Machine arrangement comprising a plurality of stations for sequential processing of sheet-type substrates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10538077-B2
Application number	US-201615757986-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2016
Priority date	Sep 9, 2015
Publication date	Jan 21, 2020
Grant date	Jan 21, 2020

Abstract

A machine arrangement, for sequentially processing sheet-type substrates, includes a plurality of different processing stations, one of which includes a non-impact printing device that prints the substrates. The processing station, including the non-impact printing device, also includes a printing cylinder, on the circumference of which, the non-impact printing device that prints the substrates is arranged. On the circumferential surface of the printing cylinder, four substrates are or can be placed behind each other in the circumferential direction. Each of the substrates that are to be conveyed are retained in one of a force-locking and a form-fitting manner on the circumferential surface of the printing cylinder by at least one retaining element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A machine arrangement for the sequential processing of packaging substrates, the machine arrangement comprising:
a plurality of processing stations for processing packaging substrates;
a first non-impact printing unit in a first one of the plurality of processing stations, which first non-impact printing unit prints on each of the packaging substrates in an active region of the first non-impact printing unit;
a first printing cylinder in the first one of the plurality of processing stations which includes the first non-impact printing unit, the first non-impact printing unit being arranged adjacent a periphery of the first printing cylinder;
four packaging substrate receiving fields on a circumferential surface of the first printing cylinder, each packaging substrate receiving field being sized to receive one of the four packaging substrates to be printed by the first non-impact printing unit and which packaging substrates can be arranged, one behind the other, in a circumferential direction, on the circumferential surface of the printing cylinder and wherein each of the packaging substrates is held on the circumferential surface of the first printing cylinder by at least one retaining element in one of a force locking and a form-fitting manner;
at least five inkjet printers in the active region of the at least one non-impact printing unit;
a first transfer drum having one of two and three packaging substrate receiving fields and disposed directly upstream, in a direction of travel of the packaging substrates, the first printing cylinder; and
a second transfer drum, having two printed packaging substrate receiving fields and disposed directly downstream, in the direction of travel of the packaging substrates, the first printing cylinder; and wherein, the four packaging substrate receiving fields of the first printing cylinder one of receive packaging substrates to be printed from the first transfer drum and transfer printed packaging substrates to the second transfer drum.

2. The machine arrangement according to claim 1 further including a substrate guide unit embodied as a transport module mounted in a separate frame, the substrate guide unit being adapted to a form transverse gallery to facilitate accessibility to the first non-impact printing unit.

3. The machine arrangement according to claim 1 , characterized in that a first primer application unit for priming each of the packaging substrates and a first dryer for drying the primer applied to each of the packaging substrates are provided as additional ones of the plurality of processing stations, wherein the first primer application unit and the first dryer are each arranged upstream of the first non-impact printing unit in the transport direction of the packaging substrates, wherein the first primer application unit is situated for applying the primer to a front side of each of the packaging substrates, and wherein the first dryer is situated for drying the front side of each of the primed packaging substrates, and further wherein the first non-impact printing unit is situated for printing the front side of each of the packaging substrates.

4. The machine arrangement according to claim 3 , characterized in that a second one of the plurality of processing stations includes a second non-impact printing unit for printing a back side of each of the packaging substrates, a second primer application unit for priming the back side of each of the packaging substrates, and a second dryer for drying the primer that has been applied to the back side of each of the packaging substrates, wherein both the second primer application unit and the second dryer are arranged upstream of the second non-impact printing unit for printing the back side of each of the packaging substrates in the transport direction of the packaging substrates.

5. The machine arrangement according to claim 4 , characterized in that the second processing station including the second non-impact printing unit for printing the back side of each of the packaging substrates, includes a second printing cylinder, wherein the second non-impact printing unit for printing the back side of each of the packaging substrates is arranged adjacent a periphery of this second printing cylinder.

6. The machine arrangement according to claim 4 , characterized in that a third processing station and having one of a third and a fourth dryer for drying the packaging substrates that have been printed by one of the first and second non-impact printing units, respectively is located downstream, in the transport direction of the packaging substrates, of the one of the first and second processing stations that comprises the one of the first and second non-impact printing units for printing each of the packaging substrates.

7. The machine arrangement according to claim 6 , characterized in that a fourth processing station, including a coating unit is located downstream of the third processing station having the one of the third and fourth dryer for drying the printed packaging substrates, in the direction of transport of the packaging substrates, and a fifth processing station having a fifth dryer is provided downstream of the coating unit.

8. The machine arrangement according to claim 6 , characterized in that one of the first dryer for drying the primer that has been applied to the front side of each of the packaging substrates, and the second dryer for drying the primer that has been applied to the back side of each of the packaging substrates, and the third dryer for drying each of the packaging substrates that have been printed on the front side by the first non-impact printing unit, and the fourth dryer for drying each of the packaging substrates that have been printed on the back side by the non-impact printing unit, and the first dryer is embodied as a dryer for drying each of the ones of the primed and printed and coated packaging substrates using one of hot air and by irradiation with one of infrared and ultraviolet radiation.

9. The machine arrangement according to claim 5 , characterized in that a plurality of packaging substrates one of is and can each be arranged one behind the other in the circumferential direction on the circumferential surface of the second printing cylinder, which is located in the second processing station having the second non-impact printing unit that prints the back side of each of the packaging substrates.

10. The machine arrangement according to claim 1 , characterized in that a transport apparatus having a plurality of transport units arranged one behind the other in the transport direction of the packaging substrates is provided, wherein this transport apparatus comprises a plurality of transport cylinders, wherein the transport apparatus for transporting the packaging substrates comprises at least one retaining element, wherein the at least one retaining element holds the respective packaging substrate in one of a force-locking and a form-fitting manner.

11. The machine arrangement according to claim 4 , one of wherein one of the first non-impact printing unit that prints the front side of each of the packaging substrates and the second non-impact printing unit that prints the back side of each of the packaging substrates is each embodied as at least one inkjet printing unit, and wherein these first and second non-impact printing units each print with a plurality of different printing inks, and further wherein a designated inkjet printing unit is provided for each one of these printing inks with respect to the respective one of the first and second non-impact printing units, respectively.

12. The machine arrangement according to claim 7

Assignees

• Koenig & Bauer Ag

Inventors

• Ziegenbalg Christian
• Becker Uwe
• Köhler Ulrich
• Schumann Frank
• Reinsch Carsten
• Koch Michael

Classifications

• B41F25/00

  Devices for pressing sheets or webs against cylinders, e.g. for smoothing purposes · CPC title

• A61B3/103

  for determining refraction, e.g. refractometers, skiascopes · CPC title

• B41J3/60

  for printing on both faces of the printing material · CPC title

• B41F23/0453

  by ultraviolet dryers · CPC title

• A61B3/0025

  characterised by electronic signal processing, e.g. eye models · CPC title