EP3599103B1 - Gathering and stitching machine for printed products - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a saddle stitcher for printed products, which has at least the assemblies saddle chain, stapling machine, control device, ejector and delivery, the delivery having at least one lower conveyor belt and one upper conveyor belt as well as at least one pulley for the lower conveyor belt and this at least one pulley in one Radius is arranged.

With digital printing, each brochure can have a different number of sheets and thus each brochure can have a different thickness. A combined system is also possible, i.e. part of the brochure can come from traditionally printed sheet parts, such as gravure, offset, etc., and another part can come from digital printing.

• dass eine Kommunikation zu übergeordneten Systeme besteht, welche die nötigen Daten zur Verfügung stellen, und
• dass die Maschinen so konstruiert sind, dass die nötigen Einstellungen On-the-Fly und für jeden Produktionstakt gemacht werden können.

In the printing industry, terms such as "Print_4.0" or "Web to Print" are associated with the subject of "Industry 4.0", which means for the printing machines that print runs = 1 must also be processed. In order for printing machines to meet these requirements, it is particularly necessary:

• that there is communication with higher-level systems that provide the necessary data, and
• that the machines are designed in such a way that the necessary settings can be made on-the-fly and for each production cycle.

The compiled brochures, consisting of folded sheet parts placed one on top of the other, which are transported with the saddle chain to the stapling station, where they are stapled in the fold.

Definitions

Print product:

Finished print product consisting of at least one or more sheet parts (newspaper, booklet, magazine, catalog).

Stapler:

Staples a brochure, which consists of one or more sheets, with a staple.

Bow:

Paper printed on both sides.

Arch parts:

Several sheets (usually differently printed).

Saddle chain:

Horizontal continuous conveyor unit for sheet parts.

Digital printing:

Sheets are printed directly in the production process and put together to form a brochure. Each brochure can contain a different number of sheets and thus influence the thickness of the brochure.

Variable thickness:

The thickness of the printed products, which are processed in cycles, is variable; d. H. these can have different thicknesses.

Cutting device:

Cutting system, which has a front knife and two side knives and carries out the cutting process consisting of a front cut and head / foot cut as a subsequent cut.

Product feeding:

Mechanical device for transporting a printed product, from the delivery of the stitching station to the cutting device.

Saddle stitcher:

In a saddle stitcher, several sheets are usually collected on a transport chain, stapled in the stapling station and cut on three sides in the cutting device.

Cutting device:

Cutting system, which has a front knife and two side knives and carries out the cutting process consisting of a front cut and head-toe cut as a subsequent cut.

Saddle chain:

The saddle chain has a guide device, the upper section of which is designed in the shape of a blade and the ridge line of which defines the transport and stitching line, and an essentially roof-shaped support on which the sheet parts are transported astride.

Display:

Machine component that transports the printed products after the stitching station with the stitching machine into the feed to the cutting device. In the delivery, the transport direction changes by 90 degrees, depending on the location of the cutting device, forwards or backwards.

Ejection phase, ejection:

By means of a device called an ejector, the printed product is lifted by the saddle chain until it is picked up by the conveyor belts in the delivery and transported further in the same.

On-the-fly:

Changes, e.g. of settings, positions of devices, etc., possible during operation.

MIS

M angement- I nformation- S ystem, Job Management System.

From the EP1593526 A1 a saddle stitcher for brochures with a stapling machine, an output station that is operationally loaded step by step with the brochures, a front cutter arrangement defining a cutting plane for trimming the brochures along a respective target cutting line and with transport means components which transport the brochures operationally from the output station to the front cutter arrangement is known. The ejector device is controlled independently of the format, with regard to the transport device components and the transport device for the brochure in the area of the stapling machine. With this saddle stitcher it is not possible to use different printed products in digital printing, ie in particular consecutive printed products with different thicknesses and formats - without retooling - so that precise timing and on-the-fly processing is not possible.

Furthermore, a saddle stitcher for printed products with the features of the preamble of claim 1 goes from each of the WO 01/34403 A2 and WO 2008/019101 A2 emerged.

Up to now, transport has typically been ensured by means of conveyor belts (top and bottom) which are driven by the stapling station. Different speeds of the conveyor belts are achieved by means of a variator. This can be adjusted by hand, using a lever or by motor.

• Nicht exakt zu reproduzierende Einstellungen und funktionsbedingt nötige Eingriffe des Benutzers,
• Die Geschwindigkeit ist während des gesamten Transportwegs konstant, was oft zu Transportspuren auf der Oberfläche des Druckproduktes oder zur Deformierung des Broschüren-Rücken führen kann,
• Durch die mechanische Kopplung der Transportbänder an die Heftstation (dreht die Heftstation drehen auch die Transportbänder) ist eine Korrektur der Position der Druckprodukte (Abstand zum Einlauf des Schneidapparats) nicht möglich, und
• Eine taktgenaue Anpassung ist nicht möglich.

The problems with this technical solution are:

• Settings that cannot be reproduced exactly and interventions by the user due to the function,
• The speed is constant during the entire transport path, which can often lead to transport marks on the surface of the printed product or to deformation of the spine of the brochure.
• Due to the mechanical coupling of the conveyor belts to the stitching station (the stitching station also rotates the conveyor belts), it is not possible to correct the position of the printed products (distance to the infeed of the cutting device), and
• It is not possible to adapt to the timing.

The object of the invention is to provide a saddle stitcher for printed products which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art and is able to process product thicknesses that vary from cycle to cycle, this setting being based on the thickness variance during operation and between two stapling processes can be done dynamically. It should also be effectively prevented that the printed product in the delivery, caused by a different belt speed, is damaged. It should be possible to control the respective speed of the lower and / or upper conveyor belt with precise timing and on-the-fly. Printed products with different thicknesses and / or with different formats should be transported safely and gently.

The object of the invention is achieved by a saddle stitcher for printed products with the features according to claim 1.

It is essential to the invention that the lower conveyor belt 7 has a controllable internal drive 10 and the upper conveyor belt 8 has a controllable internal drive 11 and the control device 4 controls at least the internal drives 10, 11 separately, with the timing-accurate control primarily being based on the thickness and format of the respective printed product Product flow is tunable.

The control device 4 is a conventional control device for this purpose and has at least one conventional microprocessor which, using software that is customary in this regard, makes it possible, in particular, to process different measurement data and thus a customary control of controllable electrical components, such as a controllable electromotive Drive how to implement the own drives 10, 11.

The synchronized transfer is ensured by the related deceleration and / or acceleration of the conveyor belts 7, 8 compared to the stapling station / cut transport. The control device 4 can access data which contain order data from the MIS or from a company's own order data system, e.g. the format data of the individual folded sheets, format data of the brochure, such as cut width and length, and many other data that are required to be able to carry out an order for a printed product. These data can be based on an international standard, for example the CIP 4.

The control device 4 can also, or alternatively, access data that have been generated from measurement data of the current product process with precise timing. The control can generate data, such as from the data of the individual folded sheets and / or the booklet thickness. The control also recognizes machine data, such as the speed of the machine, production status, etc. Using these values, the software of the control device 4 calculates, in particular, the speeds of the conveyor belts 7, 8.

The saddle stitcher according to the invention can process product thicknesses (variable in thickness) that vary from printed product to printed product (cycle to cycle), a requirement that is made by digital printing (each printed product is unique).

The present invention is particularly concerned with the control of the speed of the lower conveyor belt 7 and / or the upper conveyor belt 8, which transport the brochure through the display. The brochure is moved from the vertical axis into the horizontal axis with at least one deflection roller 9, which is arranged in a radius. If the brochure is in the area of the radius, the upper belt speed can be increased and / or decreased, for example depending on the product thickness.

If the brochure is outside the radius area of the at least one deflection roller 9, which can be calculated on the basis of the format size, synchronism between the lower conveyor belt 7 and the upper conveyor belt 8 can again prevail. The sequence of movements depends on various factors, such as the speed of the saddle chain 2, the thickness of the brochure and the format of the brochure.

The technical solution according to the invention makes it possible for the brochure to be transferred safely from the ejector 5 to the display 6, with an adaptation of the belt speed to the ejector speed being made possible. It is also possible for an adjustment to be made in connection with the brochure leaving the display the belt speed can be done in order to optimize the transition into the feed of the cutting device.

• Mit den Eigenantrieben 10, 11 (Servomotoren) ist On-the-fly für jedes Druckprodukt möglich.
• Dynamisch regulierbare Oberband- und Unterband-Geschwindigkeit.
• Technisch einfache Lösung, da keine zusätzlichen Vorrichtungen, wie z.B. Variator, nötig sind.
• Master-Slave Kräfteausgleich ermöglicht, damit beide Motoren der Eigenantriebe 10, 11 gleich optimal belastet werden können.
• Geschwindigkeitsausgleich zwischen dem unteren Transportband 7 und dem oberen Transportband 8 bei variablen Produktdicken (da die Innenseite einen anderen Weg zurücklegen muss wie die Aussenseite (produktdickenabhängig).
• Unabhängig von Sammelkettengeschwindigkeit, resp. von der Einlaufgeschwindigkeit des Schneidapparates 17.
• Über die ganze Transportdistanz sind Geschwindigkeitsänderungen möglich.

Further advantages of the invention:

• With the own drives 10, 11 (servo motors), on-the-fly is possible for every printed product.
• Dynamically adjustable upper and lower belt speed.
• Technically simple solution, as no additional devices, such as variators, are required.
• Master-slave balancing of forces enables both motors of the internal drives 10, 11 to be optimally loaded equally.
• Speed compensation between the lower conveyor belt 7 and the upper conveyor belt 8 with variable product thicknesses (since the inside has to cover a different path than the outside (depending on the product thickness).
• Independent of saddle chain speed, resp. the infeed speed of the cutting device 17.
• Changes in speed are possible over the entire transport distance.

Sequence of a process

During operation, the lower conveyor belt 7 and / or the upper conveyor belt 8 can be operated in accordance with the following description: a), b), c) and d), in particular on the basis of format data, booklet thickness and machine speed.

a) speed factor

1. 1. Product thickness determines the speed factor between the lower conveyor belt 7 and the upper conveyor belt 8.
2. 2. The torque of all drives is recorded while the production speed is constant.
3. 3. If the torques deviate from the expected value, the speed factor between the lower conveyor belt 7 and the upper conveyor belt 8 is adjusted accordingly.

b) Non-synchronous transfer from the ejector to the conveyor belts

1. 1. When the saddle stitcher 1 stops, the ejection movement is started shortly before it comes to a standstill and a printed product is thus transported into the stationary or almost stationary conveyor belts 7, 8.
2. 2. In order to ensure that the printed product remains correctly positioned while the saddle stitcher 1 is not running, the conveyor belts 7, 8 continue to rotate a certain distance.
3. 3. This distance is compensated when restarting.

c) Synchronous transfer # 1 from the ejector to the conveyor belts

1. 1. At normal speeds, the conveyor belts 7, 8 rotate synchronously with the product cycle, since the printed products are conveyed synchronously into the delivery 6.
2. 2. The position in the display is detected by means of the optical control device 13, such as sensors, such as photo cells, camera systems or the like.
3. 3. Any deviation from the target position (deviation due to slip, mechanical adjustment, etc.) is compensated for during the run.

d) Synchronous transfer # 2 from ejector to conveyor belts

1. 1. In contrast to normal speeds, there are speed ranges in which the printed products are not conveyed synchronously into the delivery.
2. 2. The calculated deviation can be compensated for by adjusting the position of the conveyor belts 7, 8. Such as the "limping operation" function, which is known in mechanical solutions.
3. 3. The position in the display is detected by means of the optical control device 13, such as sensors such as photo cells, camera systems or the like.
4. 4. Any deviation from the target position (deviation due to inaccurate calculation, slip, mechanical adjustment, etc.) is compensated for during the run.

The dependent claims 2 to 7 contain advantageous embodiments of the invention without thereby limiting them.

It is preferred that a thickness measuring device 12 is arranged in the product flow in front of the stapling machine 3.

It is preferred that an optical control device 13, which generates a measurement signal which is transmitted to the control device 4, is arranged in the horizontal area of the lower conveyor belt 7, preferably directly at the transition from the radius to the horizontal area. This optical control device 13 can be a conventional measuring device in this regard, for example an optical sensor, a photocell or a camera system. Deformations of the brochure can thus be detected and the belt speeds of the lower and / or upper conveyor belt can be adjusted accordingly.

It is preferred that the control device 4 generates or has control data which are determined at least from data from an MIS 14 and / or the thickness measuring device 12 and / or the control device 13. The product thickness of the printed product to be stapled can also be determined with a product thickness measurement during operation in order to determine any deviations from the target data from the MIS 14 (job management system) in order to be able to readjust.

It is preferred that the control device 4, which has at least one microprocessor, torque measurement data of the internal drives 10; 11 for control the speed of the conveyor belts 7; 8 taken into account. The measurement of the torque in the individual internal drives 10; 11 enables the speed of the conveyor belts 7 to be corrected; 8. The difference, especially combined with the information about the product thickness, is used to influence the speed of the conveyor belts. This ensures that the forces on the top and bottom of the printed product are balanced over the entire transport route.

It is preferred that the internal drives 10, 11 each have at least one servomotor with regulation or one asynchronous motor with regulation.

• Fig. 1: eine vereinfachte Darstellung eines Sammelhefters, und
• Fig. 2: eine schematische Seitenansicht der Sammelkette, des Auswerfers und der Auslage.

The features of the invention are set out below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which do not thereby limit the invention. In the drawings shows:

• Fig. 1 : a simplified representation of a saddle stitcher, and
• Fig. 2 : a schematic side view of the saddle chain, the ejector and the delivery.

The saddle stitcher 1 according to Fig. 1 In the present exemplary embodiment, comprises three feeders 15, each of which transfers a sheet 16 to a saddle chain 2. The sheets 16 placed one on top of the other in this way together form the sheet parts which are transported along in a transport direction according to the arrow P, which extends along the feeder 15 and beyond a stapling machine 3 to a delivery 6.

In the direction of transport after the stapling machine 3 there is a booklet which consists of one or more sheets 16. The brochure is then lifted from the saddle chain 2 by an ejector 5 in the usual manner and transferred to the delivery 6. The brochure is transferred from the delivery 6 to a cutting device 17.

The saddle stitcher 1 for printed products has at least the assembly groups saddle chain 2, stapling machine 3, control device 4, ejector 5 and delivery 6.

The delivery 6 has at least one lower conveyor belt 7 and one upper conveyor belt 8 as well as at least one deflection roller 9 for the lower conveyor belt 7, with FIG Fig. 2 three pulleys 9 are shown by way of example. The lower conveyor belt 7 has a controllable self-drive 10 and the upper conveyor belt 8 has a controllable self-drive 11. The control device 4 can control the self-drives 10, 11 separately. A thickness gauge 12 ( Fig. 1 ) is arranged in the product flow in front of the stitching machine 3, which transmits measurement data to the control device 4 in the usual way.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic side view of the saddle chain 2, the ejector 5 and the delivery 6. The delivery 6 has at least one lower conveyor belt 7 and one upper conveyor belt 8 and at least one deflection roller 9 for the lower conveyor belt 7, wherein in Fig. 2 three pulleys 9 are shown by way of example. The delivery 6 has other assemblies known from the prior art, such as infeed rollers 18 and drive rollers 19. The lower conveyor belt 7 has a controllable self-drive 10 and the upper conveyor belt 8 has a controllable self-drive 11. The gap between the infeed rollers 18 can, for example, depend on the product thickness be changeable.

In the horizontal area of the lower conveyor belt 7, directly at the transition from the radius to the horizontal area, an optical control device 13, which generates a measurement signal which is transmitted to the control device 4, is arranged.

The control device 4 controls the internal drives 10, 11 separately. The control device 4 is a conventional control device for this purpose and has at least one conventional microprocessor, which makes it possible, using software that is customary in this regard, to process, in particular, different measurement data and thus to implement a customary control of controllable electrical components, such as a controllable electromotive self-drive 10, 11. The control device 4 accesses data which contain order data from the MIS 14 or from an in-house order data system, for example the format data of the individual folded sheets, format data of the brochure, such as cut width and length, and many other data that are required for a To be able to realize an order for a printed product.

The control device 4 can also, or alternatively, access data that is derived from measurement data from the current product process, such as from the thickness measuring device 12 ( Fig. 1 ) are transmitted, generated with exact timing. The control device 4 can also or alternatively use torque measurement data from the internal drives 10; 11 for controlling the speed of the conveyor belts 7; 8 and take them into account. The controllable internal drives 10, 11 each have at least one servomotor with a conventional control. These own drives 10, 11 drive the drive roller 19 variably in the usual manner.

Claims (8)

1. Gathering and stitching machine (1) for printed products, which has at least the subassemblies of gathering chain (2), stitching machine (3), control device (4), ejector (5) and deliverer (6), wherein the deliverer (6) has at least a lower transport belt (7) and an upper transport belt (8) and at least one deflection roller (9) for the lower transport belt (7), wherein the at least one deflection roller (9) is arranged in a radius, characterized in that the lower transport belt (7) has an individual controllable drive (10) and the upper transport belt (8) has an individual controllable drive (11), and the control device (4) at least controls the individual drives (10, 11) separately, wherein the control, which is accurate to a cycle, is tunable primarily to the thickness or the format of the respective printed product in the product flow.
2. Gathering and stitching machine according to Claim 1, characterized in that a thickness measuring device (12) is arranged in the product flow upstream of the stitching machine (3).
3. Gathering and stitching machine according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that an optical monitoring device (13), which generates a measured signal which is transmitted to the control device (4), is arranged in the horizontal area of the lower transport belt (7), preferably directly at the transition from the radius to the horizontal area.
4. Gathering and stitching machine according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the control device (4) generates or has control data which is determined at least from data from a management information system (14) and/or the thickness measuring device (12) and/or the control device (13).
5. Gathering and stitching machine according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the control device (4), which has at least one microprocessor, takes into account measured torque data from the individual drives (10; 11) to control the speed of the transport belts (7; 8).
6. Gathering and stitching machine according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the individual drives (10, 11) at least each have a servo motor with control or an asynchronous motor with control.
7. Gathering and stitching machine according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the control device (4) takes into account measured torque data from at least two deflection rollers (9) to control the speed of the transport belts (7; 8).
8. Use of the gathering and stitching machine (1) for printed products according to at least one of Claims 1 to 7 for digital printing.

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