A punching and perforating cylinder and a die and anvil cylinder are part of a computer paper processing system producing the line holes and the cross perforation in a continuous paper web. The PUNCH/PERF cylinder is mounted on an upper shaft, while the DIE/ANVIL cylinder is mounted on a lower shaft. The upper and lower shafts are rotatably engaged by a set of gears. At both ends of the PUNCH/PERF cylinder, holes are located to accept the PUNCHES. At both ends of the DIE/ANVIL cylinder, holes are located to accept the DIES. While the two cylinders are rolling together, the punches engage with the dies and form the punched line holes in the continuous paper web. The PUNCH/PERF cylinder has longitudinally formed slots, providing the space for the cross perforating blades and for the cross perforating blade clamping bars. The DIE/ANVIL cylinder has longitudinally formed slots, providing the space for the hardened anvil bars. While the two cylinders are rolling, the cross perforating blades are engaged with the anvil bars and form the cross perforation in the continuous paper web. At both ends of the cross perforating blade locking bars, holes are located to accept the punches, providing the punch hole locations in the cylinder, circumferentially. At both ends of the anvil bars, holes are located to accept the dies, providing the die hole locations in the cylinder, circumferentially. The combined punching and perforating cylinder set enables it to complete both the punching and perforating operations in a continuous paper web by only one set of rotating cylinders.

A punch ring apparatus particularly useful in a printing operating involving web fed paper is provided which is easily adapted for punching file holes, line holes, or a wide variety of hole patterns in the moving paper web, thereby substantially reducing makeready times and associated costs. The punch ring hereof preferably includes a plurality of radially-oriented, spaced-apart punches mounted in the punch ring and radially shiftable between an outermost punch position and a retracted position, with the punches being spring biased into the retracted position. The punch ring preferably includes an annular concentric groove in an axial face thereof, with the proximal ends of the punches extending into the groove when the punches are in the retracted position. One or more annular camming rings are received in the groove and configured such that axial rotation of a camming ring will outwardly shift one or more of the punches into the punch position to produce the desired hole punch pattern. Complementally, the die ring of the present invention is configured for operation with any of the hole punch patterns selectable on the punch ring. Thus, the operator can quickly and easily reconfigure the punch ring apparatus hereof for a different hole punch pattern in a minimum amount of makeready time.

Device for holding perforating tools opposite a sheet-carrying cylinder of a rotary printing press includes a bearing and indexing shaft, a carrier body axially displaceably supported by the shaft, the carrier body being formed with a bore extending therethrough axially parallel to the shaft, the carrier body being provided with a clamping device for clamping the carrier body relative to the shaft and with an actuating device for, respectively, effecting a mutual clamping of the shaft and the carrier body and for releasing a mutual clamping of the shaft and the carrier body, the actuating device including rotatably supported rings carried by the carrier body around the shaft, the rings including an eccentric ring provided with a perforating tool.

A method and apparatus for continuous, high-speed production of punched strip having an array of high-tolerance closely-spaced holes with positive ejection of waste punch-out material. A first pair of opposed rotary dies, one a female die and the other a male/female die, punches a first set of holes in a strip fed continuously between the dies, and a second pair of opposed rotary dies, one the male/female die and the other a male die, punches a second set of holes in the strip between the first set of holes, the strip being wrapped about the common male/female die during punching of the first and second sets of holes to continuously index the strip with the two opposed pairs of rotary dies to ensure production of the high-tolerance closely-spaced holes. A plurality of angular segments mounted in an annulus formed in proximity to the perimeter of the dies adapted for controlled radial travel of the angular segments during rotation of the dies, each angular segment having at least one ejector pin for radial reciprocal travel in a die recess, ejects punch-out material from the recess.

A method and apparatus for continuous, high-speed production of punched strip having an array of high-tolerance closely-spaced holes with positive ejection of waste punch-out material. A first pair of opposed rotary dies, one a female die and the other a male/female die, punches a first set of holes in a strip fed continuously between the dies, and a second pair of opposed rotary dies, one the male/female die and the other a male die, punches a second set of holes in the strip between the first set of holes, the strip being wrapped about the common male/female die during punching of the first and second sets of holes to continuously index the strip with the two opposed pairs of rotary dies to ensure production of the high-tolerance closely-spaced holes. A plurality of angular segments mounted in an annulus formed in proximity to the perimeter of the dies adapted for controlled radial travel of the angular segments during rotation of the dies, each angular segment having at least one ejector pin for radial reciprocal travel in a die recess, ejects punch-out material from the recess.