EP0241634B1 - Apparatus for processing printed products - Google Patents

Abstract

In the substantially radially extending compartments of a cell wheel or drum of a processing apparatus for processing printed products, there are inserted removable divider or partition walls. The removable divider or partition walls divide each of the compartments into two feed channels. These divider or partition walls terminate at a predetermined distance or spacing from the floor of the compartments. Feed structure, such as grippers for advancing the printed products are arranged in the region of the floor of each compartment and such feed structure commonly coacts with both feed channels. A printed product is inserted into each feed channel. Both printed products are conjointly advanced in the longitudinal direction of the compartments by the related product feed structure and these products are simultaneously opened and furnished with inserts. The opening of the printed products and the stuffing of inserts is done separately. The divider or partition walls can be removed without difficulty, whereby the number of reception spaces or regions (feed channels) for printed products is reduced by one half.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for processing printed products, in particular for inserting inserts into the printed products, according to the preamble of claim 1.

A processing device of this type is known from DE-OSs 2 447 336 and 2 604 101 and the content of the corresponding US Patents 3,951,399 and 4,058,202. At a given speed of the processing drum of these known devices, this drum can process a certain number of printed products. However, if a larger number of printed products is produced, the resulting printed product flow must either be divided into two processing drums or the speed of the processing drum must be increased. The latter is not possible or only possible to a limited extent, since every increase in the rotational speed leads to a shorter residence time of the printed products in the drum, i.e. a shorter processing time.

The present invention is based on the object of providing a device of the type mentioned at the outset, the processing capacity of which can be adapted to an increased volume of printed products without great effort and without the need to increase the rotational speed of the processing drum.

This object is achieved according to the invention by the features of the characterizing part of claim 1.

By means of partitions designed as removable inserts, two feed channels for printed products are created in each compartment, thus doubling the number of receiving spaces of the processing drum. These partitions do not extend into the effective area of the feed means assigned to each compartment, which are used to feed the printed products. This allows the partition walls to be removed effortlessly.

Since the effect of the feed means of each compartment is not impaired by the partition walls, these feed means are able to act on the two printed products introduced into the feed channels of one compartment essentially simultaneously and to advance the latter together. This means that no additional feed devices are required to feed two printed products in one compartment. To increase the capacity of the processing drum, it is therefore only necessary to use the partition walls. In addition, it must of course also be ensured that the feeds for the printed products to the processing drum are able to insert a printed product into each feed channel. This is expediently done by feeding devices which can feed the printed products in packets to two products, which are then introduced individually into the feed channels of a compartment and are pushed together by the same feed means.

If there are fewer printed products, the partitions can be easily removed so that one compartment only receives one printed product. If the circulation speed remains unchanged, the processing capacity of the drum is reduced by half. The number of pages of the end products can be increased because the compartments are wider and can accommodate thicker products.

As described, the processing device designed according to the invention can be very easily adapted to the output of modern rotary printing presses, which are known to work at a higher speed when printing thin products than when printing thick products. The inevitable reduction in the width of the receiving spaces for the printed products when dividing the compartments by means of partition walls does not have a disadvantageous effect in this case, since, as mentioned, the large number of printed products obtained are thinner and can easily be accommodated in the narrower feed channels.

Preferred further developments of the device according to the invention form the subject of the dependent claims.

• Fig. 1 In Stirnansicht, und
• Fig. 2 In Seitenansicht, teilweise im Schnitt und mit weggebrochenen Teilen, eine Verarbeitungsvorrichtung mit horizontalachsiger Verarbeitungstrommel;
• Fig. 3 In gegenüber der Figur I vergrössertem Massstab und ebenfalls in Stirnansicht einen Teil der Verarbeitungsvorrichtung;
• Fig. 4-6 In vergrössertem Massstab ein Abteil der Verarbeitungstrommel im Schnitt an in Achsrichtung der Verarbeitungstrommel versetzten Stellen;
• Fig. 7 In einer der Fig. 3 entsprechenden Darstellung die Verarbeitungsvorrichtung ohne eingesetzte Trennwände;
• Fig. 8-10 In einer den Fig. 4-6 entsprechender Darstellung Schnitte durch die Abteile der Verarbeitungstrommel gemäss Fig. 7, und
• Fig. 11 In einer der Fig. 3 entsprechenden Darstellung eine Variante einer Verarbeitungsvorrichtung.

Exemplary embodiments of the subject matter of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing. It shows purely schematically:

• Fig. 1 in front view, and
• Fig. 2 In side view, partly in section and with parts broken away, a processing device with a horizontal-axis processing drum;
• 3 on a larger scale than in FIG. 1 and also in front view of part of the processing device;
• Fig. 4-6 On an enlarged scale, a section of the processing drum in section at locations offset in the axial direction of the processing drum;
• Fig. 7 in a representation corresponding to Fig. 3, the processing device without inserted partition walls;
• Fig. 8-10 In a representation corresponding to Figs. 4-6, sections through the compartments of the processing drum according to Fig. 7, and
• 11 shows a variant of a processing device in a representation corresponding to FIG. 3.

The processing device for printed products shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in front view and side view has a processing drum 2 mounted in a frame 1 with a longitudinal axis 2a extending in the horizontal direction. The basic structure of this processing drum 2 corresponds to that of the processing drum, which corresponds to the processing drum explained in detail in DE-OSs 2 447 336 and 2 604 101 and the corresponding US Pat. Nos. 3,951,399 and 4,058,202. For this reason, reference is made to these disclosures and patents with regard to the structure and functioning of the processing drum 2. The processing drum 2 is rotatably supported in two bearings 3, 4, which are attached to the frame 1. The frame 1 also carries a motor and a transmission Drive 5, which drives the drum 2 in the direction of arrow A via a drive chain 6, which is only shown schematically in FIG. 1 and runs over a sprocket 7 connected to the drum 2.

The drum 2 has a number of compartments 8 which extend in the direction of the longitudinal axis 2a of the drum and which are open on the drum circumference 9. Adjacent compartments 8 are separated from one another by walls 10. The latter are fastened to C-shaped profile rails 11, which in turn are connected to a basic drum body 12, as can be seen in particular from FIGS. 4 to 6. In these profiled rails 11, slides (not shown in FIGS. 4 to 6) are displaceably guided in the longitudinal axis 2a of the drum, to which the compartments 8 bottom floor elements 13 are attached.

For each compartment 8, a feed mechanism, generally designated 14, is further provided, the structure and mode of operation of which are explained in more detail in the previously mentioned DE-OS 2 604 101 or the content of the corresponding US Pat. No. 4,058,202. For this reason, a detailed description is omitted here and reference is made to the latter publications. This feed mechanism 14 includes a control drum 15 which is arranged coaxially with the longitudinal axis 2a of the drum and which does not rotate. This control drum 15 is provided on its outside with a control cam 16, only schematically shown in FIG. 2, into which follow links 17a of slides 17 engage, each of which is assigned to a compartment 8. With the carriage 17 of each compartment 8 sets of grippers 18, 19 and 20 are connected, which sit on a common shaft 21. While the processing drum 2 is rotating, the carriages 17 in the associated compartments 8 together with the grippers 18, 19, 20 are moved in the direction of the longitudinal axis 2a of the drum, i.e. advanced in the direction of arrow B and then moved back again, as explained in the aforementioned DE-OS 2 604 101 or US Pat. No. 4,058,202. In addition, the shaft 21 and the grippers 18, 19, 20 connected to it are pivoted.

Above the processing drum 2, three feed conveyors 23, 24 and 25 are arranged, which run parallel to one another and at a mutual distance, at least in the region of the drum 2. These feed conveyors 23, 24, 25 are shown only schematically in FIG. 2 and correspond in their construction to the conveyor described in DE-OS 3 102 242 or the corresponding US Pat. No. 4,381,056. Each of these feed conveyors 23, 24, 25 has individually releasable grippers 27 which are fastened to a chain 28 which is driven in the direction of arrow C and which is guided in a channel 29, as shown purely schematically in FIG. 1 by means of the feed conveyor 23 is. The chain 28 is guided over a deflection wheel 23a. The feed conveyors 23, 24, 25 are driven by the drive 5 via drive connections 26 which are only indicated schematically. The grippers 27 have a movable jaw 30 which interacts with a fixed jaw 31.

Each of these feed conveyors 23, 24, 25 defines a feed section 32, 33 and 34, respectively. Main products 35 are fed by the feed conveyor 23 in a manner to be described in more detail and are fed into the individual compartments 8 in the feed section 32. The two other feed conveyors 24 and 25 supply inserts, that is to say also printed products 36 and 37, which are introduced into the compartments 8 and into the previously opened printed products 35 in the feed sections 33 and 34.

A removal section 38 adjoins the feed section 34, in the area of which there is a removal conveyor 39 which is constructed in the same way as the feed conveyor 23, 24 and 25 and has the same gripper 27 with a movable and a fixed clamping jaw 30 and 31. These grippers 27 are fastened to a chain 28 which is guided via a deflection wheel 39a and is guided in a channel 29 and is driven in a rotating manner in the direction of arrow D. The removal conveyor 39 is also driven by the drive 5, as indicated by the schematically illustrated drive connection 26 '.

A partition wall 40 projects into each compartment 8 and is detachably and removably fastened to the processing drum 2 by means of a holder 41 (FIGS. 4 to 6). By means of these partition walls 40, each compartment 8 is divided into two feed channels 42 and 43. The partition walls 40 extend only over part of the length of the processing drum 2 and end before the start of the removal section 38. In other words, the partition walls 40 only pass through the feed sections 32, 33 and 34. The partitions 40 do not extend to the bottom of the compartments 8, but end at a distance from the floor elements 13, as can be seen in particular from FIGS. 4 to 6. This means that the partition walls 40 do not protrude into the effective area of the grippers 18, 19, 20. The feed channels 42, 43 separated by the partitions 40 in their outer part thus merge into one another at their inner end in the region of the grippers 18, 19, 20.

The mode of operation of the processing device described above will now be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

As indicated in FIG. 3, the distance a between successive grippers 27 of the feeders 23, 24, 25 is matched to the division b of the compartments 8 in such a way that one compartment 8 is aligned with a gripper 27 during the rotation of the drum 2. As FIG. 3 further shows, each gripper 27 of the feed conveyor 23 delivers two main products 35 and 35 '. These main products 35, 35 'are held in the region of their open side edge, designated 35a, which extends transversely to the conveying direction C of the feed conveyor 23. The two main products 35, 35 'held by the same gripper 27 are offset from one another by the dimension c in a direction running transversely to the mentioned side edge 35a, so that on the opposite side edge 35b (folded edge) one product 35 over the other printed product 35 'protrudes. Seen in the conveying direction C of the feed conveyor 23, the processing is beitungdrommel 2 upstream in the direction of arrow E driven conveyor belt 44, on which the hanging fed printed products 35, 35 'come with their lower side edge 35b to rest. The print products 35, 35 'are stabilized in their position. After leaving the conveyor belt 44, the two main products 35, 35 'held in the same gripper 27 meet with a compartment wall 10 which enters between the two printed products 35, 35', as shown in FIG. 3. This retraction of the compartment walls 10 and thus separation of the two main products 35, 35 'is facilitated in that, as mentioned, the printed product 35 protrudes over the other printed products 35 _' on the lower side edge 35b (folded edge). The two printed products 35, 35 ', which are now separate from one another, now reach the feed channels 43 and 42 of adjacent compartments, as shown in FIG. Correct insertion of the main products 35, 35 'into the feed channels 42, 43 is also ensured by the fact that the compartments 8 do not run in the exact radial direction R (FIG. 1), but rather are inclined in front of this radial direction in the direction of rotation A of the drum 2 are. The central plane 8a of the compartments 8 forms an angle a with the radial direction R, as can be seen from FIG.

As soon as the main products 35 and 35 'fed together by the same gripper 27 are in the feed channels 42, 43, the associated gripper 27 is opened in a manner which is not shown but is known, which results in the main products 35, 35' being released now drop down into the compartments until their lower side edge 35b strikes the base element 13, as shown in FIG. However, the two printed products 35 and 35 'located in the compartment 8 are separated by the partition 40, as shown in FIG. 4.

In the course of the further rotation of the drum 2, the grippers 18 are now moved into the clamping position shown in broken lines in FIG. 4, in which they clamp the two products 35 and 35 '. The printed products 35, 35 _' which are gripped by the grippers 18 in the region of their lower side edge 35b are now advanced together with these grippers 18 in the direction of arrow B against the feed section 33. They reach the effective range of opening elements 22 projecting into the two feed channels 42 and 43, of which an opening element is shown schematically in FIG. When the printed products 35, 35 'located in the same compartment 8 move past the associated opening element 22, these printed products 35, 35' are opened at the same time. Seen in the feed direction B behind the opening elements 22, guide plates 45 and 46 protrude into each feed channel 42, which are fastened to the compartment wall 10 and to the partition wall 40 and run at a distance therefrom, as can be seen from FIG. These guide plates 45, 46 engage between the two halves 47, 48 of the opened products 35, 35 '.

The opened main products 35, 35 'are now in the second input section 33, i.e. in the feed area of the feed conveyor 24, the grippers 18 are pivoted back into the rest position shown in broken lines in FIG. 5, these grippers being moved back to the first feed section 32 against the feed direction B. Backstops, not shown, prevent the main products 35, 35 'from moving back, as is explained in more detail in the aforementioned DE-OS 2 604 101 and the corresponding US Pat. No. 4,058,202. In the feed section 33, a first insert 36 is now introduced into each opened main product 35 and 35 '. Like the main products 35, 35 ', these inserts 36 are fed in pairs by the feed conveyor 24 and, as described with reference to FIG. 3, are fed into the feed channels 42, 43 separately.

The main products 35, 35 'provided with these inserts 36 are now held in place by the grippers 19 and again advanced together in the direction of arrow B to the third feed section 34, the main products 35, 35' remaining open. At this third feed section 34, the grippers 19 are pivoted back into the rest position and moved back to the second feed section 33. At the third feed point 34, a second insert 37 is now introduced into the open main products 35, 35 ′, which, like the supplements 36, are fed in pairs by the feed conveyor 25 and introduced individually into the feed channels 42, 43.

The main products 35, 35 'now provided with the two inserts 36, 37 are now gripped by the grippers 20 and conveyed together in the direction of arrow B into the removal section 38. In this removal section 38 there are no guide plates 45, 46 and also no more partition walls 40, as can be seen from FIG. 6. The main products 35, 35 'with the inserts 36, 37 close and come to rest on one another. The end products consisting of a main product 35 and 35 'with inserts 36, 37 are shown in FIG. 6 and designated 49 and 49'. As described above, the grippers 20 pivoted back into their rest position move back to the feed point 34. The two end products 49 and 49 'are now gripped in the region of their outer side edge 49a by a gripper 27 of the conveyor 39 and transported away in the direction of arrow D, as can be seen in FIG. 3. Each gripper 27 of the conveyor 29 thus detects two end products 49, 49 '.

The processing procedure previously described with reference to a compartment 8 takes place in the same way with a time offset in all other compartments 8.

Since, as already mentioned, there is only one feed mechanism 14 per compartment 8, which is common to the two products 35, 35 'arranged in the feed channels 42, 43, and the partition walls 40 do not extend into the effective range of the grippers 18, 19, 20 it is easily possible to remove the partition walls 40 without impairing the operability of the processing drum 2. This enables the Halving the processing capacity of the drum 2 without having to change the speed of the drum 2 and the conveying speed of the feeders 23, 24, 25. In FIGS. 7 to 10, which correspond to FIGS. 3 to 6, the processing drum 2 is now shown without partitions 40.

As can be inferred from these FIGS. 7 to 10, only one main product 35 is now entered into each compartment 8, which, as described earlier, is pushed forward, opened and provided with two supplements 36 and 37. FIG. 10 shows the end product 49 consisting of main product 35 and supplements 36 and 37. The feed conveyors 23, 24, 25 deliver only one main product 35 or only one insert 36, 37 per gripper 27.

The subdivision of the compartments 8 by the partitions 40 has the result that the feed channels 42, 43 are only about half as wide as the compartment 8. With the partitions 40 used, there is therefore less space for the printed products 35 to be processed. However, this does not have any disadvantages, since an increase in the processing capacity of the drum 2 by installing the partition walls 40 is usually desired when the upstream rotary printing press prints thin products at an increased production speed. When printing thick printed products, the rotary printing machine works more slowly, so that a division of the compartments 8 by the partitions 40 is generally not necessary.

Another representation of the processing device is shown in FIG. 11 in a representation corresponding to FIG. 3, which differs from the embodiment according to FIG. 3 by a somewhat different design of the feed conveyors 23, 24, 25.

In the variant according to FIG. 11, the grippers 27 'of the feed conveyors 23', 24 ', 25' are arranged at a mutual distance a 'which is only about half the distance a between adjacent grippers 27 of the ones shown in FIG. 3 Contraption. The division b of the compartments 8 remains unchanged. Each gripper 27 'now feeds only one main product 35 or only one insert 36, 37 which is introduced into a feed channel 42 or 43. However, in this embodiment as well, the two products 35 located in the feed channels 42, 43 of a compartment 8 are pushed forward together, opened and provided with supplements, as has been described in detail above. In the embodiment shown in Figure 11, the processing drum 2 is without partition walls 40, i.e. Operated with reduced processing capacity, only every second gripper 27 'feeds a main product 35 or an insert 36, 37. In contrast to the embodiment according to FIG. 3, the main products 35 advanced jointly in the compartments 8 are not input into the feed channels 42, 43 at the same time but in quick succession.

In all of the embodiments shown and described above, the number of receiving spaces of the processing drum and thus their processing capacity can be increased very simply and without increasing the speed by inserting partitions into the compartments, which are arranged outside the effective range of the feed mechanisms in the individual compartments. With the existing feed means, this allows simultaneous and yet separate processing of two printed products.

Claims (6)

1. An apparatus for the processing of printed products, in particular for the insertion of supplements into each printed product, with a processing drum drivable in rotation around its horizontal longitudinal axis, having compartments open at the drum periphery, extending in the direction of its longitudinal axis for receiving the printed products, as well as with feeding means in each compartment acting in its longitudinal direction, for feeding the printed products in the direction of the drum axis, characterised by partitions (40) projecting into the individual compartments (8), subdividing the compartments (8) into two feeding ducts (42, 43) for printed products (35, 36, 37), which partitions are located outside the field of action of the feeding means (18, 19, 20) in the associated compartment (8), and are removably arranged on the processing drum (2), the feeding means (18, 19, 20) of each compartment (8) being formed for the common feeding of the printed products (35, 36, 37) introduced into the feeding ducts (42, 43) of this compartment (8).

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the partitions (40) project from the zone of the drum periphery (9) into the compartments (8) and end at a distance from the bottom (13) of the compartments (8), the feeding means (18, 19, 20) acting on the printed products (35, 36, 37) in the zone of the compartment bottom (13).

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the partitions (40) end, viewed in the direction (B) for feeding the printed products (35, 36, 37), ahead of the end of the compartments (8).

4. An apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the compartments (8) viewed in the direction of rotation (A) of the processing drum (2), are placed to lead and slope in relation to the radial direction (R).

5. An apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that above the processing drum (2), there is arranged at least one feeding device (23, 24, 25) for printed products (35, 36, 37) with its conveyance direction (C) extending transversely to the longitudinal axis (2a) of the processing drum (2), which device feeds at any one time two printed products (35, 35') together when the partitions (40) are inserted and introduces these individually into adjoining feeding ducts (42, 43).

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, characterised in that the feeding device (23, 24, 25) is provided with individually releasable grippers (27), arranged at intervals (a) corresponding to the spacing (b) of the compartments (8), which seize the printed products (35, 36, 37) at a side edge (35a) extending transversely to the conveyance direction (C), the grippers (27) holding two printed products (35, 35') at any one time when the partitions (40) are inserted.

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