An apparatus for folding sheets or sheet stacks, including at least two folding/transport rollers, transport device and knife, the transport device defining transport plane E for sheets or sheet stacks fed in transport direction R, knife being movable substantially perpendicularly to and through transport plane E, folding/transport rollers being arranged above transport plane E, oppositely on both sides of knife, axis of rotation A of folding/transport rollers extending substantially perpendicularly to transport plane E, and at least two folding/transport rollers each having, at their end facing toward transport plane E, rounded portion, such that narrowing gap S is formed between the at least two folding/transport rollers, into which gap sheets or sheet stacks can be introduced by means of knife so as to be folded there and at same time conveyed away in transport direction R, and to corresponding method.

An apparatus for folding sheets or sheet stacks, including at least two folding/transport rollers, transport device and knife, the transport device defining transport plane E for sheets or sheet stacks fed in transport direction R, knife being movable substantially perpendicularly to and through transport plane E, folding/transport rollers being arranged above transport plane E, oppositely on both sides of knife, axis of rotation A of folding/transport rollers extending substantially perpendicularly to transport plane E, and at least two folding/transport rollers each having, at their end facing toward transport plane E, rounded portion, such that narrowing gap S is formed between the at least two folding/transport rollers, into which gap sheets or sheet stacks can be introduced by means of knife so as to be folded there and at same time conveyed away in transport direction R, and to corresponding method.

A method and apparatus for forming patterns on sheet material are disclosed. The method comprises a continuous lateral stretch process for producing zero- or near zero-curvature structures. In a preferred embodiment, the method comprises pre-gathering the sheet material in the lateral direction to form longitudinal corrugated folds and then feeding the corrugated material through one or more sets of oscillating formers, preferably articulating discs, to impart folding in the lateral direction. Optionally, the sheet material may be fed through one or more sets of patterned rollers.

This invention is related to film wrapping bundles of articles or articles with heat shrink film by providing a film having folded edges to increase tear resistance.

A continuous body folding device includes a conveying part having a moving surface that moves while suctioning and holding a first region of a continuous body, the conveying part conveying the continuous body in the longitudinal direction thereof; a first folding reference part in which a first endless belt, which moves in a first circulatory pathway along a first virtual plane including the moving surface, moves along a first reference segment adjacent to a virtual line of the continuous body in the same direction at the same speed as the moving surface; and first guiding members that are disposed along the first reference segment, contact a second region of the continuous body, and fold the continuous body along the virtual line and move the second region toward the first region so that the angle formed by the first and second regions becomes smaller as the continuous body is conveyed downstream.

A process for the production of books (22) with digital printing from signatures, in which the book comprises signature groups (33), each formed with basic sheets (34), are parts of respective signature sheets (42). The process employs a manufacturing system (21) which includes a transversal cutting equipment (41) for cutting transversally the signatures sheets, and transversal and longitudinal folding equipment (46) for the formation of respective signatures (48). For a book with at least a sheet section devoid of text and/or figures in a last signature group, the method provides: a) identify a reduced signature group (59) including a number of sheet sections having at least a page with text and/or figures; b) cut the paper strip (23) to separate the reduced signature group as reduced signature group; c) actuate the transversal folding equipment (46) limited to the sheet sections having at least a page with text and/or figures and skipping the actuation of the transversal folding equipment (46) for a single sheet section; and d) actuate the longitudinal folding equipment (47) for folding longitudinally the reduced signature group.

A process for the production of books (22) with digital printing from signatures, in which the book comprises signature groups (33), each formed with basic sheets (34), are parts of respective signature sheets (42). The process employs a manufacturing system (21) which includes a transversal cutting equipment (41) for cutting transversally the signatures sheets, and transversal and longitudinal folding equipment (46) for the formation of respective signatures (48). For a book with at least a sheet section devoid of text and/or figures in a last signature group, the method provides: a) identify a reduced signature group (59) including a number of sheet sections having at least a page with text and/or figures; b) cut the paper strip (23) to separate the reduced signature group as reduced signature group; c) actuate the transversal folding equipment (46) limited to the sheet sections having at least a page with text and/or figures and skipping the actuation of the transversal folding equipment (46) for a single sheet section; and d) actuate the longitudinal folding equipment (47) for folding longitudinally the reduced signature group.

A device for braking and positioning a print sheet in a processing machine, wherein, along a feeding direction for the print sheet, at least one mechanism exerts a braking force onto the print sheet, to position the print sheet in connection with an operation of a downstream-arranged processing station. The device includes at least a first mechanism operative to release pneumatic, braking-force triggering pulses that act upon the print sheet. At least a second mechanism is operative to generate at last one frictional force that acts upon the print sheet, wherein with aid of at least one of the first mechanism and the second mechanism, intermittent, uniform or oscillating braking forces are generated that act upon the print sheet. A control unit controls the braking forces based on at least one of changeable control profiles resulting from queried operating parameters and stored control profiles.

A device for braking and positioning a print sheet in a processing machine, wherein, along a feeding direction for the print sheet, at least one mechanism exerts a braking force onto the print sheet, to position the print sheet in connection with an operation of a downstream-arranged processing station. The device includes at least a first mechanism operative to release pneumatic, braking-force triggering pulses that act upon the print sheet. At least a second mechanism is operative to generate at last one frictional force that acts upon the print sheet, wherein with aid of at least one of the first mechanism and the second mechanism, intermittent, uniform or oscillating braking forces are generated that act upon the print sheet. A control unit controls the braking forces based on at least one of changeable control profiles resulting from queried operating parameters and stored control profiles.

An improved imbricating method, folding method, and device for producing imbricated streams (3) which are produced from singulated and preferably folded blanks (2) is provided. The method includes taking imbricated bundles of blanks including of a number of overlapping blanks corresponding to the number of the individual streams formed by the blanks of a first individual stream being transported at a distance from one another along a transport surface through a compiling station. In the process, the blanks of the at least one remaining individual stream are first of all deflected vertically with respect to the transport surface by a deflecting device of the compiling station and are then guided in the direction of the first individual stream and are subsequently deposited with an offset onto the blanks of the first individual stream.