Adjustable delivery web conversion apparatus and method

• US 8,104,755 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2011
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Goss International Americas, LLC
• Original Assignee: Goss International Americas Incorporated (City of Shanghai)
• Inventors: Dawley, Douglas Joseph, Kasper, Kent Dirksen, Perdue, Daniel Matthew, Sandahl, Kyle Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): MACKEY, PATRICK HEWEY
• Application Number:
  US13/113,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20110219970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 253 Days
• Field of Search: 270/5.02, 270/5.03, 270/21.1, 270/52.09, 270/52.12, 270/52.17
• US Class Current: 270/52.17
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 13/58 lengthwise
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 13/62 Folding-cylinders or drums
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 13/70 Depositing
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/01 indicating an entity as a function of which control, adjustment or change is performed, i.e. input
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/02 indicating an entity which is controlled, adjusted or changed by a control process, i.e. output
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/04 for distinguishing adjusting from controlling, i.e. manual adjustments
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/11 indicating that the input or output entities exclusively relate to machine elements
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/15 of sheets in pile or in shingled formation
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/22 of material of different characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/4353 with compartments, e.g. the articles being substantially horizontal in each compartment
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/44316 between belts
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/44331 at particular portion of handled material to be used in combination with at least one code B65H2701/13
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/4455 Diverting a main stream into part streams
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/44714 carried by rotating members
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/44732 transporting articles in overlapping stream
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/4474 Pair of cooperating moving elements as rollers, belts forming nip into which material is transported
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/4476 Endless transport devices with compartments
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/20 Location in space
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/414 of mode of operation
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1315 side edges, i.e. regarded in context of transport
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 29/6609 : forming an overlapping stream by separation of articles from a pile B65H5/24
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 39/10 : Associating articles from a single source, to form, e.g. a writing-pad laminating B32B37/00, B32B38/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 45/28 : Folding in combination with cutting cutting machines B26D

Abstract

An adjustable delivery web conversion apparatus is provided. The adjustable delivery web conversion apparatus includes a variable cutting apparatus cutting a printed web into a first signature and a second signature, a first assembly receiving the first signature and a second assembly downstream of the first assembly receiving the second signature. Also included are a first delivery section for receiving the first signature from the first assembly, a second delivery section for receiving the second signature from the second assembly and a stack receiving conveyor for receiving the first signature and the second signature. The first delivery section is movable between a first delivery and a first non-delivery position. The second delivery section is movable between a second delivery position and a second non-delivery position. The stacking receiving conveyor is movable between a conveying position and a non-conveying position. A method of producing and delivering signatures is also provided.

Claims

1. A printing press comprising:

at least one variable cutoff printing unit printing pages on a continuous section of a web;

a slitter slitting the web into a plurality of ribbons so as to separate the continuous section into a plurality of longitudinal sections;

a web guiding section aligning the ribbons;

a former longitudinally folding the ribbons;

a cutting apparatus cutting the ribbons to separate the longitudinal sections into a plurality of signatures;

at least one guide guiding the ribbons and the signatures horizontally as the ribbons are cut by the cutting apparatus into the signatures; and

a controller controlling the cutting apparatus based on the printing by the at least one variable cutoff printing unit such that the pages are properly positioned on the signatures.

2. The printing press recited in claim 1 further comprising at least one servomotor, the cutting apparatus including at least one cutting cylinder, the at least one servomotor driving the at least one cutting cylinder at varying velocities during each revolution.

3. The printing press recited in claim 2 wherein the at least one cutting cylinder includes a first cutting cylinder and a second cutting cylinder and the at least one servomotor includes a first servomotor and a second servomotor, the first servomotor driving the first cutting cylinder at varying velocities during each revolution, the second servomotor driving the second cutting cylinder at varying velocities during each revolution.

4. The printing press recited in claim 1 wherein the at least one variable cutoff printing unit is configurable to print a first print job and a second print job and the controller increases or decreases the average rotational velocity of the cutting apparatus between the first and second print jobs.

5. The printing press recited in claim 1 wherein the at least one guide includes guide belts.

6. The printing press recited in claim 1 further comprising a decelerating assembly downstream of the cutting apparatus orienting the signatures on top of each other.

7. The printing press recited in claim 6 further comprising at least one motor driving the decelerating assembly, the controller controlling the at least one motor based on the printing by the at least one variable cutoff printing unit and the cutting by the cutting apparatus.

8. The printing press recited in claim 6 wherein the signatures are stacked directly on top of each other.

9. The printing press recited in claim 1 further comprising a conveyor receiving the signatures.

10. The printing press recited in claim 9 wherein the conveyor is traveling at a velocity slower than the ribbons as the ribbons are cut into the signatures.

11. The printing press recited in claim 1 further comprising:

a first assembly downstream of the at least one guide for receiving some of the signatures; and

a second assembly downstream of the first assembly for receiving others of the signatures.

12. The printing press recited in claim 11 further comprising:

a first delivery section for receiving the signatures from the first assembly, the first delivery section movable between a first delivery position where the first delivery section can receive the signatures from the first assembly and a first non-delivery position where the first delivery section cannot receive the signatures from the first assembly; and

a second delivery section for receiving the signatures from the second assembly, the second delivery section movable between a second delivery position where the second delivery section can receive the signatures from the second assembly and a second non-delivery position where the second delivery section cannot receive the signatures from the second assembly; and

a stack receiving conveyor for receiving the signatures, the stack receiving conveyor movable between a conveying position where the stack receiving conveyor can receive the signatures from the first assembly and the second assembly and a non-conveying position where the stack receiving conveyor cannot receive the signatures from the first assembly and the second assembly.

13. A method of operating a printing press comprising the steps of:

printing pages of a first print job having a first cutoff length on a continuous section of a web;

slitting the web printed with the pages of the first print job into first ribbons;

longitudinally folding the first ribbons with a former such that the first ribbons are traveling horizontally as the first ribbons exit the former;

guiding the first ribbons horizontally through a cutting assembly including at least one cutting cylinder;

cutting the first ribbons into first signatures with the at least one cutting cylinder based on the printing of the pages of the first print job such that the pages of the first print job are properly positioned on the first signatures;

printing pages of a second print job having a second cutoff length different from the first cutoff length on a continuous section of the web;

slitting the web printed with the pages of the second print job into second ribbons;

longitudinally folding the second ribbons with the former such that the second ribbons are traveling horizontally as the second ribbons exit the former;

guiding the second ribbons horizontally through the cutting assembly; and

cutting the second ribbons into second signatures with the at least one cutting cylinder based on the printing of the pages of the second print job such that the pages of the second print job are properly positioned on the second signatures.

14. The method recited in claim 13 further comprising rotating the at least one cutting cylinder with at least one servomotor at varying velocities during each revolution during the steps of cutting the first ribbons and cutting the second ribbons.

15. The method recited in claim 14 wherein the at least one cutting cylinder includes a first cutting cylinder and a second cutting cylinder and the at least one servomotor includes a first servomotor and a second servomotor, the first servomotor driving the first cutting cylinder at varying velocities during each revolution during the steps of cutting the first ribbons and cutting the second ribbons, the second servomotor driving the second cutting cylinder at varying velocities during each revolution during the steps of cutting the first ribbons and cutting the second ribbons.

16. The method recited in claim 14 wherein the at least one cutting cylinder is rotated at a different average rotational velocity during the step of cutting the first ribbons than during the step of cutting the second ribbons.