Method for conveying printing forms during the changeover of printing forms and printing machine having a printing tower and a vertically movable storage device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9701105-B2
Application number	US-201414912936-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2014
Priority date	Aug 22, 2013
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

A printing machine has a printing tower with a plurality of printing units arranged one above the other and a printing form changeover system having at least one vertically movable storage device for printing forms. A first machine plane, which is associated with one or a plurality of first printing units, is provided. A conveying system, which can move the vertically movable storage device from a loading position located in the region of the first machine plane to an advanced position which is vertically spaced apart, is provided. In addition to the vertically movable storage device, an additional storage device which is associated with the first printing unit of the printing tower is provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing machine comprising:
a printing tower;
a plurality of printing couples arranged vertically one above the other in the printing tower, first ones of the plurality of printing couples defining a first machine plane, second ones of the plurality of printing couples being spaced vertically in the printing tower above the first ones of the plurality of printing couples and defining a vertically spaced advanced position;
a printing forme changing system including at least one vertically movable printing forme storage device and adapted for the infeed of printing formes;
an additional printing forme storage device for the first ones of the plurality of printing couples and adapted for the infeed of printing formes;
a conveying system to move the at least one vertically movable printing forme storage device along a conveying path from a printing forme loading position in the area of the first machine plane to the vertically spaced advanced position assigned to the second ones of the plurality of printing couples;
wherein the at least one vertically movable printing forme storage device and the additional printing forme storage device are arranged and configured such that the at least one vertically movable printing forme storage system, in its printing forme loading position, and the additional printing forme storage device, in its printing forme loading position are offset from one another, and can each be reached, for one of loading with printing formes and receipt of a carrier element which is preloaded with printing formes, from the first machine plane, the conveying system, the at least one vertically movable printing forme storage device and the additional printing forme storage device being arranged, in their printing forme loading positions, on a side of the printing tower, as viewed in a horizontal direction, of an operating space accessible to a printing machine operator; and
wherein, when the at least one vertically movable printing forme storage device is in its vertically spaced advanced position at an end of its conveying path, the printing formes placed in the at least one vertically movable printing forme storage device are in proper lateral register and position for their printing locations on a forme cylinder in one of the second ones of the plurality of printing couples, with respect to an axial direction of the forme cylinder to be loaded with the conveyed printing formes.

2. The printing machine according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the conveying system and the vertically movable printing forme storage device is arranged and configured such that the vertically movable printing forme storage device is in a transport state over at least a part of its conveying path, which transport state differs in terms of one of a tilt, in relation to vertical, of a longitudinal extension of the print formes in the vertically movable printing forme storage device from a tilt in a working stage of the vertically movable printing forme storage device, which the vertically movable printing forme storage device occupies in the advanced position assigned to one of the second printing couple and couples.

3. The printing machine according to claim 1 , wherein both the vertically movable printing forme storage device located in its loading position and the additional printing forme storage device assigned to the first machine plane on the same side of the printing tower can be reached from a common operating space of the first machine plane and can be loaded with ones of printing formes and with a carrier element that is preloaded with printing formes, and wherein the conveying system, the vertically movable printing forme storage device and the additional printing forme storage device are arranged and configured such that storage spaces for the printing formes to be transported one of on and in the vertically movable printing forme storage device lie within a printing couple alignment defined by the usable length of forme cylinders of the second ones of the plurality of printing couples at the respective loading position, and further wherein the conveying system and the two printing forme storage devices are arranged on an external side of the printing tower that faces the operating space.

4. The printing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the advanced position of the vertically movable printing forme storage device lies one of outside of an access area of the first machine plane and within the access area of a second machine plane which is different from the first machine plane, wherein ones of the first ones of the plurality of printing couples and the second ones of the plurality of printing couples are arranged on the same side of a web to be one of guided through the printing tower and passing through the printing tower.

5. The printing machine according to claim 1 , wherein each printing forme storage device extends, as viewed in the axial direction of the forme cylinder to be loaded with the conveyed printing formes, over at least a nominal width of the forme cylinder.

6. The printing machine according to claim 1 , wherein each storage device is one of arranged and mounted, in its advanced position, in the printing machine such that in its working state it is located in an access area of a transfer unit, by which transfer unit at least one of a printing forme and a plurality of printing formes can be received simultaneously by the vertically movable printing forme storage device and can be moved to one of a position close to the forme cylinder that will be loaded with the one or more printing formes and to a position in which the at least one of the printing forme and the printing formes can contact one end of the forme cylinder to be loaded with the conveyed printing formes.

7. The printing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the conveying system has a drive which translationally conveys one of the at least one vertically movable printing forme storage device and a carriage part which is connected to the at least one vertically movable printing forme storage device along a conveying distance between the loading position and the advanced position and has a guide for translational movement, a spatially fixed part of which is formed by a guide structure.

8. The printing machine according to claim 7 , wherein the guide structure includes a rectilinear guide path over one of an entire conveying distance between loading the position and advanced position and at least over at least one linear guide section.

9. The printing machine according to claim 8 , wherein the guide structure includes an adjoining second guide section which advances the at least one linear guide section in a direction of the advanced position and which has a guide path which is curved over at least a portion thereof, and wherein the guide path of the first and the adjoining second guide section and an arrangement of at least one stop element provided on one of the storage device and the carriage part, for guidance, are arranged relative to one another and are configured to cause a tilting of the at least one vertically movable printing forme storage device from its transport state to one of its working state and to an intermediate state which is different therefrom during conveyance of the at least one vertically movable printing forme storage device from the at least one linear guide section to an end position of the second guide section.

10. The printing machine according to claim 8 , wherein the at least one vertically movable printing forme storage device is embodied as part of a transport and storage unit which can be moved translationally along a path defined by the guide structure, and is mounted on the transport and

Assignees

• Koenig & Bauer Ag

Inventors

• Schäfer Karl

Classifications

• B41F27/1206 Primary

  Feeding to or removing from the forme cylinder · CPC title

• B41F27/06

  for attaching printing elements to forme cylinders · CPC title

• B41F7/12 Primary

  using two cylinders one of which serves two functions, e.g. as a transfer and impression cylinder in perfecting machines · CPC title

• B41F27/00 Primary

  Devices for attaching printing elements or formes to supports (attaching by chemical means B41N6/00) · CPC title

• B41P2227/63

  Devices for removing printing plates · CPC title