An ink feed system for providing and feeding printing ink (21) to an inking unit (07) of an intaglio printing unit (06), the inking unit (07) comprising an inking device (16), which is provided in the inking unit (07), and comprising a provision device (26), by which printing ink (21) can be fed to the inking device (16) via at least one line (34);
- the provision device (26) comprising a storage receptacle (38) in which an ink reservoir (25) of printing ink (21) can be kept available and which has an outlet (46), through which the printing ink (21) can be transferred from the storage receptacle (38) into a line path leading to the inking device (16);
- the provision device (26) further comprising at least one delivery device (37), which supports and/or effectuates delivery of the printing ink (21) from the storage receptacle (38), characterized in that a metering device (27) is provided in the line path, the metering device (27) arranged downstream from the at least one delivery device (37) and the outlet (46), the metering device (27) driven by a drive motor (28) and, on an output side, can provide a mass flow or volume flow that correlates with a working speed of the metering device (27) via a defined relationship, that the drive motor (28) that drives the metering device (27) is in a signal connection with a control device (36) comprising control means that controls, by open-loop or closed-loop control, the working speed of the metering device (27) via the drive motor 28, that the control device and/or the control means controlling by open-loop or closed-loop control the working speed of the metering device (27) are connected, in terms of signaling, to a source supplying information about a current machine speed, and that a functional or tabular relationship between a target value (nS) of a control variable (n), determining the working speed of the metering device (27), and a variable representing a machine speed (ω) is stored by the control means, and which, when used by the control means, allows the target value (nS) to be varied, as a function of a variable that can be supplied or is supplied to the control means on an input side and that represents the machine speed (ω),
- the ink feed system further comprising a sensor system having a signal connection to the control means, and including at least one sensor (15), which is arranged in an ink supply of the inking unit (07), so as to provide signals representing information about a fill level (L), and that the sensor system and the control means are configured to maintain the fill level (L) in an ink supply chamber comprised by the inking device (16) in a permitted range between an upper and a lower limit, or threshold value (L1;
- Lmax;
- L2;
- L0), or at a desired target fill level (LS), by varying the working speed of the metering device (27) via the drive motor 28, and using signals provided by the sensor system.