JP2007050642A - Heating and carrying unit and plate making apparatus using it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact heating and carrying unit which can uniformly heat the whole original plate for a printing plate during the heating of it and which can perform efficient treatment, and a plate making apparatus using the heating and carrying unit. <P>SOLUTION: This heating and carrying unit comprises: a carrying part for carrying a sheet, a heating part which is arranged in a position to face the front side of the sheet for being carried by the carrying part; and a heating-part shifting means for shifting the heating part depending on the carrying of the sheet. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention belongs to the field of heating devices that heat a sheet, and particularly relates to a heating and conveying unit that heats a printing plate precursor on which an image is formed on a lithographic printing support, and a plate making apparatus using the heating conveyance unit.

  In flat printing, a printing plate is made by providing printing ink receptivity and printing ink repellent areas corresponding to the image original on the surface of the printing plate precursor, and the printing ink is attached to the ink receptive areas of the printing plate. Print. Usually, a hydrophilic and oleophilic (ink-accepting) area is formed like an image on the surface of the printing plate precursor to make a printing plate, and the hydrophilic area of the printing plate is repelled by using dampening water. Make it sex.

  A printing plate used for such lithographic printing, for example, outputs an image document once to a silver salt photographic film in an analog or digital manner, and through this, a photosensitive material layer laminated on a support of the printing plate precursor is formed. After the exposure, the photosensitive material layer is heated and cured, and then an image is recorded on the support by forming and removing the uncured portion mainly using an alkaline solution (image portion is formed, ie, plate-making). It is produced by.

  Also, at the time of exposure, an image is directly drawn (exposed) on the photosensitive material layer of the printing plate precursor using a laser beam without using a film, and then the photosensitive material layer is heated and cured, and then uncured. There is also a method of making a plate using a so-called CTP system in which a printing plate is produced (plate making) by elution and removal of the part.

As described above, when an image is formed on a printing plate precursor having a photosensitive material layer laminated on a support, development is performed by performing a heat treatment that cures the exposed portion of the photosensitive material layer using a heating device (heating conveyance unit). Can be suitably performed, and printing durability can be improved. As such a heating device, there are known a non-contact heating method in which a printing plate precursor is irradiated with heat rays from a heater and a contact heating method in which the printing plate precursor is brought into contact with a heater to heat.
Here, when a metal plate is used as the support, thermal expansion occurs due to heating, and the printing plate precursor is usually deformed so that the central portion thereof protrudes over substantially the entire length. Therefore, as a result of the thermal expansion, the printing plate precursor is distorted. As a result, in the contact heating method, the contact between the printing plate precursor and the heating plate becomes non-uniform, and the efficiency of thermal development is reduced at the incomplete contact portion. As a result, a polymerized and cured image of this portion is lost, or the degree of curing is reduced and the image strength is lowered. When used as a printing plate precursor, the printing durability is partially lowered.

  On the other hand, in the non-contact heating method, there is no problem associated with the contact heating method, that is, no defective heating due to deformation in which the central portion of the printing plate precursor bulges over substantially the entire length. However, the non-contact heating method has a problem that a deviation occurs in the temperature reached at the leading and trailing edges in accordance with the portion of the printing plate precursor.

  In response to such a problem, the present applicant has proposed a heating device in which a heat shield member is movably provided between the printing plate precursor and the heat source, and the shielding amount is variable depending on the amount of movement of the shielding member. (Patent Document 1). In this heating device, the radiant heat of the heat source (heater) is not controlled, but the radiant heat is controlled to be constant, and then the shielding member (reflector) is rotated to shield the heat, thereby applying the heat to the printing plate precursor. The heating amount is controlled to be constant.

JP 2000-75503 A

By using the heating device disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is no time lag in heating and heat insulation, and heating can be accurately performed according to the portion of the printing plate precursor.
However, the heating device disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires a space in which a shielding member is interposed between the printing plate precursor and the heat source, and thus there is a limit to downsizing (miniaturization). Further, since a certain distance or more is required between the printing plate precursor and the heat source, a heat source having a large calorific value is required as the heat source.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems based on the prior art and to uniformly heat the entire printing plate precursor when heating the printing plate precursor, and to use a compact heating conveyance unit and the same It is to provide a plate making apparatus.
Furthermore, in addition to the above object, another object of the present invention is to provide a heating and conveying unit capable of performing processing efficiently and a plate making apparatus using the same.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention includes a conveyance unit that conveys a sheet and a heating that is disposed at a position facing the sheet surface of the sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit. And a heating part moving means for moving the heating part. A heating and conveying unit is provided.

Here, it is preferable that the heating and moving unit moves the heating unit in at least one of a direction parallel to the sheet conveying direction and a direction in which the heating unit moves away from and contacts the sheet surface.
Moreover, it is preferable to provide a control unit that controls the driving of the heating unit moving unit in accordance with the passage timing of the front and rear ends of the single sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit.
Moreover, it is preferable that the said conveyance part conveys the said sheet | seat sheet at a fixed speed.

Further, it is preferable that the sheet is a printing plate precursor having a thermosetting or thermoplastic recording layer on a metal support or a flexible support.
Furthermore, the recording layer is preferably drawn by an ink jet drawing means.

In order to achieve the above object, a first form of the second aspect of the present invention is the heating and conveying unit according to any one of the above, an ink jet drawing means for drawing an image on the sheet, and the heating. The present invention provides a plate making apparatus having a fixing unit that sandwiches and conveys the sheet heated by a conveyance unit and pressurizes and heat-fixes an image drawn by the ink jet drawing unit.
Here, it is preferable that the ink jet drawing unit draws an image on the sheet by discharging ink using an electrostatic field.

  In order to achieve the above object, a second aspect of the second aspect of the present invention includes a heating and conveying unit according to any one of the above, an exposure unit that exposes an image on the sheet, and the exposure unit. A plate making apparatus having means for developing an image drawn by the above method is provided.

According to the present invention, by heating the sheet while moving the heating unit according to the conveyance of the sheet, the heating unevenness can be prevented and the sheet can be heated to a uniform temperature. Furthermore, the distance between the heating unit and the single sheet can be set to an arbitrary distance, and the heating unit and the single sheet can be arranged close to each other in contact with each other. Thereby, a sheet can be efficiently heated and the apparatus can be made compact.
In addition, by conveying the sheet at a constant speed, it is possible to efficiently transfer the sheet to the previous and subsequent processing steps. Thereby, a sheet can be processed more efficiently.

  In particular, when heating a printing plate precursor having a recording layer drawn using an ink jet drawing means, the support and the recording layer can be uniformly adhered by being able to heat the printing plate precursor uniformly. it can. Thereby, the printing durability of the printing plate precursor can be further increased. Further, since no development processing is required, the plate making apparatus can be reduced in size.

Hereinafter, the heating conveyance unit of the present invention and the plate making apparatus of the present invention using the same will be described in detail based on the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a plate making apparatus 10 of the present invention using the heating and conveying unit 14 of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of the plate making apparatus 10 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 (A) is a schematic sectional view showing the configuration of the heating and conveying unit 14 of the present invention, and FIG. These are the schematic diagrams which show the structure of the heater unit drive part 37 of the heating conveyance unit 14. FIG.
The plate making apparatus 10 is an apparatus that manufactures a printing plate by forming an image on the printing plate precursor P, and includes an exposure unit 12, a heating and conveying unit 14, and a developing unit 16.

  The printing plate precursor P used in the present embodiment basically has a configuration in which a photosensitive material to be a recording layer is laminated on a support.

  As the support, a dimensionally stable plate-like material is suitable, for example, paper, paper laminated with plastic (eg, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, etc.), metal plate (eg, aluminum, zinc, copper). Etc.), plastic films (for example, cellulose diacetate, cellulose triacetate, cellulose propionate, cellulose butyrate, cellulose acetate butyrate, cellulose nitrate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, polyvinyl acetal, etc.), metals as described above Is a laminated or vapor-deposited paper or plastic film. A preferable support includes a polyester film or an aluminum plate.

  As the support used for the printing plate precursor, it is preferable to use an aluminum plate that is lightweight and excellent in surface treatment, workability, and corrosion resistance. Aluminum materials used for this purpose include aluminum and aluminum-containing alloys such as JIS 1050 material, JIS 1100 material, JIS 1070 material, Al-Mg alloy, Al-Mn alloy, Al-Mn-Mg alloy, Al -Zr-based alloy, Al-Mg-Si-based alloy, or the like, or aluminum or aluminum alloy laminated or vapor-deposited plastic film or paper. Further, a composite sheet in which an aluminum sheet is bonded to a polyethylene terephthalate film as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 48-18327 may be used.

  The aluminum plate is subjected to surface treatment such as roughening treatment on the surface, and an image portion is formed on the surface to form a printing plate. In the roughening treatment, mechanical roughening, chemical roughening, and electrochemical roughening are performed alone or in combination. Moreover, it is also preferable to perform an anodizing process for ensuring the scratch resistance of the surface or a process for increasing hydrophilicity.

  The surface treatment of the support will be described below. Prior to roughening the aluminum plate, a degreasing treatment with, for example, a surfactant, an organic solvent or an alkaline aqueous solution for removing rolling oil on the surface may be performed as necessary. In the case of an alkali, treatments such as neutralization and smut removal may be performed with an acidic solution.

  Next, in order to improve the adhesion between the support and the image area and to provide water retention to the non-image area, a so-called graining process is performed to roughen the surface of the support. As specific means of this graining method, there is a mechanical graining method such as sandblasting, and there is a chemical graining method in which the surface is roughened with an etching agent made of alkali, acid or a mixture thereof. . In addition, an electrochemical graining method, a method of roughening the surface by adhering the granular material to the support material with an adhesive or a method having the effect, a continuous band or roll having fine irregularities A known method such as a roughening method in which unevenness is transferred by pressure bonding to a material can be applied.

  These roughening methods may be performed in combination, and the order, the number of repetitions, and the like can be arbitrarily selected. Since smut is formed on the surface of the support obtained by the roughening treatment, that is, the graining treatment as described above, a treatment such as washing with water or alkali etching is appropriately performed to remove the smut. Is generally preferred.

In the case of an aluminum support, after performing the pretreatment as described above, an oxide film is usually formed on the support by anodic oxidation in order to improve wear resistance, chemical resistance and water retention. Any electrolyte that forms a porous oxide film can be used as an electrolyte used for anodizing of an aluminum plate. Generally, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, oxalic acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, boric acid, chromic acid, Sulfamic acid, benzenesulfonic acid, or a mixed acid thereof is used. The concentration of these electrolytes is appropriately determined depending on the type of electrolyte. The treatment conditions for anodization vary depending on the electrolyte used and cannot be specified. However, in general, the electrolyte concentration is 1 to 80% solution, the liquid temperature is 5 to 70 ° C., and the current density is 5 to 60 A / dm ^2. It is appropriate if the voltage is in the range of 1 to 100 V and the electrolysis time is in the range of 10 seconds to 5 minutes. The amount of the anodized film is suitably 1.0 g / m ² or more, but more preferably in the range of 2.0 to 6.0 g / m ^2. When the anodized film is less than 1.0 g / m ² , the printing durability is insufficient, or the non-image part of the printing plate is easily scratched, so that the ink adheres to the scratched part during printing. "Scratch dirt" is likely to occur.

  After the anodizing treatment, the aluminum surface may be sealed. Such sealing treatment is performed by immersing the substrate in a hot aqueous solution containing hot water and an inorganic salt or an organic salt, a water vapor bath, or the like. The aluminum support may be subjected to a hydrophilic treatment such as a silicate treatment with an alkali metal silicate or an immersion treatment in an aqueous solution of potassium fluorinated zirconate or phosphate.

An intermediate layer for enhancing the adhesion between the support and the image portion formed of the photosensitive material may be provided. In order to improve adhesion, the intermediate layer has an adhesive provided on a diazo resin, an aluminum compound such as a phosphonic acid or phosphoric acid compound, or an aluminum alkoxide, or an aluminum substrate described in JP-A-2001-109139. An organic silicone compound used for the layer may be used. The thickness of the intermediate layer is arbitrary, and it must be a thickness that can perform a uniform bond formation reaction with the upper image portion when exposed. Usually, the application ratio of about 1 to 100 mg / m ² is good as a dry solid, and 5 to 40 mg / m ² is particularly good. After the above-described treatment or undercoating is applied to the support surface, a back coat is provided on the back surface of the support as necessary. As such a back coat, a coating layer made of a metal oxide obtained by hydrolysis and polycondensation of an organic polymer compound described in JP-A-5-45885 and an organic or inorganic metal compound described in JP-A-6-35174 is used. Preferably used.

  As a preferable characteristic as a support for a printing plate, the center line average roughness is preferably 0.10 to 1.2 μm. By setting the thickness to 0.10 μm or more, the adhesion with the image portion becomes a certain level or more, and high printing durability can be maintained. Moreover, the smearing property at the time of printing can be made low by setting it as 1.2 micrometers or less. Furthermore, when the image portion is formed by exposure and development, the color density of the support is preferably 0.15 to 0.65 as the reflection density value. By making it blacker than 0.15, it is possible to prevent the image formation from being hindered by halation during image exposure, and by making it whiter than 0.65, the image can be viewed well in the plate inspection work after development. The plate inspection property can be increased.

In addition, as the photosensitive material, a thermosetting material or a thermoplastic material can be used.
Hereinafter, in this embodiment, it is cured by being exposed and heated, becomes insoluble in the eluate, and the unexposed portion is disclosed in a material that is eluted by the eluent, for example, JP-A-2000-75503. A silver-triggered photosensitive material, a negative photosensitive material comprising a compound that generates acid upon decomposition by light or heat, a crosslinking agent that crosslinks with an acid, at least one alkali-soluble resin, and an infrared absorber. It demonstrates as what uses a material etc.

The exposure unit 12 forms a latent image of a document image on the recording layer (photosensitive layer) of the printing plate precursor, and exposes the recording layer using a document film. Specifically, the original film is brought into close contact with the recording layer (image forming surface) side of the printing plate precursor P, and a band pass filter is interposed, and the printing plate precursor is exposed for a predetermined time using, for example, a tungsten lamp. .
The exposure unit is not limited to exposing the recording layer using an original film, and an exposure unit using a CTP system that directly draws digital image information on the recording layer and exposes the image can also be used. The CTP system uses a laser to form a latent image in optical mode or thermal mode, and a photopolymer is produced using a silver salt diffusion transfer, a silver salt / diazo, photon exposure using an electrophotographic type printing plate precursor. Various systems such as a mode system, a thermal reaction type thermal system of the photosensitive plate, and a dry / no processing system that does not require liquid treatment are exemplified.

  The heating / conveying unit 14 is a device that heats the printing plate precursor P on which the latent image of the image is formed by the exposure unit 12. Basically, the heating / transporting unit 14 transports the printing plate precursor P and the printing plate precursor P. It has a heating unit 104 for heating, a heating / conveying means 106 for moving the heating unit 104, and a housing 108 for enclosing them. Here, the casing 108 is formed with a carry-in port 140 for carrying the printing plate precursor P conveyed from the exposure unit 12 into the interior and a carry-out port 142 for discharging the heated printing plate precursor P.

  The transport unit 102 includes a carry-in sensor 112, a carry-in roller 114, a guide wire 116, an exit blade 118, and a position detection sensor 120.

The carry-in sensor 112 is arranged upstream of the carry-in port 140 in the conveyance direction of the printing plate precursor P, and detects that the printing plate precursor P exposed by the exposure unit 12 is carried to the carry-in port 140 of the housing 108. . When the carry-in sensor 112 detects the carry-in of the printing plate precursor P, the heating and conveying unit 14 is driven.
The carry-in roller 114 pinches and conveys the printing plate precursor P carried from the carry-in port 140 and conveys it to a predetermined position on the guide wire 116. Here, a position detection sensor 120 that detects the leading edge and the trailing edge of the printing plate precursor P is disposed in the vicinity of the conveying roller 114.
The guide wire 116 conveys the printing plate precursor P supplied from the carry-in roller 114 in a predetermined direction (in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 2A) at a constant speed.

  The heating unit 104 includes heaters 122a and 122b and reflection plates 124a and 124b held by a heater unit 136 of the heating unit conveyance unit 106, which will be described later, a shielding plate 126, an exhaust heat fan 130, an ambient temperature sensor 132, a roller A temperature detection sensor 134 and a heat insulating cover 128 are provided.

  The two heaters 122a and 122b are disposed at positions facing the guide wire 116, and heat the printing plate precursor P conveyed on the guide wire 116 by radiant heat. Here, as the heaters 122a and 122b, various heat sources such as a halogen lamp, a nichrome wire heater, and a ceramic heater can be used, and it is particularly preferable to use a far infrared ceramic heater.

The reflectors 124a and 124b reflect the heat generated from the heaters 122a and 122b. The reflectors 124a and 124b are opposed to the guide wire 116 through the heaters 122a and 122b, above the heaters 122a and 122b in FIG. It is arranged.
By providing the reflecting plates 124a and 124b, the heat generated from the heaters 122a and 122b and irradiated in the direction away from the printing plate precursor P can be reflected to the printing plate precursor P side, and the heating efficiency of the heaters 122a and 122b Can be high.

The shielding plate 126 is disposed so as to cover the lower surface of the guide wire 116, and the heat insulating cover 128 is disposed so as to cover the upper surface and side surfaces of the heater unit 136 and the guide wire 116. As a result, portions of the heater unit 136 and the guide wire 116 other than the transport path of the printing plate precursor P are covered with the shielding plate 126 and the heat insulating cover 128.
The ambient temperature sensor 132 is provided in a space (hereinafter also referred to as a heating area) formed by the shielding plate 126 and the heat insulating cover 128, detects the temperature in the heating area, and the roller temperature detection sensor 134 is a carry-in roller. A temperature of 150 is detected. Further, a part of the shielding plate 126 is provided with a heat exhaust fan 130 that exhausts air in a space formed by the shielding plate 126 and the heat insulating cover 128.
The atmospheric temperature sensor 132, the roller temperature detection sensor 134, and the exhaust heat fan 130 control the temperature in the space formed by the shielding plate 126 and the heat insulating cover 128. As an example, if the proper set temperature of the heaters 122a and 122b is Q,
Q = A · (T−To) + B · ((T + To) / 2−T1) (1)
In the above equation (1), A and B are constants, T is the heating temperature, To is the carry-in roller temperature, and T1 is the atmosphere temperature in the heating section. The temperature To is detected by the roller temperature detection sensor 134, and the temperature T1 is detected by the ambient temperature sensor 132. Furthermore, when the atmospheric temperature in the heating region reaches the heating temperature T or higher, which is the appropriate atmospheric temperature, the exhaust heat fan 130 is driven to lower the temperature, and control is performed so that the appropriate atmospheric temperature T is always maintained. Control of the amount of heat given to the printing plate precursor P by maintaining the appropriate set temperature Q and the appropriate atmosphere temperature T and the movement of the heater unit 136 described later is comprehensively performed by the control unit 138, and the printing plate precursor P is moved at a constant speed. Be transported.

The outlet blade 118 is formed of a flexible material and is disposed around the carry-out port 142. The exit blade 118 is arranged so as to seal the carry-out port 142. When the printing plate precursor P passes, the exit blade 118 is carried out from the carry-out port 142 in a state where the exit blade 118 slides on the front and back of the printing plate precursor P. The Thereby, the airtightness of the carry-out port 142 is enhanced, it is possible to prevent the outside air from flowing into the heating / conveying unit 14 from the carry-out port 142, and the atmosphere in the heating / conveying unit 14 can be controlled more easily.
If an exit blade is provided only on the surface of the printing plate precursor P, when the printing plate precursor P is thermally expanded and deformed by heating, outside air enters the heating conveyance unit 14 from the back surface of the convex portion. As a result, the printing plate precursor P is partially cooled to cause uneven heating. However, by providing a pair of flexible exit blades 118 as in this embodiment, uneven heating of the printing plate precursor P can be prevented.

The heating unit conveying unit 106 includes a heater unit 136, a heater unit driving unit 137, and a control unit 138.
The heater unit 136 is arranged at a position corresponding to the guide wire 116 so as to be movable in a direction parallel to the moving direction of the guide wire 116, that is, in a direction parallel to the conveying direction of the printing plate precursor P. As described above, the heater unit 136 includes the heaters 122a and 122b and the reflection plates 124a and 124b.

The heater unit drive unit 137 moves the heater unit 136 in a direction parallel to the transport direction of the printing plate precursor P.
Hereinafter, an example of the drive mechanism of the heater unit drive unit 137 will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 2B is a schematic configuration diagram showing the heater unit driving unit 137 of the present embodiment.
The heater unit driving unit 137 includes slide rails 144a and 144b, a guide wire 146, and a stepping motor 148.

  The slide rails 144a and 144b are respectively arranged on both sides of the heater unit 136 that are parallel to the moving direction of the heater unit 136 along the direction parallel to the moving direction of the heater unit 136. It is supported in a movable state. By moving the heater unit 136 along the slide rails 144a and 144b, the distance between the heater unit 136 and the printing plate precursor P in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the printing plate precursor P can be made constant.

The guide wire 146 and the stepping motor 148 move the heater unit 136 along the slide rails 144a and 144b.
The guide wire 146 is stretched by four rollers, two rollers respectively arranged on the two-way extension line of the moving path of the heater unit 136 and two rollers respectively arranged on the lower side in the vertical direction of the roller. The portion is locked to the heater unit 136.

  The stepping motor 148 rotates the guide wire 146 based on the control of the control unit 138 described later. By driving the stepping motor 148 and rotating the guide wire 146, the heater unit 136 locked to the guide wire 146 can be moved.

Thus, by rotating the guide wire 146 by the stepping motor 148, the heater unit 136 can be moved along the slide rails 144a and 144b.
In addition, the heater unit drive part 137 is not limited to the said embodiment, A various drive mechanism can be used.

The control unit 138 is disposed at a predetermined position of the heater unit 136, and controls the movement of the heater unit 136 by the heater unit driving unit 137 based on detection data of the position detection sensor 120, the roller temperature detection sensor 134, and the atmosphere detection sensor 132. And temperature control in the heating region described above.
Note that the control unit 138 may be provided at a position where there is no influence of heat from the heater unit 136, for example, outside the heating unit conveyance unit 106.

The position control of the heater unit 136 by the control unit 138 will be described.
First, when the printing plate precursor P is inserted into the carry-in port 140, it is detected by the carry-in sensor 112, and the heating and carrying unit 14 is driven. Next, the printing plate precursor P is transported at a constant speed in a predetermined direction (the direction of arrow D in FIG. 2A) by the transport roller 114 and the guide wire 116.

When the position detection sensor 120 detects that the printing plate precursor P has passed a predetermined position, the control unit 138 drives the heater unit driving unit 137 using this as a trigger to move the heater unit 136.
3A is a graph showing the relationship between the position of the heater unit 136 and time, and FIG. 3B is a graph showing the relationship between the moving speed of the heater unit 136 and time. 3A and 3B, when the leading edge of the printing plate precursor P is detected by the position detection sensor 120, t = 0, and the trailing edge of the printing plate precursor P is discharged from the carry-out port 142. Let t = t3.
Point A in FIG. 3A is a position where the solid line heater unit is arranged in FIG. 2A, and is a point on the upstream side in the transport direction of the printing plate precursor P in the heating region, that is, on the carry-in roller 114 side. This is the point. 2B is a dotted line portion in FIG. 2A, and is a point on the downstream side in the transport direction of the printing plate precursor P in the heating area from the point A, that is, a point on the transport roller 150 side.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the heater unit 136 is moved from the point A to the point B during 0 ≦ t ≦ t1, and is held at the point B during t1 ≦ t ≦ t2, and t2 ≦ t. It is moved from point B to point A during ≦ t3.
As shown in FIG. 3B, the movement of the heater unit 136 from the point A to the point B (0 ≦ t ≦ t1) reaches the maximum speed immediately after the movement starts, and then decelerates at a constant acceleration to the point B. Moved. Further, the movement of the heater unit 136 from the point B to the point A (t2 ≦ t ≦ t3) starts moving while accelerating at a constant acceleration, and is moved to reach the maximum speed immediately before the point A. The printing plate precursor P is conveyed at a constant speed.

Thus, by moving the heater unit 136 in the same direction as the conveying direction of the printing plate precursor P, the relative speed between the printing plate precursor P and the heater unit 136 is decreased, and the heating amount of the front end portion of the printing plate precursor P is reduced. Is made larger than the heating amount of the other part, the plate surface temperature of the tip part can be made the same as the plate surface temperature of the other part (in FIG. 3A, 0 ≦ t ≦ t1).
Further, by moving the heater unit 136 in the direction opposite to the conveying direction of the printing plate precursor P, the relative speed between the printing plate precursor P and the heater unit 136 is increased, and the heating amount of the rear end portion of the printing plate precursor P is increased. Is less than the heating amount of the other portion, the plate surface temperature of the rear end portion can be made the same as the plate surface temperature of the other portion (t2 ≦ t ≦ t3 in FIG. 3A).
In this way, the heater unit is moved in accordance with the passage timing of the front and rear ends of the printing plate precursor P. Specifically, when the printing plate precursor P passes through the front end portion, the same direction as the transport direction of the printing plate precursor P is used. When the printing plate precursor P passes through the rear end portion of the printing plate precursor P, it is moved in the direction opposite to the conveying direction of the printing plate precursor P, and the heating amount is adjusted to make the temperature of the printing plate precursor P uniform. That is, the printing plate precursor P can be heated uniformly. Thereby, the exposed portion is cured without unevenness, and a printing plate precursor having a uniform strength can be produced.

As described above, in this embodiment, the radiant heat of the heaters 122a and 122b is not controlled, but the radiant heat is controlled as described above, and the heater unit 136 is moved, that is, the heater 122a. , 122b is controlled to control the heating amount to the printing plate precursor P. Therefore, it can be heated very accurately according to the portion of the printing plate precursor P. Further, since the amount of heating can be controlled only by moving the heater unit 136, the amount of heat can be controlled more easily.
Furthermore, since it is not necessary to arrange a shield between the heaters 122a and 122b and the printing plate precursor P, the heaters 122a and 122b and the printing plate precursor P can be brought close to each other. Thereby, the heat generated from the heater can be used efficiently. Further, the apparatus can be downsized by shortening the distance between the heater and the printing plate precursor.
Further, by conveying the printing plate precursor P at a constant speed, the printing plate precursor P can be efficiently transferred between the heating and conveying unit 14, the exposure unit 12 and the fixing unit 16 described later, and the entire plate making apparatus The processing efficiency can be improved.

  Here, t1, t2, and t3 in FIG. 3 and the acceleration / deceleration speed of the heat unit depend on the heat conduction characteristics of the support, and in advance according to the material and thickness of the support, the type of the recording layer, the structure of the apparatus, and the like. Is set.

  In the present embodiment, the heating amount is adjusted by moving the heater unit in accordance with the passage timing of the front and rear ends of the printing plate precursor P. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the printing plate precursor P The printing plate precursor can be heated uniformly by controlling the movement of the heater unit according to the position.

Returning to FIG. 1, the description of the plate making apparatus 10 will be continued.
A cooling fan 152 and a transport roller 150 are arranged on the downstream side of the heating / cooling unit 14 in the transport direction of the printing plate precursor P.
The heated printing plate precursor P passes between a pair of exit blades 118 provided at the carry-out port 142 and is conveyed downstream, and is cooled to, for example, about 100 ° C. by the cooling fan 152, and then the conveyance roller 150. And is conveyed to the elution part 40 of the next developing unit 16 via the cooling roller 31.

  The developing unit 16 removes the photosensitive material from the non-exposed portion of the printing plate precursor P that has been heated to a predetermined temperature by the heating / conveying unit 14 to cure the exposed portion, and manufactures the printing plate. On the image surface of the printing plate precursor P, the elution portion 40 for elution processing of the photosensitive material of the non-exposed portion (non-image portion), the water washing portion 50 for removing the eluate adhering to the printing plate precursor P by the elution portion 40 It has a gum solution application unit 60 that applies the gum solution, and a drying unit 70 that dries the printing plate precursor P to which the gum solution is applied.

  In the elution part 40, the printing plate precursor P is guided into the developer (for example, PS plate developer DP-4 manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.) by the inlet transport roller 41 and the guide roller. Thereafter, the printing plate precursor P travels in the developer along the guide plate 43, is sandwiched between the pair of transport rollers 44, and is guided so that the developing surface comes into contact with the brush roller 45 that rotates forward in the transport direction. Further, the printing plate precursor P is guided onto the developer surface by the guide rollers 46 and 47, sandwiched between the pair of squeeze rollers 48, and conveyed to the washing unit 50.

  The elution part 40 is provided with a heater 80 and a cooling water circulation pipe 82, and the temperature of the developer is adjusted to an appropriate temperature by heating and cooling the developer. The elution part 40 is appropriately replenished with a replenisher by a replenishment pump, and excess liquid is overflowed and discharged. Moreover, the water for supplementing the evaporated water is replenished by the water replenishment pump. Further, the elution unit 40 includes a circulation system including a pipe 84, a filter 86 that removes dirt from the developer S, and a pump 88.

  In the water washing section 50, the printing plate precursor P is conveyed by the conveyance roller 51 and sprayed with washing water by the spray nozzle 52. A pair of upper and lower conveying rollers 51 are provided on the upstream side and the downstream side in the traveling direction D across the spray nozzle 52, respectively, with the printing plate precursor P interposed therebetween, and by rotating while holding the printing plate precursor P, The printing plate precursor P is transported in the transport direction D. The spray nozzles 52 are arranged to face both surfaces of the printing plate precursor P, respectively, and spray the cleaning water pumped up from the water receiving tank 54 by the circulation pump 53 onto both surfaces of the printing plate precursor P. The sprayed cleaning water falls from the printing plate precursor P and is then collected in the water receiving tank 54 by the receiving tray 55.

  In the gum solution application unit 60, the printing plate precursor P is conveyed by the conveyance roller 61, and the gum solution is sprayed by the spray nozzle 62. A pair of upper and lower conveying rollers 61 are provided on the upstream side and the downstream side in the traveling direction D across the spray nozzle 62, respectively, with the printing plate precursor P interposed therebetween, and by rotating while holding the printing plate precursor P The printing plate precursor P is transported in the transport direction D. The spray nozzle 62 is disposed to face the recording layer of the printing plate precursor P, and a gum solution pumped from the gum solution tank 64 by the circulation pump 63 (for example, a gum solution for PS plate manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.). GU-7) is sprayed onto the recording layer of the printing plate precursor P. The sprayed gum solution falls from the printing plate precursor P and is then collected in the gum solution tank 64 by the tray 65.

  In the drying unit 70, the printing plate precursor P is transported by the transport roller 71 and dried by the dryer 72. A pair of upper and lower conveying rollers 71 are provided on the upstream side and the downstream side in the traveling direction D across the dryer 72, respectively, with the printing plate precursor P interposed therebetween, and by rotating while holding the printing plate precursor P, The printing plate precursor P is conveyed in the traveling direction D. Two pairs of dryers 72 are provided opposite to both sides of the printing plate precursor P, and the hot plate air is blown onto both sides of the printing plate precursor P to dry the printing plate precursor P after the gum treatment.

Next, the flow of processing of the printing plate precursor P by the plate making apparatus 10 will be described.
First, the exposure unit 12 exposes the printing plate precursor P to form a latent image on the recording layer. For example, when a method of exposing a recording layer using an original film is used, the original film is brought into close contact with the recording layer side of the printing plate precursor P, and a 500 watt tungsten film is interposed through a band-pass filter that transmits 500 nm light. Exposure is performed for 1.5 seconds using a lamp, and an exposed printing plate precursor P is prepared.
As shown in FIG. 1, the printing plate precursor P is continuously conveyed from the heating and conveying unit 14 to the drying unit 70 through the elution part 40, the water washing part 50 and the gum solution application part 60 of the fixing unit 16. Each unit is sequentially subjected to predetermined processing. That is, the heat-treated printing plate precursor P is cooled by the cooling roller 31 and then subjected to an elution process in the elution unit 40, and a portion excluding the exposed portion of the recording layer, that is, a photosensitive material in a non-exposed portion. Is eluted. Then, the printing plate precursor P is washed with water in the washing unit 50 and the eluate is removed, then the gum is applied in the gum solution application unit 60, and the gum solution adhering to the surface is further dried in the drying unit 70. The printing plate precursor P after drying is conveyed to the tray 74 and accumulated.
A printing plate is produced as described above.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of another example of the heating and conveying unit 170, and FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the position of the heater unit 172 of the heating and conveying unit 170 shown in FIG. 4 and time. It is.
The heating / conveying unit 170 shown in FIG. 4 has basically the same configuration as that of the heating / conveying unit 170 shown in FIG. 2 (A) except for the direction in which the heater unit 172 is moved. The same reference numerals are given to the members and the description thereof will be omitted, and the points peculiar to the present embodiment will be described in detail.

  The heat unit 172 of the present embodiment is provided in a movable state in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the printing plate precursor P, that is, in a direction in which it is separated from and contacting the printing plate precursor P. Specifically, the heater unit 172 moves between the solid line portion (A ′ point) and the dotted line portion (B ′ point) by driving the heater unit driving unit 173.

The heater unit driving unit 173 moves the heater unit 136 in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the printing plate precursor P.
As the heater unit driving unit 173, various driving mechanisms can be used similarly to the heater unit driving unit 137 described above.

The movement of the heater unit 172 will be described in detail.
FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the position of the heater unit 172 of the heating conveyance unit 170 and time, and t = 0 when the position detection sensor 120 detects the leading edge of the printing plate precursor P.
In FIG. 5, point A ′ is a portion where the solid line heater unit 172 is arranged in FIG. 4, and is the position where the heater unit 172 and the printing plate precursor P (transport path thereof) are closest. A point B ′ is a portion where the dotted heater unit 172 is arranged in FIG. 4, and is a position where the heater unit 172 is farthest from the printing plate precursor P (transport path thereof). The point C is an arbitrary point between the points A ′ and B ′.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the heater unit 172 is moved from the A ′ point to the C point between t = 0 and t1. Next, the heater unit 172 is fixed at the point C between t = t1 and t2. Next, during t = t2 to t3, the heater unit 172 is moved from the C point to the B ′ point.

When passing through the front end portion of the printing plate precursor P, the heater unit 172 is moved gradually away from the state closest to the printing plate precursor P, that is, the distance between the heater unit 172 and the printing plate precursor P is increased. Let As a result, the heating amount at the tip is maximized, and the heating amount gradually decreases toward the center. Thus, by increasing the heating amount of the leading end portion of the printing plate precursor P more than the heating amount of other portions, the plate surface temperature of the leading end portion can be made the same as the plate surface temperature of the other portions.
Next, the portion that passes through the position facing the heater unit 172 while being fixed at point C of the printing plate precursor P is heated with a heating amount that is slightly weaker than the tip portion.
When passing through the central portion of the printing plate precursor P, the heater unit 172 is fixed to the point C of the printing plate precursor P. As a result, the central portion of the printing plate precursor P is heated with a heating amount slightly lower than the heating amount of the tip portion.
Further, when the printing plate precursor P passes through the rear end portion, the heater unit 172 is moved away from the printing plate precursor P, that is, the distance between the heater unit 172 and the printing plate precursor P is increased. Thus, the rear end portion of the printing plate precursor P is heated with a heating amount that is lower than the heating amount of the central portion of the printing plate precursor P. Thus, by making the heating amount of the rear end portion of the printing plate precursor P smaller than the heating amount of the other portions, the plate surface temperature of the rear end portion can be made the same as the plate surface temperature of the other portions. .

In this way, the printing plate precursor P is moved in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the printing plate precursor P. Specifically, the printing plate precursor P is moved away from the printing plate precursor P when passing through the front end portion of the printing plate precursor P, and the printing plate The heating amount of the printing plate precursor P can be controlled by moving the printing plate precursor P further away from the printing plate precursor P when passing through the rear end portion of the printing plate P, as in the first embodiment. Can be heated to a uniform temperature.
In addition, the heating amount of the printing plate precursor P may be controlled by combining the above embodiments and moving the heater unit in two directions, a direction parallel to and a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the printing plate precursor.

  Here, t1, t2, and t3 in FIG. 5 and the acceleration / deceleration speed of the heat unit depend on the heat conduction characteristics of the support, and therefore in advance according to the material and thickness of the support, the type of the recording layer, the structure of the apparatus, and the like. Is set.

  In the above, the heating transport unit of the present invention uses a printing plate precursor in which a recording layer is laminated on a support, and the recording layer is formed on the support by exposing, heating and fixing the printing plate precursor. The embodiment used in a plate making apparatus for producing a printing plate has been described.

  Next, a preferred embodiment in which the heating and conveying unit of the present invention is used in a plate making apparatus for forming a printing plate by forming an ink image on a support using an ink jet recording method will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of another example of the plate making apparatus of the present invention using the heating and conveying unit of the present invention.

  The plate making apparatus 200 includes an ink jet drawing unit 202, a heating and conveying unit 14, and a fixing unit 206.

The ink jet drawing means 202 uses an electrostatic ink jet recording method in which an ink containing particles and a solvent is ejected using an electrostatic field based on a signal of image data to form a recording layer on the support of the printing plate precursor P. It is what is used.
In the electrostatic ink jet recording method, at the time of recording, a driving voltage is applied to the discharge electrodes arranged around the discharge ports for discharging ink to generate an electric field at the discharge ports. Then, by applying a force due to the electric field to the ink meniscus formed at the ejection port, ink droplets are ejected from the ejection port toward the printing plate precursor. By controlling the drive voltage applied to the ejection electrodes in accordance with the image data, an image corresponding to the image data is produced on the support of the printing plate precursor.
Since the ink jet drawing means according to this electrostatic ink jet recording method can form microdroplets and has a simple structure, a plurality of discharge ports (channels) are arranged in one drawing means (ink jet head). Easy to make multi-channel structure.
In addition, by discharging minute droplets, a high-precision and high-definition image can be formed.

  Here, the ink jet drawing means is preferably used for an electrostatic ink jet recording method capable of forming micro droplets, but is not limited to this, and used for various ink jet recording methods such as a piezo method and a thermal method. Can do.

The heating / conveying unit 14 heats the printing plate precursor P having an ink recording layer formed on a support by the ink jet drawing means 202. The heating / conveying unit 14 has the same configuration as that of the heating / conveying unit 14 shown in FIG.
When the printing plate precursor P is heated by the heating / conveying unit 14, the particles in the ink forming the recording layer of the printing plate precursor P are softened and dissolved, and the solvent in the ink is evaporated. Further, according to the heating and conveying unit of the present invention, the printing plate precursor can be heated uniformly without causing uneven heating, and the dissolution state of the printing plate precursor-like particles and the evaporation state of the ink solvent can be made uniform. can do.

The fixing unit 206 sandwiches and conveys the printing plate precursor P to thermally fix the recording layer formed by the ink jet drawing means on the support, and includes a heating roll 208 and a pressure roll 210.
The heating roll 208 is a roll that incorporates a heating source such as a heater or a halogen lamp inside, and contacts the recording layer of the printing plate precursor P to heat the printing plate precursor P. The pressure roll 210 presses the printing plate precursor P against the heating roll 208 with a predetermined pressing force that is uniform in the roll axis direction. By the heating and pressing force of the heating roll 208 and the pressure roll 210, the solvent in the ink constituting the recording layer of the printing plate precursor P is further evaporated and softened, and the dissolved particles in the ink are fixed to the support. .

  The surfaces of the heating roll 208 and the heating roll 210 preferably have excellent releasability. For example, the heating roll 208 and the heating roll 210 are preferably composed of silicone rubber, fluororubber, fluororesin thin film, and the like, and a release agent such as oil is preferably applied. .

  Both the heating roll 208 and the pressure roll 210 may be heating rolls. Further, the surface temperature of the heating roll 208 and the pressing force of the printing plate precursor P by the pressure roll 210 (nip force between the heating roll 208 and the pressure roll 210) are appropriately set so as to ensure a desired fixability. That's fine. It is also preferable to secure a sufficient heat fixing time by configuring the surface layers of the heating roll 208 and the pressure roll 210 with an elastic material and bringing the printing plate precursor P and the heating roll 210 into surface contact with the pressure roll 210.

  Further, instead of the heating roll 208 and the pressure roll 210, a heating belt and a pressure belt may be used.

  Further, as in the present embodiment, in the plate making apparatus that heat-presses and fixes the printing plate precursor P heated by the heating and conveying unit 14 by the fixing unit 206, the printing plate precursor P discharged from the heating and conveying unit 14 is cooled. It is preferable that the toner is conveyed to the fixing unit while being heated to a uniform temperature.

Next, the flow of processing of the printing plate precursor P by the plate making apparatus 200 will be described.
First, the ink jet drawing means 202 ejects ink droplets on the surface of the support of the printing plate precursor P based on the image data, thereby producing a recording layer (image).
As shown in FIG. 1, the printing plate precursor P is continuously conveyed from the heating conveyance unit 14 to the fixing unit 206, and predetermined processing is sequentially performed in each part. That is, the heat-treated printing plate precursor P is nipped and conveyed by the heating roll 208 and the pressure roll 210, and the recording layer is fixed to the support.
As described above, by using the heating and conveying unit of the present invention, it is possible to perform pressure and heat fixing in a state where the printing plate precursor is uniformly heated. As a result, a printing plate having strong adhesion between the recording layer and the support and high printing durability can be produced.

  In addition, by forming an image directly on a support by using an inkjet method and preparing a printing plate, the printing plate can be prepared without using a developer to elute the printing plate precursor. Therefore, the printing plate can be produced without discharging the waste liquid, which is preferable for environmental conservation.

  In addition, the plate making apparatus 200 of the present embodiment further includes the above-described gum solution application unit downstream of the fixing unit, and gums the surface of the printing plate precursor P with the recording layer fixed to the support. Good.

A printing plate precursor that can be suitably used in the present embodiment will be described.
Examples of the support include metal plates such as aluminum and chrome-plated steel. In particular, an aluminum plate having excellent surface water retention and wear resistance due to graining and anodizing treatment is preferred. As a cheaper support, a printing plate precursor provided with an image receiving layer on a water-resistant support such as water-resistant paper, plastic film, or plastic-laminated paper can be used. The thickness of the support is preferably in the range of 100 to 300 μm, and the thickness of the image receiving layer provided therein is preferably in the range of 0.5 to 30 μm.

Next, the ink suitably used for the plate making apparatus of this embodiment will be described.
The oil-based ink used in the present embodiment is obtained by dispersing solid and hydrophobic resin particles at least at room temperature in a non-aqueous solvent having a solid electric resistance of 10 ⁹ Ωcm or more and a dielectric constant of 3.5 or less. . Here, as the resin particles, a thermoplastic or thermosetting resin can be used.

  In the above-described embodiment, the printing plate precursor having the recording layer on the support is heated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be used for heating various sheets.

  As mentioned above, although the heating conveyance unit concerning this invention and the plate making apparatus using the same were demonstrated in detail, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the main point of this invention, various improvement and a change are carried out. Of course.

It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the plate-making apparatus using the heating conveyance unit of this invention. (A) It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the structure of the heating conveyance unit of this invention, (B) is the schematic which shows the structure of a heater unit drive part. (A) is a graph which shows the relationship between the position of a heater unit, and time, (B) is a graph which shows the relationship between the speed of a heater unit, and time. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the other example of the heating conveyance unit of this invention. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the position of the heater unit shown in FIG. 4, and time. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the other example of the plate-making apparatus using the heating conveyance unit of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,200 Plate making apparatus 12 Exposure unit 14,170,204 Heating conveyance unit 16,206 Fixing unit 102 Conveyance part 104 Heating part 106 Heating part conveyance means 108 Case 112 Carry-in sensor 114 Carry-in roller 116 Guide wire 118 Exit blade 120 Position detection Sensor 122a, 122b Heater 124a, 124b Reflector 126 Shielding plate 128 Heat insulation cover 130 Exhaust heat fan 132 Atmospheric temperature sensor 134 Roller temperature detection sensor 136, 172 Heater unit 137, 173 Heater unit drive unit 138 Control unit 140 Carry-in port 142 Carry-out port DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 150 Conveyance roller 152 Cooling fan 202 Inkjet drawing means 208 Heating roll 210 Pressure roll P Printing plate precursor

Claims (9)

  A conveyance unit that conveys a single sheet, a heating unit that is disposed at a position facing the sheet surface of the single sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit, and the heating unit that moves according to conveyance of the single sheet A heating / conveying unit comprising: a heating unit moving means for causing the heating / transporting unit to move.   The heating / conveying unit according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit moving unit moves the heating unit in at least one of a direction parallel to a conveyance direction of the single sheet and a direction in which the heating unit moves away from or in contact with the sheet surface.   3. The heating and conveying unit according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls driving of the heating unit moving unit in accordance with a passage timing of the leading and trailing ends of the single-wafer sheet conveyed by the conveying unit.   The heating conveyance unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the conveyance unit conveys the sheet at a constant speed.   The heating and conveying unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sheet is a printing plate precursor having a thermosetting or thermoplastic recording layer on a metal support or a flexible support.   The heating and conveying unit according to claim 5, wherein the recording layer is drawn by an ink jet drawing means. The heating and conveying unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The sheet is a printing plate precursor, and an ink jet drawing means for drawing an image on the printing plate precursor;
A plate making apparatus comprising: a fixing unit that sandwiches and conveys the printing plate precursor heated by the heating and conveying unit and pressurizes and heat-fixes an image drawn by the inkjet drawing unit.   The plate making apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the ink jet drawing unit draws an image on the printing plate precursor by discharging ink using an electrostatic field. The heating and conveying unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Exposure means for exposing the image to the printing plate precursor; and
A plate making apparatus having means for developing the image drawn by the exposure means;

Images