GB2031798A

GB2031798A - Book spine smoothing apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2031798A
Application number: GB7930968A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Polygraph Leipzig Kombinat Veb
Current assignee: Polygraph Leipzig Kombinat Veb
Priority date: 1978-09-15
Filing date: 1979-09-06
Publication date: 1980-04-30
Also published as: DD138526A1; DE2927775A1; CH645307A5; GB2031798B; JPS5541293A

Abstract

Smoothing arms (9, 10, 11) are arranged in a book block conveyor track and disposed behind one another in conveying direction. Presser surfaces (15, 16, 17) of the smoothing arms (9, 10, 11) are advantageously each of different surface properties and may press from below against the book spines in order to smooth material accumulations (4) around stitching holes and to prevent entry of glue through the stitching holes into the interior of the book. The smoothing arms (9, 10, 11) can be pivotable and urged by means of setscrews (12, 13, 14) against the book spines as well or rigidly fastened to a base plate, which is adjustable in height. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A smoothing apparatus The present invention relates to a smoothing apparatus comprising smoothing elements for thread-stitched and thread-sealed book spines.

No means are known for smoothing material accumulation, which are also called bunches and which arise on the punching-in of the thread stitching holes into the folded sheets. Quality reductions have hitherto been accepted in the case of books, which have arisen through the penetration of glue through the thread stitching holes into the book.

In other cases the book spine of the book block were compressed during the glueing process in order to prevent the passage of glue. This has the disadvantage that the book blocks could not be transported during this pressing process and productivity reductions thereby took place. Nevertheless, one could not with certainty avoid the passage of glue into the interior of the book.

According to the present invention there is provided a smoothing apparatus comprising conveyor means to convey book-blocks having threaded spines, presser members to press the book blocks during passage thereof by the conveyor means, and smoothing elements mounted in the proximity of the presser members to be displaceable towards the book blocks to smooth the spines prior to the application of glue thereto.

The smoothing elements may each be pivotable about a respective axis and are each adjustable by threaded members provided in threaded mountings.

The smoothing elements may each be connected to a common support member which is displaceable towards and away from the conveyor means.

The smoothing apparatus may comprise eccentric means to provide the displacement.

Each smoothing element may be provided with a respectively surface portion disposed to engage the spines, each surface portion being of different configuration. Each smoothing element may comprise a respective roller, each roller having a circumferential surface of different configuration.

The smoothing elements may be disposed below the conveyor means.

The presser surface portion of the smoothing element effective first may have a roughening which may be applied in a cross-knurling manner. It takes over the function of the preliminary smoothing of the bunches on the book spine. The first smoothing element may be set at a respective angle to the book block conveying direction.

A second smoothing element which may be set at a greater angle to the book block conveying direction may have a grooveshaped formation at its presser surface portion. The grooves may extend longitudinally in correspondence with the conveying direction.

A third setting arm which may be set at an angle between both the aforementioned angles may have a smooth presser surface portion.

The book blocks during their transport in for example a plate conveyor chain may run through a smoothing station arranged in front of a glueing station. In that case, a preliminary smoothing of the bunches may take place through the presser surface portion of the first setting arm. The presser surface portion of the second setting arm following at once thereafter presses the preliminary smoothed bunches further together, but due to a preferably groove-shaped formation of the presser surface portion just also in a groovelike shape. The third presser surface portion with its preferably smooth formation finally exercises a smoothing effect in the region of the previous bunches and presses the remnants of the previous material accumulations still further together and partially back into the thread-stitching holes so that the same are largely closed off.During the further course of the book blocks through the glueing station, no entry of glue any longer takes place into the interior of the book.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the section of the book block conveying track, in which a smoothing apparatus is arranged, Figure 2 shows a view onto the surface of a first smoothing element, Figure 3 shows a view onto the surface of a second smoothing element, Figure 4 shows a view onto the surface of a third smoothing element, and Figure 5 shows a side elevation of a base plate with fixedly arranged setting arms.

Book blocks 2 are transported in a book block conveyor track by block conveying means 1, which are preferably constructed as plate conveyor chain. The book blocks 2 comprise collated folded sheets, which have been thread-stitched or thread-sealed and which are disposed in the block conveying means 1 with the book spines 3 downwardly. Material accumulations, also called bunches 4, form on the rearside of the folded sheets due to the punching-in of the holes for thread-stitching or thread-sealing. During the coating of the book spines 3 with glue, glue enters into the interior of the book block 2 through the holes disposed within the bunches 4. Presser rails 5 are arranged directly above the book spine 3, compressing the book block 2, before the not illustrated glueing mechanism for the elimination of these bunches 4.Smoothing elements 9, 10 and 11 are journalled in fixed points 6, 7 and 8 and pressed by setscrews 12, 1 3 and 14 against the book spines 3 to press the bunches 4 against the book spines 3 and thereby closing off the punched holes. It has proved advantageous to give a certain surface property to the presser surface 15, 1 6 and 1 7 of the setting arms 9, 10 and 11. Thus, the pressure surface 1 5 effective first according to Fig. 2 is roughened in cross-peen or knurled manner and takes over the function of the preliminary smoothing of the bunches 4 during the transport of the book blocks 2.The smoothing element 9 is so adjusted to the required degree at a flat angle by means of a setscrew 1 2 arranged in a mount 1 8 that the book blocks 2 conveyed by the plate conveyor chain 1 with their book spines guide between the pressure rails 5 must slide over the presser surface 1 5 so that the bunches 4 are smoothed in somewhat. Behind the smoothing element 9, a second smoothing element 10 is set at a steeper angle by a setscrew 1 3 through a mount 1 9 and has a presser surface 16 which according to Fig. 3 is groove shaped. This presser surface 1 6 presses the smoothed-in bunches 4 further together.During the further course of the book blocks 2, these pass in the range of the presser rails 5 to a third smoothing element 11 which can likewise be set to press against the book blocks 2 by its presser surface 1 7 by means of a setscrew 14 through a mount 20. This setting takes place at a relatively flat angle.

The presser surface 1 7 of this smoothing element 11 is smoothly executed. Through the preparation of the bunches 4, which has taken place by means of the smoothing element 9 and 10, it is possible by the smoothing element 11 to attain a substantial smoothing of these bunches 4. The holes punched in for stitching are pressed together by the smoothing action that has taken place so that during the following passage of the glueing track, no glue can any longer get into the interior of the book. The mounts 18, 1 9 and 20 are connected fast with the frame of the book conveyor track.

A modification is shown in Fig. 5 in which the smoothing elements 9, 10 and 11 are fastened firmly on a base plate 21 of adjustable height. The base plate 21 is for example through eccentrics 22 so displaced in the height that the presser surfaces 15, 1 6 and 1 7 can smooth the bunches 4 disposed on the book spines 3.

In the plate of the smoothing elements 9, 10 and 11, rollers can also be arranged, which are equipped with an aforedescribed different surface property 15, 1 6 and 1 7 and are pressed against the book spines 3.

The above described embodiment has the advantage of providing for a slip-folding and glue-binding machine an apparatus which avoids entry of glue into the interior of the book block without interrupting the normal working rhythm of the machine.

Claims

1. A smoothing apparatus comprising conveyor means to convey book blocks having threaded spines, presser members to press the book blocks during passage thereof by the conveyor means, and smoothing elements mounted in the proximity of the presser menus bers to be displaceable towards the book blocks to smooth the spines prior to the application of glue thereto.

2. A smoothing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the smoothing elements are each pivotable about a respective axis and are each adjustable by threaded members provided in threaded mountings.

3. A smoothing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the smoothing elements are each connected to a common support member which is displaceable towards and away from the conveyor means.

4. A smoothing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, comprising eccentric means to provide the displacement.

5. A smoothing apparatus as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each smoothing element is provided with a respective surface portion disposed to engage the spines, each surface portion being of different configuration.

6. A smoothing apparatus as claimed in any oe claims 1 to 4, wherein each smoothing element comprises a respective roller, each roller having a circumferential surface of different configuration.

7. A smoothing apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the smoothing elements are disposed below the conveyor means.

8. A smoothing apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs.

1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.

9. A smoothing apparatus as claimed in claim 8 and modified substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings.