US 5,341,735 AGranted

Rotary printing machine system with synchronized multiple printing machine units or stations

AssigneeMAN Roland Druckmaschinen AG

InventorJosef Hajek

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Abstract

To facilitate expansion of modular printing units (1, 2, 3) and particularly vertical expansion into tower printing stations (1-4; 2-5; 3-6), each printing unit, with its own printing cylinder (20)and drive motor (8-13), has associated therewith a power take-off unit (14-19; 53-56) which, via a right-angle drive, synchronizes a horizontal synchronizing shaft (21) with individual vertical synchronizing shafts (22, 23, 24) of two-tier or two-level or tower printing stations. The power take-off units include continously engaged gears, including bevel gears (79, 80, 81) coupling together the synchronizing shafts and, additionally, coupling a clutch part (76, 78) of the power take-off unit, so that, upon engagement with a second clutch part (77, 75), the synchronizing shaft, individual drive motors (8-13) and the printing cylinder can be coupled together or, upon disengagement of the clutch parts, the motor can drive the individual printing cylinder, independently of synchronized continuous rotation of the horizontal and vertical synchronizing shafts (21, 22-24).

Claims13

Dependent claims

Rotary printing machine system with a plurality of synchronized printing machine units (1-6;

44-47),
at least one of said units (4, 5, 6) being located above another one of said units (1, 2, 3) to thereby define upper units (4, 5, 6) and lower units (1, 2, 3), and an upper and a lower unit together defining a tower printing station,
each of said units having a printing cylinder (20) carrying an image to be printed, and a printing cylinder shaft (59) coupled to the printing cylinder;
at least one horizontal synchronizing shaft (21, 38, 57) extending through the plurality of said lower machine units (1, 2, 3);
a vertical synchronizing shaft (22, 23, 24) coupling together the lower and upper printing units of a tower printing station (1, 4;
2, 5;
3, 6),
said synchronizing shafts (21, 38, 22, 23, 24) coupling the units together into a synchronized, coordinate printing machine system,
wherein, in accordance with the invention,
each printing machine unit has an individual drive motor (8-13) directly associated therewith, said motor having a motor shaft which is mechanically coupled to the printing cylinder shaft (59) of the printing cylinder (20) of the unit
in combination with
an individual power take-off unit (14-19;
53-56) directly associated with each printing machine unit,
said power take-off unit including
a right-angle drive transmission (14) having
means (81-80) for coupling the horizontal synchronizing shaft (21, 38) via a right-angle drive to the vertical synchronizing shaft (22, 23, 24) of the printing unit for synchronizing the lower and upper units of a tower station;
and
means (81-79;
72) for positively, selectively coupling or uncoupling the motor drive shaft of the individual drive motor (8-13) of the unit, and hence the printing cylinder shaft (59) of the printing cylinder, to or from said right-angle drive transmission and hence from both the horizontal synchronizing shaft (21, 38, 57) and the vertical shaft (22, 23, 24) of the printing machine unit, whereby the vertical synchronizing shaft (22, 23, 24) of said tower station (1, 4;
2, 5;
3, 6) will be in continuous synchronous driving engagement with the horizontal synchronizing shaft (21, 38) while permitting selective individual engagement or disengagement of the printing cylinder shaft (59) of any one printing cylinder (20) and the drive motor (8) coupled thereto of any one unit to or from the synchronized, coordinate printing machine system;
and
wherein the power take-off units of the printing machine units of the printing machine system are essentially similar.

20 more elements

In a rotary printing machine system having a plurality of synchronized printing machine units (1, 2, 3;

44-47), each of said units having a printing cylinder (20) carrying an image to be printed and a printing cylinder shaft (59) coupled to the printing cylinder;
an individual drive motor (8-13) associated with and coupled to a shaft (59) of an associated printing cylinder;
at least one horizontal synchronizing shaft (21, 38, 57) extending through the plurality of said printing machine units (1, 2, 3), said synchronizing shaft coupling the units together into a synchronized printing machine system,
wherein each printing machine unit has an individual power take-off unit (14, 15, 16) directly associated therewith, said power take-off unit including
vertical synchronizing shaft connection means (22a, 22a');
a right-angle drive transmission (14) having means (80, 81) for coupling the horizontal synchronizing shaft (21, 38) to the vertical synchronizing shaft connection means (22a) of the associated printing unit to permit synchronization of the respective lower printing unit with said vertical shaft connection means;
and
means (81-79;
72) for positively selectively coupling or uncoupling the individual drive motor of the respective unit, and hence the printing cylinder shaft (59) of the respective printing cylinder (20), to or from said right-angle drive transmission, and hence from both the horizontal synchronizing shaft (21, 38) as well as the vertical shaft connection means (22a, 22a') of the respective printing machine unit,
whereby the vertical shaft connection means (22a, 22a') will be in continuous synchronous driving engagement with the horizontal synchronizing shaft (21), while permitting selective individual engagement or disengagement of the printing cylinder shaft (59) of any one printing cylinder, and the drive motor (8-13) coupled thereto of any one unit to or from the synchronized coordinate printing machine system;
and wherein the power take-off units of the printing machine units of the printing machine system are essentially similar.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.