EP3527388B1 - Method and device for printing one or more uses of a sheet-like substrate to be processed - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a method for printing one or more panels to be printed on a sheet-like substrate to be processed. The invention also relates to a device for carrying out the method.

Devices for printing on an arcuate substrate are known. In the production of security documents, in particular passports, sheets are used in the production process, from which so-called benefits are separated after printing. Each benefit forms an independent security document or a part of it. A bow can contain a variety of uses. It is possible that only individual uses of the sheet have to be individualized and / or printed in a personalized manner. In the example of the German passport, personalized data or information such as place of residence, size, eye color or the name of the order or artist are printed on (paper) page one under numbers 11 to 14. The passport book pages of the visa sheet remain largely print-free and only individual passport book pages are provided with a personalized or individualized print.

It has therefore proven to be time-consuming to feed the complete visa sheet to a printing device for printing on a front side, to turn it over and then to print it again on its rear side. Because of the transportation The complete visa sheet also requires a lot of space. The alignment of the large visa sheet for printing is inaccurate.

the DE 10 2015 219 742 A1 describes a method according to the preamble of claim 1 and a device for producing book-like identification documents according to the preamble of claim 6, wherein the sheet-shaped substrate is cut into individual copies before the individual visa pages are individually printed. A printing on both sides of the isolated visa pages is in the device of DE 10 2015 219 742 A1 not intended but desirable.

DE 10 2015 202995 A1 also describes a device and a method for producing a passport, the device being divided into two parts of the installation. The visa sheets are first printed by means of the printing device and then cut by means of the cutting device, printing on both sides not being provided.

the DE 10 2013 104 745 A1 describes a method and a device for producing a security document consisting of several layers. The printed product is arranged on a printed sheet, printed and later separated into individual copies in a cutting machine.

In the U.S. 5,531,429 A describes an apparatus and a method for variable printing and optional binding of sheets, wherein variable sets of information are printed on a plurality of sheets, the printed sheets are arranged in a sequence and assembled into a stack.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a method and a device which overcome the disadvantages resulting from the above prior art.

• Zuführen des zu verarbeitenden bogenförmigen Substrats an eine Schneideinrichtung;
• Zuschneiden des bogenförmigen Substrats auf einzelne Nutzen;
• Vereinzeln oder Trennen des zu bedruckenden Nutzens von einem oder von mehreren nicht zu bedruckenden Nutzen;
• Zuführen des zu bedruckenden Nutzens an eine Druckeinrichtung;
• Bedrucken des zu bedruckenden Nutzens auf einer ersten Nutzenseite; und
• Zusammentragen des bedruckten zu bedruckenden Nutzens mit dem einen oder den mehreren nicht zu bedruckenden Nutzen.

The object relating to the method is achieved with a method according to the set of features of claim 1. In particular, it includes the following steps:

• Feeding the sheet-shaped substrate to be processed to a cutting device;
• Cutting the sheet substrate to individual panels;
• Isolation or separation of the benefit to be printed from one or more copies not to be printed;
• Feeding the benefit to be printed to a printing device;
• Printing the benefit to be printed on a first benefit side; and
• Gathering the printed benefit to be printed with the one or more benefits not to be printed.

This process has the advantage that now only the use of the visa sheet that is to be individualized or personalized needs to be printed. Much less space is required for the printing process. Only individual passport book pages of the ID, value or security document are to be processed; consequently, a complete sheet no longer needs to be printed and / or turned over in order to print it again. During the printing process itself, a more exact alignment can be achieved through the previous exact cut according to cut marks on the arcuate substrate to be processed.

• Wenden des zu bedruckenden Nutzens; und
• Bedrucken des zu bedruckenden Nutzens auf einer zweiten Nutzenseite.

According to the invention, it is provided that after the printing of the first sheet side of the sheet to be printed, the following steps follow:

• Turning the panel to be printed; and
• Printing of the panel to be printed on a second panel side.

Since only the individual panels to be printed have to be turned over and no longer the entire sheet, this also enables a very short process time to be achieved in the manufacturing process.

According to the invention, it is provided that the first utility side is printed with a first printing unit, that the utility to be printed is turned over with a turning unit, and that the second utility side is printed with a second printing unit. This also makes it possible to achieve a fast throughput time for printing a panel to be printed on the front and back. In addition, only the visa page to be printed is precisely aligned and carried out under two printers, whereby it is turned over before the second print. The use of two printing units also offers a faster process cycle.

The possibility is opened that the printing units have print heads arranged statically with respect to a rail track, and that during the printing process the feed to be printed takes place by adjusting the panel pick-up.

A further advantageous embodiment is characterized in that several sheet-shaped substrates are provided in a magazine, and that a sheet feeder, in particular a gripping and / or suction device designed for separating sheet-shaped substrates, removes the sheet-shaped substrate to be processed from the magazine and feeds it to a cutting device. According to the "one-piece-flow" concept, a fast throughput time can be achieved for the entire processing process of the ID, value or security document.

In order to generate additional time savings, it has proven to be useful if the one or more copies that are not to be printed are brought together to form a stack of copies that are not to be printed. The security document can be produced particularly quickly if the items that are not to be printed are gathered together during (“simultaneously”) the printing of the items to be printed.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the stack of copies not to be printed is fed to a gathering station. The printed to be printed Use is also added to the gathering station. The stack of copies not to be printed and the one or more printed copies to be printed are then brought together. This creates a "booklet" on passport book pages, which are possibly connected to one another with a seam.

The object relating to the device is achieved by a device with the set of features of claim 6.

In particular, it has a cutting device for cutting to size a sheet-shaped substrate that has a plurality of panels and is to be processed. In addition, a separating device is provided for separating or separating one or more copies to be printed from one or more copies not to be printed. It has a printing device for printing the utility to be printed on a first utility side and has a gathering station for collating the printed utility to be printed with the one or more not to be printed utility. With such a device, the manufacturing process of an identity document, value document or security document can be shortened enormously. In addition, the manufacturing process is less prone to errors, since during the printing process, instead of a sheet-like substrate, only the individual panels to be printed are processed or processed.

According to the invention, the printing device comprises a first printing unit for printing the first utility side and a turning unit for turning over the utility to be printed. The turning unit is preferably designed as a gripper which, like the fingers of a hand, can turn the one-sided printed product. The second utility side can also be printed by means of the first printing unit of the printing device. The gripper can be designed to grasp and turn the panel to be printed in its edge area.

However, in order to be able to achieve a shortened throughput time for a plurality of passport books, it is provided according to the invention that the printing device a second printing unit for printing the second utility side of the utility to be printed.

In a further embodiment, the printing device has a rail track with utility receivers that can be moved thereon. These panel receivers are designed to receive the panel or panels to be printed and to provide or feed them to the printing unit. The panel receivers are preferably designed to receive the panels to be printed by generating a negative pressure. The term rail track encompasses all possible structures, in particular also structures that are not only circular but, for example, elliptical or oval. It is only important that the rail track runs along a closed trajectory and is thus formed as a closed rail track. Such a transport system is known as an XTS system (XTS = "extended transport system"). The utility receivers can be adjusted, for example, by an electric drive which is advantageously arranged in the rail track or assigned to it. In addition, the rail track can also be assigned a position detection unit for detecting the positions of the individual benefit receivers.

The speed of the printing process can be increased if the speed and / or the direction of travel of the individual blank holders can be controlled individually. This makes it possible to reduce the speed of individual benefit recipients, for example when actually printing or when picking up or storing the copies to be printed - possibly to a standstill - and then accelerating it again, while the other recipients continue to move without braking. It has also proven to be particularly advantageous if the direction in which the use receptacles are adjusted can be changed individually, so that some of the use receptacles can be moved in one direction and others in the opposite direction. However, it must be ensured here that there is no collision between the benefit receivers traveling in opposite directions.

In order to achieve particularly simple handling of the items to be printed, it has also proven useful if the item pickups are designed as suction grippers. In this way, the copies to be printed can easily be picked up from a delivery station and stored in a gathering station.

A further advantageous embodiment of the device provides that the separating device is formed as a transfer device. This is designed to feed the copies to be printed to the printing device and to collect the one or more copies not to be printed into a stack of copies not to be printed. This transfer device can be formed, for example, as a suction gripper.

Another preferred embodiment of the device has a sheet feeder which is designed to remove the sheet-like material to be processed from a magazine and to feed it to the cutting device. As a result, a large number of security documents can be produced one after the other, so that a high flow rate can be achieved for the production process.

Fig. 1

ein Ausweis-, Wert- oder Sicherheitsdokument,

Fig. 2

ein System oder eine Vorrichtung zum Verarbeiten von Passbuchseiten eines Ausweis-, Wert- oder Sicherheitsdokuments; und

Fig. 3

eine Detailansicht einer Druckeinrichtung des Systems oder der Vorrichtung nach Figur 2.

In the following, the invention is explained in more detail using the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawing; show it:

Fig. 1

an ID, value or security document,

Fig. 2

a system or device for processing passport book pages of an identity document, value document or security document; and

Fig. 3

a detailed view of a printing device of the system or the device according to Figure 2 .

In Figure 1 a book-shaped identification, value or security document 100 is shown. The identity document, value document or security document 100 is, for example, an identification document, in particular a passport or an identity card.

The identification, value or security document 100 has a cover 102 and a passport book block 104 held in the cover 102. The passport book block 104 consists of a data card 106, several passport book pages 108, a cover sheet 110 and a lap band 112, which are connected to one another with a seam 114.

The data card 106 is a plastic or paper-based card on which personal and / or document-specific information is applied. For example, the data card 106 can have a passport picture 116 and personal information 118 of a user. The information 118 is preferably applied to the data card 106 in a machine-readable form. Furthermore, the data card 106 has a likewise machine-readable identification feature which the data card 106 uniquely identifies during the production process of the ID, value or security document 100. The data card 106 can furthermore have a chip in which personal and / or document-specific information can be stored. In particular, the chip has a secure memory area for storing the person-specific and / or document-specific information. Furthermore, the data card 106 can have visible and / or invisible security features that prevent the data card 106 from being forged.

A flexible tab 120 is provided on the data card 106 and is made from an endless belt. The endless belt consists of a fabric that is coated and / or sheathed with a flexible plastic material. The tab 120 is attached to the data card 106 in a form-fitting and / or material fit and is therefore part of the data card 106. Further security features can be provided on the tab 120.

The passport book pages 108 are each cut from a sheet, preferably a sheet of paper, and folded along their center line 122. The passport book pages 108 can be printed, for example with further personal and / or document-specific information, page numbers or other information. In the case of the German passport, these personal and / or document-specific data or information will be printed or applied under numbers 11 to 14 on the first or first passport book page 108. The passport book pages 108 can furthermore be prepared for the receipt of stamps, for example visa stamps. The passport book pages 108 also preferably contain security features which prevent the passport book pages 108 from being forged. The security features can, for example, be printed on, incorporated into passport book pages 108 or incorporated into them. For example, the passport book pages 108 contain a perforation, the perforation preferably tapering conically through the passport booklet pages 108.

The cover sheet 110 forms the outer end of the passport book block 104. The passport book block 104 is glued to the inside 126 of the cover 102 with the outside 124 of the cover sheet 110.

The lap band 112 serves to reinforce the seam area and is glued to the outside 124 of the cover sheet 110 before the passport book block 104 is sewn.

The present invention is concerned with the production of the passport book pages 108 of the identity document, value or security document 100. A substrate sheet has previously served as the basis for the production of the passport booklet pages 108, which was first printed on a first sheet side with a printing device. The substrate sheet was then turned over with a turning device in order to then feed it again to the printing device and to print on the second side of the sheet. Using a cutting device, the substrate sheet was cut into individual copies, which were then put together to form a booklet.

The repeated handling of the complete substrate sheet repeatedly led to difficulties in the manufacturing process, which are now eliminated by the in Figure 2 - schematically - shown device (or system) for producing or processing passport book pages 108 of an identity document, value document or security document 100.

The device comprises a magazine 205, through which sheet-shaped substrates 200 are provided. In addition to the magazine 205, there is a sheet feeder 203 which is designed to separate a sheet-shaped substrate 200 and to feed the sheet-shaped substrate 200 that has been separated and to be processed to a cutting device 204. The sheet substrate 200 provided by the magazine 205 is preferably a sheet of paper. The sheet of paper can be removed from the magazine 205 as a function of a received parts list, in which there are also different sheets of paper, for example for different identity documents, documents of value or security documents 100. The paper sheets can already be prepared for the respective type of identity document, value document or security document 100, for example by means of an imprint or corresponding security features.

The sheet feeder 203 has suitable gripping means or a suction device in order to remove sheet-shaped substrates 200 from the magazine 205 in an operationally reliable manner and to feed them to the cutting device 204 in an operationally reliable manner.

The cutting device 204 can comprise optical recognition means in order to recognize cut marks applied to the sheet-shaped substrate 200 to be processed. The cutting device 204 is designed to cut the sheet-shaped substrate 200 to be processed to individual benefits 201, 202 on the basis of the cutting marks applied to the sheet-shaped substrate 200. For cutting to size, the cutting device 204 can have a plurality of roller knives provided in the area of a propulsion device of the arch-shaped substrate 200, the cutting direction of which runs parallel to a transport direction 206. The cutting device 204 can also have a single knife which can be moved transversely to the transport direction 206 and which is inserted before or after the Propulsion device can be arranged. The use 201, 202 of the sheet-shaped substrate 200 are separated from one another by the knife and the roller knives.

The separated benefits 201, 202 can be picked up by a separating device 207, which preferably acts as a transfer device 208 at the same time. This separating device 207 separates one or more of the items 201 to be printed from one or more items 202 of the sheet-shaped substrate 200 to be processed that are not to be printed. The transfer device 208 is designed to collect the items 202 that are not to be printed into a stack 209 of items 202 that are not to be printed . The collation can take place at an intermediate collation station 210. The transfer device 208 is also designed to feed the benefit 201 to be printed to a downstream printing device 211.

The printing device 211 is designed to print the benefit 201 to be printed at least on a first benefit side 300, in particular in an individualized or personalized manner. In an alternative embodiment, the benefit 201 to be printed can also be printed on both sides by the printing device 211. Two-sided printing is possible, for example, by turning over the panel 201 in sections or completely, or by a correspondingly designed two-sided printing device 211.

The printed benefit 201 to be printed is transferred from the printing device 211 to a gathering station 213 which has a first place 213.1 for collating the printed benefit 201 to be printed and a second place 213.2 for the unprinted copies. In addition, a further transfer unit 212 can be provided in order to remove the stack 209 of copies that are not to be printed from the intermediate gathering station 210 and to feed them to the gathering station 213. The further transfer unit 212 can comprise a detection means which can detect the individual passport book pages 108. In this case, the further transfer unit 212 is designed to process the passport book pages 108 on the basis of a predeterminable pattern (for example on the basis of of printed page numbers). Individualized or personalized passport book pages 108 can thus be arranged, for example, at a desired position in the compiled booklet. The transfer unit 212 and / or the transfer device 208 is therefore preferably designed to implement a predefined sorting sequence of the passport book pages 108.

In Figure 3 the printing device 211 is shown in more detail. In order to be able to achieve the shortest possible throughput time for the production process of the visa pages of a value, identity document or security document 100, the printing device 211 has a first printing unit 320, a turning unit 330 and a second printing unit 340. The utility 201 to be printed is printed on a first utility side 300 with the first printing unit 320. With the turning unit 330, the benefit 201 to be printed is turned over. The second printing device 340 is used to print the benefit 202 to be printed on its second benefit side 301.

The printing device 211 also has a closed rail track 230, on which a plurality of panel receivers 220 are arranged so as to be guided and displaceable. The panel receivers 220 pick up the panels 202 to be printed by generating a negative pressure from a delivery station 225 and then feed them to the first printing unit 320, the turning unit 330 and the second printing unit 340.

The utility receivers 220 can be individually controlled so that it is possible to adapt their speed and direction of travel individually. The panel 201 to be printed is picked up by one of the panel receivers 220 and initially fed to the first printing unit 320, which has a plurality of printing modules 321, 322, 323, 324. It is possible here for the print heads of the printing units 320, 340 to be arranged statically with respect to the rail track 230 and for the panel 201 to be printed to be advanced during the printing process by adjusting the panel receiver 220. Each of the printing modules 321, 322, 323, 324 can print the benefit 201 to be printed, for example, with an independent color; The most common example is the use of the colors cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK color space). But it is also possible that individual ones of the printing modules 321, 322, 323, 324 can print in multiple colors and further ones of the printing modules 321, 322, 323, 324 are then provided for finishing (eg for painting) the printed panel 201 to be printed. The individual print modules 321, 322, 323, 324 each include a plurality of, preferably individually controllable, print nozzles with which a print area can be implemented that is wider than the width of the benefits 201 to be printed associated position detection unit for detecting the position of the benefit receiver 220 may be provided. Preferably, a trigger system is additionally provided which can send trigger signals to the printing units 320, 340 in relation to the position of the substrate to be printed, by means of which exact printing results can be achieved even with inconsistent travel under the print head. Drying devices can also be provided through which the printed useful side can be dried.

The turning unit 330 is designed to turn the benefit 201 to be printed. It comprises a gripper 338, which grips the benefit 201 to be printed in its edge area and turns it.

After turning, the panel pickup 220 transports the turned panel 201 to be printed on to the second printing unit 340, which likewise has a plurality of printing modules 341, 342, 343. The printing modules 341, 342, 343 of the second printing unit 340 can now print the use 201 to be printed on its second use side 302. As with the first printing unit 320, the printing modules 341, 342, 343 of the second printing unit 340 can again apply individual colors to the second user side (CMYK or also RGB color space). It is also possible to apply several colors using a single printing module 341, 342, 343, with special colors also being able to be used.

After the printing of the second side 301 of the sheet, the sheet to be printed 201, which has already been printed on both sides, is guided by the sheet picker 220 over the gathering station 213 and stored. Here it is brought together with the stack 209 of copies 201 that are not to be printed into a “booklet”.

List of reference symbols

100

ID, value or security document

102

cover

104

Passport book block

106

Data card

108

Passport book page

110

Cover sheet

112

Fälzelband

114

seam

116

Passport photo

118

personal information / personal data

120

Tab

122

Center line

124

Outside

126

inside

200

arcuate substrate

201

benefit to be printed

202

benefit not to be printed

203

Sheet feeder

204

Cutting device

205

magazine

206

Transport direction

207

Separating device

208

Transfer device

209

stack

210

Intermediate gathering station

211

Printing facility

212

Transfer unit

213

Gathering place

213.1

first place

213.2

second place

220

Benefit taker

225

Andienplatz

230

Railroad

320

first printing unit

321

Print module

322

Print module

323

Print module

324

Print module

330

Turning unit

338

Grapple

340

second printing unit

341

Print module

342

Print module

343

Print module

Claims (12)

1. A method of printing one or more N-ups to be printed (201) of a sheet-like substrate (200) to be processed, comprising the following steps:

   - feeding the sheet-like substrate (200) to be processed to a cutting device (204);

   - cutting the sheet-like substrate (200) to individual N-ups (201, 202);

   - singling out or separating the N-ups to be printed (201) from one or more non-printed N-ups (202);

   - feeding the N-ups to be printed (201) to a printing device (211);

   - printing the N-ups to be printed (201) on a first N-up surface (300), and

   - collating the printed N-ups to be printed (201) with the one or more non-printed N-ups (202)

   characterized in that after printing the first N-up surface (300) of the N-ups to be printed (201), the steps follow:

   - turning over the N-ups to be printed (201); and

   - printing the N-ups to be printed (201) on a second N-up surface (301), wherein the first N-up surface (300) is printed with a first printing unit (320), wherein the N-ups to be printed (201) is turned with a turning unit (330), and wherein the second N-up surface (301) is printed with a second printing unit (340).
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the printing units (320, 340) have printing heads arranged statically with respect to a rail track (230), and in that during the printing operation, the feed of the N-ups to be printed (201) is effected by the displacement of the N-ups pickup (220).
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of sheet-like substrates (200) are provided in a magazine (205), and in that a sheet feeder removes the sheet-like substrate (200) to be processed from the magazine (205) and feeds it to a cutting device (204).
4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the one or more non-printed N-ups (201) are assembled into a stack (209) of non-printed N-ups (202).
5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the stack (209) of non-printed N-ups (202) is fed to a collating station (213), that the printed N-ups to be printed (201) is fed to the collating station (213), and that the stack (209) of non-printed N-ups (202) and the printed N-ups to be printed (201) are collated.
6. A device for carrying out the method according to any of claims 1 to 5,
   with a cutting device (204) for cutting to size a sheet-like substrate (200) having a plurality of N-ups (201, 202) to be processed, with a separating device (207) for separating one or more N-ups to be printed (201) from one or more non-printed N-ups (202),
   with a printing device (211) for printing the N-ups to be printed (201) on a first N-up surface (300),
   and with a collating station (213) for collating the printed N-ups to be printed (201) with the one or more non-printed N-ups (202), wherein the printing device (211) comprises a first printing unit (320) for printing the first N-up surface (300), a turning unit (330) for turning the N-ups to be printed (300), and a second printing unit (340) for printing the N-ups to be printed (201) on a second N-up surface (301).
7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the turning unit (330) comprises a gripper (338) which is designed to grip and turn the N-ups to be printed (201) in its edge region.
8. The device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the printing device (211) comprises a rail track (230) with movable N-ups pickups (220) guided thereon, which are designed to receive one or more N-ups to be printed (201) and to provide or feed them to the printing unit (320).
9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the rail track (230) is formed as a closed rail track (230).
10. The device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the N-ups pickups (220) are designed to be individually controlled and to be moved along the closed rail track (230).
11. The device according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein the N-ups pickup (220) is designed to pick up the N-ups to be printed (202) by generating a negative pressure.
12. The device according to one of claims 6 to 11, wherein the separating device (207) is formed as a transfer device (208), in that the transfer device (208) is designed to feed the N-ups to be printed (201) to the printing device (211), and in that the transfer device (208) is designed to bring together the one or more non-printed N-ups (202) to form a stack (209) of non-printed N-ups (202).

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