EP1900519B1 - Printing press - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a printing press, in particular for the printing of labels, comprising a machine support structure comprising a support element and at least one printing unit, of which at least one part is received in the support element by means of a bearing element.

For many years now, printing presses and individual components used in them have been produced on a large scale from metallic materials, in particular from steels, aluminum or titanium. In addition to suitability based on some of their physical and technical properties, the traditional use of these materials is evidently due to, among others, the widespread availability of both qualitative skills and quantitative capacities to produce and adequately process metallic materials. In printing presses with modern printing technology usually get large castings made of metallic materials for the machine support structure used, which undergo their shape in technically complex and often costly processing steps. As a consequence of the use of metallic materials in modern printing technology, supporting technical measures are generally required to counter some of the particular undesirable physical properties of these materials, such as electrical conductivity, thermal expansion or mechanical vibration behavior, or consequences of these properties.

A large and commercially very important field of application of modern printing technology is the production of labels. For example, in the document WO 2005/028202 A1 is a label printing machine with individual drives for individual printing units in series construction described in which a substrate web is processed into multicolored and possibly with special effects finished labels. The printing process used in the label printing machine can be flexibly converted according to the order of the job in order to change the format or the other to carry out a process change so that different product requirements can be met. For this purpose, the label printing machine has a plurality of separating points, on which releasably connectable printing units or printing unit parts of different printing methods, in particular flexographic printing, gravure printing, offset printing and screen printing, can be recorded. At the same time a drive connection to a single drive of the printing unit is closed by the separation points in the fixation of a printing unit or a printing unit part. Also in the document WO 2005/028202 A1 Label printing machine shown is made in a conventional manner of metallic castings.

The DE 94 20 690 U1 shows a web-fed rotary press with portal carriers made of reinforced ready-mixed concrete. This shows also the EP 0 020 886 A1 ,
The DE 43 17 684 A1 discloses a printing press whose foundation - as is common practice - consists of concrete. Furthermore come in the substructure of the printing machine side members made of reinforced concrete used.
According to the EP 1 500 500 A1 It is known to manufacture the framework, which forms the machine frame of a printing press, from polymer concrete or mineral casting.
The EP 0 738 590 A1 describes that the substructure of a printing press forming support elements made of steel, cast iron, reinforced concrete or polymer concrete can be produced.

The object of the present invention is to provide a stable printing machine in which negative consequences resulting from undesirable properties of metallic materials are reduced or avoided.

This object is achieved by a printing machine with the features of claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention are characterized in the dependent claims.

A printing press according to the invention, in particular for the printing and / or the production of labels, has a machine support construction which comprises at least one comprises support made of stone, and at least one printing unit, of which at least one part is received in the support element by means of a bearing element.

In the context of the invention, the term "stone" is understood to mean a solid mineral mass or a single object consisting of such a material. Stone is natural stone. Natural stone is a solid, during the course of Earth's history, a mineral mass, a part of the inorganic components of the earth's crust or a single, consisting of this material object. Natural stone can be formed by solidification of molten minerals (basalt, granite, volcanic rocks) or by Solidification of loose material (sandstone, limestone). On the other hand, artificial stones are available through technical processes.

The support element is made of stone, in particular of one or more stones, preferably entirely made of stone. In particular, large parts of the machine support structure or the entire machine support structure may be made of stone. Preferably, the entire printing unit is accommodated in the support element.

The bearing element may be releasably or non-detachably connected to the support element. The bearing element may in particular be a bush or a pivot bearing or a pivot bearing or a grooved rail made of a metallic material. The bearing element may be fixed to the stone support element by an adhesive connection or by a screw connection, in particular glued or screwed be. The bearing element may also be an insert in the support element. The bearing element may be part of the printing unit or part of the machine support structure. The part of the printing unit may be a component of the printing unit, in particular a shaft, or an assembly of the printing unit. The printing unit can serve for the application of ink, lacquer, clear lacquer or a substrate, such as a foil, a hologram or an RFID circuit, on a printing substrate. A printing unit may in particular comprise an inking unit and / or a dampening unit. It can be added directly without bearing element or indirectly by means of a bearing element more parts of the printing press in the support element. For example, control components and / or drive components and / or processing devices, such as in particular dryers and cutters, be attached to the support element. The supporting structure can also be referred to as a superstructure, machine construction or supporting structure. The printing machine is preferably a rotary printing machine.

The machine support structure, in particular the support element, is part of the printing machine and not part of the environment in which the printing press is placed. The support element can not be seen separately or independently of the printing press. In particular, the support element is not a support structure, a substructure, a Support element, a hall floor, a pressroom foundation, a floor slab or a false ceiling for a printing press. In other words, the one or more printing units are received in the support member, not as part of a printing press on the support member.

Advantageously, according to the invention a dimensionally stable printing machine is created under varying thermal conditions. Stones have a significantly lower thermal expansion coefficient than metals. Also with respect to mechanical forces, the support element of the printing press according to the invention is particularly dimensionally stable and in particular more rigid or more stable than commonly used metallic materials. In addition, stone has a stronger vibration damping than the commonly used metallic materials. Finally, stone is an electrical insulator, so that consequently no corrosion occurs. The material stone can be machined very precisely, so that a qualitatively very high accuracy of the geometry of the support element can be achieved.

From a commercial point of view, advantages also arise for the printing machine because of the features according to the invention, since elaborate surface finishing for protection and / or aesthetic reasons, for example by means of coatings or with paint, is not required. In fact, the manufacturing costs for comparable components made of metallic materials can be significantly higher than those made of stone, since machining, measurements, tests or assembly for components made of metallic materials can be more complex.

In the printing machine according to the invention, the stone support element can apply the necessary for the positioning of the at least one part of the printing unit in space bearing forces and / or a compensating force acting on the part gravitational force to the main part or whole. In other words, the support element is primarily used to build or fix the printing unit of the printing press according to the invention.

In some of the embodiments of the printing press according to the invention, a plurality of printing units can be accommodated in the support element. Further, or alternatively, the machine support structure may include a plurality of support members made of stone.

The one or more support members are made according to the invention of a monoblock or a monolith. In particular, the monoblock (also referred to as a single block), such as a wall, in particular a side wall of a printing press, can be set up vertically. In particular, in these embodiments, the monoblock is used to accommodate all printing units in series, in particular in the horizontal direction. Advantageously, in such an embodiment, table blocks and / or traverses can be dispensed with, so that a cost advantage, in particular during production, and a simplified transport result. At best, the monoblock can rest on separate feet, base profiles or the like. It should be emphasized that a different expansion behavior of metallic and mineral materials in the monoblock construction is of no importance insofar as only mineral materials are arranged in the longitudinal direction, while metallic components extend transversely to the monoblock. Due to missing metal connections in the longitudinal direction unwanted changes in length or strains are avoided.

In particular, the stone-made support element of the printing press according to the invention may be a base frame, a machine frame, a machine foundation, a base plate, a base unit, a printing unit frame, a printing unit lower part, a side wall, a side wall, a side frame, a support wall, a portal support or a connection profile.

In the printing press of the invention, the stone is a natural stone. In other words, the support element is made of a naturally occurring stone. In particular, the natural stone may be a igneous rock, a plutonic rock, a gangue, an effusion rock or a transformation rock. The natural stone is preferably a granite, a granitic rock, a granite porphyry Gneiss or a marble. In particularly advantageous embodiments, the natural stone is a black granite, a gabbro or an impala granite.

Particularly preferred is the Impala granite: The expansion coefficient of Impala granite is only about 0.2 times that of cast steel.

The printing machine according to the invention can be a web-processing printing press, in particular for label printing. The web-processing printing machine can have a winding for the printed substrate web. The printing press can be a narrow web press. The printing material web may be below 550 mm wide, in particular below 340 mm, even below 285 mm.

Alternatively, the printing press according to the invention may be a sheet-fed printing press. A sheet-fed printing machine having a feeder, a plurality of printing units (typically 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 printing units, in particular offset printing units) and a boom. The sheet-processing printing press can be a perfecting press (reversing machine).

In a preferred embodiment, the printing press is a label printing machine. The printing machine may be suitable for the production of self-adhesive labels.
In particular, the label printing machine can have individual features and feature combinations, as described in the document WO 2005/028202 A1 are disclosed.

The printing machine can be an offset printing machine or at least one offset printing unit, also with several other printing units that work according to other printing methods (hybrid printing press).

A preferred embodiment of the printing machine according to the invention, in particular a label printing machine, has a plurality of printing units which (partially or all of them) operate according to different printing methods from one another. The various printing methods may include one or more of the following printing methods: flexographic, gravure, letterpress, letterpress, direct or indirect lithographic, lithographic, offset, waterless offset, cold foil stamping, hot foil stamping, inkjet, liquid toner, screen, xerographic.

It is particularly advantageous if the printing machine, in particular label printing machine, can be converted between different printing methods, by partially or completely printing unit of a first printing process of a separation point with the rest of the printing press - and possibly also the remainder of the Printing unit - removed and partially or completely replaced by a recorded at the separation point printing unit of a second printing process.

The printing machine according to the invention may have the features mentioned individually or in combination. The printing machine according to the invention can furthermore or alternatively have the following features individually or in combinations: The printing length and / or the printing width of the printing press can be variable. The printing press may have a modular construction for a plurality of printing units. Each of the plurality of printing units of the printing press according to the invention may have a supporting structure with at least one supporting element made of stone. The printing units of the printing press according to the invention can be arranged in a row construction essentially in the horizontal direction. The printing units can be driven separately by individual drives.

Figur 1

eine Maschinentragkonstruktion aus steinernen Tragelementen einer bevorzugten Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäßen Druckmaschine,

Figur 2

eine Ansicht von der Antriebsseite der Ausführungsform gemäß Figur 1,

Figur 3

eine Ansicht der Ausführungsform gemäß Figur 1 von vom,

Figur 4

eine Ansicht der Ausführungsform gemäß Figur 1 von der Seite,

Figur 5

eine bevorzugte Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäßen Druckmaschine mit einer Maschinentragkonstruktion gemäß der Figur 1,

Figur 6

eine Ansicht der in der Figur 5 gezeigten Etikettendruckmaschine von vom, und

Figur 7

eine schematische Ansicht einer alternativen Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäßen Druckmaschine.

Further advantages and advantageous embodiments and developments of the invention will be made with reference to the following description with reference to the accompanying figures. It shows in detail:

FIG. 1

a machine support structure of stone support elements of a preferred embodiment of a printing press according to the invention,

FIG. 2

a view from the drive side of the embodiment according to FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3

a view of the embodiment according to FIG. 1 from, from,

FIG. 4

a view of the embodiment according to FIG. 1 of the page,

FIG. 5

a preferred embodiment of a printing machine according to the invention with a machine support structure according to the FIG. 1 .

FIG. 6

a view of the in the FIG. 5 shown label printing machine of, and

FIG. 7

a schematic view of an alternative embodiment of a printing machine according to the invention.

The FIG. 1 shows a machine support structure 12 of stone support elements of a preferred embodiment of a printing machine 10 according to the invention (see FIG. 5 ) in a view from the operating side. This embodiment belongs to the first group of embodiments in which natural stone is used. The machine support structure 12 has a support member 14 made of stone, also referred to as a gantry support, which serves to receive printing units (here by way of example four, for standard four-color printing) and further components, in particular web guide rollers. For this purpose, the support element 14 has a number of shaft bores 16 each arranged in groups for the individual printing units, and furthermore roller bores 18. The printing units 30 are arranged horizontally in a row construction. Also, the main components of the frame of the machine support structure 12 on which the support member 14 rests is made of stone in this embodiment. The frame comprises a left side cheek 20, a right side cheek 22 and two connecting profiles 24. In the preferred embodiment, the stone Impala granite is used. The machine support structure 12 rests on adjustable feet 26. In the in the FIG. 1 shown view, a cable bridge 28 can be seen behind the support member 14, which simultaneously represents another connection profile of the machine support structure 12.

The FIG. 2 FIG. 12 is a view from the drive side of the embodiment of the machine support structure 12 according to FIG FIG. 1 , On the support member 14 are from this page separate drive units for each of the printing units 30 (see FIG. 5 ) attached. The rotatably mounted drive shafts of the printing units 30 then pass through the shaft bores 16 in which they are received by means of bearing elements (in this case roller bearings). On each of the shaft journal tools of the respective printing process, after the printing unit works, be put on. In the FIG. 2 The left side cheek 20, the right side cheek 22, the connecting profiles 24, the adjustable feet 26 and the cable bridge 28 can also be seen. The rollers for web guide rotatably received in the roller bores 18 are not driven.

The FIG. 3 is an illustration of the embodiment of the printing machine 10 according to the invention FIG. 1 from the. The support element 14 with the shaft bores 16 and roller bores 18 is connected, inter alia, by means of angle pieces 32 with the left and right side cheek 20,22. With the connection profiles 24 a stable frame of the machine support structure 12 is formed.

In the FIG. 4 the machine support structure 12 of the printing machine 10 according to the invention is shown in a view from the right side. Of the machine support structure 12, the support member 14 and the right side cheek 22, which rests on adjustable feet 26 can be seen. The connection profiles 24 are received in recesses 34 of the right side cheek 22. The cable bridge 28 has a U-shaped profile.

The FIG. 5 shows a preferred embodiment of a printing press 10 according to the invention with a machine support structure 12 according to the FIG. 1 , This embodiment is a web-processing printing machine, a label printing machine. The stone elements and components of a label printing machine are preferably made of natural stone, in particular granite. The machine support structure 12 with the already using the FIGS. 1 to 4 explained components support member 14, left side cheek 20, right side cheek 22 and connecting profiles 24 forms a support for a processing part or printing part of the printing machine 10, in which a not shown here printing material (a substrate), the path of which runs over web guide rollers 36 through the machine processed becomes. The processing part comprises four printing units 30, which are accommodated on the support element 14. The printing units 30 of the embodiment shown are on the one hand format variable, in particular variable printing lengths can be generated by using cylinders of different circumferential lengths, on the other hand can be converted between different printing methods. In particular, between Flexographic and gravure printing can be changed by simply modifying components of the printing units. Even screen printing can be used by simple conversion. A printing unit 30 can also be completely replaced by a stamping plant or a stamping plant, in particular a hot foil stamping machine. The punching or embossing is then by the in relation to the FIG. 2 already mentioned separate drive the replaced printing unit 30 operated.

Upstream of the machining part is a machine inlet part 38, which has a first, made of stone support wall 40. Downstream of the processing part is a machine outlet part 42, which has a second, made of stone support wall 44. An essential functionality of the machine entry part 38 is the processing of a printing material web to be printed on a roll. For this purpose, a processing device 46 is provided. Furthermore, the machine inlet part 38 comprises a discharge device 48. The machine outlet part 42 comprises a winding device 50 for the processed (in particular printed) printing material web on a roll. For the production of labels in addition to the printing of the substrate and a cutting of the individual labels is required. For this purpose, the printing machine has a cutting device 52, are separated in the nip of the remaining on the carrier web of the substrate labels of the web of the lattice-shaped cut remnants. This web of cut remnants is wound on a reel in a rewind unit 54 which has a support wall 56 made of stone and a winding shaft 58.

In the FIG. 6 is the one in the FIG. 5 shown preferred embodiment of the printing machine 10, the label printing machine with support elements made of natural stone, from to see. For an explanation of the cited references, reference is made to the two preceding paragraphs of this presentation.

The FIG. 7 schematically shows a view of an alternative embodiment of a printing machine 10 according to the invention. In this embodiment, it is a sheet-fed offset printing machine for four-color printing in a row construction. The Printing machine is modular and includes a feeder 60, four printing units 30 and a boom 62. Arches are separated from a feeder stack 64 fed to the printing machine 10 for processing and stored after drying in the boom on a delivery stack 66. According to the invention, the side walls 68 of the printing units 30 and corresponding components of the support structure of the printing units 30 are manufactured as support elements 14 in stone. In embodiments of sheet-fed printing presses according to the invention, preference is given to using artificial stone, in particular concrete, since a shape corresponding to the application can already be made during the technical production of the artificial stone. Also, for a sheet-fed press in comparison to embodiments of label printing machine usually a large variety of holes, recesses, projections and the like in the side walls 68 are required, which are in an artificial stone, especially in the concrete material, easier than in a natural stone feasible. The support structures of feeder 60 and boom 62 may be made of stone, in particular artificial stone, preferably concrete. Individual functional components of the printing press, in particular the components of the printing units, however, can be made of metallic materials. To counteract a different thermal expansion behavior of the materials used, devices for mechanical compensation adjustment of components of the printing unit are provided in the printing press according to the invention, here the embodiment of a sheet-processing offset printing machine, so that the precisely desired position of the components to each other in function of temperature is reached automatically.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

press

12

Machine support structure

14

supporting member

16

shaft bore

18

roller bore

20

left side cheek

22

right side cheek

24

connection profile

26

Adjustable foot

28

cable bridge

30

printing unit

32

elbow

34

recess

36

Web guide rollers

38

Machine infeed part

40

first supporting wall

42

Machine outlet part

44

second supporting wall

46

handling facility

48

discharger

50

reeling

52

cutter

54

winding unit

56

retaining wall

58

winding shaft

60

investor

62

boom

64

feeder pile

66

delivery pile

68

Side wall

Claims (9)

1. Printing press (10) including a machine-supporting structure (12) that comprises a supporting element (14), and at least one printing unit (30), at least part of which is received in the supporting element (14) by means of a bearing element,
   characterized in
   that the machine-supporting structure (12) includes a plurality of supporting elements (14), each of which is made of a mono-block of natural rock.
2. Printing press (10) according to Claim 1,
   characterized in
   that the natural rock is an eruptive rock, an intrusive rock, a dyke rock, an extrusive rock, or a metamorphic rock.
3. Printing press (10) according to Claim 1,
   characterized in
   that the natural rock is granite, a granite-type rock, porphyroid granite, a gneissic rock, or marble.
4. Printing press (10) according to Claim 1,
   characterized in
   that the natural rock is a black granite, gabbro, or impala granite.
5. Printing press (10) according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in
   that the supporting element (14) made of rock provides the supporting forces required to spatially position the at least one part of the printing unit (30) and/or a compensatory force to the force of gravity acting on the part.
6. Printing press (10) according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in
   that a plurality of entire printing units (30) is received in the supporting element (14).
7. Printing press (10) according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in
   that a respective printing unit (30) is received on one side in the supporting element (14).
8. Printing press (10) according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in
   that the supporting element (14) is a base frame, a machine frame, a machine base, a base plate, a basic unit, a printing unit frame, a printing unit base portion, a side panel (20, 22), a side wall (68), a side frame, a supporting wall (40, 44), a gantry or a connecting profile (24).
9. Printing press (10) according to claim 1,
   characterized in
   that a plurality of entire printing units (30) is received on one side in the supporting element (14).

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