Method for changing printing forms and printing machines having a printing tower and a vertically movable storage device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9701107-B2
Application number	US-201414912956-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 storage is associated with the printing tower. The storage can be moved between a removal position located in the region of the first machine plane and a loading position which is vertically spaced apart therefrom by a conveyor system. The loading position is associated with the second printing unit of the printing tower with a view to feeding printing forms. During the changeover of the printing forms, received printing forms are transported by the vertically movable storage.

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 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 for printing formes to be newly applied to second ones of the plurality of printing couples in the vertically spaced advanced position;
a first conveying system for the printing formes to be newly applied and usable to move the at least one vertically printable forme storage device along a first conveying path from a printing forme loading position located in a region of the first machine plane, to the vertically spaced advanced position assigned to the second ones of the plurality of printing couples, which lies outside of an access zone to the first machine plane, and which first conveying system is assigned to at least one of the second ones of the plurality of printing couples for the infeed of printing formes;
a vertically movable storage unit, different from the at least one vertically movable printing forme storage device;
a second conveying system for the storage unit, which is different from the first conveying system for the printing formes to be newly added, which second conveying system is usable to move the storage unit along a second conveying path, different from the first conveying path, for removed printing formes, between an unloading position located in the first machine plane and a loading position, spaced vertically from the unloading position, and assigned to at least one of the second ones of the plurality of printing couples and lying outside of an access zone of the first machine plane; and
wherein the first conveying system for the printing formes to be newly applied, and the second conveying system for the removed printing formes are arranged one in front of the other, at least in a height of the first machine plane, as viewed in a horizontal direction extending perpendicular to longitudinal axes of the plurality of printing couples in the printing tower.

2. The printing machine according to claim 1 wherein the second conveying system for removed printing formes has, over at least a part of the second conveying path, a guide for a guided translational movement of the vertically movable storage unit, one of a spatially fixed part and a part fixed to a frame of the guide being formed by one of an integral and a multipart guide structure.

3. The printing machine according to claim 2 wherein the guide structure comprises a first guide section and a second guide section, which second guide section lies closer to the loading position than to the unloading position in the second conveying path, wherein a guide path of the first and the adjoining second guide section, and an arrangement of at least one stop element on the storage unit are provided for the guidance of the storage element and are configured to move, during a vertical conveyance of the storage unit from the first guide section to the second guide section, and wherein one of at least one loading opening of the storage unit and at least one end, close to the loading opening of the storage unit, of a wall of the storage unit that faces a printing tower, moves, from a state occupied in a transport state, by one of shifting to a vertical alignment which is closer to the at least second ones of the plurality of printing couples and by shifting to one of a capturing and a loading state which is closer to the at least one of the plurality of second printing couples.

4. The printing machine according to claim 1 wherein the first conveying system for new printing formes and the second conveying system for removed printing formes are configured and arranged such that the new printing formes to be conveyed, at least in one of an advanced position of the printing forme storage device and over an entire conveying distance, and the removed printing formes to be conveyed, at least in one of a receiving position of the storage unit and over an entire conveying path of the storage unit, are located within a printing couple alignment which is formed by a space between two planes that intersect perpendicularly with end faces of forme cylinder axes of forme cylinders of the printing tower.

5. The printing machine according to claim 1 wherein one of the first and second conveying systems extends, in the region of the first machine plane, one of on a side of an operating space which is close to the printing tower and on a first frame of the printing tower and a printing unit which is part of the printing tower, and the other of the first and second conveying systems extends on an opposite side of one of this operating space and on a second frame, which is different from the first frame, of the printing tower and from a printing unit of the printing tower.

6. The printing machine according to claim 1 wherein one of the first conveying system and the storage device of printing formes to be newly applied is arranged and configured such that storage spaces for the printing formes to be transported one of on and in the storage device, both in the vertically spaced advanced position and over at least a part of one of the first conveying path and in the loading path, one of lie within a printing couple alignment defined by a usable length of forme cylinders of the second ones of the plurality of printing couples and wherein that one of the second conveying system and the storage unit is arranged and configured such that a storage space for the printing formes to be transported one of on and in the storage unit both in the loading position and over at least a part of the second conveying path and the unloading position, lie within the printing couple alignment defined by the usable length of forme cylinders of the second ones of the plurality of printing couples.

7. The printing machine according to claim 1 wherein one of the first conveying system and the storage device for printing formes to be newly applied is arranged and configured such that the storage device, over at least a portion of the first conveying path, occupies a transport state which differs, in terms of a tilt in relation to vertical of a longitudinal extension of the printing formes and in terms of a tilt in relation to vertical of an extension of the vertical movable storage device in a longitudinal direction of the printing formes to be transported from a relevant tilt, in a working state, of the storage device in which the storage device is located in an advanced position assigned to the second ones of the plurality of printing couples.

8. The printing machine according to claim 1 wherein a transfer unit, which is assigned to the printing tower, is provided, by the use of which transfer unit, the printing formes to be applied can be transported from the vertically spaced advanced position to a forme cylinder of the second ones of the plurality of printing couples and the removed printing formes can be transported from a forme cylinder of the second ones of the plurality of printing couples to one of to a holding means and to the storage unit.

9. The printing machine according to claim 1 wherein the second conveying system comprises a supplemental holding means which is situated upstream of the storage unit in the second conveying path of the used printing formes, and on to wh

Assignees

• Koenig & Bauer Ag

Inventors

• Schäfer Karl

Classifications

• B41F27/00

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

• B41F27/06 Primary

  for attaching printing elements to forme cylinders · CPC title

• B41P2227/62

  Devices for introducing printing plates · CPC title

• B41F27/1206

  Feeding to or removing from the forme cylinder · CPC title

• B41P2227/63

  Devices for removing printing plates · CPC title