EP1093912B1 - Printing machine comprising an object holding device and object lifting devices - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates generally to machines print of the kind comprising a plate mounted to rotate around its axis and which carries radially on the periphery a plurality of object holders having a upper face for receiving the object to be printed and a plurality of stations for work distributed circularly around the plate to the right of the path of the supports object holder and some of which are printing stations and others of which are treatment.

According to the invention, at least one of the object-holder supports comprises lifting means suitable for lifting the object from the face upper of the object holder.

This provision has the advantage of facilitating certain operations of object processing, as described below.

Advantageously, for maintaining the object, the lifting means are connected to a suction head capable of retaining the projection position of the object corresponding to that which it initially occupied on the object-holder support.

Advantageously, the lifting means are constituted by at at least one tube slidably mounted through through holes provided in the object holder and in the tray.

Preferably, the tube is integral at its lower part with a spacer itself secured to a shoe adapted to cooperate slidingly with a rail of guide fixed under the object holder and passing through an opening in the tray.

For lifting the object, the spacer is adapted to cooperate with fixed cam means, carried by a frame which the machine comprises, having a lifting ramp and a position holding range raised.

Alternatively, the spacer is adapted to cooperate with the shoe of a jack lifting and with a raised holding position provided at the upper part of fixed cam means, carried by a frame which comprises the machine ; for safety, in the event of a cylinder failure, the shoe has a lifting ramp.

Advantageously, the spacer cooperates with the cam means and / or the shoe through a roller.

Preferably, the lifting means comprise both cam means and a lifting cylinder and the width of the ramp cam means lift is less than its range of support so that a notch is defined in which is caused to slide the cylinder shoe.

An interesting application of such object-holder supports the case where a station at least of the printing machine is a heat treatment station, especially at high temperature; thanks to the invention, to the right of said post of treatment, the object is lifted towards the heat source and the heat flow, by example of ink drying of the printed object, has little effect on the object holder itself and the tray, the object being processed then being at a distance from them which are therefore not subjected to thermal deformation, which would harm the print quality.

In such an application, it is advantageous to provide the end of the tube a tip made of material resistant to high temperature to avoid thermal conduction phenomena.

To perfect the thermal protection of the object holder and the tray, it is possible to place two screens at the right of the heat treatment station radial distance from each other so that a slot is made allowing the passage of the tube in the raised position, said screens being generally at mid-height relative to the emergence path of the tube.

Advantageously, a slot cover is provided, adapted to cover said lunge during the phase when there is no object to be treated.

Another application of such object holders relates to the case where the object must be returned for printing on both sides for example; from therefore, at least one workstation is a turnaround station.

Advantageously, the turning station includes a pallet associated with actuation means capable, on the one hand, of displacing the pallet both vertically and radially and, on the other hand, to rotate it around an axis; the pallet is fitted with suction cups at its end gripping.

The actuating means are adapted to radially introduce the pallet in the space between the object holder and the object when the latter is lifted by the lifting means.

In general, preferably the object supports are mounted on the plate in an adjustable manner with respect thereto.

According to a preferred embodiment, the object support is in support on a hollow rod threaded externally and screwed in a thread of the tray, the hollow rod being traversed by a screw screwed into the object holder.

Advantageously, the thread of the plate is the internal thread of a screw hollow surrounding the rod and screwed into the tray thanks to a thread that it present on its external face.

According to a preferred embodiment, the lifting means are consisting of two sliding mounted tubes.

The present invention also relates to an object support for printing machine having an upper surface for receiving the object characterized by the fact that it includes lifting means suitable for lifting the object with respect to its upper face.

Advantageously, these lifting means have the characteristics of those of the object holder of the printing machine above.

To better understand the object of the invention, we will describe now, by way of example, purely illustrative and not limiting, a mode of realization shown in the accompanying drawings.

• la figure 1 est une vue en plan d'une machine à imprimer suivant l'invention ;
• la figure 2 est une demi-vue en coupe partielle, à plus grande échelle, de la machine de la figure 1 ;
• la figure 3 est une vue en coupe partielle d'un poste de traitement thermique ;
• la figure 4 est une vue latérale par rapport à la figure 3, le support porte-objet étant soulevé ;
• la figure 5 est une vue agrandie de la bulle V de la figure 3 ;
• la figure 6 est une vue partielle en coupe analogue à la figure 4 illustrant le soulèvement du support porte-objet ;
• la figure 7 est une vue de dessus montrant à plus grande échelle les moyens de soulèvement de la figure 6 ;
• la figure 8 est analogue à la figure 6, le support porte-objet étant au repos, avant soulèvement ;
• la figure 9 est une vue partielle de dessus du poste de retournement.

In these drawings:

• Figure 1 is a plan view of a printing machine according to the invention;
• Figure 2 is a partial sectional half view, on a larger scale, of the machine of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a partial sectional view of a heat treatment station;
• Figure 4 is a side view with respect to Figure 3, the object support being raised;
• Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the bubble V of Figure 3;
• Figure 6 is a partial sectional view similar to Figure 4 illustrating the lifting of the object support;
• Figure 7 is a top view showing on a larger scale the lifting means of Figure 6;
• Figure 8 is similar to Figure 6, the object support being at rest, before lifting;
• Figure 9 is a partial top view of the turning station.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, we see a printing machine 10 which comprises, overall, in a manner known per se, a turret 11 which is rotatably mounted around its axis A1, vertical, on a frame 12 and which carries radially at its periphery a plurality of object holders 22; the turret 11 is a simple circular contour plate and it is mounted on an indexer 13 mounted itself on the frame 12 and ensuring the turret 11 movement rotating step by step.

This turret 11 is rotated by a motor 14 associated conventionally to a reduction gear 15 controlling the indexer 13.

Here, to the right of the object-holder supports 20 are distributed circularly around the turret 11 of the work stations, in particular printing and processing.

In the example shown, the turret 11 is caused to rotate in the direction of arrow F, figure 1, and the machine includes three printing stations 16, three batteries 17 of heat treatment stations, one station 18 equipped a camera and a turning station 19.

Of course, the printing machine 10 includes a station supply, not shown, of objects to be treated, in line with arrow A, figure 1, as well as an unloading station located just upstream of the station Power.

Each battery 17 of heat treatment stations includes a station 171 high temperature setting and three 172 cooling stations.

The high temperature stations 171 are drying ovens at high temperature of printing inks deposited on objects at stations 16. The term high temperature here means a temperature higher than 100 ° C; drying can be done for example by lamps infrared or hot air.

An object holder 22, better visible in FIGS. 3 to 8, a generally at its upper face 23, FIG. 8, a trapezoid outline, with a small straight base 24 perpendicular to the radius of the turret or plate 11 passing through its median zone, two lateral sides 25 extending along the rays of the plate 11, and a large curvilinear base 26 centered on the center of the plate 10.

For reception of an object 30 to be printed, here by way of example a brochure square, the object holder 22 has, recessed on its upper surface 23, a housing 27, generally having the outline of the object 30, and in which a support plate 40 is arranged; the bottom of the housing 27 has a recess 28 intended to be connected to a suction source.

Of course, the support plate 40 is not essential and the object can be placed directly on the upper face 23 of the object holder 22.

When the machine has many positions, and this is the case in the example described and shown, the plate 11 is of large diameter; he is soon then very difficult to obtain a satisfactory flatness for the plate 11 perpendicular to its axis of rotation; to get that level of printing surface of 30 thin and flat objects to be printed is identical for all the object-holder supports 22, these are mounted adjustable in position on the plate 11 perpendicular thereto; such a provision is described in particular in document FR-A-2 699 111.

Here, the object holder 22, FIG. 5, bears on a thrust washer 31 which rests, via a centering washer 32, on the end a hollow rod 33 provided, at its other end, with a gripping head 34, here hexagonal; the thrust washers 31 and centering 32 cooperate with each other by complementary frustoconical bearings ensuring a certain degree of swiveling to take into account a possible non-parallelism of the face upper of the object holder 22 relative to the plate 11.

The rod 33 is externally threaded and cooperates in screwing with a tapping provided in the plate 11; here, the thread of the plate 11 is the thread which has on its internal surface a hollow screw 35 which surrounds the rod 33 and which is screwed into the plate 11 thanks to a thread which it presents on its external face.

The hollow screw 35 also has a gripping head 36, here also hexagonal; the hollow screw 35 somehow plays the role of an insert relative to the plate 11; this one being of large dimension, it is in lightweight material, such as aluminum, and the internal thread with which the hollow rod 33 is thus made of steel.

A screw 37 passes through the hollow rod 33 and the washers 31 and 32 and is screwed into the object holder 22 while being adapted to cooperate, by a head it has, in abutment with the end face of the gripping head 34 hollow rod 33; thus, by tightening the screw 37, it is secured to the support object holder 22 the hollow rod 33 and the washers 31, 32.

As is easily understood, it suffices to turn the hollow rod 33 relative to the hollow screw 35, fixed relative to the plate 11, for positioning vertically the object holder 22; tightening screw 37 blocks definitively the position thus adjusted.

Advantageously, three devices such as the one just described ensure the perpendicularity of the upper face 23 of each object support 22 relative to the axis of rotation of the plate 11.

As known per se, and in the case of thin objects, for the maintenance of objects they carry, there is provided under each object holder 22 a head suction; here, the suction head 39, Figure 5, is attached under the support object holder 22 thanks to a tapping 29 which it presents and which opens into the hollow 28 called suction; the suction head 39 passes right through and with clearance the plate 11 thanks to a hole 38 provided for this purpose in the tray 11.

Of course, when there is, as in the example shown, a plate support 40, it has holes for holding the object by suction 30 that she supports.

According to an important characteristic of the present invention, the support object holder 22 and the plate 11 have holes facing each other others, respectively 41 and 42, FIGS. 4 and 6, in which are mounted sliding two tubes 43; these tubes 43 have a length such that they are likely to emerge both above the surface 23 of the object holder 22 than below the underside of the plate 11. Of course, here too, the support plate 40 also has holes for the passage of tubes 43.

By their lower end which emerges under the plate 11, the tubes 43 are integral with a spacer 44 carrying at its lower part a roller 45; the spacer 44 is integral with a shoe 46, for example of the ball type, adapted to sliding to cooperate with a guide rail 47 fixed under the object holder 22 and passing through an opening 48 of the plate 11.

The roller 45 is intended to cooperate with a fixed cam 50, extending circumferentially under the plate 11.

The cam 50, Figures 6 to 8, carries an end arm 51 provided at the end an inclined plane-shaped lifting ramp 52; the inclined plane 52 a a reduced width so that at the end of the end arm 51 is defined a notch 53 in section here at right angles; in the notch 53 is caused to slide vertically the corner, here also at a right angle, of a shoe 54 secured to the head of a jack 60 carried by a sole 61 secured to the frame 12 of the machine.

The shoe 54 has at its end opposite to that which cooperates with the notch 53 a lifting ramp 55 in the form of an inclined plane 55 parallel at the inclined plane 52 of the cam 50.

The inclined plane 55 of the shoe 54 extends over the entire width of the shoe 54, which is much greater than that of the inclined plane 52 of the cam 50 and moreover, greater than that of cam 50.

Beyond its inclined plane 52, the upper face 59 of the cam 50 extends in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the machine and constitutes a holding range, in the raised position, of the spacer 44, Figures 3 and 4.

The cam 50 extends circumferentially in line with the batteries 17, 18, 19; the machine 50 therefore comprises three cams 50.

The inclined plane 55 of the shoe 54 is followed by an upper face 56 which, when the shoe 54 is in the high position, under the action of the jack 60, FIG. 6, is at vertical to the upper face 59 of the cam 50, the upper face 56 of the shoe 54 also being perpendicular to the axis of the machine.

When the shoe 54 is in the low position, FIG. 8, and the roller 45 is resting on the upper face 56 of the shoe 54, the tubes 43 do not emerge from the upper face 23 of the object holder 22, their end face being at more in the plane of this upper face 23.

In the rest position, in areas other than those where they are present shoes 54 and cams 50, the crew consisting of tubes 43, the spacer 44 and the shoe 46 falls under its own weight to a position defined by a stop not shown in which the lowest point of the roller 45 is practically at the level of the upper face 56 of the shoe 54 in the low position, or slightly below this face 56, in any case above the point the lower of the inclined plane 52 of the cam 50.

As will be understood, when the spacer 44 is in the high position, Figures 3, 4 and 6, the tubes 43 raise by their end the object 30 which then finds a vertical distance from the object holder 22 which carries it, and therefore at vertical distance from the plate 11.

So that the positioning of the object 30 relative to the object support 22 is kept, the tubes 43 are connected to suction heads 57.

It is advantageous to provide, as in the example shown, the ends of the tubes 43 of a nozzle 58 made of very high resistant material temperature, such as fluorinated plastic, for example.

The implementation of the object-holder supports 22 follows from the description above; after printing, the sequencing is such that the roller 45 of the support object holder 22 concerned comes, with or without the aid of the inclined plane 55 of the shoe 54, be placed at the entrance of the upper face 56 of the shoe 54 of the jack 60 arranged in upstream of the heat treatment stations, Figure 8; the suction nozzles 57 are supplied and the actuator 60 is actuated and lifts the object 30 by the tubes 43 via the roller 45 which is then at the height of the span of holding 59 of the cam 50, FIG. 6; the turntable 11, the roller rolls on this holding range 59 which keeps the object 50 raised; at the end of treatment, the holding range 59 is interrupted and the assembly descends, the object 30 making contact with the upper face 23 of the object holder 22; we can if desired, control the descent of the assembly by following the range 59 with a descent ramp.

As shown in broken lines in Figure 7, the roller 45 is arranged radially so that it is partly in line with the inclined plane 52 of the cam 50; thanks to this provision, if it happened, for any reason, that the cylinder 60 was not working, the plate 11 by turning would cause the object holder 22 and its roller 45 would then have to climb said plane inclined 52, thus lifting the assembly, therefore the object 30.

In this position of the object 30, as already said above, the flow heat treatment station does not affect, or very little, the support object holder 22 and tray 11.

This thermal protection can moreover, if necessary, be supplemented.

In the example shown, two fixed screens 62, 63, FIGS. 3 and 4, are located at the right of the heat treatment stations; they are placed generally at mid-height with respect to the emergence stroke of the tubes 43 and at radial distance from each other so that a slot 64 extending circumferentially and allowing the passage of the tubes 43 in position raised; thus, during processing, object 30 is subjected to processing by being placed above said screens 62, 63, as is visible in the figures.

It is preferable, when there is no object to be treated, close the slot 64 to avoid any heat transfer through it; to do this there is a slot cover 65 radially movable between two positions, one position rest, FIG. 3, for which the slot cover 65 is at a radial distance both from the slot 64 that of the object 30 to be treated, and an operational position for which the slot cover 65 covers slot 64.

Thus, at rest, that is to say during sequences where there is no object to heat treat, the slot 64 is closed by the slot cover 65; at the time processing, the slot cover 65 is moved radially and the slot 65 is open, allowing passage to the tubes 43, but closed by the presence of object 30; if the opening order of the slot 65 was not executed, the tubes 43 would abut in the slot cover 65 which they would destroy and which is easily replaceable.

Thanks to the invention according to which the object 30 is raised relative to the object holder 22, it is possible to provide a turning station 19 for object 30 where object 30 is turned on itself at this station 19.

Thus, a pallet 66, FIG. 9, here with a fork-shaped end, is associated with actuation means capable, on the one hand, of displacing the pallet 66 both vertically and horizontally, here radially, and, on the other hand, to rotate it around its axis 67; the pallet 66 is provided at its end of suction cups 68, here four suction cups 68, allowing the gripping of the object 30 ; the circumferentially measured width of the pallet 66 is less than the circumferential distance which separates the holes 41 from the object holder 22, therefore the tubes 43, so that it suffices to radially introduce the pallet 66 into the space between the object holder 22 and the object 30 when the latter is lifted by the tubes 43 and vertically mount the pallet 66 which drives with it the object 30 which is made integral with the pallet 66 thanks to the suction cups 68; the pallet 66 is then mounted vertically with a height sufficient to allow the object 30 to be turned 180 degrees; during the turnaround, the tubes 43 are retracted; pallet 66 is then lowered and deposits the object 30 on the object holder 22.

Claims (23)

1. A printing machine including a plate (11) adapted to rotate about its axis (A1) and carrying radially at its periphery a plurality of object supports (22) having a top face (23) adapted to receive the object (30) to be printed and a plurality of workstations (16-21) distributed circumferentially around the plate (11) facing the path of the object supports (22) and some of which (16) are printing stations and others of which (17-19) are treatment stations, characterized in that at least one of the object supports (22) includes lifting means adapted to raise the object (30) relative to the top face (23) of the object support (22).
2. A printing machine according to claim 1 characterized in that the lifting means are connected to a suction head (57) adapted to preserve the projecting position of the object (30) corresponding to that it initially occupied on the object support (22).
3. A printing machine according to either claim 1 or claim 2 characterized in that the lifting means include at least one tube (43) mounted to slide through holes (41, 42) through the object support (22) and the plate (11).
4. A printing machine according to claim 3 characterized in that the tube (43) is fastened at the bottom to a spacer (44) fastened to a shoe (46) adapted to cooperate slidingly with a guide rail (47) fixed under the object support (22) and passing through an opening (48) in the plate (11).
5. A printing machine according to claim 4 characterized in that the spacer (44) is adapted to cooperate with fixed cam means (50) carried by a frame (12) of the machine (10) having a lifting ramp (52) and a raised position maintaining bearing surface (59).
6. A printing machine according to claim 4 characterized in that the spacer (44) is adapted to cooperate with the pad (54) of a lifting actuator (60) and with a raised position maintaining bearing surface (59) formed on the top of fixed cam means (50)carried by a frame (12) of the machine (10).
7. A printing machine according to claim 6 characterized in that the pad (54) includes a lifting ramp (55).
8. A printing machine according to any of claims 5 to 7 characterized in that the spacer (44) cooperates with the cam means (50) and/or the pad (54) via a roller (45).
9. A printing machine according to claim 5 in conjunction with claim 6 characterized in that the width of the lifting ramp (52) of the cam means (50) is less than that of its maintaining bearing surface (59) whereby a cut-out (53) is defined in which the pad (54) of the actuator slides.
10. A printing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 9 characterized in that at least one of the treatment stations is a heat treatment station (171).
11. A printing machine according to claim 10 when dependent on at least one of claims 2 to 9 characterized in that the end of the tube (43) has an endpiece (58) made from a material that is resistant to high temperatures.
12. A printing machine according to either claim 10 or claim 11 both when dependent on any one of claims 2 to 9 characterized in that the heat treatment station (171) is a high-temperature station at which there are two radially spaced screens (62, 63) defining a slot (64) through which the tube (43) passes in the raised position, said screens (62, 63) being halfway up the emergent travel of the tube (43).
13. A printing machine according to claim 12 characterized in that it includes a slot cover (65) adapted to cover said slot (64) during phases in which there are no objects to be treated.
14. A printing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 9 characterized in that at least one workstation is an overturning station (19).
15. A printing machine according to claim 14 characterized in that the overturning station (19) includes a pallet (66) associated with actuator means adapted to move the pallet (66) vertically and radially and to turn it about an axis (67).
16. A printing machine according to claim 15 characterized in that the pallet (66) has holding suction nozzles (68) at the end.
17. A printing machine according to either claim 15 or claim 16 characterized in that the actuator means are adapted to insert the pallet (66) radially into the space between the object support (22) and the object (30) when said object is raised by the lifting means.
18. A printing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 17 characterized in that the object supports (22) are adjustably mounted on the plate (11).
19. A printing machine according to claim 18 characterized in that the object support (22) bears on a hollow rod (33) which is externally screwthreaded and screwed into a screwthread of the plate (11) and a screw (37) screwed into the object support (22) passes through the hollow rod (33).
20. A printing machine according to claim 19 characterized in that the screwthread of the plate (11) is the internal screwthread of a hollow screw (35) surrounding the rod (33) and screwed into the plate (11) by means of a screwthread on its outside face.
21. A printing machine according to any one of claims 3 to 20 characterized in that the lifting means comprise two sliding tubes (43).
22. An object support for a printing machine having an object-receiving top face characterized in that it includes lifting means for raising the object relative to its top face.
23. An object support for a printing machine according to claim 22 characterized in that the lifting means have the features of the object support of the printing machine according to any one of the claims 3 to 9, 11 and 21.

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