JP2002103569A - Roller cleaning unit structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an efficient and sure cleaning of a roller capable of cleaning off a treatment liquid from a peripheral surface of the roller by a small amount of a cleaning liquid. SOLUTION: A cleaning trough 110 provided oppositely to the roller 56A of conveying roller pair 56 is disposed along a horizontal direction parallel to an axis of the roller. A groove 118 of the trough 114 is provided in a substantially V shape by a bottom plate 120 and a side plate 122, a through hole 126 is formed at the side plate at the intermediate part, a through hole 128 is formed at the bottom 124 out of the hole 126, and a bottom 124A of a distal end is inclined toward the peripheral surface of the roller. The cleaning water supplied from a nozzle 116 disposed at the intermediate position of the longitudinal direction is dispersed to the holes 126 and 128 and both ends and flowed to the peripheral surface of the roller 56. Thus, the conveying roller pair can be surely cleaned without using a large quantity of the water.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a photosensitive material processing apparatus for treating a photosensitive material such as a photosensitive lithographic printing plate with a processing solution while transporting the material by a roller, and more particularly, to removing a processing solution attached to the roller. The present invention relates to a roller cleaning unit structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a photosensitive material, there is a photosensitive lithographic printing plate (hereinafter referred to as "PS plate") having a photosensitive layer provided on a support such as aluminum, and a photosensitive material processing apparatus for processing the PS plate. In the PS plate processor, a developing process in which the PS plate is immersed in a developing solution for processing, a rinsing process in which rinsing water is sprayed on the PS plate to perform a rinsing process, and an insensitive oil such as a gum solution on the surface of the PS plate after the rinsing process. A plurality of processing steps using a processing liquid such as a desensitizing step of applying a desensitizing treatment by applying a desensitizing processing liquid are provided, and developing, washing, desensitizing processing, etc. are performed on the image-exposed PS plate. Is applied.

In the desensitizing process of the PS plate processor, a gum solution is uniformly applied to the front and back surfaces of the PS plate while the PS plate is transported by a pair of transport rollers disposed outside the processing liquid. A surplus gum solution is squeezed out by a pair of conveying rollers to form a thin film for plate surface protection on the front and back surfaces of the PS plate.

By the way, the gum solution used for the desensitizing treatment of the PS plate is applied to the pair of conveying rollers by the pair of conveying rollers (rollers).
If it adheres to the surface of the sheet, the conveyance roller pair will not be able to rotate, or the PS plate will be conveyed poorly, stained or damaged. For this reason, the PS plate processor cleans the peripheral surface of the roller on which the gum solution has adhered at a preset timing such as when the PS plate processing is completed and the PS plate processor stops operating. And the like, so that the gum solution is washed off from the surface of the roller.

On the other hand, some PS plates have dimensions as long as about 1100 mm along the conveying direction. In a PS plate processor that processes such a PS plate, a PS plate is processed along the axial direction of a roller used for conveying the PS plate. The length is also longer.
With such a long roller, it is difficult to uniformly supply the cleaning liquid in the axial direction, and therefore, it is necessary to use a large amount of the cleaning liquid in order to reliably wash the gum liquid from the roller.

[0006] However, some PS plate processors use a cleaning solution for cleaning the rollers as a diluting solution for the gum solution. In such a PS plate processor, a large amount of the cleaning solution is used to surely wash the gum solution from the rollers. As a result, there is a problem that the gum solution is excessively diluted.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and a cleaning liquid is uniformly supplied to a peripheral surface of a roller on which a processing liquid used for processing a photosensitive material is adhered. An object of the present invention is to propose a roller cleaning unit structure of a photosensitive material processing apparatus that can surely remove a processing liquid from a peripheral surface with a small amount of a cleaning liquid.

[0008]

According to the present invention, there is provided a photosensitive material processing apparatus for processing a photosensitive material with a processing solution while transporting the photosensitive material by rollers.
A roller cleaning unit structure for supplying a cleaning liquid to a peripheral surface of the roller disposed outside the processing liquid and cleaning the roller, wherein an axial direction faces an upper outer peripheral surface of the roller disposed along a horizontal direction. The longitudinal direction is arranged along the axial direction of the roller, and the gutter part to which the cleaning liquid is supplied to an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction is formed in a groove shape having a sectional shape protruding toward the peripheral surface of the roller. At the same time, a first outlet hole reaching the bottom of the groove is provided at a middle part in the longitudinal direction, and a second outlet is provided so as to straddle the bottom of the groove outwardly along the longitudinal direction from the first outlet.
Outflow holes are provided.

According to the present invention, the gutter portion horizontally arranged along the axial direction of the roller is formed in a groove shape having a substantially V-shaped cross section. In addition, the gutter portion is provided with a first outflow hole at an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction, and a second outflow hole is provided on an outer side along the longitudinal direction from the first outflow hole. The cleaning liquid is supplied to the vicinity of the outflow hole 1.

Thus, the supplied cleaning liquid flows out of the first outflow hole to the peripheral surface of the roller. However, since the first outflow hole is formed only on the bottom side of the side plate, the cleaning liquid flows into the gutter portion. A part of the supplied cleaning liquid flows out of the first outlet, while the remaining cleaning liquid flows toward the second outlet,
It flows out from the second outflow hole to the peripheral surface of the roller.

Thus, the cleaning liquid can be reliably supplied not only to the intermediate portion of the roller in the axial direction but also to the peripheral surfaces on both ends of the roller. Therefore, it is possible to supply the cleaning liquid without increasing the amount of the cleaning liquid. The surface can be reliably cleaned, and the processing liquid adhering to the peripheral surface of the roller can be washed away.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the length of the gutter portion in the longitudinal direction is shorter than the length of the roller along the axial direction.

According to the present invention, both ends of the gutter portion have a length facing the peripheral surfaces of both ends along the axial direction of the roller. Thereby, the cleaning liquid remaining without flowing out from the second outflow hole can be supplied to the peripheral surface of the roller from both ends of the gutter portion for cleaning.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a photosensitive lithographic printing plate processing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “P”) applied as an example of a photosensitive material processing apparatus.
S-version processor 10). The PS plate processor 10 performs development processing of a photosensitive lithographic printing plate (hereinafter, referred to as a “PS plate 12”) such as a photopolymer plate, which has been image-exposed as a photosensitive material by an exposure device (not shown). The PS plate 12 has a photosensitive layer formed on a thin rectangular flat plate such as an aluminum plate as a support, and the photopolymer plate has an optical bonding layer, a photopolymerization layer, and an overcoat layer stacked thereon. Thus, a photosensitive layer is formed, and the image is exposed to light by a laser beam, whereby a polymerization reaction of an image portion of the photopolymerizable layer is promoted.

The PS plate processor 10 described below has a width dimension of about 11 which is a direction orthogonal to the transport direction.
Processing of the PS plate 12 having a large size of about 00 mm is possible.

The PS plate processor 10 includes a developing unit 14 for treating the PS plate 12 with a developer, a washing unit 16 for supplying and washing the PS plate 12 treated with the developer with washing water, A desensitizing unit 18 for applying a gum solution to the PS plate 12 to desensitize the PS plate 12;
And a drying unit 20 for drying the water. That is, in the PS plate processor 10, a developing step, a washing step, a desensitizing step, and a drying step are arranged in this order along the direction of transport of the PS plate 12 (arrow A in FIG. 1).

In the PS plate processor 10, a processing tank 22 is provided. In the processing tank 22, a developing tank 24 is formed at a position to be the developing section 14, and the washing section 1 is formed.
A washing tank 26 and a desensitizing processing tank 28 are formed as processing tanks at positions that are to be 6 and the desensitizing processing section 18.

The outer panel 30 covering the processing tank 22 has a slit-shaped insertion opening 32 formed therein.
2, a discharge port 34 is formed on the drying unit 20 side.

The PS plate processor 10 is provided with a cover 36 that covers the upper part of the processing tank 22. The cover 36 integrally covers the developing step, the washing step, and the desensitizing step provided in the processing tank 22. The cover 36 includes the developing unit 14 and the washing unit 1.
6, a re-entry insertion port (sub-insertion port) 38 for inserting the PS plate 12 is provided. The sub-insertion opening 38 is used to insert the PS plate 12 for performing processing in the PS plate processor 10 except for processing in the developing unit 14.

An insertion table 40 is provided outside the insertion port 32, and a rubber transport roller pair 42 is disposed on the side of the developing unit 14 where the PS plate 12 is inserted. The PS plate 12 on which the image has been printed is placed on the insertion table 40 and inserted from the insertion port 32 along the direction of arrow A, and the conveying roller pair 42 is inserted.
Sent between.

The conveying roller pair 42 is rotated by a driving force of a driving means (not shown) to draw in the inserted PS plate 12, and to the developing unit 14 at an angle of about 15 ° to 31 ° with respect to the horizontal direction. Send in. In this embodiment, a single-sided PS plate 12 having a photosensitive layer formed on one surface of the support is used. The PS plate 12 is inserted from the insertion port 32 with the photosensitive layer facing upward. It is inserted into the PS version processor 10.

Developing tank 2 formed in processing tank 22
Numeral 4 has a substantially mountain shape with a bottom center protruding downward, and stores a developing solution for performing a developing process of the PS plate 12. In the developing tank 24, a guide plate 44 is provided along the bottom on the lower side along the transport direction of the PS plate 12.

The guide plate 44 is provided upstream of the developing tank 24 (on the side of the insertion port 32), and has a plurality of freely rotating rollers (small rollers) 46 attached thereto. PS plate 1 sent into developing unit 14 by conveying roller pair 42
2 is a guide plate 4 guided by the rollers 46.
4 is conveyed.

In the developing tank 24, a pair of conveying rollers 48 whose outer periphery is made of rubber are disposed on the washing section 16 side.
The PS plate 12 guided and transported in a substantially U-shape in the inside 4 is nipped by the transport roller pair 48 and pulled out from the developing tank 24. The PS plate 12 is immersed in the developing solution when transported in the developing tank 24 in this manner, and unnecessary portions of the photosensitive layer exposed by image exposure swell with the developing solution,
The photosensitive layer is peeled off from the support, and an unnecessary photosensitive layer is removed according to the exposed image.

A spray pipe 50 is provided in the developing tank 24, and the developing solution in the developing tank 24 sucked by a pump (not shown) is supplied to the spray pipe 50.
Spraying on the photosensitive layer surface of the PS plate 12
Is supplied to the surface of the developing tank 24 and the developing solution in the developing tank 24 is circulated.

In the developing tank 24, a brush roller 80 is provided between the guide plate 44 and the transport roller pair 48. This brush roller 80 brushes the surface of the PS plate 12 by rotating the brush plate 80 while bringing the bristle material into contact with the surface of the PS plate 12 that is conveyed while being immersed in the developing solution, so that the unnecessary surface of the PS plate 12 Removal of the photosensitive layer is promoted.

The developing unit 14 is provided with a liquid surface cover 52 such that the lower surface is lower than the liquid surface of the developer stored in the developing tank 24. Also, the wall surface of the developing tank 24 and the liquid surface cover 5
In 2, the shield members 54A and 54B are provided on the insertion port 32 side, and the shield members 54C and 54D are attached on the washing section 24 side. In the processing tank 22, a shielding member 54E that comes into contact with the peripheral surface of the pair of transport rollers 56 around the discharge port 34,
54F is attached, and a shielding member 54G is attached to the sub insertion opening 38 of the cover 36.

The shielding members 54A to 54G are formed of silicon rubber or the like. The inside of the developing tank 24 is filled with a liquid level in a space in a sealed portion formed by the shielding members 54A to 54G, the pair of conveying rollers 42 and 48, and the like. Is provided to reduce the amount of air trapped in this space, and the liquid level lid 52 and the shielding members 54A to 5A are provided.
4G or the like prevents fresh air from entering near the liquid surface of the developing solution, and suppresses deterioration of the developing solution and evaporation of water due to carbon dioxide gas in the air. In addition, the liquid level cover 5
2 is provided with skewer rollers 52A and 52B on the lower surfaces of the upstream and downstream ends of the PS plate 12 in the transport direction.
The surface (mainly the photosensitive surface) is prevented from being damaged due to the PS plate 12 conveyed in the inside contacting with the lower surface of the liquid surface cover 52.

The PS plate 12 pulled out of the developing tank 24 by the transport roller pair 48 is sent to the washing section 16 while the developer adhering to the surface is squeezed down by the transport roller pair 48.

In the rinsing section 16, a transport path for transporting the PS plate 12 in a substantially horizontal state by a pair of transport rollers 58 and 60 disposed above the rinsing tank 26 is formed.
2 is sandwiched between the conveying roller pairs 58 and 60 and
Is transported horizontally above the

The washing section 16 includes a pair of conveying rollers 58, 60.
Spray pipes 62A and 62B are provided in pairs between the upper and lower sides of the PS plate 12 conveyance path. The spray pipes 62 </ b> A and 62 </ b> B are arranged so that the axial direction is along the width direction of the PS plate 12 (direction orthogonal to the transport direction), and a plurality of discharge holes are formed facing the transport path of the PS plate 12.

In the washing tank 26, washing water is stored as a processing liquid. One end of a pipe 82 is opened at the bottom of the washing tank 26. Spray pipes 62A and 62B are connected to the pipe 82 via a liquid supply pump (not shown) (not shown). Spray pipes 62A, 62B
Then, the washing water supplied by operating the liquid supply pump in synchronization with the transport of the PS plate 12 is supplied from the discharge hole to the PS plate 1.
Spout toward 2. The PS plate 12 is used to wash away the developer adhering to the surface by the washing water.

The developing solution washed away by the washing water falls into the washing tank 26 together with the washing water. In addition,
The new washing water is supplied to the washing tank 26 by means (not shown) according to the processing amount of the PS plate 12.

The washing water supplied to the PS plate 12 is fed together with the developer adhering to the front and back surfaces of the PS plate 12 when the PS plate 12 is sandwiched between the transport rollers 60 and sent out. And is collected in the washing tank 26. The spraying direction of the washing water from the spray pipes 62A and 62B is such that the spray pipe 62A is on the downstream side in the transport direction of the PS plate 12 and the spray pipe 62B is
Although the transport direction of the plate 12 is set to the upstream side, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be another direction.

The desensitizing section 18 is provided with a pair of conveying rollers 56 above the desensitizing tank 28,
Is desensitized by the conveying roller pair 56.
After being conveyed through the inside, it is sent out from the discharge port 34.

The desensitizing section 18 is provided with a spray pipe 64 above the conveying path of the PS plate 12.
The spray pipe 64 has an axial direction arranged along the width direction of the PS plate 12, and has a plurality of discharge holes opposed to the transport path of the PS plate 12. In addition, the desensitization processing unit 18
A discharge unit 66 having a continuous slit formed in the width direction of the PS plate 12 is provided below the transport path of the PS plate 12.

A gum solution used for protecting the plate surface of the PS plate 12 is stored in the desensitizing tank 28, and the gum solution is supplied to the spray pipe 64 and the discharge unit 66 in synchronization with the transport of the PS plate 12. Is done. The spray pipe 64 is
This gum solution is dropped toward the PS plate 12 and spread and applied on the surface of the PS plate 12. Further, the discharge unit 66
When the back surface of the S plate 12 passes while contacting the slit portion, the gum solution discharged from the slit is applied to the entire back surface of the PS plate 12.

The PS plate 12 has a protective film formed by the gum solution applied to the front and back surfaces. The spray pipe 6
The discharge direction of the gum solution from 4 is not limited to the downstream side in the transport direction of the PS plate 12, but may be another direction. Further, although the discharge unit 66 is provided below the transport path of the PS plate 12 to apply the gum solution, the invention is not limited to this, and a spray pipe may be provided to apply the gum solution.

The PS plate 12 to which the gum solution has been applied in the desensitizing unit 18 is sandwiched between the pair of transport rollers 56 and discharged from the outlet 34 with the gum solution slightly remaining on the front and back surfaces.
It is sent to the drying unit 20.

The drying section 20 has a PS near the discharge port 34.
A support roller 68 for supporting the plate 12 is provided, and the drying unit 2
0, a transport roller pair 72 and a transport roller pair 74 are disposed near the center of the transport path of the PS plate 12 and near the discharge port 70. The PS plate 12 includes a support roller 68 and a transport roller pair 72, 74. Is transported in the drying unit 20.

Ducts 76A, 7 are provided between the support roller 68 and the transport roller pair 72 and between the transport roller pair 72 and the transport roller pair 74 with the transport path of the PS plate 12 therebetween.
6B is provided. The ducts 76A and 76B are disposed such that the longitudinal direction is along the width direction of the PS plate 12,
A slit hole 78 is provided on a surface of the S plate 12 facing the conveyance path.

When the drying air generated by the drying air generating means (not shown) is supplied from one end in the longitudinal direction, the ducts 76A and 76B direct the drying air from the slit holes 78 to the transport path of the PS plate 12. And spray it onto the PS plate 12. Thereby, in the PS plate 12, the gum solution applied to the front and back surfaces is dried, and a protective film is formed. The outlet 34 has a processor unit up to the desensitizing unit 18 for treating the PS plate 12 with the processing liquid and the drying unit 2.
A shutter (not shown) is provided to separate the air from zero, and the discharge port 34 is unnecessarily opened to prevent the heated air in the drying unit 20 from entering the desensitization processing unit 18.

In the PS plate processor 10 configured as described above, the PS plate 12 on which an image is recorded by a printing device (not shown) or the like is placed on the insertion table 40, and the insertion port 3
2, the PS plate 12 is pulled in by the conveying roller pair 42 and sent to the developing unit 14. In the PS plate processor 10, the PS plate 1 passing through the insertion slot 32 is used.
When 2 is detected by a sensor (not shown), a timer is started. The timer measures the timing of discharging the washing water from the spray pipes 62A and 62B of the washing unit 16 and the timing of discharging the gum solution in the desensitizing unit 18 together with the operation of the driving unit for transporting the PS plate 12. Used for

In the developing section 14, the PS plate 12 is fed by the pair of conveying rollers 42 at an insertion angle of 15 ° to 31 ° with respect to the horizontal direction, and is conveyed while being immersed in the developing solution. The PS plate 12 is sent out of the developer at a discharge angle in the range of 17 ° to 31 °. PS version 12
By being immersed in a developing solution in the developing unit 14, unnecessary portions of the photosensitive layer swell according to the exposed image, and the swollen photosensitive layer is removed from the support. At this time, by brushing the surface of the PS plate 12 with a brush roller 80 disposed in the developing tank 24, removal of an unnecessary photosensitive layer from the surface of the PS plate 12 is promoted.

The PS version processor 10 includes:
A plurality of brush rollers 80 may be arranged to face the surface of the PS plate 12 for brushing,
Further, the processing of the PS plate 12 may be performed without using the brush roller 80.

The PS plate 12 thus processed with the developing solution and sent out of the developing solution is drawn out by the transport roller pair 48 and sent to the washing section 16. At this time, the transport roller pair 48 squeezes the developer adhering to the front and back surfaces of the PS plate 12 from the PS plate 12.

In the rinsing section 16, rinsing water is jetted from the spray pipes 62A and 62B while the PS plate 12 is conveyed in a substantially horizontal state while being sandwiched by the conveying roller pairs 58 and 60. The transport roller pair 60 disposed downstream in the transport direction of the PS plate 12 squeezes the washing water supplied to the front and back surfaces of the PS plate 12 together with the developer remaining without being squeezed by the transport roller pair 48. While dropping, this PS version 1
2 is sent to the desensitizing unit 18.

Thus, when the PS plate 12 passes through the washing section 16, the developer remaining on the front and back surfaces is washed away.

The PS plate 12 sent to the desensitizing unit 18
Is passed between the spray pipe 64 and the discharge unit 66, and is pinched by the pair of transport rollers 56, so as to be sent out of the desensitizing unit 18 by the pair of transport rollers 56.

At this time, in the desensitizing unit 18, the gum solution is supplied to the spray pipe 64 and the discharge unit 66, and the gum solution is applied to the front and back surfaces of the PS plate 12. The transport roller pair 56 forms a thin film of the gum solution on the front and back surfaces of the PS plate 12 by pinching and sending out the PS plate 12, and squeezes excess gum solution from the front and back surfaces of the PS plate 12.

The PS plate 12 to which the gum solution has been applied is sent from the discharge port 34 to the drying section 20 by the pair of conveying rollers 56. The shutter (not shown) provided at the discharge port 34 is used for controlling the timing of starting the processing of the PS plate 12 or the PS timing.
The plate 12 operates at the timing of being sent out from the desensitizing unit 18 to open the discharge port 34, and the drying air from the drying unit 20 unnecessarily enters the desensitizing unit 18, and the gum solution is supplied to the conveying roller pair 56. To prevent sticking,
The air enters from the outlet 34 and reaches the developing unit 14 to prevent the developer from being deteriorated by carbon dioxide in the air, or the moisture in the developer, washing water, and moisture in the gum solution evaporate. It is prevented from getting out of the discharge port 34.

In the drying section 20, drying air is blown from the ducts 76A and 76B while the PS plate 12 is transported by the support roller 68 and the transport roller pairs 72 and 74. As a result, the PS plate 12 is discharged from the outlet 70 after the protective film is formed by the applied gum solution.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the PS plate processor 10 is provided with a replenisher tank 100 for storing a replenisher of a gum solution, which is a processing solution used in the desensitizing unit 18, By operating the replenisher pump 102 at a predetermined timing, the replenisher in the replenisher tank 100 is replenished to the desensitizing tank 28.

From the replenisher tank 100 to the desensitizing tank 2
The replenisher supplied to 8 is stored as a gum solution. The desensitizing unit 18 is provided with a liquid supply pump 104 that operates in synchronization with the transport of the PS plate 12. The operation of the liquid supply pump 104 allows the gum solution in the desensitizing tank 28 to operate. The spray pipe 64 and the discharge unit 66
And applied to the front and back surfaces of the PS plate 12. The excess gum solution is squeezed from the front and back surfaces of the PS plate 12 and collected in the desensitizing tank 28.

The PS plate processor 10 is provided with a replenishing water tank 106.
The water in 06 is used as dilution water for diluting the replenisher of the developer used in the developing section 14 or as washing water in the washing section 16.

In the desensitizing section 18, the liquid supply pump 10
By operating 8, the water in the replenishment water tank 106 is supplied to the desensitization tank 28. In the PS plate processor 10, the water in the replenishing water tank 106 is used as a diluting water for the gum solution, and the amount of water in the gum solution stored in the desensitizing tank 28 evaporates. The components in the gum solution are kept in a predetermined concentration range (appropriate gum solution concentration range for protecting the plate surface of the PS plate 12) by supplying the gum solution according to the supply. Although the PS plate processor 10 is provided with a mechanism for replenishing the developing tank 24 with the developing solution and supplying the washing water to the washing tank 26, in the present embodiment, the replenishing solution for the developing solution is diluted. Illustration and description of the supply of the dilution water and the washing water are omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the degreasing treatment section 18 is provided with a cleaning gutter 110 for cleaning the transport roller pair 60. As shown in FIG. 2, the liquid supply pump 108 supplies the water in the replenishment water tank 106 to the cleaning gutter 110 to clean the transport roller pair 56 and then to collect the water in the desensitizing tank 28. I have. That is, in the PS plate processor 10, the water that has washed the transport roller pair 56 is used for diluting the gum solution.

Here, the cleaning gutter 110 provided for cleaning the conveying roller pair 56 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

The transport roller pair 56 provided in the desensitizing section 18 includes an upper roller 56A and a lower roller 5A.
6B, the rollers 56A, 56B
Are arranged in pairs such that the axial direction is along the horizontal direction.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
Are arranged parallel to the rollers 56A, 56B such that the longitudinal direction is along the axial direction of the rollers 56A, 56B.
Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the cleaning gutter 110 is disposed to face the upper peripheral surface of the roller 56A.

The cleaning gutter 110 has a horizontal portion 112 and a gutter portion 114 formed by, for example, bending a flat plate having a predetermined width. Both ends of the horizontal portion 112 in the longitudinal direction are desensitized by brackets. 18 and is fixedly attached to a side plate (both not shown).

The horizontal section 112 has a gutter section 114.
There is provided a nozzle 116 that opens toward
Water is supplied to the nozzle 116 from the liquid supply pump 108 as the cleaning liquid for the transport roller pair 56 to the inside of the gutter 114 (see FIG. 2).

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the gutter portion 114 of the cleaning gutter 110 is
A groove 118 having a substantially V-shaped cross section along a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction is formed by the side plate 122 and the side plate 122. The bottom 124 of the groove 118 connecting the bottom plate 120 and the side plate 122 protrudes toward the peripheral surface of the roller 56A. The bottom plate 120 on the horizontal portion 112 side
The side plate 122 on the roller 56A side is slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, and is substantially perpendicular to the bottom plate 120, and has a large inclination with respect to the horizontal direction.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
Is the middle position in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning gutter 110, and the tip is the groove 1
The cleaning water is supplied to the inside of the groove 118.

The side plate 122 on the roller 56A side forming the groove 118 has a through hole 126 serving as a first outflow hole, and a second
Is formed. The through-hole 126 is formed at an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning gutter 110 at a position substantially targeted by the nozzle 116 at a predetermined interval, and the lower end reaches the bottom 124.

The through-hole 128 is arranged outside the through-hole 126 along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning gutter 110 (on the front end side in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning gutter 110) at a predetermined distance from the through-hole 126. In addition, the through hole 128 is formed in the bottom plate 120 and the side plate 122 across the bottom 124 of the groove 118.

As a result, in the cleaning gutter 110, the nozzle 1
The cleaning water supplied from the cleaning gutter 16 flows through the cleaning gutter 11 in the groove 118.
By flowing to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the roller 56, the toner flows out from the through hole 126 to the peripheral surface of the roller 56A. Further, the washing water that flows beyond the through hole 126 without flowing out from the through hole 126 flows out from the through hole 128 to the peripheral surface of the roller 56A.

The length of the cleaning gutter 110 in the longitudinal direction is shorter than the length of the cleaning gutter 110 in the axial direction of the roller 56A.
The peripheral surfaces at both ends along the axial direction of A are opposed to each other.

In the PS plate processor 10, for example, when the operation of the apparatus is stopped after one day of processing, the liquid supply pump 108 is used to wash out the gum solution adhering to the peripheral surface of the pair of transport rollers 56. Operate. Thereby, the water in the replenishment water tank 106 is supplied to the cleaning gutter 110 as cleaning water. Note that the timing of cleaning the transport roller pair 56 and the calculation of the amount of water used for cleaning can be performed by a conventionally known timing and method. Further, in the PS plate processor 10, a driving unit (not shown) is operated in accordance with the operation of the liquid supply pump 108, and the conveying roller pair 56 is operated.
Is driven to rotate.

When the liquid supply pump 108 operates,
Cleaning water is supplied to the cleaning gutter 110 into the groove 118 from a nozzle 116 provided at an intermediate position in the longitudinal direction. The washing water flows from the bottom plate 120 forming the groove 118 to the bottom portion 124, and the washing gutter 110 is arranged horizontally, so that the vicinity of the bottom portion 124 is the axial line of the roller 56A that is both outward in the longitudinal direction. Flow along the direction.

Thus, when the washing water reaches the through-hole 126, it flows out from the through-hole 126 toward the peripheral surface of the roller 56A. At this time, since the through-hole 126 is formed in the side plate 122, a part of the cleaning water is supplied to the through-hole 12.
6 and the remainder exceeds the through hole 126 and the through hole 12
Flow to 8. That is, the lower end of the through hole 126 is
By forming the through-hole 126 in the side plate 122 so as to be located at 24, the cleaning water flowing through the bottom 124 does not flow out of the through-hole 126 at all, and the remainder flows toward the through-hole 128.

The washing water flowing along the bottom 124 of the groove 118 toward the through-hole 128 causes the through-hole 128 to be formed in the bottom 124 so that the washing water flows.
Out of the roller 56A to the peripheral surface of the roller 56A.

On the other hand, the remaining line purified water that has not flowed out of the through hole 128 further flows toward the front end in the groove 118 and flows from the end of the cleaning gutter 110 toward the peripheral surface of the end of the roller 56A in the axial direction. run down.

As described above, the cleaning gutter 110 is
Is formed on the side plate 122 with the bottom 124 of the groove 118 as the lower end, and the through hole 128 is formed so as to straddle the bottom 124 so that the amount of the washing water flowing out from the through hole 126 and the through hole 128 is made substantially the same. be able to.

Further, the washing water that cannot be completely discharged from the through hole 128 flows down from the end of the washing gutter 110 to the peripheral surface of the roller 56A, so that the amount of the washing water is spread substantially uniformly over the entire surface of the roller 56A. Can be.

The washing water flowing down to the roller 56A in this manner is supplied to the entire peripheral surface of the roller 56A and the roller 56B by the rotation of the roller 56A, and adheres to the roller 56A and the roller 56B. The gum solution is washed away and collected in the desensitizing tank 28.

As described above, the cleaning gutter 110 is connected to the nozzle 11
6 is efficiently dispersed and discharged from the longitudinal ends of the through holes 126 and 128 and the cleaning gutter 110 to the peripheral surface of the roller 56A, so that the roller is reliably used without using a large amount of cleaning water. The gum solution can be roughly flowed from 56A and 56B.

As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the components in the gum solution from sticking to the rollers 56A, 56B, and to perform the desensitizing tank 28 in order to surely clean the rollers 56A, 56B. Can be prevented from being excessively diluted by a large amount of washing water.

In the PS plate processor 10, the PS plate 12 does not have poor finishing due to the thinning of the gum solution, and the components in the gum solution fixed to the rollers 56 A and 56 B are removed from the surface of the PS plate 12. , The rotation of the rollers 56A and 56B is stopped, and furthermore, the occurrence of a defective finish due to damaging the surface of the PS plate 12 can be reliably prevented.

Note that the present embodiment described above does not limit the configuration of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the PS plate 12 is used as a photosensitive material and the PS plate 12 is applied to the PS plate processor 10 for processing the PS plate 12, but the present invention is not limited to the PS plate 12, and other photosensitive plates may be used. In various types of photosensitive lithographic printing plate processing equipment used for processing of lithographic printing plates, and in photosensitive material processing equipment used for processing other photosensitive materials such as photographic paper, photographic film, etc. The present invention can be applied to a configuration for cleaning the existing roller.

In this embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the groove 118 of the cleaning gutter 110 is parallel to the axis of the roller 56A. However, the present invention is not limited to this. By inclining so as to descend toward the peripheral surface, the line purified water flowing in the groove 118 and reaching the both ends may easily and surely fall on the peripheral surface of the roller 56A.

The through holes 126 and 12 according to the present embodiment
Nozzle 8 for supplying cleaning water to cleaning gutter 110 in place of nozzle 8
The cleaning water supplied from the nozzle 116 is supplied such that the lower end of the through hole located outside the cleaning gutter 110 in the longitudinal direction from the lower end of the through hole in the vicinity of 16 approaches the bottom 124.
The rollers 56 are dropped by approximately the same amount from these through holes, and the cleaning water is dropped from both ends of the cleaning gutter 110 in the longitudinal direction.
A substantially uniform amount of washing water may be spread over the entire surface of A.

[0083]

As described above, according to the present invention, the first outflow hole facing the intermediate portion in the axial direction of the roller and the first outflow hole are provided at both ends in the axial direction of the roller with respect to the first outflow hole. Since the outflow of the cleaning liquid can be dispersed in the second outflow holes, an excellent effect that the peripheral surface of the roller can be surely cleaned without using a large amount of the cleaning liquid is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a PS plate processor applied to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a desensitization processing unit for cleaning a roller.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part showing a schematic configuration of a cleaning gutter arranged to face a roller.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cleaning gutter viewed from a downstream side in a transport direction of a PS plate.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 PS plate processor (photosensitive material processing apparatus) 12 PS plate (photosensitive material) 18 Desensitization processing part 28 Desensitization processing tank 56 Transport roller pair 56A, 56B roller 106 Replenishment water tank 108 Liquid supply pump 110 Cleaning gutter 114 Gutter Part 116 nozzle 118 groove 120 bottom plate 122 side plate 124 bottom 126 through hole (first outflow hole) 128 through hole (second outflow hole)

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (reference) B41N 3/08 102 B41N 3/08 102 F term (reference) 2C250 FA17 FB01 2H114 AA04 AA23 BA01 EA01 EA02 GA01 GA22 3B201 AA08 AB16 BA15 BA35 BB23 BB33 BB62 BB92 CB22 CC13

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A roller cleaning apparatus provided in a photosensitive material processing apparatus for processing a photosensitive material with a processing liquid while transporting the photosensitive material by a roller, wherein the cleaning liquid is supplied to a peripheral surface of the roller disposed outside the processing liquid to perform cleaning. Part structure, wherein the longitudinal direction is arranged along the axial direction of the roller, with the axial direction facing the upper outer peripheral surface of the roller arranged along the horizontal direction, and the cleaning liquid is intermediate in the longitudinal direction. The gutter section supplied to the section is formed in a groove shape having a cross-sectional shape protruding toward the peripheral surface of the roller, and a first outflow hole reaching a groove-shaped bottom portion is provided at an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction, A roller cleaning section structure, wherein a second outflow hole is provided outside the first outflow hole in the longitudinal direction so as to straddle the groove-shaped bottom. 2. The roller cleaning unit structure according to claim 1, wherein the length of the gutter in the longitudinal direction is shorter than the length of the gutter along the axial direction.