System and method for folding printed sheets

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9650224-B2
Application number	US-201314067793-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2013
Priority date	Oct 30, 2012
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus for folding of print sheets includes a compressed air device that comprises at least two segments with respectively at least one exit opening having a cross-sectional surface and directed toward a folding gap of two folding rollers. Each segment is connected to a compressed air source and a control unit, includes at least one control element and is embodied to be activated separately with compressed air.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for folding of a print sheet, comprising:
at least one first guide element defining a guide plane in which the print sheet is made available;
at least two folding rollers, arranged on a first side of the guide plane and respectively provided with one rotational axis, the rotational axes being oriented parallel to each other and substantially parallel to the guide plane, wherein a folding gap is defined between the at least two folding rollers for the print sheet to be folded when the print sheet is in a folding position over the folding gap;
a compressed air source;
a control unit; and
a compressed air device arranged in a region of the folding gap on a second side of the guide plane opposite the first side of the guide plane and essentially parallel to the rotational axes of the folding rollers, wherein the compressed air device includes at least two segments respectively connected with the compressed air source and the control unit, each segment has at least one exit opening with a cross-sectional surface for the compressed air focused onto the folding gap, each segment has at least one control element coupled to the control unit, and each segment is configured to be separately activated with compressed air;
wherein the at least one control element of each segment of the compressed air device comprises at least one of: at least one first control element for changing a time interval during which the at least one exit opening is admitted with compressed air, at least one second control element for changing the cross-sectional surface of the at least one exit opening, and at least one third control element for changing the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the at least one exit opening.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further including a transport device to move the print sheet in one of a first feeding direction that extends essentially at a right angle to the rotational axes of the folding rollers or a second feeding direction that extends essentially parallel to the rotational axes of the folding rollers, and the segments of the compressed air device are arranged side-by-side in the first feeding direction or one behind the other in the second feeding direction.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one second guide element for the print sheet arranged between the at least one first guide element and the compressed air device, wherein the second guide element extends just to a region of the exit openings of the segments.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the folding position comprises one first and one second folding position successively arranged spaced apart in the second feeding direction; and further including at least first and second removal sections arranged downstream of the folding rollers, wherein the first removal section is configured to accommodate at least one print sheet in the first folding position and the second removal section is operative to accommodate at least one print sheet provided in the second folding position.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the folding position includes at least one first and one second folding position arranged successively in the guide plane in the second feeding direction, and overlapping each other; and further including a joint removal section arranged downstream of the folding rollers and operative to accommodate overlapping in the feeding direction at least one print sheet provided in the first folding position and at least one print sheet provided in the second folding position.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one first and at least one second end stop arranged in the guide plane, wherein the second end stop is arranged in the second feeding direction, upstream of the first end stop, and each end stop is at least one of liftable above the guide plane and lowerable below the guide plane.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the compressed air device has an orientation plane, extending parallel and at a distance to the guide plane, and is arranged to be at least one of displaced and pivoted in the orientation plane.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one control element of at least one of the segments of the compressed air device is activatable by the control unit so that at least one of a time interval during which the at least one exit opening of the segment is admitted with compressed air, a cross-sectional surface of the at least one exit opening, and a pressure of the compressed air supplied to the at least one exit opening, is changeable to adapt to properties of the print sheet.

9. An apparatus for folding of a print sheet, comprising:
at least one first guide element defining a guide plane in which the print sheet is made available;
at least two folding rollers, arranged on a first side of the guide plane and respectively provided with one rotational axis, wherein a folding gap is defined between the at least two folding rollers for the print sheet to be folded when in the folding position and the rotational axes are oriented parallel to each other and substantially parallel to the guide plane;
a compressed air source;
a control unit; and
a compressed air device arranged in a region of the folding gap on a second side of the guide plane opposite the first side of the guide plane and essentially parallel to the rotational axes of the folding rollers, wherein the compressed air device includes at least two segments respectively connected with the compressed air source and the control unit, each segment has at least one exit opening with a cross-sectional surface for the compressed air focused onto the folding gap, each segment has at least one control element coupled to the control unit, and each segment is configured to be separately activated with compressed air, wherein at least one segment of the compressed air device comprises:
at least two first exit openings with identical first cross-sectional surfaces and at least two second exit openings with identical second cross-sectional surfaces, wherein the first cross-sectional surfaces of the first exit openings differ in size from the second cross-sectional surfaces of the second exit openings;
at least one control element and at least one other control element for changing the time interval during which the exit openings are admitted with compressed air and for changing the cross-sectional surfaces of the exit openings, respectively, wherein the first exit openings are connected to the one control element and the second exit openings are connected to the other control element; and
at least one additional control element connected to the exit openings for changing the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the exit openings.

10. A method for folding print sheets using the apparatus of claim 1 , comprising:
making available a print sheet to the folding position;
admitting the print sheet in the region of the folding gap with a compressed air blast from the second side of the guide plane with the compressed air device and the control unit, wherein the admitting step includes triggering, with the control unit, at least one of the first, second and third control elements, so that the compressed air blast is modified by changing at least one of (a) the time interval during which the at least one exit opening of the at least one segment of the compressed air device is admitted with compressed air, (b) the cross-sectional surface of the exit opening, and (c) the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the exit opening, in dependence of properties of the available print sheet supplied to the folding position, wherein the pri

Assignees

• Mueller Martini Holding Ag

Inventors

• Braschoss Peter
• Duss Hanspeter
• Gysin Christoph
• Thurnherr Martin

Classifications

• B65H45/12 Primary

  Folding articles or webs with application of pressure to define or form crease lines (B65H20/28 takes precedence; pleating, kilting or goffering textile fabrics D06J) · CPC title

• B65H45/04

  Folding sheets · CPC title

• B31B50/52

  by reciprocating or oscillating members, e.g. fingers (by plungers moving through folding dies B31B50/44) · CPC title

• B65H45/18

  Oscillating or reciprocating blade folders (carried on rotary members B65H45/16) · CPC title

• B65H2406/12

  producing gas blast · CPC title