Mechanism for transporting printing plates

摘要

A mechanism for transporting printing plates includes a swiveling lifting cylinder carrying on its extendable and retractable piston rod a dish-shaped plate which is equipped with suction elements. The printing plates are stacked in inclined positions in a plate holder. When so stacked, the coated, photoconductive sides of the printing plates face downwards and are protected from damage by sheets. For transporting a printing plate to an exposure table, the dish-shaped plate of the lifting cylinder is lowered onto the uncoated side of the printing plate which lies on top of the stack in the plate holder until the suction elements rest on the printing plate. Then, reduced pressure is applied to the suction elements so that they grip the printing plate by suction, and the piston rod is partially retracted into the lifting cylinder. Then the lifting cylinder swivels to a vertical position and places the now horizontally lying printing plate on a conveyor track where it is engaged by rollers and is further transported, after the reduced pressure of the suction elements has been released.