Method and apparatus for loading and unloading flexographic plates for computer-to-plate imaging

An apparatus to aid the loading and unloading of flexographic plates to and from an imager, the apparatus comprising:

• a magazine containing a plurality of compartments each for holding a single flexographic plate, the compartments arranged vertically, and movable in a vertical direction, each respective compartment having a respective rest vertical position at a rest horizontal position, each respective compartment further having a loading vertical position at which the respective compartment is at a height for loading onto the imager;
• a lifting mechanism to lift and lower the compartments;
• and
• a control system to control the lifting and lowering by the lifting mechanism,
• such that a particular compartment is moved from its rest vertical position at the rest horizontal position to the loading vertical position at which the particular compartment at the height for loading onto the imager or unloading from the imager, and when the particular compartment is at its loading vertical position, the particular compartment is movable horizontally from and to the rest horizontal position to and from a loading horizontal position suitable for loading and unloading the plate on the compartment onto and from the imager,
• wherein the lifting mechanism is operative to lift and lower the compartments of the magazine one compartment at a time, and
• wherein the respective rest positions of each of the compartments are lower than the loading vertical position such that a particular compartment pre-loaded with a plate is lifted from its rest vertical position to the loading vertical position, then moved while at the loading vertical position to the loading horizontal position for loading onto the imager,
• the apparatus further comprising:
• an automatic plate loader to remove the plate from the particular compartment and load the plate onto the imager.

An apparatus to aid the loading and unloading of flexographic plates to and from an imager, the apparatus comprising:

• a magazine containing plurality of compartments each for holding a single flexographic plate, the compartments arranged vertically, and movable in a vertical direction, each respective compartment having a respective rest vertical position at a rest horizontal position, each respective compartment further having a loading vertical position at which the respective compartment is at a height for loading onto the imager;
• a lifting mechanism to lift and lower the compartments;
• and
• a control system to control the lifting and lowering by the lifting mechanism,
• such that a particular compartment is moved from its rest vertical position at the rest horizontal position to the loading vertical position at which the particular compartment at the height for loading onto the imager or unloading from the imager, and when the particular compartment is at its loading vertical position, the particular compartment is movable horizontally from and to the rest horizontal position to and from a loading horizontal position suitable for loading and unloading the plate on the compartment onto and from the imager,
• wherein the lifting mechanism is operative to lift and lower the compartments of the magazine one compartment at a time, and
• wherein the lifting mechanism is further operative to lift or lower the particular compartments each from the respective loading vertical position after the plate is imaged and unloaded from the imager to respective imaged vertical positions of the particular compartments, the apparatus further comprising:
• an automatic plate loader to remove the plate from the particular compartment and load the plate onto the imager.

An apparatus to aid the loading and unloading of flexographic plates to and from an imager, the apparatus comprising:

• a magazine containing a plurality of compartments each for holding a single flexographic plate, the compartments arranged vertically, and movable in a vertical direction, each respective compartment having a respective rest vertical position at a rest horizontal position, each respective compartment further having a loading vertical position at which the respective compartment is at a height for loading onto the imager;
• a lifting mechanism to lift and lower the compartments;
• and
• a control system to control the lifting and lowering by the lifting mechanism,
• such that a particular compartment is moved from its rest vertical position at the rest horizontal position to the loading vertical position at which the particular compartment at the height for loading onto the imager or unloading from the imager, and when the particular compartment is at its loading vertical position, the particular compartment is movable horizontally from and to the rest horizontal position to and from a loading horizontal position suitable for loading and unloading the plate on the compartment onto and from the imager,
• the apparatus further comprising:
• an automatic plate loader to remove the plate from the particular compartment and load the plate onto the imager,
• wherein each compartment is for a single flexographic plate that may be covered by a protective sheet, and wherein the automatic plate loader includes an automatic protective sheet remover to remove the protective sheet when such a sheet is included on the plate, the removing prior to or during the loading of the plate onto the imager, and
• wherein the automatic plate loader includes:
• a first mechanism including a first set of vacuum holders under control of the control system, the first mechanism movable to move a plate in the particular compartment to an intermediate horizontal position, the first mechanism under control of the control system further movable to move the plate from the intermediate horizontal position to an imager loading position.

A method of loading a flexographic plate to an imager, the method comprising:

• (a) pre-loading a particular flexographic plate into a particular compartment of a magazine containing a plurality of compartments each for holding a single flexographic plate, the compartments arranged vertically, and movable in a vertical direction, each respective compartment having a respective rest vertical position at a rest horizontal position, each respective compartment further having a loading vertical position at which the respective compartment is at a height for loading onto the imager or unloading from the imager,
• (b) lifting or lowering the particular compartment from its rest vertical position at its rest horizontal position to its loading vertical position,
• (c) moving the particular compartment when at its loading vertical position from and to its rest horizontal position to and from a loading horizontal position suitable for loading and unloading the plate on the compartment onto and from the imager,
• (d) automatically removing the plate from its compartment at the loading horizontal position and loading the plate onto the imager, and
• (e) lifting or lowering the particular compartment from the loading vertical position after the plate is imaged and unloaded from the imager to an imaged vertical position for the particular compartment.

A method of loading a flexographic plate to an imager, the method comprising:

• (a) pre-loading a particular flexographic plate into a particular compartment of a magazine containing a plurality of compartments each for holding a single flexographic plate, the compartments arranged vertically, and movable in a vertical direction, each respective compartment having a respective rest vertical position at a rest horizontal position, each respective compartment further having a loading vertical position at which the respective compartment is at a height for loading onto the imager or unloading from the imager,
• (b) lifting or lowering the particular compartment from its rest vertical position at its rest horizontal position to its loading vertical position,
• (c) moving the particular compartment when at its loading vertical position from and to its rest horizontal position to and from a loading horizontal position suitable for loading and unloading the plate on the compartment onto and from the imager, and
• (d) automatically removing the plate from its compartment at the loading horizontal position and loading the plate onto the imager,
• wherein step (b) includes lifting or lowering only the particular compartment of the magazine on the basis of one compartment being lifted or lowered at a time, and
• wherein the respective rest positions of each of the compartments are lower than the loading vertical position such that step (b) includes lifting the pre-loaded particular compartment from its rest vertical position to the loading vertical position, then moving the particular compartment while at the loading vertical position to the loading horizontal position for loading the plate onto the imager.

A method of loading a flexographic plate to an imager, the method comprising:

• (a) pre-loading a particular flexographic plate into a particular compartment of a magazine containing a plurality of compartments each for holding a single flexographic plate, the compartments arranged vertically, and movable in a vertical direction, each respective compartment having a respective rest vertical position at a rest horizontal position, each respective compartment further having a loading vertical position at which the respective compartment is at a height for loading onto the imager or unloading from the imager,
• (b) lifting or lowering the particular compartment from its rest vertical position at its rest horizontal position to its loading vertical position,
• (c) moving the particular compartment when at its loading vertical position from and to its rest horizontal position to and from a loading horizontal position suitable for loading and unloading the plate on the compartment onto and from the imager, and
• (d) automatically removing the plate from its compartment at the loading horizontal position and loading the plate onto the imager,
• wherein step (a) includes pre-loading the particular compartment with a pre-sensitized CTP flexographic plate such that as a result of the pre-loading, the particular plate is in the compartment without a cover sheet.

A method of loading a flexographic plate to an imager, the method comprising:

• (a) pre-loading a particular flexographic plate into a particular compartment of a magazine containing a plurality of compartments each for holding a single flexographic plate, the compartments arranged vertically, and movable in a vertical direction, each respective compartment having a respective rest vertical position at a rest horizontal position, each respective compartment further having a loading vertical position at which the respective compartment is at a height for loading onto the imager or unloading from the imager,
• (b) lifting or lowering the particular compartment from its rest vertical position at its rest horizontal position to its loading vertical position,
• (c) moving the particular compartment when at its loading vertical position from and to its rest horizontal position to and from a loading horizontal position suitable for loading and unloading the plate on the compartment onto and from the imager, and
• (d) automatically removing the plate from its compartment at the loading horizontal position and loading the plate onto the imager,
• the method further comprising transporting the magazine from a storage location to an imaging location adjacent to the imager.

A method of loading a flexographic plate to an imager, the method comprising:

• (a) pre-loading a particular flexographic plate into a particular compartment of a magazine containing a plurality of compartments each for holding a single flexographic plate, the compartments arranged vertically, and movable in a vertical direction, each respective compartment having a respective rest vertical position at a rest horizontal position, each respective compartment further having a loading vertical position at which the respective, compartment is at a height for loading onto the imager or unloading from the imager,
• (b) lifting or lowering the particular compartment from its rest vertical position at its rest horizontal position to its loading vertical position.
• (c) moving the particular compartment when at its loading vertical position from and to its rest horizontal position to and from a loading horizontal position suitable for loading and unloading the plate on the compartment onto and from the imager, and
• (d) automatically removing the plate from its compartment at the loading horizontal position and loading the plate onto the imager,
• wherein each compartment is for single flexographic plate that may be covered by a protective sheet,
• wherein step (d) includes automatically removing the protective sheet when such a sheet is included on the plate, the removing prior to or during the loading of the plate onto the imager, and
• wherein step (d) further includes:
• moving the plate in the particular compartment from its position when the compartment is in the loading horizontal position to an intermediate horizontal position, and
• moving the plate from the intermediate horizontal position to an imager loading position where the plate is loaded onto the imager.