JPH1158675A - Press plate transfer apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a press plate transfer apparatus reduced in the space necessary for arrangement, high in durability and capable of easily recovering a press plate from a buffer. SOLUTION: The press plate S fed into a main body frame 4 by an introducing conveyor 5 is raised by a light frame to be delivered to a delivery unit 13. The delivery unit 13 has a pair of freely openable and closable press plate receiving arms revolved around a vertical axis from a neutral position to both left and right sides thereof and horizontally advance and retreat in the direction crossing the revolving direction at a right angle and hold both ends of the bent part of the press plate from the lift frame by the press plate receiving arms to place them on either one of two press plate placing stands. The press plates placed on these press plate placing stands are received by the overhead conveyors 2, 3 passing above the respective stands.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plate transferring apparatus for transferring a plate carried out of a plate making machine to an overhead conveyor running on a ceiling.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a printing plate used for printing a newspaper or the like is carried out of a plate making machine and then transferred from a horizontal conveyor to an overhead conveyor via a printing plate transfer device. Has been transported to the installation location.

Here, the printing plate is a thin plate made of aluminum having a thickness of about 0.3 mm and having a rectangular shape as a whole, and a bent portion for mounting on a drum of a rotary press is formed along a short side. The bent portion is conveyed in a hanging state while being gripped by an openable / closable gripper provided on an overhead conveyor.

[0004] Such a conventional plate transfer apparatus is shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the printing plate S is provided between two overhead conveyors A1 and A2 for suspending and transporting the printing plate, and has been transported in a horizontal position on the horizontal conveyor A3.
Is turned 90 degrees in the left or right direction by the turning device A4, and the introduction conveyor A6 of the plate transfer device A5 is turned.
It is delivered vertically to. In the plate transfer device A5, two sets of endless chains A7, A8, which are paired in the front-rear direction, are provided symmetrically corresponding to the respective overhead conveyors A1, A2.

In each set of endless chains A7 and A8, hooks K for hooking the bent portions of the printing plate S are provided at a plurality of positions at positions opposed to each other in front and rear at intervals, and are fed onto the introduction conveyor A6. The printing plate S is carried upward by a pair of endless chains A6 in either the left or right. It should be noted that the printing plate S is transferred to the endless chains A7 and A8 by the turning device A4.
It depends on which direction the bent portion faces left or right when turning 0 degrees.

[0006] Before or after the printing plate S is lifted, one of the pair of endless chains A7, A8 travels down the loop-shaped orbit extending to the corresponding overhead conveyor side, and then the pair of endless chains travels. The paths are separated from each other in the front-rear direction, the hooks K are disengaged from both ends of the bent portion of the printing plate S, and the printing plate S is placed on one of the plate mounting tables A9 and A10 disposed below the overhead conveyor. Dropped up. Thereafter, the printing plate S transferred to the printing plate mounting table is
The bent portion is gripped by a gripper provided on an overhead conveyor passing over the plate mounting table, and is conveyed to the next step.

[0007] In the lower part between the turning device A4 and the introduction conveyor A6, there is a certain transport trouble during the transfer of the printing plate S from the printing plate transfer device 5 to one of the overhead conveyors A1 and A2. A buffer A for temporarily storing the subsequent printing plate S sent from the horizontal conveyor A3 in a horizontal position when the plate is placed or when a stationary plate is produced.
11 are provided. Here, the term "removal plate" means that the produced printing plate is not transferred to the overhead conveyor but is stocked in advance. For example, a printing plate for an advertisement two to three days later is treated as a stationary plate. .

[0008]

The conventional plate transfer device as described above has a turning device arranged to change the direction of the plate by 90 degrees between the horizontal conveyor and the plate transfer device. Therefore, there is a problem that a lot of floor space is required.

Further, in the plate transfer device, when the plate, which has been hooked from both sides by the hooks of the endless chain from the introduction conveyor and conveyed upward, is transferred to the plate mounting table, Since the hooks engaged on both sides of the bent portion are displaced to the outside and removed, the circulation path of the endless chain needs to be curved three-dimensionally. In addition to the difficulty, it is difficult to guide the endless chain in a three-dimensionally circulated path compared to the case where the endless chain is simply circulated in a vertical plane. .

The buffer used in the conventional plate transfer device has a structure in which the plate is received in a horizontal position from the discharge end of the conveyor and stored in a horizontal position.
The printing plate carried into the introduction conveyor had to be installed on the upstream side of the introduction conveyor because the printing plate had a vertical orientation with respect to the transport direction.

Therefore, in the conventional plate transfer device, the buffer is installed below the turning device and the introduction conveyor. However, it is difficult to recover the plate stored in the buffer from above. In addition, since the printing plate is collected from above after sliding the entire buffer in the horizontal direction, there is a problem that the support structure of the buffer becomes complicated.

Therefore, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, requires less space for installation, has high durability, and can easily recover the printing plate from the buffer. It is an object to provide a plate transfer device.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above object, a printing plate transfer apparatus according to the present invention comprises a tower-shaped main body frame between two parallel overhead conveyors for independently transporting printing plates. A pair of printing plate stands having a plate supporting surface inclined downward and toward the center of the main body frame are provided at the upper and lower sides of the main body frame corresponding to the lower sides of the pair of overhead conveyors, respectively. A plate transfer device for transferring a plate from each plate holder to a corresponding overhead conveyor, provided at a lower portion of a main body frame, and having the plate parallel to a long side in a conveying direction of a pair of overhead conveyors. An introduction conveyor that feeds the main body frame in a horizontal posture from a horizontal direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction, and the introduction conveyor inside the main body frame. A lifting frame which vertically moves up and down through the introduction conveyor between a lowering position below the feeding surface and an ascending position near the top of the main body frame, and lifts the printing plate on the introduction conveyor horizontally to the ascending position; A lifter and a pair of openable and closable plate receiving arms that pivot about a vertical axis in a range of approximately 90 degrees from the neutral position to the left and right sides at the top of the main body frame, respectively, and move horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the pivoting direction. And a delivery unit having:

[0014] The delivery unit sandwiches the plate mounted on the lifting frame moved to the raised position when the pair of plate receiving arms is in the neutral position and the forward position, and is sandwiched between the pair of plate receiving arms. After engaging the ends of the respective plate receiving arms at both ends of the bent portion of the plate, the plate is suspended in a hanging posture by lowering the elevating frame, and then the pair of receiving arms are retracted to either left or right. About 9 in the selected direction
The printing plate is turned at 0 ° so that the plate faces the support surface of one of the plate mounting tables, and the pair of plate receiving arms is opened at the advanced position to release the plate on the support surface of the plate mounting table. Is configured to be placed.

[0015]

When a printing plate to be transferred to an overhead conveyor is carried into an introduction conveyor provided below the main body frame, the introduction conveyor is moved to a position immediately above a lifting frame waiting at a lower position. Convey the printing plate. Next, the lifting frame of the lifter rises through the introduction conveyor, picks up the printing plate from the conveying surface of the introduction conveyor, and raises the printing plate to a rising position near the top of the main body frame.

At this time, the pair of printing plate receiving arms of the delivery unit are in a state of being opened and advancing at the neutral position and waiting.
The bent portion of the printing plate lifted horizontally by the lifting frame enters between the pair of receiving arms at the raised position. Then, after both plate receiving arms were closed and their respective ends were engaged at both ends of the bent portion of the plate, the elevating frame was lowered, and the plate was suspended by its own weight around the receiving arm ends on both sides. Held in state.

Next, after the pair of receiving arms suspending the printing plate are retracted, the receiving arm is pivoted about a vertical axis from the neutral position by approximately 90 degrees to the left or right, so that either one of the printing plate mounting tables is rotated. The printing plate is made to face the supporting surface of.

Next, the receiving arms are advanced to bring the printing plate close to the supporting surface, and when the printing plate receiving arms are opened outward on both sides, the printing plate is placed on the supporting surface of the plate mounting table. Is dropped and placed. The printing plate placed on the plate mounting table is received by an overhead conveyor moving upward and transported to a desired place.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of a plate transfer device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view. The plate transfer device 1 has a pair of parallel overheads installed on a building ceiling. It is installed on the floor below the conveyors 2 and 3 and has a tower-shaped main body frame 4.

In the lower part of the main body frame 4, the printing plate S is fed into the main body frame 4 from a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction with its long side parallel to the conveying direction of the pair of overhead conveyors 2, 3. A conveyor 5 is provided, and a printing plate S made by a plate making machine (not shown) is supplied to the introduction conveyor 5 through a horizontal conveyor B in a horizontal posture.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrow. As shown in FIG. 3, the introduction conveyor 5 carries the printing plate S received from the horizontal conveyor B into the main body. It comprises two units: a horizontal belt conveyor unit 6 having four rows of conveyor belts to be fed into the frame 4, and a roller conveyor unit 7 arranged in the main body frame 4 and provided continuously downstream in the conveyance direction. ing.

The roller conveyor unit 7 further comprises:
It is composed of two long conveying rollers 7A arranged on both front and rear sides in the conveying direction and four short conveying rollers 7B arranged between these conveying rollers 7A. These conveying rollers 7A and 7B are constituted by a belt conveyor unit. 6, the printing plate S is received from the belt conveyor unit 6, and is moved to a position above a lifting frame 9 of a lifter 8, which will be described later.

A buffer 10 is provided at the downstream end of the roller conveyor unit 7 in the transport direction. The buffer 10 is capable of storing a plurality of plates S in a state where the plates S are set upright in the horizontal direction, and when any trouble occurs in the plate transfer operation from the plate transfer device 1 to the overhead conveyors 2 and 3. At the time of production of a printing plate, a printing plate S sent from the horizontal conveyor B into the printing plate transfer device 1 is discharged here. The printing plate S stored in the buffer 10 can be taken out manually and easily collected.

On the other hand, the transport rollers 7A and 7B constituting the roller conveyor unit 7 are arranged with a gap therebetween, so that the lifting frame 9 of the lifter 8 can move up and down through the gap. I have.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are a side view and a front view of the lifter 8, respectively.
The guide column 11 is supported so as to be movable up and down.
It is driven up and down by a motor 12 provided at the lower part via a chain transmission mechanism.

A plurality of positioning plates 9A are provided on the upper surface of the elevating frame 9 to prevent the plate S from shifting in the front, rear, left and right directions. The elevating frame 9 moves up and down between a lower position below the conveying surface of the roller conveyor unit 7 and an upper position near the top of the main body frame 4 where the overhead conveyors 2 and 3 are installed. The printing plate S supported on 7B can be lifted up to the above-mentioned raised position in a horizontal posture.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a delivery unit 13 is provided on the top of the main body frame 4. The delivery unit 13 includes a pair of air cylinders 14 as described in detail in FIGS. 6 to 8.
It has a turning frame 16 that is turned 90 degrees around the vertical turning shaft 15 to the left and right sides of the neutral position.

The tip of each of the telescopic rods 14A of the two air cylinders 14 is connected to the pivot frame 1 by a common shaft pin 17.
6 is rotatably connected to the body frame 4 side, and the base end of each air cylinder 14 is rotatably connected to the body frame 4 side by a shaft pin 18.

FIGS. 6 to 8 show a state in which the revolving frame 16 is in the neutral position. At this time, the telescopic rods 14A of the air cylinders 14 are both contracted. When one of the telescopic rods 14A of these air cylinders 14 is extended from this state, the turning frame 16 is turned about 90 degrees in the right or left direction about the turning support shaft 15 and the other air cylinder 14 is turned. Telescopic rod 14A
When it is extended, it is turned approximately 90 degrees in the opposite direction.

In this embodiment, two air cylinders 14 are used to turn the turning frame 16 in a range of approximately 90 degrees on both sides from the neutral position. Not limited to the structure, the linear driving force of one air cylinder may be replaced with a rotational driving force by a rack and pinion mechanism, or may be performed by a motor.

The turning frame 16 is attached to the turning frame 16 by a rodless cylinder 19 shown in FIG.
A plate receiving frame 20 that is driven horizontally forward and backward in a direction orthogonal to the turning direction of the plate 6 is supported.

At both ends of the plate receiving frame 20, there are provided plate receiving arms 21 each having a hook-shaped claw portion 21A formed at a tip thereof. These plate receiving arms 21 are driven synchronously. The two rotary actuators 22 perform the opening and closing operation.

As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of overhead conveyors 2 and 3 are provided with a pair of support surfaces inclined downward and toward the center of the main body frame at both upper positions of the main body frame 4 corresponding to the lower sides. Plate rest 23, 24
Is provided.

Since the plate rests 23 and 24 are identical except that they are formed symmetrically, only the structure of one plate rest 23 will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, the plate rest 23 has an inclined support surface 23A on which the plate S is supported, and a stopper 23B for supporting a lower end surface of the plate S is provided at a lower portion thereof. ing.

A movable guide 23E that swings around a swing support shaft 23D between an evacuation position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 9 and a loading position indicated by an imaginary line is attached to an upper portion of the support surface 23A by an air cylinder 23C. Have been.

When the movable guide 23E is at the retracted position, the bent portion F formed at the upper end of the printing plate S mounted on the plate mounting table 23 is held by the gripper provided on the overhead conveyor 3. In order not to interfere with G, it is retracted from the movement path to the main body frame 4 side.

When the movable guide 23E is swung to the loading position, the bent portion F of the printing plate S supported by the plate mounting table 23 moves to the position where the gripper G passes, and the printing plate S is moved. It can be delivered to the gripper G.

As shown in FIG. 10, the gripper G comprises:
A support member 3D fixed to the lower end of a mounting shaft 3C protruding downward at regular intervals from a chain 3B that circulates and runs on the inside of the guide rail 3A of the overhead conveyor 3.
And a gripping lever 3F connected to the support member 3D so as to be openable and closable with a hinge pin 3E.
The bent portion F of the printing plate S is gripped between the claw member 3G provided at the tip and the receiving member 3H attached to the support member 3D. The grip lever 3F is constantly urged in the closing direction by the urging force of a not-shown torsion coil spring attached to the hinge pin 3E.

The gripping lever 3F has a rotatable release roller 3I. The gripping lever 3F is provided on the lower surface of the gripper releasing cam P of the gripper releasing mechanism M attached to the guide rail 3A above the plate placing table 23 shown in FIG. The opening roller 3I is configured to be opened when pressed down.

Then, the printing plate S placed on the plate mounting table 23
When the bent portion F enters between the claw member 3G and the receiving member 3H due to the movement of the gripper G, the gripper opening cam P moves upward in accordance with the timing, and the grip lever 3F
Is closed by the urging force of the torsion coil spring, and the printing plate S on the printing plate placing table 23 is loaded on the overhead conveyor 3.

Next, the operation of the plate transfer device 1 configured as described above will be described. The printing plate S, which has been conveyed horizontally from the plate making machine to the horizontal conveyor B, enters the introduction conveyor 5 without changing its direction, and is transferred from the belt conveyor unit 6 constituting the introduction conveyor 5 to the roller conveyor in the main body frame 4. Move to unit 7.

At this time, the lifting frame 9 of the lifter 8 is waiting at a lower position below the conveying surface of the roller conveyor unit 7. When the printing plate S is conveyed to a position directly above the elevating frame 9, a sensor (not shown) detects the printing plate S, and the introduction conveyor 5 is stopped by the detection signal.

Next, the lifting frame 9 passes through the gap between the conveying rollers 7A and 7B shown in FIG. 3, scoops up the plate S on the roller conveyor unit 7, and moves to the ascending position. At this time, the delivery unit 13 waits by opening the pair of plate receiving arms 21 on both sides at the position where the turning frame 16 is directed to the neutral position and the plate receiving frame 20 is advanced.

The bent portion F of the printing plate S lifted to the raised position of the lifting frame 9 enters between the pair of receiving arms 21 in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. Then, both the receiving arms 21 are rotated to the positions shown by the solid lines in FIG. 7 and closed, and after the claw portions 21A at the respective leading ends are engaged with both ends of the bent portion F of the printing plate, the lifting frame 9 is lowered. ,
It returns to the lowered position below the roller conveyor unit 7. Then, the printing plate S no longer supported by the lifting frame 9
6 is rotated by its own weight around the claw portions 21A of the receiving arms 21 on both sides, and hangs down with the bent portions F supported by the receiving arms 21 from both sides as shown in FIG.

Next, the printing plate receiving frame 20 is retracted,
After the printing plate S is moved to the position shown in FIG. 3C, for example, when the printing plate S is transferred to one of the overhead conveyors 3, the revolving frame 6 is turned approximately 90 degrees to the plate mounting table 23 side. Then, the printing plate S is opposed to the support surface 23A shown in FIG.

Next, the plate receiving frame 20 is advanced to bring the plate S closer to the support surface 23A, and then the pair of receiving arms 21 are opened to both outsides. , Falls on the supporting surface 23A, and the short side below the supporting surface 23A is received by the stopper 23B.

Although not shown, when the printing plate S is transferred from the delivery unit 13 to the printing plate mounting table 23, air is blown from a nozzle to the surface of the printing plate S opposite to the support surface 23 side.
The printing plate S is guided to the support surface 23A side by the pressure.

When the gripper G moving from the upstream side of the overhead conveyor 3 is empty, the movable guide 23E is moved to the imaginary line loading position on the printing plate S mounted on the plate mounting table 23. By doing so, the gripper G passes through the position of the bent portion F of the printing plate S, and the printing plate S can be delivered to the overhead conveyor 3.

When the gripper G of the overhead conveyor 3 moving from the upstream side to the plate mounting table 23 has already held the plate transferred from another plate transfer device, the movable guide By retracting the plate 23E to the retracted position indicated by the solid line, the printing plate gripped by the gripper G can be moved to the printing plate receiving table 2.
It is possible to pass the outside of the printing plate placing table 23 without colliding with the printing plate S on 3.

Although not shown, whether or not the gripper G approaching the plate receiving table 23 is empty is detected by a presence sensor provided on the upstream side of the overhead conveyor 3. When the presence sensor detects that the gripper G is empty, the movable guide 23E is moved to the loading position.

On the other hand, after the pair of receiving arms 21 release the printing plate S, the delivery unit 13
While keeping the advancing, the revolving frame 6 is returned to the neutral position, and waits for the next plate to be transferred.

The printing plate S is added to the overhead conveyor 2.
Can be similarly carried out by turning the turning frame 16 of the delivery device 13 approximately 90 degrees in the opposite direction to the above case and transferring the printing plate to the plate mounting table 24. In the above-described embodiment, the introduction conveyor 5 is constituted by the belt conveyor unit 6 and the roller conveyor unit 7, but may be constituted only by the roller conveyor unit.

In this embodiment, the rotary actuator 22 is connected to each of the pair of plate receiving arms 21 of the delivery unit 13 so as to be opened and closed. The operation may be performed, or the pair of plate receiving arms 21 may be mechanically linked with each other using a link or the like, and may be opened and closed by one drive source.

[0054]

As described above, according to the plate transferring apparatus of the present invention, the transfer unit receives the plate from the lifting frame moved to the raised position by the pair of receiving arms, and the plate is transferred to the receiving unit. Since the direction of the plate is changed and the plate is selectively mounted on one of the two plate mounting tables, a swivel for changing the direction of the plate upstream of the introduction conveyor as in a conventional plate transfer device. There is no need to install the device on the floor, and the installation space can be reduced.

Further, since the printing plate can be carried in a horizontal position from the horizontal conveyor to the introduction conveyor of the plate transfer device, a buffer for storing the printing plate in a horizontal position is disposed at the end of the introduction conveyor. Thus, the operation of collecting the printing plate from the buffer can be easily performed.

Further, the printing plate on the introduction conveyor is lifted by the lift frame of the lifter, and then suspended by the pair of receiving arms of the delivery unit and moved to the printing platen table. As in the case of using an endless chain that circulates and runs on a three-dimensionally curved guide rail, the durability of the guide rail and the like can be improved without the risk of the guide rail or the like being worn out early.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of a plate transfer device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing one embodiment of a plate transfer device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the lifter.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a lifter.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the delivery unit.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the delivery unit.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a delivery unit.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the plate holder.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a structure of a gripper provided on an overhead conveyor.

FIG. 11 is a front view showing an example of a conventional plate transfer device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Plate transfer apparatus 2, 3 Overhead conveyor 3A Guide rail 3B Chain 3C Mounting shaft 3D Support member 3E Hinge pin 3F Grip lever 3G Claw member 3H Receiving member 3I Opening roller 4 Main frame 5 Introducing conveyor 6 Belt conveyor unit 7 Roller conveyor unit 7A, 7B Transport roller 8 Lifter 9 Elevating frame 9A Positioning plate 10 Buffer 11 Guide column 12 Motor 13 Delivery unit 14 Air cylinder 14A Telescopic rod 15 Rotating support shaft 16 Rotating frame 17, 18 Shaft pin 19 Rodless cylinder 20 Printing plate receiving frame 21 Plate receiving arm 21A Claw 22 Rotary actuator 23, 24 Plate holder 23A Support surface 23B Stopper 23C Air cylinder 23D Swing support shaft 23E Movable guide G Gripper Gripper release mechanism P gripper opening cam S plate F bent portion

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A printing plate for hanging and transporting a printing plate independently of each other.
A tower-shaped main body frame is installed between two parallel overhead conveyors, and a printing plate inclined downward toward the center of the main body frame at the upper side of the main body frame corresponding to each of the pair of overhead conveyors. In a plate transfer device in which a pair of plate holders having a support surface are provided, and the plate is transferred from each plate holder to a corresponding overhead conveyor, the plate is transferred in a conveying direction of the pair of overhead conveyors. An introduction conveyor that feeds the main body frame in a horizontal posture from a horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction with the long sides parallel, and a lowering position below the conveyance surface of the introduction conveyor in the main body frame and a rise near the top of the main body frame. Between the upper position and the lower position by passing the introduction conveyor in the vertical direction and moving the printing plate on the introduction conveyor to the above-mentioned raised position A lifter having a horizontal lift lifting frame in, as well as pivot about a vertical axis in a range of approximately 90 degrees on the left and right sides from a neutral position in the main frame top portion,
And a delivery unit having a pair of openable and closable plate receiving arms that horizontally move forward and backward in a direction perpendicular to the turning direction, wherein the delivery unit is configured such that when the pair of plate receiving arms is in the neutral position and in the forward position. The plate mounted on the lifting frame moved to the raised position is sandwiched between the pair of plate receiving arms, and the ends of the plate receiving arms are engaged with both ends of the bent portion of the plate. The plate is suspended in a hanging posture by lowering, and then the pair of receiving arms are retracted and turned by approximately 90 degrees in a selected direction to the left or right to form a plate on one of the plate mounting table support surfaces. Wherein the plate receiving arm is opened at a position where the pair of plate receiving arms are advanced and the plate is placed on the support surface of the plate placing table. apparatus.