Burgess Industries, Inc.

William J Campbell

Dennis M Burgess

Dennis A Burgess

Arvids Saldenais

Mark Palmer

Joseph A Stein

David Dubiel

Transportation of a lithographic plate uses an indexer to load plates into pods for delivery to a press cylinder via a pod elevator or a pod cart. The plates are imprinted with a bar code, imaged, punched, bent, sheared, corner notched, and registered to a press cylinder. The plates are loaded into the indexer, which moves the loaded plates into a position in alignment with designated pod compartments, and loads the plates into each of the designated pod compartments by indexed movement of an elevator within the indexer. The pod elevator or the pod cart moves the pods proximate to a press cylinder where the plates are unloaded from the pod and loaded onto a press cylinder. A computing device, such as a PLC, directs the process. A vision system senses information from the indexer, pod, pod elevator, and the plate for feedback to a PLC, which initiates all of the foregoing operations.

Apparatus and process for transporting lithographic plates to a press cylinder

The method and apparatus for registration of a lithographic plate includes a means for ensuring that the plate is in contact with registration pins on imaging and bending devices and a means for finely adjusting an initial position of the plate with respect to registration pins on the bender to bring the plate in registration with the specified plate lock-up position on the press cylinder. Three separate electrical circuits ensure that the plate is in contact with the registration pins if each separate circuit is able to conduct current between the respective pins and the plate. The fine adjustment is accomplished by rotation of eccentric registration pins until the plate is within tolerance.

Method and apparatus for registration of an imaged lithographic plate

An emulsion coater is provided with a framework having a table or work surface for supporting a sheet of material that is to be coated e.g., a sheet of transparent plastic film. A carriage is mounted on the framework for rectilinear movement thereacross parallel to the surface of the sheet to advance a coating applicator across the sheet. A coating dryer is also mounted on the carriage to progressively dry the coating from one end to the other as it is applied. A motor is supported on the framework for moving the carriage forwardly from one end of the sheet to the other. Provision is made for disengaging the coating applicator from the carriage once the coating has been applied and thereafter moving the carriage in a reverse direction across the applied coating to the starting position while optionally continuing to dry the coating. In order to remove drippings and spills, a sheet of paper is unwound from a supply roll supported at one end of the framework, advanced across the work surface and rewound at the opposite end of the supporting framework. A washing pan that can be filled with water is provided at one end of the machine for removing coating material from the applicator before it has a chance to dry.

Coating machine for applying and drying photosensitive emulsion on a plastic film

A rotary apparatus for applying heat to develop an image on photosensitive copy paper or to desensitize the photosensitive paper against further exposure to light includes an elongated supporting framework including a base having a roll support stand at each end with spaced apart bearings for supporting a drive roll that is provided with a high friction, e.g. a rubber coated, surface. A drive motor is connected to the drive roll for rotating the drive roll, a hot shoe is supported on the framework adjacent to the roll, and a slip sheet is mounted between the hot shoe and the drive roll to provide a low friction surface for allowing the photosensitive sheet to slide easily through the apparatus as it is carried forward by frictionally contact with the drive roll. The hot shoe and slip sheet are both held in a fixed position. The bearings for the drive roll are able to be moved radially with respect to the axis of the drive roll and then secured, i.e. locked in a selected position with respect to the hot shoe. A condensation-inhibiting outlet tray is provided for receiving the sheet material as it passes out of the apparatus. A dead air space is provided in the roll stand at each end of the roll, and a housing is supported laterally of each dead air space for enclosing a drive motor and a temperature controller.

Rotary thermal desensitizer of developer for photosensitive copy sheet material

An apparatus and a method configure lithographic plates by cutting corners and bending edges in preparation for use in web offset printing. The lithographic plate is precisely aligned and immobilized on a support bed, which has bending anvils at opposing edges of the bed. A corner die cutter advances into position above a corner of the plate, cuts a corner of the plate and then retracts. An eccentric camming member for bending the plate edges has full bearing supporting ends and additional bearings intermediate the ends. The eccentric camming members lower to the plate and rotate within their bearings to form bends of selected angles in opposing edges of the plate. The eccentric camming members are then counter rotated and raised to their position above the plate. The movements of the corner die cutter and the eccentric camming member are precisely sequenced with each other by programmable logic control.

Apparatus and method for corner cutting and edge bending of lithographic

A scanning light contact duplicating apparatus is described which includes an explosure frame having a front and rear edge between which extends a backing plate that is used for supporting an original sheet such as a negative transparency to be copied, together with a photosensitive sheet in contact with it. A transparent cover is connected to the exposure frame. Provision is also made for pressing the transparent cover toward the backing to force the original sheet (negative) into close contact with the copy sheet (photosensitive sheet). An elongated light, usually a gas or vapor lamp, is positioned parallel to the front edge of the exposure frame. The light is supported for rectilinear movement toward the rear of the exposure frame and parallel to the plane of the exposure frame. A collimator is preferably provided between the light and the exposure frame. The collimator has a honeycomb array of parallel open-ended cells, each of the cells having walls perpendicular to the exposure frame. The collimator is supported for movement with the light whereby the alignment of the light rays that pass light through the cells of the collimator reduces undercuting on the photosensitive sheet. In some forms of the invention the exposure frame is stationary and in other forms two exposure frames are mounted back-to-back and supported for 180.degree. of rotation so that material can be inserted into one exposure frame while graphic material is simultaneously exposed to the scanning light while in the adjacent exposure frame.

Scanning light contact duplicating apparatus

The present invention provides an improved vacuum frame having upper and lower frame members of rectangular shape, the upper one of which supports a plate of glass. Connected to the lower frame is a flexible sheet such as a rubber sheet with a backing member connected to its lower surfae. Resilient members such as springs urge one edge of the sealing sheet upwardly toward the glass plate and the other edge downwardly away from the glass plate to produce a wedge shaped vacuum chamber which upon being evacuated becomes progressively smaller as air is progressively and directionally removed proceeding from one edge of the glass plate to the other.

Growing community of inventors

Minnetonka, MN, United States of America

William J Campbell