Patent Application
20140020581
The present invention relates to an offset printing tower comprising of several printing units stacked vertically so as to print different colours successively on a continuous material web scrolling through the printing units.
Such a printing tower for example, comprises four printing units superposed vertically for printing four colours, which are usually: yellow, cyan, magenta and black.
Each printing unit consists of at least one printing group comprising a forme cylinder (or plate cylinder), a transfer cylinder (or blanket cylinder), an inking unit having a plurality of inking rollers, of which at least one is motorised.
Each printing unit comprises at least one drive motor for driving the cylinders and the or each motorised inking roller and an electronic drive control module for controlling the or each drive motor.
Each printing unit further comprises group actuators to carry out the functions of a printing group other than the driving of the cylinders and ink rollers in rotation, such as adjusting the dampening of the forme cylinder, regulating and controlling the distribution of ink across the web, the automatic mounting and dismounting of plates on a plate cylinder, and electronic actuator control modules for controlling the group actuators.
The printing units are disposed at a first level and a second level of the printing tower, the first level and the second level being situated one above the other. In order to enable operators to access the various printing units, it is possible to provide the rotary press with fixed foot bridges and/or lifts moving vertically in order to go from one level to another.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing tower whose operation and maintenance are easy.
The present invention provides a printing tower consisting of several printing units stacked vertically for the offset printing of a continuous material web, each printing unit comprising of at least one printing group having a forme cylinder, a transfer cylinder and an inking unit having inking rollers, the printing tower comprising at least one electronic control module associated with each printing unit for controlling the printing unit, the printing tower comprising a first level and a second level, each containing at least one printing unit, the first level and the second level being situated one above the other, wherein at least one control module for controlling a printing unit of the second level is disposed on the first level.
According to other embodiments, the printing tower includes one or more of the following characteristic features, considered individually or according to any technically possible combinations:
The invention and its advantages will be better understood upon reading the description which follows, given by way of example and with reference made to the accompanying drawings, in which:
As shown in
The rotary printing press 2 conventionally comprises a plurality of printing towers, each one for the printing of a respective web, a web unwinding device associated with each printing tower 4 for unwinding the web from a 6 roller, and a combination assembly for combining webs printed by the different printing towers 4 making it possible to ensure the gathering, folding and the longitudinal and/or transverse cutting of the webs and/or the assembling of webs by stapling or stitching and/or gluing, in order to provide an output of notebooks or signatures.
Only one single printing tower 4 is shown in
In
Each printing group 10 comprises of a forme cylinder 12, a transfer cylinder 14, an inking unit 16, a dampening unit 18, and a plate change unit 20.
The forme cylinder 12 carries on its periphery the formes to be the printed. The forme cylinder 12 is for example a plate cylinder designed to enable the detachable fastening of flexible plates (not shown) carrying the formes to be printed. The plates are changed depending upon the production processes to be carried out. Preferably, such a forme cylinder 12 carries several plates arranged axially side by side along the axis of the cylinder, and one or more plates arranged in turn, one behind the other around the circumference of the forme cylinder 12. The number of plates arranged axially side by side is for example between 4 and 6, and the number of plates in turn is for example, between 1 and 2. The forme cylinder 12 is for example of the type 4×1, 4×2, 5×2 or 6×2.
The transfer cylinder 14 is arranged so as to be pressed against the forme cylinder 12, and transferring ink from the forme cylinder 12 onto the web 6. The transfer cylinder 14 here is a blanket cylinder designed to receive over its periphery a blanket (not shown).
The axes of the forme cylinder 12 and the transfer cylinder 14 are parallel.
In the example illustrated, the printing tower 4 includes four recto/verso printing units 8 with four cylinders in the “blanket-to-blanket” configuration. Each printing unit comprises two printing groups 10, of which the transfer cylinders 14 are arranged in a manner so as to come to be pressed against one another while squeezing the web. Each transfer cylinder 14 defines a printing cylinder for the other. Each printing unit 8 is set up to print one respective colour on the web 6. The colours used usually are: black, cyan, magenta and yellow.
Each inking unit 16 includes an ink source 22 and an inking roller assembly 26 for transferring the ink from the ink source to the forme cylinder 12. The ink source 22, for example, consists of an ink fountain and an ink fountain roller powered by a dedicated motor.
Each dampening unit 18 is configured so as to apply the dampening liquid, usually water, on the forme cylinder 12. The dampening unit is optional and may be omitted in order to carry out waterless offset printing (or “waterless printing” in English).
Each plate change unit 20 is designed for the automatic unloading of plates from the forme cylinder 12 and the automatic loading of new plates onto the forme cylinder 12. The plate change unit 20 is optional, as a variant the plate change may be carried out manually.
As illustrated in
The printing tower 4 is composed of a first tower member 32 and a second tower member 34 stacked one on top of the other, each comprising at least one printing unit 8 and respectively defining the first level 36 and the second level 38 of the printing tower 4.
Each printing unit 8 comprises of at least one drive motor for driving in rotation at least one forme cylinder 12, at least one transfer cylinder 14 and/or at least one inking roller 26 of the printing unit 8.
The drive motors 40 are disposed on a first lateral face 41 of the printing tower 4 (
In the example illustrated, each printing unit 8 includes one single drive motor 40 per printing unit 8, coupled with the forme cylinders 12, with the transfer cylinders 14 and with the motorised inking rollers 26, of the two printing groups 10 of the printing unit 8.
Each printing unit 8 further comprises group actuators 42 for execution of various functions other than the driving of cylinders and inking rollers of each printing group 10. The group actuators 42 may include, without limitation:
adjustment of the position of an ink fountain roller;
driving the rotation of an ink fountain roller; and
adjustment of the ink distribution across the web width, for example by way of ink keys;
adjustment of the dampening;
automatic plate changing;
throwing on/throwing off of the transfer cylinders of the printing unit;
washing of the blanket.
In
The printing tower 4 includes four electronic control modules for controlling the motors 40 and/or the group actuators 42.
The control modules include drive control modules 50 for controlling the drive motors 40 and actuator control modules 52 for controlling the group actuators 42.
The control modules are disposed on the lateral faces 41, 43 of the printer tower 4 in order to facilitate easy access thereto. The drive control modules 50 are disposed on the first lateral face 41, on the same side as the drive motors 40. The actuator control modules 52 are disposed on the second lateral face 43.
At least one control module for a printing unit 8 of the second level 38 is disposed on the first level 36.
As illustrated, all of the drive control modules 50 of the printing units 8 of the second level 38 are disposed on the first level 36 (
At least one control module of a printing unit 8 of the second level 38 is disposed on the first level 36.
Advantageously, as illustrated, the first level is the lower level and the second level is the upper level, located above the first level. The control units are thus grouped on the lower level (first level), which allows operators to access them without having to go up to the upper level (second level), by means of using fixed foot bridges or lifts moving vertically.
The configuration could most certainly be reversed, with the first level being the upper level and the second level being the lower level. The control modules of the lower level would thus be disposed on the upper level and grouped together with the control modules of the upper level.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Thus, each level has dedicated cabinets, which facilitates the operational and maintenance activities.
By way of a variant, the control modules of the first level and the second level are arranged in one or more common cabinet(s) each one containing the control modules of the first level and the control modules of the second level.
In a particular embodiment, the drive control modules 50 of the or each printing unit 8 of the first level 36 and of the or each printing unit 8 of the second level 38 are arranged in a same cabinet on the first level 36 and/or the actuator control modules 52 of the or each printing unit 8 of the first level 36 and of the or each printing unit 8 of the second level 38 are arranged in a same cabinet.
When the printing tower 4 is composed of a first tower member 32 and a second tower member 34 that are stacked, each drive—or actuation control module of a printing unit 8 of the second tower member 32 that is disposed on the first level 36, is disposed on the first tower member 32.
Thanks to the invention, the printing tower is compact while at the same time also enabling easy operation and maintenance thereof. Maintenance or control of the drive motors and/or group actuators can easily be done from one same level.
The invention is not limited to a printing tower with four recto/verso printing units superposed in a blanket to blanket configuration with four cylinders.
The printing tower may comprise of several superposed printing units, in recto configuration, in blanket to blanket recto/verso configuration, or in satellite configuration, recto or recto/verso, with five, seven or nine cylinders.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 53961 | Apr 2012 | FR | national |
