A sheet handling apparatus comprising a rotary drum having an outer peripheral wall with perforations, and a number of separate chambers, a suction system for controlling a flow of air through the perforations, thereby to attract sheets to the peripheral wall of the drum, and a stationary shutter member for blocking the flow of air through the perforations when they pass through a predetermined angular range. The number of separate chambers extend in axial direction and are distributed over the periphery of the drum. A disk-shaped manifold at the first axial end of the drum is co-rotatably with the drum. The manifold forms a number of radial channels each connected to one of said chambers and having an opening at a radially inward end of each channel. The stationary shutter member is arranged for blocking an opening of a channel to block air flow from a radially inward end of a channel.

A media transport system provides full vacuum under media as the media traverses an entire print path of an ink jet printer while simultaneously providing for a no-vacuum inter-copy gap that moves along with the media past print heads of the ink jet printer. This is accomplished with a dual vacuum inner/outer vacuum drum system that includes a first drum that has a matrix of holes that allows for full coverage of vacuum with a second underlying drum that is shifted to align a second set of holes to match the sheet pitch. By shifting the second drum in relation to the first drum, a combination set of holes is aligned to provide full vacuum across the media while a column of holes is blocked to provide a non-vacuum inter-copy gap.

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for transporting a discrete element. A preferably rotatably driven vacuum commutation zone (or internal vacuum manifold), preferably internal to a preferably independently driven porous vacuum roll or drum is disclosed. The vacuum manifold applies vacuum through pores in the driven porous vacuum roll or puck in order to hold material against an external surface of the vacuum roll or puck. By independently controlling the vacuum commutation zone and the driven porous surface, unique motion profiles of the vacuum commutation zone relative to the driven porous surface can be provided. Micro vacuum commutation port structures are also disclosed.

An electronic device for monitoring a suction roller includes a bearing module configured to monitor a bearing of the suction roller. The bearing module includes an accelerometer and a temperature circuit that are configured to monitor positioning and temperature, respectively, of the bearing of the suction roller. The bearing module includes an enclosure that has both the accelerometer and the temperature circuit therein. Related methods and systems are also described.

According to the present invention a sheet handling apparatus is provided which comprises a rotary drum with openings at its peripheral wall. A strip with perforations formed therein spirals circumferentially over an outer surface of the drum in a circumferential spiralling direction, such that a screen is formed over the drum. A suction system controls a flow of air through the perforations thereby to attract sheets towards the drum. The strip is biased by means of a tensioning assembly, which exerts a tensioning force on the strip substantially parallel to the circumferential spiralling direction of the strip.

Examples include a cylinder having a holding means around the circumference and by which a substrate sheet can be picked up and held during rotation of the cylinder over a rotation angle range between when the substrate sheet is received and is transferred downstream. A rotary union includes a rotor rotating along with the cylinder which, at an end face, is arranged with a stator that does not rotate during regular operation. A vacuum pressure can be applied via the rotary union to suction openings provided around the circumference of the cylinder while running through an active rotation angle phase of the cylinder. The rotary union can be set in terms of a size of a passage angle sector determining the size of the active rotation angle phase and/or in terms of a position of the passage angle sector determining the position of the active rotation angle phase.

Examples include a cylinder having a holding means around the circumference and by which a substrate sheet can be picked up and held during rotation of the cylinder over a rotation angle range between when the substrate sheet is received and is transferred downstream. A rotary union includes a rotor rotating along with the cylinder which, at an end face, is arranged with a stator that does not rotate during regular operation. A vacuum pressure can be applied via the rotary union to suction openings provided around the circumference of the cylinder while running through an active rotation angle phase of the cylinder. The rotary union can be set in terms of a size of a passage angle sector determining the size of the active rotation angle phase and/or in terms of a position of the passage angle sector determining the position of the active rotation angle phase.

A sheet conveying apparatus includes: a first conveying section that conveys a strip-shaped sheet having a first surface and a second surface, with the first surface facing downward; a turn section provided downstream of the first conveying section to turn over the sheet; and a second conveying section provided downstream of the turn section. The turn section includes a convex curved surface having its axis extending in a width direction of the sheet and turns over the sheet along the convex curved surface with the first surface facing inward. The convex curved surface includes: a small-diameter portion provided with air nozzles for injecting air; and a pair of large-diameter portions disposed on both sides of the small-diameter portion in an axis direction and extending outward in a radial direction relative to the small-diameter portion to support both ends of the sheet in the width direction.

The invention relates to a device (100) for transporting and separating blanks (1010) from a material web (1000), comprising a vacuum cylinder (8) for transporting the blanks (1010), a vacuum transport cylinder (7) for further transporting the blanks (1010), and a control unit (9). According to the invention, the vacuum cylinder (8) has a pivotable vacuum segment (82) and a rotary actuator (85) is provided for rotating the vacuum segment during operation. This makes it possible to reduce the effective vacuum region on a surface of the vacuum cylinder (8). The invention also relates to a method for transporting and separating blanks from a material web. A device and method enable a gentler and more accurate transfer of blanks from a vacuum cylinder to a vacuum transport cylinder.