EP2748002B1 - Method for producing a printing plate for waterless offset printing - Google Patents

Method for producing a printing plate for waterless offset printing Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2748002B1
EP2748002B1 EP12759664.1A EP12759664A EP2748002B1 EP 2748002 B1 EP2748002 B1 EP 2748002B1 EP 12759664 A EP12759664 A EP 12759664A EP 2748002 B1 EP2748002 B1 EP 2748002B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
ink
carrier plate
printing
application
onto
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EP12759664.1A
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German (de)
French (fr)
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EP2748002A1 (en
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Gert SIEGER
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Sieger Gert
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Individual
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41C—PROCESSES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR REPRODUCTION OF PRINTING SURFACES
    • B41C1/00—Forme preparation
    • B41C1/003—Forme preparation the relief or intaglio pattern being obtained by imagewise deposition of a liquid, e.g. by an ink jet
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41C—PROCESSES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR REPRODUCTION OF PRINTING SURFACES
    • B41C1/00—Forme preparation
    • B41C1/10—Forme preparation for lithographic printing; Master sheets for transferring a lithographic image to the forme
    • B41C1/1066—Forme preparation for lithographic printing; Master sheets for transferring a lithographic image to the forme by spraying with powders, by using a nozzle, e.g. an ink jet system, by fusing a previously coated powder, e.g. with a laser
    • 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
    • B41N1/00—Printing plates or foils; Materials therefor
    • 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
    • B41N1/00—Printing plates or foils; Materials therefor
    • B41N1/003—Printing plates or foils; Materials therefor with ink abhesive means or abhesive forming means, such as abhesive siloxane or fluoro compounds, e.g. for dry lithographic printing
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41C—PROCESSES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR REPRODUCTION OF PRINTING SURFACES
    • B41C2210/00—Preparation or type or constituents of the imaging layers, in relation to lithographic printing forme preparation
    • B41C2210/16—Waterless working, i.e. ink repelling exposed (imaged) or non-exposed (non-imaged) areas, not requiring fountain solution or water, e.g. dry lithography or driography

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a process for producing a printing form for waterless offset printing.
  • Offset printing is an indirect lithographic printing process, which has been widely used in various fields since the beginning of the 20th century. In addition to its use in the area of book and newspaper printing, offset printing is used in particular in the area of commercial printing as well as the printing of packaging of all kinds. The fundamental principle of offset printing goes back to developments in lithography, as it was already used at the end of the 18th century.
  • a disadvantage of wet offset printing is that both for the production of the printing form, as well as in the printing process itself by the dampening solution, a variety of excipients are used, which you want to avoid environmental technology.
  • the waterless offset printing or dry offset.
  • the silicone-coated printing plate is lipophobic and repels the printing ink.
  • the printed image is applied by means of, for example, laser irradiation on the printing plate by the color-bearing areas of the printing plate are removed from the silicone coating.
  • On the printing form there is a segregation of the ink in the paint components on the one hand and silicone oil on the other hand, wherein the color components adhere to the free of the silicone layer areas of the printing plate.
  • the European patent application EP 0 672 950 A1 discloses a corresponding printing plate for waterless offset printing, which can be structured by laser irradiation accordingly.
  • a photosensitive layer is applied between a silicone coating and a carrier plate, which leads to a detachment of the silicone layer in the irradiated areas with laser radiation of suitable wavelength.
  • the areas thus exposed are lipophilic, so that the printing ink adheres to the printing form in these areas.
  • US 4,003,312 discloses a method of making a master by ink jet technique.
  • a master is provided by applying a silicone on a suitable substrate master by means of an inkjet printing device and curing the silicone to an elastomeric state.
  • an inkjet printing device can be used to apply a catalyst to an uncured silicone on a master substrate, thereby curing the silicone in the catalyst treated areas.
  • DE 19500486 A1 discloses a photosensitive lithographic printing plate that does not require dampening water.
  • the printing plate comprises an aluminum support on which a primer layer, a photosensitive layer, and a silicone rubber layer are applied, the aluminum surface having an average roughness R a of 0.2 to 0.8 ⁇ m and a whiteness of 0.10 to 0, 35 has.
  • EP 1046497 A1 discloses a method of making a lithographic printing plate comprising the step of spreading a novolak resin on a hydrophilic surface of a lithographic base in a predetermined pattern.
  • US 2006/0188813 A1 discloses a hydrophilic film on a master surface obtainable by heat or light induced curing of a composition having at least two five- or six-membered hydrophilic ring structures.
  • the compound can be applied by means of inkjet technology on the surface.
  • US 4003312 discloses a means for producing waterless lithographic printing masters provided by ink jet imaging means.
  • a master is created by applying a silicone or other material to a suitable base substrate by means of an inkjet printer and curing the silicone.
  • JP 56113456 disclosed in order to improve ink rejection in non-image parts and durability of the original plate, a method in which a silicone-modified photocuring resin is ejected by an ink jet method and imagewise coated on a support.
  • the waterless offset method offers the advantage that an emission of dampening solution, as occurs in wet offset printing, is avoided.
  • the printing machine itself can be dispensed with a dampening unit, which significantly reduces the design effort. This also reduces the maintenance of the printing presses. By dispensing with fountain solution can over it In addition, a corrosion of metal colors are avoided, which increases the color fastness of the print.
  • a disadvantage of the waterless offset printing technique is that the printing plates are more expensive than in the wet offset method. Also, the plates used are sensitive to scratching and after their development (exposure) only difficult to correct. With previously used ink jet process for the production of printing plates can not be achieved sufficient resolutions to produce high quality prints. Also, the achievable durability of the printing plates thus produced is significantly limited, so that they can be used only for printing very small runs.
  • the printing plate is produced in such a way that the area of the carrier plate which should not bear any color as a printing form in the printing process, be provided by means of inkjet technology with a coating which is sufficiently lipophobic to reject the ink, while not coated areas of the support plate are sufficiently lipophilic that ink adheres.
  • a negative of the printed image is applied to the carrier plate by coating the non-color-bearing background of the printing plate.
  • support plates with a surface tension of ⁇ 35 mN / m are suitable for safely carrying printing inks, while inks which have a surface tension of ⁇ 30 mN / m in the fixed state reject printing inks with sufficient certainty. It was thus surprisingly found that a difference in surface tension between the ink-bearing areas and the ink-repellent areas of the printing form of ⁇ 5 mN / m is sufficient to produce a printed image in waterless offset printing.
  • the carrier plate consists of a material from the group consisting of aluminum, aluminum alloys, steel, polycarbonate, polyester and polyolefin.
  • the surface is to be understood as the area of the carrier plate which comes into contact with the printing ink in the printing process.
  • the carrier plate may be a composite structure which consists of a base carrier on which a material of the above mentioned group is applied.
  • a polycarbonate layer is applied to a base carrier made of sheet steel.
  • the carrier plate consists of only one material.
  • the carrier plate is pretreated before the application of the ink to change the surface roughness.
  • the surface roughness R a of the support plate is set to less than 1 micron. The roughness is determined according to EN ISO 25178. By setting a corresponding roughness is ensured that the ink has a sufficient adhesive strength in the fixed state on the support plate to ensure a sufficient longevity of the printing form. A sufficient service life of ⁇ 100,000 printed copies per printing form is regarded as sufficient longevity.
  • the carrier plate is pretreated by means of pickling, etching, corona treatment or plasma treatment.
  • the application of the ink to the carrier plate can be carried out in the process according to the invention by means of known ink-jet techniques.
  • the ink is applied in the CIJ process (continuous ink jet process) or in the DOD process (drop-on-demand process).
  • CIJ printers are known in the field of industrial printing.
  • the ink jet exits via a nozzle from a printhead, wherein the jet modulates via a piezoelectric transducer behind the outlet nozzle in order to achieve a uniform drop in the ink drop.
  • the emerging drops are electrostatically charged via an electrode and then pass through a deflection field built up by a further electrode, within which they are deflected as a function of their charge, wherein between binary-deflecting methods and multi-deflecting method is distinguished.
  • Ink drops not needed for printing are collected and returned to the ink circuit.
  • the ink drop leaves the nozzle that is actually to be applied as a printed image.
  • the required ink drops are generated by means of a heating element which heats the ink. This explosively forms a vapor bubble, which presses an ink drop from the nozzle by its pressure.
  • a distinction is made between sideshooter systems and edgeshooter systems.
  • piezo printers a piezoceramic element is deformed by applying an electrical voltage to press ink through a die by the change in shape. The drop size can be controlled by the applied electrical pulse.
  • the ink is applied to the carrier plate with a dot density of .gtoreq.1200 dpi, preferably .gtoreq.224 dpi.
  • the ink After application to the carrier plate, the ink is fixed. This can be done by air drying. However, it may also be provided in one embodiment of the method according to the invention that the ink is fixed after application to the support plate by means of UV radiation and / or thermal radiation. This advantageously allows rapid fixation of the ink.
  • the ink comprises a silicone, a polyisoprene and / or fluoroplastic, in particular a poly (dimethylsiloxane).
  • the ink may include adjuvants such as solvents, surface tension adjusting agents in the fixed state, and / or fixing agents.
  • an UV-curable ink is used as the ink. It may be provided that the ink is free-radical curing or cationic curing. Radical curable inks use unsaturated resins having reactive groups that cause a crosslinking reaction via free radicals. In general, these are acrylated resins or monomers having acrylic acid groups (acrylic acid esters). In addition to the acrylates, other compounds having reactive double bonds, e.g. unsaturated polyester resins as well as vinylic monomers such as e.g. Styrene can be crosslinked via this mechanism.
  • photoinitiators contained in the ink spontaneously decompose into free radicals and initiate a chain reaction for the polymerization.
  • the result is a three-dimensionally crosslinked, insoluble and solid structure of macromolecules. This happens in seconds or fractions of a second, so that immediately after hardening a resilient film is created.
  • the resin base is an oxirane group-containing compound.
  • an acid is used, which is activated only by the exposure.
  • the resin component is usually a cycloaliphatic epoxy resin. The protons of the acid cause opening of the epoxide ring and initiate polymerization with continued chain growth.
  • the application of the ink to the carrier plate takes place in an inert gas atmosphere, for example in a nitrogen, carbon dioxide, helium or argon atmosphere.
  • an inert gas atmosphere for example in a nitrogen, carbon dioxide, helium or argon atmosphere.
  • This can preclude adverse oxidation reaction of the inks or the support surface with atmospheric oxygen, thereby improving the adhesion of the ink to the support plate, which in turn results in durability the pressure plate and the pressure to be reached with this increased number of copies.
  • an increased resolution can be achieved by reducing or suppressing the oxidation reactions induced by atmospheric oxygen, since an oxidatively induced fraying of the image dot edges can be avoided.
  • Inert gas atmosphere in the sense of the present invention means that the oxygen concentration in the working atmosphere is ⁇ 5 vol .-%, preferably ⁇ 1 vol .-%, particularly preferably ⁇ 0.5 vol .-%.
  • At least the ink application takes place in a low-moisture atmosphere in order to exclude disturbing influences of any residual moisture.
  • Low moisture in the sense of the invention means that the water content in the working atmosphere is ⁇ 1% by volume, preferably ⁇ 0.5% by volume, more preferably ⁇ 0.1% by volume.
  • the ink is applied in a dry inert gas atmosphere having a residual moisture content of ⁇ 0.1% by volume.
  • the above-described optional adjustment of the surface roughness R a of the carrier plate to less than 1 .mu.m in an inert gas atmosphere, in particular dry inert gas atmosphere. It is particularly preferred that moisture and / or oxygen contact of the carrier plate between the adjustment of the surface roughness and the application of the ink is avoided.
  • a silicone in particular a poly (dimethylsiloxane), a polyisoprene, in particular a poly-2-methyl-1,3-butadiene, or mixtures of these can be used as binders.
  • a short-chain hydrocarbon, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, toluene or a mixture thereof may be contained.
  • the dye for example, in the ink applied to the support plate, a triphenylmethane, a (4- (4,4'-bis (dimethylaminophenyl) benzhydryliden) cyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ylidene) dimethyl ammonium chloride or a mixture of these be.
  • the ink may contain bisacylphosphine oxide and / or a benzophenone.
  • a coloring agent is added to the ink. This makes it possible to supply the printing form after its preparation of a visual inspection to detect any errors.
  • Fig. 1 shows schematically a manufacturing method according to the invention for producing a printing form 100 for the waterless offset printing.
  • an ink 200 is applied by means of an ink jet device 400.
  • the carrier plate 200 has a surface tension ⁇ 35 mN / m.
  • the material for the support plate 200 for example, aluminum, an aluminum alloy, steel, a polycarbonate, a Polyester, or serve a polyolefin.
  • the carrier plate 200 has a composite structure in which a coating is applied to a carrier layer which has a surface tension in the range according to the invention.
  • the carrier plate 200 may be subjected to a suitable surface treatment before the ink 300 is applied thereto.
  • suitable surface treatments are pickling, etching, corona treatment or plasma treatment.
  • the ink droplets 310 are applied in the areas of the carrier plate 200, which should not carry any color in later offset printing.
  • a protective gas atmosphere such as nitrogen or argon, takes place.
  • Fig. 2 schematically shows a printing plate 100 prepared according to the invention.
  • the applied ink after fixing or curing forms regions 320 having a surface tension ⁇ 30 mN / m, while the non-inked regions 210 have a surface tension ⁇ 35 mN / m exhibit.
  • area 210 carries color while areas 320 reject color.
  • the fixing of the ink 300 can be done, for example, thermally or by UV irradiation. Likewise, depending on the ink 200 used, it may be provided that it is fixed or cured by air drying.
  • Fig. 3 shows the schematic representation of a printing plate 100 on which printing ink has been applied.
  • the ink is accepted by the printing form in the region 500, while the region 320 covered by fixed or cured ink repels the ink.
  • the ink-bearing areas are transferred to the blanket cylinder of the printing machine, which then transmits the printed image to the medium to be printed.
  • Fig. 4 schematically shows a printed with a printing plate produced in the process according to the invention form medium 600.
  • the color-carrying region 500 was, as in the Fig. 3 described, transferred from the printing plate only on a blanket cylinder and then on the medium to be printed.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Manufacture Or Reproduction Of Printing Formes (AREA)
  • Printing Methods (AREA)
  • Printing Plates And Materials Therefor (AREA)
  • Photosensitive Polymer And Photoresist Processing (AREA)
  • Ink Jet (AREA)
  • Ink Jet Recording Methods And Recording Media Thereof (AREA)
  • Inks, Pencil-Leads, Or Crayons (AREA)

Description

Die vorliegende Erfindung betrifft ein Verfahren zur Herstellung einer Druckform für den wasserlosen Offsetdruck.The present invention relates to a process for producing a printing form for waterless offset printing.

Der Offsetdruck ist ein indirektes Flachdruckverfahren, welches bereits seit Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts weit verbreitete Anwendung in unterschiedlichsten Bereichen findet. Neben den Einsatz im Bereich des Buch- und Zeitungsdruckes findet Offsetdruck insbesondere Anwendung im Bereich des Akzidenzdrucks sowie der Bedruckung von Verpackungen unterschiedlichster Art. Das Grundlegende Prinzip des Offsetdrucks geht dabei auf Entwicklungen der Lithografie zurück, wie sie bereits Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts eingesetzt wurde.Offset printing is an indirect lithographic printing process, which has been widely used in various fields since the beginning of the 20th century. In addition to its use in the area of book and newspaper printing, offset printing is used in particular in the area of commercial printing as well as the printing of packaging of all kinds. The fundamental principle of offset printing goes back to developments in lithography, as it was already used at the end of the 18th century.

Im klassischen nassen Offsetdruck werden in mehreren meist fotochemischen Schritten Druckformen hergestellt, deren Oberflächen in hydrophile und hydrophobe Bereiche aufgeteilt sind. In der Offset-Druckmaschine wird auf die so hergestellten Druckformen Wasser bzw. ein wässriges Gemisch unterschiedlicher Hilfsstoffe wie beispielsweise Isopropanol mit einer Walze, dem sogenannten Feuchtwerk, aufgebracht. Die hydrophilen Bereiche der Druckform halten das Wasser bzw. das wässrige Gemisch fest, während die hydrophoben Bereiche trocken bleiben. Mittels einer Farbwalze, dem sogenannten Farbwerk, wir auf die gewässerte Druckform eine fetthaltige Druckfarbe aufgebracht, welche von den wasserbenetzten hydrophilen Bereichen abgestoßen wir und an den trockenen hydrophoben Bereichen haften bleibt. Die so eingefärbte Druckform wird auf einem Gummituch abgerollt, welches dann das Druckbild auf das zu bedruckende Medium überträgt. Es handelt sich daher um ein indirektes Druckverfahren, bei welchem das Druckbild nicht direkt von der Druckform auf das zu bedruckende Medium übertragen wird.In classical wet offset printing in several mostly photochemical steps printing plates are produced whose surfaces are divided into hydrophilic and hydrophobic areas. In the offset printing machine, water or an aqueous mixture of different auxiliaries, such as, for example, isopropanol, are applied to the printing plates produced in this way with a roller, the so-called dampening unit. The hydrophilic areas of the printing form hold the water or the aqueous mixture, while the hydrophobic areas remain dry. By means of an inking roller, the so-called inking unit, we applied a greasy printing ink on the watered printing form, which repelled from the water-wetted hydrophilic areas and adheres to the dry hydrophobic areas. The so-colored printing form is rolled on a blanket, which then transmits the printed image on the medium to be printed. It is therefore an indirect printing method in which the printed image is not transferred directly from the printing plate to the medium to be printed.

Ein Nachteil des nassen Offsetdrucks ist es, dass sowohl zur Herstellung der Druckform, als auch im Druckprozess selbst durch das Feuchtmittel, eine Vielzahl von Hilfsstoffen zum Einsatz gelangen, die man umwelttechnisch vermeiden möchte.A disadvantage of wet offset printing is that both for the production of the printing form, as well as in the printing process itself by the dampening solution, a variety of excipients are used, which you want to avoid environmental technology.

Ein Ansatz zur Vermeidung dieser Hilfsstoffe ist der wasserlose Offsetdruck, oder auch Trockenoffset. Hierbei werden als Druckformen silikonbeschichtete Druckplatten in Kombination mit Druckfarben auf Silikonbasis eingesetzt. Die silikonbeschichtete Druckplatte ist lipophob und weist die Druckfarbe ab. Das Druckbild wird mit Hilfe von beispielsweise Laserbestrahlung auf die Druckplatte aufgebracht, indem die farbtragende Bereiche der Druckplatte von der Silikonbeschichtung befreit werden. Auf der Druckform erfolgt eine Entmischung der Druckfarbe in die Farbbestandteile einerseits und Silikon-Öl andererseits, wobei die Farbbestandteile auf den von der Silikonschichtfreien Bereichen der Druckform haften bleibt.One approach to avoid these auxiliaries is the waterless offset printing, or dry offset. Here are used as printing plates silicone-coated printing plates in combination with printing inks based on silicone. The silicone-coated printing plate is lipophobic and repels the printing ink. The printed image is applied by means of, for example, laser irradiation on the printing plate by the color-bearing areas of the printing plate are removed from the silicone coating. On the printing form there is a segregation of the ink in the paint components on the one hand and silicone oil on the other hand, wherein the color components adhere to the free of the silicone layer areas of the printing plate.

Die Europäische Patentanmeldung EP 0 672 950 A1 offenbart eine entsprechende Druckplatte für den wasserlosen Offsetdruck, welche sich durch Laserbestrahlung entsprechend strukturieren lässt. Hierzu ist zwischen einer Silikonbeschichtung und einer Trägerplatte eine fotosensitive Schicht aufgebracht, welche bei Lasereinstrahlung geeigneter Wellenlänge zu einem Ablösen der Silikonschicht in den bestrahlten Bereichen führt. Die so freigelegten Bereiche sind lipophil, so dass die Druckfarbe in diesen Bereichen an der Druckform haften bleibt.The European patent application EP 0 672 950 A1 discloses a corresponding printing plate for waterless offset printing, which can be structured by laser irradiation accordingly. For this purpose, a photosensitive layer is applied between a silicone coating and a carrier plate, which leads to a detachment of the silicone layer in the irradiated areas with laser radiation of suitable wavelength. The areas thus exposed are lipophilic, so that the printing ink adheres to the printing form in these areas.

US 4,003,312 offenbart ein Verfahren zur Herstellung einer Druckvorlage mittels Tintenstrahltechnik. Ein Master wird durch Aufbringen eines Silikons auf einem geeigneten Substrat-Master mit Hilfe einer Tintenstrahl-Druckvorrichtung und Aushärten des Silikons zu einem elastomeren Zustand bereitgestellt. Alternativ kann eine Tintenstrahldruckvorrichtung eingesetzt werden, um einen Katalysator auf einem ungehärteten Silikon auf einem Master-Substrat aufzubringen, wodurch das Silikon in den mit dem Katalysator behandelten Bereichen zur Aushärtung gebracht wird. US 4,003,312 discloses a method of making a master by ink jet technique. A master is provided by applying a silicone on a suitable substrate master by means of an inkjet printing device and curing the silicone to an elastomeric state. Alternatively, an inkjet printing device can be used to apply a catalyst to an uncured silicone on a master substrate, thereby curing the silicone in the catalyst treated areas.

DE 19500486 A1 offenbart eine lichtempfindliche lithographische Druckplatte, die kein Anfeuchtwasser erfordert. Die Druckplatte umfasst einen Aluminiumträger, auf den eine Primer-Schicht, eine lichtempfindliche Schicht, und eine Silikonkautschukschicht aufgebracht werden, wobei die Aluminiumoberfläche eine durchschnittliche Rauheit Ra von 0,2 bis 0,8 µm und einen Weißgrad von 0,10 bis 0,35 aufweist. DE 19500486 A1 discloses a photosensitive lithographic printing plate that does not require dampening water. The printing plate comprises an aluminum support on which a primer layer, a photosensitive layer, and a silicone rubber layer are applied, the aluminum surface having an average roughness R a of 0.2 to 0.8 μm and a whiteness of 0.10 to 0, 35 has.

EP 1046497 A1 offenbart ein Verfahren zur Herstellung einer lithografischen Druckplatte, umfassend den Schritt des Verteilens eines Novolakharz auf einer hydrophile Oberfläche einer lithografischen Unterlage in einem vorbestimmten Muster. EP 1046497 A1 discloses a method of making a lithographic printing plate comprising the step of spreading a novolak resin on a hydrophilic surface of a lithographic base in a predetermined pattern.

US 2006/0188813 A1 offenbart einen hydrophilen Film auf einer Druckvorlage, der durch Wärme oder Licht induzierte Härtung einer Zusammensetzung erhältlich ist, welche wenigstens zwei fünf- oder sechsgliedrige hydrophile Ringstrukturen aufweist. Die Verbindung kann dabei mittels Tintenstrahltechnik auf die Oberfläche aufgebracht werden. US 2006/0188813 A1 discloses a hydrophilic film on a master surface obtainable by heat or light induced curing of a composition having at least two five- or six-membered hydrophilic ring structures. The compound can be applied by means of inkjet technology on the surface.

US 4003312 offenbart ein Mittel zur Herstellung von wasserlosen lithographischen Druckmaster durch Tintenstrahlabbildungsmittel vorgesehen sind. Ein Master wird durch Aufbringen eines Silikon oder eines anderen Materials auf ein geeignetes Grundsubstrat mittels einer Tintenstrahldruckvorrichtung und Härten des Silicons erstellt. US 4003312 discloses a means for producing waterless lithographic printing masters provided by ink jet imaging means. A master is created by applying a silicone or other material to a suitable base substrate by means of an inkjet printer and curing the silicone.

JP 56113456 offenbart um die Tinteabweisung bei Nicht-Bildteilen und die Haltbarkeit der Originalplatte zu verbessern ein Verfahren, bei dem ein siliconmodifizierte photohärtende Harz durch ein Tintenstrahlverfahren ausgestoßen und bildweise auf einem Träger aufgetragen wird. JP 56113456 disclosed in order to improve ink rejection in non-image parts and durability of the original plate, a method in which a silicone-modified photocuring resin is ejected by an ink jet method and imagewise coated on a support.

Das wasserlose Offset-Verfahren bietet den Vorteil, dass eine Emission des Feuchtmittels, wie sie beim nassen Offsetdruck auftritt, vermieden wird. Darüber hinaus besteht die Möglichkeit, feinere Raster auf dem zu bedruckenden Medium zu erzeugen. Es entsteht in der Regel eine geringe Anfahrmakulatur (z. B. 20 Bögen anstelle 200), da die Druckform nicht erst entsprechend feuchtebenetzt sein muss. Auch werden ein präziserer Ausdruck der Rasterpunkte, eine bessere Feinzeichnung und eine geringere Tonwertzunahme erzielt. In der Druckmaschine selbst kann auf ein Feuchtwerk verzichtet werde, wodurch sich der Konstruktionsaufwand deutlich reduziert. Hierdurch reduziert sich auch der Wartungsaufwand der Druckmaschinen. Durch den Verzicht auf Feuchtmittel kann darüber hinaus eine Korrosion von Metallfarben vermieden werden, wodurch sich die Farbechtheit des Druckes erhöht.The waterless offset method offers the advantage that an emission of dampening solution, as occurs in wet offset printing, is avoided. In addition, it is possible to produce finer raster on the medium to be printed. It arises in the Usually a low start-up waste (eg 20 sheets instead of 200), since the printing form does not first have to be correspondingly wet with moisture. Also, a more precise printout of the halftone dots, a better fine drawing and a lower dot gain are achieved. In the printing machine itself can be dispensed with a dampening unit, which significantly reduces the design effort. This also reduces the maintenance of the printing presses. By dispensing with fountain solution can over it In addition, a corrosion of metal colors are avoided, which increases the color fastness of the print.

Ein Nachteil der wasserlosen Offsetdrucktechnik ist es jedoch, dass die Druckplatten teurer sind, als bei dem nassen Offsetverfahren. Auch sind die genutzten Druckplatten kratzempfindlich und nach ihrer Entwicklung (Belichtung) nur noch schwer zu korrigieren. Mit bisher eingesetzten Tintenstrahlverfahren zur Herstellung von Druckplatten können keine hinreichenden Auflösungen zur Herstellung qualitativ hochwertiger Drucke erreicht werden. Auch ist die zu erreichend Haltbarkeit der so hergestellten Druckplatten deutlich begrenzt, so dass diese nur zum Druck sehr kleiner Auflagen eingesetzt werden können.A disadvantage of the waterless offset printing technique, however, is that the printing plates are more expensive than in the wet offset method. Also, the plates used are sensitive to scratching and after their development (exposure) only difficult to correct. With previously used ink jet process for the production of printing plates can not be achieved sufficient resolutions to produce high quality prints. Also, the achievable durability of the printing plates thus produced is significantly limited, so that they can be used only for printing very small runs.

Es ist daher die Aufgabe der vorliegenden Erfindung ein Verfahren zur Herstellung von Druckformen für den wasserlosen Offsetdruck anzugeben, mit welchen es möglich ist die aus dem Stand der Technik bekannten Nachteile zu überwinden und insbesondere Druckformen kostengünstiger herzustellen.It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for the production of printing plates for waterless offset printing, with which it is possible to overcome the disadvantages known from the prior art and in particular to produce printing plates more cheaply.

Gelöst wird diese Aufgabe durch ein Verfahren gemäß Anspruch 1. Ausgestaltungen des Verfahrens finden sich in den Unteransprüchen sowie der nachfolgenden Beschreibung.This object is achieved by a method according to claim 1. Embodiments of the method can be found in the subclaims and the following description.

Es wird somit ein Verfahren zur Herstellung einer Druckform für den wasserlosen Offsetdruck vorgeschlagen, aufweisend die Verfahrensschritte:

  • Bereitstellen einer Trägerplatte;
  • Aufbringen einer Tinte auf die Trägerplatte mittels Tintenstrahltechnik;
  • Fixieren der aufgebrachten Tinte auf der Trägerplatte,
welches dadurch gekennzeichnet ist, dass die Trägerplatte eine Oberflächenspannung ≥35 mN/m, vorzugsweise ≥38 mN/m aufweist und die Tinte im auf der Trägerplatte fixierten Zustand eine Oberflächenspannung ≤30 mN/m, vorzugsweise ≤25 mN/m aufweist und die Tinte in den Bereichen der Trägerplatte aufgebracht wird, welche beim Offsetdruck keine Druckfarbe tragen sollen wobei das Auftragen der Tinte auf die Trägerplatte in einer Inertgas-Atmosphäre mit einem Sauerstoffgehalt ≤ 5 Vol.-% erfolgt.Thus, a method for producing a printing form for waterless offset printing is proposed, comprising the method steps:
  • Providing a carrier plate;
  • Applying an ink to the support plate by ink jet technique;
  • Fixing the applied ink on the support plate,
which is characterized in that the support plate has a surface tension ≥35 mN / m, preferably ≥38 mN / m, and the ink has a surface tension ≤30 mN / m, preferably ≤25 mN / m in the state fixed on the support plate, and the ink is applied in the areas of the carrier plate, which are to carry no ink in offset printing wherein the application of the ink to the carrier plate in an inert gas atmosphere with an oxygen content ≤ 5 vol .-%.

Durch das erfindungsgemäße Verfahren ist es in vorteilhafter Weise möglich, Druckformen für den wasserlosen Offsetdruck schnell und kostengünstig herzustellen. Mittels einer geeigneten Tintenstrahlvorrichtung, wie beispielsweise einem Tintenstrahldrucker, ist es mit dem erfindungsgemäßen Verfahren möglich, Druckvorlagen in einem Datenverarbeitungssystem zu erstellen und direkt auf eine Druckplatte zu übertragen, um eine Druckform bereitzustellen.By means of the method according to the invention, it is advantageously possible to produce printing forms for waterless offset printing quickly and inexpensively. By means of a suitable ink jet device, such as an ink jet printer, it is possible with the method according to the invention to create print templates in a data processing system and transfer them directly to a printing plate to provide a printing plate.

Erfindungsgemäß ist es vorgesehen, dass die Druckform in der Art hergestellt wird, dass die Bereich der Trägerplatte, welche als Druckform im Druckprozess keine Farbe tragen sollen, mittels Tintenstrahltechnik mit einer Beschichtung versehen werden, welche hinreichend lipophob ist um die Druckfarbe abzuweisen, während die nicht beschichteten Bereiche der Trägerplatte hinreichend lipophil sind, dass Druckfarbe haften bleibt. Es wird somit also erfindungsgemäß ein Negativ des Druckbildes auf die Trägerplatte aufgebracht indem der nicht farbtragende Hintergrund der Druckplatte beschichtet wird.According to the invention, it is provided that the printing plate is produced in such a way that the area of the carrier plate which should not bear any color as a printing form in the printing process, be provided by means of inkjet technology with a coating which is sufficiently lipophobic to reject the ink, while not coated areas of the support plate are sufficiently lipophilic that ink adheres. Thus, according to the invention, a negative of the printed image is applied to the carrier plate by coating the non-color-bearing background of the printing plate.

Überraschender Weise hat sich herausgestellt, dass Trägerplatten mit einer Oberflächenspannung von ≥35 mN/m geeignet sind, Druckfarben sicher zu tragen, während Tinten, die im fixierten Zustand eine Oberflächenspannung ≤30 mN/m aufweisen, Druckfarben hinreichend sicher abweisen. Es wurde somit überraschender Weise festgestellt, dass ein Unterschied in der Oberflächenspannung zwischen den farbtragenden Bereichen und den farbabweisenden Bereichen der Druckform von ≥5 mN/m ausreichend ist, um beim wasserlosen Offsetdruck ein Druckbild zu erzeugen.Surprisingly, it has been found that support plates with a surface tension of ≥35 mN / m are suitable for safely carrying printing inks, while inks which have a surface tension of ≤30 mN / m in the fixed state reject printing inks with sufficient certainty. It was thus surprisingly found that a difference in surface tension between the ink-bearing areas and the ink-repellent areas of the printing form of ≥5 mN / m is sufficient to produce a printed image in waterless offset printing.

In einer Ausgestaltung des erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens besteht zumindest die Oberfläche der Trägerplatte aus einem Material aus der Gruppe bestehend aus Aluminium, Aluminiumlegierungen, Stahl, Polycarbonat, Polyester und Polyolefin. Als Oberfläche ist dabei der Bereich der Trägerplatte zu verstehen, welcher im Druckprozess mit der Druckfarbe in Kontakt kommt. Erfindungsgemäß kann es sich bei der Trägerplatte um einen Komposite-Aufbau handeln, welcher aus einem Grundträger besteht, auf dem ein Material der zuvor genannten Gruppe aufgebracht ist. So kann es beispielsweise vorgesehen sein, dass eine Polycarbonat-Schicht auf einen Grundträger aus Stahlblech aufgebracht ist. Vorzugsweise ist es vorgesehen, dass die Trägerplatte aus lediglich einem Material besteht.In one embodiment of the method according to the invention, at least the surface of the carrier plate consists of a material from the group consisting of aluminum, aluminum alloys, steel, polycarbonate, polyester and polyolefin. The surface is to be understood as the area of the carrier plate which comes into contact with the printing ink in the printing process. According to the invention, the carrier plate may be a composite structure which consists of a base carrier on which a material of the above mentioned group is applied. For example, it may be provided that a polycarbonate layer is applied to a base carrier made of sheet steel. Preferably, it is provided that the carrier plate consists of only one material.

In einer weiteren Ausgestaltung des erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens kann es vorgesehen sein, dass die Trägerplatte vor dem Auftragen der Tinte zur Veränderung der Oberflächenrauheit vorbehandelt wird. Insbesondere ist es dabei vorgesehen, dass die Oberflächenrauheit Ra der Trägerplatte auf unter 1 µm eingestellt wird. Die Rauheit wird dabei gemäß EN ISO 25178 bestimmt. Durch das Einstellen einer entsprechenden Rauheit wird sichergestellt, dass die Tinte im fixierten Zustand eine hinreichende Haftfestigkeit auf der Trägerplatte besitzt, um eine hinreichende Langlebigkeit der Druckform sicherzustellen. Als hinreichende Langlebigkeit wir dabei eine Standzeit ≥100.000 gedruckten Exemplaren je Druckform angesehen.In a further embodiment of the method according to the invention it can be provided that the carrier plate is pretreated before the application of the ink to change the surface roughness. In particular, it is provided that the surface roughness R a of the support plate is set to less than 1 micron. The roughness is determined according to EN ISO 25178. By setting a corresponding roughness is ensured that the ink has a sufficient adhesive strength in the fixed state on the support plate to ensure a sufficient longevity of the printing form. A sufficient service life of ≥100,000 printed copies per printing form is regarded as sufficient longevity.

Zu Einstellung einer entsprechenden Oberflächenrauheit und/oder Oberflächenspannung der Trägerplatte kann es in einer Ausgestaltung der Erfindung vorgesehen sein, dass die Trägerplatte mittels Beizen, Ätzen, Coronabehandlung oder Plasmabehandlung vorbehandelt wird.To set a corresponding surface roughness and / or surface tension of the carrier plate, it may be provided in one embodiment of the invention that the carrier plate is pretreated by means of pickling, etching, corona treatment or plasma treatment.

Das Auftragen der Tinte auf die Trägerplatte kann im erfindungsgemäßen Verfahren mittels bekannter Tintenstrahltechniken erfolgen. So kann es beispielsweise vorgesehen sein, dass die Tinte im CIJ-Verfahren (Continuous-Ink-Jet Verfahren) oder im DOD-Verfahren (Drop-on-Demand Verfahren) aufgetragen wird. CIJ-Drucker sind aus dem Bereich des Industriedruckes bekannt. Hierbei tritt der Tintenstrahl über eine Düse aus einem Druckkopf aus, wobei der Strahl über einen piezoelektrischen Wandler hinter der Austrittsdüse moduliert, um einen gleichmäßigen Tropfenzerfall der Tinte zu erreichen. Über eine Elektrode werden die austretenden Tropfen elektrostatisch aufgeladen und passieren anschließend ein durch eine weitere Elektrode aufgebautes Ablenkungsfeld, innerhalb welchem sie in Abhängigkeit ihrer Ladung abgelenkt werden, wobei zwischen Binary-Deflecting-Verfahren und Multi-Deflecting-Verfahren unterschieden wird. Für den Druck nicht benötigte Tintentropfen werden aufgefangen und in den Tintenkreislauf zurückgeführt.The application of the ink to the carrier plate can be carried out in the process according to the invention by means of known ink-jet techniques. For example, it may be provided that the ink is applied in the CIJ process (continuous ink jet process) or in the DOD process (drop-on-demand process). CIJ printers are known in the field of industrial printing. In this case, the ink jet exits via a nozzle from a printhead, wherein the jet modulates via a piezoelectric transducer behind the outlet nozzle in order to achieve a uniform drop in the ink drop. The emerging drops are electrostatically charged via an electrode and then pass through a deflection field built up by a further electrode, within which they are deflected as a function of their charge, wherein between binary-deflecting methods and multi-deflecting method is distinguished. Ink drops not needed for printing are collected and returned to the ink circuit.

Im Gegensatz dazu verlässt im DOD-Verfahren nur der Tintentropfen die Düse, der tatsächlich als Druckbild aufgebracht werden soll. Hierbei unterscheidet man die Technik, mit welcher die Tintentropfen ausgestoßen werden. Bei Bubble-Jet-Druckern werden die benötigten Tintentropfen mit Hilfe eines Heizelements erzeugt, welches die Tinte erhitzt. Dabei bildet sich explosionsartig eine Dampfblase, die durch ihren Druck einen Tintentropfen aus der Düse presst. Hierbei unterscheidet man je nach Art der Dampfblasenerzeugung zwischen Sideshooter-Systemen und Edgeshooter-Systemen. In Piezo-Druckern wird ein piezokeramisches Elemente durch Anlegen einer elektrischen Spannung verformt, um durch die Formänderung Drucktinte durch eine Düse zu pressen. Die Tropfengröße lässt sich dabei über den angelegten elektrischen Impulses steuern.In contrast, in the DOD process, only the ink drop leaves the nozzle that is actually to be applied as a printed image. Here one differentiates the technology, with which the ink drops are ejected. In bubble jet printers, the required ink drops are generated by means of a heating element which heats the ink. This explosively forms a vapor bubble, which presses an ink drop from the nozzle by its pressure. Depending on the type of vapor bubble generation, a distinction is made between sideshooter systems and edgeshooter systems. In piezo printers, a piezoceramic element is deformed by applying an electrical voltage to press ink through a die by the change in shape. The drop size can be controlled by the applied electrical pulse.

Gemäß einer bevorzugten Ausführungsform des erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens wird die Tinte mit einer Punktdichte von ≥1200 dpi, vorzugsweise ≥2400 dpi auf die Trägerplatte aufgebracht.According to a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the ink is applied to the carrier plate with a dot density of .gtoreq.1200 dpi, preferably .gtoreq.224 dpi.

Nach dem Auftragen auf die Trägerplatte wird die Tinte fixiert. Dies kann durch Lufttrocknung erfolgen. Es kann jedoch auch in einer Ausgestaltung des erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens vorgesehen sein, das dass die Tinte nach dem Auftragen auf der Trägerplatte mittels UV-Strahlung und/oder Wärmestrahlung fixiert wird. Dies erlaubt in vorteilhafter Weise eine schnelle Fixierung der Tinte.After application to the carrier plate, the ink is fixed. This can be done by air drying. However, it may also be provided in one embodiment of the method according to the invention that the ink is fixed after application to the support plate by means of UV radiation and / or thermal radiation. This advantageously allows rapid fixation of the ink.

Gemäß einer weiteren Ausgestaltung des erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens kann es vorgesehen sein, dass die Tinte ein Silikon, ein Polyisopren und/oder Fluorkunststoff, insbesondere ein Poly(dimethylsiloxan) aufweist. Desweiteren kann die Tinte Hilfsstoffe wie Lösungsmittel, Mittel zur Einstellung der Oberflächenspannung im fixierten Zustand und/oder Fixiermittel aufweisen.According to a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, it can be provided that the ink comprises a silicone, a polyisoprene and / or fluoroplastic, in particular a poly (dimethylsiloxane). In addition, the ink may include adjuvants such as solvents, surface tension adjusting agents in the fixed state, and / or fixing agents.

In einer weiteren Ausgestaltung des erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens wird als Tinte eine UVhärtende Tinte eingesetzt. Dabei kann es vorgesehen sein, dass die Tinte radikalisch härtend oder kationisch härtend ist. Bei radikalisch härtenden Tinten werden ungesättigte Harze mit reaktionsfähigen Gruppen eingesetzt, die über freie Radikale zu einer Vernetzungsreaktion führen. Im Allgemeinen handelt es sich hierbei um acrylierte Harze bzw. Monomere mit endständigen Acrylsäuregruppen (Acrylsäureester). Neben den Acrylaten können auch andere Verbindungen mit reaktiven Doppelbindungen, wie z.B. ungesättigte Polyesterharze sowie vinylische Monomere wie z.B. Styrol über diesen Mechanismus vernetzt werden. Bei der Bestrahlung von UV-Licht zerfallen in der Tinte enthaltene Fotoinitiatoren spontan in freie Radikale und lösen eine Kettenreaktion für die Polymerisation aus. Es entsteht so eine dreidimensional vernetzte, unlösliche und feste Struktur aus Makromolekülen. Dies geschieht in Sekunden bzw. Sekundenbruchteilen, so dass sofort nach der Härtung ein belastbarer Film entsteht.In a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, an UV-curable ink is used as the ink. It may be provided that the ink is free-radical curing or cationic curing. Radical curable inks use unsaturated resins having reactive groups that cause a crosslinking reaction via free radicals. In general, these are acrylated resins or monomers having acrylic acid groups (acrylic acid esters). In addition to the acrylates, other compounds having reactive double bonds, e.g. unsaturated polyester resins as well as vinylic monomers such as e.g. Styrene can be crosslinked via this mechanism. Upon irradiation of UV light, photoinitiators contained in the ink spontaneously decompose into free radicals and initiate a chain reaction for the polymerization. The result is a three-dimensionally crosslinked, insoluble and solid structure of macromolecules. This happens in seconds or fractions of a second, so that immediately after hardening a resilient film is created.

Bei kationisch härtenden UV-Farben erfolgt die Aushärtung nach einem anderen Reaktionsmechanismus. Als Harzbasis dient hier eine oxirangruppenhaltige Verbindung. Als Initiator wird eine Säure eingesetzt, die erst durch die Belichtung aktiviert wird. Als Harzkomponente dient in der Regel ein cycloaliphatisches Epoxidharz. Die Protonen der Säure bewirkt eine Öffnung des Epoxid-Rings und startet eine Polymerisation mit fortlaufendem Kettenwachstum. Durch die Kombination von Epoxidharzen mit Polyolen lassen sich die Filmeigenschaften der fixierten Tinte in vorteilhafter Weise die erfindungsgemäßen Anforderungen einstellen.For cationically curing UV inks curing takes place after a different reaction mechanism. The resin base is an oxirane group-containing compound. As an initiator, an acid is used, which is activated only by the exposure. The resin component is usually a cycloaliphatic epoxy resin. The protons of the acid cause opening of the epoxide ring and initiate polymerization with continued chain growth. By combining epoxy resins with polyols, the film properties of the fixed ink can be advantageously adjusted to the requirements of the invention.

Um störenden Sauerstoffeinfluss auszuschließen ist es erfindungsgemäß vorgesehen, dass die Auftragung der Tinte auf die Trägerplatte in einer Inertgas-Atmosphäre, beispielsweise in einer Stickstoff-, Kohlendioxid-, Helium- oder Argon-Atmosphäre erfolgt. Hierdurch können nachteilige Oxidationsreaktion der Tinten oder der Trägeroberfläche mit dem Luftsauerstoff ausgeschlossenen werden, wodurch zum einen die Haftung der Tinte gegenüber der Trägerplatte verbessert wird, was wiederum Haltbarkeit der Druckplatte und die mit dieser zu erreichende Druckauflagenzahl erhöht. Zum anderen kann durch Verringerung oder Unterdrückung der durch Luftsauerstoff induzierten Oxidationsreaktionen eine erhöhte Auflösung erreicht werden, da ein oxidativ bedingtes Ausfransen der Bildpunktränder vermieden werden kann.In order to exclude interfering oxygen influence, it is provided according to the invention that the application of the ink to the carrier plate takes place in an inert gas atmosphere, for example in a nitrogen, carbon dioxide, helium or argon atmosphere. This can preclude adverse oxidation reaction of the inks or the support surface with atmospheric oxygen, thereby improving the adhesion of the ink to the support plate, which in turn results in durability the pressure plate and the pressure to be reached with this increased number of copies. On the other hand, an increased resolution can be achieved by reducing or suppressing the oxidation reactions induced by atmospheric oxygen, since an oxidatively induced fraying of the image dot edges can be avoided.

Inertgas-Atmosphäre im Sinne der vorliegenden Erfindung bedeutet dabei, dass die Sauerstoffkonzentration in der Arbeitsatmosphäre ≤ 5 Vol.-%, vorzugsweise ≤ 1 Vol.-%, besonders bevorzugt ≤ 0,5 Vol.-% beträgt.Inert gas atmosphere in the sense of the present invention means that the oxygen concentration in the working atmosphere is ≦ 5 vol .-%, preferably ≦ 1 vol .-%, particularly preferably ≦ 0.5 vol .-%.

In einer weiter bevorzugten Ausgestaltung der Erfindung ist es vorgesehen, dass zumindest der Tintenauftrag in einer feuchtigkeitsarmen Atmosphäre erfolgt, um störende Einflüsse etwaiger Restfeuchtigkeit auszuschließen. Feuchtigkeitsarm bedeutet dabei im Sinne der Erfindung, dass der Wassergehalt in der Arbeitsatmosphäre ≤ 1 Vol.-%, vorzugsweise ≤ 0,5 Vol.-%, besonderes bevorzugt ≤ 0,1 Vol.-% beträgt.In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided that at least the ink application takes place in a low-moisture atmosphere in order to exclude disturbing influences of any residual moisture. Low moisture in the sense of the invention means that the water content in the working atmosphere is ≦ 1% by volume, preferably ≦ 0.5% by volume, more preferably ≦ 0.1% by volume.

Insbesondere kann es erfindungsgemäß vorgesehen sein, dass der Tintenauftrag in einer trockenen Inertgas-Atmosphäre mit einem Restfeuchtegehalt ≤ 0,1 Vol.-% erfolgt.In particular, it may be provided according to the invention that the ink is applied in a dry inert gas atmosphere having a residual moisture content of ≦ 0.1% by volume.

Desweiteren erfindungsgemäß kann es vorgesehen sein, dass die zuvor beschriebene optionale Einstellung der Oberflächenrauheit Ra der Trägerplatte auf unter 1 µm in einer Inertgas-Atmosphäre, insbesondere trockenen Inertgas-Atmosphäre erfolgt. Dabei ist es insbesondere bevorzugt, dass ein Feuchtigkeits- und/oder Sauerstoffkontakt der Trägerplatte zwischen dem Einstellen der Oberflächenrauheit und dem Auftrag der Tinte vermieden wird.Furthermore, it can be provided according to the invention that the above-described optional adjustment of the surface roughness R a of the carrier plate to less than 1 .mu.m in an inert gas atmosphere, in particular dry inert gas atmosphere. It is particularly preferred that moisture and / or oxygen contact of the carrier plate between the adjustment of the surface roughness and the application of the ink is avoided.

In dem erfindungsgemäßen Verfahren kann beispielsweise in der auf die Trägerplatte aufgebrachten Tinte ein Silikon, insbesondere ein Poly(dimethylsiloxan), ein Polyisopren, insbesondere ein Poly-2-methyl-1,3-butadien, oder Mischungen dieser als Bindemittel eingesetzt werden. Zur Reduzierung der Oberflächenenergie kann beispielsweise in der auf die Trägerplatte aufgebrachten Tinte ein Silikonöl, ein Fluortensid, ein Fluorkunststoff, insbesondere ein Perfluoralkoxylalkan und/oder ein Perfluoroctansulfonat, ein Silikon, insbesondere ein Poly(dimethylsiloxan), ein Polyisopren, insbesondere ein Poly-2-methyl-1,3-butadien oder eine Mischungen dieser enthalten sein. Als Lösungsmittel kann beispielsweise in der auf die Trägerplatte aufgebrachten Tinte ein kurzkettiger Kohlenwasserstoff, N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidon, Toluol oder eine Mischung dieser enthalten sein. Als Farbstoff kann beispielsweise in der auf die Trägerplatte aufgebrachten Tinte ein Triphenylmethan, ein (4-(4,4'-Bis(dimethylaminophenyl)benzhydryliden)cyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-yliden)dimethyl-ammoniumchlorid oder eine Mischung dieser enthalten sein. Des Weiteren kann die Tinte Bisacylphosphinoxid und/oder ein Benzophenon enthalten. Gemäß einer weiteren Ausgestaltung der Erfindung wird der Tinte ein Einfärbungsmittel zugesetzt. Hierdurch wird es möglich, die Druckform nach ihrer Herstellung einer optischen Überprüfung zuzuführen um etwaige Fehler zu erkennen.In the method according to the invention, for example, in the ink applied to the carrier plate, a silicone, in particular a poly (dimethylsiloxane), a polyisoprene, in particular a poly-2-methyl-1,3-butadiene, or mixtures of these can be used as binders. To reduce the surface energy, for example, in the ink applied to the support plate, a silicone oil, a fluorine surfactant, a fluoroplastic, in particular a perfluoroalkoxylalkane and / or a perfluorooctanesulfonate, a silicone, in particular a poly (dimethylsiloxane), a polyisoprene, in particular a poly-2-methyl-1,3-butadiene or a mixture thereof. As the solvent, for example, in the ink applied to the support plate, a short-chain hydrocarbon, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, toluene or a mixture thereof may be contained. As the dye, for example, in the ink applied to the support plate, a triphenylmethane, a (4- (4,4'-bis (dimethylaminophenyl) benzhydryliden) cyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ylidene) dimethyl ammonium chloride or a mixture of these be. Furthermore, the ink may contain bisacylphosphine oxide and / or a benzophenone. According to a further embodiment of the invention, a coloring agent is added to the ink. This makes it possible to supply the printing form after its preparation of a visual inspection to detect any errors.

Die Erfindung wird nachfolgen von Ausführungsbeispielen und Figuren weiter beschrieben, ohne dass die erfindungsgemäße Idee auf diese Beispiele beschränkt ist.

  • Fig. 1 zeigt schematisch ein Herstellungsverfahren nach der Erfindung;
  • Fig. 2 zeigt eine erfindungsgemäß hergestellte Druckform;
  • Fig. 3 zeigt eine erfindungsgemäß hergestellte Druckform mit darauf aufgebrachter Druckfarbe; und
  • Fig. 4 zeigt das mit einer erfindungsgemäß hergestellten Druckform erzeugte Druckbild.
The invention will be further described by embodiments and figures, without the idea according to the invention being limited to these examples.
  • Fig. 1 shows schematically a manufacturing method according to the invention;
  • Fig. 2 shows a printing plate produced according to the invention;
  • Fig. 3 shows a printing form produced according to the invention with ink applied thereto; and
  • Fig. 4 shows the printed image produced with a printing form produced according to the invention.

Fig. 1 zeigt schematisch ein Herstellungsverfahren nach der Erfindung zur Herstellung einer Druckform 100 für den wasserlosen Offsetdruck. Auf eine Trägerplatte 200 wird mittels einer Tintenstrahleinrichtung 400 eine Tinte 200 aufgebracht. Die Trägerplatte 200 weist dabei erfindungsgemäß eine Oberflächenspannung ≥35 mN/m auf. Als Material für die Trägerplatte 200 kann beispielsweise Aluminium, eine Aluminiumlegierung, Stahl, ein Polycarbonat, ein Polyester, oder ein Polyolefin dienen. Ebenso kann es vorgesehen sein, dass die Trägerplatte 200 einen Komposite-Aufbau aufweist, bei welchem auf eine Tragschicht eine Beschichtung aufgebracht ist, welche eine Oberflächenspannung im erfindungsgemäßen Bereich aufweist. Zur Veränderung bzw. Anpassung der Oberflächenspannung der Trägerplatte 200 an den erfindungsgemäß vorgesehenen Spannungswert kann die Trägerplatte 200 einer geeigneten Oberflächenbehandlung unterzogen werden, bevor die Tinte 300 auf dieser aufgetragen wird. Beispiele für entsprechende Oberflächenbehandlungen sind Beizen, Ätzen, Coronabehandlung oder Plasmabehandlung. Die Tintentropfen 310 sind in den Bereichen der Trägerplatte 200 aufgebracht, welche im späteren Offsetdruck keine Farbe tragen sollen. Zur Vermeidung etwaiger Reaktionen der Tinte 300 mit Luftsauerstoff kann es vorgesehen sein, dass der Auftrag der Tinte 300 auf die Trägerplatte 200 in einer Schutzgasatmosphäre, wie beispielsweise Stickstoff oder Argon, erfolgt. Fig. 1 shows schematically a manufacturing method according to the invention for producing a printing form 100 for the waterless offset printing. On a support plate 200, an ink 200 is applied by means of an ink jet device 400. According to the invention, the carrier plate 200 has a surface tension ≥ 35 mN / m. As the material for the support plate 200, for example, aluminum, an aluminum alloy, steel, a polycarbonate, a Polyester, or serve a polyolefin. Likewise, it can be provided that the carrier plate 200 has a composite structure in which a coating is applied to a carrier layer which has a surface tension in the range according to the invention. In order to change the surface tension of the carrier plate 200 to the voltage value provided according to the invention, the carrier plate 200 may be subjected to a suitable surface treatment before the ink 300 is applied thereto. Examples of corresponding surface treatments are pickling, etching, corona treatment or plasma treatment. The ink droplets 310 are applied in the areas of the carrier plate 200, which should not carry any color in later offset printing. To avoid any reactions of the ink 300 with atmospheric oxygen, it may be provided that the application of the ink 300 to the carrier plate 200 in a protective gas atmosphere, such as nitrogen or argon, takes place.

Fig. 2 zeigt schematisch eine erfindungsgemäß hergestellte Druckform 100. Auf einer Trägerplatte 200 bildet die aufgebrachte Tinte nach dem Fixieren oder Aushärten Bereiche 320 auf, welche eine Oberflächenspannung ≤30 mN/m aufweisen, während die nicht mit Tinte bedeckten Bereiche 210 eine Oberflächenspannung ≥35 mN/m aufweisen. Im späteren Druckverfahren trägt der Bereich 210 Farbe, während die Bereiche 320 Farbe abweisen. Das Fixieren der Tinte 300 kann beispielsweise thermisch oder durch UV-Bestrahlung erfolgen. Ebenso kann es in Abhängigkeit der eingesetzten Tinte 200 vorgesehen sein, dass diese durch Lufttrocknung fixiert bzw. ausgehärtet wird. Fig. 2 schematically shows a printing plate 100 prepared according to the invention. On a support plate 200, the applied ink after fixing or curing forms regions 320 having a surface tension ≤30 mN / m, while the non-inked regions 210 have a surface tension ≥35 mN / m exhibit. In the later printing process, area 210 carries color while areas 320 reject color. The fixing of the ink 300 can be done, for example, thermally or by UV irradiation. Likewise, depending on the ink 200 used, it may be provided that it is fixed or cured by air drying.

Fig. 3 zeigt die schematische Darstellung einer Druckform 100 auf welche Druckfarbe aufgebracht wurde. Die Druckfarbe wird von der Druckform im Bereich 500 angenommen, während der Bereich 320, der von fixierter oder ausgehärteter Tinte bedeckt ist, die Druckfarbe abweist. Im anschließenden Offsetdruck werden die farbtragenden Bereiche auf den Gummituchzylinder der Druckmaschine übertragen, welcher dann das Druckbild auf das zu bedruckende Medium überträgt. Fig. 3 shows the schematic representation of a printing plate 100 on which printing ink has been applied. The ink is accepted by the printing form in the region 500, while the region 320 covered by fixed or cured ink repels the ink. In the subsequent offset printing, the ink-bearing areas are transferred to the blanket cylinder of the printing machine, which then transmits the printed image to the medium to be printed.

Fig. 4 zeigt schematisch ein mit einer im erfindungsgemäßen Verfahren hergestellten Druckform bedrucktes Medium 600. Der farbtragende Bereich 500 wurde, wie in der Fig. 3 beschrieben, von der Druckform erst auf einen Gummizylinder und anschließend auf das zu bedruckende Medium übertragen. Fig. 4 schematically shows a printed with a printing plate produced in the process according to the invention form medium 600. The color-carrying region 500 was, as in the Fig. 3 described, transferred from the printing plate only on a blanket cylinder and then on the medium to be printed.

Claims (12)

  1. Method for producing a printing form (100) for waterless offset printing, comprising the steps of:
    - providing a carrier plate (200);
    - applying an ink (300) onto the carrier plate (200) by means of inkjet technology;
    - fixing the applied ink (300) on the carrier plate,
    wherein the carrier plate (200) has a surface tension of ≥ 35 mN/m, preferably ≥ 38 mN/m, and said ink (300) in the state fixed on the carrier plate (200) has a surface tension of ≤ 30 mN/m, preferably ≤ 25 mN/m, and said ink (300) is applied in the areas of the carrier plate (200) which should bear no ink during the offset printing process;
    characterized in that
    the application of the ink (300) onto the carrier plate (200) is conducted in an inert gas atmosphere having an oxygen content ≤ 5 vol.-%.
  2. Method according to claim 1, wherein at least the surface of the carrier plate (200) is made of a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, aluminum alloys, steel, polycarbonate, polyester and polyolefin.
  3. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the carrier plate (200) is pretreated prior to the application of the ink (300) in order to change the surface roughness.
  4. Method according to claim 3, wherein the carrier plate has an average surface roughness Ra of less than 1 µm.
  5. Method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the carrier plate (200) is pretreated by pickling, etching, corona treatment or plasma treatment.
  6. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ink (300) is fixed by UV radiation and/or thermal radiation subsequently to the application onto the carrier plate (200).
  7. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said ink comprises a silicone, a polyisoprene, an acrylate, a silicone oil, a fluorosurfactant, a fluoroplastic, a bisacylphosphine oxide, a benzophenone, a perfluoro-alkoxylalkane, a perfluorooctane sulfonate, a triphenylmethane, (4-(4,4'-bis(dimethylaminophenyl)benzhydrylidene)cyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-yliden)-dimethylammoniumchlorid or an N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone.
  8. Method according to claim 7, wherein the ink comprises a short-chain hydrocarbon and/or toluene.
  9. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the application of the ink (300) onto the carrier plate is conducted in an atmosphere having a moisture content of ≤ 1 vol.-%.
  10. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a moisture and/or an oxygen contact of the carrier plate between the adjustment of the surface roughness and the application of the ink (300) is avoided.
  11. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ink (300) is applied onto the carrier plate (200) with a dot density of ≥ 1200 dpi, preferably ≥ 2400 dpi.
  12. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a dye is added to the ink (300).
EP12759664.1A 2011-08-25 2012-08-23 Method for producing a printing plate for waterless offset printing Not-in-force EP2748002B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE102011052991A DE102011052991B4 (en) 2011-08-25 2011-08-25 Process for producing a printing form for waterless offset printing
PCT/EP2012/066433 WO2013026904A1 (en) 2011-08-25 2012-08-23 Method for producing a printing plate for waterless offset printing

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EP2748002A1 EP2748002A1 (en) 2014-07-02
EP2748002B1 true EP2748002B1 (en) 2017-01-04

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JP (1) JP2014528856A (en)
KR (1) KR20140051395A (en)
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DE (1) DE102011052991B4 (en)
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US20140208969A1 (en) 2014-07-31
KR20140051395A (en) 2014-04-30
DE102011052991B4 (en) 2013-12-24
DE102011052991A1 (en) 2013-02-28
RU2014104167A (en) 2015-09-27
CN103732409A (en) 2014-04-16
JP2014528856A (en) 2014-10-30
EP2748002A1 (en) 2014-07-02

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