EP0806294B1 - Method and device for adjusting the circumferential register in a rotary press comprising a forme cylinder with a printing sleeve - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus according to the The preamble of claims 1 and 11.

Printing presses include mechanisms for setting the circumferential register of a Cylinder relative to another cylinder of the printing press. In Rotary printing presses are usually such adjustments on one Plate cylinder made to the position of the plate cylinder relative to the assigned blanket cylinder set in the circumferential direction, the Blanket cylinder z. B. on a common drive shaft by the engine of the Main drive of the printing press is driven. In the blanket too This adjustment is guaranteed by blanket-printing perfecting machines in the circumferential direction, an exact registration of the on both sides of the web printed images. This setting is guaranteed in multicolour printing machines of the circumferential register the correctness of the register in a printing unit with a first color and printed images with a second color in a further printing unit.

In the web-fed rotary printing presses of the prior art, onto the plate cylinder clamped conventional printing plates, the circumferential register setting is carried out each plate cylinder by a helical toothing or a helical gear that on the The pivot of the plate cylinder is axially movable. Such a device is e.g. B. in U.S. Patent No. 4,709,634. In addition to the circumferential register setting, the device of the US patent allows No. 4,709,634 further a side register adjustment of the plate cylinder. There however, the axial movement of the helical gear on the pivot of the plate cylinder is limited, the angle of rotation of the plate cylinder is also limited. So that can Circumference registers can only be set within a limited range.

In some printing units known from the prior art, continuous printing Printing plates in the form of sleeves used by one in a side wall of the Printing unit housing formed opening are applied to the plate cylinder, wherein the plate cylinder floating or flying in the other side wall of the housing is stored. In these printing units there is in the case of the sleeve-shaped printing plates Tendency to move on the plate cylinder body when the printing press is operating. A printing press in which sleeve-shaped printing plates are used is e.g. B. in U.S. Patent No. 4,913,048 (see also EP-A-0 664 214).

This causes the sleeve-shaped pressure plates to move on the plate cylinder body often register errors in the respective printing unit. There have therefore been attempts made to eliminate the migration of the sleeve-shaped pressure plates by z. B. by pinning or otherwise fixing on the respective plate cylinder body be attached. Since the sleeve-shaped pressure plates are usually made of lightweight conventional sheet material, such as. B. aluminum, there is a risk that they break or crack due to being fixed by pins on the plate cylinder body because the material is not strong enough to withstand the forces involved in the Rotation of the pressure plate on the plate cylinder body arise.

In view of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus with which the circumferential register in a web-fed rotary printing press with at least one sleeve-shaped printing plate containing printing unit with high reliability and Accuracy can be set over an unlimited range.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by the features of claims 1 and 11. Further features of the invention are contained in the subclaims.

According to the invention, in a method for setting the circumferential register in a Web-fed rotary printing press with a sleeve-shaped printing plate on one Plate cylinder body carrying plate cylinder a speed difference between the speed of the sleeve-shaped pressure plate and the speed of the Printing machine determines and the speed of the sleeve-shaped printing plate supporting plate cylinder body changed in such a way that the Speed difference is reduced. Advantageously, the Speed of the sleeve-shaped pressure plate by detection on the sleeve-shaped printing plate formed marks, such as register marks performed, the detection of the register marks on the sleeve-shaped printing plate preferably done optically. It can also be provided that the speed the sleeve-shaped pressure plate by measuring a time difference between two successive detections of a register mark is made indirectly.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the speed of the Printing machine preferably by an angle encoder or rotary encoder determined, for example with one assigned to the plate cylinder Blanket cylinder can be connected. In addition, it can also be provided that To determine the speed of the printing press by detecting register marks formed on the body of a blanket cylinder associated with the plate cylinder are, the detection of the register marks on the body of the blanket cylinder advantageously done optically and z. B. indirectly by measuring a time difference between two successive detections of the registration mark on the body of the Blanket cylinder is carried out indirectly.

According to a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, the Speed of the sleeve-shaped pressure plate by differentiation of a measured one Position signal take place.

According to the invention also has a device for adjusting a Circumferential register in a web-fed rotary printing press with a sleeve-shaped one Printing plate on a plate cylinder body carrying plate cylinder a first Detector for detecting the speed of the sleeve-shaped pressure plate, one second detector for detecting the speed of the printing press and one Speed control device that measures the speed of the sleeve Pressure plate-bearing plate cylinder body depending on the Speed difference between that by the first detector and the second Detector controls detected speeds in such a way that the Speed difference is reduced or minimized.

In this case, the first detector can be an optical detector, for example, which is one on the sleeve-shaped pressure plate arranged detected and for example the Speed of the sleeve-shaped pressure plate indirectly by measuring the time difference between two consecutive detections of the mark. Furthermore, there is Possibility that the second detector is an angle encoder or rotary encoder, the with the body of a blanket cylinder associated with the plate cylinder is connected.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the second detector can be a Be detector, on a blanket cylinder assigned to the plate cylinder formed marks detected, the marks on the blanket cylinder can advantageously be scanned optically and the second detector Speed of the printing press, for example, indirectly by measuring one Time difference between two consecutive detections of the marks on the Blanket cylinder determined.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the Speed control device connected to the plate cylinder speed-adjustable adjustment gear.

Finally, it can be provided that the speed control device Has individual drives that the plate cylinder and / or the associated Drive the blanket cylinder separately.

The inventive method and the inventive device have the Advantage of the fact that the setting of the Circumference register can be executed continuously. It is another advantage of present invention that the setting of the circumferential register is not on a certain angular range is limited. In addition, the invention The circumferential register setting is carried out automatically and does not require any additional Actions of the operator.

Further advantages and features of the present invention are set out in the following Description of preferred exemplary embodiments in connection with the attached, the drawings explained below:

Fig. 1

einen schematischen Querschnitt eines Druckwerks mit einem Gummituchzylinder und einem zugeordneten Plattenzylinder, der eine hülsenförmige Druckplatte trägt sowie mit einem Registereinstellsystem nach einem Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Erfindung; und

Fig. 2

eine schematische Seitenansicht des Druckwerks der Fig. 1, in welchem die Geschwindigkeit des Gummituchzylinders durch optische Detektoren und entsprechende Marken auf dem Gummituchzylinder erfaßt wird.

Show it

Fig. 1

a schematic cross section of a printing unit with a blanket cylinder and an associated plate cylinder, which carries a sleeve-shaped printing plate and with a register adjustment system according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 2

a schematic side view of the printing unit of Fig. 1, in which the speed of the blanket cylinder is detected by optical detectors and corresponding marks on the blanket cylinder.

The printing unit 1 shown in Fig. 1 comprises a housing 2, in which a Blanket cylinder 4 and an associated plate cylinder 6 with their two-sided Pivots are rotatably received in the respective bearings. In the housing 2 can a further cylinder 8 can be rotatably supported under the blanket cylinder 4. The Cylinder 8 can either be a pressure cylinder, or in the case of a nice and Printing machine with rubber-to-rubber printing units, a second Be blanket cylinder which is assigned to a plate cylinder, not shown. The Plate cylinder 6 has a plate cylinder body 10 on which one sleeve-shaped pressure plate 12 is attached. The pressure plate 12 may e.g. B. from a conventional printing plate can be shaped by bending the plate into a sleeve and the Ends of the plate welded together or by means of adhesive or in some other way are put together. Alternatively, the pressure plate can be formed from a seamless tube to which the print image is subsequently transferred.

The sleeve-shaped pressure plate 12 - hereinafter also called the pressure plate sleeve - is applied to and held by the plate cylinder body 10 by the Pressure plate 12 laterally through a in the left side wall 2a of the housing 2 of the Printing unit formed opening 14 is moved to the plate cylinder body 10. Here the plate cylinder 6 in the right side wall 2b of the housing 2 of the printing unit overhung, as this z. Described in U.S. Patent No. 4,913,048. To be safe and precise To attach the pressure plate to the plate cylinder body 10 is to ensure Inner diameter of the printing plate sleeve 12 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the plate cylinder body 10.

When the printing plate sleeve 12 is applied to the plate cylinder body 10, the Sleeve by compressed air caused by in the peripheral surface of the plate cylinder body 10 built-in air nozzles (not shown) is fed, stretched. By turning off the Compressed air, the pressure plate sleeve 12 is clamped onto the plate cylinder body 10, like this For example, see U.S. Patents 4,903,597 and 4,913,048.

Although this clamping of the pressure plate sleeve 12 a relatively firm and secure fit causes the printing plate sleeve 12 on the plate cylinder body 10, at Operation of the printing unit, the printing plate sleeve 12 relative to the plate cylinder body 10 move and walk on this, which is constantly incorrect registration of the Printing unit 1 causes. The speed at which the printing plate sleeve 12 on the plate cylinder body 10 moves or moves depends on the Machine speed and can, for. B. be one revolution per day when the Machine runs at a speed of approximately 80,000 revolutions per hour. The Speed of the relative movement between the plate cylinder body 10 and the Printing plate sleeve 12 is affected by various factors, such as. B. the Machine speed, the temperature of the cylinders, the surface structure of the Plate cylinder body 10, the surface structure of the printing plate sleeve 12, the Rubber material on the blanket cylinder 4, the force with which the Plate cylinder 6 and the blanket cylinder 4 are pressed against each other Printing plate material, the different clamping forces of the sleeve on the cylinder etc., influenced.

To the faulty caused by the migration of the printing plate sleeve 12 continuously Compensating the registration of the printing unit 1 is an inventive one dynamic range register setting system 20 is provided. This dynamic Register adjustment system 20 comprises a speed-adjustable adjustment gear 22, which, for example, can be a so-called "harmonic drive", how it z. For example, see U.S. Patent Nos. 3,724,368 and 2,906,143 and DE-A-3 722 598. The speed controllable Adjustment gear 22 drives the drive shaft or the pivot 24 des Plate cylinder 6 with a shaft 26, with which in turn a helical tooth Drive wheel or plate cylinder gear 28 is axially rotatably connected. The speed controllable Adjustment gear 22 ensures a slight speed difference between the Shaft 26 and the drive shaft 24 of the plate cylinder 6 and enables a very fine and precise adjustment of this speed difference. The adjustment gear 22 can by an electric motor, e.g. B. a stepper motor 30, the shaft generator 32 of the Adjustment gear 22, z. B. over a extending through the center of the shaft 26 Shaft 34 rotates, or another known motor drive can be operated. If the shaft 34 is rotated, the adjustment gear 22 generates a speed difference between the shaft 26 and the drive shaft or the pivot 24 of the Plate cylinder 6, so that the plate cylinder body 10 with respect to Machine speed driven shaft 26 with a slightly higher Speed is driven. The shaft 26 is through the Plate cylinder gear 28, which meshes with the blanket cylinder gear 36, driven, the blanket cylinder gear 36, by the main drive 38 of the Printing machine z. B. is driven at machine speed.

To control the speed of the plate cylinder body 10, the dynamic includes Register setting system 20, a central control device 40, the speed and controls the direction of rotation of the stepper motor 30. The central control device 40 is also electrically connected to a first detector 42 located on the surface of the Pressure plate sleeve 12 may be attached. The first detector 42 is preferably a optical sensor, the brands such. B. on the side of a printing plate to the usual static circumferential and / or page register setting provided register marks, scans. However, the detector 42 is not limited to scanning register marks, but can in the same way be a detector for scanning a certain area within the printed image recorded on the printing plate or else an electrical, magnetically or mechanically operated sensor.

There is also a second detector 44 for measuring the speed of the printing press connected to the central control device 40. The second detector 44 can e.g. B. a conventional rotary encoder or encoder which is connected to the drive shaft 46 or the pivot of the blanket cylinder 4 is connected and that of the central Control device 40 supplies a signal which corresponds to the speed of the printing press or corresponds to the printing unit 1. An encoder can e.g. B. when using a continuous sleeve-shaped rubber blanket can be used, as in the US patent No. 5,429,048. As stated therein, the sleeve-shaped rubber blanket is placed on the Blanket cylinder body applied in the same way as that Printing plate sleeve 12 is applied to the plate cylinder body 10. So hikes during operation of the printing press, the sleeve-shaped rubber blanket also on the Blanket cylinder body.

As shown in FIG. 2, the second detector 44 can also be an optical detector that in the same way as the first detector 42 provided on the blanket cylinder 4 Brands optically scanned. In a further embodiment of the invention, the second detector 44 z. B. also on the main machine drive, on another Printing unit, on the central drive shaft of the machine or on another possible Point where the machine speed can be measured can be provided. The second detector 44 is not limited to an optical sensor, but can also be an be electrically, magnetically or mechanically operated or other suitable sensor.

The first and second detectors 42, 44 generate corresponding first and second signals, which each the speed of the printing plate sleeve 12 and the speed of the Printing machine or the printing unit 1 correspond. The first and the second signal are evaluated by the central control device 40. The central one Control device 40 generates a control signal for stepper motor 30 speed-adjustable adjusting gear 22 on the basis of Speed difference between that measured by the first detector 42 Speed of the printing plate sleeve 12 and that of the second detector 44 measured speed of the printing press. The central control device 40 controls the stepper motor 30 in such a way that the adjusting gear 22 has a slight Over speed of the plate cylinder body 10 produced and the Speed difference between the 'measured by the first detector 42 Speed of the printing plate sleeve 12 and that of the second detector 44 minimized measured speed of the printing press and / or reduced to zero becomes.

Those for the central control device 40 and the first and second detectors 42, 44 Hardware used can e.g. B. a commercially available register control system to control the dynamic range and page register in one Web rotary printing press. Such a system is e.g. B. from Web Printing Controls Co., Inc., 23872 N. Kelsey Road, Lake Barrington, Illinois 60010-1653, U.S.A., manufactured and distributed and is in the printing machines manufactured by the applicant of the M3000 series. The control system of the above. Manufacturer is in one of Web Printing Controls distributed manual entitled "Micro Track CCR" (January 1990).

In addition, a commonly used static girth and page register adjustment system can also be used to control the static circumference and page register independently of the dynamic range register setting mentioned above may be provided, e.g. B. the system described in U.S. Patent No. 4,709,634. In Fig. 1 is the static circumferential register setting of the Plate cylinder 6 represented by a double arrow 48 to the static Circumferential register adjustment of the plate cylinder 6 by axial movement of the helical gear 28 on the shaft 26, which with respect to the drive shaft 46 of the Blanket cylinder 4 is rotated to indicate schematically.

The speed signals generated by the first and second detectors 42, 44 can be signals that correspond to a surface speed, e.g. B. the Surface speed of the printing plate sleeve 12 and / or the Blanket cylinder 4 correspond and / or can be signals that one Angular velocity, e.g. B. the angular velocity of the shaft 46 of the Blanket cylinder 4, correspond and / or can be signals that a temporal Difference between two successive scans of a mark on the Corresponding printing plate sleeve 12 or on the blanket cylinder 4. Variations and alternative types of those suitable for the exemplary embodiments according to the invention Speed signals are obvious to those skilled in the art.

The signals can e.g. B. also by measuring and differentiating relative Positions of locations or marks on the printing plate sleeve 12 and an associated one Reference point or brand (e.g. on a drive shaft or a blanket cylinder) be preserved. In this case, the two digits or stamps on each Rotation of the cylinders held in the same position that the Speed as described above is changed and adjusted.

In printing units in which each cylinder is separated by a respective individual motor is driven, for. B. by direct drive electric motors shown as dashed lines in Fig.1 52 and 54, the dynamic register setting can either be in the above described way or by a direct control of the relative speed of the motors are running. So a dynamic setting of the register can be achieved, for example, in that the individual drive motor of the plate cylinder 6 or the plate cylinder is controlled via the central control device 40. In this A speed-adjustable adjusting gear 22 is not necessary. The gears 28 and 36 are then also not required.

LIST OF REFERENCES

1

Printing unit

2nd

casing

2a

left side wall of the housing 2

2 B

right side wall of the housing 2

4th

Blanket cylinder

6

Plate cylinder

8th

cylinder

10th

Plate cylinder body

12th

sleeve-shaped pressure plate / pressure plate sleeve

14

Opening in the printing unit housing 2

20th

dynamic range register adjustment system

22

speed-adjustable adjustment gear

24th

Drive shaft or rotary pivots of the plate cylinder 6

26

wave

28

helical drive wheel of the plate cylinder 6

30th

Stepper motor

32

Shaft generator of the adjusting gear 22

34

wave

36

Blanket cylinder gear

38

Main drive of the printing press

40

central control device

42

first detector

44

second detector

46

Drive shaft or pivot pin of the blanket cylinder 4

48

Double arrow

52

Direct drive electric motor

54

Direct drive electric motor

Claims (19)

1. Method for adjusting a circumferential register in a web-fed rotary printing press having a plate cylinder (6) carrying a sleeve-shaped printing plate (12) on a plate cylinder body (10),
   characterized by
   the following steps:

   determining the speed difference between the speed of the sleeve-shaped printing plate (12) and the speed of the press, and

   changing the speed of the plate cylinder body (10) carrying the sleeve-shaped printing plate (12) such that said speed difference is minimized.
2. Method according to claim 1,
   characterized in
   that the speed of the sleeve-shaped printing plate (12) is determined by detecting register marks provided on the sleeve-shaped printing plate (12).
3. Method according to claim 2,
   characterized in
   that the detection of the register marks on the sleeve-shaped printing plate (12) is performed optically.
4. Method according to claim 2,
   characterized in
   that the speed of the sleeve-shaped printing plate (12) is determined by measuring the time difference between two subsequent detections of a register mark.
5. Method according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in
   that the speed of the press is determined by an angular encoder.
6. Method according to claim 5,
   characterized in
   that the angular encoder is connected to a blanket cylinder (4) associated with said plate cylinder (6).
7. Method according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in
   that the speed of the press is determined via register marks on the body of the blanket cylinder (4) associated with said plate cylinder (6).
8. Method according to claim 7,
   characterized in
   that the detection of the register marks on the body of the blanket cylinder (4) is performed optically.
9. Method according to claim 7,
   characterized in
   that the speed of the press is determined by measuring the time difference between two subsequent detections of a register mark on the body of the blanket cylinder (4).
10. Method according to claim 1,
    characterized in
    that the speed of the sleeve-shaped printing plate (12) is determined by differentiation of a measured position signal.
11. Device for adjusting the circumferential register in a web-fed rotary printing press having a plate cylinder (6) carrying a sleeve-shaped printing plate (12) on a plate cylinder body (10),
    characterized by

    a first detector (42) for detecting the speed of the sleeve-shaped printing plate (12),

    a second detector (44) for detecting the speed of the printing press, and

    a speed controller (40) for controlling the speed of the plate cylinder body (10) carrying the sleeve-shaped printing plate (12) as a function of the speed difference between the speeds measured by the first detector (42) and the second detector (44), such that the speed difference is minimized.
12. Device according to claim 11,
    characterized in
    that the first detector (42) is an optical detector detecting a register mark located on the sleeve-shaped printing plate (12).
13. Device according to claim 12,
    characterized in
    that the first detector (42) determines the speed of the sleeve-shaped printing plate (12) indirectly by measuring the time difference between two subsequent detections of the mark.
14. Device according to one of claims 11 to 13,
    characterized in
    that the second detector (44) is an angular encoder connected to the body of the blanket cylinder (4) associated with said plate cylinder (6).
15. Device according to one of claims 11 to 14,
    characterized in
    that the second detector (44) is a detector detecting marks located on a blanket cylinder (4) associated with said plate cylinder (6).
16. Device according to claim 15,
    characterized in
    that the marks on the body of the blanket cylinder (4) are detected optically.
17. Device according to claim 15,
    characterized in
    that the second detector (44) determines the speed of the press indirectly by measuring a time difference between two subsequent detections of a mark on the blanket cylinder (4).
18. Apparatus according to one of claims 11 to 17,
    characterized in
    that the speed controller (40) includes a variable speed drive box (22) connected to the plate cylinder (6).
19. Apparatus according to one of claims 11 to 18,
    characterized in
    that the speed controller (40) includes individual drives which separately drive the plate cylinder (6) and/or the associated blanket cylinder (4).

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