Printing – Print plate feeding or delivering
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-09
2001-04-17
Funk, Stephen R. (Department: 2854)
Printing
Print plate feeding or delivering
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216594
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a plate replacing system of a rotary press, especially a web rotary press.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Regarding a web rotary press having a plurality of printing units arranged ina row, various proposals have been made for a device which automatically attaches a predetermined printing plate, distributed to each fixed position of the plurality of printing units, to a predetermined position of each plate cylinder of the printing unit, and which automatically detaches the printing plate from the plate cylinder.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 74654/87 discloses a device using a robot provided with a hand having a sucking disk capable of holding a printing plate. Japanese Patent Publication No. 67023/91 shows a device comprising four interrelated base plates, coarse adjustment means provided on the first and second base plates so as to be capable of contacting and separating a printing plate with and from a predetermined position of a plate cylinder, printing plate fine adjustment means provided on the third and fourth base plates so as to be capable of properly placing a printing plate leading edge bend on a plate cylinder edge, printing plate holding means provided on the fourth base plate, means provided on the fourth base plate for bending a printing plate body along a circumferential surface of the plate cylinder, and means provided on the fourth base plate for pressing a trailing edge bend of the printing plate. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 176149/91 by the present applicant proposes a sheet-feed printing press in which a loader (cassette) capable of holding new and old printing plates is pivotably supported between printing units.
The former two devices require meticulous actions, and need a predetermined mechanism for each action. Thus, their structures have to be complicated, thereby inducing cost increases, and making the devices unreliable. The latter device, on the other hand, has a mechanism linked to a plate winding mechanism of a plate cylinder, and needs a predetermined mechanism for each action, as do the former two devices. This device also makes the structure of the loader complicated, thus involving an increased cost and prolonged actions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive plate replacing system having a simplified structure and capable of smoothly mounting a printing plate on a plate cylinder to shorten the plate replacing time.
To attain the above object, the present invention provides a plate replacing system comprising a cassette capable of accommodating a printing plate and supported so as to be pivotable, the cassette being contactable with and separable from a plate cylinder, and a printing plate moving mechanism provided in the cassette for holding the printing plate and moving the printing plate such that a bent front end surface formed at a leading edge front end portion of the printing plate becomes nearly parallel to a gripping support side surface of a plate cylinder gap.
The printing plate moving mechanism may deform the printing plate.
The printing plate moving mechanism may comprise a holding member for holding the printing plate, a link mechanism for supporting the holding member, and an actuator for driving the holding member via the link mechanism.
A pivot fulcrum of the cassette may be placed on a line perpendicular to a line of extension of the gripping support side surface of the plate cylinder gap during mounting of the printing plate.
The cassette may be supported on a loader, and the loader may be provided so as to be movable in a cylinder shaft direction, and can be brought into await state toward an operating side of a printing press.
The cassette may be supported on the loader so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the cylinder shaft direction.
The cassette may include an old plate holding unit for holding the printing plate to be removed from the plate cylinder.
The old plate holding unit may have an actuator which engages a trailing edge of the printing plate to retract the printing plate into the cassette.
The cassette may also include a positioning member which contacts the plate cylinder to position the cassette relative to the plate cylinder.
The plate replacing system may further comprise a cassette pivotally driving unit for pivotally driving the cassette to a contacting position at which the cassette contacts the plate cylinder, a separating position at which the cassette separates from the plate cylinder, and an intermediate position located between the contacting position and the separating position.
According to the foregoing constitutions, actions for mounting and dismounting the printing plate are performed by the pivoting action of the cassette. Furthermore, mounting of the printing plate on the plate cylinder is carried out smoothly without the need to upsize the cassette, so that the duration of plate replacement can be shortened. Besides, the plate replacing system can be simplified because the driving device can be shared.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5218907 (1993-06-01), Komori et al.
patent: 5289775 (1994-03-01), Spiegel et al.
patent: 5293820 (1994-03-01), Maejima et al.
patent: 5406888 (1995-04-01), Sugiyama et al.
patent: 5495805 (1996-03-01), Beisel et al.
patent: 5526747 (1996-06-01), Marmin et al.
patent: 5595119 (1997-01-01), Hada et al.
patent: 5617792 (1997-04-01), Rau et al.
patent: 5671674 (1997-09-01), Nobuta et al.
patent: 5701822 (1997-12-01), Metrope
patent: 4140413A1 (1993-06-01), None
patent: 62-74654A (1987-04-01), None
patent: 3176149A (1991-07-01), None
patent: 367023A (1991-10-01), None
Iyokawa Kazuya
Nakano Takeaki
Funk Stephen R.
Komori Corporation
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