Cylinder for conveying printed sheets along a UV or electron beam drier and method for conveying printed sheets

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9796530-B2
Application number	US-201414246307-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2014
Priority date	Apr 5, 2013
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

A cylinder for conveying printed sheets along a UV or electron beam drier has inert-gas openings to which an inert gas is supplied at least temporarily during operation. A method for conveying printed sheets is also provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cylinder for conveying printed sheets, the cylinder comprising:
a cylinder body configured to convey the sheets along a UV or electron beam drier, said cylinder body having inert-gas openings formed therein configured to discharge the inert gas at least temporarily during operation; and
a controller configured to supply inert gas to said inert-gas openings in accordance with a sheet-conveying cycle, said controller being a valve device including a pulsed valve and a selection valve.

2. The cylinder according to claim 1 , wherein said inert-gas openings include circumferential grooves or rows of holes extending in a circumferential direction of said cylinder body.

3. The cylinder according to claim 1 , wherein said cylinder body has suction openings formed therein.

4. The cylinder according to claim 3 , wherein said suction openings are circumferential grooves or rows of holes extending in circumferential direction of said cylinder body.

5. The cylinder according to claim 3 , which further comprises:
a switch configured to switch a subset of said suction openings from suction-air supply to inert-gas supply;
said inert-gas openings including suction openings having been switched to inert-gas supply.

6. The cylinder according to claim 1 , wherein said inert-gas openings include a row of inert-gas nozzles being parallel to an axis of the cylinder.

7. The cylinder according to claim 6 , which further comprises:
a cylinder gap extending parallel to said cylinder axis;
said inert-gas nozzles being disposed in said cylinder gap.

8. The cylinder according to claim 6 , which further comprises:
a cylinder gap; and
a circumferential cover covering said cylinder gap;
said inert-gas nozzles being disposed in said circumferential cover.

9. The cylinder according to claim 6 , which further comprises sheet grippers, said inert-gas nozzles being located between said sheet grippers.

10. A method for conveying printed sheets, the method comprising the following steps:
drying the printed sheets in a drying operation using a UV or electron beam drier;
conveying the printed sheets over a cylinder along the UV or electron beam drier;
discharging inert gas at least temporarily during the drying operation through inert-gas openings formed in the cylinder;
supplying inert gas to the inert-gas openings in accordance with a sheet-conveying cycle by using a controller; and
providing the controller as a valve device including a pulsed valve and a selection valve.

11. The method according to claim 10 , which further comprises providing at least some of the inert-gas openings as circumferential grooves or rows of holes extending in circumferential direction of the cylinder.

12. The method according to claim 10 , which further comprises forming suction openings in the cylinder body.

13. The method according to claim 12 , which further comprises providing the suction openings as circumferential grooves or rows of holes extending in a circumferential direction of the cylinder body.

14. The method according to claim 12 , which further comprises:
switching a subset of the suction openings from suction-air supply to inert-gas supply using a switch;
the inert-gas openings including suction openings having been switched to inert-gas supply.

15. The method according to claim 10 , which further comprises providing at least some of the inert-gas openings as a row of inert-gas nozzles being parallel to an axis of the cylinder.

16. The method according to claim 15 , which further comprises:
forming a cylinder gap extending parallel to the cylinder axis; and
locating the inert-gas nozzles in the cylinder gap.

17. The method according to claim 15 , which further comprises:
forming a cylinder gap;
covering the cylinder gap with a circumferential cover; and
locating the inert-gas nozzles in the circumferential cover.

18. The method according to claim 15 , which further comprises providing sheet grippers, and locating the inert-gas nozzles between the sheet grippers.

Assignees

• Heidelberger Druckmasch Ag

Inventors

• Maul Albert
• Friedrichs Jens

Classifications

• B41F23/0453 Primary

  by ultraviolet dryers · CPC title

• B65G13/02 Primary

  having driven rollers · CPC title