Processing machine comprising a radiation dryer and method for operating said dryer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11046070-B2
Application number	US-201916970395-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2019
Priority date	Apr 20, 2018
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

A processing machine includes a dryer device. In particular, the processing machine is a printable material- or sheet-processing or a substrate-processing machine, in particular a printing machine. A method for operating a drying device in such a processing machine is also provided. The processing machine addresses the problem of creating an alternative processing machine comprising a drying device or an alternative method for operating a drying device in a processing machine. In particular, the cooling in preferably high-performs dryers in processing machines, such as substrate, or printable material-processing machines, should be improved. Especially preferably the cooling of the underside of the underside of a UV emitter should also be further improved. The problem is solved by pairing a blast air system with the drying device, by the use of which blast air system, the ambient air flowing into the air inlet opening can be or is actively influenced at a distance from the radiation source.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A processing machine having a drying device,
wherein the drying device comprises a radiation source accommodated in a housing,
wherein shutters are provided adjacent to the radiation source in the housing,
wherein the housing has at least one air inlet opening for ambient air, whereby, once the ambient air has entered the at least one air inlet opening in the housing, it flows around the radiation source,
wherein the housing has an air outlet opening for exhaust air,
wherein a blower air system, which generates at least one blower air jet, is associated with the drying device, and by the use of which blower air system, the at least one blower air jet from the blower air system and the ambient air flowing into the air inlet opening in the housing and around the radiation source are actively directed, at a distance from the radiation source and, wherein the blower air system has at least one blower air flow opening that expels a flow of the at least one blower air jet least approximately orthogonally to the direction of flow of the ambient air flowing into the air inlet opening in the housing.

2. The processing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the radiation source is configured as an elongated UV emitter having first and second electrodes lying spaced apart from one another, each of the first and second electrodes lying in one plane, wherein the elongated UV emitter is arranged as a normal to the planes of the first and second electrodes, and wherein the blower air system generates the flow of the at least one blower air jet in a region that one of lies between the planes and is bounded by the planes.

3. The processing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the blower air system has at least two opposing ones of the blower air flow openings, which at least two opposing ones of the blower air flow openings are arranged adjacent to the air inlet opening in the housing.

4. The processing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the blower air system has one or more of the blower air flow openings arranged outside of the air inlet opening in the housing.

5. The processing machine according to claim 1 , one of wherein the blower air system comprises one of a compressed air connection and at least one air generator, including an axial fan, a plurality air ducts, and a plurality of the blower air flow openings, and wherein the air outlet opening is an exhaust air duct in the housing, which exhaust air duct in the housing is connected to a suction air source and has one or more openings to a space surrounding the radiation source.

6. The processing machine according to claim 1 , one of wherein the drying device comprises a UV module and wherein the blower air system is configured as one of an add-on module to be added on to a UV module and as an auxiliary module for a UV module.

7. The processing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the blower air system has a plurality of the blower air flow openings, an opening gap of each of which blower air flow openings is adjustable, between 1 mm and 10 mm.

8. The processing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the blower air system is controllable by a control device based on a current emitter output of the radiation source.

9. A method for operating a drying device in a processing machine,
wherein the drying device comprises a radiation source extending inside a housing,
wherein the radiation source cooperates with shutters,
wherein the housing has at least one air inlet opening for ambient air, whereby, once the ambient air has entered the housing through the at least one air inlet opening, it flows around the radiation source, and
wherein the housing has at least one air outlet opening to exhaust the ambient air entering the housing and flowing around the radiation source,
wherein a blower air system is associated with the drying device and actively deflects the ambient air flowing into the housing through the air inlet opening before the ambient air reaches the radiation source and wherein the blower air system one of directs a blower air flow and expels blower air, which blower air flow one of restricts and constricts the ambient air flowing into the housing through the air inlet opening in the housing.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the blower air system one of directs the blower air flow and expels blower air, which, together with the inflowing ambient air, forms cooling air for the radiation source, and subsequently forms exhaust air, wherein a proportion of a volume of the blower air flow introduced into the housing by the blower air system is one of between 20% and 50% a common cooling air flow volume and is at least approximately 33% of a common cooling air flow volume.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the blower air system is one of switched on and is switched off based on an output of the radiation source.

12. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the blower air system one of is switched on when an emitter output of at least approximately 120 to 140 W/cm is reached and is switched off when the emitter output drops below at least approximately 120 to 140 W/cm.

13. The method according to claim 9 , one of wherein the blower air system is operated whereby an effect of the blower air system increases one of linearly and in a functionally dependent manner, up to a maximum output of the blower air system, based on the emitter output, and wherein, at an emitter output of at least approximately 200 W/cm, the effect of the blower air system is at 100%.

Assignees

• Koenig & Bauer Ag

Inventors

• Walter Maik

Classifications

• B41F23/0483

  Drying combined with cooling · CPC title

• B41F23/0453 Primary

  by ultraviolet dryers · CPC title

• B41F23/0409

  Ultraviolet dryers · CPC title