| 摘要 |
A method for feeding a photopolymerised elastomeric printing plate, subsequent to exposure and washing out thereof, along a path through a rinsing station, comprises: optionally providing a plate assembly comprising the plate and, supporting the plate, a carrier having a pair of opposed peripheral regions each extending laterally beyond respective opposed lateral edge regions of the plate, providing, transversely of the path, at least one pair of driven rollers (8, 13) defining a nip therebetween through which the plate can pass so as to be forwarded along the path by frictional engagement of the plate or plate assembly with each of the driven rollers within the nip, at least one of which rollers is profiled so as (a) to allow contact of the profiled roller with the opposed lateral edge regions of the plate or, when provided, corresponding opposed peripheral regions of the plate assembly, thereby to allow the said frictional engagement, but (b) to allow freedom from contact of the plate with the or each profiled roller at an interior region of the plate between the said regions in contact with the or each profiled roller, and feeding the plate, or optionally when provided, the plate assembly, by the driven rollers along the path through the rinsing station. A method for rinsing a photopolymerised elastomeric printing plate, subsequent to exposure and washing out thereof to provide a printing surface thereof, while travelling along a path through a rinsing station, comprises: contacting the plate with a rotating brush (12), which brush has a longitudinal axis extending transversely across the plate, and which brush, on rotation about its longitudinal axis, sweeps a substantially cylindrical path of rotation, and wherein the brush is so constructed that on contact thereof with the plate, the rotation of the brush causes any debris on the printing surface of the plate to move away from the printing surface towards a peripheral region of the plate. |
