Plate making system and plate making method

Abstract

The plate making system integrally has a drawing device, an exposure device, a developing device, a cutting device, a first conveying device, a second conveying device, and a third conveying device. The plate making system has a control device that controls a series of plate making processes of a flexographic printing original plate performed by the drawing device, the exposure device, the developing device, and the cutting device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a plate-making system and a plate-making method. Background Technology

[0002] The process of making a flexographic printing master plate involves several steps: a laser drawing process to laser-draw the flexographic printing master plate; an exposure process to expose the laser-drawn flexographic printing master plate; a developing process to selectively remove the unexposed parts of the flexographic printing master plate; and a cutting process to cut the flexographic printing master plate to the desired size and shape. These various processes are performed using different devices.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 4374684 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem the invention aims to solve

[0007] However, in the various processes of flexographic printing mastering as described above, which involve multiple devices, operators need to move the flexographic printing mastering plates between devices. Therefore, the movement of flexographic printing mastering plates between devices, as well as the installation and removal of flexographic printing mastering plates in each device, takes time, resulting in a longer timeframe until the flexographic printing mastering plate is produced. Furthermore, depending on the operator, for example, the transport time from the exposure unit to the developing unit may be longer, leading to longer placement time, or the start-up times of each device may differ, causing variations in exposure intensity and thus inconsistent exposure amounts. Consequently, the quality of the flexographic printing mastering plate is unstable.

[0008] The present invention was made in view of the above points, and its object is to provide a plate-making system and method that can shorten the time required for making flexographic printing originals and can stabilize the quality of flexographic printing originals.

[0009] Solution for solving the problem

[0010] The inventors of this invention conducted in-depth research and discovered that the above-mentioned problems could be solved by automating a series of plate-making processes, and thus completed this invention.

[0011] That is, the present invention includes the following methods.

[0012] (1) A plate-making system, integrally comprising: a drawing device for performing laser drawing on a flexographic printing master; an exposure device for exposing the laser-drawn flexographic printing master to the exposure; a developing device for developing the exposed flexographic printing master; a cutting device for cutting the developed flexographic printing master; a first conveying device for conveying the laser-drawn flexographic printing master to the exposure device; a second conveying device for conveying the exposed flexographic printing master to the developing device; and a third conveying device for conveying the developed flexographic printing master to the cutting device, the plate-making system further comprising a control device for controlling a series of plate-making processes performed on the flexographic printing master by the drawing device, the exposure device, the developing device and the cutting device.

[0013] (2) According to the plate-making system described in (1), the control device includes: a device control unit provided in each of the drawing device, the exposure device, the developing device and the cutting device and configured to control each device; and a system control unit configured to control the plurality of devices to control the plate-making system as a whole.

[0014] (3) In the plate-making system according to (1) or (2), the drawing device, the exposure device, the developing device and the cutting device are arranged in a straight line or at an angle between the devices.

[0015] (4) The plate-making system according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the control device is configured to manage a series of plate-making processes to cut the flexible printing original that has been laser-drawn in the drawing device to the desired extent in the cutting device.

[0016] (5) According to the plate-making system described in (4), the control device includes: an information correspondence establishment unit that establishes a correspondence between the identification information of the flexible printing original laser-drawn by the drawing device and the cutting information about the flexible printing original for the desired cutting by the cutting device; and an information acquisition unit that acquires the identification information of the flexible printing original to be cut by the cutting device, and acquires the corresponding cutting information established by the information correspondence establishment unit based on the identification information, wherein the control device is configured to cut the flexible printing original in the cutting device based on the cutting information acquired by the information acquisition unit.

[0017] (6) According to the plate-making system described in (5), the information acquisition unit acquires identification information that is sequentially transmitted from the drawing device to the exposure device, the developing device and the cutting device.

[0018] (7) According to the plate-making system described in (5) or (6), the identification information of the flexographic printing original is transmitted directly and / or via a composite path through the entire plate-making system including the plurality of devices between the drawing device and the exposure device, between the exposure device and the developing device, and between the developing device and the cutting device.

[0019] (8) According to the plate-making system described in (5), the drawing device draws the identification information on the flexible printing plate, the information acquisition unit acquires the identification information drawn on the flexible printing plate to be cut by the cutting device, and acquires the corresponding cutting information established by the information correspondence establishment unit based on the identification information.

[0020] (9) The plate-making system according to (8) further comprises at least one reading device selected from a camera and a barcode reader for reading the identification information drawn on the flexographic printing plate, wherein the information acquisition unit converts the data read by the reading device into binary data to acquire the identification information.

[0021] (10) According to the plate-making system described in (5), the identification information is the plate-making process sequence information of the flexographic printing original, the information acquisition unit acquires the process sequence information of the flexographic printing original to be cut by the cutting device, and acquires the corresponding cutting information established by the information correspondence establishment unit based on the process sequence information of the flexographic printing original.

[0022] (11) The plate-making system according to (10) further includes a job counter, which counts the flexible printing originals to be cut by the cutting device, and the information acquisition unit uses the job counter to acquire the processing sequence information of the flexible printing originals.

[0023] (12) The plate-making system according to any one of (1) to (11) wherein the developing apparatus performs developing, drying and post-exposure by an integrated unit, and continuously transports the flexographic printing plate by a transport device having a plate support for transporting the flexographic printing plate, wherein a device for mounting the plate support on the flexographic printing plate is provided in the transport section of the developing apparatus unit, and a device for removing the plate support from the flexographic printing plate is provided in the transport section of the developing apparatus unit.

[0024] (13) According to the plate-making system described in (12), the control device calculates the desired amount of development of the flexible printing original to be developed by the developing device based on information of the flexible printing original laser-drawn by the drawing device, and adjusts the developing ability of the developing solution based on the amount of development.

[0025] (14) According to the plate-making system of (12) or (13), the developing device has the functions of developing, drying and post-exposure, and the control device controls the exposure lamp to fix the temperature of the flexible printing plate in the post-exposure.

[0026] (15) The plate-making system according to any one of (12) to (14) is water-based developing by the developing apparatus.

[0027] (16) The plate-making system according to any one of (1) to (15) further comprises: a bonding device for bonding a flexible printing plate obtained by cutting the plate to a sleeve or printing cylinder; and a fourth conveying device for conveying a flexible printing plate obtained by cutting the plate by the cutting device to the bonding device, the plate-making system integrally comprising the drawing device, the exposure device, the developing device, the cutting device, the first conveying device, the second conveying device, the third conveying device, the fourth conveying device and the bonding device, the control device controlling a series of plate-making processes of the flexible printing master and the flexible printing plate performed by the drawing device, the exposure device, the developing device, the cutting device and the bonding device.

[0028] (17) According to the plate-making system of (16), the control device further includes a device control unit disposed on the bonding device and for controlling the bonding device.

[0029] (18) In the plate-making system according to (16) or (17), the drawing device, the exposure device, the developing device, the cutting device and the bonding device are arranged in a straight line or at an angle between the devices.

[0030] (19) The plate-making system according to any one of (16) to (18), wherein the control device is configured to manage a series of plate-making processes to attach the flexible printing master plate, after being laser-drawn in the drawing device, to a desired position on the sleeve or printing cylinder in the bonding device.

[0031] (20) According to the plate-making system of (19), the control device has: a second information correspondence establishment unit that establishes a correspondence between the identification information of the flexible printing original laser-drawn by the drawing device and the bonding information about the flexible printing original for desired bonding by the bonding device; and a second information acquisition unit that acquires the identification information of the flexible printing plate to be bonded by the bonding device, and acquires the bonding information corresponding to the second information correspondence establishment unit based on the identification information, wherein the control device is configured to bond the flexible printing plate in the bonding device based on the bonding information acquired by the second information acquisition unit.

[0032] (21) According to the plate-making system described in (20), the second information acquisition unit acquires identification information that is sequentially transmitted from the drawing device to the exposure device, the developing device, the cutting device and the bonding device.

[0033] (22) According to the plate-making system described in (20), the drawing device draws the identification information on the flexible printing plate, the second information acquisition unit acquires the identification information drawn on the flexible printing plate to be bonded by the bonding device, and acquires the corresponding bonding information established by the second information correspondence establishment unit based on the identification information.

[0034] (23) According to the plate-making system of (22), the identification information of the flexible printing plate being laminated is identification information laser-drawn at at least two locations on the flexible printing plate in the drawing device.

[0035] (24) According to the plate-making system of (22) or (23), the bonding device or the fourth conveying device includes at least one second reading device selected from a camera for reading the identification information drawn on the flexible printing plate and a barcode reader, wherein the second information acquisition unit acquires the identification information by converting the data read by the second reading device into binary data.

[0036] (25) According to the plate-making system described in (24), the second reading device further acquires position information of the flexible printing plate obtained by cutting the plate, and the plate-making system is configured such that: in the bonding device, the flexible printing plate is bonded based on the bonding information acquired by the second information acquisition unit and the position information acquired by the second reading device.

[0037] (26) According to the plate-making system described in (20), the identification information is the plate-making process sequence information of the flexible printing original, the second information acquisition unit acquires the processing sequence information of the flexible printing plate to be bonded by the bonding device, and acquires the corresponding bonding information established by the second information corresponding establishment unit based on the processing sequence information of the flexible printing original.

[0038] (27) The plate-making system according to any one of (16) to (26), wherein the fourth conveying device is a robotic arm having an adsorption pad made of at least one material selected from elastic system materials such as polybutadiene rubber, polyacrylonitrile butadiene rubber, polyurethane, polysiloxane and fluororubber.

[0039] (28) The plate-making system according to any one of (16) to (27) is configured such that: the flexible printing plate is transported to the sleeve or printing cylinder by the fourth conveying device, and the flexible printing plate is directly bonded to the sleeve or printing cylinder while the sleeve or printing cylinder is rotated.

[0040] (29) The plate-making system according to any one of (16) to (27) includes a bonding device having a bonding worktable with a conveyor, wherein the bonding device is configured to transfer a flexible printing plate that has been conveyed to the bonding worktable by the fourth conveying device on the bonding worktable, and to bond the flexible printing plate to the sleeve or printing roller with a buffer tape while rotating the sleeve or printing roller with the buffer tape attached.

[0041] (30) The plate-making system according to any one of (16) to (29) has a storage device for storing a flexible printing plate before lamination.

[0042] (31) The plate-making system according to any one of (1) to (30) further comprises: a storage device for storing a flexographic printing plate before it is drawn by the drawing device; and a plate supply device for automatically supplying the flexographic printing plate from the storage device to the drawing device and removing the covering film from the flexographic printing plate.

[0043] (32) The plate-making system according to any one of (1) to (31) includes an inspection device having a camera for inspecting the flexographic printing master after development by the developing device and / or the flexographic printing plate after cutting by the cutting device.

[0044] (33) According to the plate-making system of (32), the inspection device inspects the flexographic printing master and / or flexographic printing plate based on the information drawn by the drawing device.

[0045] (34) A plate-making method, based on the identification information of a flexible printing original, automatically performs the following steps in sequence: a drawing step, performing laser drawing on the flexible printing original; an exposure step, performing exposure treatment on the flexible printing original after laser drawing; a developing step, performing development treatment on the flexible printing original after exposure treatment; and a cutting step, cutting the flexible printing original after development treatment.

[0046] (35) According to the plate-making method described in (34), a series of plate-making processes are managed to cut the flexible printing original that has been laser-drawn in the drawing process to the desired extent in the cutting process.

[0047] (36) The plate-making method according to (35) includes the following steps: an information correspondence establishment step, which establishes a correspondence between the identification information of the flexible printing original that is laser-drawn in the drawing step and the cutting information of the flexible printing original for the desired cutting in the cutting step; and an information acquisition step, which acquires the identification information of the flexible printing original to be cut, and acquires the corresponding cutting information established in the information correspondence establishment step based on the identification information, and cuts the flexible printing original based on the cutting information acquired in the information acquisition step in the cutting step.

[0048] (37) According to the plate-making method described in (36), in the information acquisition step, identification information is acquired from the drawing device performing the drawing step to the exposure device performing the exposure step, the development device performing the development step, and the cutting device performing the cutting step.

[0049] (38) In any one of (34) to (37) of the plate-making method, the identification information of the flexographic printing original is transmitted directly and / or via a composite path through the plate-making system as a whole, which includes the plurality of devices and a control device for controlling the plate-making process, between the drawing device for performing the drawing process and the exposure device for performing the exposure process, between the exposure device and the developing device for performing the developing process, and between the developing device and the cutting device for performing the cutting process.

[0050] (39) According to the plate-making method described in (36), in the drawing process, the identification information is drawn on the flexible printing plate, and in the information acquisition process, the identification information drawn on the flexible printing plate to be cut is acquired, and the corresponding cutting information established in the information correspondence establishment process is acquired based on the identification information.

[0051] (40) According to the plate-making method described in (39), in the information acquisition process, the identification information drawn on the flexible printing plate is read by a reading device, thereby acquiring the identification information.

[0052] (41) According to the plate-making method described in (36), the identification information is the plate-making process sequence information of the flexographic printing original. In the information acquisition process, the processing sequence information of the flexographic printing original to be cut is acquired, and the corresponding cutting information is acquired based on the processing sequence information of the flexographic printing original in the information corresponding establishment process.

[0053] (42) According to the plate-making method described in (41), in the information acquisition process, the flexible printing original to be cut is counted by a job counter to obtain the processing sequence information of the flexible printing original.

[0054] (43) The plate-making method according to any one of (34) to (42) includes the developing process having the steps of developing with a developing solution, drying and post-exposure.

[0055] (44) According to the plate-making method described in (43), based on the information of the flexible printing original that is laser-drawn in the drawing process, the desired amount of development of the flexible printing original to be developed in the developing process is calculated, and the developing ability of the developing solution is adjusted based on the amount of development.

[0056] (45) According to the plate-making method described in (43) or (44), the developing process includes developing, drying and post-exposure processes, wherein the exposure lamp is controlled in the developing process to fix the temperature of the flexographic printing plate in the post-exposure.

[0057] (46) In any of the plate-making methods described in (43) to (45), the developing process is water developing.

[0058] (47) The plate-making method according to any one of (34) to (46) further comprises a bonding process of bonding a flexible printing plate obtained by cutting the plate to a sleeve or printing cylinder, and the drawing process, the exposure process, the developing process, the cutting process and the bonding process are performed automatically in sequence.

[0059] (48) According to the plate-making method described in (47), a series of plate-making processes are managed to attach the flexible printing original, which has been laser-drawn in the drawing process, to the desired position of the sleeve or printing cylinder in the bonding process.

[0060] (49) The plate-making method according to (47) or (48) includes the following steps: a second information correspondence establishment step, which establishes a correspondence between the identification information of the flexible printing original laser-drawn in the drawing step and the bonding information about the flexible printing original for desired bonding in the bonding step; and a second information acquisition step, which acquires the identification information of the flexible printing plate to be bonded in the bonding step, and acquires the corresponding bonding information established in the second information correspondence establishment step based on the identification information, and performs bonding of the flexible printing plate based on the bonding information acquired in the second information acquisition step in the bonding step.

[0061] (50) According to the plate-making method described in (49), in the second information acquisition step, identification information is acquired from the drawing device for performing the drawing step to the exposure device for performing the exposure step, the development device for performing the development step, the cutting device for performing the cutting step, and the bonding device for performing the bonding step.

[0062] (51) According to the plate-making method described in (49), in the drawing process, the identification information is drawn on the flexible printing plate. In the second information acquisition process, the identification information drawn on the flexible printing plate to be laminated is acquired, and the corresponding lamination information established in the second information corresponding establishment process is acquired based on the identification information.

[0063] (52) According to the plate-making method described in (49), the identification information is the plate-making process sequence information of the flexible printing original. In the second information acquisition process, the processing sequence information of the flexible printing original to be subjected to the bonding process is acquired, and the corresponding bonding information established in the second information corresponding establishment process is acquired based on the processing sequence information of the flexible printing original.

[0064] (53) The plate-making method according to any one of (49) to (52) further includes a storage step in which the flexible printing plate obtained by cutting in the cutting step is transferred to a storage container and stored.

[0065] (54) The plate-making method according to (53) further includes a position information acquisition step, wherein position information of the flexible printing plate obtained by cutting the plate in the cutting step is acquired, and the bonding step and / or the storage step of the flexible printing plate are performed based on the bonding information acquired in the second information acquisition step and the position information acquired in the position information acquisition step.

[0066] (55) According to any one of (47) to (54) the plate-making method, in the bonding process, multiple flexible printing plates cut from one or more flexible printing master plates are bonded to one or more sleeves or printing cylinders.

[0067] (56) The plate-making method according to any one of (34) to (55) includes an inspection step in which images captured by a camera are used to inspect the flexographic printing master after the developing step and / or the flexographic printing plate after the cutting step.

[0068] (57) According to the plate-making method described in (56), in the inspection step, the flexographic printing master and / or flexographic printing plate are inspected based on the information drawn in the drawing step.

[0069] (58) The plate-making method according to any one of (34) to (57) further includes the following steps: removing the flexible printing plate from a storage container that holds the flexible printing plate prior to the drawing process, and supplying the flexible printing plate to the drawing device after removing the cover film.

[0070] The effects of the invention

[0071] According to the present invention, the time required for making flexographic printing plates can be shortened, and the quality of flexographic printing plates can be stabilized. Attached Figure Description

[0072] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the structure of the plate-making system in the first embodiment.

[0073] Figure 2 This is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of the mounting bracket.

[0074] Figure 3 This is a block diagram of the control device.

[0075] Figure 4 It is a flowchart of management and control.

[0076] Figure 5 This diagram illustrates an example of establishing the correspondence between identification serial numbers and cutting information.

[0077] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of other management and control methods.

[0078] Figure 7 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an identification code.

[0079] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of other management and control methods.

[0080] Figure 9This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the structure of the plate-making system in the second embodiment.

[0081] Figure 10 This is a block diagram of the control device.

[0082] Figure 11 It is a flowchart of management and control.

[0083] Figure 12 This is an illustrative diagram showing an example of a position detection marker.

[0084] Figure 13 This is a flowchart of other management and control methods.

[0085] Figure 14 This is a flowchart of other management and control methods.

[0086] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a plate-making system in another manner as described in the second embodiment.

[0087] Figure 16 This is an illustrative diagram showing how multiple flexographic printing plates cut from a flexographic printing master are attached to a sleeve.

[0088] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a plate-making system with a storage device.

[0089] Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the structure of a plate-making system with an inspection device. Detailed Implementation

[0090] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same elements, and repeated descriptions are omitted. Unless otherwise specified, positional relationships such as up, down, left, and right are assumed to be based on the positional relationships shown in the drawings. The scale of the drawings is not limited to that shown. The following embodiments are illustrative examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0091] <First Implementation Method>

[0092] <System Overall Structure>

[0093] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram showing the outline of the structure of the plate-making system 1 for the flexographic printing master (also simply referred to as "plate") P according to this embodiment. The plate-making system 1 integrally includes a drawing device 10 for performing laser drawing on the flexographic printing master P, an exposure device 11 for exposing the flexographic printing master P after laser drawing, a developing device 12 for developing the flexographic printing master P after exposure, a cutting device 13 for cutting the flexographic printing master P after development, a first conveying device 14 for conveying the flexographic printing master P after laser drawing by the drawing device 10 to the exposure device 11, a second conveying device 15 for conveying the flexographic printing master P after exposure by the exposure device 11 to the developing device 12, and a third conveying device 16 for conveying the flexographic printing master P after development by the developing device 12 to the cutting device 13. In addition, the plate-making system 1 has a control device 17 that controls a series of plate-making processes of the flexographic printing master P performed by the drawing device 10, the exposure device 11, the developing device 12 and the cutting device 13.

[0094] The drawing device 10, exposure device 11, developing device 12, and cutting device 13 are arranged in a straight line and connected continuously in one direction. Furthermore, in this specification, the direction in which the drawing device 10, exposure device 11, developing device 12, and cutting device 13 of the plate-making system 1 are arranged in this order is (…). Figure 1 The right direction in the image is designated as the "transfer direction X". Furthermore, the drawing device 10 side of the plate-making system 1 is designated as the inlet side, and the cutting device 13 side of the plate-making system 1 is designated as the outlet side. Also, the horizontal direction perpendicular to the transfer direction X of the plate-making system 1 is designated as the "width direction".

[0095] The drawing apparatus 10 includes, for example, an operating table, a rotating cylinder with clamping members, and a laser irradiation unit. The apparatus 10 is configured to clamp one end of a flexographic printing master into the clamping members and wind it around the cylinder, then clamp the other end into the clamping members. Subsequently, in order to draw the desired image on the infrared-sensitive layer layer laminated on the photosensitive resin layer of the flexographic printing master P, a laser is irradiated to remove the infrared-sensitive layer, thereby drawing the desired image. The drawing apparatus 10 may also have the following functions: automatically placing the flexographic printing master P, which is set on the operating table, onto the rotating cylinder with clamping members, and unloading the drawn flexographic printing master P from the clamping members and the cylinder and returning it to the operating table.

[0096] The exposure apparatus 11 includes, for example, an exposure stage, a main exposure unit, and a back exposure unit. The main exposure unit irradiates ultraviolet light from the photosensitive layer side of the flexographic master P after laser drawing, so as to form an emboss after passing through the infrared sensitive layer of the flexographic master P after laser drawing. The back exposure unit irradiates ultraviolet light from the back side of the flexographic master P, which passes through the exposure stage and is used to cure the lower layer of the photosensitive resin layer on the support, as the back side for forming the emboss. The main exposure unit and the back exposure unit have UV-LEDs with emission wavelengths in the UVA region, and can perform exposure while moving back and forth in the transport direction X. Preferably, the back exposure unit and the main exposure unit are linked in such that the back exposure unit first exposes from the back side of the support, and then the main exposure unit exposes from the photosensitive layer side. Based on the type / thickness of the flexographic printing master P, the moving speed of the exposure unit and the number of exposures are controlled to achieve good exposure according to the type / thickness of the flexographic printing master P, so as to cure the photosensitive resin layer.

[0097] The developing apparatus 12 is configured to perform the following steps: a developing step, in which the unexposed portions of the flexographic printing master P, except for those exposed by the exposure apparatus 11, are removed using a developing solution; a drying step, in which the developed flexographic printing master P is dried; and a post-exposure step, in which the dried flexographic printing master P is post-exposed. While the drawing apparatus 10, the exposure apparatus 11, and the cutting apparatus 13 process the flexographic printing master P sheet by sheet, the developing apparatus 12 can simultaneously and continuously process multiple flexographic printing master plates P while sequentially transporting them.

[0098] The cutting device 13 is configured to cut the flexographic printing original P after the development process into the desired shape, size, and quantity.

[0099] The first conveying device 14, for example, has an adsorption arm 30 that moves along the conveying direction X, which can adsorb the flexible printing original P after it has been drawn by the drawing device 10 and convey the flexible printing original P to the exposure device 11.

[0100] The second conveying device 15, for example, has an adsorption arm 40 that moves along the conveying direction X, which can adsorb the flexographic printing master P exposed by the exposure device 11 and convey the flexographic printing master P to the developing device 12. The first conveying device 14 and the second conveying device 15 can be composed of the same device or separate devices.

[0101] The third conveying device 16, for example, has an adsorption arm 50 that moves along the conveying direction X, which can adsorb the flexible printing original P after it has been developed by the developing device 12 and convey the flexible printing original P to the cutting device 13.

[0102] The control device 17 includes, for example, a system control unit 60 configured to control multiple devices to control the entire plate-making system; and device control units 61, 62, 63, and 64, which are provided in each of the drawing device 10, exposure device 11, developing device 12, and cutting device 13, and configured to control each of the devices 10 to 13. The system control unit 60 and device control units 61 to 64 are computers, which, by executing programs stored in memory through the CPU, can control the driving of various driving units such as the devices 10 to 13, the first conveying device 14, the second conveying device 15, and the third conveying device 16, thereby controlling a series of plate-making processes for the flexographic printing master plate P.

[0103] <Structure of the developing apparatus>

[0104] The developing apparatus 12, for example, arranges the inlet section 80, developing section 81, drying section 82, post-exposure section 83, and outlet section 84 in a straight line from the inlet to the outlet (transfer direction X). Additionally, the developing apparatus 12 includes a transport device 90 for transporting the flexographic printing master plate P.

[0105] The conveying device 90 is configured to move the flexographic printing master P, which is moved from the exposure device 11 into the infeed section 80, to each of the above sections in the order of developing section 81, drying section 82, post-exposure section 83, and exit section 84 at a fixed speed. For example, the conveying device 90 includes a conveying path 91 for placing and moving the flexographic printing master P, and a transfer mechanism 92 for holding and transferring the flexographic printing master P on the conveying path 91. The conveying path 91 extends linearly from the infeed section 80 of the developing device 12 along the conveying direction X to the exit section 84. The transfer mechanism 92 includes, for example, multiple plate supports 100 for holding and moving the flexographic printing master P.

[0106] The plate support 100 has an elongated shape that is relatively long in the width direction of the plate-making system 1. The plate support 100 includes a plurality of pins arranged along the width direction of the plate-making system 1, for example... Figure 2As shown, the flexographic printing master P can be held in place by inserting the pin 110 into the insertion hole 111 provided at the front of the flexographic printing master P. The plate support 100 is mounted on a drive device (not shown) that allows the plate support 100 to be moved from the loading section 80 to the loading section 84 of the developing apparatus 12 at a fixed speed. Furthermore, the plate support 100 and the flexographic printing plate P are configured to move up and down relative to the mounting surface 112 of the flexographic printing plate P in the loading section 80 and the unloading section 84. For example, in the loading section 80, the flexographic printing plate P can be held by inserting the pin 110 of the plate support 100 from below into the insertion hole 111 of the flexographic printing plate P or by inserting the flexographic printing plate P into the pin 110 of the plate support 100 from above. In the unloading section 84, the flexographic printing plate P can be separated by pulling the pin 110 of the plate support 100 out of the insertion hole 111 of the flexographic printing plate P or by pulling the flexographic printing plate P out of the plate support 100.

[0107] like Figure 1 As shown, the developing unit 81 is an apparatus that primarily uses an aqueous developer as the solvent for aqueous development. An aqueous developer is a liquid formed by mixing a developer stock solution containing at least a surfactant with water. Alkali compounds may also be added to the aqueous developer. The developing unit 81 has multiple, for example, three developer supply units 130, 131, and 132, and a rinsing solution supply unit 133. The developer supply units 130-132 and the rinsing solution supply unit 133 are arranged in this order along the transport direction X of the transport path 91. The developer supply units 130-132 can spray developer supplied from each developer supply source 135, 136 onto the flexographic printing master P moving along the transport path 91. For example, developer supply units 130 and 131 spray a developer solution formed by mixing used developer with unused new developer. For example, developer supply unit 132 sprays unused new developer. Furthermore, the used developer can be recycled and reused, for example, the developer used in the developing section 81. For example, in the case of water development, the rinsing solution supply section 133 can spray rinsing solution such as water supplied from the rinsing solution supply source 137 onto the flexible printing master P moving on the transport path 91.

[0108] The developing unit 81 has a plurality of brushes 138 arranged in the conveying direction X along the conveying path 91. Each brush 138 can contact the surface of the flexible printing master P moving on the conveying path 91 to remove unwanted materials from the surface.

[0109] The drying section 82 includes, for example, a wiping section 140 and an air supply section 141 sequentially in the conveying direction X. The wiping section 140 has rollers 150 and 151 arranged vertically, for example, so that the flexographic printing master P passes between the rollers 150 and 151, thereby allowing the wiping section 140 to scrape away liquid adhering to the surface of the flexographic printing master P. The air supply section 141 has a blower 160, which blows air onto the surface of the flexographic printing master P to remove liquid from the flexographic printing master P.

[0110] The post-exposure unit 83 has an exposure lamp 170, which has two types of lamps: a UVA exposure lamp and a UVC exposure lamp. By irradiating the flexible printing master P with ultraviolet light that emits light in the UVA and UVC regions from the exposure lamp 170, the flexible printing master P can be post-exposed.

[0111] <Structure of the cutting device>

[0112] The cutting device 13 includes, for example, a conveyor 190, a camera 191, and a cutter 192. The conveyor 190 moves the flexible printing original P, which is transported from the developing device 12 via the third conveying device 16, in the conveying direction X. The camera 191 captures the flexible printing original P for alignment. The cutter 192 cuts the flexible printing original P.

[0113] <Structure of the Control Device>

[0114] The control device 17 manages a series of plate-making processes to cut the flexographic printing master P, which has been laser-drawn in the drawing device 10, to the desired extent in the cutting device 13. That is, the control device 17 manages the process to avoid mishandling the flexographic printing master P processed by the drawing device 10 during the cutting process in the cutting device 13.

[0115] like Figure 3 As shown, the control device 17 includes an information correspondence establishment unit 200 and an information acquisition unit 201. The information correspondence establishment unit 200 establishes a correspondence between the identification information of the flexible printing master P laser-drawn by the drawing device 10 and the cutting information of the flexible printing master P for the desired cutting by the cutting device 13. The information acquisition unit 201 acquires the identification information of the flexible printing master P to be cut by the cutting device 13, and acquires the corresponding cutting information established by the information correspondence establishment unit 200 based on the identification information. The control device 17 is configured to cut the flexible printing master P in the cutting device 13 based on the cutting information acquired by the information acquisition unit 201. For example, the information acquisition unit 201 acquires the identification information sequentially transmitted from the drawing device 10 to the exposure device 11, the developing device 12, and the cutting device 13.

[0116] The control device 17 is configured to include, for example, an operation unit, a display, a speaker, a storage unit, a communication unit, and a control unit including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memory as its physical structure. The functions of the information correspondence establishment unit 200 and the information acquisition unit 201 are implemented by the CPU executing a predetermined program stored in the memory. The information correspondence establishment unit 200 and the information acquisition unit 201 are implemented by the CPU of one of the system control unit 60 and the device control units 61-64 executing the program. For example, the information correspondence establishment unit 200 may be executed by the device control unit 61 of the drawing device 10, and the information acquisition unit 201 may be executed by the device control unit 64 of the cutting device 13.

[0117] Next, an example of a plate-making method for a flexographic printing master P using a plate-making system 1 configured as described above will be explained.

[0118] <Plate Making Process>

[0119] First, transfer the flexographic printing master plate P into... Figure 1 The plate-making system 1 shown uses a drawing device 10 to perform laser drawing. Next, a flexographic printing master P is transferred to an exposure device 11 via a first transfer device 14 and exposed. After exposure, the flexographic printing master P is transferred into the loading section 80 of the developing device 12 via a second transfer device 15. Furthermore, when the laser drawing process of one flexographic printing master P in the drawing device 10 is completed and the flexographic printing master P is transferred to the exposure device 11, the next flexographic printing master P is transferred into the drawing device 10. In this way, multiple flexographic printing masters P are processed sequentially and continuously in this plate-making process.

[0120] The flexographic printing master P is held in the loading section 80 of the developing apparatus 12 by the plate support 100. Then, the flexographic printing master P is transported along the transport path 91 by the plate support 100 at a fixed speed to each of the above sections in the order of developing section 81, drying section 82, post-exposure section 83, and loading section 84, and the developing process is performed during the transport. First, in the developing section 81, developing solution is supplied to the flexographic printing master P from the developing solution supply sections 130 to 132 in the order of the above developing solution supply sections. Then, rinsing solution is supplied to the flexographic printing master P from the rinsing solution supply section 133. At the same time as the developing solution and rinsing solution are supplied, the brush section 138 contacts the flexographic printing master P and scrapes and removes the unwanted materials on the surface of the flexographic printing master P.

[0121] In the drying section 82, the flexographic printing master P is first transferred to the wiping section 140, where it is scraped by rollers 150 and 151 to remove liquid. Next, the flexographic printing master P is transferred to the air supply section 141, where the liquid is blown away by the air from the air blower 160, thus removing it.

[0122] In the post-exposure section 83, ultraviolet light emitting in the UVA and UVC regions is irradiated from the exposure lamp 170 onto the flexographic printing master P, thus performing post-exposure on the flexographic printing master P. Next, the flexographic printing master P is moved to the removal section 84 and stopped. This completes the development process.

[0123] For the flexographic printing master P that has been moved to the transport section 84, the plate support 100 is disassembled, and the flexographic printing master P is transported to the cutting device 13 via the third transport device 16. In the cutting device 13, the flexographic printing master P is positioned at a predetermined position by the conveyor 190, and an image is captured by the camera 191. Furthermore, based on the position of the flexographic printing master P obtained from the image, the flexographic printing master P is cut by the cutter 192. The flexographic printing plate obtained from the cutting is transported to the exit side by the conveyor 190, so that it can be removed from the cutting device 13. In this way, a series of plate-making processes are completed. The above series of plate-making processes are controlled by the control device 17. In addition, in this specification, the plate up to the point of being cut is referred to as the flexographic printing master, and the plate after being cut is referred to as the flexographic printing plate.

[0124] <Management Control>

[0125] In the above-described plate-making process, a series of plate-making processes are managed to cut the flexographic printing master P, which has been laser-drawn by the drawing device 10, to the desired size in the cutting device 13. An example of this management and control will be described below. Figure 4 This illustrates an example of the management control process.

[0126] First, in the drawing device 10, the identification number of the flexible printing master P to be laser-drawn by the drawing device 10 is used as identification information to establish a correspondence with the cutting information of the cutting device 13 to be performed on these flexible printing master P. Figure 4 The process S1). This correspondence establishment is performed by the information correspondence establishment unit 200. The information used for correspondence establishment is, for example, created by the drawing device 10 based on information input from an external source, and is stored, for example, in the device control unit 61 of the drawing device 10. Specifically, as Figure 5As shown, each flexographic printing master P is associated with an identification number (e.g., 1-5) and the corresponding cutting information (e.g., A-E) that should be applied to each flexographic printing master P. Furthermore, the cutting information includes, for example, the cutting position, size, shape, and quantity.

[0127] Next, as Figure 4 As shown, laser drawing processing is performed in the drawing device 10 (step S2). After the laser drawing processing is completed, the flexographic printing master P is transferred from the drawing device 10 to the exposure device 11 (step S3). At this time, the identification number (e.g., 1) of the flexographic printing master P is transferred from the drawing device 10 to the exposure device 11 (step S4).

[0128] In the exposure apparatus 11, the identification number (e.g., 1) is received (step S5) and stored in the apparatus control unit 62. Exposure processing is performed in the exposure apparatus 11 (step S6), and then, when the exposure processing is complete, the flexographic printing master P is transferred from the exposure apparatus 11 to the developing apparatus 12 (step S7). At this time, the identification number (e.g., 1) of the flexographic printing master P is transferred from the exposure apparatus 11 to the developing apparatus 12 (step S8).

[0129] In the developing apparatus 12, the identification number (e.g., 1) is received (step S9) and stored in the apparatus control unit 63. A developing process is performed in the developing apparatus 12 (step S10), and then, when the developing process is complete, the flexographic printing master P is transferred from the developing apparatus 12 to the cutting apparatus 13 (step S11). At this time, the identification number (e.g., 1) of the flexographic printing master P is transferred from the developing apparatus 12 to the cutting apparatus 13 (step S12).

[0130] In the cutting device 13, the identification number (e.g., 1) is received (step S13) and stored in the device control unit 64. The cutting device 13 requests cutting information (e.g., cutting information A) corresponding to the received identification number (e.g., 1) from the drawing device 10 (step S14). When the drawing device 10 receives the cutting information request signal, it sends the cutting information A corresponding to the identification number (e.g., 1) to the cutting device 13 (step S15), and the cutting device 13 receives the cutting information A (step S16). The acquisition of the cutting information A is performed by the information acquisition unit 201.

[0131] The cutting device 13 performs the cutting of the flexographic printing master P based on the received cutting information A (process S17). In this way, even if multiple flexographic printing masters P are processed simultaneously in the drawing device 10, exposure device 11, developing device 12, and cutting device 13, the desired cutting of the flexographic printing master P can be performed without errors.

[0132] According to this embodiment, the plate-making system 1 integrates a drawing device 10, an exposure device 11, a developing device 12, a cutting device 13, a first conveying device 14, a second conveying device 15, and a third conveying device 16. It also includes a control device 17 for controlling a series of plate-making processes performed by the drawing device 10, the exposure device 11, the developing device 12, and the cutting device 13 on the flexographic printing master plate P. Therefore, unlike in the past, operators no longer need to manually move the flexographic printing master plate P between devices; instead, a series of plate-making processes can be performed automatically, thus shortening the time required for plate-making of the flexographic printing master plate P. Furthermore, by controlling a series of plate-making processes, plate-making conditions that affect plate quality, such as the time from laser drawing to exposure, from exposure to development, and the lamp temperature during exposure, can be kept within a fixed range while performing a series of plate-making processes. This ensures that the dot shape, blank depth, and other factors of the flexographic printing master plate P affect the stability of the printing quality. Additionally, because a series of plate-making processes are controlled, feedback on the various conditions of the plate-making processes can be easily obtained from previously produced plates and printed materials using those plates.

[0133] The control device 17 has device control units 61 to 64 configured to control each device, and a system control unit 60 configured to control multiple devices to control the entire plate-making system. Therefore, the system control unit 60 is responsible for the identification and control of multiple flexographic printing originals P. The control of each device is controlled by the device control units 61 to 64 through other systems. Therefore, compared to building the whole system from a single system, it can improve the simplicity of control, the stability of the system, etc., and thus can appropriately perform a series of plate-making processes that process multiple flexographic printing originals P in a manner that covers multiple devices.

[0134] The drawing device 10, exposure device 11, developing device 12 and cutting device 13 are arranged in a straight line, so the conveying direction X of the flexographic printing master plate P is fixed, which simplifies the structure of the plate making system 1 and achieves miniaturization and low cost of the plate making system 1.

[0135] The control device 17 is configured to manage a series of plate-making processes to perform the desired cutting of the flexographic printing master P, which has been laser-drawn in the drawing device 10, in the cutting device 13. Thus, even when multiple flexographic printing masters P are processed simultaneously and continuously in the plate-making system 1, the desired cutting process can be performed on each flexographic printing master P.

[0136] The control device 17 includes an information correspondence establishment unit 200 and an information acquisition unit 201. The information correspondence establishment unit 200 establishes a correspondence between the identification information (identification number) of the flexible printing master P to be laser-drawn by the drawing device 10 and the cutting information of the flexible printing master P for the desired cutting by the cutting device 13. The information acquisition unit 201 acquires the identification information of the flexible printing master P to be cut by the cutting device 13, and acquires the corresponding cutting information established by the information correspondence establishment unit 200 based on the identification information. The control device 17 is configured to cut the flexible printing master P in the cutting device 13 based on the cutting information acquired by the information acquisition unit 201. Thus, appropriate management control for the desired cutting in the cutting device 13 can be performed.

[0137] The information acquisition unit 201 is configured to acquire identification information sequentially transmitted from the drawing device 10 to the exposure device 11, the developing device 12, and the cutting device 13. Therefore, it is possible to perform simple and reliable management control for the desired cutting in the cutting device 13.

[0138] Various information, including the identification information of the flexographic printing master P, can be transmitted to the respective device control units 61-64 and the system control unit 60 for controlling the entire plate-making system. In this case, the identification information of the flexographic printing master P is transmitted from the device control unit 61 for controlling the drawing device 10 to the device control unit 62 for controlling the exposure device 11, from the device control unit 62 for controlling the exposure device 11 to the device control unit 63 for controlling the developing device 12, and from the device control unit 63 for controlling the developing device 12 directly to the device control unit 64 for controlling the cutting device 13, so that the next process can be carried out in the next device after the necessary process is completed in each device. In addition, the identification information of the flexographic printing master P is also transmitted to each device through the system control unit 60 for controlling the entire system.

[0139] Furthermore, in this invention, the plate-making system 1 continuously produces plates for multiple flexographic printing originals P. In order to minimize time loss during and between the processes of each device, for example, when the exposure device 11 starts an exposure process for a flexographic printing original P, the device control unit 62 of the exposure device 11 directly and / or through the system control unit 60 transmits the start information of the exposure process and the start permission information of the drawing process for the next flexographic printing original P directly to the device control unit 61 of the drawing device 10, so that the drawing device 10 can start the drawing process for the next flexographic printing original P. Similarly, when the developing device 12 starts a developing process for a flexographic printing original P, making it possible for the exposure device 11 to start an exposure process for the next flexographic printing original P, the device control unit 63 of the developing device 12 directly and / or through the system control unit 60 transmits the start permission information of the exposure process for the next flexographic printing original P directly to the device control unit 62 of the exposure device 11. Furthermore, since the developing device 12 can simultaneously develop, dry, and post-expose multiple plates, when the cutting device 13 is ready to accept the next flexographic printing master P, the information indicating that the next flexographic printing master P can be accepted is transmitted directly from the device control unit 64 of the cutting device 13 to the device control unit 63 of the developing device 12 via the system control unit 60. This constructs a composite system that transmits information via the system control unit 60 to the device control units 61-64 of each device, and directly between each device, to transmit identification information of the flexographic printing master P, permission information for the next process of the next flexographic printing master P, or acceptance information, etc. That is, the identification information of the flexographic printing master is transmitted directly and / or via a composite path through the entire plate-making system including multiple devices 11 to 13 and the control unit 17 between the drawing device 10 and the exposure device 11, between the exposure device 11 and the developing device 12, and between the developing device 12 and the cutting device 13. This shortens the waiting time between each device. Furthermore, even if errors occur during information transmission or in a part of the process performed by each device, the plate-making system 1 can be stabilized to prevent the entire system from stopping immediately.

[0140] The developing apparatus 12 is configured to continuously perform developing, drying, and post-exposure using the developing solution during the transport process using the same conveyor 90. This simplifies the construction of the developing apparatus 12, enabling its miniaturization and cost reduction. Furthermore, it allows for easy management of the series of developing processes within the developing apparatus 12, improving the quality of the developing processes.

[0141] The developing apparatus 12 performs developing, drying, and post-exposure processes in an integrated unit. It includes a plate support 100 for transporting the flexographic printing master plate P at a fixed speed. A device for mounting the plate support 100 on the flexographic printing master plate P is provided in the loading section 80 of the developing apparatus 12 unit, and a device for removing the plate support 100 from the flexographic printing master plate P is provided in the unloading section 84 of the developing apparatus 12 unit. Therefore, the loading and unloading of the flexographic printing master plate P relative to the developing apparatus 12, and the transport of the flexographic printing master plate P within the developing apparatus 12, can be appropriately performed.

[0142] The development performed by the developing apparatus 12 is preferably water development. In development using organic solvents, the developed plate contains organic solvents and requires a drying process. The drying process is much longer than the developing process, and in order to automatically and continuously produce multiple plates, a separate drying section is required to dry multiple plates simultaneously, as well as a conveying device for transporting the plates to the drying section, making the apparatus larger and more complex. In addition, in thermal development, where the flexographic printing plate is heated and wiped with nonwoven fabric, unused and used nonwoven fabrics need to be replaced periodically, and continuous plate production needs to be stopped during the replacement. Compared with organic solvent development, water development using an aqueous developer makes the flexographic printing plate P easier to dry, and it can be dried using only the blower blade 160, thus making it suitable for a plate-making system that integrates the functions of development, drying, and post-exposure. Furthermore, when developing with organic solvents, the flexographic printing plate swells in the solvent and shrinks during drying. Additionally, when developing with heat, not only does the photosensitive resin layer of the flexographic printing plate swell due to heating, but the support also swells. Even after cooling at the end of development, the plate size changes. Therefore, it is necessary to set the development and drying conditions appropriately and strictly. On the other hand, when developing with water, the swelling and shrinkage of the flexographic printing plate P are smaller, making it easy to set the development and drying conditions simply and uniformly. From this perspective, it is also suitable for plate-making systems that integrate development, drying, and post-exposure functions.

[0143] Other methods of management control

[0144] The management and control of the series of plate-making processes in the above embodiments can also be achieved in other ways.

[0145] <Other Method 1>

[0146] For example, the drawing device 10 is configured to draw identification information onto the flexible printing plate P using a laser. The cutting device 13 includes at least one of the following as a reading device for reading the identification information drawn on the flexible printing plate P: a camera 191 or a CCD sensor, or a barcode reader. The barcode reader has an LED and a light-receiving element that emits laser light and reads reflected light, thereby enabling it to read barcodes and QR codes. The information acquisition unit 201 can read the identification information drawn on the flexible printing plate P to be cut by the cutting device 13 using the camera 191 or the barcode reader, convert the data into binary data to acquire the identification information, and acquire the corresponding cutting information established by the information correspondence establishment unit 200 based on the identification information.

[0147] Figure 6 This illustrates an example of the management and control process. First, in the drawing device 10, the identification code of the flexible printing master P to be laser-drawn by the drawing device 10 is used as identification information to establish a correspondence with the cutting information of the cutting device 13 for cutting these flexible printing masters P. Figure 6 (Process K1). This correspondence establishment is performed by the information correspondence establishment unit 200.

[0148] Next, laser drawing processing (step K2) is performed on the flexographic printing master P in the drawing apparatus 10, and then as follows Figure 7 As shown, an identification code F, serving as identification information, is laser-drawn on the flexographic printing master plate P (process K3). The identification code F is drawn, for example, on the end of the flexographic printing master plate P. The identification code F may be, for example, a barcode or a QR code.

[0149] When the laser drawing process is finished, the flexible printing master plate P is transferred from the drawing device 10 to the exposure device 11 (process K4).

[0150] Next, in the exposure apparatus 11, the flexographic printing master P is exposed (step K5). After the exposure process is completed, the flexographic printing master P is transferred from the exposure apparatus 11 to the developing apparatus 12 (step K6). In the developing apparatus 12, the flexographic printing master P is developed (step K7). After the developing process is completed, the flexographic printing master P is transferred from the developing apparatus 12 to the cutting apparatus 13 (step K8).

[0151] Next, in the cutting device 13, the identification code F of the flexographic printing original P is read by the camera 191 (step K9), and stored, for example, in the device control unit 64. The cutting device 13 requests cutting information corresponding to the read identification code F from the drawing device 10 (step K10). When the drawing device 10 receives the request signal (step K11), it sends the cutting information corresponding to the identification code F to the cutting device 13 (step K12), and the cutting device 13 receives the cutting information (step K13). The acquisition of this cutting information is performed by the information acquisition unit 201.

[0152] The cutting device 13 performs the cutting of the flexographic printing original P based on the received cutting information (process K14).

[0153] According to this method, it is possible to perform simple and reliable management and control for desired cutting in the cutting device 13.

[0154] <Other Method 2>

[0155] The identification information of the flexographic printing master P is the processing sequence information of the flexographic printing master P. The plate-making system 1 has a job counter that counts the flexographic printing master P to be cut by the plate-cutting device 13. The information acquisition unit 201 can acquire the processing sequence information of the flexographic printing master P to be cut by the plate-cutting device 13 through the job counter, and acquire the corresponding cutting information established by the information correspondence establishment unit 200 based on the processing sequence information of the flexographic printing master P.

[0156] Figure 8 An example of the management control process is shown. First, in the drawing device 10, the processing order information of the flexible printing master P to be laser-drawn by the drawing device 10 as identification information is established with the cutting information of the cutting of these flexible printing master P in the cutting device 13. Figure 8 The process T1). This correspondence establishment is performed by the information correspondence establishment unit 200. For example, the processing order information of the first flexographic printing original P is number 1, and the processing order information of the next flexographic printing original P is number 2.

[0157] Next, laser drawing processing is performed on the flexographic printing master P in the drawing apparatus 10 (step T2). When the laser drawing processing is completed, the flexographic printing master P is transferred from the drawing apparatus 10 to the exposure apparatus 11 (step T3).

[0158] In the exposure apparatus 11, the flexographic printing master P is exposed (step T4). After the exposure process is completed, the flexographic printing master P is transferred from the exposure apparatus 11 to the developing apparatus 12 (step T5). Next, in the developing apparatus 12, the flexographic printing master P is developed (step T6). After the developing process is completed, the flexographic printing master P is transferred from the developing apparatus 12 to the cutting apparatus 13 (step T7).

[0159] Next, in the cutting device 13, the flexographic printing plate P is counted by a work counter (step T8), and its processing sequence information is stored, for example, in the device control unit 64. The cutting device 13 requests cutting information corresponding to the processing sequence information of the counted flexographic printing plate P from the drawing device 10 (step T9). When the drawing device 10 receives the request signal (step T10), it sends the cutting information corresponding to the processing sequence information to the cutting device 13 (step T11), and the cutting device 13 receives the cutting information (step T12). The acquisition of this cutting information is performed by the information acquisition unit 201.

[0160] The cutting device 13 performs the cutting of the flexographic printing original P based on the received cutting information (process T13).

[0161] According to this method, it is possible to perform simple and reliable management and control for desired cutting in the cutting device 13.

[0162] In the above embodiments, the control device 17 can calculate the desired development amount of the flexible printing original P to be developed by the developing device 12 based on the information of the flexible printing original P laser-drawn by the drawing device 10, and adjust the developing ability of the developing solution based on the development amount.

[0163] For example, in the drawing apparatus 10, information such as plate size, thickness, image, and depth of relief (RD) of the plate are input from an external source as information for the flexographic printing master P to be laser-drawn by the drawing apparatus 10, and this information is stored. Furthermore, the control device 17 calculates the desired amount of development (e.g., polymer amount) to be developed by the developing apparatus 12 based on at least one of these pieces of information about the flexographic printing master P, and adjusts the developer used in the developing process based on this polymer amount. For example, in the developing apparatus 12, the amount of new developer used (usage ratio) is adjusted when both used developer and unused new developer are used. More specifically, in the above embodiment, the supply amount of developer, including used developer, supplied from the developer supply units 130 and 131, and the supply amount of new developer supplied from the developer supply unit 132, can be adjusted. In this way, a suitable developer for the flexographic printing master P can be used for the developing process, thus improving the quality of the printing plate.

[0164] The temperature of the flexographic master plate P in the post-exposure section 83 of the developing apparatus 12 sometimes differs between when the exposure lamp 170 is first lit and when it is continuously lit. Therefore, the control device 17 can control the exposure lamp 170 to fix the temperature of the flexographic master plate P during post-exposure. For example, the lighting start timing of the exposure lamp 170 can be adjusted. For example, when lighting the exposure lamp 170 that has been turned off, its lighting start timing can be fixed ahead of the timing for moving the flexographic master plate P to the post-exposure section 83, so that the temperature of the flexographic master plate P in the post-exposure section 83 after it is first lit is the same as the temperature during continuous lighting. In this way, the post-exposure of the developing process is performed at the same temperature, thus improving the quality of the plate. Furthermore, the control of the exposure lamp 170 for fixing the temperature of the flexographic master plate P during post-exposure is not limited to controlling the lighting start timing of the exposure lamp 170, but can also control the light intensity of the exposure lamp 170, etc.

[0165] <Second Implementation Method>

[0166] It can also be like Figure 9 As shown, the plate-making system 1 in the first embodiment further includes: a bonding device 300, which bonds the flexible printing plate P2 obtained by cutting in the plate-cutting device 13 to a sleeve (also simply referred to as a "sleeve") S with a buffer strip attached; and a fourth conveying device 301, which conveys the flexible printing plate P2 obtained by cutting in the plate-cutting device 13 to the bonding device 300. Furthermore, the structure and processing of the plate-making system 1, unless otherwise specifically mentioned, are the same as in the first embodiment, and descriptions are omitted.

[0167] The plate-making system 1 integrates a drawing device 10, an exposure device 11, a developing device 12, a cutting device 13, a first conveying device 14, a second conveying device 15, a third conveying device 16, a fourth conveying device 301, and a bonding device 300. The drawing device 10, exposure device 11, developing device 12, cutting device 13, and bonding device 300 are arranged in a straight line and continuously connected. Furthermore, the drawing device 10, exposure device 11, developing device 12, cutting device 13, and bonding device 300 can be configured to have partial angles.

[0168] The bonding device 300 is a device that bonds the flexible printing plate P2 obtained by cutting the plate to a sleeve S on which a buffer strip is attached. The bonding device 300, for example, has a holding part 310 that holds the sleeve S for bonding the flexible printing plate P2.

[0169] The fourth conveying device 301 is, for example, a robotic arm 321 with an adsorption pad 320. The fourth conveying device 301 is disposed between the bonding device 300 and the cutting device 13, and is capable of adsorbing and holding the flexible printing plate P2 obtained by the cutting device 13 through the adsorption pad 320, and conveying it to the bonding device 300. The fourth conveying device 301 is also configured to convey the held flexible printing plate P2 to the sleeve S of the bonding device 300, and directly bond the flexible printing plate P2 to the rotating sleeve S.

[0170] Preferably, the robotic arm 321 has at least two suction pads to move the cut flexographic printing plate P2 to an accurate position. Air inlets and outlets are connected to the suction pads. When the flexographic printing plate P2 is to be mounted on the robotic arm 321, air is expelled by pressing the suction pads against the flexographic printing plate P2, thereby mounting the flexographic printing plate P2 on the robotic arm 321 and moving it in this state. Furthermore, after the flexographic printing plate P2 has been moved to the designated accurate position, air can be introduced into the suction pads to reduce positional deviation of the flexographic printing plate P2. The material and shape of the suction pads are not limited, but from the viewpoint of easily reducing pressure between the suction pads and the flexographic printing plate by following the surface shape of the flexographic printing plate, and from the viewpoint of minimizing damage to the flexographic printing plate even when pressed, the suction pads are preferably made of elastic materials, such as polybutadiene rubber, polyacrylonitrile butadiene rubber, polyurethane, polysiloxane, fluororubber, etc. In addition, the size of the suction pads can be arbitrarily selected according to the size and thickness of the cut flexographic printing plate P2.

[0171] After the end of the flexible printing plate P2 is moved to a predetermined position on the sleeve S within the bonding device 300 by the fourth conveying device 301 and the end of the flexible printing plate P2 is pressed tightly against the sleeve S, the flexible printing plate P2 is detached from the adsorption pad while the sleeve S is rotated, thereby bonding the flexible printing plate P2 to the sleeve S. Furthermore, in order to bond the flexible printing plate P2 to the sleeve S with uniform tension, the flexible printing plate P2 can also be sandwiched between the roller rotating separately from the sleeve S and the sleeve S.

[0172] For example, the fourth conveying device 301 includes a camera 322 as a reading device for reading the position information of the flexographic printing plate P2. The position information of the flexographic printing plate P2 includes, for example, information about the position and angle of the flexographic printing plate P2 relative to the coordinate system of the fourth conveying device 301. Alternatively, the camera 322 may not be provided in the fourth conveying device 301, but may be provided in the main body of the bonding device 300.

[0173] The control device 17 controls a series of plate-making processes for the flexographic printing master P and the flexographic printing plate P2, which are performed by the drawing device 10, the exposure device 11, the developing device 12, the cutting device 13, and the laminating device 300.

[0174] The control device 17 also has a device control section 330 disposed on the bonding device 300 for controlling the bonding device 300.

[0175] Furthermore, the control device 17 controls a series of plate-making processes to achieve the desired bonding in the bonding device 300 between the flexible printing master P, which has been laser-drawn in the drawing device 10, and the flexible printing plate P2, which has been cut. That is, the control device 17 manages to ensure that the flexible printing master P, processed by the drawing device 10, is correctly bonded to the designated position on the sleeve S during bonding in the bonding device 300.

[0176] For example, such as Figure 10As shown, the control device 17 includes: a second information correspondence establishment unit 340, which establishes a correspondence between the identification information of the flexible printing master P laser-drawn by the drawing device 10 and the bonding information of the flexible printing plate P2 obtained by cutting, for desired bonding by the bonding device 300; and a second information acquisition unit 341, which acquires the identification information of the flexible printing plate P2 to be bonded by the bonding device 300, and acquires the corresponding bonding information established by the second information correspondence establishment unit 340 based on the identification information. The control device 17 is configured to bond the flexible printing plate P2 in the bonding device 300 based on the bonding information acquired by the second information acquisition unit 341. At this time, the identification information of the flexible printing master P can be managed in units of multiple flexible printing plates P2 that can be cut later. The second information acquisition unit 341 acquires, for example, the identification information that is sequentially transmitted from the drawing device 10 to the exposure device 11, the developing device 12, the cutting device 13, and the bonding device 300. At this time, as described in the first embodiment above, various information, including the identification information of the flexographic printing master P, can be transmitted to the respective device control units 61-64, 330, and the system control unit 60 that controls the entire plate-making system. That is, the identification information of the flexographic printing master P can be transmitted directly and / or via a composite path that passes through the entire plate-making system 1, which includes multiple devices, between the drawing device 10 and the exposure device 11, between the exposure device 11 and the developing device 12, between the developing device 12 and the cutting device 13, and between the cutting device 13 and the laminating device 300.

[0177] The control device 17 includes a position information acquisition unit 342, which acquires position information of the flexible printing plate P2 for attaching the flexible printing plate P2 to a desired position on the sleeve S in the bonding device 300. The position information acquisition unit 342 includes the camera 322 described above.

[0178] In addition, the control device 17 manages the receiving signal of the next flexographic printing master P or flexographic printing plate P2 in each device, and simultaneously and continuously manages multiple identical or different plates of flexographic printing master P and flexographic printing plate P2 in a series of devices.

[0179] In the plate-making process of the plate-making system 1 in the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the drawing process in the drawing device 10, the exposure process in the exposure device 11, the development process in the developing device 12, and the cutting process in the cutting device 13 are performed in this order. Then, the flexible printing plate P2 obtained by cutting by the cutting device 13 is transported to the laminating device 300 by the fourth conveying device 301, and the flexible printing plate P2 is laminated to the desired position on the sleeve S with the buffer tape attached, thus completing the series of plate-making processes.

[0180] In this plate-making process, a series of plate-making processes are managed to achieve the desired bonding of the flexible printing master P, which has been laser-drawn in the drawing device 10, in the bonding device 300. Figure 11 This illustrates an example of the management control process. Furthermore, procedures not specifically mentioned in this example are similar to those in the first embodiment. Figure 4 The process shown is the same, and the explanation is omitted.

[0181] In this management and control process, firstly, in the drawing device 10, the identification number of the flexible printing master P to be laser-drawn by the drawing device 10 is established as identification information, and a bonding information is established for bonding these flexible printing plates P2 in the bonding device 300 (step S20). This correspondence establishment is performed by the second information correspondence establishment unit 340. The bonding information includes, for example, the position of the flexible printing plate P2 bonded to the sleeve S.

[0182] Furthermore, in the laser drawing process (S2) of the drawing apparatus 10, for the flexible printing master P, a position detection mark used to detect the position information of the flexible printing plate P2 during the bonding process will be drawn together with the desired image. For example... Figure 12 As shown, the position detection mark M can be, for example, an alignment mark, and there can be one or more, preferably two or more.

[0183] Furthermore, the identification number is sequentially sent from the drawing device 10 to the exposure device 11, the developing device 12, and the cutting device 13. After cutting is performed in the cutting device 13 (step S18), the identification number is transmitted to the bonding device 300 (step S21), and the bonding device 300 receives the identification number (step S22).

[0184] Subsequently, the identification number is stored in the device control unit 330 in the bonding device 300. The bonding device 300 requests bonding information corresponding to the received identification number from the drawing device 10 (step S23). When the drawing device 10 receives the bonding information request signal (step S24), it sends the bonding information corresponding to the identification number to the bonding device 300 (step S25), and the bonding device 300 receives the bonding information (step S26). The acquisition of this bonding information is performed by the second information acquisition unit 341.

[0185] Furthermore, in the bonding device 300, the camera 322 of the fourth conveying device 301 reads the position information of the flexographic printing plate P2 and stores it in the device control unit 330. Thus, the position and angle of the flexographic printing plate P2 in coordinates are determined.

[0186] The bonding device 300 performs the bonding of the flexographic printing plate P2 based on the acquired bonding information and the position information of the flexographic printing plate P2 (step S27). Specifically, the flexographic printing plate P2 is moved to a predetermined position on the sleeve S by the fourth conveying device 301, and the sleeve S is rotated, thereby bonding the flexographic printing plate P2 to the sleeve S. In this way, even if multiple flexographic printing plates P are processed simultaneously in the drawing device 10, exposure device 11, developing device 12, and cutting device 13, each flexographic printing plate P2 can be bonded to the desired position on the desired sleeve S without error.

[0187] The management and control in this embodiment can also be implemented in other ways.

[0188] <Other Method 3>

[0189] The drawing device 10 draws identification information onto the flexible printing plate P. The second information acquisition unit 341 can acquire, for example, the identification information drawn on the flexible printing plate P to be bonded by the bonding device 300 onto the flexible printing plate P2 via a camera 322, which functions as a second reading device. Based on this identification information, it acquires the corresponding bonding information established by the second information correspondence establishment unit 340. The camera 322 functions not only as a device for reading the position information of the flexible printing plate P2, but also as a device for reading identification information.

[0190] Figure 13 This illustrates an example of the management control process. Furthermore, procedures not specifically mentioned in this example are similar to those in the first embodiment. Figure 6 The process shown is the same, and the explanation is omitted. First, in the drawing device 10, the identification code of the flexible printing master P to be laser-drawn by the drawing device 10 is established as identification information and the bonding information of the flexible printing master P2 to be bonded in the bonding device 300 is established (process K20). This correspondence establishment is performed by the second information correspondence establishment unit 340.

[0191] Next, laser drawing processing (step K2) is performed on the flexographic printing master P in the drawing apparatus 10, and an identification code is laser-drawn on the flexographic printing master P (step K3). The identification code may be a barcode or a QR code, for example. At this time, the identification code is attached in units of multiple flexographic printing masters P2 that can be cut later. In addition, in the laser drawing processing (K2) of the drawing apparatus 10, position detection marks used to detect the position information of the flexographic printing master P during the bonding process are drawn together with the desired image for the flexographic printing master P.

[0192] Afterwards, the flexographic printing master P is exposed by the exposure device 11 (step K5), developed by the developing device 12 (step K7), and cut by the cutting device 13 (step K14). Then, the flexographic printing plate P2 obtained by cutting is transferred to the laminating device 300 (step K21).

[0193] Next, in the lamination device 300, the identification code of the flexographic printing plate P2 is read by the camera 322 (step K22) and stored, for example, in the device control unit 330. The lamination device 300 requests lamination information corresponding to the read identification code from the drawing device 10 (step K23). When the drawing device 10 receives the request signal (step K24), it sends the lamination information corresponding to the identification code to the lamination device 300 (step K25), and the lamination device 300 receives the lamination information (step K26). The acquisition of this lamination information is performed by the second information acquisition unit 341. In addition, in the lamination device 300, the position information of the flexographic printing plate P2 is also read by the camera 322 and stored in the device control unit 330 (position information acquisition step). Thus, the position and angle of the flexographic printing plate P2 in coordinates are determined.

[0194] The bonding device 300 performs bonding of the flexible printing plate P2 based on the acquired bonding information and the position information of the flexible printing plate P2 (step K27).

[0195] <Other Method 4>

[0196] The identification information of the flexographic printing master P can also be the processing sequence information of the flexographic printing master P. In this case, for example, the plate-making system 1 has a job counter for counting the flexographic printing plates P2 to be laminated by the laminating device 300. The second information acquisition unit 341 can acquire the processing sequence information of the flexographic printing master P to be laminated by the laminating device 300 through the job counter, and acquire the corresponding laminating information established by the second information correspondence establishment unit 340 based on the processing sequence information of the flexographic printing master P.

[0197] Figure 14 This illustrates an example of the management control process. Furthermore, procedures not specifically mentioned in this example are similar to those in the first embodiment. Figure 8 The process shown is the same, and the explanation is omitted. First, in the drawing device 10, the processing order information of the flexible printing master P to be laser-drawn by the drawing device 10 as identification information is established with the bonding information of the bonding of these flexible printing master P in the bonding device 300. Figure 8The process T20). This correspondence establishment is performed by the second information correspondence establishment unit 340. For example, the processing order information of the first flexographic printing original P is number 1, and the processing order information of the next flexographic printing original P is number 2. In addition, in the laser drawing process (T2) of the drawing device 10, for the flexographic printing original P, a position detection mark used to detect the position information of the flexographic printing original P during the bonding process is drawn together with the desired image.

[0198] Afterwards, the flexographic printing master P is exposed by the exposure device 11 (step T4), developed by the developing device 12 (step T6), and cut by the cutting device 13 (step T13). Then, the flexographic printing plate P2 obtained by cutting is transferred to the laminating device 300 (step T21).

[0199] Next, in the laminating device 300, the flexible printing plate P2 is counted by a work counter (step T22), and its processing sequence information is stored, for example, in the device control unit 330. The laminating device 300 requests laminating information corresponding to the processing sequence information of the counted flexible printing plate P from the drawing device 10 (step T23). When the drawing device 10 receives the request signal (step T24), it sends the laminating information corresponding to the processing sequence information to the laminating device 300 (step T25), and the laminating device 300 receives the laminating information (step T26). The acquisition of this laminating information is performed by the second information acquisition unit 341. In addition, in the laminating device 300, the position information of the flexible printing plate P2 is also read by the camera 322 and stored in the device control unit 330 (position information acquisition step). Thus, the position and angle of the flexible printing plate P2 in coordinates are determined.

[0200] The bonding device 300 performs bonding of the flexible printing plate P2 based on the received bonding information and the position information of the flexible printing plate P2 (step T27).

[0201] Furthermore, the management control described in this embodiment can be combined with the management control in the first embodiment.

[0202] In this embodiment, such as Figure 15As shown, the bonding apparatus 300 includes a bonding machine worktable 350 with a conveyor. The bonding apparatus 300 can be configured to transfer the flexographic printing plate P2, which is conveyed to the bonding machine worktable 350 by the fourth conveying device 301, via the bonding machine worktable 350. By moving and rotating the sleeve S up and down, the flexographic printing plate P2, which has moved to the end of the bonding machine worktable 350, is bonded to the sleeve S. Alternatively, after being conveyed to the bonding machine worktable 350, the flexographic printing plate P2 can be conveyed to the desired position on the sleeve S by other conveying devices and bonded to the sleeve S. The position of the flexographic printing plate bonded to the sleeve S is crucial to ensure that the sleeve rotation is not deviated during printing. Furthermore, the bonding position of the flexographic printing plate along the sleeve's length is important for cutting the printed material after printing, and the initial bonding position of the flexographic printing plate is important for the rotation direction of the sleeve S. In this system, by conveying the flexographic printing plate to the desired position and rotating the sleeve S, the bonding position of the flexographic printing plate can be strictly controlled.

[0203] Alternatively, the laminating device 300 may also have a storage container 360 for storing the flexographic printing plate P2 before lamination. In this case, the laminating device 300 may also have a conveying device for storing and retrieving the flexographic printing plate P2 relative to the storage container 360. This conveying device may be a fourth conveying device 301, or it may be a conveying device provided separately from the fourth conveying device 301. In this case, the flexographic printing plate P2 obtained by the cutting device 13 is conveyed, for example, to the storage container 360 of the laminating device 300. The laminating device 300 selects the flexographic printing plate P2 to be laminated to the sleeve S from the cut plate and the plates stored in the storage container 360. Furthermore, the structure of the storage container 360 is not particularly limited, and it may, for example, have a conveyor and / or a shelf. Moreover, the shelf may be a structure with multiple drawers, or it may be a structure that automatically moves up and down. The laminating apparatus 300, having a storage 360, can appropriately perform actions such as distributing multiple flexographic printing plates P2 obtained from a flexographic printing master P to multiple sleeves S and laminating them, and also laminating multiple flexographic printing plates P2 obtained from multiple flexographic printing masters P together onto a single sleeve S within the laminating apparatus 300. By including such a storage process, the flexographic printing master P can be used more efficiently, thereby reducing unused portions during printing. Furthermore, Figure 13 The reading of the identification code (K22) of the bonding device 300 shown can be performed in the storage 360 ​​of the bonding device 300. Figure 14 The counting of the processing sequence (T22) shown by the work counter can also be performed in the storage 360. In addition, the storage 360 ​​can be provided inside the main body of the bonding device 300, or it can be configured to be adjacent to the main body of the bonding device 300 in the right-angle direction of the conveying direction X.

[0204] In the second embodiment, not only can it be as Figure 16 As shown, multiple flexible printing plates P2 cut from a single flexible printing original P can be bonded to a sleeve S (Case 1), or multiple flexible printing plates P2 cut from a single flexible printing original P can be bonded to multiple sleeves S (Case 2), or multiple flexible printing plates P2 cut from multiple flexible printing original P can be bonded to multiple sleeves S (Case 3).

[0205] For example, in case 1, three flexible printing plates P2 (1A, 1B, 1C) are cut from a flexible printing original P(1) and the flexible printing plates P2 (1A, 1B, 1C) are attached to a sleeve (1).

[0206] In scenario 2, five flexible printing plates P2 (1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E) are cut from a flexible printing original P(1), and the flexible printing plates P2 (1A, 1B, 1C) are attached to the sleeve S(1), and the flexible printing plates P2 (1D, 1E) are attached to the sleeve S(2).

[0207] In scenario 3, five flexographic printing plates P2 (1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E), (2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E), and (3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E) are cut from the three flexographic printing original plates P (1, 2, 3) respectively, and then attached to one of the five sleeves S (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

[0208] In these cases, by using the aforementioned storage device 360, the order in which each flexible printing plate P2 is attached to the sleeve S can be appropriately adjusted.

[0209] In the laminating apparatus 300, the lamination position of the sleeve S used for laminating the flexographic printing plate P2 can be managed on a per-plate-cut basis, based on the information label installed on the flexographic printing plate P2 after development, post-exposure, and plate cutting. This management can be performed by the apparatus control unit 330 or the system control unit 60, or both. The laminating apparatus 300 laminates the flexographic printing plate onto the sleeve S, but it can also laminate the flexographic printing plate onto the printing cylinder.

[0210] In the first and second embodiments described above, such as Figure 17As shown, the plate-making system 1 may include a storage 370 for storing a flexographic printing master P before it is drawn by the drawing device 10, and a plate supply device 371 for supplying the flexographic printing master from the storage 370 to the drawing device 10. The storage 370 may be configured to be adjacent to the drawing device 10 in the transport direction X, or it may be configured to be adjacent to the drawing device 10 in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction X. The plate supply device 371 may include rollers, etc., which have suction pads to transport the flexographic printing master P and transport and remove the protective sheet sandwiched between the flexographic printing master P. The rollers may have a vacuum section or an adhesive section to peel off and remove the cover sheet (covering film) provided to protect the infrared sensitive layer of the flexographic printing master P before drawing.

[0211] In this plate-making method, the flexographic printing master P, which is to be used before the drawing process, is stored in a storage device 370. The flexographic printing master P is then supplied from the storage device 370 to the drawing device 10 via a plate supply device 371. At this time, the covering film of the flexographic printing master P is also removed by the plate supply device 371. In this case, the storage of the flexographic printing master P before drawing and its supply and transfer to the drawing device 10 can also be performed automatically.

[0212] Additionally, the plate-making system 1 may also include a storage device 375 for storing the flexographic printing master plate P between the developing process of the developing apparatus 12 and the cutting process of the cutting apparatus 13, and a conveying device 376 for transferring the flexographic printing master plate P between the storage device 375 and the developing apparatus 12 or the cutting apparatus 13. In this case, for example, the flexographic printing master plate P after the developing process can be temporarily stored in the storage device 375, and transferred to the cutting apparatus 13 at necessary intervals.

[0213] In the first and second embodiments described above, such as Figure 18 As shown, the cutting device 13 may also include an inspection device 380 for inspecting the flexographic master P and / or the flexographic printing plate P2. For example, after the cutting process, the inspection device 380 inspects the flexographic printing plate P2 based on the information drawn by the drawing device 10. For example, the inspection device 380 may compare the drawing information drawn by the drawing device 10 with the information of the flexographic printing plate P2 obtained from the camera 381 of the cutting device 13, and check whether the processing of the flexographic printing plate P2 is appropriate based on their consistency rate. The cutting device 13 may also include a conveying device for accessing the flexographic printing plate P2 relative to the inspection device 380.

[0214] The inspection device 380 can also inspect the flexographic printing master P after development and before cutting. Furthermore, the inspection device 380 can also be installed in the developing device 12. In this case, the developing device 12 may also include a conveying device for accessing the flexographic printing master P relative to the inspection device 380. In this case, for example, it is possible to automatically detect flexographic printing plates P2 that are unsuitable for printing due to foreign matter or other contaminants, issue a warning, and automatically reject the flexographic printing plate P2.

[0215] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications or alterations will arise within the scope of the ideas described in the claims, and it should be understood that these modifications or alterations are also within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0216] For example, in all the embodiments and forms described above, the drawing device 10, exposure device 11, developing device 12, cutting device 13, first conveying device 14, second conveying device 15, third conveying device 16, bonding device 300, and fourth conveying device 301 of the plate-making system 1 may also have other structures. The developing device described in the above embodiments performs water developing, but it may also be organic solvent developing in which an organic solvent is used as the solvent in the developing solution. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to cases where thermal developing is performed without using a developing solution (solvent). In this case, the plate-making system may also be configured such that the developing device has the function of developing and post-exposing without drying. In the above embodiments, the drawing device 10, exposure device 11, developing device 12, cutting device 13, and bonding device 300 are arranged in a straight line, but in all the embodiments and forms described above, the drawing device 10, exposure device 11, developing device 12, and cutting device 13 (including the bonding device 300 if present) may also be arranged with an angle between some or all of the devices. For continuous plate transport, the angle between the devices is preferably 135° or less, more preferably 90° or less. An angle of 135° or less ensures sufficient space for operation and maintenance, and is therefore preferred. With an angled device configuration, a transport device with an adsorption pad, a rotating worktable, etc., can be used to rotate the flexographic printing plate and perform the process continuously. An angled device can shorten the length of the plate-making system 1 in one direction, which is effective when it is desired to shorten the length of the room used to house the plate-making system 1. For example, in the overall plate-making system 1, it can be configured to have an angle at only one location between the devices, or it can be configured to have angles at multiple locations between the devices, such as two locations. In the above embodiments, the plate-making process of the plate-making system is performed continuously without gaps, but as long as each process is performed sequentially, for example, a fixed-time interval can exist between each process.

[0217] Furthermore, the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from its spirit. For example, within the scope of ordinary inventiveness of those skilled in the art, a portion of the constituent elements of a certain embodiment and form can be added to other embodiments and forms. In addition, a portion of the constituent elements of a certain embodiment and form can be replaced with corresponding constituent elements in other embodiments and forms.

[0218] Industrial availability

[0219] This invention enables automatic and continuous plate making for flexographic printing master plates, thereby reducing the time required for plate making and being useful in stabilizing the quality of flexographic printing master plates.

[0220] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0221] 1: Plate-making system; 10: Drawing device; 11: Exposure device; 12: Developing device; 13: Cutting device; 14: First conveying device; 15: Second conveying device; 16: Third conveying device; 17: Control device; P: Flexographic printing master plate.

Claims

1. A platemaking system characterized by comprising: integrally provided with: a drawing device that performs laser drawing on a flexible printing original; an exposure device that performs exposure processing on the flexible printing original on which the laser drawing has been performed; a developing device that performs developing processing on the flexible printing original on which the exposure processing has been performed; a cutting device that performs cutting on the flexible printing original on which the developing processing has been performed; a first conveyance device that conveys the flexible printing original on which the laser drawing has been performed by the drawing device to the exposure device; a second conveyance device that conveys the flexible printing original on which the exposure processing has been performed by the exposure device to the developing device; and a third conveyance device that conveys the flexible printing original on which the developing processing has been performed by the developing device to the cutting device, the plate making system further includes a control device that controls a series of plate making processes of the flexible printing original performed by the drawing device, the exposure device, the developing device, and the cutting device, the control device is configured to manage the series of plate making processes so that the flexible printing original on which the laser drawing has been performed in the drawing device is cut as desired in the cutting device, the control device has: an information correspondence establishing section that establishes a correspondence between identification information of the flexible printing original on which the laser drawing is performed by the drawing device and cutting information for cutting as desired by the cutting device with respect to the flexible printing original; and an information acquisition section that acquires the identification information of the flexible printing original to be cut by the cutting device and acquires the cutting information for which the correspondence is established by the information correspondence establishing section based on the identification information, the control device is configured to cut the flexible printing original in the cutting device based on the cutting information acquired by the information acquisition section, the information acquisition section acquires the identification information sequentially transmitted from the drawing device to the exposure device, the developing device, and the cutting device.

2. The plate making system according to claim 1, wherein the control device has a device control section provided to each of the drawing device, the exposure device, the developing device, and the cutting device and configured to control each of the devices, and a system control section configured to control the drawing device, the exposure device, the developing device, the cutting device, the first conveyance device, the second conveyance device, and the third conveyance device to control the plate making system as a whole.

3. The plate making system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the drawing device, the exposure device, the developing device, and the cutting device are arranged in a straight line or with an angle between the devices.

4. The plate making system according to claim 1, wherein the identification information of the flexible printing original is transmitted directly and / or via a composite path passing through the plate making system as a whole between the drawing device and the exposure device, between the exposure device and the developing device, and between the developing device and the cutting device. ​ 5. The plate making system according to claim 1, wherein the drawing device draws the identification information on the flexographic printing master, the information acquisition section acquires identification information drawn on the flexographic printing master to be cut by the cutting device, and acquires cutting information for which a correspondence has been established by the information correspondence establishing section, based on the identification information.

6. The plate making system according to claim 5, wherein at least one reading device selected from a video camera and a bar code reader for reading the identification information drawn on the flexographic printing master is further provided, the information acquisition section acquires the identification information by converting data read by the reading device into binary data.

7. The plate making system according to claim 1, wherein the identification information is process order information of plate making of a flexographic printing master, the information acquisition section acquires process order information of a flexographic printing master to be cut by the cutting device, and acquires cutting information for which a correspondence has been established by the information correspondence establishing section, based on the process order information of the flexographic printing master.

8. The plate making system according to claim 7, wherein a job counter that counts flexographic printing masters to be cut by the cutting device is further provided, the information acquisition section acquires the process order information of the flexographic printing master using the job counter.

9. The plate making system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the developing device develops, dries, and post-exposes by an integrated unit, and continuously conveys a flexographic printing master by a conveying device having a plate support member for conveying the flexographic printing master, a device for installing the plate support member to the flexographic printing master is provided to a convey-in portion of the unit of the developing device, and a device for detaching the plate support member from the flexographic printing master is provided to a convey-out portion of the unit of the developing device.

10. The plate making system according to claim 9, wherein the control device calculates a desired developing amount of a flexographic printing master to be developed by the developing device based on information of the flexographic printing master laser-drawn by the drawing device, and adjusts developing ability of a developing solution based on the developing amount.

11. The plate making system according to claim 9, wherein the developing device has a function of developing, drying, and post-exposing, the control device controls an exposure lamp so that the temperature of the flexographic printing master in the post-exposure is fixed.

12. The plate making system according to claim 9, wherein the developing by the developing device is water developing. further comprising:

13. The system for making a plate according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, a laminating device that laminates a flexographic printing plate obtained by cutting to a sleeve or a printing cylinder; and a fourth conveying device that conveys the flexographic printing plate obtained by cutting by the cutting device to the laminating device, ​ The plate-making system integrally has the drawing device, the exposure device, the developing device, the cutting device, the first conveyance device, the second conveyance device, the third conveyance device, the fourth conveyance device, and the laminating device, The control device controls a series of plate-making processes of the flexible printing master and the flexible printing plate by the drawing device, the exposure device, the developing device, the cutting device, and the laminating device.

14. The plate-making system according to claim 13, wherein The control device further has a device control section provided to the laminating device and controlling the laminating device.

15. The plate-making system according to claim 13, wherein The drawing device, the exposure device, the developing device, the cutting device, and the laminating device are arranged in a straight line or with an angle between the devices.

16. The plate-making system according to claim 13, wherein The control device is configured to manage a series of plate-making processes so that the flexible printing master on which laser drawing is performed in the drawing device is laminated to a desired position of the sleeve or the printing cylinder in the laminating device.

17. The plate-making system according to claim 13, wherein The fourth conveyance device is a mechanical arm having a suction pad of at least one material selected from the group consisting of elastomeric materials of polybutadiene rubber, polyacrylonitrile butadiene rubber, polyurethane, polysiloxane, and fluorine-based rubber.

18. The plate-making system according to claim 13, wherein The laminating device is configured to convey the flexible printing plate to the sleeve or the printing cylinder by the fourth conveyance device, and directly laminate the flexible printing plate to the sleeve or the printing cylinder while rotating the sleeve or the printing cylinder.

19. The plate-making system according to claim 13, wherein The laminating device has a laminating worktable having a conveyer, and is configured to transfer the flexible printing plate conveyed to the laminating worktable by the fourth conveyance device on the laminating worktable, and laminate the flexible printing plate to the sleeve or the printing cylinder while rotating the sleeve or the printing cylinder to which a buffer tape is attached.

20. The plate-making system according to claim 13, wherein The laminating device has a storage for storing the flexible printing plate before lamination.

21. The system for making a plate of claim 1 or 2, wherein, Further comprising: a storage storing the flexible printing master before drawing by the drawing device, and a master supply device for automatically supplying the flexible printing master from the storage to the drawing device and removing a cover film of the flexible printing master.

22. The plate-making system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein An inspection device having a camera for inspecting the flexible printing master developed by the developing device and / or the flexible printing plate cut by the cutting device is provided.

23. The plate-making system according to claim 22, wherein The inspection device inspects the flexible printing master and / or the flexible printing plate based on information drawn by the drawing device.

24. A platemaking system characterized by comprising: integrally provided with: a drawing device that performs laser drawing on a flexographic printing master; an exposure device that performs exposure processing on the flexographic printing master on which the laser drawing has been performed; a developing device that performs developing processing on the flexographic printing master on which the exposure processing has been performed; a cutting device that performs cutting on the flexographic printing master on which the developing processing has been performed; a mounting device that mounts the flexographic printing plate obtained by the cutting on a sleeve or a printing cylinder; a first conveyance device that conveys the flexographic printing master on which the laser drawing has been performed by the drawing device to the exposure device; a second conveyance device that conveys the flexographic printing master on which the exposure processing has been performed by the exposure device to the developing device; a third conveyance device that conveys the flexographic printing master on which the developing processing has been performed by the developing device to the cutting device; and a fourth conveyance device that conveys the flexographic printing plate obtained by the cutting by the cutting device to the mounting device, the plate making system further includes a control device that controls a series of plate making processes of the flexographic printing master and the flexographic printing plate performed by the drawing device, the exposure device, the developing device, the cutting device, and the mounting device, the control device is configured to manage the series of plate making processes so that the flexographic printing master on which the laser drawing has been performed in the drawing device is mounted on a desired position of the sleeve or the printing cylinder in the mounting device, the control device includes: an information correspondence establishing section that establishes correspondence between identification information of the flexographic printing master on which the laser drawing is performed by the drawing device and mounting information for desired mounting by the mounting device with respect to the flexographic printing master; and an information acquisition section that acquires identification information of the flexographic printing plate to be mounted by the mounting device and acquires the mounting information for which the correspondence is established by the information correspondence establishing section based on the identification information, the control device is configured to mount the flexographic printing plate in the mounting device based on the mounting information acquired by the information acquisition section, the information acquisition section acquires the identification information sequentially conveyed from the drawing device to the exposure device, the developing device, the cutting device, and the mounting device.

25. The plate making system according to claim 24, wherein the drawing device draws the identification information on the flexographic printing master, the information acquisition section acquires the identification information drawn on the flexographic printing master to be subjected to mounting of the flexographic printing plate by the mounting device and acquires the mounting information for which the correspondence is established by the information correspondence establishing section based on the identification information.

26. The plate making system according to claim 25, wherein the identification information of the flexographic printing plate subjected to the mounting is identification information laser drawn at least twice on the flexographic printing master in the drawing device.

27. The plate making system according to claim 25 or 26, wherein ​ The attaching device or the fourth conveyance device is provided with at least one reading device selected from a camera and a bar code reader for reading the identification information drawn on the flexible printing master, The information acquisition section acquires the identification information by converting data read by the reading device into binary data.

28. The plate making system according to claim 27, wherein The reading device also acquires position information of the flexible printing plate obtained by the cutting, The plate making system is configured to attach the flexible printing plate in the attaching device based on the attachment information acquired by the information acquisition section and the position information acquired by the reading device.

29. The plate making system according to claim 24, wherein The identification information is process order information of the plate making of the flexible printing master, The information acquisition section acquires process order information of the flexible printing plate to be attached by the attaching device, and acquires the attachment information for which the correspondence is established by the information correspondence establishing section based on the process order information of the flexible printing master.

30. A method of making a lithographic printing plate characterised in that, The following processes are automatically performed in order based on the identification information of the flexible printing master: a drawing process of performing laser drawing on the flexible printing master; an exposure process of performing exposure processing on the flexible printing master on which the laser drawing is performed; a development process of performing development processing on the flexible printing master on which the exposure processing is performed; and a cutting process of performing cutting on the flexible printing master on which the development processing is performed. A series of plate making processes including the drawing process, the exposure process, the development process, and the cutting process are managed so that the flexible printing master on which the laser drawing is performed in the drawing process is desirably cut in the cutting process, The plate making method further includes the following processes: an information correspondence establishing process of establishing correspondence between the identification information of the flexible printing master on which the laser drawing is performed in the drawing process and cutting information about the flexible printing master for desirably cutting in the cutting process; and an information acquisition process of acquiring the identification information of the flexible printing master to be subjected to the cutting process, and acquiring the cutting information for which the correspondence is established in the information correspondence establishing process based on the identification information, In the cutting process, the flexible printing master is cut based on the cutting information acquired in the information acquisition process, In the information acquisition process, the identification information is acquired which is sequentially conveyed from a drawing device for performing the drawing process to an exposure device for performing the exposure process, a development device for performing the development process, and a cutting device for performing the cutting process.

31. The plate making method according to claim 30, wherein ​ ​ The identification information of the flexible printing original plate is transmitted directly and / or via a composite path passing through the entire plate making system between the drawing device for performing the drawing step and the exposure device for performing the exposure step, between the exposure device and the developing device for performing the developing step, and between the developing device and the cutting device for performing the cutting step.

32. The plate making method according to claim 30, wherein In the drawing step, the identification information is drawn on the flexible printing original plate, In the information acquisition step, the identification information drawn on the flexible printing original plate to be subjected to the cutting step is acquired, and based on the identification information, the cutting information corresponding to which is established in the information correspondence establishing step is acquired.

33. The plate making method according to claim 32, wherein In the information acquisition step, the identification information drawn on the flexible printing original plate is read by a reading device, whereby the identification information is acquired.

34. The plate making method according to claim 30, wherein The identification information is processing order information of plate making of a flexible printing original plate, In the information acquisition step, the processing order information of the flexible printing original plate to be subjected to the cutting step is acquired, and based on the processing order information of the flexible printing original plate, the cutting information corresponding to which is established in the information correspondence establishing step is acquired.

35. The plate making method according to claim 34, wherein In the information acquisition step, the processing order information of the flexible printing original plate to be subjected to the cutting step is acquired by counting the flexible printing original plate by a job counter.

36. The plate making method according to any one of claims 30 to 35, wherein The developing step has a step of developing using a developing solution, drying, and post-exposure.

37. The plate making method according to claim 36, wherein Based on the information of the flexible printing original plate subjected to laser drawing in the drawing step, the desired developing amount of the flexible printing original plate to be developed in the developing step is calculated, and based on the developing amount, the developing ability of the developing solution is adjusted.

38. The plate making method according to claim 36, wherein The developing step has a step of developing, drying, and post-exposure, In the developing step, the exposure lamp is controlled so that the temperature of the flexible printing original plate in the post-exposure is fixed.

39. The plate making method according to claim 36, wherein The developing performed in the developing step is water developing.

40. The plate making method according to any one of claims 30 to 35, wherein A lamination step of laminating the flexible printing plate obtained by the cutting to a sleeve or a printing cylinder is further provided, The drawing step, the exposure step, the developing step, the cutting step, and the lamination step are sequentially and automatically performed.

41. The plate making method according to claim 40, wherein A series of plate-making processes including the drawing process, the exposure process, the developing process, the cutting process, and the laminating process are managed so that the flexographic printing master that has been subjected to laser drawing in the drawing process is laminated to a desired position of the sleeve or the printing cylinder in the laminating process.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein, The plate-making method includes the following processes: A second information correspondence establishing process in which identification information of the flexographic printing master that is subjected to laser drawing in the drawing process is made to correspond to lamination information about the flexographic printing master that is used for desired lamination in the laminating process; and A second information acquiring process in which identification information of the flexographic printing master that is to be laminated in the laminating process is acquired, and lamination information that has been made to correspond in the second information correspondence establishing process is acquired on the basis of the identification information, In the laminating process, lamination of the flexographic printing master is performed on the basis of the lamination information acquired in the second information acquiring process.

43. The plate-making method according to claim 40, wherein In the laminating process, a plurality of flexographic printing masters cut out from one or a plurality of flexographic printing masters are laminated to one or a plurality of sleeves or printing cylinders.

44. The plate-making method according to any one of claims 30 to 35, wherein An inspection process is provided in which the flexographic printing master after the developing process and / or the flexographic printing master after the cutting process is inspected using an image captured by a camera.

45. The plate-making method according to claim 44, wherein In the inspection process, the flexographic printing master and / or the flexographic printing master is inspected on the basis of information drawn in the drawing process.

46. The plate-making method according to any one of claims 30 to 35, wherein Further comprising a process of taking out a flexographic printing master from a storage that stores the flexographic printing master before the drawing process, and supplying the flexographic printing master after removing a cover film to a drawing device.

47. A method of making a lithographic printing plate characterized by, The following processes are automatically performed in order on the basis of identification information of the flexographic printing master: A drawing process in which laser drawing is performed on the flexographic printing master; An exposure process in which exposure processing is performed on the flexographic printing master after the laser drawing; A developing process in which developing processing is performed on the flexographic printing master after the exposure processing; and A cutting process in which cutting is performed on the flexographic printing master after the developing processing, The plate-making method further includes a laminating process in which the flexographic printing master obtained by the cutting is laminated to a sleeve or a printing cylinder, The drawing process, the exposure process, the developing process, the cutting process, and the laminating process are automatically performed in order, The plate-making method further includes the following processes: An information correspondence establishing process in which identification information of the flexographic printing master that is subjected to laser drawing in the drawing process is made to correspond to lamination information about the flexographic printing master that is used for desired lamination in the laminating process; and A second information acquiring process in which identification information of the flexographic printing master that is to be laminated in the laminating process is acquired, and lamination information that has been made to correspond in the second information correspondence establishing process is acquired on the basis of the identification information, the information acquisition process, acquiring identification information of the flexographic printing plate to be subjected to the attaching process, and acquiring, based on the identification information, attaching information that has been established in the information correspondence establishing process, in the attaching process, attaching the flexographic printing plate based on the attaching information acquired in the information acquisition process, in the information acquisition process, acquiring identification information sequentially transmitted from a drawing device for performing the drawing process, an exposure device for performing the exposure process, a developing device for performing the developing process, a cutting plate device for performing the cutting plate process, and an attaching device for performing the attaching process.

48. The plate making method according to claim 47, wherein in the drawing process, the identification information is drawn on the flexographic printing master, in the information acquisition process, acquiring identification information drawn on the flexographic printing master to be subjected to the attaching process, and acquiring, based on the identification information, attaching information that has been established in the information correspondence establishing process.

49. The plate making method according to claim 47, wherein the identification information is process order information of plate making of the flexographic printing master, in the information acquisition process, acquiring process order information of the flexographic printing master to be subjected to the attaching process, and acquiring, based on the process order information of the flexographic printing master, attaching information that has been established in the information correspondence establishing process.

50. The plate making method according to any one of claims 47 to 49, further comprising a storage process in which the flexographic printing plate obtained by performing the cutting plate process is transported to a storage and stored.

51. The plate making method according to claim 50, wherein further comprising a position information acquisition process in which position information of the flexographic printing plate obtained by performing the cutting plate process is acquired, the attaching process of the flexographic printing plate and / or the storage process is performed based on the attaching information acquired in the information acquisition process and the position information acquired in the position information acquisition process. ​

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