Movable folders and former board arrangement

• US 6,422,552 B1
• Filed: 12/08/1999
• Issued: 07/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shanghai Electric (Group) Corporation (City of Shanghai)
• Original Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Ag
• Inventors: Riotto, Robert Michael, Chesno, Lewis Bradley, Dufour, Charles Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Christopher P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MACKEY, PATRICK HEWEY
• Application Number:
  US09/456,852
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 101/212, 101/215, 101/216, 101/225, 101/226, 101/227, 270/6, 270/10, 270/21.1, 270/41, 270/32, 493/477, 493/478
• US Class Current: 270/32
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 13/58 lengthwise
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2402/00 Constructional details of the handling apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2555/10 linear
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 45/00 Folding thin material specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of particular products, see appropriate subclasses, e.g. D06F89/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 45/225 Arrangements of folding triangles
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 45/28 Folding in combination with cutting cutting machines B26D

Abstract

A movable folder assembly includes one or more folders slidingly supported on a pair of rails and an actuator for moving the folder on said pair of rails. The actuator may include a hydraulic cylinder and a control unit for controlling said hydraulic cylinder. The folder(s) is supported on said rails by bearings. Preferably, the bearings are linear bearings, and most preferably, the folder(s) is supported on at least one of said rails by dual-type linear bearings. The folder(s) may be used in conduction with a former board arrangement in a web-fed rotary newspaper printing press which includes a first and a second row of former boards each row including a first, second and third former board for longitudinally folding one or more ribbons passing over the former boards. The first row of former boards is arranged above the second former board, and a movable folder is located below one of the former boards of the second row of former boards for crossfolding and cutting the ribbons into signatures.

Claims

1. A movable folder assembly comprising:

a first folder and a second folder slidingly supported on a pair of rails;

an actuator for moving the first and second folders on said pair of rails; and

a preset device for providing a plurality of preset folder positions along said pair of rails.

2. The movable folder assembly of claim 1, wherein said actuator comprises a hydraulic cylinder and a control unit for controlling said hydraulic cylinder.

3. The movable folder assembly of claim 1, wherein said first folder is secured to said second folder such that the first and second folders move together on said pair of rails.

4. The movable folder assembly of claim 1, wherein the first and second folders are separately movable on said pair of rails.

5. The movable folder assembly of claim 4, wherein said actuator includes a first actuator for the first folder and a second actuator for the second folder.

6. The movable folder assembly of claim 4, wherein said actuator includes a first hydraulic cylinder coupled to said first folder and a second hydraulic cylinder coupled to said second folder.

7. The movable folder assembly of claim 6, wherein said first and second hydraulic cylinders are coupled to one or more controllers for controlling said first and second hydraulic cylinders.

8. The movable folder assembly of claim 1, wherein said first and second folders are supported on said rails by bearings.

9. The movable folder assembly of claim 8, wherein said bearings are linear bearings.

10. The movable folder assembly of claim 9, wherein the first and second folders are supported on at least one of said rails by dual-type linear bearings.

11. The movable folder assembly of claim 9, wherein the first and second folders are supported on one of said rails by dual-type linear bearings and on the other one of said rails by single type linear bearings.

17. The movable folder assembly of claim 10, wherein the folder is supported on one of said rails by dual linear bearings and on the other one of said rails by single linear bearings.

12. A movable folder assembly comprising:

a folder slidingly supported on a pair of rails;

an actuator for moving the folder on said pair of rails; and

a preset device for providing a plurality of preset folder positions along said pair of rails.

13. The movable folder assembly of claim 12, wherein said actuator comprises a hydraulic cylinder and a control unit for controlling said hydraulic cylinder.

14. The movable folder assembly of claim 12, wherein said folder is supported on said rails by bearings.

15. The movable folder assembly of claim 14, wherein said bearings are linear bearings.

16. The movable folder assembly of claim 15, wherein the folder is supported on at least one of said rails by linear bearings.

18. The movable folder assembly of claim 12, wherein the preset device is an absolute encoder.

19. A former board arrangement in a web-fed rotary printing press comprising:

a first row and a second row of former boards, each row including a first, second and third former board for longitudinally folding one or more ribbons passing over said former boards, said first row of former boards being arranged above said second row of former boards; and

a movable folder, said movable folder being located below one of said former boards of said second row of former boards, said movable folder being slidingly supported on a pair of rails via linear bearings; and

a preset device for providing a plurality of preset folder positions along said pair of rails.

20. The movable folder assembly of claim 19, wherein the folder is supported on at least one of said rails by dual linear bearings.