The invention relates to an improved side-guiding mechanism for a folding machine. In particular, the invention relates to an improved side guiding mechanism for a folding machine which makes outserts.
An outsert is a sheet which is folded a number of times with the outermost fold being glued tight to an inner fold in order to make a tightly folded packet. FIG. 1 illustrates a typical outsert 12 wherein a last wrap-around panel 14 is adhered by a glue or adhesive spot 15 to an adjacent inner fold 16 to complete outsert 12. Outserts are often very long, for instance, 9 to 50 inches in length, and are often used by the pharmaceutical industry to provide information concerning the drug to which the outsert is attached. Such information might include instructions for use or warnings about possible side effects of the drug. Generally, they are attached to the bottle or box in which the drug is packaged.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,195 (incorporated herein by reference) describes an apparatus for automatically forming sheets from a web of material. The apparatus described therein includes an outsert attachment which is attached to the rest of the folding apparatus. The outsert attachment folds and glues the sheets in such a manner as to form outserts similar to the one shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2, which is adapted from U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,195, illustrates this prior art apparatus for forming outserts of a predetermined length from a web 20 by accumulating long lengths, for example, up to 50 inches of the web 20, in an accumulator 28. A photocell 29 detects marks on the web 20 to operate a severing means 31 at a sheet station 26 to form sheets 11 each of which is the same size. A sheet conveyor 35 extends from the sheet station 26 to a folding station 33. At the folding station 33, folding plates 37 and rollers.(not shown) fold the sheets 11 into the form shown on conveyor 38. As can be seen, a sheet 11 at this point has a folded portion 39 and an unfolded wraparound panel 14, with the folded portion 39 leading the wrap-around panel 14 in the direction of travel shown by the arrow. The conveyor 38 conveys the sheet in this fashion into a wraparound and gluing station 40 of the outsert attachment.
The precision of the last fold, and the gluing of the wraparound fold 14, is accomplished by precisely positioning the folded sheet at the wraparound and gluing station 40. More specifically, the leading edge of the folded portion 39 is stopped in its forward travel by stops 41 and, in a fraction of a second of its stopping, a side jogging mechanism 42 is activated to push the folded sheet against a side stop 43 to that the sheet is positioned precisely. As soon as this occurs, an adhesive applicator 45 is actuated to apply one or more adhesive spots 15 to the folded section 39. Immediately following this, a folding means 48 which includes an overhead folding knife 49 is operated to fold the wraparound fold 14 against the adhesive spots 15 on the inner fold 16 thereby adhering the folds together and completing the formation of the outsert.
Typically, the sheet is printed with several outserts side-by-side which must then be separated. To accomplish this, the overhead folding knife 49 which engages the folded section 39 of the folded sheets pushes the folded section 39 into the nip of underlying folding rollers 50. The folding rollers 50 force the wraparound fold 14 tightly against the glue spots 15 and against the inner fold 16 to complete the outsert. The folding rollers 50 are also provided with circular knives 53 mounted on a pair of slitting rollers. 52 which slit the sheet into a multiplicity of side-by-side outserts. The outserts are then re-oriented and discharged automatically in an edge position into a container 22.
FIG. 3, which is also adapted from U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,195, illustrates in detail the side guiding mechanism used in the apparatus described therein. The illustrated side jogger 42 comprises a solenoid 150, slidably mounted on a support slide bracket 151 mounted on the inside of a stationary side frame member 156. The support bracket 151 has a slide channel 152 into which is mounted slide 153. Suitable lock fasteners 154 lock the slide 153 in position on the slide bracket 151 to position the solenoid plunger 158. Thus, the solenoid 150 can be positioned to accommodate various widths of sheets to be side jogged. The solenoid 150 includes a plunger 158 with a sheet pusher 159 mounted at its end. The sheet pusher 159 abuts against the side edge 39a of the folded sheet to push the same laterally, thereby bringing an opposite edge 39b of the folded sheet against the side stop 43 while the sheet slides along and against the forward stops 41. The solenoid 150 includes a return spring 161 extending between a head 162 on the plunger and the solenoid body 163. A stop nut 164 on the other threaded end 165 of the solenoid limits the return travel by the spring 161.
The operation of the side jogger is as follows. The plunger/pusher 158/159, when activated by electronic sensing means, pushes the mostly folded paper against the side stop 43. This aligns (i.e., side-guides) the folded sheet for positive and consistent gluing and slitting. As the width of the mostly folded paper varies between different jobs in a typical range of 7 to 9 inches, and as the width of the paper may vary by about 1/16 of an inch during the course of a single job, a simple and safe method of adjusting both the plunger/pusher 158/159 and the side stop 43 is essential for the efficient and safe operation of the outsert attachment.
In the apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,195, the plunger 158 extends through the body of the solenoid 150, and when the solenoid is electrically activated, the pusher 159 mounted on the end of plunger 158 travels approximately 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch. The pusher/plunger is then returned to its original position by means of spring 161. The whole assembly is bolted directly onto the side frame member 156 of the outsert attachment. While the apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,195 discloses that adjustment is possible by sliding the entire side jogging mechanism in slide bracket 151, the commercial embodiment of this apparatus is sold without this slide mechanism. In commercially available machines, the adjustment is maintained by the use of the locknut 154 and associated washers probably because the slide mechanism is unable to maintain the desired position of the pusher/plunger during the course of the run. The locknut and washers used in the commercial embodiment permit only a limited amount of adjustment for different jobs. The locknut and washers serve a dual purpose as they also regulate the amount of the plunger's return travel to the side frame member. Because the travel distance is severely limited, the operator must maintain an inventory of different size plungers and pushers to accommodate the various widths of outserts for different jobs.
When setting up the outsert attachment for actual operation, the proper combination of plungers and pushers has to be selected and then adjusted. At the same time, the position of the side stop also has to be adjusted. The stop is bolted directly onto the folding machine which is mounted inside the side frame members of the outsert attachment. To adjust the stopper, a set screw (not shown) has to be loosened and then the stopper can be slid to the desired position. The set screw is then tightened to hold it in place. As the stopper slides freely, finding a proper position can be very difficult. This is especially true since the stopper often slips out of position and requires further adjustment when the set screw is tightened. The entire process of finding the proper plunger/pusher combination and adjustment, and the proper stopper adjustment can take as long as an hour in an initial machine setup. Furthermore, during the course of a run, constant adjustment is required as the width of the mostly folded sheet may vary by as much as 1/16 of an inch. These adjustments add hours to the time needed to complete a run.
Additionally, because the above-described adjustment process is so cumbersome, it is often carried out in a dangerous manner. As it is quite difficult to make the proper adjustments while the machine is idle, many operators are tempted to make adjustments "on the fly," i.e., while the machine is running. When the adjustments are made on the fly, the operator can see very well if the outserts are being side-guided properly. However, the problem in making adjustments on the fly is that there are many moving metal parts in the immediate proximity of the pusher/plunger and side stop, including the circular slitting knives. It is exceedingly dangerous to make any adjustments at all while the slitting knives are in operation. Many accidents have occurred in this manner.
Another disadvantage of mounting the side stop directly onto the folding apparatus is that from time to time, the outsert attachment has to be removed from the rest of the machine for repair during a job. In such cases, the side stop also has to be removed and then re-installed when the outsert attachment is replaced. This entails the re-adjustment once again of the side stop with all the inconveniences associated therewith.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an outsert attachment which has a more efficient and a safer mechanism for adjusting the plunger/pusher and side stop combination.