Aligned pasting of a new roll of substrate to an expiring roll of substrate in a printing press

• US 9,206,012 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2014
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apex Engraving & Lithography LLC
• Original Assignee: Apex Engraving & Lithography LLC
• Inventors: Crozier, Russell Charles, O'Leary, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Evanisko, Leslie J
• Application Number:
  US14/483,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20150008634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 453 Days
• Field of Search: 101/226, 101/227, 101/484, 101/485, 156/157, 156/159, 156/504, 156/505, 242/554.1, 242/555, 242/555.3, 242/555.6, 242/555.7
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 13/02 Conveying or guiding webs through presses or machines
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 13/025 Registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 13/60 crosswise
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 23/00 Devices for treating the surfaces of sheets, webs, or other articles in connection with printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 33/0081 Devices for scanning register marks
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 5/04 for printing on webs
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 7/04 using printing units incorporating one forme cylinder, one transfer cylinder, and one impression cylinder, e.g. for printing on webs
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 19/10 in unwinding mechanisms or in connection with unwinding operations
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 19/18 Attaching, e.g. pasting, the replacement web to the expiring web adhesive arrangements on leading end of replacement web, tabs and adhesive tapes for splicing B65H19/102
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 19/1821 the replacement web being accelerated or running prior to splicing contact
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 19/1868 The roll support being of the turret type
• 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 23/185 motor-controlled
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/46013 and maintaining register of spliced webs
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/4631 Adhesive tape
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/512 Marks, e.g. invisible to the human eye; Patterns
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2513/23 angular
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2801/21 Industrial-size printers, e.g. rotary printing press
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 37/04 for securing together articles or webs, e.g. by adhesive, stitching or stapling adhering replacement to expiring web during change of web roll B65H19/18
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 39/16 Associating two or more webs
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 43/02 : detecting, or responding to, absence of articles B65H43/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 43/06 : detecting, or responding to, completion of pile B65H43/08 takes precedence

Abstract

Systems and methods for aligning preprinted images on a roll of substrate to the moving components of a web press are disclosed. A method in accordance with one embodiment includes determining the speed of the moving components of the press, determining the speed of the web of preprinted images and adjusting the speed of the web of preprinted image to match the speed of the web. In particular embodiments, a press which produces rolls of preprinted material can be modified to change the equivalent cutoff length of the press. In further embodiments, a method of pasting new rolls of material to expiring rolls of material is accomplished by modulating the drive speed of the new roll of material to match the expiring roll of material while at the same time aligning the images on the new roll with the expiring roll.

Claims

1. A printing press comprising:

an expiring roll of high quality preprinted substrate comprising;

preprinted images with an equivalent cutoff; and

expiring roll timing marks indicating a position of each preprinted image; and

a web created by threading said expiring roll into the press; and

a new roll of high quality preprinted substrate comprising;

preprinted images with the equivalent cutoff; and

new roll timing marks indicating a position of each preprinted image; and

a new roll paste mark indicating a new roll leading edge position; and

an Aligned Paste System (APS) installed in the printing press for controlling a pasting operation, the APS comprising;

a sensor suite comprising;

an expiring roll timing mark sensor; and

a new roll leading edge sensor; and

a new roll belt drive encoder; and

a press pulse generator; and

a computing device which receives signals from the expiring roll timing mark sensor and the press pulse generator calculates expiring roll image speed and position; and

said computing device receives signals from the new roll leading edge sensor and the new roll belt drive encoder and calculates new roll leading edge speed and position; and

said computing device modulates the new roll speed to match the expiring roll speed; and

said computing device modulates the new roll leading edge position so that when a pasting of the new roll to the expiring roll occurs, the new roll preprinted images are in alignment with the expiring roll preprinted images.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the expiring roll timing marks are aligned with the start of each successive image.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the new roll timing marks are aligned with the start of each successive image.

4. A method of producing a newspaper comprising:

providing a printing press; and

providing an expiring roll of high quality preprinted substrate comprising;

preprinted images with an equivalent cutoff; and

timing marks indicating a position of each preprinted image; and

creating a web by threading said expiring roll into the press; and

providing a new roll of high quality preprinted substrate comprising;

preprinted images with the equivalent cutoff; and

a new roll paste mark indicating a new roll leading edge position; and

providing an Aligned Paste System (APS for controlling a pasting operation, the APS comprising;

a sensor suite comprising;

an expiring roll timing mark sensor; and

a new roll leading edge sensor; and

a new roll belt drive encoder; and

a press pulse generator; and

a computing device which receives signals from the expiring roll timing mark sensor and the press pulse generator can calculate expiring roll image speed and position; and

said computing device can receive signals from the new roll leading edge sensor and the new roll belt drive encoder and calculates new roll leading edge speed and position; and

said computing device modulates the new roll speed to match the expiring roll speed; and

said computing device modulates the new roll leading edge position so that when a pasting of the new roll to the expiring roll occurs, the new roll preprinted images are in alignment with the expiring roll preprinted images.

installing the APS into the printing press; and

operating the printing press and creating a newspaper.