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US-20260124779-A1 - MOUNTING DEVICE FOR MOUNTING A SUPPORTING BOARD IN A FLATBED DIE CUTTING MACHINE, SUPPORTING BOARD AND A FLATBED DIE CUTTING MACHINE

US20260124779A1US 20260124779 A1US20260124779 A1US 20260124779A1US-20260124779-A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a mounting device ( 10 ) for mounting a supporting board ( 12 ) in a flatbed die cutting machine ( 2 ), having a support, first and second adjustment units ( 30 ), and an adjustable abutment unit ( 32 ), the adjustment units ( 30 ) and the abutment unit ( 32 ) being arranged spaced from each other at the support ( 11 ) for receiving the supporting board ( 12 ) in a position which is adjustable with respect to the support ( 11 ), the mounting device ( 10 ) having actuators ( 46, 56 ) associated with the adjustment units ( 30 ) and the abutment unit ( 32 ). The invention further relates to a supporting board ( 12 ) for a flatbed die cutting machine ( 2 ), having first and second engagement structures ( 14 ) adapted for cooperating with first and second adjustment units ( 30 ) of a mounting device ( 10 ) as defined in any of the preceding claims, and an abutment structure ( 20 ) spaced from the first and second engagement structures ( 14 ), the engagement structures ( 14 ) being adapted for positioning the supporting board ( 12 ) in a first direction while the abutment structure ( 20 ) is adapted for positioning the supporting board ( 12 ) in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction. The invention finally relates to a flatbed die cutting machine ( 2 ), having a mounting device ( 10 ) as defined above and a supporting board ( 12 ) as defined above.

Inventors

  • Paul HORNICK
  • David GENTIL

Assignees

  • BOBST MEX SA

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20231020
Priority Date
20221031

Claims (15)

  1. 1 . A mounting device for mounting a supporting board in a flatbed die cutting machine, having a support configured to carry the supporting board, first and second adjustment units, and an adjustable abutment unit, the adjustment units and the abutment unit being arranged spaced from each other at the support for receiving the supporting board in a position which is adjustable with respect to the support, the mounting device having actuators associated with the adjustment units and the abutment unit.
  2. 2 . The mounting device of claim 1 , wherein a locking unit is provided which is associated with the abutment unit.
  3. 3 . The mounting device of claim 2 , wherein the locking unit has a locking lever which is rotationally displaceable between a mounting position and a locking position.
  4. 4 . The mounting device of claim 2 , wherein the locking unit has a pneumatic actuator.
  5. 5 . The mounting device of claim 1 , wherein the actuators are electric motors.
  6. 6 . The mounting device of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment units each have a drive element which is translationally displaceable with respect to the support.
  7. 7 . The mounting device of claim 6 , wherein the drive element is a screw on which a drive nut is arranged which is driven by one of the actuators.
  8. 8 . The mounting device of claim 1 , wherein the abutment unit comprises a wedge which is translationally displaceable.
  9. 9 . The mounting device of claim 8 , wherein the wedge is arranged on a screw which is driven by one of the actuators.
  10. 10 . A supporting board for a flatbed die cutting machine, having first and second engagement structures adapted for cooperating with first and second adjustment units of the mounting device of claim 1 , and an abutment structure spaced from the first and second engagement structures, the engagement structures being adapted for positioning the supporting board in a first direction while the abutment structure is adapted for positioning the supporting board in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction.
  11. 11 . The supporting board of claim 10 , wherein the engagement structures have a fork-like shape, with both engagement structures being open at the same side of the supporting board.
  12. 12 . The supporting board of claim 10 , wherein the abutment structure has a curved surface, the center of curvature being on the side of the supporting board which is opposite the side towards which the engagement structures are open.
  13. 13 . The supporting board of claim 10 , wherein the supporting board has a rectangular shape, with the engagement structures being at opposite sides of the board, and with the abutment structure being on one of said sides of the board.
  14. 14 . A flatbed die cutting machine, having the mounting device of claim 1 , and a supporting board clamped to the mounting device, wherein the supporting board includes first and second engagement structures adapted for cooperating with the first and second adjustment units of the mounting device, and an abutment structure spaced from the first and second engagement structures, the engagement structures being adapted for positioning the supporting board in a first direction while the abutment structure is adapted for positioning the supporting board in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction.
  15. 15 . The flatbed die cutting machine of claim 14 , wherein the supporting board carries a thin plate comprising at least one slot, the machine comprising and wherein a position sensing system is provided for sensing the position of the thin plate with respect to a counter tool.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) This application is a National Stage Application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/EP2023/079348, filed Oct. 20, 2023, which claims priority to European Application No. 22204630.2, filed on Oct. 31, 2022, the entireties of which are incorporated herein by reference. The present invention refers to a mounting device for mounting a supporting board in a flatbed die cutting machine, a supporting board and a flatbed die cutting machine. A die cutting machine processes sheets of cardboard. This will be briefly explained with respect to FIG. 1. The cardboard enters in an introduction station 1, is gripped and transported through the die cutting machine 2 (often also referred to as “platen press”), a waste ejection station 3, and a blanking station 4. At the die cutting machine 2, blanks are cut from the sheet material and are possibly provided with folding creases. At the waste ejection station 3, waste material is separated from the sheet material. At the blanking station 4, the blanks are separated from the cardboard sheet. At the ejection station 5, the remainder of the sheet material is ejected. The sheet material is transported throughout the stations with a chain drive 6 which has a plurality of gripper bars 7 The die cutting machine 2 press serves two purposes: to cut the blank in the sheet and to create creasing lines (or even embossing some shapes). A creasing line is a compression of the cardboard where the cardboard will be folded to create a box. To create a creasing line, the die cutting machine has a fixed upper tool 8 which carries some knives/rules on a tooling board to cut or crease the cardboard. The die cutting machine has also a lower tool that moves up and down, with the lower tool having a mounting device 10 which carries a supporting board 12 and a thin plate 13 with some slots that are aligned with the creasing rules of the upper plate. The thin plate is fixed to the supporting board either by screws or by a quick lock mechanism. Once mounted on the supporting board, the thin plate 13 position is fixed on the supporting board. The tooling board of the upper tool 8 and the thin plate of the lower tool must be changed for every production job. To change the thin plate, the supporting board and thin plate assembly is extracted from the machine, the thin plate is removed and replaced by a new one, and the supporting board and thin plate assembly is put back in the machine. In the prior art, the position of the supporting board 12 with respect to the tooling board is adjusted by using adjustment screws which are provided for a manual adjustment of the position of the supporting board 12 with respect to the mounting device 10. The object of the invention is to make the adjustment of the supporting board easier. To solve this object, the invention provides a mounting device for mounting a supporting board in a flatbed die cutting machine, having a support, first and second adjustment units, and an adjustable abutment unit, the adjustment units and the abutment unit being arranged spaced from each other at the support for receiving the supporting board in a position which is adjustable with respect to the support, the mounting device having actuators associated with the adjustment units and the abutment unit. The combination of the two adjustment units and the abutment unit allows adjusting the position of the supporting board both in a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction when defining the direction of travel of the sheets as the longitudinal direction. Further, a rotational adjustment is possible. Using electric motors as the actuators allows making the adjustment in a convenient manner, requiring only electric cable for providing the necessary energy to the actuators. In one embodiment, the adjustment units each have a drive element which is translationally displaceable with respect to the support. The drive element is a mechanically simple element for defining the position of the supporting board with respect to the mounting device. The drive element can be a screw on which a drive nut is arranged which his driven by one of the actuators. This type of linear drive allows transforming the motion provided by the actuator into the translational movement in a very convenient manner. In one embodiment, the abutment unit comprises a wedge which is translationally displaceable. A wedge is a mechanically simple element which allows adjusting the position of the supporting board in a direction which is perpendicular to the direction of displacement of the wedge. The wedge can be arranged on a screw which is driven by one of the actuators. Here as well, linear drive is formed which allows transforming the motion provided by the actuator into the translational movement in a very convenient manner. Preferably, a locking unit is provided which is associated with the abutment unit for mechanically locking the supporting board to