JP2002361995A - Stencil printing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a stencil printing apparatus capable of performing compression equal to that of a large master even at the time of taking-off of a small master and capable of reducing frequency for filling a plate taking-off box by increasing plate taking-off quantity. SOLUTION: In the stencil printing apparatus 1 equipped with a plate cylinder 8, a plate making means 3 for making/feeding/cutting the master 61, a paper feed means 4 for feeding printing paper P, a pressure means 10 for pressing the printing paper P to the plate cylinder 8 to transfer an image, a taking-off means 6 taking off the printing paper P to which the image is transferred and a plate taking-off means 5 having a plate taking-off box 76 and a compression plate 77 to take off a used master 130, a control means 26 for varying the compression time of the used master 130 due to the compression plate 77 corresponding to the length of the used master 130 is provided.

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 control of a stencil discharging means for storing a used master.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A rotatable plate cylinder formed by winding a plurality of mesh screens of a resin or metal mesh around a porous support plate, which is a porous support cylindrical body, and a thermoplastic resin film (thickness). A thermoplastic resin film of a master using a laminate having a laminated structure obtained by laminating Japanese paper fibers or synthetic fibers or a mixture of Japanese paper fibers and synthetic fibers. After the plate is heated and perforated by a plate making means provided with a thermal head, the plate is wound around a plate cylinder, and ink is supplied from an ink supply means provided inside the plate cylinder while being supplied by pressing means such as a press roller. By continuously pressing the printing paper fed from the paper means against the plate-making master on the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder, ink is exuded from the plate cylinder opening and the master perforated portion. Sensitive digital stencil printing apparatus which performs printing by transferring the printing paper is generally known.

In this stencil printing apparatus, image reading, plate making,
A fully-automatic type stencil printing apparatus that automatically and continuously performs each process such as printing and stencil printing is mainly used. In this stencil printing machine, an image of a document to be printed is read by a reading unit. After the master is heated and melt-punched by a plate making means having a thermal head, a platen roller, etc., the master is automatically wound around the above-mentioned plate cylinder, and the printing paper fed from the paper feeding means is pressed around the plate cylinder by the pressing means. Printing is performed by being continuously pressed against the surface. After the printing is completed, the used master wound around the plate cylinder is peeled off from the plate cylinder by the plate discharging means, and is stored in the plate discharging box and then compressed by the compression plate.

Further, as the above-described fully automatic stencil printing apparatus, a master length setting means for setting the length of a master wound around a plate cylinder to an arbitrary length, and a master length setting means. There is known a stencil printing apparatus having a pressing range varying means for changing a pressing range of a pressing means against a plate cylinder in accordance with the length of the pressing means.
No. 93767. According to this stencil printing apparatus, the length of the master wound around the plate cylinder can be set according to the size of the stencil image forming the master. The amount of ink to be applied can be reduced, and the pressing range of the pressing means is changed according to the size of the master.
It is possible to prevent the pressing means from pressing the plate cylinder opening where the master does not exist, and to prevent the surface of the pressing means from being stained and the back surface of the next printed matter from being stained.

[0005]

However, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
In the stencil printing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 193767, when the used master is discharged from the plate cylinder by the plate discharge device, the discarded master is placed in the plate discharge box regardless of the size of the master wound on the plate cylinder. It is compressed by a compression plate for the same time. At this time, for example, the master cut in the A4 size is sufficiently smaller than the master cut in the A3 size. However, the amount of plate discharge does not change much. This is because when compressing a master cut in A4 size, the compression force is weakened due to the small volume of the master even when compressed in the same manner as when compressing a master cut in A3 size, and it is easy to restore after compression. That's why.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-described problems, and can perform compression even when a small master is discharged, in the same manner as a large master, and reduces the frequency of filling the discharge box by increasing the discharge amount. It is an object of the present invention to provide a stencil printing apparatus capable of performing the above.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A plate cylinder on which a master is wound, plate making means for making, transporting, and cutting the master; sheet feeding means for feeding printing paper; and Pressing means for pressing an image on the plate cylinder to transfer an image, paper discharging means for discharging the printing paper on which the image has been transferred, and plate discharging means for peeling the used master from the plate cylinder; In the stencil printing apparatus, the stencil discharging means includes a plate discharging box for storing the used masters used by the plate discharging means, and a compression plate for compressing the used masters stored in the plate discharging box. And a control unit for varying the compression time of the used master by the compression plate in accordance with the above.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the stencil printing apparatus of the first aspect, a master length setting means for setting the length of the master wound around the plate cylinder to an arbitrary length, Pressure range changing means for changing the pressure range of the pressing means against the plate cylinder according to the length set by the master length setting means, wherein the control means is set by the master length setting means. The compression time is varied according to the length of the used master.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the stencil printing apparatus according to the second aspect, the compression time can be adjusted for each length of the used master.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the stencil printing apparatus according to the second or third aspect, the master length setting means further includes an A3 size as the master length.
It is characterized in that any one of B4 size, A4 size, and B5 size can be set.

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 compression time is increased as the length of the master is further reduced. It is characterized by the following.

[0012]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a stencil printing machine 1 employing one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a stencil printing apparatus 1 includes a printing unit 2, a plate making unit 3 as a plate making unit, a sheet feeding unit 4 as a sheet feeding unit, a plate discharging unit 5 as a plate discharging unit, a sheet discharging unit 6 as a sheet discharging unit, and a document. It has a reading unit 7.

The printing unit 2 disposed at the center of the housing 18
As shown in FIG. 2, it mainly comprises a plate cylinder 8, ink supply means 9, a press roller 10 as a pressing means, and the like. The plate cylinder 8 is mainly composed of a pair of flanges 12 rotatably supported by a spindle 11 also serving as an ink supply pipe, and a porous support plate 8a wound on the outer peripheral surface of each flange 12. Then, the plate cylinder driving means 13 described later rotates and drives in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The support shaft 11 has a distal end 11a (see FIG. 5) supported by a side plate 18a (see FIG. 5) of a housing 18.
A number of small holes are provided for supplying ink to the nozzle. Each flange 12 is connected to the support shaft 1 via a bearing (not shown).
1 is rotatably mounted.

The porous support plate 8a formed of a stainless steel thin plate or the like has an opening 8b having a large number of openings and a non-opening, and a circumferential direction of the opening 8b. The length is set to a length that allows printing on A3 size printing paper. A stage portion 14 having a plane parallel to one generatrix of the plate cylinder 8 is provided in the non-opening portion. Are arranged. Also,
On the outside of the porous support plate 8a, about 1 to 3 layers of a mesh screen (not shown) made of a thin line of polyester or stainless steel are wound.

An ink supply means 9 having an ink roller 16, a doctor roller 17, and the like is provided in a portion located inside the plate cylinder 1 and below the support shaft 11. The ink roller 16 supports the spindle 1 between the flanges 12.
1 between a pair of side plates (not shown) fixed on
6a is rotatably supported, and the rotational force from the plate cylinder driving means 13 is transmitted by a rotational force transmitting means such as a gear or a belt to rotate in the same direction as the plate cylinder 8. The doctor roller 17 is rotatably supported between the side plates at a position where a slight gap is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the doctor roller 17 and the outer peripheral surface of the ink roller 16, and the rotational force from the plate cylinder driving means 13 is not shown. It is transmitted by the rotational force transmitting means and rotates in the direction opposite to the ink roller 16. In the vicinity of the ink roller 16 and the doctor roller 17,
A wedge-shaped ink reservoir 17a is formed by the ink supplied from the support shaft 11.

FIG. 3 shows a plate cylinder driving means 1 for rotatingly driving the plate cylinder 8, the ink roller 16 and the doctor roller 17.
3 is shown. The plate cylinder driving means 13 includes gears 19 and 2
0, timing pulley 21, timing belt 22,
It mainly comprises a pinion 23, a plate cylinder drive motor 24, and the like. A gear 19 is fixed to the outer surface of one of the flanges 12 located on the back side of the apparatus. The gear 19 is the spindle 1
1, and has a hole 19 a formed in the center so as not to be in contact with the support shaft 11. The tip portion 11a of the support shaft 11 extends through the gear 19 and the side plate 18a.
It is supported by.

A gear 20 meshing with the gear 19 is provided near the gear 19. The gear 20 is fixed to an end of a support shaft 20 a rotatably supported by the housing 18, and a timing pulley 21 is provided on the support shaft 20 a located on the back side of the device from the position where the gear 20 is fixed. It is fixed. The timing pulley 21 is connected to a pinion 23 fixed to an output shaft end of a plate cylinder driving motor 24 attached to the housing 18 by a timing belt 22. The operation of the plate cylinder drive motor 24 is controlled by control means 26 described later.

With the above arrangement, the plate cylinder drive motor 24
Is transmitted, the flange 12 rotates about the support shaft 11, and the plate cylinder 8 is rotationally driven. A gear (not shown) is attached inside one of the flanges 12, and the rotational force is transmitted by a rotational force transmitting means (not shown) connected to the gear, so that the ink roller 16 is rotated.
And the doctor roller 17 are respectively driven to rotate.

A dog 25 extending in the axial direction is fixed to the outer peripheral edge of one of the flanges 12, and a home position sensor 27 is disposed on a circular orbit of the dog 25 that moves as the flange 12 rotates. Has been established. The home position sensor 27 is attached to the housing 18 and outputs a signal to the control unit 26 when the dog 25 passes through the detection unit.

A handle 2 having a substantially U-shape for carrying the plate cylinder 8 is provided outside each flange 12 as shown in FIG.
8 is attached so as to straddle the plate cylinder 8 in the axial direction. The handle 28 is integrally formed of a main body 28a and side plates 28b and 28c, and the side plates 28b and 28c are attached to the support shaft 11, respectively.

The main body 28a has a pair of rollers 28d at the end on the side plate 28b side. As shown in FIG. 5, each of the rollers 28d is a rail member 29 attached to the side plate 18a.
, So as to be detachable from the housing 18. The attachment and detachment of the plate cylinder 8 to and from the housing 18
It is configured such that it becomes possible only when the plate cylinder 8 occupies the home position.

A support shaft 1 is provided on a side plate 28b located on the back side of the apparatus.
1 penetrates, and the tip 11a of the support shaft 11 protruding from the side plate 28b is attached to the positioning member 3 provided on the side plate 18a.
It is supported so that it can be freely disengaged. On the other hand, an ink pump for supplying ink to the support shaft 11 and an ink supply device 31 having an ink pack or the like storing ink therein are provided on the side plate 28c located on the front side of the device.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, inside the housing 18, near the engaging portion between the tip 11a and the positioning member 30, the plate cylinder 8 is pulled out of the housing 18. A withdrawal restricting means 32 for regulating is provided. Withdrawal restricting means 32
It has a solenoid 34, an arm 35, a tension spring 36 and the like. The solenoid 34 is attached to the side plate 18a via an attachment member (not shown), and its operation is controlled by the control means 26. The base end of the arm 35 is swingably supported by a pin 35a implanted in the side plate 18a, and a plunger 34a of a solenoid 34 is attached to a portion closer to the free end side than the center. Arm 3
5, the other end of the tension spring 36 having one end fixed to the side plate 18a is attached.

With this configuration, when the solenoid 34 is not operated, the disengagement restricting means 32 allows the free end of the arm 35 to be formed by the urging force of the tension spring 36 at the notch 11b formed near the tip 11a of the support shaft 11. 6, the removal of the plate cylinder 8 from the housing 18 is restricted by occupying the solid line position of FIG. 6, and the free end of the arm 35 is detached from the notch 11 b when the solenoid 34 is operated. By occupying the position indicated by the two-dot chain line, the plate cylinder 8 can be removed from the housing 18.

A master length detection sensor 33, which is a reflection type sensor, is provided inside the housing 18 and near the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8. The master length detection sensor 33 is attached to the housing 18, detects the presence or absence of the master from the difference in the amount of reflection on the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8, and detects the presence of the master when the plate cylinder 8 is rotated by a predetermined angle. The length of the wound master is detected from the presence or absence. The master length detection sensor 33 is attached at a position where the master length detection sensor 33 does not interfere with an obstacle such as the clamper 15 when the plate cylinder 8 rotates, and its output signal is input to the control means 26.

A press roller 10 is provided below the plate cylinder 8. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, both ends of the support shaft 10a are rotatably supported between one ends of a pair of press roller arms 37, and each press roller arm 37 has the other end. Are fixed to the support shaft 37a.

The support shaft 3 rotatably supported by the housing 18
The swing arm 3 has a pair of press roller arms 37 and a rotatable cam follower 38a at one end.
The other end of 8 is fixed. The other end of a tension spring 39 having one end fixed to the housing 18 is attached to the swing arm 38, and a biasing force in the clockwise direction in FIG. 7 is applied to the support shaft 37a. The swing arm 38
The pin 3 with which the tip of the locking arm 44 to be described later
8b is planted.

In the vicinity of the swing arm 38, a multi-stage cam 40 having four cam plates 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d
Are arranged. Each of the cam plates 40a, 40b, 40c,
40d are fixed with gaps near one end of a support shaft 41 whose both ends are rotatably supported by the housing 18 and movably in the direction of the paper of FIG. 7, and the cam plate 40a, the cam plate 40b, cam plate 40c, cam plate 40d
It is arranged in the order of. Each cam plate 40a, 40b, 40
As shown in FIG. 7, c and 40d each have a base which is a disk concentric with the support shaft 41 and a protrusion having the same protrusion amount, and the shape of each protrusion is the protrusion of the cam plate 40a. Based on the right edge of the portion, the convex portions are formed so as to become larger in the circumferential direction in the order of the cam plate 40b, the cam plate 40c, and the cam plate 40d. The multi-stage cam 40 includes a support shaft 4 as shown in FIG.
1 and a transmission gear 49 mounted on a support shaft 48 rotatably supported by the housing 18.
The rotational force from the plate cylinder driving means 13 is transmitted via the plate cylinder 13 and is rotationally driven in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG.

The press roller 10 is provided with each cam plate 40a,
When any of the protrusions 40b, 40c, and 40d contacts the cam follower 38a, the protrusion moves to the solid line position in FIG. 7, and when the contact with any of the protrusions is released, the urging force of the tension spring 39 is applied. As a result, the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8 is pressed. At the time of this pressing, the bases of the cam plates 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d are configured not to contact the cam followers 38a. The size of the convex portion of each of the cam plates 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d in the circumferential direction is such that the contact range between the press roller 10 and the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8 is A3 vertical length, B4
The lengths are set to correspond to the vertical length, the A4 vertical length, and the B5 vertical length, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 7, a locking arm 44 is provided near the swing arm 38. A locking arm 44 having a hook-like tip 44a is provided with a base 44
b is swingably supported. The locking arm 44 includes
A plunger 45a of a solenoid 45 attached to the housing 18 and a tension spring 4 having one end attached to the housing 18
6 is attached to the other end, and the locking arm 44 is
Any one of the protrusions of each of the cam plates 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d contacts the cam follower 38a, and the solenoid 45
When the power supply to the tip 4 is released, as shown in FIG.
The press roller 10 is engaged with the pin 38b so as to hold the press roller 10 at a distance from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8. The operation of the solenoid 45 is controlled by the control means 26.

As shown in FIG. 8, a moving arm 43 and a step cam 47 are provided near the lower part of the support shaft 41. The substantially L-shaped moving arm 43 is swingably supported by a support shaft 43c at a bent portion thereof. A roller 43a is rotatably mounted at one end and a cam follower 43b is rotatably mounted at the other end. . One end of the moving arm 43 is provided between the other end of the moving arm 43 and the bent portion.
8 is attached to the other end of a tension spring 50 attached to the movable arm 43.
, A clockwise urging force is applied.

The roller 43a is disposed between the discs 41a and 41b fixed at a distance in the middle of the support shaft 41, and the cam follower 43b moves the outer peripheral surface of the step follower 47 by the urging force of the tension spring 50. Is in contact with the peripheral surface of.
The distance between the disks 41a and 41b is set to be slightly larger than the diameter of the roller 43a.

The step cam 47 has four cam portions 47a, 47b, 47c and 47d on its peripheral surface, and is fixed to a support shaft 51 rotatably supported by the housing 18. A gear 54 that meshes with a gear 53 attached to an output shaft of a stepping motor 52 attached to the housing 18 is attached to the support shaft 51. Rotated in the direction. When the stepping motor 52 operates and the step cam 47 rotates, the moving arm 43 is
The support shaft 41 is moved in the left-right direction in FIG. 8 by swinging about the center c and the roller 43a pressing the disk 41a or the disk 41b. The operation of the stepping motor 52 is controlled by the control means 26.

Each cam portion 47a, 47b, 47c, 47d
When the cam follower 43b comes into contact with the cam portion 47b, the cam plate 40b comes into contact with the cam follower 38a so that the cam plate 40a comes into contact with the cam follower 38a when the cam follower 43b comes into contact with the cam portion 47a. When the cam follower 43b and the cam portion 47c contact each other, the cam plate 40c is brought into a contactable position with the cam follower 38a.
The support shaft 41 is positioned so that the cam plate 40d can come into contact with the cam follower 38a when the cam portion 47b comes into contact with the cam portion 47d.
Are respectively formed in a shape for moving. Among the above-described configurations, the multi-stage cam 40, the support shaft 41, the moving arm 4
3. The pressure contact range varying means 83 is constituted by the step cam 47, the stepping motor 52, and the like.

A plate making section 3 is provided at the upper right of the printing section 2. The plate making unit 3 includes a master storage unit 55, a platen roller 56, a thermal head 57, a cutting unit 58, a pair of master transport rollers 59 and 60, and the like.

The master storage means 55 rotatably and detachably supports a core portion 62a of a master roll 62 in which a master 61 in which a thermoplastic resin film and a porous support are bonded is wound into a roll.

A platen roller 56 and a thermal head 57 are provided downstream of the master storage means 55 in the master transport direction. Platen roller 56 is housing 1
8 is rotatably supported by a side plate (not shown), and is rotatably driven by a stepping motor 63. The operation of the stepping motor 63 is controlled by the control means 26.

Thermal head 5 having many heating elements
7 is attached to a side plate (not shown) of the housing 18,
It is pressed against the platen roller 56 by the urging force of an urging means (not shown). The thermal head 57 is the master 6
The heating element is selectively heated while being in contact with the surface of the thermoplastic resin film 1, and the master 61 is subjected to hot-melt perforation. The operation of the thermal head 57 is controlled by the control means 26.

A cutting means 58 is provided downstream of the platen roller 56 and the thermal head 57 in the master transport direction. The cutting means 58 composed of the fixed blade 58a and the movable blade 58b is used for fixing the fixed blade 5 fixed to the side plate of the housing 18.
This is a known configuration in which the movable blade 58b rotates and moves with respect to 8a. The operation of the movable blade 58b is controlled by the control means 26.

A pair of master transport rollers 59 and 60 and guide plates 64 and 6 are located downstream of the cutting means 58 in the master transport direction.
5 are provided. Master transport roller pair 59, 60
Is composed of drive rollers 59a and 60a that are driven to rotate in synchronization by a drive unit (not shown), and driven rollers 59b and 60b that are pressed against the drive rollers 59a and 60a by a biasing unit (not shown).

A guide plate 64 is provided between each pair of master transport rollers 59 and 60, and a guide plate 65 is provided downstream of the pair of master transport rollers 60 in the master transport direction. Each guide plate 64, 65 is fixed to a side plate of the housing 18, guides the master 61 conveyed by each master conveying roller pair 59, 60, and guides the leading end of the master 61 to the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8. I do.

Below the plate making section 3, a sheet feeding section 4 is provided. The paper supply unit 4 includes a paper supply tray 66 and a paper supply roller 6.
7, a separation roller 68, a separation roller 69, a pair of registration rollers 70, and the like.

A paper feed tray 66 on which a large number of printing papers P are stacked is supported by the housing 18 so as to be movable up and down, and is moved up and down by lifting means (not shown). The paper feed tray 66 is provided with four sensors 71a, 71b, 71c, 71d for detecting the length of the loaded printing paper P, and a pair of side fences 72 for guiding the printing paper P. I have. Each sensor 71a, 71b, 71c, 7
The output signal from 1d is output to the control means 26, and the control means 26 determines the size of the printing paper P based on the output signals from the sensors 71a, 71b, 71c, 71d.
The side fence 72 has a well-known configuration that is movable in the sheet width direction (the direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the printing sheet P).

Above the paper feed tray 66, a paper feed roller 67, a separation roller 68, and a separation roller 69 each having a high frictional resistance member on its surface are provided. The paper feed roller 67 and the separation roller 68 are pressed against the printing paper P on the paper feed tray 66 with a predetermined pressure, and are driven by a common stepping motor 73 via a driving force transmission unit (not shown) such as a gear or a belt. Are rotationally driven in synchronization with each other in the direction of the arrow. The separation roller 69 is pressed against the separation roller 68 at a predetermined pressure, and is disposed so as to be intermittently rotatable in the same direction as the separation roller 68. The operation of the stepping motor 73 is controlled by the control means 26.

A registration roller pair 70 is disposed downstream of the separation roller 68 and the separation roller 69 in the printing paper transport direction. Driving roller 70a and driven roller 70b
The registration roller pair 70 of
The drive roller 70a is rotated at a predetermined timing synchronized with the rotation of the plate cylinder 8 by transmitting the rotational drive force from the drive roller 3 by a drive force transmitting means such as a gear or a cam, and is pressed against the drive roller 70a. The printing paper P is fed toward the printing unit 2 by the driven roller 70b.

A plate discharging section 5 is provided at the upper left of the printing section 2. The plate discharging section 5 has an upper plate discharging roller 74, a lower plate discharging roller 75, a plate discharging box 76, a compression plate 77, and the like. The upper plate discharging roller 74, the lower plate discharging roller 75, the plate discharging box 76 and the compression plate 77 shown here include:
JP-A-10-22614 filed by the same applicant as the present applicant
No. 7 discloses a plate discharging roller pair 5 and a plate discharging device 6
Since the configuration is similar to that described above, the description here will be limited to a simple one.

The upper plate discharging roller 74 is rotatably supported by a bracket (not shown) which is swingably supported by the housing 18, and is driven to rotate by plate discharging driving means (not shown). Further, a bracket (not shown) supporting the upper plate discharging roller 74 is rocked by a rocking means (not shown), and the upper plate discharging roller 74 separates the outer peripheral surface from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8 by a solid line in FIGS. The standby position shown in FIG. 1 and the peeling position shown by a two-dot chain line in FIGS. The lower plate discharging roller 75 is rotatably supported by the housing 18, and its outer peripheral surface is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the upper plate discharging roller 74 with a predetermined pressing force by the urging force of an urging means (not shown), When the upper plate discharging roller 74 rotates, it is driven to rotate.

The plate discharging box 76 has a cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. 9, and is located at the upper right part of the apparatus when viewed from the front side and at a position corresponding to the nip portion of each of the plate discharging rollers 74 and 75. A carry-in port 76a for receiving the used master 130 is formed therein. Discharge box 76
The inner peripheral wall 76c that constitutes the master accommodating portion 76b has a part formed in a shape along a locus of a leading end thereof moving when a compression plate 77 described later rotates 270 degrees. The other part is formed in a box shape. A lid 78 that is opened and closed when the used master 130 stored in the master accommodating portion 76b is discarded is provided on a rear side surface of the plate discharge box 76. The lid 78 is
It is supported by the plate discharge box 76 so as to be freely opened and closed by a support shaft 78a. The plate discharge box 76 is detachably supported by a rail member 80 provided on the housing 18 and is configured to be able to be pulled out in the front direction of the drawing of FIG. A side plate (not shown) located on the front side of the plate discharge box 76 is provided with a handle (not shown) that is gripped when the plate discharge box 76 is attached and detached.

Inside the plate discharging box 76, a compression plate 77 for compressing the used master 130 carried into the plate discharging box 76 is provided. The base of the compression plate 77 is fixed to a support shaft 77a rotatably supported by a side plate (not shown) located on the apparatus front side of the plate discharge box 76 and a bracket 79 located on the back side. It is rotated by a compression plate drive motor 81 connected to the support shaft 77a via a gear. Compression plate drive motor 8
The operation of 1 is controlled by control means 26 described later.
In addition, in the portion located below the compression plate 77, the used master 130 accommodated in the master accommodating portion 76b overflows to the carry-in port 76a side and the home position of the compression plate 77 is determined. A partition plate 82 is provided. Both ends of the partition plate 82 are fixed to a side plate (not shown) of the plate discharge box 76 located on the front side of the apparatus and a bracket 79.

With the above-described configuration, when the used master 130 is carried in above the compression plate 77 through the carry-in port 76a, the used master 130 is compressed by the viscosity of the ink as shown in FIG. It is placed so as to be folded on the plate 77. When loading of the used master 130 into the plate discharge box 76 is completed, the compression plate 77 is rotated counterclockwise by about 270 degrees in a state where the used master 130 is placed. By the rotation of the compression plate 77, the used master 130 placed on the compression plate 77 is stored in the box-shaped portion which is the innermost part of the plate discharge box 76. The compression plate 77 rotates about 270 degrees as shown in FIG. 10A, and after compressing the used master 130 for a predetermined time at that position, returns to the home position indicated by the two-dot chain line. Each time the used master 130 is carried into the stencil discharge box 76, the compression plate 77 repeats the above-described rotation operation.
As shown in (c), the number of plates of the used master 130 stored in the plate discharge box 76 is decreased gradually or at a predetermined angle as the number of plates increases. The predetermined time during which the compression plate 77 compresses the used master 130 will be described later.

Below the plate discharging section 5, a paper discharging section 6 is provided. The paper discharge unit 6 includes a peeling claw 84, a paper discharge conveyance member 85, a paper discharge tray 86, and the like. The peeling claw 84 for peeling the printed printing paper P from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8 is
The swinging means (not shown) swingably supports the side of the housing 18 by a, and moves the tip by the rotation of the plate cylinder 8 at a position where the tip is close to the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8. It is selectively swung to a position that does not interfere with an obstacle such as the clamper 15.

The paper discharge conveying member 85 includes a driving roller 87,
It has a driven roller 88, an endless belt 89, a suction fan 90, and the like. The drive roller 87 is rotatably supported by a unit side plate (not shown) and is driven to rotate by drive means (not shown). The driven roller 88 is also rotatably supported by the side plate, and a plurality of endless belts 89 having a plurality of openings are stretched between the driving roller 87 and the driven roller 88. A suction fan 90 is provided below the driving roller 87, the driven roller 88, and the endless belt 89. The paper discharge conveyance member 85 suctions the printing paper P onto the endless belt 89 by the suction force of the suction fan 90, and conveys the printing paper P in the direction of the arrow by rotation of the driving roller 87.

A paper discharge tray 86 on which printed printing paper P conveyed by the paper discharge conveyance member 85 is stacked.
Is a pair of side fences 91 movable in the paper width direction.
And one end fence 92 movable in the paper transport direction.
And

An original reading section 7 is provided at the upper part of the housing 18. The document reading unit 7 includes a document receiving table 94 on which the document 93 is loaded, a contact glass 95 on which the document 93 is mounted,
A pair of original transport rollers 96 and an original transport roller 97 for transporting the original 93, guide plates 98 and 99 for guiding the original 93 to be transported, a plurality of original transport belts 100 for transporting the original 93 along the contact glass 95, A document tray 101 on which a document 93 is placed, and a contact glass 9
5, a pressure plate 102 provided so as to be able to freely contact and separate from the light source 5, reflection mirrors 103 and 104 and a fluorescent lamp 105 for scanning and reading an original image, and a lens 10 for converging the scanned image.
6. It has an image sensor 107 such as a CCD for processing the focused image.

In the above configuration, the original receiving table 94, the original conveying roller pair 96, the original conveying roller 97, and the respective guide plates 9
8, 99, the document conveying belt 100, and the document tray 101, the automatic separating and conveying device 108 includes a contact glass 95, each of the reflecting mirrors 103 and 104, and the fluorescent lamp 10.
5, a document reading unit 132 is constituted by the lens 106 and the image sensor 107.

A document length detecting sensor 1 for detecting the length of a document to be conveyed is provided between a plurality of document conveying belts 100.
09 is provided. Original length detection sensor 10 which is a reflection type sensor similar to master length detection sensor 33
9 detects the presence or absence of the original 93 based on the difference in the amount of reflection on the contact glass 95. A signal from the document length detection sensor 109 is input to the control means 26, and the control means 2 calculates the signal based on the signal and the operation time of the document conveyance belt 100.
6 determines the length of the document 93. Also, the original receiving table 94
Below the original 93, the original 93 remaining on the original
Is provided.
The original detection sensor 131 detects the original 9 on the original receiving tray 94.
When the number 3 disappears, a signal is output to the control means 26.

FIG. 11 shows an operation panel of the stencil printing machine 1. An operation panel 110 provided on the upper front surface of the housing 18 has a plate making start key 111, a printing start key 112, a trial printing key 113, a continuous key 1
14, clear / stop key 115, numeric keypad 116,
An enter key 117, a program key 118, a mode clear key 119, a print speed setting key 120, a four-way key 121, a display device 122 including a 7-segment LED,
LCD display device 123, plate discharge full display lamp 1
In addition to a known configuration such as 33, a first plate-making printing mode for performing a first plate-making printing operation for making a master 61 with a predetermined length covering all the opening portions 8b of the plate cylinder 8 or shorter than a predetermined length. A mode selection key 124 and a mode selection key 12 for switching the prepress printing mode to one of the second prepress printing modes for performing a second prepress printing operation for making a master 61 with a predetermined length.
Mode display means 124a comprising LEDs for displaying the prepress printing mode selected in step 4, a size selection key 125 for selecting a prepress printing length when the second prepress printing mode is selected by the mode selection key 124, a size selection key 1
There is provided a size display means 125a composed of LEDs for displaying the plate making / printing length selected at 25. Among these components, the mode selection key 124 and the size selection key 1
25 constitutes a master length setting means 126.

The stencil printing start key 111 is used for the stencil printing machine 1.
Is pressed when the stencil printing operation is performed, and when the stencil start key 111 is pressed, the stencil printing operation is performed after the plate discharging operation and the original reading operation are performed, and thereafter the stencil printing operation is performed and Is in a print standby state. The print start key 112 is pressed to cause the stencil printing apparatus 1 to perform a printing operation. When the stencil printing apparatus 1 enters a printing standby state and various printing conditions are set, the printing operation is performed by pressing the print start key 112. Done. The trial printing key 113 is pressed when the stencil printing apparatus 1 performs the trial printing, and only one sheet is printed by pressing the trial printing key 113 after setting various conditions. The continuous key 114 is pressed before pressing the plate making start key 111 when performing the plate making operation and the printing operation in succession.
When the printing start key 111 is pressed after the printing conditions are input after the pressing of the button 14, the plate discharging operation, the original reading operation,
The printing operation is performed subsequent to the plate making operation.

The clear / stop key 115 is depressed when stopping the operation of the stencil printing apparatus 1 or when clearing the set number, and the numeric keypad 116 is used for numerical input. An enter key 117 is pressed when deciding a numerical value or the like at the time of various settings, and a program key 118 is pressed to register a frequently-used operation or to call it.
Is pressed to clear various modes and return to the initial state. The print speed setting key 120 is depressed when setting the print speed prior to the printing operation. When the user wants to obtain a dark image or when the ambient temperature is low, the print speed is reduced, and when the user wants to obtain a thin image, When the ambient temperature is high, the printing speed is set to be low. The four-way key 121 is an up key 1
21a, down key 121b, left key 121c, right key 12
1d, which is depressed when adjusting the image position at the time of editing an image or selecting numerical values or items at the time of various settings.

Display device 12 composed of 7-segment LEDs
Numeral 2 mainly displays numbers such as the number of prints. The display device 123 composed of an LCD includes a document type setting display 123a and a scaling setting display 123 as shown in FIG.
b, paper type setting display 123c, position adjustment setting display 12
3d are displayed, and corresponding selection setting keys 123A, 123B, 123C, 123 are displayed below each display.
D is provided. The display device 123 has a hierarchical display structure.
When a button 23A is pressed, a character mode or a photograph mode is selected and set as a document image mode. In a document type setting mode, when the selection setting key 123B is pressed, an automatic scaling or an independent scaling is selected and set. The selection setting key 12
When 3C is pressed, the mode is set to a paper type setting mode for setting standard paper or thick paper as a printing paper to be used, and to the position adjustment setting mode for adjusting the image forming position when the selection setting key 123D is pressed. , Display device 12
The display 7 changes in accordance with each mode.

The discharge master full indicator lamp 133 is turned on when the storage capacity of the used master 130 in the plate discharge box 76 has exceeded a predetermined value, and urges the operator to discard the used master 130 from the plate discharge box 76. Whether or not the used master 130 has been stored in the plate discharge box 76 by a predetermined amount or more is determined by the control means 26 based on the load applied to the compression plate 77, that is, the driving torque of the compression plate driving motor 81.

Each time the mode selection key 124 is pressed once, the prepress printing mode is switched from the first prepress printing mode to the second prepress printing mode and from the second prepress printing mode to the first prepress printing mode. The first stencil printing mode is used when the stencil printing apparatus 1 is left for a predetermined period of time for printing or this printing, and the second stencil printing mode is used when the length of the master 61 wound around the plate cylinder 8 is arbitrary. The prepress printing mode is selected. In this embodiment, since the maximum printing paper size that can be printed by the plate cylinder 8 is A3, the size selection key 12
5, the size of the master 61 that can be selected is set to one of the B5 size, A4 size, and B4 size smaller than the A3 size.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the control means 26. The control means 26, which is a known microcomputer provided inside the housing 18, includes a CPU 127,
AM128, ROM 129, and the like. ROM12
9 includes a first plate-making printing mode (a master 61 is created with a length of A3 size) and a second plate-making printing mode (B
Master 6 with any length of 5, A4, B4 size
1), a program for changing the operation time of the compression plate drive motor 81 according to the size of the master 61, and an operation program for the entire stencil printing machine 1. In the RAM 128,
The master making print mode selected by the mode selection key 124 and the length of the master 61 set by the master length setting means 126 are stored. Here, the length of the master 61 stored in the RAM 128 is configured not to be erased until the discharge operation of the next plate is completed. Note that R
The AM 128 is provided with a backup mechanism (not shown) so that the stored contents are not erased even when the main power supply of the stencil printing apparatus 1 is turned off.

The program stored in the ROM 129 for changing the operation time of the compression plate drive motor 81 in accordance with the size of the master 61 determines the time during which the master 61 stored in the plate discharge box 76 is compressed by the compression plate 77. When a load is applied to the compression plate driving motor 81 by the compression of the master 61, the operation time of the load is changed. In addition, plate discharge box 7
When the capacity of the master 61 in the cartridge 6 is small and no load acts on the compression plate drive motor 81, the master 61
Irrespective of the size, the compression plate 77 is controlled to occupy the rotation end point for a predetermined time (time shorter than the load application time). The compression time of the compression plate 77 according to the size of the master 61 in this embodiment is set to A3 size 2 seconds, B4 size 2.5 seconds, A4 size 4 seconds, and B5 size 4.5 seconds.

The operation of the stencil printing apparatus 1 based on the above configuration will be described below. First, the case where the reading operation of the document 93 is performed only by the document reading means 132 without using the automatic separating and conveying device 108 will be described. The operator is the pressure plate 1
After the document 02 is opened and the document 93 is placed on the contact glass 95, the pressure plate 102 is closed again. Then, plate making conditions are set using various keys on the operation panel 110, and a mode selection key 124 is pressed to select a plate making print mode, and then a plate making start key 111 is pressed. Here, first, a case will be described in which the "first" LED of the mode display means 124a is turned on to select the first plate-making printing mode.

After the mode selection key 124 is depressed and the first plate-making printing mode is selected, the plate-making start key 111
Is pressed, the CPU 127 reads the first
In addition to calling the operation program in platemaking printing mode,
The fact that the first prepress printing mode is selected is stored in the RAM 128. At this time, the length of the used master 130 used in the printing of the previous edition is stored in the RAM 128. Here, it is assumed that an A3 size master is wound around the plate cylinder 8 as the used master 130.

The original reading section 7 reads an image of the original 93 and sends the read image to an image memory (not shown) as an image data signal. In parallel with this reading operation,
In the plate discharge section 5, the used master 13 is used from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8.
A plate discharging operation for removing 0 is performed. The plate cylinder 8 around which the used master 130 is wound on the outer peripheral surface is rotationally driven clockwise in FIG. 1 by a plate cylinder driving motor 24 operated by an operation command from the control means 26. The tip of the used master 130 is the upper plate discharging roller 7.
When the control means 26 determines that the plate cylinder 8 has reached a predetermined plate discharge position corresponding to the plate 4, the rotation of the plate cylinder 8 is stopped, and an operation command is sent from the control means 26 to the plate discharge drive circuit, so that The moving unit and the plate discharge driving unit operate to rotate the upper plate discharge roller 74 and move the upper plate discharge roller 74 to the peeling position. When the upper plate discharging roller 74 comes into contact with the used master 130, the plate cylinder 8 rotates clockwise again, and the used master 130 scooped up by the upper plate discharging roller 74 is pinched by the upper plate discharging roller 74 and the lower plate discharging roller 75. Then, it is peeled off from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8. The peeled used master 130 is pinched and conveyed by the upper plate discharging roller 74 and the lower plate discharging roller 75, discarded in the plate discharging box 76, and compressed by the compression plate 77. At the time of this compression, if a certain amount or more of the used master 130 is stored in the plate discharge box 76, the compression plate 77 compresses the used master 130 for 2 seconds.

In parallel with the reading operation in the document reading section 7, in the printing section 2, the press-contact range changing means 83 operates to set the press-contact range of the press roller 10 against the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8. The control means 26 confirms the set stencil printing mode and sends an operation signal to the stepping motor 52. Upon receiving the signal, the stepping motor 52 rotates clockwise in FIG. 8, and rotates the step cam 47 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. When the control means 26 determines that the step cam 47 has rotated to a position where the cam portion 47a contacts the cam follower 43b from the number of steps of the stepping motor 52, the operation of the stepping motor 52 is stopped.

When the cam follower 43b comes into contact with the cam portion 47a, the moving arm 43 swings counterclockwise in FIG. 8 around the support shaft 43c, and the roller 43a moves with the disc 41b with this swing. By the contact, the support shaft 41 is moved to the left in FIG. 8, and the multi-stage cam 40 is positioned at a position where the cam plate 40a and the cam follower 38a can contact. In addition, the plate making start key 111
As shown in FIG. 7, the power supply to the solenoid 45 is cut off at the same time as the button is pressed, the tip 44a and the pin 38b are engaged, and the press roller 10 has its outer peripheral surface separated from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8. 7 is held in the state shown by the solid line.

After all the used masters 130 have been removed from the outer peripheral surface, the plate cylinder 8 continues to rotate. Plate cylinder 8
Reaches the home position which is a predetermined plate feeding position shown in FIG. 1 and the dog 25 is detected by the home position sensor 27, a signal is output from the home position sensor 27 to the control means 26. The control means 26 having received the signal from the home position sensor 27 sends a signal to the plate cylinder drive motor 24 to stop the operation. When the plate cylinder 8 stops at the home position, an operation signal is sent from the control means 26 to the opening / closing means (not shown) to open the clamper 15, and the plate cylinder 8 enters the plate feeding standby state shown in FIG. I do.

When the plate discharging operation and the pressing range setting operation of the press roller 10 are completed, a plate making operation is subsequently performed.
When the plate cylinder 8 is in the plate-supply standby state, the stepping motor 63 is operated by a command from the control means 26 to rotate the platen roller 56, and the drive rollers 59 a and 60 a are driven to rotate and the master roll 62 rotates. The master 61 is pulled out. When the control means 26 determines from the number of steps of the stepping motor 63 that the image forming area of the master 61 has reached the position corresponding to the heating element of the thermal head 57, the image data signal sent from the original reading section 7 Based on this, the heating elements of the thermal head 57 selectively generate heat, and a plate-making image is formed on the thermoplastic resin film surface of the master 61.

The master 61 is conveyed to the clamper 15 while being guided by the guide plates 64 and 65 while the plate making image is being formed. According to the number of steps of the stepping motor 63, the leading end of the master 61 is connected to the stage section 14 and the clamper 1.
5, when the control means 26 determines that the predetermined position between the clamper 15 and the clamper 15 has been reached.
Is closed, and the leading end of the master 61 is clamped by the stage section 14 and the clamper 15.

Thereafter, a signal is sent from the control means 26 to the plate cylinder drive motor 24, and the plate cylinder 8 is driven to rotate clockwise in FIG. 1 at the same peripheral speed as the transfer speed of the master 61. 8 is performed. Then, when the image data signal from the document reading unit 7 is interrupted, the operation of the thermal head 57 is stopped, and thereafter, the control unit 26 determines that the master 61 having the length of A3 has been made and conveyed by the number of steps of the stepping motor 63. Then, the stepping motor 63 and each drive roller 59
A signal is sent to a driving unit (not shown) for driving the a and 60a, the rotation of the platen roller 56 and the master transport roller pairs 59 and 60 is stopped, and the movable blade 58b is rotated and the master 61 is cut. . The cut master 61 is pulled out of the plate making unit 3 by the rotation of the plate cylinder 8, and the plate cylinder 8 reaches the home position again and the dog 25
Is detected by the home position sensor 27, a command is sent from the control means 26, the plate cylinder drive motor 24 stops, and the plate feeding operation is completed.

After the plate feeding operation, a plate attaching operation is performed. When the plate cylinder 8 is stopped at the home position, a command is sent from the control means 26 to operate the plate cylinder drive motor 24, the stepping motor 73, and the drive means (not shown) of the sheet discharging and conveying member 85, and energize the solenoid 45. Done. As a result, the plate cylinder 8 is driven to rotate at a low speed, the paper feed roller 67, the separation roller 68, the drive roller 87, and the suction fan 90 are driven, and the holding state of the press roller 10 is released. By the rotation of the paper feed roller 67 and the separation roller 68, only one uppermost printing paper P stacked on the paper feed tray 66 is pulled out, and the leading end thereof is held between the registration roller pair 70.

The registration roller pair 70 transfers the printing paper P to the plate at a predetermined timing when the leading end of the image area in the plate cylinder rotation direction of the master 61 wound around the plate cylinder 8 reaches a position corresponding to the press roller 10. The paper is fed between the outer peripheral surface of the body 8 and the press roller 10. Further, in the multi-stage cam 40 rotating by transmitting the rotational force from the plate cylinder driving means 13, the contact state between the convex portion of the cam plate 40a and the cam follower 38a is released almost simultaneously with the rotation of the registration roller pair 70. , The press roller 10 is a tension spring 3
The outer peripheral surface is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8 by the urging force of 9.

The printing paper P fed from the registration roller pair 70 is pressed by the press roller 10 against the master 61 wound around the plate cylinder 8. By this pressing operation,
The press roller 10, the printing paper P, the master 61, and the porous support plate 8 a are pressed against each other, and the ink supplied to the inner peripheral surface of the porous support plate 8 a by the ink roller 16 is opened 8 b.
And oozes out from a mesh screen (not shown), is filled in the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the porous support plate 8a and the porous support of the master 61, and is then transferred to the printing paper P through the perforated portion of the master 61. Printing is performed. The image is transferred to the printing paper P, and when the non-image area at the rear end of the master 61 and the outer peripheral surface of the press roller 10 come into pressure contact with the printing paper P, the convex portion of the cam plate 40a and the cam follower 38a Abuts again and press roller arm 3
7 is pivoted in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 7, and the press contact between the outer peripheral surface of the press roller 10 and the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8 is released.

The printing paper P to which the ink has been transferred is peeled off from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8 at the tip of the peeling claw 84 and falls downward, and the endless belt 89 is pulled by the suction force of the suction fan 90.
The sheet is conveyed to the left while being attracted to the upper surface of the sheet, and is discharged onto the sheet discharge tray 86. Thereafter, the plate cylinder 8 stops again at the home position, and the printing operation is completed, and the stencil printing machine 1 enters a printing standby state.

When the test printing key 113 is pressed after the stencil printing apparatus 1 is in the printing standby state, only the top printing paper P on the paper feed tray 66 is pulled out in the same manner as when printing is performed. While being held by the pair of registration rollers 70, a command is sent from the control means 26, and the plate cylinder drive motor 24 is operated to rotate the plate cylinder 8 at a higher speed than at the time of printing. The registration roller pair 70 feeds the printing paper P between the plate cylinder 8 rotating at a high speed and the press roller 10, and the fed printing paper P is wrapped around the plate cylinder 8 by the press roller 10. The ink is transferred by being pressed against the sheet 61 and discharged onto the sheet discharge tray 86 in the same manner as described above. The plate cylinder 8 is returned to the home position again, and the test printing operation is completed.

The density and position of the print image are confirmed by the test printing, and these are adjusted with various keys on the operation panel 110 and the test printing is performed again. And print speed setting key 1
By setting the printing speed at 20 and pressing the print start key 112, the printing paper P is continuously fed from the paper feeding unit 4 and the printing operation is performed. After the printing operation is completed, the plate cylinder 8 returns to the home position again.

Next, the "second" of the mode display means 124a
The case where the second plate-making printing mode is selected by turning on the LED will be described. The operator presses the mode selection key 12
After pressing 4 to select the second prepress printing mode, press the size selection key 125 to select a prepress printing size.
In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the size selection key 125 is pressed twice, "A4" of the size display means 125a is turned on, and the A4 size is selected.

Mode selection key 124, size selection key 1
When the plate making start key 111 is depressed after the A 25 size is sequentially pressed and the A4 size of the second plate making print mode is selected, the CPU 127 calls the operation program for the second plate making print mode A4 size from the ROM 129. At the same time, the fact that the second prepress printing mode A4 size is selected is stored in the RAM 128. The document reading section 7 reads an image of an A4 size document 93 and sends the read signal to an image memory (not shown) as an image data signal. Further, at this time, the length of the used master 130 used for printing the previous version is stored in the RAM 128. Here, it is assumed that an A4 size master is wound around the plate cylinder 8 as the used master 130.

In parallel with the original reading operation, the plate discharging section 5 performs a plate discharging operation of peeling the used master 130 from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8, and the printing section 2 operates the press-contact range changing means 83 to press the plate. The pressure contact range of the roller 10 is set.
The plate cylinder 8 is rotationally driven clockwise in FIG. 1 by a plate cylinder drive motor 24, and when the plate cylinder 8 reaches a predetermined plate discharge position corresponding to the upper plate discharge roller 74, the control means 26 Is determined, the rotation of the plate cylinder 8 is stopped, the swinging means and the plate discharge driving means (not shown) are operated, and the upper plate discharge roller 74 is moved to the peeling position while being rotationally driven. Thereafter, when the plate cylinder 8 rotates in the clockwise direction again, the used master 130 abutting on the upper plate discharging roller 74 is scooped up and peeled off from the plate cylinder 8, and the peeled used master 130 is subjected to upper plate discharging. After being conveyed by being nipped and transported by the roller 74 and the lower plate discharging roller 75 and stored in the plate discharging box 76, it is compressed by the compression plate 77. At the time of this compression, the plate discharge box 76
When a certain number or more of the used masters 130 are stored in the inside, the compression plate 77 compresses the used masters 130 for 4 seconds.

Upon receiving a command from the control means 26, the stepping motor 52 is operated, and the step cam 47 is driven to rotate until the cam portion 47c comes into contact with the cam follower 43b, so that the cam plate 40c can come into contact with the cam follower 38a. The multi-stage cam 40 is positioned at a predetermined position. Plate cylinder 8
After all the used masters 130 are peeled off from the outer peripheral surface, the master 130 stops at the home position, and the clamper 15 is opened to be in a plate feeding standby state.

When the plate cylinder 8 is in the plate feeding standby state, a plate making operation is performed. Platen roller 56, each drive roller 59
a and 60a are respectively driven to rotate, and the master roll 62 is rotated.
The master 61 is pulled out further and the thermal head 5
The heating element 7 is energized to make a master 61. The master 61 that has been made is sandwiched between the stage unit 14 and the clamper 15 and is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8 by rotation of the plate cylinder 8. And the stepping motor 63
When the control means 26 determines that the master 61 having a length corresponding to one plate capable of printing A4 size has been conveyed by the plate making, the stepping motor 63 and the driving rollers 5
The rotation of the movable blades 9a and 60a is stopped, and the movable blade 58b is rotated and the master 61 is cut. The cut master 61 is pulled out of the plate making unit 3 by the rotation of the plate cylinder 8, the plate cylinder 8 stops again at the home position, and the plate feeding operation is completed.

When the plate cylinder 8 stops at the home position,
Only one uppermost printing sheet P on the sheet feed tray 66 is pulled out, and the plate cylinder driving means 13 is operated to rotate the plate cylinder 8 at low speed. The printing paper P pulled out from the paper feed tray 66 and having its tip held between the pair of registration rollers 70 is rotated between the registration roller pair 70 at the same timing as in the first plate-making printing mode. It is fed toward. Also, almost simultaneously with the rotation of the registration roller pair 70, the contact between the convex portion of the cam plate 40c and the cam follower 38a is released, and the outer peripheral surface of the press roller 10 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8.

The printing paper P fed by the registration roller pair 70 is pressed by the press roller 10 against the master 61 wound around the plate cylinder 8 to transfer a print image. When the plate cylinder 8 is rotated to a position where the non-image area at the rear end of the master 61 and the outer peripheral surface of the press roller 10 are pressed against each other after the press-contact with the printing paper P is completed, the convex portion of the cam plate 40c and the cam follower 38c are again moved. Upon contact, the press roller arm 37 swings counterclockwise in FIG. 7, and the press contact between the outer peripheral surface of the press roller 10 and the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8 is released.

The printing paper P on which the print image has been transferred is peeled off from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 8 by the peeling claw 84, conveyed by the paper discharge conveyance member 85, and discharged onto the paper discharge tray 86. The printing drum 8 rotates again to the home position and stops, and the stencil printing machine 1 enters a printing standby state. Thereafter, the user presses the test printing key 113 to perform test printing, adjusts the image state, and then presses the print start key 112, whereby the printing drum 8 rotates at a high speed and the printing paper P is continuously fed from the paper feeding unit 4. The printing operation is performed.

When the used master 130 of A3 size is compressed for 2 seconds by the compression plate 77 during the above-described plate discharge operation, the plate discharge box 76 is filled by the stored used master 130 and the plate discharge full indicator lamp 133 is provided.
By the time the operator informs the operator that the discharge box 76 is full,
Approximately 70 masters of three sizes are stored. On the other hand, when the used master 130 of A4 size is stored in the plate discharging box 76 for 4 seconds by the compression plate 77 as in this embodiment, when the plate discharging full indicator lamp 133 is turned on, A4 size is stored in the plate discharging box 76. A used master 130 having a size of about 120 plates is stored.

On the other hand, when the A4 size used master 130 is compressed for 2 seconds by the compression plate 77 similarly to the A3 size used master 130 as in the conventional machine, about 100 plates are used in the discharge box 76. When the used master 130 is stored, the plate discharge full indicator lamp 133 is turned on. Therefore, according to the present invention, the storage amount of the used master 130 in the plate discharge box 76 is 1.2 compared to the conventional machine.
The work efficiency can be improved by reducing the frequency of full plate discharge.

Further, similarly to the A4 size, other B4 and B4
Used master 1 by compression plate 77 even in 5 sizes
By setting the compression time of the 30 to 2.5 seconds and 4.5 seconds, the number of stored plates when the discharge box is full can be about 85 plates for the B4 size and about 143 plates for the B5 size. The storage amount of the used master 130 can be increased 1.1 times in the B4 size and 1.3 times in the B5 size as compared with the conventional machine.

In the above-described embodiment, the compression time by the compression plate 77 is changed based on the length of the used master 130 of the previous plate stored in the RAM 128. However, after the plate making start key 111 is pressed, the plate discharging operation is performed. Before starting the printing operation, the plate cylinder 8 is rotated by one rotation, and the control means 26 controls the length of the used master 130 wound around the plate cylinder 8 based on a signal from the master length detection sensor 33 during the idle rotation. May be detected, and the compression time of the compression plate 77 may be changed based on this length. According to this configuration, the length of the used master 130 can be detected even after the plate cylinder 8 is replaced, and optimal compression can be performed.

In the above embodiment, the compression time by the compression plate 77 is set to 2 in accordance with the size of the used master 130.
Seconds (A3 size), 2.5 seconds (B4 size), 4 seconds (A
(4 sizes) and 4.5 seconds (B5 size). However, these values may be set. The setting is entered into the compression time setting mode by pressing a specific key on the operation panel 110, and the numeric keypad 116 and the enter key 1
17 for each size. With such a configuration, it is possible to perform optimal stencil compression in accordance with the use condition of the stencil printing apparatus 1. For example, when the stencil printing apparatus 1 is used only occasionally, when the used master 130 of A4 size is compressed for 4 seconds by the compression plate 77 as shown in the above embodiment, the stencil printing machine 1 is already stored in the stencil discharge box 76. When the used master 130 is compressed for a longer time than when the A3 master is compressed, over-packing occurs. In this case, by setting the compression time to, for example, 3 seconds, over-packing can be prevented, and the number of plate discharges can be increased by making the compression time longer than 2 seconds in A3 master compression. When only the used master 130 of A4 size is discharged, and the interval between use of the stencil printing apparatus 1 is short, the compression time is set to, for example, five.
By setting the time in seconds, the compression can be performed continuously while preventing the used master 130 from being restored. Since the use interval is short, it is possible to increase the number of plate discharges while preventing over-packing.

[0093]

According to the present invention, since the control means changes the compression time by the compression plate according to the length of the used master, the amount of used master stored in the plate discharge box is smaller than that of the conventional machine. It is possible to improve the work efficiency by reducing the frequency of plate discharge full.
In addition, since the compression time by the compression plate can be adjusted for each master length, it is possible to perform optimal discharge compression in accordance with the use condition of the stencil printing machine and prevent the master from being packed too much in the discharge box. While increasing the number of plate discharges.

[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 front view of a main part of a printing unit showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating plate cylinder driving means used in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a plate cylinder used in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional side view for explaining a plate cylinder attaching / detaching mechanism used in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a plate cylinder removal control means used in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front view illustrating a pressure contact range varying unit used in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view illustrating a pressure contact range varying means used in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic front view illustrating a plate discharge box and a compression plate used in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating storage of a used master in a plate discharge box according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an operation panel used in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of control means used in one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 stencil printer 3 plate making means (plate making section) 4 paper feeding means (paper feeding section) 5 plate discharging means (plate discharging section) 6 paper discharging means (paper discharging section) 8 plate cylinder 10 pressing means (press roller) 26 control means 61 Master 76 Plate discharge box 77 Compression plate 83 Pressure contact range varying means 126 Master length setting means 130 Used master P Printing paper

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A plate cylinder on which a master is wound, plate making means for making, transporting, and cutting the master, sheet feeding means for feeding printing paper, and provided so as to be able to freely contact and separate from the plate cylinder. Pressing means for pressing the printing paper onto the plate cylinder to transfer an image, discharging means for discharging the printing paper onto which the image has been transferred, and plate discharging means for peeling the used master from the plate cylinder A stencil printing machine comprising: a stencil discharge box for storing the used master, wherein the stencil discharge means contains a used master; and a compression plate for compressing the used master contained in the stencil discharge box. A stencil printing apparatus, comprising: control means for changing a compression time of the used master by the compression plate according to a length of the master. 2. A master length setting means for setting the length of the master wound around the plate cylinder to an arbitrary length, and the pressing means according to the length set by the master length setting means. Means for varying the pressure contact range of the means against the plate cylinder, wherein the control means varies the compression time in accordance with the used master length set by the master length setting means. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein
A stencil printing apparatus as described in the above. 3. The stencil printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said compression time can be adjusted for each length of said used master. 4. The master length setting means includes an A3 size, a B4 size, an A4 size, and a B5 size as the master length.
The stencil printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein any one of the sizes can be set. 5. The stencil printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the compression time is lengthened as the length of the master decreases.