Apparatus and method for picking a single printing plate from a stack of printing plates

An apparatus for picking a printing plate from a stack of printing plates, comprising:

• a plurality of suction cups;
• a peeler;
• a drive system for displacing the suction cups and the peeler against a surface of a top printing plate on the stack;
• a vacuum source for supplying a vacuum to the suction cups to secure the suction cups against the surface of the top printing plate;
• and
• a system for rotatably displacing the suction cups relative to the peeler to peel a portion of the top printing plate off of the stack, wherein a center line of rotation of the displacing system is located at a contact point between the peeler and the surface of the top printing plate.

A method for picking a printing plate from a stack of printing plates, comprising:

• displacing a plurality of suction cups and a peeler against a surface of a top printing plate on the stack;
• supplying a vacuum to the suction cups to secure the suction cups against the surface of the top printing plate;
• and
• rotatably displacing the suction cups relative to the peeler to peel a portion of the top printing plate off of the stack, wherein a center line of rotation of the displacement is located at a contact point between the peeler and the surface of the top printing plate.

A method for picking a printing plate from a stack of printing plates, comprising:

• displacing a plurality of suction cups and a peeler against a surface of a top printing plate on the stack;
• supplying a vacuum to the suction cups to secure the suction cups against the surface of the top printing plate;
• and
• peeling a portion of the top printing plate off of the stack, and preventing relative motion of the top printing plate against an underlying printing plate on the stack, by rotatably displacing the suction cups relative to the peeler, wherein a center line of rotation of the displacement is located at a contact point between the peeler and the surface of the top printing plate.