Packaging method and apparatus

Abstract

The method of packaging an article by folding a sheet-shaped packaging material includes: a determining step of determining a size of the packaging material and a packaging pattern of the packaging material in accordance with information about the article; a packaging material supplying step of performing at least one of selecting and cutting operations on the packaging material so as to match the size determined in the determining step, and then supplying the packaging material; a packaging material working step of forming a score line on the packaging material supplied in the packaging material supplying step in accordance with the packaging pattern determined in the determining step; and a packaging body forming step of conveying and placing the article onto a predetermined position of the packaging material on which the score line has been formed in the packaging material working step, and then folding the packaging material along the score line to form a box-shaped packaging body.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates to a packaging method and apparatus, more particularly to a packaging method and apparatus for packaging a lithographic printing plate bundle, which is formed of stacking lithographic printing plates, with corrugated fiberboard or the like.[0003]2. Description of the Related Art[0004]In the recent plate making method (including an electrophotographic plate making method), lithographic printing plates such as photosensitive printing plates and thermosensitive printing plates have been widely used to facilitate automation of plate making process. The lithographic printing plate is generally manufactured by subjecting a base plate such as a sheet-shaped or coil-shaped aluminum plate etc. to surface treatment such as graining, anodic oxidation, silicate treatment, and other chemical treatments singly or in appropriate combination, then coating the surface-treated plate with a photosensitive lay...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]As described above, with the packaging methods in the related art, as the kinds of lithographic printing plate bundles increase, there arises a problem of increased stock space for the corrugated fiberboard sheets and increased time and labor for the work for changing over the corrugated fiberboard sheets according to the change in kinds of lithographic printing plate bundles, or a problem of decreased transportation efficiency and increased quantity of disposed corrugated fiberboard sheets.

[0009]The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and accordingly an object thereof is to provide a packaging method in which when the size of a packaged article (lithographic printing plate, etc.) varies widely, the waste of a packaging material (corrugated fiberboard sheet etc.) is reduced and the transportation efficiency is improved, and also the control and changeover work of packaging materials can be performed easily, and an apparatus for carrying out the packaging method.

Problems solved by technology

As described above, with the packaging methods in the related art, as the kinds of lithographic printing plate bundles increase, there arises a problem of increased stock space for the corrugated fiberboard sheets and increased time and labor for the work for changing over the corrugated fiberboard sheets according to the change in kinds of lithographic printing plate bundles, or a problem of decreased transportation efficiency and increased quantity of disposed corrugated fiberboard sheets.

Images