JP3527282B2 - Lithographic plate manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lithographic printing plate for forming an image and a lithographic plate making apparatus capable of making a stencil.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a plate feeding / discharging section, a drawing section, a developing / fixing processing section, an elution processing section, and a gumming processing section are provided. A lithographic plate making apparatus has been proposed for making a printing plate (a printing plate that has undergone only a hydrophilizing treatment that does not form an image, and is also called a stencil plate or a plate plate) that is used for color printing by inserting a printing plate halfway There is.

[0003]

By the way, in the case of inserting the printing plate for stairs in the middle of the process, the work has been complicated since it has been manually inserted one by one in the past, and it is difficult to make a large number of printing plates. Was not suitable.

In view of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to provide a lithographic plate manufacturing apparatus which does not need to be inserted halfway and can efficiently make a high quality plate.

[0005]

A planographic forming apparatus according to claim 1 charges a photosensitive layer of a planographic printing plate and a feeding / discharging unit that conveys a predetermined number of planographic printing plates to the drawing unit one by one. A drawing unit that forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive layer by exposure, a developing chamber that develops the lithographic printing plate with a liquid developer containing toner particles, and a fixing processing unit that heats and fixes the lithographic printing plate. In the planographic production apparatus that includes an elution processing section that elutes the non-image area of the photosensitive layer, and a gum solution coating section that applies a gum solution to the planographic printing plate, the planographic printing plate being processed while being transported,
It is characterized in that a bypass that allows the lithographic printing plate to pass through the developing chamber is provided on the downstream side of the drawing unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a planographic printing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the planographic printing plate is provided upstream of the developing chamber and has a photosensitive layer, and a planographic printing plate having no photosensitive layer. A discriminating means for discriminating the plate, a transport switching means for transporting the planographic printing plate carried out from the drawing section to either the developing chamber or the bypass, and a normal plate-making process or a plate-making process are designated. Processing selector switch, plate designating switch that designates either processing of a lithographic printing plate with a photosensitive layer or processing of a lithographic printing plate without a photosensitive layer, designation of a processing switching switch, and designation of a plate designating switch A control device for controlling each processing of the drawing unit, the developing chamber, and the fixing processing unit and the operation of the transport switching unit based on the determination information of the determination unit and the prestored condition.

[0007]

In the lithographic plate manufacturing apparatus according to the first aspect, a predetermined number of lithographic printing plates are conveyed to the drawing unit by the plate feeding / discharging unit. In the lithographic printing plate conveyed to the drawing unit, the photosensitive layer is charged and exposed to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive layer. The lithographic printing plate on which the electrostatic latent image is formed is conveyed to the developing chamber and developed in the developing chamber with a liquid developer containing toner particles.

The developed planographic printing plate is conveyed to the fixing processing section and heated to undergo the fixing processing. The fixed planographic printing plate is conveyed to the elution processing section, and the non-image area of the photosensitive layer is eluted. The lithographic printing plate that has been subjected to the elution treatment is conveyed to the gum solution applying section and the gum solution is applied.

With this planographic production apparatus, a stencil can be produced. In this case, the lithographic printing plate of the plate feeding / discharging unit passes through the drawing unit without any processing and is conveyed to the fixing processing unit via the bypass. In the fixing section, the lithographic printing plate passes without being heated, and the lithographic printing plate having passed through the fixing section is conveyed to the gum solution applying section via the elution processing section. The gum solution is applied to the lithographic printing plate transported to the gum solution application section at the gum solution application section.

When the plate is made, it can pass through the developing chamber, so that no toner adheres to the planographic printing plate. Therefore, ink does not adhere to the printing plate during printing. Further, a lithographic printing plate having no photosensitive layer can be processed in the same manner.

According to the lithographic plate making apparatus of the second aspect of the present invention, the normal plate making process and the plate making process can be automatically performed by switching the plate designating switch and the process changeover switch.

When performing a normal plate making process, the plate changing process is designated by the process changeover switch, and the planographic printing plate having the photosensitive layer is designated by the plate designating switch. The control device controls the operations of the drawing unit, the developing chamber, and the fixing processing unit and the operation of the transport switching unit based on the conditions stored in advance to execute the plate making process of the planographic printing plate having the photosensitive layer. Since the lithographic printing plate having no photosensitive layer is discriminated by the discriminating means provided upstream of the developing chamber, the control device can stop the processing.

On the other hand, in the case of performing the plate processing, the plate changing process is designated by the process changeover switch and the planographic printing plate having no photosensitive layer is designated by the plate designating switch. The control device instructs the processing to be performed and the processing not to be performed based on the conditions stored in advance.

For example, a lithographic printing plate having a photosensitive layer is prepared without exposing and developing, and a lithographic printing plate having no photosensitive layer is prepared without charging, exposing, developing and fixing.

Further, when it is not desired to perform the plate processing on the lithographic printing plate having the photosensitive layer, the condition may be stored in the control device in advance so that the discriminating means may make different types of printing plates. When it is determined, the processing can be stopped.

The plate can be made without passing through the developing chamber. For example, the plate can be made by performing the same processes from developing and fixing to elution and gum as usual without charged drawing. However, the printing plate produced by such a process rarely causes stains during printing.

[0017]

【Example】

[First Embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
4, FIG. 26 and FIG. 27.

As shown in FIG. 1, an electrophotographic plate making apparatus 10 as a lithographic plate making apparatus to which the present invention is applied has a drawing unit 1.
2, plate feeding / discharging section 14, developing and fixing processing section 16, elution processing section 1
8, a standby unit 20, a puncher unit 22, and a plate bending unit 24 are provided.

The electrophotographic plate making apparatus 10 of this embodiment can select an ordinary plate making process for forming an image or a plate making process, and processes a direct printing plate 26 and a desensitizing plate which will be described later. be able to.

As shown in FIG. 2, the direct printing plate 26 used as an image forming lithographic printing plate in the present embodiment is a thin rectangular plate-shaped electrophotographic printing plate, and a conductive support 28.
The photoconductive photosensitive layer 30 is formed on one surface of the above to serve as an image forming surface. The conductive support 28 is made of an aluminum material and has a thickness of about 0.3 mm. Further, the conductive support 28 has a boundary surface with the photoconductive photosensitive layer 30 subjected to a hydrophilic treatment. As the photoconductive photosensitive layer 30, for example, an organic photoconductive photosensitive member is used.

On the other hand, the desensitizing plate (not shown) for exclusive use with the printing plate has a thickness of about 0.3 mm like the direct printing plate 26.
Photoconductive photosensitive layer 3 which is made of aluminum material of
Does not have zero.

(Drawing unit 12) As shown in FIG. 3, the drawing unit 12 is provided with a carrying table 32 on which the direct printing plate 26 is placed, and the carrying table 32 of FIG. It can move in the direction of arrow A and in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow A. The direct printing plate 26 is placed on the carrier 32 along the direction of the arrow A and the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow A.

The drawing unit 12 is provided with a charger 34 on the upper side of the carrier 32 for positively charging the photoconductive photosensitive layer 30 of the direct printing plate 26. Charger 34 arrow A
An exposure unit 36 is provided on the direction side. The exposure section 36 is provided with a semiconductor laser (not shown), which irradiates the photoconductive photosensitive layer 30 after charging with a laser beam to scan and expose an image to form an electrostatic latent image.

Further, the drawing unit 12 is provided with a take-out device 33 above the carrier 32. The take-out device 33 can hold and lift the direct printing plate 26 with the claw 33A.

A positioning pin for aligning the placed direct printing plate 26 at a predetermined position is provided on the carrier 32.
A positioning device such as a pusher is attached.

(Paper feeding / discharging section 14) As shown in FIG. 4, the plate feeding / discharging section 14 is shielded from the outside by a casing 38,
Further, the inside is shielded from light by the partition walls 40 and 42 and divided into upper and lower three stages. The plate supply unit 44 is arranged in the lower divided stage of the plate supply / discharge unit 14, the plate discharge unit 46 is arranged in the middle stage, and the control device 47 and the like are arranged in the upper stage.

As shown in FIG. 1, a rectangular opening 50 which is opened and closed by a door 48 is provided on a side wall 38A of the plate feeding portion 44 on the arrow B direction side. A printing plate mounting table (hereinafter referred to as skid) 52 (see FIG. 4) on which a large number (for example, 500) of direct printing plates 26 having the photoconductive photosensitive layer 30 on the lower surface or desensitizing plates are stacked and mounted. Are loaded into the plate supply section 44 through the opening 50.

The plate feeding unit 44 is arranged on the drawing unit 12 side, a sheet-fed device 54 that moves up and down on the skid 52 and sucks the direct printing plate 26 placed on the skid 52 with negative pressure. Lift table 56, sheet-fed device 54 and lift table 5 that move up and down.
6, the reverse side of the direct printing plate 26 is reversed (direction of arrow C) and conveyed in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow B, above the reversing movement device 58 and the lift base 56, and the drawing unit 1.
It is provided with a horizontal transport device 60 which moves in the direction of the arrow B and the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow B between the two.

Further, a reflection type optical sensor 61 is attached to the lift table 56 as a determination means for determining the type of the printing plate placed on the lift table 56. Since the photoconductive photosensitive layer 30 of the direct printing plate 26 and the surface of the desensitizing plate have different light reflectances, the type of the printing plate can be determined by using the optical sensor 61. The optical sensor 61 is connected to the control device 47.

The plate discharge section 46 is provided with a carrying stage 62 for receiving the direct printing plate 26 from the take-out device 33 and carrying it into the plate discharge section 46.

An insertion stage 64 is provided below the transport stage 62 on which the direct printing plate 26 is placed and moved to the side opposite to the drawing unit 12. Above the insertion stage 64, an air cylinder 68 that moves the claw 66 up and down is provided.

As shown in FIG. 5, the insertion stage 64 can be rocked by a driving means (not shown) and can be inclined from the horizontal state so that the arrow A direction side is downward. The insertion stage 64 is provided with a block 68 that is slid by a driving unit (not shown) in order to push out the direct printing plate 26 placed on the insertion stage 64 in the arrow A direction.

(Development / Fixation Processing Section 16) Development / Fixation Processing Section 1
6, a development processing unit 100, a squeeze unit 102, a drying unit 104, a fixing processing unit 106, a cooling unit 108, a rotary cutting processing unit 110, a cutting powder removing unit 112, and a water cooling unit 114 are sequentially arranged in the direction of arrow A. It is set up. (Development Processing Unit 100) The development processing unit 100 applies a liquid developer to the exposed direct printing plate 26 to visualize the electrostatic latent image on the direct printing plate 26. Liquid developers used herein are generally dispersible in pigments such as carbon black,
The toner particles adsorbing a resin that imparts properties such as polarity controllability and fixability are dispersed in a carrier liquid.
The development in the development processing unit 100 is performed by reversal development,
The positively charged direct printing plate 26 is developed with a toner having a positive charge. In addition, direct printing plate 26
The area where the toner adheres becomes lipophilic.

As shown in FIG. 6, the development processing section 100 includes
A box-shaped shield case 116 is provided. The shield case 116 is provided with a slit 118 having a size sufficient for the direct printing plate 26 to pass through on the side wall 116A on the arrow A direction side and on the side wall 116B on the opposite side to the arrow A direction. The side wall 116A and the side wall 116B are provided with a shutter 12 that moves up and down by a driving device (not shown).
0 is provided, and the shutter 120 has the slit 11
8 can be closed to make the inside of the shield case 116 airtight.

The bottom surface 116 of the shield case 116
C has a funnel shape, and a liquid retaining plate 119 is attached over substantially the entire surface of the bottom surface 116C. The liquid retaining plate 119 is formed of a porous metal plate (Ni celmet) having innumerable continuous bubbles, and can hold a predetermined amount of liquid developer in the bubbles.

A discharge pipe 120 for dropping the liquid developer is connected to the lower end of the funnel-shaped portion of the shield case 116.

Inside the shield case 116, an arrow A
A back plate 122 that is inclined by about 7 ° is provided so that the direction is on the lower side. The back plate 122 is formed of a glass plate, and innumerable rounded mountain-shaped minute projections are formed on the entire upper surface of the back plate 122 so that the direct printing plate 26 can easily slip.

As shown in FIG. 7, spacers 124 made of an insulating material are attached to the upper surface of the back plate 122 on the arrow B direction side and the direction opposite to the arrow B direction. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, on the back plate 122, an auxiliary electrode support plate 126 made of an insulator is formed on the side opposite to the arrow A direction via these spacers 124, and the insulation is provided on the arrow A direction side. A developing electrode support plate 128 composed of a body is attached.

Auxiliary electrode support plate 126, developing electrode support plate 1
28, a space surrounded by the spacer 124 and the rear plate 122 is a developing chamber 134, and the auxiliary electrode 130 is provided on the lower surface of the auxiliary electrode supporting plate 126 facing the developing chamber 134.
However, the developing electrode 132 is attached to the lower surface of the developing electrode support plate 128. Auxiliary electrode 130 and developing electrode 13
2 is formed of a porous metal plate (Ni celmet) having innumerable continuous bubbles, and the auxiliary electrode 130 and the developing electrode 132 are connected to the positive side of a power source (not shown).

In the developing chamber 134 of this embodiment, the upstream vertical dimension H1 (see FIG. 6) is 2.7 mm, and the downstream vertical dimension H2 is 2.0 mm (see FIG. 7). The vertical dimension gradually decreases as you go to. The width W (see FIG. 7) of the developing chamber 134 is 422 mm.

A liquid delivery nozzle 136 is mounted on the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode support plate 126. The liquid delivery nozzle 136 has a case 138 having a long rectangular pipe shape in a direction opposite to the arrow B direction and a direction opposite to the arrow B direction in which both ends are closed, and a circular pipe 140 is coaxially arranged therein. Has been done.

The circular pipe 140 has a partition wall 140 at the middle portion.
It is partitioned by A, and both ends project outward from both ends of the case 138.

On the circular pipe 140, a plurality of holes 142 are formed along the longitudinal direction on the side opposite to the arrow A direction. These holes 142 have a wider interval and a larger hole diameter as they approach the partition wall 140A.

A side plate 138A of the case 138 in the direction of arrow A
A slit 144 is formed at the lower end of the. In the present embodiment, the slit 144 has an opening dimension of 1.5 mm in the vertical dimension Hs and 430 mm in the horizontal dimension Ws.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8A, the case 1
A rectifying plate 146 is provided inside the unit 38. The current plate 146 is provided upright on the bottom plate 138B, and the circular pipe 1
It is arranged between 40 and the side plate 138. Baffle plate 14
6 has a substantially triangular cross section, and the position of the top is approximately half the height of the case 138. Also,
As shown in FIG. 8A, the length of the current plate 146 is longer than the width Ws of the slit 144.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, an auxiliary liquid feed nozzle 148 is arranged on the side of the auxiliary electrode support plate 126 opposite to the arrow A direction. The auxiliary liquid delivery nozzle 148 is
It has a long pipe shape in a direction opposite to the arrow B direction and the arrow B direction in which both ends are closed, and a plurality of holes 150 are formed obliquely downward in the arrow A direction along the longitudinal direction.
Also, pipes 152 are attached to both ends.

As shown in FIG. 6, ground terminals 154 are provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the back plate 122 in the direct plate transport direction, respectively. These ground terminals 154
At least one of the direct printing plates 26 is in contact with the back surface (conductive support 28) of the direct printing plate 26 while the direct printing plate 26 is being conveyed in the developing chamber 134. Side (Electrophotographic plate making device 1
0 body) is grounded.

The back plate 122 and the ground terminal 154 on the downstream side
A nipping roller pair 156 is disposed between the and. In the nip roller pair 156, the outer peripheral surface of the upper roller 156B is formed of rubber, and the outer peripheral surface of the lower roller 156A is formed of a water absorbing member (GS felt as an example).

On the upper side of the roller 156B, a cleaning pad 158 having a square cross section (for example, bellmor PP, Molton, etc.) is arranged. The lower surface of the cleaning pad 158 is always in contact with the outer periphery of the roller 156B. Note that the pad 158 is rotatable, and when it becomes dirty, it can be rotated 90 ° and a new surface
The outer periphery of 56B can be cleaned.

Above the liquid delivery nozzle 136, the back plate 12 is provided.
A guide plate 160 as a bypass is arranged in parallel with the reference numeral 2. The guide plate 160 is formed of the same glass plate as the back plate 122 and has substantially the same dimensions. Information board 16
A nipping roller pair 162 is disposed on the side of arrow 0 in the direction of arrow A.

The back plate 122, the guide plate 160, the nipping roller pair 156, the cleaning pad 158 and the nipping roller pair 162 are supported by the frame 164 on the arrow B direction side and the direction opposite to the arrow B direction side. Frame 164
Is supported by a vertical rail (not shown) provided in the shield case 116 so that it can move up and down in the shield case 116.

An electric winch 166 as a transfer switching means is placed on the top plate 116D of the shield case 116, and a wire 166A of the electric winch 166 is connected to the frame 164. In addition, electric winch 16
6 is connected to the control device 47 and its drive is controlled. For this reason, development is not required, for example, the printing plate is the plate discharge unit 4.
When it is conveyed from 6, the frame 164 can be moved downward to be conveyed on the guide plate 160. However, even with a printing plate that does not require development, by changing the processing process such as not performing laser drawing after charging,
There is no problem in transporting between the regular back plate 122 and the developing electrode 132.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, a developer replenishing section 200 is provided on the top plate 116D of the shield case 116.

As shown in FIG. 9, a developer replenishing section 200 is provided.
Has a rectangular block-shaped mounting table 202 mounted on the top plate 116D. On the upper surface of the mounting table 202, a rectangular metal can 204A containing a liquid developer (in this embodiment, a 5 liter can having an outer dimension of about 180 mm × 110 mm × 300 mm, which is widely used in the general market). Recess 206 (200mm x 130mm x 30)
mm) is formed, and further the metal can 2 is formed in the recess 206.
A circular hole 210 is formed through the portion of the 04A corresponding to the base 208. The base 208 has a substantially truncated cone shape as shown in FIG. 10, and the edge portion 208A is curled outward.

A pipe mounting member 212 is attached to the lower surface of the top plate 116D at a portion corresponding to the circular hole 210. A recess 214 having the same diameter as the circular hole 210 is formed in the pipe mounting member 212, and a cup-shaped filter 216 having a flange portion is inserted into the circular hole 210 and the recess 214. A thick flat washer 218 is fixed to the center of the bottom of the filter 216.

A pin 220 is provided upright at the center of the bottom of the recess 214, and the pin 220 projects upward from a hole (not shown) of the flat washer 218 of the filter 216 by a predetermined amount.

The filter 216 allows the toner particles of the liquid developer to pass therethrough and removes foreign matters larger than the toner particles.

An upper lid 222 is attached to the mounting table 202 via a hinge (not shown).
The upper surface of can be closed in a sealed state.

Further, a hole 226 is formed at the bottom of the recess 214 to connect to the pipe 224 projecting downward from the lower surface of the pipe mounting member 212. One side of the pipe 228 is connected to the pipe 224, and the other side of the pipe 228 is connected to the bottom surface 116C of the shield case 116 as shown in FIG.
It is located nearby.

As shown in FIG. 10, in this embodiment, the cap (not shown) originally attached to the base 208 of the metal can 204A is replaced with an automatic feed cap 230A for liquid developer to replenish the liquid. It is supposed to do.

Automatic feed cap 230 for liquid developer
A is a mounting portion 232, a tip cap 234, a valve 236,
It is composed of a spring 238, an annular packing 240, an O-ring 242, and the like.

The mounting portion 232 is a substantially cylindrical large diameter portion 232.
A and a small diameter portion 232B, and the hole 24 is coaxial with the shaft core.
4 is formed through.

The mounting portion 232 has a large diameter portion 23 of the hole 244.
A groove 246 is formed near the end on the 2A side, and an O-ring 242 is fitted in the groove 246.

A metal can 204A is provided in the hole 244 of the mounting portion 232.
When the base 208 is inserted, the O-ring 242 elastically deforms and catches on the curled edge portion 208A, and the O-ring 242 seals between the base 208 and the mounting portion 232.

On the other hand, the tip cap 234 is composed of a substantially cylindrical large diameter portion 234A and a small diameter portion 234B, and has a substantially cylindrical shape.

The distal end cap 234 has a female thread portion formed on the side of the large diameter portion 234A and a small diameter portion 232B of the mounting portion 232.
It is fixed to the mounting portion 232 by being screwed with a male screw portion formed on the outer periphery.

A partition wall 246 is provided in the middle of the tip cap 234, a circular hole 248 is formed in the axial center of the partition wall 246, and a plurality of liquid circulation holes 250 are formed around the circular hole 248. Are formed.

An annular packing 240 is provided between the tip of the small diameter portion 232B of the mounting portion 232 and the partition wall 246 of the tip cap 234.

An annular lid 25 is attached to the end of the small diameter portion 234B.
2 is stuck. A disc portion 236A of the valve 236 is disposed between the lid 252 and the partition wall 246, and a shaft 236B fixed to the center of the disc portion 236A is inserted into a circular hole 248 of the partition wall 246. There is.

As shown in FIG. 10, when the disc portion 236A comes into close contact with the lid 252, the hole of the lid 252 is completely closed. On the outside of the shaft 236B,
The compression coil spring 256 is disposed between the partition wall 246 and the disc portion 236A, and the disc portion 236A is provided.
Is normally biased by the compression coil spring 256 and pressed against the lid 252 to be in close contact therewith.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, when the pin 220 pushes the disc portion 236A, the disc portion 236A separates from the lid 252, and a plurality of notches 254 formed on the outer periphery of the disc portion 236A. Through which the liquid can flow along the axial direction.

The mounting table 202 is formed with a recess (not shown) for storing the automatic feed cap 230A for liquid developer. Further, this recess has a shape and size to which the automatic feed cap 230A for liquid developer is just fitted.

When it is desired to increase the replenishment amount of the liquid developer (for example, when replenishing 5 liters or more at a time)
It is also possible to provide a plurality of developer replenishing units 200.

As shown in FIG. 12, the shield case 11
A drain pan 260 is disposed below the unit 6.
A pantograph type jack 262 is placed on the drain pan 260, and a developing tank 264 containing a liquid developer is placed on the jack 262.

The developing tank 264 has a removable lid 2.
It is sealed at 66. On the side of the developing tank 264,
A liquid level gauge 268 and an overflow pipe 270 are attached, and a drain cock 272 is attached to the bottom.

The lower end of the overflow pipe 270 is placed in a recess 260A provided in the drain pan 260. The recess 260A is provided with a float type overflow detection sensor 274 that is switched on when the liquid developer is discharged to the recess 260A. The overflow detection sensor 274 is connected to the control device 47 (not shown), and when the switch is turned on, an alarm buzzer (not shown) sounds (and / or an alarm lamp blinks).

On the other hand, the lid 266 has a float type liquid level sensor 276, 278, 280, and drain pipes 282, 28.
4, suction pipes 286, 288, discharge pipe 120, temperature sensor 294 connected to temperature controller 292, cooling liquid circulation pipe 2 for circulating cooling water made by cooler 296
98 is attached.

The liquid level sensor 276 is turned on when the amount of the liquid developer in the developing tank 264 is insufficient,
The liquid level sensor 278 is turned on when the amount of liquid developer reaches a predetermined amount. In addition, the liquid level sensor 280
Is turned on when the amount of liquid developer exceeds a predetermined amount. These liquid level sensors 276, 278,
280 is connected to the control device 47.

The drain pipe 282 is connected to a concrete tank 304 containing a concrete liquid (a liquid developer having a thick toner component) via a pipe 300 and a concrete replenishing pump 302. The conc tank 304 is provided with float type liquid level sensors 306, 308, a liquid level gauge 310, a stirring device 312 for stirring the conc liquid, and a drain cock 314.

The liquid level sensor 306 is turned on when the amount of the concentrating liquid in the concrete tank 304 is insufficient, and the liquid level sensor 308 is turned on when the amount of the concentrating liquid reaches a predetermined amount. . These liquid level sensors 306, 3
08 is connected to the control device 47. When the switch of the liquid level sensor 308 is turned on, a buzzer or the like for notifying the completion of filling is sounded.

On the other hand, the drain pipe 284 has a pipe 316.
The IG tank 320 is connected via the IG replenishing pump 318. The IG tank 320 is for containing a carrier liquid of a liquid developer, and is equipped with float type liquid level sensors 322, 324, a liquid level gauge 326 and a drain cock 328. The liquid level sensor 322 is turned on when the amount of IG liquid in the IG tank 320 is insufficient, and the liquid level sensor 324 is turned on when the amount of IG liquid reaches a predetermined amount. These liquid level sensors 32
2, 324 are connected to the control device 47. In addition,
When the switch of the liquid level sensor 324 is turned on, a buzzer or the like for notifying the completion of filling is sounded.

A check valve (not shown) is built in the tips of the drainage pipes 282, 284 to prevent backflow of air.

The temperature controller 292 controls the operation of the cooler 296 so that the temperature of the developing solution measured by the temperature sensor 294 does not exceed a predetermined value.

The toner pipe 33 is attached to the suction pipe 286.
0, the flow rate adjusting cock 332, and the flow rate sensor 334 are connected to each other with the partition wall 140A of the circular pipe 140 as a boundary.

On the other hand, the suction pipe 288 is provided with a switching valve 340 via a toner pump 336 and a flow rate adjusting cock 338.
Are connected. The partition wall 14 of the circular pipe 140 is connected to the switching valve 340 via the pipe 342 and the flow rate sensor 344.
The other is connected with 0A as the boundary.

The flow rate sensors 334 and 344 are connected to the control device shown in the figure. Also, the toner pump 3
30, 336 and the switching valve 340 are not shown in the controller 4
The operation is controlled by 7.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 13, when the front side door (direction of arrow B) 346 is opened, recesses 348 and 350 are formed toward the back side (direction opposite to the direction of arrow B). ing. The concave tank 304 is inserted into the recess 348, and the IG tank 320 is inserted into the recess 350, and each can be pulled out to the front side.

An IG solution replenishing section 354 having substantially the same structure as the developer replenishing section 200 is provided on the upper surface of the IG tank 320, and the developer replenishing section 2 is provided on the upper surface of the contact tank 304.
A concentrating liquid replenishing unit 352 having substantially the same structure as that of the No. 00 is provided. It should be noted that the IG liquid replenishing unit 354 and the conc.
53 is provided (see FIG. 9).

As shown in FIG. 9, a concentrating liquid replenishing unit 352.
In the IG liquid replenishing section 354, the pin 220 is supported by a substantially U-shaped support fitting 356 fixed to the inner surface of the tank.

Concentrate liquid replenishing unit 352 and IG liquid replenishing unit 3
54, a concave portion 206 having the same size as the developer replenishing portion 200.
Are formed.

In this embodiment, the metal can 204B containing the conc.
OB liquid is attached to the metal can 204C containing the IG liquid, and an automatic feed cap 230C dedicated to the IG liquid is attached. The metal cans 204B and 204C have the same structure and the same size as the metal cans 204A.

Automatic feed cap 230 for liquid developer
A, automatic feed cap 230B and I for exclusive use of conc.
The automatic feed cap 230C for G liquid is attached to the mounting portion 23.
2 have different maximum diameters (D). Further, the automatic developer feed cap 230A for liquid developer, the automatic feed cap 230B for exclusive use of the conc liquid, and the automatic feed cap 230C for the IG liquid also differ in the length of the mounting portion 232, which allows the upper surface of the metal can 204 (of the base 208). The dimension (L) from the attached surface) to the disc portion 236A is different. Note that the structure is the same for all three types of automatic feed cap 230B for exclusive use of conc. Liquid, automatic feed cap 230C for IG liquid, and automatic feed cap 230A for liquid developer.

On the other hand, the liquid replenishing section 2 of the shield case 116
00, the liquid replenishing portion 352 of the conc tank 304 and the liquid replenishing portion 354 of the IG tank 320 are different in the inner diameter (D + α) of the filter 216 and the dimension (L−β) from the bottom surface of the recess 206 to the tip of the pin 220.

The concrete liquid replenishing portion 352 is provided with a concave portion 35 into which an automatic feed cap 230B exclusively for the concrete liquid is fitted.
2A, the IG liquid replenishing portion 354 is formed with a recess (not shown in FIG. 13) into which the conc. Liquid automatic feed cap 230B is fitted.

In Table 1 below, the maximum diameter D3 of the automatic feed cap 230A for liquid developer and the dimension L3 from the metal can 204A to the disc portion 236A, the maximum diameter L2 of the automatic feed cap 230C for IG liquid and the metal can 204B are shown.
To the disk portion 236A, the maximum diameter D1 of the automatic feed cap 230B for exclusive use of conc and the metal can 20
The dimension L1 from 4C to the disc portion 236A, the inner diameter (D3 + α) of the filter 216 of the liquid replenishing portion 200 of the shield case 116, the filter 216 of the conch tank 304.
Inner diameter (D2 + α) of IG tank 320 filter 2
16 (inner diameter (D1 + α)), the dimension from the bottom surface of the concave portion 206 in the liquid replenishing unit 200 to the tip of the pin 220 (L3-
β), the dimension (L2-β) from the bottom surface of the concave portion 206 in the liquid replenishing portion 352 to the tip of the pin 220, and the liquid replenishing portion 35
4 shows the relationship of the dimension (L1-β) from the bottom surface of the recess 206 to the tip of the pin 220 in FIG.

[0096]

[Table 1]

By setting the dimensions of each part in the relationship shown in Table 1 above, the automatic feed cap 230A for liquid developer is set.
The metal can 204A with the attached can discharge the liquid developer inside only when it is loaded in the liquid replenishing section 200 of the shield case 116, and the automatic feed cap 230B for exclusive use of the conc.
The metal can 204B attached with can discharge the conc liquid inside only when it is loaded in the liquid replenishing portion 352 of the conc tank 304, and the metal can 204C with the automatic feed cap 230C for exclusive use of the IG liquid replenishes the liquid in the IG tank 320. Part 354
The IG liquid inside can be taken out only when it is loaded into. Also, if the combination does not correspond, the automatic feed cap cannot be inserted, or even if it can be inserted, the pin 2
Since the 20 cannot press the disc portion 236A of the valve 236, the liquid in the can does not come out.

Furthermore, the liquid replenishing section 200 of the metal can 204A containing the liquid developer and the shield case 116.
A red seal 205 is attached to the same and the automatic feed cap 230A for liquid developer is made red, and a yellow seal 207 is attached to the metal can 204B and the conc tank 304 containing the conc. Is made yellow, and by further sticking a blue seal 209 to the metal can 204C and the conc tank 320 containing the IG liquid and making the conc liquid dedicated automatic feed cap 230C blue,
Even if metal cans of the same size are used, it is possible to prevent erroneous insertion.

Further, since the automatic feed caps corresponding to the respective liquid replenishing portions are housed in the concave portions corresponding to the respective sizes and shapes, it is possible to prevent loss or mistake in taking.

In addition, in the liquid replenishment work in the concrete tank 304 and the IG tank 320, the operator can perform other works until the buzzer sounds when the liquid is full. Also, when the liquid is replenished to the tip of the automatic feed cap, air will not enter the metal can and the replenishment of the liquid will stop automatically, so there will be no excessive replenishment and the liquid will not be replenished from the tank. There is no problem that causes overflow.

As shown in FIG. 26, the automatic feed cap 230 can also be used for a base 208 having a step 208B formed in the middle.

Further, as shown in FIG. 27, in the automatic feed cap 230, instead of the O-ring 242, a perforated cap 211 made of a synthetic resin having elasticity and chemical resistance such as polyethylene is attached to the mounting portion 232. Alternatively, the cap 211 may be fixed, and the stepped portion 211A of the cap 211 may be hooked on the edge portion 208 of the base 208 to seal. (Squeeze part 102) The squeeze part 102 has an air knife 360 and a blower 36 for ejecting air to the upper surface of the direct printing plate 26 carried out by the nip roller pair 156.
2 is provided. (Squeeze part 102) The squeeze part 102 has an air knife 360 and a blower 36 for ejecting air to the upper surface of the direct printing plate 26 carried out by the nip roller pair 156.
2 is provided. (Drying Unit 104) A conveyor 364 is disposed downstream of the squeeze unit 102 in the transport direction of the direct printing plate 26. An insulator (a synthetic resin such as Bakelite) is attached to the surface of the conveyor 364 that the direct printing plate 26 directly contacts, and the charged direct printing plate 2 is charged.
The charge of 6 is prevented from escaping.

The drying section 104 is provided with an end dryer 364 and a dryer 366. Edge dryer 36
4 blows warm air to the vicinity of the end portion in the width direction of the direct printing plate 26, and the dryer 366 blows warm air over the entire width direction of the direct printing plate 26.

As shown in FIG. 14, the conveyor 36
The width dimension BW of No. 4 is smaller than the width dimension DW of the direct printing plate 26 by a predetermined dimension. Therefore, the conveyor 36
When the direct printing plate 26 is placed on the sheet No. 4, the side end portion 26A of the direct printing plate 26 is located at the side end portion 364 of the conveyor 364.
Projected by a predetermined size from A. (Fixing Processing Unit 106) As shown in FIGS.
The fixing processing unit 106 has a box-shaped cover 40 having an open bottom surface.
0, and the cover 400 covers the upper side of the conveyor 364.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the cover 4
A plurality of (five in the present embodiment) halogen heaters 402 are arranged inside 00. The halogen heater 402 has a straight rod shape, and mounting caps 404 are attached to the sealing portions at both ends. The halogen heaters 402 have the same size and the same wattage. In this embodiment, the length of the halogen heater 402 is shorter than the width dimension of the direct printing plate 26.

The halogen heater 402 is arranged parallel to the direct printing plate 26 and above the direct printing plate 26 by a predetermined dimension. The halogen heaters 402 are parallel to each other, and the longitudinal direction is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the width direction of the direct printing plate 26, and the central portion of each halogen heater 402 is in the width direction of the direct printing plate 26. Are aligned on a straight line.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, above each halogen heater 402, a reflecting plate 406 bent in a substantially paraboloidal shape is arranged, and the reflecting plate 406 is emitted from the halogen heater 402. The infrared rays that have been generated are reflected downward. As shown in FIG.
Substantially semicircular side walls 408 are integrally provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of 6. The side wall 408 has a U-shaped cutout 41.
0 is formed, and the cap 404 of the halogen heater 402 projects outward from the notch 410.

The cap 404 of the halogen heater 402 is attached to the side wall 408 of the reflection plate 406 by a metal fitting (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 14, 16 and 17, these reflectors 406 are covered with a heat insulating plate 412 having a U-shaped cross section at the middle portion except the both ends.
Fans 41 attached to the top plate 400A of
4 flows downward between the cover 400 and the heat insulating plate 412, so that the cap 40 of the halogen heater 402
The four parts (near the sealing part) are cooled.

As shown in FIG. 15, the halogen heater 4
In No. 02, the array pitch in the width direction of the direct printing plate 26 (the direction of the arrow B and the direction opposite to the arrow B direction) is such that the end portion side in the width direction of the direct printing plate 26 is dense and the center portion side in the width direction is sparse. , Direct printing plate 26 is halogen heater 40
When it is conveyed in the direction of arrow A below 2, the predetermined range We at both ends in the width direction passes under the halogen heater 402 twice, and the predetermined range Wc inside the predetermined range We passes under the halogen heater 402. It is supposed to pass once.

(Rotation Cutting Processing Unit 110) As shown in FIG. 14, a nozzle for blowing air to the end of the direct printing plate 26 is located downstream of the fixing processing unit 106 in the conveying direction of the direct printing plate 26. 500 is provided. An air compressor (not shown) is connected to the nozzle 500 via a pipe 502. The pressure of the air supplied from the air compressor is 5 kg / cm ² in this embodiment, and 1 liter of air is ejected from the nozzle 500 per second. Further, in this embodiment, the distance from the tip of the nozzle 500 to the direct printing plate 26 is 20 mm.

As shown in FIG. 18, rotary cutting devices 504 are provided downstream of the nozzle 500 in the transport direction of the direct printing plate 26 on both sides of the transport path of the direct printing plate 26 (note that FIG. Then, one rotary cutting device 50
Only 4 is shown. ).

The rotary cutting device 504 has a lower surface guide 5 formed of a thick resin plate (in this embodiment, a DURACON plate) that supports the lower surface near both ends of the direct printing plate 26.
06 is provided.

The side of the lower surface guide 506 is in contact with the side end portion 26A of the direct printing plate 26 and the direct printing plate 26.
End guide roller 50 that is rotatable and guides
8 and a carbide cutter 510 (for example, manufactured by Minitor Co., Ltd.
Carbide cutter Z171) for rotary Anglon is provided. In addition, above the lower surface guide 506,
A rotatable upper guide roller 512 is provided for suppressing the lifting of the direct printing plate 26.

The cemented carbide cutter 510 is rotated by a motor 514, and the angle (θ1) formed with the direct printing plate 26 is 50 ° in this embodiment. This carbide cutter 510 is provided on the side edge portion 26A of the direct printing plate 26.
When the sheet comes into contact with the side end guide roller 508 and is guided, as shown in FIG. 19, it comes into contact with a corner (image forming surface side corner) on the upper surface side of the side end 26A to have a predetermined size ( For example,
The direct printing plate 26 is chamfered to have a thickness (about half of the thickness T).

As shown in FIG. 18, a suction nozzle 516 is arranged above the cemented carbide cutter 510. The suction nozzle 516 is opened on the lower side, and the cutting powder scattered at the time of chamfering is sucked through a duct 518 by a suction device (not shown).

(Cutting powder removing section 112) Cutting powder removing section 11
2 is a cutting powder removing device 600 as cutting powder removing means for removing the cutting powder attached to the edge of the direct printing plate 26.
Is equipped with. The conveying speed of the direct printing plate 26 in the cutting powder removing unit 112 is about 5 m / m in this embodiment.
in.

As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the cutting powder removing device 600 is provided with a prismatic slide shaft 602 below the transport path of the direct printing plate 26. The slide shaft 602 is arranged along the width direction of the direct printing plate 26, and both ends thereof are fixed to a frame (not shown).

Two slide bearing units 604 are slidably provided on the slide shaft 602 (only one is shown in FIGS. 20 and 21). On the upper surface of the slide bearing unit 604, a long base plate 610 extending along the transport direction of the direct printing plate 26 is attached via a columnar member 608 having a hole 606 in the shaft center.

On the upper surface of the base plate 610, four guide rollers 612 are attached in the vicinity of the end on the side where the direct printing plate 26 is conveyed, and are freely rotatable in the longitudinal direction.

As shown in FIGS. 20 and 22, a semicircular cutout 614 is formed in the longitudinal direction center of the base plate 610 on the side where the direct printing plate 26 is conveyed, and both ends of this cutout 614 are formed. The vicinity of the lower end of the cylindrical cover 616 that is closed is fitted and fixed.

Inside the cylindrical cover 616, a roll brush 618 is coaxially arranged. The roll-shaped brush 618 of the present embodiment is preferably composed of a core metal 618A and a plurality of fibers (fibers having a softness that does not damage the toner image, and in the present embodiment, diameters φ0.16 to φ0.3).
mm nylon fiber) 618B has a structure of extending infinitely in the radial direction, and has an outer diameter of 30 mm.

The direct printing plate 2 is attached to the cylindrical cover 616.
A rectangular slit 617 is formed on the side on which 6 is conveyed so as to allow the vicinity of the side end portion of the direct printing plate 26 to enter the inside.

Both ends of the core metal 618A are covered by the cylindrical cover 6.
It projects from 16 holes, and the upper end is connected to the rotating shaft of the motor 620 (rotation speed 500 rpm in this embodiment).

As shown in FIG. 20, the motor 620 is attached to the slide block 622. The slide block 622 has a prismatic shape that is long in the direction of arrow A and in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow A, and shafts 624 that extend in the up-down direction penetrate slidably near both ends in the longitudinal direction. Both ends of the shaft 624 are fixed to a vertical wall 628 erected on the base plate 610 via support blocks 626.

A female screw (not shown) is formed at the center of the slide block 622 so as to penetrate therethrough in the vertical direction, and a male screw 630 is screwed into this female screw. Male screw 63
0 is connected to the rotating shaft of a motor 632 whose upper end is fixed to the vertical wall 628. Therefore, by rotating the male screw 630 with the motor 632, the roll brush 618 can be moved in the vertical direction.

A metal fitting 634 is attached to the side surface of the slide bearing unit 604. Metal fittings 634
Has a lower end part 634A protruding and bent at 90 °.

An air cylinder 638 is attached to the slide shaft 602 on the side of the direct bearing plate 26 of the slide bearing unit 604 through the metal fitting 636. The air cylinder 638 is connected to a three-way solenoid valve (not shown), a compressor, etc.,
The three-way solenoid valve can be switched to connect the air cylinder 638 to either the atmosphere side or the compressor. When compressed air is introduced into the air cylinder 638, the rod 638A projects.

The slide block 604 includes the spring 6
When the air cylinder 638 is biased by the direction 40 toward the direct printing plate 26 conveyance path and the inside of the air cylinder 638 is open to the atmosphere, the spring 640 biases the rod 638A.

Here, when compressed air is introduced into the air cylinder 638 and the rod 638A is most protruded, the guide roller 612 is separated from the side end portion 26A of the direct printing plate 26 and the inside of the air cylinder 638 is exposed to the atmosphere. When it is communicated with the rod 63, the urging force of the spring 640 causes the rod 63 to
8A is pushed in, and the guide roller 612 comes into contact with the side end portion of the direct printing plate 26.

The guide roller 612 is the direct printing plate 26.
In the state where the side end portion 26A is in contact with the side end portion 26A, the side end portion 26A enters into the roll-shaped brush 618 by about 2 to 5 mm (see FIG. 22). The roll brush 6
18 does not come into contact with the image forming area of the direct printing plate 26.

A duct 642, which is connected to a suction means (not shown) which constitutes suction means together with the cylindrical cover 616, is connected to the upper portion of the cylindrical cover 616, and a foreign substance scraped by the roll-shaped brush 618 is sucked into the slit. 61
The air is sucked together with the air flowing in through 7.

(Static elimination brush 700) Cutting powder removing section 112
2 on the downstream side of the direct printing plate 26 in the transport direction.
As shown in FIG. 3, a static elimination brush 700 is provided.
The static elimination brush 700 is elongated along the width direction of the direct printing plate 26, and the tip of the fiber 700A is in contact with the upper surface of the direct printing plate 26 over the entire width direction of the direct printing plate 26. The fiber 700A is a conductive fiber (for example, carbon fiber or the like) and is grounded. It should be noted that fibers such as nylon also have the effect of removing foreign matter.

A suction nozzle 702 is arranged above the static elimination brush 700 so as to cover the periphery of the static elimination brush 700. A suction device (not shown) is connected to the suction nozzle 702 via a duct 703, and the static elimination brush 700 is provided.
The foreign material removed in step is sucked.

Direct printing plate 2 rather than static elimination brush 700
A nipping roller 704 is provided on the downstream side of 6 in the transport direction. The nipping rollers 704 are connected to a motor (not shown) and rotate in opposite directions, nipping the direct printing plate 26 and conveying it in the direction of arrow A. The outer peripheral surface of the nip roller 704 is formed of rubber having a slight adhesive property, and foreign substances attached to the surface of the direct printing plate 26 can be removed.

Further, an adhesive roller 708 is arranged above the nip roller 704. Adhesive roller 708
The outer peripheral surface comes into contact with and follows the roller 704A on the upper side of the nip roller 704. The surface of the adhesive roller 708 is formed of rubber having a higher adhesive force than the sandwiching roller 704, and foreign matter attached to the outer peripheral surface of the roller 704A can be removed. For this reason, the roller 704A can always contact the upper surface of the direct printing plate 26 at the portion where no foreign matter is attached.

(Water-cooling unit 114) As shown in FIG. 24, a receiving tray 710 is arranged in the water-cooling unit 114, and the direct printing plate 26 after fixing is fixed above the receiving tray 710 by the arrow in FIG. Three spray beds 712 that guide in the A direction and a pair of transport rollers 713 are provided. Above and below these spray beds 712, there are spray nozzles 71 for spraying cooling water onto the direct printing plate 26.
4 are provided.

(Elution Processing Section 18) In the elution processing section 18 shown in FIG. 1, the direct printing plate 26 is dipped in an elution tank containing an alkaline solution to form a non-image portion of the direct printing plate 26 (that is, a toner image is formed). Elution part for elution of the photoconductive photosensitive layer 30 in the non-image part other than the formed part, direct printing plate 2
The squeeze part that squeezes and removes the excess alkaline solution adhering to 6 with a sandwiching roller, the rinsing part that sprays cleaning water onto the squeezed direct printing plate 26 to remove the alkaline solution, and the surface of the water-washed direct printing plate 26 A gum solution applying section for applying a protective gum solution, a drying section for blowing warm air onto the direct printing plate 26 coated with the gum solution and a direct printing plate 26 are sandwiched and the drying section is conveyed from the elution section. A plurality of transport rollers are provided.

(Standby Unit 20) The standby unit 20 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a conveyor device, which conveys the direct printing plate 26 in the direction opposite to the arrow B direction in FIG.

(Puncher Part 22) In the puncher part 22 shown in FIG. 1, a punch (not shown) for forming a notch for positioning on the direct printing plate 26 and the direct printing plate 26 is provided on the plate bending part 24. There is provided a conveyor device (not shown) for transporting to.

(Plate Bending Portion 24) The plate bending portion 24 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a folding device (not shown) that bends both ends of the direct printing plate 26 in the longitudinal direction by a predetermined dimension.

The control device 47 has a process changeover switch (not shown) for switching between the normal plate making process (the process of forming an image on the direct printing plate 26) and the step plate making process.
And the type of plate to be processed (Direct plate 2
6 and a desensitizing plate) are connected to a plate designating switch (not shown).

Next, the plate making process will be described. First, a normal plate making (image forming) step of the direct printing plate 26 will be described.

In this case, a predetermined number of direct printing plates 26 with the photoconductive photosensitive layer 30 on the lower surface are stacked on the skid 52 and placed in the plate feeding section 44. The skid 52
And the direct printing plate 26, a photoconductive photosensitive layer 30 is provided.
Place the desensitized plate to protect the. Further, the process changeover switch designates the normal plate making process, and the plate designating switch designates the direct printing plate 26.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the plate feeding unit 44, the uppermost direct printing plate 26 placed on the skid 52 is sucked by the sheet-fed device 54, inverted by the reversing moving device 58, and then lifted. It will be placed at No. 56. The direct printing plate 26 placed on the lift 56th is transported to the drawing unit 12 by the horizontal transport device 60.

As shown in FIG. 3, the unexposed direct printing plate 26, with the photoconductive photosensitive layer 30 facing upward,
The long side is placed on the carrier 32 along the moving direction of the carrier 32. Conveyor stand 3 on which the direct printing plate 26 is placed
2 is moved in the direction of arrow A by a driving device (not shown).

During this movement, the photoconductive photosensitive layer 30 of the direct printing plate 26 on the carrier 32 is positively charged by the charger 34. When the direct printing plate 26 is conveyed to a position right below the exposure section 36, a laser beam corresponding to an original image emitted from a semiconductor laser (not shown) is applied to the surface of the photoconductive photosensitive layer 30. In the photoconductive photosensitive layer 30, the portion irradiated with the laser beam becomes conductive, positive charges move from the surface of the irradiated portion, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to image information is formed.

After that, the carrier 32 moves in the direction opposite to the arrow A direction, and the direct printing plate 2 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed.
As shown in FIG. 4, 6 is clamped by claw 33A of take-out device 33 and lifted upward.

Next, the transport stage 62 is located below the direct printing plate 26, and the direct printing plate 26 is lowered onto the transport stage 62. The carrying stage 62 on which the direct printing plate 26 is placed moves in the direction of arrow B. When the transport stage 62 is located above the insertion stage 64, the air cylinder 68 moves the claw 66 downward to bring it into contact with the end of the direct printing plate 26 on the side opposite to the direction of the arrow B. After that, the transport stage 62 moves in the direction opposite to the arrow B direction, and the direct printing plate 26 is dropped and placed on the insertion stage 64.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the insertion stage 6
4 tilts, and the block 68 pushes the direct printing plate 26 to the developing and fixing processing section 16.

In the developing and fixing processing section 16, the shutter 12
0 is opened, and the direct printing plate 26 passes through the inside of the developing chamber 134 while sliding on the back plate 122 (see FIG. 6). In the developing chamber 134, the positively charged toner particles in the liquid developer adhere to the exposed portions of the photoconductive photosensitive layer 30.

Direct printing plate 2 which has passed through the developing chamber 134
The excess liquid developer 6 adhering to the surface of the sheet 6 is squeezed by the sandwiching roller pair 156, and is conveyed to the outside of the shield case 116.

When the direct printing plate 26 reaches the squeeze portion 102, an air knife 36 is formed on the surface of the direct printing plate 26.
0 and the air from the blower 362 are blown, and then are conveyed to the drying unit 104 (see FIG. 12). In the drying unit 104, the end dryer 364 and the dryer 366 are provided.
The toner that has been moistened with warm air from is dried. The direct printing plate 26 thus developed has the fixing processing unit 1
It is transported to 06.

In the fixing processing section 106, the direct printing plate 2
The toner adhering to 6 is heated by the infrared rays emitted from the halogen heater 402 and melted and fixed (FIG. 15,
16).

Here, since the direct printing plate 26 has a large amount of heat radiation in the vicinity of the end portions, the temperature of the direct printing plate 26 tends to be low in the vicinity of the end portions even if infrared rays are uniformly irradiated. In this embodiment, since the vicinity of the side end portions 26A on both sides is passed twice below the halogen heater 402, there is almost no difference in the temperature of the direct printing plate 26 between the central portion and the side end portions 26. be able to.

The direct printing plate 26 that has passed through the fixing processing unit 106 is conveyed to the rotary cutting processing unit 110. Since the direct printing plate 26 has a high temperature immediately after the fixing processing unit 106 is carried out, the toner is in a soft state.

The direct printing plate 26 conveyed to the rotary cutting processing section 110 is cooled by the air jetted from the nozzles 500 near both ends in the width direction. As a result, the toner attached to the side end portion 26A is cured to some extent.

Thereafter, the direct printing plate 26 is chamfered by the cemented carbide cutter 510 at an upper corner portion of the side end portion 26A by about half the thickness T. The cutting powder generated by chamfering is collected by a suction device (not shown) via the suction nozzle 516 and the duct 518. The chamfered direct printing plate 26 is
It is conveyed to the cutting powder removing unit 112.

In the cutting powder removing section 112, the vicinity of the side edge 26A of the direct printing plate 26 is rubbed by the roll brush 618. As a result, even if the cutting powder adheres to the toner 27 remaining on the side end portion 26A, the roll brush 618 is used.
You can scrape it all off.

[0160] The cutting powder scraped off here is duct 64
Since it can be sucked by the suction means via 2, it is possible to prevent reattachment to the direct printing plate 26.

The roll-shaped brush 618 can scrape off the easily removable toner 27 attached to the side end portion 26A. Therefore, it is possible to prevent unnecessary toner 27 attached to the side end portion 26A from being deposited in the elution tank in the later elution step.

Thereafter, the direct printing plate 26 is also removed of foreign matter adhering to the surface thereof by the static elimination brush 700. In addition, the removed foreign matter is absorbed by the suction nozzle 702 and the duct 70.
It is collected via 3 via a suction device (not shown).

Thereafter, the direct printing plate 26 is nipped and conveyed by the nip roller 704. This nip roller 704
Since has adhesiveness, foreign matter that could not be completely removed by the static elimination brush 700 can be viscously removed. In addition,
Since the roller 704A on the upper side, which is in contact with the image forming surface, comes into contact with the adhesive roller 708 having a stronger adhesive force and rotates, the foreign matter adhering to the surface of the roller 704A is immediately removed by the adhesive roller 708. The image forming surface of the roller 704A can always contact the portion of the roller 704A where no foreign matter is attached. In this way, the direct printing plate 26 from which the foreign matter has been removed is conveyed to the water cooling unit 114.

In the water cooling section 114, the direct printing plate 26
Are conveyed in the direction of arrow A on the upper surface of the spray bed 712. Cooling water is sprayed from the spray nozzle 714 to the direct printing plate 26 being conveyed, and the whole is quickly cooled.

Thereafter, the direct printing plate 26 is transported by the transport roller pair 713, and the attached water is squeezed and transported to the elution processing section 18.

The direct printing plate 26 conveyed to the elution processing section 18 is dipped in an alkaline solution to elute the photoconductive photosensitive layer 30 without toner, that is, the non-image area. By this elution treatment, the surface of the electroconductive support 28 subjected to the hydrophilic treatment is exposed in the area of the direct printing plate 26 to which the toner is not attached.

After the elution treatment, the direct printing plate 26 is squeezed by the squeeze portion to be squeezed by the sandwiching roller and the alkaline solution adhering to the surface thereof. The squeezed direct printing plate 26 is conveyed to the water washing part, and the washing water is sprayed to completely remove the attached alkaline solution. When the direct printing plate 26 is conveyed and reaches the gum solution application section, the gum solution is applied. The direct printing plate 26, to which the gum solution has been applied, is blown with warm air in the drying section to dry the gum solution adhering to the surface. As a result, the non-image portion of the direct printing plate 26 (portion to which toner is not attached) is made hydrophilic.

The direct printing plate 26 that has been subjected to the elution processing is once put on standby in the standby section 20, and sent to the puncher section 22 after the plate inspection work and the like, and a not-shown punch for forming positioning is formed by a punch. .

In the direct printing plate 26 in which the positioning notch is formed in the puncher portion 22, both ends in the longitudinal direction of the direct printing plate 26 are bent to a predetermined size by a bending device (not shown) of the plate bending portion 24. Thus, the plate making process of the direct printing plate 26 is completed.

Next, the steps for making a plate will be described. In the electrophotographic plate making apparatus 10 of this embodiment, both the direct printing plate 26 and the desensitizing plate can be used as a printing plate.

Table 2 below shows the presence / absence of each process when the process changeover switch is switched to the stepwise plate making process (here, ○ indicates processing and × indicates no processing). .). The process shown in Table 2 is performed by the control device 47 based on the plate detection information of the optical sensor 61, which is detected by the optical sensor 61 for each type of printing plate placed on the lift table 56.

When performing the plate making process, the plate designating switch designating the type of printing plate to be processed is switched. As a result, the processing is switched between the case where the direct printing plate 26 is made to be a plate and the case where the desensitized plate is made to be a plate.

When the plate making process is carried out, the printing plate to be processed in the same manner as in the ordinary plate making is skid 5
It is mounted on the plate 2 and loaded on the plate supply unit 44.

[0174]

[Table 2]

When the changeover switch is changed over to the plate making process, the electric winch 166 operates and the frame 1
64 moves downward, and the direct printing plate 26 or the desensitizing plate discharged from the plate discharging unit 46 is conveyed to the fixing processing unit 106 via the guide plate 160.

Therefore, in the plate making process, both the direct printing plate 26 and the desensitizing plate are processed in the developing chamber 134.
Since it does not pass through, the toner that causes stains on the printed matter is not attached to either the direct printing plate 26 or the desensitizing plate.

Further, as shown in Table 2 above, in the electrophotographic plate making apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, charging, exposure, development and fixing were not performed in the plate processing of the desensitized plate, and the direct printing plate 26 was used. Since neither exposure nor development is performed, labor saving can be achieved.

Table 3 below shows an example of conditions for detecting the direct printing plate 26 and the desensitized plate as a printing plate. An alarm buzzer is connected to the control device 47 to warn that the printing plate placed on the skid 52 and the plate designating switch do not match. Further, in this case, the control device 47 can stop each process before drawing so as not to perform an erroneous process.

[0179]

[Table 3]

[Second Embodiment] A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.
It will be described according to 5. The same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 25, in this embodiment, the frame 164 can be swung up and down about the rotation shaft 167 as a fulcrum, and can be swung by the electric winch 166.

FIG. 25 shows the case where the developing process is performed. When the frame 164 is lowered, the guide plate 160
Is arranged at the same position as the back plate 122 at the time of development. In this embodiment, when the plate processing is performed, the frame 164 can be lowered and the direct printing plate 26 or the desensitized plate conveyed from the plate discharge section 46 can be conveyed on the guide plate 160. Further, the toner that causes stains during printing is not attached to the direct printing plate 26 or the desensitizing plate.

[0183]

As described above, since the planographic printing apparatus according to the first aspect has the above-mentioned structure, it is not necessary to insert a predetermined number of planographic printing plates one by one because the plate feeding / discharging unit conveys them one by one. Therefore, it has an excellent effect that the stencils can be produced efficiently. Further, since the process is carried out by passing through the developing chamber, there is an excellent effect that a high-quality streak plate without adhering ink can be produced.

Since the lithographic plate manufacturing apparatus according to the second aspect has the above-mentioned structure, it has an excellent effect that the optimum step processing can be surely performed based on the preset conditions.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of an electrophotographic plate making apparatus.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a direct printing plate.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a drawing unit.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a drawing unit and a plate feeding / discharging unit.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a plate feeding / discharging unit.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view near a shield case.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view near a developing electrode.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a liquid delivery nozzle.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between an automatic feed cap and a liquid replenishing unit.

FIG. 10 is a partial sectional view of an automatic feed cap.

FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view of the automatic feed cap in a liquid flowing state.

FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram of a developing / fixing processing unit.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a stored state of a concrete tank and an IG tank.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view around a fixing processing unit.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a fixing processing unit as seen from above.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of a fixing processing unit as viewed from the side.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of an end of a halogen heater.

FIG. 18 is a front view of one rotary cutting device as viewed from the downstream side of conveyance.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing a direct printing plate that has been chamfered.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of one of the cutting powder removing devices as viewed from the downstream side of conveyance.

FIG. 21 is a partial cross-sectional view of one of the cutting powder removing devices as viewed from above.

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of one cutting powder removing device as viewed from the downstream side of conveyance.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a charge eliminating brush, a nipping roller, and an adhesive roller.

FIG. 24 is a schematic configuration diagram of a fixing processing unit to a water cooling unit as viewed from the side.

FIG. 25 is a side view of the development processing unit according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 26 is a partial cross-sectional view of an automatic feed cap according to another embodiment.

FIG. 27 is a partial cross-sectional view of an automatic feed cap according to still another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Electrophotographic plate making device (lithographic plate making device) 12 Drawing unit 18 Elution processing section 26 Direct printing plate (lithographic printing plate) 47 Control device 61 Optical sensor (discrimination means) 106 fixing processing unit 134 Development room 160 Guide plate (bypass) 166 Electric winch (transport switching means)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A feeding / discharging unit that conveys a predetermined number of planographic printing plates to the drawing unit one by one, and a drawing that forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive layer by charging and exposing the photosensitive layer of the planographic printing plate. Part, a developing chamber for developing the lithographic printing plate with a liquid developer containing toner particles, a fixing processing part for heating and fixing the lithographic printing plate, and an elution processing part for eluting the non-image part of the photosensitive layer, A lithographic printing plate equipped with a gum solution coating section for coating the lithographic printing plate with a gum solution coating section was provided with a bypass on the downstream side of the drawing section so that the lithographic printing plate could pass through the developing chamber. A planographic production apparatus characterized by the above. 2. A discriminating unit provided upstream of the developing chamber for discriminating between a planographic printing plate having a photosensitive layer and a planographic printing plate having no photosensitive layer, and developing the planographic printing plate carried out from the drawing section. Conveyance switching means for conveying to either chamber or bypass, processing changeover switch for specifying either normal plate making processing or plate processing, lithographic printing plate processing with photosensitive layer and photosensitive layer A plate designating switch for designating any one of the processes of a planographic printing plate which has not been processed, a process changeover switch, a plate designating switch, the discrimination information of the discriminating means and the drawing section and the developing chamber based on the prestored conditions. The planographic printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a control device that controls each process of the fixing processing unit and the operation of the transport switching unit.