Apparatus and method for extracting and conveying printing plates
AssigneeFuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
InventorTsukasa Ono
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for extracting and conveying a printing plate. The apparatus includes separation plates disposed at corners of a cassette accommodating at least printing plates. Air enters between an uppermost printing plate that is extracted and an underlying printing plate or an interleaf sheet, thereby separating the uppermost printing plate from the underlying printing plate or the interleaf sheet. Guide rails disposed above the cassette are parallel to a bottom of the cassette. Movable/rotatable bodies are disposed on the guide rails so as to be movable along the guide rails and be rotated about 180° within moving ranges, such that the uppermost printing plate is sent into an exposure section with an emulsion surface of the printing plate facing up.
Claims20
An apparatus for extracting an uppermost printing plate from a cassette in which printing plates are stacked and conveying the extracted printing plate to a processing section, the apparatus comprising:
- movable bodies, each of which are movable along a guide rail disposed between the cassette and the processing section;
- a holding member disposed at each of the movable bodies and movable towards and away from ends of the printing plates in the cassette opposite to ends disposed near the processing section, the holding member holding the uppermost printing plate as the holding member is moved towards the uppermost printing plate and separating the uppermost printing plate from an underlying printing plate as the holding member is moved away;
- separation members provided at end corners of the cassette opposite to end corners disposed near the processing section, the separation members curving the uppermost printing plate while the holding member separates the uppermost printing plate from the underlying printing plate;
- a moving device for moving each of the movable bodies along the guide rail to the processing section while the holding member holds the uppermost printing plate;
- and
- a rotation device for rotating the uppermost printing plate held by the holding member at a predetermined radius of curvature while the movable bodies are moved by the moving device, such that the uppermost printing plate is inverted.
An apparatus for extracting an uppermost printing plate from a cassette, in which printing plates and interleaf sheets for protecting image forming surfaces of the printing plates are alternately stacked, and conveying the extracted printing plate to a processing section, the apparatus comprising:
- an interleaf sheet removal device that is actuated when an interleaf sheet is disposed at the top of the stack and removes the interleaf sheet;
- movable bodies, each of which are movable along a guide rail disposed between the cassette and the processing section;
- a holding member disposed at each of the movable bodies and movable towards and away from ends of the printing plates in the cassette opposite to ends disposed near the processing section, the holding member holding the uppermost printing plate as the holding member is moved towards the uppermost printing plate and separating the uppermost printing plate from an underlying printing plate as the holding member is moved away;
- separation members provided at end corners of the cassette opposite to end corners disposed near the processing section, the separation members curving the uppermost printing plate while the holding member separates the uppermost printing plate from the underlying printing plate;
- a moving device for moving each of the movable bodies along the guide rail to the processing section while the holding member holds the uppermost printing plate;
- and
- a rotation device for rotating the uppermost printing plate held by the holding member at a predetermined radius of curvature while the movable bodies are moved by the moving device, such that the uppermost printing plate is inverted.
A method for extracting and conveying a printing plate, comprising the steps of:
- (a) determining the size of a printing plate to be processed and selecting a cassette in which printing plates of the determined size are stacked;
- (b) controlling suckers for sucking and lifting an uppermost printing plate from the cassette;
- and
- (c) controlling a conveyance unit disposed near the cassette such that the printing plate is conveyed to a processing section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.