GB2291409A

GB2291409A - Collecting and folding cylinder in folding apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2291409A
Application number: GB9414320A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Thomas Wommer; Ulf Kunze
Original assignee: Zirkon Druckmaschinen GmbH
Current assignee: Zirkon Druckmaschinen GmbH
Priority date: 1993-05-15
Filing date: 1994-07-15
Publication date: 1996-01-24
Anticipated expiration: 2014-07-15
Also published as: GB9414320D0; FR2721915B3; FR2721915A1; GB2291409B; DE4316352C2; DE4316352A1

Description

2291409 COLLECTING AND FOLDING CYLINDER IN FOLDING APPARATUS The present

invention relates to folding apparatus and has particular reference to a collecting and folding cylinder in such apparatus.

It is known to solve the problem of changeover between non collecting production and the collecting production by rotating driven cover discs through a phase angle relative to cam discs secured to the apparatus frame, thereby to vary cam profiles controlling operation of puncture needles and folding blades of a folding cylinder. Some such solutions involve temporarily undoing screw-clamping connections or pin couplings by hand with the apparatus at standstill and then setting the phase angle.

It is also known from DE-AS 25 37 919 to utilise an axial displacement for the changeover. Here, the cam discs themselves are brought by axial displacement into an operative position for non collecting or collecting production and rotation of cover discs superimposed on the drive movement is not provided. It is proposed in DE-PS 38 10 439 to rotate the cover discs independently of the drive movement by axial displacement of a hollow pinion, which is any case required for drive of the cover discs, on a shaft partially formed as worm, the hollow pinion being equipped internally with radially directed roller pins and the roller flanks standing in operative connection with the thread flanks of the worm. A revolving electrical setting motor is provided and the rotational movement to be introduced is convertible into a translational movement of the hollow pinion by way of a threaded spindle and. a slide plate. The complication of this solution, the relatively large dimensions of the gear, the relatively expensive control circuit for the setting motor and the relatively long adjusting time are disadvantageous.

There thus remains a need for an improved control arrangement for such a collecting and folding cylinder, preferably a gear transmission allowing conversion of axial displacement into rotational movement of cover discs in. respect of their angular position and preferably such that the axial displacement can be initiated from outside and by way of a remote control.

According to the present invention there is provided a collecting and folding cylinder in a folding apparatus with a puncture needle cam disc fast with the apparatus frame, a rotatable puncture needle cover disc, the circumferential outline of which together with that of the needle cam disc forms a control cam for first roller levers producing movement of puncture needles, a folding blade cam disc fast with the apparatus frame, a rotatable folding blade cover disc, the circumferential outline of which together with that of the blade cam disc forms a control cam for second roller levers producing movement of folding blades, wherein the puncture needle cover disc and the folding blade cover disc are rigidly connected together rotationally, and a gear transmission for transmitting the rotational movement from the cylinder to the rotatable cover discs and for rotating the two cover discs independently of their driving movement and in respect of their h angular position relative to the roller levers, which are pivotably arranged at the cylind&, for changeover between non-collecting and collecting production, wherein the transmission is a multistage gearwheel transmission in which the rotational axes of a drive input gear and a drive output gear are coaxial, the stages comprise at least one helical stage, a respective one of the two gears of the or each helical stage is axially displaceable and a changeover between non-collecting and collecting production takes place through an axial displacement of the displaceable gear or gears by action from outside.

Preferably, the transmission has two stages, both stages are helically toothed with the tooth flanks of the gears of one stage directed in opposite sense to those of the other, the drive output gear of the first stage and the drive input gear wheel of the second stage are arranged on a common shaft, the shaft is mounted at both ends to be axially displaceable in the apparatus frame, a pistoncylinder unit is provided for axial displacement of the shaft and a piston rod of the unit is so connected with the shaft by way of a clutch that the shaft assumes end positions for non-collecting and collecting production at the two end positions of the piston rod.

For preference, the shaft is a hollow shaft mounted to be axially fixed on an axle and that the axle is mounted at both ends to be axially displaceable in the apparatus frame. The axle can be connected with the piston rod and the hollow shaft, with the input and output gears, can be mounted to be rotatable on the axle by means of rolling bearings. The piston-cylinder unit can be operable by remote control.

Expediently, the piston-cylinder unit can be replaced by a handle, which is connected directly with the axle, for manual axial displacement of the hollow shaft and the hollow shaft (38) is axially fixable in both end positions by a latching device.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the operating end of a collecting and folding cylinder, in the setting "collecting production" in folding apparatus embodying the invention; is a schematic view of the folding apparatus, inclusive of the collecting and folding cylinder; is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the cyl inder in the setting "non collecting production"; are schematic side elevations of the operating side of the cylinder of Fig. 1, in operative association with a cutting cylinder and in folding flap cylinder, in different movement phases for the setting "non-collecting production"; and are elevations similar to Figs. 4a to d, but showing different movement phases for the setting "collecting production".

Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Figs. 4a to d Figs. 5a to d 1 Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. 2 - a folding apparatus in which an entering printed material strip 1 receives a first longitudinal fold by way of a funnel roller 2 and a folding funnel 3 in co-operation with introducing rollers 4 and a draw-roller system 5. Transverse-cutting and transverse-folding equipment comprising a cutting cylinder 6, a collecting and folding cylinder 7 and a folding flap cylinder 8 are arranged downstream of the longitudinal folding equipment.

The collecting and folding cylinder 7 is provided at its circumference with puncture needles 9 and folding blades 10 and effects the seizing and holding of a strip portion in a known manner, the cutting off of a strip portion in co-operation with the cutting cylinder 6, which has cutting blades 11, and - in co operation with the folding flap cylinder 8, which has folding flaps 12 - the transverse folding and seizing of the strip portion led around by the cylinder 7 by the folding flap cylinder 8 in about the centre of the strip portion in the case of "non-collecting production".

For "collecting productioC, the folding blades 10 of the cylinder 7 and the folding flaps 12 of the cylinder 8 are activated only for each second revolution of the cylinder 7 and in particular when two strip portions lying one above the other on the cylinder 7 are fed to the cylinder 8.

Referring more particular to the remaining figures, the means for the movement control of the puncture needles 9 consists of a puncture needle cam disc 13, which is fast with the apparatus frame 26, and a rotatable puncture needle cover disc 14, the circumferential outlines of which discs together form a control cam for roller levers 15 producing the movement of the needles 9. The means for movement control of the folding blades 10 consists of a folding blade cam disc 16, which is fast with the frame 26, and a rotatable folding blade cover disc 17, the circumferential outlines of which discs together form a control cam for roller levers 18 producing the movement of the blades 10.

The needle cover disc 14 and the blade cover disc 17 are firmly screw-connected together. The roller]eves 15 and 18 are spring-loaded and pivotably connected at the facing end with the collecting and folding cylinder 7 by means of pins 19 and 20, respectively. Follower rollers 21 and 22 are mounted by means of pins 23 and 24, respectively, to be rotatable in the levers 15 and 18, respectively, and follow the cam tracks of the control cams.

The cylinder 7 is mounted to be.rotatable in the frame 26 by a cylinder axle 25 at the driven end, which is not illustrated. At the control end, the axle 25 of the cylinder 7 is mounted by means of rolling bearings 29 and 30 in an inner bushing 27, which is arranged inside an outer bushing 28 and firmly connected thereto by way of screws. The outer bushing 28 is fitted into a bore in the frame 26 and screw-connected therewith. The cylinder axle 25 carries at its end, in a manner secure against rotation, a drive input gear 31 of a gear transmission for transmitting rotational movement of the cylinder 7 to the rotatable cover discs 14 and 17.

A drive output gear 34 of this transmission is arranged coaxially i.

with the drive input gear 31, continues inwardly in the form of -a hollow cylindrical prolongation 35 of smaller diameter and is mounted by means of rolling bearings 36 and 37 on the inner bushing 27. The prolongation 35 is firmly screw-connected with the blade cover disc 17.

The gear transmission, which serves for the transmission of the rotational movement from the cylinder 7 to the cover discs 14 and 17 and also for changeover between non-collecting and collecting production (N, S), is in two stages and both stages are obliquely, such as helically, toothed with a slope angle of about 30, the tooth flanks of the two gear stages being directed one in opposite sense to the other. A drive output gear 32 of the first gear stage and a drive input gear 33 of the second gear stage are arranged on a common hollow shaft 38, which is mounted on an axle 41 to be axially fixed, but rotatable, by way of rolling bearings 39 and 40, wherein the axial fixing of the shaft 38 on the axle 41 is effected by means of securing rings 42, 43 and 44 and annular steps in the shaft 38 and the axle 41. The axle 41 is mounted in the frame 26 to be axially displaceable between end positions determined by abutments 45 and 46 and is secured against rotation by mechanically positive engagement of the axle with the machine frame.

A piston rod 47 of a double-acting pneumatic piston-cylinder unit 28 of appropriate stroke is connected with the axle 41 by means of a clutch 49. The unit 48 is operable by remote control, for example, by means of known controllable multi-way valves.

When. the collecting and folding cylinder 7 is to be switched over from non-collecting to collecting production, the gears 32 and 33 are moved from the righthand (Fig. 3) to the lefthand (Fig. 1) end position by way of the axle 41 and the hollow shaft 38 through actuation of the unit 48, whereby the drive output gear 34 is additionally rotated independently of the normal rotary driving movement. The angular position of the cover discs 14 and 17 relative to the cam discs 13 and 16, which are fast with the frame 26, is thereby changed by way of the prolongations 35 of the gear 34. The slope of the displacement characteristic can be influenced by choice of the optimum slope angle for the helical gears of the transmission.

In the preferred embodiment with three roller levers 15 for the movement of the needles 9 and three roller levers 18 for the movement of the blades 10 at the cylinder 7, as well as with four acting or non-acting sectors of the cover discs 14 and 17 (the cover discs have two acting cover regions x and y and two non-acting regions respectively opposite each other), the transmission has a transmission ratio of 3:4 with the drive output movement and the drive input movement being directed in the same sense.

A particular advantage is that the changeover from non collecting production to collecting production takes place through the initiation of a translational movement instead of a rotational movement. This allows the use of a pneumatic piston-cylinder unit while dispensing with expensive limit switches or travel-/amgle transmitters with evaluating devices. Moreover, a short changeover time results. It is also advantageous that the unit 48 can be replaced without undue effort by a manual displacement device.

p 9 - Figs. 4a to d show the cylinder 7, in conjunction with the cylinders 6 and 8, in different stages of movement for the setting "non-collecting production". As can be seen, the phase position of the cover disc 17 is such that during rotation it uncovers a depression in the cam disc 16 so that each folding blade can pivot (Fig. 4b) for co-operation with a blade 11 of the cylinder 8. In these figures, 1 signifies the rotary angle of the cylinder 7, y the rotary angle of the cover disc 17, x-y the cover region of the disc 17 and d-N the angle at the sheet between the rotational axis of a roller lever and the centre of a cover region on the disc 17 in the case of "non-collecting production". Figs. 5a to d correspondingly show the cylinder 7, again in conjunction with the cylinders 6 and 8, in different stages of movement for the setting "collecting production". As can be seen, here the phase position of the cover disc 17 is such that during the illustrated rotational movement it covers a depression in the cam disc 16 and prevents pivoting of a folding blade. The symbols have the same meaning as in Figs. 4a to d, with o(IS signifying the corresponding angle in the case of "collecting production".

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Claims

1. Folding apparatus comprising a rotatable collecting and folding cylinder provided at its circumference with displaceable puncture needles and folding blades, first and second cam means for selectably causing displacement of the needles and blades and each comprising a stationary cam disc and a rotatable cover disc co operable with the cam disc to define a cam track, and multistage gear transmission means for transmitting rotation from the cylinder to the cover discs and independently thereof for rotating the cover discs rel at i ve to the cylinder to effect changeover between displacement and non-displacement of the needles and blades by the first and second cam means, the transmission means comprising coaxial drive input and output gears and at least one of the stages comprising two obliquely toothed gears axially displaceable relative to each other by external action to produce said relative rotation of the cover discs.

2. Apparatus as claimed in calim 1, the transmission means comprising two such stages with obliquely toothed gears, the tooth inclination of one stage being in opposite sense to that of the other stage.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wh-erein the two stages repsectively comprise a drive input gear and drive output gear which are carried by a common shaft mounted to be axially displaceable.

i 1

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising piston cylinder means operable to axially displace the shaft by way of clutch means.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the shaft comprises a sleeve carrying the stage input and output gears and mounted on an axle to be secure against axial displacement relative thereto, the axle being mounted at end portions thereof to be axially di spI aceab l e.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the axle is connected to a piston rod of the piston-cylinder unit and the sleeve is rotatably mounted on the axle by means of rollable bearing elements.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6, comprising remote control means to actuate the pistoncylinder unit.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the shaft comprises a sleeve carrying the stage input and output gears and mounted on an axle and the apparatus further comprises a manually actuable handle for manual axial displacement of the sleeve and detent means for fixing the sleeve in end positions thereof.

9. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.