METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DRIVE REGULATION IN A PRINTING PRESS AND/OR PROCESSING MACHINE

Abstract

In a method for drive regulation in a printing press and/or processing machine, in which a web of material is processed by processing devices and fed by feeder devices; a device for register regulation adjusts the processing devices, and a device for web feed regulation adjusts the feeder devices, and the device for register regulation adjusts at least one feeder device and the device for web feed regulation adjusts at least one processing device in a region, in particular a tension-regulated or expansion-controlled region, between two feeder devices, and to a corresponding drive system and a corresponding printing press.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of one embodiment of a printing press of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a preferred embodiment of the method of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the drawings, identical elements are identified by the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 1, one preferred embodiment of the printing press of the invention is identified overall by reference numeral 100. A material to be printed upon, such as paper 101, is delivered to the press or machine via an infeed mechanism 110. The paper 101 is passed through printing groups 111, 112, 113, 114 and discharged again by a delivery mechanism 115. The infeed mechanisms, delivery mechanisms and printing groups 110 through 115 can be positioned, and in particular corrected in terms of the cylinder and the angle, which is indicated by semicircular arrows 103. For the sake of greater simplicity, not all the arrows have reference numerals. The printing groups 111 through 114 are located in a web tension-regulated region between the infeed mechanism 110 and the delivery mechanism 115.

The printing groups 111 through 114 each have a respective printing cylinder 111′ through 114′, against which a respective impression cylinder 111″ through 114″ is positioned with great pressure. The printing cylinders 111 through 114′ are driven individually and independently; the impression cylinders 111″ through 114″ are embodied freely rotatably. The infeed mechanism 110 and delivery mechanism 115 each have two contrary-motion cylinders that guide the paper 101. The infeed mechanism 110, delivery mechanism 115, and printing groups 111 through 114, together with the paper 101 passing through them, each form a frictionally connected unit.

In the web portions between the individual printing groups 111 through 114, the paper 101 is passed via rollers and devices not described in further detail, which are identified by reference numeral 102. For the sake of simplicity, not all the rollers and devices are provided with the reference numeral 102. These may in particular be deflection rollers, drying devices, cutting devices, and so forth.

Between the infeed mechanism 110 and the first printing group 111, the web is provided with a sensor 120, and between the last printing group 114 and the delivery mechanism 115, it is provided with a sensor 124; the sensors are embodied as web tension sensors. Web tension values 1 detected by the sensors 120, 121 are delivered to a device for web feed regulation (tension regulator) 130. The tension regulator 130, as a function of the web tension values S, controls the positioning of the infeed mechanism 110 and the delivery mechanism 115 as well as, in accordance with the invention, controlling the positioning of the printing groups 111 through 114, as is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2. The operative connection is represented by an operative connection 104.

A sensor 121 is located in the web portion between the first printing group 111 and the second printing group 112; a sensor 122 is located in the web portion between the second printing group 112 and the third printing group 113; and a sensor 123 is located in the web portion between the third printing group 113 and the fourth printing group 114. The sensors 121 through 123 are embodied as mark readers. As the paper 101 passes through, each mark reader 121 through 123 detects when the printing mark (not shown), which is preferably applied by the first printing group 111, reaches that mark reader. The measurement value is delivered to a device for register regulation (register regulator) 131. Next, the position of the corresponding printing cylinder 112′ through 114′ is ascertained, and that measured value is likewise delivered to the register regulator 131. From this, any register deviation can be calculated (web/cylinder correction).

It is understood that the aforementioned regulators 130, 131 may be physically embodied by a common computer unit, in particular a computer.

The register deviations ascertained are used for positioning the printing groups 111 through 113 and according to the invention also for positioning the infeed mechanism 110 and the delivery mechanism 115. This is represented by the operative connection 104.

In FIG. 2, one preferred embodiment of the method of the invention is shown schematically. The preferred embodiment of the method of the invention is illustrated taking as an example the printing press described in conjunction with FIG. 1, in such a way that a web tension deviation detected by the sensor 120 is corrected by means of positioning the infeed mechanism 110, the delivery mechanism 115, and in a preferred embodiment of the invention all the processing devices or printing groups 111 through 114 that are located in the course of the processing downstream of the infeed mechanism 110. For one skilled in the art, it is understood how such a correction can be made by changing the position of the processing devices affected and of all the processing devices located downstream of the affected processing device in terms of the course of the processing.

In the first method step, a web tension deviation ΔS is ascertained by the tension regulator 130, by means of one of the sensors 120, 124 (FIG. 1). From the web tension deviation ΔS, the tension regulator calculates the necessary change in the adjustment, or in other words the necessary repositioning, of the infeed mechanism 110, and also in accordance with the example shown, corrections for all the downstream printing groups 111 through 114 and the delivery mechanism 115, to avoid a register deviation that could otherwise be caused by the correction of the infeed mechanism.

Next, the infeed mechanism 110, the printing groups 111 through 114, and the delivery mechanism 115 are repositioned in accordance with the calculated values, in order to correct the web tension deviation without causing a register deviation. By the described method, a web tension deviation can be corrected virtually simultaneously with a register deviation for every printing group. In contrast to a correction in the prior art, in a printing press of the invention it is not necessary for a web tension deviation or a register deviation to be corrected individually and in succession, since the fading time is reduced.

The invention also includes the reverse adjustment direction. For instance, to correct a register deviation of the printing group 114, the position of the printing groups 111 through 113 and of the infeed mechanism 110 is for instance changed. To that end, an angle correction, calculated by the register regulator 131, is made for all the printing groups 111 through 113 and the infeed mechanism 110 via the operative connection 104.

It is understood that in the drawings shown, only a particularly preferred embodiment of the printing press of the invention is shown. In addition, any other embodiment, in particular by means of a different arrangement or number of the printing groups and their construction and so forth, is conceivable without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of methods and constructions differing from the type described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a method and system for drive regulation in a printing press and/or processing machine, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.

Claims

1. A method for drive regulation in an apparatus selected from the group consisting of a printing press, a processing machine, and both, comprising the steps of processing a web of material by processing devices; feeding the web of material by feeder devices; adjusting the processing devices by a device for register regulation; adjusting the feeder devices by a device for web feed regulation, said adjusting including adjusting at least one feeder device by the device for register regulation and adjusting at least one processing device by the device for web feed regulation in a region between two of the feeder devices.

2. A methods as defined in claim 1, wherein said adjusting includes adjusting in the region selected from the group consisting of a tension-regulated region and an expansion-controlled region.

3. A method as defined in claim 1; and further comprising performing a pilot-control by the device for register regulation of parameters selected from the group consisting of process variables, control variables of the device for web feed regulation, and both.

4. A method as defined in claim 1; and further comprising performing a stationary pilot-control by the device for web feed regulation of parameters selected from the group consisting of process variables, control variables of the device for register regulation, and both.

5. A method as defined in claim 1; and further comprising performing a stationary pilot control by a device selected from the group consisting of the device for web feed regulation, the device for register regulation, and both.

6. A method as defined in claim 1; and further comprising performing a pilot control; and taking into account dynamic compensation operations in the pilot control.

7. A method as defined in claim 1; and further comprising providing of parameters selected from the group consisting of a static coupling, a dynamic coupling, and both, as a variable parameters.

8. A method as defined in claim 7; and further comprising adapting the parameters of the coupling to a web speed.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein said adapting includes adapting the parameters of the coupling to the web speed in proportion to a reciprocal value of the web speed.

10. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein said adapting includes adapting the parameters of the coupling to a web length.

11. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein said adapting includes adapting the parameters of the coupling to the web length in proportion to the web length and fixedly setting the adaptation on a basis of the web length.

12. A system for driving regulation in an apparatus selected from the group consisting of a printing press, a processing machine, and both, the system comprising processing devices for processing and feeding devices for feeding a web of material; a device for register regulation for adjusting said processing devices; a device for web feed regulation for adjusting said feeding devices; means for providing an operative connection between said device for register regulation and at least one of said feeding devices and providing an operative connection between said device for web feed regulation and at least one of said processing devices in a region between two of said feeding devices.

13. A system as defined in claim 12, wherein said means for operative connection provide the operative connection in the region which is selected from the group consisting of a tensioned-regulated and an expansion-controlled region.

14. An apparatus selected from the group consisting of a rotor rotogravure printing press, flexographic printing press, and an offset printing press, in which a drive regulation is performed in accordance with a method, comprising the steps of processing a web of material by processing devices; feeding the web of material by feeder devices; adjusting the processing devices by a device for register regulation; adjusting the feeder devices by a device for web feed regulation, said adjusting including adjusting at least one feeder device by the device for register regulation and adjusting at least one processing device by the device for web feed regulation in a region between two of the feeder devices.

15. An apparatus selected from the group consisting of a rotogravure printing press, a flexographic printing press, and an offset printing press, said apparatus comprising a system for drive regulation including a system for driving regulation in an apparatus selected from the group consisting of a printing press, a processing machine, and both, the system comprising processing devices for processing and feeding devices for feeding a web of material; a device for register regulation for adjusting said processing devices; a device for web feed regulation for adjusting said feeding devices; means for providing an operative connection between said device for register regulation and at least one of said feeding devices and providing an operative connection between said device for web feed regulation and at least one of said processing devices in a region between two of said feeding devices.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein said processing devices includes printing groups, and said feeder devices include tension mechanisms.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein said tension mechanisms are mechanisms selected from the group consisting of infeed mechanisms, delivery mechanisms and both.