Apparatus for front/top lay vertical adjustment and sheet-fed rotary printing press having the apparatus

An apparatus for the vertical adjustment of combined front/top lays in a sheet processing machine includes a front/top lay carrier shaft carrying the front/top lays jointly in such a way that it can be pivoted with respect to a front/top lay drive shaft, or thrust joints disposed in carriers or coupling links for the front/top lays in such a way that they effect a lengthening of the carriers or coupling links in order to adjust the front/top lays. A sheet-fed rotary printing press having the apparatus, is also provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. §119, of German Patent Application DE 10 2010 006 684.2, filed Feb. 2, 2010; the prior application is herewith incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to an apparatus for the vertical adjustment of combined front/top lays or guides. The invention also relates to a sheet-fed rotary printing press having the apparatus.

In sheet processing machines, front/top lays or guides are provided in the alignment region of sheets, are disposed at a distance from one another in a row transversely with respect to the sheet transport direction and, together with a feed table, form a gap into which the leading edge of a sheet can be inserted. Following the alignment of the sheet and as soon as the latter has been gripped by onward transport devices, the front/top lays are moved out of an operating position on the feed table into a pivoted-away position located outside the sheet transport path.

The top lay is adjusted vertically in order to process sheets of different thicknesses.

German Patent DE 42 39 254 C2 already discloses a vertical adjustment device for combined front/top lays, in which all of the front/top lays, together with a drive shaft driving the same, are mounted so as to be vertically adjustable. In that case, the drive shaft is mounted in levers which are mounted in such a way that they can be pivoted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for combined front/top lay vertical adjustment and a sheet-fed rotary printing press having the apparatus, which overcome the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type and in which a drive shaft is mounted so as to be fixed to a frame.

With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, an apparatus for the vertical adjustment of combined front/top lays in a sheet processing machine having a frame. The apparatus comprises a front/top lay drive shaft fixedly mounted to the frame, a lever connected to the front/top lay drive shaft, and a front/top lay carrier shaft disposed parallel to the front/top lay drive shaft, mounted on the lever and configured to be displaced relative to the front/top lay drive shaft. The front/top lays are mounted on the front/top lay carrier shaft to be pivoted jointly.

With the objects of the invention in view, there is also provided an apparatus for the vertical adjustment of combined front/top lays in a sheet processing machine. The apparatus comprises a front/top lay drive shaft, a front/top lay carrier shaft disposed parallel to the front/top lay drive shaft, a front/top lay carrier, a swivel bearing for the front/top lay carrier, and a thrust joint for the front/top lay carrier. The thrust joint is disposed between the swivel bearing and the front/top lay carrier shaft. The front/top lays are mounted on the front/top lay carrier shaft to be pivoted jointly.

With the objects of the invention in view, there is furthermore provided an apparatus for the vertical adjustment of combined front/top lays in a sheet processing machine. The apparatus comprises a front/top lay drive shaft, a front/top lay carrier shaft disposed parallel to the front/top lay drive shaft, a front/top lay carrier, a swivel bearing for the front/top lay carrier, and a thrust joint for the front/top lay carrier. The thrust joint is disposed between the swivel bearing and the front/top lays. The front/top lays are mounted on the front/top lay carrier shaft to be pivoted jointly.

A particular advantage of the invention is that the position of the drive shaft remains unchanged during the vertical adjustment of the front/top lays, in particular when the latter have a cam roller drive, since, in the case of this drive, the position of the roller lever in relation to the control cam remains unchanged during a change in the front/top lay height.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the front/top lay body is disposed in such a way that it can be adjusted vertically with respect to the drive shaft through the use of a shaft (front/top lay carrier shaft) that is mounted in such a way that it can be displaced eccentrically. As a result of this measure, all of the front/top lays can be adjusted vertically very exactly with respect to the drive shaft.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the front/top lay carrier shaft is mounted in a two-armed lever, which in turn is mounted on a lever that can be pivoted by the drive shaft. In this case, a compression spring that is provided presses the front/top lay carrier shaft, preferably through the use of a roller, against a stop that is mounted on the lever in such a way that it can be adjusted eccentrically.

In accordance with an added feature of the invention, provision is made to drive the front/top lays through the use of coupling links that are connected in an articulated manner, at least one coupling link having a thrust joint to lengthen the coupling link. This lengthening can preferably be produced through the use of a spindle/nut mechanism.

In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, provision is advantageously made to employ actuating motors which, during a lateral displacement of the front and top lays, carry out a correction in the position of the front/top lay in and counter to the sheet transport direction, in order to ensure that the front/top lays can be positioned on their envisioned line of alignment.

With the objects of the invention in view, there is concomitantly provided a sheet-fed rotary printing press, comprising an apparatus according to the invention.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in an apparatus for front/top lay vertical adjustment and a sheet-fed rotary printing press having the apparatus, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly, toFIG. 1thereof, there is seen a machine, for example a printing press1, for processing sheets7, which has a feeder2, at least one printing unit3and4and a delivery6mounted in a machine frame. The sheets7are taken from a sheet stack8and are fed, separated or overlapping, over a feed table9to the printing units3and4. The latter each contain a plate cylinder11,12, in a known manner. The plate cylinders11and12each have an apparatus13,14for fixing flexible printing plates. Furthermore, each plate cylinder11,12is assigned an apparatus16,17for semiautomatic or fully automatic printing plate changing.

The sheet stack8lies on a stack board10that can be raised under control. The sheets7are taken from the top side of the sheet stack8through the use of a so-called a suction head18which, inter alia, has a number of lifting and dragging suckers19,21for separating the sheets7. Furthermore, blowing devices22for loosening the upper sheet layers as well as sensing elements23for stack tracking, are provided. A number of lateral and rear stops24are provided in order to align the sheet stack8, in particular the upper sheets7of the sheet stack8.

Leading edge stops28combined with top lays or guides, as well as lateral stops29, are provided in order to align the sheets on the feed table9, before a transfer of an aligned sheet through the use of a pre-gripper26to a feed cylinder27. The front/top lays28serve to align the sheets in the longitudinal direction, i.e. in the direction of the sheet transport. In this case, the top lays, which form a gap together with the feed table9, prevent the leading sheet edge from leaving an alignment plane during sheet alignment. The front/top lays or guides28include a number (e.g.16) of individual sheet stops disposed transversely with respect to the sheet transport direction, which are disposed in such a way that they can be pivoted jointly from an alignment position on the feed table9into a position outside a sheet transport path, cyclically at a cycle rate of the sheet processing machine.

FIGS. 2 and 3each illustrate a combined front/top lay28, which is located at the end of a front lay carrier32. The front/top lay carrier32is mounted approximately centrally in a swivel bearing34at a first end of a coupling link33. The front/top lay carrier32, and thus the front/top lays28disposed thereon, are pivoted cyclically under a sheet transport path by a pivoting movement about the swivel bearing or bearing point34.

In an exemplary embodiment according toFIG. 2, the front/top lay carriers32are mounted on a joint front/top lay carrier shaft35at an end opposite to the front/top lay28. The shaft35is pivotably mounted at a first end of a two-armed lever51. The lever51itself is pivotably disposed on a lever36and, at a second end, has a compression spring52. The spring force of the compression spring52presses at least one roller53disposed on the front/top lay carrier shaft35against a stop54that can be adjusted eccentrically. The stop54is used for the vertical adjustment of the front/top lay28and is likewise disposed on the lever36.

In the exemplary embodiment according toFIG. 3, the front/top lay carriers32are pivotably mounted at an end opposite to the front/top lay28on a common eccentric shaft35that can be adjusted eccentrically and is disposed in a lever36. The lever36is seated so as to be fixed against rotation on a drive shaft37, which can be driven so as to be pivoted cyclically at the cycle rate of the sheet processing machine through the use of a cam/roller mechanism30that is disposed in a stationary manner.

At an end opposite to the swivel bearing34for the front/top lay carrier32, the coupling link33is connected in an articulated manner to a second lever38, which is disposed in such a way that it can be pivoted about a bearing39fixed to the frame. An actuating element41of an actuating motor42acts at a free end of the lever38in order to pivot the lever38about the bearing39fixed to the frame and therefore to displace the swivel bearing34in and counter to the sheet transport direction. As a result of this measure, a displacement of the top/front lay28in and counter to the sheet transport direction can be carried out in order, for example, to achieve a correction or adjustment of the line of alignment defined by the front/top lays28.

In order to adjust the eccentric shaft35and therefore the vertical adjustment of the top/front lay28, the eccentric shaft35has a toothed segment43, which meshes with an adjustment gear44rotatably disposed on the drive shaft37. In the preferred exemplary embodiment, the adjustment gear44is disposed on a shaft46which is rotatably mounted in one end of the drive shaft37, as seen inFIG. 4.

A controllable clutch47connects the shaft46to an actuating motor48. Non-illustrated sensors determine the position of the combined front/top lay28and forward the position thereof to a control computer of the sheet processing machine1. Appropriate actuating signals are transmitted from the control computer both to the actuating motor48for the rotation of the adjustment gear44and to the actuating motor42for the displacement of the swivel bearing34.

In order to carry out vertical adjustment of the front/top lay28, e.g. to a greater gap width between the front/top lay28and the feed table9, such as is necessary, for example, when processing thicker sheets or board, firstly the clutch47is engaged (closed). Then, the actuating motor48rotates the adjustment gear44and therefore the toothed segment43by a predefined amount. In this case, as a result of the eccentric mounting, the eccentric shaft35and the front/top lay carrier32disposed thereon as well as the front/top lays28are raised.

The clutch47is then disengaged and the actuating motor42is activated if appropriate, in order to correct the position of the front/top lays28in such a way that the latter are disposed on the desired line of alignment.

In a third exemplary embodiment, according toFIG. 5, provision is made for the front/top lay carrier32to have a thrust joint49for lengthening the front/top lay carrier32between a bearing or carrier shaft50for the front/top lay28and the swivel bearing34for the front/top lay carrier32. The thrust joint49or the lengthening element can, for example, be a nut/spindle mechanism. In the event of an actuation (e.g. an adjustment to a greater sheet thickness), the distance of the swivel bearing34for the front lay carrier32from the drive shaft37is enlarged as a result, so that the front/top lays28are raised.

In a fourth exemplary embodiment, according toFIG. 6, the thrust joint49is disposed between the swivel bearing34and the front/top lays28. As a result of this measure, the front/top lay carrier32extends above the bearing point34in the event of an adjustment, for example to thicker sheets, so that the gap between the front/top lay28and the feed table9becomes greater.

In a fifth exemplary embodiment, according toFIG. 7, the thrust joint49is disposed between the front/top lay carrier shaft50for the front/top lay28and the drive shaft31in the region of the lever36.

Given a vertical configuration of the front/top lay carrier32and the lever36, if thrust elements49are used, correction of the position of the front/top lays28in or counter to the sheet transport direction through the use of the actuating motor42can be omitted.