JP2002086877A - Stencil printing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a stencil printing equipment, which widely copes with monochrome printing and multicolor printing, by a method wherein a plurality of equipment main bodies are allowed to connect with each other. SOLUTION: In a stencil printing equipment 1 equipped with a printing part 5, a paper feeding part 4 and a paper delivering part 7, the paper feeding part 4 has a paper feeding tray 11, on which printing papers are loaded, and a separating and feedingly forwarding means 12 for separating and feedingly forwarding the printing papers. At the same time, the paper delivering part 7 has a paper delivering tray 25. At least the paper feeding tray 11, the separating and feedingly forwarding means 12 and the paper delivering tray 25 are constituted detachably from the equipment main body 1a. A plurality of the equipment main bodies 1a are allowed to be connected together by a connecting means 28 having a paper feeding part attaching and detaching part 29a to and from the paper feeding part 4, from which at least the paper feeding tray 11 and the separating and feedingly forwarding means 12 are removed, and a paper delivering part attaching and detaching part 29b to and from the paper delivering part 9, from which at least the paper delivering tray 25 is removed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stencil printing apparatus for performing printing by winding a master on an outer peripheral surface of a plate cylinder, and more particularly, to a paper feeding section for feeding printing paper toward a printing section, and a printing apparatus. The present invention relates to a structure of a paper discharge unit that discharges the printed printing paper outside the apparatus, a paper supply unit, and a connecting unit that is detachably attached to the paper discharge unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, digital thermosensitive stencil printing is known as a simple printing method. This is achieved by bringing a thermal head in which fine heating elements are arranged in a line into contact with a heat-sensitive stencil master (hereinafter referred to as “master”) formed by laminating a thermoplastic resin film and a porous support. By conveying the master with a conveying means such as a platen roller while energizing in a pulsed manner according to the original image,
After a perforated image based on image information is made on the thermoplastic resin film of the master by hot-melt perforation, the perforated perforated master is wound around a porous cylindrical plate cylinder, and printing paper is pressed by a pressing member such as a press roller. Is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder to transfer ink that has oozed from the opening portion of the plate cylinder and the perforated portion of the master to the printing paper to obtain a print image.

When performing multicolor printing using this stencil printing apparatus, for example, four-color printing of yellow (yellow), red (magenta), blue (cyan), and black (black), first, an original for four colors is printed. And one for the stencil printing machine.
The plate cylinder to which the color ink pack is connected is mounted. Then, a plate-making image corresponding to the original of the first color is formed on the master, wrapped around the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder, and printed in the same process as described above, thereby printing the print image of the first color. Form on paper. Next, in order to perform the second color printing, the plate cylinder to which the first color ink pack is connected is removed together with the master from the stencil printing apparatus main body, and the plate cylinder to which the second color ink pack is connected is mounted instead. Then, a plate-making image corresponding to the second-color original is formed on the master, which is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder, and the printing paper on which the first-color print image is formed is pressed against the master. Thus, the first color and the second color print images are formed on the printing paper. Hereinafter, similarly to the second color, the target four-color print image is formed on the printing paper by forming the print image by overlapping the third color and the fourth color.

[0004]

In the above-described multicolor printing process, since the plate cylinder is of a single cylinder type, it is necessary to replace the plate cylinder for each document, resulting in extremely poor work efficiency. Also, a place for placing the replaced plate cylinder must be secured. Therefore, a multicolor stencil printing apparatus capable of obtaining a multicolor print in one stroke by arranging a plurality of plate cylinders in series and rotating them in synchronization by a single drive means is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-1998. 2
No. 97074. In such a multicolor stencil printing apparatus, multicolor printing can be performed in accordance with the number of plate cylinders of the stencil printing apparatus. The stencil printing apparatus having four stencil printing machines can perform four-color printing.

However, in the above-described multicolor printing apparatus, a stencil printing apparatus having two plate cylinders can print only up to two colors, and a stencil printing apparatus having four plate cylinders can print only up to four colors. Can not. Further, when a single-color printing is performed by a multi-color printing apparatus having two plate cylinders, or when three or less colors are printed by a multi-color printing apparatus having four plate cylinders, a plate not used for a printing operation is used. Since a cylinder is generated, it is necessary to take measures such as removing an unused plate cylinder from the apparatus main body and restricting the operation of a pressing member for the unused plate cylinder.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a stencil printing apparatus which solves the above-mentioned problems and is capable of coping with a wide range of single-color printing and multi-color printing by connecting a plurality of apparatus main bodies.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A printing unit having a plate cylinder and a pressing unit for pressing the printing paper against the plate cylinder, a paper feeding unit for feeding the printing paper toward the printing unit, and the image transferred by the printing unit. In a stencil printing apparatus having a paper discharge unit for discharging print paper from the apparatus main body, the paper supply unit has a paper feed tray on which the print paper is stacked and a separation feed unit for separating and feeding the print paper. The paper discharge unit has a paper discharge tray on which the printing paper discharged from the apparatus main body is stacked, and at least the paper feed tray, the separation / feeding unit, and the paper discharge tray are arranged with respect to the apparatus main body. And is configured to be detachable.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing unit having a plate cylinder and pressing means for pressing a printing sheet against the plate cylinder;
A paper feeding unit for feeding the printing paper toward the printing unit,
A stencil printing apparatus including a paper discharge unit for discharging the printing paper, to which the image has been transferred by the printing unit, from an apparatus body, wherein the paper feeding unit separates the printing paper from a paper feeding tray on which the printing paper is loaded. And a paper discharge tray for stacking the printing paper discharged from the apparatus main body, and at least the paper feed tray and the paper separation and supply means; The paper discharge tray is configured to be detachable with respect to the apparatus main body, and at least the paper supply unit detachable unit that is detachable with respect to the paper supply unit from which at least the paper supply tray and the separation / feed unit are removed. A plurality of the apparatus main bodies can be connected to each other by a connecting means having a paper discharge unit detachable unit detachably attached to the paper discharge unit from which the paper discharge tray is removed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the stencil printing apparatus of the second aspect, the connection means further detects the printing paper sent from the apparatus main body connected to the paper supply unit attaching / detaching portion. It is characterized by having means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the stencil printing apparatus according to the third aspect, the apparatus main body connected to the paper discharge unit attaching / detaching portion temporarily stops the printing paper sent from the connecting means. There is provided a pair of registration rollers for feeding the sheet to the printing unit later, and the operation of the pair of registration rollers is controlled based on a detection signal from the sheet detection unit.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the stencil printing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the printing unit further includes a plurality of the plate cylinders, Is characterized in that multi-color printing can be performed in one stroke.

[0012]

FIG. 1 shows a stencil printing apparatus employing an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the stencil printing machine 1
A housing 1a as an apparatus main body, an image reading unit 2, a plate making unit 3,
It has a paper feed unit 4, a printing unit 5, a plate discharging unit 6, a paper discharging unit 7, and the like, and is mounted on the upper surface of the dedicated table 8.

An image reading unit 2 disposed on the upper part of the housing 1a
Is a known configuration having a contact glass (not shown), a reflecting mirror, a fluorescent lamp, an imaging lens, an image sensor, and the like, and scans a document image placed on the contact glass by a unit having a reflecting mirror and a fluorescent lamp. After the scanned image is formed by the imaging lens, the image is sent to the image sensor.

The plate making section 3 disposed below the image reading section 2 and to the right of the housing 1a has a well-known configuration including a master roll supporting member (not shown), a platen roller, a thermal head, cutting means, and the like. is there. The master roll support member rotatably and detachably supports a master roll (not shown), and the platen roller pulls out the master from the master roll and transports the master in a state of contact with the thermal head. The thermal head has a plurality of heating elements, and perforates and makes a master in accordance with an image read by the heating element. The cutting means cuts the master by a guillotine method or a rotary blade moving method.

Below the plate making section 3, a sheet feeding section 4 is provided. The paper supply unit 4 includes a paper supply unit frame 9, a detachable bracket 10, a paper feed tray 11, a separation and feeding unit 12, a pair of registration rollers 13, guide plates 14 and 15, and the like. Tray 11, separation feeding means 12
Constitutes a paper feed unit (not shown). The paper supply unit (not shown) is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.
It has the same configuration as the paper feed separation unit 90 described in Japanese Patent No. 5855, and is configured to be detachable from the housing 1a.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the paper feed section frame 9 has a pair of rectangular parallelepiped blocks fixed to the housing 1a, and is disposed so as to face each other. Two positioning pins 9a and 9b are implanted in each of the paper feeding unit frames 9, and taps 9c are formed further above the positioning pins 9a located above. In FIG. 2, the attachment / detachment bracket 10, the sheet supply tray 11, the separation / feeding unit 12, and the like are indicated by phantom lines so that the attachment state of the attachment / detachment bracket 10 to the sheet supply unit frame 9 is easily understood.

A pair of detachable brackets 10 having an L-shaped cross section, which form a part of a unit body of a sheet feeding unit (not shown), have two notches 10a, 10b at positions corresponding to the positioning pins 9a, 9b. 2 (only one of the detachable brackets 10 is shown in FIG. 2). The notch 10a formed corresponding to the positioning pin 9a is formed such that the size of the notch is sufficiently larger than the diameter of the positioning pin 9a, and the notch 10b formed corresponding to the positioning pin 9b is Notch size is positioning pin 9b
Are formed so as to be able to engage with each other. Each of the attachment / detachment brackets 10 covers the paper supply unit frame 9 by engaging the notch 10b with the positioning pin 9b when a paper supply unit (not shown) is attached to the housing 1a from the direction of arrow A in FIG. It is positioned in a manner to cover. Each detachable bracket 10 is formed with a hole corresponding to the tap 9c when positioned with respect to the sheet feeding unit frame 9, and a sheet feeding unit (not shown) is formed with a hole formed in each detachable bracket 10. And is fixed to the housing 1a by a screw (not shown) that can be manually attached and detached without using a tool.

The paper feed tray 11 is configured to be able to move up and down on the unit body in a state where printing paper is stacked on its upper surface. An elevating means (not shown) for vertically moving the paper feed tray 11 is provided inside the housing 1a.
Is provided with a gear (not shown) for transmitting the driving force from the lifting / lowering means. The gear meshes with a gear provided on the lifting / lowering means (not shown) when the unit body is attached to or detached from the housing 1a. It is configured to leave. A pair of side fences 11a and 11b for guiding the printing paper to be loaded in the width direction thereof are provided on the printing paper loading surface of the paper feed tray 11. Each of the side fences 11a and 11b is configured to be able to adjust the interval between them by a well-known mechanism.

The separation feeding means 12 has a paper feed roller 16 and a separation roller 17. Each roller 16,1
Numerals 7 are rotatably mounted on brackets 18 (only a part of which is shown in FIG. 2), and the separation roller 17 is driven by a gear (not shown) by a driving force from a paper feed driving unit (not shown), and is rotated clockwise in FIG. It is driven to rotate in the direction. The paper feed roller 16 is drivingly connected to the separation roller 17 by a toothed belt 19, receives a driving force from a paper feed drive unit (not shown), and is driven to rotate in the same direction in synchronization with the separation roller 17. The bracket 18 is attached to a side plate (not shown) of the unit main body so as to be swingable about the rotation axis of the separation roller 17, and the urging means (not shown) applies a urging force in the clockwise direction in FIG. Has been granted. With this configuration, the paper feed roller 16 is constantly pressed against the uppermost printing paper stacked on the paper feed tray 11 with a predetermined pressing force. A gear (not shown) for transmitting a driving force from a paper feed drive unit (not shown) is configured to mesh with and disengage with a gear provided on the paper feed drive unit (not shown) when the unit body is attached to and detached from the housing 1a. ing.

The registration roller pair 13 has a driving roller 13a rotated by a registration roller driving unit (not shown) and a driven roller 13b pressed against the driving roller 13a by a biasing unit (not shown). After temporarily stopping the leading end of the printing paper fed from the feeding means 12 at the nip portion, the printing paper is fed toward the printing unit 5 at a predetermined timing. A registration roller driving unit (not shown) is operated in synchronization with the printing unit 5.
The guide plates 14 and 15 for guiding the printing paper fed from the separation feeding unit 12 to the printing unit 5 via the registration roller pair 13 are fixed to side plates (not shown) of the housing 1a.

A printing unit 5 is disposed at a position on the left side of the plate making unit 3 and the sheet feeding unit 4 and substantially at the center of the housing 1a. The printing unit 5 has a plate cylinder 20 and a press roller 21 as a pressing unit. A pair of side plates rotatably supported by a spindle (not shown) also serving as an ink supply pipe, a porous support plate having an opening and a non-opening wound around each side plate, and a porous support plate. The plate cylinder 20 having a wound mesh screen or the like is detachably attached to the housing 1a. The plate cylinder 20 is rotatably driven by a plate cylinder drive unit (not shown), and a well-known ink supply unit (not shown) having an ink roller, a doctor roller, and the like is provided therein. In addition, a clamper 20 a that holds the leading end of the master sent from the plate making unit 3 is disposed in a non-opening portion on the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 20.

The press roller 21 disposed below the plate cylinder 20 is rotatably supported at both ends by a pair of arm members (not shown). A pair of arm members (not shown) are swingably supported by the housing 1a, and are integrally swung by swing means (not shown). This swing causes the press roller 21 to move its outer peripheral surface to the plate cylinder 20.
And the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 2
0 is selectively positioned at a separation position to be separated from the outer peripheral surface. The press roller 21 transfers the ink to the printing paper fed from the registration roller pair 13 at the pressure contact position, and the clamper 20a at the separation position.
Avoid collisions. Note that, instead of the press roller 21 as the pressing means, an impression cylinder having the same diameter as the plate cylinder 20 and being rotatable in synchronization with the plate cylinder 20 and configured to be able to freely contact and separate from the plate cylinder 20 may be used. Good.

On the left side of the printing section 5, a plate discharging section 6 having a plate discharging roller pair, a plate discharging box, a compression plate and the like (not shown) is disposed. A plate discharge box that stores therein a used master peeled from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 20 is configured to be detachable from the housing 1a. A plate discharge roller pair that is provided so as to be freely rotatable and rotatable with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 20 and feeds the used master into the plate discharge box, and a compression plate that compresses the used master stored in the plate discharge box includes: Both are integrally attached to the plate discharge box.

Below the plate discharging section 6, a sheet discharging section 7 is provided. The paper discharge unit 7 includes a peeling claw 22, a paper discharge transport member 23, a paper discharge unit frame 24, a paper discharge tray 25, and the like. The peeling claw 22 is rotatably attached to the housing 1a,
The front end is configured to be freely movable toward and away from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 20. The paper discharge conveying member 23 includes a driving roller 23a, a driven roller 23b, and a plurality of endless belts 23.
c, a suction fan 23d, a jump plate 23e, and the like. The discharge / conveyance member 23 includes a suction fan 23.
The printing paper is conveyed leftward in FIG. 1 while adsorbing the printing paper on the endless belt 23c by the suction force of d.
After squatting, the air is discharged out of the machine.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the paper discharge section frame 24 has a pair of rectangular parallelepiped blocks fixed to the housing 1a, and is disposed so as to face each other. Two positioning pins 24a and 24b are implanted in each of the paper discharge unit frames 24, and taps 24c and 24d are formed above the positioning pins 24a and 24b. In FIG. 3, the discharge tray 25 is indicated by imaginary lines to make it easier to understand the state of attachment of the discharge tray 25 to the discharge unit frame 24.

The paper discharge tray 25 includes a paper discharge tray main body 25a on which printed printing paper is stacked, and a paper discharge tray main body 25a.
The end fence 25b, which is erected on the upper side so as to be movable in the paper transport direction and abuts the leading end of the print paper discharged from the paper discharge transport member 23, is disposed on the paper discharge tray main body 25a in a direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction. A pair of side fences 25c, 25d, which are vertically erected so as to be able to approach and separate from each other, and align paper in the width direction of the printing paper stacked on the paper output tray main body 25a, and a paper transport direction of the paper output tray main body 25a. It has a pair of detachable brackets 26 and the like, which are fixedly provided on both sides on the upstream side and are configured to be detachable from the sheet discharge section frame 24.

An attachment / detachment bracket 26 made of a plate having a substantially Z-shape is fixed at one end thereof to the paper discharge tray main body 25a by welding or screwing, and has a long groove 26a formed at the other end. Have been. Long groove 26
a is formed in a shape that can be engaged with the positioning pin 24b. Near the lower portion of the position where the long groove 26a is formed, the corner of the housing 1a is formed when the long groove 26a is engaged with the positioning pin 24b. An abutment portion 26b is formed to abut against the abutment. Furthermore, a detachable bracket 2
6 above the position where the long groove 26a is formed, the long groove 26a is engaged with the positioning pin 24b, and the abutting portion 26b is brought into contact with the corner of the housing 1a, so that the tap 24d is positioned when the detachable bracket 26 is positioned. Is formed, and the paper discharge tray 25 is attached to the housing 1a by a screw 27 which can be manually attached and detached without using a tool through a hole formed in each attachment / detachment bracket 26. Fixed.

With the above-described configuration, the stencil printing apparatus 1 operates after the original is set on the image reading unit 2 by the operator.
The operation starts when a plate making start key (not shown) is pressed. When a plate making start key (not shown) is pressed, a document image is read by the image reading unit 2 and the plate discharging unit 6 is operated to peel off the master of the previous plate from the plate cylinder 20. The used master that has been peeled off is stored in the plate discharge box. When the plate discharging operation is completed, the plate cylinder 20 is positioned at the plate feeding standby position, and the plate making section 3 performs the plate making operation. The platen roller pulls out the master from the master roll and transports the master while pressing it against the thermal head.
The thermal head heat-perforates the master in accordance with the document image read by the image reading unit 2. The plate-making master is sent toward the plate cylinder 20 by a platen roller, and the leading end thereof is clamped by a clamper 20a. Thereafter, as the plate cylinder 20 rotates, the plate-making master is gradually wound around the plate cylinder 20. When the master for one plate is made, the cutting means is activated, the master is cut, and the winding operation is completed.

After the winding operation is completed, the plate cylinder 20 is driven to rotate at a low speed, and the sheet feeding roller 16 and the separation roller 17 are rotated.
Rotates, and the uppermost one of the printing sheets stacked on the sheet feeding tray 11 is separated and fed. The separated and fed printing paper is temporarily stopped at the nip portion of the pair of registration rollers 13, and then the printing cylinder 20 and the press roller are synchronized with the master cylinder image wound on the printing cylinder 20. 21 is fed. Then, when the press roller 21 swings and presses the printing paper against the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 20, the ink supplied to the inner peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 20 causes the opening of the porous support plate opening, the mesh screen, and the master perforation. The image is transferred to the printing paper via the unit, and a plate attaching operation is performed. The printing paper to which the ink has been transferred is peeled off from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 20 by the peeling claw 22,
Fall on. The dropped printing paper is sucked and conveyed by the paper discharge conveyance member 23, and is corrugated by the jump plate 23e, and then discharged onto the paper discharge tray 25 to complete the plate setting operation.

When the stencil printing operation is completed, the stencil printing machine 1
Is in a print standby state. When the printing start key is pressed after the operator inputs various conditions such as the number of prints and the printing speed from this state, the printing speed corresponding to the set printing speed at which the plate cylinder 20 is faster than at the time of the printing operation is set. The printing paper is continuously driven from the paper feed unit 4 while being rotated at the peripheral speed, and the printing operation is performed. Then, when the set number of prints is exhausted, the plate cylinder 20 is positioned at a predetermined home position, and the stencil printing machine 1 is again in a printing standby state.

Here, the housing 1a of the stencil printing apparatus 1 described above.
An example in which a plurality of are connected to perform multicolor (two colors in this example) printing using the stencil printing apparatus 1 which is a single color printing apparatus will be described.
First, two stencil printing apparatuses 1 similar to the stencil printing apparatus 1 are used.
A and 1B are prepared. Each of the stencil printing apparatuses 1A and 1B is configured in exactly the same manner as the stencil printing apparatus 1, and the respective portions are denoted by reference numerals A and B, respectively, and detailed description thereof is omitted. The stencil printing apparatus 1A is equipped with a plate cylinder 20A for transferring red ink to printing paper, and the stencil printing apparatus 1B is equipped with a plate cylinder 20B for transferring black ink to printing paper. In this example, the stencil printing apparatus 1A is connected on the upstream side and the stencil printing apparatus 1B is connected on the downstream side in consideration of the color of the ink.

The operator removes each screw 27 of the stencil printing machine 1A, and removes the paper discharge tray 25A (not shown) from the housing 1aA. Thereby, the stencil printing apparatus 1A is in the state shown in FIG. At this time, the paper discharge tray 25A can be easily removed from the housing 1aA simply by removing the two screws 27, so that the workability is improved as compared with the conventional stencil printing apparatus, and the paper discharge tray 25A is removed. By removing it, it is possible to reduce the installation space of the stencil printing machine 1A when not in use. Next, the operator removes a screw (not shown) screwed into each tap 9c of the stencil printing machine 1B, and removes a paper supply unit (not shown) from the housing 1aB. Thereby, the stencil printing apparatus 1B
5 is in a state shown in FIG. 5 from which the detachable bracket 10B, the paper feed tray 11B, and the separation / feeding means 12B (both not shown) are removed. Also in this case, the paper feed unit can be easily removed from the housing 1aB simply by removing two screws (not shown), so that the operation is much more complicated than the conventional stencil printing machine which had to rely on a service person. In addition to the improved performance, the user can easily perform the jam processing and the like in the paper feeding unit.

The operator inserts the stencil printing apparatus 1A and the stencil printing apparatus 1B into a paper discharge section 7A and a paper feed section 4B, respectively.
Are arranged so as to face each other, and as shown in FIG. 6, each of the stencil printing apparatuses 1A and 1B is
Linked by The intermediate conveying member 28 includes a driving roller 28a, a driven roller 28b, and rollers 28a and 28.
b, a plurality of endless belts 28c, a suction fan 28d, and a pair of connecting brackets 2 integrally attached to the intermediate transport frame 28g (see FIGS. 7 and 8).
9 are integrally provided. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the intermediate transfer means 28 is detachable from the connectors 30A and 30B provided on the housings 1aA and 1aB.
A plurality of connectors 28e and 28f are provided, and are operated by being supplied with power from any one of the stencil printing apparatuses 1A and 1B (in this example, the stencil printing apparatus 1A). The drive roller 28a is provided with a gear (not shown) for transmitting the drive force.
Is configured to engage with a drive gear of a paper feed drive unit (not shown) provided in the housing 1aB when the power supply unit is attached to the housing 1aB. Further, a reflection type sensor 28h as a sheet detecting means for detecting a print sheet is disposed at a central portion of the intermediate transfer frame 28g near the downstream side in the sheet transfer direction (see FIG. 8).

[0034] As shown in FIG.
Each connection bracket 29 connected to the stencil printing machine 1A side
Has a cutout portion 29a (only one is shown) as a paper discharge unit detachable portion engageable with the positioning pin 24aA, and as shown in FIG. At the other end of each connecting bracket 29 to be connected,
It has a notch 29b as a paper feeding unit detachable portion engageable with the positioning pin 9aB (only one is shown). Each connection bracket 29 has a notch 29
When the intermediate transport means 28 is positioned by engaging the positioning pins 24aA and 9aB with the positioning pins 24aA and 9aB, holes corresponding to the taps 24cA and 9cB are formed. It is fixed to each of the housings 1aA and 1aB by screws 27 through the holes formed in 29.

The operator operates the notches 29a, 29b
Is screwed into each of the taps 24cA, 9cB in a state where the connector 27e is engaged with each of the positioning pins 24aA, 9aB, and the intermediate conveying means 28 is fixed to each of the housings 1aA, 1aB. Connector 30A, 3
0B. Thereby, the stencil printing machine 1
A and the stencil printing machine 1B are mechanically and electrically connected. At the time of this connection, when the connection mode is selected on the operation panel on the upstream stencil printing apparatus 1A, this signal is transmitted to the stencil printing apparatus 1B via the connectors 30A, 28e, 28f, 30B, and the respective stencil printing apparatuses 1B. Printing device 1
A and 1B are multi-color print modes. In the multicolor printing mode, the operation of the downstream stencil printing apparatus 1B is performed based on an instruction from the operation panel of the upstream stencil printing apparatus 1A.

The operation in the case of performing multicolor printing using two single-color stencil printing apparatuses 1A and 1B in which the casings 1aA and 1aB are connected by an intermediate transport member 28 will be described below. The operator operates each image reading unit 2A, 2
The originals are set in B, and a stencil start key provided on an operation panel (not shown) of the stencil printing apparatus 1A is pressed. When the plate-making start key is pressed, each plate cylinder 20 is pressed.
A and 20B start rotating at the same time, and each plate cylinder 20
In accordance with the rotation of A and 20B, the plate discharge units 6A and 6B simultaneously start operating, and the master of the previous plate is peeled off from the plate cylinders 20A and 20B, respectively. In parallel with this plate removal operation,
In each of the image reading units 2A and 2B, a reading operation of each document image is performed. Each read document image is sent to a plate making control board (not shown) as an image data signal.

When the reading operation is completed, each of the plate making units 3A, 3
In B, a plate making operation is started. Each plate making section 3A, 3B
In the same manner as in the plate making operation in the plate making section 3, a master is drawn out from a master roll (not shown) by a platen roller (not shown), and plate making corresponding to an image data signal is performed by a thermal head (not shown). The master made is conveyed toward each of the plate cylinders 20A and 20B, and the leading end of the master is clamped by a clamper provided on each of the plate cylinders 20A and 20B. When the clamping of the master by the clamper is completed, each plate cylinder 20A, 2
0B starts rotating in the clockwise direction in FIG. 6, respectively, and the plate-making master is wound on each plate cylinder 20A, 20B.
Then, when the master for one plate is made, the cutting means (not shown) in each of the plate making sections 3A and 3B is operated to cut the master. The cut masters are the plate cylinders 20A, 20A.
By the rotation of B, it is pulled out from each of the plate making units 3A and 3B,
The operation of winding the master around each plate cylinder 20A, 20B is completed.

After the completion of the winding operation, the plate cylinders 20A and 20B are driven to rotate at a low speed, and the sheet feeding driving means (not shown) provided in each of the casings 1aA and 1aB are operated, respectively, so that the separating and feeding means 12A. Then, the drive roller 28a is driven to rotate, and only one uppermost printing sheet stacked on the sheet feeding tray 11A is separated and fed. The separated and fed printing paper is temporarily stopped at the nip of the pair of registration rollers 13A, and then rotated at a predetermined timing to rotate the registration rollers 13A between the plate cylinder 20A and the press roller 21A. It is fed toward. Then, the press roller 21A swings and the printing paper is transferred to the plate cylinder 2.
By pressing against the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 0A, the red ink supplied to the inner surface of the plate cylinder 20A is transferred to the printing paper via the porous support plate opening, the mesh screen, and the master perforated portion, and the plate for the plate cylinder 20A is An attaching operation is performed. The printing paper onto which the ink has been transferred is released from the plate cylinder 2 by the peeling nail 22A.
The sheet is peeled off from the outer peripheral surface of 0A, and falls on the sheet discharge conveying member 23A. The dropped print sheet is suction-conveyed by the sheet discharge conveyance member 23A, sent to the left, and discharged to the outside of the housing 1aA.

The printing paper discharged to the outside of the housing 1aA is delivered to the intermediate conveyance member 28, and is conveyed to the inside of the housing 1aB while being adsorbed on the endless belt 28c by the suction force of the suction fan 28d. When the leading edge of the printing paper is detected by the reflection sensor 28h during the suction conveyance of the printing paper by the intermediate conveyance member 28, this detection signal is sent to a control device (not shown). The control device (not shown) that has received the signal turns on a registration roller driving unit (not shown) that rotationally drives the registration roller pair 13B, and makes the registration roller pair 13B operable.
If the reflection sensor 28h does not detect the printing paper within a predetermined time after the paper feeding unit 4A feeds the printing paper, it is determined that the paper conveyance jam has occurred and the stencil printing apparatus 1A,
All operations of 1B are stopped.

After the printing paper fed from the intermediate conveying member 28 is temporarily stopped at the nip portion of the registration roller pair 13B, the printing paper fed from the intermediate conveyance member 28 is rotated by the registration roller pair 13B at a predetermined timing, so that the printing paper is transferred to the plate cylinder 20B. The paper is fed toward between the press roller 21B. When the press roller 21B swings and presses the printing paper against the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 20B, the black ink supplied to the inner surface of the plate cylinder 20B causes the black support supplied to the porous support plate opening, the mesh screen, and the master perforation. The image is transferred to the printing paper via the unit, and the plate attaching operation to the plate cylinder 20B is performed. The printing paper to which the ink has been transferred is peeled off from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 20B by the peeling claw 22B, and falls onto the paper discharge conveyance member 23B.
The dropped printing paper is sucked and conveyed by the paper discharge conveyance member 23A, discharged to the outside of the housing 1aB, discharged onto the paper discharge tray 25B, and all the printing operations are completed.

When the stencil printing operation is completed, each of the stencil printing apparatuses 1A and 1B enters a printing standby state. When the printing start key is pressed after various conditions such as the number of prints and the printing speed are input by the operator from this state, each plate cylinder 20 is pressed.
A and 20B are driven to rotate at a peripheral speed corresponding to the set printing speed, which is faster than the printing operation, and the printing paper is continuously fed from the paper feeding unit 4A to perform the two-color printing operation. Done. Then, when the set number of prints is exhausted, the plate cylinders 20A and 20B are respectively positioned at predetermined home positions, and the stencil printing apparatuses 1A and 1B are again in a printing standby state.

As described above, a plurality of stencil printing apparatuses for monochromatic printing are used in which at least the paper feed tray, the separation feeding means and the paper discharge tray are detachably mounted, and the housings of the stencil printing apparatuses are connected by the connecting means. By doing so, it is possible to easily switch from a single color to a multicolor or from a multicolor to a single color, and it is possible to cope with various printings. Also, by separately selling the paper feed tray, the separate feeding means, the paper discharge tray and the housing, one paper feed tray, the separate paper feeding means, and the paper discharge tray can be used for a plurality of housings. If they are aligned, multicolor printing can be performed, and a multicolor printing system can be constructed at low cost.

In the above embodiment, two-color printing is performed by connecting two stencil printing apparatuses for single-color printing. However, three or more stencil printing apparatuses for single-color printing are connected to perform multi-color printing. May be performed. When three or more stencil printing apparatuses are connected, the paper discharge tray is provided from the stencil printing apparatus housing disposed at the most upstream position, and the paper supply tray and the separation / feeding means are provided from the stencil printing apparatus housing disposed at the most downstream position. The paper feed tray, the separating / feeding unit, and the paper discharge tray may be respectively removed from the casing of the stencil printing apparatus disposed in the middle, and the casings may be connected by the connecting unit.

In the above embodiment, the paper feed tray, the separation / feeding means and the paper discharge tray are detachable from the housing of the stencil printing apparatus for monochrome printing. The paper feed tray, the separation / feeding means, and the paper discharge tray may be detachable from the housing of the stencil printing apparatus for color printing, and a plurality of these may be connected to perform multicolor printing. The method of connection conforms to the above-described stencil printing apparatus for monochrome printing. With such a configuration, it is possible to perform multicolor printing using more combinations of colors.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the detachable portions from the casing of the stencil printing apparatus are the sheet feeding tray, the separating / feeding means, and the sheet discharging tray. It may be.

[0046]

According to the present invention, the paper feed tray, the separating / feeding means and the paper discharge tray can be removed from the apparatus main body, so that the workability at the time of maintenance is improved as compared with the conventional stencil printing apparatus. The user can easily perform the jam clearance process in the paper feeding unit which had to rely on a service person, and can reduce the installation space of the stencil printing machine when not in use. In addition, by using a plurality of stencil printing apparatuses for monochromatic printing in which at least the paper feed tray, the separation feeding unit, and the paper output tray are detachably attached, and connecting the casings of the stencil printing apparatuses by the connecting unit, the monochromatic printing is performed. It is possible to easily switch from multicolor to multicolor or from multicolor to single color, and it is possible to cope with various printing. Also, by separately selling the paper feed tray, the separate feeding means, the paper discharge tray and the housing, one paper feed tray, the separate paper feeding means, and the paper discharge tray can be used for a plurality of housings. If they are aligned, multicolor printing can be performed, and a multicolor printing system can be constructed at low cost.
Furthermore, by connecting a plurality of paper feed trays, separation / feeding means, and paper discharge trays from the housing of the stencil printing apparatus for multicolor printing so that they can be detachably attached to each other, multiple colors can be combined. Color printing can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a stencil printing apparatus employing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of a paper feeding unit of the stencil printing machine used in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of a paper discharge unit of the stencil printing apparatus used in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing a stencil printing apparatus located on the upstream side during connection used in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic front view showing a stencil printing apparatus located on the downstream side at the time of connection used in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic front view showing a connected stencil printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of a paper discharge unit of the stencil printing apparatus at the time of connection according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of a paper feeding unit of the stencil printing apparatus at the time of connection according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 1A, 1B stencil printing apparatus 1a, 1aA, 1aB Main body (housing) 4, 4A, 4B paper feed unit 5, 5A, 5B printing unit 7, 7A, 7B paper discharging unit 11, 11A paper feeding tray 12, 12A Separating and feeding means 13B Registration roller pair 20, 20A, 20B Plate cylinder 21, 21A, 21B Pressing means (press roller) 25, 25B Discharge tray 28 Connecting means (intermediate transport member) 28h Paper detecting means (reflective sensor) 29a Attaching / detaching part (notch part) for paper discharge part 29b Attaching / detaching part (notch part) for paper feeding part

Claims (5)

[Claims] A printing unit having a plate cylinder and pressing means for pressing printing paper against the plate cylinder; a paper feeding unit for feeding the printing paper toward the printing unit; A stencil printing apparatus having a paper discharge unit for discharging the printing paper onto which the printing paper has been transferred from the apparatus main body, wherein the paper feeding unit separates and feeds the printing paper from the paper feeding tray on which the printing paper is stacked. And a paper discharge tray for stacking the printing paper discharged from the apparatus main body, and at least the paper feed tray, the separation / feeding means, and the paper discharge tray A stencil printing apparatus, which is configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body. 2. A printing unit having a plate cylinder and pressing means for pressing printing paper against the plate cylinder, a paper feeding unit for feeding the printing paper toward the printing unit, and an image formed by the printing unit. A stencil printing apparatus having a paper discharge unit for discharging the printing paper onto which the printing paper has been transferred from the apparatus main body, wherein the paper feeding unit separates and feeds the printing paper from the paper feeding tray on which the printing paper is stacked. And a paper discharge tray for stacking the printing paper discharged from the apparatus main body, and at least the paper feed tray, the separation / feeding means, and the paper discharge tray The paper supply unit detachable unit is configured to be detachable with respect to the apparatus main body, and is detachable with respect to the paper supply unit from which at least the paper supply tray and the separation / feeding unit are removed, and at least the discharge tray is removed. Paper output A stencil printing apparatus wherein a plurality of the apparatus main bodies can be connected to each other by a connecting means having a paper discharge section detachable section detachable from the section. 3. The stencil printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said connecting means has a paper detecting means for detecting said printing paper sent from said apparatus main body connected to said paper feeding section attaching / detaching section. . 4. The apparatus main body connected to the paper output unit attaching / detaching unit has a pair of registration rollers for temporarily stopping the printing paper sent from the connecting unit and then feeding the printing paper toward the printing unit, 4. The stencil printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operation of the pair of registration rollers is controlled based on a detection signal from the sheet detection unit. 5. The printing unit according to claim 1, wherein the printing unit has a plurality of plate cylinders, and is capable of performing one-stroke multicolor printing on the printing paper. A stencil printer according to one of the preceding claims.