JP5811901B2 - Plate making apparatus, image forming apparatus and plate making method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a plate making apparatus, an image forming apparatus, and a plate making method.

  Conventionally, an offset printing method using a planographic printing plate is known as a typical image forming method. In such an offset printing method, first, a hydrophilic portion and an ink-philic portion are formed on the plate surface corresponding to image information. Next, dampening water is attached to the hydrophilic portion, and ink is selectively attached only to the ink-philic portion to form an ink image. Further, the formed ink image is transferred onto a recording medium via a blanket roller to form an image.

  With such an offset printing method, it is possible to continuously form a high-quality image. However, an aluminum plate (PS plate) covered with a photosensitive layer is exposed and etched according to image information. The plate making process is complicated, and it is necessary to treat the waste liquid discharged in the plate making process.

  Furthermore, in the offset printing method, it is impossible to erase the plate image formed on the PS plate and reuse the PS plate. For this, a technique is also provided in which the surface of the plate is made of titanium or a titanium alloy and the plate surface is reversibly hydrophilized and hydrophobized to recycle the plate (for example, Patent Documents). 1), this technique is not preferable for printing a small lot because it takes a long time to erase a plate image once formed.

  As described above, the offset printing method has a complicated plate making process and it is difficult to reuse the plate, so that the plate making cost is high, and the unit price becomes very high when the number of printed copies is small. Therefore, in order to print a small lot at a low cost, a printing method with a low plate making cost is required.

  On the other hand, as an image forming method that does not have a complicated plate making process such as offset printing, an electrophotographic method in which an electrostatic latent image is developed with dry toner or wet toner (for example, see Patent Document 2), and a magnetic latent image is magnetized. Magnetography (for example, see Patent Document 3) that develops with toner, an ink jet system (for example, see Patent Document 4) that ejects ink as fine droplets, and the like are provided.

JP 2001-353974 A JP 2005-352371 A JP 2009-51119 A JP 2004-148618 A

  However, each of these image forming methods does not have a complicated plate making process, but uses powder and droplets as a color material, so that the image quality is lower than that of offset printing due to the scattering of powder and droplets. There is a problem of doing. In addition, in the electrophotographic method, a latent image is formed by static electricity, so the charge amount may change depending on the environment, and it is difficult to maintain a stable image quality. In the magnetography method, color toner is used because color toner is used. There is a problem that the color reproducibility at the time of conversion is poor. Further, the ink jet method uses a low-viscosity ink, so that there is a problem that the ink oozes on the recording medium or an image defect occurs due to clogging of the head.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a plate making apparatus, an image forming apparatus, and a plate making method capable of printing a small lot at a low cost and capable of forming an image with good image quality. .

In order to solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present invention,
A printing plate part made of a temperature-sensitive material whose hardness changes reversibly at the transition temperature;
A heating section for heating and softening the temperature-sensitive material to a transition temperature or higher;
A carrier having an ink repellent layer on the surface;
A drive unit for contacting and separating the printing plate unit and the carrier; and
In a state where the printing plate portion and the carrier are brought into contact with each other by the driving unit, the region corresponding to the non-image portion on the printing plate unit is heated and softened by the heating unit, and the ink repellent layer and The non-image area in which the ink repellent layer is adhered on the printing plate portion and the ink repellent layer by increasing the adhesion force of the ink and separating the carrier and the printing plate portion by the drive unit There is provided a plate making apparatus comprising: a control unit that forms a plate image including an image region to which no is attached.

In the plate making apparatus, preferably,
A cooling unit for cooling and curing the temperature-sensitive material below the transition temperature;
The ink repellent layer has adhesiveness, and the ink repellent layer carries ink repellent plate particles on the carrier.
The control unit heats and softens a region corresponding to a non-image portion on the printing plate unit by the heating unit in a state where the printing unit and the carrier are in contact with each other by the driving unit. Increasing the adhesion between the ink-repellent layer and the plate particles, cooling and curing the printing plate portion by the cooling unit, and separating the printing plate unit and the carrier by the driving unit, A plate image composed of a non-image area to which the ink repellent layer and the plate particles are attached and an image area to which the ink repellent layer and the plate particles are not attached is formed on the printing plate portion.

In the plate making apparatus, preferably,
The ink repellent layer is a silicon-based adhesive or a fluorine-based adhesive.

According to another aspect of the invention,
An image forming apparatus including the plate making apparatus is provided.

According to still another aspect of the present invention,
An abutting step of abutting a carrier having an ink-repellent layer on a printing plate portion made of a temperature-sensitive material whose hardness changes reversibly with a transition temperature as a boundary;
A heating step of heating and softening a region corresponding to a non-image portion on the printing plate portion to increase the adhesion with the ink repellent layer;
By separating the printing plate portion and the carrier, the printing plate portion includes a non-image region to which the ink repellent layer is attached and an image region to which the ink repellent layer is not attached. There is provided a plate making method comprising a separation step of forming a plate image.

  According to the present invention, printing of a small lot can be performed at low cost, and an image with good image quality can be formed.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming unit provided in an image forming apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of an image forming unit. It is a figure explaining formation of the plate by an image forming unit. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the modification of the image forming unit provided in an image forming apparatus.

  EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated using drawing. However, although various technically preferable limitations for implementing the present invention are given to the embodiments described below, the scope of the invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an image forming apparatus 1000 according to the present invention.
FIG. 1 illustrates a full-color image forming apparatus 1000 including a plurality of image forming units as an image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to the full-color system, and only a monochrome image is displayed. The present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus that employs an image forming unit for forming one color (such as black). Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to small-sized printers, office multifunction devices, and image forming apparatuses capable of high-speed and large-volume printing for commercial printing.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus 1000 according to the present invention includes an image forming unit 100, a paper feeding unit 58, a paper discharge stocker 57, and the like, and the image forming unit 100 is provided with an operation unit 50. Yes.

  Inside the image forming unit 100, a plurality of image forming units 100A described later are provided corresponding to each color for forming a full-color image. The image forming unit 100A forms an image on the recording medium S conveyed from the paper supply unit 58. The recording medium S on which an image has been formed and post-processed as necessary is discharged to a paper discharge stocker 57.

  The image forming unit 100A will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the image forming unit 100A. The image forming unit 100A includes a plate making apparatus 20 according to the present invention.

  The image forming unit 100A includes a plate making apparatus 20 that forms a plate image on the printing plate portion 2, an ink supply portion 8 that forms an ink image by supplying ink to the surface of the printing plate portion 2 on which the plate image is formed, and printing. The blanket roller 9 to which the ink image formed on the plate unit 2 is transferred, the recording medium S is pressed against the blanket roller 9, the pressure roller 10 for transferring the ink image to the recording medium S, and the deposits on the blanket roller 9 are removed. A blanket roller cleaner 11 and the like are provided.

  The ink supply unit 8, the blanket roller 9, the pressing roller 10, and the blanket roller cleaner 11 constituting the image forming unit 100A may be the same as those used in an existing offset printing type image forming apparatus. it can.

The plate making apparatus 20 includes the following members. That is, the plate making apparatus 20 includes a plate particle carrier (carrier) 1 that carries ink-repellent plate particles 15 on the surface, a supply device 3 that supplies the plate particles 15 to the plate particle carrier 1, and a plate particle carrier 1. The plate particle monolayering device 4 for monolithizing the plate particles 15 carried on the plate, the first cleaning unit 7 for removing the plate particles 15 carried on the surface of the plate particle carrier 1, and the transition temperature Tm as a boundary. A printing plate portion 2 made of a temperature-sensitive material whose hardness changes reversibly, a first driving portion (driving portion) 13 for bringing the plate particle carrier 1 and the printing plate portion 2 into contact with and apart from each other, and the printing plate portion 2. The second drive unit 14 to be rotated, the thermal head (heating unit) 5 for heating the printing plate unit 2 to a transition temperature Tm or higher, the cooling roller (cooling unit) 6 for cooling the printing plate unit 2 to a temperature lower than the transition temperature Tm, the printing plate The second cleaning unit 12 for cleaning the surface of the plate unit 2 and the hydrophilicity of the surface of the plate unit 2 are increased. Surface treatment unit 19, a control unit 90 for controlling the respective units. The control unit 90 controls each unit constituting the image forming unit 100A.
The roller members constituting the image forming unit 100A and the plate making apparatus 20 are arranged so that their rotation axes are substantially parallel to each other.

Here, the hydrophobicity (water repellency) in the present invention means that it is difficult to adjust to water due to the influence of a hydrophobic group such as an alkyl group, and the pure water contact angle is larger than 90 °.
Further, the ink repellency in the present invention means that it exhibits hydrophobicity due to the influence of a hydrophobic group such as an alkyl group and has a low critical surface tension. In other words, ink repellency means that a pure water contact angle is larger than 90 ° and a critical surface tension is 25 mN / m or less, but is not strictly limited to this numerical range.
Further, the hydrophilicity in the present invention means that it is easy to adjust to water due to the influence of a hydroxyl group, an amino group or the like, and the pure water contact angle is 90 ° or less.
In addition, the ink affinity in the present invention refers to hydrophilicity due to the influence of hydrophilic groups such as hydroxyl groups and amino groups, and high critical surface tension.

  The above-mentioned members constituting the image forming unit 100A are arranged around the printing plate portion 2 with the printing plate portion 2 as a center, and are subjected to surface treatment along the rotation direction of the printing plate portion 2 by the second drive unit 14. The unit 19, the first drive unit 13, the thermal head 5, the cooling roller 6, the ink supply unit 8, the blanket roller 9, and the second cleaning unit 12 are arranged in this order. The plate particle carrier 1 is formed in an endless belt shape, and is stretched between the first drive unit 13 and the cooling roller 6.

  The first drive unit 13 is provided so as to come into contact with the printing plate unit 2 via the plate particle carrier 1, and is configured to be rotationally driven in the arrow direction in FIG. When the first drive unit 13 is driven to rotate, the plate particle carrier 1 is rotated.

  The plate particle carrier 1 is stretched around the first drive unit 13 and the cooling roller 6, and is supported so as to be rotatable in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Further, the plate particle carrier 1 abuts on the surface of the printing plate portion 2 in a region A (see FIG. 2) between the first driving unit 13 and the cooling roller 6, and the printing plate portion in a portion other than the region A. 2 apart. That is, the plate particle carrier 1 and the printing plate part 2 can be brought into contact with and separated from each other by rotating the plate particle carrier 1 by the first drive unit 13.

The plate particle carrier 1 is configured by providing a layer of an ink repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive (ink repellent layer) 1b having ink repellency and adhesiveness on the surface of a substrate 1a. The plate particle carrier 1 can carry the plate particles 15 by the adhesive force of the ink repellent adhesive 1b. Further, since the thermal head 5 to be described later heats the surface of the printing plate portion 2 via the plate particle carrier 1, the plate particle carrier 1 can efficiently transmit heat from the thermal head 5 to the printing plate portion 2. Is preferably in the form of a thin film. The ink repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive 1b may have ink repellency and adhesiveness and have a rigidity (shear elastic modulus, 20 ° C.) of 1 × 10 ⁷ Pa or less.
As such a plate particle carrier 1, for example, a polyimide sheet having a thickness of 10 μm is used as the base material 1 a, and a silicon-based adhesive is applied on the polyimide sheet as an ink-repellent adhesive 1 b with a thickness of 10 μm. Is used. Specifically, as the ink repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive 1b, for example, PI base silicone tape 171 manufactured by Kyori Giken Kagaku Co., Ltd. is used.

The material of the substrate 1a is not limited to polyimide, and any material may be used as long as it has a heat resistance temperature equal to or higher than the heating temperature by the thermal head 5.
The ink repellent pressure sensitive adhesive 1b is not limited to a silicon pressure sensitive adhesive, and any material may be used as long as it is a material having both ink repellency and adhesiveness, such as a fluorine pressure sensitive adhesive. Further, the ink repellent pressure sensitive adhesive 1b may be constituted by mixing an ink repellent material with a conventionally known pressure sensitive adhesive as long as it has ink repellency and adhesiveness. The adhesive property of the ink repellent adhesive 1b is such that the plate particles 15 supplied to the plate particle carrier 1 can be reliably attached and transported to the contact portion with the printing plate portion 2 without dropping. It only has to have power.

  In the vicinity of the plate particle carrier 1, a supply device 3, a plate particle monolayer device 4, and a first cleaning unit 7 are provided.

  The supply device 3 supplies the plate particles 15 to a portion other than the region A of the plate particle carrier 1 and carries the plate particles 15 on the surface of the plate particle carrier 1. The plate particles 15 supplied to the surface of the plate particle carrier 1 by the supply device 3 are formed in a plurality of layers on the surface of the plate particle carrier 1 due to the adhesive force on the surface of the plate particle carrier 1 and the cohesive force between particles. It adheres and forms a layer of plate particles 15.

  The plate particle 15 is a particle having ink repellency on the surface. As the plate particle 15, for example, a metal particle such as aluminum or titanium or a silica particle subjected to a silane coupling hydrophobic treatment, a particle whose surface is coated with a fluorine compound such as Teflon (registered trademark) or PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) And silicon powder. In consideration of the image quality of the image formed on the recording medium S, the average particle size of the plate particles 15 is preferably 1 to 10 μm, and more preferably 2 μm to 4 μm. Further, the plate particles 15 are preferably very close to a true sphere, and preferably have a smooth surface. When the plate particles 15 have these sizes and shapes, the non-image area formed by the plate particles 15 adhering to the printing plate portion 2 can easily repel ink, and image fog can be suppressed. As such plate particle 15, specifically, the surface of Seahoster KE-H250 having a particle size of 2.63 μm manufactured by Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd. can be used.

  The plate particle monolayering device 4 is used to make the layer of the plate particles 15 formed on the surface of the plate particle carrier 1 by the supply device 3 into a layer corresponding to one particle of the plate particle 15 (single layering). Device. The plate particle monolayering device 4 includes, for example, a cylindrical air discharge portion 4a provided toward the surface of the plate particle carrier 1, and a suction portion 4b that sucks air discharged from the air discharge portion 4a. It is composed of

  The air discharge unit 4 a incorporates an airflow generation device such as a fan that is rotationally driven by electric power, and blows air onto the surface of the plate particle carrier 1. Of the layer of plate particles 15 formed on the surface of the plate particle carrier 1, the plate particles 15 that are not in direct contact with the plate particle carrier 1, that is, agglomeration between the particles, is released by the air released from the air discharge part 4a. Only the plate particles 15 adhering to the plate particle carrier 1 are blown off by force and sucked into the suction part 4b. The plate particles 15 sucked by the suction unit 4 b are collected by a predetermined filter, and the plate particles 15 are prevented from scattering in the image forming unit 100. Further, it is preferable that a mechanism is provided in the vicinity of the suction unit 4b to return the plate particles 15 collected by the suction unit 4b to the supply device 3 by a screw member or pneumatic conveying means. The particles 15 can be reused.

The amount of air discharged to the surface of the plate particle carrier 1 by the air discharge part 4a is such that the plate particles 15 attached to the plate particle carrier 1 can be blown off by the cohesive force between the particles, and the plate particle carrier The air volume is sufficient to prevent the plate particles 15 adhering to the plate particle carrier 1 from being blown off by the adhesive force of 1, and is appropriately adjusted according to the shape of the air discharge unit 4a and the configuration of the image forming unit 100. .
In the present embodiment, since the plate particle carrier 1 carries the plate particles by the adhesive force of the ink repellent adhesive 1b, it is attached only to the plate particles 15 that are in direct contact with the ink repellent adhesive 1b. It has adhesion and does not have adhesion to the plate particles 15 that are not in contact with the ink repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive 1b. Therefore, it is easy to remove and collect the second and subsequent plate particles 15 adhering to the surface of the plate particle carrier 1, and the plate particles 15 can be easily monolayered by the plate particle monolayering device 4.

  The plate particle monolayering device 4 does not have to be composed of the air discharge portion 4a and the suction portion 4b. For example, the plate particle single layer forming device 4 is applied to the layer of the plate particles 15 formed on the surface of the plate particle carrier 1. In the configuration in which the adhesive particles and the urethane rubber blade are brought into contact with each other to remove the second layer and subsequent plate particles 15, or in the configuration in which the plate particle carrier 1 is subjected to ultrasonic vibration to remove the second layer and subsequent plate particles 15. There may be.

  The first cleaning unit 7 is provided in contact with the plate particle carrier 1 in a portion other than the region A of the plate particle carrier 1, and is configured to be rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The 1st cleaning part 7 has the web sheet by which cleaning liquid, such as pure water and isopropyl alcohol aqueous solution, was held on the surface. When the first cleaning unit 7 is driven to rotate, the surface of the plate particle carrier 1 is web-cleaned to remove the plate particles 15 from the plate particle carrier 1, and the plate particle carrier 1 carries the plate particles 15 on its surface. It will be in a state that has not been done. Since the plate particle carrier 1 carries the plate particles 15 by the adhesive force of the ink-repellent adhesive 1b, the adhesive force is not lost even after the plate particles 15 are removed by the first cleaning unit 7. Therefore, the plate can be continuously formed without exchanging the plate particle carrier 1, and the plate particles 15 can be uniformly carried on the plate particle carrier 1.

  In addition, the 1st cleaning part 7 may be comprised by the sponge roller etc., In this case, cleaning liquid, such as a pure water and isopropyl alcohol aqueous solution, is hold | maintained on the sponge roller surface.

  The plate part 2 is provided so as to cover the surface of the second drive part 14 formed in a drum shape. The 2nd drive part 14 rotates the printing plate part 2 by rotationally driving in the arrow direction in FIG. The second drive unit 14 is made of, for example, glass, aluminum, or other material.

  The printing plate portion 2 is made of a temperature sensitive material whose hardness reversibly changes with the transition temperature Tm as a boundary. The temperature-sensitive material is cured and has no tackiness when the temperature is lower than the transition temperature Tm, but becomes soft when it is equal to or higher than the transition temperature Tm, and exhibits tackiness, fluidity, and the like. As the temperature sensitive material used for the printing plate portion 2, for example, a side chain crystalline polymer is preferable.

  The composition of the side chain crystalline polymer is, for example, 30 to 99 parts by mass of a (meth) acrylate having a linear alkyl group having 16 or more carbon atoms, preferably 16 to 22 carbon atoms, and an alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms. Examples thereof include a polymer obtained by polymerizing 0 to 70 parts by mass of an acrylic ester or methacrylic ester having a group and 1 to 10 parts by mass of a polar monomer.

  Examples of the (meth) acrylate having a linear alkyl group having 16 or more carbon atoms as a side chain include carbon such as cetyl (meth) acrylate, stearyl (meth) acrylate, eicosyl (meth) acrylate, and behenyl (meth) acrylate. The (meth) acrylate which has a linear alkyl group of several 16-22 is mentioned. Examples of the (meth) acrylate having an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms include methyl (meth) acrylate, ethyl (meth) acrylate, butyl (meth) acrylate, hexyl (meth) acrylate, and the like. Examples of polar monomers include carboxyl group-containing ethylenically unsaturated monomers such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, crotonic acid, itaconic acid, maleic acid, and fumaric acid; 2-hydroxyethyl (meth) acrylate, 2-hydroxypropyl ( Examples thereof include ethylenically unsaturated monomers having a hydroxyl group such as (meth) acrylate and 2-hydroxyhexyl (meth) acrylate.

  Specifically, as a temperature-sensitive material used for the printing plate portion 2, for example, a cool-off intelligent product manufactured by NITTA CORPORATION can be used. The cool-off intelligent polymer has a pure water contact angle of 90 °, is softened at a transition temperature Tm or higher, exhibits fluidity, adhesiveness, and the like, and is cured at a transition temperature Tm below. Such a change in state of the cool-off intelligenter can occur reversibly each time it is heated or cooled, and the change in state occurs sharply in a temperature range of about 5 ° C. For example, a cool-off intelligent polymer having a thickness of 40 μm and a transition temperature Tm of 55 ° C. can be used, but these values can be appropriately changed depending on the type of the plate particle 15 and the configuration of the image forming unit 100. It is.

  As the temperature sensitive material used for the printing plate section 2, in addition to the above-mentioned cool-off intelligent polymer, Elcrista manufactured by Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., and general paraffinic wax having a melting point of about 58 ° C. are used. You can also.

  In addition, as the temperature-sensitive material used in the printing plate portion 2, an ink-philic material is preferably used. For example, a compound having a large amount of a hydrophilic group such as a hydroxyl group or an amino group, or a hydrophobic group such as an alkyl group. And a compound having a high critical surface tension.

  The surface treatment unit 19 increases the hydrophilicity of the surface of the plate part 2 after the plate part 2 is cleaned by the second cleaning unit 12 and before the plate is formed on the plate part 2. The surface treatment unit 19 includes a surface treatment belt 191 disposed in contact with the printing plate unit 2, a heating roller 192, a cooling roller 193, and the like disposed so as to contact the printing plate unit 2 through the surface treatment belt 191. It is composed of The surface treatment belt 191 is stretched around the heating roller 192 and the cooling roller 193. When the heating roller 192 and the cooling roller 193 are driven to rotate, the surface treatment belt 191 is rotated to come into contact with a predetermined region on the surface of the printing plate portion 2, and when the surface treatment belt 191 is further rotated, the predetermined surface treatment belt 191 is rotated. Separate from the area. The heating roller 192 and the cooling roller 193 are provided in the order of the heating roller 192 and the cooling roller 193 along the rotation direction of the printing plate unit 2.

The surface treatment belt 191 has a hydrophilic surface. The material used for the surface treatment belt 191 may be any material as long as it is hydrophilic. For example, polyethylene (pure water contact angle is about 88 °), polyethylene terephthalate, glass and polyimide (pure Water contact angle is about 90 °). Moreover, since the heating roller 192 heats the surface of the printing plate part 2 via the surface treatment belt 191, it is preferable that the material of the surface treatment belt 191 has high heat resistance. The thickness of the surface treatment belt 191 is not particularly limited, but for example, a thickness of 100 μm is used.
In addition, the surface treatment belt 191 may be made of a material having hydrophilicity as a whole, or only a portion in contact with the printing plate portion 2 may be made of a material having hydrophilicity. good.

  Here, the printing plate portion 2 is configured as described above, and is made of a material in which a hydrophilic component and a hydrophobic component are mixed. When the surface treatment belt 191 having a hydrophilic surface is brought into contact with the surface of the printing plate portion 2, the hydrophilic component contained in the printing plate portion 2 is attracted to the surface treatment belt 191 and the hydrophilic component is printed. A large amount is present on the surface side of the plate portion 2. Thereby, the surface treatment part 19 can improve the hydrophilic property of the surface of the printing plate part 2.

The heating roller 192 is provided so as to come into contact with the printing plate portion 2 via the surface treatment belt 191 and is configured to be rotationally driven. The heating roller 192 heats the printing plate part 2 to the transition temperature Tm or higher via the surface treatment belt 191 to soften it. When the heating roller 192 heats the printing plate portion 2, the printing plate portion 2 in contact with the surface treatment belt 191 is softened to generate fluidity, and the hydrophilic component contained in the printing plate portion 2 is exposed to the surface. It becomes easy to be attracted to the processing belt 191. Accordingly, when the surface treatment belt 191 is brought into contact with the printing plate portion 2, the heating plate 192 is heated and softened by the heating roller 192, thereby increasing the hydrophilicity of the surface of the printing plate portion 2 as compared with the case where it is not heated. be able to.
Further, the heating roller 192 not only heats the printing plate portion 2 to cause fluidity but also softens and smoothes the surface of the printing plate portion 2, so that the printing plate portion 2 is formed before forming the plate image. The apparatus configuration and the process for smoothing are not necessary, and the plate making apparatus and the plate making method according to the present invention can be simplified.

The cooling roller 193 is provided so as to come into contact with the printing plate unit 2 via the surface treatment belt 191 and is configured to be rotationally driven. The cooling roller 193 cools the printing plate portion 2 to a temperature lower than the transition temperature Tm via the surface treatment belt 191 and hardens it. For example, the surface temperature of the cooling roller 193 is set to about 20 ° C. Here, when the surface of the printing plate portion 2 that has been softened and has flowed comes into contact with air, the hydrophobic component contained in the printing plate portion 2 is attracted to the surface side, and the surface of the printing plate portion 2 is hydrophobic. However, in the present embodiment, the softened printing plate portion 2 is cooled by the cooling roller 193 via the surface treatment belt 191, so that the printing plate portion 2 can be cured without being exposed to air. Therefore, the hydrophilic component contained in the printing plate portion 2 is maintained in a state of being attracted to the surface side of the printing plate portion 2.
Thus, since the surface treatment unit 19 includes the cooling roller 193, the printing plate unit 2 heated and softened to the transition temperature Tm or more can be quickly cooled, and the time required for forming the plate image can be shortened. .

In addition, although the surface treatment part 19 shall be provided with the cooling roller 193, it does not need to be provided with this. In this case, for example, the printing plate portion 2 is allowed to cool until the temperature of the heated and softened printing plate portion 2 is lowered to a temperature lower than the transition temperature Tm, and then the surface treatment belt 191 is separated from the printing plate portion 2. Let As described above, even if the cooling roller 193 is not provided, the hydrophilicity of the surface of the printing plate portion 2 can be increased. In this case, the plate making apparatus and the plate making method according to the present invention can be simplified.
Moreover, although the surface treatment part 19 shall be provided with the heating roller 192 and the cooling roller 193, it does not need to be provided with these. In this case, since the surface treatment belt 191 is only brought into contact with the printing plate portion 2, the plate making apparatus and the plate making method according to the present invention can be simplified, and heating and cooling by the surface treatment portion 19 are unnecessary. Therefore, the time required for forming the plate image can be shortened. Further, in this case, the image forming unit 100A smoothes the surface of the printing plate portion 2 after cleaning the surface of the printing plate portion 2 and before forming a new plate image on the printing plate portion 2. It is preferable that a heating member to be converted is provided.

  The thermal head 5 is provided so as to come into contact with the printing plate portion 2 via the plate particle carrier 1 in the region A of the plate particle carrier 1 and is fixed at the position. That is, the thermal head 5 heats the printing plate portion 2 at the position even if the plate particle carrier 1 or the printing plate portion 2 rotates.

The thermal head 5 is provided so as to extend in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the second drive unit 14 and the like, and a plurality of heating elements (not shown) are arranged along the extending direction. The thermal head 5 selectively heats the surface of the printing plate unit 2 by selectively generating heat from a plurality of heating elements based on the image signal processed and output by the control unit 90. Further, the thermal head 5 heats the surface of the printing plate portion 2 and simultaneously pressurizes the portion. The pressure applied to the plate part 2 by the thermal head 5 may be 20 Pa or more, and preferably 100 Pa or more. Specifically, the pressure applied to the printing plate part 2 by the thermal head 5 can be set to about 20 kPa, for example.
Accordingly, when the first driving unit 13 and the second driving unit 14 are rotationally driven, the region corresponding to the non-image portion of the surface of the printing plate unit 2 is heated by the thermal head 5 to the transition temperature Tm or higher, Only the area softens. The softened region of the printing plate portion 2 adheres to the plate particles 15 carried on the plate particle carrier 1.

  As the heating means for selectively heating and softening the printing plate unit 2, for example, the laser beam modulated and emitted according to the image signal is set in the direction of the rotation axis of the first driving unit 13 and the second driving unit 14. Laser light emitting means for scanning in parallel directions may be used. In this case, it becomes possible to precisely control the heating area in the surface of the printing plate portion 2, and the plate can be formed with high accuracy. By forming a plate with high accuracy in this way, a high-quality image can be formed using the plate.

  The cooling roller 6 is provided so as to come into contact with the printing plate portion 2 via the plate particle carrier 1 and is configured to be rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Since the cooling roller 6 and the first driving unit 13 are arranged in contact with the printing plate unit 2, the plate particle carrier 1 stretched between the cooling roller 6 and the first driving unit 13 is the printing plate unit in the region A. 2 is in close contact with. The cooling roller 6 cools the printing plate portion 2 to a temperature lower than the transition temperature Tm via the plate particle carrier 1. Thereby, the printing plate part 2 heated and softened by the thermal head 5 is cured. In the region heated by the thermal head 5 in the surface of the printing plate portion 2, the plate particles 15 carried on the plate particle carrier 1 are fixed to the cured printing plate portion 2 which is cooled to a temperature lower than the transition temperature Tm. .

  The cooling roller 6 may be configured to selectively cool the printing plate unit 2. In this case, the cooling roller 6 includes a plurality of Peltier elements arranged in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the second drive unit 14 and the like, and is processed and output by the control unit 90. Based on the above, the plurality of Peltier elements are selectively cooled. Thereby, the cooling roller 6 selectively cools a region corresponding to the non-image portion in the surface of the plate part 2. Since the cooling roller 6 can selectively cool only the region corresponding to the non-image portion of the printing plate portion 2 (the portion heated by the thermal head 5), it is possible to suppress the occurrence of temperature unevenness on the surface of the cooling roller 6. . Since uneven temperature on the surface of the cooling roller 6 can be suppressed, the cooling roller 6 can sufficiently cool the surface of the printing plate portion 2 and can form a plate on the printing plate portion 2 with high accuracy.

Here, the force with which the printing plate portion 2 fixes the plate particles 15 is larger than the force with which the plate particle carrier 1 carries the plate particles 15. Therefore, when the plate particle carrier 1 and the printing plate part 2 are separated from each other by the first driving unit 13, the plate particles 15 are fixed to the heating portion of the surface of the printing plate unit 2 by the thermal head 5, and are not heated. The plate particles 15 are not fixed to the portion. As a result, a region (non-image region) where the plate particles 15 are fixed and a region (image region) where the plate particles 15 are not fixed can be formed on the printing plate unit 2. A plate image can be formed.
Further, when the printing plate portion 2 is heated in a state where the plate particle carrier 1 and the printing plate portion 2 are in contact with each other, the printing plate portion 2 is softened in the heated portion and adhesion to the plate particle carrier 1 is increased. Moreover, the adhesiveness of the ink-repellent adhesive 1b of the plate particle carrier 1 is increased in the heated portion. When the plate particle carrier 1 and the printing plate portion 2 are in close contact, the printing plate portion 2 comes into contact with the gap between the plate particles 15 on the surface of the ink repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive 1b, and further the ink-repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive 1b. As a result, the ink-repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive 1b and the printing plate portion 2 are strongly bonded to each other at the heated portion of the printing plate portion 2. Therefore, when the plate particle carrier 1 and the printing plate part 2 are separated from each other by the first driving unit 13, a part of the ink repellent pressure sensitive adhesive 1b in the thickness direction adheres to the heated portion of the printing plate unit 2 together with the plate particles 15. Is done.

  The surface treatment unit 19, the plate particle carrier 1, the first drive unit 13, the thermal head 5, and the cooling roller 6 each configured as described above are respectively connected to the printing plate unit 2 by a predetermined contact / separation mechanism (not shown). It is comprised so that it can be spaced apart from. In the case where the same image is repeatedly formed on the recording medium S, the surface treatment unit 19, the plate particle carrier 1, the first drive unit 13, the thermal head 5 and the cooling roller 6 are connected to the plate unit 2 by the contact / separation mechanism. Separate from.

The ink supply unit 8 includes an ink supply roller 8a, an ink container 8b, and an ink regulating blade 8c.
Ink is stored in the ink container 8b and is appropriately replenished from an ink replenisher (not shown). The ink used in the present embodiment has a property that it easily adheres to the surface of an ink-philic material and hardly adheres to the surface of an ink-repellent material. Therefore, it is preferable that the ink stored in the ink container 8b contains a lot of highly hydrophilic materials and has a high surface tension. Furthermore, the ink stored in the ink container 8b preferably has a high viscosity. Specifically, the viscosity is preferably 30 Pa seconds or more, and more preferably 170 Pa seconds or more. By increasing the viscosity of the ink, it is possible to prevent the ink supplied to the printing plate unit 2 from entering between the plate particles 15 fixed in the region corresponding to the non-image portion of the printing plate unit 2. And the occurrence of image defects such as ink fogging can be suppressed. For the same reason, the occurrence of image defects such as ink fogging can also be suppressed by increasing the surface tension of the ink.

  As an example of the ink used in the present embodiment, there is an existing waterless offset oil-based ink (for example, DRI-O-COLOR Naturalis manufactured by DIC Graphics Co., Ltd.). Other than this, a waterless offset oil-based ink mixed with an alcohol such as ethanol or a water-based ink with a viscosity increased to the same level as that of the offset ink by a thickener.

  The ink supply roller 8a is provided in contact with the printing plate portion 2 and is configured to be rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The ink supply roller 8a rotates and passes through the ink container 8b, holds the ink stored in the ink container 8b on the surface, and comes into contact with the ink regulating blade 8c. The ink regulating blade 8c is provided at a position in contact with the surface of the ink supply roller 8a holding the ink, and the ink held on the surface of the ink supply roller 8a is an ink having a thickness of 2 μm to 50 μm, preferably 4 μm to 10 μm. Layer. The ink supply roller 8 a having an ink layer held on the surface abuts on the plate part 2 and supplies an appropriate amount of ink to the surface of the plate part 2. On the surface of the printing plate portion 2, the area where the plate particles 15 are fixed (non-image area) is the area where the plate particles 15 are not repellent because the plate particles 15 are ink repellent, and the area where the plate particles 15 are not fixed (image). Ink adheres only to (region). Thereby, an ink image can be formed on the surface of the printing plate part 2 without using dampening water.

  The blanket roller 9 is provided in contact with the printing plate portion 2 and is configured to be rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The blanket roller 9 is in contact with the printing plate portion 2 and an ink image formed on the surface of the printing plate portion 2 is transferred to the surface. Further, the surface of the blanket roller 9 is configured to be ink-philic.

  The pressing roller 10 is provided in contact with the blanket roller 9 and is configured to be rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The pressing roller 10 nips the recording medium S supplied from the paper feeding unit 58 during image formation between the blanket roller 9 and rotates while pressing the nipped recording medium S toward the blanket roller 9 side. An ink image on the surface of the blanket roller 9 is transferred onto the medium S. Thereby, an image is formed on the recording medium S.

  The blanket roller cleaner 11 is provided in contact with the blanket roller 9 after the ink image is transferred to the recording medium S and before the next ink image is transferred to the surface, and the surface of the blanket roller 9 is subjected to web cleaning. To remove deposits. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the adhering matter such as ink remaining on the surface of the blanket roller 9 from being transferred to the next recording medium S, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in image quality.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, when the circumferential length and the rotation speed of the printing plate portion 2 and the blanket roller 9 are equal, the blanket roller cleaner 11 is operated by a predetermined contact / separation mechanism (not shown). You may be comprised so that it can be spaced apart from. If the peripheral length and rotational speed of the printing plate portion 2 and the blanket roller 9 are equal, when the same image is repeatedly formed on the recording medium S, deposits such as ink remain on the surface of the blanket roller 9. This is because the image quality does not deteriorate. That is, when the same image is repeatedly formed on the recording medium S, the blanket roller cleaner 11 is separated from the blanket roller 9, and when the image to be formed on the recording medium S is switched, the blanket roller cleaner 11 May abut against the blanket roller 9 to remove deposits adhering to the blanket roller 9.

  The second cleaning unit 12 is used after the printing plate unit 2 transfers the ink image to the blanket roller 9 and before another plate image is formed on the printing plate unit 2 again. Clean the surface. The second cleaning unit 12 includes an ultrasonic cleaning unit 16 that removes the plate particles 15 and the like from the surface of the printing plate unit 2, a web cleaning unit 17 that removes ink remaining on the surface of the printing plate unit 2, and the like. The ultrasonic cleaning unit 16 and the web cleaning unit 17 are arranged in the order of the ultrasonic cleaning unit 16 and the web cleaning unit 17 along the rotation direction of the printing plate unit 2.

  The ultrasonic cleaning unit 16 includes a cleaning liquid container 16a and an ultrasonic vibration unit 16b. The cleaning liquid is stored in the cleaning liquid container 16a, and the cleaning liquid container 16a is arranged so that a part of the printing plate portion 2 is immersed in the cleaning liquid. The cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid container 16a is not particularly limited as long as it does not degrade each part of the image forming unit 100A. For example, an isopropyl alcohol aqueous solution or the like is used. The cleaning liquid container 16a is appropriately supplemented with a cleaning liquid from a cleaning liquid replenisher (not shown). The ultrasonic vibration part 16b is provided at the bottom of the cleaning liquid container 16a, and oscillates ultrasonic waves on the surface of the printing plate part 2 through the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid container 16a. As a result, the plate particles 15 fixed on the surface of the printing plate portion 2 can be removed from the printing plate portion 2 to erase the plate image. Further, the ultrasonic cleaning unit 16 can dissolve and remove the ink-repellent adhesive 1b attached to the printing plate unit 2 in the non-image area on the printing plate unit 2 in the cleaning liquid.

  The web cleaning unit 17 presses the web sheet 17b against the surface of the printing plate unit 2 by the pressure roller 17a, and the feed roller 17c and the winding roller 17d rotate in the same direction as the rotation direction of the printing plate unit 2 (see FIG. 2), the ink remaining on the surface of the plate 2 is removed while moving the web sheet 17b in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the plate 2. Further, it is preferable that an ink cleaning liquid is held on the web sheet 17b. The cleaning liquid retained on the web sheet 17b may be a general offset printing ink cleaning liquid. For example, a magic wash manufactured by Kinyo Co., Ltd. may be used.

  The second cleaning unit 12 is provided such that a part of the surface of the printing plate unit 2 is immersed in the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid container 16a, and the web cleaning unit 17 is in contact with the surface of the printing plate unit 2. The contact / separation mechanism (not shown) may be configured to be separated from the printing plate portion 2. Accordingly, when the same image is repeatedly formed on the recording medium S, the second cleaning unit 12 is separated from the printing plate unit 2, and the second cleaning unit 12 repeatedly performs the same image without performing cleaning. Can be formed. When switching the image to be formed on the recording medium S, the second cleaning unit 12 is in a state of being close to the printing plate unit 2, and the second cleaning unit 12 includes the plate particles 15 attached to the printing plate unit 2 and The ink repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive 1b, the ink remaining on the surface of the printing plate portion 2, and the like are removed. As a result, the printing plate unit 2 enters a state in which a new plate image is formed.

  Note that a mechanism for collecting the plate particles 15 removed from the printing plate unit 2 by the second cleaning unit 12 may be provided in the vicinity of the second cleaning unit 12. You may be comprised so that it may return to the supply apparatus 3 by the conveyance means by. In this case, it is more efficient if the second cleaning unit 12 is provided with a mechanism for separating the plate particles 15 collected from the printing plate unit 2 from others.

  In addition, dents appearing on the surface of the printing plate portion 2 by removing the plate particles 15, scratches generated on the surface of the printing plate portion 2 due to friction with the web cleaning portion 17, etc. It is erased by the roller 192, and the surface of the plate part 2 is smoothed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 90 controls each part of the plate making apparatus 20 and the image forming unit 100A. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system of the image forming unit 100A. The control unit 90 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a ROM (Read Only Memory) not shown, and performs various operations according to various processing programs for the plate making apparatus 20 and the image forming unit 100A.

  Specifically, the control unit 90 of the present embodiment is configured so that the printing plate unit 2 and the plate particle carrier 1 are brought into contact with each other by the first driving unit 13 and the non-printing on the printing plate unit 2 by the thermal head 5. The area corresponding to the image portion is heated and softened to increase the adhesion between the ink repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive 1b and the plate particles 15, and the plate portion 2 is cooled and cured by the cooling roller 6, and the first drive portion 13 By separating the printing plate portion 2 and the plate particle carrier 1, the non-image area where the ink repellent adhesive 1b and the plate particles 15 are adhered to the printing plate portion 2, the ink repellent adhesive 1b, and the plate. A plate image composed of an image area to which particles 15 are not attached is formed.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 4, formation of a plate image by the plate making apparatus 20 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the printing plate portion 2 in each step when a plate image is formed on the printing plate portion 2, and shows an area corresponding to an image portion and a non-image portion on the printing plate portion 2. The corresponding area is shown.

  First, before forming a plate on the printing plate portion 2, the surface treatment portion 19 increases the hydrophilicity of the surface of the printing plate portion 2. Specifically, in a state where the surface treatment belt 191 is in contact with the surface of the printing plate portion 2, the printing plate portion 2 is heated to the transition temperature Tm or higher by the heating roller 192 via the surface treatment belt 191 to be softened. The printing plate part 2 heated and softened by the heating roller 192 exhibits fluidity, the hydrophilic component contained in the printing plate part 2 is attracted to the surface treatment belt 191, and the surface side of the printing plate part 2 is hydrophilic. It will be in the state where many components existed. After the printing plate portion 2 is heated, the printing plate portion 2 is cooled to a temperature lower than the transition temperature Tm by the cooling roller 193 and cured. Thereby, the printing plate part 2 is hardened in the state where many hydrophilic components existed on the surface side of the printing plate part 2. After the plate part 2 is cooled below the transition temperature Tm, the surface treatment belt 191 is separated from the plate part 2. In this way, the hydrophilicity of the surface of the printing plate portion 2 is increased.

  Further, simultaneously with increasing the hydrophilicity of the surface of the printing plate portion 2, the plate particles 15 are supplied to the plate particle carrier 1, and the plate particles 15 are supported on the surface of the plate particle carrier 1 in a single layer (FIG. 4 ( a)).

  Next, the printing plate portion 2 with enhanced hydrophilicity is rotated by the second drive unit 14 and the plate particle carrier 1 and the printing plate unit 2 are brought into contact with each other by the first drive unit 13 (contact process; FIG. 4 (b)).

In a state where the plate particle carrier 1 and the printing plate portion 2 are in contact with each other, the thermal head 5 selectively selects a region B (see FIG. 4) corresponding to a non-image portion on the surface of the printing plate portion 2. Then, the plate part 2 is softened in the region B (heating step). The softened printing plate portion 2 and the plate particle carrier 1 are brought into close contact with each other in the region B, and the plate particles 15 are embedded in the printing plate portion 2 in the region B (see FIG. 4C). At this time, in the region B, the surface of the ink-repellent adhesive 1 b of the plate particle carrier 1 that carries the plate particles 15 comes into contact with the surface of the printing plate portion 2. In the region B, since the printing plate portion 2 is heated and softened, it adheres firmly to the surface portion of the ink repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive 1b.
After the heating of the region B, the plate part 2 is cooled by the cooling roller 6. As a result, the heated and softened region B in the surface of the printing plate portion 2 is cooled below the transition temperature Tm and cured. As the printing plate portion 2 is cured, the plate particles 15 are fixed to the printing plate portion 2, and the surface portion of the ink repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive 1 b adheres to the printing plate portion 2.

  After the plate 2 is cooled, the plate particle carrier 1 and the plate 2 are separated by the first drive unit 13 (separation step; see FIG. 4D). Here, the force with which the printing plate portion 2 fixes the plate particles 15 is larger than the force with which the plate particle carrier 1 carries the plate particles 15, and the surface portion of the ink-repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive 1 b is the printing plate portion 2. It is strongly bonded. Accordingly, when the plate particle carrier 1 and the printing plate part 2 are separated from each other, the plate particles 15 adhere to the printing plate part 2 in the region B (non-image region) and the ink-repellent adhesive of the plate particle carrier 1 is obtained. A part of the agent 1 b in the thickness direction adheres to the printing plate portion 2. The ink repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive 1b adhering to the printing plate portion 2 covers the surface of the printing plate portion 2 (the gap between the plate particles 15) and the surface of the plate particles 15 fixed to the printing plate portion 2 in the region B. Layered. In this manner, the printing plate portion 2 is composed of a non-image area where the plate particles 15 and the ink repellent adhesive 1b are attached and an image area where the plate particles 15 and the ink repellent adhesive 1b are not attached. A plate image is formed.

  By forming a plate image on the printing plate portion 2 in this way, the plurality of plate particles 15 are attached to the non-image area on the printing plate portion 2, and the gaps between the plurality of plate particles 15. Since the ink repellent pressure sensitive adhesive 1b is attached to the ink, the gap between the plate particles 15 in the non-image area can be made ink repellent. Therefore, by performing image formation using this plate, it is possible to prevent ink from adhering to the gap between the plate particles 15, thereby forming a good image with suppressed image fogging. it can.

  Further, the plate particle carrier 1 separated from the printing plate unit 2 is rotated by the first drive unit 13, and all the plate particles 15 remaining on the plate particle carrier 1 are removed by the first cleaning unit 7. Since the plate particle carrier 1 carries the plate particles 15 by the adhesive force of the ink repellent adhesive 1b, the adhesive force is not lost even after the web cleaning by the first cleaning unit 7. Accordingly, the plate particle carrier 1 can be continuously used even after the plate image is once formed on the plate part 2, and the plate particles are applied to the plate particle carrier 1 immediately after the web cleaning by the first cleaning unit 7. 15 can be carried. The plate particle carrier 1 after web cleaning is rotated by the first drive unit 13, and the single layer plate particles 15 are again carried on the surface of the plate particle carrier 1 by the supply device 3 and the plate particle monolayer device 4. Thus, another plate can be formed on the printing plate portion 2.

  Further, since part of the ink repellent adhesive 1b in the thickness direction is attached to the printing plate portion 2 together with the plate particles 15 from the plate particle carrier 1, the region where the plate particles 15 on the plate particle carrier 1 are lost. In this case, the amount of the ink repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive 1b held on the surface is slightly reduced. However, as described above, since all the plate particles 15 remaining on the plate particle carrier 1 are removed by the first cleaning unit 7, the thickness direction of the ink-repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive 1b is removed together with the removal of the remaining plate particles 15. Is removed, and the amount of the ink repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive 1b held on the plate particle carrier 1 is made uniform over the entire surface. Therefore, the plate particles 15 can be uniformly carried on the surface of the plate particle carrier 1 again, and a plate image can be formed with high accuracy even when another plate is formed.

4D shows the case where the ink repellent pressure sensitive adhesive 1b adheres only to the area B of the printing plate portion 2, but the ink repellent pressure sensitive adhesive 1b is the area C (of the printing plate portion 2). (See FIG. 4). However, even in such a case, since the heat treatment is not performed on the region C on the printing plate portion 2, the region is not strongly bonded to the ink repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive 1b. Sometimes the ink-repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive 1b on the area C of the printing plate portion 2 is peeled off.
Further, when the ink is supplied, the ink-repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive 1b attached to the surface of the plate particle 15 on the printing plate portion 2 may be peeled off, but it adheres to the gap between the plate particles 15 of the printing plate portion 2. The ink repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive 1b does not peel off. This is because the heat treatment is performed in a state where the gaps between the plate particles 15 of the printing plate portion 2 are in close contact with the ink repellent pressure sensitive adhesive 1b, so that the ink repellent pressure sensitive adhesive 1b strongly adheres to the gap. This is due to the fact that the ink supply roller 8a does not easily come into contact with the gap when supplying ink.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the plate particle carrier 1 carrying the ink-repellent plate particles 15 by the ink-repellent adhesive 1b and the temperature sensitivity in which the hardness reversibly changes at the transition temperature Tm. A region corresponding to a non-image portion on the printing plate portion 2 is selectively heated in a state where the printing plate portion 2 made of a material is in contact with the plate portion 2, and then the printing plate portion 2 is cooled to obtain a plate particle carrier. By separating 1 and the printing plate part 2, the non-image area where the plate particles 15 and the ink repellent adhesive 1b are adhered to the printing plate part 2, and the plate particles 15 and the ink repellent adhesive 1b are formed. It is possible to form a plate image composed of image areas that are not attached. Accordingly, it is possible to form a plate more easily than the offset printing method, and it is possible to form an image with good image quality using the formed plate. The printing plate portion 2 is made of a temperature-sensitive material whose hardness reversibly changes with the transition temperature Tm as a boundary. Since the plate particles 15 are fixed to the printing plate portion 2 to form a plate, the cost is low. A plate can be formed with. Further, since the plate image is formed by fixing the ink-repellent plate particles 15 on the printing plate portion 2, the printing plate portion 2 is moistened by using an ink that easily adheres to the ink-philic material. An ink image can be formed without applying water, and an image can be easily formed at low cost. Therefore, the printing cost in small lot printing can be kept low.
Further, since the ink-repellent adhesive 1b is attached to the non-image area on the printing plate portion 2 together with the plate particles 15, in the non-image area on the printing plate portion 2, the gap between the plate particles 15 is also present. Ink repellency can be imparted. Thus, by performing image formation using this plate, it is possible to prevent ink from adhering to the gaps between the plate particles 15 on the printing plate portion 2, and a good image with suppressed image fogging. Can be formed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the printing plate unit is heated by the thermal head via the plate particle carrier. For example, the printing plate unit or the second driving unit includes a heating unit, and the heating unit The printing plate portion may be directly heated without using the plate particle carrier.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the plate particle carrier is provided to be stretched between the first drive unit and the cooling roller, and the plate particle carrier is rotated by the first drive unit to thereby turn the plate particle carrier into the printing plate. However, the configuration of the first drive unit is not limited to this, and the plate particle carrier carrying the plate particles can be brought into contact with and separated from the printing plate unit. Any configuration is possible as long as it is configured as described above. For example, a drive unit that holds the plate particle carrier is provided apart from the printing plate unit, and the plate particle carrier is moved by the drive unit in a direction in which the plate particle carrier approaches the printing plate unit. After the contact, after the heating and cooling are completed, the plate particle carrier may be moved by the drive unit in a direction away from the plate unit.

  In the above-described embodiment, the printing plate portion is formed in a drum shape, but may be formed in a belt shape. Similarly, the plate particle carrier and the surface treatment belt are formed in a belt shape, but may be formed in a drum shape.

  In the above-described embodiment, the plate image and the ink repellent pressure-sensitive adhesive are attached to the printing plate portion to form a plate image. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the printing plate portion has an ink repellency. A plate image may be formed by adhering only the layer. In this case, since the plate particle carrier does not need to carry the plate particles, it is sufficient that an ink-repellent layer is held on the surface of the plate particle carrier, and the ink-repellent layer has an adhesive property. It does not have to have.

<Modification>
Hereinafter, modifications of the present invention will be described. Since the configurations other than those described below are substantially the same as those of the above-described embodiment, the same configurations are denoted by the same names and the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming unit 100B, which is a modification of the image forming unit 100A. The image forming unit 100B includes the plate making apparatus 20 according to the present invention.

  According to the present invention, an ink image can be formed without supplying dampening water to the plate formed on the printing plate portion 2, so that the ink image formed on the printing plate portion 2 can be directly applied to the recording medium S. Can be transferred. Therefore, the image forming unit 100B according to this modification does not include a blanket roller as shown in FIG.

  Therefore, in the image forming unit 100B, the pressing roller 10 is provided in contact with the printing plate portion 2, and is configured to be rotationally driven in the arrow direction in FIG. Thus, the pressing roller 10 nips the recording medium S supplied from the paper supply unit 58 during image formation with the printing plate unit 2 and rotates while pressing the nipped recording medium S toward the printing plate unit 2 side. As a result, the ink image formed on the printing plate portion 2 is transferred to the recording medium S.

  As described above, the blanket roller can be omitted and the cleaning member for cleaning the blanket roller can be omitted in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention as shown in the above-described modification.

1 Plate particle carrier (carrier)
1a Substrate 1b Ink-repellent adhesive (ink-repellent layer)
2 Printing plate section 3 Supply device 4 Plate particle monolayer apparatus 4a Air discharge section 4b Suction section 5 Thermal head (heating section)
6 Cooling roller (cooling part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 7 1st cleaning part 8 Ink supply part 8a Ink supply roller 8b Ink container 8c Ink control blade 9 Blanket roller 10 Press roller 11 Blanket roller cleaner 12 2nd cleaning part 13 1st drive part (drive part)
14 Second drive unit 15 Plate particle 16 Ultrasonic cleaning unit 16a Cleaning liquid container 16b Ultrasonic vibration unit 17 Web cleaning unit 17a Pressure roller 17b Web sheet 17c Delivery roller 17d Winding roller 18 Heating roller 19 Surface treatment unit 20 Plate making apparatus 50 Operation Unit 57 Paper discharge stocker 58 Paper feed unit 90 Control unit 100 Image forming unit 100A, 100B Image forming unit 191 Surface treatment belt 192 Heating roller 193 Cooling roller 1000 Image forming apparatus A area B area C area S recording medium

Claims (5)

A printing plate part made of a temperature-sensitive material whose hardness changes reversibly at the transition temperature;
A heating section for heating and softening the temperature-sensitive material to a transition temperature or higher;
A carrier having an ink repellent layer on the surface;
A drive unit for contacting and separating the printing plate unit and the carrier; and
In a state where the printing plate portion and the carrier are brought into contact with each other by the driving unit, the region corresponding to the non-image portion on the printing plate unit is heated and softened by the heating unit, and the ink repellent layer and The non-image area in which the ink repellent layer is adhered on the printing plate portion and the ink repellent layer by increasing the adhesion force of the ink and separating the carrier and the printing plate portion by the drive unit A plate making apparatus comprising: a control unit that forms a plate image including an image area to which no image is attached. A cooling unit for cooling and curing the temperature-sensitive material below the transition temperature;
The ink repellent layer has adhesiveness, and the ink repellent layer carries ink repellent plate particles on the carrier.
The control unit heats and softens a region corresponding to a non-image portion on the printing plate unit by the heating unit in a state where the printing unit and the carrier are in contact with each other by the driving unit. Increasing the adhesion between the ink-repellent layer and the plate particles, cooling and curing the printing plate portion by the cooling unit, and separating the printing plate unit and the carrier by the driving unit, A plate image comprising a non-image area to which the ink repellent layer and the plate particles are attached and an image area to which the ink repellent layer and the plate particles are not attached is formed on the printing plate portion. The plate making apparatus according to claim 1.   The plate making apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink repellent layer is a silicon-based adhesive or a fluorine-based adhesive.   An image forming apparatus comprising the plate making apparatus according to claim 1. An abutting step of abutting a carrier having an ink-repellent layer on a printing plate portion made of a temperature-sensitive material whose hardness changes reversibly with a transition temperature as a boundary;
A heating step of heating and softening a region corresponding to a non-image portion on the printing plate portion to increase the adhesion with the ink repellent layer;
By separating the printing plate portion and the carrier, the printing plate portion includes a non-image region to which the ink repellent layer is attached and an image region to which the ink repellent layer is not attached. And a separation step for forming a plate image.

Images