Agfa Gevaert Nv

Agfa-gevaert

Agfa Graphics Nv

Jan Claes

Bart Peter Verhoest

Bartholomeus Verlinden

Luc J Vanmaele

Paul J Coppens

Jean-Marie O Dewanckele

Patrick Van Den Bergen

Bart J Verlinden

Leo N Vackier

Marc Van Den Zegel

Ludo Van Schepdael

Marc J Scheerders

Bert Vackier

Freddy J Van Humbeeck

Emiel Michiels

Dave Van Den Bergh

A sleeve segment for flexography has the shape of a sleeve with a first circular side containing a female registration element and a second circular side containing a male registration element. Also a method for manufacturing a flexographic sleeve segment, segmented sleeves and methods of flexographic printing.

Sleeves and sleeve segments for flexography

A silver halide coated photographic material is disclosed comprising sensitized silver bromide or silver bromoiodide tabular grains having an average thickness of less than 0.30 &mgr;m, in at least one light-sensitive layer and which is characterised in that it further contains in the said light-sensitive layer and/or at least one non-light sensitive layer at least one polyoxyethylene compound comprising from about 20 to 100 mole percent recurring units of the formula (Ia)

Spectrally sensitized tabular grain photographic materials

A photographic sheet material processing apparatus has a plurality of treatment cells (12', 12', 12'') mounted one above another in a vertical stack to define a substantially vertical sheet material path (20) through the apparatus. The apparatus is cleaned by feeding a cleaning liquid to a first cell (12'), allowing at least a portion of said cleaning liquid to pass by gravity from said first cell (12') to at least one further cell (12'), and discharging said cleaning liquid from the apparatus. This process provides a convenient and efficient method of cleaning a vertical photographic sheet material processing apparatus.

Photographic sheet material processing apparatus and a method of cleaning

Apparatus for exposing and processing a photographic recording material, generally called imaging element, comprising (i) an exposing part, generally called imagesetter, in which the imaging element is imagewise exposed, and (ii) a processing part, generally called processor, in which the imaging element is wet processed, characterized in that the exposed imaging element is fed automatically from the imagesetter into the processor and in that the processing is carried out along a substantially vertical path. Also disclosed is a method for recording an image by using the above described apparatus for exposing and processing an imaging element.

Image recording apparatus comprising an imagesetter and a vertical

A roller, for use in a photographic sheet material processing apparatus, comprises a core (32) provided with a covering of relatively soft material (34). The roller has a length (L) of from 0.4 to 2.0 m. The core has a maximum diameter (D) of less than 0.04*L m. The roller is characterised by having a deflection as measured by a specific test and a weight (W) below levels defined by a specified boundary condition formulae (1) & (2). Rollers satisfying this condition are characterised in that the core is formed of a composite material comprising fibers and a resin matrix. Such rollers have a relatively small diameter, are light and yet still have sufficient stiffness to avoid substantial wrinkling of the sheet material in the apparatus and to satisfy the requirements of high processing quality.

Roller for use in a photographic sheet material processing apparatus

A method is disclosed for diagnosing the cause of bad performance of a printing plate obtained using the silver salt diffusion transfer process. According to the method a problem table is used to relate a problem to one or more possible causes. A test table is used to identify tests to verify a possible cause of the problem and a toolkit is provided including equipment needed for carrying out tests. Using the method a technician can identify possible causes for a problem, identify the tests capable of verifying one or more causes and perform the tests to confirm the cause of the problem. In the event a cause is not confirmed the technician can investigate other possible causes.

Toolkit and method for diagnosing a problem of bad performance of a

Apparatus for processing a photographic sheet material in at least one processing stage which includes a feed roller array for transporting the material to or from the stage. The feed roller array has a pair of rollers supported on shafts for rotation and mounted with one superposed generally above the other. The upper roller is driven in a transport direction by a drive mechanism acting on an end of its shaft. The opposite ends of the shafts of the two rollers are journaled in frame members with the lower roller being supported for limited independent movement toward and away from the upper roller. The lower roller is normally biased into contact with the upper roller and is adapted to be displaced vertically away from the upper roller by a cam arrangement acting on the ends of its shaft. The upper roller is adapted to be shifted axially to disengage an end of its shaft from its journal to permit the upper roller to be removed manually from the apparatus.

Photographic processing apparatus

Provided is an apparatus for processing a photographic sheet (9) which comprises at least one station (4) with inlet and outlet pressure roller pairs (42 to 45) for transporting the sheet, spray means (22) for spraying processing liquid (21) onto at least one surface of the sheet, characterised in that the station (4) comprises sealing means for maintaining a liquid seal (58, 59) between at least one roller of at least one roller pair and an adjacent wall of the washing station. Also provided is an apparatus for making an offset printing plate according to the silver salt diffusion transfer process, using the described station (4) as washing station. Also provided is a method for making an offset printing plate using the above described apparatus for processing an imaging element.

Apparatus and method for making a lithographic offset plate by the

A method and apparatus for making an offset printing plate according to the silver salt diffusion transfer process comprises the step of washing the imaging element by applying a curtain of an aqueous medium onto the surface of the element at its silver halide emulsion layer side, across the width of the element, substantially transverse to its processing direction, and in countercurrent to the processing direction of the element.

Method and apparatus for making a lithographic offset plate by the

A photographic sheet material processing apparatus comprises a pair of processing rollers, means for feeding sheet material to be processed between the processing rollers. Processing liquid distribution means supply processing liquid to the rollers. The processing liquid distribution means comprise an open-topped distributor channel positioned adjacent the processing rollers, and means for feeding processing liquid to the distributor channel along the length thereof. The distributor channel is formed with a plurality of apertures through which processing liquid passes to the rollers. Overflow means associated with the distributor channel maintain a constant liquid head therein.

Apparatus for processing photographic sheet material

An apparatus for processing photographic sheet material comprises a housing, a first roller shaft supported within the housing and first and second processing rollers rotatable on respective roller shafts supported within the housing. The second processing roller lies substantially parallel to the first, and in line contact therewith. Biasing means bias the roller shafts towards each other. Means are provided for feeding photographic sheet material between the rollers. Each of the rollers has a radially outer zone formed of deformable material and has a radial dimension profile which varies along the length thereof. Such a roller construction enables the bleeding of images on aluminium lithographic printing plates processed by the apparatus to be reduced.

The area of moving rectangular sheet material, such as exposed photographic material needing photographic development, is calculated by advancing the sheet material at a known speed along a straight path with one axis, e.g. the length, of the material aligned with the path pass dual sensors. The first sensor determines the length of the sheet material, e.g. by measuring the time interval for the leading and trailing edges of the material to pass the sensor, from which in conjunction with the known speed of advance, the length can be calculated. The second sensor is elongated and extends angularly across the path of advance at a fixed bias angle .alpha. and measures the time interval for the leading and trailing corners (relative to the angular orientation of the second sensor) to pass the second sensor, from which the distance separating such corners along the path can be calculated. From the difference between the latter distance and the length and the bias angle, the width of the sheet material can be calculated by a basic trigonometric function and the area is the multiple of the length and width. Preferably, the second sensor is sufficiently long to accommodate different sizes of sheet material.

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Mortsel, Belgium

Jan Claes