FR3003244A1 - PRINTING MACHINE FOLDING INSTALLATION AND METHOD OF APPLICATION - Google Patents

Abstract

Printing machine folding apparatus for binding, where appropriate, collecting printed signatures comprising folding members (18, 19, 19a, 19b, 23, 45) and, where appropriate, retaining members (17, 24) , * the folding members (18, 19, 19a, 19b, 23, 45) and, if appropriate, the retaining members (17, 24) being controlled by control members to fold if necessary to collect, the control members controlling the movement of the folding members and, where appropriate, the movement of the retaining members, folding arrangement characterized in that the movement of the folding members (18, 19, 19a, 19b, 23, 45) and / or the movement of the bending members (17, 24), if any, are controlled in chronological order and / or related to segments or products, in any variable manner.

Description

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing machine folding plant for linking, where appropriate, collecting printed signatures comprising folding members and, where appropriate, retaining members, folding members and if necessary the retaining members being controlled by control members to fold, where appropriate collect, the control members controlling the movement of the folding members and optionally the movement of the retaining members.

The invention also relates to a method of implementing such a folding installation. STATE OF THE ART Bending installations for printing machines are already known which make it possible to produce transverse and / or longitudinal folds in cut signatures in printed materials, especially in the form of strips. In principle, there is a distinction between pin-folding and pin-folding systems, depending on whether the bending-knife cylinder of the bending installation uses pins or clamps as retaining member to block the position of the signatures to be bent. on the folding knife cylinder. It is also known to collect several signatures in the form of a stack of signatures to fold them. As a folding member, the folding installation comprises folding knives and folding flaps which cooperate.

The term "signature" used in this description designates, according to the tradition of the printer, a booklet giving a printing book and which then enables the booklet to be correctly assembled in the appropriate order. DE 44 26 987 A1 discloses a folding plant of a multi-roll printing machine, namely a knife cylinder, a pin and folding knife cylinder, a folding shutter cylinder and a roller cylinder. pliers and folding knives. The knife cylinder cuts the signatures of the printed material web. Between the cylinder with pins and folding knives and the cylinder with folding flaps, first transverse folds are made in the signatures; between the folding shutter cylinder and the pliers and folding knives cylinder, the second transverse folds are made in the signatures. According to this same document DE 44 26 987 Ai, it is further known that the cylinder with pins and folding knives, the cylinder with folding flaps and the cylinder with pliers and folding knives consist of two cylindrical bodies or cylindrical segments turning relative to each other. Thus, it is possible to modify the relative position of the cylindrical bodies of the pin cylinder and folding knives, the relative position of the cylindrical body of the folding shutter cylinder and the relative position of the cylindrical body of the gripper cylinder and folding knives to adjust the size and / or pre-fold. According to DE 10 2005 017 232 A1 and also DE 10 2006 051 569 A1, other folding installations of a printing machine are known, namely the details of the collector cylinder of the folding machines. The collecting cylinder is for example a cylinder with pins and folding knives of the folding installation of the document DE 44 26 987 Ai. Thus, according to the state of the art, it is known to control the retaining members of the collector cylinder of a folding apparatus by cams and cover cams cooperating with the cams. Thus, according to DE 10 2006 051 569 A1, it is known that when the collecting cylinder operates in non-collection mode, the retaining members thereof are controlled exclusively by the cams and in that In the collection mode of the collecting cylinder, the cams with the cover cams control the retaining members of the collecting cylinder. Both the mechanical cams and the mechanical cover cams make it possible to control the retaining members of the collector cylinder exclusively in a fixed, cyclic order, in time and / or in relation to the segments or the products. This is why such folding installations are firstly suitable for being applied to printing machines which, for example by printing by the offset process, always print the same printing images on a strip of printed material.

For applications in digital printing machines or printing machines that use a variable printing process whose printed pages vary, prior art folding facilities are not suitable.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The object of the invention is to develop a folding plant for a printing machine for digital printing machines or other printing machines applying a printing process of variable format, for example the process inkjet printing. From this state of the art, the invention aims to develop a folding plant for a printing machine and its management method. DESCRIPTION AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a folding installation of the type defined above, characterized in that the movement of the folding members and / or the movement of any folding members is controlled according to a any chronological variable order and / or related to segments or products. According to the invention, the movement of the folding members and the movement of the possible retaining members is controlled by control members according to any chronological variable order and / or related to the segments or products. In the folding installation according to the invention, the movement of the folding members and that of the retaining members in the folding installation are controlled by control members in any order, variable as a function of time and / or segments and products. The order can be predefined according to time intervals as a function of the speed of travel of the web (chronological order) or according to the cuts made by the folding group or the cutting installation (order according to the cuts) or according to the printed products or parts of products (order according to the products). For this reason, the folding device according to the invention is particularly suitable for use with digital printing machines or other printing machines working in a printing process which produces a variable printing format. Preferably, the time interval is controlled in a variable manner by the movement of the folding operations performed by the folding members and / or by the time interval of the collection operations performed by the movement of the bending members. folding bodies. In addition, the movement of movement of the folding members when they perform folding operations and / or the movement of movement of the retaining members when they perform collection operations, is controlled in a variable manner. The folding plant makes it possible to produce extremely different products in any chronological order. According to an advantageous development of the invention, the different control members cooperate to fold and where appropriate collect. Thus to bend, if necessary collect, can be controlled the movement of the folding members and the movement of the retaining members by mechanical control members in the form of cams so that the respective cams control the movement of the folding members and the one of the restraining organs in a definite fixed chronological order. The mechanical control members in the form of cams can cooperate with other mechanical control members in the form of cover cams so that in a first mode of operation of the folding unit, the movement of folding members and that of the retaining members are controlled exclusively by the respective cams in a first fixed chronological order and that in a second mode of operation of the folding installation, the movement of the folding members and that of the retaining members are controlled by the cooperation of respective cams and respective cover cams according to a second fixed chronological order. To fold, if necessary collect, the movement of the bending members and / or that of the retaining members is controlled by electrical or electromechanical control members so that the respective electrical or electromechanical control members control the movement of the organs folding and / or that of the retainers in any chronological order. These electrical or electromechanical control members can cooperate with mechanical control members so that when the electrical or electromechanical control members are neutralized, they allow the control of the folding members and / or the retaining members by mechanical control members whereas if the mechanical or pneumatic or electropneumatic or electrical or electromechanical control members are activated, they prohibit the control of the folding members and / or the retaining members by the mechanical control members. The above co-operation of the mechanical or pneumatic or electropneumatic or electric or electromechanical control members for the control of the folding members and / or the retaining members in chronological order that varies in any way with the mechanical control elements used for the control folding members and / or retainers in a fixed chronological order is particularly preferred. The method of the invention applies to a folding plant of a printing machine.

Drawings The present invention will be described in more detail below with the aid of folding machines of printing machines shown in the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a diagram of a first folding plant of FIG. 2 is a diagram of a second folding installation of a printing machine, FIG. 3 shows detail A of the folding installation of FIG. 1, FIG. detail B of the folding plant of figure 2, figure 5 shows the details of the drive and the control of the folding plant of figure 2, figure 6 shows other details of the installation Figure 7 shows details of a variant of the folding plant of a printing machine, Figure 8 shows a diagram of a folding plant for digital printing.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a first folding plant 10 of a printing machine in the form of a folding roll plant. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the installation comprises three cooperating rolls for folding, namely a knife cylinder 11, a folding knife cylinder 12 and a folding shutter cylinder 13. The knife cylinder 11 which, in the embodiment shown comprises two knives 15, makes it possible to cut the signatures 16 of the strip of printed material 14. The signatures are taken by the folding knife cylinder 12 to be transported to the folding shutter cylinder 13. The signatures 16 are transferred by the folding knife cylinder 12 to the folding shutter cylinder 13 forming a transverse fold. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the folding knife cylinder 12 is made in the form of a pin cylinder and folding knives 12 comprising, as retention members, a plurality of pins 17 for retaining the signatures 16, which are cut off. at the outer periphery of the knife cylinder 12 as well as a plurality of folding knives 18 as folding members. The folding knives make a transverse fold in the region between the folding knife cylinder 12 and the folding shutter cylinder 13 penetrating into the folding members of the cylinder 13, made as folding flaps 19. In FIG. cross-folded signatures bear the reference 16 '. Figure 3 shows detail A of Figure 1 in the transmission zone between the folding knife cylinder 12 and the folding shutter cylinder 13; FIG. 3 shows a signature 16 held at the front edge of a retaining member of the folding knife cylinder 12, formed by pins 17. In this transition zone, the transverse fold is produced. Then a folding knife-shaped folding member 18 of the folding knife cylinder 12 pushes the signature 16 into a folding member formed as a folding flap 19 of the folding shutter cylinder 13; Figure 3 shows the folding flap 19 in the open position. In the embodiment of Figure 3, the folding flap 19 is formed by a folding blade 20, fixed and a folding blade 21 movable relative to the fixed folding blade 20. Alternatively, one can also have two folding blades movable for the folding flap. Figure 2 shows another embodiment of a folding plant 10 in the form of a folding cylinder plant. This installation differs from the folding plant 10 of FIG. 1 in that it comprises another folding knife cylinder 22 co-operating with the folding shutter cylinder 13 to form a second transverse fold in the signatures 16; in FIG. 2, the signatures with two transverse folds bear the reference 16. "To avoid repetitions, the same references have been used for the same sets which will not be detailed below and which distinguish the folding installation 10 from FIG. 2 of the folding installation 10 of FIG. 1. The folding installation 10 of FIG. 2 has, as indicated, another cylinder, namely another folding knife cylinder 22 cooperating with the folding cylinder 13 by developing other transverse folds in the signatures 16, this other folding knife cylinder 22 of the exemplary embodiment is in the form of a pliers and folding knives cylinder 22 carrying on the one hand, folding knives 23 as folding members and, on the other hand, clamps 24 as retaining members, the second transverse folds are formed between the folding shutter cylinder 13 and the other knife cylinder. folding 22 in the transition zone B between them; FIG. 4 shows the detail of the transition zone B. Thus, according to FIG. 4, the folding shutter cylinder 13 of the folding installation 10 of FIG. 2 comprises, as folding members, the first folding shutters 19a participating. at the completion of the first transverse folds between the folding knife cylinder 12 and the folding shutter cylinder 13 as well as the second shutters 19b for making second transverse folds between the folding shutter cylinder 13 and the other carrier cylinder 13. folding knives 22; each of the folding flaps 19a, 19b of the embodiment shown also has folding blades 20a, 20b, fixed, and movable folding blades 21a, 21b. To make a second transverse fold in a sign 16 between the folding shutter cylinder 13 and the pliers and folding knives cylinder 22, a clamp-shaped retaining member 24 of the pliers and folding knives cylinder 22 takes up a signature already having a first transverse fold in the region of the first transverse fold; the folding knife-shaped folding member 23 of the pliers and folding knives cylinder 22 takes this signature in an open fold-shaped folding member 19b of the folding shutter cylinder 13 and forms a second transverse fold in the signature 16. The folding knife cylinder 12 comprises two cylindrical bodies 25, 26 rotating relative to each other in the circumferential direction. The first cylindrical body 25 carries pins 17 or retaining members and the second cylindrical body 26 carries folding knives 18 or folding members. To transform according to the format and / or to transform the pre-folding at the folding installation 10, the two cylindrical bodies 25, 26 can be rotated towards each other to adapt the peripheral distance between the pins. 17 and the folding cups 18 of the punching and folding cylinder 12. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, in which the folding shutter cylinder 13 comprises only first folding shutters, the shutter cylinder of FIG. Folding 19 is in one piece. On the other hand, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, in which the folding shutter cylinder 13 comprises first folding flaps 19a for producing the first transverse fold and second folding flaps 19b for producing the second fold. transversely, the folding shutter cylinder 13 is formed by analogy with the punch cylinder and folding knife 12, with two cylindrical bodies: a first cylindrical body which comprises the folding flaps 19a and a second cylindrical body comprising the folding flaps 19b and whose peripheral distance is variable by rotation relative to each other of the cylindrical bodies to adjust according to the format and / or depending on the fold. Similarly, the cylinder with pliers and folding knives 22 is formed of two cylindrical bodies, namely a first cylindrical body carrying the clamps 24 and a second cylindrical body carrying the folding knives 23 and whose peripheral interval is modified according to its distance from the cylindrical body of the cylinder with tongs and / or cylindrical knives 22.

This also follows from FIG. 5 which shows, on the drive side and the control side, the details of the folding installation 10 of FIG. 2. FIG. 5 shows the drive-side gears of the cutting cylinder 11, the punch cylinder and the folding 12, the shutter cylinder 13 and the pin cylinder and folding knives 22 by means of toothed pinions or pinions 31 associated with different planes of gears and their meshing. Figure 5 shows in addition the cylindrical bodies 25, 26 of the pin cylinder and folding knives 12; the cylindrical body 25 carries the pins 17 and the cylindrical body 26, the folding knives 18.

Figure 5 also shows the cylindrical bodies 27, 28 of the folding shutter cylinder 13; the cylinder body 27 carries the first folding flaps 19a and the cylindrical body 28, the second beach flaps 19b. The cylindrical bodies 29, 30 of the clamp cylinder and beach knives 22 are also shown; the cylindrical body 29 carries the same clamps 24 and the cylindrical body the same folding knives 23. FIG. 5 further shows that a pinion 31 is associated with each of the cylindrical bodies 25, 26 and 27, 28 as well as 29, 30 ; this pinion is engaged with the toothed gears 31 of the cylinders. Thus, FIG. 5 shows that a toothed pinion 31 associated with the cylindrical body 27 of the folding shutter cylinder 13 meshes with two other toothed gears 31 in a plane of toothed pinions, namely with a toothed pinion 31 associated with the cylindrical body 26 of the pin cylinder and folding knives 12 as well as with a pinion 31 associated with the cylindrical body 29 of the cylinder with pliers and folding knives 22.

The toothed gear 31 associated with the cylindrical body 25 of the pin cylinder and folding knives 12 is engaged with a toothed pinion 31 in another plane of toothed pinions, associated with the knife cylinder 21. In another plane of toothed pinions, other toothed gears 31 are engaged, namely the toothed gear associated with the cylindrical body 28 of the folding shutter cylinder 13 and the toothed gear 31 of the pliers and folding knives cylinder 12 associated with the cylindrical body 30. To adjust the size and / or pre-folding in the region of the cylinders 12, 13, 22, the respective cylindrical bodies 25, 26 or 27, 28 or 29 are rotated relative to each other, which is by driving the toothed pinions 32, 33. For such a format adjustment or pre-folding, the cylindrical bodies 25, 26 are rotated relative to each other in the area of the pin and knife cylinder 12 to adjust the distance between the pins 17 and the folding knives 18. In the region of the folding shutter cylinder 13, the cylindrical bodies 27, 28 are rotated relative to each other to change the distance between the folding flaps 19a, 19b. In the region of the pliers and folding knives cylinder 22, the cylindrical bodies 29, 30 are rotated relative to each other to adjust the peripheral distance between the clamps 24 and the folding knives 23. FIG. in addition that all the cylinders 11, 12, 13, 22 of the folding installation 10 are driven by the same motor 34. The driving of the toothed gears 32, 33 to perform the pre-folding adjustment or the format adjustment is by separate motors 35, 36, when the clutches 37, 38 associated with the pinions 32, 33 are engaged. As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the region of the pin cylinder and folding knives 12, the folding members are the folding knives 18 and the holding members, the stubs 17; in the region of the folding shutter cylinder 13, the folding members are the folding flaps 19 or the folding flaps 19a and 19b and in the region of the pliers and folding knives cylinder 22, the retaining members are the clamps 24 and folding members, folding cups 23 controlled by control members 39; the control members 39 are mechanical control members in the form of cams. The cams or control curves also called cam tracks 39 appear in FIG. 5; these cams 39 according to FIG. 5 are on the other side of the cylinders 12, 13, 22 that of the pinions 31. Control levers 40 roll on the cams 39 which, according to FIGS. 3 and 4, are coupled to respective retaining members 17, 24 and the folding members 19, 19a, 19b and 23. The cams 39 have contours (cam paths) and with the aid of the mechanical control members 39, the folding members are actuated or the retaining members of the folding plant; the movement of the folding members and the movement of the retaining members is ensured in a fixed cyclic chronological order. However, if the folding installations of FIGS. 1 and 2 are to operate in the collection mode according to which, before making the fold, several signatures 16 are assembled in a stack of signatures in the area of the pin cylinder and folding knives. other mechanical control members 41 in the form of cover cams cooperate with these mechanical cams 39. For this, in the first mode of operation of the folding installation, for example in its non-collection mode, the movement folding members and retaining members are provided exclusively by the cams 39 controlled according to a first fixed, cyclic, chronological succession and in the second mode of operation of the folding installation, in particular in the collection mode, the movement is controlled folding members and the movement of the retaining members by the cooperation of the cams 39 and the cover cams 40 in a second fixed, chronological, cyclic succession e. It is thus possible to control the retaining members and the folding members of the folding installations according to different orders, fixed, cyclic in time, namely on the one hand in the collection mode and on the other hand, non-collection mode. According to the invention in the folding plant of the printing machine, the movement of the folding members and / or the movement of the retaining members is controlled according to any variable order, chronological and / or depending on the products. or segments. Thus, the interval as a function of time and / or referred to segments or products between the folding operations performed by the movement of the folding members 18, 19 or 19a, 19b and 23 and / or the interval of time between the collection operations performed by the movement of the retaining members 17, 24, are controlled in a manner variable in time. For the possible collection operations, the movement of the folding members 18, 19 or 19a, 19b and 23 and / or the movement of the retaining members 17, 24 is variablely controlled to thereby produce the most different printing products. in any order in the folding plant. The movement of the folding members to carry out the folding operations and / or the movement of the holding members to carry out the collection operations can thus be adjusted in steps or continuously.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 6 in the case of the example of the cylinder with pliers and folding knives 22 of the folding plant of FIG. 2; FIG. 6 shows as a retaining member a clamp 24 of the cylinder 22 which is controlled by means of a mechanical control member 39 in the form of a cam on which a control lever 40 rolls to be controlled in a cyclic order fixed, defined. According to FIG. 6, another control member 42 is associated with the clamp 24 of the cylinder 22 which makes it possible to control the movement of the clamp-shaped retaining member 24 of the cylinder 22 in a chronologically variable order in any way. . The control member 42 is an electrical or electromechanical control member which, according to FIG. 6, is in the form of a retaining member with pneumatic or electropneumatic or electric or electromechanical control. When this control member 42 or the retaining member is activated, it neutralizes the control of the clamp-shaped retaining member 24 by the mechanical cam 39 in that the control member 42 or the actuator retaining means holds the control lever 40 which rolls on the mechanical cam 39 and thus neutralises the rolling movement of the control lever on the cam 39. When the control member 42 in the form of a retaining member is neutralized , it releases the control lever 40 and allows it to roll on the mechanical cam 39 to control the clamp 24. Thus, according to Figure 6, it is possible that the clamp-shaped retaining member 24 of the cylinder 22 is controlled either in a cyclic chronological order fixed by the mechanical cam 39 on which the control lever 40 rolls or that the control member 42 is activated, this control by the mechanical cam is out of order, the control lever 40 of the clamp 24 being retained and unable to roll on the a cam 39.

Although the invention according to Figure 6, is described for a folding cylinder apparatus having only gripper-shaped retaining members 24, for the cylinder with pliers and folding knives 22, such control members 42 used for any variable control, depending on the segments or products and / or the chronology for the retaining members and the folding members, can also be used in the case of form of pins 17 and folding members in the form of folding knives 18, 23 and folding flaps, 19, 19a, 19b. Pneumatic or electropneumatic or electrical or electromechanical actuators 42 may be controlled with brief reaction times in any order, chronological order and / or in relation to segments or products. Thus, according to the embodiment of Figure 6, the control lever 40 can be retained and released in any chronological order. Finally, by applying the invention to a folding plant with any order, chronological and / or related to segments or products, it will be possible to produce printed products, the most various, namely printed products which differ in their order, from in any way, both for the folds and the number of signatures collected. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 8, a bending installation 10 has been presented for variable formats and bends, which are explained as pin bending groups. After separation of the optionally longitudinally folded strip 48 or strip webs 48, the sheets are collected at a variable frequency on demand on the pinned cylinder 49. When the predefined number of sheets are collected, these sheets are transferred by a spindle cylinder and folding knives 22 controlled in a variable manner according to the invention with variablely controlled retaining members, to a folding flap cylinder 13. The folding members of the pliers and folding flap cylinder 22 thus that the retaining members of the folding shutter cylinder 13 can also be variably controlled so that transversely folded signatures are made and consisting of a controlled number of webs or pages. The transversely folded variable layer signatures may be collected in the downstream folding plant 43 again as part of the possibilities of folding techniques to arrive at stacks of any thickness before with the fold installation 43 downstream, a fold is made in the longitudinal direction according to the mode described hereinafter of the invention. Although with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 and 8, the details of the invention have been described in the case of a folding cylinder installation, used to produce transverse folds in the signatures, the invention is not not limited to this example and can also be used in other folding installations. Thus, FIG. 7 shows a folding installation 43 which comprises as folding member 45 a folding knife mounted on a control lever 44. This control lever 44 is actuated by a mechanical control member 46 which is a control curve or cam or cam path and the control lever 44 rolls on this cam 46 to be controlled according to its movement and make a fold, including a longitudinal fold in the signature 16. The control of the organ folding 45 by the cam 46 is in a fixed, cyclic chronological order. In the sense of the present invention, the folding member 45 of the folding installation 43 of FIG. 7 is controlled by a control member 42 in any chronological variable order and / or related to segments or products; the control member 42 is a pneumatically or electropneumatically or electrically or electromechanically controlled retaining member as in FIG. 6 and which, in the active state, maintains according to FIG. 7 the control lever 44 and neutralizes its actuation by the mechanical control curve 46. In the non-activated state, the control member 42 releases the control lever 44 and allows it to be actuated by the mechanical control curve 46. Preferably, the pneumatic control members 42 or electropneumatic or mechanical comprise magnets 47 which, in the energized or activated state, hold the control lever 40 according to FIG. 6, or the control lever 44 according to FIG. 7, and thus neutralize their actuation by the mechanical cam 46. The present invention described above relates to a completely new mode of operation of a folding plant. The folding members and / or the retaining members of the folding installation can thus be controlled in any order, variable, in time and / or according to segments or products. For example, products may be produced in any order, depending on segments or products and / or time and these products differ in their thickness or the number of signatures collected and / or the nature and number of plies realized and this in a variable order, some chronological and / or related to the segments or products. The folding installation is particularly suitable for digital printing machines and other printing machines operating with a variable printing format such as inkjet printing processes. 20 NOMENCLATURE OF THE MAIN ELEMENTS 10 Installation of folding 11 Knife cylinder / cutting cylinder 12 Folding cylinder / pin cylinder and 13 folding knives / punching and folding cylinder Folding shutter cylinder Printed material 16 Signature 16 ', 16 "Signature knife ( s) bent (s) 17 Retainer / pin 18 Folding member / folding knife 15 19, 19a, 19b Folding member (s) / folding flap (s) 20, 20a, 20b Folding blade (s) 21, 21a, 21b Folding blade (s) 22 Folding knife cylinder / pliers and folding knife cylinder 23 Folding member / folding knife 24 Retainer / clamp cylinder body 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 Cylinder body 31, 32, 33 Pinion (s) 25 34, 35, 36 Engine (s) 37, 38 Clutch age (s) 39 Actuator / cam 40 Control lever 41 Actuator / cover cam 42 Actuator 43 Folding device 44 Actuating lever 45 Folding member / folding knife 46 Actuator / cam 47 Magnet 48 Path / web of tape 49 Cylinder with nibs5

Claims (6)

CLAIMS 1 °) Printing machine folding apparatus for binding, where appropriate, collecting printed signatures comprising folding members (18, 19, 19a, 19b, 23, 45) and, if appropriate, retaining members (17, 24), the folding members (18, 19, 19a, 19b, 23, 45) and, if appropriate, the retaining members (17, 24) being controlled by control members to fold, where appropriate, to collect , the control members controlling the movement of the folding members and, where appropriate, the movement of the retaining members, folding device characterized in that the movement of the folding members (18, 19, 19a, 19b, 23, 45) and / or the movement of the possible retaining members (17, 24) is controlled in any chronological variable order and / or related to segments or products. Folding device according to claim 1, characterized in that the time interval of folding operations effected by the movement of the folding members (18, 19, 19a, 19b, 23, 45) and / or the time interval of the collection operations performed by the movement of the possible retaining members (17, 24) is controlled in a variable manner. Folding device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the movement of the folding members (18, 19, 19a, 19b, 23, 45) executing folding operations and / or the movement of movement retainers (17, 24) for folding operations are variably controlled. Folding device according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the movement of the folding members (18, 19, 19a, 19b, 23, 45) for folding operations and / or the movement of the retaining members (17, 24) to carry out collection operations is adjustable in steps or continuously. Folding device according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that to fold, where appropriate, collect the movement of the folding members (18, 19, 19a, 19b, 23, 45) and the movement of the retaining members (17, 24) is controlled by cam-shaped mechanical control members (39, 46) so that the respective cams define the movement of the folding members (18, 19, 19a, 19b, 23). , 45) and the movement of the retaining members (17, 24) in a fixed order, defined chronologically and / or related to segments or products. Folding device according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that other mechanical control elements (41) formed as covering cams cooperate with the mechanical control members (39, 46) in the form of in a first mode of operation of the folding plant, the movement of the folding members (18, 19, 19a, 19b, 23, 45) and the movement of the retaining members (17, 24) are controlled exclusively by the respective cams in a first order fixed, chronologically and / or related to segments or products, and in a second mode of operation of the folding plant, the movement of the folding members (18, 19 19a, 19b, 23, 45) and the movement of the retaining members (17, 24) are controlled according to a second fixed, chronological order and / or related to segments or produced by the cooperation of the respective cams and respective cover cams.7 °) Installation of pl binding according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that to fold, where appropriate, collect, the movement of the folding members (18, 19, 19a, 19b, 23, 45) and / or the movement of any retaining members (17, 24) are controlled by electric or electromechanical control members (42) so that the respective pneumatic and / or electropneumatic or electrical or electromechanical control members (42) control the movement of the folding members (18). , 19, 19a, 19b, 23, 45) and / or the movement of the retaining members (17, 24) in a variable, chronological order and / or related to the segments or products. Folding device according to claim 5 or 6 and according to claim 7, characterized in that the pneumatic or electropneumatic or electropneumatic or electromechanical or electromechanical control members (42) cooperate with the mechanical control members (39, 41, 46) so that if the pneumatic or electropneumatic or electric or electromechanical actuators (42) are neutralized, they allow the control of the folding members and / or the retaining members by the mechanical control members (39, 41, 46), whereas if the electrical or electromechanical control elements (42) are activated, they prohibit the control of the folding members and / or the retaining members by the mechanical control members (39, 41, 46). . 9 °) Folding device according to claim 8, characterized in that the pneumatic or electropneumatic or electric or electromechanical control members (42) are designed as pneumatic or electropneumatic or electrical or electromechanical control retaining members which, in the activated state, cooperate with the folding members and / or the retaining members and retain control levers (40, 44) rolling on mechanical ordering members (39, 41, 46) and prohibit the rolling movement of the operating lever on the mechanical control members (39, 41, 46) which, in the neutralized state, release the control levers (40, 44) and allow the driving movement of the control lever on the control members mechanical devices (39, 41, 46). 10 °) Folding device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the folding members (18, 19, 19a, 19b, 23, 45) are folding knives and / or folding flaps and the retaining members (17, 24) are pins and / or clips. 11 °) Folding device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it is constituted by a folding cylinder installation for making transverse folds or longitudinal folds. 12 °) Management method including a folding installation of a printing machine to fold if necessary, collect printed signatures and comprising folding members and retaining members and to fold, where appropriate collect, the organs bending and the retaining members are controlled by control members which control their movement, characterized in that the movement of the bending members and / or that of the possible retaining members is controlled according to a variable order, any chronological order. and / or by segments or products. 13 °) Method according to claim 13, characterized in that it is applied by a folding installation according to any one of claims 1 to 12.35