External drum imaging system

An external drum platesetter, comprising:

• an external drum cylinder having a cylindrical media support surface for supporting a printing plate during recording of an image thereon;
• a leading edge clamp and a trailing edge clamp for holding a leading edge and a trailing edge of the printing plate onto the cylindrical media support surface during rotation of the external drum cylinder;
• an input tray for supporting the printing plate in a staging position prior to mounting the printing late onto the external drum cylinder;
• and,
• a pair of input nip rollers positioned between the input tray and the leading edge clamp for holding the leading edge of the printing plate while the printing plate is in the staging position and for delivering the leading edge of the printing plate from the staging position to the leading edge clamp;
• wherein the trailing edge clamp employs a vacuum to hold the trailing edge of the printing plate onto the cylindrical media support surface.

An external drum platesetter, comprising:

• an external drum cylinder having a cylindrical media support surface for supporting a printing plate during recording of an image thereon;
• a leading edge clamp and a trailing edge clamp for holding a leading edge and a trailing edge of the printing plate onto the cylindrical media support surface during rotation of the external drum cylinder;
• an input tray for supporting the printing plate in a staging position prior to mounting the printing plate onto the external drum cylinder;
• a pair of input nip rollers positioned between the input tray and the leading edge clamp for holding the leading edge of the printing plate while the printing plate is in the staging position and for delivering the leading edge of the printing plate from the staging position to the leading edge clamp;
• a first actuator for selectively opening a clamping portion of the leading edge clamp;
• a second actuator for selectively forcing a clamping bar of the trailing edge clamp toward the external drum;
• and
• a third actuator for selectively extending an ironing system toward the external drum.

An external drum platesetter, comprising:

• an external drum cylinder having a cylindrical media support surface for supporting a printing plate drum recording of an image thereon;
• a leading edge clamp and a trailing edge clamp for holding a leading edge and a trailing edge of the printing plate onto the cylindrical media support surface during rotation of the external drum cylinder;
• an input tray for supporting the printing plate in a staging position prior to mounting the printing plate onto the external drum cylinder;
• a pair of input nip rollers positioned between the input tray and the leading edge clamp for holding leading edge of the printing plate while the printing plate is in the staging position and for delivering the leading edge of the printing plate from the staging position to the leading edge clamp;
• an output tray for receiving the printing plate from the external drum cylinder after imaging;
• and
• a guide platen mounted to a frame member of the platesetter, for guide platen mounted to a frame member of the platesetter, for guide the printing plate form the media support surface to the output tray.

A method for loading a printing plate onto an external drum of a platesetter, comprising:

• manually loading a printing plate onto an input tray, the input tray being oriented to guide a downward facing lading edge of the printer plate to a nip of a pair of input nip rollers;
• support the downward facing leading edge of the printing plate in the nip of the pair of input rollers;
• advancing the downward facing leading edge into a leading edge clamping mechanism located on a cylindrical medial support surface of an external drum used for supporting the printing plate during image recording thereon;
• and
• positioning an ironing system against the printing plate to flatten the printing plate against the media support surface while the printing plate is being advanced form the input tray to the media support surface.

A method for loading a printing plate onto an external drum of a platesetter, comprising:

• manually loading a printing plate onto an input tray, the input tray being oriented to guide a downward facing leading edge of the printing plate to a nip of a pair of input nip rollers;
• supporting the downward facing leading edge of the printing plate in the nip of the pair of input rollers;
• advancing the downward facing leading edge into a leading edge clamping mechanism located on a cylindrical media support surface of the external drum, the leading edge clamping mechanism including a plurality of registration pins for providing a registration axis;
• and
• registering the leading edge of the printing plate against the registration axis.

A method for loading a printing plate onto an external drum of a platesetter, comprising:

• manually loading a printing plate onto an input tray, the input tray being oriented to guide a downward facing leading edge of the printing plate to a nip of a pair of input nip rollers;
• supporting the downward facing leading edge of the printing plate in the nip of the pair of input rollers;
• advancing the downward facing leading edge into a leading edge clamping mechanism located on a sylindrical media support surface of the external drum;
• and
• image data onto the printing plate.

A method for unloading a printing plate from an external drum of a platesetter, comprising:

• positioning a clamping bar under an actuator of a trailing edge clamping mechanism, the clamping bar securing a trailing edge of the printing plate against the external drum;
• turning off a vacuum under the clamping bar;
• and
• automatically biasing the clamping bar radially away from the external drum, thereby releasing the trailing edge of the printing plate.

An external drum platesetter, comprising:

• an external drum cylinder having a cylindrical media support surface for supporting a printing plate during recording of an image thereon;
• a leading edge clamp for holding a leading edge of the printing plate onto the cylindrical media support surface during rotation of the external drum cylinder;
• a trailing edge clamp for holding a trailing edge of the printing plate onto the cylindrical media support surface during rotation of the external drum cylinder;
• and,
• wherein said trailing edge clamp employs a vacuum to hold the trailing edge of the printing plate onto the cylindrical media support surface.

An external drum imaging system, comprising:

• an external drum having a cylindrical media support surface for supporting a printing plate during imaging;
• a leading edge clamp and a trailing edge clamp for holding a leading edge and a trailing edge of the printing plate onto the cylindrical media support surface during rotation of the external drum;
• a stationary ironing roller system for flattening the printing plate against the cylindrical media support surface as the external drum rotates past the stationary ironing roller system;
• and
• an input tray for supporting the printing plate in a staging position prior to mounting the printing plate onto the external drum.

An external drum imaging system, comprising:

• an external drum having a cylindrical media support surface for supporting a printing plate during imaging;
• a leading edge clamp and a trailing edge clamp for holding a leading edge and a trailing edge of the printing plate onto the cylindrical media support surface during rotation of the external drum;
• and
• an input tray for supporting the printing plate in a staging position prior to mounting the printing plate onto the external drum;
• wherein the trailing edge clamp employs a vacuum to hold the trailing edge of the printing plate onto the cylindrical media support surface.

An external drum imaging system, comprising:

• an external drum having a cylindrical media support surface for supporting a printing plate during imaging;
• a leading edge clamp and a trailing edge clamp for holding a leading edge and a trailing edge of the printing plate onto the cylindrical media support surface during rotation of the external drum;
• a first actuator for selectively opening a clamping portion of the leading edge clamp;
• a second actuator for selectively forcing a clamping bar of the trailing edge clamp toward the external drum;
• and
• a third actuator for selectively extending an ironing system toward the external drum.

An external drum imaging system, comprising:

• an external drum having a cylindrical media support surface for supporting a printing plate during imaging;
• a leading edge clamp and a trailing edge clamp for holding a leading edge and a trailing edge of the printing plate onto the cylindrical media support surface during rotation of the external drum;
• an input tray for supporting the printing plate in a staging position prior to mounting the printing plate onto the external drum;
• an output tray for receiving the printing plate from the external drum after imaging;
• and
• a guide platen for selectively guiding the printing plate from the input tray to the media support surface and from the media support surface to the output tray.

A method for loading a printing plate onto an external drum of an imaging system, comprising:

• loading a printing plate onto a tray, the input tray being oriented to guide a leading edge of the printing plate to a nip of an input nip roller assembly;
• supporting the leading edge of the printing plate in the nip;
• advancing the leading edge of the printing plate from the input tray into a leading edge clamping mechanism located on a cylindrical media support surface of an external drum;
• and
• positioning an ironing system against the printing plate to flatten the printing plate against the media support surface while the printing plate is being advanced from the input tray to the media support surface.