Patent Application
20110041717
The present invention relates to a plate supply and discharge device and a printing plate forming device. In particular, the present invention relates to a plate supply and discharge device and a printing plate forming device which supply a plate for forming a printing plate to a drawing unit, receive the printing plate having an image drawn thereon from the drawing unit, and deliver it outside.
In the field of printing such as newspaper printing and magazine printing, image data produced through editing operation is subjected to RIP (Raster-Image-Processing) to generate binary data, and the binary data is recorded on a plate made of aluminum, thereby forming a plate for printing (printing plate). In forming the printing plate, a CTP (Computer-To-Plate) system for drawing an image directly on a plate without using a film or the like has been recently employed. In this CTP system, a CTP plate (hereinafter referred to simply as “plate”) coated with a photosensitizer is used as a plate, and a modulated laser beam is irradiated on the surface of the plate according to the binary data, thereby forming the printing plate.
Incidentally, when images are drawn on plates of various sizes or when images are consecutively drawn on a large number of plates, for example, the above-mentioned printing plate forming device is preferably structured such that multiple cassettes for accommodating plates are installed and necessary plates are automatically supplied therefrom to the printing plate forming device. In this case, however, it is necessary to install multiple supply devices for supplying the cassettes and to connect them to the printing plate forming device. This causes such problems that a large installation area is required and the structure of the device is complicated.
Therefore, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, there has been proposed a plate supply device including: a multiple cassette unit which has multiple cassettes disposed in multiple stages and which selects, from among them, and delivers a cassette for storing plates necessary for forming a printing plate; and an auto loader unit which receives the delivered cassette, ejects the plates one by one from the received cassette, and supplies them to a printing plate forming device.
Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a plate supply device including: a plate handler which has multiple cassettes disposed in multiple stages and includes an elevator mechanism for allowing the cassettes to independently ascend or descend; and a picker which horizontally moves between the plate handler and an imaging engine, ejects plates from the cassettes, and supplies them to the imaging engine. This plate supply device is structured such that a part of the cassettes are allowed to ascend to thereby form a space in an upper portion of a cassette for storing necessary plates, and then the picker is moved horizontally into the space and positioned in the upper portion of the cassette, thereby ejecting the plates.
According to these plate supply devices, plates can be supplied from multiple cassettes simply by installing a single supply device. This enables downsizing of the device and simplification of the structure of the device.
As described above, according to the plate supply devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, downsizing of the device can be achieved, for example. However, these devices are structured to transfer plates in a curved state when the plates are transferred from the plate supply device to the printing plate forming device, so the devices have problems in that it is impossible to transfer plates whose length in the transfer direction is short, and that the plates which can be handled are limited.
Further, in the above-mentioned plate supply devices, plates are inserted between a pair of rollers and the rollers guide and transfer the plates. Accordingly, there is another problem in that the rollers come into contact with the plates during the transfer and the plates are damaged, for example.
Furthermore, in the above-mentioned plate supply devices, printing plates are transferred in a curved state or transferred by being guided by the rollers, even in the case of discharging and transferring the printing plates formed in the printing plate supply device. Accordingly, there is a problem in that the sizes of the printing plates that can be transferred are limited and the finished printing plates are damaged, for example.
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems inherent in the prior art, and has an object to provide a plate supply and discharge device and a printing plate forming device which are capable of transferring plates and printing plates of various sizes and preventing the plates and printing plates from being damaged.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plate supply and discharge device which supplies a plate to a drawing unit, receives a printing plate having an image drawn thereon from the drawing unit, and delivers the printing plate outside, the plate supply and discharge device including a table that allows the plate to float at atmospheric pressure, characterized in that the plate in a state of being allowed to float at atmospheric pressure is moved above the table and supplied to the drawing unit.
Further, in other to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing plate forming device characterized by supplying a plate from a plate supply and discharge device according to the first aspect of the present invention to a drawing unit, forming a printing plate by drawing an image on the plate in the drawing unit, and delivering the printing plate outside through the plate supply and discharge device.
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a plate supply and discharge device and a printing plate forming device which are capable of transferring plates and printing plates of various sizes and preventing the plates and printing plates from being damaged.
Next, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
As shown in
The skid storage unit 2 is disposed adjacent to the plate supply and discharge unit 4, and as shown in
The ejection unit 22 includes: a guide rail 23 which is structured to be telescopically extendable to the plate supply and discharge unit 4; an ejection table which is disposed below the guide rail 23 and moves horizontally along the guide rail 23; first arms 25 which join the guide rail 23 to an ejection table 24 and is structured to be telescopically extendable in the vertical direction; multiple suction pads 26 which are disposed below the ejection table 24; and second arms 27 which join the ejection table 24 to each of the suction pads 26 and is structured to be telescopically extendable in the vertical direction.
The plate supply and discharge unit 4 is disposed adjacent to the drawing unit 3, and as shown in
The plate supply table 41 is composed of: a table body 41a; a top board 41b disposed on the table body 41a; and a tilt mechanism 41c that tilts the plate supply table 41 to a predetermined angle. As shown in
As shown in
The multiple atmospheric pressure flotation nozzles 41f are provided in the top board 41b and are each disposed on a first pipe 41g, which has a comb shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the top board 41b, and are grouped together as a flotation nozzle group. The first pipe 41g is connected with a solenoid valve (not shown). By controlling opening and closing of the solenoid valve, ON/OFF of all the atmospheric pressure flotation nozzles 41f, which are disposed on the first pipe 41g, can be collectively switched.
Likewise, the first and second airflow transfer nozzles 41h and 41j are disposed on second and third pipes 41i and 41k, respectively, and are grouped together as a transfer nozzle group. Note that the first and second airflow transfer nozzles 41h and 41j are alternately arranged so that air blowing directions of nozzles adjacent to each other in the lateral direction of the top board 41b do not coincide with each other, in order to apply a moving pressure to the entire plate P1 evenly and to move the plate P1 in a good posture.
Further, the second and third pipes 41i and 41k are divided into back-side pipes 41i(a) and 41k(a) and front-side pipes 41i(b) and 41k(b). The pipes are respectively connected with separate solenoid valves. This makes it possible to independently drive the airflow transfer nozzles 41h(a) and 41j(a) disposed on the back-side pipes and the airflow transfer nozzles 41h(b) and 41j(b) disposed on the front-side pipes.
Furthermore, the suction nozzles 41m are disposed on fourth pipes 41n and grouped together in a similar manner as the other nozzles. The multiple fourth pipes 41n are provided in the top board 41b, and are respectively provided with separate solenoid valves.
Returning to
Furthermore, at a short side portion on the drawing unit 3 side of the top board 41b, there are provided pre-insertion reference guides 41t which extend along the lateral direction of the top board 41b, and insertion position determining sensors 41u which are disposed near the pre-insertion reference guides 41t. Between the pre-insertion reference guides 41t and the first and second positioning guides 41p and 41r, rockable positioning guides 41v for temporarily regulating the posture of the plate P1 are provided. Note that, like the first and second positioning guides 41p and 41r, the pre-insertion reference guides 41t and the rockable positioning guides 41v are also structured to be movable in and out of the top board 41b.
Further, the table body 41a (see
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The atmospheric pressure flotation nozzles 42e are each disposed on a fifth pipe 42f, which has a comb shape extending in the lateral direction of the top board 42b, and are grouped together as a flotation nozzle group. Note that, unlike the first pipe 41g (see
Likewise, the third to fifth airflow transfer nozzles 42g, 42i, and 42k are disposed on sixth to eighth pipes 42h, 42j, and 42m, respectively, and are grouped together as a transfer nozzle group. Note that the third to fifth airflow transfer nozzles 42g to 42k are alternately disposed in the longitudinal direction of the top board 42b so that air blowing directions of adjacent nozzles do not coincide with each other. Further, like the fifth pipe 42f, the sixth to eighth pipes 42h to 42m are divided into back-side pipes 42h(a) to 42m(a) and front-side pipes 42h(b) to 42m(b), and the pipes are respectively connected with separate solenoid valves.
Likewise, the suction nozzles 42n are disposed on ninth pipes 42p and grouped together. Like the suction nozzles 41m (see
Returning to
Returning to
Next, a procedure for forming a printing plate using the printing plate forming device having the above-mentioned structure will be described with reference to
In forming a printing plate, as shown in
Next, as shown in
In this case, the atmospheric pressure flotation nozzles 41f (see
After that, the back-side second airflow transfer nozzles 41j(a) and the front-side first airflow transfer nozzles 41h(b) (see
In this manner, the airflow transfer nozzles 41h and 41j are provided aside from the atmospheric pressure flotation nozzles 41f, and the plates are moved only by air without using an extrusion member or the like, thereby making it possible to appropriately prevent the plates P1 from being damaged. In addition, in the case where the airflow transfer nozzles 41h and 41j are provided, the number of components of the plate supply table 41 and the number of consumable components can be reduced, which can also lead to a reduction in device cost and maintenance cost.
Further, the first positioning guides 41p are provided only on one side of the plates P1 and the positioning is carried out while the plates P1 are transferred by airflow toward the first positioning guides 41p. Accordingly, only one long side of each plate P1 comes into contact with the first positioning guides 41p and no other portions of the plate P1 come into contact with other members. Thus, the positioning of the plates P1 can be carried out in the state where the area and frequency of contact with other members are small. This makes it possible to prevent the plates P1 from being damaged during the positioning.
Thus, when the positioning of the plates P1 is completed, as shown in
After that, in accordance with the operation of the rotary drum 30 of the drawing unit 3, the pre-insertion reference guides 41t are stored in the top board 41b and the suction of the plates P1 is released. As a result, the plates P1 placed on the plate supply table 41 slide on the top board 41b by their own weights and are dropped to the drawing unit 3 side along the slope, whereby the plates P1 are supplied to the rotary drum 30 (
In this manner, the plates P1 in the state of being allowed to float at atmospheric pressure are moved above the plate supply table 41 having a flat plate shape and are supplied to the rotary drum 30. Accordingly, the plates P1 can be transferred to the rotary drum 30 while the plates P1 are prevented from being curved and are kept in the posture where the plates P1 are placed on the plate supply table 41. Thus, the plates P1 can be supplied and transferred regardless of the length in the transfer direction of the plates P1. This makes it possible to eliminate limitations on the plates P1 that can be transferred, and to handle the plates P1 of various sizes.
Further, the plates P1 in the state of being allowed to float at atmospheric pressure are moved, thereby making it possible to avoid the plates P1 from coming into contact with other members until the plates P1 reach a plate supply port of the rotary drum 30, and to prevent the plates P1 from being damaged.
Furthermore, air is utilized for the flotation and transfer of the plates P1, thereby eliminating the need for mounting a roller or a conveyer to the plate supply table 41, and enabling formation of the plate supply table 41 with a small thickness.
Therefore, in comparison with the case of conveyer transportation or the like, space saving can be achieved, and the plate supply and discharge unit 4 and the printing plate forming device 1 can be downsized as a whole. Further, the number of components of the table can be reduced, which can also lead to a reduction in the number of components.
Furthermore, the plates P1 are transferred to the rotary drum 30 by tilting the plate supply table 41 and allowing the plates P1 to drop along the slope. This permits the plates P1 to enter the plate supply port of the rotary drum 30 with a certain momentum, and enables the plates P1 to be smoothly supplied to the rotary drum 30. Note that in order to prevent the plates P1 from being damaged due to an impact caused when the plates enter the plate supply port of the rotary drum 30, the inclination angle of the plate supply table 41 is preferably about 10° or smaller.
When the plate P1 is supplied to the rotary drum 30, as shown in
Then, as shown in
In this manner, the drawing process for the initial plates P1 and the process for placing the subsequent plates P1 on the plate supply table 41 are carried out in parallel. Accordingly, the subsequent plates P1 can be prepared on the plate supply table 41 before the drawing process for the initial plates P1 is finished. Thus, after the drawing process for the initial plates P1 is finished, the subsequent plates P1 can be rapidly supplied to the rotary drum 30 to start the drawing process, and the processing speed for forming the printing plates can be improved.
When the drawing process for the initial plates P1 is finished, as shown in
Then, when the entirety of the printing plates P2 is discharged, third airflow transfer nozzles 42g(a) on the back side (see
In this manner, also at the time of discharging and transferring the printing plates P2, the printing plates P2 are transferred utilizing atmospheric pressure flotation. This makes it possible to transfer the printing plates P2 of various sizes and prevent the printing plates P2 from being damaged, for example, as in the case of supplying and transferring the plates P1. In addition, in positioning the printing plates P2, the printing plates P2 are aligned to the third positioning guide 42r side and positioned, thereby making it possible to prevent the printing plates from being damaged during the positioning.
When the first printing plate P2 is delivered to the processor, air is blown against the second printing plate P2 to transfer it by airflow in a similar manner, and is delivered to the processor through the conveyer 5 as shown in
After that, the similar process as described above is repeated to draw an image on the subsequent plate P1, and the drawing process is sequentially carried out for the fifth plate P1 and subsequent plates P1 (
Note that when the plates P1 are picked up from the skid 44 shown in
Next, a description is given of the case of handling the plate P1 and printing plate P2 of 2W2L-size. Note that also in the case of 2W2L-size, the procedures for sucking the plate P1 and the like are substantially the same as those in the case of 1W2L-size, so the positioning on the plate supply table 41 and the plate discharge table 42 is mainly described herein.
When the 2W2L-size plate P1 is placed on the plate supply table 41, a single plate P1 is placed at the center of the plate supply table 41 as shown in
Meanwhile, in the case of discharging the printing plate P2, as shown in
Subsequently, a description is given of the case of handling the plate P1 and printing plate P2 of 2W1 L-size. Note that, also in this case, the positioning on the plate supply table 41 and the plate discharge table 42 is mainly described.
When the 2W1 L-size plate P1 is placed on the plate supply table 41, as shown in
Meanwhile, at the time of discharging the printing plate P2, as shown in
Note that in the case of placing 1W1L-size plates P1, as shown in
Meanwhile, at the time of discharging the printing plates P2, as shown in
In this manner, the first to fourth positioning guides 41p to 41s are disposed at different positions depending on the size of the plate P1 and the printing plate P2, and are structured to be movable in and out of the top board 41b or the top board 42b. Accordingly, the positioning of the plates P1 or the like of various types can be achieved simply by controlling the moving in and out of them depending on the size of the plates P1 or the like to be handled, without any limitation on their size.
Further, since the plates P1 or the like of any size are transferred by airflow toward the positioning guides and positioned, the area and frequency of contact with other members can be reduced and the plates P1 or the like can be prevented from being damaged, as in the case of positioning the 1W2L-size plates P1 or the like.
As described above, the plate supply and discharge unit 4 according to this exemplary embodiment is a plate supply and discharge device which supplies the plate P1 to the drawing unit 3, receives the printing plate P2, which is obtained by drawing an image on the plate P1, from the drawing unit 3, and delivers it outside. The plate supply and discharge unit 4 includes the plate supply table 41 for allowing the plate P1 to float at atmospheric pressure, moves the plate P1 in the state of being allowed to float at atmospheric pressure above the plate supply table 41, and supplies it to the drawing unit 3.
Since the plates P1 in the state of being allowed to float at atmospheric pressure are moved above the table 41, the plates P1 can be transferred to the drawing unit 3 without being curved, and the plates P1 of various sizes can be handled without any limitation on the size of the plates P1 that can be supplied and transferred. Further, it is possible to avoid the plates P1 from coming into contact with other members until the plates reach the drawing unit 3, so the plates P1 can be prevented from being damaged. Furthermore, in comparison with the case of conveyer transportation or the like, the device can be downsized and the number of components can be reduced.
Further, in the plate supply and discharge unit 4, the plate supply table 41 includes the atmospheric pressure flotation nozzles 41f for allowing the plates P1 to float at atmospheric pressure, and the airflow transfer nozzles 41h and 41j for allowing the plate P1 to float at atmospheric pressure, and the plates P1 are moved only by air pressure without using an extrusion member or the like. This makes it possible to appropriately prevent the plates P1 from being damaged. Furthermore, the number of components of the plate supply table 41 and the number of consumable components can be reduced, which can also lead to a reduction in device cost and maintenance cost.
Further, the plate supply and discharge unit 4 is structured to include two or more types of air blowing means having different air blowing directions, such as the airflow transfer nozzles 41h and 41j. Thus, the plates P1 can be transferred by airflow not only in one direction but also in multiple directions. This makes it possible to increase the degrees of freedom of transfer directions and positioning of the plates P1.
Further, in the plate supply and discharge unit 4, multiple air blowing means having the same air blowing direction are disposed on a single pipe, in at least one of the atmospheric pressure flotation nozzles 41f and the airflow transfer nozzles 41h and 41j. Thus, the air blowing means are grouped together in each air blowing direction, thereby making it possible to collectively control ON/OFF and simplify the switching control.
Further, the plate supply and discharge unit 4 includes the first positioning guides 41p, which are disposed on the surface of the plate supply table 41 so as to correspond to one side among the four sides of the plate P1, and transfers the plate P1 by airflow toward the first positioning guides 41p to perform positioning of the plate P1 while aligning it to the first positioning guide 41p. Thus, the plates P1 can be positioned in the state where the area and frequency of contact with other members are reduced. This makes it possible to prevent the plates P1 from being damaged during the positioning.
Further, in the plate supply and discharge unit 4, multiple plate positioning guides, such as the first positioning guides 41p and the second positioning guides 41r, are disposed on the surface of the plate supply table 41. The multiple plate positioning guides are disposed at different positions depending on the size of the plates P1 and are structured to be movable on the surface of the plate supply table 41 and movable in and out thereof. Thus, the positioning of the plates P1 of various sizes can be achieved simply by controlling the moving in and out of the plate positioning guides depending on the size of the plates P1 to be handled, without any limitation on the size.
Further, the plate supply and discharge unit 4 includes the plate discharge table 42 for receiving the printing plates P2 discharged from the drawing unit 3 and for allowing the plates to float at atmospheric pressure, moves the printing plates P2 in the state of being allowed to float at atmospheric pressure above the plate discharge table 42, and delivers it outside. This makes it possible to transfer the printing plates P2 of various sizes and prevent the printing plates P2 from being damaged, for example, as in the case of supplying and transferring the plates.
Further, in the plate supply and discharge unit 4, the plate discharge table 42 includes the atmospheric pressure flotation 42e for allowing the printing plates P2 to float at atmospheric pressure, and the airflow transfers 42g, 42i, and 42k for transferring the printing plates P2 by airflow. This makes it possible to appropriately prevent the printing plates P2 from being damaged, and to reduce the number of components of the table 42 and the number of consumable components.
Further, the plate supply and discharge unit 4 is structured to include two or more types of air blowing means having different air blowing directions, such as the airflow transfer nozzles 42g, 42j, and 42k. Thus, the printing plates P2 can be transferred by airflow in multiple directions. This makes it possible to increase the degrees of freedom of transfer directions and positioning of the printing plates P2.
Further, in the plate supply and discharge unit 4, multiple air blowing means having the same air blowing direction are disposed on a single pipe, in at least one of the atmospheric pressure flotation nozzles 42e and the airflow transfer nozzles 42g, 42i, and 42k. Thus, the air blowing means are grouped together, thereby making it possible to collectively control ON/OFF and simplify the switching control.
Further, the plate supply and discharge unit 4 includes the third positioning guide 42r, which is disposed on the surface of the plate discharge table 42 so as to correspond to one side among the four sides of the printing plate P2, and transfers the printing plate P2 by airflow toward the third positioning guide 42r to perform positioning of the printing plate P2 while aligning it to the third positioning guide 42r. Thus, it is possible to perform positioning of the printing plate P2 while preventing the printing plate P2 from being damaged.
Further, in the plate supply and discharge unit 4, multiple printing plate positioning guides, such as the third positioning guide 42r and the fourth positioning guides 41s, are disposed on the surface of the plate supply table 42. The multiple printing plate positioning guides are disposed at different positions depending on the size of the printing plates and are structured to be movable on the surface of the plate supply table 42 and movable in and out thereof. Thus, the positioning of the printing plates P2 of various types can be achieved without any limitation on the size.
Further, in the plate supply and discharge unit 4, at least one of the plate supply table 41 and the plate discharge table 42 (plate supply table 41 in the above-mentioned structure) is structured to be tiltable. Accordingly, at least one of the plate P1 and the printing plate P2 (plate P1 in the above-mentioned structure) can be moved utilizing the inclination.
Further, in the plate supply and discharge unit 4, the plate supply table 41 and the plate discharge table 42 are disposed in multiple stages in the vertical direction. Accordingly, space saving can be achieved and the plate supply and discharge device can be downsized.
Further, the plate supply and discharge unit 4 includes the ejection unit 22 for ejecting the plates P1 from the skid 20, which stores the plates P1, and for transferring the plates onto the plate supply table 41. The ejection unit 22 ejects the subsequent plates P1 from the skid 20 and transfers the plates onto the plate supply table 41 while images are drawn on the plates P1 in the drawing unit 3. Thus, before the drawing process for the initial plates P1 is finished, the subsequent plates P1 can be prepared on the plate supply table 41, and the processing speed for forming the printing plates can be improved.
Further, the printing plate forming device 1 according to this exemplary embodiment supplies the plates P1 from the plate supply and discharge unit 4 to the drawing unit 3, forms printing plates by drawing images on the plates P1 in the drawing unit 3, and delivers the printing plates P2 outside through the plate supply and discharge unit 4. This makes it possible to transfer the plates P1 and printing plates P2 of various sizes and to prevent the plates P1 and printing plates P2 from being damaged.
Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned structures and various modifications can be made.
For example, though the plate supply table 41 is structured to be tiltable and the plate discharge table 42 is horizontally fixed and located in the above-mentioned exemplary embodiment, the plate supply table 41 may be horizontally fixed and located and the plate discharge table 42 may be structured to be tiltable. Alternatively, both the plate supply table 41 and the plate discharge table 42 may be structured to be tiltable and the both may be horizontally fixed and located.
Moreover, at the time of supplying the 1W2L-size plates P1 to the drawing unit 3, two plates P1 are simultaneously supplied (see
Further, though only the skids are illustrated as storage units for storing the plates P1 in the above-mentioned exemplary embodiment, cassettes may be used in place of the skids, and a combination of both the skids and cassettes may also be used.
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese patent application No. 2007-213420, filed on Aug. 20, 2007, and Japanese patent application No. 2007-285641, filed on Nov. 2, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-213420 | Aug 2007 | JP | national |
| 2007-285641 | Nov 2007 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2008/064554 | 8/13/2008 | WO | 00 | 2/9/2010 |
