JPH03252661A - Method and device for processing photosensitive lithographic printing plate - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the printing plate without causing scumming in printing by operating a development promoting means, its counter roller and a squeezing roller when the PS plate is not processed, dipping the counter roller and lower roller in a developer and using a specified roller as the counter roller. CONSTITUTION:A roller with its surface roughened or a Morton roller is used as the counter roller 13 for the development promoting means 12 to supply a relatively large amt. of the developer to the development promoting means 12. When the PS plate is not processed, the development promoting means 12, counter roller 13 and squeezing roller 14 are operated at all times or operated at regular time intervals to dip the lower peripheries of the counter roller 13 and the lower roller of the squeezing roller 14 in the developer in an immersion tank 15. Accordingly, the surfaces of the development promoting means 12, counter roller 13 and squeezing roller 14 are wetted with the developer at all times and never dried. Consequently, the development promoting means 12 and squeezing roller 14 are not stained, and a printing plate without causing scumming in printing is obtained.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for processing photosensitive planographic printing plates (hereinafter referred to as "PS plates") using an automatic developing machine, and more specifically, The present invention relates to a processing method and a processing apparatus suitable for elution and removal of the non-image layer of a PS plate using a machine.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, as a processing method for creating a lithographic printing plate from a PS plate using an automatic developing machine, a developing solution is supplied to the plate surface while transporting the image-exposed PS plate, and development is carried out by rubbing the plate surface with a brush. A method of processing a PS plate is known in which a promoting means is added to scrape off the photosensitive layer in the non-image area, and then the photosensitive layer is passed through a squeeze roller consisting of a pair of upper and lower rollers. In such a processing method, in order to prevent the development accelerator and the squeeze roller from getting dirty, a developer has been supplied to the development accelerator and the squeeze roller through a shower nozzle to clean them.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, with this method, the developer is subject to severe fatigue due to carbon dioxide gas in the air, and deposits are likely to form in the developer, which may clog the shower nozzle or reduce the pump's performance, reducing the cleaning effectiveness. This causes problems such as the dirt attached to the development accelerator and the squeezing roller being transferred to the surface of the PS plate, causing background smudges during printing. It is necessary to frequently clean the piping, etc., which poses a problem of poor work efficiency.

The present invention aims to provide a PS plate processing method and processing apparatus that solves various problems in the conventional processing methods, and an object of the present invention is to prevent the development accelerator and the squeezing roller from becoming dirty. Another object of the present invention is to provide a PS plate processing method and processing apparatus that can obtain a printing plate that does not cause background smear during printing. Another object of the present invention is to provide a PS plate processing method and processing apparatus that can eliminate the troublesome cleaning of shower nozzles, pumps, piping, etc. for cleaning the development accelerator and the squeeze roller, and can improve work efficiency. It is to provide.

[Means for solving problems]

The above-mentioned object of the present invention is to automatically convey a PS plate, supply a developer to the plate surface, pass between a development accelerator and a pair of rollers on the lower side, and then transfer the PS plate from a pair of upper and lower rollers. P, which includes the step of removing the developer by passing it through a squeezing roller.
In a method for developing an S plate, a roughening roller or a Molton roller is used as the pair roller of the development accelerator, and the pair roller and the lower roller of the squeezing roller are immersed in a developer to process the PS plate. A method for developing a PS plate, characterized in that the development accelerator, the pair of rollers, and the squeezing roller are operated at all times or at regular intervals during the period of time;
and a means for supplying a developer to the plate surface of the PS plate, a development accelerator and a pair of rollers provided below it, a squeezing roller consisting of an upper roller and a lower roller, and a space between the development accelerator and the pair of rollers. and a developing device having a conveying means for sequentially passing through the squeezing roller, wherein the pair of rollers is a roughening roller or a Molton roller, and the pair of rollers has means for immersing the lower roller of the squeezing roller in a developer. This is achieved by a PS version processing device characterized by the following.

The present invention will be explained below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a processing apparatus according to the present invention.

In the same figure, ■ is a developing section that performs development, 2 is a washing section, and 3 is a washing section.
is a rinse agent that performs treatment with a rinse solution or desensitization treatment.
The gum section, PS, is the conveyance path of the PS plate.

In the developing section 1, reference numeral 4 denotes a pair of transport rollers, and 5 denotes a developer supplying member configured to apply developer to a uniform thickness on the plate surface through a slit formed from two flexible plates. , the configuration is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-238564. Reference numeral 6 denotes a developing section roller which is in contact with the lower end of the slit when the PS plate 4 is not being conveyed, and has the function of conveying the PS plate when the PS plate is being conveyed; 7 is a developing tank for immersion development of the PS plate; 8 is a developing unit roller Tank 7
A guide roller that guides and immerses the PS plate in the developer inside.
Reference numeral 9 denotes a developer mixing tank that mixes a concentrated developer and water to obtain a developer solution, which is connected by piping to the concentrated developer tank (not shown) and a water tank for dilution or to a water supply, so that the solution is fed by a pump or the like. It is composed of IO is a developer supply tank into which the used developer mixed in the developer mixing tank is placed, and lla and llb are metering pumps that feed the developer in the developer supply tank 10 to the developer supply member 5 and developer tank 7, respectively. It is.

12 is a development accelerator consisting of a brush roller; 13 is a pair of rollers located below it; 14 is a squeezing roller consisting of a pair of upper and lower rollers; 15 is a dipping tank; The lower portion of each circumferential surface is immersed in the developer. Developer tank 7
The overflow flows into a dip tank 15, and the overflow 16 of the dip tank 15 enters a waste tank (not shown). In the figure, *1 and *1, *2 and *2, etc. are connected by piping. The brush roller 12, the counter roller 13, and the aperture reroller 14 are configured to be driven by a drive source (not shown), and have control means (not shown) for operating the drive source at predetermined time intervals.

The roughened roller used as the counter roller 13 is a roller whose peripheral surface is roughened.

2 to 6 are diagrams showing examples of the shape of the rough surface of the counter roller 13, in which (a) is a schematic front view, and (b) is a partially enlarged or partially enlarged perspective view.

Figure 2 shows continuous diagonal bars, Figure 3 shows continuous diagonal bars, and
The figure shows the shape of a rough surface with independent horizontal stripes, FIG. A continuous diagonal bar as shown in FIG. 2 is preferred.

Examples of preferred size ranges for the rough surface shapes shown in FIGS. 2 to 6 are shown in Clothe 1 below. Compatible roller table 1 The material that makes up the surface of the counter roller 13 is metal (e.g. stainless copper, copper, etc.), plastic (e.g. phenol resin, urea resin, melamine resin, polyester resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, polyvinylidene chloride resin, The material may be selected from materials that are not easily attacked by the developer, such as polyvinyl acetate (polyvinyl acetate resin, etc.), rubber, wood, glass, and ceramic.

In the washing section 2, 21 is a washing water tank for storing washing water, 22a and 22b are shower nozzles, and 23 is a pump for sending washing water to the shower nozzles 22a and 22b.

In the rinse/gum section 3, 31 is a rinse/gum liquid tank into which a rinsing liquid or desensitizing liquid is placed, 32 is a shower nozzle, and 33 is a pump for feeding the rinsing liquid or desensitizing liquid to the shower nozzle 32.

Next, the method of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG.

The PS plate is inserted from the left end of the device as shown in the figure with the side to be processed facing up. The PS plate is transported from the left side to the right side in the figure by a transport roller 4, etc., and a developer is applied to the plate surface so as to have a uniform thickness by a developer supply member 5, and then it is immersed in the developer in a developer tank 7. be done. Thereafter, the surface of the PS plate is strained by a development accelerator 12 consisting of a brush roller, and then the developing solution, eluted components, etc. adhering to the surface of the plate 23 are removed by a squeezing roller I4.

The PS plate is then sent to a water washing section 2 and then to a rinse/gum section 3 for processing.

In the method of the present invention, while the PS plate is not being processed, the development accelerator 12, pair of rollers 13, and squeezing roller 14 are operated constantly or at regular intervals.

The lower circumferential surfaces of the lower rollers of the counter roller 13 and the squeezing roller 14 are immersed in the developer in the immersion tank 15.
In addition, the pair of rollers 13 includes the development accelerator 12 and the squeezing roller 1.
Since the lower rollers 4 rotate in contact with the upper rollers, the surfaces of the development accelerator 12, counter roller 13, and squeezing roller 14 are constantly wetted with the developer.
It never dries out. By doing this, the developer, eluted components, etc. will stick to these, and this stuck material will be prevented from being transferred to the plate surface of the 23rd plate and causing scumming.

Furthermore, in the present invention, by using a roughened roller or a Molton roller as a pair of rollers for the development accelerator, it is possible to supply a relatively large amount of developer to the development accelerator. The effect of preventing eluate etc. from sticking to the promoting means is extremely large.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing another example of a dipping tank for dipping the lower roller of the pair of rollers and the squeezing roller in the apparatus of the present invention.

The 23rd plate to which the present invention is applied includes, for example, a negative 23rd plate that uses a diazo compound as a photosensitive component and a positive PS plate that uses an 0-quinonediazide compound as a photosensitive component, as well as an image-like plate that uses an electrophotographic method or the like. A type 23 plate having a layer on the plate material of the lithographic printing plate that is soluble in a developer for providing a resist layer is included.

[Effect]

In the present invention, while the PS plate is not being processed, the development accelerator, its counter roller, and the squeezing roller are operated at all times or at regular intervals, and the lower roller of the pair of rollers and the squeezing roller is heated with developer. Since the paired roller and the development accelerator and squeezing roller that rotate in contact with it are always wetted with the developer and never dry, eluted components and the like stick to them, and this fixed substance is This prevents background stains from being transferred to the surface of the PS plate. Furthermore, since a roughened roller or a Molton roller is used as a counter roller for the development accelerator, a relatively large amount of developer is supplied to the development accelerator, which prevents eluates from sticking to the development accelerator. The effect of preventing this will be increased.

In addition, compared to the method of pouring repeatedly used developer from a shower nozzle, which is a known method that can prevent the adhesion of dirt to the development accelerator, etc., the present invention uses immersion in the developer, so the developer is fatigued by air. Since there is less precipitation, there is less occurrence of precipitates in the developer, which reduces the causes of scumming and eliminates problems such as clogging of shower nozzles.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to Examples.

Embodiment 1 In the automatic developing machine shown in FIG. 1, the roughened roller shown in FIG. A 5cm one (capacity 5Q) was attached.

5o-32 (manufactured by Konica Corporation, common negative/positive developer) is used as the developer, and is automatically diluted 6 times with water in the developer mixing tank 9, and then diluted with 28% water via the developer supply member 5. It is now supplied on the printing plate. Further, the developer tank 7 and the immersion tank 15 were charged with 5D32 diluted six times with water.

20Q1 of water was added to the rinse water tank 21. The rinse gum liquid tank 31 was charged with 10ff of 5GW-2 (manufactured by Konica Corporation, gum liquid) diluted twice with water.

The temperature of the developer solution is set at 2 in the developer supply member 5 and the developer tank 7.
The temperature was adjusted to 7°C, and the transport speed of the PS plate was adjusted so that the developing time was 20 seconds.

Under these conditions, negative type 28 version SWN (Konica Corporation)
(manufactured by Konica Corporation) and positive type 23 version SMP-N (manufactured by Konica Corporation)
A total of 30 plates were processed at a ratio of 1:2, and then, after stopping the processing of PS plates for 5 hours (the automatic developing machine was left in operation), SWN and SMP-N were counted again at a ratio of 1:2. 30
Plate processed.

During the 5-hour rest period, the counter roller 13 and the squeezing roller 1
4 was kept rotating at all times, and the development accelerator 12 (a brush roller was used in this example) was rotated at a rotational speed of 110 revolutions per minute for 50 seconds every 30 minutes.

Such experiments were conducted once a day for two consecutive weeks. Note that during this period, the developer in the immersion tank 15 was not replaced even once.

Drying and damage of the development accelerator 12 (brush roller), stains on the surface of the treated PS plate (especially the latter 30th plate), and precipitates in the dipping tank 15 after 2 weeks of processing were evaluated. . The results are shown in Table 2.

Example 2 During the processing body dwell time of 5 hours, the development accelerator 12 was set at 1.5
Example 1 except that it was rotated for 50 seconds every hour
A similar experiment was conducted. The results are shown in Table 2.

Example 3 An experiment similar to Example 1 was conducted except that the development accelerator 12 was rotated for 5 seconds every 30 minutes during the 5-hour dwell time of the processing body. The results are shown in Table 2.

Example 4 An experiment similar to Example 1 was carried out except that the development accelerator 12 was rotated for 2 minutes every 30 minutes during the 5-hour dwell time of the processing body. The results are shown in Table 2.

Example 5 An experiment similar to Example 1 was conducted except that the development accelerator 12 was rotated for 50 seconds every 30 minutes at a rotational speed of 5 revolutions per minute during a 5-hour geographical downtime. The results are shown in Table 2.

Example 6 An experiment similar to Example 5 was conducted except that the rotational speed of the development accelerator 12 was set to 200 revolutions per minute. The results are shown in Table 2.

Example 7 The same experiment as in Example 1 was carried out, except that as the dipping tank 15, as shown in FIG. 7, the distance from the bottom of the dipping tank 15 to the lower end of the pair of rollers 13 was 5 mm (capacity IQ). went. The results are shown in Table 2.

Example 8 An experiment similar to Example 1 was conducted except that a Molton roller was used as the roller pair 13. The results are shown in Table 2.

Comparative Example 1 In the automatic developing machine shown in FIG.
The same experiment as in Example 1 was conducted except that 2 was not rotated. The results are shown in Table 2.

Comparative Example 2 In the automatic developing machine shown in FIG. 1, an experiment similar to Example 1 was conducted except that a roller with a smooth surface was used as the counter roller 13. The results are shown in Table 2.

Book 1: The level of wetness is slightly lower than the ◎ level, but there is no problem.

Tree 2: The brush dries and becomes hard.

*3 = The bristles of the brush are slightly flattened, but it is at a level that is not a problem.

Obituary: There are some stains on the first 1-2 editions after the downtime, but there are no problems.

Book 8 = Approximately half of the plates processed after downtime are smudged.

*6: Approximately 2 mm of sediment accumulates on the bottom of the dipping tank, but this is at a level that poses no problem.

*7: Approximately 1 cm of sediment is deposited on the bottom of the soaking tank.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, using an automatic developing machine, a developer is supplied to the plate surface of the 23rd plate, passed through a development accelerator, the non-image area layer is scraped off, and the developer, eluted components, etc. are removed by a squeezing roller. In the processing method and processing apparatus, the development accelerator and the squeezing roller are prevented from being smeared, thereby making it possible to obtain a printing plate that does not cause scumming during printing, and a shear nozzle for cleaning the development accelerator and the squeezing roller; Cleaning of pumps, piping, etc. is no longer necessary, and work efficiency can be improved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of a processing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG.
Figures 6 to 6 do not show examples of the roughening roller in the processing device; they are a schematic front view (a) and a partially enlarged view or a partially enlarged perspective view (b).
, FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing another example of the immersion tank. ■...Developing section 2...Water washing section 3/middle/rinsing/gum section 12...Development accelerator 13...Roll pair 14...Squeezing roller 6 PS...Transport path

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) The photosensitive lithographic printing plate is automatically conveyed, a developer is supplied to the plate surface, and after passing between a development accelerator and a pair of rollers located below it, the plate consists of a pair of upper and lower rollers. In a method for developing a photosensitive planographic printing plate, which includes a step of removing a developer by passing through a squeeze roller, a roughening roller or a Molton roller is used as a pair of rollers of the development promoting means, and the pair of rollers and the squeeze roller are used as a pair of rollers. The lower roller is immersed in a developer, and while the photosensitive planographic printing plate is not being processed, the development accelerator, the counter roller, and the squeezing roller are operated constantly or at regular intervals. A method for developing a photosensitive lithographic printing plate. (2) A means for supplying a developer to the plate surface of a photosensitive planographic printing plate, a development accelerator and a pair of rollers provided below it, a squeezing roller consisting of an upper roller and a lower roller, and a development accelerator and a pair of rollers provided below the plate; In a developing device having a conveying means for sequentially passing between a pair of rollers and the squeeze roller, the pair of rollers is a roughening roller or a Molton roller, and the lower roller of the pair of rollers and the squeeze roller is immersed in a developer. 1. A processing apparatus for a photosensitive lithographic printing plate, comprising means for processing a photosensitive planographic printing plate.