Western Litho Plate and Supply Company

John W Powers

Daniel G Choate

Kelly T McMasters

Harry J Copeland

Teriy Shelton

Richard P Simonian

Ronald A Rinke

Michael Gonseth

Ronald L Raby

A conveyor conveys first and second plates to an exposure station. First and second laser imagers mounted at the exposure station above the support generate first and second laser beams adapted to sweep over the first and second plates, respectively. A mechanism effects simultaneous relative movement between the first laser imager and the first plate and between the second laser imager and the second plate. A computer system receives source image data corresponding to first and second source images, which correspond to first and second print images to be formed on the first and second plates, respectively. The computer system generates a first set of electrical signals corresponding to the first source image which are provided to the first laser imager, and generates a second set of electrical signals corresponding to the second source image which are provided to the second laser imager. The laser imagers are responsive to the electrical signals to modulate the first and second laser beams in synchronization with the relative movement between the laser imagers and the plates. As a result, the first laser beam is adapted to expose certain portions of the first plate to the first beam to form the first print image on the first plate and the second laser beam is adapted to expose certain portions of the second plate to the second beam to form the second print image on the second plate.

Apparatus for and method of exposing lithographic plates

Apparatus for subjecting photosensitive letterpress lithographic plates to a pre-exposure operation and then to a main exposure operation. The apparatus includes a support for supporting a letterpress plate at a pre-exposure station, a pre-exposure system for pre-exposing a plate on the support, an infeed conveyor system for conveying a pre-exposed plate from the pre-exposure station to a main exposure station, a main exposure system at the main exposure station for exposing a pre-exposed plate, and an outfeed conveyor system for conveying a plate away from the main exposure station.

Plate exposing apparatus and method

A system for generating from unimaged plates a plurality of exposed lithographic plates to be provided to a press for use in printing. The system is for use with a film exposer for exposing a negative which includes an identifying code identifying the negative. An exposing station has a first reader for reading the identifying code and has an exposer for exposing a number of unimaged plates to generate an image thereon from the exposed negative. The number of exposed plates corresponds to the identifying code read by the reader. A bending station has a second reader for reading the identifying code on the exposed plates and has an optical punch bender for bending the exposed plates in accordance with information corresponding to the identifying code. An inspection station has a third reader for reading the identifying code on the bent plates and has an inspection unit for inspecting the bent plates to determine whether a particular bent plate has parameters which correspond to parameters defined by the identifying code of the particular bent plate whereby inspected plates which pass inspection and have labels thereon are provided to the press for use in printing.

System for automatically exposing and labeling a plurality of

Apparatus for exposing photosensitized plates to light through films. The apparatus has an infeed end, an outfeed end forward of the infeed end, opposite sides, an exposure station forward of the infeed end at which a plate is exposed to light through a film, and a carriage for carrying plates and films in a forward direction from a loading station at the infeed end of the machine to the exposure station. The apparatus includes a support for supporting a stack of plates at one side of the apparatus generally adjacent the infeed end of the apparatus. A conveyor system conveys a plate in side-to-side direction with respect to the apparatus from the one side of the apparatus to the loading station. A transfer mechanism removes a top plate from the stack of plates and transfers it to the conveyor system for conveyance to the loading station.

Apparatus for and method of exposing photosensitized plates

Lithographic plates have an identifying folio and an image thereon. The image corresponds to a print image to be printed on sheet material such as newspaper stock. An image camera optically examines the identifying folios of each of the lithographic plates to ascertain folio information, and optically examines the images of each of the lithographic plates to ascertain image information including registration information and exposure information. A CPU records in an the electronic memory the ascertained folio information of the identifying folio of each lithographic plate and records in the electronic memory the corresponding ascertained image information of the image of each lithographic plate. An operator using a keyboard can access the image information of a particular plate recorded in the electronic memory by reference to the corresponding recorded folio information for the particular plate whereby the folio information and the image information are cross-referenced. The image information may also be compared to predefined information and the difference is stored and cross-referenced to the folio information.

Method and apparatus for automatically inspecting a lithographic plate

Apparatus for bending a lithographic plate having an image thereon, comprising an inspection system for (a) inspecting a plate held on a table at an inspection station, (b) determining the extent to which the plate needs to be adjusted relative to a predetermined reference position, and (c) generating a signal indicative of any such adjustment. A first positioning mechanism responsive to the signal automatically moves the table to position a plate on the table for a bending operation. The apparatus also includes a bending mechanism for bending a plate on the table when the plate is positioned for a bending operation, and a control system for selectively operating said apparatus in either an inspection mode of operation in which the inspection system and the first positioning mechanism are operable to inspect the plate on the table and then to move the table to position the plate for said bending operation, or in an inspection bypass mode of operation in which a second positioning mechanism is adapted to position the plate for a bending operation without prior inspection of the plate.

Method of and apparatus for punching and bending a lithographic plate

Method of and apparatus for punching and bending a lithographic plate to match a particular press so that when the plate is subsequently mounted on that particular press, it is oriented to print a properly positioned image on a print surface. The method comprises the steps of (A) inspecting a plate at an inspection station to identify the plate and to determine the position of a registration mark on the plate, (B) comparing the position of the registration mark to a predetermined reference position, (C) identifying the particular press on which the plate is to be mounted, (D) determining whether the position of the registration mark on the plate is to be adjusted relative to the reference position to a compensating position to compensate for potential misalignment of the plate image on a print surface when the plate is mounted on said particular press, (E) positioning the plate at the inspection station in a final plate punching position in which the registration mark on the plate is either in the reference position in the event it is determined there is to be no compensating adjustment, or in said compensating position in the event it is determined there is to be a compensating adjustment, (F) punching the plate when it is in its said final plate punching position, and (G) bending the plate after it has been punched.

Automated apparatus and method for exposing lithographic plates to light through films and masks. The method involves placing a plate, film and mask at an exposure station in superposed relation to one another with the film overlying the plate and the mask overlying the film, exposing the plate to light through the mask and film at the exposure station, raising the mask off the film to a raised position, gripping the film and moving it relative to the plate to expose a portion of the plate therebelow, gripping the exposed portion of the plate, gripping the mask in its raised position, moving the film, plate and mask forwardly while so gripped to a discharge station, and releasing the film, plate and mask at the discharge station.

Photographic printing apparatus and method

Apparatus for exposing photosensitized plates to light through films, having a window movable up and down at an exposure station adapted to grip a film after an exposure of a plate and to lift the film away from the plate, plates and films being fed in under its raised window from a loading station, films being discharged from the bottom of the raised window to a tray located above the loading system in a position wherein it does not interfere with manual loading of plates and films in the apparatus.

Photographic printing apparatus

A method of automatically inspecting an exposed and bent lithographic plate having an image thereon to determine whether the image is in proper registration relative to the plate. The plate has front, rear, and opposite side edges. The method comprises the steps of automatically conveying a lithographic plate from bending apparatus to an inspection station, the plate having been bent by the bending apparatus to form flanges along the front and rear edges of the plate to enable mounting of the plate on a press, moving the lithographic plate into a fixed reference position at the inspection station and holding the plate in that position, automatically inspecting the plate when it is in its fixed reference position to determine whether the image is in proper registration relative to the plate, and automatically conveying the plate from the inspection station to a first destination if the image is not in proper registration relative to the plate and to a second destination of the image is in proper registration relative to the plate. Apparatus for carrying out this method is also disclosed.

Method of and apparatus for automatically inspecting an exposed and bent

Apparatus for selectively exposing photosensitized plates to light through films operable selectively in a first mode for exposing plates of single newspaper page size to light through films of such size, and in a second mode for exposing plates of double newspaper page size to light through films of such size, utilizing a first window frame with two single-page size windows therein in the first mode and a second window frame with a double-page size window therein in the second mode.

A method of and apparatus for exposing boards which are photosensitive on both sides, for production of printed circuits on both sides, to light through films on both sides in which a lower film, a board, and an upper film in registered position on a light-transmitting platen are pressed down by a window and exposed to light on both sides through the platen and window, the window, gripping the upper film, is raised, the exposed board is removed, another board to be exposed is applied to the lower film on the platen, the window is lowered to apply the upper film to the new board, and the procedure repeated.

Photographic printing method and apparatus

An apparatus for exposing boards which are photosensitive on both sides, for production of printed circuits on both sides, to light through films on both sides in which a lower film, a board, and an upper film in registered position on a light-transmitting platen are pressed down by a window and exposed to light on both sides through the platen and window. A pair of registration pins are adjustably positioned in spaced relation along an edge of the platen and corresponding holes in the boards are used to align the boards and films for exposure. The pins are spaced as widely apart as possible to provide maximum registration between boards of varying sizes and films.

Photographic printing

An apparatus for and method of exposing lithographic plates to light through films in which plates are brought into an exposure station for exposure alternately on first and second platens, each movable from a loading position outside the exposure station to an exposure position.

Photographic printing apparatus and methods

Apparatus for exposing lithographic plates to light through a film, e.g. a negative, adapted for exposing one plate to light through a film or a plurality of plates to light through a film, having a first carriage with vacuum grippers for picking up a plate and a negative from each of two side-by-side plate stacks and two side-by-side negative stacks, the carriage being adapted to carry the picked-up plates and negatives to an exposure station and deposit them in registration on a platen at the exposure station for exposure of the plates to light through the negatives and through a window movable up and down at the exposure station, the window having vacuum grooves for raising the negatives, the apparatus further having a second carriage with vacuum grippers for gripping the plates exposed at the exposure station and negatives raised with the window and carrying the exposed plates and the films away from the platen and the window and out of the exposure station.

Growing community of inventors

Battlefield, MO, United States of America

John W Powers