JP2003034447A - Printing form sheet feed device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the working efficiency in a reduced space by eliminating complicatedness of work in the so-called batch processing, and realizing sheet feed operation from, for example, a cassette in a narrow space. SOLUTION: When taking out a printing form 12 from the cassette 38, since a peripheral part being a non-image area of the printing form 12 is sandwiched and pulled out by a chuck part 54 and is delivered to an exposure part 14 as it is, the printing form 12 can be carried to the exposure part 14 while protecting an exposure surface of the printing form 12 by an extremely simpler structure than the constitution for carrying the printing form to the exposure part 14 after being reversed by sucking the printing form by a sucker by putting the reverse in the upward direction for protecting the exposure surface of the printing form 12. The cassette 38 is not practically moved to largely improve workability when taking into consideration weight when this cassette 38 houses the printing form 12.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention stores a plurality of types of printing plates in their respective dedicated cassettes, randomly separates printing plates of different types and conveys them to the next step. The present invention relates to a printing plate sheet feeding device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A technique of recording an image directly on a photosensitive layer (emulsion surface) of a printing plate using a printing plate having a photosensitive layer provided on a support is known. It has been developed (printing plate exposure device). With such a technique, it is possible to quickly record an image on a printing plate.

In a printing plate automatic exposure apparatus using a technique of recording an image on a printing plate, a cassette containing a large number of printing plates stacked therein is loaded, and the printing plates are individually transferred from the cassette. It is possible to take out (single sheet) and send it to the exposure unit.

The cassette is placed substantially parallel to the installation surface of the apparatus, and a plurality of printing plates are stacked on the stacking base of the cassette.

In this state, in order to separate the uppermost printing plate into sheets, the printing plate is usually sucked by a suction cup, and the sucked suction cup is guided to a guide rail or the like to the exposure unit which is the next step. I try to send it in.

By the way, the printing plate has a size, a material, etc.
There are a plurality of types, and it is general that each type is sorted and stored in a cassette. Usually, the plurality of cassettes are stored in a place different from the apparatus, and the necessary cassettes are loaded into the apparatus, so that the above-mentioned single wafer is executed.

However, one apparatus may randomly request and process a plurality of types of printing plates. In this case, if the work of reloading the cassette is performed each time, not only the work becomes complicated, but also the work efficiency is significantly reduced.

Therefore, conventionally, a plurality of cassettes are arranged in the apparatus in advance, the corresponding cassette is moved to a predetermined position in response to a request based on the type of printing plate, and the cassette moved to the predetermined position is moved. Printing plates are made into sheets.

In this case, it is a so-called batch system in which the printing plate must be returned to its original position at the time when the printing plate from one cassette is finished, and this is not an efficient advantage.

To solve this, a plurality of cassettes are
It has been proposed that the sheet-fed device moves according to each cassette without moving within the device. As a result, there is no movement of the cassette and work efficiency is improved.

However, after the above-mentioned sheet feeding device is aligned with the position of the cassette, it must be moved above the cassette, and the printing plate must be picked up by a suction cup or the like in a well-balanced manner. bad. In addition, in order to lift with a suction cup in a well-balanced manner, the suction cups must be evenly arranged on almost the entire surface of the printing plate, and as a result, the printing plate should be turned upside down (the surface opposite to the photosensitive surface) It is a prerequisite to

In consideration of the above facts, the present invention eliminates the complexity of work in so-called batch processing, and realizes a single-wafer operation from a cassette in a narrow space, for example.
It is an object of the present invention to obtain a printing plate sheet-fed device capable of saving work space and improving work efficiency.

[0013]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of types of printing plates are accommodated in respective dedicated cassettes, and printing plates of different types are irregularly printed from the plurality of cassettes. A printing plate sheet feeding device for carrying to the next step, wherein the plurality of cassettes are stacked at a reference position by stacking a plurality of cassettes on the installation surface, and a predetermined gap is provided for each stacked cassette. Selected storage unit, a receiving position provided adjacent to the storage unit for receiving the printing plate from the cassette corresponding to the cassette, and a sending position for sending the printing plate to the next step. And a movable table provided on the movable table, movable in the respective cassette directions, and chucking the peripheral end portion, which is the non-image area of the uppermost printing plate in each cassette. It is characterized by having a printing plate removal device to draw on the movable table.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the printing plate in the cassette is pulled out, the peripheral edge of the printing plate, that is, the non-image area is chucked. No need to consider. If the front and back surfaces of the printing plate are specified in the next step, setting them in the direction suitable for the next step eliminates the need for a reversing mechanism during conveyance.

Further, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the printing plate take-out means is installed on the moving table and the moving table is selectively moved to the receiving position and the sending position, it is not necessary to move the heavy cassette. , Workability is improved.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the invention according to the first aspect, before the chucking of the peripheral edge portion of the printing plate by the printing plate take-out means, the uppermost printing plate is placed from the lower layer side. It is characterized by further having a separating means for separating.

According to the second aspect of the invention, when the printing plates are laminated, it is necessary to separate them from the lower layer side. Therefore, the uppermost printing plate is separated from the lower layer side by the separating means before the chucking of the peripheral edge portion of the printing plate, whereby the printing plate can be reliably held by the chuck.

According to a third aspect of the invention, in the invention of the second aspect, the separating means is set to have a radius of curvature that is convex above the printing plate support surface of the cassette. I am trying.

According to the third aspect of the invention, as the separating means, the printing plate supporting surface of the cassette is curved with a predetermined radius of curvature so as to be convex upward. As a result, the layered printing plate disperses toward the lower layer side at both ends in the curving direction, and a chuck entry space can be secured on the front and back surfaces of the printing plate.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the second aspect, the separating means does not come into contact with the upper surface of the uppermost printing plate at a predetermined rotation position so that the separating plate is not in contact with the printing plate. It is characterized in that it is a half-moon roller that can move in the pull-out direction by contacting with the printing plate in the previous period at a position other than the predetermined rotation position.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the second aspect, the separating means includes a sharp claw member and the claw member on the upper surface side of the printing plate and outside the image recording area. It is characterized in that it is a moving member which is locked and which is moved in the drawing direction in the locked state.

According to the invention described in claims 4 and 5, a so-called half-moon roller whose peripheral surface is partially cut in the tangential direction is used as the separating means, and the printing plate is brought into contact by rotating this. , Non-contact can be realized, and the printing plate can be pulled out from the uppermost layer (claim 4). Further, a structure in which a printing plate is locked (hooked) by a sharp claw member and pulled out by a moving member can be applied (Claim 5). In the case of this claw member, the locking position on the printing plate does not affect the image quality by setting it on the upper surface of the printing plate and outside the image recording area.

[0023]

1 and 2 show a printing plate automatic exposure apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment.

The printing plate automatic exposure device 10 is provided with a printing plate 1.
It is divided into two blocks: an exposure unit 14 that irradiates an image by irradiating an image forming layer with a light beam to expose an image, and a sheet-fed conveyance unit 15 that separates the printing plate 12 and conveys it to the exposure unit 14. There is. The printing plate 12 exposed by the printing plate automatic exposure device 10 is sent to a developing device (not shown) installed adjacent to the printing plate automatic exposure device 10.

Further, an interleaf sheet storage box 49 for accommodating an interleaf sheet 44, which will be described later, discharged from the inside of the apparatus is provided on the right side surface of the sheet conveying section 15 in FIG. Interleaving paper 44 discharged from the slit hole 51 formed
(See FIG. 3). (Structure of Exposure Unit) The exposure unit 14 is configured by a rotating drum 16 that winds and holds the printing plate 12 around the peripheral surface, and the printing plate 12 is guided by the transport guide unit 18 and The rotary drum 16 is fed in from the tangential direction. The transport guide unit 18 is
It is composed of a plate feeding guide 20 and a plate discharging guide 22,
The single-wafer transport unit 15 in the transport guide unit 18
A conveyance roller 108 and a guide plate 109 are arranged on the boundary side of the and.

A plate feed guide 20 of the transport guide unit 18
The relative positional relationship between the stencil sheet ejection guide 22 and the plate ejection guide 22 is a horizontal V shape, and the stencil sheet ejection guide 22 and the plate ejection guide 22 are rotated by a predetermined angle about the center on the right end side in FIG. By this rotation, the plate feeding guide 2
0 or the plate discharge guide 22 is selectively associated with the rotary drum 16 (arranged in the tangential direction of the rotary drum 16).
be able to.

A puncher 24 is disposed near the transport guide unit 18, and the plate feed guide 20 is provided.
The front end of the printing plate 12 can be fed to the puncher 24 by facing the puncher 24.

The printing plate 12 fed from the sheet feeding section 15 is first guided by the plate feeding guide 20 and fed to the puncher 24, and a notch for positioning is formed at the tip of the printing plate 12.

After being processed by the puncher 24, the printing plate 12 is once returned to the plate feeding guide 20 and moved to a position corresponding to the rotary drum 16.

The rotary drum 16 is driven by a driving means (not shown) to set the exposure direction of the printing plate 12 (direction of arrow A in FIG. 1) and the removal direction of the printing plate 12 (arrow B in FIG. 1) opposite to the mounting exposure direction. Direction).

As shown in FIG. 1, the rotary drum 16 provided in the exposure unit 14 has a tip chuck 26 attached at a predetermined position on the outer peripheral surface thereof. Exposure unit 14
Then, when the printing plate 12 is mounted on the rotary drum 16, first, the tip chuck 26 is moved by the transport guide unit 1
Rotating drum 1 at a position (printing plate mounting position) facing the front end of printing plate 12 fed by plate feeding guide 20
Stop 6

The exposure unit 22 is provided with a mounting cam 28 facing the tip chuck 26 at the printing plate mounting position.
The tip chuck 26 can insert the printing plate 12 between itself and the peripheral surface of the rotating drum 16 by rotating the mounting cam 28 and pressing one end side thereof.

In the exposure section 14, with the front end of the printing plate 12 inserted between the front end chuck 26 and the rotary drum 16, the mounting cam 28 is returned to release the pressing force on the front end chuck 26, whereby the printing plate is released. The tip of 12 is clamped and held between the tip chuck 26 and the peripheral surface of the rotary drum 16.

At this time, the printing plate 12 is the puncher 2
Positioning with respect to the rotary drum 16 is made by inserting a positioning pin (not shown) projecting at a predetermined position on the peripheral surface of the rotary drum 16 into the notch formed by 4. Note that the printing plate 12 may be positioned by abutting the tip thereof.

In the exposure unit 14, when the front end of the printing plate 12 is fixed to the rotary drum 16, the rotary drum 16 is rotated in the mounting exposure direction. As a result, the transport guide unit 18
The printing plate 12 fed from the plate feeding guide 20 is wound around the peripheral surface of the rotating drum 16.

In the vicinity of the peripheral surface of the rotary drum 16, the squeeze roller 3 is located downstream of the printing plate mounting position in the mounting exposure direction.
0 is placed. The squeeze roller 30 moves toward the rotary drum 16 to move the rotary drum 16.
The printing plate 12 wound on the rotary drum 16 is pressed against the rotating drum 16 to bring the printing plate 12 into close contact with the peripheral surface of the rotating drum 16.

The exposure unit 14 includes a squeeze roller 3
A trailing edge chuck attachment / detachment unit 32 is arranged near the downstream side of the rotation exposure direction of the rotary drum 16 with respect to zero. A rear end chuck 36 is attached to the rear end chuck attachment / detachment unit 32 at the tip of a shaft 34 protruding toward the rotary drum 16.

In the exposure section 14, the trailing edge of the printing plate 12 wound around the rotary drum 16 is the trailing edge chuck attaching / detaching unit 3
When facing 2, the shaft 34 is projected and the rear end chuck 36 is mounted at a predetermined position on the rotary drum 16. As a result, the trailing edge chuck 36 holds and holds the trailing edge of the printing plate 12 with the rotating drum 16.

In the exposure section 14, when the front end and the rear end of the printing plate 12 are held by the rotating drum 16, the squeeze roller 30
Separate. After that, in the exposure unit 14, the rotary drum 1
While rotating 6 at a predetermined rotation speed at high speed, the recording head unit 37 irradiates a light beam modulated based on image data in synchronization with the rotation of the rotating drum 16. As a result, the printing plate 12 is scanned and exposed based on the image data.

In the exposure unit 14, when the scanning exposure of the printing plate 12 is completed, the rotary drum 16 is placed at a position where the rear end chuck 36 holding the rear end of the printing plate 12 faces the rear end chuck attaching / detaching unit 32. Pause the rotating drum 16
Then, the rear end chuck 36 is removed. As a result, the trailing edge of the printing plate 12 is opened.

After that, the rotary drum 16 is rotated in the take-out direction of the printing plate 12, so that the printing plate 12 is discharged from the rear end side to the plate discharge guide 22 of the transport guide unit 18 along the tangential direction of the rotary drum 16. After that, it is conveyed to the developing device in the next step. (Structure of the single-wafer transporting unit) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the single-wafer transporting unit 15 has a plurality of cassettes 38 that are parallel to the apparatus installation surface stacked and ended. Is provided. In the present embodiment, the cassette 38 has a three-stage structure, but the number of stages is not limited.

In the cassette 38, as shown in FIG.
Thin film-like interleaving papers 44 for protecting the image forming layers of the printing plate 12 are alternately stacked on the printing plate 12. The printing plate 12 is laminated with the image forming layer facing upward.

The printing plates 12 of different sizes are accommodated in the respective cassettes 38, and the printing plates 12 of the designated size can be sent to the exposure section 14.

Here, the cassettes 38 are each independently capable of moving a small amount of horizontal movement as shown in FIG. This slight amount is an amount necessary to secure a movement locus when the slip sheet excluding mechanism portion 46, which will be described later, moves in the vertical direction in FIG. 1, and is about 1/4 of the lateral dimension of the cassette 38 in FIG. ~ 1/5
It is considered to be a short distance.

As shown in FIG. 1, a printing plate take-out unit 42 is provided in a space on the side (right side in FIG. 1) opposite to the side (left side in FIG. 1) on which the cassette 38 horizontally moves. There is. The printing plate take-out unit 42 includes a pull-out portion 52 that pulls out the uppermost printing plate 12 in the cassette 38 by a predetermined amount, and a chuck portion 54 that chucks the peripheral end portion (the left end portion in FIG. 1) of the drawn printing plate 12. , The drawer portion 52 and the chuck portion 5
4 and a moving table 56 having a support surface on which the chuck portion 54 slides.

The moving table 56 is stretched over a pair of poles 58, and is movable in the vertical direction along the poles 58 by the driving force of a driving means (not shown).

The uppermost position of the moving table 56 is the printing plate sending position to the exposure unit 14, and the height position of each cassette 38 (three positions in this embodiment) is the cassette 3.
The printing plate 12 is taken out from the printing plate 8 and stopped at each position.

Drawer 52 provided on the moving table 56
Is composed of a pair of parallel brackets 60 attached to the end of the moving table 56 on the side facing the cassette 38, and a half-moon roller 62 whose rotary shaft is supported by the bracket 60. There is. Half moon roller 62
Is a roller in which a part of the peripheral surface is cut tangentially, and the cross section perpendicular to the axis has a substantially half-moon shape.The distance from the shaft core to the arc peripheral surface is longer than the distance from the shaft core to the cut surface. Has become.

The bracket 60 is capable of expanding and contracting in the direction of the cassette 38, and can be extended above the cassette 38 while being positioned at the take-out position corresponding to the designated cassette 38. In this case, the half-moon roller 62
Is set so that the cut surface faces the uppermost printing plate 12, and there is no contact between the half-moon roller 62 and the printing plate 12 during extension. In this state, when the half-moon roller 62 is rotated by the driving force of the driving means (not shown), the arcuate peripheral surface is printed on the printing plate 1.
It is possible to pull out the uppermost printing plate 12 toward the moving table 56 by the frictional force by contacting the second plate.

The leading edge of the printing plate 12 pulled out (in the pulling direction)
The chuck portion 54 stands by on the moving table 56, and after the chuck portion 54 chucks the leading end portion of the printing plate 12, the chuck portion 54 slides on the moving table 56 to move the printing plate 12 to the moving table. It is designed to be placed at 56.
At this time, it is not necessary to place the entire printing plate 12,
/ 2 should be listed.

In this state, the moving table 56 is raised along the pawl 58 and positioned at the delivery position. The printing plate 12 not placed on the moving table 56 is in a hanging state (see FIG. 4).

In the vicinity of the moving table 56 at the sending position,
A plurality of transport rollers 80 are provided, and the chuck unit 5
The printing plate 12 chucked at 4 is received and sent to the plate feed guide 20 of the exposure unit 14. (Shedding Sheet Removing Mechanism Section) As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the sheet conveying section 1
An interleaving paper removing mechanism portion 46 is provided on the inner right side surface of the transport unit 42 in FIG.

In the interleaf sheet removing mechanism section 46, when the uppermost layer of the cassette 38 for taking out the printing plate 12 is the interleaf sheet 44, the work for removing the interleaf sheet 44 is first performed. At this time,
The designated cassette 38 is horizontally moved slightly to the right in FIG. 1, and is arranged on the movement locus of the interleaf paper removal mechanism portion 46.

This interleaving paper removing mechanism portion 46 is provided with a supporting portion 150.
And an operation unit 152. Support part 150
Is a top plate 154 that is vertically movably connected to the inner surface of the transport unit 42, and a pair of parallel guide plates, one end of which is connected to the bottom surface of the top plate 154 and the other end of which is hung downward. 156 and.

The operating portion 1 is provided between the pair of guide plates 156.
An elevating plate 158 forming a part of 52 is arranged. The elevating plate 158 is formed by bending a thin plate material into a substantially L shape, and the orientation of the main surface (vertical wall surface) thereof is rotated by approximately 90 ° with respect to the pair of guide plates 156 (approximately 9 in plan view).
It has been rotated by 0 °).

A plurality of roller pairs 160 are attached to the surfaces of the pair of guide plates 156 facing each other, and the both ends of the elevating plate 158 in the width direction are sandwiched between the roller pairs 160. There is. This allows
The elevating plate 158 is guided by the roller pair 160 and is held so as to be freely movable in the vertical direction with respect to the guide plate 156. That is, in the free state, the lifting plate 158 moves downward by its own weight.

At this time, the bent upper horizontal plane portion 158A of the lifting plate 158 serves as a stopper, and the horizontal plane portion 158A abuts the uppermost roller pair 160,
The amount of descent is limited.

A pair of holding members 162, 164 which are bent in a substantially U-shape and constitute the operating portion 152 together with the lifting plate 158 are attached to the lifting plate 158. The one holding member 162 is used for the lifting plate 15
The main surface (vertical wall surface) 158B of No. 8 is closely fixed. Further, the other holding member 164 is the same as the one holding member 16 described above.
It is rotatably connected to the upper end portion of 2 through a shaft 166. The other holding member 164 is bent in a substantially V shape at the longitudinal middle portion.

The torsion coil spring 16 is attached to the shaft 166.
8 is attached to this torsion coil spring 168.
The pair of sandwiching members 162, 164 relatively rotate in the direction (spreading direction) away from each other by the urging force of, and a predetermined spreading angle that balances the urging force and the rotating force due to its own weight, or is limited by a stopper (not shown). It is held at the predetermined spread angle (states of FIGS. 5A and 5B).

Knob members 170 are attached to the lower ends of the holding members 162 and 164, respectively. The knob member 170 has a rectangular block shape, is a relatively soft (low hardness) member such as synthetic resin or rubber, and requires at least a lower end surface to have a predetermined frictional force.

The knob member 170 has a function of pinching the interleaving paper 44 laid on the surface of the printing plate 12.

A pressing member 172 is attached to the lower surface of the top plate 154 corresponding to the other holding member 164. The pressing member 172 is the other holding member 16
It hangs toward the back side of 4, and at its lowermost end,
A roller 174 is attached. The roller has a structure in which when the top plate 154 and the pair of holding members 162, 164 relatively move (approach to each other), the roller comes into contact with the other holding member 164.

When the relative movement further continues in the same direction (approaching direction) from the abutting state, the frictional force is reduced by the roller 174, so that the movement continues smoothly and the pressing force of the pressing member 172 is increased. , The torsion coil spring 1
The urging force of 68 acts as a counter force, and the other holding member 164 rotates about the shaft 166 toward the one holding member 162 (FIGS. 5A and 5B are states immediately before the start of relative movement). This relative movement is performed when the top plate 154 descends from the lift plate 158 (state at the lowest position) free of the top plate 154.
This occurs when 70 abuts the surface of the slip sheet 44 and the lowering of the elevating plate 158 is blocked.

When the top plate 154 is further lowered in this state, the pressing member 172 exerts a pressing force on the other holding member 164, and the other holding member 164 approaches the one holding member 162 in the direction of the shaft 166. The interleaving paper 44 is made to follow by frictional force during the rotation around the center. At this time, since the one sandwiching member 162 contacts the interleaving paper 44 to prevent the interleaving paper 44 from moving, the interleaving paper 44 is loosened by the amount of the follow-up. The knob member 170 attached to the other holding member 164 is capable of expanding and contracting to some extent by the urging force (see arrow C in FIG. 6B). By sandwiching this slack with a pair of knob members 170, the interleaving paper 4
4 can be held (FIG. 6).
(States of (A) and (B)).

The pair of guide plates 156 are provided with a shaft 176 in the space opposite to the surface of the elevating plate 158 to which the one holding member 162 is attached.
Have been passed over. The shaft 176 has a lock lever 17
8 is rotatably attached. Lock lever 17
8 has a horizontal surface portion 15 of the elevating plate 158 at one end.
8A fixed tension coil spring 180 (FIGS. 5 and 8).
Both of them are attached (see (B)) and are normally held in a substantially horizontal state when viewed from the front of FIG. 5 (B). The left end of the lock lever 178 in FIG. 5B has an enlarged wall thickness, and the circular arc surface portion 178A and the flat surface portion 17 are provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof.
8B is formed, and in the state of FIG. 5, the flat portion 178B faces the elevating plate 158.

Here, the lifting plate 158 is the top plate 154.
When the lock lever 178 is relatively moved with respect to the lock lever 178, the lock lever 178 is slightly rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 5B by the urging force of the tension coil spring 180, and the circular arc surface portion 178A contacts the elevating plate 158. After that, the frictional force with the lifting plate 158 causes the shaft 176 to rotate in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 5B, and the arc surface portion 178A at the time when the state of rising to the right as shown in FIG. 6B is obtained. Lift plate 158
Come into contact with.

This arcuate surface portion 178A is the lifting plate 15
8 is in a so-called locked state, and it is possible to maintain the current relative positional relationship between the top plate 154 and the elevating plate 158 (the state in which the pair of knob members 170 are in contact). There is.

When the top plate 154 rises in this state, it rises while holding the interleaf sheet 44 by the pair of knob members 170, so that the interleaf sheet 44 can be picked up. This movement is performed only when the uppermost layer of the cassette 38 is the interleaf paper 44, and when the uppermost layer is the printing plate 12, the top plate 154 is not lowered.

The lock release pin 182 (see FIG. 1) is shown in the movement locus of the lock lever 178 when the top plate 154 is raised.
When the top plate 154 is raised by a predetermined amount, the lock lever 178 comes into contact with the lock release pin 182 and its movement is blocked, so that the lock lever 178 moves around the shaft 176 as shown in FIG. It will rotate in the clockwise direction of B). As a result, the flat portion 178B again faces the elevating plate 158 and the contact state is released, so that the biasing force of the tension coil spring 180 is restored, and the lock lever 1 is released.
78 can be maintained in a substantially horizontal state.

Before the top plate 154 is raised by a predetermined amount, as shown in FIG. 7, the ends of the interleaving paper 44 are sandwiched by the pair of rollers 106, and the rise is made at this position. It is controlled to stop once.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, while the lifting plate 158 is being lifted, the interleaving paper 44 picked up is inserted.
A pair of rollers 106 for sandwiching is provided. Of the roller pair 106, the lower roller 106A is the upper roller 10A.
6B is capable of approaching and separating, and is normally in a separated state, and approaches the upper roller 106B when the picked-up interleaving paper 44 contacts the upper roller. Accordingly, the interleaving paper 44 can be held by the roller pair 106.

The roller pair 106 is rotated by the driving force of the driving means, and ejects the slip sheet 44 into the slip sheet storage box 49 (see FIG. 1).

The operation of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step 200, initial setting of each unit is executed. That is, the chuck portion 54 is set to the right end of the moving table 56 in FIG. 1, the bracket 60 of the half-moon roller 62 is set to the retracted position, and the plate feed guide 20 of the transport guide unit 18 of the exposure unit 14 is set to the puncher 2 as necessary.
It corresponds to 4.

At the next step 202, the size of the printing plate 12 to be processed is read, and then at step 20.
In step 4, the cassette 38 accommodating the size read in 4 is recognized.

At the next step 206, it is determined whether the uppermost layer is the interleaf sheet 44 or the printing plate 12 in the necessary cassette 38 accommodated state. This may be detected in a non-contact manner by using a reflection type sensor (not shown) or the like, or may be detected by a contact type sensor by a difference in conductivity.

If an affirmative decision is made in step 206, the best
Since the layers are interleaf sheets, the process proceeds to step 208 and recognition is performed.
On the moving path of the interleaf paper removing mechanism 46.
Slide to move to step 210 and move to step 210.
To go. In step 210, the slip sheet 44 is removed.
Start operation. In other words, the operation control
At 210, the interleaf paper removal mechanism 46 starts to descend, and
Predetermined amount (L ₁) When it is judged that it has descended,
The descent is stopped (step 214). Up to here, interleaving paper
This is the operation to hold the
The construction unit 46 operates as follows. The knob member 170 at the tip of the elevating plate 158 is interleaving paper.
Abut 44 Support part 150 moves relative to operation part 152 Rotation of lock lever 178 Of the other holding member 164 by the pressing plate 172.
Rotation about the shaft 166 (to the one holding member 162
Approaching) Loosen the interleaving paper 44 by the knob member 170 and hold it Holding by the lock lever 178 in the clamped state After that, in step 215, the slip sheet removing mechanism 46
Ascending is started, and in step 216, a predetermined amount (the descending
Amount of movement L₁A little less than L₂) When it rose
When the judgment is made, the ascent is temporarily stopped (step 21
7). In this state, in step 218,
The delivery to the error pair 106 is executed.

That is, the interleaving paper 44 sandwiched by the knob member 170 is the roller 106B above the roller pair 106.
It is located on the lower side of (fixed arrangement) and the lower roller 10
6A (movable) moves the upper roller 106 by rotating the arm.
Approach B. As a result, the interleaving paper 44 becomes the roller pair 1
It will be sandwiched between 06.

Next, when the driving of the roller pair 106 is started,
The slip sheet 44 is conveyed to the outside of the apparatus and discharged into the slip sheet storage box 49 (step 219).

Further, in step 220, the driving of the pair of rollers 106 (discharging of the interleaf 44) is restarted at almost the same time as the driving of the roller pair 106 in step 219 is restarted,
Return to the original position, and proceed to step 222.

The lock lever 178 contacts the release pin 182 when the lifting of the interleaf paper removal mechanism 46 is resumed.
As a result, the lock lever 178 rotates about the shaft 176, the surface facing the elevating plate 158 moves from the arc surface 178A to the flat surface 178B, and the holding of the elevating plate 158 is released. As a result, the elevating plate 158 moves to the lowest end due to its own weight. This is a relative movement between the support part 150 and the operating part 152, and the pressing of the elevating plate 158 by the pressing plate 172 is also released. Therefore, the pair of clamping members 162, 164 is subjected to a predetermined force by the torsion coil spring 168. Spread to the angle, interleaving paper 4
Release the clamp of 4.

The step 222 moves to a case where the negative determination is made in the step 206, that is, the uppermost layer of the cassette 38 is the printing plate 12. From step 222 onward, sheet-fed operation of the printing plate 12 is performed.

At step 222, the lowering of the moving table 56 is started. In the next step 224, it is determined whether or not the receiving position corresponding to the recognized cassette 38 has been reached, and if an affirmative determination is made, the process moves to step 225 to stop the lowering of the moving table 56.

In the next step 226, the half moon roller 62 is
The bracket 60 is extended, and the half-moon roller 62 is placed on the printing plate 12 in the cassette 38. At this time, the cut surface of the half-moon roller 62 faces the printing plate 12,
There is no contact with the printing plate 12.

When the extension of the bracket 60 is completed in step 226, the process proceeds to step 227 and the rotation of the half-moon roller 62 is started. By this rotation, the circular arc surface of the half-moon roller 62 comes into contact with the printing plate 12, and the printing plate 1 is frictionally applied.
2 can be slid toward the moving table 56.

At the next step 228, it is judged whether or not the sliding printing plate 12 has entered the chuck portion 54 on the moving table 56. This can be easily electrically detected by disposing a limit switch, a photoelectric sensor, or the like in the printing plate insertion space of the chuck portion 54.

When the determination in step 228 is affirmative, that is, when it is determined that the printing plate 12 will enter the chuck portion 54, the process proceeds to step 229, the rotation of the half-moon roller 62 is stopped, and the bracket 60 is retracted. At the time of this stop, the cut surface is stopped so as to face the printing plate 12.

Next, at step 230, the chuck 5
The chucking process of No. 4 is executed. The chucking process is to first sandwich the peripheral edge (non-image portion) of the printing plate 12. This allows the printing plate 12 to be held. Next, the chuck portion 5 is held with the printing plate 12 held.
4 is slid on the moving table 56, and the printing plate 12 is pulled out from the cassette 38. As a result, a part (about 1/5 to 1/4) of the printing plate 12 is placed on the moving table 56.

In the next step 231, the movement table 5
6 is moved up and positioned at the delivery position.

By moving the roller in this state, the printing plate 12 supported by the roller 80 is smoothly conveyed to the exposure section 22 (step 232).

In step 230, the exposure unit 22 of the printing plate 12
If it is determined that the delivery to the customer is completed, step 236
Move to.

In step 236, since the plate feeding guide 20 corresponds to the puncher 24, the leading edge of the printing plate 12 is sent to the puncher 24, punching is performed, and then the plate feeding guide 20 is returned.

Next, at step 238, the transport guide unit 18 is switched to make the plate feed guide 20 correspond to the rotary drum 16. As a result, the printing plate 12 can be fed to the rotary drum 16 in the tangential direction of the rotary drum 16.

The printing plate 12 fed in is tightly wound around the peripheral surface of the rotary drum 16 by the front end chuck 26 and the rear end chuck 36 (step 240), and the positioning for exposure is completed.

At the next step 242, the image data is read and the exposure process is started by the light beam from the recording head section 37 (step 244). In the exposure process, the recording head unit 37 is moved in the axial direction of the rotary drum 16 while rotating the rotary drum 16 at high speed (main scanning).
This is so-called scanning exposure.

When the exposure processing in step 244 is completed, the process proceeds to step 246, and the transport guide unit 1
8 (switching the plate discharge guide 22 to the rotary drum 16), and then in step 248, the rotary drum 1
The printing plate 12 wound around 6 is discharged from the tangential direction. At this time, the printing plate 12 is sent to the plate discharge guide 22.

When the printing plate 12 is sent to the plate ejection guide 22, the process proceeds to the next step 250, the conveyance guide unit 18 is switched, the plate ejection guide 22 is made to correspond to the ejection port, and then the printing plate 12 is ejected in step 252. Let
A developing unit is provided in the discharging direction, and the printing plate 1
2 is continuously developed.

As described above, in the present embodiment,
When the printing plate 12 is taken out from the cassette 38, the printing plate 1
Since the peripheral edge portion of the second non-image area is sandwiched by the chuck portion 54 and pulled out, and is handed over to the exposure portion 14 as it is, the printing plate 1 is protected to protect the exposed surface of the printing plate 12.
Compared with a structure in which the back surface 2 is sucked up by a suction cup or the like with the back surface facing upward, and is inverted and then conveyed to the exposure portion 14, the exposure portion 1 is protected by the extremely simple structure while protecting the exposure surface of the printing plate 12.
4 can be transported.

Further, the cassette 38 is hardly moved, and considering the weight of the cassette 38 when the printing plate 12 is accommodated, the workability is greatly improved.

Although the half-moon roller 62 is used as the separating means in the present embodiment, the supporting surface of the printing plate 12 of the cassette 38 itself is an arcuate surface that is convex upward, and is curved and supported thereby. If the edges of the printing plate 12 are separated from each other, the printing plate 12 can be sandwiched by a well-known chuck (clamp) mechanism or the like, and can be easily taken out one by one.

Further, in place of the half-moon roller 62, the printing plate may be locked (hooked) by a sharp claw member such as a needle and pulled out. The lead-out portion 52 can be used as a moving member that moves the claw member. Further, in this case, the precondition is that the claw member is on the upper surface of the printing plate 12 and outside the image recording area. Since the claw member only needs to slide the printing plate, a large holding force is not required, and therefore the claw member is hardly scratched or the like, and the quality is not deteriorated in appearance.

[0102]

As described above, according to the present invention, work complexity in so-called batch processing is eliminated, and, for example, a single-wafer operation from a cassette in a narrow space is realized, so that work efficiency can be saved in a small space. It has an excellent effect that it can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a printing plate automatic exposure apparatus according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a right side view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a superposition structure of a printing plate and a slip sheet housed in a cassette.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the printing plate automatic exposure device, which corresponds to FIG. 1, and is used when a printing plate is taken out from a middle (second) cassette.

FIG. 5A is a perspective view showing a standby state of an interleaf paper removal mechanism section, and FIG. 5B is a front view thereof.

FIG. 6A is a perspective view showing an interleaf sheet holding state of an interleaf sheet removal mechanism portion, and FIG. 6B is a front view thereof.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a discharge state of interleaving paper by driving a pair of rollers.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of the printing plate automatic exposure apparatus according to the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Automatic printing plate exposure device 12 printing plates 14 Exposure part (next process) 15 Single-wafer transport unit 37 recording head 38 cassettes 40 cassette storage unit (storage unit) 42 Transport unit 44 interleaf paper 1/5 approx. 52 Drawer (moving member) 54 Chuck part (printing plate take-out means) 56 Moving table 58 Paul 60 bracket 62 Half-moon roller (separation means) 80 transport rollers

Continued front page    F-term (reference) 2C020 DA04 DA06 DA09                 3F343 FA02 FB05 FC01 GA01 GB01                       GC01 GD01 HA16 HA22 HA37                       HC05 HC30 JA03 KB03 KB04                       KB05 KB06 LA04 LA13 LA14                       MA03 MA26 MB04 MB13 MB14                       MC19 MC21 MC23

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A printing plate sheet feeding apparatus for accommodating a plurality of types of printing plates in respective dedicated cassettes, sheeting printing plates of different types randomly from the plurality of cassettes, and transporting them to the next step. There, the plurality of cassettes are arranged in a reference position by stacking a plurality of stages on the installation surface, and a storage unit provided with a predetermined gap for each stacked cassette, and adjacent to the storage unit. A movable table which is provided corresponding to the cassette and which is capable of selectively moving to a receiving position for receiving a printing plate from the cassette and a sending position for sending the printing plate to the next step; The printing plate collecting device is provided so as to be movable in the direction of each of the cassettes, and chucks the peripheral edge portion, which is the non-image area of the printing plate of the uppermost layer in each cassette, and draws it onto the moving table. A printing plate sheet feeding device comprising: a feeding unit. 2. The separating means for separating the uppermost printing plate from the lower layer side is further provided before the chucking of the peripheral edge portion of the printing plate by the printing plate taking-out means. Printing plate sheet-fed device. 3. The printing plate sheet feeding device according to claim 2, wherein the separating means is a printing plate supporting portion of the cassette having a predetermined curvature radius that is convex upward. 4. The separation means is on the upper surface side of the uppermost printing plate and is in non-contact with the printing plate at a predetermined rotation position,
The printing plate sheet feeder according to claim 2, wherein the half-moon roller is movable in the pull-out direction by coming into contact with the printing plate in the previous period at a position other than the predetermined rotation position. 5. The sharpening claw member and a moving member that locks the claw member on the upper surface side of the printing plate and outside the image recording area, and moves the claw member in the locked state in the pull-out direction. 3. The printing plate sheet feeding device according to claim 2, wherein