JPH04126248A - Developing device for lithographic printing block - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make the handling of a lithographic printing block easier and its occupied area smaller by applying a developing solution to the lithographic printing block, which is being fed in a substantially perpendicular state, with an application roll having air permeability. CONSTITUTION:When feed rollers 3a, 3t are driven for rotation to draw a lithographic printing block 1 into a right direction, the bending or the like of the lithographic printing block 1 is hardly caused because it is handled in a substantially perpendicular state. A developing solution from a developing solution tank 4 is sent, in a fixed amount at a time, by a pump 5 into an application roller 7 made of a material (sponge or the like) having air permeability, and the developing solution leaked through multiple ports of a supply tube 6 oozes uniformly to the surface of the application roller 7 and is uniformly applied to the entire surface of the lithographic printing block 1. Then, water from water-washing nozzles 10, 11 is applied to the development-treated lithographic printing block 1 by rollers 8, 13 and a brush roller 12. When this is done, a swollen photosensitive resin layer in a non-image area is scraped off by the rotation of the brush roller 12. Upon completion of water-washing treatment, a gum liquid is applied to the lithographic printing block 1 in order to protect hydrophilicity of the non-image area and also protect an image area, whereby the lithographic printing block is subjected to gumming treatment.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a lithographic printing plate developing device for developing a lithographic printing plate.

<Background of the Invention> A lithographic printing plate is generally constructed of an aluminum support and has a certain degree of rigidity. For this reason, development is generally carried out in which a processing liquid is applied or sprayed while being transferred in a horizontal state.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the schematic structure of a conventional developing device. A part of the lithographic printing plate, on which the film image has been exposed using a metal halide lamp, is sprayed with a swelling developing solution.
Spray with. As a result, the photosensitive layer in the non-image area of the lithographic printing plate swells or dissolves. Then, by rotating the brush, the swollen photosensitive layer is peeled off or its dissolution is promoted. Thereafter, a pre-rinse section B washes with water, a finisher section C applies a gum solution to protect the surface, and a drying section dries to complete the series of operations.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> As described above, in the f-plate printing plate development 3Aiil, development is carried out while transporting the one-color printing plate horizontally, so there is a problem that the occupied area becomes large.

For this reason, a developing device in which the lithographic printing plate is fixed and the processing liquid application means is moved has been considered, but this has the drawback of complicating the structure and is not practical.

Furthermore, when feeding the lithographic printing plate to the developing device or taking it out after processing, it is necessary to take it in and out while keeping it horizontal, so a large space is also required around the developing device.

Furthermore, when handling the lithographic printing plate horizontally, there is a risk that it may bend, making handling inconvenient.

In addition, it is extremely difficult to apply the developer evenly over the entire surface of the lithographic printing plate. For this reason, a shower system in which the developer is poured like a shower is often used. However, the occurrence of uneven development could not be completely prevented, and the occurrence of a torn plate was unavoidable. Also,
Immersion development, in which the lithographic printing plate is immersed in a developer, is also carried out, but this method has the disadvantage of complicating the structure of the developing device and increasing its scale.

In addition, in either development method, since a large amount of developer is used per time, the developer is stored in a tank and collected for reuse. As a result, the developer becomes fatigued, requiring operations such as developer replenishment, mother solution replacement, mixing, developer sensitivity control, etc., or a developer replenisher E (FIG. 3), etc. is required. Therefore, there is a problem in that the work or equipment for maintaining the concentration of the developer becomes complicated.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to facilitate the handling of planographic printing plates,
One objective is to realize a lithographic printing plate developing device that occupies a small area.

Means for Solving the Problems> The present invention, which solves the above-mentioned problems, is composed of a holding and transporting means for holding and transporting the lithographic printing plate approximately vertically, and a member having air permeability. It is characterized by comprising a coating roller that applies a developer to the plate surface of a lithographic printing plate, and a developer supply means that supplies the developer into the interior of the coating roller.

Effects> In the lithographic printing plate developing device of the present invention, a developer is applied to the lithographic printing plate that is being conveyed substantially vertically by an application roller having air permeability. At this time, since the development process is performed while the lithographic printing plate is conveyed substantially vertically, the floor area occupied by the development device is small, and space saving is realized. In addition, since the developer is applied while being oozed out using an air-permeable application roller, the entire surface of the planographic printing plate can be coated evenly, and there will be no undeveloped areas.

<Examples> Examples of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic structure of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA' in FIG. 1.

In these figures, 1 is a lithographic printing plate, 2 is a housing of a developing device, 3a and 3b are conveyance rollers (hereinafter simply referred to as conveyance rollers 3) for taking in the lithographic printing plate 1, and 4 is a housing in which developer is stored. 5 is a pump that pumps up the developer, 6 is a supply pipe that conveys the pumped developer, and 7 is made of a breathable material (sponge, etc.). A coating roller from which the developer oozes out from inside; 8 a roller that uniformly applies washing water to the planographic printing plate and conveys it; 9 a water tank that stores water for washing; 10 that does not flash. A first water washing nozzle that spouts water pumped up by a pump; 11 a second washing nozzle that spouts water pumped up by a pump (not shown); 12 a non-image on the lithographic printing plate 1 with a brush provided on the surface; A brush roller 13 rubs off the swollen photosensitive layer in the washing section, a roller 13 conveys the planographic printing plate 1 while applying washing water to the planographic printing plate 1, and a finisher 14 transfers the planographic printing plate 1 sent out from the washing section. 15 is a gum solution tank for storing gum solution for surface protection of the lithographic printing plate 1; 16 is a gum solution nozzle that spouts the gum solution pumped up by a pump (not shown); 17 is a gum solution This is a roller that receives the gum liquid jetted from the liquid nozzle 16 and applies it to the lithographic printing plate 1 while conveying it.

The operation of the apparatus of this embodiment, which is configured such that each roller is pivotally supported at both ends and rotationally driven by a drive section (not shown), is as follows. Note that the description will be made in accordance with the order of development processing.

[Carrying in of the planographic printing plate] The planographic printing plate 1, which has been exposed from a film using an exposure device (not shown), is inserted between the conveying rollers 3a and 3b of the developing device of this embodiment. The conveyance rollers 3a and 3b are rotationally driven, and the planographic printing plate 1 is drawn rightward in FIG. In this case, since the lithographic printing plate 1 is handled in a substantially vertical state, bending and the like are less likely to occur.

[Developer Coating Process] The planographic printing plate 1 is transported rightward in FIG. 1 by transport rollers 3 a and 3 b and sent to the application roller 7 .

A pump 5 feeds a fixed amount of the developer from the developer tank 4 into this coating roller ruff, and the developer leaking from the numerous holes in the supply pipe 6 located in the center of the coating roller ruff is fed into the coating roller ruff. It oozes out evenly on the surface.

Since the coating roller 7 rotates while being in contact with the planographic printing plate 1, the developer is uniformly applied to the entire surface of the planographic printing plate 1.

In this case, the developer that has oozed out onto the surface of the coating roller rough is evenly applied to the surface of the lithographic printing plate 1, so the amount of developer used can be minimized and no undeveloped areas will be left.

In order to prevent uneven development caused by dripping due to excess supply, the supply amount is set so that the new solution is used up while being applied, and there is no need to collect or seal the surplus developer. Incidentally, the used developer is collected below the application roller ruff and then discarded.

Further, liquid dripping is also prevented by selecting the viscosity of the developer and the pore diameter of the bubbles in the applicator roller so that the amount of exudation is equal between the upper side and the F side of the applicator roller.

[Rubbing and Water Washing Treatment] A water washing nozzle 10 is installed on the lithographic printing plate 1 after the development process.
Water from 11 is applied by rollers 8, 13 and brush roller 12. At this time, the rotation of the brush roller 12 scrapes off the swollen photosensitive resin layer in the non-image area.

[Gumming Treatment] The lithographic printing plate 1 that has been washed with water is subjected to a gumming treatment by applying a gum solution to protect the hydrophilic non-image area 1 and the image area.

[Discharge] The planographic printing plate 1 that has undergone the above development process is transferred to the roller 17.
As a result, it is ejected from the aircraft. In this case, since the lithographic printing plate 1 is handled in a substantially vertical state, bending and the like are less likely to occur.

As explained above, according to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

(2) Since each process is carried out while the lithographic printing plate 1 is being conveyed substantially vertically, the floor area of the apparatus is small, and space is saved.

(2) Since the developer is applied while being oozed out using a permeable application roller, the entire surface of the lithographic printing plate 1 can be coated evenly. Therefore, there will be no undeveloped portion.

■ Since the developer is applied using a coating roller, the amount of developer used can be kept to a minimum.

Therefore, excess developer seeped from the application roller is also minimized, making it possible to develop with a new solution (disposable). This allows for developer replenishment, mother solution replacement, and mixing. There is no need for any developer sensitivity control work or developer replenishment control device.

(2) By further increasing the viscosity of the developer, oozing from the application roller becomes gentler, liquid dripping can be completely prevented, and the application of the developer becomes more complete.

The angle at which the lithographic printing plate 1 is conveyed is 45° from the horizontal plane.
It is preferable that it be tilted at an angle of 85° to 85°. In addition, it was confirmed that from the viewpoint of installation floor space and ease of handling of the lithographic printing plate 1, it is preferable that the inclination from the horizontal plane be around 75°.

In addition, since the developer is applied using a coating roller that is completely different from conventional methods, the vertical (90° inclination from the horizontal plane)
However, it has been confirmed that no problems such as uneven development occur.

<Effects of the Invention> As explained in detail above, the present invention is comprised of a holding and conveying stage for holding and conveying the first lithographic plate approximately vertically, and a member having air permeability, to prevent seepage from the inside to the surface. The present invention is configured to include a coating roller for applying the developed developer onto the plate surface of a lithographic printing plate, and a developer supply means for supplying the developer into the interior of the coating roller. As a result, it becomes possible to significantly reduce the installation floor space. Furthermore, since the lithographic printing plate is handled in a substantially vertical state, the lithographic printing plate does not bend or bend.

This makes the operation easier. Further, there is an effect that maintenance such as handling of each roller and processing of developer becomes easier.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a lithographic printing plate developing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA' of the lithographic printing plate developing device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a conventional lithographic printing plate developing device. 1... Lithographic printing plate 2... Housing 3... Conveyance roller 4... Developer tank 5... Pump 6... Supply pipe 7... Application roller 9... Water tank... - Washing nozzle 3...Roller 5...Gum liquid tank 7...Roller 8...Roller 10...Water washing nozzle 12...Brush roller 14...Roller 16...Gum liquid nozzle

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A holding and conveying means that holds and conveys the lithographic printing plate substantially vertically, and an application roller that is composed of a breathable member and that applies the developer seeped from the inside to the surface of the lithographic printing plate on the surface of the lithographic printing plate. A lithographic printing plate developing device comprising: and a developer supply means for supplying the developer into the coating roller.