Offset printing machine

• US 6,644,184 B1
• Filed: 09/07/2000
• Issued: 11/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Manroland AG (Allianz Se)
• Original Assignee: Man Roland Druckmaschinen AG (Allianz Se)
• Inventors: Schramm, Michael, Hajek, Josef, Gröbner, Peter, Königer, Johann
• Primary Examiner(s): Eickholt, Eugene H.
• Application Number:
  US09/657,509
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: 101/177, 101/216, 101/219, 101/226, 101/227, 101/228, 101/248, 101/181, 101/207
• US Class Current: 101/177
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 13/0045 Electric driving devices
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 13/28 Bearings mounted eccentrically of the cylinder axis
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 13/56 Folding or cutting
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 7/02 for offset printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 7/025 Multicolour printing or perfecting on sheets or on one or more webs, in one printing unit
• CPC Class Codes: B41P 2213/734 each printing unit being driven by its own electric motor, i.e. electric shaft

Abstract

A web-fed offset printing machine includes printing units having at least one form cylinder and one transfer cylinder; and at least one folder unit; and wherein, for each printing unit, at least one of the form and transfer cylinders has a drive connection to a separate electric motor, the at least one cylinder has either no mechanical drive connection to a further one of the cylinders in case the further cylinder is driven directly or indirectly by a further separate electric motor, or a mechanical drive connection to one of the further cylinders in case the further cylinder is non-driven; the printing machine further includes a motor control system for the at least one electric motor for adjusting a printing group and for presetting the printing units for adaptation to either a different web path or production configuration, the motor control system has an input side; and a computing and memory unit for storing a plurality of cylinder positions connected to the input side of the motor control system.

Claims

1. A web-fed offset printing machine comprising printing units having at least one form cylinder and one transfer cylinder (1.1 to 1.5;

2.1 to 2.5); and

at least one folder unit (25); and

wherein, for each printing unit, at least one of said form and transfer cylinders (1.1 to 1.5;

2.1 to 2.5) has a drive connection to a separate electric motor, said at least one cylinder (1.1 to 1.5;

2.1 to 2.5) having one selected from the group consisting of no mechanical drive connection to a further one of said cylinders (1.1 to 1.5;

2.1 to 2.5) when said further cylinder is driven directly or indirectly by a further separate electric motor and a mechanical drive connection to one of said further cylinders (1.1 to 1.5;

2.1 to 2.5) when said further cylinder is not driven by a separate electric motor;

said printing machine further comprising a motor control system (41, 52, 56, 66, 73) for said at least one electric motor for adjusting a printing group (3, 4, 12, 13, 14, 24, 25, 46, 47, 58 to 61, 67, 68) and for presetting said printing units for adaptation to a different web path, said motor control system having an input side; and

a computing and memory unit (45, 52, 57, 65, 74) for storing a plurality of cylinder positions connected to said input side of said motor-control system.

2. The web-fed offset printing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said printing groups (21 to 24) are set for adaption to different web paths between said printing units (21 to 24);

and said motor control system (56) of said electric motor of a printing group (58 to 61) that is to be adjusted is connected on said input side to said computing and memory unit (57) for moving said printing group (58 to 61) into a predetermined position.

3. The web-fed offset printing machine as claimed in claim 1, additionally comprising two sensors (49, 50) for controlling a color register between two printing groups (46, 47) that print the web (48) one after another, said two sensors (49, 50) sending register marks on the web (49) leaving the printing groups (46, 47) and being connected to an input of said computing and memory unit (51) for comparison, an output of said computing and memory unit being routed to said input of said motor control system (52) of said electric motor (54) for adjusting a printing group (47).

4. The web-fed offset printing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the printing group (58 to 61) that is to be adjusted, the form cylinder (1.1 to 1.5) is driven directly by said motor or indirectly by an associated transfer cylinder (2.1 to 2.5) that is driven by said motor.

5. The web-fed offset printing machine of claim 1, wherein said mechanical drive connection comprises spur gears (8, 10, 19, 20).

6. A web-fed offset printing machine comprising printing units having at least one form cylinder and one transfer cylinder (1.1 to 1.5;

2.1 to 2.5); and

at least one folder unit (25); and

wherein, for each printing unit, at least one of said form and transfer cylinders (1.1 to 1.5;

2.1 to 2.5) has a drive connection to a separate electric motor, said at least one cylinder (1.1 to 1.5;

2.1 to 2.5) having one selected from the group consisting of no mechanical drive connection to a further one of said cylinders (1.1 to 1.5;

2.1 to 2.5) when said further cylinder is driven directly or indirectly by a further separate electric motor and a mechanical drive connection to one of said further cylinders(1.1 to 1.5;

2.1 to 2.5) when said further cylinder is not driven by a separate electric motor;

said printing machine further comprising a motor control system (41, 52, 56, 66, 73) for said at least one electric motor for adjusting a printing group (3, 4, 12, 13, 14, 24, 25, 46, 47, 58 to 61, 67, 68) and for presetting said printing units for adaptation to a different web path, said motor control system having an input side; and

a computing and memory unit (45, 52, 57, 65, 74) for storing a plurality of cylinder positions connected to said input side of said motor control system; and

wherein said motor control system (56, 66) for said electric motor (7) of a printing group (58 to 61) is connected on said input side to said computing and memory unit (57, 65) for setting a cutting register by said electric motor, said computing and memory unit having stored therein cylinder positions for said cutting register for possible web paths for setting said cylinders (2.1 to 2.5) of all printing groups (58 to 61) that print a web (155, 62) into predefined positions for the respective web path.

7. The web-fed offset printing machine as claimed in claim 6, additionally comprising a sensor (63) for controlling the cutting register of the web (62) printed by at least one printing group (58 to 61), said sensor sensing a register mark printed onto the web (62);

a position indicator (64) of an electric motor of one of the printing groups (58 to 61) that print the web (62), said sensor (63) and said position indicator (64) being connected to said computing and memory unit, said computing and memory unit (65) having an output which is routed to said input of said motor control system (66) of said electric motor (M) of said printing group (58 to 61) that print the web (62) for driving said motors in a leading or lagging manner until said motor reaches a required position for correcting a register error determined in said computing and memory unit.

8. The web-fed offset printing machine as claimed in claim 6, additionally comprising a circumferential register and wherein the cutting register and the circumferential register are controlled during a printing operation.

9. A web-fed offset printing machine comprising printing units having at least one form cylinder and one transfer cylinder (1.1 to 1.5;

2.1 to 2.5); and

at least one folder unit (25); and

wherein, for each printing unit, at least one of said form and transfer cylinders (1.1 to 1.5;

2.1 to 2.5) has a drive connection to a separate electric motor, said at least one cylinder (1.1 to 1.5;

2.1 to 2.5) having one selected from the group consisting of no mechanical drive connection to a further one of said cylinders (1.1 to 1.5;

2.1 to 2.5) when said further cylinder is driven directly or indirectly by a further separate electric motor and a mechanical drive connection to one of said further cylinders(1.1 to 1.5;

2.1 to 2.5) when said further cylinder is not driven by a separate electric motor;

said printing machine further comprising a motor control system (41, 52, 56, 66, 73) for said at least one electric motor for adjusting a printing group (3, 4, 12, 13, 14, 24, 25, 46, 47, 58 to 61, 67, 68) and for presetting said printing units for adaptation to a different web path, said motor control system having an input side; and

a computing and memory unit (45, 52, 57, 65, 74) for storing a plurality of cylinder positions connected to said input side of said motor control system;

wherein cylinder positions for different paper paths between various printing units (21 to 24) and for the cutregister setting in accordance with a selected production configuration, are stored in said computing and memory unit (57), and wherein, said drive motors (7) of all the printing units (21 to 24) that print the web (155) are preset by said motor control system (56).