Printing plate removing/supplying device

A printing plate removing/supplying device comprising:

• an accommodating portion at whose top end an opening is formed, and which accommodates, stacked in plural levels in a state of being provided at predetermined intervals, cassettes in which plural printing plates are loaded in from an upper side and stacked, the accommodating portion having a loading space which is directly beneath the opening and at which one of the cassettes can be accommodated, and the printing plates can be loaded from the opening into the cassette which is positioned at the loading space;
• a cover member provided at the opening of the accommodating portion and able to open and close the opening;
• a removing portion provided adjacent to the accommodating portion, a printing plate removing position being set at the removing portion;
• a cassette moving mechanism which is provided at the removing portion, and which, independently of other cassettes, pulls one cassette selected from among the plural cassettes out to the removing portion and moves the selected one cassette to the removing position, and which is able to move the selected one cassette to the loading space as well;
• and
• a removing/conveying mechanism provided at the removing portion, and removing the printing plate from the cassette positioned at the removing position, and able to convey and supply the printing plate to a portion-to-be-supplied-to of a subsequent process.