JP2003182022A - Printing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing apparatus which can automatically form a water application roller trace (like-attaching roller trace) for confirming the nip pressure of the water application roller (ink application roller). <P>SOLUTION: The printing apparatus has a controller 18 having a storage means 102 storing at least one water application roller trace forming position (ink application roller trace forming position) set in advance and a confirmation position. The controller 18 drives a solenoid valve 201 for operating a solenoid 41 for vertically moving a motor 200 and the water application roller and an air cylinder 91 for vertically moving the ink application roller and forms the water application roller trace (ink application roller trace) on the surface of a printing plate at the water application roller trace forming position (ink application roller trace forming position). The controller 18, after forming the water application roller trace (ink application roller trace), rotates a plate cylinder to a confirmation position which can be confirmed by an operator for positioning. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing apparatus provided with a watering roller that supplies dampening water to the plate cylinder and an ink forming roller that supplies ink, and more particularly to the watering roller and the ink forming roller. The present invention relates to a printing apparatus including a mechanism for adjusting the nip pressure with respect to the plate cylinder.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A general offset printing machine is provided with dampening water supply means for supplying dampening water to a printing plate surface on a plate cylinder. As this dampening water supply means, it is well known to use a watering roller which is in contact with the plate cylinder surface (printing plate surface) to supply dampening water. When this watering roller is used, it is necessary to adjust the contact pressure (hereinafter referred to as nip pressure) for contacting the watering roller with the plate cylinder in order to make the amount of dampening water supplied constant.

In order to adjust the nip pressure, the following nip pressure confirmation method is generally used. In this method, first, an ink film is formed on the printing plate surface on the plate cylinder, and then a watering roller is brought into contact with the plate surface. As a result, a contact mark of the watering roller (hereinafter referred to as a watering roller mark) is formed on the printing plate surface. The width dimension of the watering roller trace is confirmed, and the nip pressure of the watering roller with respect to the plate cylinder is adjusted so that the width dimension becomes a predetermined value.

[0004]

In the above method for checking and adjusting the nip pressure of the watering roller, the operator has to manually operate each means of the printing apparatus. That is,
The rotation position of the plate cylinder and the raising / lowering operation of the watering roller have to be carried out manually in sequence, but such work needs to be repeated multiple times while alternating adjustment and confirmation, which is a troublesome work for the operator. Met.

On the other hand, in a general printing apparatus, a large number of rollers and cylinders are arranged around the plate cylinder, so that the contact position of the watering roller with respect to the plate cylinder is not visible inside the apparatus. In this case, it is necessary to position the plate cylinder to form the watering roller mark by an approximate estimate of the operator, and the plate cylinder must be rotated to a position where the formed watering roller mark can be visually observed. In such a case, if the above work is repeated a plurality of times, there is also a problem that it is not possible to know which watering roller mark is at which time. Therefore, it is necessary to form a new ink film on the plate cylinder to erase the traces of the watering roller, and the work efficiency is poor.

The above-mentioned problem is not limited to the water-dyeing roller, and the same applies to the adjustment of the nip pressure of the ink-dyeing roller that supplies ink by contacting the printing plate surface.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and a printing apparatus capable of automating the work of forming the nip pressure when adjusting the nip pressure of the watering roller and the inking roller, and further adjusting the nip pressure. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing device that can automate itself.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plate cylinder rotation driving means for rotationally driving the plate cylinder, and a watering roller which is in contact with the plate cylinder to supply dampening water. In a printing apparatus provided with a watering roller elevating means for selectively bringing the watering roller into contact with or away from the plate cylinder surface, the plate cylinder is positioned at a preset watering roller trace forming position and water is formed. A watering roller trace forming device for forming a welding roller trace is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the printing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the watering roller trace forming device comprises:
An ink supply unit for forming an ink film on the plate cylinder surface in advance, a storage unit for storing the watering roller trace forming position, and the plate cylinder rotation driving unit are controlled to supply the ink to the plate cylinder. For controlling the plate cylinder position controlling means for positioning and stopping at the watering roller mark forming position and the watering roller elevating means for a predetermined time with respect to the plate cylinder stopped at the watering roller mark forming position. Watering roller contact control means for contacting and then separating the contacting roller.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus according to the second aspect, the storage means further stores a confirmation position for confirming a trace of the watering roller, and the watering roller. After forming the trace, the plate cylinder position control means rotationally moves the plate cylinder to the confirmation position.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the printing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the image pickup means obtains image data of a watering roller mark by picking up an image of the plate cylinder, and the image data. And a nip pressure adjusting unit that adjusts the nip pressure of the watering roller based on the measurement result.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a plurality of the watering roller trace formation positions are set, and the watering roller trace formation positions are sequentially set. Is changed and the formation of the watering roller mark is repeated.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a plate cylinder rotation driving means for rotating and driving the plate cylinder, an inking roller for abutting against the plate cylinder to supply ink, and the inking roller selectively. In a printing apparatus provided with an inking roller elevating means for contacting with or separating from a plate cylinder surface, an inking roller for forming an inking roller mark by positioning the plate cylinder at a preset ink forming roller mark forming position. A roller trace forming device is provided.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention, there is provided the printing apparatus according to the sixth aspect, wherein the inking roller trace forming device stores storage means for forming the inking roller trace forming position, and the plate cylinder. A plate cylinder position control means for controlling the rotation driving means to position and stop the plate cylinder at the inking roller trace forming position, and an ink forming roller elevating means for controlling the ink forming roller trace forming position. And an inking roller contact control means for bringing the inking roller into contact with the plate cylinder stopped for a certain period of time and then separating it.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus according to the seventh aspect, the storage means further stores a confirmation position for confirming an ink forming roller mark,
After forming the trace of the ink form roller, the plate cylinder position control means rotationally moves the plate cylinder to the confirmation position.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the printing apparatus according to the sixth or seventh aspect, wherein the image data is imaged on the plate cylinder to obtain image data of an ink form roller trace, and the image data. And a nip pressure adjusting means for adjusting the nip pressure of the inking roller based on the measurement result.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus according to any one of the sixth to ninth aspects, a plurality of the ink forming roller trace forming positions are set, and the ink forming roller trace forming positions are sequentially formed. Is changed and the formation of the ink form roller trace is repeated.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [Description of Printing Apparatus] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a printing apparatus according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, this printing apparatus has, as a printing mechanism, first and second plate cylinders 1 and 2 for holding a printing plate, and a first plate cylinder for transferring an ink image from each plate cylinder. First and second blanket cylinders 3 and 4, an impression cylinder 5 that holds a printing paper and an ink image is transferred from both blanket cylinders 3 and 4, and a paper feed that supplies or discharges the printing paper to the impression cylinder 5. Damping water supply means 8 and ink supply means 9 for supplying dampening water or ink to the cylinder 6 and the paper discharge cylinder 7 and the printing plates on the first and second plate cylinders 1 and 2.
And a paper feed unit 10 for sequentially feeding the stacked unprinted printing papers and a paper discharge unit 11 for sequentially stacking the printed printing papers.

On the other hand, this printing device has a plate making mechanism
A printing plate supply unit 12 that supplies an unexposed printing plate to the first and second plate cylinders 1 and 2, an image recording unit 13 that records an image on the printing plate on the plate cylinder, and an image is recorded. The developing unit 14 for developing the printed printing plate and the printing plate discharging unit 15 for discharging the used printing plate are provided.

Further, this printing apparatus includes an image reading apparatus 16 for picking up an image on a printed printing sheet to measure the image density, a cleaning apparatus 17 for cleaning the blanket cylinder, and the entire printing apparatus. And a control device 18 for controlling the.

The details of each of the above parts will be described below.
The first plate cylinder 1 is driven by a plate cylinder drive mechanism (not shown).
Is configured to be movable between a first printing position indicated by a solid line and an image recording position indicated by a chain double-dashed line, and the second plate cylinder 2 is similarly moved by a plate cylinder drive mechanism (not shown). It is configured to be movable between the second printing position indicated by the solid line 1 and the image recording position indicated by the chain double-dashed line.
That is, the first and second plate cylinders 1 and 2 are arranged at the first or second printing position respectively when performing a printing operation, and are alternately arranged at the image recording position when performing a plate making operation. The plate making process of the printing plate is performed on each plate cylinder. Each of the first plate cylinder 1 and the second plate cylinder 2 has a peripheral surface capable of holding a printing plate for two colors, and each printing plate is fixed at a position facing each other by 180 degrees on the peripheral surface. A gripping means (not shown) is provided for cutting.

The first blanket cylinder 3 is constructed so as to come into contact with the first plate cylinder 1 to rotate at the first printing position, and the second blanket cylinder 4 also has the second blanket cylinder 4 similarly. It is configured so as to come into contact with the second plate cylinder 2 and rotate at the printing position. This first and second
The blanket cylinders 3 and 4 have the same diameter as the first and second plate cylinders 1 and 2, and a blanket capable of transferring ink images of two colors from each plate cylinder is mounted on the peripheral surface thereof. There is.

The impression cylinder 5 includes the first and second plate cylinders 1,
It has a diameter of 1/2 of 2, and is configured to rotate in contact with both the first and second blanket cylinders 3, 4. The impression cylinder 5 is provided with gripping means (not shown) capable of holding one printing sheet of a size corresponding to the printing plate.

The paper feed cylinder 6 and the paper discharge cylinder 7 have the same diameter as the impression cylinder 5, and are provided with gripping means (not shown) similar to the gripping means provided in the pressure cylinder 5. The gripping means of the paper feed cylinder 6 is arranged so as to deliver the printing paper in synchronism with the gripping means of the impression cylinder 5, and the gripping means of the discharge cylinder 7 is the gripping means of the impression cylinder 5. It is arranged to receive the printing paper in synchronism with the printing means.

The first and second plate cylinders 1 and 2 arranged at the first and second printing positions, the first and second blanket cylinders 3 and 4, the impression cylinder 5, and the paper feed cylinder. 6 and the discharge cylinder 7 are rotationally driven in synchronization by a print driving motor (not shown). In addition, in the printing apparatus of the present embodiment,
Since the plate cylinders 1 and 2 and the blanket cylinders 3 and 4 have twice the perimeter of the impression cylinder 5, the impression cylinder makes two revolutions each time the plate cylinders 1 and 2 and the blanket cylinders 3 and 4 make one revolution. Therefore, when the impression cylinder 5 rotates twice while holding the printing paper, multicolor printing of a total of four colors of two colors + two colors can be performed from the first and second plate cylinders 1 and 2.

The dampening water supply means 8 comprises a general continuous water supply mechanism, and two sets are arranged for each of the plate cylinders 1 and 2 at the first and second printing positions. Each dampening water supply means 8 can selectively supply dampening water to the two printing plates on each plate cylinder 1, 2 by a cam mechanism. Details of the dampening water supply means 8 will be described later.

The ink supply means 9 comprises a general ink fountain means and a plurality of ink roller groups, and includes first and second ink roller groups.
Two sets are arranged for each of the plate cylinders 1 and 2 at the printing position. Each ink supply means 9 can selectively supply different color inks to the two printing plates on the plate cylinders 1 and 2 by the respective cam mechanisms.
For the ink of each ink supply means 9, for example, K color (black) and M color (magenta) ink supply means 9 are arranged for the first plate cylinder 1 and for the second plate cylinder 2. In this case, C color (cyan) and Y color (yellow) ink supply means 9 are arranged. The details of the ink supply means 9 will also be described later.

Damping water supply means 8 and ink supply means 9
Some of these are configured so that they can be retracted from the movement path of the first and second plate cylinders 1 and 2 as they move.

The paper feed unit 10 takes out the print papers one by one from the pile in which the unused print papers are stacked and delivers the print papers to the paper feed cylinder 6. In this embodiment, the paper feed cylinder is rotated twice. It operates to supply the printing paper once every time. On the other hand, the paper discharge unit 11 receives and stacks the printed print paper from the paper discharge cylinder 7. The paper discharge unit 11 is composed of a well-known chain transport mechanism, and grips the leading end of the printing paper by the gripping claws circulated by the chain and discharges and transports it. An image reading device 16 for reading an image of the printed matter is provided on the way of the moving path through which the printed matter is discharged by the paper discharge unit 11.

Next, the plate making mechanism of this printing apparatus will be described. In this printing apparatus, when performing the plate making operation, the first and second plate cylinders 1 and 2 are alternately moved to the image recording position. At this image recording position, a friction roller (not shown) is configured to abut the plate cylinder and rotate.

The printing plate supply unit 12 is a cassette roll in which a roll-shaped unexposed printing plate is shielded from light and stored therein, a carrying roller and a carrying guide for carrying the drawn printing plate to the plate cylinders 1 and 2, and the printing plate. And a cutting means for cutting the sheet into a sheet.

In this embodiment, a silver salt sensitive material is used as the printing plate, and an image is recorded by laser light. In order to supply the printing plate, first, the front end of the printing plate pulled out from the cassette roll is clamped by gripping means (not shown) of the plate cylinders 1 and 2, and in this state, the plate cylinders 1 and 2 are held.
Is rotated to wind the printing plate on the plate cylinders 1 and 2, and thereafter,
The printing plate is cut into a predetermined length and the trailing edge of the printing plate is held by the other gripping means. Instead of supplying the printing plate on the sheet onto the plate cylinder, a printing layer corresponding to the printing plate may be directly applied or fixed to the surface of the plate cylinder.

The image recording section 13 is for on / of the laser light.
The image is recorded on the printing plate by exposing the printing plate by f. In this embodiment, the position of the image on the printing plate is determined by the control device 18, and the corresponding image data is sent to the image recording unit 13. Then, in the image recording unit 13, the laser light emitted from the laser transmission source is mainly scanned along the axial direction of the plate cylinder by a polarizer such as a polygon mirror, and the printing plate surface is sub-scanned by rotating the plate cylinder. It is configured.

The scanning method may be a method in which a plurality of laser beams are arranged side by side in the axial direction of the plate cylinder and main scanning is performed as the plate cylinder rotates. Further, not only the image is recorded by exposure, but the image may be recorded by heat or other processing method.

The developing section 14 develops the printing plate exposed by the image recording section 13. In this embodiment, the developing unit 14 is configured to scoop up the processing liquid stored in the processing tank with a coating roller and apply it to a printing plate to perform a developing process. Elevating means for moving to a position close to the trunk is provided. The developing unit 14 itself may be omitted if an image recording method that does not require development processing is adopted.

In this printing apparatus, the first and second plate cylinders 1 and 2 are moved to the image recording position, the printing plate is supplied, the image is recorded and developed, and the plate making operation is performed. When the plate making work is completed, the first and second plate cylinders 1 and 2 are put into the first
And it can arrange | position in a 2nd printing position and can print.

On the other hand, this printing apparatus can automatically eject the printing plate after the printing operation is completed. In this embodiment, the printing plate discharge unit 15 includes a peeling unit that peels the printing plate from the plate cylinder at the image recording position, a conveying unit that conveys the peeled printing plate, and a used used printing plate that has been conveyed. And a discharge cassette for discharging.

The image reading device 16 reads an image on the printing paper conveyed by the paper output unit 11, receives an illumination light source for illuminating the printing paper, and a reflected light from the printing paper to receive an RGB image signal. And a CCD line sensor for converting to. The image reading device 16 reads the conveyed printing paper line-sequentially in the printing direction to obtain the RG
By processing the B image signal, it is possible to obtain measurement data such as a print density value and a colorimetric value on the printing paper. The ink supply amount and the dampening water supply amount can be adjusted based on the measurement data obtained by the image reading device 16.

The cleaning device 17 is a device that contacts the first and second blanket cylinders 3 and 4 to clean the surface of the blanket. The cleaning device 17 supplies a cleaning liquid to the surface of the blanket and a cleaning member is contacted to the blanket surface. To wipe off ink stains.

The control device 18 is a microcomputer system including various input / output means, storage means, etc., and is stored in an electric component section or the like in the printing apparatus. The control device 18 processes the image signal obtained by the image reading device 16 based on a predetermined program, and controls the entire printing device. Therefore, it also functions as a control means in the water-dip roller trace forming device and the ink-roll roller trace forming device in the present invention. The details of the control device 18 will also be described later.

[Explanation of dampening water supply means 8] The details of the dampening water supply means 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. 2 and 3 are side views typically showing one of the four dampening water supply means 8 arranged in the printing apparatus, and the portions not needing explanation are shown for easy understanding. Is omitted. Incidentally, FIG. 2 shows a locking means 4 which will be described later.
0 shows a state in which the watering roller is fixed so as to be separated from the printing plate surface, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the locking means 40 is released and the watering roller is in contact with the printing plate surface.

In the figure, the dampening water supply means 8 contacts a water boat 20 for storing the dampening water, a water source roller 21 immersed in the water boat 20, and the water source roller 21. An intermediate roller 22 and a watering roller 23 that comes into contact with the intermediate roller 22 are provided, and the rollers 21 to 23 are rotatably supported between a pair of side plates 24. The side plate 24 is configured to make a slight rotation about the shaft 25, whereby the dampening water supply means 8 moves in a direction of abutting or separating from the plate cylinders 1, 2.

The watercraft 20 is a container having an open top surface for storing dampening water, and is connected to a water circulation supply means (not shown) and always stores a fixed amount of dampening water. Mizumoto roller 21
Is disposed in a state of being partially immersed in the water boat 20, and its rotation is controlled by a drive motor (not shown). The supply amount of dampening water is controlled by the rotation speed of the water source roller 21. The intermediate roller 22 is a roller arranged between the water source roller 21 and the watering roller 23 and driven to rotate, and transmits dampening water from the water source roller 21 to the watering roller 23.

The watering roller 23 is a roller for supplying dampening water to or against the plate cylinder surface, and is configured to contact or separate from the printing plate surface by the following cam mechanism. Has been done. First, cam plates 30 are provided at the side edges of the plate cylinders 1 and 2 at positions facing each other by 180 degrees corresponding to the two image areas on the plate cylinders 1 and 2, respectively. It rotates with the plate cylinders 1 and 2. 2 and 3, only one cam plate 30 is shown corresponding to one dampening water supply means 8.

On the other hand, the dampening water supply means 8 is provided with a cam follower 31 which is operated by the cam plate 30. The cam follower 31 includes an arm 33 that rotates about an axis 32 with respect to a frame (not shown) and a bearing member 34 that is axially supported by the arm 33. The bearing member 34 is the cam plate. It is arranged so as to face 30.

In this structure, when the bearing member 34 rides on the cam plate 30, the arm 3
3 rotates counterclockwise about the shaft core 32 to push up the side plate 24, and the dampening water supply means 8 as a whole rotates counterclockwise about the shaft 25. As a result, the watering roller 23 is separated from the printing plate surface. On the other hand, when the bearing member 34 is not riding on the cam plate 30, the side plate 24 is not pushed up. In this case, the shaft core 35 of the watering roller 23 is biased in the plate cylinder direction by the spring 36 fixed to the frame, so that the watering roller 23 contacts the printing plate surface. With this configuration, the dampening water supply means 8 can selectively supply dampening water to the image area on the side where the cam plate 30 is not arranged.

On the other hand, the dampening water supply means 8 is provided with a lock mechanism 40 for prohibiting the cam follower 31 from moving up and down by the cam plate 30. This lock mechanism 4
Reference numeral 0 includes a solenoid 41, a stop member 42 that is rotated by the solenoid 41, and an engagement member 43 that is fixed to the arm 33.

The solenoid 41 is fixed to a frame (not shown), and the stopper member 42 is connected to the tip of a rod 44 that expands and contracts. The stopper member 42 is axially supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the frame about an axis 45, and a notch portion 46 that engages with the engaging member 38 is formed at the tip end side thereof. The engagement member 43 is fixed to the arm 33 and rotates integrally with the arm 33 about the shaft core 32. This engaging member 43
A notch 47 that engages with the stopper member 42 is formed on the tip side of the.

As shown in FIG. 2, this locking mechanism 40
When the solenoid 41 is operated to extend the rod 44, the stop member 42 rotates counterclockwise about the shaft center 45, and the stop member 42 and the engagement member 43 are engaged with each other. . In this state, the cam follower 31 is prohibited from returning to the position descended from the cam plate 30, and the dampening water supply means 8 is always rotated counterclockwise about the shaft core 25. The watering roller 23 is always separated from the surface of the printing plate regardless of the rotation position of the plate cylinder.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, when the solenoid 41 is operated and the rod 44 is contracted, the stop member 42 rotates clockwise about the shaft center 45 to engage with the stop member 42. The engagement with the mating member 43 is released.
In this state, since the cam follower 31 operates according to the cam plate 30, the dampening water supply means 8 moves up and down with respect to the printing plate surface.

On the other hand, when the watering roller 23 comes into contact with the printing plate surface, the side plate 24 rotates in the clockwise direction around the shaft core 25. At this time, each of the pair of side plates 24 is configured so that the rotation position thereof is regulated by the regulating member 50 arranged in proximity on each side plate 24.

The regulating member 50 comprises a nut portion 51 fixed to the frame and a screw portion 52 screwed to the nut portion 51. The screw portion 52 has a knob portion 53 that can be operated by an operator, and the tip 54 of the screw portion 52 is configured to protrude from the nut portion 51 by an appropriate amount according to the rotation operation of the knob portion 53. The tip 54 comes into contact with the positioning portion 55 fixed to the side plate 24 to regulate the rotation of the side plate 24. That is, the nip pressure of the watering roller 23 with respect to the printing plate can be adjusted by the amount by which the tip 54 of the screw portion 52 projects.

The regulating member 50 includes a pair of left and right side plates 24.
2 are provided so as to correspond to
The nip pressures on the left and right of the watering roller 23 can be independently adjusted by individually operating. The knob portion 53 is provided with a mechanism for snap-locking each rotation amount, and is provided with a scale for visually observing the rotation amount.

[Description of Ink Supplying Means 9] Next, the details of the ink supplying means 9 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIGS. 4 and 5 are side views typically showing one of the four ink supply means 9 arranged in the printing apparatus, and for the sake of easy understanding, the portions which are not explained are omitted. There is. In addition, FIG. 4 shows an air cylinder 91 described later.
Shows the state in which the ink supply means 9 is in the inking position, and FIG. 5 is a view showing the state in which the ink supply means 9 is in the position retracted from the inking position by the air cylinder 91.

As shown in the figure, the ink supply means 9 comprises an ink fountain means 60, a plurality of ink rollers 61a to 61e,
A transfer roller 62 that transfers ink between the ink roller 61a and the ink fountain means 60, and inking rollers 63a to 63c that supply ink to the plate cylinder surface are provided, and are supported by a pair of side plates 64.

The ink fountain means 60 is a known device constituted by bringing a plurality of ink key blades 66 into contact with an ink source roller 65 which is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown), and the gap between each blade 66 and the ink source roller 65. It is possible to supply a desired ink film along the axial direction of the plate cylinders 1 and 2 by adjusting.

The transfer roller 62 is constructed so as to reciprocate between the ink source roller 65 and the ink roller 61a by an arm member (not shown). The transfer roller 62 alternately contacts the rollers at regular intervals, and the ink fountain means 60. From the ink roller 61a to the ink roller 61a.

The ink rollers 61a to 61e are a group of rollers for kneading the ink passed from the ink fountain means 60 and transmitting it to the subsequent ink forming rollers 63a to 63c. The ink rollers 61a to 61e have different sizes and the like, but are collectively referred to as the ink roller 61. It should be noted that some of the ink rollers 61 are configured to swing in the axial direction.

The inking roller 63a is pivotally supported by a pair of arms 68 which rotate around a rotation shaft core 67 of the ink roller 61c. The arm 68 maintains the contact state with the ink roller 61c. It is rotated. Similarly, the inking roller 63b is pivotally supported by an arm 69 which rotates about a rotary shaft core 67, and the inking roller 63c is pivotally supported by an arm 71 which rotates around a rotary shaft core 70 of the ink roller 61e.

The arm 68 is biased in the clockwise direction by the spring member 72, whereby the inking roller 63a is biased in the direction of contacting the plate cylinder surface. Similarly, the arm 69 is biased by a spring member 73, and the arm member 71 is biased by a spring member 74.
b and 63c are urged in a direction of contacting the plate cylinder surface.

On the other hand, a cam follower-80 is arranged between the arms 68 and 69 intersecting with each other. Note that the specific structure of the cam follower-80 is shown in a separated schematic diagram in the upper right part of FIG. 4 in order to make the drawing easy to see.

As shown in the figure, the cam follower 80
Is a barbed member 82 pivotally supported by the side plate 64 in a state of being rotatable about a shaft 81, and an arm 83 that is integrally coupled to the barbed upper member 82 and rotates about the shaft 81. And a bearing member 84 rotatably supported by the arm 83. The barbed member 80 is the contact member 8 fixed to each of the arms 68 and 69.
It is arranged at a position opposed to Nos. 5 and 86. On the other hand, similar to the dampening water supply means 8, the bearing members 84 are provided on the side surfaces of the plate cylinders 1 and 2 corresponding to the two image areas on the plate cylinder.
A cam plate 87 is provided so as to abut.

The bearing member 84 is the cam plate 87.
On the other hand, when riding up, the barbed member 82 rotates clockwise about the shaft 81. By the rotation of the barbed member 82, the contact members 85 and 86 are pressed respectively, and the arms 68 and 69 are pushed up. As a result, the inking rollers 63a and 63b operate so as to be separated from the printing plate surface.

Similarly, a cam follower 88 is provided so as to move up and down the other inking roller 63c. Since this cam follower 88 has the same structure as the cam follower 80, detailed description thereof will be omitted. As described above, according to the operation of the cam followers 80 and 88, the inking rollers 61a to 61c can selectively supply ink to the printing plate surface of the corresponding image area.

On the other hand, the side plate 64 is rotatably supported around a shaft 90, and is constructed so as to be rotated by the driving of an air cylinder 91. That is, the entire ink supply unit 9 can be rotated about the shaft 90 by the air cylinder 91.

Here, FIG. 4 shows a state in which the ink supply means 9 is rotated clockwise about the shaft 90 by the air cylinder 91 and is biased toward the plate cylinders 1 and 2. In this state, the inking rollers 63a to 63c are in the ink supply position where they can contact the printing plate surface. On the other hand, FIG. 5 shows a state in which the ink supply means 9 is rotated counterclockwise about the shaft 90 by the air cylinder 91 to separate the ink supply means 9 from the printing plate surface. In this state, the inking rollers 63a to 63c are always located apart from the printing plate surface.

As with the dampening water supply means, a pair of restriction members 92 for restricting the rotation of the side plate 64 are provided. This makes it possible to adjust the nip pressure of the inking rollers 63a to 63c with respect to the printing plate surface when the ink supply means 9 is lowered to the ink supply position by the air cylinder 91. The restriction member 92
Since the configuration of the above is the same as that of the regulation member 50, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[Description of Controller 18] Next, the controller 18 will be described.
The configuration of will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a control block according to the present invention. It should be noted that configurations not directly related to the present invention are omitted.

In the figure, the control device 18 includes an input means 100 such as an input switch and a keyboard, a display means 101 such as a liquid crystal panel, a storage means 102 such as a hard disk and a memory, and an arithmetic means connected to each of the above means. 1
And a microcomputer system 03, and operates so as to control each unit of the printing apparatus according to a predetermined program.

The storage means 102 stores the preset positions of the watering roller traces and the ink forming roller traces on the plate cylinders 1 and 2, and the formed watering roller traces and ink roller traces. Stores the position information of the confirmation position for confirmation as data.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining the relationship between the position of the water-forming roller trace formation (or the position of the ink-forming roller trace formation) and the confirmation position. In the figure, the plate cylinder 1,
On the printing plate held at No. 2, n (n> 1) watering roller trace forming positions (or ink forming roller trace forming positions) p1 to pn are set. This watering roller trace forming position (or ink forming roller forming position) p
1 to pn are set, for example, at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction for each printing plate, and each position is stored as position information based on the number of encoder pulses corresponding to the rotation angle of the plate cylinders 1 and 2.

On the other hand, each of the water-forming roller trace forming positions (or the ink-forming roller trace forming positions) p1 to pn is positioned at a confirmation position pc which is easily visible to the operator after forming roller traces. As the position information of the confirmation position pc, the watering roller trace forming position (or the ink forming roller trace forming position) p1 corresponding to the watering roller trace forming position (or the ink forming roller trace forming position) p1 to pn Rotation amount y1 to y from pn to confirmation position pc
n is stored. Of course, as the confirmation position pc,
It may be stored as an absolute position corresponding to each water-deposition roller trace formation position (or ink-deposition roller trace formation position).

When the water-dip roller trace formation positions (or the ink-dip roller trace formation positions) are set at equal intervals, each of the water-dip roller trace formation positions (or the ink-dip roller trace formation positions) is the first. The position p1 and the equal distance x after the next position may be stored and used instead. Also, the rotation amount y
Similarly, 1 to yn can be substituted by the rotation amount y1 and the equal interval amount x.

The position information as described above is preset and stored for each plate cylinder 1, 2 and for each dampening water supply means 8 and each ink supply means 9.

On the other hand, the control device 18 is supplied from an air supply source (not shown) to the motor 200 for rotating the plate cylinders 1 and 2 through the interface (not shown), the solenoid 41, and the air cylinder 91. An electromagnetic valve 201 for controlling the supply of air is connected.

The controller 18 operates as a plate cylinder position control means for controlling the rotation of the plate cylinders 1 and 2 by controlling the motor 200. Further, the control device 18 serves as a watering roller contact control means for controlling the elevation of the watering roller 23 with respect to the printing plate surface by controlling the solenoid 41, and also controls the solenoid valve 201 to control the solenoid valve 201. It operates as an inking roller contact control means for controlling the elevation of 63a to 63c with respect to the printing plate surface.

[Explanation of Nip Pressure Confirmation / Adjustment Procedure of Watering Roller] Next, the nip pressure confirmation / adjustment procedure of the watering roller by the dampening water supply means 8 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Note that the nip pressure confirmation / adjustment work of the watering roller according to this flow is performed, for example, before the printing work or at the time of regular maintenance.

When the operator gives an instruction from the input means 100 to automatically form a watering roller mark, the operation proceeds to step 1. In this step S1, the control device 18 determines whether or not new inking is necessary depending on whether or not the number of watering roller marks already formed has reached a predetermined value n (n> 1). However, since the watering roller mark is not formed at the first time, regardless of the above determination, it is determined in step S1 that inking is necessary and the process proceeds to step S2.

In step S2, the printing device operates so as to form a predetermined fixed amount of ink film on the plate cylinder surface (printing plate surface). Specifically, with the ink key blade 66 of the ink fountain means 60 at a constant opening, the inking rollers 63a to 63c are brought into contact with the printing plate surface to form a uniform ink film on the printing plate surface. At this time, the watering roller 23 of the dampening water supply means 8 is separated from the printing plate surface by the lock mechanism 40.

In step S3, the control device 18 controls the plate cylinders 1, 2 according to the position information stored in the storage means 102.
Is controlled to be positioned at the first watering roller trace forming position p1 (FIG. 7). Then, the rotation of the plate cylinder is stopped.

In the next step S4, the control device 18
Releases the locking mechanism 40 to bring the watering roller into contact with the printing plate surface. Then, after a predetermined time, for example, several seconds, the lock mechanism 40 returns the lock to separate the watering roller 23 from the printing plate surface. This forms visible watering roller marks on the printing plate surface.

In step S5, the control device 18 controls the plate cylinders 1 and 2 according to the position information stored in the storage means 102.
Is rotated to the confirmation position pc (FIG. 7) and stopped. The display means 101 or the like notifies the operator of the completion of formation of the watering roller mark.

The following steps S6 to S7 are operations of the operator. First, in step S6, traces of the watering roller formed on the printing plate surface are confirmed, and if necessary, the width of the nip trace is measured with a scale or the like.

If the width of the watering roller is not the preset width, the operator adjusts the nip pressure of the watering roller using the regulating member 50 in the next step S7. For example, when the width of the watering roller trace is larger than the set value, the nip pressure is large, so that the knob 53 is turned to increase the protrusion amount of the tip 54 of the screw portion 52. As a result, the amount by which the watering roller 23 is pressed toward the printing plate surface decreases, and the nip pressure decreases. On the contrary, when the width of the watering roller trace is small, the protrusion amount is reduced.

Since this adjustment is performed on both the left and right sides of the watering roller 23, the adjustment can be performed even when the nip pressure is different on the left and right. When the operator completes the adjustment, he or she inputs from the input means 100 whether or not to continue the work and gives an instruction.

In step S8, the control device 18 determines whether or not an instruction to continue the work is given. For example, when the watering roller trace confirmed in step S6 is within the set range and the nip pressure adjustment in step S7 is not necessary, the flow is ended without continuing the work. If it is necessary to perform some nip pressure adjustment and to check the watering roller mark again, it is instructed to continue the work and the process returns to step S1.

In step S1, it is judged again whether or not ink needs to be applied. If the watering roller trace is formed only once, there is still a position for forming the watering roller trace on the printing plate surface from p2 to pn, so that no new ink is formed. In this case, the position information relating to the next watering roller trace forming position p2 is read and used as the watering roller trace forming position used after step S3. After that, the position of the watering roller trace formation is p3,
p4 ... pn are used in order.

If the formation of the watering roller traces is repeated and the number of formations of the watering roller traces reaches the preset n in step S1, there is no watering roller trace formation position that can be used next. Proceeding to S2, a new inking work is performed. In this case, the watering roller trace forming position to be used is reset to the initial position p1.

In the above-mentioned printing apparatus, the formation of the watering roller trace can be easily performed, and in particular, it can be sequentially repeated for a plurality of set watering roller trace forming positions p1 to pn, so that the effect is great when the adjustment is repeated. Further, since each watering roller trace forming position is accurately positioned at the confirmation position, there is no problem of confusion even when a plurality of watering roller traces are formed.

[Adjustment of Ink Roller Nip Pressure] Next, the procedure for checking and adjusting the nip pressure of the inking roller will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Steps S11 to S16 of this flowchart are substantially the same as steps S3 to S8 of the flowchart of FIG. 8, and instead of the watering roller 23, the inking rollers 63a to 63c are applied to the printing plate surface according to the operation of the air cylinder 91. It is something to contact.

In the case of the watering roller 23, the steps S1 and S2 are performed so that the watering roller mark can be visually recognized.
Although the inking work has been performed in advance, it can be visually recognized as it is in the case of the inking roller. Therefore, in this flow, steps corresponding to steps S1 and S2 are not provided, but if the number of times the ink form roller trace is formed exceeds the preset number of positions, the step S2 is performed.
Similarly to the above, the ink may be uniformly applied to the printing plate surface to eliminate the marks of the inking roller on the printing plate surface.

Even in the adjustment of the nip pressure of the ink form roller, the formation of the ink form roller trace can be easily performed, and in particular, it can be repeated successively for a plurality of set positions of the ink form roller trace formation, so that it is effective when the adjustment is repeated. large. In particular, the problem of confusing a plurality of formed inking roller marks does not occur.

[Second Embodiment] In the nip pressure adjusting procedure, steps S6 and S7 and steps S14 and S are performed.
At 15, the work of the operator is involved. The following configuration may be adopted to further automate these.

(1) The width of the watering roller mark (or the ink forming roller mark) is obtained by imaging the watering roller mark (or the ink forming roller mark) with an image pickup means and subjecting the obtained image data to image processing. The size may be measured. For example, FIG. 10 is a view in which the printing apparatus is provided with two sets of CCD image pickup means 300 for picking up an image of a watering roller mark (or an ink forming roller mark) formed on the surface of a printing plate. As the CCD image pickup means 300, the plate cylinders 1, 2 are used.
Is a line sensor arranged along the width direction of the printing plate in the vicinity of, and is capable of sequentially scanning and imaging a desired range on the printing plate surface as the plate cylinders 1 and 2 rotate. The imaged image data may be displayed on the display means 101 as it is, but it is preferable that the controller 18 performs image processing to measure the width size of the watering roller mark (or the ink forming roller mark).

With this configuration, it is possible to deal with the case where it is difficult for the operator to visually check the traces of the watering roller (or the traces of the ink forming roller), for example, when the plate cylinders 1 and 2 are located at positions that cannot be sufficiently observed from the outside. be able to.

(2) Although the operator manually adjusts the regulation members 50 and 92, the regulation members 50 and 92 may be automatically adjusted via a motor or the like. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the gear 3 is attached to the screw portion 52 of the regulating member 50 (92).
01 is provided, and the gear 302 screwed to the gear 301 is rotationally driven by the motor 303. Then, the drive of the motor 303 is controlled by the control device 18. According to this, even when the regulating members 50 and 92 are located on the back side of the device that is difficult for the operator to reach, they can be operated remotely. The nip thickness may be adjusted by adjusting the spring pressure that presses each roller.

(3) The above-described second embodiments (1) and (2) may be adopted at the same time. That is, the control device 18 determines the traces of the watering roller (or the traces of the ink forming roller) from the image data captured by the CCD image capturing means 300.
Measure the width size of. The control device 18 may drive the motor 303 to adjust the nip pressure based on the measured width size. According to this, the operator can complete the adjustment work of the nip pressure without any intervention.

[Other Embodiments] (4) In the above-described embodiments, the operation of the cam follower 31 that raises and lowers the watering roller 23 with respect to the printing plate surface to form the watering roller mark is prohibited or prohibited. Although the lock mechanism 40 for releasing the lock is provided, the lock mechanism 40 is not limited to this as long as the watering roller 23 can be selectively brought into contact with or separated from the printing plate surface. For example, the ink supply means 9 shown in FIGS.
The dampening water supply means 8 itself may be moved up and down with respect to the printing plate surface by a driving means such as an air cylinder by adopting the same structure as that of the air cylinder 91.

Contrary to the above, in the above-described embodiment, the ink supply means 9 is moved up and down with respect to the printing plate surface by the air cylinder 91 in order to form the traces of the ink form roller. However, the ink form roller 63a is used. ~ 63
The present invention is not limited to this as long as c can be selectively brought into contact with and separated from the printing plate surface. For example, a structure similar to that of the lock mechanism 40 in the dampening water supply means 8 is adopted, and a lock mechanism for prohibiting or canceling the operation of the cam followers 80, 88 for moving up and down the ink form rollers 63a to 63c is provided. You may do it.

(5) In the above-described embodiment, the position of forming the trace of the watering roller (or the position of forming the trace of the ink forming roller).
After the plate cylinder is rotated and stopped, the watering roller (or the inking roller) is moved up and down, but it can be replaced by the following procedure. First, rotate the plate cylinder with the watering roller (or inking roller) in contact,
The plate cylinder is stopped at the watering roller trace forming position (or the ink forming roller trace forming position). After a short stop time, for example, a few seconds, the watering roller (or inking roller) is separated. Also in this procedure, a watering roller mark (or an ink forming roller mark) for confirming the nip pressure can be formed.

[0102]

According to the inventions according to claims 1 to 3 and 6 to 8, the traces of the watering roller (or the traces of the ink forming roller) can be sequentially and automatically formed, and the nip pressure of the watering roller can be confirmed. Can be done easily.

Further, in the inventions according to claims 4 and 9, the nip pressure of the watering roller (or the ink forming roller) can be checked and adjusted automatically without the intervention of an operator.

Further, in the inventions according to claims 5 and 10, it is possible to sequentially form the watering roller traces (or the ink forming roller traces) at different positions, and a plurality of the watering roller traces (or the ink forming roller traces) can be formed. Do not confuse roller traces).

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a printing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an example of dampening water supply means, showing a state in which a watering roller is separated from a printing plate surface.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an example of dampening water supply means, showing a state in which a watering roller is in contact with a printing plate surface.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an example of an ink supply unit, showing a state in which an ink form roller is in contact with a printing plate surface.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an example of an ink supply unit, showing a state in which an ink form roller is separated from a printing plate surface.

FIG. 6 is a control block diagram of the printing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining a watering roller trace forming position (or an ink forming roller trace forming position) and a confirmation position.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a procedure for checking and adjusting the nip pressure of the watering roller.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a procedure for checking and adjusting the nip pressure of the ink form roller.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a printing apparatus provided with a CCD image pickup unit for picking up an image of a watering roller mark (or an ink forming roller mark).

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which a regulating member for adjusting the nip pressure is driven by a motor.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 First plate cylinder 2 Second plate cylinder 8 Dampening water supply means 9 Ink supply means 18 Control device 23 Watering roller 31 Cam Follower 40 lock mechanism 41 solenoid 50 Control member 63a-63c Inking roller 80, 88 cam follower 91 Air cylinder 92 Control member 102 storage means 200 motor 201 solenoid valve

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F term (reference) 2C034 BB03 BB23 BB33 BB61                 2C250 EA30 EB20

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A plate cylinder rotation driving means for rotating the plate cylinder, a watering roller for contacting the plate cylinder to supply dampening water, and the watering roller selectively to the plate cylinder surface. A watering roller trace forming device which forms a watering roller trace by positioning the plate cylinder at a preset watering roller trace forming position A printing device including. 2. The water-dyeing roller trace forming device, an ink supply means for forming an ink film on the plate cylinder surface in advance, a storage means for storing the water-draining roller trace forming position, the plate cylinder Plate cylinder position control means for controlling the rotation driving means to position and stop the ink-supplied plate cylinder at the watering roller trace forming position, and the watering roller elevating means for controlling the watering roller 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a watering roller contact control unit that causes the watering roller to contact the plate cylinder stopped at the trace forming position for a certain period of time and then separates the watering roller from the plate cylinder. 3. The storage means further stores a confirmation position for confirming a watering roller trace, and after the formation of the watering roller trace, the plate cylinder position control means moves the plate cylinder to the confirmation position. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the printing apparatus is configured to rotate. 4. An image pickup means for picking up the image on the plate cylinder to obtain image data of a watering roller mark, a measuring means for measuring the size of the watering roller mark from the image data, and the measuring means based on the measurement result. A nip pressure adjusting means for adjusting the nip pressure of the watering roller, further comprising:
Or the printing device according to 2. 5. A plurality of watering roller trace formation positions are set, and the formation of watering roller traces is repeated by sequentially changing the watering roller trace formation positions. 4. The printing device according to any one of 4. 6. A plate cylinder rotation driving means for rotationally driving a plate cylinder, an inking roller for contacting the plate cylinder to supply ink, and an inking roller for selectively contacting the plate cylinder surface. Or a printing device provided with an inking roller raising / lowering means for separating the printing roller, wherein the printing cylinder includes an inking roller trace forming device for forming an inking roller trace by positioning the plate cylinder at a preset inking roller trace forming position. apparatus. 7. The inking-roller-trace forming device controls the plate-cylinder rotation-driving means to store the inking-roller-trace forming position and the plate-cylinder-rotating-driving means so that the plate-cylinder is moved to the inking-roller-trace forming position. To the plate cylinder position control means for positioning and stopping the plate cylinder and the ink form roller elevating means for contacting the plate form cylinder which has stopped at the ink form roller trace forming position with the plate form roller for a certain period of time. 7. The printing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising an ink form roller contact control means for separating the ink form roller. 8. The storage means further stores a confirmation position for confirming an inking roller trace, and after the formation of the inking roller trace, the plate cylinder position control means moves the plate cylinder to the confirmation position. The printing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the printing apparatus is configured to rotate. 9. An image pickup device for obtaining image data of an ink form roller trace by picking up an image of the plate cylinder, a measuring device for measuring the size of the ink form roller trace from the image data, and the measuring device based on the measurement result. The printing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a nip pressure adjusting unit that adjusts a nip pressure of the ink form roller. 10. The ink-forming roller trace forming positions are set in plural, and the ink-forming roller trace forming positions are sequentially changed to repeat the formation of the ink-forming roller traces. 9. The printing device according to any one of 9.