Constructional details of the cutting and counter blades are specified in
Claims 6 and 7. Here, it is particularly significant that the blades be secured not directly to the respective blade carrier, but to blade holders which are laterally traversable on the blade carrier. This enables, on the one hand, automatic lateral traversability and, on the other hand, according to Claim 8, the simple accommodation of further units to be adjusted in dependence on format.
A particularly advantageous possibility of transversely adjusting the blades emerges in the features of Claim 9. The clamping of associated cutting and counter blades for the purpose of transverse displacement has the effect that the alignment of the blades with respect to one another is maintained and additional measures for aligning the blades after they have been transversely adjusted are not necessary.
By means of the measures according to Claim 10, the machine-related expense for driving the transverse adjustment is optimized in accordance with the possibilities provided by the clamping of the blades. Claims 11 and 15 contain features of an advantageous aid for clamping the blades. Claims 12 to 14 specify preferred and particularly advantageous means for clamping the cutting and counter blades, which ensure on the one hand reliable fixing of the relative alignment of cutting and counter blades, but on the other hand ensure simple transverse adjustment of the blades along the blade carriers. Claims 16 and 17 contain features of the cutting blade holders and the receivers of the cutting blade holders on the cutting blade carriers, which allow simple and rapid removal of the cutting blades, together with the cutting blade holders, without 4 the function of the transverse adjustment of the blades being impaired. Claims 18 and 19 relate to advantageous embodiments of the counter blades.
The invention provides the advantage of simple and rapid blade handling in format cutters from the paper-proces sing industry. Owing to the considerable shortening of non-productive times, it increases the productivity and economy of the cutters. Here, the cutting accuracy is at the same time increased, since the separate alignment of all the cutting and counter blades is dispensed with and thus the adjustment and alignment of the blades becomes independent of the skill of the operator. In this way, fault influences impairing the product quality are avoided. The possibility, provided according to the invention, of removing the blade holders, with the blades, from their receivers in the machine by means of a few simple manoeuvres provides the advantage that the exchange of the blades can be carried out externally on the blade holders. The blade holders can be prepared optimally outside the machine, while the machine continues to operate without any great degree of interruption with a second blade or set of blades. A further advantage of the invention resides in the fact that the counter blades are effectively protected from deformations which might occur under the loads by the cutting force. This has a positive influence on the product quality.
The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawing, in which:
Figure 1 shows a side view of a format cutter without a side wall, Figure 2 shows a front view of a format cutter in schematic illustration, restricted to the parts which are essential to an understanding of the invention, Figure 3 shows a side view, as in Figure 1, in simplified form in a different operating position, Figures 4 to 6 show different positions of the blade carriers during clamping of the blades, and Figure 7 shows details of the cutting and counter blade clamping.
In the figures, like parts are provided with the same reference numerals.
Figures 1 and 2 show, in a side view and a front view, the principle of the construction of a format cutter from the paper-processing industry. This format cutter has a cutting or upper blade arrangement 1 and a counter or lower blade arrangement 2, which cooperate in a cutting station 3 for format-cutting flat products from the paper-processing industry. Such cutters are used to cut blocks or layers of paper sheets, writing pads or exercise books or similar flat products of similar materials into predetermined formats. Here, starting products presented for a plurality of uses can be divided into individual products, or individual products can be trimmed at their edges. The products to be processed are conveyed in the direction of the arrow 7, received by a conveying device formed from upper belts 4 and lower belts 6 and first positioned and aligned against a stop 8 before they are conveyed by the belts 4 and 6 into the cutting position. The stop or stops 8 can be moved by means of a drive 8a into the conveying section of the products and back.
The cutting or upper blade arrangement 1 has a cutting blade carrier 9 which is arranged transversely with respect to the conveying direction 7 of the products to be cut, above the conveying path of the products, and which is pivotal about a shaft 9a by means of a pivot drive 11, for example a crankshaft drive, and a drive or connecting rod 12. A plurality of cutting blade holders 13 each having a cutting blade 14 are arranged next to one another at the lower side of the blade carrier 9. The blade carrier holders 13 have in their upper bearing surface facing the blade carrier 9 a T-shaped groove 16 which runs in the direction of the blades and by means of which it is pushed onto complementary T-shaped guides 17 in the longitudinal direction of the blades. The T-shaped guides 17 are connected with the aid of securing members, e.g. in the form of screws 18, to claws 19 which engage in holding grooves 21 which run longitudinally on the cutting blade carrier 9. By tightening the securing members (screws 18), the guides 17, and the blade holders 13 along with them, are locked on the blade carrier 9. After the securing members have been released, the blade holders, together with the guides 17, can be displaced laterally on the cutting blade carrier.
The counter or lower blade arrangement 2 has a counter blade carrier 22, which runs transversely with respect to the conveying 6 direction 7 of the products to be cut and parallel with respect to the cutting blade carrier, and on the upper side facing the cutting blade carrier 1 of which there are arranged counter blade holders 23 having counter blades 24 associated with the cutting blades 14. The counter blade holders 23 are secured to the counter carrier blade by means of claws 26 which engage in a complementary groove 27 in the counter blade carrier 22 or reach behind a correspondingly shaped portion 28 of the counter blade carrier. The claws 26 are connected to securing members, e. g. in the form of securing screws 29, by means of which they can be locked, together with the counter blade holders 23, on the counter blade carrier 22.
The counter blade holders 23 are constructed in the form of carriages which are laterally displaceable on the counter blade carrier after the securing members 29 have been released and which carry the stops 8 and their drives 8a and the lower belts 6, together with their deflection and drive rollers. For laterally displacing the carriages 31, there are provided spindle mechanisms 32 and 33 which are operated synchronously by way of drive spindles 32a and 33a respectively. Actuating members 34, for example in the form of pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders, bring the spindle nuts of the spindle mechanisms 32 and 33, for the purpose of transversely adjusting the carriages 31, into engagement with the rotating drive spindle 32a or 33a, and release the engagement as soon as the carriage has reached its desired new position. Such drives are known and do not require any further description here.
For the purpose of securely holding the cut products during cutting, there is associated with each blade pair of cutting and counter blades a hold-down element 37 which is mounted such that it is movable up and down on a support carriage 36-by way of parallel guides 38. When the cutting blade carrier 9 is raised, the hold-down element 37 is located, as is shown in Figure 1, in a raised position due to the action of a spring (not illustrated). If the cutting blade carrier 9 is moved down for cutting, then the hold-down element moves downwards by means of an entrainer 39 which is mounted on the cutting blade carrier, so that it presses the cut products together with the intended force during cutting and holds them securely. The support carriage 36 carries, in addition to the hold-down element 37, 7 deflection and drive rollers of the upper belt 4. The support carriage 36 is guided laterally displaceably on a shaft 41 which runs parallel to the blade carriers 9 and 22. The support carriage 36 is driven by means of a spindle mechanism 42 which is constructed in just the same way as the spindle mechanisms 32 and 33 and runs in synchronism with them. A further carriage 43 which, for constructional reasons, is arranged separated from the support carriage 36 traversably laterally on a shaft 44, carries the front deflection roller of the upper belt 4. This carriage 43 is traversable laterally by means of a spindle mechanism 46 which is constructed in just the same way as the spindle mechanisms 32 and 33 and runs in synchronism with them.
The entry-side deflection roller 47 of the upper belt 4 is mounted on a pivot arm 48 which is adjustably rotatable about the shaft 41. Thus, the inlet width between the upper belt 4 and the lower belt 6 can be adjusted to the thickness of the stack or layers 52 to be processed.
In order to ensure an absolute synchronous operation of the spindle mechanisms 32, 33, 42, 46, all the drive spindles are driven by way of a correspondingly configured gear mechanism 49 by a common motor 51, as is suggested by the illustration in Figure 2.
During operation, a product 52 which is orientated and aligned with respect to time and space against the stops 8 is released by lowering the stops 8 and conveyed into the cutting position 3. As soon as the product has reached the cutting position 3, the cutting blade carrier 9 is lowered towards the counter blade by means of the drive 11 and thus severs the starting product into individual end products by shearing cooperation of the cutting blade 14 with the counter blade 24. Here the hold-down element 37, which is pressed by means of the entrainer 39 against the product when the cutting blade carrier 9 is lowered, bears against the product and holds it firmly, so that the stack configuration of the product is maintained during cutting. After cutting, the cutting blade carrier 9 is raised again, the hold-down element also being raised away from the product again. The individual products produced as a result of cutting are conveyed away, while the stops 8 release a new starting product for the next cutting.
Essential for the cutting quality and thus for the quality of the products to be processed is the alignment of the respectively 8 cooperating cutting and counter blades with respect to one another. Aligning the blades with respect to one another in the machine requires a very great deal of skill from the staff and for this reason does not always give reproducible results. Since the blades have to be newly aligned with respect to one another on each exchange of the blades, as well as on each adjustment of the format, the expense for aligning is correspondingly high. Even when the parts are produced precisely and when the assemblers work carefully, errors of alignment which impair the cutting quality can therefore result. A means of obviating this is provided according to the invention.
The invention provides for the alignment of the cooperating cutting and upper blades to be fixed before adjusting the format and the blade pairs which are fixed to one another to be moved Jointly into their new positions.
For the purpose of fixing the alignment of the cutting and counter blades with respect to one another, there are provided, as are illustrated in Figure 3 to 6, support bodies 53 which in the example embodiment shown comprise two support plates 54 and 54a as well as an end plate 56 which connects the two support plates. The support bodies 53 are inserted, before transversely adjusting the blades, between the cutting blade holders and the counter blade holders such that the support plates 54 and 54a come to bear non-positively against corresponding support surfaces 61 and 62 of the counter blade holders 23 and the cutting blade holders 13 when the cutting blade carrier 9 is lowered. The drive 11 of the cutting blade carrier 9 presses the cutting blade holder 13 from above onto the support plates 54 and 54a of the support body 53, so that by means of the support body 53 the cutting blade 14 and the counter blade 24 are clamped non-positively to one another and are fixed in their alignment with respect to one another. In order now to make possible a displacement of the clamped-together blades along the cutting blade carrier 9, there are provided in the surface of the cutting blade holders 13 which bear against the cutting blade carrier 9 spring-loaded roller members 57 in the form of ball bearings 58. When the clamped-together blades are laterally displaced, the balls 58 roll against the lower side of the cutting blade carrier 9, the clamping pressure which is necessary for mutual clamping of the blades being applied at the same time by the 9 springs 59 which load the ball bearings 58.
For transversely displacing the blades of the format cutter on readjustment of the format, the following steps are carried out: while the cutting blade carrier 9 with the cutting blade holders 13 and the cutting blades 14 is located in a raised position, e.g. as shown in Figure 1, the support body 53 is inserted between the respectively associated cutting and counter blade holders in that the support plates 54 and 54a are placed onto corresponding support surfaces 61 (cf. Figure 3) of the counter blade holders 23. The cutting or upper blade carrier 9 with the blade holders 13 and the cutting blades 14 is now pivoted down, so that corresponding bearing surfaces 62 (cf. Figure 3) of the cutting blade holders 13 bear from above against the support plates 54 and 54a of the support body 53 and are supported thereon. Here, the drive 11 exerts by means of the cutting blade carrier 9 such a pressure on the blade holders and the support body 53 that the alignment of the blades with respect to one another is fixed. In this case, the surfaces of the cutting blade holders facing the cutting blade carrier 9 still bear securely against the cutting blade carrier 9 (Figure 5). The screws 18, by means of which the guides 17 are locked on the cutting blade carrier 9, are now released, so that the locking of the cutting blade holders on the cutting blade carrier is removed. If the cutting blade carrier 9 were now unloaded, then the position which is shown in Figure 4, in which the ball bearings 58, as a result of the pressure of the springs 59, are pushed out of the surface of the cutting blade holders 13, would approximately result. However, in order to maintain the fixing of the blades with respect to one another, the cutting blade carrier 9 is raised by means of the drive 11 only to such an extent that although the mutually facing surfaces of the cutting blade carrier 9 and the cutting blade holders are separated from one another, the balls of the ball bearings 58 still bear under the necessary clamping pressure against the cutting blade carrier 9 (Figure 6). In this manner, the static friction between the mutually facing surfaces of the cutting blade carrier and the cutting blade holders, which is produced under the high clamping pressure, is removed and replaced by the rolling friction of the balls of the ball bearings 58. Cutting blade holders 13 and counter blade holders 23 remain clamped to one another by way of the support body 53 and the alignment of the blades 14 and 24 is maintained. Meanwhile, the securing screws 29 which lock the counter blade holders on the counter blade carrier 22 have also been released. By means of the spindle mechanisms 32 and 33, the counter blade holders 23 can now be displaced laterally, entraining the cutting blade holders 13 by way of the support body 53, without altering the alignment of the blades. After adjustment into the new blade positions has been carried out, the securing screws 29 and 18 are tightened again, so that the blade holders are locked on the blade carriers again. Then, the cutting blade carrier 9 is pivoted away, and the support bodies 53 can be removed. Operation with the format cutter can be continued without any further work for a new alignment of the blades with respect to one another. Instead of the securing screws 18 and 29, securing or clamping members which can be actuated automatically by means of drive means can of course also be provided.
Figure 7 shows the arrangement of a cutting blade 14 in a cutting blade holder 13, and a counter blade 24 in a counter blade holder 23. The counter blade 24 is supported by means of a support strip 63, which runs parallel to the blade, against deformation forces which can act on the counter blade 24 from the cutting blade 14 during cutting. Thus, an improvement in the quality of cutting results. The cutting blade 14 is inserted in the cutting blade holder 13 such that its rear surface 64 which determines the cutting line bears against a reference plane 66 of the cutting blade holder. In this position, the cutting blade 14 is held by means of a plurality of clamping screws 67 which press its rear surface 64 against the reference surface 66. By means of adjusting screws 68, the profile of the cutting line of the cutting blade 14 can be adjusted. Aligning screws 69 which act on a surface of the blade opposite the cutting blade edge 71 align the blade in its height with respect to the counter blade. A plurality of clamping, adjusting and aligning screws are provided in each case over the length of the blade in order to hold the blade securely in its position in the blade holder 13.
For changing the blades, the entire cutting blade holder 13 with the blade 14 is replaced. To this end, the securing screws 18 are released in an unclamped position of the cutting blade carrier 9, so that the T- shaped guides 17 are free of the blade carrier 9. The blade holder 13 can now be removed frontwards and be replaced by another blade holder which is already prepared outside the machine. Appropriate stop means (not illustrated in the drawing) ensure that the new blade holder 13 comes into the correct longitudinal position on changing. Since the cutting blade 14 is already inserted and aligned correctly in the exchanged blade holder 13, it is now only necessary to align it with respect to the counter blade. This can be effected by laterally displacing the blade holder 13 with the T-shaped guide 17 on the cutting blade carrier 9, so that exchanging the cutting blades is also possible without any great expense.
12 C 1 a i m s 1. Method of transversely adjusting the blades of a format cutter for cutting a sheet stack of paper or similar flat products, in which cutting and counter blades are displaced transversely with respect to the alignment of the blades for the purpose of adjusting a cutting width, characterized in that the relative alignment during cutting of respectively cooperating cutting and counter blades with respect to one another is first fixed, in that cutting and counter blades are displaced jointly into their desired new position while maintaining their relative alignment, and in that the mutual fixing of cutting and counter blades is released on reaching the new position.