Feeder and method for operating a feeder of a sheet-processing machine

Abstract

Feeder (01) for a sheet processing machine with a stacking area for receiving a stack (04), a main stacking support (02) that can be raised and lowered, and an auxiliary stacking support (05), wherein the auxiliary stacking support (05) can be inserted into the stacking area against a sheet travel direction (BLR) of the sheet processing machine and can be extended out of the stacking area in the sheet travel direction (BLR) and can be raised and lowered independently of the main stacking support (02), wherein on the side of the stacking area downstream in the sheet travel direction (BLR) are first and second stack stop elements (10;20) are formed and the first stack stop elements (10) form a first vertical stop plane and the second stack stop elements (20) form a second vertical stop plane, wherein the second stack stop elements (20) are displaceable relative to the first stack stop elements (10) from a first position in which the second vertical stop plane corresponds to the first vertical stop plane or in which the second vertical stop plane is formed downstream of the first vertical stop plane in the arc travel direction (BLR), to a second position in which the second vertical stop plane is formed upstream of the first vertical stop plane in the arc travel direction (BLR), characterized in that the first and the second stack stop elements (10; 20) extend in a vertical direction and extend at least partially alongside each other.;

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a feeder and a method for operating a feeder of a sheet-processing machine according to the preamble of claim 1 or 11.

[0002] In sheet-fed printing presses, the sheets to be printed are taken from the top of a feeder stack in the feeder and transported to a processing unit. At high printing speeds, the stacks in the feeder are processed relatively quickly. To continue printing without interruption, it is necessary to prepare a new stack on the stack support plate, i.e., to position this new stack in exactly the same position below the auxiliary stack (the previously processed stack) and then merge the auxiliary stack with the new main stack.For this purpose, automatic stack-changing devices have been developed, by means of which the partially used stack (auxiliary stack) can be removed from the pallet on the stack support plate and, after the stack support plate has been lowered and a new main stack placed on top, repositioned precisely on the upper side of a new main stack. These known stack-changing devices comprise an auxiliary stack support, in particular horizontally movable bars in the form of a rake, wherein these bars, which receive the auxiliary stack, are attached to a vertically movable auxiliary stack support device.

[0003] A feeder with such an auxiliary stacking device is known from EP 0 897 883 A1.

[0004] DE 10 2017 211 224 A1 discloses a feeder for a sheet-processing machine, designed as a non-stop feeder. Stack alignment and / or stack stop elements are provided for aligning the stack side surface oriented in the sheet-feed direction. For example, the alignment of the stack or auxiliary stack at the stack's leading edge can be achieved using stack stop rails (not shown).

[0005] According to EP 0 626 331 A2, fixed upper and vertically movable lower stacking stops can also be provided on the stacking area of ​​a boom to prevent the sheets from slipping when moving an auxiliary stacking support.

[0006] US Patent 2015 / 0368064A1 discloses a sheet stacking device with a leading-edge stop that is positionally adjustable in a transfer direction. A stop element is arranged in the leading-edge stop and is mounted to move back and forth between a first and a second position in the transfer direction.

[0007] DE 10 2006 046 823 C5 shows a delivery or feeder for a printing material processing machine with a device for combining an auxiliary stack and a main stack.

[0008] According to DE 195 25 492 C1, a device for measuring in the delivery of a sheet-fed printing press is known. Printed sheets can be placed on top of a stack in the delivery. Sheet placement is supported by activatable first stops. Activatable second stops are used for sheet alignment during a measuring process.

[0009] DE 42 11 353 A1 discloses an auxiliary stacking support for a sheet stacking lifting device with a main stacking lifting mechanism and an auxiliary stacking lifting mechanism in sheet-fed printing presses, in which rod-shaped auxiliary stacking support elements, which can be inserted into grooves of a stacking board under an auxiliary stack and are aligned parallel to the grooves in a horizontal plane, are supported on a rear crossbeam.

[0010] Problems arise particularly when the auxiliary stack support is removed from the stacking area to combine the auxiliary stack and the new stack. Therefore, during continuous stack merging, the auxiliary stack and the new stack (main stack) must be supported, especially against the auxiliary stack support being pulled out.

[0011] The solutions known from the prior art can only adequately support auxiliary and main stacks during stack joining if the stacks exhibit high stack quality. If the sheets forming the stacks are not perfectly aligned and the stacks consequently have uneven edges, individual sheets are not sufficiently supported by the known stops and slip when the auxiliary stack support is removed.

[0012] The invention is based on the objective of creating an alternative feeder for a sheet-processing machine or an alternative method for operating a feeder of a sheet-processing machine.

[0013] In particular, it may be an object of the invention to secure the sheets resting on the auxiliary stacking support and / or the main stacking support more reliably against slipping when extending, in particular pulling out, the auxiliary stacking support from the stacking area.

[0014] The problem is solved according to the invention by the features of claims 1 and 11.

[0015] Advantageous embodiments result from the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

[0016] The invention has the advantage of providing an alternative feeder for a sheet-fed processing machine or an alternative method for operating a feeder of a sheet-fed processing machine. A sheet-fed processing machine with a corresponding feeder is also provided. Furthermore, the stack handling is advantageously improved and / or the stack change is made more reliable, particularly in non-stop operation. In particular, it can be achieved that a stack change functions more reliably in non-stop operation.

[0017] An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings and is described in more detail below.

[0018] They show: Fig. 1 a perspective view of a feeder with a stacking area with extended auxiliary stacking support; Fig. 2 a perspective partial view of a feeder with retracted auxiliary stacking support and second stacking stop elements in a first position; Fig. 3 a perspective partial view of a feeder with retracted auxiliary stacking support and second stacking stop elements in a second position; Fig. 4 a perspective partial view of a feeder from below with an adjustable first stop in a first adjustment state; Fig. 5 a perspective partial view of a feeder from below with an adjustable first stop in a second adjustment state.

[0019] The figures show, for example, feeder 01 of a sheet-processing machine. The sheet-processing machine can be, for example, a printing press and / or a coating machine and / or a die-cutting machine.

[0020] The invention is described below using the example of a printing press as a representative example for all types of sheet-processing machines.

[0021] The printing press, in particular a sheet-fed printing press, is preferably designed as a sheet-fed offset rotary printing press in a modular or series design.

[0022] It preferably comprises a feeder 01, a delivery unit, and several units arranged between the feeder 01 and the delivery unit. The feeder 01 separates the sheet-shaped substrates from a stack 04, in particular a main stack 04, and feeds them to the first unit. The units are configured as printing units and / or coating units and print the sheet-shaped substrates with a color or coat them with a coating, respectively, conveying the sheet-shaped substrates in a sheet-running direction BLR. The last unit in the sheet-running direction BLR transfers the sheet-shaped substrates to the delivery unit. The delivery unit forms a stack from the stream of printed and / or coated sheet-shaped substrates.The boom preferably comprises circulating conveying systems, for example gripper carriages carrying clamping grippers, from which the arc-shaped substrates, hereinafter referred to as sheets, are fixed at their leading edges and conveyed in the sheet travel direction (BLR) to a delivery area where they form a delivery stack. The printing press may also have a perfecting device and is preferably designed to be switchable between perfecting and double-sided printing modes.

[0023] The feeder 01 has a stacking area with a main stacking support 02, which is attached to traction elements 07, in particular lifting chains 07 or chains 07. The main stacking support 02 can be raised and lowered vertically by a stacking lifting drive via the traction elements 07, in particular lifting chains 07 or chains 07. In particular, the main stacking support 02 can be designed in the form of a stacking support plate 02. The main stacking support 02 carries a pallet 03, which can hold a main stack 04 of sheets to be printed.

[0024] Feeder 01 uses lifting and transport suction cups (not shown) to pick up sheets from the main stack 04 and feeds them in the sheet travel direction BLR to a first unit of the printing press. While sheets are being picked up from the main stack 04, the main stack 04 on the pallet 03 is continuously lifted by the main stack carrier 02. To ensure an uninterrupted conveying process, feeder 01 has an auxiliary stack carrier 05 that receives the main stack 04 as an auxiliary stack 08, while the main stack carrier 02 is lowered again with the empty pallet 03 and preferably reloaded. Subsequently, the new main stack 04 can be combined with the remaining auxiliary stack 08 by lifting the new main stack 04 and removing the auxiliary stack carrier 05.

[0025] In Fig. Figure 1 shows the feeder 01 with the auxiliary stack carrier 05 not retracted.

[0026] Fig. Figure 2 shows details of investor 01 in a state of so-called non-stop batch change immediately before unification.

[0027] The former main stack 04 was removed from pallet 03 using the auxiliary stack support 05 and is now auxiliary stack 08. Below the auxiliary stack support 05 is a new main stack 04 resting on pallet 03.

[0028] The auxiliary stacking support 05 can be designed as a rake with tines 05. The tines 05 can also be rods. Preferably, the tines 05 of the rake are connected at one end to a base part 06. The auxiliary stacking support 05 is also assigned a stacking lifting drive, with which the auxiliary stacking support 05 can be raised and lowered independently of the main stacking support 02. A support rail 11, for example a crossbeam, is provided to receive the free ends of the tines 05 of the rake, onto which the stacking lifting drive acts via traction elements 07, in particular lifting chains 07 or chains 07. The auxiliary stacking support 05 can be moved into the stacking area opposite to the sheet travel direction BLR of the sheet processing machine and moved out of the stacking area in the sheet travel direction BLR. A linear unit, here in the form of a guide rail 12, is provided to guide the auxiliary stacking support 05 during insertion and retraction.The guide rail 12 can be moved vertically by the stacking lifting drive of the auxiliary stacking carrier 05 for raising and lowering the auxiliary stacking carrier 05.

[0029] The prongs 05 of the auxiliary stacking support 05 are spaced apart from each other and aligned at least approximately horizontally.

[0030] When entering the stacking area, the tines 05 of the rake are preferably guided by grooves formed on the pallet 03, in particular the non-stop system pallet 03. The tines 05 of the auxiliary stack support 05 then slide under the main stack 04. After the tines 05 of the rake have passed through the pallet 03 and engaged the main stack 04 as an auxiliary stack 08, they are received by the support rail 11. The support rail 11 is designed here as a crossbeam extending across the width of the machine.

[0031] The stacking area in which the main stack 04 and auxiliary stack 08 are located is limited on the downstream side in the arc direction BLR by first stack stop elements 10. The first stack stop elements 10 form a first vertical stop plane.

[0032] The first stacking stop elements 10 can be designed as essentially vertically extending first stop bars 10 or first stop rails 10 spaced apart from one another transversely to the arc travel direction BLR, the outer contours of which facing the stacking area form the first vertical stop plane. The first vertical stop plane is a virtual plane.

[0033] On the downstream side of the stacking area in the direction of arc travel BLR, a second stacking stop element 20 is also formed. The second stacking stop elements 20 form a second vertical stop plane.

[0034] The second stacking stop elements 20 can be designed as pressure blocks 20 arranged transversely to the arc direction BLR and spaced apart from each other, or as second stop bars 20 or second stop rails 20 extending essentially vertically and arranged transversely to the arc direction BLR and spaced apart from each other, the outer contours of which facing the stacking area form the second vertical stop plane.

[0035] The second vertical stop plane is also a virtual plane.

[0036] The second stack stop elements 20 can be displaced relative to the first stack stop elements 10 from a first position in which the second vertical stop plane corresponds to the first vertical stop plane or in which the second vertical stop plane is formed downstream of the first vertical stop plane when viewed in the arc direction BLR, to a second position in which the second vertical stop plane is formed upstream of the first vertical stop plane in the arc direction BLR.

[0037] In the second position, the second stack stop elements 20 extend beyond the first stack stop elements 10 in the arc direction BLR and thus into the stack area.

[0038] The first position of the second stack stop elements 20 is particularly in Fig. 2 shown. The second position of the second stack stop elements 20 is shown in particular in Fig. Figure 3 illustrates this. To improve the clarity of the position of the second stack stop elements 20, in Fig. 3 of the auxiliary stack 08 is not shown, in particular omitted from the representation, which would be located on the auxiliary stack carrier 05 if fully shown.

[0039] The second stack stop elements 20 can preferably support arcs in the lower region of the auxiliary stack 08 and / or arcs in the upper region of the new main stack 04, which is brought up from below to the auxiliary stack support 05, against, in particular, lateral slippage resulting from the force exerted by the auxiliary stack support 05 during extension. The second position of the second stack stop elements 20 corresponds to an active state, while the first position of the second stack stop elements 20 corresponds to an inactive waiting state.

[0040] If the arcs forming the auxiliary stack 08 and / or the main stack 04 are not precisely aligned with the edges of the first stack stop elements 10 in the area of ​​the auxiliary stack support 05, the second stack stop elements 20 come into effect. A force storage device 21 is preferably associated with the second stack stop elements 20 or with a support 22 of the second stack stop elements 20. This device limits the movement of the second stack stop elements 20 when they shift into the stacking area. The force of the force storage device 21, preferably designed as a gas spring 21, is adjusted such that the second stack stop elements 20 secure the arcs in the auxiliary stack 08 and / or main stack 04 against slippage.

[0041] Preferably the second stack stop elements 20 are assigned to a support 22 or are designed as components or forms of a support 22 extending transversely to the arc travel direction BLR.

[0042] Preferably, the second stacking stop elements 20 are guided directly or via a support 22 by a horizontal guide 23. The guide 23 determines the insertion and extension movement of the second stacking stop elements 20 and can be designed as a sliding guide. Preferably, the support 22 is designed as a slide 22 or is guided by a slide 22. The energy storage device 21 associated with the support 22 of the second stacking stop elements 20 connects or clamps the support 22 to or against a mounting point 26 of the feeder 01. The mounting point 26 is fixed in the arc direction BLR and is displaced vertically with the guide rail 12 of the auxiliary stacking support 05. The mounting point 26 can be fixed on the guide rail 12 of the auxiliary stacking support 05.

[0043] The second stack stop elements 20 or the support 22 of the second stack stop elements 20 are preferably associated with a first stop 24 that is adjustable in the arc direction BLR. More preferably, the adjustable first stop 24 is guided by the horizontal guide 23. The adjustable first stop 24 can comprise a threaded spindle connected to a rotary knob, which is mounted on the support 22, in particular the slide 22. The first stop 24 is preferably infinitely adjustable. A readable scale 13 can be associated with the first stop 24. Fig. 4 and Fig. Figure 5 shows in particular different adjustment states of the first stop 24.

[0044] The adjustable first stop 24 preferably interacts with a second stop 25. The second stop 25 is preferably movable between two end positions by a drive 14. The drive 14 can be designed as a pneumatic cylinder.

[0045] The drive 14 can move the second stop 25, causing the second stacking stop elements 20 to move into the stacking area. When the drive 14 is active, the second stop 25 is in an end position where, via the first stop 24 and the support 22, it holds the second stacking stop elements 20 outside the stacking area against the force exerted by the energy storage device 21.

[0046] If the drive 14 is inactive, the second stop 25 is in its other end position, in which the second stacking stop elements 20 can be moved from the energy storage unit 21 into the stacking area.

[0047] With the drive 14 inactive, the displacement of the second stack stop elements 20 is stopped either by the second stack stop elements 20 reaching the auxiliary stack 08 and / or main stack 04, or, depending on the setting of the first stop 24, by the first stop 24 hitting the second stop 25.

[0048] The adjustable first stop 24, by its position, determines the penetration depth of the second stacking stop elements 20 into the stacking area, which corresponds to the offset between the first vertical stop plane and the second vertical stop plane. The first stop 24 is preferably adjustable in the range of 0 to 15 millimeters. A setting of 0 millimeters results in the first and second stop planes being flush. A setting of 15 millimeters results in a maximum distance of 15 millimeters between the first and second stop planes.

[0049] Preferably, the first and second stacking stop elements 10; 20 are arranged alternately transversely to the arc direction BLR. The second stacking stop elements 20 can be arranged in gaps formed between the first stacking stop elements 10 or be displaceable into the gaps.

[0050] The first and second stack stop elements 10; 20 are designed with such a vertical extension that they extend at least partially next to each other or overlapping each other.

[0051] The support 22 of the second stacking stop elements 20 can have openings that are engaged by the tines 05 of the rake when they are inserted. This design allows for a particularly compact construction. Preferably, a sensor can be arranged on the support 22 that detects whether the tines 05 of the auxiliary stacking support 05 contact the support 22 as a result of a load on the auxiliary stacking support 05.

[0052] The following describes the operation of the feeder 01 and a method for operating a feeder 01 of a sheet-processing machine with a stacking area for receiving a stack 04 with first stack stop elements 10, which form a downstream boundary of the stacking area in the sheet travel direction BLR.

[0053] First, in non-stop operation, the auxiliary stack carrier 05 is moved into the stacking area against the sheet feed direction BLR of the sheet-processing machine to form an auxiliary stack 08. Subsequently, a new main stack 04 is placed in the stacking area and moved into a position that allows the stack to be joined.

[0054] Before the auxiliary stack carrier 05 is removed from the stacking area, the second stack stop elements 20 are moved into the stacking area until a second vertical stop plane formed by the second stack stop elements 20 extends parallel and upstream in the arc direction BLR with respect to a first stop plane formed by first stack stop elements 20.

[0055] The auxiliary stacker 05 is then extended. Reference symbol list 01 Investors 02 Main stacking support, stacking support plate 03 pallet, non-stop system pallet 04 Stacks, Main Stack 05 Auxiliary stacking supports, rakes, tines 06 Basic part 07 Traction device, lifting chain, chain 08 Auxiliary stacks 09 - 10 stacking stop element, stop bar, stop rail, first 11 Support rail 12 Guide rail 13 scale 14 Drive 20 stacking stop elements, pressure block, stop bar, stop rail, second 21 Energy storage device, gas spring 22 carriers, sleds 23 Guide, horizontal 24 strokes, first 25 strikes, second 26 Frame point BLR arc direction

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