent to a free tool take-up position between a folding flap (16) and the respectively associated scissor cutting knives (18), and that said take-over cylinder (29) is adapted to be equipped with at least one folding flap (31) associated with said folding blades (22).

10. The folder as set forth in at least one of the preceding claims 8 and 9, characterized in that said take-over cylinder (29) is designed as a guide roller of the upper belt group of the associated belt guide (6) and has tracks associated with said belts (32) in the area associated with said folding flaps (31) which are flatter than the cylinder circumference at least on the work depth of said folding flap (31).

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