Transport cylinder, drying unit comprising this transport cylinder, and sheet-fed printing press comprising this drying unit

A drying unit for drying a radiation-curing printing fluid on a sheet-format substrate, the drying unit comprising:

• a chamber including a gaseous medium that is oxygen-reduced by an inert gas, the oxygen-reduced gaseous medium in the chamber having an oxygen content of no more than one percent;
• an electron beam generator including an electron beam that is directed at the substrate in the chamber being provided for drying the radiation-curing printing fluid;
• a transport cylinder, wherein the sheet-format substrate is guided, or at least guidable, through the chamber while being held at an outer surface of the transport cylinder;
• the transport cylinder at the outer surface, including at least one channel extending transversely to a transport direction of the sheet-format substrate;
• the transport cylinder including at least one gripper, supported on a shaft, and arranged in the at least one channel for holding the sheet-format substrate on the outer surface of the transport cylinder;
• the at least one gripper in an operating state in which the at least one gripper holds the sheet-format substrate on the outer surface of the transport cylinder, being arranged completely beneath a plane formed by the outer surface of the transport cylinder;
• the channel being covered by a cover at the outer surface of the transport cylinder;
• and
• the cover and/or the shaft supporting the at least one gripper comprising a cooling unit.

A sheet-fed printing press comprising:

• at least one printing unit for printing sheet-format substrates with a radiation-curing printing fluid;
• and
• a drying unit, which is arranged downstream from the printing unit in a transport direction of the sheet-format substrates, for drying the radiation-curing printing fluid on the sheet-format substrates, the drying unit comprising:
• a chamber including a gaseous medium that is oxygen-reduced by an inert gas, the oxygen-reduced gaseous medium in the chamber having an oxygen content of no more than one percent;
• an electron beam generator including an electron beam that is directed at a respective substrate in the chamber for drying the radiation-curing printing fluid;
• the respective substrate being guided, or at least being guidable, through the chamber while being held at an outer surface of a transport cylinder that is arranged in a stationary manner in a frame of the sheet-fed printing press;
• the transport cylinder, at the outer surface, including at least one channel extending transversely to the transport direction of the respective substrate;
• the transport cylinder further including at least one gripper, which is supported on a shaft, for holding the respective substrate on the outer surface of the transport cylinder, the at least one gripper being arranged in the at least one channel;
• the at least one gripper, in an operating state in which the at least one gripper holds the respective substrate on the outer surface of the transport cylinder, being arranged completely beneath a plane formed by the outer surface of the transport cylinder;
• the at least one channel being covered by a cover at the outer surface of the transport cylinder;
• and the cover and/or the shaft supporting the at least one gripper comprising a cooling unit.