Printing plate picking system and process

1. A printing plate picking mechanism, comprising:

(i) plate transport pinch rollers adapted to direct a printing plate along a plate transport path;

(ii) a paper disposal unit;

(iii) a plate cassette stacking mechanism including:

(a) an array of plate cassettes, each plate cassette adapted to hold a plurality of printing plates separated by intervening sheets of paper, and

(b) a plate cassette movement mechanism adapted to move a selected plate cassette to a printing plate loading position thereby exposing a leading edge of a topmost printing plate in the selected plate cassette;

(iv) a plate picker adapted to contact and hold the leading edge of the topmost printing plate and transport it to the plate transport pinch rollers;

(v) a paper picking unit including:

(a) a paper picker adapted to contact and hold a leading edge of a topmost sheet of paper in the selected plate cassette and transport said topmost sheet of paper to the paper disposal unit as said topmost printing plate held by said plate picker is transported to said plate transport pinch rollers, wherein said topmost sheet of paper and topmost printing plate are transported substantially simultaneously; and

(b) a plate guide positioned above the paper picker, said plate guide forming a part of said plate transport path to guide the printing plate held by said plate picker to said plate transport pinch rollers; and

(vi) a vertical alignment system adapted to move the array of plate cassettes or the plate picker and the paper picking unit in a vertical direction to vertically align the plate picker and the paper picking unit with the selected plate cassette.

2. The printing plate picking mechanism according to claim 1 , further comprising:

(vii) a paper picker motion control system adapted to control motion of the paper picking unit according to a specified motion pattern; and

(viii) a control system adapted to:

control the vertical alignment system to vertically align the plate picker and the paper picking unit with the selected plate cassette;

control the plate cassette movement mechanism to move the selected plate cassette in the horizontal direction to the plate loading position to expose the leading edge of the topmost printing plate in the selected plate cassette;

control the plate picker to contact and hold the leading edge of the topmost printing plate and lift it in a vertical direction exposing the leading edge of the topmost sheet of paper in the selected paper cassette;

control the paper picker motion control system to move the paper picking unit over the exposed leading edge of the topmost sheet of paper in the selected paper cassette;

control the plate picker to transport the topmost printing plate over the plate guide of the paper picking unit and feed the leading edge of the topmost printing plate into the plate transport pinch rollers;

control the plate transport pinch rollers to direct the topmost printing plate along the plate transport path;

control the paper picker to grab the leading edge of the topmost sheet of paper in the selected plate cassette; and

control the paper picker motion control system to transport the topmost sheet of paper along a paper transport path and direct the leading edge of the topmost sheet of paper into the paper disposal unit.

3. The printing plate mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the plate picker includes a plurality of vacuum cups adapted to apply a vacuum force onto the plate to lift the plate.

4. The printing plate mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the plate guide includes guide rollers.

5. The printing plate mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the plate picker includes air blowers adapted to facilitate a separation between a lifted plate and an adjacent sheet of paper.

6. The printing plate mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the plate cassettes in said array of plate cassettes are aligned in a stack and said plate cassette movement mechanism is adapted to move the selected plate cassette in a horizontal direction to said printing plate loading position to expose the leading edge of the topmost plate.

7. The printing plate mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein said paper picking unit further includes at least one pair of opposing rollers, said plate picker being adapted to transport a sheet of paper to said at least one pair of opposing rollers and said at least one pair of opposing rollers being adapted to pull the sheet of paper into said paper disposal unit.

8. A printing plate picking mechanism, comprising:

(i) plate transport pinch rollers adapted to direct a printing plate along a plate transport path;

(ii) a paper disposal unit;

(iii) a plate cassette stacking mechanism including:

(a) an array of plate cassettes, each plate cassette adapted to hold a plurality of printing plates separated by intervening sheets of paper; and

(b) a plate cassette movement mechanism adapted to move a selected plate cassette to a printing plate loading position thereby exposing a leading edge of a topmost printing plate in the selected plate cassette;

(iv) a plate picker adapted to contact and hold the leading edge of the topmost printing plate and transport it to the plate transport pinch rollers in a first direction and orientation along the plate transport path while maintaining said orientation;

(v) a paper picking unit including;

(a) a paper picker adapted to contact and hold a leading edge of a topmost sheet of paper in the selected plate cassette and transport the sheet of paper in said first direction along a paper transport path as said plate held by said plate picker is transported to said plate transport pinch rollers, such that said paper and printing plate are transported substantially simultaneously; and

(b) a plate guide positioned above the paper picker, said plate guide forming a part of said plate transport path, wherein the printing plate held by said plate picker is transported over said plate guide to said plate transport pinch rollers, said plate transport path being located on a first side of said plate guide and said paper transport path being located on a second side of said plate guide opposite to said first side, wherein said plate held by said plate picker is transported along said first side of said plate guide as said paper held by said paper picker is transported along said second side of said plate guide in said first direction; and

(vi) an alignment system adapted to move the array of plate cassettes or the plate picker and the paper picking unit in a vertical direction to align the plate picker and the paper picking unit with the selected plate cassette.

9. The printing plate mechanism according to claim 8 , wherein the plate cassettes in said array of plate cassettes are vertically aligned in a stack and said cassette movement mechanism is adapted to move the selected plate cassette in a horizontal direction to said printing plate loading position to expose the leading edge of the topmost plate.

10. The printing plate mechanism according to claim 8 , wherein said paper picking unit further includes at least one pair of opposing rollers, said plate picker being adapted to transport a sheet of paper along said paper transport path to said at least one pair of opposing rollers and said at least one pair of opposing rollers being adapted to pull the sheet of paper into said paper disposal unit.