Patent Application
20130168483
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to patent application no. DE 10 2011 122 520.3, filed on Dec. 29, 2011 in Germany, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The disclosure relates firstly to a method for equipping a material web processing machine with regard to material webs to be processed, in which the material web processing machine is set as a function of material web processing-specific parameter data in order to be able to process the respective material web to be processed in a job-individual manner with the material web processing machine.
In addition, the disclosure secondly relates to an apparatus for processing a material web with a material web processing machine and with a device for controlling and/or regulating the material web processing machine.
Furthermore, the disclosure relates to an arrangement comprising an apparatus for processing a material web with a material web processing machine and a digital press stage apparatus, which generates and uses digital print job workflow data to process the material web.
Moreover, the disclosure relates to the use of an electronic data interface device.
Generic methods and apparatus for carrying out such methods are already known from the prior art.
For example, laid-open specification DE 10 2005 056 802 A1 discloses a method for regulating the web tension of a material web or product web moved by means of a transport device with a web tension regulator while determining control loop parameters, which method is distinguished by the fact that the control loop parameters of the web tension regulator are determined in accordance with a characteristic curve that can be predefined as a function and/or on a plurality of reference points, by which means an increase in the production quality with a simultaneously higher production volume and little effort in converting a material web or product type is made possible.
Furthermore, laid-open specification DE 10 2009 019 624 A1 discloses a method for determining at least one control parameter of a control element in a web tension control loop for a processing machine for processing a material web or product web, in which method the at least one control parameter is determined as a function of at least one parameter characterizing the material web or product web, at least one parameter characterizing the processing machine and at least one dead time. In this way, regulation of the processing machine can advantageously be performed, so that the production quality can also be improved.
Furthermore, laid-open specification DE 10 2010 013 782 A1 discloses a method for the automatic determination of at least one controller parameter of a dancer position control element in a processing machine for processing a material web and comprising a dancer, the dancer position of which is measured, a rotational speed of a roll being predefined on the basis of the measured dancer position, the at least one controller parameter being determined automatically as a function of a diameter of the roll. By means of this method, automatic configuration of a dancer position control system on a processing machine can be provided, by which means the production quality can also be improved hereby.
By means of the solutions cited above, in particular the production quality with regard to the processing of material webs can easily be improved.
It is an object of the disclosure to develop generic methods and apparatus further in order further to improve the operational reliability, in particular when converting a material web type, and therefore also the production quality.
The object of the disclosure is achieved in a method for equipping a material web processing machine with regard to material webs to be processed, in which the material web processing machine is set as a function of material web processing-specific parameter data in order to be able to process the respective material web to be processed in a job-individual manner with the material web processing machine, according to the disclosure material web processing-specific parameter data being received electronically in an automated manner on the material processing machine by means of an electronic data interface device and subsequently provided electronically on a device for controlling and/or regulating the material web processing machine.
As a result of the fact that necessary material web processing-specific parameter data can be received or read in an automated manner on the material processing machine by means of an electronic data interface device, the danger of erroneous allocation of material web processing-specific parameter data with respect to a material web to be processed can be reduced significantly, which means firstly that the operational reliability in the procedure and secondly the production quality are advantageously increased.
As opposed to the prior art, the necessary material web processing-specific parameter data can advantageously be made available in an automated manner on the material processing machine. In particular, manual or by-hand input of parameter data in this regard is no longer necessary, so that the material processing machine can be operated substantially virtually fully automatically.
Advantageously, it is cumulatively also possible to dispense with production-dependent input of formulations with regard to a configuration of appropriate setting values of an automation system in conjunction with the present method.
Hitherto, it was often the case that such setting values on a processing machine were originally even not changed as a function of production, which normally also has a detrimental effect on the production quality to be achieved on the material web to be processed.
Hitherto, setting was often also carried out only via a formulation management system stored on a machine control system or on a higher-order management system. However, formulation data in this respect likewise has to be entered by hand for the first time before it can be used in the case of a repetition job. This also increases the danger of an erroneous input.
To this extent, the object of the disclosure is also achieved by the use of an electronic data interface device for the electronic reading of digital print job workflow data from a digital pre-press apparatus on a printing press for the automated setting of material web processing machine parameters characterizing the web run with regard to a material web to be printed on the printing press. As a result of the use according to the disclosure of the electronic data interface device, it is advantageously possible ideally to dispense completely with an input of data or information in this respect, previously necessary by hand and, as a result, also lengthy and afflicted with errors.
In the sense of the disclosure, the term “material web” describes a product web which can be processed with the material web processing machine and which, in particular with regard to its material nature and dimensions, can be configured virtually as desired. For example, the present material web is a material web made of paper, film, material or the like to be printed.
In this case, it is exceedingly advantageous if, by using the material web processing-specific parameter data received electronically or digitally, material web processing machine parameters characterizing the web run of unwinding roll devices, winding roll devices and/or controlled or regulated material web pull-roll devices are set.
A substantial constituent part of the present disclosure can also be seen in the fact that material web processing machine parameters characterizing the web run are generally determined electronically from existing digital job workflow data or specifically from digital print job workflow data, as will be described more extensively below.
The term “material web processing machine parameters characterizing the web run” in the sense of the disclosure substantially describes parameters for controlling or regulating functional components or functional subassemblies which have an effect on the treatment of the respective material web by or with the present material web processing machine.
Particularly advantageously, shafts of the material web processing machine that transport a material web can be set by the present method.
In particular, the unwinding and winding roll devices can in this case be operated for example in the operating modes “winder with dancer position regulator”, “winder with force transducer and web force regulator with torque control”, “winder with force transducer and web force regulator with rotational speed control”, “sensor-less winder with torque control”.
Shafts transporting a material web, such as in particular the material web pull-roll devices, can be operated here, for example, in the operating modes “shafts which always run in an unchanged ratio with respect to the machine speed, i.e. uncontrolled or unset shafts”, “shafts which run in a predefined ratio with respect to the machine speed” (set shafts), and “shafts which run in a ratio with respect to the machine speed predefined by a controller” (controlled shafts of a material web draw controller).
Both the aforementioned winding roll device, also called a winder for short, and the controlled or set shafts transporting the material web or, in the present case, also called material web pull-roll devices, contain parameters here, for example control parameters, which have to be changed or should be changed as a function of production in order to be able to achieve a high production quality. This can advantageously be carried out in an automated manner with the present method according to the disclosure.
It goes without saying that the present method can advantageously be employed on any material web processing machines on which recourse is made to material web processing-specific parameter data from a previous operating process, and on which the material web processing-specific parameter data can be used in a subsequent processing process on the material web processing machine.
Particularly advantageously, however, the present disclosure can be employed in conjunction with printing presses for printing material webs.
The object of the disclosure is also achieved by an apparatus for processing a material web with a material web processing machine and with a device for controlling and/or regulating the material web processing machine, the apparatus having an electronic data interface device for the electronic reception of digital pre-press data from a digital pre-press apparatus, by means of which material web processing-specific parameter data can be provided electronically to the device for controlling and/or regulating the material web processing machine.
In this way, because of a lower danger of input errors, the production quality with regard to the material webs to be processed can be increased considerably.
In particular, however, the method according to the disclosure can also advantageously be carried out with the present apparatus.
By means of the material web processing-specific parameter data, in particular a motion control device for controlling and/or regulating winders or web pull rolls can advantageously be set in an automated manner.
It is also advantageous for this reason if the device for controlling and/or regulating the material web processing machine comprises a Motion Control Unit and/or a PLC unit, which are able to interpret and parse the material web processing-specific parameter data electronically.
This material web processing-specific parameter data can, for example, contain information relating to a modulus of elasticity of a material web. By means of this information, it is advantageously possible in particular to set controller parameters of material web draw controllers or winders having a force transducer or sensor-less winders, and to predefine a winding hardness characteristic curve of a winder and/or to predefine a lead to set web pull rolls. With regard to the modulus of elasticity, information with respect to the material web width, the material web thickness or the grammage and the material web material, for example, is also contained indirectly. To this extent, controller parameters of web draw controllers or winding controllers can advantageously be set as a function of the modulus of elasticity.
Furthermore, the material web processing-specific parameter data can also contain, for example, information relating to a mass and/or a diameter of a full roll or an empty core, it being possible for this information to be used well for acceleration feedforward control, diameter-dependent Kp adaptation of speed regulators of the winding drive and/or for setting starting values after roll changes (preset values) or limiting values during winding, for example with respect to a diameter at which a roll change is initiated.
To this extent, a particularly advantageous method variant provides for the material web processing-specific parameter data to be provided generally on the electronic data interface device as digital job workflow data and specifically as digital print job workflow data from a digital pre-press apparatus, in order to be able to set the material web processing machine by using the digital print job workflow data.
In the sense of the disclosure, the material web processing-specific parameter data that can be used for the material web processing machine or in particular for the device for controlling and/or regulating the material web processing machine can either be contained directly in the digital job or print job workflow data as corresponding digital pre-press data or at least determined indirectly therefrom.
With the present disclosure, use is advantageously made in particular of the fact that data or pre-press data from a digital pre-press apparatus is already part of a digital print job workflow for processing printing jobs.
For example, digital pre-press stage data in this regard or digital pre-press data comprises CIP4 data. This CIP4 data also includes JDF data (JDF: Job Definition Format), it also advantageously being possible for PPF data (PPF: Print Production Format) to be embedded in the JDF data.
To this extent, the material web processing-specific parameter data or digital print job workflow data can advantageously be provided as CIP4-JDF data from media resources belonging to a resource pool, the following data advantageously being used in the JDF media resources: CoreWeight, Dimension, Grade, MediaType, MediaTypeDetails, OuterCoreDiameter, RollDiameter, Thickness; Weight and ResourceWeight. Cumulatively, CIP4-JDF data of the Node-Info-Resources type with data relating to FirstStart, LastStart and LastEnd can be used.
Furthermore, the material web processing-specific parameter data or digital print job workflow data can also advantageously be provided as CIP5-PPF data from Administration-Data, the following data advantageously being used in the PPF Administration-Data: CIP3AdmPrintVolume, CIP3AdmFilmType, CIP3AdmPaperGrade, CIP3AdmPaperGrammage, CIP3AdmPaperThickness, CIP3AdmReelWidth, CIP3AdmCylinderCircumference.
Furthermore, the material web processing-specific parameter data or digital print job workflow data can likewise advantageously be provided as Private-Data from JDF data or PPF data. Additional data or information which, in particular, can be relevant for a good material web run on the material web processing machine, can be contained in Private-Data fields.
For example, statements with respect to a modulus of elasticity of the material web, for example for controller settings, with respect to a density of a roll, for example in the unit “mass per unit volume” for acceleration feedforward control, with respect to duration of the production, for example for optimal-energy pre-definition of production speed and/or with respect to a web length between individual printing units can be contained there, it being possible for statements with regard to the latter normally to be added only after defining the material web processing machine used, for example by a JDF Agent.
Furthermore, the material web processing-specific parameter data can advantageously cumulatively also contain dancer position controller parameters (Kp, Tn, . . . ), which are predefined by using the roll diameter. For this purpose, PPF pre-press data “CIP3AdmCylinderCircumference” or JDF pre-press data “RollDiameter” can advantageously be used.
To this extent, a further advantageous method variant provides for such dancer position controller parameters to be predefined by using the roll diameter.
Furthermore, the diameter-computer starting value can advantageously also be predefined by using the roll diameter, it advantageously being possible for JDF pre-press data “RollDiameter” to be used for this purpose.
A roll change time can advantageously be predefined by using the diameter of empty cores, it advantageously being possible for JDF pre-press data “OuterCoreDiameter and Thickness” to be used for this purpose.
It is further extraordinarily advantageous if different pinole positions of a roll changer are preset by using the width of the roll. To this end, PPF pre-press data “CIP3AdmReelWidth” or JDF pre-press data “Dimension” is advantageously used.
Acceleration feedforward control and Kp adaptation of a speed controller of a roll shaft can additionally advantageously be predefined by using the diameter and the mass of the roll. To this end, the PPF pre-press data “Cip3AdmFilmType, CIP3AdmPaperGrade, CIP3AdmPaperGrammage, CIP3AdmPaperThickness and CIP3AdmReelWidth” or the JDF pre-press data “CoreWeight, Dimension, Grade, MediaType, MediaTypeDetails, OuterCoreDiameter, RollDiameter, Thickness, Weight and ResourceWeight” can advantageously be used.
Controller parameters of web draw controllers or winding controllers that depend on modulus of elasticity can advantageously be set by using the width of the material web, the grammage or the thickness of the material web and by using the material web type, such as paper type, film or the like. PPF pre-press data used for this purpose can be, for example, “CIP3AdmFilmType, CIP3AdmPaperGrade, CIP3AdmPaperGrammage, CIP3AdmPaperThickness, CIP3AdmReelWidth and/or CIP3AdmCylinderCircumference”. Suitable JDF pre-press data is, for example, “Dimension, Grade, MediaType, MediaTypeDetails, Thickness and/or Weight”.
For the reasons cited above, it is particularly advantageous with regard to the present method if Private-Data such as modulus of elasticity, density of the roll, the duration of production and the material web length between the individual printing units of the present material web processing machine is defined and processed.
Furthermore, it is advantageous if the number of products produced or material webs processed can be determined automatically by the machine control system. If a product quality monitoring device is contained in the present machine control systems, for example in the Motion Control Unit, which differentiates the products or the material webs to be processed into good or poor products during the printing process (inline), the good products can in particular be determined automatically by the Motion Control Unit and, with the knowledge of the necessary number of products, the material web processing machine can be stopped in an automated manner in order thus to be able to utilize resources for example with regard to material webs, ink, time period or the like optimally. PPF pre-press data or JDF pre-press data that can advantageously be used for this purpose can be, for example, “CIP3AdmPrintVolume” or “DropItemIntent->Amount”.
Moreover, an optimal production speed can be determined by using a permitted production period. It is generally known from the prior art that production of products on appropriate production machines virtually always has an optimal-energy production speed. In this regard, for example, energy consumptions of the present material web processing machine, a maximum permissible production period, an earliest or latest production start, a latest production end and structural machine characteristics, such as a minimum process speed or process speeds to be avoided, etc, can be important boundary conditions for determining the optimal-energy production speed. By using this knowledge, in the present case by means of an appropriate machine control system, for example a Motion Control Unit, the optimal machine speed can advantageously be determined in an automated manner. Alternatively, this can also be done by a job control system (Agent, MIS system (print job management system) or the like). The JDF pre-press data used here can in particular be “FirstStart”, “LastStart” and/or “LastEnd”.
In general, there exists pre-press data which is present both in the JDF pre-press data and in the PPF pre-press data. In principle, the present pre-press data in existing data fields is optional, which means that it does not have to be present or can also even be present redundantly, i.e. duplicated. Here, for example, rules for the use of the data can apply. For example, rules which the JDF pre-press data are preferably to use can be set up. However, if the necessary pre-press data or material web processing-specific parameter data is not contained in the JDF pre-press data, then use is made of corresponding digital pre-press data from the PPF pre-press data. As a result of using both sets of pre-press data, optional pre-press data which is not present in a pre-press database can be used from the other pre-press database. In this way, a certain redundancy is obtained, which advantageously increases the probability of the presence of usable pre-press data.
It is therefore particularly advantageous if the digital print job workflow data is provided in the JDF data format and/or in the PPF data format.
It is also particularly advantageous that such digital print job workflow data can be provided online and thus also sent to different print shops if the print job workflow data is created centrally. By this means, it can advantageously be ensured that the individual jobs in the different print shops are always processed with the same process parameters, which means that the production quality can be increased further.
To this extent, a further extraordinarily advantageous method variant provides for digital print job workflow data from at least one press stage apparatus to be provided electronically or digitally on more than one material web processing machine equipped with an electronic data interface device.
In particular in this connection, a further advantageous method variant provides for the material web processing-specific parameter data to be provided electronically online on the electronic data interface device in an automated manner via a LAN and/or WLAN connecting device.
By means of an electronic data interface device, the material web processing-specific parameter data can advantageously be fed online, for example directly into a device for controlling and/or regulating the material web processing machine, so that an error rate in handling the parameter data can be reduced further. In this way, too, the production quality can be raised further.
It goes without saying that the present electronic data interface device can be present in a flexible form as hardware and/or as software.
Material web processing-specific parameter data incorporated into digital print job workflow data can advantageously be processed automatically by the device for controlling and/or regulating the material web processing machine if the apparatus has a parsing device for the electronic determination of material web processing-specific parameter data.
If a parsing device for examining the pre-press data, for example an XML parser for JDF pre-press data or PostScript parser for PPF pre-press data, is implemented in the machine control system, for example in the Motion Control Unit or PLC unit, an entire JDF file or only relevant parts thereof (XML part-tree of the “Media Resources” from the Resource Pool) or an entire PPF file or a slimmed-down part of the file (e.g. reduced by image data) can be loaded into the machine control system, for example via FTP/TFTP, in a manner that is particularly simple in process engineering terms. This means that no individual new data format or transmission protocol for the transmission of the production-dependent data from the print job management system, MIS system in brief, advantageously has to be defined and implemented in the machine control system.
To this extent, it is advantageous if the apparatus has a parsing device for electronically reading the material web processing-specific parameter data from digital job workflow data or from digital print job workflow data.
A method variant that is advantageous in this respect provides for the material web processing-specific parameter data to be extracted from a digital JDF data format and/or from a digital PPF data format by means of a parsing device.
Advantageously, the parsing device can be implemented in the device for controlling and/or regulating the material web processing machine.
Although, in the present case, reference has primarily been made to printing presses, the disclosure is not restricted thereto but instead relates to all types of processing machines in which a product web or material web is processed, as already explained at the beginning. With respect to printing presses, the method according to the disclosure can be used very well in particular with regard to newspaper presses, commercial presses, gravure presses, packaging presses or presses for documents of value, as likewise already described at the beginning. However, the method according to the disclosure can advantageously also be used in processing machines such as bag-making machines, envelope-making machines, packaging machines or the like.
To this extent, the object of the disclosure is also achieved by an arrangement comprising an apparatus for processing a material web with a material web processing machine and a digital press stage apparatus, which generates and uses digital print job workflow data for processing the material web, the apparatus for processing the material web and the digital press stage apparatus being connected electronically to each other by means of an electronic data interface device in order, by means of the digital print job workflow data, to provide material web processing-specific parameter data electronically to the apparatus for processing the material web.
Advantageously, data or information with regard to material web processing-specific parameter data that is already present in the digital pre-press stage can immediately also be provided on line to a material web processing machine or in particular a printing press processing the material web further, and thus used directly.
Further advantages, objects and characteristics of the present disclosure will be explained by using the appended drawing and the following description, in which an apparatus having a printing press for printing material webs and having an electronic data interface device for receiving digital print job workflow data from a digital pre-press apparatus is illustrated and described by way of example. In the drawing, the single
FIGURE shows, schematically, a view of an apparatus having a printing press for printing a material web and having an electronic data interface device for receiving digital print job workflow data from a digital pre-press apparatus.
The apparatus 1, shown in the single FIGURE, for processing a material web 2 has a material web processing machine 3, by means of which the material web 2 can be printed by a multiplicity of printing units 4 (numbered here merely by way of example). To this extent, the material web processing machine 3 in this exemplary embodiment is a printing press 5.
The apparatus 1 also has a machine control system 6 having a device 7 for controlling and/or regulating the material processing machine 3. The device 7 for controlling and/or regulating the material processing machine 3 is in turn distinguished in particular by a Motion Control Unit 8 and a PLC unit 9.
According to the disclosure, the apparatus 1 is equipped with an electronic data interface device 10, in order to receive digital print job workflow data 11 from a digital pre-press apparatus 12 electronically. Here, the electronic data interface device 10 is operatively connected to the digital pre-press apparatus 12 online via a LAN connecting device 13 and via the Internet 14.
The digital print job workflow data 11 comprises, as digital pre-press data 19, inter alia, material web processing-specific parameter data 20 in the JDF data format and in the PPF data format, by using which the material processing machine 3 can be set.
In order to be able to extract the material web processing-specific parameter data 20 from the digital print job workflow data 11, the controlling and/or regulating device 7 advantageously has a suitable parsing device 25.
The material web 2 is led through the material web processing machine 3 in the transport direction 30. Here, the material web 2 is unwound from an unwinding roll device 31 on the inlet side 32 of the apparatus 1, led through the material web processing machine 3 for printing or the like and wound up again, finally processed, on a winding roll device 33 on the outlet side 34 of the apparatus 1. As an alternative to the winding roll device 33, a cross-cutting device with a stack output device, not shown here, can advantageously also be provided.
For the purpose of optimal treatment of the material web 2, the unwinding roll device 31 is assigned dancer elements 35 (numbered here merely by way of example), and the winding roll device 33 is assigned a force transducer element 36.
Located in between on the inlet side 32 is a clamping point 37 having a drive roll 38 and a pressure roll 39, it being possible for the drive roll 38 to be driven by means of a drive motor 40. A speed of revolution and an angular position at the first clamping point 37 are measured by means of a rotary encoder 41.
In a corresponding way, on the outlet side 34 there is a further clamping point 42 having a further drive roll 43 and a further pressure roll 44, it being possible for the further drive roll 43 to be driven by means of a further drive motor 45. A speed of revolution and an angular position at the further clamping point 42 are measured by means of a further rotary encoder 46.
The actual value of the material web tension between the unwinding roll device 31 and the winding roll device 33 is determined by means of a measured value transmitter 47, the material web 2 being led in over a first deflection roll 48 and led away again over a second deflection roll 49, in order then to be able to run into the printing units 4.
In particular, the above-described components 4, 31, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 and 47 of the material web processing machine 3 and the apparatus 1 are in operative contact by means of data lines 50 (numbered here merely by way of example) shown by way of example, with the device 7 for controlling and/or regulating the material processing machine 3, so that the latter can also be set optimally or controlled and/or regulated online by means of the material web processing-specific parameter data 20 extracted from the digital print job workflow data 11 by means of the parsing device 25.
For this purpose, the digital print job workflow data 11, which is present here in the JDF data format and in the PPF data format, is transmitted electronically from the digital pre-press apparatus 12 via the Internet 14—or else via another electronic route—to the electronic data interface device 10. There, the digital print job workflow data 11 present is read in an automated manner, via the parsing device 25, into the device 7 for controlling and/or regulating the material web processing machine 3. In particular, from the material web processing-specific parameter data 20 provided here, the Motion Control Unit 8 and/or the PLC unit 9 calculate the optimal material web processing machine parameters characterizing the web run, for example for the winding process and/or for the material web draw control, as a function of the material web 2 to be processed. The production is then started without any manual input of this material web processing-specific parameter data 20. The end of the production can advantageously be carried out in an automated manner, likewise via JDF/PPF data. Likewise, a new job can be started by reading in new JDF/PPF data.
It goes without saying that the exemplary embodiment explained above is merely a first configuration of the apparatus 1 for carrying out the method according to the disclosure. To this extent, the configuration of the disclosure is not restricted to this exemplary embodiment.
All the features disclosed in the application documents are claimed as fundamental to the disclosure if they are novel with respect to the prior art, individually or in combination.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2011 122 520.3 | Dec 2011 | DE | national |
