Abstract:
A folding apparatus that is useable in a web-fed rotary printing press has a lower overall structural height. The folding apparatus includes a web delivery device and a folding cylinder group. The folding cylinder group is arranged generally at 90° to the direction of the feed of the material web to the web delivery device, which may include longitudinal fold formers. The material web is directed into the folding cylinder group in an essentially horizontal direction.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a folding apparatus for a web-fed rotary printing press. Folding of the web is accomplished using at least one longitudinal fold former and at least one folding blade cylinder which cooperates with at least one folding jaw cylinder. An axis of rotation of the folding jaw cylinder is above a lower end of the fold former. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     DE 36 14 263 C2 describes a folding apparatus of a web-fed rotary printing press. This folding apparatus has a collecting cylinder, a cutter cylinder and a folding jaw cylinder. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 658,773 describes a wheel folding apparatus with a folding blade cylinder, wherein the entry of the web of material takes place below the axis of rotation. 
     FR-A-758 433 discloses a folding apparatus, wherein a highest point of the surface of a folding jaw cylinder is approximately at the height of a former protrusion of a longitudinal fold former. 
     EP-0 211 377 A2 discloses a folding apparatus with a folding jaw cylinder and two folding blade cylinders, wherein one folding blade cylinder is located below an axis of rotation of the folding jaw cylinder. 
     DE-C-328 284 shows a wheel folding apparatus, wherein the folding blade cylinder is located above a protrusion of a longitudinal former. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present object of the invention is based on creating a folding apparatus for a web-fed rotary printing press. 
     In accordance with the invention, this object is attained by the provision of a folding apparatus that includes at least one longitudinal fold former, at least one folding blade cylinder, and at least one folding jaw cylinder that cooperates with the folding blade cylinder. The axis of rotation of the folding jaw cylinder is located above the lower end of the longitudinal fold former. 
     The advantages which can be achieved by means of the present invention reside, in particular, in that a low structural height is achieved for a group of folding cylinders, including a device for delivering the web of material. In turn, this results in much improved user friendliness. Moreover, the folding cylinder group can be rapidly varied by the use of different modules. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A preferred embodiment of the present invention is represented in the drawings and will be described in greater detail in what follows. Shown are in: 
     FIG. 1, a schematic side elevation view of a folding apparatus with longitudinal fold formers and a folding cylinder group, 
     FIG. 2, an end view taken in the direction A in accordance with FIG. 1, but without the conveying device, and in 
     FIG. 3, a top plan view from above in accordance with FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A folding apparatus for a web-fed rotary printing press, as seen in FIG. 1 essentially consists of a folding cylinder group  1  and a device  2 , arranged upstream, viewed in the running direction B of the web of material as shown in FIG. 3, of the folding cylinder group  1 , for delivering a web  8  of material. 
     The device  2  for delivering a web  8  of material consists, for example, of two longitudinal fold formers  3 ,  4 , to which the web  8  of material, which may be, for example a paper web or a train of paper webs, is delivered via a combination roller  6  and a drawing unit  7 . The device  2  for delivering the train can consist of a number of the two depicted turning bars arranged on top of each other, instead of longitudinal fold formers  3 ,  4 . 
     Prior to entering the former, the web  8  of the two depicted material can be divided into several partial webs  12 ,  13  of material by means of a longitudinal cutting device, which consists of a circular cutter  9  and a counter-cutting roller  11 . However, it is also possible to supply the drawing device  7  with already cut partial webs  12 ,  13  of material. 
     Drawing units  17 ,  18  are located below the pairs of fold former rollers  14 ,  16  of each longitudinal fold former  3 ,  4 . Guide roller  19 ,  21 , around which the respective partial webs  12 ,  13  of material are deflected by approximately 90° are, located after the drawing units  17  and  18 . From the guide rollers  19 ,  20 , the partial webs  12 ,  13  are delivered to the folding cylinder group  1  in a horizontal or nearly horizontal direction by means of a common drawing unit  22 . The fold former rollers  14 ,  16  of the longitudinal fold formers  3 ,  4  are located at approximately half of the total height of the folding cylinder group, as seen in FIG.  1 . 
     At least one of the guide rollers  19 ,  21  can be embodied as a cut register roller  21 . 
     It is also possible to arrange the guide rollers  19 ,  21  in such a way that the partial webs  12 ,  13  of material enter the folding cylinder group  1  at an angle α in the range of ±35° in respect to a horizontal line  20 . Here, the entry of the partial webs  12 ,  13  of material takes place through an inlet wedge of a pair of cylinders with a least one paper-conveying cylinder which is, in this case, a collecting cylinder  26 . A nearly horizontal entry here means an entry at an angle α in the range of ±5° in respect to a horizontal line  20 , all as shown in FIG.  1 . 
     The guide rollers  19 ,  21  can also be designed to be considerably larger than represented in FIG. 1, i.e. their diameter can be larger than 200 mm, for example. 
     It is also possible to arrange a curved guide plate, which can be supplied with compressed air and whose radius of curvature is greater than 100 mm, for example, in place of the guide roller. 
     It is also possible to arrange a plurality of guide rollers along a curved track. 
     A “gentle” or gradual transition from the vertical direction of running of the partial web  12 ,  13  of material into the horizontal direction of running is achieved by means of these above described devices. 
     The device  2  for delivering the web  8  of material is supported between lateral frames  23 ,  24 , which are arranged with a clear width d. The folding cylinder group  1  is arranged at right angles to the running direction B of the material in lateral frames  25 ,  30 , as may be seen in FIG.  3 . 
     In accordance with a first, preferred embodiment of the present invention, the folding cylinder group  1  consists, for example, of a folding blade cylinder  26 , which, in addition, is operable as a collecting cylinder  26 , and a cutter cylinder  27  arranged below the collecting cylinder  26 . In the first preferred embodiment, the folding blade cylinder  26  also operates as a counter-cutting cylinder. A folding jaw cylinder  28  and a delivery device  29  are also assigned to the collecting cylinder  26 . The delivery device  29  can consist of a fan delivery device  31  and a conveying device  32 , such as, for example a belt delivery device as depicted in FIG.  1 . 
     In place of a fan delivery device  31  it is possible to use a delivery cylinder, such as a so-called slow down cylinder. This folding cylinder group  1  depicted in FIG. 1, is particularly suited to newspaper production. 
     Rod- or belt-shaped product guide devices  33 ,  34 ,  36  are positioned about to the circumference of the collecting cylinder  26  and the folding jaw cylinder  28  as seen in FIG.  1 . 
     The folding cylinder group  1  is preferably disposed in a module  37  as represented by dash-dotted lines in FIG.  1 . One such module can be exchanged for another module in a short time. 
     In accordance with a second preferred embodiment, not specifically represented, another module  37  of a folding cylinder group  1  for so-called “double production” of particularly thin, preferably different products of a large delivery height consists of a collecting cylinder  26  with a cutter cylinder  27  arranged under it and first and second folding blade cylinders assigned to the collecting cylinder. A separate delivery device  29  is assigned to each folding blade cylinder. 
     In accordance with a third, also not represented preferred embodiment, a further module  37  of a folding cylinder group  1  for jobbing production with a plurality of product variations can consist, for example, of a collecting cylinder  26  with a cutter cylinder  27  arranged under it, a first transverse folding cylinder assigned to the collecting cylinder, and a second transverse folding cylinder assigned to the first transverse folding cylinder, as well as a delivery device assigned to the second transverse folding cylinder. The folded products leaving the second transverse folding cylinder can also be conducted to a second longitudinal folding device, instead of to the previously mentioned delivery device. 
     A straight line  44 , defined by an axis of rotation  43  of the cutter cylinder  27  and by an axis of rotation  38  of the collecting cylinder  26 , and a vertical line  35  extending through the axis of rotation  38  of the collecting cylinder  26 , are arranged at an angle β with respect to each other in the range of ±35°. The axis of rotation  43  of the cutter cylinder  27  is arranged below the axis of rotation  38  of the collecting cylinder  26 , as may be seen in FIG.  1 . The cutter cylinder  27  is preferably arranged almost vertically below the collecting cylinder  26 , i.e. wherein the range of the angle β is about ±5°. 
     With each of the three above described preferred embodiments it is furthermore possible to assign a stapling apparatus to the collecting cylinder  26 . 
     An axis of rotation  39  of the folding jaw cylinder  28  is situated above a straight line  42  extending through a lower end or a lower edge of a protrusion  41  of the longitudinal fold former  3 ,  4 , which protrusion  41  is preferably the lowest. 
     In a top plan view of the folding apparatus, as presented in FIG. 3 a straight line  46  through a circumferential edge of the collecting cylinder  26  facing a lateral edge of the web  8  of material, and a nearest side edge of a web  8  of material entering the longitudinal fold former  3  are at a distance a. 
     Further longitudinal fold formers can be arranged above the longitudinal fold formers  3 ,  4 . 
     A straight line  47 , defined by the axis of rotation  38  of the collecting cylinder  26  and by the axis of rotation  39  of the folding jaw cylinder  28 , and a horizontal line  48  extending through the axis of rotation  38  of the collecting cylinder  26 , intersect at an opening angle γ of between 30° to 60°, and preferably between 40° to 50°. 
     The axis of rotation  38  of the collecting cylinder  26  is arranged below the axis of rotation  39  of the folding jaw cylinder  28 . 
     The axes of rotation  38 ,  39  of the collecting cylinder  26  and of the folding jaw cylinder  28  are arranged parallel to each other and to the running direction B of the web  8  of material. 
     While preferred embodiments of a folding apparatus 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 a number of changes in, for example, the numbers of webs of material fed to the longitudinal fold formers, the type of printing press used, 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.