CA2370288A1 - Solvent systems for removal of ink and imaged coating from printing plates and method of using same - Google Patents
Solvent systems for removal of ink and imaged coating from printing plates and method of using same Download PDFInfo
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- CA2370288A1 CA2370288A1 CA002370288A CA2370288A CA2370288A1 CA 2370288 A1 CA2370288 A1 CA 2370288A1 CA 002370288 A CA002370288 A CA 002370288A CA 2370288 A CA2370288 A CA 2370288A CA 2370288 A1 CA2370288 A1 CA 2370288A1
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41N—PRINTING PLATES OR FOILS; MATERIALS FOR SURFACES USED IN PRINTING MACHINES FOR PRINTING, INKING, DAMPING, OR THE LIKE; PREPARING SUCH SURFACES FOR USE AND CONSERVING THEM
- B41N3/00—Preparing for use and conserving printing surfaces
- B41N3/006—Cleaning, washing, rinsing or reclaiming of printing formes other than intaglio formes
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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C11—ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
- C11D—DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
- C11D1/00—Detergent compositions based essentially on surface-active compounds; Use of these compounds as a detergent
- C11D1/66—Non-ionic compounds
- C11D1/74—Carboxylates or sulfonates esters of polyoxyalkylene glycols
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C11—ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
- C11D—DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
- C11D7/00—Compositions of detergents based essentially on non-surface-active compounds
- C11D7/50—Solvents
- C11D7/5004—Organic solvents
- C11D7/5013—Organic solvents containing nitrogen
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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C11—ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
- C11D—DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
- C11D7/00—Compositions of detergents based essentially on non-surface-active compounds
- C11D7/50—Solvents
- C11D7/5004—Organic solvents
- C11D7/5022—Organic solvents containing oxygen
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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C11—ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
- C11D—DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
- C11D7/00—Compositions of detergents based essentially on non-surface-active compounds
- C11D7/22—Organic compounds
- C11D7/26—Organic compounds containing oxygen
- C11D7/266—Esters or carbonates
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C11—ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
- C11D—DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
- C11D7/00—Compositions of detergents based essentially on non-surface-active compounds
- C11D7/22—Organic compounds
- C11D7/32—Organic compounds containing nitrogen
- C11D7/3218—Alkanolamines or alkanolimines
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
- Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
- Organic Chemistry (AREA)
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- Emergency Medicine (AREA)
- Paints Or Removers (AREA)
- Detergent Compositions (AREA)
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Abstract
A solvent system for removing ink and imaged coating from printing plates comprising a glycol ether ester and water, with or without ammonia or aminoethanol, and with or without a solubility enhancer. A solvent system fo r removing ink and imaged coating from printing plates comprising a glycol eth er ester and aminoethanol. A solvent system for removing ink and imaged coating from printing plates comprising a glycol ether, water and ammonia or aminoethanol, with or without a solubility enhancer. A method of simultaneously removing adsorbed ink and imaged polymer coating from printin g plates using these solvent systems. A method of cleaning used printing plate s in-situ using these solvent systems.
Description
SOLVENT SYSTEMS FOR REMOVAL
OF INK AND IMAGED COATING
FROM PRINTING PLATES
AND METHOD OF USING SAME
This application claims priority to provisional patent application serial no. 60/133,576, herein incorporated by reference.
1. Technical Field BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to chemical solvent systems for cleaning printing plates used in printing presses, and more particularly to chemical solvent systems for removing adsorbed ink and imaged polymer coating from printing plates so as to permit the recycling of printing press plates.
OF INK AND IMAGED COATING
FROM PRINTING PLATES
AND METHOD OF USING SAME
This application claims priority to provisional patent application serial no. 60/133,576, herein incorporated by reference.
1. Technical Field BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to chemical solvent systems for cleaning printing plates used in printing presses, and more particularly to chemical solvent systems for removing adsorbed ink and imaged polymer coating from printing plates so as to permit the recycling of printing press plates.
2. Background Art In the commercial printing press industry, printing plates are used for the transfer of images to various media such as cloth and paper. An image on a printing plate is created when a water soluble polymer is applied to a printing plate and the polymer is converted into a water insoluble product via a laser imaging process. The imaged polymer coating will accept ink and transfer the same for printing.
Due to the vast number and wide variety of images used in the commercial printing press industry, the practice of discarding a printing plate after there is no longer a need to print the image it bears has become neither economically feasible nor environmentally conscious. Furthermore, the removal and replacement of printing plates is a time-intensive process. Thus, there is a need for a method and medium which will aid in the accomplishment of printing plate recycling.
In order to render a printing plate reusable for many cycles of recoating, re-imaging, and printing, both adsorbed ink and the imaged coating must be removed from the surface of the plate without causing damage to the surface of _2_ the plate or nearby printing press components. Previously, such removal had been accomplished in two separate steps, with one solvent being used to remove the ink, and a different solvent being used to remove the image. Such solvents were often harmful to other printing press components such as those made of rubber or metal.
Furthermore, such a sequential process was both inefficient and tedious, requiring twice the work and twice the materials in comparison to use of one solvent system capable of simultaneously removing both ink and imaged coating. However, there existed no known solvent system which could safely and effectively accomplish such simultaneous removal.
BEEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a chemical solvent system which will safely and effectively remove both adsorbed ink and imaged polymer coating from printing plates without harming the plates or other components of the printing press.
It is a further object of the invention to allow for the reuse of printing plates via removal of the adsorbed ink and imaged coating to prepare the plates for recoating, re-imaging and printing.
We, the inventors, have found that while many single organic solvents, when used in isolation, effectively remove adsorbed ink from the surface of used printing plates, these single solvents have no effect on the removal of the imaged coating. However, we have discovered that when such single organic solvents, such as glycol ether esters or glycol ethers are combined with water, ~inoethanol and/or ammonia a surprising synergism results whereby the resulting solvent systems exhibit not only excellent ink removing abilities, but exhibit excellent imaged coating removing abilities.
The invention includes the following solvent systems: (1) mixtures of a glycol ether ester and water, with or without ammonia or aminoethanol, and with or without a solubility enhancer and (2) mixtures of a glycol ether, water and ammonia or aminoethanol, with or without a solubility enhancer.
Other objectives, advantages and features of the invention will ° become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, and from the claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The solvent systems of the invention comprise mixtures of a linear or branched chain glycol ether ester (Formula I) and water, with or without ammonia or aminoethanol, and with or without a solubility enhancer:
O
CH3 - (CHZ)", - O - ((CH2)q - O)" - C - (CH2)P - CH3 (I) where m, n, p and q are integers The solvent systems of the invention also comprise mixtures of a linear or branched chain glycol ether of the general Formula II, water and ammonia or aminoethanol, with or without a solubility enhancer:
CH3 - (CH2)m - O - ((CH2)q- O)" - H
(II) where m, n and q are integers Preferred glycol ether esters include those of Formula I in which m =
0-7, n = 1-4, p = 0-7, and q = 2-3. The most preferred glycol ether esters include:
ethylene glycol butyl ether acetate, diethylene glycol ethyl ether acetate, diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate, and propylene glycol methyl ether acetate.
Preferred glycol ethers include those of Formula II in which m = 0-7, n = 1-4, and q = 2-3.
The most preferred glycol ethers include ethylene glycol propyl ether, ethylene glycol butyl ether, ethylene glycol 2-ethyl-hexyl ether, diethylene glycol methyl ether, diethylene glycol ethyl ether, diethylene glycol propyl ether, diethylene glycol butyl ether, and propylene glycol methyl ether.
The solvent systems of the invention are compatible with printing press components, including rubber, polymer and metal components.
Due to the vast number and wide variety of images used in the commercial printing press industry, the practice of discarding a printing plate after there is no longer a need to print the image it bears has become neither economically feasible nor environmentally conscious. Furthermore, the removal and replacement of printing plates is a time-intensive process. Thus, there is a need for a method and medium which will aid in the accomplishment of printing plate recycling.
In order to render a printing plate reusable for many cycles of recoating, re-imaging, and printing, both adsorbed ink and the imaged coating must be removed from the surface of the plate without causing damage to the surface of _2_ the plate or nearby printing press components. Previously, such removal had been accomplished in two separate steps, with one solvent being used to remove the ink, and a different solvent being used to remove the image. Such solvents were often harmful to other printing press components such as those made of rubber or metal.
Furthermore, such a sequential process was both inefficient and tedious, requiring twice the work and twice the materials in comparison to use of one solvent system capable of simultaneously removing both ink and imaged coating. However, there existed no known solvent system which could safely and effectively accomplish such simultaneous removal.
BEEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a chemical solvent system which will safely and effectively remove both adsorbed ink and imaged polymer coating from printing plates without harming the plates or other components of the printing press.
It is a further object of the invention to allow for the reuse of printing plates via removal of the adsorbed ink and imaged coating to prepare the plates for recoating, re-imaging and printing.
We, the inventors, have found that while many single organic solvents, when used in isolation, effectively remove adsorbed ink from the surface of used printing plates, these single solvents have no effect on the removal of the imaged coating. However, we have discovered that when such single organic solvents, such as glycol ether esters or glycol ethers are combined with water, ~inoethanol and/or ammonia a surprising synergism results whereby the resulting solvent systems exhibit not only excellent ink removing abilities, but exhibit excellent imaged coating removing abilities.
The invention includes the following solvent systems: (1) mixtures of a glycol ether ester and water, with or without ammonia or aminoethanol, and with or without a solubility enhancer and (2) mixtures of a glycol ether, water and ammonia or aminoethanol, with or without a solubility enhancer.
Other objectives, advantages and features of the invention will ° become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, and from the claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The solvent systems of the invention comprise mixtures of a linear or branched chain glycol ether ester (Formula I) and water, with or without ammonia or aminoethanol, and with or without a solubility enhancer:
O
CH3 - (CHZ)", - O - ((CH2)q - O)" - C - (CH2)P - CH3 (I) where m, n, p and q are integers The solvent systems of the invention also comprise mixtures of a linear or branched chain glycol ether of the general Formula II, water and ammonia or aminoethanol, with or without a solubility enhancer:
CH3 - (CH2)m - O - ((CH2)q- O)" - H
(II) where m, n and q are integers Preferred glycol ether esters include those of Formula I in which m =
0-7, n = 1-4, p = 0-7, and q = 2-3. The most preferred glycol ether esters include:
ethylene glycol butyl ether acetate, diethylene glycol ethyl ether acetate, diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate, and propylene glycol methyl ether acetate.
Preferred glycol ethers include those of Formula II in which m = 0-7, n = 1-4, and q = 2-3.
The most preferred glycol ethers include ethylene glycol propyl ether, ethylene glycol butyl ether, ethylene glycol 2-ethyl-hexyl ether, diethylene glycol methyl ether, diethylene glycol ethyl ether, diethylene glycol propyl ether, diethylene glycol butyl ether, and propylene glycol methyl ether.
The solvent systems of the invention are compatible with printing press components, including rubber, polymer and metal components.
When used alone, glycol ether esters exhibit excellent ink removing characteristics, but do not remove the imaged coating. However, when glycol ether esters are combined with water, aminoethanol, aminoethanol and water, or ammonia and water, solvent systems result which will not only remove ink, but will also remove the imaged coating.
Glycol ethers and glycol ether esters have limited water solubility.
For example, diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate has a maximum water solubility of about 6-7% by weight. Thus, preferred solvent systems of the present invention in which diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate is fully solubilized and which contain only diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate and water comprise about 1-7% by weight diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate and about 93-99% by weight water, more preferably about 5-7% by weight diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate and about 93-95% by weight water.
Solvent systems of the present invention include those in which the glycol ether or glycol ether ester is not fully solubilized due to its presence in an amount exceeding its water solubility. While the presence of these higher levels of glycol ethers or glycol ether esters may not further enhance the ability of the solvent system to remove the imaged coating, the presence of higher levels of the glycol ethers or the glycol ether esters has the potential of enhancing the ability of the solvent system to remove ink.
The solubility of a glycol ether or a glycol ether ester in water in the solvent systems of the invention may be enhanced via the addition of a solubility enhancer, such as a linear or branched chain solvent of the general Formula III:
O
CH3 - (CH2)P - C - O - ((CH2)q - O)" - (CH2)m - OH
(III) where m, n, p and q are integers Solvents of the Formula III are structurally similar to glycol ethers and glycol ether esters, and are compounds (or mixtures) of esters made up of fatty acids reacted with polyglycols. Preferred solvents of Formula III include ethoxylated tall oils such as Akzo's Ethofat~, wherein m = 2, n = 14, q = 2 and p may be any integer. Such ethoxylated solvents not only serve as solubility enhancers in the solvent systems of the invention, but are also ink removers, and thus increase the ink removing ability of the solvent systems.
Thus, the present invention also encompasses solvent systems comprising mixtures of a glycol ether or a glycol ether ester, a compound capable of enhancing the solubility of the glycol ether or the glycol ether ester (such as an ethoxylated solvent or a detergent), water, and, optionally, ammonia, particularly in solvent systems wherein the percent glycol ether or glycol ether ester present is near, at the limit or exceeds the limit of its solubility in water. Thus, these solvent systems of the invention include an amount of a solubility enhancing agent (such as ~ ethoxylated solvent) sufficient to solubilize the glycol ether or the glycol ether ester, e.g. about 4-10.5% by weight Akzo's Ethofat~.
The addition of ammonia to the solvent systems of the invention, and, to a lesser extent, the addition of the ammonia-like additive aminoethanol (ethanolamine), has been shown to greatly enhance the imaged coating removing ability of the solvent systems. Thus, the glycol ether ester-based solvent systems of the invention also comprise mixtures of a glycol ether ester and aminoethanol;
a glycol ether ester, aminoethanol and water; and a glycol ether ester, ammonia, and water. Preferable glycol ether ester-based solvent systems include: about 30-99%
diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate and about 1-70% aminoethanol, more preferably about 33-95% diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate and about 5-67%
by weight aminoethanol; about 0-80% diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate, about 90% aminoethanol and about 10-90% water; about 0-50% diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate, about 0.1-4% ammonia, and about 50-99% water, more preferably about 3% diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate, about 0.12% ammonia, and about 97% water, all by weight. Ammonia is introduced into the solvent systems of the invention using an aqueous ammonia solution having a preferable concentration of about 1-4% by weight ammonia, more preferably about 3% by weight ammonia.
When used alone, glycol ethers of Formula II such as ethylene glycol butyl ether exhibit excellent ink removing characteristics, but do not remove the imaged coating. However, when glycol ethers such as ethylene glycol butyl ether are combined with aminoethanol (ethanolamine) and water or ammonia and water, a ° solvent system results which will not only remove ink, but will also remove the imaged coating.
Thus, the glycol ether-based solvent systems of the invention comprise mixtures of a glycol ether, aminoethanol and water; and mixtures of a glycol ether, ammonia, and water. Preferable glycol ether-based solvent systems include: about 10-40% ethylene glycol butyl ether, about 10-30% aminoethanol, about 50-80% water, more preferably about 10-40% ethylene glycol butyl ether, about 10-20% aminoethanol, about 50-70% water; about 10-40% ethylene glycol butyl ether, about 0.1-4% ammonia, about 50-80% water. Ammonia is introduced into the solvent systems of the invention using an aqueous ammonia solution having a preferable concentration of about 1-4% by weight ammonia, more preferably about 3% by weight ammonia.
The benefits and advantages of the solvent systems of the invention will become further evident via presentation of the following non-limiting Examples.
In the following Examples, solvent systems were tested on printing plates which had an accumulation of adsorbed ink from being run through a full run of prints. The imaged polymer coating to be removed was, on average, 2 microns thick. The solvent systems were formulated on a percent weight basis, using commercially available solvents. In each test, one drop of the solvent system was applied to the surface of the printing plate. The solvent system was allowed to remain on the printing plate for approximately 15 seconds before it was wiped off by hand, using a Baldwin~ cloth. With respect to ink and imaged coating removal, the effectiveness of the solvent systems were graded on the following seven point scale: none, very slight, slight, fair, good, very good, excellent. Unless otherwise indicated, all the % data relate to weight percentage.
EXAMPLE ONE
Five solvents -- diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate (solvent #1), ethylene glycol butyl ether (solvent #2), aminoethanol (ethanolamine) (solvent #3), N-Methylpyrrolidone (solvent #4), and Ammoniacal aqueous solutions (solvent #5) -- were tested for their individual ability remove ink and imaged coating from the ° surface of the printing plates. Table 1 summarizes the results obtained when each of these solvents was used in isolation.
Table 1 Ink Image No. Solvent Removal Removal 1 diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate excellent none 2 ethylene glycol butyl ether excellent none 3 aminoethanol excellent none 4 N-Methylpyrrolidone excellent excellent 5 Ammoniacal aqueous solutions very slight very slight As can be seen from Table 1, although solvents 1 through 4 were excellent at the removal of ink from the printing plates, only solvent 4 (N-Methylpyrrolidone) was excellent at the removal of the imaged coating.
Solvents 1 through 3 removed none of the imaged coating. While solvent 4 exhibited both excellent ink and imaged coating removing abilities, it is also an extremely strong solvent capable of dissolving a variety of highly polymerized materials, and is thus not of practical use in the commercial printing press industry where many printing press components are polymer-based. Solvent 5 removed both ink and imaged coating only very slightly.
EXAMPLE TWO
The effect of the presence of ammonia was studied in the diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate-based solvent systems of the invention. A three (3%) aqueous ammonia solution of ammonia in water was employed in the formulation of the solvent systems. Reported percent ammonia is the weight percentage of the ammonia present in the resultant solvent system. Table 2 summarizes of the results of this study.
_g_ Table 2 Ink Image solvent water ammonia Removal Removal 1 % diethylene glycol butyl ether 99 -- slight none acetate 1 % diethylene glycol butyl ether ~99 0.12 fair fair acetate 3% diethylene glycol butyl ether 97 -- slight slight acetate 3% diethylene glycol butyl ether ~97 0.12 excellent excellent acetate 3% ethylene glycol butyl ether ~97 0.12 slight slight 5.5% diethylene glycol butyl 84% -- very very good ether acetate and 10.5% Ethofat~ good 5.5% diethylene glycol butyl ~84% 0.06 excellent excellent ether acetate and 10.5% Ethofat~
As can be seen from Table 2, the addition of ammonia improved the imaged coating removing abilities of the diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate-based solvent systems of the invention. The addition of about 0.12% ammonia to a solvent system comprising about 1 % diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate and about 99% water improved the imaged coating removing ability of the solvent system from none to fair. The addition of about 0.12% ammonia to a solvent system comprising about 3% diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate and about 97% water improved the imaged coating removing ability of the solvent system from slight to excellent. The addition of about 0.06% ammonia to a solvent system comprising about 5.5% diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate, about 10.5% Ethofat~ and about 84% water improved the imaged coating removing ability of the solvent system from very good to excellent.
The addition of ammonia also improved the ink removing abilities of the diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate-based solvent systems of the invention.
The addition of about 0.12% ammonia to a solvent system comprising about 1 diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate and about 99% water improved the ink _g_ removing ability of the solvent system from slight to fair. The addition of about ° 0.12% ammonia to a solvent system comprising about 3% diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate and about 97% water improved the ink removing ability of the solvent system from slight to excellent. The addition of about 0.06% ammonia to a solvent system comprising about 5.5% diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate, about 10.5%
Ethofat~ and about 84% water improved the ink removing ability of the solvent system from very good to excellent.
It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that a number of modifications or changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the invention is only to be limited by the claims.
Glycol ethers and glycol ether esters have limited water solubility.
For example, diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate has a maximum water solubility of about 6-7% by weight. Thus, preferred solvent systems of the present invention in which diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate is fully solubilized and which contain only diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate and water comprise about 1-7% by weight diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate and about 93-99% by weight water, more preferably about 5-7% by weight diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate and about 93-95% by weight water.
Solvent systems of the present invention include those in which the glycol ether or glycol ether ester is not fully solubilized due to its presence in an amount exceeding its water solubility. While the presence of these higher levels of glycol ethers or glycol ether esters may not further enhance the ability of the solvent system to remove the imaged coating, the presence of higher levels of the glycol ethers or the glycol ether esters has the potential of enhancing the ability of the solvent system to remove ink.
The solubility of a glycol ether or a glycol ether ester in water in the solvent systems of the invention may be enhanced via the addition of a solubility enhancer, such as a linear or branched chain solvent of the general Formula III:
O
CH3 - (CH2)P - C - O - ((CH2)q - O)" - (CH2)m - OH
(III) where m, n, p and q are integers Solvents of the Formula III are structurally similar to glycol ethers and glycol ether esters, and are compounds (or mixtures) of esters made up of fatty acids reacted with polyglycols. Preferred solvents of Formula III include ethoxylated tall oils such as Akzo's Ethofat~, wherein m = 2, n = 14, q = 2 and p may be any integer. Such ethoxylated solvents not only serve as solubility enhancers in the solvent systems of the invention, but are also ink removers, and thus increase the ink removing ability of the solvent systems.
Thus, the present invention also encompasses solvent systems comprising mixtures of a glycol ether or a glycol ether ester, a compound capable of enhancing the solubility of the glycol ether or the glycol ether ester (such as an ethoxylated solvent or a detergent), water, and, optionally, ammonia, particularly in solvent systems wherein the percent glycol ether or glycol ether ester present is near, at the limit or exceeds the limit of its solubility in water. Thus, these solvent systems of the invention include an amount of a solubility enhancing agent (such as ~ ethoxylated solvent) sufficient to solubilize the glycol ether or the glycol ether ester, e.g. about 4-10.5% by weight Akzo's Ethofat~.
The addition of ammonia to the solvent systems of the invention, and, to a lesser extent, the addition of the ammonia-like additive aminoethanol (ethanolamine), has been shown to greatly enhance the imaged coating removing ability of the solvent systems. Thus, the glycol ether ester-based solvent systems of the invention also comprise mixtures of a glycol ether ester and aminoethanol;
a glycol ether ester, aminoethanol and water; and a glycol ether ester, ammonia, and water. Preferable glycol ether ester-based solvent systems include: about 30-99%
diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate and about 1-70% aminoethanol, more preferably about 33-95% diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate and about 5-67%
by weight aminoethanol; about 0-80% diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate, about 90% aminoethanol and about 10-90% water; about 0-50% diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate, about 0.1-4% ammonia, and about 50-99% water, more preferably about 3% diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate, about 0.12% ammonia, and about 97% water, all by weight. Ammonia is introduced into the solvent systems of the invention using an aqueous ammonia solution having a preferable concentration of about 1-4% by weight ammonia, more preferably about 3% by weight ammonia.
When used alone, glycol ethers of Formula II such as ethylene glycol butyl ether exhibit excellent ink removing characteristics, but do not remove the imaged coating. However, when glycol ethers such as ethylene glycol butyl ether are combined with aminoethanol (ethanolamine) and water or ammonia and water, a ° solvent system results which will not only remove ink, but will also remove the imaged coating.
Thus, the glycol ether-based solvent systems of the invention comprise mixtures of a glycol ether, aminoethanol and water; and mixtures of a glycol ether, ammonia, and water. Preferable glycol ether-based solvent systems include: about 10-40% ethylene glycol butyl ether, about 10-30% aminoethanol, about 50-80% water, more preferably about 10-40% ethylene glycol butyl ether, about 10-20% aminoethanol, about 50-70% water; about 10-40% ethylene glycol butyl ether, about 0.1-4% ammonia, about 50-80% water. Ammonia is introduced into the solvent systems of the invention using an aqueous ammonia solution having a preferable concentration of about 1-4% by weight ammonia, more preferably about 3% by weight ammonia.
The benefits and advantages of the solvent systems of the invention will become further evident via presentation of the following non-limiting Examples.
In the following Examples, solvent systems were tested on printing plates which had an accumulation of adsorbed ink from being run through a full run of prints. The imaged polymer coating to be removed was, on average, 2 microns thick. The solvent systems were formulated on a percent weight basis, using commercially available solvents. In each test, one drop of the solvent system was applied to the surface of the printing plate. The solvent system was allowed to remain on the printing plate for approximately 15 seconds before it was wiped off by hand, using a Baldwin~ cloth. With respect to ink and imaged coating removal, the effectiveness of the solvent systems were graded on the following seven point scale: none, very slight, slight, fair, good, very good, excellent. Unless otherwise indicated, all the % data relate to weight percentage.
EXAMPLE ONE
Five solvents -- diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate (solvent #1), ethylene glycol butyl ether (solvent #2), aminoethanol (ethanolamine) (solvent #3), N-Methylpyrrolidone (solvent #4), and Ammoniacal aqueous solutions (solvent #5) -- were tested for their individual ability remove ink and imaged coating from the ° surface of the printing plates. Table 1 summarizes the results obtained when each of these solvents was used in isolation.
Table 1 Ink Image No. Solvent Removal Removal 1 diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate excellent none 2 ethylene glycol butyl ether excellent none 3 aminoethanol excellent none 4 N-Methylpyrrolidone excellent excellent 5 Ammoniacal aqueous solutions very slight very slight As can be seen from Table 1, although solvents 1 through 4 were excellent at the removal of ink from the printing plates, only solvent 4 (N-Methylpyrrolidone) was excellent at the removal of the imaged coating.
Solvents 1 through 3 removed none of the imaged coating. While solvent 4 exhibited both excellent ink and imaged coating removing abilities, it is also an extremely strong solvent capable of dissolving a variety of highly polymerized materials, and is thus not of practical use in the commercial printing press industry where many printing press components are polymer-based. Solvent 5 removed both ink and imaged coating only very slightly.
EXAMPLE TWO
The effect of the presence of ammonia was studied in the diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate-based solvent systems of the invention. A three (3%) aqueous ammonia solution of ammonia in water was employed in the formulation of the solvent systems. Reported percent ammonia is the weight percentage of the ammonia present in the resultant solvent system. Table 2 summarizes of the results of this study.
_g_ Table 2 Ink Image solvent water ammonia Removal Removal 1 % diethylene glycol butyl ether 99 -- slight none acetate 1 % diethylene glycol butyl ether ~99 0.12 fair fair acetate 3% diethylene glycol butyl ether 97 -- slight slight acetate 3% diethylene glycol butyl ether ~97 0.12 excellent excellent acetate 3% ethylene glycol butyl ether ~97 0.12 slight slight 5.5% diethylene glycol butyl 84% -- very very good ether acetate and 10.5% Ethofat~ good 5.5% diethylene glycol butyl ~84% 0.06 excellent excellent ether acetate and 10.5% Ethofat~
As can be seen from Table 2, the addition of ammonia improved the imaged coating removing abilities of the diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate-based solvent systems of the invention. The addition of about 0.12% ammonia to a solvent system comprising about 1 % diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate and about 99% water improved the imaged coating removing ability of the solvent system from none to fair. The addition of about 0.12% ammonia to a solvent system comprising about 3% diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate and about 97% water improved the imaged coating removing ability of the solvent system from slight to excellent. The addition of about 0.06% ammonia to a solvent system comprising about 5.5% diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate, about 10.5% Ethofat~ and about 84% water improved the imaged coating removing ability of the solvent system from very good to excellent.
The addition of ammonia also improved the ink removing abilities of the diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate-based solvent systems of the invention.
The addition of about 0.12% ammonia to a solvent system comprising about 1 diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate and about 99% water improved the ink _g_ removing ability of the solvent system from slight to fair. The addition of about ° 0.12% ammonia to a solvent system comprising about 3% diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate and about 97% water improved the ink removing ability of the solvent system from slight to excellent. The addition of about 0.06% ammonia to a solvent system comprising about 5.5% diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate, about 10.5%
Ethofat~ and about 84% water improved the ink removing ability of the solvent system from very good to excellent.
It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that a number of modifications or changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the invention is only to be limited by the claims.
Claims (30)
1. A solvent system for removing ink and imaged coating from printing plates comprising a glycol ether ester of the formula wherein m, n, p and q are integers; and water.
2. The solvent system of claim 1 further comprising ammonia.
3. The solvent system of claim 1 further comprising aminoethanol.
4. The solvent system of claim 1 further comprising a solubility enhancer.
5. The solvent system of claim 2 further comprising a solubility enhancer.
6. The solvent system of claim 3 further comprising a solubility enhancer.
7. The solvent system of claim 1 wherein m is an integer from 0 to 7, n is an integer from 1 to 4, p is an integer from 0 to 7, and q is an integer from 2 to 3.
8. The solvent system of claim 1 wherein the glycol ether ester is selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol butyl ether acetate, diethylene glycol ethyl ether acetate, diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate, and propylene glycol methyl ether acetate.
9. The solvent system of claim 4 wherein the solubility enhancer has the formula where m, n, p and q are integers.
10. The solvent system of claim 5 wherein the solubility enhancer has the formula where m, n, p and q are integers.
11. The solvent system of claim 6 wherein the solubility enhancer has the formula where m, n, p and q are integers.
12. The solvent system of claim 9 wherein m is 2, n is 14, q is 2, and p is any integer.
13. The solvent system of claim 10 wherein m is 2, n is 14, q is 2, and p is any integer.
14. The solvent system of claim 11 wherein m is 2, n is 14, q is 2, and p is any integer.
15. A solvent system for removing ink and imaged coating from printing plates comprising a glycol ether ester of the formula wherein m, n, p and q are integers; and aminoethanol.
16. The solvent system of claim 15 wherein m is an integer from 0 to 7, n is an integer from 1 to 4, p is an integer from 0 to 7 and q is an integer from 2 to 3.
17. A solvent system for removing ink and imaged coating from printing plates comprising a glycol ether of the formula CH3 - (CH2)m - O - ((CH2)q - O)n - H
wherein m, n and q are integers; water; and ammonia.
wherein m, n and q are integers; water; and ammonia.
18. A solvent system for removing ink and imaged coating from printing plates comprising a glycol ether of the formula CH3 - (CH2)m - O - ((CH2)q- O)n - H
wherein m, n and q are integers; water; and aminoethanol.
wherein m, n and q are integers; water; and aminoethanol.
19. The solvent system of claim 17 further comprising a solubility enhancer.
20. The solvent system of claim 18 further comprising a solubility enhancer.
21. The solvent system of claim 17 wherein m is an integer from 0 to 7, n is an integer from 1 to 4, and q is an integer from 2 to 3.
22. The solvent system of claim 18 wherein m is an integer from 0 to 7, n is an integer from 1 to 4, and q is an integer from 2 to 3.
23. The solvent system of claim 17 wherein the glycol ether is selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol propyl ether, ethylene glycol butyl ether, ethylene glycol 2-ethyl-hexyl ether, diethylene glycol methyl ether, diethylene glycol ethyl ether, diethylene glycol propyl ether, diethylene glycol butyl ether, and propylene glycol methyl ether.
24. The solvent system of claim 18 wherein the glycol ether is selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol propyl ether, ethylene glycol butyl ether, ethylene glycol 2-ethyl-hexyl ether, diethylene glycol methyl ether, diethylene glycol ethyl ether, diethylene glycol propyl ether, diethylene glycol butyl ether, and propylene glycol methyl ether.
25. The solvent system of claim 19 wherein the solubility enhancer has the formula where m, n, p and q are integers.
26. The solvent system of claim 20 wherein the solubility enhancer has the formula where m, n, p and q are integers.
27. The solvent system of claim 25 wherein m is 2, n is 14, q is 2 and p is any integer.
28. The solvent system of claim 26 wherein m is 2, n is 14, q is 2 and p is any integer.
29. A method of simultaneously removing adsorbed ink and imaged polymer coating from printing plates comprising the steps of:
applying the solvent system of claim 1 to a used printing plate; and wiping the printing plate clean of adsorbed ink and imaged polymer coating.
applying the solvent system of claim 1 to a used printing plate; and wiping the printing plate clean of adsorbed ink and imaged polymer coating.
30. A method of cleaning a used printing plate in-situ comprising the steps of:
applying the solvent system of claim 1 to the plate while the plate is still in the printing press; and wiping the plate clean of adsorbed ink and imaged polymer coating.
applying the solvent system of claim 1 to the plate while the plate is still in the printing press; and wiping the plate clean of adsorbed ink and imaged polymer coating.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US13357699P | 1999-05-11 | 1999-05-11 | |
| US60/133,576 | 1999-05-11 | ||
| PCT/US2000/012781 WO2000068353A1 (en) | 1999-05-11 | 2000-05-10 | Solvent systems for removal of ink and imaged coating from printing plates and method of using same |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2370288A1 true CA2370288A1 (en) | 2000-11-16 |
Family
ID=22459292
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002370288A Abandoned CA2370288A1 (en) | 1999-05-11 | 2000-05-10 | Solvent systems for removal of ink and imaged coating from printing plates and method of using same |
Country Status (6)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP1179040A4 (en) |
| JP (1) | JP2002544326A (en) |
| AU (1) | AU5000100A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2370288A1 (en) |
| HK (1) | HK1044167A1 (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2000068353A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US7008911B2 (en) | 2002-09-06 | 2006-03-07 | Ecolab, Inc. | Non-surfactant solubilizing agent |
| JPWO2010084582A1 (en) * | 2009-01-21 | 2012-07-12 | 株式会社ミマキエンジニアリング | Ink cleaning liquid |
Family Cites Families (15)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL6800538A (en) * | 1968-01-12 | 1969-07-15 | ||
| GB1322325A (en) * | 1969-06-27 | 1973-07-04 | Johnsons Of Hendon Ltd | Developer used in the processing of pre-sensitized photo-litho plates |
| US4077896A (en) * | 1975-01-15 | 1978-03-07 | Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company | Wax-stripping cleaning composition |
| GB1492529A (en) * | 1976-05-26 | 1977-11-23 | Vickers Ltd | Treatment of planographic printing blanks |
| US4370406A (en) * | 1979-12-26 | 1983-01-25 | Richardson Graphics Company | Developers for photopolymer lithographic plates |
| US4507155A (en) * | 1983-07-08 | 1985-03-26 | Cheek Robert H | Cleaning composition and method |
| US4533487A (en) * | 1983-08-15 | 1985-08-06 | Pitre-Jones | Process for producing blended d-Limonene and uses of the blended product |
| DK600484D0 (en) * | 1984-12-14 | 1984-12-14 | Cps Kemi Aps | CASE FOR THINING AND / OR REMOVING PRINTING AND SERIGRAPHY COLORS |
| US4780235A (en) * | 1987-04-16 | 1988-10-25 | E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company | Paint remover |
| GB2214924B (en) * | 1988-02-01 | 1991-11-20 | Sericol Group Ltd | Cleaning screen printing screens |
| US4943392A (en) * | 1988-06-03 | 1990-07-24 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Containing butoxy-propanol with low secondary isomer content |
| JPH08337794A (en) * | 1995-06-12 | 1996-12-24 | Nippon Hyomen Kagaku Kk | Detergent liquid for screen printing plate |
| US5660621A (en) * | 1995-12-29 | 1997-08-26 | Massachusetts Institute Of Technology | Binder composition for use in three dimensional printing |
| JP3853431B2 (en) * | 1996-06-24 | 2006-12-06 | 昭和電工株式会社 | Cleaning composition for screen printing plate |
| US6156711A (en) * | 1998-08-31 | 2000-12-05 | Brandeis University | Thickened butyrolactone-based nail polish remover with applicator |
-
2000
- 2000-05-10 CA CA002370288A patent/CA2370288A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2000-05-10 WO PCT/US2000/012781 patent/WO2000068353A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 2000-05-10 EP EP00932258A patent/EP1179040A4/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2000-05-10 JP JP2000616321A patent/JP2002544326A/en active Pending
- 2000-05-10 AU AU50001/00A patent/AU5000100A/en not_active Abandoned
-
2002
- 2002-07-19 HK HK02105369.0A patent/HK1044167A1/en unknown
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| HK1044167A1 (en) | 2002-10-11 |
| JP2002544326A (en) | 2002-12-24 |
| WO2000068353A8 (en) | 2001-04-12 |
| EP1179040A1 (en) | 2002-02-13 |
| EP1179040A4 (en) | 2004-09-22 |
| AU5000100A (en) | 2000-11-21 |
| WO2000068353A1 (en) | 2000-11-16 |
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