Sheet-fed printing press for simultaneous recto-verso printing of sheets, in particular for the production of security documents

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10875290-B2
Application number	US-201816486375-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2018
Priority date	Mar 14, 2017
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

There is described a sheet-fed printing press (1000; 1000*) comprising at least two printing units (200; 200.1, 200.2; 200.1*, 200.2*) located one after the other, each printing unit (200; 200.1, 200.2; 200.1*, 200.2*) being adapted to carry out simultaneous recto-verso printing of the sheets (S) and including two printing cylinders (105, 106) cooperating with one an other and forming a printing nip, the two printing cylinders (105, 106) each collecting ink patterns from at least two associated plate cylinders (15A, 15B, 16A, 16B) wherein the two printing cylinders (105, 106) are located one above the other such that the sheets (S) travel laterally through each printing unit (200; 200.1, 200.2; 200.1*, 200.2*) from a first lateral side (201 a; 201 a*) located upstream of the printing nip to a second lateral side (201 b; 201 b*) located downstream of the printing nip, wherein a number of at least two sheet transfer elements (110, 120, 95) is provided downstream of the printing nip of a first one (200.1; 200.1*) and upstream of the printing nip of a second one (200.2; 200.2*) of the at least two printing units (200.1, 200.2; 200.1*, 200.2*) to transfer the sheets (S).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sheet-fed printing press adapted to carry out recto-verso printing of individual sheets, the sheet-fed printing press comprising:
a plurality of printing units each adapted to carry out simultaneous recto-verso printing of the sheets, each printing unit including two printing cylinders cooperating with one another and forming a printing nip where both sides of the sheets are simultaneously printed, a first printing cylinder of the two printing cylinders collecting ink patterns from at least two plate cylinders associated with the first printing cylinder and a second printing cylinder of the two printing cylinders collecting ink patterns from at least two plate cylinders associated with the second printing cylinder and wherein the first printing cylinder is located above the second printing cylinder such that the sheets travel laterally through each printing unit from a first lateral side located upstream of the printing nip to a second lateral side opposite to the first lateral side and located downstream of the printing nip,
wherein at least two of said printing units are located one after the other,
wherein at least two sheet transfer elements are provided downstream of the printing nip of a first printing unit of the at least two of said printing units and upstream of the printing nip of a second printing unit of the at least two of said printing units to transfer the sheets from the first printing unit to the second printing unit,
wherein the plate cylinders are each inked by an associated inking apparatus with at least one ink fountain,
wherein the inking apparatuses are positioned with at least a portion of each respective ink fountain being located over or under at least a portion of the associated plate cylinder so that a flow of ink from the ink fountain to the plate cylinder is in a substantially vertical direction.

2. The sheet-fed printing press according to claim 1 , wherein at least part of the number of the at least two sheet transfer elements is supported in an intermediate frame interposed between the second lateral side of the first printing unit and the first lateral side of the second printing unit.

3. The sheet-fed printing press according to claim 1 , wherein the at least two of said printing units are coupled directly to one another, with the second lateral side of the first printing unit being coupled to the first lateral side of the second printing unit, and wherein the number of at least two sheet transfer elements is an integral part of the first and second printing units.

4. The sheet-fed printing press according to claim 1 , wherein the two printing cylinders comprise a first printing cylinder acting as a sheet-conveying cylinder, wherein the sheets are transferred to the first printing cylinder by way of a first sheet transfer element or first sheet transfer cylinder cooperating with the first printing cylinder upstream of the printing nip, wherein the sheets are taken away from the first printing cylinder by way of a second sheet transfer element or second sheet transfer cylinder cooperating with the first printing cylinder downstream of the printing nip.

5. The sheet-fed printing press according to claim 4 , wherein each printing unit comprises a pair of side frames supporting at least the two printing cylinders as well as the first sheet transfer element or first sheet transfer cylinder and/or the second sheet transfer element or second sheet transfer cylinders.

6. The sheet-fed printing press according to claim 1 , wherein each printing unit is configured as a (2)-over-(2) Simultan unit comprising first and second plate cylinders cooperating with a first one of the two printing cylinders to print a first side of the sheets and third and fourth plate cylinders cooperating with a second one of the two printing cylinders to print a second side of the sheets.

7. The sheet-fed printing press according to claim 1 , wherein the plate cylinders are each inked by an associated inking apparatus, the inking apparatuses each comprising two ink fountains.

8. The sheet-fed printing press according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one respective drying or curing unit located downstream of the respective printing nip between the two printing cylinders of the respective printing unit.

9. The sheet-fed printing press according to claim 8 , comprising first and second drying or curing units each cooperating with an associated sheet transfer element to dry first and second sides of the sheets.

10. The sheet-fed printing press according to claim 9 , wherein each printing unit is provided with the first and second drying or curing units and associated sheet transfer elements.

11. The sheet-fed printing press according to claim 8 , wherein the at least one respective drying or curing unit is a UV-curing unit and/or a UV-LED curing unit.

12. The sheet-fed printing press according to claim 1 , wherein the sheet-fed printing press is adapted to carry out recto-verso printing of individual sheets for the production of security documents.

13. The sheet-fed printing press according to claim 12 , wherein the security documents are banknotes.

14. The sheet-fed printing press according to claim 1 , wherein this at least one straight reference line together with a vertical straight line confines an angle that is smaller than 25° and/or smaller than 20°.

15. The sheet-fed printing press according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the sheet transfer elements is embodied as a gripper system or as a chain gripper system or as a sheet transfer cylinder comprising at least one gripper system and/or wherein a first sheet transfer element is embodied as a first sheet transfer cylinder and/or a second sheet transfer element is embodied as a second sheet transfer cylinder and/or a third sheet transfer element is embodied as a third sheet transfer cylinder.

16. The sheet-fed printing press according to claim 1 , wherein the number of at least two sheet transfer elements is an uneven number of at least three sheet transfer elements.

Assignees

• Kba Notasys Sa

Inventors

• Schaede Johannes

Classifications

• B41F23/0453

  by ultraviolet dryers · CPC title

• B41F11/02 Primary

  for securities (security printing B41M3/14) · CPC title

• B41F9/002

  Sheet printing presses (B41F9/021 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B41F9/021

  Sheet printing presses · CPC title

• B41F9/01

  for indirect printing (B41F9/02 takes precedence) · CPC title