IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO PRINTING PLATE OVENS

摘要

The present invention relates to a printing plate oven 10 designed for lithographic printing plates and, in particular, for baking Kodak DITP gold printing plates. The printing plates oven comprises heating apparatus including a number of heating elements which extend at an angle relative to the direction of a printing plate passing through the oven. The printing plate oven also comprises drive means for driving the printing plates in which two rollers are urged towards each other on either side of the printing plates but the rollers are profiled such that they do not simultaneously contact a part of the printing plate at directly opposite locations. The printing oven includes cooling means which comprise deflecting means in order to flex a part of the printing plate during cooling. Furthermore, the heating elements of the printing oven are controlled in order to vary the heat applied to the printing plate depending upon the position of the printing plate.