EP1457334B1 - Method and means for controlling register in a printing press - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for register control in a printing machine.

The US 6,167,806 describes a control device for controlling the printing of a material web in a rotary printing press from a control console. The script explains that an operator of the press removes a printed product and places it on an analysis table to check for various attributes, such as the correct color, correct ink zone setting, and register accuracy.

Fig. 2 For example, Fig. 12 shows a schematic representation of a newspaper printing press 100 having two printing towers each having double-width plate cylinders and capable of printing a four-color newspaper 10 in an eight-page format. Here, the pages A1, A8 and A2, A7 are printed on a web 103 and the pages A3, A6 and A4, A5 on another web 102. The webs 102, 103 are merged in a folder 110, folded and cut, so that finished newspapers 10 arise. In this way, for example, a double-width plate cylinder 120 may print an image for the pages A1, A8 in cyan, as shown in FIG Fig. 3 is shown. The plate cylinder 122 can print an image in cyan for the pages A2, A7, while the plate cylinder 124 prints the cyan image for the pages A3 and A4 and the plate cylinder 126 prints the cyan image for the pages A5 and A6. The colors magenta, yellow and black can be printed eg by the other printing units.

To check the attributes of the newspaper, an operator would take one of the newspapers 10 and place it on the analysis table. In a page mode, the operator would normally first examine page A1, check the attributes and make the necessary changes to the ink keys or registration, then move to pages A2: A3, check them, and then pages A4: A5 and finally A6: check A7 and rear A8.

For example, if the operator changes the page register of the plate cylinder 120 in page mode, the register of pages A1 and A8 is affected. An operator checking the newspaper 10 in page mode may correct the page register for the cyan image on page A1, thereby changing the page register for pages A1 and A8 because they are printed by the same plate cylinder. If the operator comes to page A8, he will notice that the register is dirty and may make the mistake of correcting the register for page A8 even though he has already corrected it. This can affect the registration of the images on pages A1 and A8, as shown schematically in Fig. 3 is shown, in which the multiple printing plates carrying plate cylinder 120 is moved sideways with the two images A1 and A8.

Although a printing press with two printing towers is described here, the same problem arises in a four-width printing press in which the register of some pictures is set in common, i. in which the individual images on a plate cylinder are not independently adjustable.

It is an object of the present invention to enable the accurate registration in a printing machine having a plurality of printing plates in which at least two images are set together.

A further or alternative object of the present invention is to reduce erroneous double instructions in register correction in page mode.

This object is achieved by a method having the features according to claim 1 and by a printing press having the features according to claim 7. Further features and advantageous embodiments of the present invention are contained in the subclaims.

An inventive method for controlling a printing machine with a first image cylinder, which applies at least a first image of the first cylinder and a second image of the first cylinder on a substrate, and a second image cylinder, the At least a first image of the second cylinder and a second image of the second cylinder is applied to the substrate, provides that a book is printed with individual pages, the first image of the first cylinder, the second image of the first cylinder, the first image of second cylinder and the second image of the second cylinder, that a first mode is provided, which allows an operator of the printing press to check the pages of the book with the first image of the first cylinder and the second image of the first cylinder at the same time Changing register settings of the first image cylinder providing the first image of the first cylinder and the second image of the first cylinder, the first mode also enabling an operator to simultaneously review the pages with the first image of the second cylinder and the second image of the second cylinder and the register settings of the first image of the second Z. ylinders and the second image of the second cylinder providing second image cylinder, and that the operator another, second mode for changing the characteristics of the individual pages of the book is provided.

By providing a first mode of operation, referred to herein as a book mode, the operator can browse through the sheets of a sheet and make register settings for the sheet. For example, in the case of the in Fig. 1 On the eight-page book shown, place the sheet bearing the two sides A1: A8 on the analysis table, change the register setting for the cylinder 120 printing the two sides A1: A8, set this sheet aside, lay the two pages A3: A6 bearing sheets on the analysis table and change the register settings of the cylinder 124. Then, the operator can turn over the sheet with pages A3: A6 to change the register settings for pages A4: A5 over cylinder 126, and finally pick up the sheet with pictures A1: A8 and turn it around the pages A2: A7 to check register accuracy of the cylinder 122. Alternatively, the operator could first flip over the page A1: A8 pages to check pages A2: A7 and then discard that page before turning to page A3: A6 pages. To ensure the correct register setting, the operator of the printing machine can take more Prüfexemplare.

Once the book settings in book mode are correct, the operator can switch to the second mode, referred to herein as the page mode, and use another book test copy to go through pages A1 through A8 in a conventional manner and the ink zones and ink boxes, the wet zones and change all other properties to correct the page image.

The present invention advantageously allows the operator to correct the registration of a plate cylinder carrying a plurality of printing plates by inspecting the images simultaneously printed by the same plate cylinder. This reduces the confusion caused by the operator having to make the tab setting for the pages in page mode.

The book mode preferably appears before the page mode.

The sheet lying on the analysis table in book mode is preferably automatically identified and assigned to a specific image cylinder.

The printing machine preferably includes additional image cylinders carrying a plurality of images, the book mode also allowing register correction for sheets printed by the additional image cylinders and the page mode allowing for correction of the individual pages.

A printing press according to the invention comprises a first image cylinder, which applies at least a first image of the first image cylinder and a second image of the first cylinder to a printing substrate, and a second image cylinder, the at least a first image of the second cylinder and a second image of the second cylinder on the Printed on imprinted, as well as a control unit for controlling the printing press. The control unit comprises a first operating mode, which allows simultaneous checking of the pages of the book with the first image of the first cylinder and the second image of the first cylinder. About the control unit can depend on a Operator input in the first mode, a register unit for changing the register setting of the first image of the first cylinder and the second image of the first cylinder bearing first image cylinder are controlled. The first mode also allows an operator to simultaneously check the pages with the first image of the second cylinder and the second image of the second cylinder to register the registration of the second image cylinder carrying the first image of the second cylinder and the second image of the second cylinder change. The control unit also has another, second mode of operation in which the operator can change the characteristics of each page of the book.

The control unit preferably includes an analysis table that receives the pages of a printed book and a scanner unit that scans the pages of the book. In book mode, the control unit can identify the scanned pages and associate them with one of the image cylinders. The control unit may e.g. Save the images on the single image cylinder and compare the images scanned in book mode on the analysis table with the stored images. Subsequently, the control unit may identify the corresponding register setting unit to which register setting commands should be sent.

The control unit may accept inputs to a user interface indicating the current operating mode, the user interface allowing the operator to select the book or page modes.

The printing press may comprise for each image cylinder in each case one page register setting device, which makes common register settings for at least two pictures. The images on the image cylinder carrying a plurality of images are preferably not individually registerable.

The printing machine is preferably designed as a web offset printing press. The image cylinders are preferably plate cylinders.

The term "image cylinder" as used herein refers to any type of cylinder that provides an image, e.g. a plate cylinder.

The prior art has already been explained in more detail with reference to the drawings listed below.

Fig. 1

ein achtseitiges Buch;

Fig. 2

eine schematische Darstellung einer Offsetdruckmaschine des Stands der Technik mit zwei Drucktürmen und mehrere Druckplatten tragenden Plattenzylindern zum Drucken des achtseitigen Buchs; und

Fig. 3

eine schematische Darstellung der axialen bzw. seitlichen Registereinstellung eines der mehrere Druckplatten tragenden Plattenzylinder.

Show it:

Fig. 1

an eight-page book;

Fig. 2

a schematic representation of a prior art offset printing machine with two printing towers and plate cylinders carrying a plurality of printing plates for printing the eight-page book; and

Fig. 3

a schematic representation of the axial or lateral register setting of one of the plurality of printing plates bearing plate cylinder.

Features and advantageous embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail in the following description of preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings listed below.

Fig. 4

eine schematische Darstellung einer Rollenoffsetdruckmaschine mit einer erfindungsgemäßen Steuerungseinheit; und

Fig. 5

eine schematische Darstellung einer grafischen Benutzeroberfläche der Steuerungseinheit.

Show it:

Fig. 4

a schematic representation of a web offset printing machine with a control unit according to the invention; and

Fig. 5

a schematic representation of a graphical user interface of the control unit.

Fig. 4 shows a preferred offset printing machine 6 with a first printing tower 30 for printing a web 20 and a second printing tower 32 for printing a web 22. Each printing tower 30, 32 may include four double printing, for example, the colors Print magenta, cyan, yellow and black. Although two printing towers 30, 32 are described here for better understanding of the register setting, a single four-width printing press could also be used to produce similar printed products where two of the images have a common register setting and a slitter is present in the folder.

A double printing unit 40 includes e.g. a first double-width plate cylinder 42, a first blanket cylinder 44, a second blanket cylinder 46 and a second double-width plate cylinder 48. Each plate cylinder 42, 48 is registerable by means of a register actuator 52 and 58 in the circumferential and axial directions. The two images on the plates are not individually registerable as the register actuator moves the entire plate cylinder.

For each plate cylinder, an inking unit 82 and a dampening unit are provided.

The printed webs 30, 32 pass through a folder 50, which merges the webs, cuts and folds into books 51, e.g. to eight-page books in broadsheet format.

However, the folder 50 may also produce other book configurations, and more webs from other printing units may be fed into the folder 50 and cut lengthwise.

An operator 70 may receive the printed books 51 and place a proof copy of the book 51 on an analysis table 62 of a control unit 60. For example, the operator 70 may select a book mode of the control unit 60 using a control panel 66 or a touch screen or graphical user interface 64. As in Fig. 5 is shown, the book mode display 92 is then highlighted, for example underlining it, to alert the operator that the book mode has been selected.

After selecting the book mode, the control unit 60, which has information regarding the printed imposition format, eg, an eight-page broadsheet format, may place the operator in an in Fig. 5 instructed field 99, which page pair A1: A8, A3: A6, A2: A7 or A4: A5 he should put on the analysis table 62. A scanner 68 may check the selection of the correct page pair and graph the position of the printing plates associated with each color for each page. The cyane pressure plate for the side A8 is located, for example, on the front side (operator side WS) of the cylinder 42, and the cyan plate for the side A1 is located on the rear side (drive side DS) of the cylinder according to the display 97 of the graphic user interface 64 42 in the printing tower 30.

Now, for example, the operator can change the circumferential register setting of the cylinder 42 by means of a touch screen register control 96. This process can be over the network 80, e.g. an Ethernet, and provided for each double printing unit register setting units 52, 58 for each pair of colors of the machine done.

Once for all page pairs A1: A8, A2: A7, A3: A6 and A4; A5 for each color in book mode, if necessary, the correct registration has been made both in the axial direction and in the circumferential direction, the operator can switch to the page mode with the display 94. In this operating mode further corrections can be made, as already described in the US 6,167,806 have been explained.

Although the present invention has been described herein with reference to two towers, a single printing tower comprising four-width plate cylinders each carrying two pairs of juxtaposed, commonly registerable images and subsequently longitudinally cut the web would function similarly to the two-tower design , In addition, other configurations are possible - the invention is equally applicable to other printing machines, in which two juxtaposed images on an image cylinder are not individually registerable. The pages of the book printed with these juxtaposed images may be separate or linked together.

Of course, if operator 70 knows which plate cylinder is associated with which pages, he can simply flip through the page pairs without instructing control unit 60 which page pair to place on the table, and scanner 68 can display the page pair to be displayed in display 99 identify. However, this becomes difficult when more than two webs and triple or quadruple-width plate cylinders are used, to which the present invention also refers. Therefore, it is preferable that the control unit 60 display the pages to be checked on the table 62.

The control unit 60 includes a processor, such as that available from Intel Corporation, and a data storage unit.

List of reference numbers

6

press

10

four-color newspaper

20

train

22

train

30

printing tower

32

printing tower

40

Double printing

42

first plate cylinder

44

first blanket cylinder

46

second blanket cylinder

48

second plate cylinder

50

folding

51

book

52

Register actuator

58

Register actuator

60

control unit

62

analysis table

64

Graphical user interface

66

Control panel

68

scanner

70

operator

80

network

82

inking

92

Display for book mode

94

Display for page mode

96

register control

97

display

98

display

99

field

100

press

102

train

103

train

110

folding

120

plate cylinder

122

plate cylinder

124

plate cylinder

126

plate cylinder

A1-A8

page

GS

driving side

WS

operating side

Claims (13)

1. A method for controlling a printing press (6) having a first image cylinder (42,48, 120, 122, 124, 126) for applying at least a first image of the first image cylinder and a second image of the first image cylinder to a printing substrate (20, 22, 102, 103) and a second image cylinder (42, 48, 120, 122, 124, 126) for applying at least a first image of the second image cylinder and a second image of the second image cylinder to the printing substrate (20, 22, 102, 103),
   characterised by
   the method steps of
   printing a book (51), which comprises individual pages (A1-A8) with the first image of the first image cylinder, the second image of the first image cylinder, the first image of the second image cylinder and the second image of the second image cylinder,
   providing a first operating mode, which enables an operator (70) of the printing press (6) to inspect the pages of the book with the first image of the first image cylinder and the second image of the first image cylinder simultaneously and to alter the register setting of the first image cylinder providing the first image of the first image cylinder and the second image of the first image cylinder, and also to inspect the pages with the first image of the second image cylinder and the second image of the second image cylinder simultaneously and to alter the register setting of the second image cylinder providing the first image of the second image cylinder and the second image of the second image cylinder; and
   providing a different, second operating mode, in which the operator (70) is able to alter properties of the individual book pages.
2. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that
   in the second operating mode furthermore the ink zones and ink ducts are adjusted.
3. A method according to any one of claims 1 and 2, characterised in that in the second operating mode both the properties of the second image of the first image cylinder and also those of the first image of the second image cylinder can be altered.
4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the first operating mode occurs before the second operating mode.
5. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the pages with the first image of the first image cylinder and the second image of the first image cylinder are scanned in the first operating mode and assigned to the first image cylinder.
6. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the printing press (6) comprises additional image cylinders carrying a plurality of images, the first operating mode permitting a register correction for the additional pages printed by the additional image cylinders and the second operating mode permitting correction of individual pages.
7. A printing press having
   a first image cylinder (42, 48, 120, 122, 124, 126) for applying at least a first image of the first image cylinder and a second image of the first image cylinder to a printing substrate (20, 22, 102, 103);
   a second image cylinder (42, 48, 120, 122, 124, 126) for applying at least a first image of the second image cylinder and a second image of the second image cylinder to the printing substrate (20, 22, 102, 103);
   a control unit (60), which has a first operating mode, which permits simultaneous inspection of pages of the book (51) bearing the first image of the first image cylinder and the second image of the first image cylinder;
   a first register control device (52) controlled by the control unit (60), the control unit (60) in the first operating mode controlling the register adjustment of the first image cylinder in dependence on an operator input;
   a second register control device (58) controlled by the control unit (60), the control unit (60) in the first operating mode controlling the register adjustment of the second image cylinder in dependence on a further operator input; wherein the control unit (60) additionally provides a different, second operating mode, in which the properties of the individual pages (A1-A8) of the book (51) are alterable by the operator (70).
8. A printing press according to claim 7,
   characterised by
   a first inking unit (82) for the first image cylinder and a second inking unit for the second image cylinder, the first inking unit (82) having a first ink application for the first image of the first image cylinder and the second inking unit having a second ink application for the first image of the second image cylinder and the control unit (60) in the second operating mode permitting the control of the first and the second ink application.
9. A printing press according to any one of claims 7 and 8,
   characterised in that
   the control unit (60) includes an analysis table (62) for receiving pages (A1-A8) of a printed book (51) and a scanning unit for scanning pages of the book (51).
10. A printing press according to any one of claims 7 to 9,
    characterised in that
    the control unit (60) stores data in respect of the first image cylinder and of the second image cylinder for comparison with scanned data.
11. A printing press according to any one of claims 7 to 10,
    characterised in that
    a graphic user interface displays the first operating mode or the second operating mode.
12. A printing press according to any one of claims 7 to 11,
    characterised by
    a folder (50), which is controlled by the control unit (60).
13. A printing press according to any one of claims 7 to 12,
    characterised in that
    the printing press is in the form of a web offset printing press.

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