Patent Publication Number: US-2011065560-A1

Title: Folding device comprising upstream or downstream blade shafts or comparable tool shafts

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The invention relates to a device for automatically folding paper webs. Upstream or downstream of such folding devices using the knife folding or the buckle folding technology there are longitudinal cutting means provided, for example, for bringing an already folded sheet or a sheet to be folded subsequently into the correct width by cutting off longitudinal margins or for cutting the product into a plurality of panels. 
     PRIOR ART 
     It is known to equip folding devices, such as, for example, buckle folding devices, with upstream or downstream tool shafts. These tool shafts can be equipped for longitudinal cutting, but also for perforating or creasing. For longitudinal cutting, upper and lower knives can be used which are supported fixedly against rotation on a corresponding upper and lower shaft, respectively. By means of such circular knives, two of which are cooperating in each case, the web can be cut in one shearing cut in the longitudinal direction, i.e. in the running direction of the web. Due to manufacturing tolerances of the cutting knives it is very difficult to bring the cutting gap between the respective upper and lower knives to zero, if possible, in order to achieve the highest cutting quality possible. It is known to axially displace the circular knives on the respective upper or lower knife shaft in order to adjust the width of the cutting gap. In order to avoid undesired bulging of the web, the conveying speed of the paper web between the tool shafts and the folding shafts of the folding device must be exactly the same. The shearing-cut cutting principle implies that the diameters of the upper and lower knives are somewhat larger than the transport rollers which are provided on each cutting shaft and convey the paper web between them. However, due to this overlap, the cutting knives have—in spite of their higher circumferential speed due to their larger diameters—at the cutting point a somewhat lower speed component in the running direction than the paper web. In the case of a shearing cut, this leads to the fact that the paper web is kind of pulled through the cutting knives, which leads to a very bad cutting quality especially in the case of thin paper. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The object underlying the invention is, starting from the prior art as mentioned above, to form the tool shafts, such as, in particular, knife shafts, which are arranged upstream or downstream in folding devices, such that a shearing cut of the highest quality possible or a longitudinal processing comparable thereto is achieved. 
     This invention is described in independent claim  1 ,  11  or  13 . Appropriate further developments of the invention are the subject-matter of the respective dependent claims relating thereto. 
     According to a first embodiment of the invention, the lower circular knife is, for example, supported in a freely movable manner on its knife shaft, while the associated upper circular knife is supported fixedly against rotation on its upper shaft. The lower, rotatively driven knife shaft is connected directly or indirectly through a transmission to the upper shaft such that the upper knife shaft is given a comparably higher rotational speed. This can also be achieved by a further own drive for the upper knife shaft. This higher rotational speed of the upper shaft results in the fact that the upper circular knife has a correspondingly high rotational speed. By laying the upper circular knife against the lower circular knife this high rotational speed can be transferred to the lower circular knife supported in a freely rotatable manner on its lower shaft. In order to achieve this, the lower circular knife can also be laid against the upper circular knife. In this way, it is guaranteed that the two cutting knives in the cutting point with the paper web have a higher speed component in the running direction of the web than the web itself, so that a shearing cut of high quality can be produced. 
     In order to guarantee an equally high web speed between the tool shafts, as, in particular, the knife shafts and the folding shafts of the folding device, further provisions can be made to arrange the transport rollers fixedly against rotation on the tool shaft on which the circular knife is supported in a freely rotatable manner. In contrast thereto, the other transport rollers arranged on the other tool shaft are supported in a freely rotatable manner. Herein it is irrelevant which of the tool shafts, the upper or the lower one, is driven with higher speed. 
     It has been shown that in the case of the known tool shafts and the circular knives mounted thereon an increase of the rotational speed by about 20 percent is enough to receive with certainty a leading, pulling longitudinal cut through the paper web. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, such a pulling longitudinal cut can also be achieved by arranging a corresponding transmission between the one shaft to be rotated by any kind of drive and one of the two circular knives. It would also be possible to cause one of the two or both circular knives by means of separate drives to rotate at a higher speed as compared to the rotatively driven shaft(s). 
     While the above-mentioned embodiments are based on the fact that at least one of each two tool shafts carrying circular knives cooperating as cutters is driven at the same rotational speed at which the other shafts present in the folding unit are driven, in order to be able to connect at least one of the transport rollers abutting on the paper web from above and from below fixedly against rotation to this tool shaft and thus to guarantee a uniform transport of the paper web also in the area of the tool shafts, according to another embodiment of the invention, each two circular knives cooperating as cutters can be supported fixedly against rotation on their tool shafts. In contrast, the one or the two transport rollers abutting on the paper web from above and from below, respectively, are herein supported in a freely rotatable manner on the respective tool shafts. In this case, the transport rollers can be rotatively driven such that they transport the paper web conveyed between them at the desired web running speed towards the folding shafts or away from the folding shafts. Herein the tool shafts can be rotatively driven at a correspondingly higher speed so that the above-mentioned shearing cut of higher quality can be produced. Manufacturing a transport roller which is supported in a freely rotatable manner can be done using a simpler design and is thus economically more advantageous than a comparable design for a circular knife being supported in a freely rotatable manner. The transport rollers abutting on the paper web from above or from below, respectively, can be correspondingly driven by auxiliary shafts, for example. It would also be possible to drive only one of each two transport rollers correspondingly and to pull along the other transport roller quasi through their abutment on the paper web. 
     The cutting quality of the longitudinal cut(s) to be produced in a paper web in connection with a folding device can also be increased by bringing the cutting gap between the upper and lower knives to the amount of zero, if possible. As already mentioned above, in this respect it is known to push the circular knives axially together on the knife shafts. Due to manufacturing tolerances, however, a cutting gap of higher or lower width cannot be avoided. In accordance with the invention, a cutting gap of minimal width can be produced by pressing one of the opposing circular knives through a spring element against the mating knife. In a first exemplary embodiment, the circular knife attached fixedly against rotation on a shaft is loaded by means of a spring element in the axial direction such that its revolving rim always abuts in frictional engagement on the mating knife. As shown by the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, this spring element can preferably be an elastically deformable ring, such as, in particular, a rubber ring or else a steel spring or another spring element. 
     Further advantages and features of the invention can be gathered from the features further described in the claims as well as from the following exemplary embodiment. 
    
    
     
       SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be hereinafter described and explained in more detail by way of the exemplary embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which 
         FIG. 1  is a view of two knife shafts, seen in the running direction of a paper web, according to a first embodiment of the invention, comprising a circular knife arranged fixedly against rotation on a first knife shaft and another circular knife arranged in a rotatable manner on a second knife shaft; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic side view of a folding device comprising upstream knife shafts; 
         FIG. 3  a view of two knife shafts, seen in the running direction of a paper web, according to a second embodiment of the invention, comprising two circular knives, each of which is arranged in a freely rotatable manner; 
         FIG. 4  a view of two knife shafts, similar to  FIG. 3 , comprising two driven auxiliary shafts for driving two circular knives according to a third embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 5  a view of two knife shafts, seen in the running direction of a paper web, according to a fourth embodiment of the invention, comprising two circular knives arranged fixedly against rotation. 
     
    
    
     WAYS OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with  FIG. 2 , a buckle folding device  10  has a first upper folding pocket  12  and a second lower folding pocket  14 . A first upper folding roller  16  and a second lower folding roller  18  are arranged upstream of the first folding pocket  12 . A third upper folding roller  20  and a fourth lower folding roller  22  are arranged downstream of the second folding pocket  14 . Such an arrangement of a buckle folding device  10  is known. 
     In accordance with  FIG. 2 , in the present exemplary embodiment, an upper cutting and transport roller  24  and a lower cutting and transport roller  26  are arranged upstream of the first and second folding rollers  16 ,  18 . A paper web  28  is passed in the web running direction  30  through the two cutting and transport rollers  24 ,  26  and subsequently through the buckle folding device  10 , wherein a first loop  32  is produced by the fact that the paper web  28  runs into the first folding pocket  12 , and subsequently a second loop  34  is produced by the fact that the folded paper web  28  runs into the second folding pocket  14 . The first loop  32  is folded by the second and third folding rollers  18 ,  20  to form a first fold, and subsequently the second loop  34  when passing between the third folding roller  20  and the fourth folding roller  22  is folded to form a second fold. This kind of longitudinal cutting of a paper web  28  and subsequent folding is per se known. 
     A lower transport roller unit  40  is mounted fixedly against rotation on the lower cutting and transport roller  26  shown in  FIG. 1  by means of a screw  42 . The outside of the transport roller unit  40  is provided with a rubber inlay  44 . This lower transport roller unit  40  is associated with an upper transport roller unit  50 . The outer ring  58  of this transport roller unit  50  is supported in a freely rotatable manner with respect to the upper shaft. For this purpose, a retainer jaw  52  of this transport roller unit  50  is supported fixedly against rotation on the upper shaft  24  by means of a screw  54 . The retainer jaw  52  carries a ball bearing  56  arranged fixedly on the retainer jaw  52  through a blocking ring  57  in the axial direction  59 , wherein the outer ring  58  is supported on the ball bearing  56 , the outside of the outer ring  58  being provided with a rubber inlay  45 . The paper web  28  runs between the two rubber inlays  44 ,  45  of the lower and upper transport roller unit  40 ,  50 . 
     A lower retainer jaw  60  is supported fixedly against rotation in the axial direction laterally next to the lower transport roller unit  40  on the lower shaft  26 . The retainer jaw  60  is surrounded by a ball bearing  64  carrying an outer retaining ring  66 . Thus the retaining ring  66  is supported in a freely rotatable manner on the retainer jaw  60 . The ball bearing  64  is arranged fixedly at the lower retainer jaw  60  by means of a blocking ring  61  in the axial direction  59 . The lower circular knife  70  is held in the retaining ring  66  in a clamped manner between a recessed shoulder  67  of the retaining ring  66  and a distance piece held by a blocking ring  69  in the axial direction  59  against the retainer jaw  66 . Due to the ball bearing  64  this lower circular knife  70  is, in the same way as the retaining ring  66 , supported in a freely rotatable manner on the lower retainer jaw  60  and thus on the lower shaft  26 . 
     The lower circular knife  70  cooperates with an upper circular knife  74 . This upper circular knife  74  is supported fixedly against rotation on an upper retainer jaw  76  which is attached fixedly against rotation on an upper shaft  24  by means of a screw  78 , wherein the upper circular knife  74  is loaded by an elastic ring  80  in the axial direction  59 , i.e. in the longitudinal direction of the two longitudinal axes  82 ,  84  of the upper shaft  24  and the lower shaft  26 . 
     Thus the elastic ring  80  presses in the axial direction  59  against the upper circular knife  74 . By means of this pressure force the upper circular knife  74  is laid in the axial direction  59  laterally in a pressing manner against the lower circular knife  70 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . The two circumferential rims of the two circular knives  70 ,  74  thus produce a shearing cut with a cutting gap, the size of which approaches zero. 
     In this way a clean longitudinal cut can be produced, and thus, for example, a lateral margin  83  can be separated with a clean quality cut from the remaining paper web  28 . Each cutting rim of the two circular knives  70 ,  74  has a hollow grinding not shown in the figure. This enables to achieve a clean separation cut even if the circular knives  70 ,  74  have lost their exactly perpendicular alignment with respect to the axial direction by a small amount, for example, due to a small clearance in the ball bearing  64 . 
     The elastic ring  80  (rubber ring) is held laterally framed by a press ring  81 . The press ring  81  has an internal thread, and the upper retainer jaw  76  has an external thread, so that the press ring  81  can be screwed onto the retainer jaw, whereby the elastic ring  80  can be biased. The press ring is fixed in its adjusted position by means of a screw  85  which can radially screwed into the upper retainer jaw  76 . 
     In order to produce this shearing cut as a leading pulling cut, a lower gear  90  having 24 teeth in the present case is attached fixedly against rotation on the lower shaft  26 , which is actively driven in a rotatable manner. This lower gear  90  is in meshing engagement with an upper gear  92  having, for example, 20 teeth and being attached also fixedly against rotation on the upper shaft  24 . The transmission consisting of these two gears  90  and  92  causes the upper shaft  24  to have a rotational speed which is higher by 20 percent than that of the lower shaft  26 . This means that the upper circular knife  74  attached fixedly against rotation on the upper shaft  24  has a correspondingly increased rotational speed, which is transferred by this upper circular knife  74  onto this lower circular knife  70  by its frictionally engaging abutment on the lower circular knife  70 . The lower circular knife  70  adopts this increased rotational speed, since it is supported in a freely rotatable manner through the ball bearing  64  on its lower shaft. In this way a sufficiently increased rotational speed of the circular knives  70 ,  74  as compared to the running speed of the paper web  28  can be guaranteed. In contrast thereto, the running speed of the web  28  is not increased. The running speed of the web  28  is based on the rotational speed of the lower transport roller unit  40  attached fixedly against rotation on the lower shaft  26 . The rotational speed of the lower transport roller unit  40  is transferred through its rubber inlay  44  onto the upper transport roller unit  50  with the upper rubber inlay  45  being supported in a freely rotatable manner. The paper web  28  is thus transported through the two rubber inlays  44 ,  45  of the two transport roller units  40 ,  50  in the web running direction at a speed determined by the rotational speed of the lower shaft  26 . The lower shaft  26  is now driven such that the speed of the paper web  28  corresponds to the speed which is also present when the paper web  28  runs through the downstream folding rollers  16 ,  18 ,  20 ,  22 . 
     The embodiment shown in  FIG. 3  of an upper and a lower cutting and transport shaft  24 ,  26 , between which the paper web  28  passed through is separated with a longitudinal cut, differs from the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  in so far as not the two shafts  24 ,  26  are given different rotational speeds by means of a transmission, but that by means of a transmission the one, in this exemplary embodiment, the lower shaft  26  is connected directly to the—in this exemplary embodiment—upper circular knife  74 . 
     A lower transport roller unit  40  is supported fixedly against rotation by means of a screw  42  on the lower cutting and transport shaft  26  in the same way as in the case of the embodiment according to  FIG. 1 . 
     In the case of the embodiment according to  FIG. 3 , the lower circular knife  70  is also held by clamping in an outer retaining ring  66  in the same way as in the case of the embodiment according to  FIG. 1 , wherein the outer retaining ring  66  is in turn supported through a ball bearing  64  in a rotatable manner on a lower retainer jaw  60  which is arranged fixedly against rotation on the shaft  26  by means of the screw  62 . The support for the lower circular knife  70  is identical for the embodiments according to  FIGS. 1 and 3 . 
     An upper transport roller unit  50 . 3  is arranged fixedly against rotation on the upper cutting and transport shaft  24 . This upper transport roller unit  50 . 3  corresponds to the lower transport roller unit  40 . It is attached fixedly against rotation on the upper shaft  24  by means of a screw  54 . The paper web is passed between the transport roller units  40 ,  50 . 3 . Herein the rubber inserts  44 ,  45  of the two units  40 ,  50 . 3  abut in a pressing manner with frictional engagement from below and from above, respectively, on the paper web  28 . 
     The upper circular knife  74  is supported fixedly against rotation in an outer retaining ring  94 . The outer retaining ring  94 , in turn, is attached in a rotatable manner through a double-track ball bearing  96  at an upper retainer jaw  98 . The upper retainer jaw  98 , in turn, is attached through a screw  100  at the upper shaft  24 . The double-track ball bearing  96  is held by means of a locking ring  102  in an undisplaceable manner at the upper retainer jaw  98  and thus at the shaft  24 . 
     The upper circular knife  74  is held in a pressed manner in the axial direction  59  between a stepped in shoulder  104  of the outer retaining ring  94  and a press ring  81  screwed onto this retaining ring  94  and secured by means of a screw  108 . Herein an elastic ring  80  is arranged between the upper circular knife  74  and the shoulder  104 . This elastic ring  80  (rubber ring) presses in the axial direction  59  laterally against the upper circular knife  74 . Thereby the upper circular knife  74  is pressed laterally against the lower circular knife  70  and thus a frictionally engaging abutment between the two circular knives  70 ,  74  is achieved in the same way as it is the case in  FIG. 1 . 
     The outer retaining ring  94  which is rotatable about the upper shaft  24  has at its—in FIG.  3 —left end region a sprocket  112  having 20 teeth in the present exemplary embodiment. This sprocket  112  cooperates with a gear  90  attached fixedly against rotation on the lower shaft  26 . In this exemplary embodiment the lower gear has 24 teeth. The lower shaft  26 , which has been made to rotate by any kind of drive, transfers its rotation to the lower gear  90 . The lower gear  90  which is in meshing engagement with the upper sprocket  112  causes the sprocket  112  to rotate faster by—in this exemplary embodiment—20 percent than the lower shaft  26 . This results in a rotational effect which is different from the embodiment according to  FIG. 1 . The rotation of the sprocket  112  acts on the upper circular knife  74 . This also causes the upper circular knife  74  to rotate at a rotational speed which is higher by 20 percent than that of the lower shaft  26 . 
     The rotational speed of the upper circular knife  74  is transferred to the lower circular knife  70  by the frictionally engaging abutment of the two circular knives  70 ,  74 , as it has already been described above in connection with  FIG. 1 . In this way, in the paper web  28  a so-called leading pulling longitudinal cut through the paper web  28  can be produced. 
     In this embodiment the upper shaft  24  is dragged along through the two transport roller units  40 ,  50 . 3 ; a separate rotational drive for the upper shaft  24  is dispensable. It would be possible to form the upper transport roller unit  50 . 3 , in the same way as in the case of the embodiment according to  FIG. 1 , like the transport roller unit  50  and thus freely rotatable relatively to the upper shaft  24 . In this case the upper shaft  24  could remain at rest, without rotation. 
     The upper circular knife could also be made to rotate faster as compared to the lower shaft  26  by means of any other drive instead of by means of the lower gear  90 . 
     In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 4 , upper and lower transport roller units which are fixed against rotation are arranged on the two shafts  24 ,  26 , wherein an upper transport roller unit  50 . 3  and a lower transport roller unit  40  are shown in the drawing. The paper web  28  passes between the two transport roller units  40 ,  50 . 3 , which correspond to the respective transport roller units of  FIG. 3 , wherein rubber inlays  44 ,  45  which are provided in each of the transport roller units abut thereon from below and from above in a pressing and frictionally engaging manner. 
     An upper circular knife  74  is supported in a freely rotatable manner about the upper shaft  24  in the axial direction  59  next to the upper transport roller unit  50 . 3 . The upper circular knife  74  is supported in a freely rotatable manner through a ball bearing  64  on an upper retainer jaw  60 . 4 , which is arranged fixedly against rotation on the upper shaft  24 . The retainer jaw  60 . 4  with its mount of the upper circular knife  74  corresponds to the lower retainer jaw  60  arranged fixedly against rotation on the lower shaft  26  in  FIG. 1 . The upper retainer jaw  60 . 4  provided in the upper shaft  24  in  FIG. 4  differs from the retainer jaw  60  illustrated in  FIG. 1  in so far as a sprocket  114  is attached fixedly against rotation at the radial circumference of the outer retaining ring  66  of the upper retainer jaw  60 . 4 . This sprocket  114  cooperates with a sprocket  116  provided on a gear  118 . This gear  118  is attached fixedly against rotation on an upper auxiliary shaft  120 . The outer retaining ring  66  of the upper retainer jaw  60 . 4  can be made to rotate in any way through the gear  118  and its sprocket  116  by means of a rotational drive (not shown in the drawing) for the auxiliary shaft  120 . In correspondence with the above-mentioned embodiments, its rotational speed can then, for example, be selected to be higher by 20 percent than the rotational speed of the two transport roller units  50 . 3 ,  40  of the two shafts  24 ,  26 . 
     The lower retainer jaw  60 . 5  provided on the lower shaft  26  corresponds to the upper retainer jaw  60 . 4  with the difference that instead of the distance piece  68  of the upper retainer jaw  60 . 4  a distance piece  68 . 4  is provided, which in the present exemplary embodiment has an angular shape and is supported in the axial direction through a (still present) locking ring  69  on the outer retaining ring  66 . There is an elastic ring  80  provided between the L-shaped distance piece  68 . 4  and the lower circular knife  70 . The lower circular knife  70  is pressed through the elastic ring  80  against the stepped in shoulder  67  of the outer retaining ring  66 . In this way, the lower circular knife  70  is laid with frictional engagement against the upper circular knife  74  in the axial direction  59 . Otherwise the lower retainer jaw  60 . 5  corresponds to the upper retainer jaw  60 . 4  in so far as a sprocket  114  is also attached fixedly in the outer retaining ring  66 . The sprocket  114  is in meshing engagement with a sprocket  116  of another gear  118  attached fixedly against rotation on a lower auxiliary request  122 . 
     In the present exemplary embodiment the rotational speeds of the two auxiliary shafts  120 ,  122  are equally high. Since the transmission ratios of the gears  118  to the lower retainer jaw  60  and the upper retainer jaw  60 . 4 , respectively, are identical, the two circular knives  70 ,  74  also rotate with exactly the same rotational speed. This rotational speed is—as already mentioned above—higher by about 20 percent than the rotational speed of the two shafts  24 ,  26 . In this way a leading pulling longitudinal cut can be produced in the paper web  28  using the two circular knives  70 ,  74 . 
     The embodiment according to  FIG. 4  can also be used to carry out a longitudinal cut in a middle portion of the paper web  28 , since the upper and the lower retainer jaw  60 . 4 ,  60 . 5  have a finite distance  130  and  132 , respectively, from the paper web  28 . In the case of the embodiment according to  FIG. 3  this would be possible only if the clearance present in the axial direction  59  between the lower gear  90  and the paper web  28  was large enough. 
     In the embodiment according to  FIG. 5  the upper circular knive  74  is supported fixedly against rotation on the upper cutting and transport shaft  24 , as it is the case in  FIG. 1 . Herein the upper circular knive  74  is pressed against the—in  FIG. 5  towards the left—outer left shoulder  86  of the upper retainer jaw  76  by means of an interposed elastic ring  80  by a press ring  81 , which is screwed onto the upper retainer jaw  76  attached fixedly against rotation on the shaft  24  by means of a screw  78 . The press ring  81 , in turn, is held in its screwed-on position by means of a screw  85  screwed radially into the upper retainer jaw  76 . 
     The lower circular knife  70  is also attached fixedly against rotation on the lower cutting and transport shaft  26 . Thus a lower retainer jaw  60 . 6  is attached fixedly against rotation on the shaft  26  by means of a screw  62 . A press ring  81 . 5  is screwed in the axial direction onto this lower retainer jaw  60 . 6 , wherein the press ring  81 . 5  is retained in its screwed-on position by means of a screw  85  in its position at the retainer jaw  60 . 6 . The press ring  81 . 5  in the axial direction presses the lower circular knife  70  directly against a—in  FIG. 5  right—outer shoulder  87  of the lower retainer jaw  60 . 6 . The lower circular knife  70  is held in an undisplaceable manner between the press ring  81 . 5  and the shoulder  87  of the retainer jaw  60 . 6   
     The two cutting and transport shafts  24 ,  26  are driven such that the paper web  28  can be separated in the web running direction—using a longitudinal cut—by the two circular knives  70 ,  74 , as it has already been mentioned above. 
     A lower transport roller unit  40 . 5  is supported in a freely rotatable manner on the lower cutting and transport shaft  26 . For this, its lower retainer jaw  51  is arranged fixedly against rotation on this lower shaft  26  by means of a screw  42 . An outer retaining ring  66 . 5  is supported in a rotatable manner through a ball bearing  144  on the lower retainer jaw  51 . The rubber inlay  44  is attached at the outer retaining ring  66 . 5 , as it is the case with the above-mentioned lower transport roller unit  40 . Thus, the outer retaining ring  66 . 5  can be rotated relatively to the lower cutting and transport shaft  26 . 
     A sprocket  146  radially protruding from the outer retaining ring  66 . 5  is provided for rotating the outer retaining ring  66 . 5 . This sprocket is in meshing engagement with a gear  148  attached fixedly against rotation on the auxiliary shaft  122 , which is supported at a constant distance to the lower shaft  26 . Thus, the outer retaining ring  66 . 5  with its rubber inlay  44  can be rotatively driven at any desired speed by driving the auxiliary shaft  122  by means of the gear  148  and the sprocket  146 . 
     A comparable freely rotatable support is also provided for the upper transport roller unit  50 . 5 . Herein an outer retaining ring  156  is held through a retainer jaw  52 . 5  supported fixedly against rotation on the upper shaft  24  by means of a screw  54  through a ball bearing  56  supported on the retainer jaw  52 . 5 . A sprocket  148  is formed at the outer retaining ring  156  in a way comparable to the outer retaining ring  66 . 5  of the lower transport roller unit  40 . 5 , wherein the sprocket  148  cooperates with a gear  150 . The gear  150  is attached fixedly against rotation on an auxiliary shaft  120 . A rubber inlay  45  is attached at the outer retaining ring  156 , as it is also the case in a comparable way with the upper transport roller unit  50  ( FIG. 1 ). 
     Through the auxiliary shaft  120  the outer retaining ring  156  and thus the upper rubber inlay  45  can be given rotational speed, and the same is true for the lower rubber inlay  44  through the auxiliary shaft  122 . These rotational speeds are high enough for transporting the paper web  28  held with frictional engagement between the two rubber inlays  44 ,  45  at the desired web running speed through the area of the cutting and transport rollers  24 ,  26 . This web speed is equally high in the area of the cutting and transport shafts  24 ,  26  and the folding rollers ( FIG. 2 ). 
     In contrast thereto, the two circular knives  70 ,  74  can be driven, in the present exemplary embodiment, at rotational speed which is higher by about 20% (percent), so that the desired shearing cut of high quality can be produced in the paper web  28 , as it has been mentioned above. The rotational speed of the two circular knives  70 ,  74  which is higher as compared to that of the transport shafts is achieved by corresponding rotational drives for the two cutting and transport rollers  24 ,  26 , on which the respective two circular knives  70 ,  74  are arranged fixedly against rotation.