[0001] The present invention relates to a machine for the automatic folding of sheets of
paper and the like, particularly drawing sheets, of the type adapted to fold the sheets
longitudinally and transversely.
[0002] Folding machines of the type specified above are commonly used in combination with
printing machines or "plotters", for folding large-format drawing sheets (for example,
A0, A1 or A2) coming out of the printing machines into sheets of smaller format (for
example, A3 or A4). In general, these drawing sheets have an area or table in the
lower right-hand corner giving descriptions relating to the illustrated drawing and
any other necessary information. These sheets therefore have to be folded in a manner
such as to ensure that this area remains in a visible position upon completion of
the folding so that the drawing can be identified easily.
[0003] These machines comprise a first, longitudinal folding station adapted to fold, in
a first, longitudinal direction, the sheets that are supplied to the machine, a second,
transverse folding station adapted to fold, in a second, transverse direction, the
sheets coming from the first station, and conveyor means for transporting the sheets
from the first folding station to the second. Longitudinal/transverse folding machines
according to the prior art are quite bulky since they are constituted by the two above-mentioned
folding units and by conveyor means distinct from the folding units.
[0004] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a folding machine of
the type specified above which has more compact dimensions, a smaller number of components,
and a simpler structure than the folding machines according to the above-described
prior art.
[0005] This object is achieved in full according to the invention by means of a folding
machine as defined in Claim 1.
[0006] In summary, the invention is based on the concept of producing a folding machine
having a first folding station for the longitudinal folding of the sheets, a second
folding station for the transverse folding of the sheets, and a collecting pocket
which is common to the two folding stations, in which pocket the longitudinally folded
sheets coming from the first station are deposited, and along which pocket those sheets
are transported to the second station by conveyor means associated with the pocket.
[0007] The invention will be described in greater detail below purely by way of non-limiting
example with reference to the appended drawings, in which:
- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a folding machine according to the present invention,
- Figure 2 is a partially transparent, schematic front elevational view of the folding
machine of Figure 1,
- Figure 3 is a partially transparent, schematic side elevational view of the folding
machine of Figure 1, and
- Figure 4 is a partially transparent, schematic plan view of the folding machine of
Figure 1.
[0008] With reference to the drawings, a folding machine according to the invention, generally
indicated 10, is adapted to automatically fold sheets of paper and the like, in particular
drawing sheets 11, coming from a printing machine 12.
[0009] The machine 10 comprises a first, longitudinal folding station, generally indicated
13, of a type known
per se (in the embodiment illustrated, a folding station of the so-called pocket type) which
receives the sheets 11 supplied to the machine through an input opening 14. The sheets
which come out of the first station 13 are deposited in a vertical pocket 15 which
is formed substantially by a pair of parallel vertical walls 19 at the bottom of which
a conveyor belt 16 is provided. The conveyor belt 16 transports the longitudinally
folded sheets towards a second, transverse folding station, generally indicated 17,
also of a type known
per se (in the embodiment illustrated, a pocket folding station which also makes use
of knives) which uses the pocket 15 for the first step of the transverse folding operation.
The folded sheets which come out of the second station 17 are then supplied to a collecting
device 18 mounted on a vertical side wall of the machine structure.
[0010] As will be appreciated, in order to transport the sheets from the first, longitudinal
folding station to the second, transverse folding station, a sheet folding machine
according to the present invention uses a pocket which is common to the two stations,
as well as a belt conveyor device disposed at the bottom of the pocket. This arrangement
thus enables the number of components and the dimensions of the machine to be reduced
in comparison with conventional solutions in which conveyor devices distinct from
the first and second stations are provided.
1. A folding machine (10) for automatically folding, in a longitudinal direction and
in a transverse direction, sheets of paper and the like, in particular drawing sheets
(11), the machine (10) comprising a first, longitudinal folding station (13) for folding,
in a longitudinal direction, the sheets that are supplied to the machine, and a second,
transverse folding station (17) for folding, in a transverse direction, the sheets
coming from the first station (13), the machine being characterized in that it comprises, between the first and the second folding stations (13, 17), a pocket
(15) arranged to receive the longitudinally folded sheets from the first station (13)
and for transporting those sheets, by belt conveyor means (16), towards the second
station (17), and in that the pocket (15) is arranged to cooperate with the first station (13) during the longitudinal
folding of the sheets and/or with the second station (17) during the transverse folding.
2. A folding machine according to Claim 1, characterized in that the pocket (15) comprises a pair of parallel vertical walls (19) defining, at the
top, an opening for receiving the sheets coming from the first folding station (13),
and in that, a conveyor belt (16) for transporting the sheets towards the second folding station
(17) is disposed beneath the pocket (15).
3. A folding machine according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterized in that the first folding station (13) is of the pocket type and the second folding station
(17) is of the pocket type with the assistance of knives.
