Method and apparatus for controlling the automated changing of printing plates in printing machines

US5479859A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• MAN Roland Druckmaschinen AG · DE

Inventors

• Bernd Lindner · Frankfurt, DE
• Nikola Pupic · Heusenstamm, DE
• Helmut Schild · Rheinböllen, DE
• Berthold Seib · Rodgau, DE
• Thomas Möller · Herford, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 14, 1994
• Grant date: Jan 2, 1996
• Expiry date: Nov 14, 2014

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S101/36
• WIPO field: Textile and paper machines
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for controlling an automated printing plate change process in a sheet-fed offset printing machine, in which a used printing plate is removed from the gripping portion of a clamping rail allocated to the leading edge of the plate cylinder and thereupon a new printing plate is guided into the opened gripping portion. Position sensors are used to determine, first, whether the front end of the used printing plate, and subsequently, whether the front end of the new printing plate, is in register in the leading edge clamping rail. Such information is used to control the plate change process. During the plate change process, the sensors are interrogated to determine whether the used plate has been removed from the plate cylinder, and whether the new printing plate is properly loaded.