EP2130680B1 - Printing press and method for printing print goods - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a printing press with a base frame, at least two processing stations, of which at least one is a digital printing station, and a plurality of print media carriers, which are movable relative to the processing stations, according to the preamble of patent claim 1.

The invention further relates to a method for printing on printed products, according to the preamble of claim 13.

Printing machines of the type described above are used in particular for printing on textiles, but also on other materials, such as leather, imitations of leather, carpets and other flat goods. The printing presses are usually designed like a carousel and have a plurality of printing stations, which are arranged in a circle around a central base. A certain number of Druckgutträgern is rotatably mounted about a machine axis. For printing a printed material, such as a T-shirt, this is clamped on a Druckgutträger, which is then moved to apply different colors of printing station to printing station. Such printing machines are also referred to as carousel printing machines.

To increase the flexibility of such a printing machine, it is already known to provide one or more digital printing stations in addition to screen printing stations to make a flexible change or adaptation of an imprint.

Such a printing press goes out of the EP 1 764 217 A1 out. In this printing machine several Druckgutträger are mounted in a star shape on a turntable. Several screen printing stations and at least one digital printing station are also arranged in a star shape, with the screen printing stations are attached to a printing plate, while the digital printing station is mounted directly on the ground.

Another printing press is out of the EP 1 726 444 A1 known. The printing machine is designed as a printing carousel with a plurality of radial arms for receiving the objects to be printed and a corresponding number of workstations. At least one workstation is equipped with a support structure for a color digital plotter, which is radially movable.

The known analog printing machines are provided in particular for printing large batches with the same motifs. By replacing the stencils, it is possible to make changes or adjustments of an imprint, but a comprehensive change of the motif requires a retooling of the printing machine, which is associated with a considerable expenditure of time and corresponding costs.

A generic method is from the EP 1 905 604 A1 known.

The invention has for its object to provide a printing press and a method for printing on printed products, which are particularly flexible.

The object is achieved according to the invention by a printing machine having the features of claim 1 and by a method having the features of claim 13. Preferred embodiments are given in the dependent claims.

The printing machine according to the invention is characterized in that the base frame has a plurality of receiving areas for receiving the processing stations, that the receiving areas have at least one first connection device for releasably attaching a processing station and connecting for data and / or energy transfer and that the processing stations are modular, each with a connection area are formed, which has at least one second connection means which corresponds to the first connection means.

A basic idea of the invention lies in the fact that the processing stations are designed as modules which can be connected to different positions of the printing press. The processing stations can therefore also be referred to as processing modules. For flexible connection of the processing modules of the base frame of the printing machine is equipped with a plurality of first connection and / or coupling devices. Each editing module comes with one corresponding, fitted to the first connection and / or coupling means second connection and / or coupling device equipped.

The modularity makes it possible to quickly and easily adapt the printing press to a new printing task and redesign accordingly. This transformation can consist, for example, in the replacement, addition or removal of individual modules, but also in the change of the order of the modules. Preferably, it is possible according to the invention to connect any processing station to any receiving area.

The connection devices are preferably designed so that the processing stations can be mechanically fixed, but releasably connected to the base frame. In addition, it is advantageous if the processing stations can be connected to a central power supply and / or control unit. For a particularly simple and rapid insertion of the processing stations in the receiving areas, it is particularly preferred that with the manufacture of the mechanical connection and the connection for data and / or energy transfer, in particular substantially simultaneously, can be produced.

A particularly flexible printing machine is achieved in that the receiving areas and / or the connecting areas are each formed the same. This is to be understood in particular as meaning that the first connection devices and the second connection devices are each of the same design. In one embodiment, both receiving and connecting areas and / or their connection devices are each designed the same. However, it is also conceivable that only the receiving areas and / or first connecting devices are designed identically and that the connecting areas and / or second connecting devices are designed differently. In this case, the first connection devices preferably have different first connections, wherein at least one first connection corresponds to at least one second connection of a second connection device. For example, connections for different types of modules, for example analog and digital modules, may be provided at the first connection devices.

According to the invention, at least one digital processing station is provided, which is preferably a printing station. To the application of the printing press and to further increase the design possibilities of the printing, it is particularly preferred that at least one processing station, a pre-treatment station, a cooling station, a drying station, a primer station and / or a station for applying an adhesive is. A pretreatment station may be provided, for example, for a primer or heat treatment. Also, the application of an adhesive or adhesive may be provided to apply in a subsequent station fibers, flakes or other coatings. In the cooling station, which is preferably arranged behind a primer station or a printing station, the applied primer or ink is rapidly dried by lowering the temperature, so that subsequently the printed material can be printed or further processed. A station for impregnation can also be provided.

A particularly preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the print substrate are circumferentially movable and linearly movable in the region of the processing stations. Such a printing machine can also be referred to as a linear printing machine. According to the linear promotion of Druckgutträger the processing stations are linear, so arranged in a row next to each other. The linear arrangement makes it possible for the stations to be positioned comparatively close to one another, which is not possible to the same extent in the case of a carousel printing press because of the geometric conditions. The printing machine is thus more compact and space-saving design and requires in particular a smaller footprint than known printing machines. Another advantage of the linear printing machine is that the adjacent processing stations are all accessible from one side, which greatly increases the ease of use, especially with regard to the replacement of processing modules. Also, the frame may be formed so that it can be extended as desired by connecting further frame segments and the printing line can be extended.

Due to the linear movement of the print substrate, the printing press can also be operated in a continuous operating mode, that is to say with a uniform movement of the print substrate without image distortions, for example due to a circular movement of the print substrate. On the whole, continuous operation increases the productivity of the machine.

A particularly preferred embodiment of the invention is given by the fact that the Druckgutträger are tilted. The print substrates, which have a substantially flat shape of a planar surface, can in particular be pivoted from their substantially horizontal orientation into a substantially vertical orientation. The space required for the Druckgutträger can thereby be significantly reduced. According to the invention, it is particularly preferred that the print substrate can be conveyed vertically tilted in at least one area of the printing press, in particular in a return area.

A preferred further development of the printing press is that a drying channel is provided, through which the print substrate can be moved. The drying channel can serve, for example, the final drying of the printed material after the last printing station. The drying channel is preferably designed so that several Druckgutträger find space here at the same time. However, in order to keep the printing machine as compact as possible, the drying channel can be designed so that the print media can be conveyed meandering horizontally or vertically through the drying channel. A preferred embodiment is given by the fact that the Druckgutträger be conducted in the manner of a paternoster through the dry area. This is particularly space-saving.

It is particularly preferred if a conveying speed of the print substrate in the drying channel can be set independently of a conveying speed of the print substrate in at least one processing station. If the conveying speed in the drying channel is adjustable, this can also serve as a buffer. A delay in a drying station upstream processing station can thus be compensated in the drying channel, so that the delay on a drying channel downstream station, such as a station for removal of the printed matter, has no effect.

A further preferred development of the invention is given by the fact that a parking station is provided for the print substrate. The parking station can also serve as a buffer station. In the parking station, the print media can be stored temporarily. In principle, the parking station can be provided at any position. However, it is particularly preferred that the parking station is arranged in a return transport section of the printing press, in which the print substrate in one of Conveying direction in the processing stations opposite direction can be transported. In this return transport section, the print substrate can be transported in particular from a last processing station back to a first processing station. Also, in the return transport section, a loading section and a removal section may be provided, in which the printing material to be stocked with the material to be printed or the goods to be printed are deducted from the Druckgutträgern.

In principle, it is possible to arrange the print substrate in the parking station as desired. However, it is particularly preferred that the print product carriers in the parking station can be stacked horizontally or vertically. As a result, the space required for the print substrate is low and the parking station can be compact. For stacking the Druckgutträger these can be arranged directly to each other or side by side. A particularly practical parking station, however, is characterized by the fact that a magazine with compartments for the print substrate is provided. The compartments can be moved horizontally or vertically. In particular, the magazine can also be designed in the form of a revolver or paternoster, that is to say a magazine with peripheral compartments.

According to the invention, it is also advantageous if the print substrate after a removal area in which the printed matter are taken from the Druckgutträgern, are moved into the parking station and re-applying a printed material to a placement area can be fed. The parking station makes it possible to provide a large number of Druckgutträgern, the number of which may be greater than the number of processing stations and / or receiving areas in particular. By arranged between removal area and placement area parking area for the Druckgutträger example, varying speeds can be compensated for the removal or placement, so that the parking station acts as a buffer.

Furthermore, it is preferred that a conveying device for conveying the print substrate is provided by the processing stations and that at least one Druckgutträger is releasably secured to the conveyor. In principle, it is possible to provide a circulation conveyor, for example a chain conveyor, which conveys the print media carrier horizontally. It is preferred, however, that the conveyor is designed so that the Druckgutträger mounted before a first processing station on the conveyor, conveyed linearly by the conveyor and after a last Processing station can be removed from the conveyor. There may be several such linear conveyor, such as roller conveyors, arranged over the corner, so that the entire conveyor itself is still circulating.

Preferably, the Druckgutträger can be locked to the conveyor. For locking fixation elements, such as pins, notches, protrusions or other locking means may be provided on the conveyor and / or the Druckgutträgern. In a preferred embodiment, the print media can be attached to the conveyor at a variety of positions, in particular with different distances from each other, and lockable. The conveyor may be, for example, a circulating chain, in which the Druckgutträger can be mounted. It is also conceivable to provide a belt conveyor, similar to a conveyor belt, on which the print substrate can be placed. Finally, a roller conveyor with a variety of roles and a guide device for the print substrate is possible. The print media lie with their underside on the conveyor. But it is also a laterally cantilever bracket possible.

A further improvement of the flexibility of the printing press is inventively achieved in that the base frame is approximately rectangular in plan and constructed of segments. The segments, which may also be referred to as frame modules, allow adjustment in terms of the size of the printing press. Preferably, each segment of the base frame has at least one receiving area for a processing station. The approximately rectangular floor plan of the base frame is in terms of space requirements of the printing press advantage.

The inventive method is defined in claim 13. The movement of the Druckgutträgers may be continuous or intermittent.

The method is characterized in particular by the fact that the number of print media is variable. This increases the flexibility of the printing press, since, for example, a large number of print media can already be equipped and kept ready before a printing process. The machine utilization can be increased thereby.

Fig. 1

eine Aufsicht auf eine erfindungsgemäße Druckmaschine und

Fig. 2

eine Ansicht einer ersten Anschlusseinrichtung eines Aufnahmebereiches für die Daten- und/oder Energieübertragung zu einer Bearbeitungsstation.

The invention will be further described with reference to a preferred embodiment, which is schematically dargstellt in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings show:

Fig. 1

a plan view of a printing press according to the invention and

Fig. 2

a view of a first connection means of a receiving area for the data and / or energy transfer to a processing station.

Fig. 1 shows in a highly abstract manner, a printing press 10 according to the invention. The printing press 10 has a plurality of print media 20, which may also be referred to as pallets. The print substrate 20 are substantially flat and have a flat surface. For mounting a textile, such as a T-shirt, the printing material 20 are designed cantilevered. The printing machine 10 further has a plurality of processing stations 30, which are arranged in a line one behind the other. The processing stations 30 are designed as processing modules, which can be arranged and secured at different positions of the printing press 10. For this purpose, a plurality of preferably identically formed receiving areas 12 are provided on a base frame 11 of the printing press 10, to which the processing stations 30 can be connected.

Depending on the task, different processing stations are required. In the embodiment shown, a pretreatment station 31 is used in a first receiving area 12, for example for chemical pretreatment, for example for removing stains or for heat treatment. At a second receiving area, a cooling station 32 is arranged. In the embodiment shown, a primer station 33 is further provided, with which, for example, a white primer can be applied to the print material. The primer station may be, for example, a digital printing station with one or more printheads. Behind the primer station 33, a further cooling station 32 is provided. To apply of the actual printing, at least one digital printing station 34 is connected to a further recording area 12. This preferably has at least four print heads for applying a four-color print. Each printhead uses one of the four standard basic colors cyan, magenta, yellow and key (so-called CMYK color model). The print heads of the printing stations 34 can be linear, in particular transversely to the direction of movement of the print substrate 20, be moved. In particular, due to the linear movement of the print media, but it is also possible that one or more pressure bar with a plurality of fixed nozzles, which extend over the entire width of the printed material to be printed, are arranged. In the arrangement of a pressure bar, it is possible in a particularly simple manner, the print substrate continuously, so not in the start-stop operation to promote through the processing stations. Alternatively, however, a plurality of digital printing stations 34 can be provided in succession, each of which can apply a color or pre-mixed colors, so-called SPOT colors.

For conveying the printing material 20 through the processing stations 30, a conveyor 40, which may also be referred to as a pallet conveyor, is provided. In the illustrated embodiment, the conveyor 40 is designed so that the print media 20 are conveyed linearly. The conveyor 40 extends from before the first processing station 30 to behind the last processing station 30. For positionally accurate fixation of the printing material 20 on the conveyor 40, the printing material 20 can be locked to the conveyor 40.

Furthermore, a removal area 50, a parking station 60 and a placement area 70 are arranged on the printing press 10. In the removal area, the printed matter can be deducted from the print media 20. The parking station 60 is used for intermediate storage of the print substrate 20, for which purpose the most space-saving arrangement of the print substrate 20 is provided. In the embodiment shown, the print substrates 20 are arranged in a vertical orientation. The parking station 60 also serves as a buffer between removal and placement area.

The following describes a printing procedure. First, a print material is applied to a print substrate 20 in a placement area 70. Thereafter, the Druckgutträger 20 is placed with the applied pressure on the conveyor 40 and locked there. After passing through the processing stations 30 of the Print substrate 20 lifted from the conveyor 40 and brought into the removal area 50, where the print material is withdrawn from the print substrate 20. Finally, the print substrate 20 is moved to the parking station 60. To re-load a Druckgutträgers 20 this is taken from the parking station 60 and brought to the assembly area 70 again.

In Fig. 2 is greatly simplified a connection device 13 of a receiving area 12 is shown. For connecting a digital processing station 30, a digital connection 14 is provided. For connection to an analog processing station, such as an adhesive application station, an analog port 16 is provided. For the mechanical attachment of the processing station 30 to the receiving area 12, a coupling device 18 is further provided, which corresponds to a corresponding coupling device at the processing station 30.

Overall, a particularly high flexibility, both in terms of the size of the machine as well as the stations to be arranged is provided by the printing press according to the invention. Taking into account the procedural chronology, for example, pretreatment, such as precoating, drying, Dessinierung - digital or / and analog - drying, cooling, adhesive application, flocculation, the printing press according to the invention can be configured as required by the customer. Due to its modularity, the press can later be upgraded from an entry-level model to a full-featured professional system.

Claims (13)

1. Printing machine comprising

   - a base frame (11),

   - at least two processing stations (30), of which at least one is a digital printing station, and

   - several print object supports (20), which can be moved relative to the processing stations (30),

   characterized in that
   the base frame (11) has several receiving areas (12) for receiving the processing stations (30),
   the receiving areas (12) have at least one first connecting means (13) for detachably fastening a processing station (30) and for connection for data and/or power transmission and
   the processing stations (30) are of modular design having a joining area each, which has at least one second connecting means corresponding with the first connecting means (13).
2. Printing machine according to claim 1,
   characterized in that
   the receiving areas (12) and/or the joining areas each have the same design.
3. Printing machine according to one of the claims 1 or 2,
   characterized in that
   at least one processing station (30) is a pre-treatment station (31), a cooling station (32), a drying station, a priming station (33) and/or a station for applying an adhesive.
4. Printing machine according to one of the claims 1 to 3,
   characterized in that
   the print object supports (20) can be moved in a circulating manner and in the area of the processing stations (30) in a linear manner.
5. Printing machine according to one of the claims 1 to 4,
   characterized in that
   the print object supports (20) can be tilted.
6. Printing machine according to one of the claims 1 to 5,
   characterized in that
   a drying channel is provided, through which the print object supports (20) can be moved.
7. Printing machine according to claim 6,
   characterized in that
   a conveying speed of the print object supports (20) in the drying channel can be set independently of a conveying speed of the print object supports (20) in at least one processing station (30).
8. Printing machine according to one of the claims 1 to 7,
   characterized in that
   a parking station (60) for the print object supports (20) is provided.
9. Printing machine according to claim 8,
   characterized in that
   the print object supports (20) can be stacked horizontally or vertically in the parking station (60).
10. Printing machine according to claim 8 or 9,
    characterized in that
    following a removal area (50) in which the print objects (20) are removed from the print object supports (20), the print object supports can be moved into the parking station (60) and delivered to a loading area (70) for renewed application of a print object.
11. Printing machine according to one of the claims 1 to 10,
    characterized in that
    a conveying means (40) for conveying the print object supports (20) through the processing stations (30) is provided and
    in that at least one print object support (20) is detachably fastened on the conveying means (40).
12. Printing machine according to one of the claims 1 to 11,
    characterized in that
    the base frame (11) is approximately rectangular in ground plan and consists of segments.
13. Method for printing print objects with a printing machine
    in which a print object is applied onto a print object support (20),
    the print object support (20) is moved linearly through several processing stations (30), of which at least one is a digital printing station,
    the print object is removed from the print object support (20), characterized in that
    the printing machine is a printing machine according to one of the claims 1 to 11 and
    the print object support (20) is moved into a parking station (60) for temporary parking and is moved out of the said parking station (60) for renewed application of a print object.

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