JP7760441B2 - Printing press and plate moving device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a printing press and a plate moving device.

One such plate moving device is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. In Patent Document 1, the old plate ejected from the plate cylinder is gripped by the plate gripping unit and moved to a pivoted position above a step located laterally outside the printing unit. After movement, the plate gripping unit is rotated 90 degrees to change the orientation of the old plate, and then moved to a plate storage box located on the handrail of the step, and then the plate gripping unit is lowered. The gripped old plate is then stored in the plate storage box, and the plate gripping unit's grip on the old plate is released, storing the old plate in the plate storage box. Next, the new plate stored in the plate storage box is gripped by the plate gripping unit and moved to a pivoted position above the step. After movement, the plate gripping unit is rotated 90 degrees to change the orientation of the new plate so that it is parallel to the rotation axis of the plate cylinder, and then moved to above the printing unit, where the new plate is placed on the plate loading guide plate.

Patent No. 3045584

The plates used in printing presses are horizontally long, with a larger horizontal dimension than vertical dimension. Therefore, in Cited Document 1, the plates (new and old plates) are stored in a storage box in a horizontal orientation extending from front to back in the printing unit, which requires a large storage space for the plates. For example, in a printing press with multiple printing units, plate storage space must be secured for each printing unit, necessitating even larger storage space and leaving room for improvement.

The present invention was made to solve these problems by providing a printing press and plate moving device that allows for more compact plate storage space.

The printing press according to the present invention is characterized by comprising a printing unit having a plate cylinder, a plate loading/unloading device for loading and unloading a plate onto the plate cylinder, a plate storage section spaced apart from the plate loading/unloading device for storing the plate, a plate holding section for holding the plate, a moving means for moving the plate holding section between the plate loading/unloading device and the plate storage section, and an attitude changing means for rotating the plate held by the plate holding section around an axis in the thickness direction of the plate to change the attitude of the plate.

With the above configuration, the horizontally long plate discharged from the plate cylinder is held by the plate holding unit, and the plate held by the plate holding unit is rotated around an axis in the thickness direction of the plate by the position change means, changing the position of the plate from horizontal to vertical, and then stored in the plate storage unit. This makes it possible to keep the installation space for the plate storage unit small. Furthermore, if the plate storage unit is configured to store plates in a vertical position, the plate held by the plate holding unit in a vertical position can be rotated around an axis in the thickness direction of the plate to change to a horizontal position and then supplied to the plate cylinder. This makes it possible to keep the installation space for the plate storage unit small.

In addition, in the printing press according to the present invention, the plate holding unit is configured to hold the top end of the plate in the vertical direction, and the axis around which the position changing means rotates the plate held by the plate holding unit is positioned closer to one widthwise side than the widthwise center of the plate held by the plate holding unit, and when the plate held by the plate holding unit is stored in the plate storage unit, it may be rotated around the axis so that the other widthwise side is lower than the one widthwise side.

As described above, the axis around which the position changing means rotates the plate held by the plate holding unit at its top end in the vertical direction is positioned closer to one side in the width direction than the widthwise center of the plate held by the plate holding unit, so the bottom end position of the plate in the portrait orientation is located further downward than the bottom end position of the plate in the landscape orientation.

The printing press according to the present invention may also be equipped with an orientation change means for rotating the plate held by the plate holding unit about a vertical axis to change the orientation of the plate.

As described above, the orientation change means rotates the plate held by the plate holding section around the vertical axis to change the orientation of the plate, thereby changing the orientation so that the plate can be supplied to the plate cylinder.

The printing press according to the present invention may also be provided with a plate ejection guide section that supports the plate ejected from the plate cylinder so that the plate can be held by the plate holding section.

As described above, by supporting the discharged plate with the plate discharge guide section, the plate can be securely held in the plate holding section.

The plate moving device of the present invention is installed in a printing press that includes a printing unit having a plate cylinder, a plate loading/unloading device for loading and unloading a plate onto the plate cylinder, and a plate storage section that is spaced apart from the plate loading/unloading device and stores the plate, and is characterized by comprising: a plate holding section that holds the plate; a moving means that moves the plate holding section between the plate loading/unloading device and the plate storage section; and an attitude changing means that rotates the plate held by the plate holding section around an axis in the thickness direction of the plate to change the attitude of the plate.

With the above configuration, the horizontally long plate discharged from the plate cylinder is held by the plate holding unit, and the plate held by the plate holding unit is rotated around an axis in the thickness direction of the plate by the position change means, changing the position of the plate from horizontal to vertical, and then stored in the plate storage unit. This makes it possible to keep the installation space for the plate storage unit small. Furthermore, if the plate storage unit is configured to store plates in a vertical position, the plate held by the plate holding unit in a vertical position can be rotated around an axis in the thickness direction of the plate to change it to a horizontal position and then supplied to the plate cylinder. This makes it possible to keep the installation space for the plate storage unit small.

According to the present invention, by providing a position change means that changes the position of the plate by rotating the plate held by the plate holding unit around an axis in the thickness direction of the plate, it is possible to provide a printing press and plate moving device that can reduce the storage space for the plate.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a printing press equipped with a plate moving device. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a printing press equipped with the plate moving device. 10A and 10B show a state in which a new plate in a plate storage section is sucked by a suction pad, where FIG. 10A is a front view and FIG. 10B is a side view of FIG. 10A as viewed from the left. 10A and 10B show a state in which a new plate in a vertical orientation held by a suction pad is raised and changed to a horizontal orientation, with FIG. 10A being a front view and FIG. 10B being a side view of FIG. 10A as viewed from the left. 5 is a front view showing a state in which the plate has been rotated around a vertical axis from the state shown in FIG. 4 to change its orientation so that a new plate can be inserted into the printing unit. FIG. FIG. 6 is a front view of the state in which the new plate has been moved above the printing unit from the state in FIG. 5 . FIG. 7 is a front view showing a state in which a new plate has been inserted into the printing unit from the state shown in FIG. 6 . FIG. 10 is a front view showing a state in which the old plate discharged from the printing unit is supported by the plate discharge guide portion. 9 is a front view showing a state in which the old plate is sucked by the suction portion and moved above the printing unit from the state shown in FIG. 8 . 10 is a front view showing a state in which the old plate has been moved to the plate storage section side from the state shown in FIG. 9 to change the orientation and posture of the plate. 11 is a front view showing a state in which the plate holding unit is lowered from the state shown in FIG. 10 to store the old plate in the plate storage unit. FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion surrounded by XII in FIG. 3. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a main part in FIG. 8 . FIG. 10 is a front view showing another form of the new plate storage section for new plates.

Below, a printing press equipped with the plate moving device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the printing press 1 is equipped with a paper feed section 7 for feeding out sheets (not shown) one by one, four printing units 1A-1D for printing on the sheets from this paper feed section 7, and a paper discharge section 8 for discharging the sheets (printed materials) printed by the four printing units 1A-1D. In the following, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the paper feed section 7 will be referred to as the front side in the front-to-rear direction, the paper discharge section 8 will be referred to as the rear side in the front-to-rear direction, the width direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction will be referred to as the left-to-right direction, and the operation side will be referred to as the right side in the left-to-right direction, and the non-operation side will be referred to as the left side in the left-to-right direction.

Steps 9 and 10 are installed on both the left and right sides of printing units 1A-1D, extending in the front-to-rear direction along the printing units 1A-1D. Step 9 is located on the right side (operation side), and step 10 is located on the left side (non-operation side). Steps 9 and 10 are located a predetermined distance above the floor.

Each of the printing units 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D is equipped with a plate moving device. The plate moving device includes a support column 2, an arm 3, a plate holding section 4, a plate removal guide section 5, a plate storage section 6, and a control section (not shown). Each of the printing units 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D is equipped with a plate cylinder (not shown) and a plate loading/unloading device for loading and unloading the plate onto the plate cylinder. The plate is rectangular and is wound around the plate cylinder in a horizontal orientation, with its left-to-right dimension longer than its top-to-bottom dimension. The plate moving device also includes a moving means for moving the plate holding section 4 between the plate loading/unloading device and the plate storage section 6, and this moving means is configured with the support column 2 and the arm 3.

<Strut part>
The support column 2 includes a support column body 21 erected at a position spaced laterally outward from the handrail 11 of the step 10, and a first moving means 22 (see FIG. 12 ) for moving the arm 3 up and down along the support column body 21. The first moving means 22 is configured as a so-called ball-screw mechanism. Specifically, the first moving means 22 includes a screw shaft 23 (see FIG. 1 ) having a spiral ball groove formed therein and extending up and down along the support column body 21, a nut member 24 that threadably engages with the screw shaft 23 via balls (not shown) that roll freely in the ball groove, a pair of guide members 25, 25 that extend up and down on both sides of the screw shaft 23 and penetrate the nut member 24 to guide the movement of the nut member 24, and a motor 26 that rotates the screw shaft 23 forward and backward. The screw shaft 23 extends from the middle of the support column body 21 in the up and down direction to the upper end. The left end of the arm 3 is supported by the nut member 24, and when the motor 26 rotates the screw shaft 23, the arm 3 moves up and down together with the nut member 24.

<Arm>
The arm 3 is supported by the support column 2 so as to be movable up and down. The arm 3 extends from the support column 2 in the direction of the plate cylinder axis (left-right direction) toward the plate cylinder (right side) of a printing unit (e.g., 1A). The arm 3 is equipped with a second movement means 31 (see FIG. 12 ) for horizontally moving the plate holder 4 left and right. The second movement means 31 is configured as a so-called ball screw mechanism. That is, the second movement means 31 includes a screw shaft 32 having a spiral ball groove formed therein and extending left and right from one end (left end) of the arm 3 to the other end (right end), a nut member 33 that threadably engages with the screw shaft 32 via a ball (not shown) that rolls freely in the ball groove, a motor 34 that rotates the screw shaft 32 forward and backward, and a bevel gear mechanism 35 (see FIG. 12 ) that links the motor 34 and the screw shaft 32. The bevel gear mechanism 35 includes a drive bevel gear 35A attached to the drive shaft 34A of the motor 34 so as to rotate integrally therewith, and a driven bevel gear 35B attached to the left end of the screw shaft 32 so as to rotate integrally therewith, meshing with the drive bevel gear 35A. The second moving means 31 also includes a guide mechanism for guiding the movement of the plate holding unit 4. As shown in FIG. 12 , this guide mechanism includes a pair of upper and lower guide members 36, 37 extending in the left-right direction and attached to the upper and lower ends of the nut member 33 on both vertical sides of the screw shaft 32, and twelve rollers 38 attached to the left and right ends of each guide member 36, 37, respectively, and rolling on the upper and lower end surfaces and the front and rear surfaces of the upper and lower ends of the main body of the arm 3 to guide the movement of the nut member 33 and the guide members 36, 37 when the nut member 33 and the guide members 36, 37 move in the left-right direction. The motor 34 rotates the screw shaft 32 via the bevel gear mechanism 35, thereby moving the nut member 33 and the guide members 36 and 37 in the left-right direction.

<Plate holding part>
The plate holding unit 4 is supported so as to be movable in the left-right direction relative to the arm 3. As shown in Fig. 12, the plate holding unit 4 includes a main body 43, a fourth moving means 44 fixed to the underside of the main body 43, and a suction unit 45 attached to the underside of the fourth moving means 44. The main body 43 is supported so as to be movable in the front-rear direction via a third moving means 42 relative to a plate-shaped support member 41 extending in the front-rear direction and attached to a guide member 37 on the underside of the arm 3.

<Third transportation means>
The third moving means 42 is configured as a so-called ball screw mechanism. That is, the third moving means 42 includes a screw shaft 46 having a spiral ball groove formed thereon and extending in the front-rear direction and supported on the lower surface of the support member 41, a nut member 47 that threadably engages with the screw shaft 46 via balls (not shown) that roll freely in the ball groove, a motor 48 that rotates the screw shaft 46 forward and reverse, and a bevel gear mechanism 49 that interlocks the motor 48 and the screw shaft 46. The third moving means 42 may also be configured as a so-called feed screw mechanism, in which the screw shaft 46 is a shaft member formed with a trapezoidal male thread and the nut member 47 is a member formed with a trapezoidal female thread that threadably engages with the trapezoidal male thread. The bevel gear mechanism 49 includes a drive bevel gear 49A attached to a drive shaft 48A of the motor 48 so as to rotate together with the drive bevel gear 49A, and a driven bevel gear 49B attached to the rear end of the screw shaft 46 so as to rotate together with the drive bevel gear 49A. The third moving means 42 also includes a guide mechanism for guiding the forward and backward movement of the suction unit 45. As shown in Fig. 12, this guide mechanism includes a rail member 50 that is long in the forward and backward direction and is fixed to the lower surface of the support member 41, and an engagement member 51 that engages with the rail member 50 to guide the forward and backward movement of the suction unit 45. The main body 43 is attached to the lower surface of the engagement member 51. The motor 48 rotates the screw shaft 46 via a bevel gear mechanism 49, causing the main body 43 to move forward and backward.

<Fourth means of transportation>
12, the fourth moving means 44 is composed of an air-driven rotary actuator that rotates the suction unit 45 about an up-down axis (vertical axis) X. The suction unit 45 is attached via a fifth moving means 53 to an inverted L-shaped bracket 52 that is attached to the rotation axis of the rotary actuator. The fourth moving means 44 constitutes orientation changing means that rotates the plate holding unit 4 that holds the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B about the vertical axis X to change the orientation of the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B.

<Fifth means of transportation>
The fifth moving means 53 is composed of a motor with a rotating shaft. This motor is attached to the lower part of the mounting member 54 (the oblique plate portion 54B described below). The upper end of this mounting member 54 is connected to the lower end of the vertical plate portion of the bracket 52. The mounting member 54 has a vertically extending vertical plate portion 54A attached to the lower end of the vertical plate portion of the bracket 52, and an oblique plate portion 54B extending downward from the lower end of the vertical plate portion 54A. When the suction unit 45 is adsorbing the new plate 12A in the plate storage section (the state shown in FIG. 12 ), the oblique plate portion 54B is bent so that its lower end is inclined toward the support member 2. The rotation shaft (axis center Y) of the motor, which is the fifth moving means 53 attached to the oblique plate portion 54B, is inclined downward toward the front, with its tip positioned downward. The inclination angle of the oblique plate portion 54B is set so that the oblique plate portion 54B is approximately parallel to the new plate 12A stored in the new plate storage section 6A. The fifth moving means 53 constitutes a posture changing means that rotates the suction portion 45 around the axis Y which is in the thickness direction of the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B held by the suction portion 45, thereby changing the posture of the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B between a vertical posture and a horizontal posture.

<Adsorption part>
The suction unit 45 can suction-hold the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B. The suction unit 45 includes a plate-shaped plate member 45A, one end of which is attached to the rotation shaft of a motor (fifth moving means 53) and the other end of which extends along the long side of the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B. Multiple suction pads 45B (three in this embodiment) are arranged at intervals along the length of the plate member 45A and suction-hold the back surface (the surface opposite the front surface on which the image is formed) of the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B. A hose (not shown) for supplying suction air (negative pressure air) is connected to each suction pad 45B. These suction pads 45B are configured to suction-hold the top edge of the new plate 12A at three locations across the width. The plate member 45A rotates around the axis Y of the rotation shaft of the motor (fifth moving means 53) to which one end (the upper end in FIG. 12 ) is attached. The axis Y extends in the thickness direction of the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B held by the suction portion 45 (suction pad 45B) of the plate holding unit 4. That is, the motor, which is the fifth moving means 53, rotates the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B held by the suction portion 45 (suction pad 45B) of the plate holding unit 4 around the axis in the thickness direction of the plate.

As shown in Figure 5, the axis Y is positioned closer to one side in the widthwise direction (left side in Figure 5) than the center of the upper width of the new plate 12A or old plate 12B held by the suction pad 45B of the plate holding unit 4. The vertical axis X is also positioned closer to one side in the widthwise direction (left side in Figure 5, the same end side as the axis Y) than the center of the width of the new plate 12A or old plate 12B. This positioning allows the fourth moving means 44 and the fifth moving means 53 to be positioned close to each other, thereby enabling the plate moving device, particularly the plate holding unit 44, to be made more compact. Furthermore, when the plate is rotated around the vertical axis X and around the axis Y from the orientation in which it can be fed to the plate cylinder (see Figure 5) to change its orientation, the position of the plate relative to the printing unit does not shift significantly in the front-to-rear direction. This allows the new plate 12A or old plate 12B to be inserted or removed to the side (directly beside) of the printing unit 1A, and the plate storage section 6 can be positioned to the side (directly beside) of the printing unit.

Furthermore, when storing the old plate 12B held by the plate holding unit 4 in the old plate storage unit 6B, the old plate 12B held in a horizontal position is rotated around the axis Y to change to a vertical position. At this time, the axis Y is positioned closer to one side of the width direction than the center of the width direction of the old plate 12B, so the bottom end position of the old plate 12B in the vertical position is located further downward and away from the arm 3 than the bottom end position of the old plate 12B in the horizontal position. This allows the amount of descent of the arm 3 when moving the old plate 12B to the old plate storage unit 6B to be less than the amount of descent of the arm 3 when moving the old plate 12B to the old plate storage unit 6B while it is in the horizontal position. Therefore, the screw shaft 23 provided in the first moving means 22 can be configured to be shorter. Furthermore, the position of the arm 3 that is lowered to move the old plate 12B in a portrait orientation to the old plate storage section 6B can be positioned higher than the position of the arm 3 that is lowered to move the old plate 12B in a landscape orientation to the old plate storage section 6B, making it easy to ensure clearance between the lowered arm 3 and the top surface of the printing unit.

<Plate ejection guide section>
As shown in Fig. 8, the plate removal guide unit 5 guides the old plate 13B discharged from the plate cylinder by the plate loading/unloading device, and supports the old plate 12B discharged from the plate cylinder so that the old plate 12B can be held by the plate holding unit 4. The plate removal guide unit 5 is supported at the tip of the arm 3 on the side opposite the support column 2, and is located above the plate loading/unloading device provided in the printing unit (e.g., 1A). The plate removal guide unit 5 includes a pair of front and rear plate-like guides 13, 14 (see Fig. 10) connected to each other and arranged front to back so as to sandwich the upper part of the old plate 12B discharged from the plate cylinder from the front to back, a sixth movement means 16 that moves the pair of guides 13, 14 in the vertical direction, and a rail 15 that guides the vertical movement of the guides 13, 14 by the sixth movement means 16.

As shown in Figure 13, the rail 15 comprises a fixed rail 15A attached to the right end of a fixed member 17 fixed to the tip of the arm 3, and a movable rail 15B guided so as to be movable in the vertical direction relative to the fixed rail 15A. The movable rail 15B extends downward from the fixed rail 15A. The tip (lower end) of the piston rod 16b of the first left-side air cylinder 16A (described later) is connected to the lower end of a connecting plate 18 connected to the movable rail 15B. The cylinder tube 16c of the second right-side air cylinder 16B (described later) is connected to the movable rail 15B. The tip of the piston rod 16d of the second right-side air cylinder 16B is connected to the rear surface of the upper end of the rear guide 14.

As shown in Figure 10, the rear guide 14 of the guides 13, 14 has two end legs 14A, 14A located at both left and right ends and extending downward, and a central leg 14B located in the middle between the end legs 14A, 14A and extending downward. The front guide 13 has two left legs 13A, 13A located between the end leg 14A and the central leg 14B on one side (left side) of the rear guide 14 and extending downward at a distance from each other, and two right legs 13B, 13B located between the end leg 14A and the central leg 14B on the other side (right side) of the rear guide 14 and extending downward at a distance from each other. The lower ends of both end legs 14A, 14A and central leg 14B of the rear guide 14 and the lower ends of the four legs 13A, 13A, 13B, 13B of the front guide 13 are inclined so that they widen in the front-to-rear direction as they go downward. By making the openings at the lower ends of the guides 13, 14 wider in the front-to-rear direction in this way, the old plate 12B being ejected upward from the printing unit can be reliably inserted between the front guide 13 and the rear guide 14.

As shown in Figure 13, the sixth moving means 16 is composed of left and right air cylinders 16A and 16B that are extendable and contractible and have different strokes. The first air cylinder 16A on the left side, which has a relatively long stroke, includes a cylinder tube 16a fixed to a fixed member 17 fixed to the tip of the arm 3, and a piston rod 16b whose tip (lower end) is fixed to the lower end of the connecting plate 18 of the movable rail 15B. The second air cylinder 16B on the right side, which has a relatively short stroke, includes a cylinder tube 16c fixed to the upper end of the movable rail 15B, and a piston rod 16d whose tip is connected to the front surface of the upper end of the rear guide 14. Therefore, when lowering the plate discharge guide unit 5, the first air cylinder 16A on the left side is first extended to lower the movable rail 15B, thereby lowering the second air cylinder 16B, which is in a contracted state, and the pair of guides 13 and 14 together. Next, the second air cylinder 16B is extended to further lower the pair of guides 13, 14, thereby moving (lowering) the pair of guides 13, 14 to a position where they can guide and support the old plate 12B being discharged upward from the printing unit. To raise the lowered pair of guides 13, 14, the extended second air cylinder 16B is first contracted to raise the pair of guides 13, 14 by the stroke of the second air cylinder 16B. Then, the extended first air cylinder 16A is contracted to raise the movable rail 15B, thereby integrally raising the contracted second air cylinder 16B and the pair of guides 13, 14 (see FIG. 9). Note that the extension of the first air cylinder 16A and the second air cylinder 16B when lowering the pair of guides 13, 14 may be performed simultaneously. Furthermore, when raising the pair of lowered guides 13, 14, the first air cylinder 16A and the second air cylinder 16B may be retracted simultaneously.

<Plate storage section>
The plate storage section 6 includes a new plate storage section 6A (shown in FIGS. 1 to 3) for storing new plates 12A provided for each printing unit, and an old plate storage section 6B (shown only in FIG. 11) for storing old plates 12B discharged from the plate cylinder. The old plate storage section 6B may also be provided for each printing unit, or may be provided in only one location or in multiple locations. Note that only the new plate storage section 6A is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Both the new plate storage section 6A and the old plate storage section 6B are provided on the handrail 11 so as to be located outside the left step 10, i.e., outside the handrail 11. The old plate storage section 6B may be arranged so as to overlap the new plate storage section 6A in the left-right direction, or may be arranged adjacent to each other in the front-to-back direction. 3(a), the new plate storage section 6A is configured with an inclined plate section 6K located closer to the handrail 11 as it approaches the upper end so that the new plate 12A can be leaned upright, but it may also be configured so that dividers are provided inside the plate storage box to separate the plates so that they can be stored one by one straight (vertically).Also, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the new plate storage section 6A is configured to store the new plate 12A with its lengthwise direction aligned vertically.

<Control unit>
The control unit cooperates with the printing press to control the driving of the first moving means 22 to the sixth moving means 16. The control unit also handles errors that may occur when driving the first moving means 22 to the sixth moving means 16. When an error occurs, the control unit may, for example, stop driving the driving means and activate a notification means to notify the operator that an error has occurred.

We will now explain how to move the new plate 12A or the old plate 12B using the plate moving device of the printing press configured as described above.

<New version transfer process>
3A and 3B, the new plate moving process for moving the new plate 12A from the new plate storage section 6A to the printing unit begins by driving the motor 26 of the first moving means 22 to lower the arm 3 so that the new plate 12A, which is leaned against the new plate storage section 6A in a vertically long position, can be adsorbed by the suction pad 45B. After the arm 3 has been lowered to a position where the height of the suction part 45 of the plate holding unit 4 is aligned with that of the new plate 12A, the motor 34 of the second moving means 31 is driven to move the arm 3 slightly to the right in FIG. 3A, so that the suction pad 45B of the suction part 45 comes into contact with the back surface of the new plate 12A, which is stored in a vertically long position. In detail, the motor 26 of the first moving means 22 and the motor 34 of the second moving means 31 are driven and controlled based on a pre-stored program so that the suction pad 45B of the suction section 45 abuts against the left end of the back surface of the new plate 12A (the end on the top side of the new plate 12A in the vertical direction, see Figure 3 (b)).

After the new plate 12A is adsorbed by the suction pad 45B of the suction unit 45, the motor 26 of the first moving means 22 is driven to raise the arm 3, and then the fifth moving means (motor) 53 is driven to rotate the new plate 12A 90 degrees around axis Y so that the new plate 12A changes from a portrait orientation to a landscape orientation (see Figures 4(a) and 4(b)). Next, the fourth moving means (rotary actuator) 44 is driven to rotate the new plate 12A 90 degrees around vertical axis X, changing the orientation of the new plate 12A so that its thickness direction is aligned in the front-to-back direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the plate cylinder (an orientation that allows a plate to be fed to the plate cylinder) (see Figure 5). Next, from the position shown in Figure 5, the motor 34 of the second moving means 31 is driven to move the new plate 12A above the printing unit (see Figure 6). After the new plate 12A is moved, the arm 3 of the plate holder 4 is slightly lowered by the first moving means 22, and then the motor 48 of the third moving means 42 is driven to move the suction unit 45 slightly forward so that the lower end of the new plate 12A lightly contacts the upper end of the rear surface of the plate guide plate S provided in the plate loading/unloading device. This stabilizes the behavior of the new plate 12A suspended by the suction unit 45. The arm 3 is then further lowered, and the new plate 12A is moved (lowered) to a predetermined position between the rear surface of the plate guide plate S provided in the plate loading/unloading device and the roller R (see FIG. 7 ). After the new plate 12A has been moved, the suction pad 45B of the suction unit 45 is released from suction, and the plate holder 4 is moved to a preset standby position to enter a standby state. The standby position is preferably set above the plate storage unit 6 so as not to interfere with the operator working on the step 10. Specifically, the standby position is preferably set to the state shown in FIG. 4( a) (without the new plate 12A).

As described above, the new plate 12A held in a vertical position by the plate holder 4 can be rotated around axis Y in the thickness direction of the new plate 12A to change it to a horizontal position and supplied to the plate cylinder. This allows the new plate storage section 6A to be configured to accommodate the vertical position, making it possible to reduce the size of the new plate storage section 6A in the front-to-rear direction. This therefore makes it possible to keep the installation space for the new plate storage section 6A small.

<Old version moving process>
In the old-plate moving process, which collects the old plate 12B and moves it to the old-plate storage section 6B, the control unit drives the motor 34 of the second moving means 31 to move the plate holding unit 4 from its standby position to above the printing unit. Once the plate holding unit 4 is above the printing unit, the control unit drives the motor 26 of the first moving means 22 to lower the arm 3, the plate holding unit 4, and the plate removal guide unit 5 to a predetermined height. The air cylinders 16A and 16B of the sixth moving means 16 are then extended to lower the plate removal guide unit 5, which then moves the plate removal guide unit 5 to a position where it can guide and support the old plate 12B being removed upward from the printing unit. After the plate removal guide unit 5 has lowered, the control unit rotates the plate cylinder and activates the plate attaching/detaching device to eject the old plate 12B above the printing unit, inserting the old plate 12B between the front and rear guides 13 and 14 of the plate removal guide unit 5 (see FIG. 8 ). Next, the motor 48 of the third moving means 42 is driven to move the plate holding unit 4 slightly backward, bringing the suction pad 45B of the suction unit 45 into contact with the backside of the old plate 12B. At this time, the old plate 12B is supported by the guides 13 and 14, ensuring that the suction pad 45B can be reliably brought into contact with the backside of the old plate 12B. After the suction pad 45B of the suction unit 45 of the plate holding unit 4 has suctioned the old plate 12B, the motor 26 of the first moving means 22 is driven to move the old plate 12B upward (see FIG. 9 ). While the old plate 12B is moving upward, the air cylinders 16A and 16B of the sixth moving means 16 are contracted to raise the plate removal guide unit 5. Next, the motor 34 of the second moving means 31 is driven to move the plate holding unit 4 toward the plate storage unit 6 (support unit 2), and then the fourth moving means (rotary actuator) 44 is driven to rotate the old plate 12B 90 degrees around the vertical axis X, changing the orientation of the old plate 12B so that its thickness direction is aligned left-right along the rotation axis of the plate cylinder. Next, the motor 53 of the fifth moving means is driven to rotate the old plate 12B from its horizontal orientation 90 degrees around the axis Y, changing the orientation of the old plate 12B to a vertical orientation (see FIG. 10 ). After the change, the old plate 12B is lowered to a predetermined position, and the suction pad 45B of the suction unit 45 releases the suction of the old plate 12B, so that the old plate 12B is leaned against the old plate storage unit 6B in a vertical orientation (see FIG. 11 ). After the old plate 12B is placed in the old plate storage section 6B in a vertical position, the plate holding section 4 is moved to the standby position and placed in a standby state. When the new plate transfer process is performed consecutively, the plate holding section 4 proceeds to the new plate transfer process without moving to the standby position.

As described above, the old plate 12B in a horizontal position discharged from the plate cylinder is held by the plate holding unit 4, and the old plate 12B held by the plate holding unit 4 is rotated around the axis Y in the thickness direction of the old plate 12B by the position change means, changing the position of the old plate 12B from a horizontal position to a vertical position, and can be stored in the old plate storage unit 6B. This allows the old plate storage unit 6B to be configured to accommodate a vertical position, making it possible to reduce the size of the old plate storage unit 6B in the front-to-back direction. This therefore makes it possible to keep the installation space for the old plate storage unit 6B small.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the new plate storage section 6A was configured to store the new plate 12A with its longitudinal direction aligned vertically. However, the new plate storage section 6A can also be configured so that the new plate 12A is tilted at a predetermined angle to the right with respect to the vertical, as shown in Figure 14. In this embodiment, the predetermined angle is set to 15 degrees. Furthermore, by arranging support members 6a and 6b that abut and support the lower and right ends of the new plate 12A on the inclined plate section 6K of the new plate storage section 6A, the new plate 12A can be stored in the new plate storage section 6A stably and with high positional accuracy. This prevents a decrease in the suction position accuracy of the new plate 12A stored in the new plate storage section 6A by the suction pad 45B. Even when the new plate 12A is stored in the new plate storage section 6A at an angle, the position of the new plate 12A can be accurately changed by adjusting the rotation angle of the fifth moving means 53. In Figure 14, the left edge of the new plate 12A is the top edge in the vertical direction.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the plate holding unit 4 is configured to hold the plate by suction, but this is not limited to this. For example, it may be configured to hold the plate by clamping.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the axis Y of the rotation shaft of the position changing means is positioned at one end in the width direction of the plate held by the plate holding unit 4, but it may be positioned at any position closer to one side in the width direction than the center in the width direction of the plate held by the plate holding unit 4.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the plate storage section 6 was located outside the step 10 located to the side of the printing unit, but it may also be hung from the ceiling above the printing unit, or it may be located anywhere as long as it does not get in the way during printing operations.

Furthermore, while the above embodiment describes a printing press equipped with multiple printing units, it may also be a printing press equipped with a single printing unit.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the axis Y of the rotation shaft of the position change means is configured to be inclined downward toward the front end, but the axis Y of the rotation shaft of the position change means may also be configured to be horizontal.

1...printing press, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D...printing unit, 2...support section, 3...arm section, 4...plate holding section, 5...plate discharge guide section, 6...plate storage section, 6A...new plate storage section, 6B...old plate storage section, 6K...inclined plate section, 6a, 6b...support section, 7...paper feed section, 8...paper discharge section, 9, 10...step, 11...handrail, 12A...new plate, 12B...old plate, 13, 14...guide, 13A, 13A...both end legs, 13B...central leg, 14 A...left leg, 14B...right leg, 15...rail, 15A...fixed rail, 15B...movable rail, 16...sixth moving means, 16A, 16B...air cylinder, 16a...cylinder tube, 16b...piston rod, 16c...cylinder tube, 16d...piston rod, 17...fixed member, 18...connecting plate, 21...support body, 22...first moving means, 23...screw shaft, 24...nut member, 25 ...guide member, 26...motor, 31...second moving means, 32...screw shaft, 33...nut member, 34...motor, 34A...drive shaft, 35...bevel gear mechanism, 35A...drive side bevel gear, 35B...driven side bevel gear, 36, 37...guide member, 38...roller, 41...support member, 42...third moving means, 43...main body, 44...fourth moving means (rotary actuator), 45...suction portion, 45A...plate member 45B...suction pad, 46...screw shaft, 47...nut member, 48...motor, 48A...drive shaft, 49...bevel gear mechanism, 49A...drive bevel gear, 49B...driven bevel gear, 50...rail member, 51...engagement member, 52...bracket, 53...fifth moving means (motor), 54...mounting member, 54A...vertical plate portion, 54B...diagonal plate portion, R...roller, S...plate guide plate, X...vertical axis (vertical axis), Y...axis center

Claims (5)

A printing press comprising: a printing unit having a plate cylinder; a plate loading/unloading device for loading and unloading a plate onto and from the plate cylinder; a plate storage section spaced apart from the plate loading/unloading device for storing the plate; a plate holding section for holding the plate; a moving means for moving the plate holding section between the plate loading/unloading device and the plate storage section; and an attitude changing means for rotating the plate held by the plate holding section around an axis in the thickness direction of the plate to change the attitude of the plate. The printing press described in claim 1, characterized in that the plate holding unit is configured to hold the top edge of the plate in the vertical direction, the axis around which the position changing means rotates the plate held by the plate holding unit is positioned closer to one widthwise side than the widthwise center of the plate held by the plate holding unit, and when the plate held by the plate holding unit is stored in the plate storage unit, it is rotated around the axis so that the other widthwise side is lower than the one widthwise side. A printing press as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is equipped with an orientation changing means for rotating the plate held by the plate holding unit about a vertical axis to change the orientation of the plate. A printing press as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a plate discharge guide section is provided to support the plate discharged from the plate cylinder so that the plate can be held by the plate holding section. The printing press is provided with a printing unit including a plate cylinder, a plate loading/unloading device for loading/unloading a plate onto/from the plate cylinder, and a plate storage unit spaced apart from the plate loading/unloading device for storing the plate,
A plate moving device comprising: a plate holding section that holds the plate; a moving means that moves the plate holding section between the plate attaching/detaching device and the plate storage section; and an attitude changing means that rotates the plate held by the plate holding section around an axis in the thickness direction of the plate to change the attitude of the plate.