Agfa Corporation

Aron M Mirmelshteyn

Thomas P Marincic

Joseph Lyons

Philip A Rombult

Mark E Tellam

Mark G Brook, Iii

Joseph R Lyons, Jr

Anthony J Mancuso

John A MacNeill

Matthew T Kowalczyk

A plate cassette loader for a platesetter comprises a cassette holder for receiving a cassette, containing a stack of plates. A cassette inverter then rotates this cassette to a feed position in which the plates can be fed into the imaging engine of the platesetter. In this way, the somewhat unwieldy process of loading plates into the imaging engine is handled by the cassette inverter, in combination with the fact that the stack of plates, contained in the cassette, can be loaded in one step, rather than requiring the feeding of individual plates by a dedicated operator.

Plate cassette loader for platesetter

An apparatus and method for supporting and feeding printing plates in an imaging system. The apparatus includes a vacuum system for picking up an edge of a top printing plate from a stack of printing plates, and a peeling system including a pair of rotatable belts, a plurality of plate feed beams attached to, and extending between, the pair of rotatable belts, and a drive system for rotating the pair of rotatable belts to displace the plurality of plate feed beams between the top printing plate and an underlying printing plate in the stack of printing plates, thereby peeling the top printing plate from the stack of printing plates.

Apparatus and method for peeling a printing plate from a stack of plates

A substrate manager for a substrate exposure machine is used, in one example, as a platesetter. As such, it comprises a substrate storage system, containing one or more stacks of substrates, such as plates in one implementation. A substrate picker is provided for picking substrates from the stack of substrates. The substrates are then handed to a transfer system that conveys the substrates to an imaging engine. A substrate registration system is provided upstream of the imaging engine. The substrate registration system includes (1) a substrate transfer system for supporting and conveying substrates and (2) at least one engaging member for pushing the substrates on the substrate transfer system to a desired position. Preferably, two sets of engaging members are used, one on either side of the plates. This allows angular as well as positional registration. The substrate transfer system includes a frame and a series of rollers for supporting the substrates.

Plate registering system and method of operation

An apparatus and method for picking a single printing plate from a stack of printing plates. The apparatus includes a plurality of suction cups, a peeler, a drive system for displacing the suction cups and the peeler against the surface of the top printing plate on the stack, a vacuum source for supplying a vacuum to the suction cups to secure the suction cups against the surface of the top printing plate, and a system for rotatably displacing the suction cups relative to the peeler to peel a portion of the top printing plate off of the stack. The center line of rotation of the displacing system is located at a contact point between the peeler and the surface of the top printing plate. This prevents any relative motion of the top printing plate against the next, underlying printing plate on the stack during the peeling operation.

Apparatus and method for picking a single printing plate from a stack of printing plates

The present invention provides an input roller system for displacing a printing plate toward and against a plurality of registration pins located on an external drum of an imaging system. The input roller system deskews the printing plate relative to the registration pins.

Input nip roller system for external drum imaging system

A vacuum system is provided including a vacuum source and plurality of suction cups coupled to the vacuum source, wherein at least one of the suction cups is coupled to the vacuum source using a non-constricted fitting, and wherein at least one of the suction cups is coupled to vacuum source using a fixed orifice fitting. The vacuum system is configured to pick a top printing plate from the stack of printing plates, such that each suction cup coupled to the vacuum source using a non-constricted fitting is configured to always engage the top printing plate.

Apparatus and method for picking printing plates of various sizes

A flat-bed scanner for scanning an original document, comprising a scanner housing and a scan carriage movably disposed for motion relative to the scanner housing. A sensing system is mounted to the scan carriage for scanning the original document. A media holder supports the original document for scanning along a scan line such that the original document is positioned at an object focal plane of the sensing system. The media holder support system dynamically maintains a portion of the original document proximate to the scan line coincident with the object focal plane during scanning. The support system includes a first mounting device pivotally attaching a first end of the media holder to the housing for allowing a pivot motion of the media holder with respect to the scanner housing and a second and a third mounting device are affixed and movable with the scan carriage for movably supporting the media holder during the motion of the carriage. The second and third mounting device support the media holder substantially below the scan line and proximate to marginal edges of the media holder outside the field of view of the scan line.

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Swampscott, MA, United States of America

Aron M Mirmelshteyn