Device and method for transporting substrates in a printing machine
AssigneeMgi France
InventorEdmond Abergel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a novel device and a novel method for transporting printable substrates in a precise manner, suitable for various types, sizes and thicknesses of substrate. The invention is also suitable for printing machines that do not come into contact with the substrate, such as ink-jet printing machines.
Claims32
A system for transporting substrates (3) in a printing machine, along a transport path oriented according to a longitudinal axis from at least one entry store (30) supplying the printable substrates, to at least one exit store (31) receiving the substrates, characterized in that it comprises:
- mobile gripping means (2) each comprising an opening/closing system (22) ensuring the release or gripping of substrate (3), said gripping means (2) comprising front and rear gripping means, gripping each, either a substrate, respectively front and rear, or a part located at the front and at the rear of the same substrate, along the transport path,
- guide means (1), for guiding the gripping means (2) along the transport path,
- at least one motorisation means ensuring displacement of the gripping means (2) along the guide means (1), with independent displacement between at least the front gripping means (2) and the rear gripping means (2),
- the substrate transport system (3) being adapted to grip each substrate so as to tense and/or move substrates (3) of variable sizes along the transport path, the guide means (1), the gripping means (2) and their associated opening/closing system (22) being controlled by computer facilities.
The system for transporting substrates (3) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it comprises detection means of the speed and/or of the position of the gripping means (2) on the transport path, these detection means being controlled by the computer facilities.
The system for transporting substrates (3) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one motorisation means comprises motor means equipping the gripping means (2).
The system for transporting substrates (3) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that each gripping means (2) comprises at least one motor means ensuring its displacement along the guide means (1).
The system for transporting substrates (3) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said at least two guide means (1) comprise at least one guide means on which the front gripping means (2) move and at least one guide means on which the rear gripping means (2) move.
The system for transporting substrates (3) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises pairs of gripping means (2), each comprising two gripping means (2) located on the same side, front or rear, of the same substrate, displacement of a pair of gripping means (2) being ensured by the same motorisation means along at least one guide means (1).
The system for transporting substrates (3) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the gripping means (2) controlled by the computer facilities grip each substrate (3) at least in an area near the four corners of the substrate (3).
The system for transporting substrates (3) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the gripping means (2) comprise transversal tension means of the substrate (3), said transversal tension means being controlled by the computer facilities.
The system for transporting substrates (3) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises detection means of the speed and/or of the position of the substrates (3) connected to the computer facilities.
The system for transporting substrates (3) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide means (1) comprise guides arranged on either side of the longitudinal axis of the transport path of the substrates (3).
The system for transporting substrates (3) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the guides (1) are arranged in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the substrates (3).
The system for transporting substrates (3) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said at least one linear motor is installed on at least one rail parallel to the guide means (1).
The system for transporting substrates (3) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each gripping means (2) is adapted to grip a lateral edge of the substrate (3).
The method for tensioning and transport of substrates (3) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the substrate transport system (3) comprises inserted gripping means located between the front and rear gripping means, and in that the method comprises repetition, for each of these inserted gripping means, of steps (d, d″, e, g and g′) relating to the rear gripping means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.