Delivery apparatus for a printing press

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6231044
  • Patent Number
    6,231,044
  • Date Filed
    Monday, August 16, 1999
    25 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, May 15, 2001
    23 years ago
Abstract
An improved delivery section of a folder of a printing press in which the bucket assemblies and side guides are adjustable to accommodate varying widths of signatures.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a delivery apparatus for a folder of a printing press. More particularly, the invention relates to a delivery apparatus that is adjustable to accommodate varying widths of signatures.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




In the printing industry, a desired image is repeatedly printed on a continuous web or substrate such as paper. In a typical printing process, the continuous web is slit in the longitudinal direction (the direction of web movement) to produce a plurality of continuous ribbons. The ribbons are aligned one on top of the other, folded longitudinally, and then cut laterally to produce a plurality of multi-page, approximately page-length segments, each of which is termed a “signature”. The term signature also encompasses a single printed sheet that has or has not been folded. Because more than one different signature can be printed at one time, it is often desirable to separate the different signatures by transporting successive signatures in different directions or paths.




One way to accomplish the sorting of a single stream of signatures is to use a diverter mechanism such as a diverter wedge to divert successive signatures to one of two paths. Once diverted, the signatures typically are transferred to a conveyor using rotating buckets (also known in the art as fans, fan wheels, paddle fans, or rotary flywheels).




A typical configuration includes two sets of rotating buckets assemblies, one set to deliver signatures traveling along a first path to a conveyor and the other set to deliver signatures traveling along the second path to a conveyor. Each set of bucket assemblies includes several buckets arranged at a spaced distance from one another along a common axis or shaft. Each bucket has multiple aligned blades which define pockets or slots between them for receiving signatures and transferring the signature to the conveyor.




It is desirable to increase the operating speed of a printing press in order to increase the printed product output. However, as the rotational speed of the buckets is increased, it is more difficult to ensure the reliable operation of the buckets and ensure that the signatures are not damaged. For example, signature quality problems that can occur at higher press speeds include ink offset, dog-eared edges, and defects to both the leading and trailing edges of the signatures. These and other defects can lead to paper jams in the folder, resulting in press downtime and expense.




It is desirable that the buckets lay the signatures down straight on the conveyor and with evenly spaced shingling so that the stackers can operate efficiently.




It is also desirable that the delivery section of a folder be able to accommodate varying widths of signatures to provide more versatility to the printing in producing its products.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention provides an improved delivery section of a folder of a printing press. The delivery section is able to obtain faster signature processing speeds than was previously available while minimizing damage to the signatures being processed.




The delivery section of the folder of the present invention includes a bucket assembly. The bucket assembly includes a plurality of buckets spaced from one another along a common axis or shaft. Each bucket includes an improved bucket design which includes a split and nestable hub and a plurality of blades radiating from the hub. The bucket design enables the cooperative buckets of one bucket assembly to be easily adjusted along the shaft to accommodate various widths of signatures, such as from 4″ to 12″. The bucket assembly provides for adjustability along the common shaft while allowing for room between adjacent buckets for strippers that remove the signatures from the pocket of the buckets.




The delivery section of the folder of the present invention includes an improved side guide assembly. The side guide assembly includes two side guide plates that are adjustable to approximate the width of the signature being processed. One of the side guides can be opened/closed remotely with the use of an air cylinder. A guide for the trailing edge of the signature is also provided.




The buckets and the side guides of the present invention are designed so that the most popular width of signatures (for example, 7.5″ to 9″) can be run with one set up and does not require having to remove a side guide. For most jobs, all the press operator has to do is to slide the buckets, strippers, and side guides to a new position and lock them down into place.




It is an feature of the present invention to provide an improved delivery section of a folder of a printing press.




It is another feature of the present invention to provide a delivery section that can accommodate varying widths of signatures, such as from 4″ to 12″.




It is another feature of the present invention to provide for an improved bucket assembly.




It is another feature of the present invention to provide a bucket assembly that is easily adjustable to accommodate various widths of signatures.




It is another feature of the present invention to provide a bucket assembly that includes more than three buckets.




It is another feature of the present invention to reduce the gap between adjacent buckets for all signature widths.




It is another feature of the present invention to reduce the gap between adjacent buckets using narrow buckets.




It is another feature of the present invention to reduce the gap between adjacent buckets using narrow blades.




It is another feature of the present invention to provide a bucket hub that is split and configured to permit close nesting of adjacent bucket hubs.




It is another feature of the present invention to provide a plurality of buckets along a common shaft where buckets unnecessary to process smaller width signatures are moved to a designated portion on the common shaft for storage.




It is another feature of the present invention to reduce damage to the leading edge of the signatures when the signatures hit the end of the bucket slot.




It is another feature of the present invention to provide buckets that can process signatures at faster speeds.




It is another feature of the present invention to provide buckets that are economical to fabricate and easy to assemble.




It is another feature of the present invention to provide buckets that can be removed from the folder for servicing either by sliding the buckets off the end of the bucket shaft or by separating the two bucket halves to free them from the bucket shaft.




It is another feature of the present invention to provide an improved side guide assembly.




It is another feature of the present invention to provide a side guide assembly with a range of adjustment to accommodate signatures of varying widths.




It is another feature of the present invention to provide a side guide assembly that includes a guide that is easily removable and re-positionable between various buckets.




Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description, drawings, and claims.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a side view of the delivery section of a folder from the diverter area to each of two bucket assemblies;





FIG. 2

is a perspective view of a plurality of buckets positioned on a bucket shaft with three buckets in a storage location on the shaft;





Fig. 3

is a plan view of a bucket embodying the invention;





FIG. 4

is a plan view of a hub of the bucket;





FIG. 5

is a view taken along line


5





5


of

FIG. 4

;





FIG. 6

is a side view of a blade of the bucket;





FIG. 7

is plan view of the blade;





FIG. 8

is a front view of the blade;





FIG. 9

is a perspective view of the side guide assembly;





FIG. 10

is a plan view of a side guide;





FIG. 11

is a side view of the side guide;





FIG. 12

is a front view of two buckets and one stripper on the bucket shaft;





FIG. 13

is a front view of three buckets and two strippers on the bucket shaft;





FIG. 14

is a front view of four buckets and two strippers on the bucket shaft;





FIG. 15

is a front view of four buckets and three strippers on the bucket shaft;





FIG. 16

is a front view of four buckets and three strippers on the bucket shaft;





FIG. 17

is a front view of four buckets and three strippers on the bucket shaft;





FIG. 18

is a front view of five buckets and four strippers on the bucket shaft; and





FIG. 19

is a front view of five buckets and four strippers on the bucket shaft.











Before one embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.




BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




Illustrated in

FIG. 1

of the drawings is a schematic of the delivery portion


20


of a folder of a high speed printing press which includes a diverting section


22


and a bucket section


24


. A forming section, a drive section and cutting section of the folder are not shown in FIG.


1


. An example of such a high speed printing press is the Harris M3000B web offset printing press. However, it should be noted that the present invention is applicable to other types and models of printing presses, such as sheet fed printing presses.




Successive folded and cut signatures enter the diverting section


22


at the arrow A from the cutting cylinders and are positioned between driven transport tapes


26


and


28


. The signatures are diverted into one of two signature paths


30


and


32


, most typically the signatures are diverted alternately to path


30


then to path


32


.




After being diverted, the signatures enter the bucket section


24


of the folder. Signatures on path


30


are transported between tapes


26


and


34


to a rotating bucket assembly


36


and the signatures on path


32


are transported between tapes


28


and


38


to a rotating bucket assembly


36


. The bucket assemblies


36


are only generally shown in FIG.


1


. The bucket assembly


36


transfers and slows down signatures diverted along path


30


to a conveyor


40


and the other bucket assembly


36


transfers signatures diverted along path


32


to a conveyor


42


. The conveyors


40


and


42


transport the signatures in a shingled stream to an area for accumulation or further processing, such as to a stacker.




Referring now to

FIGS. 2 and 3

, the bucket assembly


36


includes a plurality of buckets


44


mounted on a common bucket shaft


46


having a square key


47


and a longitudinal axis


48


. The buckets


44


cooperatively rotate with their common shaft


46


to transfer and slow down signatures to a respective conveyor


40


or


42


.




The shaft


46


of each bucket assembly


36


is driven to thus rotate the buckets


44


. so that sequential signatures enter the sequential pockets of the aligned buckets. The shaft


46


is driven at a speed to be in phase with the frequency of the signatures arriving and traveling through the bucket section


24


. The shaft


46


can be driven by a conventional mechanical motor arrangement. Preferably, each bucket assembly


36


includes its own independently driven, cantilevered from the folder frame shaft


46


that is rotated and controlled by an electric motor, such as a servo motor, such as that shown and described in an application entitled “MOTOR DRIVEN DELIVERY BUCKETS” by inventors Ingermar S. d'Agrella, Nick R. Schetter, John M. Neary, Dennis C. Sopik and Daniel L. Verhaagh filed on Dec. 29, 1998 as Ser. No. 09/222,408, which is herein incorporated by reference.




A single bucket


44


is illustrated in FIG.


3


. Each bucket


44


on the common shaft


46


is preferably identical. Each bucket


44


includes a central hub


52


and a plurality of blades


54


extending radially from the hub


52


.




As best shown in

FIGS. 4 and 5

, the hub


52


is preferably two pieces comprised of first hub portion


56


and a second hub portion


58


. The hub portions


56


and


58


are preferably fabricated out of a casting made from 6061-T6511 aluminum, however, other materials or other fabrication processes can be utilized. The hub portions


56


and


58


are designed to be secured to one another with bolts


60


in tapped holes


61


and form a generally circular shaft mounting area


62


in the center of the hub


52


. Preferably, the screws


60


is a socket head cap screw which includes a hex socket for tightening and loosening the screw


60


, however, other types of screws


60


, such as self locking screws, could also be used.




The hub portion


58


includes a tapped hole


64


which is designed to house a set screw


66


that secures the bucket


44


to the shaft


46


after each individual bucket


44


has been axially adjusted along the shaft


46


to a desired position. The hub portion


58


includes a keyway


67


, which cooperates with the key


47


, to prevent rotation of the hub


52


on the shaft


46


.




The set screw


66


is easy to access for loosening or tightening when adjusting the axial position of a bucket


44


on the shaft


46


. Specifically, the hub portion


58


is designed with the set screw


66


sticking out of the hub


52


so that an operator can see its internal socket better when using a tool to loosen or tighten the set screw


66


. Preferably, the set screw


66


is a socket head set screw with cup point for secure gripping to the square key


47


on the shaft


46


. Due to the cup point, the set screw


66


digs into the key


47


and does not accidentally rattle loose. Other types of set screws


66


that are suited to this application include soft tipped point set screws and a self-locking set screw, however, many other types of screws could be used.




The hub


52


has a specifically designed profile that enables adjacent hubs


52


to be nested closely together to reduce the gap between adjacent bucket hubs


52


and adjacent bucket blades


54


of adjacent buckets


44


. As best shown in

FIG. 5

, the front face


68


of each hub


52


includes a raised mounting boss


70


. A rear face


72


of each hub


52


tapers radially inwardly toward the shaft mounting area


62


to define a recess


74


. For example, the recess


74


is 0.25″. This tapering enables one bucket


44


to be closely nested to an adjacent bucket


44


in that mounting boss


70


of one bucket


44


can be positioned within the recess


74


of the adjacent bucket


44


(FIG.


14


).




More specifically, and with continuing reference to

FIG. 4

, steps


200


are machined on the outside diameter of both hub portions


56


and


58


. A blade


54


is mounted to each step


200


. The steps


200


are designed such that, when the buckets


44


are assembled and multiple buckets are mounted to a common shaft


46


, the tips of all of the blades


54


should be aligned in one straight line


202


(FIG.


2


). Further, the angular spacing of the steps


200


should be accurate so that this alignment of the tips of the blades


54


is consistent all of way around every bucket


44


for each and every blade


54


. If one of the blades


54


of any bucket


44


of a bucket assembly


36


is misaligned, a signature could catch on the misaligned blade tip and cause a paper jam or damage to the signature.




Each step


200


includes an end butt


204


. Preferably, the height of the end butt


204


is slightly less than the total blade thickness. When a signature slides into a pocket, it comes to rest at a dead end point


206


therefore sliding across the end butt


204


. The end butt


204


should be square to the axis of the hub


52


so that when attached to the hub


52


, the blades


54


do not stick out crooked to the left or right along the axis


48


of the shaft


46


. The hub portions


56


and


58


are joined together along a split line


208


. Preferably, the two ends of the split line


208


form two of the end butts


204


.




The hub portions


56


and


58


further preferably include four reach-through web _holes


210


, eight round clearance holes


212


, eight taped holes


214


, and thirty two tapped holes


216


. Holes


212


are provided so that when the tapped holes


214


are made, the chips can fall out of holes


212


. When the tapped holes


216


are made, the drill and chips can go through to the web holes


210


. The web holes


210


make the finished bucket


44


lighter and therefore easier to handle and carry. Lighter buckets


44


make the bucket assembly easier to accelerate and decelerate. The holes


210


also provide for better operator access to adjacent buckets


44


on the common shaft


46


and enable the operator to see through the buckets while the folder is running to visually check the signatures using a timing light or strobe. The hub


52


includes four spokes


218


that radiate from the boss


70


that make handling the buckets


44


easier.




Referring now to

FIG. 5

, the hub


52


includes slanted surfaces


220


and


222


. The surfaces


220


and


222


continue around the entire circumference of the hub


52


. The surfaces


220


and


222


provides for easier radial access, from the outside diameter of the buckets


44


, to screws


60


for adjustment.




Referring now to

FIGS. 6-8

, the blades


54


are illustrated. Preferably, there are ten blades


54


per hub portion


56


and


58


for a total of 20 blades per bucket, however, other numbers of blades can be employed. Each blade


54


is curved and has a first end


76


and a second end


78


. The first end


76


is secured to the steps


200


with two screws


80


, preferably flat-head screws, that are inserted into the tapped holes


214


or


216


in each step


200


. The second end


78


includes a chamfered tip


82


.




Preferably, the blades


54


are fabricated out of steel and are narrower than conventional blades, for example have a width B of 1″. Narrower width blades


54


contribute to the overall width of each bucket


44


being narrower. The blades


54


are preferably lined on both sides with teflon pressure sensitive tape to make the blade surfaces very slippery to signatures. It should be noted that differing lengths and curvatures of the blades


54


can be utilized than what is shown in the drawings.




Having narrower buckets


44


allows more buckets to be positioned on the shaft


46


to receive a given width of signature. More buckets


44


for a given signature width enables the gap between buckets


44


to be reduced. A smaller gap leads to signatures being better supported between buckets thereby reducing signature sagging between buckets


44


which can lead to signature damage or bucket malfunction at higher machine speeds.




The improved design of the bucket


44


enables the buckets


44


to be moved closer together so as to minimize the gap between buckets


44


. An advantage of the present invention is that the gap between adjacent buckets


44


for a given bucket assembly


36


for all signature widths is kept as small as possible. The smaller the gap, the more support the signatures receive during entry into the bucket slots and during deceleration as the bucket turns during signature delivery to the conveyors


40


or


42


, and the less likely the signatures will be damaged. In the preferred and described embodiment for example, using 1″ wide blades, the buckets


44


of the present invention can be nested such that there is only a 1″ gap between adjacent buckets


44


and adjacent bucket blades


54


.




To assemble a bucket


44


, and with reference back to

FIG. 3

, the blades


54


are secured around the periphery of each hub portion


56


and


58


with screws


80


. Thereafter, the two hub portions


56


and


58


are secured together with two bolts


60


. The hub


52


is made from two halves, hub portions


56


and


58


, in order to be able to assemble all of the blades


54


with the screws


80


. If the hub


52


were not so split, the first blades


54


would be easy to attach to the hub


52


, but nearing the end of the blade attachment, it would be very difficult if not impossible to attach the last blades


54


because the already attached blades


54


would be in the way. Splitting the hub


52


into a plurality of pieces, such as portions


56


and


58


, solves this problem.




The assembled bucket


44


is then positioned on the shaft


46


such that the shaft


46


is positioned into the shaft mounting area


62


and the key


47


is in the keyway


67


. In other words, the bucket


44


is slid onto the shaft


46


. Alternatively, the two hub portions


56


and


58


with blades


54


attached thereto could be positioned around the shaft


46


, then secured together With the two bolts


60


.




Each bucket


44


of the bucket assembly


36


is slidable along the shaft


46


, and in particular along key


47


, and securable to the shaft


46


so as to enable the buckets


44


to be adjusted to accommodate differing widths of signatures. After a signature width has been determined and a configuration selected, the folder operator manually adjusts each of the buckets


44


axially along the shaft


46


then locks each bucket


44


into its desired position on the shaft


46


with the set screw


66


. The set screw


66


can be reached by the folder operator with a socket wrench extension and a ratchet wrench along the side of the buckets


44


.




In order to remove the signatures from the pockets of the buckets


44


, stationary strippers


86


are preferably utilized, as are illustrated in

FIGS. 12-19

. The strippers are adjustable so as to accommodate the various exemplary configurations of

FIGS. 12-19

, wherein unused strippers


86


are moved to a stripper storage location or completely removed from the folder. The strippers


86


can be conventional strippers that are positionable on a mounting bar and slidably mounted at a spaced distance along the mounting bar.




In the preferred embodiment, the strippers


86


are 0.75″ wide, however, strippers of varying dimensions, including wider and narrower strippers, can be utilized with the present invention. For example, narrower strippers


86


, such as 0.5″ wide, could be utilized to reduce the gap between buckets


44


at various signature widths even more if desired.




Preferably, more than three buckets


44


, and more preferably, five buckets


44


are utilized in each bucket assembly


36


. However, any other number of buckets


44


can be utilized with the present invention. Hereafter, a bucket assembly


36


utilizing five buckets


44


will be described. With reference to

FIG. 2

, the blades


54


of each bucket


44


are axially aligned with respective blades


54


on other buckets


44


, along line


202


for example, so that the five buckets


44


cooperate to form pockets or slots about their periphery to receive an individual signature. In other words, the blade tips


82


of adjacent buckets


44


are in line because of the alignment of the key


47


of the shaft


46


with the keyway


67


in the hub


52


. In the preferred embodiment, with 20 blades


54


extending from each hub


52


of each bucket


44


, 20 pockets or slots are formed.




With the present invention, not all five buckets


44


have to be operational to transfer signatures to the conveyor


40


or


42


. For example, for smaller width signatures, less than the full five buckets


44


may be required or desired to transfer the signatures from the tapes


26


and


34


to the conveyor


40


. In this case, and with reference to

FIG. 2

, any unused buckets


44


′ can remain on the shaft


46


but are moved to a storage area


94


on the shaft


46


(i.e. out of the way of the signature path) and locked down to the shaft


46


with the set screw


66


. Sliding the unused buckets


44


′ to a storage area


94


on the shaft


46


has been found to be easier and quicker than entirely removing the unused buckets


44


. However, if desired, the unused buckets


44


′ can be removed entirely from the shaft


46


when the bucket


44


is not being used.




Optionally, the buckets


44


can be fabricated in a right hand version and a mirror image left hand version, for ease of accessing the screws


60


and set screws


66


depending upon how the buckets


44


are oriented on the shaft


46


. Preferably, the buckets


44


are installed on the respective shaft


46


such that all of the mounting bosses


70


face toward the middle of the folder where the open end of the shaft


46


is located.




Turning now to

FIGS. 9-11

, a signature side guide mechanism


50


is illustrated. The side guide mechanism


50


preferably works in conjunction with the strippers


86


to aid in transferring the signatures into and out of the rotating buckets


44


to the conveyor


40


or


42


. In particular, the side guide mechanism


50


guides the side edges of the signatures as the signatures are thrown into the buckets


44


and as the signatures travel down the slots.




The side guide mechanism


50


is designed so it can be adjusted to accommodate and guide signatures of varying widths, such as, for example, widths of 4″ to 12″, and is designed so as to be operational with a plurality of buckets


44


, such as five in the preferred embodiment. Because the side guide mechanism


50


can guide signatures of such varying widths, this allows the folder to run a wider range of signatures widths jobs while minimizing damage to the signatures and still guiding the signatures properly.




With specific reference to

FIG. 9

, two sets of side guide mechanisms


50


are illustrated on a common, stationary mounting bar


96


. The mounting bar


96


is supported by the folder housing and is preferably square in cross-section. The mounting bar


96


includes two support shaft blocks


98


positioned centrally between the two side guide mechanisms


50


. The side guide mechanisms


50


illustrated in

FIG. 9

are identical and identically assembled on bar


96


, therefore only one will be described below.




The side guide mechanism includes a left guide or plate


100


and a right guide or plate


102


. The right guide


102


and left guide


100


cooperate to trap and guide a signature therebetween and guide the signature onto the conveyor


40


. The left guide


100


is illustrated in

FIGS. 10 and 11

. The left guide


100


includes a mounting portion


104


having therein two slots


106


and a curved portion


108


. The top edge


110


of the curved portion


108


includes an angled tip


112


to better guide the signatures as they enter from above. The left guide


100


has a configuration so as to able it to slide underneath the mounting bar


96


for easy removal or reinsertion into a different position. In other words, the left guide


100


is not too tall to slide underneath the mounting bar


96


which makes position changes of the left guide


100


easier for the folder operator.




The configuration of the left guide


100


has been designed so that where signature guiding is necessary, the guide has a portion to do so, and where guiding is not needed, the guide has been cut away. All of the corners are rounded or chamfered. Preferably, the guide


100


is as small as possible so that it can more easily be maneuvered between buckets


44


while still providing guidance to the signatures.




The right guide


102


is a mirror image of the left guide


100


shown in

FIGS. 10 and 11

, with the angled tip


112


angled in the opposite direction. The guides


100


and


102


are preferably fabricated from


2024


aluminum which is 0.25″ thick and coated with a hard, wear resistant coating, such as Magnaplate HCR, at a surface build-up of 0.002″, such that the coating hardness is Rockwell


c


65-69. The guides


100


and


102


can be made from other materials such as Plexiglas.




Referring back to

FIG. 9

, the right guide


102


is designed to be removably supported by a guide bracket


114


. The guide bracket


114


has thereon two screws


116


. The right guide


102


is mounted to the guide bracket


114


by sliding the slots


106


around the screws


116


, which are already partially screwed into the guide bracket


114


, and tightening the screws


116


. To release the right guide


102


, the screws


116


are loosened, partially but not entirely, and the right guide


102


is freed from contact with the screws


116


. Of course, the screws


116


could be completely removed. Partially loosening the screws


116


insures that the screws


116


do not get dropped or lost. Flat washers and lock washers are preferably used under the screws


116


(not shown). The screws


116


could also be a conventional self-locking screw or the like.




The guide bracket


114


is fixed to a clamping block


118


which includes a handle screw


120


. The clamping block


118


is slidably supported by the mounting bar


96


, which being preferably square in cross-section, prevents rotation of the clamping block


118


about its axis. To adjust the position of the clamping block


118


, and therefore the right guide


102


, the handle screw


120


is moved to a release position and the clamping block


118


is freely slidable axially along the mounting bar


96


. To secure the clamping block


118


in a desired position, the handle screw


120


is rotated to a lock position which maintains the clamping block


118


in the desired position.




The side guide mechanism


50


preferably also includes a middle guide or plate


122


. The middle guide


122


is curved or scooped. The middle guide


122


is fixed to a mounting bracket


124


. The mounting bracket


124


is fixed to a clamping block


126


, with the clamping block


126


being slidable axially along the mounting bar


96


in the same manner as with the clamping block


118


. The purpose of the middle guide


122


is to guide the trailing edge of the signatures as the signatures are ejected out of the rotating buckets


44


by the strippers


86


.




Similar to the right guide


102


, the left guide


100


is designed to be removably supported by a guide bracket


128


. The guide bracket


128


has thereon two screws


130


. The left guide


100


is mounted to the guide bracket


128


by sliding the slots


106


around the screws


130


, which are already partially screwed into the guide bracket


128


, and tightening the screws


130


. To release the left guide


100


, the screws


130


are loosened, partially but not entirely, and the left guide


100


is freed from contact with the screws


130


. The screws


130


can also be entirely removed if desired.




A clamping block


132


which includes a handle screw


134


is slidably supported by the mounting bar


96


, which is preferably square in cross-section to prevent rotation of the clamping block


132


about its axis. To adjust the position of the clamping block


132


, and therefore the left guide


100


because the elements


140


,


135


,


136


,


131


and


128


are all fastened together as an assembly, the handle screw


134


is moved to a release position and the clamping block


132


is freely slidable axially along the mounting bar


96


. To secure the clamping block


132


in a desired position, the handle screw


134


is rotated to a lock position which maintains the clamping block


132


in the desired position.




A mounting bracket


135


extends downwardly from the clamping block


132


. An air cylinder


136


is supported by the bracket


135


. Two piston rods


144


of the air cylinder


136


are fixed to the portion


131


and the guide bracket


128


is fixed to portion


131


. The air cylinder


136


is remotely actuable with electrical solenoids to move the left guide


100


between open and closed positions. The open position is used during start up of the folder. The closed position is used when the folder is finally running optimally.




The air cylinder


136


does not contact the right guide


102


when the left guide


100


and right guide


102


are adjusted for minimum spacing therebetween and does not contact the middle guide


122


. The air cylinder


136


can be remotely operated to move the left guide


100


during folder setup and as needed during the actual steady main run of the folder after start up.




The air cylinder


136


includes speed controls and airline connections


142


and the cylinder rear rods


144


with clamping collars


146


thereon. The clamping collars


146


adjust axially on the cylinder rear rods


144


to adjust the stroke of the pistons of the air cylinder


136


and therefore the position of the guide


100


. The air cylinder stroke can be adjusted by moving collars


146


to a different location on the two rods


144


that stick out the back of the air cylinder


136


. For example, the stroke can be set to ¼″, ½″, ¾″, 1″ or the like. The distance B determines the stroke of the air cylinder


136


.




The air cylinder


136


moves the left guide


100


in a horizontal direction parallel to the top surface of the conveyor


40


or


42


and away/toward the signatures downward path. The air pressure fed to the air cylinder


136


is remotely adjustable so that the output force of the air cylinder


136


can be adjusted to hold the left guide


100


securely in either the open or the closed position. The air cylinder


136


is preferably a double acting air cylinder with pneumatic speed controls at the two air line ports so the operator can set the speed of opening and closing the left guide


100


.




The guides


100


,


102


and


122


can be slid off the end of the mounting bar


96


if the buckets


44


are not installed. Otherwise, a top plate


138


can be removed to remove any of the guides


100


,


102


and


122


from the mounting bar


96


.




Brackets


135


,


124


and


114


are all adjustable vertically on the threaded vertical rods


140


and two jam nuts that secure the adjustments. These adjustments are made to make sure the guides


100


,


102


and


122


clear the conveyor parts underneath the buckets and guides.




Although both the right guide


102


and the left guide


100


are removable from their respective guide brackets


114


and


128


, in operation, typically the right guide


102


is maintained in a preset position and the left guide


100


is the one that is adjusted. To adjust the left guide


100


to between different buckets


44


while the buckets


44


are on the shaft


46


, the left guide


100


is removed completely from the guide bracket


128


, the clamping block


132


is slid to its new position and locked in place with the handle screw


134


, then the left guide


100


is re-secured to the guide bracket


128


. The right guide


102


typically guides the backbone (folded) portion of the signature. However, it should be noted that, if desired, both the right guide


102


and the left guide


100


are adjustable to different locations on bar


96


between different buckets


44


.




In operation, the left guide


100


can be easily removed via the two slots


106


to reposition the guide


100


between adjacent bucket


44


or on the outside of the last bucket


44


on the shaft


46


for various signature widths. The screws


130


do not have to be completely removed which is an advantage in difficult access spots and dark places. The slot/screw arrangement


106


/


130


makes moving the left guide


100


to a different position easier and quicker for the folder operator. When the folder operator is setting up the folder for a specific width of signature, in addition to the buckets


44


and strippers


86


being adjusted, the side guide mechanism


50


is also adjusted to guide the width of the specific signature.




Generally, to accommodate and better transfer during deceleration of signatures of varying width to the conveyors


40


and


42


, various combinations of number of buckets


44


and number of strippers


86


are utilized as desired or selected by the folder operator. For example, if only four buckets


44


are to be used to transfer signatures, then the one unused bucket


44


would be moved to the storage area


94


on the shaft


46


. With respect to the number of strippers


86


, the strippers


86


are added or subtracted between adjacent buckets


44


as needed. Preferably, the number of strippers


86


used is one less than the number of buckets


44


in use. As with the unused buckets


44


′, unused strippers


86


′ are moved to a storage position on their mounting bar or they are removed entirely from the folder. For a given width of signature being processed, the choice of configuration of buckets


44


and strippers


86


for each bucket assembly


36


is up to the folder operator.




Referring now to

FIGS. 12-19

, exemplary configurations of buckets


44


and strippers


86


for varying widths of signatures are illustrated. The dimensions given are for the sake of example and should not be regarded as limiting. The following exemplary configurations are based upon a 1′ wide bucket blade


54


and 0.75″ wide strippers unless otherwise specified.




Specifically,

FIG. 12

shows a bucket and stripper configuration for a narrow width signature of at least 4″ wide. In this configuration, two buckets


44




a


and


44




b


and one stripper


86




a


are utilized. If a signature of width, for example 4.25″, 4.5″, 4.75″, 5″, 5.25″, or close to but under 5.5″ has to be run, the folder operator can move the left guide


100


, spread out the two buckets


44




a


and


44




b


further, and center the stripper


86




a


between the two buckets. This would enlarge the space between the buckets from 1″ to 1.25″, 1.5″, 1.75″, 2″, 2.25″ and 2.5″, respectively. As soon as the left and right guides


100


and


102


have been spread out to a distance of 5.5″, there is room to insert another bucket and another stripper as is shown in FIG.


13


. For some of the above configurations, two narrow strippers (for example 0.5″ wide) could also be used instead of one stripper


86




a.






Turning to

FIG. 13

, when the signature to be processed by the folder reaches a width of 5.5″ or more, then three buckets


44




a


,


44




b


and


44




c


and two strippers


86




a


and


86




b


are used as shown. The space between the buckets (measured between adjacent blades


54


) at this minimum width is 1″. For signatures wider than 5.5″, the left guide


100


is repositioned and the buckets are spread further apart until a dimension of between the side guides


100


and


102


of 6.75″ is reached. At that point, the distance between the buckets is 1.625″ and there is enough room between the side guides


100


and


102


to add one more bucket as shown in FIG.


14


.




Turning to

FIG. 14

, when the signature reaches a width of 6.75″ or more, then four buckets


44




a


,


44




b


,


44




c


and


44




d


and two strippers


86




a


and


86




b


are used. Because of the design of the hub


52


, the buckets


44




b


and


44




c


can be nested and therefore moved very close together. For example,

FIG. 14

illustrates a 0.25″ gap between the two middle buckets


44




b


and


44




c


. This can be accomplished because the hub


52


from the bucket


44




b


has room to nest in the recess


74


of the bucket


44




c


. Because the buckets


44


are narrow, 1″ wide where the blade


54


fastens to the hub


52


in the preferred embodiment, an extra bucket can be inserted into this setup at a smaller signature width of 6.75″.




Turning now to

FIG. 15

, when the signature reaches a width of 7.5″, the configuration is similar to that in

FIG. 14

except the middle two buckets


44




b


and


44




c


have been moved apart by 0.75″ which yields enough room so one more stripper


86




c


can be inserted between them.




Turning now to

FIG. 16

, this configuration is similar to that in

FIG. 15

except the buckets


44




a


,


44




b


,


44




c


and


44




d


have been spread apart further by 1.5″ to process a signature that is at least 9″ wide.




Turning now to

FIG. 17

, this configuration is similar to that of

FIG. 16

except the buckets


44




a


,


44




b


,


44




c


and


44




d


have been spread apart further by another 0.75″. The gap between buckets is 1.75″.




Turning now to

FIG. 18

, this configuration is similar to

FIG. 17

except another bucket


44




e


and another stripper


86




d


have been added. In this configuration, five buckets


44




a-e


and four strippers


86




a-d


are utilized. This configuration is designed to be used for signature widths between 9.75″ and 12″.




Turning now to

FIG. 19

, this configuration is similar to

FIG. 18

except the buckets


44




a-e


have been spread out further by another 2.25″ to a signature width of 12″. The gap between buckets is then 1.625″. In these exemplary configuration, signatures widths range from 4′ to 12″. However, it should be noted that the present invention can be used adapted, as taught herein, to accommodate signatures of widths less than 4″ and more than 12″.




The configuration of

FIG. 15

is used for the majority of signatures being processed through the folder. Most signatures widths fall between 7.5″ and 9.0″.



Claims
  • 1. A bucket for a folder of a printing press, said bucket comprising:a hub having a first portion and a second portion releasably secured to each other, said portions when secured together defining a mounting aperture adapted so that a shaft is positionable in said aperture and so that said hub is rotatable with said shaft, said hub having an axis of rotation, said hub having a first face and a second face, a boss extending axially outwardly from said first face, a recess defined by said second face and tapering radially inwardly and axially inwardly toward said aperture, and said hub being non-symmetrical in any plane perpendicular to said axis of rotation; and a plurality of blades extending radially outwardly from said hub.
  • 2. The bucket of claim 1 wherein said first portion and said second portion are secured to each other with at least one screw positioned through said boss.
  • 3. The bucket of claim 1 wherein said first portion includes a part of said boss and said second portion includes the remainder of said boss.
  • 4. The bucket of claim 1 wherein said first portion includes a part of said recess and said second portion includes the remainder of said recess.
  • 5. The bucket of claim 1 wherein said blades are arcuate.
  • 6. The bucket of claim 1 wherein said aperture includes a keyway adapted to engage a key on the shaft.
  • 7. The bucket of claim 6 wherein said keyway is generally rectangular.
  • 8. The bucket of claim 1 and further including a screw in communication with said hub for engagement with the shaft.
  • 9. The bucket of claim 8 wherein said screw engages the shaft through said boss.
  • 10. The bucket of claim 1 wherein said hub includes an outer annular ring onto which said blades are secured.
  • 11. The bucket of claim 10 wherein said hub includes a plurality of spokes extending radially outwardly from said boss to said ring.
  • 12. The bucket of claim 11 wherein said hub includes at least one generally trapezoidal space radially extending from said boss to said ring.
  • 13. A bucket assembly for a folder of a printing press comprising:first and second buckets releasably mountable to and selectively positionable along a common shaft, each bucket having a rotation axis, each bucket having an individual width defined by the distance between the farthest point of said respective bucket on one side of said rotation axis to the farthest point of said bucket on the other side of said rotation axis, said buckets positionable on the shaft relative to each other such that the total width of the two adjacent buckets along the shaft is less than the sum of the individual widths of said buckets.
  • 14. The bucket assembly of claim 13 wherein said first and second buckets are identical.
  • 15. The bucket assembly of claim 13 wherein each bucket includes a first portion and a second portion releasably secured together.
  • 16. The bucket assembly of claim 13 wherein each bucket has a first face and a second face, a boss extending axially outwardly from said first face, and a recess in said second face, said recess tapering radially and axially inwardly toward said boss.
  • 17. The bucket assembly of claim 13 wherein each bucket is non-symmetrical in all planes perpendicular to said axis of rotation.
  • 18. The bucket assembly of claim 13 wherein said bucket has an aperture into which the shaft is positionable.
  • 19. The bucket assembly of claim 13 wherein each bucket includes a hub and a plurality of blades extending radially outwardly from said hub.
  • 20. The bucket assembly of claim 19 wherein said hub includes a first portion and a second portion releasably secured together.
  • 21. A bucket assembly for a folder of a printing press, said assembly comprising;a first bucket adapted to be releasably mounted to a rotating shaft, said first bucket having an axis of rotation and having an outer plane that is defined by a plane that is perpendicular to said axis of rotation and containing the outer most portion of said first bucket; and a second bucket adapted to be releasably mounted to the rotating shaft, and when mounted on the rotating shaft, the second bucket being oriented with respect to said first bucket in that a portion of said second bucket is positionable inwardly of said outer plane in a direction toward the remainder of said first bucket.
  • 22. The bucket assembly of claim 21 wherein said first and second buckets are identical.
  • 23. The bucket assembly of claim 21 wherein each of said buckets include a first portion and a second portion releasably secured together.
  • 24. The bucket assembly of claim 21 wherein each bucket is non-symmetrical in all planes perpendicular to said axis of rotation.
  • 25. The bucket assembly of claim 21 wherein each bucket has an aperture into which the shaft is positionable.
  • 26. The bucket assembly of claim 21 wherein each bucket includes a hub and a plurality of blades extending radially outwardly from said hub.
  • 27. The bucket assembly of claim 26 wherein said hub includes a first portion and a second portion releasably secured together.
  • 28. The bucket assembly of claim 26 wherein each bucket has a first face and a second face, a boss extending axially outwardly from said first face, and a recess in said second face, said recess tapering radially and axially inwardly toward said boss.
RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/114,215, filed Dec. 29, 1998.

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1766083 Richter Jun 1930
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5180160 Belanger et al. Jan 1993
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Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number Date Country
441782 Feb 1923 DE
Provisional Applications (1)
Number Date Country
60/114215 Dec 1998 US