Patent ID: 11860543
Assignee: ESKO-GRAPHICS IMAGING GMBH
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  G | IPC B  G

Claim 5:
6. A plate handling system for transporting printing plates between workstations in a process workflow, the system comprising:
a plurality of vacuum gripper end effectors configured to grip the printing plates and mounted to a computer controlled transporter, the transporter configured to translate in at least three orthogonal directions and to rotate about at least one rotational axis;
at least one sensor for detecting orientation of the plate relative to at least one staging location in the process workflow; and
a controller, connected to the transporter and the at least one sensor, configured to cause the transporter to move based upon programmed instructions in accordance with information provided by the sensor;
wherein the end effectors are configured to grip the printing plate on an upper surface of the plate, the process workflow comprises an imaging station configured to apply an image to the upper surface of the plate, and a photopolymer curing station comprising a support transparent or translucent to an actinic radiation emitted by the photopolymer curing station, wherein the photopolymer curing station is configured to irradiate both the upper surface and an opposite lower surface of the plate.