JPH0246936B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, and more particularly, an exposure apparatus that sequentially transports and positions an exposed part of a photosensitive material having a first and a second exposed part to an exposure section and exposes the exposed part. The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus.

The exposure apparatus according to the present invention is extremely effective when applied to the case where two sides of one original plate are exposed on the same printing plate. For example, a printing plate used on a rotary press for newspaper printing has recently been the size of two newspaper pages, and a printing plate in which a single original plate is exposed on two sides is used.

Figure 1 shows a PS plate (a photosensitive material for plate making for offset printing in which an aluminum substrate is coated with a photosensitive resin) used in the printing plate. Two exposed parts 2A, 2B
It has a shape and size that allows it to be provided with.

In an apparatus that exposes, develops, etc. a PS plate 1 having such a shape and size, in order to improve processing capacity, the PS plate 1 is transferred in the direction of its short side (direction of arrow A in Fig. 1). It is desirable to do so.

However, the problem here is that from one original plate to the two exposed areas 2A on the PS plate 1,
This is the step of exposing to 2B. Only this process is PS
This is a problem in that the transfer direction of the plate 1 is the direction of its long side (direction of arrow B in FIG. 1), which is different from the desired transfer direction of the PS plate 1 described above.

Therefore, in the conventional PS version processing system,
The exposure process and the subsequent processing process could not be made continuous, resulting in unsatisfactory processing performance and efficiency.

In particular, since large-sized PS plates are heavy, there has been a strong demand from safety standpoints for them to be able to be processed from supply to the exposure equipment to subsequent processes without the need for human labor.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to solve the problems in the photosensitive material processing system and to provide an automated system that facilitates the continuity of preceding and subsequent processes, such as photosensitive material supply and photosensitive material processing. An object of the present invention is to provide a light-sensitive material exposure apparatus.

The above-mentioned object of the present invention is to provide an exposure section having an exposure means for exposing a photosensitive material, a photosensitive material supply section, a photosensitive material set in the supply section, to transfer the photosensitive material set in the supply section to the exposure section; a first transport/positioning means for positioning the exposed portion with respect to the exposure means; and after the exposure of the first exposed portion is completed, a second exposed portion of the photosensitive material is moved relative to the exposure means; In an exposure apparatus having a second transport/positioning means for transporting and positioning and a transport means for sending the exposed photosensitive material from the exposure section to the next process, the supply section and the exposure section are located on the front side of the exposure apparatus. and the supply section is provided so as to be located below the exposure section, and the first transport and
The positioning means includes a mechanism for taking out one of the uppermost layers of the photosensitive material set in the supply section and feeding it to a means for transporting it backward and diagonally upward, and a mechanism for transporting the photographic material that has been transported diagonally upward. a mechanism for moving the photosensitive material toward the exposure section by changing the direction toward the front in a substantially horizontal plane; The transfer means for sending out the exposed photosensitive material from the exposure section to the next process moves the transfer path to a substantially horizontal plane above the substantially horizontal plane in the process of sending the photosensitive material backward. This is achieved by an exposure apparatus characterized by having a mechanism for causing this.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a schematic right side view showing an outline of a PS plate exposure apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a front view thereof. The configuration of the apparatus of this embodiment will be explained below based on both figures.

There is a PS plate supply section (hereinafter simply referred to as "supply section") 10 at the lower front of the apparatus. Supply section 10
The PS version loaded on the transportable trolley can be set as is. It also has a lift-up mechanism that maintains the top layer at a constant position even when the amount of PS plate remaining is low.

Above the supply unit 10, there is a plate feeding mechanism (1) 20 that takes out PS plates one by one. Plate feeding mechanism (1) 20 includes a plurality of suction cups 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D and a plurality of air cylinders AC1, AC that move these up and down.
2, AC3 and PS plate separation air outlet 22A,
A take-out part 23 having 22B and the like is configured to be movable back and forth (in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 2) above the supply part.

Behind the plate feeding mechanism (1) 20, there is a plate feeding conveyor (1) 25 that receives the PS plate sent out from the plate feeding mechanism (1) 20 and transports it rearward and diagonally upward. The nip rollers 26A, 26B of the receiving section and the conveyor section 25 are driven by the same motor M2.

Diagonally above the rear of the plate feeding conveyor (1) 25 is a plate feeding conveyor (2) 3 which has the function of changing the direction of the PS plate.
There is 0. The plate feeding conveyor (2) 30 is swingable about an axis E as shown by an arrow F in FIG.

This swinging motion is achieved by air cylinder AC4. Further, the plate feeding conveyor (2) 30 is provided with a preliminary adjustment mechanism for the PS plate position. This preliminary adjustment mechanism
The position of the PS plate in the front and back direction is corrected by contacting the pin with the movement of the conveyor, and the position in the left and right direction is corrected by the air cylinder AC5.

A guide plate 35 is provided in front of the plate feeding conveyor (2) 30 (in the forward direction in the transport direction of the PS plate).
The guide plate 35 is swingable between a position shown in solid lines in FIG. 2 and a position 35' shown in phantom lines. This swinging motion is executed by air cylinder AC19.

An exposure section 40 is provided on the forward side of the guide plate 35 in the transport direction and above the supply section. Details of the exposure section will be described later, but first the plate supply carrier 45 that supplies the PS plate to the exposure section will be explained. The plate feeding carrier 45 has a plurality of suction cups 46A, 46B,
This carrier attracts and transports the right end of the PS plate by means of..., and is configured to be able to reciprocate between the exposure section 40 and the plate feeding conveyor (2) 30 by a motor M4.

The exposure section 40 includes an exposure light source LP, a cooling fan, an exposure control mechanism, a light-shielding hood, etc. On the surface plate 41, there are two sets of positioning mechanisms in the front-rear direction and left-right direction, and on the PS plate. A squeezing mechanism 42 and the like for feeding and winding up the document and the cover sheet for vacuum sealing are provided.

The first set of the two positioning mechanisms is a reference pin 43A on the right side (corresponding to the so-called "ground side") fixed on the surface plate 41, and is lowered within the surface plate 41 during plate feeding. There are three reference pins: rear edge reference pins 43B and 43C that protrude above the surface plate 41 only when necessary, and pushers 44A (left and right) and 44B (front and back) for positioning the PS plate by contacting the reference pins with the reference pins. direction).

The second set of positioning mechanisms are both submerged within the surface plate 41 during plate feeding, and are moved to the surface plate 41 only when necessary.
A ground side reference pin 43D protruding upward, a rear edge reference pin 43E, a rear edge reference pin 43F fixed on the surface plate 41, and a pusher 44C for positioning the PS plate in contact with the reference pins. (left-right direction), and 44D (front-back direction).

FIG. 4 shows details of the arrangement of each reference pin and pusher of the positioning mechanism. FIG. 4 also shows the movable reference pins and an air cylinder for operating the pusher. In addition, in the figure, 1A is PS
1B shows the position of the PS plate when the first exposed portion 2A of the plate is positioned at the exposure section 40, and 1B shows the position of the PS plate when the second exposed section 2B is positioned at the exposure section 40.

Sending out the original and the cover sheet for vacuum sealing
The winding and squeezing mechanism 42 is a moving block 42 having a cover sheet feeding/winding shaft 42A and a squeeze roller 42B on which a document is fixed.
The moving block 42C is configured to be movable back and forth by a motor M5. Further, the seat nip portion 42D is operated by an air cylinder AC6.

In addition to the above-mentioned mechanisms, the exposure section 40 also carries the PS plate 1 that has finished exposing the first exposed portion 2A.
Exposure section 4 for exposing second exposed portion 2B
A mechanism 47 is provided for transporting within 0.

The transfer mechanism 47 includes a plate moving pusher 47A that pushes out the PS plate 1 from the bottom side, and a PS plate 1 moved by the plate moving pusher 47A.
It has a pair of rollers 47B that detects the plate, nips it, and continues to transport the plate. The plate moving pusher 47A is operated by an air cylinder AC15 and by a pair of rollers 47.
Nip B is operated by air cylinder AC14,
The roller pair 47B is driven by a motor M6.

The surface plate 41 is provided with air supply holes at a plurality of locations in addition to exhaust holes for achieving a vacuum during exposure of the PS plate. This air hole is used when supplying the PS plate to the exposure section, when transporting the PS plate within the exposure section, or when supplying the PS plate to the exposure section.
Has sharp edges when moving the PS plate onto the surface plate 41, such as when ejecting the PS plate from the exposure section
This is provided so that the PS version can be moved smoothly. As a result, in the device of this embodiment, the plate feeding carrier 4
5. It is also possible to transfer the PS plate smoothly by using a so-called cantilever transfer method in which the discharge plate carrier 55 and the like adsorb only the side edges of the PS plate and transfer the PS plate. The shape, arrangement, etc. of the air supply holes can take various forms.

The plate discharge mechanism 50 for transporting the PS plate from the exposure section 40 will be described next. Plate ejection mechanism 50
is a plate discharge carrier 55, the above-mentioned guide plate 35,
It consists of a pair of plate discharge rollers 58 and a plate discharge conveyor 59. The plate discharge carrier 55 has a plurality of suction cups 56A, 5
6B,... This is a carrier that adsorbs and transfers the left end of the PS plate.It is equipped with a lifting mechanism using an air cylinder AC18, and a motor M7 moves the left end of the PS plate to the exposure section 4.
0 and the pair of plate discharge rollers 58.

As mentioned above, the guide plate 35 is connected to the air cylinder AC.
19, the position 3 shown in phantom in FIG.
5', the PS plate is guided to the pair of plate discharge rollers 58. A plate discharge roller pair 58 is driven by a motor M8 and transports the PS plate onto the plate discharge conveyor 59.

The plate discharge conveyor 59 is driven by a motor M9, and sends the PS plate to the next process, for example, a development processing line. This plate discharge conveyor 59 is provided above the plate supply conveyor (2) 30 with a slight gap, and different transport paths are formed for the PS plate being supplied and the PS plate being discharged.

In the above description, some detailed explanations of the drive control mechanism of each mechanism are omitted, but for example, the explanation of setting the plate carrier to the initial position, stopping it at a predetermined position during operation, and The return to the initial position and the like are executed sequentially in accordance with a program set in the sequence programmer based on signals from plate feeding carrier detection means provided at each position. The operations of other carriers, conveyors, air cylinders, etc. are similarly controlled.
The control unit 60 that performs these controls has a built-in microcomputer, and can easily respond to various step changes.

The operation of the apparatus of this embodiment constructed as described above will be explained below according to the steps shown in FIG.

(1) Preparation Place the required amount of PS plates in the supply unit 10 with the photosensitive surface facing upward. Exposure section 40
Place the original in the specified position on the cover sheet. All transport means etc. are set to their initial state. Vacuum pumps P ₁ to P ₃ and compressor C are operated.

(2) Transfer (1) When the switch is pressed, the take-out section 23 of the plate feeding mechanism (1) 20 descends onto the PS plate, picks up one of the top layers, and then rises. At this time, the inner suction cups 21B and 21C slightly delay the rise of the center of the PS plate due to the action of the air cylinders AC3 and AC2.
Together with the air blowing from the air blowing ports 22A and 22B, it operates to separate and adsorb only the uppermost layer of PS plate. Removal unit 23 that adsorbed the PS plate
is driven by motor M1 and moves backward, and PS
The plate feeding conveyor (1) 25 passes the plate to a pair of PS plate receiving rollers 26A and 26B. Thereafter, the PS plate is transferred onto the plate feeding conveyor (1) 25 and transferred to the plate feeding conveyor (2) 3.
Reach above 0.

When it is detected that the PS plate has reached a predetermined position on the plate feeding conveyor (2) 30, the plate feeding conveyor (2)
(2) The drive motor M3 of 30 switches from normal rotation when transferring the PS plate to low-speed rotation for positioning, and the PS plate undergoes position adjustment in the front and rear direction so as to come into contact with an adjustment pin (not shown). At the same time, the air cylinder AC5 is pressed to the right to adjust the position in the left and right directions. In parallel with this,
The plate feeding conveyor (2) 30 is rotated upward by the air cylinder AC4 and reaches a substantially horizontal position, and here,
The PS plate is transferred by suction by a plate feeding carrier 45. That is, the PS plate is supplied to the waiting position of the plate feeding carrier 45 by the rotational operation, and the suction cup 46 of the plate feeding carrier 45
A, 46B, ... are adsorbed. When it is detected that the PS plate has been adsorbed, the plate feeding carrier 45 passes above the guide plate 35 and transfers the PS plate to the exposure section 4.
Transfer to 0. The plate feeding carrier 45 that has reached the exposure section 40 releases the adsorption of the PS plate and returns to its initial position by itself.

(3) Positioning (1) The PS plate transferred to the exposure section 40 is
A first positioning operation is performed by the set of positioning mechanisms. As is clear from the above description, the positioning operation is performed by bringing the right edge and rear edge of the PS plate into contact with the reference pins. Specifically, first, Pushya 44B
The PS version is attached to the rear edge reference pins 43B and 43C.
After bringing the PS plate into contact with the background reference pin 43A, use the pusher 44A while maintaining this state.
to complete positioning in both directions.

(4) Exposure (1) In the exposure section 40, with the first positioning completed, the cover sheet with the original fixed thereon is developed on the PS plate. To do this, after the leading end of the cover sheet is held by the sheet nip section 42D, the motor M5 is driven to move the moving block 42C to remove the document and the cover sheet.
While sending it out onto the PS version, it is squeezed from immediately behind by the squeeze roller 42B.

Synchronizing with the completion of the expansion of the cover sheet, the area under the cover sheet is evacuated, and when a predetermined degree of vacuum is reached, the air cylinder AC11 is operated to lower the light-shielding hood onto the cover sheet to remove the light to be exposed. A predetermined printing exposure is performed on the PS plate while preventing unnecessary exposure to areas other than the portion 2A.
When the exposure is completed, the light-shielding hood is raised, the vacuum is released, the original and the cover sheet are wound up, and the positioning is also released.

(5) Transfer (2) Push the bottom side of the exposed PS plate by the plate moving pusher 47A and move the PS plate to the roller pair 47B.
Move it slightly to the left of . Here, the left end of the PS plate is detected and the roller pair 47B enters the nip state, and at the same time, the motor M6 is driven and the PS plate is transported to the left to a predetermined position.

(6) Positioning (2) Positioning of the PS plate transferred to the exposure position for the second exposed portion 2B is performed by the same procedure as the first positioning. In this case, after the PS plate is brought into contact with the rear edge reference pins 43E and 43F by the pusher 44D, while maintaining this state, the PS plate is brought into contact with the bottom reference pin 43D by the pusher 44C, and the Complete positioning.

(7) Exposure (2) Using exactly the same procedure as shown in Exposure (1) above,
Printing exposure from the same original is performed on the second exposed portion 2B of the PS plate.

(8) Transfer (3) When the above-mentioned exposure (2) and the accompanying post-processing operation are completed, the discharge plate carrier 55 descends under the action of the air cylinder AC18, adsorbs the PS plate, and rises. At the same time, the guide plate 35 is moved from the position 35 shown in solid lines in FIG. 2 to the position 35' shown in phantom lines. Discharge carrier 5
5 is driven by a motor M7 to move the PS plate toward the pair of plate discharge rollers 58. The PS plate is continuously transferred onto a plate discharge conveyor 59 by a pair of plate discharge rollers 58.

(9) Post-processing, etc. Although omitted in the explanation of each step above, each transport means returns to its initial position after completing the specified operation, so the range that does not overlap with the PS version currently being processed Within the following PS
It is also possible to feed the plate and prepare for exposure.

If printing exposure is to be continued from the same original, the above-mentioned steps are repeated as many times as necessary for a newly supplied PS plate. In addition, if printing exposure is required from another original, only the original,
Alternatively, a combination of a document and a cover sheet prepared in advance is set and the above steps are repeated.

The PS plate transport method, exposure method, positioning method, etc. used in the apparatus of the above embodiment are given as examples, and the present invention should not be limited to these.

Furthermore, it goes without saying that various changes can be made within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention regarding the change in the transfer direction, which is a key point of the present invention.

Furthermore, it will be clear that the exposure apparatus of the present invention can be used not only as an exposure apparatus for PS plate shown in the above embodiment but also as an exposure apparatus for various other photosensitive materials.

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided an exposure section having an exposure means for exposing a photosensitive material, a photosensitive material supply section, a photosensitive material set in the supply section, which is transported to the exposure section, and a a first transport/positioning means for positioning a first exposed portion with respect to the exposure means; and after the exposure of the first exposed portion is completed, a second exposed portion of the photosensitive material is transferred to the exposure means; In an exposure apparatus comprising a second transport/positioning means for transporting and positioning the exposed photosensitive material, and a transport means for transporting the exposed photosensitive material from the exposure section to the next step, the supply section and the exposure section are connected to each other in the exposure apparatus. It is provided on the front side and the supply section is located below the exposure section, and the first transfer/positioning means takes out one of the uppermost layers of the photosensitive material set in the supply section and carries it out afterward. a mechanism for feeding the photosensitive material to the means for transferring it diagonally upward; and a mechanism for changing the transfer direction of the photosensitive material that has been transferred diagonally upward to the near side in a substantially horizontal plane and directing the photosensitive material toward the exposure section. The second transport/positioning means has a mechanism for laterally transporting the photosensitive material in a substantially horizontal plane within the exposure section, and transfers the exposed photosensitive material from the exposure section to the next process. The feeding means is configured to have a mechanism for moving the photosensitive material into a substantially horizontal plane above the above-mentioned substantially horizontal plane during the process of sending the photosensitive material backward, so that the photosensitive material can be easily connected to previous and subsequent processes and can be easily fully automated. This has the remarkable effect of providing an exposure apparatus.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a PS plate having a plurality of exposed parts, Fig. 2 is a schematic right side view showing an outline of a PS plate exposure apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a front view of the same. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing details of the positioning mechanism of the exposure section, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the operational steps of the embodiment apparatus. 1: PS plate, 2A, 2B: exposed area, 10:
Supply section, 20: Plate feeding mechanism (1), 25: Plate feeding conveyor
(1), 30: plate feeding conveyor (2), 35: guide plate, 4
0: exposure section, 41: surface plate, 45: plate feeding carrier,
50: Master discharge mechanism, 55: Master discharge carrier, 60: Control unit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1: an exposure section having an exposure means for exposing a photosensitive material; a supply section for the photosensitive material; a photosensitive material set in the supply section is transferred to the exposure section; a first exposed portion of the photosensitive material is transferred to the exposure section; a first transport/positioning means for positioning the second exposed portion of the photosensitive material relative to the exposure means after the exposure of the first exposed portion is completed; In an exposure apparatus having a transport/positioning means and a transport means for transporting the exposed photosensitive material from the exposure section to the next step, the supply section and the exposure section are provided on the front side of the exposure apparatus, and the supply section is provided on the front side of the exposure apparatus. The first transfer/positioning means is a mechanism for taking out one of the uppermost layers of the photosensitive material set in the supplying section and supplying it to the means for transferring it rearward and diagonally upward. and a mechanism for changing the direction of transfer of the photosensitive material that has been transferred diagonally upward to the front in a substantially horizontal plane and directing the photosensitive material toward the exposure section,
The second transport/positioning means has a mechanism for laterally transporting the photosensitive material in a substantially horizontal plane within the exposure section, and is a transport means for transporting the exposed photosensitive material from the exposure section to the next process. An exposure apparatus characterized by having a mechanism for moving the photosensitive material to a substantially horizontal plane above the substantially horizontal plane in the process of feeding the photosensitive material backward.