JP2004330734A - Method for manufacturing screen printing plate for printing - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a resin residue from being generated on an opening part of a printing plate image of a screen printing plate during laser processing. <P>SOLUTION: A method for manufacturing the screen printing plate for printing comprises forming a resin coating film 3b to be a plate film on a metal screen gauze 3a, and forming by evaporation the opening part 14 of a pattern corresponding to a printing plate image on the resin coating film by sweeping and radiating with laser beams 11. The screen printing plate is manufactured by forming by evaporation the opening part of the printing plate through a coating film forming process wherein the whole face region of the metal screen gauze is coated with a photocurable resin, a resin curing process wherein the coating film of the photocurable resin is irradiated with UV rays from one face side of the metal screen gauze, a water washing process wherein an uncured resin of a part which is not exposed to the UV rays by shielding the light by the metal screen gauze in the preceding process, is removed, and a laser processing process wherein the laser light is swept and irradiated from the same face side as the face irradiated with the UV rays. It is thereby possible to prevent the resin residue which is a cause of decrease in image quality from being generated on the opening part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

上記表の印字評価の判定結果から判るように、実施例１，２の方法で製版したスクリーン版は印字評価の判定結果が良であったが、比較例１〜４はいずれも印字評価の判定は不良、比較例５は開口部を形成せず、本発明の製造方法により製版したスクリーン版を用いることで高画質なスクリーン印刷が行えることが確認された。これは、図１（ａ） 〜（ｄ） で述べた製版工程により、スクリーン版の開口部に樹脂の残渣が生じないことが大きく寄与しているものと推察される。
【００２２】
【発明の効果】
以上述べたように、本発明によれば、金属製のスクリーン紗に版膜となる樹脂塗膜を形成した上で、レーザ光を掃引照射して樹脂塗膜に版画像に対応したパターンの開口部を蒸散形成するようにした印刷用スクリーン版の製造方法において、金属スクリーン紗の全面域に光硬化樹脂を被覆形成する成膜工程、光硬化樹脂の塗膜に対して金属スクリーン紗の片面側から紫外線を照射する樹脂硬化工程、前工程で金属スクリーン紗に遮光されて紫外線が当たらない部分の未硬化樹脂を除去する水洗工程，および紫外線を照射した面と同じ面側からレーザ光を掃引照射するレーザ加工工程を経て樹脂塗膜に版開口部を蒸散形成してスクリーン版を製版するようにしたことにより、
パターン開口部に樹脂残渣を生じることなく、レーザ加工によりシャープな版画像を形成することができる。これにより、従来の製造方法で作製したスクリーン版のように、金属スクリーン紗に残る樹脂残渣をバフ研磨などで取り除く後処理工程が不要となって製版のリードタイム短縮，生産性向上，コスト低減化と併せて、高画質なスクリーン印刷が可能なスクリーン版を提供できる。
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図１】本発明の実施例によるスクリーン版の製版工程図で、（ａ） 〜（ｄ） はそれぞれ樹脂塗布膜の成膜工程，紫外線硬化工程，水洗工程，およびレーザ加工工程の状態を表す図
【図２】従来におけるスクリーン版の製版工程図で、（ａ） 〜（ｄ） はそれぞれ樹脂塗布膜の成膜工程，紫外線硬化工程Ｉ，ＩＩ，およびレーザ加工工程の状態を表す図
【図３】スクリーン版の製版に適用するレーザ加工システム図
【図４】図３のレーザ加工システムによるスクリーン印刷版へのパターン形成の説明図で、（ａ） はレーザ加工前のスクリーン印刷版の斜視図、（ｂ） は（ａ） のスクリーン印刷版にレーザ光の掃引照射した加工状態図
【図５】レーザ加工により版画像のパターン形成プロセスの説明図
【図６】完成したスクリーン版の外観斜視図
【符号の説明】
１ レーザ光源
３ スクリーン印刷版
３ａ 金属スクリーン紗
３ｂ 樹脂塗膜
３ｂ−１ 未硬化樹脂
４ レーザ光
１４ 版画像のパターンに対応した開口部[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a printing screen plate using a laser processing method.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a method for producing a printing screen plate, a metal screen gauze is coated with a resin film to be a plate film (resist), and then the resin film is swept and irradiated with an infrared laser such as a YAG laser or a carbon dioxide gas laser. There is known a manufacturing method in which an opening of a pattern corresponding to a plate image (character or graphic) is formed by evaporation to make a plate (for example, see Patent Document 1).
FIG. 3 is a diagram of a laser processing system applied to the above plate making method. In FIG. 3, 1 is a laser light source (YAG laser or carbon dioxide laser), 2 is an XY table, and 3 is an XY table 2. It is a screen printing plate (printing plate before performing plate making) as a processing work, and has a shutter 5, an aperture 6, an expand lens 7, an X-axis deflection mirror 8 on a light guide path of the laser light 4 emitted from the laser light source 1. , Y-axis deflecting mirror 9 and condensing lens 10 are arranged to guide laser light 4 to screen printing plate 3. The XY table 2, the X-axis galvanometer 8a, and the Y-axis galvanometer 9a are controlled by a command from a CAD system (not shown), and the laser beam 11 condensed by the condenser lens 10 is applied to the surface of the screen printing plate 3. Sweep irradiation is performed to make a screen plate corresponding to the pattern of the plate image as described below.
[0003]
Here, as shown in FIG. 4A, the screen printing plate 3 is made of a metal screen gauze 3a (stainless steel wire, amorphous metal fiber or the like is woven (40 to 500 mesh) and a peripheral frame (not shown)). The resin film 3b having a thickness of 3 to 500 μm to be a plate film is formed on the entire surface of the resin film, and the resin film is made of polyimide resin, vinyl acetate emulsion, polyvinyl alcohol. Such a resin is used in which carbon black is added as a light absorption aid and a condensate of diazodiphenylamine and formaldehyde is added as an ultraviolet curing agent.
When the screen printing plate 3 is irradiated with a laser beam (infrared laser) 11 as shown in FIG. 4B, the thermal energy of the laser light absorbed by the resin coating 3b causes the portion of the screen printing plate 3 to which the laser beam has hit. The opening P is formed by evaporation of the resin coating. Further, when the laser beam 11 is swept in the direction of the arrow, a slit-shaped opening is formed in the screen printing plate 3.
[0004]
FIGS. 5 and 6 show a laser processing method for drawing a pattern 12 of the character "E" on the screen printing plate 3 as a plate image, and a laser beam based on image data created in advance by CAD. 11, the hatching line 13 corresponding to the image pattern 12 is engraved, and the hatching line 13 is scanned and controlled in parallel at a constant pitch. As shown in FIG. The opening 14 corresponding to the image pattern 12 is formed.
In addition, the printing method of a screen plate is a well-known method, the printing side of a screen plate is overlapped on a to-be-printed material, the printing ink is squeegeeed from the upper surface side of a screen plate, and a plate image is transferred to a printing paper surface. .
[0005]
Next, with respect to the method of manufacturing the screen printing plate 3, a conventional plate making process will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), with a metal screen gauze (SUS mesh) 3a stretched over the outer frame 15, the above-mentioned resin material is applied to the screen gauze 3a to form a resin coating film 3b. I do. It should be noted that in the figure, the S surface represents a squeegee surface of a screen plate, and the P surface represents a printing surface.
In the above-mentioned film forming process, when a fluid resin is applied from one surface side of the screen gauze 3a, the resin goes around to the opposite surface through the mesh of the screen and forms on both surfaces of the screen gauze 3a as shown in the sectional view in the drawing. Filmed. Instead of applying a resin, a resin film may be attached to the surface of the metal screen gauze 3a with an adhesive, or a resin film may be applied and welded to the screen gauze by heating. Since it is disadvantageous in cost as compared with the method, a resin coating method is generally adopted.
[0006]
Next, as shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, the resin coating 3b formed on the screen gauze 3a is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from both the S surface and the P surface as shown in the steps of FIGS. Is cured by ultraviolet light. After that, the screen printing plate 3 is set on the table of the laser processing system shown in FIG. 3, and the laser beam 11 is swept and irradiated from the P surface side as shown in FIG. 2D. As a result, the resin coating 3b in the surface area irradiated with the laser light evaporates, and the opening 14 corresponding to the image pattern is formed.
[0007]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-67527
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The method of manufacturing a screen printing plate by the above-mentioned laser processing method includes a process of manufacturing a pattern mask and a treatment and equipment for an etching waste liquid generated in the process, such as a photoetching method using a pattern mask and a photoresist. Although there is an advantage that laser processing for making a screen plate using a YAG laser or a carbon dioxide gas laser with excellent oscillation stability can be performed, there are the following problems in plate making quality. Remains.
That is, as described in FIG. 2, when the laser processing is performed in a state where the resin coating 3b formed on the screen gauze 3a is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from both the front and back surfaces and cured, the laser coating becomes as shown in FIG. As shown, the resin at the portion irradiated with the laser beam evaporates and opens, but the portion of the resin not exposed to the laser beam as a shadow of the screen gauze 3a (S surface side) is processed along with the screen gauze 3a. 3b-1 remains without evaporating.
[0009]
Moreover, if screen printing is performed while the processing residue 3b is left, when the ink is squeegeeed, it is peeled off by an external force, and this is dispersed in the ink and finally transferred to the printed matter. Image quality is degraded due to blurring.
Therefore, conventionally, the residue 3b-1 remaining on the screen plate is removed by a method such as buffing or shot blasting after the manufacture of the screen plate. However, the post-processing steps and man-hours of the screen plate increase. As a result, productivity decreases.
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to improve a plate-making process so that a resin residue is not generated in a plate image opening of a screen plate by laser processing. It is to provide a method for producing a plate.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the production of the present invention, after forming a resin coating film serving as a plate film on a metal screen gauze, a laser beam is swept and irradiated to correspond to the plate image on the resin coating film. In a method for producing a printing screen plate for forming the openings of the patterned pattern by evaporation,
A film forming step of coating and forming a photocurable resin on the entire surface of the metal screen gauze;
A resin curing step of irradiating ultraviolet rays from one side of the metal screen gauze to the coating film of the photocuring resin,
A water washing step of removing the uncured resin in a portion that is not exposed to ultraviolet light by being shaded by the metal screen gauze in the previous process,
A screen plate is made by evaporating and forming a plate opening in a resin coating film through a laser processing step of sweeping and irradiating a laser beam from the same side as the surface irradiated with ultraviolet rays (claim 1).
[0011]
In the above manufacturing method, if a water washing step is performed after the resin curing step by irradiation with ultraviolet rays, the uncured resin on the screen gauze that has not been irradiated with ultraviolet rays is removed. Therefore, in the next laser processing step, when the laser beam is swept from the same side as the ultraviolet irradiation, the resin coating in the area where the plate image is formed evaporates, and this area is sharp without leaving any resin residue. An opening for the plate image is formed. This eliminates the need for post-processing such as buffing for removing the resin processing residue as in the conventional screen plate, thereby shortening the lead time until plate making and improving productivity.
Further, in performing the above method, in order to prevent the metal screen gauze from being damaged by the laser processing, in the present invention, the resin coating film formed on the metal screen gauze contains at least 0.1 wt% of carbon black. And a laser processing using a YAG laser or a carbon dioxide gas laser (Claim 2), wherein the resin material has an absorbance of 0.07 Abs / μm or more with respect to the laser oscillation wavelength. Is adjusted (claim 3).
[0012]
This allows the resin coating to efficiently absorb the thermal energy of the laser light (infrared laser such as a YAG laser or a carbon dioxide gas laser) applied to the screen printing plate in the laser processing step. Plate making by laser processing can be performed without damaging the screen gauze with a low effect on the gauze.
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a screen plate manufacturing method according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 (a) to 1 (d). In the drawings of the embodiment, portions corresponding to those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.
The plate making process of the screen plate according to the present invention includes a film forming process of a resin coating film as shown, an ultraviolet curing process for the resin coating film from the lower surface side, a water washing process for removing the uncured resin, and a desired plate image. And a laser processing step of patterning. The materials of the metal screen gauze 3a, the resin coating 3b, the irradiation conditions of ultraviolet rays and laser, and the like will be described later.
[0014]
That is, after a resin coating film (ultraviolet curable resin) 3b to be a plate film is formed on the metal screen gauze 3a (see FIG. 1A), ultraviolet light is irradiated from one side (P surface side) (see FIG. 1A). 1 (b)), the resin in the portion exposed to the ultraviolet light is cured, but the resin in the portion not exposed to the ultraviolet light due to the light shielding by the metal screen gauze 3b (the portion overlapping the S surface side of the metal screen gauze 3b) is not cured. The cured resin 3b-2 remains.
Then, by washing the screen printing plate 3 in the next water washing step, the uncured resin is washed away, and the uncured resin remaining on the S surface side of the screen printing plate 3 overlaps with the wire of the metal screen gauze 3a. The resin 3b-2 is removed (see FIG. 1 (c)). Therefore, in the next laser processing step, when the laser beam 11 is swept from the same side (P plane) as the above-mentioned ultraviolet irradiation, the resin irradiated in the laser irradiation surface area evaporates in the laser irradiation surface area. 2D, the resin residue as described with reference to FIG. 2D does not occur in the openings 14 of the plate image pattern.
[0015]
Next, regarding the screen plate produced by the inventors, the materials of the metal screen gauze, the resin coating film, the irradiation conditions of ultraviolet rays and laser, and the like will be described.
(Example 1)
Formation of coating film:
On a SUS screen (mesh 180-count, wire diameter 50 μm) stretched over an aluminum outer frame, a vinyl acetate emulsion / polyvinyl alcohol-based coating (FEL11 manufactured by Murakami Co., Ltd. Black (containing 1 wt%, absorbance at a wavelength of 1.06 μm, 0.5 Abs / μm)) was applied at a film thickness of 100 μm (see FIG. 1A). Next, ultraviolet rays (12 W) were irradiated from the printing surface (P surface) side of the plate for 5 minutes to perform an ultraviolet curing treatment (see FIG. 1 (b)). The uncured resin remaining on the SUS screen was removed (see FIG. 1 (c)).
[0016]
Laser processing:
Next, the screen printing plate produced by the above method is transferred to a laser processing system using a YAG laser (FAL-50S, a laser marker manufactured by Fuji Electric, an optical system: an x-band lens 6 times, an aperture 3φ, an fθ lens 350 mmφ). A laser beam was swept from the same side (P plane) as the above-mentioned ultraviolet irradiation (processing condition: excitation current 17.0 A, frequency 1.5 kHz, scanning speed 170 mm / s), and a test pattern (10 × 90 mm) was irradiated. Rectangle) was laser-processed.
Print evaluation:
With respect to the screen plate prepared as described above, screen printing was actually performed to evaluate the plate. The printing evaluation of the plate was performed using a microscope (VH7000C manufactured by KEYENCE CORPORATION, magnification 25 times), and the number of foreign substances having a diameter of 20 μmφ or more detected in an observation field of 1 cm ² was counted. The judgment was made.
[0017]
(Example 2)
The screen plate was subjected to the same plate making process as in Example 1 except that ultraviolet irradiation and laser light irradiation on the resin coating film formed on the metal screen gauze were performed from the squeegee surface (S surface) side of the screen printing plate. After the production, the printing evaluation was determined in the same manner as described above.
In addition, in order to evaluate and confirm the printing of the plates prepared in Examples 1 and 2, the inventors prepared the following test samples as comparative examples of the screen plate, and determined the printing evaluation of each comparative example. went.
[0018]
(Comparative Example 1)
The resin coating film formed on the metal screen gauze is irradiated with ultraviolet light from both sides of the S and P surfaces and cured by ultraviolet light, then washed with water, and the laser processing is performed by sweeping and irradiating a laser beam from the P surface side. After hatching the same test pattern as in the above example, printing evaluation was performed on the plate.
(Comparative Example 2)
After irradiating the resin coating film with ultraviolet light from both the S and P surfaces, the test pattern was hatched by sweeping and irradiating laser light from the P surface without performing a water washing treatment, and then the print evaluation was performed. .
[0019]
(Comparative Example 3)
After irradiating the resin coating film with ultraviolet rays only from the S surface side, the test pattern was hatched by irradiating a laser beam from the P surface side without performing a water washing process, and then printing evaluation was performed.
(Comparative Example 4)
Contrary to Comparative Example 3, the test pattern was hatched by irradiating ultraviolet light from the P surface side and irradiating laser light from the P surface side without performing a water-washing treatment, and printing evaluation was performed.
(Comparative Example 5)
As a composition of the resin coating film, a resin material containing no carbon black (absorbance 0.02 Abs / μm with respect to a wavelength of laser light of 1.06 μm) was used, and after irradiating ultraviolet rays from the S side thereof, washing with water was performed. Laser processing of the test pattern was performed by irradiating a laser beam from the P side.
[0020]
Next, Table 1 shows the results of the evaluation of the printing evaluation for Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Examples 1 to 5.
[0021]
[Table 1]

As can be seen from the evaluation results of the printing evaluation in the above table, the screen plates manufactured by the methods of Examples 1 and 2 had good evaluation results of the printing evaluation, but Comparative Examples 1 to 4 all had the evaluation of the printing evaluation. Is poor, and it was confirmed that high-quality screen printing can be performed by using the screen stencil produced by the production method of the present invention without forming an opening in Comparative Example 5. This is presumed to be largely due to the fact that no resin residue is generated in the openings of the screen plate by the plate making process described with reference to FIGS. 1 (a) to 1 (d).
[0022]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, after forming a resin coating film serving as a plate film on a metal screen gauze, a laser beam is radiated by sweeping irradiation to form a pattern opening corresponding to the plate image on the resin coating film. In the method for manufacturing a printing screen plate in which a portion is formed by evaporation, a film forming step of coating and forming a photocurable resin over the entire surface of the metal screen gauze, and one side of the metal screen gauze with respect to the coating film of the photocurable resin Resin curing process to irradiate ultraviolet rays from above, water washing process to remove the uncured resin in the previous process that is not exposed to the ultraviolet light that is shielded by the metal screen gauze, and sweeping and irradiating the laser beam from the same side as the surface irradiated with ultraviolet rays By performing the laser processing process to make the plate opening by evaporating the plate opening in the resin coating,
A sharp plate image can be formed by laser processing without generating a resin residue in the pattern opening. This eliminates the need for a post-processing step to remove the resin residue remaining on the metal screen gauze by buffing, etc., unlike screen stencils manufactured by conventional manufacturing methods, reducing the stencil lead time, improving productivity and reducing costs In addition, a screen plate capable of high-quality screen printing can be provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIGS. 1A to 1D are diagrams showing a plate making process of a screen plate according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIGS. 1A to 1D show states of a resin coating film forming process, an ultraviolet curing process, a washing process, and a laser processing process, respectively. FIG. 2 is a view showing a conventional plate-making process of a screen plate, in which (a) to (d) show states of a resin coating film forming step, ultraviolet curing steps I and II, and a laser processing step, respectively. 3 is a diagram of a laser processing system applied to plate making of a screen plate. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of pattern formation on a screen printing plate by the laser processing system of FIG. 3, where (a) is a perspective view of the screen printing plate before laser processing. (B) is a processing state diagram in which the screen printing plate of (a) is swept and irradiated with laser light. [FIG. 5] An explanatory view of a pattern forming process of a plate image by laser processing. [FIG. 6] An oblique appearance of a completed screen plate View [Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Laser light source 3 Screen printing plate 3a Metal screen gauze 3b Resin coating 3b-1 Uncured resin 4 Laser beam 14 Opening corresponding to pattern of plate image

Claims (3)

A printing screen plate in which a resin coating to be a plate film is formed on a metal screen gauze, and a laser beam is swept and irradiated to evaporate and form an opening of a pattern corresponding to a plate image in the resin coating. In the manufacturing method of
The plate making process is a film forming process of coating and forming a photocurable resin on the entire surface of the metal screen gauze,
A resin curing step of irradiating ultraviolet rays from one side of the metal screen gauze to the coating film of the photocuring resin,
A water washing step of removing the uncured resin in a portion that is not exposed to ultraviolet light by being shaded by the metal screen gauze in the previous process,
A laser processing step of sweeping and irradiating a laser beam from the same side as the surface irradiated with ultraviolet light to evaporate and form an opening corresponding to the pattern of the plate image in the resin coating film. Plate making method. The printing method according to claim 1, wherein the resin coating film formed on the metal screen gauze contains at least 0.1 wt% of carbon black, and is laser-processed using a YAG laser or a carbon dioxide laser. Manufacturing method of screen plate. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the absorbance of the resin coating is at least 0.07 Abs / μm with respect to the laser oscillation wavelength.

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