Printing machine

{
  "publication_number": "US9403367B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Printing machine",
  "abstract": "A printing machine has a printing unit which has a printing-material conducting element that can be rotated about an axis of rotation defining an axial direction and at least four printing heads. Four positioning devices are arranged, by the use of each of which, at least one printing head can be arranged at least either in a respective printing position associated with the printing head or in a respective idle position associated with a printing head. At least one first printing head of the printing heads can be arranged either in a first printing position associated with that first printing head or in a first idle position associated with that first printing head. At least one second printing head of the printing heads can be arranged at least either in a second printing position associated with that second printing head or in a second idle position associated with that second printing head. Each respective idle position is configured as a respective maintenance position, in which a maintenance device configured as a cleaning device is or can be associated with at least one nozzle of the respective printing head. The maintenance device is arranged in such a way that the maintenance device can be moved along a provision path at least partially orthogonally to the axial direction.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A printing press (01), wherein the printing press (01) is embodied as a web-fed printing press (01) and has at least one printing unit (200; 400), and wherein the at least one printing unit (200; 400) has at least one printing material guiding element (201; 401), which is capable of rotating around a rotational axis (207; 407) that defines an axial direction (A), and has at least four print heads (212; 412), and wherein in the printing unit (200; 400), at least four positioning devices (217; 218; 219; 221) are provided, by means of each of which at least one print head (212; 412) can selectively be placed at least either in a respective printing position assigned to said print head or in a respective idle position assigned to said print head, and wherein at least one first print head (212; 412) of the at least four print heads (212; 412) can selectively be placed at least either in a first printing position assigned to said print head or in a first idle position assigned to said print head, and wherein at least a second print head (212; 412) of the at least four print heads (212; 412) can selectively be placed at least either in a second printing position assigned to said print head or in a second idle position assigned to said print head, and wherein the respective idle position is embodied as a respective maintenance position, in which at least one maintenance device (222) embodied as a cleaning device (222) is and/or can be assigned to at least one nozzle of the respective print head (212; 412), and wherein the at least one maintenance device (222) is arranged as movable along a staging path at least partially orthogonally to the axial direction (A), characterized in that the respective staging path extends linearly and in a direction that deviates a maximum of 30° from a horizontal direction, and in that, when the first print head (212; 412) is arranged in its idle position, an idle location of the at least one first nozzle of the at least one first print head (212; 412) is spaced by a first idle distance from an operating location of the same at least one first nozzle of the same at least one first print head (212; 412) in its first printing position, and in that when the second print head (212; 412) is arranged in its idle position, an idle location of the at least one second nozzle of the at least one second print head (212; 412) is spaced by a second idle distance from an operating location of the same nozzle of the same at least one second nozzle of the same at least one second print head (212; 412) in its second printing position, and in that the first idle distance differs from the second idle distance by at least 2 cm.",
    "2. The printing press according to claim 1, characterized in that a minimum distance between at least one first nozzle of the at least one first print head (212; 412) in its first idle position and at least one second nozzle of the at least one second print head (212; 412) in its second idle position is at least 2 cm greater than a minimum distance between at least the at least one first nozzle of the at least one first print head (212; 412) in its first printing position and the at least one second nozzle of the at least one second print head (212; 412) in its second printing position.",
    "3. The printing press according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one maintenance device (222) is arranged as movable along at least one staging path between at least one parked position and at least one operating position by means of at least one transport device (223).",
    "4. The printing press according to claim 1, characterized in that when any print head (212; 412) is arranged in its printing position, at least one nozzle of said respective print head (212; 412) is located below the staging path of the respective at least one maintenance device (222), and in that when any print head (212; 412) is arranged in its idle position, said respective at least one nozzle is located above said respective staging path.",
    "5. The printing press according to claim 1, characterized in that the respective staging path extends linearly and in a direction that deviates a maximum of 20° from a horizontal direction.",
    "6. The printing press according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one maintenance device (222) is additionally embodied as at least one protective cover (222).",
    "7. The printing press according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one cleaning device (222) has at least one cleaning module (150) that can be moved in and/or counter to the axial direction (A) relative to the at least one print head (212; 412).",
    "8. The printing press according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one rotatable printing material guiding element (201; 401) is arranged in the at least one printing unit (200; 400), and in that an ejecting direction of at least one nozzle of the at least one print head (212; 412), at least in a printing position, is aligned toward a circumferential surface of the at least one printing material guiding element (201; 401).",
    "9. The printing press according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one threading means which can be moved along at least one threading path for threading in a printing material web (02) is and/or can be arranged at least intermittently at least within one printing unit (200; 400), and in that the at least one print head (212; 412) is embodied as movable along an actuating path in an actuating direction, and in that the actuating direction has at least one component that is oriented orthogonally to an axial direction (A) defined by the rotational axis (207; 407) of the at least one printing material guiding element (201; 401), and in that at least portions of the at least one threading path are spaced a distance of at least 2 cm with respect to the axial direction (A) from every target region of every nozzle of every print head (212; 412) of said printing unit (200; 400).",
    "10. The printing press according to claim 1, characterized in that a location of at least one reference nozzle of a respective print head (212; 412) in its printing position and a location of said at least one reference nozzle of the respective print head (212; 412) in its maintenance position, with respect to the axial direction (A), differ by a maximum of 50% of the width, measured in the axial direction (A), of the operating region of a nozzle bar (213; 413) that contains the respective print head (212; 412) and/or by a maximum of 50% of the working width of the printing press (01), defined by the maximum printing material width that can be processed in the printing press (01).",
    "11. The printing press according to claim 10, characterized in that a location of at least one first nozzle of the at least one first print head (212; 412) when said first print head (212; 412) is arranged in the at least one printing position and a location of said at least one first nozzle when said first print head (212; 412) is arranged in the at least one maintenance position, with respect to the axial direction (A), differ by a maximum of 50% of the width, measured in the axial direction (A), of the operating region of the nozzle bar (213; 413) that contains the at least one first print head (212; 412) and/or by a maximum of 50% of the working width of the printing press (01), defined by the maximum printing material width that can be processed in the printing press (01).",
    "12. The printing press according to claim 10, characterized in that each nozzle bar (213; 413) can be moved along its actuating path and/or can be arranged in its printing position and/or in its idle position individually and independently of other nozzle bars (213; 413) by means of the positioning device (217; 218; 219; 221) assigned to it.",
    "13. The printing press according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the at least two print heads (212; 412) is arranged as movable along a respective linear actuating path by means of a respective positioning device (217; 218; 219; 221) assigned to said print head (212; 412).",
    "14. The printing press according to claim 13, characterized in that the actuating directions of the linear actuating paths are each aligned radially in relation to the rotational axis (207; 407) of the at least one rotatable printing material guiding element (201; 401).",
    "15. The printing press according to claim 13, characterized in that the linear actuating paths point in respective actuating directions that differ in pairs by at least 10° and at most 150°.",
    "16. The printing press according to claim 15, characterized in that the actuating directions of the linear actuating paths are each aligned orthogonally to the rotational axis (207; 407) of the at least one rotatable printing material guiding element (201; 401)."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention is directed to a printing press which has at least one printing unit. The at least one printing unit has at least one printing material guiding element which is capable of rotating about a rotational axis that defines an axial direction (A) and at least four print heads. At least four positioning devices are provided in the printing unit with each one of the positioning devices being usable to selectively place at least one of the printing heads at least either in a respective printing position assigned to that print head or in a respective idle position assigned to that print head. At least one first print head of the at least four print heads can selectively be placed at least either in a first printing position assigned to that print head or in a first idle position assigned to that first print head. At least a second print head of the at least four print heads can selectively be placed at least either in a second printing position assigned to that print head or in a second idle position assigned to that second print head.\n\nA variety of different printing processes for use in printing presses are known. One such printing process is inkjet printing or ink-jet printing. In this process, individual droplets of printing ink are ejected through nozzles of print heads and are transferred to a printing material so as to produce a printed image on the printing material. By actuating a plurality of nozzles individually, different printed images can be produced. Since no fixed printing forme is involved, each printed product can be produced individually.",
  "cpc": [
    "B41J 2/16517",
    "B41J 2/16588",
    "B41J 2/2114",
    "B41J 25/304"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B41J 2/165",
    "B41F 13/54",
    "B41F 35/00",
    "B41J 2/01"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Koenig and Bauer AG"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Wolfgang Reder",
    "Frank Huppmann",
    "Stefan Wander",
    "Christoph Häcker"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2014-05-12",
  "publication_date": "2016-08-02",
  "grant_date": "2016-08-02",
  "priority_date": "2013-05-13",
  "application_number": "US-201414787883-A",
  "family_id": "50721780",
  "cited_by_count": 7,
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}