From German Allowed Application 1,786,507 and from the “Boersenblatt fuer den deutschen Buchhande” of June 2, 1977, page 16, it is known to utilize an endless band-shaped printing plate carrier which has several different or identical pattern areas which are printed one after the other. In this manner, whole books can be printed sequentially with their different pages. The problems of a corrugated paper installation, how- ever, are not addressed in these pure printing machines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the invention is to provide a corrugated paper installation for the manufacture of printed corrugated paper which permits the continuous production of corrugated paper cuts which are printed at least on one side, whereby several patterns arranged adjacent one another can be obtained with if desired different pattern repeat, and in which the inpidual printed pictures and pattern repeats can be changed rapidly and without having to interrupt the production of the corrugated paper machine.

According to the invention this is achieved in that printing stations are integrated which are suitable for printing a paper web with laterally adjacent pattern areas of different width and length, which are connect- able with the drive of the installation inpidually or in groups, and which for each pattern repeat carry printing forms on an endless exchangeable carrier band of different lengths, and that several longitudinal cutters and transverse cutters or punching presses are provided for the different pattern repeat lengths.

Thus, the invention proposes to arrange a plurality of specially constructed printing stations integrated within a corrugated paper installation, of which always only a part is in use, so that the printing stations which at any moment are not printing can be changed over. The inpidual printing stations which are known per se, are connectable with the drive of the installation inpidually or in groups, so that they can be used selectively for printing purposes. The arrangement of the printing forms on endless exchangeable carrier bands of different lengths assures a rapid change-over within the corrugated paper installation without having to interrupt the production of the corrugated paper machine. All counter-pressure cylinders associated with the inpidual printing stations can be constructed to extend over the whole width of the paper web. This assures a guidance of the paper web in the area of the printing stations even if the printing stations are not printing at any moment. 

The invention can be advantageously further developed by using an embodiment in which each carrier band extends over the width of the paper web and the printing cylinder and the support and tension rollers are also constructed to extend over the width of the paper web.

It is, however, also possible to construct the installation in such a manner that each printing band with the support and tension rollers extends only over a part of the width of the paper web and that the respective carrier band with the printing cylinders and the support 65 and tension rollers is made movable transverse to the direction of advancement of the paper web and is adjustable in accordance with the position of the pattern area.

Both embodiments make it possible to print a paper web, which is then later used to produce the corrugated paper web, up to a width of approximately 2.5 meters simultaneously with different patterns insofar as length and width is concerned. For changing the printed pressure it is no longer necessary to interrupt production. It is only necessary to switch off the corresponding stations and to switch on the other printing stations. The carrier bands consist of a bendable web in form of an endless band on which the printing forms are se- cured. One or several patterns of identical pattern lengths may be provided on a carrier band. In the case of differential pattern length the carrier bands them- selves are of course also of different lengths.