US 4,082,455 A · Plate making system

Abstract

Automatic equipment is described for making multiple plate copies for an offset printing process from a single negative. A stack of plates having prepunched locating openings is provided with the emulsion side facing down and with the pile being automatically raised so that the top plate is at a particular location. A parallelogram linkage makes vacuum connection to the back of the plate, and moves the plate immediately on top of and in registry with a negative which is installed on a negative carrier plate. The plate is then exposed through the negative, and the parallelogram linkage and plate carrier then move back to the plate stack to pick up a new plate. A plate transfer mechanism then makes vacuum connection to the back surface of the exposed plate and rotates the plate, and inverts it onto a delivery belt system for delivering the exposed plate to a plate processor.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A plate making system comprising, in combination:

means for supporting a stack of aluminum photographic plates with their emulsion side facing downward;
a film negative carrier for supporting a film negative in accurate registry with said stack;
said film negative carrier having an upper surface at about the same height as the top of said stack;
plate exposure lamp means disposed beneath said film negative carrier for exposing plates disposed atop said film negative carrier through a negative fastened thereon;
output means for delivering an exposed plate from said system, with its emulsion side facing upward, to a photoprocessing unit for developing said plate;
first transfer means adapted to contact the back surface of the uppermost plate of said stack of plates and to move said uppermost plate, with its emulsion surface facing down, onto said film negative carrier;
second transfer means adapted to contact the back surface of a plate on said film negative carrier and to move said plate, and invert it to have its emulsion side facing upwardly, and to deposit said plate onto said output means.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Plate making system

Life of this patent

Plate making system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22