Apparatus and method for picking printing plates of various sizes
AssigneeAgfa NV
InventorsThomas Marincic, Aron Mirmelshteyn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vacuum system is provided including a vacuum source and plurality of suction cups coupled to the vacuum source, wherein at least one of the suction cups is coupled to the vacuum source using a non-constricted fitting, and wherein at least one of the suction cups is coupled to vacuum source using a fixed orifice fitting. The vacuum system is configured to pick a top printing plate from the stack of printing plates, such that each suction cup coupled to the vacuum source using a non-constricted fitting is configured to always engage the top printing plate.
Claims29
An apparatus, comprising:
- a vacuum system including a vacuum source and plurality of suction cups coupled to the vacuum source, wherein at least one of the suction cups is coupled to the vacuum source using a non-constricted fitting, and wherein at least one of the suction cups is coupled to vacuum source using a fixed orifice fitting;
- and
- a stack of printing plates;
- wherein the vacuum system is configured to pick a top printing plate from the stack of printing plates, and wherein each suction cup coupled to the vacuum source using the non-constricted fitting is configured to always engage the top printing plate.
A method, comprising:
- providing a vacuum system including a vacuum source and plurality of suction cups coupled to the vacuum source;
- coupling at least one of the suction cups to the vacuum source using a non-constricted fitting;
- coupling at least one of the suction cups to the vacuum source using a fixed orifice fitting;
- and
- picking a top printing plate from a stack of printing plates using the vacuum system, wherein each suction cup coupled to the vacuum source using the non-constricted fitting is configured to always engage the top printing plate.
A method for picking and holding an object, comprising:
- providing a vacuum system including a vacuum sources and plurality of suction cups coupled to the vacuum source;
- coupling at least one of the suction cups to the vacuum source using a non-constricted fitting;
- coupling at least one of the suction cups to the vacuum source using a fixed orifice fitting;
- and
- picking and holding an object using the vacuum system, wherein each suction cup coupled to the vacuum source using the non-constricted fitting always engages and holds the object, wherein zero or more of the suction cups coupled to the vacuum source using the fixed orifice fitting engage and hold the object, and wherein vacuum leakage through any suction cups that do not engage the object does not substantially affect a vacuum level within the suction cups that do engage the object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.