EP1839897B1 - Gathering and stitching unit with a device for feeding folded sheets - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a saddle stitcher with a folded sheet feeder and a device for transferring the folded sheets from the feeder to the transport device of the saddle stitcher according to the preamble of claim 1.

Saddle stitchers are used to separate the folded and stacked printed products, put them on a transport chain or the like and thereby bring together folded products of different content and then feed them into a stitching station and then optionally in a further processing unit for edge trim, a display or the like. Such a saddle stitcher is for example in the EP 0 916 514 A1 described. The known saddle stitcher has, as usual, several parallel to the saddle chain arranged Falzbogenanleger in which the different folded sheets are stacked.

From these Falzbogenanlegern the signatures are removed from a device, opened and placed astride the roof ridge similarly designed transport chain of saddle stitcher. This device usually consists of several gripper-equipped waves or skeletal drums that accomplish the transport of the signatures from the register stop of the investor to the gathering chain and the unfolding of the folded sheet. The movement process that takes place here is complex and not always free of disturbances, especially when the saddle stitcher is operated with a high work cycle of 10,000 and more sheets per hour. Namely, the folded sheets to be processed can be stacked in the folded sheet feeder, both pre-folded and folded over. Pre-folded means that the upper part of the folded sheet protrudes beyond the lower part, whereas in the case of the so-called Nachfalz it is exactly the opposite. In particular, in the processing of pre-folded sheet problems at high speeds. Because there lies on the folded edge of the first transfer drum folded sheet with its longer side on this drum. If he is then to be taken at the fanned end of the next wave or drum, arranged on this second drum over gripper over the entire Grasp folded product. However, since the prefold or the longer sheet of the signature can hit high when it is struck by the opening double gripper, or "sticks" to the singling drum by electrostatic effects, this will cause the over grippers to "reach into the seam product" instead to overlap it altogether. As a result, the transport is disturbed and it is not safe processing at high speeds possible.

It is therefore the object of the present invention in a saddle stitcher of the type mentioned, the transfer device of the signatures from the feeder to the transport device of the saddle stitcher, d. H. usually on the collecting chain in such a way that the transfer of pre-folded signatures at high speeds is safer. This object is achieved with the features specified in the characterizing part of claim 1.

Thereafter, the transfer device of the saddle stitcher has a blowing device which acts on the folded sheet in the transfer of the one drum or shaft to the other in time with the Falzbogentransports with an air blast. This prevents the folded sheet fanning out at the transfer time to the next transport drum. Instead, one achieves that the prefold is placed on this subsequent drum and is actually overlapped by the overreamer.

For this purpose, for example, the first, usually half-tumble drum, which takes over the signatures from the registration stop Falzbogenanlegers each have a arranged near the fanning side of the folded product blowpipe whose nozzles generate an outward air flow. This air flow is preferably directed obliquely at an acute angle to the fan-out side of the signature and is cyclically switched on at the time of transfer to the next transport drum cyclically in time with the sheet feeder.

Figur 1

eine vereinfachte schematische Darstellung eines Sammelhefters mit mehreren Falzbogenanlegern,

Figuren 2 bis 6

zeigen den Bereich zwischen Falzbogenanleger 10 und Transportkette 22 des Sammelhefters aus Figur 1 im Schnitt senkrecht zur Transportrichtung,

Figuren 7 bis 10

zeigen den Bereich der Bogenübergabe von der Vereinzelungstrommel 17 zur Doppelgreifertrommel 27 aus Figur 2, in vergrößertem Maßstab, und

Figur 11

ist eine Ansicht auf die Trommeln 17 bis 17 aus den Figuren 2 bis 6 in horizontaler Richtung senkrecht zur Transportrichtung.

Further advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description of an embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here is

FIG. 1

a simplified schematic representation of a saddle stitcher with multiple folded sheet investors,

FIGS. 2 to 6

show the area between folded sheet feeder 10 and transport chain 22 of the saddle stitcher FIG. 1 in section perpendicular to the transport direction,

FIGS. 7 to 10

show the range of sheet transfer from the singling drum 17 to double gripper drum 27 FIG. 2 , on an enlarged scale, and

FIG. 11

is a view of the drums 17 to 17 from the FIGS. 2 to 6 in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the transport direction.

The in FIG. 1 illustrated typical saddle stitcher is designated 1 and has a gathering chain 22 as a transport device. Individual folding sheets or folded signatures 16, 18, 20 from the stacks in the folded sheet feeder 10, 12, 14 are deposited on this gathering chain. Under the gathering chain 22, a guide rail 55 is arranged, the upper portion 21 is formed like a blade and whose straight line defines the transport and stitching line. The gathering chain 22 forms, together with the guide rail 55, a substantially roof-shaped support on which the collected signatures 30 are transported astride in the direction of the arrow P to a stitching station 24 in which they are stapled with the aid of staples. The folded product thus stapled is then fed by a device 49 at right angles to the transport direction of the gathering chain to a further processing device, that is, for example, the device for edge trimming.

FIG. 2 shows in a section perpendicular to the transport direction the area below the folded sheet feeder 10 between the register rail 11, against which the folded sheets 16 abut with its folded end, and the gathering chain 22nd

Directly below the bottom 15 of the compartment in the feeder 10, in which the folded sheet stack 6 is located, a half-speed so-called singling drum 17 is arranged. This carries relative to the drive shaft 23 of the drum 17, two symmetrically opposed grippers 19a and 19b and gripper pads 21a and 21b. Furthermore, a rotatable hollow shaft 25 is disposed on the bottom 15 of the armature 10 parallel to the axis 23 of the drum 17, on which distributed in the axial direction a plurality of suction pads 13 is attached. The suction pads 13 serve each to seize the applied with its folded end to the register rail 11 lowermost signatures 16b by suction and then by the relatively wide slot between the rounded end of the bottom 15 and the register rail 11 by a pivoting movement of the suction pad 13 with his folded end into the periphery of the singling drum 17 to pull. The singling drum 17 rotates in a clockwise direction and the gripper pairs 19a and 19b open and close in a cam-controlled manner and take over the folded end of the folded sheet 16b offered by the suction gripper 13, pulling it out of the stack 6. In the FIG. 2 It can be seen how a folded sheet 16b has just been taken over by the gripper 19a, while the folded sheet 16c transferred at an earlier time is still held on the outer circumference of the separating drum 17 by the gripper 19b.

Below the half-speed singling drum are located directly next to each other lying two single-speed shafts or drums 27 and 37. The so-called double gripper drum 27 and the opening drum 37 form a gusset, with the roof edge-shaped tip upwards the transport chain 22 of the saddle stitcher 1 is arranged. The double gripper drum 27 and the opening drum 37 serve, as in the FIG. 2 illustrated by the fold sheet 16d to open this and put on the already transported by the gathering chain 22 folded sheet 16e. For this purpose, the double gripper drum 27 is provided in the axial direction with a plurality of double grippers 29, wherein the individual grippers 29a and 29b of the respective double gripper individually grasp the two sheets of the signature 16 at its fanned end and deducted from the singling drum 17. This situation is in the FIG. 3 shown where the gripper 29a has already taken the Nachfalzende the folded sheet 16c, during which the entire folded sheet cross-so-called cover gripper 29b is shown in its closing movement when grasping the pre-fold. At this time, the gripper has opened 19b on the singling drum and the folded sheet 16c, which has entered with its folded end in a fixed pocket-shaped stopper 35 5, released. Furthermore, the gripper 19a just the in FIG. 2 transferred from the suction pad 13 folded sheet 16b in the direction of the drums 27 and 37 on.

In FIG. 4 It is shown how the two gripper 29 grabbed ends of the folded product 16 c are transported into the gusset between the two drums 27 and 37. In this case, the folded sheet 16c is pulled out of the pocket 35 and pulled over the next incoming folded sheet 16b away in the opposite direction. Now, the cover gripper 29b opens on the drum 27 and transfers the longer prefolding to the gripper 39 of the opening drum 37 (FIG. FIG. 5 ). At the same time, the gripper 19a on the singling drum 17 has conveyed the folded sheet 16b into the pocket-shaped stopper 15, and the gripper 19b has pulled off the next folded sheet 16a from the stack 16.

By the opposite rotation of the drums 27 and 37, the signatures 16 c is now pulled apart over the conveyor chain 22, as in FIG. 6 It can be seen from the moment of the movement of the representation in FIG. 2 equivalent.

In the processing of prefolding sheets, ie those in which as in the FIGS. 2 to 6 shown, the longer sheet of folded sheet 16 above (and because the signatures "upside down" in the feeder 10 are stacked) rest with the longer side on the bottom 15 of the investor 10, it comes at high speeds in the transfer of the signatures from the separating drum 17 on the double gripper drum 27 to problems. That is in the FIG. 7 illustrated. Here you can see how the opening double gripper 29 lifts the prefold from the double gripper drum. This has the consequence that when closing the cover gripper 29b of the prefold is not taken. When moving towards the gusset with the opener drum 37 then the position of the prefold is not defined and the gripper 39 of the opener drum may miss the prefold, so that the opener drum 37 then the signatures not on the Transport chain 22 can pull apart. The folded sheet then lands next to the chain 22 and the corresponding folded product missing the corresponding pages.

Furthermore, the prefold can adhere to the singling drum by electrostatic effects and is not engaged by the top gripper 29b. In order to avoid this, the singling drum 17 has two blowpipes 41a and 41b on the outside of the periphery of the singling drum in the vicinity of the places where the transfer to the double gripper drum takes place. As shown in the illustration FIG. 11 can be seen, these blowpipes have a variety of nozzles, as indicated by the arrow L in FIG. 3 and in FIG. 9 symbolizes, at the time of transfer to the double gripper drum directed obliquely at an acute angle outward blast air impact on the prefold and press this back on the double gripper drum 17 so that he can be taken there securely from the top gripper 19b.

The blowpipes 41a and 41b are supplied via compressed air connections 59 (FIG. FIG. 11 ), which are connected to an axially introduced into the journals of the singulating drum 17 air supply bore. A rotary union connected to the axle journals connects the bore to an electropneumatic quick-acting valve, which is controlled by the saddle stitcher control unit.

With the illustrated measure, the beating of the prefold is reliably prevented during the transfer to the double gripper drum 27. Thus, "lost" prefolding arches at high speeds of saddle stitcher 1 are a thing of the past.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

saddle stitcher

6

Falzbogenstapel

10, 12, 14

Signature feeder

11

register rail

13

Suction pads

15

ground

16, 18, 20, 16b, 16c, 16d, 16e

folded bows

17, 27, 37

drums

19, 29, 39, 19a, 19b, 29a, 29b

grab

21, 21a, 21b

Gripper pads

22

collecting chain

23

axis

24

finisher

25

hollow shaft

30

folded product

31

Gripper pad

35

bag

41, 41a, 41b

blowguns

49

Transfertereinrichtung

55

guide rail

59

Compressed air connection

L

airflow

P

transport direction

Claims (7)

1. Saddle stitcher comprising a signature feeder (10) and a device for transferring the signatures (16) from the feeder to the transport device (22) of the saddle stitcher, the device including multiple shafts or drums (17, 27, 37) with grippers (19, 29, 39) for gripping the signatures (16) and for opening the latter and positioning them on the transport device (22) in a straddling formation,
   characterized in
   that the device includes a blower device (41) that applies a stream of air (L) to the signature (16) in accordance with the cycle of signature transport as the signature (16) is transferred from one shaft or drum (17) to another (27).
2. Saddle stitcher according to Claim 1,
   characterized in
   that one of the shafts or drums (17) includes at least one blow tube (41 a, b) arranged close to the end of the signature (16) that is fanned out as the signature (16) is transported on the shaft or drum (17).
3. Saddle stitcher according to Claim 2,
   characterized in
   that the blow tube (41a, b) is located in the interior of the drum (17) contour defined by the supported signature (16) and that the nozzles of the blow tube (41a, b) generate a stream of air (L) directed to the outside.
4. Saddle stitcher according to Claim 3,
   characterized in
   that the stream of air (L) is obliquely directed at an acute angle towards the signature (16) end that fans out.
5. Saddle stitcher according to one of Claims 1 to 4,
   characterized in
   that the shaft or drum (17) is designed as a half-revolution shaft or drum (17) and includes two blow tubes (41 a, 41b).
6. Saddle stitcher according to Claim 1,
   characterized in
   that the blower device (41) is arranged in the shaft or drum (17) that receives the signatures (16) from the signature feeder.
7. Saddle stitcher according to one of Claims 1 to 6,
   characterized in
   that the supply of compressed air to the blower device (41 a, b) is achieved through the axial journal of the shaft or drum (17).

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