Abstract:
An offset printing press includes a plurality of printing units. These printing units are typically each so-called five cylinder printing units. The spacing distance between two adjacent ones of these five cylinder printing units can be adjusted or modified.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to printing units. These printing units are part of an offset printing press with two forme cylinders, two transfer cylinders and a counter-pressure cylinder. Two of these printing units are arranged opposite each other. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     A rotary offset printing press in a satellite construction is known from DE-GM 73 22 211. Here, a web of material, for example, is printed by a ten cylinder printing unit and a nine cylinder printing unit. It is not disclosed to let the ten cylinder printing unit produce as a nine cylinder printing unit. 
     The reference manual “Rollenoffset, Technik, Systeme, Maschinen ” Cylinder Offset, Technology, Systems, Presses, Oscar Frei, Polygraph, publ., 1979, discloses, on page 10, a combination of two five cylinder satellite printing units. 
     DE 43 03 904 A1 and DE 19 24 455 A1 both disclose printing units whose cylinders are arranged in the form of a letter “W”. 
     EP 0 638 419 A1 describes a printing press, wherein printing units are fastened on a support frame. Individual modular units, such as ink units or cylinder groups, for example, can be displaced in the direction of the cylinder axes. 
     DE 34 46 619 A1 shows a printing press, in which two movable groups of presses are described. However, these groups are only provided with four plate cylinders, to each of which an ink and dampening unit is assigned. Rubber blanket cylinders and counter-pressure cylinders are installed in a stationary press group. 
     U.S. Pat No. 3,289,580 discloses a printing unit with two forme cylinders and two transfer cylinders, wherein a pair of transfer cylinders and forme cylinders is each seated in a lateral wall. The lateral wall of oppositely located pairs of cylinders are displaceable, so that the distance between two transfer cylinders working together can be changed. 
     EP 0 429 852 A1 shows printing units with work platforms located between them. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is based on the object of creating printing units. 
     This object is attained in accordance with the invention by providing printing units of an offset press with at least two forme cylinders, two transfer cylinders and a counter-pressure cylinder. Two of these printing units are arranged opposite to each other and their spacing distance can be varied. The presses print one or more webs when they are spaced apart at either of two spacing distances. Two of the printing units can be arranged on top of each other. 
     It is possible, in an advantageous manner, to perform a plurality of types of production by use of the printing units of the invention. For example, two five cylinder printing units can produce either individually or can produce together as a ten cylinder printing unit. In particular, two five cylinder printing units, each with different cylinder arrangements, can be used as a nine cylinder printing unit. The modular construction of the present invention permits the identical arrangement of the printing units; the modular construction kit consists of only two basic elements. 
     Here, the modular units can be combined in two ways. In a first way, one modular unit operates as an individual printing unit independently of a second one, while in a second way, two modular units are combined into a common printing unit. A placement reversed by 180°, with a shifting of the drive mechanism side and the operating side, is also possible. Thus, the drive mechanisms for the printing units are not arranged on a single side of the printing press. Instead, the drive mechanisms remain fixedly assigned to a lateral frame. 
     The ink systems also remain the same. A reversal of the direction of rotation is not necessary, since the combination of the modular units and their flexible assignment make possible 4/4, 4/2, 2/4 and 2/2 production requirements. Because of the possibility of movable printing units, operation from the inside is possible. This operation from inside is advantageous with “W” printing units in particular, because no release devices are therefore necessary. 
     By means of displaceable printing units, it is also possible to produce, by means of spaced-apart five cylinder printing units, as well as with two coupled five cylinder printing units, wherein respectively different types of production are possible. 
     If only a 4/2 or 2/4 production is desired, no “empty frames” of a satellite printing unit are necessary, since it is possible to arrange a singly arranged five cylinder printing unit to operate together with a four-color-producing satellite printing unit (ten or nine cylinder printing unit). 
     The placement of work platforms which can be raised and lowered in the intermediate frames and at the modular cylinder units makes the easy operation of the printing units possible. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Preferred embodiments of the present invention are represented in the drawings and will be described in greater detail in what follows. 
     Shown are in: 
     FIGS. 1 and 2, a schematic representation of the V- and W-printing units, 
     FIG. 3, a schematic representation of a lateral view of printing units in a first type of production, 
     FIG. 4, the schematic representation of a lateral view of printing units in a second type of production, and in 
     FIG. 5, a schematic top plan view on a bridge printing unit in modular construction. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     An offset rotary printing press, or a section of an offset rotary printing press has, for example, eight printing units  01  to  04 ,  06  to  09  in modular construction, as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4. Each one of these printing units  01  to  04 ,  06  to  09  is designed as a so-called five cylinder printing unit and essentially has two forme cylinders  11  to  14 , for example plate cylinders, two transfer cylinders  16  to  19 , for example rubber blanket cylinders, and one counter-pressure cylinder  21 ,  22  or satellite cylinder. Journals of these forme or plate cylinders  11  to  14 , transfer or blanket cylinders  16  to  19 , and counter-pressure cylinders  21 ,  22  are seated on each side of the offset rotary printing press in respectively one lateral frame  23 ,  24 . In the present preferred embodiment, the journals of the transfer cylinders  16  to  19  are pivotably seated in eccentric bushings or by means of three-ring bearing technology, so that the transfer cylinders  16  to  19  can be placed against or removed from the associated counter-pressure cylinders  21 ,  22  and/or forme cylinders  11  to  14 . 
     It is also possible to place the counter-pressure cylinders  21 ,  22  against the associated transfer cylinders  16  to  19  by means of eccentric bushings, three-ring bearings or linear guidance, for example. 
     In the present preferred embodiment, each cylinder  11  to  14 ,  16  to  19 ,  21 ,  22  is provided with its own rpm-controlled and/or its own position-controlled drive motor. 
     It is also possible to assign a drive motor to each pair of forme and transfer cylinders  11 ,  16 ;  12 ,  17 ;  13 ,  18 ; or  14 ,  19 , and to connect this pair in an interlocking manner. In this case, the counter-pressure cylinder  21 ,  22  also has its own drive motor, or can be coupled to one of these pairs of forme and transfer cylinders  11 ,  16 ;  12 ,  17 ;  13 ,  18 ; or  14 ,  19 . 
     It is also possible to assign only one drive motor to each printing unit  01  to  04 ,  06  to  09 . 
     In every case, the drive motors are each fixedly arranged in a lateral frame  23 ,  24 , independently of the position and location of placement of the printing units  01  to  04 ,  06  to  09 , so that with the printing units  06  to  09 , which units  08  and  09  have been placed pivoted by 180° around a vertical line with respect to units  06  and  07 , the drive motors for the printing units  06  to  09 , which are placed pivoted in respect to each other, are arranged on opposite sides SI, SII, as seen in FIG. 5, of the printing press. The drive motors of a printing unit  01  to  04 ,  06  to  09  can also be arranged distributed over both lateral frames  23 ,  24 . For example, the drive motors for the counter-pressure cylinders  21 ,  22  and the forme cylinders  11  to  14  are arranged on the first lateral frame  23 ,  24 , and the drive motors for the transfer cylinders  16  to  19  on the second lateral frame  23 ,  24 . Here, too, the assignment of the drive motors to the respective lateral frame  23 ,  24 , in case of a pivoted placement of the printing units  06  to  09 , remains within the printing press, or within a section of the printing press. 
     This assignment of the drive motors to a lateral frame in case of a pivoted placement of the printing units  06  to  09  within the printing press, or a section of the printing press, is also possible with other printing units in modular construction. Thus, a bridge printing unit  71  as seen in FIG. 5, can also be formed, for example, from two modular units  72 ,  73 , each with a pair of forme and transfer cylinders  74 ,  76 , wherein one modular unit  72  is arranged pivoted around a vertical line by 180° in respect to the other modular unit  73 . Respectively, one pair of forme and transfer cylinders  74 ,  76  is seated in a pair of lateral frames  81 ,  87 . In this case, one pair of the forme and transfer cylinders  74 ,  76  is interlockingly connected via gear wheels  77 ,  78  for being driven of a drive motor  79 . During printing operations, the two pairs are not interlockingly coupled with each other. This drive motor  79  is fixedly assigned to a lateral frame  81 . 
     With at least two printing units arranged inside a printing press, at least their cylinders and their lateral frames, as well as drive means, for example gears, gear wheels, drive motor assigned to the respective lateral frame or the respective cylinder, are arranged pivoted around a vertical line. 
     Respectively, one ink unit  26  to  29  and one dampening unit  31  to  34  are assigned to each forme cylinder  11  to  14 , wherein the dampening unit  31  to  34  is arranged upstream of the ink unit  26  to  29  in respect to the production direction of the forme cylinder  11  to  14 . 
     In connection with a first type of printing unit  02 ,  04 ,  07 ,  09 , a straight first line  41 , or  42 , determined by an axis of rotation  37  of the counter-pressure cylinder  22  and an axis of rotation  38 ,  39  of an associated transfer cylinder  16 ,  17 , and a straight second line  46 ,  47  determined by an axis of rotation  38 ,  39  of the transfer cylinder  16 ,  17  and an axis of rotation  43 ,  44  of the forme cylinder  11 ,  12 , enclose an opening angle α in a range between 150° to 210°, preferably 170° to 190°. The straight first line  41  determined by the axis of rotation  38  of the first transfer cylinder  16  and the axis of rotation  37  of the counter-pressure cylinder  22  encloses an opening angle β in the range between 60° to 120°, preferably 70° to 90°, with the corresponding straight first line  42  determined by the axis of rotation  39  of the second transfer cylinder  17  and the axis of rotation  37  of the counter-pressure cylinder  22 . The cylinders  11 ,  12 ,  16 ,  17 ,  22  of the printing units  02 ,  04 ,  07 ,  09  of the first type are arranged in a so-called “V” arrangement, all as seen most clearly in FIG. 2 at the left thereof. 
     A washing device  36 , for example, can be selectively placed against the transfer cylinders  16  to  19  and/or the counter-pressure cylinders  21 ,  22 . 
     The tight cylinder arrangement of the V-printing unit  02 ,  04 ,  07 ,  09  makes it possible to simultaneously clean two cylinders with one washing device  36 . 
     In connection with a second type of printing unit  01 ,  03 ,  06 ,  08 , as seen at the right side of FIG. 2, a first straight line  52 ,  53  determined by an axis of rotation  48  of the counter-pressure cylinder  21  and an axis of rotation  49 ,  51  of an associated transfer cylinder  18 ,  19 , and a second straight line  57 ,  58 , determined by an axis of rotation  49 ,  51  of the transfer cylinder  18 ,  19  and an axis of rotation  54 ,  56  of the forme cylinder  13 ,  14 , enclose an opening angle δ in a range between 90° to 120°, preferably 85° to 100°. The first straight line  52  determined by the axis of rotation  49  of the first transfer cylinder  18  and the axis of rotation  48  of the counter-pressure cylinder  21  encloses an opening angle δ, in the range between 60° to 120°, preferably 60° to 90°, with a straight line  53  determined by the axis of rotation  51  of the second transfer cylinder  19  and the axis of rotation  48  of the counter-pressure cylinder  21 . The cylinders  13 ,  14 ,  18 ,  19 ,  21  of the printing units  01 ,  03 ,  06 ,  08  of the second type are arranged in a so-called “W” arrangement again, all as seen at the right side of FIG.  2 . 
     In the present preferred embodiment, respectively one printing unit  02 ,  04 ,  07 ,  09 , in a “V” arrangement, and one printing unit  01 ,  03 ,  06 ,  08 , in a “W” arrangement, are arranged opposite each other as shown in FIGS. 1-4. In this case, the axes of rotation  37 ,  48  of the counter-pressure cylinders  21 ,  22  are located on the same side in relation to a straight line determined by the axes of rotation  38 ,  39 ,  49 ,  51  of the transfer cylinders  18 ,  19 ,  16 ,  17 . With the printing units  01  to  04  of the upper level, all counter-pressure cylinders  21 ,  22  are located to the right of the associated transfer cylinders  16 ,  17 ,  18 ,  19  . With the printing units  06  to  09  of the lower level all counter-pressure cylinders  21 ,  22  are located to the left of the associated transfer cylinders  16 ,  17 ,  18 ,  19 . This is shown most clearly in FIG.  3 . 
     With the “W” printing units  01 ,  03 ,  06 ,  08 , the counter-pressure cylinders  21  are located on the outside, with the “V” printing units  02 ,  04 ,  07 ,  09  the counter-pressure cylinders  22  are located on the inside. With the printing press in accordance with the preferred embodiment, respectively one printing unit  01 ,  03 ,  06 ,  08  in a “W” arrangement and one printing unit  02 ,  04 ,  07 ,  09  in a “V” arrangement are arranged on top of each other. 
     The respective cooperatively positioned printing units  01 ,  02 , or  03 ,  04 , or  06 ,  07 , or  08 ,  09  can each be operated independently of each other as five cylinder printing units located opposite each other, i.e. in a first mode of operation, each two printing units  01 ,  02 , or  03 ,  04 , or  06 ,  07 , or  08 ,  09  located opposite each other functionally constitute a ten cylinder satellite printing unit, as seen at the right in FIG.  3 . During this first operational state, the transfer cylinders  16 ,  17 , or  18 ,  19  operate together with the respective counter-pressure cylinders  22  or  21  of the “V” printing unit  02 ,  04 ,  07 ,  09  and “W” printing unit  01 ,  03 ,  06 ,  08 . In a second mode of operation, two five cylinder printing units functionally act as a nine cylinder satellite printing unit, as seen at the left side of FIG.  3 . To this end, the transfer cylinders  16 ,  17 ,  18 ,  19  of a “V” printing unit  04 ,  07  and a “W” printing unit  03 ,  06  can be placed against or away from the counter-pressure cylinder  22  of the “V” printing unit  04 ,  07 . The counter-pressure cylinder  21  of the “W” printing unit does not take part in the printing process. 
     In the present preferred embodiment, respectively one “V” printing unit  02 ,  04 ,  07 ,  09  and a “W” printing unit  01 ,  03 ,  06 ,  08  can be moved in relation to each other, thus providing a distance “a” between the “V” printing unit  02 ,  04 ,  07 ,  09  and the “W” printing unit  01 ,  03 ,  06 ,  08  , which distance “a” can be changed. To this end, the “V” printing unit  02 ,  04 ,  07 ,  09 , for example, is arranged stationary, and the “W” printing unit  01 ,  03 ,  06 ,  08  can be horizontally displaced, again as seen at the right in FIG.  3 . 
     Two associated “V” and “W” printing units  01 ,  02 , or  03 ,  04 , or  08 ,  09  are at a distance “a” from each other particularly for being operated and serviced by an operator, so that the resulting space between the two printing units  01 ,  02 , or  03 ,  04 , or  08 ,  09  becomes accessible. A work platform  59  is selectively arranged in this space. This work platform  59  can preferably be raised and lowered. 
     The operation and servicing of the ink units  26  to  29  takes place from the same side in the case of two associated printing units  01 ,  02 , or  03 ,  04 , or  06 ,  07  or  08 ,  09 . Therefore, the ink ducts  61 , for example, of the ink units  26  to  29  of both printing units  01 ,  02 , or  03 ,  04 , or  06 ,  07  are oriented to one side, i.e. on the upper level the ink ducts  61  are oriented pointing toward the left, and on the lower level they are oriented pointing toward the right, as shown in both FIGS. 3 and 4. 
     The advantage here is that all ink ducts can be designed in the same way. 
     In a first mode of production which is depicted in FIG. 3, the left printing units  03 ,  04 ,  06 ,  07  of the upper and lower levels are brought together and are coupled with each other. Thus, two nine cylinder printing units, stacked on top of each other, are formed. With each one of these two nine cylinder printing units the transfer cylinders  16  to  19  of the “V” and “W” printing unit  03 ,  04 , or  06 ,  07  have been placed against the counter-pressure cylinder  22  of the adjacent “V” printing unit  04  or  07 . 
     A web of material  62  is conducted on the counter-pressure cylinder  22  of the lower left “V” printing unit  07  by means of guide rollers  63  between the two stacked nine cylinder printing units from above between the two upper ink units  26 ,  28  of the “V” and the “W” printing units  07 ,  06 . This web of material  62  is looped around the counter-pressure cylinder  22  and is conducted upward between the two upper ink units  26 ,  28  of the lower “V” and the “W” printing units  07 ,  06  and then out of the lower nine cylinder printing unit diagonally upward onto the counter-pressure cylinder  22  of the upper “V” printing unit  04 . 
     In the upper nine cylinder printing unit, the web of material  62  also is looped around the counter-pressure cylinder  22  of the upper “V” printing unit  04  and is conducted downward out of the upper nine cylinder printing unit between the two lower ink ducts  27 ,  29  of the upper “V” and “W” printing unit  04 ,  03 . 
     The web of material  62  can also be introduced first at the top and then on the bottom. 
     A first side of the web of material  62  is printed in four colors in the lower nine cylinder printing unit, and a second side of the web of material  62  is printed in four colors in the upper nine cylinder printing unit. 
     In accordance with a second mode of production, as seen in the right side of FIG. 3, the respectively two right printing units  01 ,  02 , or  08 ,  09 , of the upper and lower levels are spaced apart from each other and are therefore not coupled. 
     Here, a web of material  64  coming from below is fed from the outside between the lower forme cylinder  14  and the counter-pressure cylinder  21  to the counter-pressure cylinder  21  of the lower “W” printing unit  08 . This web of material  64  is looped around the counter-pressure cylinder  21  over approximately 180° and is moved out of the “W” printing unit  08  toward the exterior between the upper forme cylinder  13  and the counter-pressure cylinder  21 . This web of material  64  is then fed, via guide rollers  63  between the upper right “V” and “W” printing units  01 ,  02 , to the counter-pressure cylinder  22  of the upper “V” printing unit  02 , where web  64  is looped around the counter-pressure cylinder  22  over approximately 80° and is then conducted out of the upper “V” printing unit  02  between the upper right “V” and “W” printing units  02 ,  01 . 
     A first side of the web of material  64  is printed in two colors in the lower “W” printing unit  08 , and a second side of the web of material  64  is printed in two colors in the upper “V” printing unit  02 . 
     A further web of material  66  coming from below is fed via guide rollers  63  between the lower right “V” and “W” printing units  09 ,  08 , to the counter-pressure cylinder  22  of the lower “V” printing unit  09 . Web  66  is looped around this counter-pressure cylinder  22  over approximately 80° and is removed from the lower “V” printing unit  9  between the lower right “V” and “W” printing units  09 ,  08 . 
     This web of material  66  is then fed between the lower forme cylinder  14  and counter-pressure cylinder  21  of the upper “W” unit  01  to the counter-pressure cylinder  21  of the upper “W” printing unit  01 . The web of material  66  is looped around the counter-pressure cylinder  21  over approximately 180° and is moved out of the “W” printing unit  01  toward the exterior between the upper forme cylinder  13  and the counter-pressure cylinder  21 . 
     A first side of the web of material  66  is printed in two colors in the lower “V” printing unit  09 , and a second side of the web of material  66  is printed in two colors in the upper “W” printing unit  01 . 
     In a third mode of production, which is shown in FIG. 4, the two left printing units  03 ,  04  of the upper level are spaced apart from each other and therefore are not coupled, and the two left printing units  06 ,  07  of the lower level are coupled to form a nine cylinder printing unit. The two right printing units  01 ,  02  of the upper level are coupled to form a nine cylinder printing unit, and the two right printing units  08 ,  09  of the lower level are spaced apart from each other. 
     A web of material  67  is conducted, by means of guide rollers  63  between the upper and lower levels, from the top between the two ink units  26 ,  28  of the “V” and “W” printing units  07 ,  08  on the counter-pressure cylinder  22  of the lower “V” printing unit  07 . This web of material  67  is looped around the counter-pressure cylinder  22  of the “V” printing unit  07  and is conducted between the two upper ink units  26 ,  28  of the lower “V” and “W” printing units  07 ,  06  out of the lower nine cylinder printing unit diagonally upward over guide rollers  63  between the upper left “V” and “W” printing units  04 ,  03  on the counter-pressure cylinder  22  of the upper “V” printing unit  04 . 
     This web of material  67  is looped around this counter-pressure cylinder  22  over approximately 80° and is moved out of the upper “V” printing unit  04  inside between the upper left “V” and “W” printing cylinders  04 ,  03 . 
     A first side of the web of material  67  is printed in four colors in the lower nine cylinder printing unit, and a second side of the web of material  67  is printed in two colors in the upper “V” printing unit  04 . 
     A web of material  68 , coming from below, is fed from the exterior between the lower forme cylinder  14  and the counter-pressure cylinder  21  to the counter pressure cylinder  21  of the lower right “W” printing unit  08 . This web of material  68  is looped around the counter-pressure cylinder  21  over approximately 180° and is removed toward the outside out of the lower right “W” printing unit  08  between the upper forme cylinder  13  and the counter-pressure cylinder  21 . This web of material  68  , which is fed over guide rollers  63  from the outside between the lower forme cylinder  14  and the counter-pressure cylinder  21  can then be directed to the counter-pressure cylinder  21  of the left upper “W” printing unit  03 , where it is looped around cylinder  21  of unit  03  over approximately 180° and is removed toward the exterior between the upper forme cylinder  13  and the counter-pressure cylinder  21  out of the upper left “W” printing unit  03 . 
     In the course of this, a first side of the web of material  68  is printed in two colors in the lower right “W” printing unit  08 , and a second side of the web of material is printed in two colors in the upper left “W” printing unit  03 . 
     A further web of material  69  is printed correspondingly to the first web of material  67  in a nine cylinder printing unit consisting of the upper right “V” and “W” printing units  02 ,  01 , and in the lower right “V” printing unit  09 . In the course of this, a first side of the web of material  69  is printed in two colors in the lower right “V” printing unit  09 . Subsequently, a second side of the web of material  69  is printed in four colors in the upper nine cylinder printing unit. 
     The “V” and “W” printing units  01  to  04 ,  06  to  09 , can be used as imprinters, i.e. while at least one pair of forme and transfer cylinders are placed against the counter-pressure cylinder for printing a web of material, at least one forme cylinder can be moved away for set-up purposes. 
     The printing units  01  to  04 ,  06  to  09  in modular construction are arranged in a support device. This support device or consists, for example, of three transverse supports  82 ,  83 ,  84 , as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, and which are arranged spaced apart from each other one above the other by means of vertically extending supports  86 . The printing units  01  to  04 ,  06  to  09  are fastened to this support device or frame. With printing units  01  to  04 , and  06  to  09  arranged on top of each other, i.e. on two levels, the upper printing units  01  to  04  are fastened on a transverse support  83 ,  84  or a support  86  of the support device. This transverse support  83 ,  84  is arranged above the lower printing unit  06  to  09 . The transverse supports  82  to  84  can be divided into individual segments. 
     While preferred embodiments of five-cylinder offset printing units with adjustable spacing in accordance with the present invention have been set forth fully and completely hereinabove, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art that various changes in, for example, the type of material web being printed on, the specific drive motors for the various cylinders and the like could be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention which is accordingly to be limited only by the following claims.