Agfa Corporation

Nicholas K Stefanidakis

Laurence S Blake

Steven W Nickson

Stephen R Manning

Philip A Rombult

Jeffrey S Knox

Donald B Richardson

Jeffrey M Janway

Robert D Olenio

Behrouz Abedian

John D Kennedy

A system for holding recording media onto a media support surface, comprises, a media support element including a media support surface and a second side, substantially opposing the media support surface. A plurality of vacuum ports pass from the media support surface to the second side and communicate with a device for drawing air through each of the plurality of vacuum ports to hold the recording media against said media support surface. A sequencing manifold connected between the device for drawing air and the plurality of vacuum ports selectively draws air through a portion of the plurality of vacuum ports over a region substantially matching the size of the recording media.

Method and apparatus for holding recording media onto a media support

A vacuum system can remove ablated particles from an internal drum platesetter which has a drum for supporting a photosensitive medium, a carriage moveable in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the drum, and a laser mounted onto the moveable carriage for generating a beam to create an image on the medium during movement of the carriage, the beam ablating particles of the medium during creation of the image. The vacuum system includes: a vacuum head fixedly attached to the moveable carriage, and having at least one chamber for receiving the ablated particles through a slot located proximate to a periphery of the vacuum head; and an exhaust system connected to the vacuum head and including ductwork, at least one fan and at least one filter, for extracting the ablated particles from the at least one chamber of the vacuum head. The vacuum system also includes a hose capable of expanding and retracting in length to accommodate the movement of the vacuum head, and an internal duct support system for supporting the hose during expansion and retraction to prevent sagging of the hose. A swivel connection can be located at one or both ends of the hose to accommodate rotational movement of the hose during expansion and retraction.

Vacuum system for removing ablated particles from media mounted in an

A sequencing manifold for selectively drawing air from a plurality of vacuum channels, comprises, a fixed element having an outer surface and an internal cylinder, the fixed element further including a plurality of holes passing from the outer surface to the internal cylinder, the plurality of holes communicating with the plurality of vacuum channels. A piston is movably disposed within the internal cylinder and includes a hollow portion in communication with a device for drawing air. The piston is movable within the internal cylinder to align the hollow portion with a predetermined number of the plurality of holes for selectively drawing air from the predetermined number of the plurality of holes.

Method and apparatus for selectively drawing air from a plurality of

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Bedford, MA, United States of America

Nicholas K Stefanidakis