JPH09134040A - Automatic plate making device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the elution irregularity of a printing plate caused by cooling water attached to a photosensitive surface. SOLUTION: A spray pipe 118 spraying the cooling water is provided between the carrying roller pair 114 of a cooling tank 102 and a draining plate 96 is provided between the pipe 118 and the liquid level of the cooling water stored in the tank 102. Since the cooling water sprayed from the pipe 118 is suppressed such an extent that it is sprayed toward the lower surface of the printing plate 20 carried by facing the photosensitive surface thereof upward and brought into contact with the lower surface of the plate 20, it is prevented from being attached to the photosensitive surface of the plate 20 because it is blown up high toward the upper part of the plate 20. By making the cooling water sprayed from the pipe 118 drop on the plate 96 and flow along the inclination of the plate 96, the dropping cooling water is prevented from being attached to the surface of the plate 20 because it is splashed.

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 having an elution step in which a printing plate on which an electrostatic latent image is formed is continuously subjected to a toner developing step and a heat fixing step, and particularly, before the elution step. The present invention relates to an automatic plate making apparatus having a cooling step of cooling a printing plate with cooling water.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A photosensitive lithographic printing plate used for printing newspapers uses an OPC (Organic Photconductor) which uses an organic photoconductor as a photosensitive layer formed on an aluminum support.
There is a print version. In the plate making apparatus using the OPC printing plate, after uniformly charging the photosensitive layer of the OPC printing plate, an image is directly recorded by laser light or the like, and the plate can be produced without using an original film or the like. There is.

In an automatic plate making apparatus for making a printing plate using such an OPC printing plate, when an image is recorded by charging and exposure, toner charged in the developing process is applied to the surface of the printing plate and then in the fixing process. Heat the toner with the printing plate,
A toner image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image is formed on the printing plate. The photosensitive layer of the non-toner portion (non-image portion) of the printing plate on which this toner image is formed is eluted with an eluent to prepare a printing plate for printing.

By the way, since the elution property of the eluate changes depending on the temperature, the temperature of the eluate is maintained at a predetermined temperature in the automatic plate making apparatus so that the elution property, that is, the developability of the printing plate is not impaired. I have to. For this reason, the printing plate that has undergone heat-fixing is at a relatively high temperature. Therefore, when the eluate is applied to this printing plate, the temperature of the eluate rises and the elution property changes, and the plate of a certain quality Is difficult to create.
Therefore, prior to the elution treatment of the printing plate, water having a predetermined temperature is sprayed on the front and back surfaces of the printing plate, or the printing plate is immersed in water having a predetermined temperature to be cooled.

[0005]

However, the printing plate which has been sprayed with water on the front and back surfaces or cooled by being immersed in water is sent to the elution step with water adhering to the surface. The water adhering to the surface of the printing plate has a problem that elution unevenness is caused, for example, by partially diluting the eluate and making the edges of an image formed on the printing plate worse.

The present invention has been made in view of the above facts, and is characterized by providing an automatic plate-making apparatus capable of producing a high-quality plate without causing uneven dissolution of the plate due to cooling water. .

[0007]

The invention according to claim 1 is
The printing plate is provided with a developing step, a heat fixing step, a cooling step, and an elution step along the conveyance direction of the image-exposed printing plate. An automatic plate making apparatus for producing, in which the cooling step conveys only the photosensitive plate of the printing plate in a state in which the photosensitive surface is directed upward, and only the lower surface of the printing plate conveyed by the conveying unit. Cooling water jetting means for jetting the cooling water toward it.

According to the present invention, in the cooling step, cooling water is sprayed onto the surface of the printing plate opposite to the photosensitive surface to cool the printing plate and prevent the cooling water from adhering to the photosensitive surface of the printing plate. ing. As a result, in the elution step, the cooling water that has adhered to the photosensitive surface of the printing plate does not partially deteriorate the processing performance of the eluate, so that it is possible to produce a printing plate without uneven elution.

The invention according to claim 2 is the automatic plate making apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cooling step supplies cooling water to the cooling water jetting means at a predetermined pressure, A cooling tank for collecting and storing the cooling water jetted by the cooling water jetting means, and a cooling water jetting means provided between the cooling water jetting means and the liquid surface of the cooling water stored in the cooling tank. Water splash prevention means for preventing splashing of the cooling water in the cooling tank caused by dropping of the jetted cooling water.

According to the present invention, the water splash preventing means prevents the cooling water jetted from the cooling water jetting means toward the printing plate from directly falling into the cooling water stored in the cooling tank. Thereby, the cooling water sprayed from the cooling water jetting means to the printing plate does not cause water splash when falling into the cooling tank. As a result, the cooling water splashed by the water splash directly adheres to the photosensitive surface of the printing plate, or the splashed cooling water adheres to the roller or the like provided for transporting the printing plate, which causes the printing plate to roll. Cooling water adheres to the photosensitive surface of the printing plate when it comes into contact with, or splashed cooling water adheres to the inner surface of the upper lid of the cooling tank, and from there, cooling water drips and adheres to the photosensitive surface of the printing plate. It is possible to prevent indirect adhesion of cooling water to the photosensitive surface of the printing plate, and to prevent uneven dissolution due to cooling water adhered to the photosensitive surface of the printing plate.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided the automatic plate making apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the water splash prevention means is a draining plate inclined with respect to the photosensitive surface of the printing plate to which the water splash preventing means is conveyed. It is characterized by being.

According to the present invention, when the draining plate is used as the water splash preventing means, the draining plate is inclined along the transport direction of the printing plate, and the cooling water jetted from the cooling water jetting means is drained. It prevents the water from jumping up toward the printing plate when it drops upwards, and prevents cooling water from adhering to the photosensitive surface of the printing plate.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a direct plate making apparatus 10 applied to this embodiment. This direct plate making apparatus 10 is equipped with a plate feeding / discharging unit 16 in which a plate feeding unit 12 and a plate discharging unit 14 are integrally housed. By opening an insertion door 12A to the plate feeding unit 12, a large number of printing plates 20 can be stored. The placed skid 22 is loaded.

The printing plate 20 used in the direct plate making apparatus 10 has an organic photoconductor on one surface of an aluminum support such as the size of two pages of newspaper (vertical dimension 398 mm × vertical dimension 1120 mm). It is an OPC printing plate on which the photosensitive layer used is formed. Printing plate 20 is skid 22
A large number of sheets (for example, 500 to 1000 sheets) are stacked with the surface (photosensitive surface) of the photosensitive layer facing downward, and unnecessary exposure of the photosensitive layer of the printing plate 20 occurs during storage or transportation. In addition to being prevented, dirt such as dust is prevented from adhering to the photosensitive surface.

The direct plate making apparatus 10 includes a plate feeding / discharging section 1
A drawing unit 18 for recording an image on the printing plate 20 is provided adjacent to the printing plate 6. In the plate supply unit 12, when the back surface side of the printing plate 20 is adsorbed from the skid 22 and taken out one by one, the printing plate 20 is inverted and sent to the drawing unit 18 with the photosensitive layer facing upward.

In the drawing unit 18, after the printing plate 20 fed from the plate supply unit 12 is uniformly charged, a laser beam having a predetermined wavelength is scanned and exposed according to an image signal input from a plate making controller (not shown). , An electrostatic latent image is formed on the printing plate 20. The printing plate 20 image-exposed by the drawing unit 18 is
It is taken out from the drawing unit 18 and returned to the plate discharge unit 14 arranged above the plate supply unit 12. The plate supply unit 12 to the drawing unit 1
Between 8 and the plate discharge unit 14, the printing plate 20 is conveyed along the width direction.

On the other hand, the plate fixing / discharging section 16 includes a developing / fixing section 24.
Are arranged adjacent to each other, and the printing plate 20 for which image exposure has been completed is sent to the developing and fixing unit 24. An elution unit 26, a drying unit 28, and a standby unit 30 are arranged on the downstream side of the developing and fixing unit 24. In addition, the punch unit 3 is adjacent to the standby unit 30.
2. The plate bending portion 34 is arranged in order. In addition, between the plate discharge unit 14 and the standby unit 30, the printing plate 20 is transported along the longitudinal direction, and from the standby unit 30 to the plate bending unit 34, the printing plate 20 is transported along the width direction.

The developing / fixing section 24 includes a developing section 36 and a fixing section 3.
8 and a printing plate 2 on which an electrostatic latent image is formed in the developing section 36.
The toner (toner particles) charged on the surface of 0 (photosensitive surface) is uniformly applied, and the excess toner is removed.
Toner particles are attached to the surface of 0 according to the electrostatic latent image.
In the fixing unit 38, the printing plate 20 is heated to 100 ° C. or higher (for example, 120 ° C. to 140 ° C.) by a heating means such as a heating lamp.
The toner adhering to the printing plate 20 is formed into a film and fixed by heating to a predetermined temperature (in C), and a toner image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the printing plate 20. In the fixing unit 38, the end surface treatment is performed so that the toner remaining on the peripheral portion of the printing plate 20 does not stain the printed matter.

The printing plate 20 on which the toner image is formed is then sent to the elution section 26, and an elution solution of the photosensitive layer such as an alkaline solution is applied to the surface thereof to etch the photosensitive layer of the non-image area. After that, the surface is washed, a gum solution or the like for protecting the plate surface is applied, and a drying process is performed, and the product is sent to the standby unit 30.

In the waiting section 30, the printing plate 20 sent from the drying section 28 is sent to the punch section 32 at a predetermined timing. In the punch section 32, punch holes and notches serving as positioning references for mounting on a rotary press for newspaper printing are formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the printing plate 20. Further, the plate bending section 34 adjacent to the punch section 32 performs a plate bending process for hooking when the printing plate 20 is mounted on the rotary press (both ends in the longitudinal direction are bent into a predetermined shape). The printing plate 20 that has undergone the punching and plate bending processing is discharged from the plate bending section 34 and accumulated in the stocker 40. The printing plate 20 accommodated in the stocker 40 is then carried to a printing step, mounted on the plate cylinder of a rotary press for newspaper printing, and used as a printing plate for printing processing.

2 and 3, a direct plate making apparatus 1 is shown.
The schematic configuration of the elution section 26 provided in No. 0 is shown. As shown in FIG. 2, in the elution section 26, a cooling tank 102, an elution tank 104, a water washing tank 106, and a gum solution tank 108 are arranged in the casing 100 along the conveying direction of the printing plate 20 (direction of arrow A in the figure). Are arranged consecutively.

Cooling tank 102, elution tank 104, washing tank 10
6 and the gum solution tank 108 include inner lids 110A, 110B, 110 in a cover 100A that covers the upper portion of the casing 100.
It is provided so as to be closed by C and 110D. The cooling tank 102 of the elution unit 26 is the fixing unit 38 of the developing and fixing unit 24.
The printing plate 20 which is adjacent to, and is heated to a high temperature by the fixing unit 38 is fed. Also, the gum solution tank 108
Is adjacent to the drying section 28 and sends the printing plate 20 coated with the gum solution to the drying section 28.

The cooling tank 102 of the elution section 26 is provided with two pairs of conveying rollers 114, and a plurality of spray pipes 118 are provided between the pair of rollers 114.
In the cooling tank 102, while the printing plate 20 sent from the developing and fixing unit 24 is being carried by the carrying roller pair 114, cooling water is jetted from the spray pipe 118 to be cooled and sent to the elution tank 104. In addition, spray pipe 1
The cooling water ejected from 18 is collected in the cooling tank 102.

Four pairs of conveying rollers 114 are arranged above the elution tank 104, and a plurality of guide plates 116, brush rollers 120 and a plurality of spray pipes 122 are provided between the pair of conveying rollers 114 adjacent to each other. Are arranged. In addition, an eluate is stored in the elution tank 104 (see FIG. 3).

In the elution tank 104, the printing plate 20 sent from the cooling tank 102 is conveyed to the conveying roller pair 114 and the guide plate 1.
While being guided and conveyed horizontally by 16, the eluate is ejected from the spray pipe 122 toward the surface (photosensitive surface) of the printing plate 20. As a result, in the printing plate 20, the photosensitive layer in the portion where the toner does not adhere (non-image portion) is eluted. The brush roller 120 rotates while contacting the surface of the printing plate 20 and rubs the surface of the printing plate 20 to remove the photosensitive layer and the like eluted from the surface of the printing plate 20 by the eluent.
The eluate ejected from the spray pipe 122 is
It is collected again in the elution tank 104 and is recycled.

In the washing tank 106, there are two pairs of conveying rollers.
14 is provided, and the guide plate 1 is provided between the pair of transport rollers 114.
16 and the brush roller 124 are arranged to form a conveyance path for horizontally conveying the printing plate 20. Also, the washing tank 10
A spray pipe 126, to which the washing water stored in the washing tank 106 is supplied, is arranged in the upper and lower portions of the nozzle 6 with the conveyance path of the printing plate 20 interposed therebetween. The printing plate 20 sent to the washing tank 106 is horizontally conveyed, and washing water is sprayed on both the front and back surfaces of the printing plate 20 to wash away the photosensitive layer and the like adhering thereto. Further, the brush roller 124 rotates while contacting the surface of the printing plate 20 and rubs the surface of the printing plate 20 to remove the remaining eluted photosensitive layer even though it should be removed from the surface of the printing plate 20. It serves to remove it.

In the gum solution tank 108, there are provided two pairs of conveying rollers 114 and a spray pipe 128 to which the gum solution stored in the gum solution tank 108 is supplied. In the gum solution tank 108, the gum solution is jetted from the spray pipe 128 to the surface of the printing plate 20 while the printing plate 20 is transported horizontally, and is uniformly applied to the surface of the printing plate 20. This gum solution protects the surface of the printing plate 20 (desensitizing treatment). In addition, the downstream conveying roller pair 114 is used for the printing plate 20.
It also has the role of removing excess gum liquid from the.

The printing plate 20 for which the plate surface protection processing has been completed is sent to the drying section 28. In the drying unit 28, a drying air is blown to both front and back surfaces of the printing plate 20 to perform a drying process. A shutter 138 is provided on the drying section 28 side of the gum solution tank 108. When the printing plate 20 is not processed, the shutter 138 prevents the dry air of the drying section 28 from entering and evaporates the gum solution. Is suppressed. Also, the cooling tank 10
2, a blade 140 is provided on the upper roller of the upstream conveying roller pair 114 of each of the elution tank 104, the washing tank 106, and the gum solution tank 108, and the treatment liquid in each tank is rotated by the rotation of the conveying roller pair 114. Are prevented from being taken out to the upstream side.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic system diagram of the piping provided in the elution section 26. Piping groups 46 and 48 are connected to the elution section 26. The piping group 48 is an eluate stock solution,
It is possible to supply a gum solution undiluted solution, water for diluting the eluate undiluted solution and the gum solution undiluted solution, or water used as rinsing water, and an antiseptic agent for preventing generation of algae, water stain, etc. in the rinsing tank 106.
Further, the pipe group 46 connects the cooling tank 102 and a cooling water circulating device 50 described later, and is responsible for circulating the cooling water. First, the elution tank 104, the washing tank 106, and the gum solution tank 1
08 will be described.

The pipe 48A in the pipe group 48 connected to the connection port 144A at the tip of the pipe 146 is for water supply. The pipe 146 includes pipes 146B, 146C, and 1
It branches to 46D. A dilution water metering pump 154 is provided in the pipe 146B. Dilution water metering pump 15
The discharge side of No. 4 is opened at the upper part of the elution tank 104. The eluate stock solution metering pump 162 is connected to the connection port 144B.
Is connected to the pipe 156. The discharge side of the eluate stock solution metering pump 162 is open above the elution tank 104. The pipe 48B of the pipe group 48 connected to the connection port 144B is for supplying the eluting stock solution.

Therefore, the eluate stock solution metering pump 162 and the dilution water metering pump 154 actuate the eluate stock solution and the water for dilution at a predetermined ratio (for example, 1: 1) to supply them to the elution tank 104. be able to. The elution stock solution quantitative pump 162 and the dilution water quantitative pump 154 are, for example, the elution tank 1
04 operates from an empty state to supply the start liquid, and according to the amount (for example, the number of sheets) of the printing plates 20 detected by the plate detection sensor 226 provided on the insertion side of the elution portion 26 of the printing plates 20. The eluate stock solution and the diluting water having a predetermined ratio are replenished to the elution tank 104 as replenishing solutions.

A pipe 164 is provided at the bottom of the elution tank 104.
Is open at one end. The pipe 164 is the pipe 16 at the middle part.
4A, 164B, 164C are branched, and the branched pipe 164A is connected to the above-mentioned spray pipe 122, and a circulation pump 166 and a filter 168 are provided in an intermediate portion.
Is provided. Therefore, the eluent ejected from the spray pipe 122 toward the surface of the printing plate 20 is supplied to the spray pipe 122 by the operation of the circulation pump 166.

The pipe 164B is opened at the upper part of the elution tank 104, and the temperature control pump 170 and the heater 172 are provided in the middle part. In addition, in the elution tank 104,
A temperature sensor 224 for detecting the temperature of the eluate is provided. In the elution tank 104, the eluent in the elution tank 104 is circulated by the operation of the temperature control pump 170, and the heating heater 172 is controlled based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 224 to heat the eluate, so that the eluate in the elution tank 104 is heated. The eluate is maintained at a predetermined temperature and the processing performance of the eluate, that is, the printing plate 2
The photosensitive layer of 0 can be eluted in an appropriate state.
Further, the tip end of the pipe 164C is further branched, and an electric ball valve 174A for drainage and an electric ball valve 174B for waste liquid are provided so that the liquid in the elution tank 104 can be discharged as waste liquid or drainage.

In the present embodiment, as an example, the temperature of the eluate is maintained at 33 ° C. (± 0.5 ° C.), and the capacity of the heater 172 is about 23 for the eluate at 15 ° C., for example. It can be heated to this predetermined temperature in about a minute, and is supplied from the circulation pump 166 to the spray pipe 122 to be ejected toward the conveying roller pair 114, the brush roller 120, the guide plate 116, and the like, and the conveying roller. The pair 114, the brush roller 120, the guide plate 116, and the like can be kept at substantially the same temperature as the eluate.

A pipe 146C branched from the pipe 146 is opened at the upper part of the washing tank 106. This piping 14
A water supply metering pump 176 is provided in the middle portion of 6C, and water is sucked as wash water by the operation of the water supply metering pump 176 to replenish the water tank 106.

At the bottom of the washing tank 106, one end of a pipe 178 is open. This pipe 178 is provided with a circulation pump 182 and a filter 184 in the middle thereof and is connected to the spray pipe 126, a drainage electric ball valve 180A and a waste liquid electric ball valve 1.
It branches to a pipe 178B provided with 80B. Therefore, in the water washing tank 106, the water in the water washing tank 106 is supplied to the spray pipe 126 by the operation of the circulation pump 182 to wash the front and back surfaces of the printing plate 20, and the washed water can be discharged as waste liquid or waste water. Has become.

At the top of the washing tank 106, the connection port 1
A pipe 148 connected to 44C is open. A pipe 48C for supplying an antiseptic in the pipe group 48 is connected to the connection port 144C, and the antiseptic is sucked by the operation of the metering pump 150 provided in the middle portion of the pipe 148 to wash the water in the washing tank. 106 can be supplied into the inside. As a result, even if the water in the wash tank 106 is continuously used for a long period of time, generation of water mold, water stain, etc. can be prevented.
It is possible to prevent the surface of the printing plate 20 from being soiled by water stains, water molds, etc. generated in 06.

A diluting water metering pump 186 is provided in the middle of the pipe 146D branched from the tube 146, and the discharge side of the diluting water metering pump 186 opens at the upper part of the gum solution tank 108. Further, a pipe 188 provided with a gum solution undiluted solution metering pump 190 is connected to the connection port 144D,
The discharge side of the gum solution undiluted pump 186 is the gum solution tank 10
8 is open at the top. The pipe 48D of the pipe group 48 is connected to the connection port 144D. This pipe 48D
Is for supplying undiluted gum.

By operating the diluting water metering pump 186 and the gum stock solution metering pump 190, the gum solution stock solution and the diluting water of a predetermined ratio are sucked and supplied to the gum solution tank 108 as a starting solution, and the printing plate 20 is treated. Supply as a replenisher according to the amount.

At the bottom of the gum solution tank 108, a pipe 19 is provided.
2 is open. This pipe 192 is provided with a circulation pump 194 at an intermediate portion and connected to the spray pipe 128, and a drainage electric ball valve 196.
A, a branch pipe 192B provided with electric ball valves 196B and 196C for waste liquid. Therefore, the circulation pump 194 is operated to eject the gum liquid onto the surface of the printing plate 20, and the liquid in the gum liquid tank 108 can be discharged as drainage or waste liquid.

The secondary side of the solenoid valve 196C is opened in the waste liquid tank 198, and the gum liquid tank 108 is
The gum solution therein can be discharged into the waste liquid tank 198. A liquid level sensor 236 is provided in the waste liquid tank 198 to prevent the waste liquid tank 198 from overflowing with the gum liquid discharged from the gum liquid tank 108. The overflow tanks 200A and 200B are respectively provided in the elution tank 104, the water washing tank 106, and the gum solution tank 108.
200C is provided so that the excess eluate, washing water, and gum solution can be discharged as waste liquid.

A washing hose 204A is provided in the elution section 26.
Is provided with a valve 208. Water for cleaning is supplied to the cleaning hose 204A through the pipe 204, and the inside of the elution unit 28 can be cleaned using this water.

A plate detection sensor 226 is provided in the vicinity of the insertion port of the printing plate 20 into the elution section 28, and the plate detection sensor 226 prevents the printing plate 20 from passing from the front end to the rear end. By detecting, the conveying roller pair 114 is driven at a predetermined timing, and the circulation pump 16 is driven.
6, 182, 194 are activated. In addition, the elution tank 104,
Liquid level sensors 222A, 222B, and 222C are provided in the washing tank 106 and the gum solution tank 108, respectively, and the eluate, washing water, and gum solution are replenished according to the detection results. Further, the gum solution tank 108 is provided with an air cylinder 232 that separates the upper roller of the conveying roller pair 114 from the lower roller, and the operation of the air cylinder 232 causes the conveying roller pair 114 in the gum solution tank 108 to operate. The upper and lower rollers are separated from each other to prevent the conveying roller pair 114 from being fixed by the gum solution.

Further, the treatment liquids (elution liquid, washing water containing preservative and gum liquid) stored in the elution tank 104, the water washing tank 106 and the gum liquid tank 108 are discharged as waste liquids, and When cleaning each processing tank,
The water after cleaning is discharged as waste water.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the cooling tank 102 provided at the uppermost stream of the elution section 26 includes a plurality of spray pipes 118 (in the present embodiment, between the conveying roller pairs 114). As an example, 118A, 118B, 118
C 3). These spray pipes 11
Reference numeral 8 is arranged below the transport path of the printing plate 20 formed by the transport roller pair 114.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, each spray pipe 118 is formed with a plurality of outlets 119 toward the conveying path of the printing plate 20. Therefore, by supplying the cooling water to the spray pipes 118, the respective outlets 11 of the spray pipes 118
Cooling water is jetted from 9 toward the conveyance path of the printing plate 20.
The cooling tank 102 collects and stores the cooling water ejected from the spray pipe 118. As shown in FIG. 4, the spray pipe 118A or the spray pipe 118 is used.
The spray pipe 118 is attached to the outlet 119 of C.
The outlets 119 of B are arranged in a zigzag pattern along the width direction of the printing plate 20 (direction orthogonal to the transport direction) so that the cooling water can be sprayed evenly along the width direction of the printing plate 20. I have to.

As shown in FIG. 3, one end of the pipe 52 is opened at the bottom of the cooling tank 102. This piping 52
A circulation pump 54 for sending cooling water is provided in the middle portion, which is connected to the connection port 142A. This connection port 142
A pipe 46A in the pipe group 46 is connected to A. The pipe 46B of the pipe group 46 is connected to the connection port 142B. The pipe 56 is connected to the connection port 142B. The pipe 56 is connected to the spray pipe 118, and a circulation pump 58 for sucking cooling water is provided at an intermediate portion.
Is provided. An orifice 60 is provided between the circulation pump 58 and the spray pipe 118 to adjust the amount of cooling water supplied to the spray pipe 118 so that the jetting power of the cooling water from the spray pipe 118 is substantially constant. There is.

The circulation pump 58 is activated when the plate detection sensor 226 detects the leading edge of the printing plate 20.
When a predetermined time elapses after 26 detects the passage of the trailing edge of the printing plate 20, it stops. As a result, the cooling liquid is jetted from the spray pipe 118 to the entire area of the back surface of the printing plate 20 passing through the cooling tank 102 from the front end to the rear end, and the cooling of the printing plate 20 is promoted.

Further, in the cooling tank 102, the liquid level sensor 6
2 is provided, for example, the circulation pump 54 is operated according to the rise of the liquid level by collecting the cooling water ejected from the spray pipe 118, and the cooling water is sent to the cooling water circulation device 50. In the cooling tank 102 as well, the overflow pipe 64, the electric ball valve 66A for discharging the cooling water as waste liquid, the cooling water or the cooling tank 102.
An electric ball valve 66B for discharging the washed water as drainage is provided. Further, the cooling tank 102
An electric ball valve 66C is provided between the electric ball valve 66A and the electric ball valve 66B to prevent the cooling water in the cooling tank 102 from being accidentally discharged from the electric ball valve 66A or the electric ball valve 66B. ing. The electric ball valve 66B is opened when the cooling liquid in the cooling tank 102 is discharged as waste liquid.
A is opened when the water used for cleaning the inside of the cooling tank 102 is discharged as drainage.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the other ends of the pipes 46A and 46B connected to the connection ports 142A and 142B of the elution section 26 are connected to the cooling water circulation device 50.

The cooling water circulation device 50 has a cooling water tank 68 for storing a predetermined amount of cooling water. A pipe 70 is opened at the bottom of the cooling water tank 68. The pipe 70 is branched into a plurality of connection ports 70A, one of which is connected to the pipe 46B of the pipe group 46 described above. Has been done. Therefore, by operating the circulation pump 58 of the elution unit 26, the cooling water stored in the cooling water tank 68 is sucked by the elution unit 26 and supplied to the spray pipe 118 (see FIG. 3).

Further, the cooling water circulation device 50 is provided with a plurality of connection ports 72A at the other end of the pipe 72, one end of which is open above the cooling water tank 68, and one of which is provided with the pipe group 46. The pipe 46A is connected. Therefore, when the circulation pump 54 operates, the cooling water in the cooling tank 102 is sent to the cooling water tank 68 of the cooling water circulation device 50 (see FIG. 3).

That is, by operating the circulation pumps 54 and 58 provided in the elution unit 26, the cooling water can be circulated between the cooling tank 102 of the elution unit 26 and the cooling water tank 68 of the cooling water circulation device 50. Has become. In the cooling water circulation device 50, the cooling water can be circulated between the elution parts of the plurality of direct plate making devices by the plurality of connection ports 70A and 72A.

Piping 7 connected to the bottom of the cooling water tank 68
A pipe 74 opened to the upper portion of the cooling water tank 68 is connected to the middle portion of 0. A circulation pump 76, a heat exchanger 78 and a heater 80 are provided in the middle of the pipe 74. Further, the cooling water tank 68 is provided with a temperature sensor 82.

In the cooling water circulation device 50, the circulation pump 76
Is operated to circulate the cooling water in the cooling water tank 68, and according to the detection result of the temperature sensor 82, the heater 80
Or, the heat exchanger 78 is operated to cool or heat the cooling water, maintain the cooling water in the cooling water tank 68 within a predetermined temperature range, and elute the cooling water maintained within this predetermined temperature range. 26 to the cooling tank 102. A pipe 84 is connected to the heat exchanger 78, and a heat medium for heat exchange (for example, cooling water in a printing factory) circulates by opening an electric ball valve 84A provided in the pipe 84. .

At the upper part of the cooling water tank 68, the pipe 8
6 is open. The pipe 86 is connected to a water supply means such as a water pipe, and the cooling water tank 68 is replenished with cooling water by opening the electric ball valve 86A. The cooling water is replenished by, for example, the cooling water tank 68.
It is performed according to the detection result of the liquid level sensor 88 provided in the. The liquid level sensor 88 detects the level (amount) of the cooling water in the cooling water tank 68, the “L” level (for example, 5 liters) and the “H” level (for example, 30 liters), and the lower limit alarm level (AL). : For example, 2 liters or less)) and an upper limit alarm level (AH: for example, 35 liters or more).

The cooling water circulation device 50 is equipped with a metering pump 90 for supplying an antiseptic agent for preventing the generation of water mold, algae, water stain, etc. in the cooling water, and the metering is performed at a predetermined timing. Even if the preservative is supplied to the cooling water by operating the pump 90 and the cooling water in the cooling water tank 68 is circulated for a long period of time, the generation of dirt in the cooling water is suppressed and the dirt generated in the cooling water is It is prevented from adhering to the printing plate 20.

An electric ball valve 92A is provided on the suction side of the circulation pump 76, and the electric ball valve 92A has a valve 92B for discharging it as waste water and a waste liquid for discharging it. Valve 92C
Is connected. Further, the cooling water tank 68 is provided with an overflow pipe 94, and the cooling water which has reached the overflow level and has flowed into the overflow pipe 94 is discharged as a waste liquid.

By the way, as shown in FIG.
The spray pipe 118 provided in No. 2 has an outlet 119 inclined toward the downstream side in the transport direction of the printing plate 20 at a predetermined angle θ with respect to the vertical direction. The angle θ is 0 ° to 80 °, preferably 0 ° to
It can be set in the range of 60 °.

The discharge force of the cooling water discharged from the spray pipe 118 is adjusted by limiting the water pressure of the cooling water supplied to the spray pipe 118 by the above-mentioned orifice 60.
It is suppressed to such an extent that it comes into contact with the back surface of the printing plate 20 conveyed to the printing plate 14. As a result, the cooling water ejected from the play pipe 118 reaches the inner surface of the inner lid 110A that covers the cooling tank 102, or largely ejects above the printing plate 20 when the rear end of the printing plate 20 passes, and the printing is performed. The plate 20 is prevented from adhering to the image portion at the center of the photosensitive surface.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the cooling tank 1
In 02, a draining plate 96 is arranged between the spray pipe 118 and above the liquid surface of the stored cooling water. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the draining plate 96 is
It is arranged between below the upstream conveying roller pair 114 and below the downstream conveying roller pair 114. The draining plate 96 has a dimension in the width direction of the printing plate 20 that is different from that of the printing plate 2.
It has a chevron shape that is larger than 0 and has a long downstream side in the transport direction of the printing plate 20. Also, this draining plate 96
Is the spray pipe 11 upstream of the printing plate 20 in the transport direction.
It is inclined so that the 8A side is high and the downstream spray pipe 118C side is low.

As a result, the cooling water ejected from the spray pipe 118 does not directly fall into the cooling water stored in the cooling tank 102 but falls onto the draining plate 96. The cooling water that has dropped onto the draining plate 96 flows along the slope formed in the shape of a mountain, and falls into the cooling tank 102 from the peripheral edge of the draining plate 96. As a result, the spray pipe 11
Since the cooling water ejected from No. 8 directly dropped onto the liquid surface of the cooling water stored in the cooling tank 102, splashes of the cooling water rise and the droplets adhere to the photosensitive surface of the printing plate 20. Is being prevented.

In the present embodiment, the temperature of the cooling water stored in the cooling water tank 68 of the cooling water circulation device 50 is set to 25.
Maintaining a preset temperature in the range of ° C to 30 ° C, the cooling water is sucked by the circulation pump 58, and the printing plate 2
By ejecting toward the back surface of 0, the developing and fixing unit 24
The printing plate 20 heated and fed from is cooled to a constant temperature of about 40 ° C.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. In the direct plate making apparatus 10, when an image signal to be formed on the printing plate 20 is inputted together with the plate making process, the process is started. In addition,
Prior to the plate making process, the plate feeding unit 12 of the direct plate making apparatus 10 is loaded with a skid 22 in which the printing plates 20 are stacked, and each processing section in the direct plate making apparatus 10 makes the plate making of the printing plate 20. It has been started up so that it can be processed.

In the cooling water circulation device 50, the cooling water in the cooling water tank 68 is maintained at a predetermined temperature and stored, and the cooling water can be supplied to the cooling tank 102 of the elution section 26. Further, in the cooling water circulation device 50, the elution section 26
When the cooling water is sent from the cooling tank 102, the circulation pump 76 is operated to heat or cool the cooling water in the cooling water tank 68 while stirring the cooling water uniformly in the cooling water tank 68.
The cooling water in 8 is always maintained at a predetermined temperature.

The direct plate making apparatus 10 first takes out the printing plate 20 from the skid 22 loaded in the plate feeding unit 12 and supplies the printing plate 20 to the drawing unit 18. In the drawing unit 18, the photosensitive layer of the printing plate 20 is uniformly charged, and then a laser beam is irradiated according to the image signal to remove the charge according to the image signal to form an electrostatic latent image. The printing plate 20 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed is taken out from the drawing unit 18 to the plate discharge unit 14, and is sent from the plate discharge unit 14 to the developing unit 36 of the developing and fixing unit 24.

In the developing section 36, the charged toner is uniformly applied to the surface of the printing plate 20, and the toner is attached according to the exposed image. After that, in the fixing unit 38, the toner adhering to the printing plate 20 together with the printing plate 20 is heated by a heat source such as a halogen lamp to a predetermined temperature of, for example, 100 ° C. or higher, and the printing plate 20 is electrostatically charged. A toner image corresponding to the latent image is formed.

The printing plate 20 for which the fixing process has been completed is sent to the cooling tank 102 of the elution section 26 at a high temperature. In the elution section 26, when the plate detection sensor 226 detects the leading edge of the printing plate 20 fed in, the conveyance roller pair 114
Starts driving. At the same time, in the cooling tank 102, the circulation pump 58 is operated to suck the cooling water having a predetermined temperature from the cooling water circulation device 50 and supply the cooling water to the spray pipe 118.

As a result, the cooling tank 102 of the elution section 26
The printing plate 20 sent to the printer is cooled by being sprayed with cooling water from the spray pipe 118 on the back surface while being transported at a constant speed by the transport roller pair 114. Also,
The cooling water that has cooled the printing plate 20 is collected in the cooling tank 102, and when the liquid level in the cooling tank 102 rises by this, the circulation pump 54 sends the cooling water in the cooling tank 102 to the cooling water circulation device 50. .

The circulation pump 56 for supplying the cooling water to the spray pipe 118 is stopped when a predetermined time elapses after the plate detection sensor 226 detects the passage of the trailing edge of the printing plate 20. As a result, the printing plate 20 conveyed in the cooling tank 102 is uniformly sprayed with cooling water from the leading edge to the trailing edge and is efficiently cooled in a short time, and when it reaches the elution tank 104 adjacent to the cooling tank 102, It is cooled to a temperature close to the temperature of the eluate in the elution tank 104 (for example, about 40 ° C. for the eluate of 33 ° C.). Therefore, the elution tank 104
The temperature of the eluent sprayed on the surface (photosensitive surface) of the printing plate 20 does not rise on the surface of the printing plate 20, and the elution treatment is performed with the eluent at an optimum temperature.

In the elution tank 104, an eluate is sprayed onto the surface of the printing plate 20 to elute the photosensitive layer on the photosensitive surface of the printing plate 20 on which toner is not adhered, and the eluted photosensitive layer is rubbed by the brush roller 120. It is taken and sent to the washing tank 106.

In the washing tank 106, washing water was sprayed on the front and back surfaces of the printing plate 20 to wash away the photosensitive layer removed from the printing plate 20, and the surface of the printing plate 20 was further rubbed and eluted by the brush roller 124. However, the photosensitive layer left unremoved is removed.

The printing plate 20 that has been washed with water is sent to the gum solution tank 108, and the gum solution for surface protection is applied (desensitizing treatment), and is placed on the downstream side of the elution section 26. It is sent to the drying section 28.

In the direct plate making apparatus 10, the printing plate 20
When the drying process is finished, it is sent to the plate bending part 34 through the punch part 32, punch holes and notches are formed, the plate bending process is performed, and the sheet is discharged to the stocker 40.

In the elution section 26, the eluate is sprayed onto the printing plate 20 fed from the developing / fixing section 24, and the printing plate 20 is cooled in the cooling tank 102 before the elution process, so that the elution tank 104 is cooled. The eluate applied to the printing plate 20
The printing plate 20 can be prevented from being heated by the temperature of the printing plate 20 and its elution property is prevented from changing, and a printing plate of good quality can be produced.

By the way, in the cooling tank 102 for cooling the printing plate 20 fed from the developing and fixing section 24, the printing plate 20 is
The cooling water whose discharge pressure is adjusted is sprayed only on the surface opposite to the photosensitive surface. Therefore, the spray pipe 118
The cooling water spouted from the spray plate 20
Can be prevented from adhering to the image portion of the surface of the.

In the cooling tank 102, the draining plate 96 is arranged so that the cooling water ejected from the spray pipe 118 is received before falling on the liquid surface of the cooling water stored in the cooling tank 102. The so-called water splash caused by the cooling water ejected from the spray pipe 118 directly falling into the cooling liquid is prevented. By preventing this splashing of water, the splashed cooling water adheres to the surface of the printing plate 20 passing through the cooling tank 102, and the transport roller pair 11 is used.
4 and the inner surface of the inner lid 110A that covers the upper part of the cooling tank 102, and can be prevented from falling by being dropped on the photosensitive surface of the printing plate 20 to be newly processed.

The cooling water jetted from the spray pipe 118 or the printing plate 2 jetted from the spray pipe 118
The cooling water reflected on the back surface of 0 drops onto the surface of the draining plate 96, but since the draining plate 96 is inclined toward the downstream side in the transport direction of the printing plate 20, printing passing through the cooling tank 102 is performed. There is no jumping towards the plate 20.

In this way, in the cooling tank 102, the elution tank 1
Since it is possible to prevent water for cooling from adhering to the photosensitive surface of the printing plate 20 sent to the printing plate 04, the eluate on the printing plate 20 is partially caused by the water (cooling water) adhering to the surface of the printing plate 20. It can be prevented from being thinned, and the entire surface of the printing plate 20 can be subjected to an elution treatment with a uniform elution property. That is, when water partially adheres to the surface of the printing plate 20, the elution property of the part may be reduced and a part with poor edge cutting may occur. However, the direct plate making device 10 used in the present embodiment In, it is possible to carry out an appropriate elution treatment according to the toner image, and it is possible to form a printing plate having a good finished quality on which an image without elution unevenness is formed.

In this embodiment, the partition plate 96 is provided as the water splash preventing means, but the water splash preventing means is not limited to this. For example, instead of the draining plate 96,
A net may be arranged between the spray pipe 118 and the liquid surface of the cooling water. Spray pipe 1 by this net
The cooling water ejected from 18 may be received to reduce the momentum when the cooling water falls, and the cooling water may be collected in the cooling tank 102. Further, since this net does not need to be inclined to allow the cooling liquid to flow down, it can be provided even if the gap between the spray pipe and the liquid surface of the cooling water is small, and also prevents the cooling water from splashing greatly upward. be able to.

Further, the direct plate making apparatus 10 applied to this embodiment shows an example of an automatic plate making apparatus, and does not limit the present invention. For example, although the cooling water circulation device 50 is provided separately from the elution unit 26, the cooling water circulation device 50 may be provided inside the elution unit 26.

Further, the present invention can be applied to any automatic plate making apparatus having an elution step which is continuous with the steps of toner development and heat fixing, and a cooling step using cooling water is provided in the preceding stage of the elution step. The cooling step may be configured separately from the elution step.

[0083]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the printing plate which has been heat-developed is cooled prior to the processing in the elution section, cooling water is sprayed on the non-photosensitive surface of the printing plate to cool it. It is possible to effectively cool the printing plate and prevent the cooling water from adhering to the photosensitive surface to cause uneven dissolution. Further, in the present invention, it is possible to prevent the cooling water in the cooling section from adhering to the photosensitive surface of the printing plate due to water splashes when the cooling water sprayed on the non-photosensitive surface of the printing plate falls, resulting in uneven dissolution. It has an excellent effect that it is possible to produce a high quality printing plate.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a direct plate making apparatus applied to this embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an elution unit provided in a direct plate making apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a piping system diagram showing a schematic configuration of an elution unit.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an essential part showing an outline of a cooling tank.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing jetting of cooling water toward a printing plate in a cooling tank.

FIG. 6 is a piping system diagram showing an outline of a cooling water circulation device.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Direct plate making device (automatic plate making device) 18 Drawing part 20 Printing plate 26 Elution part 36 Developing part (developing process) 38 Heating fixing part (heating fixing process) 50 Cooling water circulation device (cooling water supply means) 58 Circulating pump (cooling water) Supplying means, cooling water jetting means) 60 Orifice (cooling water jetting means) 96 Draining plate (water splash preventing means) 102 Cooling tank (cooling step) 104 Elution tank (elution step) 114 Conveying roller pair (conveying means) 118 Spray Pipe (cooling water ejection means) 119 Blowout port

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A printing plate comprising a developing step, a heat fixing step, a cooling step and an elution step along the conveying direction of the image exposed printing plate, and the printing plate on which a toner image corresponding to the exposed image is formed by heat fixing is subjected to an elution treatment. An automatic plate making apparatus for producing a printing plate by means of the cooling means, wherein the cooling step conveys the printing plate with the photosensitive surface of the printing plate facing upward, and below the printing plate conveyed by the conveyance unit. And a cooling water jetting means for jetting the cooling water only to the side surface. 2. The cooling step, wherein the cooling step supplies cooling water to the cooling water jetting means at a predetermined pressure, and a cooling tank for collecting and storing the cooling water jetted by the cooling water jetting means. Water of cooling water in the cooling tank, which is provided between the cooling water jetting means and the liquid surface of the cooling water stored in the cooling tank, and which is generated when the cooling water jetted by the cooling water jetting means falls The automatic plate making apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a water splash preventing unit that prevents splashing. 3. The automatic plate making apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the water splash prevention means is a draining plate inclined with respect to the photosensitive surface of the printing plate to which the water splash preventing means is conveyed.