EP0958217A1

EP0958217A1 - Stack changing device

Info

Publication number: EP0958217A1
Application number: EP98905391A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Peter Hummel; Robert Ortner
Original assignee: MAN Roland Druckmaschinen AG
Current assignee: Manroland AG
Priority date: 1997-02-05
Filing date: 1998-02-03
Publication date: 1999-11-24
Anticipated expiration: 2018-02-03
Also published as: JP2000509692A; DE59801570D1; WO1998034865A1; EP0958220A1; EP0958216A1; JP3332938B2; JP2000510083A; WO1998034861A1; DE59802710D1; US6676364B1; US6286826B1; EP0958218A1; EP0958216B1; WO1998034866A1; US6547513B1; JP2000509695A; WO1998034863A1; US6547512B1; ATE209154T1; JP3332937B2

Abstract

In a non-stop stack changing device, remaining-stack bars are pulled from the stack area one by one and out-of line in relation to each other. To this end, a pull/push drive is provided, which makes it possible to push the remaining-stack bars simultaneously into the grooves of a pallet carrying a sheet stack. Furthermore, the pull/push drive makes it possible to pull the remaining-stack bars in pairs from inside outwards out of the stack area. In addition, the remaining-stack bars can be pulled in a first and second sequence in accordance with this model. To this end, a traction mechanism drive is provided. The drive is movably fitted in a mounting.

Description

Stack changing device

The invention relates to a device according to the preamble of claim 1.

It is known to use devices for the automated in sheet feeders of sheet-fed printing machines or other sheet-processing machines

To provide stack changes. These can consist of rake-like structures, so-called residual stack support devices, which are provided with linear and vertical drives for horizontal and vertical movement. Such so-called non-stop stack changers are suitable, for example during the printing of paper sheets, i.e. in the machine run to take over remnants of processed sheet stacks from a pallet provided with grooves, for example, and to deposit them again on a new sheet stack subsequently inserted into the sheet feeder. Known devices are characterized by great design and assembly costs and require special designs of sheet feeders. In addition, devices are used here whose residual stack support device has a rake which engages in the grooves of the pallet. This rake must be removed as a whole between the two parts of the stack when the remaining stack is combined with the newly inserted stack of sheets. This entails high driving forces and places a great strain on the sheets of the stack closest to the interface. Also are

To provide restraining means that prevent the stack parts from moving and thereby place great stress on the stack edges. In addition, the operation of the sheet feeder itself is severely hindered or even made impossible. The sheet run is difficult to control when changing, so that waste sheets are always produced. However, devices have already been developed which partially avoid some of the disadvantages described. A non-stop sheet feeder for sheet-fed rotary machines is known from DE 3931710 C2. It has a residual stack carrying device which is arranged below a belt table leading from the sheet feeder to the sheet rotation machine. The rest of the stack support device has a closed frame on which non-stop rods are arranged which can be driven as piston rods of individual cylinders by means of a pressure medium and which can be moved into grooves in a pallet carrying a stack of sheets. The non-stop rods lie on both sides of the frame when retracted and should be removed one after the other from the area of the sheet feeder. Nothing is said about the order. The control of the non-stop bars is very complex and cannot be easily adapted to the needs of the stack change.

A sheet feeder is known from DE 4203500 A1. It points parallel to

Sheet feeder and associated with this end face an auxiliary pile support device as an independent unit. In it, individually drivable skewers are provided via a common drive, which are retractable into grooves in a pallet carrying a stack of sheets. The drive has individual chain drives that can be coupled to the respective skewers. Special constructive measures are necessary for the guidance and accessibility of the chain drives. The chain drives are constantly stretched out under their own frame and completely block the space in front of the sheet feeder, so that it is not accessible. When changing stacks, it is intended to remove the skewers from the stacking area when the main and remaining stacks are merged, first on the outside, then in the middle and finally in the area between the skewers that have already been drawn, so that the remaining stack is placed gently on the sheet stack should. For this purpose, the chain drives are expensive to couple to the skewers, and the skewers can only be driven together.

The aim of the invention is to improve the device for stack change so that the disadvantages described are avoided. The object of the invention is to improve a device of the type mentioned so that the stack change is possible in a simple and continuous manner, wherein a drive device that is optimally adaptable to the desired stack change conditions and as simple as possible is to be provided.

The solution to the problem arises from the patent claims.

It is advantageous that residual stack bars which can be moved independently of one another are provided in the device and are pulled out of the stack area with a time delay. The simple and compact drive proposed for this purpose enables the space-saving arrangement of the residual stack support device. A different height of the remaining stack bars creates a smooth settling movement of the remaining stack on the sheet stack. The continuous removal of the remaining stack bars from the inside to the outside and in two stages enables the remaining stack to be deposited gently on the sheet stack. By designing the remaining stacking rods of different lengths, an improved workflow is created. Further improvements bring a staggering of the speed of the individual remaining stack bars to each other.

The invention is illustrated below with reference to drawings. Here show:

1 is a sheet feeder in side view,

2 shows a sheet feeder in a top view, FIG. 3 shows a residual pile support device in a top view,

4 this device when taking over a remaining stack,

5 shows a stack changing device during the stack change,

6 details from the inventive device,

Fig. 7 details from the inventive device and Fig. 8 is a representation of the operation of a cable.

FIG. 1 shows a sheet feeder 2 connected to a sheet processing machine, for example a sheet printing machine 1. in the Sheet feeder 2, a sheet stack S is used for processing. The sheet stack S can be lifted in time with the sheet processing by means of a main stack lifting device, which is not shown here. The sheets of the sheet stack S are separated at the top and fed to the sheet printing machine 1 in a sheet stream. For this purpose, a sheet separation device 4 is provided in the sheet feeder 2, which is provided with a whole number of diverse operating elements for format-dependent settings and for settings of the supply with suction or blown air. The controls are used to coordinate the various functions of the sheet separating device 4 for the needs-based transport of the sheets from the sheet feeder 2 to the sheet printing machine 1. In the sheet feeder 2 there is also a residual stack support device 3 which is assigned to the end face of the sheet feeder 2 facing away from the sheet printing machine 1. The rest of the stack support device 3 is provided with a frame 6 in which the rest of the stacking rods 7 are longitudinally displaceable. By means of the frame 6, the residual stack support device 3 is suspended in vertical guide rails 8 from a residual stack lifting mechanism 5, which is only indicated here. The residual pile hoist 5 can lift a residual pile H on the residual pile support device in time with the sheet processing and can be controlled synchronously with the main pile hoist.

In Figure 2, the sheet feeder 2 is shown in a view from above. A sheet table 20 adjoins the sheet feeder 2 in the sheet travel direction indicated by arrows, via which the sheet stream generated by the separation is transported to the sheet processing machine, for example the printing press 1. Furthermore, the position of the sheet separation device 4 in association with the rear edge of the sheet stack S can be seen. The orientation of the remaining stacking bars 7 is shown in their arrangement in relation to the sheet feeder 2, only the two outer remaining stacking bars 7 being shown and the others being indicated with lines of action. The position shown is the waiting position outside the operating area of the sheet feeder 2. The remaining stack bars 7 are guided within the remaining stack support device 3 so that they assume a horizontal position. The rest of the stack support device 3 with her Frame 6 is guided by means of the guide rails 8 in the sheet feeder 2 and can be moved vertically. The residual pile hoist 5 is located on the upper side of the guide rails 8, engages from there on the frame 6 of the residual pile support device 3 and moves it up and down on the guide rails 8.

It can be seen from FIG. 1 that the residual stack support device 3 can be installed directly into the sheet feeder 2 by means of the guide rails 8 and can be raised over the entire height of the sheet separating device 4. The residual pile hoist 5 is during the supply of a sheet processing machine, e.g. of the printing press 1, can be raised and lowered with a sheet, and the remaining stack support device 3 can be moved outside the processing area for the actual stack change. This arrangement in the sheet feeder 2 makes it very easily accessible from its front operating side.

FIG. 3 shows a complete representation of the residual stack support device 3. The frame 6 is guided vertically on the guide rails 8. The rest of the stacking rods 7 in the form of supporting rods 7A and spacing rods 7B are guided in the frame 6 in a front support rail 9. A traction drive 11 for occasionally pulling the support rods 7A and spacer rods 7B is arranged on a rear mounting rail 10. The position shown is the waiting position. Furthermore, drives 12 are provided on both sides for the longitudinal displacement of the rear support rail 10 on guide rails 13 on the frame 6. The drives 12 determine the position of the rear mounting rail 10 at the rear end or within the frame 6. The front mounting rail 9 is firmly connected to the frame 6.

The support rods 7A or spacer rods 7B are of different heights. The support rods 7A are, for example, approximately twice as high as the spacer rods 7B. The term height means the expansion of the support rods 7A or spacer rods 7B perpendicular to the plane of extent of the residual stack support device 3. The effect of this measure is shown in detail in the following diagrams.

The support rods 7A and spacer rods 7B can be of the same length. In a preferred embodiment, the support rods 7A are longer than that Spacer bars 7B. When a residual stack H is taken over, the support rods 7A are initially used to take up the load and are to be dimensioned accordingly, the load being to be diverted into a further support means (see FIG. 4).

The residual stack support device 3 is shown in operation in FIG. The support rods 7A and the spacer rods 7B are advanced by means of the drives 12 together with the rear support rail 10 relative to the front support rail 9 and inserted into grooves of a pallet P carrying the sheet stack S. Front support rail 9 and rear support rail 10 with the traction drive 11 are now parallel in front of the pallet P, which carries a rest of a sheet stack S, the so-called residual stack H. The pallet P and the remaining stack H are not touched by the front support rail 9. The longer and higher support rods 7A rest on a residual stack lifting rail 14 at the front end in the sheet feeder 2, as seen in the direction of sheet travel. This residual stack lifting rail 14 is coupled to a lifting drive and is provided for supporting the supporting rods 7A and their lifting movement during production. For this purpose, the residual stack lifting rail 14 and the residual stack lifting mechanism 5 are both connected to the auxiliary stack lifting device of the sheet feeder 2 or at least mechanically or control-technically coupled with one another in such a way that they can be lifted synchronously during batch processing, but in particular when the residual stack H is brought together with a new sheet stack S.

From Fig. 4 it can also be seen that in the position shown of the residual stack support device 3 with support rods 7A and spacer rods 7B inserted into the pallet P, the space inside the frame 6 is free and the frame 6 is open towards the rear. Operating work can be carried out in this preferably monitored area, which is shown hatched here. For handling, it is also important that the support rods 7A and spacer rods 7B early, i.e. can be inserted into the grooves of the pallet P long before the change process actually required. The

The remaining stack support device 3 can then be lifted together with the sheet stack S until the stack change must actually take place. Then the remaining stack H can only be lifted off the pallet P. If the remaining stacking bars 7 are pulled again, ie the stack has been merged, the remaining stacking rods 7 are preferably moved back into the new pallet P immediately.

In Figure 5, the relationship of the pulling movement to the device is again shown within the sheet feeder 2. The support rods 7A and

Spacer bars 7B are alternately located in the grooves of a pallet P (the sheet stack S normally having to be imagined lying on the webs between the grooves of the pallet P). The support rods 7A rest on the residual stack lifting rail 14. The same applies in the case shown to the inner spacer bars 7B, which have only half the height of the support bars 7A. The

The pulling process of the support rods 7A begins with the thicker support rods 7A closest to the center of the stack, which are drawn as a pair as shown. In this area, the remaining stack H continuously lies on the thinner spacer bars 7B. The pulling of the thicker support rods 7A and, as a result, of the thinner spacer rods 7B is carried out fluently and in close succession, but always separately from one another. For this purpose, a device for controlling the train movement is provided.

The stack change thus proceeds as follows: I. - When a minimum height of the sheet stack S is reached, the stack change process is started.

II. - The support rods 7A and the spacer rods 7B are together from

Rack 6 is inserted into the grooves of the pallet P below the sheet stack S, the sheet stack S remaining free on the rear side toward the remaining stack support device 3.

III. - The support rods 7A are moved under by the residual stack lifting rail and raised until the residual stack H is carried by the support rods 7A.

IV. - The pallet P is lowered and removed from the sheet feeder 2.

V. - The remaining stack H is continuously raised by means of the auxiliary stack lifting drive to separate the sheets.

VI. - A new sheet stack S is inserted into the sheet feeder 2 and raised by means of the main stack stroke. VII. - When the top of the sheet stack S touches the bottom of the

Support rods 7A, the drawing process of the support rods 7A is initiated.

VIII. - The support rods 7A are pulled out individually or in pairs from the inside to the outside between the remaining stack H and the stack of sheets S. IX. - The remaining stack H lies continuously on the inside from the outside

Spacer bars 7B. X. - The auxiliary stack lifting rail becomes free, the remaining stack support device 3 no longer takes on any load, the remaining spacer bars 7B only have control functions for the stack union. XI. - The spacer bars 7B are continuously between the inside and outside

Remaining pile H and sheet pile S pulled out. XII. - The remaining stack H lies continuously on the inside from the outside

Top of the sheet stack S.

In a further embodiment, not all of the

Insert remaining stack support rods 7. In the case of very thick sheet materials which, due to their stability, sink only slowly into the space between the gap in the gap between sheet stack S and remaining stack H, which increases when the support rods 7A are pulled, the spacer rods 7B can be omitted. This speeds up the changing process since time is saved for pulling the spacer bars 7B.

The design of the device for pulling the remaining stacking rods 7 can already be seen in part in FIGS. 3 and 4. Details and mode of action are shown in more detail in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8.

The rest of the stacking bars 7 are shown in part as differently shaped support bars 7A and spacer bars 7B and are located in the front support rail 9 and the rear support rail 10. The support bars 7A are longer and approximately twice as thick as the spacer bars 7B. All remaining stacking rods 7 are provided at their end with a deflection roller 30 for guiding a rope 40. Correspondingly, 10 further deflection rollers 31 for the cable 10 are arranged on the rear mounting rail. The cable 40 is guided through the deflection rollers 30 in such a way that the remaining stacking rods 7 are loaded towards the mounting rail 10. The rope 40 is in this condition largely wound on a cable drum 41. The end of the rope 40 is firmly connected to the rope drum 41. The rear mounting rail 10 is not firmly connected to the remaining stacking bars 7, but can be moved both together with them and independently of them. The support rail 10 can be designed to undercut the remaining stacking bars 7 or to limit their backward movement. In order to move the remaining bar rods 7, the rear support rail 10 is moved on guide rails 13 by a drive 12. The drive 12 can be designed as a pressure medium drive or an electric motor drive. To insert all the remaining stacking bars 7 into the grooves of the pallet P, they are pushed together by means of the mounting rail 10 from the drive 12 to the front mounting rail 9 (FIG. 4).

To pull the remaining stacking bars 7, the rear support rail 10 is first moved back into the starting position shown in FIG. 3 independently of the remaining stacking bars 7 by means of the drive 12. The remaining stacks 7, but at least the support rods 7A, are clamped between the remaining stacks H and sheet stacks S. They do not follow the movement of the rear mounting rail 10. For this purpose, the cable 40 is unrolled from a cable drum 41 which is arranged on the rear mounting rail 10 and can be released for this purpose in a controlled manner. The rope 40 runs over the rope pulleys 30 and is stretched between the remaining stacking bars 7 and the rear mounting rail 10 in a zigzag shape. The remaining stacking bars 7 are then pulled out of the stacking area by means of the rope 40. For this purpose, a cable drive 42 is provided, which is also arranged on the rear mounting rail 10, engages the cable drum 41 and sets it in rotation. The rear mounting rail 10 is blocked by the drive 12 and absorbs the tensile force from the rope 40.

For the staggered pulling of the remaining stacking rods 7, a locking mechanism is also provided on the rear mounting rail 10, which, depending on the position of individual remaining stacking rods 7, releases or blocks adjacent remaining stacking rods 7 for the pulling movement. The remaining stacking rods 7 themselves can be used to control the pulling movement. This makes it possible for the remaining stacking rods 7 to be pulled offset from one another in a fixed pattern by means of the one rope 40. A further development of the drive device provides that two cable drums 41 are arranged parallel to one another on the rear mounting rail 10. Then two ropes 40 are also present, each rope 40 then being coupled to one half of the remaining stacking rods 7. It can also be provided that both rope ends are attached to the rope drum 41. Then the cable 40 is guided symmetrically from the center of the mounting rail 10 to the outside through the deflecting rollers 30 and coupled from the outside of the mounting rail 10 in a transverse bond. In this case, the double pulling movement on the cable drum 40 also results in a doubling of the pulling path.

In particular, the cable guide can be provided so that first the support rods 7A and only then the spacer rods 7B are pulled. For this purpose, the rope 40 is first guided in the described pattern over the deflection rollers 30 of the support rods 7A and the corresponding deflection rollers 30 on the support rail 10. Then it is returned from the ends of the support rail 10 to the center and then again in the pattern described above over the deflection rollers 30 of the spacer bars 7B and the corresponding deflection rollers 30 on the support rail 10. In this case, provision is made for the deflection rollers 30 to be attached to the support rods 7A or spacer rods 7B and the associated deflection rollers 30 to be attached to the support rail 10 in an orientation on both sides. The cable is then guided on the one hand above the mounting rail 10 and on the other hand below the mounting rail 10.

The design of the traction drive is not limited to the use of a rope 40. Any other traction device can be used for this, e.g. also a chain or a ribbon.

Claims

claims

1) Device for changing a stack of sheets in a sheet feeder on a sheet-processing machine with a main stacker for

Raising and lowering a stack of sheets, with a residual stack support device, the residual stack bars for temporarily receiving a residual stack and transferring it to a newly fed stack of sheets, the remaining stack rods being provided with drive means for generating a mutually offset longitudinal movement, so that they are in the

Stacking area can be pushed and at least offset from one another and removed from there, and a residual stacking hoist for lifting the residual stack support device, characterized in that the residual stacking rods (7) by means of a traction mechanism drive with a

Remaining stack support device (3) slidably arranged support rail (10) are connected, that the support rail (10) is arranged so that it can be advanced together with the remaining stack bars (7), that the support rail (10) is arranged to be retractable independently of the remaining stack bars (7) and that the drive the traction mechanism drive is arranged on the mounting rail (10).

2) Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the traction mechanism drive has at least one rope (40) which is alternately stretched between deflection rollers (30) on the support rail (10) and deflection rollers (30) on the remaining stacking bars (7).

3) Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the cable (40) is attached at one end to a cable drum (41) arranged on the mounting rail (10) and with its other end to the mounting rail (10). 4) Device according to claim 1, characterized in that two ropes (40) are provided, which are attached at one end to the cable drum (41) arranged on the mounting rail (10) and with their other end to the mounting rail (10) , and that the ropes (40) from the center of the support rail (10) towards the outside are symmetrically stretched between the remaining stack support rods (7) and the support rail (10).

5) Device according to claim 4, characterized in that a rope drum (41) is provided for each of the ropes.

6) Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the rope (40) with both ends attached to a on the support rail (10) arranged cable drum (41) and from the center of the support rail (10) towards the outside symmetrically between the remaining stack support rods ( 7) and the mounting rail (10) are stretched out.

7) Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the remaining stacking rods are designed as supporting rods (7A) and spacing rods (7B) and that the supporting rods (7A) are thicker than the spacing rods (7B), preferably about twice as thick, and that the Support rods (7A) and the spacer rods (7B) are arranged alternately in a symmetrical arrangement over the width of the remaining stack support device (3). 8) Device according to claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the rope (40) first alternate between deflection rollers (30) on the support rail (10) and deflection rollers (30) on the support rods (7) and that the rope ( 40) continue to alternate between deflection rollers (30) on the mounting rail (10) and deflection rollers (30) on the spacer bars (7).

9) Device according to claim 8, characterized in that the cable (40) in connection with the support rods (7A) on one side of the support rail (10) is stretched and that the cable (40) in connection with the spacer rods (7B ) on the other side of the mounting rail (10).

10) Device according to claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the cable drum (41) or cable drums (41) with a controlled releasable and at least when driving two different ones

Remaining stacking rods (7) variable speed drive (42) are provided.