Patent Publication Number: US-6655285-B2

Title: Method and device for controlling automatic printing plate changing means and folding device status switching device

Description:
The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-144892 filed on May 17, 2000 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-130538 published on May 12, 2000 including specification, claims, drawings and summary is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a device for controlling an automatic printing plate changing device and a folding device status switching device, and particularly to a device with a cam mechanism and a guide mechanism wherein an automatic printing plate change (APC) and a folding device status switch are operated simultaneously. 
     2. Prior Art 
     In a conventional art, when changing from a previous job to a next job in a web offset printing press, changing of a printing press and switching of a folding status has to be executed in order. Therefore, the entire task takes a long time. 
     For example, when the previous job is finished, printing units are stopped to clean a blanket cylinder with a blanket. Then, printing plates are exchanged, and further, an old web roll is changed to a new web roll. In order to prepare for the next job, various presetting operations such as an adjustment of an open degree of an ink fountain key in accordance with a picture pattern of a new printing press, a control of a rotational amount of each ink fountain roll, a determination of an amount of supplying dampening water, and a setting of a folding machine are necessary. 
     In the above described conventional art, when changing from the previous job to the next job, an operator has to operate each device in order. Thus, it takes a long time and a heavy burden is imposed on the operator. 
     The purpose of the present invention is to resolve the above problems by simultaneously operating the changing of the printing plates and the switching of the folding device status in the folding device. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To accomplish the above object, a device according to the present invention for controlling an automatic printing plate changing device and a folding device status switching device comprises printing plate changing means for changing a printing plate supported on a plate cylinder, and folding device status switch means for switching folding device status of a folding machine in accordance with the folding device status in the next printing job, wherein the printing plate changing means and the folding device status switching means are operated simultaneously. 
     To accomplish the above object, the device according to the present invention for controlling an automatic printing plate changing device and a folding device status switching device, further includes means for intermittent travel of a web in the folding device while the printing plate supported on the plate cylinder is being changed. 
     Based on a first signal from the switch, the ink supplement means reduces the ink amount the basic ink layer thickness distribution, and the web continuous supplement means replaces and connects the web rolls. Based on a second from the switch, the printing plate changing means and the folding device status switching means are activated, and based on a third signal from the switch, the ink supplement means is activated to overlap the ink layer thickness distribution in accordance with the next printing. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is the entire schematic view of an offset rotary printing press of an embodiment according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 shows a sheet supply device; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a printing unit; 
     FIG. 4 shows an ink supply device; 
     FIG. 5 is a flow-chart for showing a plurality of steps executed by pushing on the switch for APC and the selection of the folding device status; 
     FIG. 6 shows a cam switching operation in a cam mechanism of the present invention; 
     FIG. 7 shows a guide switching operation in a guide mechanism of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a relationship between a start button, a control device, a printing plate changer, and a folding device. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A preferred embodiment of a web offset printing press according to the present invention is shown in FIG.  1 . 
     The web offset printing press as shown in FIG. 1, continuously activates each device so that the previous job can be automatically switched to the next job. The web offset printing press comprises a sheet supply device  100 , a plurality of printing units  200 , a drying device  300 , a cooling device  400 , a web passing device  500 , a drag device  600 , a folding device  700 , and so on. 
     In the sheet supply device as shown in FIG. 2, two web rolls  101  and  102 , each wound in a roll form, are attached to the both ends of a turret arm  104 , respectively, and the turret arm  104  is pivotally mounted such that the arm  104  is rotatable about a central axis  103 . When a web  10  (printing sheet) is rolled out from a web roll  101  and becomes close to an end, a web from the next web roll  102  is jointed and supplied to the printing units  200 . 
     In each printing unit  200  as shown in FIG. 3, blanket cylinders  201 ,  202  and printing cylinders  203 ,  204  are arranged symmetrically with respect to a horizontal web traveling path. A blanket cleaning device  205  ( 206 ) is provided at each blanket cylinder  201  ( 202 ) and an automatic printing plate changer (ABC)  207  ( 208 ) is provided at the printing cylinder  203  ( 204 ). 
     The upper automatic printing plate changer  207  provides a guide frame  211  rotatable about a supporting axis  209 , and an actuator  213  shifts the guide frame  211  from a stand by position to a printing plate changing position as shown in a dotted line. At the guide frame  211 , a holder  215  for holding an old printing plate or a new printing plate is provided. 
     After shifting the guide frame  211  to the printing plate changing position, the old printing plate is released from the printing cylinder  203 . By backwardly rotating the printing plate  203 , the old printing plate is guided along the guide frame  211  so that the old printing plate can be picked up by extending/shrinking an actuator (not shown). 
     Then, the new printing plate is supplied to a printing cylinder  203  along the guide frame  211 . By forwardly rotating the printing plate  203 , the new printing plate is attached to the printing cylinder  203 . 
     Similarly, a lower automatic printing plate changing device  208  provides a guide frame  212  rotatable about a supporting axis  210 , and an actuator  214  shifts the guide frame  212  from a stand-by position to a printing plate changing position along a dotted line as shown in the drawing. A holder  216  for holding the old printing plate or the new printing plate is provided at the guide frame  212 . 
     After shifting the guide frame  212  to the printing plate changing position, the old printing plate is disengaged from the printing cylinder  204 . By backwardly rotating the printing cylinder  204 , the old printing plate is lowered along the guide frame  211 . 
     Then, the new printing plate is supplied to the printing cylinder  204  along the guide frame  212 . By forwardly rotating the printing cylinder  204 , the new printing plate is attached to the printing cylinder  204 . 
     Regarding the printing plate mounted on the printing cylinder  203  ( 204 ), an ink supplement device  800  is provided as shown in FIG.  4 . 
     The ink supply device  800  supplies ink  802  in an ink fountain  801  on an ink fountain roller  803  by adjusting an open degree of each ink fountains keys  804 - 1 ,  801 - 2 , . . .  801 - n.  Ink supplied on the ink fountain roller  803  is transferred to a printing plate  807  through a group of ink rollers  806  by operating an ink ductor roller  805 . Simultaneously with such an ink supply operation, dampening water  808  is supplied to the printing plate  807  through a group of dampening rollers  809 . 
     In the ink supply device  800 , when changing the old printing plate  807  to a new printing plate, printing data such as an open degree of the each ink fountain keys  804 - 1 ,  804 - 2 , . . .  804 - n  corresponding to a picture pattern of the new printing plate, a rotational amount of the ink fountain roller  803 , and a supply amount of dampening water in the dampening water tank  808  is preset as described below. 
     The blanket cleaning device  205  ( 206 ) removes foreign matters such as remained ink and so on by contacting a brush or cloth with the blanket cylinder  201  ( 202 ). 
     A drying machine  300  is a device for heating and drying a printed web  10  fed through the printing units  200 . A cooling device  400  is a device for cooling the web  10  passed through the drying machine  300 . A web path device  500  is a device for adjusting a passing direction to control a position of a web and its tensile force. A folding device  700  is a device for cutting the web after dry and cool operations and folds each piece of the web  10 . 
     There are a number of types of folding devices based on combinations of cutting and folding the web, such as folding along a central line of the web with respect to a width direction, it is so-called as “former fold”, cutting a web having a predetermined length by a cut-off cylinder, folding a cut-off sheet by a folding cylinder along a width direction or a longitudinal direction, it is so called as “parallel fold”, and half folding parallel folded sheets by a chopper along an orthogonal direction. 
     An infeed dancer device  150  is provided between the sheet supply device  100  and the printing units  200 , and a final unit dancer device  250  is provided between the printing units  200  and the drying machine  300 . 
     The dancer device  150  ( 250 ) winds a web among three rollers, and by moving a central roller in a vertical direction, removes slackness in the web caused by rotation of the printing units  200  in forward/backward directions. 
     These devices  200  through  700  are connected by on driving axis and driven by a main motor (not shown) mounted at the printing units  200 . The main motor can be disconnected from the driving axis by operating a driving clutch provided between the printing units  200  and the final unit dancer device  250 . 
     As shown in FIG. 8, the offset rotary printing press, constructed as described above, is provided with a control device  900  for simultaneously conducting the printing plate change and the folding device status change in accordance with a flow-chart as shown in FIG. 5 by an operator&#39;s turning on of a start button  910  for changing a printing plate and a folding device status upon changing a printing job. 
     Namely, when the start button  910  for changing a printing plate and a folding device status is turned on, the rotary printing press is activated (step V 1 ) and the driving clutch is turned off when the folding cylinder of the folding device  700  has moved to a specific position (step V 2 ). 
     The reason for turning off the driving clutch is to avoid occurrence of troubles in the folding machine  700 , such as the folded sheet falling from the gripping cylinder and the folding cylinder, caused by the reverse rotation in the folding machine  700  for cutting and folding the folded sheet. 
     Next, the final unit dancer  250  is turned on (step V 3 ) so that a web fed from the printing units  200  to the drying device  300  is prevented from becoming loose by winding the web around a roller moving in up-and-down directions. 
     Then, when the plate cylinder  203  ( 204 ) is moved to a specific position for exchanging the printing plate, the device (the printing units  200  only) is stopped (step V 4 ). 
     The plate cylinders  203  ( 204 ) is rotated in the reverse direction, the old printing plate is removed from the plate cylinder  203  ( 204 ) by the automatic printing plate exchanger  207  ( 208 ) (step V 5 ). 
     By rotating the plate cylinder  203  ( 204 ) in a reverse direction, a roller of the final unit dancer  250  is returned to the original position (step V 6 ). At the same time, the infeed dancer device  150  is turned on (step V 7 ) in order to avoid the web fed from the printing units  200  to the sheet supply device  100  from loosening. 
     Thereafter, after finishing removal of the old printing plate, the machine (the printing units  200  only) is stopped (step V 8 ). 
     Then, the machine (the printing units  200  only) is rotated in the forward direction, the new printing plate is supplied from the automatic printing plate exchanger  207  ( 208 ) and attached to the plate cylinder  203  ( 203 ) (step V 9 ). 
     Further, the final unit dancer  250  is turned on (step V 10 ) to prevent the web fed from the printing units  200  to the drying machine  300  from becoming loose. Simultaneously, the roller of the infeed dancer device  150  is returned to the original position (step V 11 ). 
     When setting of the new printing plate on the plate cylinder  203  ( 204 ) has been completed, the machine (the printing units  200  only) is stopped (step V 12 ). 
     After turning off the driving clutch, a brake of the folding machine is turned on (step V 13 ) to change folding device status simultaneously. 
     The folding device status is changed by adjusting a phase of the folding cylinder and the gripping cylinder (step V 14 ) and a selection of a cam/guide member (step V 15 ). 
     An adjustment of the phase of the folding cylinder and the gripping cylinder means to change the phase of a gripping board of the gripping cylinder with respect to a needle and a knife of the folding cylinder corresponding to a single parallel fold or a double parallel fold. For example, as shown in Japanese Patent Publication Kokai 63-282053, the adjustment is made by a gear transmission mechanism. 
     Switching of the cam/guide member includes cam switching for changing a phase of a cam mechanism for switching an operation timing of a gripping claw, knife, needle and so on provided at a cutting cylinder, a folding cylinder and a gripping cylinder and a guide switching mechanism for changing the single parallel fold, the double parallel fold, and a delta fold. 
     As shown in FIG. 6, a cam switching mechanism comprises a cam holder  3  rotatably supported and having, on an outer peripheral portion thereof, protrusions  3   a ,  3   b , a circular cam  4  attached to the cam holder  3  and having a predetermined outer peripheral shape, a cam follower  15  that rolls on the outer peripheral surface of the cam  4 , a link plate  8  connected to the protrusion  3   b  of the cam holder  3  and extends and retreats to rotate the cam holder  3 , a lever  10 , an air cylinder  13 , a first stopper  6  for restricting rotation of the cam  4  in one rotating direction caused by the extension the air cylinder  13 , a second stopper  14  for restricting rotation of the cam  4  in the opposite rotating direction caused by retraction the air cylinder  13 , and a third stopper  5  for urging the protrusion  3   a  of the cam holder  3 , restricted from rotating in the opposite direction by the second stopper  14 , in the rotating direction restricted by the second stopper  14 . The detailed description of the above structure is described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-130538 published on May 12, 2000 based on Japanese Patent Application Hei10-301983 filed on Oct. 23, 1988. 
     As the guide switching member, there is a structure as shown in FIG.  7 . 
     The device, as shown in FIG. 7, is a parallel folding device having a first gripping cylinder  23  and a second gripping cylinder  24 , the peripheral surfaces of which are in contact with each other. A belt  21  is wound on the first gripping cylinder  23  and rollers  20   a  through  20   d  arranged parallel to the first gripping cylinder  23 . The detailed description of the above structure is described in PCT Publication No. WO 01/68496 A1 (PCT/JP00/01597 filed on Mar. 16, 2000) based on Japanese Patent Application No. 10-266166 filed on Sep. 21, 1998. 
     In the case where a single parallel fold is operated in the device, the roller  20   d  is moved along a solid line in FIG.  7  and the belt  21  is moved to a guiding position. 
     At the guiding position of the belt  21 , a sheet is changed from the first gripping cylinder  23  to the second gripping cylinder  24  to parallel-fold the sheet once. 
     If the double parallel fold or the delta fold is operated, the roller  20   d  is moved toward an arrow along a dotted line in FIG.  7  and the belt  21  is shifted to a shelter position. 
     At the shelter position of the belt  21 , the double parallel fold or the delta fold is operated when the sheet is passed from the first gripping cylinder  23  to the second gripping cylinder  24 . 
     Upon finishing the above exchange of the printing plates and the selection of folding device status, the driving clutch is turned on (step V 16 ), and the dancer device  150 ,  250  is returned to the original position (step V 17 ). 
     Thus, the automatic printing plate change and the switch of the folding device status are accomplished. 
     As described above, in the embodiment according to the present invention, when the previous job is switched to the next job, each devices  100  through  800  are automatically operated by an operator&#39;s pushing of one button so that the total operation time can be shortened and the operator&#39;s task/burden becomes lighter. 
     That is, by actuating a start button for changing a printing plate and a folding device status, an automatic printing plate changing and a folding device status switching can be operated. In addition, the automatic printing plate changing and the folding device status switching are operated in parallel so that the total operation time can be shortened. 
     In the case that the web  10  is rotated in forward/backward directions during an operation for changing the automatic printing plates, the dancer devices  150 ,  250  windup the web  10  among three rollers to prevent the web  10  from becoming loose at a portion between the sheet supplement device  100 , the printing units  200 , and the drying machine  300 . 
     As described above with reference to the embodiment of the present invention, in the device according to the present invention for controlling an automatic printing plate changing and a folding device status switching, the previous job is automatically changed to the new job by pushing one button. The automatic printing plate changing and the folding device status switching are simultaneously operated so that the total operation time can be shortened. 
     In the operation for changing printing plates, even if the web is rotated in forward/backward directions, the web can be wound such that the web does not become loose at a portion between adjacent devices. 
     The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art arc intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.