JPH07209877A - Automatic plate making device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an automatic plate making device capable of effectively utilizing space. CONSTITUTION:A direct plate making device 10 has a moving base 68 which is coupled to an arm section 66 and is moved on a floor surface with casters 72 within a plate feed section 12. The moving base is projected outward along the transporting direction (arrow B direction) of printing plates 20 in the processing section of the device by driving a rodless cylinder 62. A skid 40 on which the printing plates are laminated, is lifted by lifting pawls 54 inserted into the positions corresponding to both ends in the longitudinal direction (arrow L direction) of the printing plates and is transported along the direction (arrow A direction) orthogonal with the transporting direction of the printing plates in the processing section of the device is placed on a frame 70 of the projected moving base. The rodless cylinder is driven and the moving base is withdrawn when the skid is placed on the frame of the moving base in the paper feed section. The printing plates are thus loaded on the prescribed position in such a manner that the longitudinal direction thereof aligns to the transporting direction of the printing plates in the processing section of the device.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic plate making apparatus for producing a printing plate by continuously developing after recording an image on a printing plate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Printing plates used for newspaper printing generally have a photosensitive layer formed on an aluminum support, generally P.
What is called an S plate and O that uses an organic photoconductor for the photosensitive layer
There are PC (Organic Photconductor) printing plates and the like (hereinafter referred to as "printing plates").

In the field of newspaper printing, after automatic recording of an image on a printing plate, various automatic plate making processes are automatically carried out such as continuous development processing and punching / plate bending processing for winding on a plate cylinder of a rotary press. The device is being used. In such an automatic plate making apparatus, since it is necessary to continuously make a large number of printing plates, a large number of printing plates (for example, 500 to 1000
It is designed to be loaded together with a stacking table (sheets). The size of the printing plate for newspaper printing is the size of two pages of newspaper (vertical dimension 398 mm x vertical dimension 1120 m).
In m), the vertical dimension is often much longer than the horizontal dimension.

For this reason, it is not stable if the mounting table, in which a large number of printing plates are stacked, is lifted by inserting the lift claws from one end side along the longitudinal direction of the printing plates, and the working space is more than 2 m. It becomes necessary and the maneuverability during transportation by lift deteriorates. Therefore, the lift claws are inserted at positions corresponding to both ends of the printing plate in the longitudinal direction to lift the mounting table in a stable state. Further, when the mounting table is transported, it is moved along the width direction of the printing plate.

FIG. 12 shows an example of an automatic plate making apparatus 90 for directly printing an image on the printing plate 20 which is the OPC printing plate to form a printing plate. This automatic plate making device 90
Then, the area between the plate discharging section 14 and the drying section 30 is arranged in a substantially linear shape so that the printing plate 20 is conveyed along the longitudinal direction thereof. As a result, the uniformity of the processing along the longitudinal direction of the printing plate 20 is maintained and the occurrence of processing unevenness in the longitudinal direction is prevented.

Further, not only the automatic plate making apparatus 90 but also a general apparatus, when installing the apparatus, it is necessary to secure a maintenance space for work such as maintenance around the apparatus. Therefore, in the automatic plate making apparatus 90, the plate supply unit 92 that supplies the printing plate 20 to the drawing unit 18 and the plate discharge unit 14 are vertically integrated, and the punch unit 32 / plate bending unit disposed downstream of the drying unit 30. 34 to the printing plate 20
Are arranged so as to be conveyed along the width direction of the printing plate 20 and the installation space of the entire apparatus (shown by a chain line in FIG. 12) is reduced.

By the way, in the automatic plate making apparatus 90 as described above, the mounting table 9 on which the printing plate 20 is mounted on the plate feeding section 92.
When loading No. 4, the mounting table 94 must be inserted close to the plate feeding section 92 from the width direction side of the apparatus. Therefore, it is necessary to secure a movement space for changing the direction of a carriage or a forklift for carrying the mounting table 94 on the side of the plate feeding unit 92 in the width direction of the apparatus.

Further, as shown in FIG. 13, when the printing plate 20 is to be inserted into the plate feeding portion 92 along the longitudinal direction thereof, it is necessary to lift the mounting table 94 from one end side in the longitudinal direction of the printing plate 20. Therefore, there is a problem that the handling becomes unstable and the working space becomes large as described above.

[0009]

However, the loading space of the mounting table 94 is sufficient if the maintenance space is about 1 m from the peripheral edge of the apparatus, while the size of the mounting table 94 and the mounting table 94 are transported. Although it affects the size of the dolly, etc., it requires a large space of at least 2 m. Even if the loading space of the mounting table 94 is partial, it largely affects the securing of the installation space of the apparatus. In particular, if a plurality of automatic plate making devices 90 are arranged in consideration of work efficiency, a large space is required for each device.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above facts, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic plate making apparatus which can easily secure an installation space including a loading space of a mounting table.

[0011]

An automatic plate making apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention supplies a printing plate stacked on a mounting table and loaded in a plate feeding section to an image recording section to record an image. An automatic plate making apparatus that takes out the printed printing plate from the image recording unit, sends it to a processing unit, and performs a predetermined process on the printing plate in the processing unit to create a printing plate, and moves it with a mounting table described above. And a moving means for moving the movable table between a predetermined position of the plate feeding section and a remountable position of the mounting table outside the plate feeding section. It is characterized by

An automatic plate making apparatus according to claim 2 of the present invention is
The printing plates stacked on the mounting table and loaded in the plate feeding unit are supplied to the image recording unit, the printing plate on which the image is recorded is taken out from the image recording unit to the plate discharging unit, and each process is performed from the plate discharging unit. An automatic plate making apparatus for processing a printing plate while conveying the inside of the printing plate along the longitudinal direction of the printing plate, wherein the longitudinal direction of the printing plate on the mounting table is the conveying direction of the printing plate in the processing unit. A movable table on which the mounting table can be moved so as to follow, a predetermined position of the plate feeding section, and a remountable position of the mounting table on the opposite side of the processing section outside the plate feeding section. And a moving means for moving the moving table between the two.

An automatic plate making apparatus according to claim 3 of the present invention is
The automatic plate making apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the printing plate on the mounting table is set to a predetermined position of the plate feeding unit by positioning the printing plate mounting table at a predetermined position of the moving table. It is characterized by being positioned in a position.

An automatic plate making apparatus according to claim 4 of the present invention is
The automatic plate making apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the moving means includes an arm portion projecting from the inside of the plate feeding portion, and a moving base connected to the arm portion is guided by the arm portion to move. .

[0015]

In the automatic plate making apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the mounting table on which the printing plates are stacked is placed on the moving table protruding from the plate supplying section by the moving means, and the mounting table is moved into the plate supplying section together with the moving table. By doing so, the printing plate is loaded into the plate supply section. Thus, if a space for the movable table protruding from the plate supply section is secured, a space for changing the direction of the mounting table around the plate supply section becomes unnecessary, and the loading space of the mounting table can be relatively narrowed. it can.

According to another aspect of the automatic plate making apparatus of the present invention, the printing plate is arranged along the longitudinal direction from the plate discharge section to each processing section such as development, fixing, elution, and drying, and the printing plate is lengthened in each processing section. It is processed uniformly along the direction. The plate feeding unit of this automatic plate making apparatus is provided with a moving base that projects toward the opposite side of the processing unit along the conveying direction of the printing plate in the processing unit. The printing plate is loaded in the plate feeding section by placing the mounting table on which the printing plate is placed along the conveyance direction of the printing plate in step 1, and moving the moving table into the plate feeding section by the moving means.

Therefore, along the longitudinal direction of the printing plates on which the mounting bases are stacked, without directly inserting from the side opposite to the processing section, along the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the printing plates on which the mounting bases are stacked. It is possible to load the printing plate with its longitudinal direction aligned with the conveying direction in the processing section by moving the movable plate, placing it on a movable table protruding from the plate supply section, and moving the movable table. As a result, it becomes possible to supply the printing plate in a relatively narrow space even with a device that is long in the processing unit in the printing plate conveyance direction.

When arranging a plurality of automatic plate-making devices in consideration of work efficiency, it is preferable to align one end by aligning one end. At this time, if the plate feeding unit side in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus that is long along the conveyance direction of the printing plate in the processing unit is aligned and the loading space of the mounting table is provided on the aligned plate feeding unit side, The space between adjacent devices in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction can be reduced, and an unnecessary space is not created between the devices.

In the automatic plate making apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, the mounting table is positioned and mounted on the moving table,
The printing plate can be loaded in a predetermined position of the plate feeding unit, and the printing plate can be easily loaded in the plate feeding unit.

In the automatic plate making apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the movable table is attached to the arm portion that can project from the plate feeding portion. As a result, it is not necessary to provide a rail or the like for moving the moving table outside the plate feeding section, and when a plurality of automatic plate making apparatuses are arranged with the plate feeding section aligned, the loading space of the mounting table is set to the mounting table. The limited space can be effectively used by sharing it with the mobile space of.

[0021]

EXAMPLE FIG. 1 shows a direct plate making apparatus 10 which is an automatic plate making apparatus applied to this example. The direct plate making apparatus 10 includes a plate supply / discharge unit 16 in which a plate supply unit 12 and a plate discharge unit 14 are integrated, and a drawing unit 18 which is an image recording unit.
The printing plate 20 in which and are arranged and conveyed in the direction of arrow A is
The conveyance direction is changed from the plate discharge unit 14 to the right angle direction (arrow B
Direction), the developing / fixing unit 22, the elution unit 28, the drying unit 30, and the standby unit 31. Further, the printing plate 20 is conveyed from the standby unit 31 to the punch unit 32 and the plate bending unit 34 along the arrow A direction. Further, a plurality of direct plate-making devices 10 may be arranged side by side and connected to a host computer (not shown) to form a plate-making system for producing a large number of printing plates in a short time.

The printing plate 20 used in the direct plate making apparatus 10 is an OPC printing plate in which a photosensitive layer using an organic photoconductor is formed on one surface of an aluminum support. A long rectangular printing plate 20 having a size of 2 pages (for example, width dimension W398 mm × vertical dimension L11)
20 mm), an electrostatic latent image is formed on the printing plate 20 by the drawing unit 18. The size of the printing plate 20 that can be processed by the direct plate making apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is not limited to this, and printing plates of other sizes, such as a printing plate for one page of newspaper, can also be processed. There is. The arrow L direction indicates the longitudinal direction of the printing plate 20, the arrow W direction indicates the width direction of the printing plate 20, and in the direct plate making apparatus 10, the arrow A direction is the width direction of the printing plate 20 (arrow W direction). ),
The printing plate 20 is conveyed so that the direction of arrow B is the vertical direction of the printing plate 20 (direction of arrow L).

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the direct plate making apparatus 10, the printing plate 2 loaded in the plate feeding section 12 is used.
0 is taken out by the sheet feeding device 102, and the reversing device 1
04, the lift table 300, and the horizontal transfer device 106 to supply the image to the drawing unit 18. Further, the printing plate 20 on which the image is recorded by the drawing unit 18 is taken out by the plate discharging unit 14 and sent from the plate discharging unit 14 to the developing and fixing unit 22.

An outline of the processing steps on the downstream side from the plate discharge section 14 of the direct plate making apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

The developing / fixing section 22 includes a developing section 24 and a fixing section 2.
6 and the printing plate 20 on which the electrostatic latent image has been formed and sent is uniformly coated with the charged toner as a developing solution in the developing section 24. After that, excess toner is removed (squeezed) from the surface of the printing plate 20, and the fixing unit 26 heats the printing plate 20 by heating means such as a heating lamp. As a result, the toner on the surface of the printing plate 20 is formed into a film and fixed on the surface of the printing plate 20, and a toner image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image is formed on the printing plate 20. It should be noted that in the fixing unit 26, end surface processing of the peripheral edge of the printing plate 20 is performed so that the printed matter is not contaminated by the toner and the like remaining on the peripheral edge of the printing plate 20.

In the elution section 28 into which the printing plate 20 which has undergone the development and fixing process is fed, the surface of the printing plate 20 is subjected to an etching process by applying an elution liquid of the photosensitive layer such as an alkaline solution, and no toner is attached. The photosensitive layer is removed. Further, in the elution portion 28, the printing plate 20 is subjected to plate surface protection such as application of a gum solution for plate surface protection after the elution liquid and the eluted photosensitive layer are washed off from the surface of the printing plate 20 after the etching treatment. Done.

In the drying section 30, the printing plate 20 whose plate surface has been protected is dried and sent to the standby section 31.
In the standby section 31, the transport direction is changed and the printing plate 20 is sent out to the punching section 32 and the plate bending section 34. At the first punching section 32, both ends of the printing plate 20 in the longitudinal direction are transferred to the plate cylinder of the rotary press. A round hole and a notch used for positioning when printing the plate are formed, and at the next plate bending portion 34, a predetermined bending for mounting both end portions of the printing plate 20 in the longitudinal direction on the plate cylinder of the rotary press is performed. Done. The printing plate 20 after the plate bending is
It is sequentially installed in a stocker (not shown). The printing plate 20 is conveyed along the width direction when passing through the punching portion 32 and the plate bending portion 34, and therefore the printing plate 20 is fed with an instrument for punching and plate bending.
It will not interfere with.

A large number (for example, 5) of printing plates 20 processed in this manner are placed on a mounting table (hereinafter referred to as "skid 40").
About 100 to 1000 sheets are stacked and transported and stored, and the skid 40 is loaded into the plate feeding unit 12 of the direct plate making apparatus 10.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the skid 40 is provided with a substrate 44 on one surface of a long rectangular frame 42, and on the other surface at both ends in the longitudinal direction. A pair of support legs 46 are provided so as to project, and are supported on the floor surface by the support legs 46 during storage.

In this skid 40, an aluminum protective plate (not shown) having substantially the same shape as the printing plate 20 is laid on the upper surface of the substrate 44, and the printing plate 20 has its longitudinal direction (arrow L direction).
Are laminated with the photosensitive layer facing the protective plate so that the frame is in the longitudinal direction of the frame 42. A cutout 44A for taking out the stacked printing plates 20 is formed at one end of the substrate 44, and a finger is inserted into the cutout 44A to skid the printing plate 20 together with the protective plate 48. You can take it out from. Further, since the printing plate 20 has the photosensitive layer facing downward, it is not exposed during transportation, storage and the like.

As shown in FIG. 6, the frame 42 of the skid 40 is provided with an insertion restricting plate 50 protruding downward between a pair of support legs 46 (not shown in FIG. 6). On the outer side in the longitudinal direction of the support leg 46, a predetermined gap is inserted between the support leg 46 and the lift claw 54 (see FIG. 4) of a forklift or a trolley (not shown) for lifting the skid 40, and the insertion restriction is provided. A plate 52 is provided. When carrying this skid 40,
The lift claw 54 is inserted into the gap between the support leg 46 and the insertion restriction plate 52, and the lower side surface of the frame 42 is supported and lifted. At this time, since both ends of the printing plate 20 in the longitudinal direction are supported in the vicinity, the skid 40 having a large number of the long printing plates 20 stacked can be transported in a stable state.

As shown in FIG. 4, an opening / closing door 58 is provided on the surface of the casing 16A of the plate feeding / discharging portion 16 on the side opposite to the developing / fixing portion 22, and the opening / closing door 58 is driven by a driving means (not shown). By opening, the plate supply part 12 in the casing 16A is opened. When the open / close door 58 is closed, the interior of the casing 16A is shielded from light.

As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, a base plate 60 fixed to the floor surface by an anchor bolt or the like (not shown) is provided inside the plate supply section 12. On the upper surface of the base plate 60, a pair of rodless cylinders 62 constituting a moving means are attached in parallel with each other from the developing and fixing section 22 side to the opposite side along the arrow B direction. A bracket 64 is hung and connected between the drive blocks 62A of the rodless cylinders 62, and one end of the bracket 64 has a rodless cylinder 62.
One end of an arm portion 66 that is provided in parallel with the driving direction of the above and projects in the direction opposite to the developing and fixing portion 22 is connected.

A movable table 68 is fixedly connected to the end of the arm portion 66 opposite to the bracket 64. The arm portion 66 is provided so as to face the peripheral edge of the frame 42 of the skid 40 when the skid 40 is placed on the moving table 68.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 5 and 8, a substantially rectangular frame 70 is attached to the arm portion 66 of the movable table 68, and casters 72 (FIG. 6) are provided in the vicinity of the four corners of the frame 70. Is omitted) and is movably supported on the floor surface via a bracket 72A. Therefore, the moving table 6 is driven by driving the rodless cylinder 62.
Reference numeral 8 denotes a position above the base plate 60 in the casing 16A where the printing plate 20 is mounted on the side of the developing and fixing section 22 and the developing and fixing section 22.
And a loading position of the skid 40 protruding to the opposite side.

On the frame 70 of the moving table 68, four rolling members 74 (for example, ball casters (trade name))
Is installed. As the rolling member 74, for example, a metallic ball 74A rotatably housed in the socket 74B with a part of the outer peripheral portion thereof protruding can be used (see FIG. 5).

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, blocks 76, 78 are attached to the skid 40 at positions facing the rolling member 74 when the skid 40 is placed on the movable table 68. The block 76 is formed with a slope inclined along the arrow W direction, and the block 78 is formed with a triangular groove whose groove direction is along the arrow W direction (all are not shown). Therefore, when the rolling member 74 comes into contact with the block 76 of the skid 40, the weight of the skid 40 causes the skid 40 to relatively move in the width direction (arrow W direction) thereof. At this time, the rolling member 74 that abuts the triangular groove of the block 78 restricts the movement of the skid 40 in the longitudinal direction (arrow L direction) at a predetermined position by the triangular groove.

A pair of shock absorbers 80 and an air cylinder 82 are provided on the arm portion 66 near the movable table 68 toward the frame 70 side. A stopper 84 is provided upright on the frame 70 at the end opposite to the arm 66.

The skid 40 is moved onto the frame 70 of the movable table 68 from the side opposite to the arm portion 66 to move the frame 7 to the frame 7.
Placed at 0. At this time, the pair of shock absorbers 80 abut on the frame 42 of the skid 40 to gently stop the skid 40 above the frame 70, and the pair of air cylinders 82 move the frame 42 of the skid 40.
Whether the drive shaft 82A contracts at substantially the same time as the drive shaft 82A contracts with the frame 70,
It is possible to determine whether or not it has been placed above. Here, when the skid 40 is in a non-parallel state with respect to the arm portion 66 (when the air cylinder 82 does not contract at substantially the same time), an alarm or the like is used for notification.

When the skid 40 is placed on the frame 70 in this manner, the blocks 76, 7 of the skid 40 are
8, the rolling member 74 of the frame 70 abuts, and the skid 40 is formed in the block 76 in the direction opposite to the arm portion 66 while the movement along the longitudinal direction is restricted at a predetermined position by a triangular groove (not shown) formed in the block 78. Move along the slope. At the position where the frame 42 of the skid 40 moving on the frame 70 comes into contact with the stopper 84, the movement of the skid 40 is stopped and the skid 40 is placed at a predetermined position on the frame 70. It should be noted that whether or not the skid 40 is placed on the movable table 68 is detected by the metal sensor 86 (see FIGS. 5 and 8) provided on the frame 70 by the insertion regulation plate 50 provided on the frame 42 of the skid 40. Whether or not it can be judged.

The skid 4 is placed at a predetermined position on the frame 70.
When 0 is placed, the movable table 68 is pulled into the plate supply unit 12 to a predetermined position by driving the rodless cylinder 62. This position is, for example, the rodless cylinder 6
The drive block 62A of the rodless cylinder 62 is brought into contact with a stopper (not shown) that also serves as a shock absorber, which is provided at a predetermined position at the end of the developing and fixing unit 22 side. The printing plate 20 on the skid 40 mounted on the moving table 68 is positioned in the plate feeding unit 12 by being stored in a predetermined position of the plate feeding unit 12.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a sheet-fed device 102 is provided above the printing plate 20 loaded in a predetermined position of the plate supply unit 12. The sheet feeding apparatus 102 includes a support frame 110 having a substantially rectangular shape that is parallel to the printing plate 20 on the skid 40 that is placed on the moving table 68 and positioned in the plate supply unit 12. The support frame 110 includes a plurality of suction cups 1 facing the central portion of the printing plate 20 in the longitudinal direction.
12 are provided. In addition, the support frame 110 has a turning portion 13 facing both sides of the printing plate 20 in the longitudinal direction.
0 is provided (see FIG. 7).

The turning portion 130 has a slide bearing 138 in which an air cylinder 134 and a pair of guide rods 136 are slidably inserted in a base plate 132. The tip of the drive shaft 134A of the air cylinder 134 and one end of the guide rod 136 are connected to and supported by the base 137 extending from the support frame 110. Therefore, the base plate 132 is moved in parallel above the support frame 110 by driving the air cylinder 134.

On the other hand, the base plate 132 is provided with suction cups 140 facing each of the four corners of the printing plate 20, and two air cylinders 142 facing one end of the printing plate 20 in the longitudinal direction. There is. The suction cup 140 is
Substantially the same as the suction cup 112 of the support frame 110 is projected toward the printing plate 20, and the printing plate 20 is attracted by a negative pressure supplied from a negative pressure source (not shown) in a state of approaching the printing plate 20 together with the suction cup 112. And hold. Further, the air cylinder 142 is supplied with air of a predetermined pressure so that the tip of the drive shaft 142A is sucked by the suction cup 140.
Further, it is adapted to project toward the printing plate 20 side.

In this single-wafer apparatus 102, the support frame 110 is lowered by an elevating device, which will be described later, and the suction cup 11
When the second and the second 140 contact the surface of the printing plate 20 on the skid 40 and adsorb the printing plate 20, the air cylinder 134 is driven to slightly raise the suction cups 140 to lift the four corners of the printing plate 20. The printing plate 2 is further driven from the portion which is driven by the cylinder 142 and sucked by the suction cup 140
Push the edge of 0 downward. After that, the support frame 110 is moved upward, and the printing plate 20 of the outermost layer adsorbed by the suction cups 112 and 140 is lifted.

At this time, the corner of the printing plate 20 is lifted by the air cylinder 134 and the peripheral side of the printing plate 20 is pushed down by the air cylinder 142, so that the space between the next printing plates 20 which is in close contact with the outermost printing plate 20 is increased. It is easy to create a gap in. For this reason, when the printing plate 20 of the outermost layer 20 is lifted by the sheet-fed device 102, air is introduced from the gap created between the printing plate 20 of the outermost layer and the next printing plate 20, and the space between the printing plates 20 is increased. The close contact state can be released. Further, when the support frame 110 rises, air is blown into the gap by an air blow nozzle (not shown) to ensure the separation. Further, the printing plate 20 is laminated on the skid 40 with the photosensitive layer facing downward, and the surface opposite to the photosensitive layer is sucked by the suction cups 112, 1.
Since it is adsorbed by 40, an adsorption mark of a suction cup is not formed on the photosensitive surface of the printing plate 20.

The plate feeding section 12 includes an arm section 6 of the moving table 68.
A base plate 120 is erected on the outer side of 6. A pair of guide rods 122 are arranged in the vertical direction on the moving table 68 side of the base plate 120. A slide bearing 124 attached to the support frame 110 is inserted through the guide rod 122, so that the support frame 1
When 10 moves up and down, it guides while maintaining a horizontal state.

On the other hand, the support frame 11 of the base plate 120
On the surface opposite to 0, a pair of rodless cylinders 128, which constitute an elevating device 126 together with the guide rods 122, are arranged in the vertical direction. Also, the base plate 12
An opening is formed vertically in the center of the drive block 1 of the rodless cylinder 128.
A bracket 144 connected to 28A is provided so as to project from the opening toward the support frame 110. The support frame 110 abuts on the upper surface side of the bracket 144 protruding from the opening of the base plate 120, and the support frame 110 hung on the pair of guide rods 122 is supported by the bracket 144.

Therefore, the pair of rodless cylinders 12
When the bracket 144 moves up and down by the drive of No. 8, the support frame 110 is guided by the guide rod 122 and moves up and down in parallel. Further, the suction cup 1 of the support frame 110 is moved by the downward movement of the bracket 144.
When 12 and 140 come into contact with the printing plate 20 on the skid 40, the support frame 110 is placed on the surface of the printing plate 20 and is separated from the bracket 144, and only the bracket 144 moves downward to print. The plate 20 is prevented from being unnecessarily loaded.

The support frame 110 is provided with a plate detection sensor (not shown).
When the surface of the printing plate 20 approaches a predetermined distance, the presence or absence of the printing plate 20 and the remaining amount are detected. Based on the detection result, the printing plate 20 on the skid 40 reaches the predetermined remaining amount. Whether or not the suction plate 112, 140 has contacted the printing plate 20 is detected.

In this case, a detection means such as a reflection type photoelectric sensor or a micro switch for detecting the height of the support frame 110 is attached to the base plate 120, and it is detected that the support frame 110 has reached a predetermined height, It may be detected that the printing plate 20 has reached a predetermined remaining amount.

Adjacent to the sheet-fed device 102 that has suctioned and held this printing plate 20 and moved up to the standby position, the reversing device 104 is provided.
Sucker 150 is waiting.

The suction cup 150 of the reversing device 104 is a long support member 1 provided along the longitudinal direction of the printing plate 20.
The support shafts 156 are rotatably provided between the side plates 154 extending from both ends of the shaft 52, and are provided at predetermined intervals. As a result, the suction cups 150 face each other along one widthwise end of the printing plate 20 lifted by the sheet-fed device 102, and a negative pressure is supplied from a negative pressure source (not shown) to suck and hold the printing plate 20. It is supposed to do. When the suction cup 150 of the reversing device 104 adsorbs the printing plate 20, the sheet-fed device 102 releases the adsorption of the printing plate 20 by the suction cups 112 and 140 to reverse the printing plate 20 to the reversing device 1.
It is designed to be handed over to 04. As a result, the reversing device 104 holds the printing plate 20 in a cantilever state by the suction cup 150.

On the other hand, an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the support member 152 is connected to a drive block 158A of a rodless cylinder 158 attached to a frame (not shown),
By driving the rodless cylinder 150, the single-wafer apparatus 1
The printing plate 20 is moved from the receiving position of the printing plate 20 to the receiving position of the printing plate 20 to the lift table 300 (see FIG. 2) in the next step. A rotary cylinder (not shown) is provided on one side plate 154 that supports the support shaft, and the support shaft 156 is driven by the rotary cylinder to move the support shaft 156 approximately 180 ° in the direction of arrow C.
It is designed to rotate. As a result, the printing plate 20 in which the photosensitive layer is directed downward and held in a cantilever state by the reversing device 104 is inverted while being conveyed to the lift table 300, and is lifted in a state where the photosensitive layer is directed upward. Handed over to the stand 300.

The lift table 300 shown in FIG. 2 rises in accordance with the movement of the reversing device 104 that suction-holds the printing plate 20, and the printing plate 20 conveyed while being reversed by the reversing device 104. , Is mounted on the upper surface of the lift table 300 that rises. When the printing plate 20 is placed on the lift table 300, the reversing device 104 releases the suction by the suction cups 150 and transfers the printing plate 20 to the lift table 300.

On the other hand, a lift table 30 on which the printing plate 20 is placed
0 moves the printing plate 20 to a position where it abuts against the pin roller by, for example, a pusher to position the width direction and the longitudinal direction of the printing plate 20 on the lift base 300.
The horizontal transfer device 10 waiting above the lift table 300
Ascend to the delivery position to 6. Horizontal transfer device 106
When the lift table 300 moves up to the printing plate delivery position, the tip of the claw 160 is moved to the printing plate 20 on the lift table 300.
The peripheral edge of the printing plate 20 is supported and received by the claws 160 by being inserted into the lower side of the peripheral edge and the lift table 300 is lowered.

The horizontal transport device 10 that has received the printing plate 20.
6 conveys the printing plate 20 horizontally into the drawing unit 18,
At a predetermined position, the claw portion 160 is retracted from below the printing plate 20, and the printing plate 20 is dropped onto the surface plate 408 of the drawing unit 18 and transferred.

FIG. 9 shows a schematic structure of the drawing unit 18. In the light-shielded interior of the drawing unit 18, a frame base 40
0, the printing plate 20 on which the printing plate 20 is placed, the printing plate 402
A charging device 404 that charges the printing plate 20 placed on the substrate prior to exposure and a drawing device 406 that forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive surface of the charged printing plate 20 are provided. The printing plate 402 has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape, and the printing plate 20 is placed on the upper surface of the platen 40.
8 and a moving table 410 fixedly supporting the surface plate 408. In addition, the movable table 410 includes a pair of rails 412.
The moving device 424 allows the user to move along the direction of the drawing device 406.

In the drawing unit 18, the printing plate 20 supplied from the plate supply unit 12 by the horizontal transport device 106 is fixed to the platen 408.
Placed on top. The printing plate 20 placed on the surface plate 408 has pins 414, 4 provided on the surface plate 408.
After being positioned by 16 and pushers 418 and 420, the printing plate 20 is moved into the drawing device 406 together with the surface plate 408 by the moving device 424. At this time, the charging device 404 uniformly charges the passing printing plate 20 positively by, for example, corona discharge.

The moving device 4 moves the printing plate 20 together with the surface plate 408.
When the drawing plate 406 is pulled out by the reverse driving of the drawing device 24, the printing plate 2 that is uniformly charged in the drawing device 406.
0 is operated by using, for example, a semiconductor laser having a wavelength of 780 nm to expose an image to form an electrostatic latent image on the printing plate 20 and return it to its original position (position where the printing plate 20 is placed) to print the printing plate. The drawing process of 20 ends.

As shown in FIG. 2, the take-out device 450 stands by above the surface plate 408 which has been returned to its original position.

10 and 11 show the main part of the take-out device 450. This take-out device 450 is provided with a long rectangular base plate 452 parallel to the surface plate 408. The longitudinal direction of the base plate 452 is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the printing plate 20.
At the center of 2, the air cylinder 45 directed downward.
No. 4 (see FIG. 2) drive shafts 454A are connected at their tips. Further, the lower ends of a plurality of guide rods 456 arranged in the up-down direction are connected to the periphery of the air cylinder 454. The air cylinder 454 and the guide rod 456 are attached to a horizontal moving device (not shown). Therefore, the base plate 452
Is moved up and down between the standby position above the surface plate 408 and the take-out position of the printing plate 20 approaching the surface plate 408 from the surface plate 408 by the drive of the air cylinder 454, and at the upper standby position, is horizontal. It is designed to move.

Chuckes 458 are arranged at predetermined intervals along both sides of the base plate 452 in the width direction, and along both sides of the base plate 452 in the width direction. The chuck 458 includes an air cylinder 460 attached to the upper surface side of the base plate 452, and a drive shaft 460A of the air cylinder 460 projects outward from the base plate 452. A substantially L-shaped claw portion 462 is provided at the tip of the drive shaft 460A of the air cylinder 460. The claw portion 462 is directed downward, and the bent tip end portion is directed toward the base plate 452 side along the expansion / contraction direction of the drive shaft 460A of the air cylinder 460.

Further, between these chucks 458,
Restriction pins 464 are arranged at a plurality of locations. The restriction pin 464 is provided so as to protrude downward from a tip end portion of a block 466 provided on the upper surface side of the base plate 452 and protruding outward from the peripheral edge of the base plate 452. The restriction pin 464 is movable up and down with respect to the block 466, and the compression coil spring 468 is provided.
Is urged downward by and the tip is projected downward from the claw portion 462 of the chuck 458 (see FIG. 11).

On the other hand, the surface plate 408 is formed with a notch 422 into which the claw portion 462 of the chuck 458 of the take-out device 450 can be inserted. Therefore, after lowering the base plate 452 of the take-out device 450 to the take-out position of the printing plate 20, the air cylinder 460 of the chuck 458 is driven and the claw portion 462 enters below the printing plate 20. When the base plate 452 of the take-out device 450 is raised to the standby position in this state, the claw portion 462 comes into contact with the lower side of the peripheral edge portion of the printing plate 20 and lifts it from the surface plate 408 to take it out.

Further, as shown in FIG.
When the take-out device 450 is lowered to the take-out position of the printing plate 20, the tip 4 comes into contact with the surface of the surface plate 408 slightly outside the peripheral edge of the printing plate 20, and the compression coil spring 468 is provided.
It contracts (moves upward) against the urging force of. Further, when the take-out device 450 is moved upward, it is expanded by the urging force of the compression coil spring 468, the peripheral edge side of the leading end portion faces the end surface of the printing plate 20, and the printing plate 20 is displaced in the horizontal direction. To prevent.

At this time, the chuck 458 is attached to the printing plate 20.
Since the printing plate 20 is provided along the entire peripheral edge thereof, the printing plate 20 does not fall off the claw portion 462 even if the printing plate 20 bends. In general, since the width of the printing plate 20 is narrow, when the peripheral edge of the printing plate 20 is supported and lifted by a claw or the like, both sides in the width direction are supported at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction, and both ends in the longitudinal direction are supported. Will be omitted. In this case, if the rigidity of the support of the printing plate 20 is low, the center portion in the width direction may be bent, and the printing plate 20 may be disengaged from the claw portions supporting both end portions.

On the other hand, in the take-out device 450, since both end portions in the longitudinal direction are also supported, the printing plate 2
Even if 0 is easily bent, it can be prevented from falling off from the claw portion 462, and can be reliably taken out. Since both ends in the longitudinal direction of the printing plate 20 are bent portions and are not related to printing, it is possible to suck and hold the printing plate 20 by using a suction plate or the like instead of supporting it by the claws 462. At this time, since the bent portion is a narrow area, it is more advantageous to use an oval (elliptical) type suction cup than an ordinary round type suction cup in terms of suction force. Note that such arrangement of the claw portions may be used for the horizontal transport device 106 of the plate supply unit 12.

This take-out device 450 is provided with a moving device (not shown) for moving in parallel from the standby position above the surface plate 408 to the plate discharge section 14 side, and the state in which the printing plate 20 is held by this moving device. Then, the printing plate is moved to the printing plate delivery position on the plate ejection unit 14 side.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the plate discharge unit 14 is provided with a transport stage 502 which can project from the plate discharge unit 14 to the drawing unit 18, and the printing plate moved to the plate discharge unit 14 side by the take-out device 450. When the transport stage 502 is inserted from the plate discharge unit 14 below the plate 20, the take-out device 45
0 releases the holding of the printing plate 20, drops it on the transport stage 502, and places it.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the plate discharge section 14 is provided with an insertion stage 532 at the end opposite to the drawing section 18. Transport stage 5 on which the printing plate 20 is placed
When 02 moves to a position above the insertion stage 532, for example, the take-out claw 54 provided at the tip of the air cylinder 540.
The printing plate 20 is dropped onto the insertion stage 532 so that the printing plate 20 is scraped off by 8 or the like.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the printing plate 20 is placed, the insertion stage 532 of the plate discharging unit 14 is provided with the developing and fixing unit 2.
The second side moves downward to feed the printing plate 20 to the developing and fixing unit 22 at an inclination along the conveyance path of the printing plate 20 in the developing and fixing unit 22.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below. In this direct plate making apparatus 10, when the printing plates 20 are taken out one by one from the skid 40 loaded in the plate feeding section 12 by the sheet-fed device 102, printing is performed via the reversing device 104, the lift base 300, and the horizontal transport device 106. Drawing unit 18
Supply to. In the drawing unit 18, the drawing device 406 is applied to the printing plate 20 supplied from the plate supply unit 12 and placed on the surface plate 408.
When a predetermined image is formed as an electrostatic latent image by means of an extraction device 450, it is taken out from the surface plate 408.

On the other hand, in the plate discharge unit 14, when the printing plate 20 is taken out from the surface plate 408 by the take-out device 450,
The transport stage 502 is inserted into the drawing unit 18 to receive the printing plate 20 for which image exposure has been completed. The transport stage 502 that has received the printing plate 20 moves to a position above the insertion stage 532 and places the printing plate 20 on the insertion stage 532.
When the printing plate 20 is placed on the insertion stage 532, the printing plate 20 is sent to the developing unit 24 of the developing and fixing unit 22 at a predetermined timing.

After that, the printing plate 20 is conveyed along the longitudinal direction of the developing, fixing, elution, and drying processing sections to elute the photosensitive layer according to the electrostatic latent image, and then to the standby section 31. The sheet is sent out, the conveyance direction is changed in the standby section 31, punching and plate bending are performed, and the sheet is discharged as a printing plate for printing. In this direct plate making apparatus 10, prior to the above-described plate making operation, and when the remaining amount of the printing plate 20 loaded in the plate feeding unit 12 becomes small, the printing plate 20 is loaded in the plate feeding unit 12. To do. In this operation, the opening / closing door 58 is opened to open the inside of the plate supply section 12, and then the rodless cylinder 62 is driven to cause the movable table 68 to project from the casing 16A. After that, the skid 40 in which a large number of printing plates 20 are stacked is placed along the width direction (direction of arrow A) of the direct plate-making apparatus 10 in the vicinity of the drawing section 18, which is one end in the longitudinal direction, and the plate feeding / discharging section 16. And conveys it, moves it close to the movable table 68, and places it on the frame 70 of the movable table 68.

The movable table 68 on which the skid 40 having the printing plates 20 stacked thereon is placed, and then the arm portion 66 is drawn into the plate feeding section 12 by driving the rodless cylinder 62.
The printing plate 20 is moved together with the skid 40 to be loaded in the plate supply unit 12. At this time, the printing plate 20 is laminated at a predetermined position of the skid 40, the skid 40 is positioned with respect to the frame 70 of the moving table 68, and the moving table 68 is moved to a predetermined position in the plate feeding unit 12. Therefore, the printing plate 20 can be positioned and loaded at a predetermined position of the plate supply unit 12 only by placing the skid 40 at a predetermined position of the moving table 68.

Further, the skid 40 to be loaded in the plate feeding section 12
The movable table 68 on which the vehicle is mounted protrudes from the casing 16A only during the loading operation of the skid 40, and is usually the casing 1
It is housed in 6A. Furthermore, this moving table 68
A guide rail or the like for guiding the movement of the moving base 68 is not provided around the plate feeding portion 12 while being guided by the arm portion 66 to move. For this reason, there are no irregularities such as guide rails on the floor surface on which the moving base 68 projects, and, for example, the skid 40
It does not hinder the movement of the dolly that carries the vehicle.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of direct plate making apparatuses 10 are provided with a plate feeding section 12 in consideration of work efficiency and the like.
When the end portions on the side of the plate are aligned, and there is an obstacle at the end portion on the side of the plate feeding unit 12 that supports the transportation of the skid 40, it is necessary to secure a separate movement space for the skid 40. It may be difficult to secure the installation space for the entire installation.

On the other hand, in the direct plate making apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the space for carrying the skid 40 is used to secure the loading space for the skid 40 in the plate feeding section 12, so that it is special. It is not necessary to provide a loading space for the skid 40, and the limited space can be used efficiently. Further, it is only necessary to secure a minimum required maintenance space between the direct plate making apparatuses 10 adjacent to each other, and of course, when installing one direct plate making apparatus 10, a plurality of direct plate making apparatuses 10 are installed. Even when doing so, it becomes much easier to secure the installation space than in the past (see FIG. 12).

As described above, the movable table 68 is projected from the plate supply section 12, the skid 40 having the printing plate 20 mounted thereon is placed on the movable table 68, and the printing plate 20 is loaded into the plate supply section 12. In this case, it is not necessary to secure a special space for loading the skid 40 into the plate supply section 12, and the direct plate making apparatus 10 can be easily installed.

The direct plate-making device 10 used in this embodiment is an example of the automatic plate-making device of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention. For example, the automatic plate-making device is not limited to the OPC printing plate, but can be applied to a plate-making device that creates a printing plate using a general printing plate such as a PS plate.

Further, the structure of the moving table and the moving means of the present invention are not limited to this embodiment. In particular, the moving means is not limited to the rodless cylinder 62, but a chain, an endless belt, or the like can be used, and a link mechanism or the like that projects and houses the moving table by a driving means such as a motor can also be used.

Further, in the present embodiment, the movable table 68 is projected along the conveying direction (arrow B direction) of the printing plate 20 in the processing section of the direct plate making apparatus 10. , And the orientation of the skid 40 placed on the movable table 68 is not limited to this, and it can be designed so as to project in a direction in which a space for placing the skid 40 can be secured depending on the installation space of the device. This makes it easier to secure the installation space for the device.

[0084]

As described above, in the automatic plate making apparatus of the present invention, the movable table for mounting the mounting table is projected from the plate feeding section, so that the mounting table is rotated around the apparatus. There is no need to perform the work of inserting into the inside, and the space for this work can be saved.

When it is not possible to secure a space for loading the mounting table on the width direction side of the apparatus, the movable table is projected to the side opposite to the processing section that conveys the printing plate along its longitudinal direction. In this case, the mounting table on which the printing plates are stacked can be loaded in the plate feeding section without impairing the stability of the mounting table during transportation. This has an excellent effect that the automatic plate making apparatus can be installed by effectively utilizing the limited space.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a direct plate making apparatus applied to this embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a plate feeding section of the direct plate making apparatus as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a plate feeding section as viewed from a side surface side.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a plate supply section of the direct plate making apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a moving base of a plate feeding unit to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the movable table viewed from a direction different from that in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an essential part showing a sheet feeding device of a plate feeding section.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a main portion of a plate feeding unit.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a main part of a drawing unit.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an essential part showing a take-out device inside the drawing unit.

FIG. 11 is a front view of a main part as seen from the longitudinal direction side of the take-out device.

FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a method of loading a printing plate into a conventional automatic plate making apparatus.

FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another example of a method of loading a printing plate into a conventional automatic plate making apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Direct plate making device (automatic plate making device) 12 Plate feeding part 14 Plate discharging part 18 Drawing part (image recording part) 20 Printing plate 22 Developing and fixing part 28 Elution part 30 Drying part 40 Skid (mounting table) 62 Rodless cylinder (moving means) ) 66 arm part 68 moving stand 74 rolling member 76, 78 block

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A printing plate stacked on a mounting table and loaded in a plate feeding unit is supplied to an image recording unit, and the printing plate on which an image is recorded is taken out from the image recording unit and sent to a processing unit. An automatic plate making apparatus for producing a printing plate by subjecting the printing plate to a predetermined process in the processing section, comprising a movable table on which a mounting table can be placed and which is movable, a predetermined position of the plate supply section and the sheet feeding section. An automatic plate making apparatus comprising: a moving unit that is capable of moving the moving table between the position outside the plate section and a position where the placing table can be replaced. 2. A printing plate stacked on a mounting table and loaded in a plate feeding unit is supplied to an image recording unit, and the printing plate on which an image is recorded is taken out from the image recording unit to a plate discharging unit, An automatic plate making apparatus that processes the inside of each processing unit from the plate discharge unit along the longitudinal direction of the printing plate to create a printing plate, wherein the longitudinal direction of the printing plate on the mounting table is in the processing unit. A movable base on which the mounting table can be moved so as to be along the transport direction of the printing plate, and a mounting position of the mounting table on a side opposite to the predetermined position of the plate feeding unit and the processing unit outside the plate feeding unit. An automatic plate making apparatus, comprising: a moving unit that moves the movable table between the movable plate and a replaceable position. 3. The printing plate mounting table is positioned at a predetermined position of the moving table, whereby the printing plate on the mounting table is positioned at a predetermined position of the plate feeding section. The automatic plate making apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. 4. The automatic plate making apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the moving means includes an arm portion projecting from the inside of the plate feeding portion, and a moving table connected to the arm portion moves while being guided by the arm portion. apparatus.