Sheet and / or web processing equipment

Abstract

An apparatus for processing a sheet or web by means of a pair of driven drums forming a working nip, wherein a transmission connected to the drums has a fixed wheel and a second wheel that moves together with one of the drums and interacts with the fixed wheel, with respect to changes in the working nip formed by the drums, and the axial distance between the two transmission wheels remains constant regardless of changes in the working nip.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for processing sheets and / or webs according to the preamble of claim 1 and to a method for processing sheets and / or webs according to the preamble of claim 10. [Background technology]

[0002] For processing sheets and / or webs, devices are known that have one or more pairs of interacting cylindrical drums. The drums are aligned parallel to one another and together form a working nip, which is determined based on the thickness of the material sheet or web. The drums are arranged transversely to the transport direction of the material to be processed.

[0003] The drum pair may have, for example, a printing cylinder or a punching cylinder as the working drum. The second drum is often a counter drum, which acts solely to prevent the sheet or web from escaping and, together with the working drum, performs the conveying function.

[0004] The functioning of the drum pairs requires precise adjustment of the working nip to the properties, such as thickness and elasticity, of the material to be processed, for which purpose feeding devices are known.

[0005] At the same time, in the case of an image- or die-bearing working drum, when changing the working nip, at least the phase position of the working cylinder must be maintained, which is essential, for example, in a printing press with multiple printing units or in combination with a rotary die-cutting unit.

[0006] For this purpose, devices are known in which a spur gear transmission is provided for driving at least the working cylinder. In devices for processing hard materials, such as corrugated cardboard, the working nip is adjusted by shifting a drum on the common side of the sheet or web. This means that when processing both sides with several drum pairs, at least one working drum must be shifted to adjust the nip.

[0007] To maintain the phase position of the working drum, a change in the shaft spacing within the spur gear stage of the drive is accepted. This solution is structurally very simple. However, this inevitably changes the play of the transmission due to a change in the working nip, which increases the device's running wobbles and causes greater wear. Furthermore, the adjustment range is very narrowly limited. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method that overcomes at least one of the identified drawbacks of the prior art. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] This problem is solved by a device according to claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention are characterized by the features set forth in the dependent claims.

[0010] The machine for processing a sheet or web of material has a tool pair. The tool pair is formed by a working drum and a counter drum. Both drums are driven together. For this purpose, the machine has a motor. The motor is connected to the tool pair via a transmission. At least the working drum has a defined phase position relative to the main drive shaft of the machine. In this case, the main drive shaft does not have to be physically present. The main drive shaft can also be an electronically imaged virtual axis.

[0011] The same motor may be connected to and drive other operating units of the machine, which may also have a predetermined phase position relative to the main drive shaft, which may be different from the phase position of the working drum mentioned above.

[0012] The drums of the tool pair are aligned parallel to one another. Their rotation axes are oriented transversely to the conveying direction of the material to be processed. The drums are arranged relative to one another so that they together form a working nip through which the material to be processed is fed. This working nip can be adjusted to predetermined dimensions, which are determined by the thickness and mechanical properties, such as elasticity, of the material to be processed.

[0013] To adjust the working nip, the working drum is accommodated in a feed device, the feed movement being directed radially relative to the working drum towards the axis of rotation of the counter drum, although the feed can of course be bidirectional.

[0014] The drive device for the working drum has three or more drive elements, each with a rotation axis parallel to the working drum. The drive elements may be gears or pulleys. The first drive element is received in the feed device together with the working drum. The first drive element moves together with the working drum when the working nip changes. The second drive element is supported in a position that remains constant with respect to changes in the working nip.

[0015] The third drive element is used for driving connection between the first drive element and the second drive element, and is received in the swing arm, and the swing axis of the arm including the third drive element coincides with the rotation axis of the first drive element or the rotation axis of the second drive element.

[0016] Both the axial distance of the first drive element relative to the third drive element and the axial distance of the second drive element relative to the third drive element are independent of the working nip of the drum pair and its variations. The first axial distance is determined by the shape of the swing arm. The second axial distance is kept constant by the swing of the arm. This allows the drive elements to be designed with a constant axial distance. This allows the play of the transmission to be kept small and independent of the working nip. This not only improves product quality but also improves the quietness and durability of the device.

[0017] In this case, a forced guide for the swing arm is advantageous. In a first embodiment, the forced guide is achieved by a second arm. The second arm serves as a connection between the third drive element, on the one hand, and the first or second drive element, which does not form the swing axis of the first swing arm, on the other hand. In an alternative embodiment, the swing arm has an arch guide, which describes an arc around the first or second drive element, which does not form the swing axis of the swing arm.

[0018] The feed device is fitted with a controllable drive which is connected via a data connection to the electronic control device of the device, which receives information about the material to be processed and determines the required working nips therefrom.

[0019] The phase position of the working cylinder relative to the main drive shaft should not be changed by changes in the working nip, especially if the system has one or more further processing devices.

[0020] According to the invention, the device has a second feed device, which is operatively connected to the working drum and determines its phase position relative to the physical or electronic main shaft of the device. Preferably, the second feed device has a controllable feed drive, which is connected to the electronic control device of the device via a device for data transmission.

[0021] A measuring device is advantageously used to capture the phase position of the working drum relative to the spindle. The sensor of this measuring device is connected to an electronic control device via a data transmission device. In this way, the control device receives information about the actual, current phase position. This allows for active control of the phase position in interaction with the second feed device. This helps to avoid misregistration.

[0022] Preferably, the device has a second measuring device, which captures the width of the working nip. This second measuring device has a sensor, which directly captures the width of the working nip or a representative value of the working nip. This representative value can be generated by the switching plate. However, data coming from the actuator itself can also be used, so that an additional sensor can be omitted.

[0023] In one advantageous embodiment, the electronic control device of the device has a data memory in which the assignment of predefined phase positions to the width of the working nip or to each representative value is stored, so that when adjusting the working nip, the phase position of the working drum can be automatically tracked in the case of a permanent drive connection without affecting the play of the transmission.

[0024] The invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the drawings, to which reference is made for all details not set out in the description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a first configuration of a drum pair having a variable working nip; [Figure 2] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a second configuration of a drum pair having a variable working nip; [Figure 3] 1 shows a perspective view of a flexographic printing apparatus; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] A first embodiment is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1. Here, a counter drum 2 is arranged on top of a working drum 1. The working drum 1 is rotatably journalled about a first axis of rotation 201, and the counter drum 2 is rotatable about a second axis of rotation 202. Both axes of rotation 201, 202 are oriented parallel to one another. Both drums 1, 2 act together on a sheet of material 6. Instead of the sheet 6, a web of material (not shown) can also be processed. Together, the two drums 1, 2 form a working nip 4, the width of which is predetermined by the thickness of the material 6 to be processed.

[0027] Through this working nip 4, the material 6 is moved transversely to the drums 1, 2 in a horizontal conveying direction 200, with the working drum 1 rolling in a first rotational movement 101 and the counter drum 2 rolling in a second rotational movement 102 over the material 6 to be processed.

[0028] The counter drum 2 is received in a fixed position on the machine base 5, while the working drum 1 is journalled on a feed device 10. A vertical feed direction 103 is set for the working drum 1 by this feed device 10. For this purpose, the feed device 10 is arranged movably relative to the machine base 5 via a linear guide 11. As a feed means, the feed device 10 has an eccentric 16 acting on a fork. The eccentric 16 is actuated by a feed drive 15.

[0029] The feed device 10 has a sensor 18, which captures a distance representing the width 210 of the working nip 4. The sensor 18 is connected to a control device 7 of the device via a line 80 as a device for data transmission. The feed drive 15 is likewise connected to the same control device 7 via another line 81 as a device for data transmission. This enables the control device 7 to control the width 210 of the working nip 4 according to a target setpoint.

[0030] Both the working drum 1 and its counter drum 2 are driven by the same motor (not shown). The directions of rotation 101, 102 of these drums during processing are indicated in the drawing. The drive connection comprises a number of spur gears 31, 32, 33, 34, 41, 42. A first set 30 of these spur gears is used to drive the working drum 1. The first set 30 comprises a number of gears 31, 32, 33, 34. Of these, the first spur gear 31 and the second spur gear 32, which is connected to the first spur gear 31 via an intermediate wheel, are received together with the working drum 1 in a feed device 10 for the working nip 4.

[0031] The second spur gear 32 meshes with a third gear 33, which is received on an arm 13 that can swing about a rotation axis 203. The rotation axis 203 of the swing arm 13 is arranged on the base 5 of the device in a manner that is invariable with respect to the feed movement of the working nip 4. This rotation axis 203 coincides with the rotation axis of a fourth spur gear 34 that is journalled on the base 5 and is fixed to the base. This fourth spur gear 34 meshes with the third gear 33, which is likewise arranged to be swingable.

[0032] The axial distance 204 of the first spur gear 31 relative to the second gear 32 and the axial distance 204 of the third gear 33 relative to the fourth spur gear 34 are set invariably by the arrangement of these gears. The axial distance of the second spur gear 32, which moves together with the working drum 1, relative to the third spur gear 33 is kept constant by the guide 12, even when the working nip 4 is adjusted. The guide 12, together with the third gear 33 journaled within the arm 13, forces the arm 13 to assume a motion shape for the appropriate feed motion. This motion shape is configured as an arc concentric with the second spur gear 32.

[0033] A second feed device 20 is used for adapting the transport position of the working drum 1 to a main drive shaft of the machine, which is physically or electronically imaged (not shown). The second feed device 20 has a feed drive 21 which is operatively connected to the working drum 1 via a differential transmission 22. The feed drive 21 is connected to the control device 7 of the machine via a line 71 as a means of data transmission.

[0034] The data memory 90 of the control device 7 stores the relationship between the nip width 210 and the resulting phase position deviation. This mathematical function may be stored as a table or an equation, which allows the phase shift caused by the adjustment of the working nip 4 to be corrected.

[0035] This allows adjustment of the working nip 4 when the working drum 1 is permanently connected to the drive, in particular while processing by the drum pair 1, 2 is in progress, without changing the phase position of the working drum 1 relative to the physical or electronic main drive shaft of the device.

[0036] Alternatively or additionally, a sensor 23 is provided, which captures the phase position of the working drum 1 or a corresponding representative value, and which is likewise connected to the same control device 7 via a line 70 as means for data transmission, thereby allowing active control of the phase position to a predetermined setpoint value.

[0037] A second embodiment is shown in Fig. 2. Here, a printing cylinder acts as a working drum 1 and interacts with a counter-pressure cylinder as a counter-drum 2. Together, they form a printing nip. Unlike the example shown in Fig. 1, here the arch guide 12 of the swing arm 13 is replaced by a second arm 14. The swing axis 203 of this second arm 14 coincides with the rotation axis of a spur gear 32, which is moved together with the working drum 1 with respect to the working nip 4.

[0038] Furthermore, the spindle drive 17 is used as an adjustment means for the feed device 10 to vary the working nip 4 instead of the aforementioned eccentric 16. An additional sensor for capturing the width 210 of the working nip 4 is omitted. Instead, data fed back from the feed drive 15 via the device for data transmission 80 is used as a representative value for the nip width 210.

[0039] Similarly, information obtained from the feed drive 21, which varies the phase position, is used as a representative value of the actual phase position. These data are fed back to the control device 7 via the device 71 for data transmission. As explained in the previous example, additional sensors can be omitted in this second example without any loss of functionality.

[0040] Figure 3 shows part of a flexographic printing apparatus as another embodiment. The example of Figure 3 is a variant of the first example shown in Figure 1. A printing cylinder 1, acting as a working drum 1, interacts with a counter-pressure cylinder, acting as a counter-drum 2. In this case, the printing cylinder 1 is arranged above the counter-pressure cylinder 2. Together they form a printing nip. In order to adapt the printing nip to the substrate, the printing cylinder 1 is received in a machine frame 5 so as to be adjustable in the vertical direction 103.

[0041] The counter-pressure cylinder is journalled in a fixed position on the machine frame 5, while the printing cylinder 1 is received in a feed device 10. This feed device 10 has a linear guide 11 which sets a vertical feed direction 103 for the printing cylinder 1, which is rotatable about an axis 201. The feed is effected by means of a known manner, not shown, such as a spindle or an eccentric, for example.

[0042] The cylinders 1, 2 are driven via a transmission 3 consisting of several spur gears 31, 32, 33, 34. To achieve a transmission play that is independent of the width of the printing nip, the axial distance between all of the intermeshing spur gears 31, 32, 33, 34 is constant over the width of the printing nip.

[0043] For this purpose, an intermediate wheel 33 is provided which meshes with both a spur gear 34 fixed to the carriage and with a spur gear 32 which is vertically adjustable together with the printing cylinder 1. This intermediate wheel 33 is received on the swing arm 13. In contrast to the example shown in Fig. 1, in this case, according to Fig. 3, the pivot axis 203 coincides with the rotation axis of the spur gear 32 which is adjustable together with the printing cylinder 1.

[0044] The end of the swing arm 13, which receives the intermediate wheel 33, is curved and guided. For this purpose, an arch guide 12 is provided. The slide mechanism of the arch guide 12 is attached to the machine frame 5 in a fixed position. In the slide mechanism, a cam roller arranged concentrically with the intermediate wheel 33 moves. The arch guide 12 is set by an arc concentric with a spur gear 34 fixed to the frame and meshing with the intermediate wheel 33.

[0045] As a result, the intermediate wheel 33 moves on a concentric track around the spur gear 34 fixed to the frame while changing the width of the printing nip. Both the axial distance between the intermediate wheel 33 and the spur gear 34 fixed to the frame that meshes with the intermediate wheel 33, and the axial distance between the intermediate wheel 33 and the spur gear 32 that can be fed together with the printing cylinder 1, are maintained constant regardless of the width of the printing nip.

[0046] This causes an undesired change in the phase position of the printing cylinder 1 relative to the main axis of the overall machine when the printing nip changes. To compensate for this undesired displacement, a further feed device 20 is provided. A feed drive 21 of the further feed device 20 is connected to the printing cylinder 1 by a differential transmission 22, which is also connected in such a way that the feed drive 21 is suitable for adjusting the phase position of the printing cylinder 1 relative to the virtual main drive axis of the machine to a predetermined value.

[0047] The feed drive 21 for the phase position is connected to the machine control device 7 via devices 70, 71 for data transmission, as shown in Figure 2. In this case, a data line 71 is provided for transmitting control signals coming from the machine control device 7. Another data line 70 feeds back to the control device 7 information obtained by the feed drive 21, which is used as a representative value of the phase position.

[0048] In this way, not only can the phase position be actively controlled to a predetermined value in steady-state operation, but rather undesired changes in the phase position or phase position caused by adjustments of the printing nip 4 are also corrected.

[0049] Loss of the desired phase position or register accuracy due to desired changes in the printing nip 4, for example to adapt the ink transfer from the printing cylinder 1 to the substrate 6, is prevented even in continuous production.

[0050] As an alternative to the embodiment shown, the spur gears may be replaced by pulleys of a belt drive. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1 working drum 2 opposing drums 3. Drive unit 4 Working nip 5 Machine stand 6 Material Sheets 7 Control Device 10 Feeder 11 Linear guide 12 Curve Guide 13 First Arm 14 Second Arm 15 Feed drive unit 16 Eccentric body 17 Spindle transmission device 18 Sensor Nip Width 20 Register Adjustment 21 Feed drive device phase position 22 Differential transmission 23 Sensor Phase Position 30 Working drum transmission device 31 Spur gear 32 Rear-mounted spur gear 33 Intermediate car 34 Front-mounted spur gear 35 Braking device 37 Connecting part 40 Transmission device Opposing drum 41 Spur gear 42 Spur gear 70 data lines 71 Data Line 80 data lines 81 Data Line 90 data memory 101 Rotational movement of the working drum 102 Rotational motion of opposing drums 103 Feed motion Printing nip 104 Swinging Arm 105 Rolling intermediate car 200 Conveying direction 201 Rotation axis of work drum 202 Rotation axis of opposing drum 203 Swing axis 204 Axis spacing 210 Working nip width

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing sheet and / or web-like substrates (6), such as paper, cardboard, corrugated board or similar materials, comprising at least: a working drum (1) rotatable about an axis (201) and extending substantially transversely to the conveying direction (200) of the substrate (6) to be processed; an opposing drum (2) assigned to at least one working drum (1), which interacts with the working drum (1) and is rotatable about an axis (202), the opposing drum (2) being oriented substantially parallel to the at least one working drum (1) assigned to it, the at least one opposing drum (2) forming a working nip (4) together with the at least one working drum (1) assigned to it, through which a substrate (6) to be processed is fed in a conveying direction (200), and in which the substrate (6) is processed by at least the working drum (1); a drive unit having a motor and a transmission (30, 40), the transmission (30, 40) establishing a driving connection of the motor to the working drum (1) and the counter drum (2); a first feed device (10) assigned to at least one working drum (1) and / or at least one counter drum (2), the at least one first feed device (10) being connected to the at least one working drum (1) and / or at least one counter drum (2), the at least one first feed device (10) being suitable for adjusting a working nip (4) between the working drum (1) and the counter drum (2) to a predetermined dimension (210); a second feed device (20) assigned to at least one working drum (1), the second feed device (20) being connected to the working drum (1), the at least one second feed device (20) adjusting the phase position of the working drum (1) relative to a physical and / or virtual spindle of the processing device to a predetermined extent; An apparatus comprising:

1. A device comprising at least one controllable feed drive (21) of a second feed device (20) and an electronic control (7), characterized in that the at least one feed drive (21) and the at least one control device (7) are connected to each other via at least one first device (71) for data transmission.

2. 2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one first measuring device (23) for acquiring the phase position of the actuating drum (1), the at least one first measuring device (23) being connected to at least one control device (7) of at least one feed drive (21) via at least one second device (70) for data transmission.

3. 3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one second measuring device (18) for acquiring a nip dimension (210) between the working drum (1) and the corresponding counter drum (2) or a representative value of this nip dimension (210), wherein the at least one second measuring device (18) is connected to the at least one control device (7) via at least one third device (80) for data transmission.

4. 4. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one control device (7) is assigned at least one data memory (90), which contains relationships between the phase position of the working cylinder (1) relative to a main axis of the physical or virtual device and the dimensions of the working nip (210), said relationships being stored in the data memory (90) as formulas and / or tables of values.

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