JP2024072375A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

A printing press is provided that is capable of aligning the left and right position of a plate with respect to a positioning portion of a plate mounting/detaching device when the plate is moved to the plate mounting/detaching device by a plate moving device.
[Solution] A plate mounting/removal device 70 installed in a printing unit 1A to 1D equipped with a plate cylinder is provided with a pair of left and right sensors 58, 59 as left and right position detection means at a position above its positioning section 80, which detects the left and right positions of a new plate 12A being lowered by a first moving means 22 of the plate moving device, and based on the detection results of this pair of left and right sensors 58, 59, a second moving means 31 of the plate moving device is driven to align the left and right position of the new plate 12A relative to the positioning section 80, thereby adjusting the left and right position of the new plate 12A.
[Selection diagram] Figure 21

Description

The present invention relates to a printing press.

One such printing press is disclosed as being equipped with a plate transport device (plate moving device) as shown in Patent Document 1, for example. This plate transport device (plate moving device) transports and places a printing plate (plate) stored in a plate storage box (plate storage section) provided to the side of the printing press onto a plate mounting guide plate that guides the printing plate (plate) to the plate cylinder.

Specifically, the printing plate transport device (plate moving device) grasps (holds) the printing plate (plate) stored in the printing plate storage box (plate storage section), rotates it and moves it vertically and horizontally (in the axial direction of the plate cylinder) to transport it onto the printing plate mounting guide plate, and then releases the grip (holding) to place the transported printing plate (plate) in a specified position on the printing plate mounting guide plate.

Patent No. 3045584 Patent No. 4383973

However, due to variations in the gripping (holding) position of the printing plate (plate) when gripping (holding) the printing plate (plate) stored in the printing plate storage box (plate storage section) and variations in the amount of movement in the left-right direction (in the direction of the plate cylinder axis), the printing plate (plate) may be placed shifted left-right from its designated position on the printing plate attachment guide plate. If the printing plate (plate) on the printing plate attachment guide plate is guided to the plate cylinder in this state, there is a risk that the printing plate (plate) will not be correctly attached to the plate cylinder.

In particular, in the case of a printing press in which a plate loading/unloading device equipped with a plate feeder as shown in cited document 2 is installed in the printing unit in order to load the plate onto the plate cylinder, if the plate is placed misaligned in the left-right direction relative to the positioning portion of the plate loading/unloading device (corresponding to the positioning portion of the receiving frame member 42 in cited document 2), there is a high possibility that the plate will not be loaded correctly onto the plate cylinder.

The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and aims to provide a printing press that can align the left and right position of the plate with respect to the positioning portion of the plate mounting/removal device when the plate is moved to the plate mounting/removal device by the plate moving device.

The printing machine according to the present invention comprises a printing unit having a plate cylinder, a plate mounting/removal device installed in the printing unit for mounting/removing a plate to/from the plate cylinder, a plate storage section installed outside the printing unit for storing the plate, and a plate moving device for moving the plate between the plate mounting/removal device and the plate storage section. The plate mounting/removal device has a positioning section for placing the plate to be mounted on the plate cylinder, and the plate moving device has a first moving means for moving the plate in a vertical direction and a second moving means for moving the plate in a left-right direction which is the axial direction of the plate cylinder, and is configured such that the plate is moved above the positioning section by the second moving means, and then lowered toward the positioning section by the first moving means for placement. The plate mounting/removal device is equipped with a left-right position detection means for detecting the left-right position of the plate lowered by the first moving means to a position above the positioning section, and is characterized in that the second moving means is driven to adjust the left-right position of the plate relative to the positioning section based on the detection result of the left-right position detection means.

In addition, in the printing press according to the present invention, the left and right position detection means may be configured to include a pair of left and right sensors capable of simultaneously detecting both the left and right ends of the plate.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printing press that can align the left and right position of the plate with respect to the positioning portion of the plate mounting/removal device when the plate is moved to the plate mounting/removal device by the plate moving device.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a printing press equipped with a plate moving device. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a printing press equipped with the plate moving device. 13A and 13B show a state in which a new plate in a plate storage section is sucked by a suction pad, with FIG. 13A being a front view and FIG. 13B being a side view of FIG. 13A and 13B show a state in which a new plate in a portrait orientation that is sucked by a suction pad is raised and changed to a landscape orientation, with FIG. 13A being a front view and FIG. 13B being a side view of FIG. 5 is a front view showing a state in which the plate has been rotated about a vertical axis from the state shown in FIG. 4 to change its orientation so that a new plate can be inserted into the printing unit. 6 is a front view of the state in which the new plate has been moved above the printing unit from the state shown in FIG. 5 . 7 is a front view showing a state in which a new plate has been inserted into the printing unit from the state shown in FIG. 6; 13 is a front view showing a state in which the old plate discharged from the printing unit is supported by the plate discharge guide portion. FIG. 9 is a front view showing a state in which the old plate has been sucked by the suction portion and moved above the printing unit from the state shown in FIG. 8 . 10 is a front view showing a state in which the old plate has been moved toward the plate storage unit from the state shown in FIG. 9 to change the orientation and posture of the plate. 11 is a front view showing a state in which the plate holding unit has been lowered from the state shown in FIG. 10 to store the old plate in the plate storage unit. FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion surrounded by XII in FIG. 3 . FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a main part in FIG. 8 . 1A is a side view of the suction portion of the plate holding unit, where (a) shows the state in which the plate is adsorbed and held in a flat state by the suction portion, and (b) shows the state in which the plate adsorbed by the suction portion is held in a curved state. This is a side view viewed from the left, showing the state in which the plate holding portion of the front plate moving device, of adjacent plate moving devices, is positioned in the standby position, and the plate holding portion of the rear plate moving device is holding a new plate and starting to rise. 16 is a side view seen from the left, showing a state in which the new plate held by the plate holding portion of the rear plate moving device has been slightly raised and then changed to an oblique posture from the state shown in FIG. 15 . FIG. 17 is a front view of the state shown in FIG. 16. 17 is a side view seen from the left, showing a state in which the new plate has been raised further from the state shown in FIG. 16 and has been changed from the oblique attitude to the horizontally elongated attitude. FIG. 19 is a front view of the state shown in FIG. 18. 13 is a front view showing a state in which the new plate is lowered toward the positioning portion of the plate mounting/removal device. FIG. 21 is a front view showing a state in which the new plate is further lowered from the state shown in FIG. 20 toward the positioning portion of the plate mounting/detaching device. FIG. FIG. 13 is a front view showing another embodiment of the new-plate storage section for the new plate.

Below, a printing press equipped with the plate moving device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the printing press 1 is equipped with a paper feed section 7 for feeding out sheets (not shown) one by one, four printing units 1A-1D for printing on the sheets from the paper feed section 7, and a paper discharge section 8 for discharging the sheets (printed matter) printed by the four printing units 1A-1D. Note that in the following, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the paper feed section 7 is defined as the front side in the front-to-rear direction, the paper discharge section 8 is defined as the rear side in the front-to-rear direction, the width direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction is defined as the left-to-right direction, and the operation side is defined as the right side in the left-to-right direction and the non-operation side is defined as the left side in the left-to-right direction.

Steps 9 and 10 are installed on both the left and right sides of the printing units 1A to 1D, extending in the front-to-rear direction along the printing units 1A to 1D. Step 9 is located on the right side (operation side), and step 10 is located on the left side (non-operation side). Steps 9 and 10 are positioned a specified distance above the floor surface.

Each of the printing units 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D is provided with a plate moving device. The plate moving device includes a support section 2, an arm section 3, a plate holding section 4, a plate removal guide section 5, a plate storage section 6, and a control section (not shown). The printing units 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D are provided with a plate cylinder (not shown) and a plate mounting/removal device 70 for mounting/removing a plate to/from the plate cylinder. The plate is rectangular and is wound around the plate cylinder in a horizontally elongated position in which the left-right dimension is longer than the top-bottom dimension. The plate cylinder is provided with a vice device (not shown) for clamping both top-bottom sides of the wound plate. The plate mounting/removal device 70 is configured to have a function of ejecting the plate (old plate 12B) that has been released from the clamping by the vice device from the plate cylinder, and a function of sending the plate (new plate 12A) that has been previously supplied (placed) on the plate mounting/removal device 70 toward the plate cylinder to be wound around the plate cylinder. The plate moving device also includes a moving means for moving the plate holding section 4 between the plate attaching/detaching device 70 and the plate storage section 6, and this moving means includes the support section 2 and the arm section 3. The plate used has a vertical and horizontal size ranging from 550 mm to 930 mm in length and 650 mm to 1130 mm in width, and a thickness ranging from 0.2 mm to 0.3 mm.

<Support section>
The support section 2 includes a support body 21 that is erected at a position spaced apart from the handrail 11 of the step 10 on the left-right outer side, and a first moving means 22 (see FIG. 12) for moving the arm section 3 up and down along the support body 21. The first moving means 22 is configured as a so-called ball screw mechanism. That is, the first moving means 22 includes a screw shaft 23 (see FIG. 1) on which a spiral ball groove is formed and which is arranged extending in the vertical direction along the support body 21, a nut member 24 that is screwed to the screw shaft 23 via a ball (not shown) that fits freely in the ball groove, a pair of guide members 25, 25 that are arranged extending in the vertical direction on both sides of the screw shaft 23 and penetrate the nut member 24 to guide the movement of the nut member 24, and a motor 26 that rotates the screw shaft 23 in the forward and reverse directions. The screw shaft 23 extends from the vertical middle part of the support body 21 to the upper end. The left end of the arm 3 is supported by the nut member 24, and when the motor 26 rotates the screw shaft 23, the arm 3 moves up and down together with the nut member 24.

<Arms>
The arm 3 is supported by the support 2 so as to be movable in the up-down direction. The arm 3 extends from the support 2 in the plate cylinder axial direction (left-right direction) toward the plate cylinder side (right side) of the printing unit (e.g. 1A). The arm 3 is provided with a second moving means 31 (see FIG. 12) for moving the plate holder 4 in the left-right horizontal direction. The second moving means 31 is configured as a so-called ball screw mechanism. That is, the second moving means 31 includes a screw shaft 32 having a helical ball groove formed therein and extending in the left-right direction from one end (left end) of the arm 3 to the other end (right end), a nut member 33 screwed to the screw shaft 32 via a ball (not shown) that fits freely in the ball groove, a motor 34 that rotates the screw shaft 32 in the forward and reverse directions, and a bevel gear mechanism 35 (see FIG. 12) that links the motor 34 and the screw shaft 32. The bevel gear mechanism 35 includes a driving bevel gear 35A attached to the driving shaft 34A of the motor 34 so as to be integrally rotatable therewith, and a driven bevel gear 35B attached to the left end of the screw shaft 32 so as to be integrally rotatable therewith while meshing with the driving bevel gear 35A. The second moving means 31 further includes a guide mechanism for guiding the movement of the plate holding unit 4. As shown in FIG. 12, the guide mechanism includes a pair of upper and lower guide members 36, 37 extending in the left-right direction and attached to the upper and lower ends of the nut member 33 on both sides in the up-down direction of the screw shaft 32, and twelve rollers 38 attached to the left and right ends of each guide member 36, 37, respectively, and guide the movement of the nut member 33 and the guide members 36, 37 while rolling on the upper end surface, the lower end surface, and the front and rear surfaces of the upper end and lower end of the main body of the arm unit 3 when the nut member 33 and the guide members 36, 37 move in the left-right direction. When the motor 34 rotates the screw shaft 32 via the bevel gear mechanism 35, the nut member 33 and the guide members 36, 37 move in the left-right direction.

<Plate holding unit>
The plate holding unit 4 is supported so as to be movable in the left-right direction relative to the arm unit 3. As shown in Fig. 12, the plate holding unit 4 includes a main body 43, a fourth moving means 44 fixed to the lower surface of the main body 43, and an adsorption unit 45 attached to the lower side of the fourth moving means 44. The main body 43 is supported so as to be movable in the front-rear direction via a third moving means 42 relative to a plate-shaped support member 41 extending in the front-rear direction and attached to a guide member 37 on the lower side of the arm unit 3.

<Third means of transportation>
The third moving means 42 is configured as a so-called ball screw mechanism. That is, the third moving means 42 includes a screw shaft 46 that is supported on the lower surface of the support member 41 and has a helical ball groove formed thereon, extending in the front-rear direction, a nut member 47 that is screwed with the screw shaft 46 via a ball (not shown) that is rollably fitted into the ball groove, a motor 48 that rotates the screw shaft 46 in forward and reverse directions, and a bevel gear mechanism 49 that links the motor 48 and the screw shaft 46. The third moving means 42 can also be configured as a so-called feed screw mechanism in which the screw shaft 46 is a shaft member formed with a trapezoidal male screw and the nut member 47 is a member formed with a trapezoidal female screw that is screwed with the trapezoidal male screw. The bevel gear mechanism 49 includes a driving side bevel gear 49A that is attached to the drive shaft 48A of the motor 48 so as to be rotatable together with the screw shaft 46, and a driven side bevel gear 49B that is attached to the rear end of the screw shaft 46 so as to be rotatable together with the driving side bevel gear 49A and meshes with the driving side bevel gear 49A. The third moving means 42 further includes a guide mechanism for guiding the forward and backward movement of the suction part 45. As shown in Fig. 12, this guide mechanism includes a rail member 50 that is long in the forward and backward directions and is fixed to the lower surface of the support member 41, and an engagement member 51 that engages with the rail member 50 to guide the forward and backward movement of the suction part 45. The main body part 43 is attached to the lower surface of the engagement member 51. The motor 48 rotates the screw shaft 46 via the bevel gear mechanism 49, causing the main body part 43 to move in the forward and backward directions.

<Fourth means of transportation>
12, the fourth moving means 44 is composed of an air-driven rotary actuator that rotates the suction unit 45 about an up-down axis (vertical axis) X. The suction unit 45 is attached via a fifth moving means 53 to an inverted L-shaped bracket 52 that is attached to the rotation axis of the rotary actuator. The fourth moving means 44 constitutes an orientation changing means that rotates the plate holding unit 4 that holds the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B about the vertical axis X to change the orientation of the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B.

<Fifth means of transportation>
The fifth moving means 53 is composed of a motor having a rotating shaft. This motor is attached to the lower part of the mounting member 54 (the oblique plate part 54B described later). The upper end of this mounting member 54 is connected to the lower end of the vertical plate part of the bracket 52. The mounting member 54 has a vertical plate part 54A that extends in the up-down direction and is attached to the lower end of the vertical plate part of the bracket 52, and an oblique plate part 54B that extends downward from the lower end of the vertical plate part 54A. When the suction part 45 is in a state in which the new plate 12A in the plate storage part is sucked by the suction part 45 (the state in FIG. 12), the oblique plate part 54B is bent so that its lower end is inclined in a direction approaching the support part 2. The rotation shaft (axis center Y) of the motor, which is the fifth moving means 53 attached to the oblique plate part 54B, is in a front-down inclined position located downward toward the tip side. The inclination angle of the oblique plate part 54B is set so that the oblique plate part 54B is approximately parallel to the new plate 12A stored in the new plate storage part 6A. The fifth moving means 53 constitutes an attitude changing means that rotates the suction portion 45 around the axis Y which is in the thickness direction of the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B held by the suction portion 45, thereby changing the attitude of the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B between a portrait attitude and a landscape attitude.

<Adsorption part>
The suction unit 45 can suction-hold one side of the plate surface of the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B. That is, the suction unit 45 functions as a holding unit that holds the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B. The suction unit 45, which is a holding unit, is provided with a plate-shaped plate member 45A having one end attached to the rotating shaft of the motor, which is the fifth moving means 53, and the other end extending along the long side direction of the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B. The plate member 45A is provided with a plurality of (three in this embodiment) suction pads 45B1, 45B2, 45B3 (see FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b)) that are holders that suction-hold the back side (the surface of the plate surface opposite to the surface on which the pattern is formed) of the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B, which are arranged at intervals along the longitudinal direction of the plate member 45A in order to hold the plate surface on the long side of the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B. As shown in Figures 3(a), 3(b), 4(b), 11, 14 and 15, the three suction pads (holders) 45B1, 45B2, 45B3 protrude in the same direction from the plate member 45A. A hose H (see Figures 14(a) and 14(b)) for supplying suction air (negative pressure air) is connected to each of the suction pads 45B1, 45B2, 45B3. The suction pads 45B1, 45B2, 45B3 are configured to suction and hold the plate surface of the plate by supplying suction air (negative pressure air). The portion of each of the suction pads 45B1, 45B2, 45B3 that suctions the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B is made of an elastic material such as rubber, and the area of the suction surface (holding surface) is approximately circular.

<Means for curving the plate>
The suction unit 45 of the plate holding unit 4 includes a plate curving means for curving the plate surface of the plate held by the suction unit 45. Specifically, of the three suction pads 45B1, 45B2, and 45B3, the two suction pads 45B1 and 45B3 on both sides of the plate member 45A in the longitudinal direction are configured to be able to change the amount of protrusion from the plate member 45A. As shown in Figures 14(a) and 14(b), each of the two suction pads 45B1 and 45B3 is connected to the tip of an extendable rod 55A of an air cylinder 55 attached to the plate member 45A. Therefore, by controlling the operation of the two air cylinders 55, 55, it is possible to switch between a first protruding state (see FIG. 14(a)) in which all the suction surfaces (holding surfaces) of the three suction pads 45B1, 45B2, 45B3 have the same protruding amount (within the same plane) and a second protruding state (see FIG. 14(b)) in which the protruding amounts of the suction surfaces (holding surfaces) of the two suction pads 45B1, 45B3 on both sides are different (smaller) from the suction surface (holding surface) of the central suction pad 45B2. That is, the three suction pads 45B1, 45B2, 45B3 are configured to be in the first protruding state by extending the two air cylinders 55, 55, and to be in the second protruding state by contracting the two air cylinders 55, 55. The surface (plate surface) connecting the suction surfaces of the three suction pads 45B1, 45B2, 45B3 is flat in the first protruding state, and curved in the second protruding state. It should be noted that pneumatic piping for operating the two air cylinders 55, 55 is omitted in the drawing.

With the above configuration, in the second protruding state, the plate surface of the plate (new plate 12A or old plate 12B) adsorbed by the suction pads 45B1, 45B2, and 45B3 can be curved and held. In detail, when the plate surface is curved in the area of one side side where the suction pads 45B1, 45B2, and 45B3 are adsorbed, this curvature expands toward the other side side opposite to the one side of the plate (new plate 12A or old plate 12B). In other words, the arc-shaped curved shape of the new plate 12A shown by the solid line in FIG. 14(b) is formed to extend over almost the entire area of the plate (new plate 12A or old plate 12B). By forming the curved shape to extend over almost the entire area of the plate (new plate 12A or old plate 12B), the stiffness of the plate (new plate 12A or old plate 12B) adsorbed and held by the suction section 45 can be strengthened. Therefore, it is possible to suppress shaking during the movement of the plate (new plate 12A or old plate 12B) held and moved by the plate holding unit 4. As a result, it is possible to prevent scratches and breaks caused by the moving plate (new plate 12A) coming into contact with surrounding members on the movement path. It is also possible to prevent the moving plate (old plate 12B) coming into contact with surrounding members on the movement path and the ink on the old plate 12B adhering to the surrounding members. In this embodiment, since the adsorbing portions of the suction pads 45B1, 45B2, and 45B3 are made of an elastic material, the suction pads 45B1, 45B2, and 45B3 can deform to follow the shape of the curved plate, and the adsorption state of the plate when curved can be easily maintained.

In the above embodiment, the three suction pads 45B1, 45B2, 45B3 are in the first protruding state when adsorbing a plate (new plate 12A or old plate 12B), and are in the second protruding state when the plate held by suction is moved. This ensures that plates stored in the plate storage section 6 in a flat state (particularly the new plate 12A stored in the new plate storage section 6A) can be adsorbed reliably. However, the second protruding state can also be used when adsorbing a plate.

In this embodiment, the two suction pads 45B1, 45B3 have the same protruding amount in the second protruding state, but they may have different protruding amounts. In this embodiment, the two suction pads 45B1, 45B3 on both sides of the plate member 45A in the longitudinal direction of the three suction pads 45B1, 45B2, 45B3 are configured to be able to change the protruding amount from the plate member 45A, but only the central suction pad 45B2 may be configured to be able to change the protruding amount from the plate member 45A, or all three suction pads 45B1, 45B2, 45B3 may be configured to be able to change the protruding amount from the plate member 45A.

In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14(b), the center of the plate (position of the central suction pad 45B2) is curved in a generally arc shape that is convex in the direction away from the plate member 45A, but the center of the plate (position of the central suction pad 45B2) may also be curved in a generally arc shape that is convex in the direction toward the plate member 45A. The shape of the curve can also be changed as appropriate, such as to a generally S-shape or wave-like shape.

The plate member 45A rotates around the axis Y of the rotation shaft of the motor, which is the fifth moving means 53 to which one end (the upper end in FIG. 12) is attached. The axis Y extends in the thickness direction of the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B held by the suction part 45 (suction pads 45B1, 45B2, 45B3) of the plate holding unit 4. In other words, the motor, which is the fifth moving means 53, rotates the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B held by the suction part 45 (suction pads 45B1, 45B2, 45B3) of the plate holding unit 4 around the axis in the thickness direction of the plate.

As shown in FIG. 5, the axis Y is arranged closer to one side in the width direction (left side in FIG. 5) than the center in the width direction of the upper side of the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B held by the suction pads 45B1, 45B2, and 45B3 of the plate holding unit 4. The vertical axis (vertical axis) X is also arranged closer to one side in the width direction (left side in FIG. 5, the same end side as the axis Y) than the center in the width direction of the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B. This arrangement allows the fourth moving means 44 and the fifth moving means 53 (see FIG. 4(a)) to be arranged close to each other, so that the plate moving device, particularly the plate holding unit 4, can be made smaller. Furthermore, when the orientation of the plate is changed by rotating around the vertical axis X from the orientation in which the plate can be supplied to the plate cylinder (see FIG. 5) and the posture is changed by rotating around the axis Y, the position of the plate relative to the printing unit does not shift significantly in the front-rear direction. This allows the new plate 12A or old plate 12B to be inserted or removed to the side (directly beside) the printing unit 1A, and the plate storage section 6 can be positioned to the side (directly beside) the printing unit.

When storing the old plate 12B held by the plate holding unit 4 in the old plate storage unit 6B, the old plate 12B held in the landscape orientation is rotated around the axis Y to change to a portrait orientation. At this time, the axis Y is positioned closer to one side in the width direction than the center of the width direction of the old plate 12B, so that the lower end position of the old plate 12B in the portrait orientation is located further downward from the arm 3 than the lower end position of the old plate 12B in the landscape orientation. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of descent of the arm 3 when moving the old plate 12B to the old plate storage unit 6B than the amount of descent of the arm 3 when moving the old plate 12B to the old plate storage unit 6B while keeping the old plate 12B in the landscape orientation. Therefore, the screw shaft 23 provided in the first moving means 22 can be configured to be shorter. Furthermore, the position of the arm 3 that is lowered to move the old plate 12B in the portrait orientation to the old plate storage section 6B can be positioned higher than the position of the arm 3 that is lowered to move the old plate 12B in the landscape orientation to the old plate storage section 6B, so that clearance between the lowered arm 3 and the top surface of the printing unit can be easily ensured.

<Plate removal guide section>
8, the plate removal guide section 5 guides the old plate 12B discharged from the plate cylinder by the plate mounting/dismounting device 70, and supports the old plate 12B so that the old plate 12B discharged from the plate cylinder can be held by the plate holding section 4. The plate removal guide section 5 is supported by the tip of the arm section 3 on the opposite side to the support section 2, and is located above the plate mounting/dismounting device 70 provided in the printing unit (e.g., 1A). The plate removal guide section 5 includes a pair of front and rear plate-like guides 13, 14 (see FIG. 10) connected to each other and arranged front to back so as to sandwich the upper part of the old plate 12B discharged from the plate cylinder from the front to back direction, a sixth moving means 16 for moving the pair of guides 13, 14 in the vertical direction, and a rail 15 for guiding the vertical movement of the guides 13, 14 by the sixth moving means 16.

As shown in FIG. 13, the rail 15 is equipped with a fixed rail 15A attached to the right end of a fixed member 17 fixed to the tip of the arm 3, and a movable rail 15B guided so as to be movable in the vertical direction relative to the fixed rail 15A. The movable rail 15B extends downward from the fixed rail 15A. The tip (lower end) of the piston rod 16b of the first air cylinder 16A on the left side, which will be described later, is connected to the lower end of a connecting plate 18 connected to the movable rail 15B. The cylinder tube 16c of the second air cylinder 16B on the right side, which will be described later, is connected to the movable rail 15B. The tip of the piston rod 16d of the second air cylinder 16B on the right side is connected to the rear surface of the upper end of the rear guide 14.

As shown in FIG. 10, the rear guide 14 of the guides 13 and 14 has both end legs 14A, 14A located at both left and right ends and extending downward, and a central leg 14B located in the center between both end legs 14A, 14A and extending downward. The front guide 13 has two left legs 13A, 13A located between the end leg 14A and the central leg 14B of one (left side) of the rear guide 14 and extending downward while being spaced apart from each other, and two right legs 13B, 13B located between the end leg 14A and the central leg 14B of the other (right side) of the rear guide 14 and extending downward while being spaced apart from each other. The lower ends of the both end legs 14A, 14A and the central leg 14B of the rear guide 14 and the lower ends of the four legs 13A, 13A, 13B, 13B of the front guide 13 are inclined so that they spread out toward the side where they are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction as they approach the lower end. In this way, by making the openings at the lower ends of the guides 13 and 14 wider in the front-to-rear direction, the old plate 12B being discharged upward from the printing unit can be reliably inserted between the front guide 13 and the rear guide 14.

As shown in FIG. 13, the sixth moving means 16 is composed of left and right air cylinders 16A and 16B that are telescopic and have different strokes. The first air cylinder 16A on the left side, which has a relatively long stroke, is provided with a cylinder tube 16a fixed to a fixed member 17 fixed to the tip of the arm 3, and a piston rod 16b whose tip (lower end) is fixed to the lower end of the connecting plate 18 of the movable rail 15B. The second air cylinder 16B on the right side, which has a relatively short stroke, is provided with a cylinder tube 16c fixed to the upper end of the movable rail 15B, and a piston rod 16d whose tip is connected to the front of the upper end of the rear guide 14. Therefore, when lowering the plate discharge guide section 5, the first air cylinder 16A on the left side is first extended to lower the movable rail 15B, thereby lowering the second air cylinder 16B in the contracted state and the pair of guides 13 and 14 together. Next, the second air cylinder 16B is extended to further lower the pair of guides 13, 14, thereby moving (lowering) the pair of guides 13, 14 to a position where the pair of guides 13, 14 can guide and support the old plate 12B discharged upward from the printing unit. When raising the lowered pair of guides 13, 14, the second air cylinder 16B in the extended state is first contracted to raise the pair of guides 13, 14 by the stroke of the second air cylinder 16B. After this, the first air cylinder 16A in the extended state is contracted to raise the movable rail 15B, thereby raising the second air cylinder 16B in the contracted state and the pair of guides 13, 14 together (see FIG. 9). Note that the extension operations of the first air cylinder 16A and the second air cylinder 16B when lowering the pair of guides 13, 14 may be performed simultaneously. Also, the contraction operations of the first air cylinder 16A and the second air cylinder 16B when raising the lowered pair of guides 13, 14 may be performed simultaneously.

<Plate storage section>
The plate storage section 6 includes a new plate storage section 6A (shown in Figs. 1 to 3) for storing a new plate 12A provided for each printing unit, and an old plate storage section 6B (shown only in Fig. 11) for storing an old plate 12B discharged from the plate cylinder. The old plate storage section 6B may also be provided for each printing unit, or may be provided in only one location or in multiple locations. Note that Figs. 1 and 2 only show the new plate storage section 6A. Both the new plate storage section 6A and the old plate storage section 6B are provided on the handrail 11 so as to be located outside the left step 10, that is, outside the handrail 11. The old plate storage section 6B may be arranged so as to overlap the new plate storage section 6A in the left-right direction, or may be arranged side-by-side in the front-to-rear direction. The new plate storage section 6A is configured with an inclined plate section 6K located closer to the handrail 11 as it approaches the upper end so that the new plate 12A can be leaned up in a vertical position as shown in Fig. 3(a), but it may also be configured so that the plates can be stored straight (vertically) one by one by providing partitions that separate the plates inside the plate storage box. Also, the new plate storage section 6A is configured to store the new plate 12A in a position where its vertical direction is the vertical direction as shown in Fig. 3(b).

<Control Unit>
The control unit cooperates with the printing press to control the driving of the first moving means 22 to the sixth moving means 16. The control unit also handles errors that may occur when driving the first moving means 22 to the sixth moving means 16. When an error occurs, for example, the control unit stops driving the driving means and activates a notification means to notify an operator that an error has occurred.

We will explain how to move the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B using the plate moving device of the printing press configured as described above.

<New plate transfer process>
3A and 3B, the new plate moving process for moving the new plate 12A from the new plate storage section 6A to the printing unit begins with driving the motor 26 of the first moving means 22 to lower the arm 3 so that the new plate 12A, which is leaned up against the new plate storage section 6A in a vertically long position, can be adsorbed by the suction pads 45B1, 45B2, and 45B3. After the arm 3 has been lowered to a position where the height of the suction part 45 of the plate holding section 4 matches that of the new plate 12A, the motor 34 of the second moving means 31 is driven to move it slightly to the right in FIG. 3A so that the suction pads 45B1, 45B2, and 45B3 of the suction part 45 come into contact with the back surface of the new plate 12A, which is stored flat in a vertically long position. In detail, the motor 26 of the first moving means 22 and the motor 34 of the second moving means 31 are driven and controlled based on a pre-stored program so that the suction pads 45B1, 45B2, 45B3 of the suction section 45 abut against the left end portion of the back surface of the new plate 12A (the end portion on the top side in the vertical direction of the new plate 12A, see Figure 3 (b)).

Then, after the flat new plate 12A is sucked by the suction pads 45B1, 45B2, and 45B3 of the suction section 45, the motor 34 of the second moving means 31 is driven slightly to move the sucked and held new plate 12A upward by a predetermined distance from the new plate storage section 6A. At that position, the two air cylinders 55, 55 are contracted to switch the three suction pads 45B1, 45B2, and 45B3 from the first protruding state to the second protruding state, thereby curving the plate surface of the held new plate 12A. Then, the motor 26 of the first moving means 22 is driven to lift the new plate 12A (arm section 3). After lifting, the fifth moving means (motor) 53 is driven to rotate the new plate 12A 90 degrees around the axis Y so that the new plate 12A in the portrait orientation changes to a landscape orientation (see Figures 4(a) and (b)). Next, the fourth moving means (rotary actuator) 44 is driven to rotate the new plate 12A 90 degrees around the vertical axis X, and the orientation of the new plate 12A is changed so that the thickness direction of the new plate 12A is in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the plate cylinder (the orientation in which the plate can be supplied to the plate cylinder) (see FIG. 5). Next, from the state shown in FIG. 5, the motor 34 of the second moving means 31 is driven to move the new plate 12A above the printing unit (see FIG. 6). After the movement, the two air cylinders 55, 55 are extended to switch the three suction pads 45B1, 45B2, 45B3 from the second protruding state to the first protruding state (see FIG. 14(a)), thereby returning the curved new plate 12A to a flat state. In this state, the arm 3 of the plate holding unit 4 is lowered slightly by the first moving means 22, and then the motor 48 of the third moving means 42 is driven to move the suction unit 45 slightly forward so that the lower end of the new plate 12A lightly abuts against the upper end of the rear surface of the plate guide plate S provided in the plate mounting/detaching device 70. This stabilizes the behavior of the new plate 12A suspended by the suction unit 45. After this, the arm 3 is further lowered to move (lower) the new plate 12A to a predetermined position through the gap between the rear surface of the plate guide plate S provided in the plate mounting/detaching device 70 and the roller R (see FIG. 7). After the movement, the suction pads 45B1, 45B2, and 45B3 of the suction unit 45 are released from suction, and the new plate 12A is placed on the positioning unit 80 provided in the plate mounting/detaching device 70. After that, the plate holding unit 4 is moved to a preset standby position to enter a standby state. Here, it is preferable that the standby position is set above the plate storage unit 6 so as not to interfere with the operator working on the step 10. Specifically, it is desirable to set the state in FIG. 4(a) (where new version 12A is not present) as the standby position.

As described above, the new plate 12A held in the plate holding section 4 in a vertical position can be rotated around axis Y in the thickness direction of the new plate 12A to change it to a horizontal position and supplied to the plate cylinder. This allows the new plate storage section 6A to be configured to correspond to the vertical position, so the size of the new plate storage section 6A in the front-to-rear direction can be reduced. Therefore, the installation space for the new plate storage section 6A can be kept small.

<Old version transfer process>
In the old plate moving process for recovering the old plate 12B and moving it to the old plate storage section 6B, the control section drives the motor 34 of the second moving means 31 to move the plate holding section 4 from the standby position to above the printing unit. When the plate holding section 4 is located above the printing unit, the control section drives the motor 26 of the first moving means 22 to lower the plate holding section 4 and the plate removal guide section 5 together with the arm section 3 to a predetermined height. Then, the air cylinders 16A and 16B of the sixth moving means 16 are extended to lower the plate removal guide section 5, and the plate removal guide section 5 moves to a position where it can guide and support the old plate 12B that is being removed upward from the printing unit. After the plate removal guide section 5 is lowered, the control section rotates the plate cylinder and operates the plate attachment/detachment device 70 to eject the old plate 12B above the printing unit, so that the old plate 12B is inserted between the front and rear guides 13 and 14 of the plate removal guide section 5 (see FIG. 8). Next, the motor 48 of the third moving means 42 is driven to move the plate holding section 4 slightly backward to bring the suction pads 45B1, 45B2, and 45B3 of the suction section 45 into contact with the back surface of the old plate 12B. At this time, the old plate 12B is supported by the guides 13 and 14, so that the suction pads 45B1 and 45B3 can be reliably brought into contact with the back surface of the old plate 12B. Then, after the old plate 12B is sucked by the suction pads 45B1, 45B2, and 45B3 of the suction section 45 of the plate holding section 4, the motor 26 of the first moving means 22 is driven to move the old plate 12B upward (see FIG. 9). At this time, the suction pads 45B1, 45B2, and 45B3 are in the first protruding state. During the upward movement of the old plate 12B, the air cylinders 16A and 16B of the sixth moving means 16 are contracted to raise the plate discharge guide section 5. After the plate is raised (when the plate is at the raised position D1 in FIG. 9 ), the two air cylinders 55, 55 are contracted to switch the three suction pads 45B1, 45B2, 45B3 from the first protruding state to the second protruding state to bend the old plate 12B, and the motor 34 of the second moving means 31 is driven to move the plate holding section 4 toward the plate storage section 6 (support section 2), and then the fourth moving means (rotary actuator) 44 is driven to rotate the old plate 12B 90 degrees around the vertical axis X to change the orientation of the old plate 12B so that the thickness direction of the old plate 12B is in the left-right direction along the rotation axis of the plate cylinder. Next, the motor 53 of the fifth moving means is driven to rotate the old plate 12B from the landscape orientation 90 degrees around the axis Y to change the orientation of the old plate 12B to the portrait orientation (see FIG. 10 ). After the change, the old plate 12B is lowered to a predetermined position, and then the suction pads 45B1, 45B2, and 45B3 of the suction unit 45 release the suction of the old plate 12B. At the same time (or approximately at the same time), the two air cylinders 55, 55 are extended to switch the three suction pads 45B1, 45B2, and 45B3 from the second protruding state to the first protruding state, thereby restoring the curved old plate 12B to a substantially flat state, and then the old plate 12B is placed upright in the old plate storage unit 6B (see FIG. 11). After the old plate 12B is placed upright in the old plate storage unit 6B, the plate holding unit 4 is moved to the standby position and placed in the standby state. When the new plate moving process is performed consecutively, the plate holding unit 4 is transferred to the new plate moving process without moving to the standby position. The timing for bending the new plate 12A and the old plate 12B, that is, the timing for switching between the first protruding state and the second protruding state, may be set to a timing other than the above-described timing.

As described above, the old plate 12B in a horizontal position discharged from the plate cylinder is held by the plate holding unit 4, and the old plate 12B held by the plate holding unit 4 is rotated around the axis Y in the thickness direction of the old plate 12B by the position changing means, changing the position of the old plate 12B from a horizontal position to a vertical position, and can be stored in the old plate storage unit 6B. This allows the old plate storage unit 6B to be configured to accommodate the vertical position, making it possible to reduce the size of the old plate storage unit 6B in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, the installation space for the old plate storage unit 6B can be kept small.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, in the new plate moving process, the new plate 12A in the vertical posture of the new plate storage section 6A is sucked by the suction section 45 (see Figs. 3(a) and (b)) and raised by the first moving means 22. In the upward movement process, the suction section that sucked the new plate 12A is supported at one point by the motor shaft of the fifth moving means (motor) 53, so that the posture of the new plate 12A is difficult to stabilize. In order to eliminate this, in the upward movement process, it is desirable to rotate the fifth moving means (motor) 53 by a predetermined amount so that the composite center of gravity G of all members (the suction section 45, the new plate 12A held by the suction section 45, the piping and wiring, etc.) supported by the motor shaft of the fifth moving means (motor) 53 is positioned approximately directly below the motor shaft (axis center Y). At this time, the new plate 12A is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical posture, as shown in Fig. 16. The inclination angle of this new plate 12A is set according to the position of the composite center of gravity G. The composite center of gravity G is positioned approximately directly below the axis Y, so that the posture of the new plate 12A during the upward movement process is stable. Then, when the upward movement process is completed, the fifth movement means (motor) 53 is driven again to change the posture of the new plate 12A from the inclined posture to the horizontal posture (see Figures 4(a) and (b)). After the change, the same operation as described above is performed. Note that it is also preferable to make the old plate 12B in the old plate movement process in a similarly inclined posture when it is lowered toward the old plate storage section 6B.

In the above embodiment, the new plate moving process and the old plate moving process by the plate moving device were described for one printing unit. However, if the new plate moving process or the old plate moving process is carried out simultaneously in the multiple printing units shown in FIG. 1, the plates may come into contact with each other between adjacent printing units, which may damage the plates. As a countermeasure, it is desirable to carry out the operation that would cause the plates to come into contact with each other between adjacent printing units if the new plate moving process or the old plate moving process is carried out simultaneously between adjacent printing units with a time difference between the printing units or by shifting the positions. An example of this is shown in FIG. 15 to FIG. 19. Note that FIG. 15 to FIG. 19 show a state in which covers (not numbered) are installed on the support section 2, the arm section 3, the second moving means 31, the fourth moving means 44, etc.

Figures 15 to 19 show the operating states of the new plate moving process. The state of the plate moving device on the right side of the paper in Figure 15 corresponds to the state of the plate moving device shown in Figure 3. Also, the state of the plate moving device on the right side of the paper in Figure 18 corresponds to the state of the plate moving device shown in Figure 4. As shown in Figures 15 to 19, when the plate holding part 4 of the plate moving device on the rear side (on the right side of the paper in Figure 15) adsorbs and transfers the new plate 12A stored in the new plate storage part 6A, the plate holding part 4 on the front side (on the left side of the paper in Figure 15) is in the position shown in Figures 15 to 17, that is, in the position where the arm part 3 is raised, and is waiting in a position slightly shifted toward the printing unit side (on the right side of the paper in Figure 17) with respect to the plate holding part 4 on the rear side.

By shifting the relative positions of the front and rear plate holders 4 in the axial direction of the plate cylinder in this way, as shown in Figures 18 and 19, in the rear plate moving device, the motor 26 of the first moving means 22 is driven to raise the new plate 12A (arm portion 3), and then the fifth moving means (motor) 53 is driven to rotate the new plate 12A 90 degrees around the axis Y to change the posture of the new plate 12A from the inclined posture (or portrait posture) shown in Figure 16 to a landscape posture, so that the new plate 12A does not interfere with the front plate holder 4. In detail, the end of the new plate 12A is prevented from interfering with the suction portion 45 provided on the front plate holder 4.

Furthermore, after the state shown in Figures 18 and 19, the fourth moving means (rotary actuator) 44 of the rear plate moving device is driven to rotate the new plate 12A held by the plate holding unit 4 90 degrees around the vertical axis X, and the orientation of the new plate 12A is changed so that the thickness direction of the new plate 12A is in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the plate cylinder (the orientation in which the plate can be supplied to the plate cylinder). By shifting the relative positions of the front and rear plate holding units 4 in the axial direction of the plate cylinder as described above, the new plate 12A does not interfere with the front plate holding unit 4. Then, after the rear plate holding unit 4 holds the new plate 12A and moves toward the plate attachment/detachment device 70 and passes the front plate holding unit 4, the front plate holding unit 4 starts the operation of adsorbing the new plate 12A and transferring it to the plate attachment/detachment device 70. In other words, a time difference is provided in the operation between the front and rear plate moving devices.

The above explanation was given for the relationship between two adjacent printing units. In a printing press in which three or more printing units are arranged side by side as shown in Figures 1 and 2, when the new plate movement process or the old plate movement process is performed simultaneously in three or more printing units, the relative positions of the plate holding units 4 may be shifted between all printing units to perform the process operations, or the process operations may be performed with a time difference. However, from the standpoint of time reduction, it is better to divide all printing units into a group of odd-numbered printing units and a group of even-numbered printing units, and to shift the relative positions of the plate holding units 4 between these two groups to perform the process operations, or the process operations may be performed with a time difference.

In addition, in order to prevent the plate moving device from mistakenly supplying another new plate to the plate mounting/detaching device 70 when a new plate has been manually supplied to the plate mounting/detaching device 70, a plate presence/absence sensor 61 may be provided as a detection means capable of detecting the plate supplied to the plate mounting/detaching device 70. The plate presence/absence sensor 61 is preferably a non-contact type sensor with a limited detection distance. As shown in FIG. 20, in this embodiment, one plate presence/absence sensor 61 is provided at a position near the lower side of the upper roller R on the upper part of the plate guide plate S of the plate mounting/detaching device 70. This position is a position covered by the new plate placed on the positioning unit 80 of the plate mounting/detaching device 70. When the plate presence/absence sensor 61 detects a plate, it controls so as not to start the new plate moving process, thereby preventing the plate moving device from mistakenly supplying another new plate to the plate mounting/detaching device 70 when a new plate has been manually supplied to the plate mounting/detaching device 70.

The plate presence sensor 61 is also used to check whether the new plate 12A is moving normally in the new plate moving process. Specifically, it is also used to check whether the lower edge of the new plate 12A passes downward between the plate guide plate S and the upper roller R at the correct timing in design during the new plate moving process. That is, it is determined whether the new plate 12A is moving normally by checking whether the plate presence sensor 61 detects the new plate 12A immediately after the designed timing when the lower edge of the new plate 12A passes downward through the detection area of the plate presence sensor 61. If it is determined that the new plate 12A is not moving normally, an error process is performed. Note that even if the lower edge of the new plate 12A passes the plate guide plate S side of the upper roller R, the distance between the new plate 12A and the plate presence sensor 61 increases, and as a result, the new plate 12A is out of the detection area of the plate presence sensor 61, so it is determined that the new plate 12A is not moving normally.

In addition, in the new plate moving process, when the plate moving device moves (lowers) the new plate 12A to a predetermined position (positioning section 80) of the plate mounting/removal device 70, an adjustment means may be provided for adjusting the left-right position of the new plate 12A so that the new plate 12A is correctly supplied (placed) at the predetermined position (positioning section 80). This adjustment means will be described with reference to Figures 20 and 21. The adjustment means includes a left-right position detection means for detecting the left-right position of the new plate 12A. This left-right position detection means includes a pair of left and right sensors 58, 59 arranged slightly above the positioning section 80 installed at the bottom of the plate guide plate S of the plate mounting/removal device 70 and spaced apart in the left-right direction. This pair of left and right sensors 58, 59 are arranged at an interval that allows them to simultaneously detect the left and right ends of the new plate 12A in the correct position. In the new plate moving step, the control unit controls the new plate 12A to stop once at a vertical position where the lower end of the new plate 12A lowered by the first moving means is slightly above the positioning unit 80 and the left and right sensors 58, 59 can detect the left and right ends of the new plate 12A. Then, when the new plate 12A stops, the detection state of each sensor 58, 59 is confirmed. If both the left and right sensors 58, 59 detect the new plate 12A, the control unit determines that the left and right positions of the new plate 12A are normal, and further lowers the new plate 12A in this left and right position to release the suction of the suction unit 45. This allows the new plate 12A to be placed on the positioning unit 80 with the positioned portion (not shown) formed at its lower end engaged with the positioning pin (not shown) of the positioning unit 80. In other words, the new plate 12A is correctly supplied (placed) at the predetermined position of the plate attaching/detaching device 70. On the other hand, if only one of the left and right sensors 58 and 59 detects the new plate 12A, the control unit determines that the left and right position of the new plate 12A is inappropriate, and controls the drive of the second moving means 31 (motor 34) to move the new plate 12A (the plate holding unit 4 holding the new plate 12A) toward the other left or right sensor so that both the left and right sensors 58 and 59 detect the new plate 12A at the same time. When both the left and right sensors 58 and 59 detect the new plate 12A, the control unit determines that the left and right position of the new plate 12A is normal, and further lowers the new plate 12A in this left and right position to release the suction of the suction unit 45. The left and right position detection unit does not have to have the above configuration. For example, the left and right pair of sensors 58 and 59 can be arranged at a minimum interval so as not to simultaneously detect the left and right ends of the new plate 12A, so that the left and right positions of the new plate 12A can be detected. In short, the left and right position detection unit may be any means capable of detecting the left and right positions of the new plate 12A. Also, as shown in Figures 20 and 21, a bottom end detection sensor 60 is provided that is located in the left-right center of the positioning unit 80 and slightly below the pair of left and right sensors 58, 59, and when this bottom end detection sensor 60 detects the bottom end of the new plate 12A, the control unit can determine that the new plate 12A has been placed on the positioning unit 80 with the positioned portion (not shown) formed at its bottom end engaged with the positioning pin (not shown) of the positioning unit 80.

In the above embodiment, the new plate storage section 6A is configured to store the new plate 12A in a vertical position, but the new plate storage section 6A can also be configured so that the new plate 12A is inclined at a predetermined angle to the right with respect to the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. 22. In this embodiment, the predetermined angle is set to 15 degrees. However, the predetermined angle can be set to an angle other than 15 degrees. For example, the new plate 12A shown in FIG. 16 may be set to the same angle as the inclined position. Then, by arranging the support parts 6a and 6b that abut and support the lower end and right end of the new plate 12A on the inclined plate part 6K of the new plate storage section 6A, the new plate 12A can be stored in the new plate storage section 6A stably with good positional accuracy. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the suction position accuracy of the new plate 12A stored in the new plate storage section 6A by the suction pads 45B1, 45B2, and 45B3. Even if the new plate 12A is stored inclined in the new plate storage section 6A in this way, the position of the new plate 12 can be accurately changed by adjusting the rotation angle of the fifth moving means 53. In addition, in FIG. 22, the left end of the new plate 12A is the end on the top side in the top-bottom direction.

In the above embodiment, the plate holding unit 4 is configured to hold the plate by suction, but this is not limited to this. For example, the plate may be held by clamping. In the embodiment, the plate is held at three locations, but any number of locations may be used as long as it is two or more. When holding the plate at two locations, for example, the plate may be held at two locations at both ends, and a protrusion that abuts against the plate at the center of the plate may be provided to curve the plate.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the axis Y of the rotation shaft of the position changing means is positioned at one end in the width direction of the plate held by the plate holding unit 4, but it may be at any position closer to one side in the width direction than the center in the width direction of the plate held by the plate holding unit 4.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the plate storage section 6 is provided outside the step 10 provided on the side of the printing unit, but it may be hung from the ceiling above the printing unit, or may be provided anywhere as long as it does not get in the way during printing operations.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the printing machine was equipped with multiple printing units, but it may be equipped with a single printing unit.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the axis Y of the rotation shaft of the attitude changing means is configured to be in a forward-downward tilted position located downward toward the tip side, but the axis of the rotation shaft of the attitude changing means may be configured to be a horizontal axis.

1...printing machine, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D...printing unit, 2...support section, 3...arm section, 4...plate holding section, 5...plate discharge guide section, 6...plate storage section, 6A...new plate storage section, 6B...old plate storage section, 6K...inclined plate section, 6a, 6b...support section, 7...paper feed section, 8...paper discharge section, 9, 10...step, 11...handrail, 12A...new plate, 12B...old plate, 13, 14...guide, 13A, 13B...leg, 14...guide, 14A, 14B...leg, 15...rail, 15A...fixed rail, 15B...movable rail, 16A, 16B...air cylinder, 16a...cylinder tube, 16b...piston rod, 16c Cylinder tube, 16d...piston rod, 17...fixing member, 18...connecting plate, 21...pillar body, 22...first moving means, 23...screw shaft, 24...nut member, 25...guide member, 26...motor, 31...second moving means, 32...screw shaft, 33...nut member, 34...motor, 34A...drive shaft, 35...bevel gear mechanism, 35A...drive side bevel gear, 35B...driven side bevel gear, 36, 37...guide member, 38...roller, 41...support member, 42...third moving means, 43...main body, 44...fourth moving means (rotary actuator), 45...suction portion, 45A...plate member, 45B1, 45B2, 45B3...suction Mounting pad (retainer), 46...screw shaft, 47...nut member, 48...motor, 48A...drive shaft, 49...bevel gear mechanism, 49A...drive side bevel gear, 49B...driven side bevel gear, 50...rail member, 51...engagement member, 52...bracket, 53...fifth moving means (motor), 54...mounting member, 54A...vertical plate portion, 54B...diagonal plate portion, 55...air cylinder, 55A...rod, 58, 59...sensor, 60...lower end detection sensor, 61...plate presence/absence sensor, 70...plate attachment/detachment device, 80...positioning unit, D1...rising position, G...composite center of gravity, H...hose, R...roller, S...plate guide plate, X...upper/lower axis (vertical axis), Y...rotation axis (axis center)

Claims (2)

a printing unit having a plate cylinder; a plate mounting/removal device that is installed in the printing unit and that mounts and removes a plate from the plate cylinder; a plate storage section that is installed outside the printing unit and that stores the plate; and a plate moving device that moves the plate between the plate mounting/removal device and the plate storage section,
the plate mounting/removal device has a positioning unit on which the plate to be mounted on the plate cylinder is placed,
the plate moving device has a first moving means for moving the plate in a vertical direction and a second moving means for moving the plate in a left-right direction which is an axial direction of the plate cylinder, and is configured such that the plate is moved above the positioning unit by the second moving means, and then the plate is lowered toward the positioning unit and placed thereon by the first moving means;
the plate mounting/removing device includes a lateral position detection means for detecting a lateral position of the plate lowered by the first moving means, the lateral position detection means being disposed above the positioning unit;
a second moving means for driving the second moving means to adjust the left-right position of the plate relative to the positioning portion based on a detection result of the left-right position detection means. The printing press according to claim 1, characterized in that the left and right position detection means includes a pair of left and right sensors capable of simultaneously detecting both the left and right ends of the plate.