DS-1200 G3 Service Manual
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SECTION 2 - DESCRIPTION OF OPERATION 2.1 Description of Paper Path Shuttle & Feeder Interface Envelope Conveyor, Kicker & Turnover Wetter / Closer 2.2 Feeder Unit 2.3 Folder Unit 2.4 Hi-Cap / Standard-Cap Feeder 2.5 Collator Unit
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Input from feeder, folder or collator
2.1 Description of Paper Path
See also Principles of Operation & New/ Improved Features.
The DS-1200 G3 is a high-volume, multi-station folder/inserter which can be fitted with up to 16 feed stations. An optional IS Collator can be fitted to a folder, allowing reading of OMR/Barcodes/2D and multi-read, with collation capacity for up to 8 sheets of 80 gsm paper. Folder units fitted to the machine are fully automatic for fold plate adjustment, and are capable of folding up to 8 sheets of 80 gsm paper, and up to 14” length. The folder unit (with or without collator) can be fitted with either a high-capacity 5000 sheet feeder, or a standard capacity 2000 sheet. All track/insert adjustments for envelopes are carried out automatically. The machine can operate at a speed of up to 12,000/hour, based on one C folded document with one insert. The cycling speed is controlled by licences for both the inserter and the collator which allow different levels of cycling speed. The machine is software controlled only, with no provision for a manual control panel. Each machine is supplied with its own computer and slimline touch-screen monitor, with alternative input by mouse or remote control. Modular construction is used throughout on the machine, meaning each module is a separate main assembly with its own identity, capable of being swiftly removed from the machine in the event of failure. This can then be replaced by a new module while the defective module is tested and repaired. A special test rig located at nominated repair sites is capable of testing all of the modules on the machine. Simple mechanical repairs, such as replacing drive belts can usually be carried out without the need for module removal. This description of operation describes the movement of paper through the machine, from its input through to insertion and wetting/closing.
Issue 1 Sep 2013
Clock sensor
Insert track
Index sensor
Top track sensor
Shuttle sensor
Ski ramp and drive
Shuttle bed
FIG. 1 Paper input Each document is initially processed from a folder for folded forms (‘C’, ‘Z’, ‘V’ or custom) or a feeder for shortform inserts. This is then passed through a feed interface which has a shuttle located above it - this arrangement is identical for each station (see Fig. 1 above). The insert is input from the feeder, folder or collator (these will be described later). It passes through the constantly rotating feed interface onto the shuttle bed under the shuttle, at which point it is clear of the feed interface drive. The shuttle has a pair of drive belts/pawls which can move in either direction. As the insert moves onto the shuttle bed it is monitored by the shuttle sensor, which indicates to the shuttle stepper to advance the pawls and drive the insert from the shuttle bed to the track – the position of the pawls is monitored by the index sensor and timed to their next position by the clock sensor.
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The shuttle belts then move forward to propel the insert along the shuttle bed, where it rises up the ski ramp which has already motoradjusted to the correct position for the insert size - the ramp also incorporates the insert track backstop to set the track width. The insert drops over the edge of the ramp onto the insert track, the ramp edge acting as a bounce stop for the trailing edge. The arrival of the insert is monitored by the top track sensor, and as soon as the insert has been driven over the ramp, the belts reverse in order to position the lower pawls to act as a stop for the next insert, and the cycle repeats. As the insert track is on two levels, the insert is not moving along the lower track at this point, but held stationary above it until the next stage of the cycle, described overleaf. Note also the following points: • • • •
The shuttle and shuttle bed are inclined at an angle so that the shuttle pawls and the track pawls do not foul each other. There are only 2 shuttle pawls on each belt. The shuttle pawls are straight (no foot on the end) to allow documents to drop freely into the track pocket. Pawls only reverse if the document is stopping at the shuttle. Otherwise, and for normal operation, the shuttle pawls wait for the document to arrive from the feeder interface/folder then immediately push the document to the insert track.
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Referring to Fig. 2 below (viewing the insert track and end of the track shuttle), the inserts on the insert track are already in position below the waiting insert, and contacting the solenoid operated stop. The insert track has briefly stopped, this being controlled by a period timed by the cassette index sensor from when the leading edge passed the bottom track sensor. This halt aligns the document on the track and the stop then drops fractionally before the insert track restarts, propelling forward the inserts already on the track, and also the new insert waiting above. The group will then be passed to the next station, and the cycle repeats. The pawl sensor controls the stop position of the pawls. The half step sensor confirms when the inserts have left the station, and also that they have cleared the sensor as they enter the next station - if the sensor remains blocked for any reason, a holdup is detected and the machine will stop, flagging an error.
Half step sensor
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The insert pack passes from station to station in like manner, each time collecting another insert on top. If any station is not active (ie. unused), all sensors and the solenoid stop will still operate as if it were active, in order to check that the station has been entered and cleared properly. When the pack reaches the end of the track, it enters the insertion area, as described on the following page. The track has one move per cycle, ie. home-to-advanced (where the track pawls stop under the middle of the shuttle) then advanced-tohome (where the track pawls stop at the crown of the front pulley). If the machine has to stop or slow down, the track has two half moves per cycle.
Waiting insert
Solenoid operated stop
Insert track
Bottom track sensor
Pawl sensor
Cassette index sensor
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Envelope input from feeder
FIG. 3 As the insert pack is moving towards the insertion area, an envelope is fed from the envelope feeder and into the envelope opener conveyor, flap upwards and trailing. Its arrival is monitored by the envelope entry sensor, and as it passes the flap opener, this catches the edge of the flap and flips it open. The action of the opening flap is confirmed by the flap detect sensor, checking that it has opened properly - if it has not, the flap is deemed still to be closed and the diverter further up the conveyor will be activated, subsequently diverting the envelope into the tray at the top. Hold point 1 will not be active so that the envelope will pass straight through. Assuming that the flap has opened, as the envelope reaches hold point 1 sensor, a solenoid-operated stop (not shown) operates just ahead of it to halt the envelope, and as as the conveyor is constantly driven, also acts as a deskew - the pressure on the conveyor is light, so the belts just skid.
When hold point 2 has cleared the path ahead, the envelope then continues on to hold point 2, which activates another solenoid-operated stop to hold the envelope until the previous inserton operation is complete. When this has happened, the solenoid releases the stop and the envelope is fed to the insertion area, and driven between the pinch wheels and rollers below them - these rollers are driven by the envelope flap stepper. Its entry into the area is monitored by the envelope flap sensor, which times from the leading edge, stopping the envelope when it is in position, gripping it between the pinch wheels and rollers below. The kicker fingers then advance to hold open the throat of the envelope. The fingers are activated by a stepper motor, its action being controlled by a flag sensor.
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DS-1200 G3 Service Manual Simultaneous to the envelope operation,the insert pack reaches the insert area (the handover unit), its arrival signalled by the insert-inposition sensor. This halts the insert track, and the kicker belts then activate and advances the insert pack into the open envelope. When the insert is almost fully into the envelope, the fingers are retracted and at the same time the flap gripper starts to release the envelope (accelerating it ti the speed of the advancing insert). This allows the kicker pawls to drive both the insert and envelope to the turnover belts. The position of the pawls on the kicker conveyor are controlled by the kicker index and clock sensors. Due to the speed of operation for the 1200 there are side guides located just before Hold point 1 and Hold point 2. These side guides are automatically set to the envelope width and are used to achieve repeatable centralisation of the envelope at the insert platform. In the event of a crash in the envelope path the side guides at Hold point 2 move out to allow any envelopes to be removed from under the insert platform. The envelope is carried through the turnover belt so that the glued side of the flap is now facing downwards. It contacts the turnover backstop which has automatically adjusted to suit the envelope. Its entry is confirmed by the turnover complete sensor which activates the turnover eject belts to move the envelope out sideways - the pawls on the belts are monitored and positioned by the turnover eject index and clock sensors. The filled envelope is then passed to the wetter/closer, as described opposite.
Page 2-6 Eject sensor
Sealing rollers
Closer sensor
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Closer beak
Flap diverter
Envelope size adjuster Wetter roller
Wetter plate
Wetter tank
FIG. 4 Referring to Fig. 4 above, the envelope (open flap face down) moves onto the wetter/closer conveyor, and the flap passes through the diverter and over the rotating wetter roller which runs through fluid in the wetter tank below. As the wetted flap passes into the curled closer beak, it is turned to the closed position and passes through the sealing rollers to press down the flap. The closer sensor monitors the the leading edge of the envelope when it is into the closer beak, and the eject sensor then expects to see it after a predetermined time interval - should a jam occur, it will fail to do so and the machine will stop, flagging an error. The trailing edge is also monitored by both sensors, so that even if the envelope leaves the closer sensor, but fails to leave the eject, an error will be flagged. After ejection, the sealed envelope then falls onto the output conveyor for manual removal, ending the full processing cycle.
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Unsealed envelopes If envelopes are to be processed without sealing, the solenoid operated diverter will activate, and the open flaps will be directed over the top of the wetter plate, away from the wetter roller. The action of the diverter is controlled by the appropriate setting in the software setup. Envelope size adjuster There are two positions for locating the wetter assembly: for European envelopes (as shown in Fig. 4), and for American envelopes. The position is changed by slackening the retaining knob and moving the assembly to the new position. There are two locating indents and a peg at the other end of the assembly to locate it positively. Envelope count The envelope count is incremented by the trailing edge passing the eject sensor, this being the final sensor that the envelope sees.
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2.2 Feeder Unit The feeder unit supplies either inserts or envelopes to the machines. Each unit is identical and is available in two versions: standard or long conveyor. The feeder comprises an input section and a conveyor – the two are easily separable. The unit is shown in Fig. 5 below:
Deskew sensor
Separator roller
Overguide sensor
Separator shield
Front overguide
Separator shield motor
Hold point and double document sensors (side by side) Output to receiving unit
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The conveyor moves the insert stack forward until the front overguide is lifted sufficiently to interrupt the overguide sensor, at which point it stops. When the path ahead is clear (as monitored by the hold point sensor), the clutch controlled pickup roller (above the separator roller) engages drive and the insert is fed to the deskew sensor. This causes the two output rollers to halt so that the leading edge of the insert, which is still being driven, contacts the stationary rollers and aligns any skew. Conveyor Inserts or Side guide This operation is controlled on a envelopes adjustment time delay, at which point drive is re-engaged to the output rollers and the insert travels past the hold point and into the feeder interface or envelope conveyor; if there is any obstruction ahead, the insert will remain at hold point until the path is clear. The hold point sensor also monitors the trailing edge of the passing insert, causing the next insert to feed. At the same time that the insert passes the hold point sensor, it also passes the double document sensor, which calibrates it by measuring its thickness and length.
Drive motor Separator rotate motor
Separator adjust motor
Input section
FIG. 5
machine, flagging an error.
This is only carried out on the first insert of a new run, and thereafter, if more than one insert is fed at once, either stuck together or stream-feeding, the sensor detects this and stops the
A run ends when the stop or autoend button is pressed; after that, a new run is deemed to have started.
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Separator roller and shield There is a pair of separator rollers, mounted side by side on a common shaft and acting in unison. They are made of stone for enhanced grip and wear resistance. The gap is automatically controlled by the software, which analyses the specification of the insert when the machine is first set up. Small adjustments can be made later to cater for problematic inserts (see ‘The Documents Screen’ in the Operating Instructions). The gap is adjusted by a small DC motor acting on a pivoting mechanism. Although the wear resistance of the separator roller is high, wear will still occur. To counteract this, at predetermined intervals the roller will rotate slightly, driven by another small DC motor. This rotates a cam through one turn to move a lever which turns the separator roller shaft slightly. As the shaft is fitted with one-way clutches, the roller remains in its new position as the lever returns. Separator shield This is a thin steel strip which can move to partially cover each separator roller. The purpose of the shield is to help eradicate feed problems with a wide range of paper types. For example, low weight material might have a tendency to buckle and crash when contacting the roller at the feed input. Moving the shield forward to cover more of the roller would then assist in sliding the leading edge of the paper into the separator gap. In practice, the precise position will be a matter of trial and error, starting from 100% shielding and moving back in small increments (perhaps 10%) until optimum performance is achieved. The shield is driven by a small DC motor and is set in the operating software (see ‘The Documents Screen’ in the Operating Instructions).
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2.3 Folder Unit Documents are fed onto the shuttle bed from a feed interface or folder. The feeder interface is shown in Fig. 1, and comprises a short conveyor section which is supplied with inserts from a feeder (effectively a separate hopper). If a folder is used, this fits in place of the feeder interface and it is supplied with paper by a Hi-Cap/Standard-Cap feeder (see section 2.4) or a collator (see section 2.5) with a Hi-Cap/Standard-Cap feede attached. The folder unit is shown in Fig. 6 below.
Backstop (1 per fold plate) Blanking lug (1 per fold plate) Fold plate 1 Fold plate 3 Blanking beam (1 per fold plate)
Exit sensor Folded documents ejected onto shuttle bed
Fold rollers (5) Paper from sheet feeder or collator
Fold plate 2
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The folder is a three plate unit to provide extra functionality that the standard two plate folder cannot, notably the ability to allow addresses at the bottom of the document, but using a standard envelope. It will also allow the use of long forms up to 16” length. The operation of all fold plate backstops is fully automatic, and their setting is decided by a set of algorithms in the software according to the document details that the operator inputs when configuring the software setup. Referring to Fig. 6, the form is fed from the feeder device and enters fold plate 1, where its leading edge contacts the backstop. This causes the form to buckle at the fold plate entrance, and this buckle is driven into the nip of the first pair of fold rollers, creasing it sharply. The creased edge, now leading, is fed down into fold plate 2 until it contacts the backstop, and again the buckle is fed up into fold plate 3 where the action is repeated. The form is now fully folded and is driven out onto the shuttle bed. The folder exit sensor monitors its passage, and should this sensor remain blocked (indicating a crash), the following form will not be fed into the folder. The above description assumes that all 3 fold plates are used - for most purposes, one or more of the fold plates will not be used. For example, with a standard ‘C’ fold, fold plate 2 is not used; with a standard ‘Z’ fold, fold plate 1 is not used; with a standard ‘V’ fold, fold plates 2 & 3 are not used (in all cases, forms are loaded face down, address trailing). To blank off an unused fold plate, the backstop moves fully to its entry end, and a lug attached to the backstop then pushes a blanking beam into position to close off the entry. When the fold plate is next required for use and the backstop moves up the fold plate, a return spring moves the blanking beam back to its open (default) position. As mentioned previously, the folder is fed from either a Hi-Cap/Standard-Cap feeder or a collator. The descriptions of these units follow overleaf.
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2.4 Hi-Cap/Standard-Cap Feeder The Hi-Cap or Standard-Cap feeders are used to supply paper to either folder or collator units. The main difference between the two is in their capacity (5000 sheets of 80gsm for Hi-Cap, 2000 sheets of 80gsm for Standard-Cap), and their drive mechanism for the paper tray. Eject sensor
Hold point & Double Document sensors (side by side)
Deskew sensor
Top limit sensor
Stack & Overrun sensors
Output to folder
Paper stack
Roller drive motor
Paper trolley
Paper tray drive motor
Bottom limit sensor
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The Hi-Cap feeder uses a continuous chain, driven by a DC motor and gearbox, while the Standard-Cap has a spring-loaded tray which is pushed down and then slowly released by a small motor and gearbox. Fig. 7 opposite shows the Hi-Cap - the Standard-Cap is similar except for the differences described. The paper stack travels upwards until the top of it contacts the pickup rollers: the shaft for the rollers is mounted on pivoting brackets and can swing upwards until the stack sensor (looking across the end of the shaft) is cleared as the shaft rises above it. At this point, drive is engaged to the pickup roller and the form is fed. An overrun sensor is located at the other end of the shaft and at a higher level. If for any reason the stack sensor remains blocked when the shaft rises above it, and if the overrun sensor subsequently goes clear, the machine will stop with an error. After the form has fed, it reaches the deskew sensor and contacts the nip of the stationary rollers just ahead of it. As it still being driven by the pickup roller, any skew is corrected, and after a short time lag from when the form reached the sensor, drive to the rollers is engaged and simultaneously disengaged from the pickup roller - this has a one-way clutch fitted to allow overrun. The form reaches the hold point sensor where dependent upon the speed of the machine, and whether the path ahead is clear, the form can be stopped at any point from the hold point sensor up to the output sensor. Both sets of drive rollers are clutched and braked in order to control the paper movement accurately. The form will be fed into the folder or collator when the path ahead allows, its exit being monitored by the trailing edge passing the output sensor. Located next to the hold point sensor is the double document sensor, which calibrates it by measuring its thickness and length. This is only carried out on the first form of a new run, and thereafter, if more than one form is fed at once, either stuck together or stream-feeding, the sensor detects this and stops the machine, flagging an error. Note that as the machine can operate at very high speeds, the distance between the forms is kept to a minimum, and may be as small as a few millimetres.
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2.5 Collator Unit
top or bottom reading, and the marks on the paper must not exceed a total length of 100mm. The form then proceeds to HP 1, where it is held until HP 2 is clear, and it then moves on to this HP, allowing the following form to move up to HP 1.
As an option, a collator unit may be fitted to the folder on any station (usually the prime, or last station). This will allow collation of up to 9 sheets of 80gsm paper under OMR or barcode control (note, however the maximum number of sheets that can be folded together, namely 8 of 80gsm paper). The collator unit can be fed by:-
The purpose of the two HPs is to maintain only a small distance between forms, thus speeding up the paper flow.
• Hi-Cap sheet feeder for cut sheet applications • On-line interface for continuous stationery Referring to Fig. 8 below, forms enter from the feeder and pass the OMR or barcode reader. Note that forms are not released by the feeder until the way ahead is clear - they are held at the output sensor of the feeder until hold-point (HP) 1 on the collator is clear. The OMR head may be Clutch/brake 2
Holdpoint 2 sensor
Collate pocket sensor
Clutch/brake 1
The form is fed into the collate pocket where it waits as the required number of further forms are collated on top, as monitored by the trailing edge passing hold point 2. The ball bearing and spring tapes in the collate stop act as a restrictor to retain the forms in the collate pocket, and the front stop further assists in preventing the forms bouncing out of the pocket. Holdpoint 1 sensor
OMR/Barcode reader
Collate eject sensor Input from hi-cap or standardcap feeder
Output to folder
Collate bounce stop Collate pocket
Input conveyor drive (moves backwards & forwards to suit paper size)
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Collate ballstop
FIG. 8
The collate stop is part of a leadscrew-powered carriage that moves back and forth according to the size of the form. This carriage also contains the eject stepper drive. When the requisite number of forms is reached, the pawls of the eject stepper then drive the document set out of the collate pocket, the front bounce stop being simultaneously lowered by a rotary solenoid. The collate pocket sensor detects that the forms have left the pocket and that it is now free to collate a further document set. The forms continue to be driven by the eject pawls past the collate eject sensor, which monitors
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that the forms have arrived at the exit hold point, where they are held until the downstream unit is free. When the downstream unit is free the exit clutch is engaged and the document set ejected Note that although up to 9 forms may be collated, this will only be for diverting - the folder can only fold up to 8 forms of 80gsm paper (5 recommended for ‘C’ or ‘Z’ fold). Both the upper conveyors can be raised by latch handles in order to assist jam clearance and to access the collate pocket.
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