Thus, three carrier bands with the printing forms are placed about the printing cylinders and tension rollers of the printing stations 1, 5 and 7.
The spacing between the first printing station arid the fifth printing station as well as the spacing between the fifth and seventh printing station are known and do not change, since the printing stations are fixedly arranged relative to one another.
It is now necessary to adjust the three printing stations for pattern rapport in idle mode, i.e. such that the printed pictures can be printed upon the advancing paper web in proper relationship to one another and over one another, when the counter-pressure cylinders press the paper web against the carrier bands. As is known, no printing occurs but the pattern-rapport adjustment is necessary. This is accomplished as follows:
First, the three printing stations No. 1, 5 and 7 are started up and brought up to speed, whereby a friction coupling between the drive of the printing stations and the continuous main drive of the corrugated paper ma- chine is engaged. When this production speed is reached, the transmission of each printing station is fixedly coupled via a mechanically inter-engaging coupling, for example a tooth coupling, with the main drive, i.e. With the through going main shaft of the corrugated paper machine.
Now the printing cylinders of the inpidual printing stations are turning at working speed, but thus far no relative rapport has been achieved between the carrier bands of the printing stations 1, 5 and 7.
If the printing stations were to be switched on in this condition, i.e. if they were to print, then a substantial amount of scrap corrugated paper would be printed, which would not be properly printed because the printed pictures would be shifted with reference to one another.
In order to accommodate for this error of the mutual shifting (relative pattern rapport) it is now necessary to observe marks provided at the carrier bands at defined locations and to shift the carrier bands additionally relative to one another in such a manner that the relative pattern rapport is obtained. One of the three printing stations to be adjusted can be taken as the main printing station, the carrier band of which need not be shifted relatively. This may, for example, be the printing station No. 1.
The carrier bands of the printing stations No. 5 and No. 7 must now be adjusted. With the aid of an observation device and a computer the phase position of the marks of the carrier bands for the printing stations NO. 5 and 7 is observed on an indicating instrument, for example on a screen. Depending upon the deviation from the mark of the carrier band of printing station No. 1a setting device and a planetary gear stage provided in the transmission of each printing station are used to effect a shifting of the carrier band during idling, until the three marks of the three carrier bands are in report i.e. until relative pattern rapport has been reached. It is known that a planetary gear stage has two inputs and an output, so that it operates as a differential device permit- ting via the setting device and the planetary gear stage each carrier band to be position-able relative to another carrier band.
Only when the relative pattern rapport of the three printing stages No. 1, No. 5 and No. 7 has been reached and the preceding printing run is completed, interrupting the operation of the corrugated paper machine a switchover is effected at the printing stages, i.e. the printing stages of the just completed run are switched 25 off whereas the preprinting stages No. 1, No. 5 and No.7 are pressed for operation of the counter-pressure cylinders against the paper web, so that without or with only a small amount of scrap the production of corrugated paper can be carried on continuously.
In place of the heretofore described single setting device each printing station may have two setting de- vices for a coarse and a fine setting of the relative pat- tern rapport, whereby a coupling is provided between the setting device for the free adjustment and the second input of the planetary gear stage.