JPS5989153A - Printing method and its device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an image defined by a series of hydrophilic and relatively hydrophobic regions for use as a printing plate or other similar transferable ink image source. The present invention relates to a printing device using a printing element capable of printing. More particularly, the invention is suitable for use in lithography or other printing methods, without separate development or plate-making steps, without the need to remove printing elements, and without significantly increasing the printing process. The present invention relates to a novel printing device having a non-photosensitive reusable printing surface on which an ink image can be formed and reproduced without disturbance or completely re-formed electronically.

In modern printing devices that use printing plates, such as letterpress printing presses, intaglio printing presses, or gravure printing presses, the image portion of the printing plate is a raised area or a recessed area formed as an ink adhesion area on the plate surface. Yoshishi limited. However, in lithographic printing methods such as lithography, the image portion of the printing plate, e.g., the part of the surface of the printing plate to which ink is to be attached, is placed at a surface position approximately at the same height as the rest of the plate. is formed. The lithographic printing method uses a method in which some areas of the plate have a higher affinity for water than the rest of the plate, rather than the relative unevenness of each part of the plate surface that limits the ink adhesion image. In typical line printing systems, the immiscibility of oil and water is used to define and maintain the image and non-image areas of the printing plate. In the normal lithographic printing method that uses oil-based ink, or oleo ink,
The image areas of the printing plate are oleophilic and hydrophobic (ie, the image areas receive ink and transfer the ink to the paper or other substrate to be printed), and the non-image areas are hydrophilic. Non-image areas are sometimes referred to as ``lithographic blanks'' because they depict an image-complementary pattern and usually repel ink and do not transfer ink. If there is sufficient water in the blank areas of the lithographic printing, the oleo ink will not adhere to the non-moving areas of the plate. In this configuration, the hydrophilic, image-complementary areas of the plate preferentially retain the aqueous plate dampening solution applied to the plate over the remaining 9 portions of the plate, so that subsequent The applied oil-based ink adheres only to the oleophilic areas of the plate that are to carry the ink image.

Various methods have been developed to form hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions in printing plates. The best known method of forming such image-defining areas is to use photosensitive materials that have the property of undergoing a chemical reaction when exposed to actinic light. According to a typical method, when using negative films, a so-called "negative" plate is coated with a layer of a photosensitive diazo composition or a photopolymerizable composition. When strong light energy passes through the negative film and hits the plate,
The exposed areas of the diazo composition layer or photopolymerizable composition layer of the plate undergo a chemical change, eg, become polymerized, thus forming hardened hydrophobic ink-receiving areas. The unpolymerized composition in the unexposed or image-complementary areas of the plate is removed by washing the surface of the plate with a bath liquid in which only this unexposed, unpolymerized composition is readily soluble. The unexposed and cleaned areas are then p-treated with a rubber composition containing rubber, ie, gum arabic, methyl cellulose, or the like. Washing the unpolymerized composition and adding rubber is often performed as a first step. If you want the plate to last longer, you can reduce the exposure of the plate surface by rubbing or otherwise applying a thin film of a rubber-containing material to the plate surface and washing the plate surface with water. A layer of comb that does not dissolve in water is adsorbed to the area where there was no 'L, that is, the complementary area of the image,
It may form a highly hydrophobic surface that can be easily wetted with water and is later repellent to ink.

When using a Bott film rather than a negative film, the so-called "Bott" plate is first sensitized with a photosensitive coating that degrades when exposed to actinic light.

, l? Exposure of the plate through the film degrades the quality of the image-complementary (i.e., non-ink-stained) portions of the coating. The coated plate is chemically cleaned to remove areas of degraded coating. Next, the plate is fired to harden the coating in the image area (i.e., the area where the ink should be zero),
Previous QJi: ``Cover the plate with a hook-containing material, such as arabic yum, as was done for the first negative plate.

In the method using photosensitive materials, generally, a photographic transparent film with negative or positive properties is prepared, and the image formed on the negative or positive film is printed on the photosensitive surface of the plate in four layers. No. For example, in some methods, such as the so-called photodirect method, the plate can be exposed directly to the original image, with a transparent film in between. however,
In either case, it is usually necessary to develop the finished plate, rinse it, and apply a top-up solution.

The method of electrostatically producing lithographic printing plates is based on the use of residual or hydrophobic toner materials. For example, when using hydrophobic toner interleaving, the surface of a plate made of hydrophilic photoconductive material is uniformly charged and then exposed to light. The light is incident on the plate according to the image complement l or turn. In the illuminated areas of the plate, the light neutralizes the charge.

Next, to develop the plate, a toner having a charge opposite to that of the remaining charge-retaining areas of the plate is applied and deposited on the plate surface. When the toner is melted, areas of the toner become hydrophobic while other areas remain hydrophilic.

When using a hydrophilic toner material, the surface of the printing plate may be made hydrophobic and a similar process may be carried out.

Lithographic printing plates manufactured by the various techniques described above employed in conventional printing machines and printing methods are:
In general, they have major drawbacks, which are well known within the printing chestnut community.

Some typical drawbacks are listed below.

■) It is not possible to produce high-quality lithographic printing plates without using films or without carefully carrying out the printing process.

2) Whenever the image printed by a plate is completely regenerated, the printing process must be interrupted or a second plate bearing the desired new image must be used instead.

3) The lipophilic/hydrophobic regions of the image formed on the printing plate cannot be regenerated without substantially interrupting the printing process.

4) If an image is printed on a plate, small defects may occur, such as incomplete removal of the material from the surface of the plate, or parts that should not have been removed. Defects caused by foreign matter adhering to the plate surface cannot be corrected without substantially interrupting the printing process.

5) Large errors in plate registration cannot be corrected without remanufacturing the plate.

6) If a rotary printing press is used to print two consecutive turns on a wafer-like substrate, gaps or seams will inevitably form between the repeated print blocks or turns, resulting in additional printing. Or you have to use ink spatula P.

7) Printing a pattern in which the repeated length is longer than the length of the plate or the circumference of the plate roll, or is not the value obtained by dividing the length of the plate or the circumference of the plate roll by an integer. I can't.

8) The speed of the printing press is limited by the inability to eliminate roll impact, that is, the mechanical interaction between the plate and the plate and lanceotrol gaps in rotary offset printing systems.

9) It is not possible to easily proof-print a newly manufactured plate using manufacturing ink, paper, etc. under actual manufacturing conditions.

10) Maintaining and storing large printing plates for short or periodically repeated printing cycles incurs significant maintenance and maintenance costs.

11) It is not possible to produce lithographic printing plates that do not require a separate development process or to print images directly from an electronic image source, such as a digital computer, using lithographic printing methods. .

Attempts to overcome these and other deficiencies of conventional systems have been unsuccessful. The printing method according to the invention overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks as well as other drawbacks found in almost all photolithographic techniques, such as no-ration (i.e., incomplete exposure due to reflections from the supporting pace of the printing plate). We have realized a reusable printing plate that eliminates everything.

A substantially lithographic printing plate according to the invention suitable for application in lithographic printing processes is formed from an essentially hydrophilic plate interlayer supporting a thin hydrophobic layer on top. Also disclosed are methods of making, imaging, and using such plates to print electronically generated images in various printing methods. According to the invention, the method for producing a blank plate for use in lithographic printing processes consists of uniformly coating an essentially hydrophilic supporting surface with a thin hydrophobic layer of a suitable material and then It consists of selectively removing material according to a predetermined pattern by an electronically addressable imaging device utilizing means such as electrical discharges, beams of electromagnetic energy (e.g. laser beams), beams of ionized particles, etc. Alternatively, the hydrophilic plate surface f may first be coated with a thin layer of a hydrophilic protective material, e.g. a rubber-containing material, before the material forming the hydrophobic layer is applied and selectively removed. good. Furthermore, a suitable coating material forming a hydrophobic layer can also be selectively applied directly to the plate according to the desired i4 turn. Whether the hydrophobic material is selectively removed or selectively applied, it can be said that the hydrophobic material is arranged in a pattern associated with the desired image on the surface of the plate. All of these and other development methods according to the present invention provide reusable and easily reimageable ink imaging surfaces that are useful for a variety of printing methods. The ink image forming surface as used herein is a surface on which an ink image corresponding to a desired printed image is first formed. This surface is also generally the surface on which a latent image is initially formed, ie, an image defined by adjacent hydrophilic or hydrophobic regions, before ink application. The term "imaging" means that this latent image is formed prior to ink application.

The imaging surface according to the invention can be used, for example, on a rotary printing plate, in which an electronically generated image is imprinted directly onto the plate, without the need to use photosensitive materials or photosensitive specimens, i.e. without the need for careful development. A surface suitable for use as a lithographic printing plate in a printing or non-rotary printing press. moreover,
The imaging surfaces of the present invention are reusable, e.g. a lithographic printing plate imaged according to the invention and used for printing can be imaged with the same image or a completely different image, without the need to replace the plate. There isn't. In practice, while changing the image associated with one part of the plate roll, the circumference of the plate roll can be changed by transferring the C'' ink image on another part of the plate roll to an offset roll or directly to the substrate. It is also possible to print images that are longer (or have a length that is not the circumference of the plate roll divided by an integer).

Throughout this specification, the term "printing plate" or "plate" refers to a nearly flat lithographic printing plate capable of recording an image defined by hydrophobic areas and relatively near-hydrophilic areas. It refers to the purpose. Such a surface may be an ink transfer surface associated with a flat or curved lithographic printing plate, and may also be, for example, a removable surface commonly understood in connection with the term "plate". It is not an independent object of
It may also be the surface of the printing roll itself. Printing plates can take the form of flat surfaces, cylinders, endless belts, or other forms. Printed elements as referred to herein may include printed products.

For example, the plate need not be used as an ink transfer surface, but may be used as a substrate to be printed. Additionally, non-lithographic surfaces can also be used.

The method and apparatus according to the invention eliminates the costs associated with producing plates by conventional photolithography techniques and the storage of a large number of plates during short-term or periodically repeated printing operations. The cost required to do so can be completely reduced to zero. There is no need to change the plate if it is desired to scrape or slightly alter the image or reshape it entirely. the formation of corresponding gaps or seams when printing on long webs due to gaps in the plates used in the rotary EJJ 1iI machine, and the mechanical shocks caused by such plate gaps; The cost and limitation issues associated with speed limitations can be overcome by forming the image on the roll surface as described above, rather than on a separately mounted printing plate as previously described. can be completely resolved. Additionally, a series of proofs can be produced at low cost before printing begins, using the same plates, the same paper, the same ink, and running them on the press in much the same way as the final printing process. Since printing can be performed using the same printing machine by adjusting the , there is also the advantage that there is no need to worry about the quality of the final printed image. Regardless of the size of the proof, any adjustments necessary to keep the proof in perfect condition can be made without removing the plate from the press or by preparing an entirely new plate. Can be done.

The present invention is suitable for a wide variety of printing methods, particularly when it is desired to minimize the cost of manufacturing, setting, storing or inventorying plates, or for printing plate images on continuously printed substrates. It can be applied when it is not desired to form gaps or seams between them. Since there are no gaps or seams in the plate and there is no mechanical impact caused by gaps in the plate, the present invention is suitable for high-speed printing (for example, high-speed gravure printing).
It is also particularly suitable.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the apparatus disease shown in FIG. 1, the same image or a turn or a different image or a turn is continuously newly formed on the plate roll or cylinder No. 0, and at the same time,
Printing is performed on the substrate 8. As previously mentioned, the plates may have shapes other than rolls or cylinders, for example, so that the apparatus of Figure 1 could be used with an endless belt having a suitable hydrophilic surface rather than the rolls shown. It is also possible to transform it into

The printing method shown in FIG. 1 is a lithographic printing method using oleo ink, and first, a series of cleaning rolls will be explained. a series of cleaning rolls 7;
) applies a cleaning solvent to the surface of the printing roll 100, and works together with the soft doctor blade km and the solvent drying jet 16 to remove ink, ink solution, solvent, foreign matter, etc. from damaging the printing roll. Remove everything thoroughly. If it is necessary to remove previously applied hydrophobic layer material, the plate can be removed entirely by heating, applying a solvent, or even more simply by activating the imaging device as described below. By making it a "blank" state, that is, hydrophilic,
Just remove it. As will be described later, a similar method can be used when it is desired to remove rubber.

The roll surface of the plate roll 10 is formed from a material that is substantially hydrophilic in nature, ie, a material that is substantially hydrophilic in its substantially uncontaminated state. In the present invention, essentially it? i: i Any suitable aqueous material can be used. Suitable hydrophilic materials include:
Nickel, copper, tin, aluminum, stainless steel,
Metals such as zinc, brass, copper phosphorus, titanium, zirconium, mother radium, niobium, platinum, lead, molybdenum, tantalum, tungsten, iron, gold, and composite materials of aluminum oxide and titanium dioxide (At20360%,
Nonmetallic materials such as TlO2 (40%) and mixtures of metallic and nonmetallic materials are available, but other materials may also be used. Although any suitable hydrophilic material can be used in the present invention, stainless steel and aluminum are particularly suitable for many applications. If the selected roll material is prone to forming relatively hydrophobic films when exposed to the atmosphere (e.g. films of airborne contaminants), suitable protective materials, e.g. It is desirable to coat the surface of the roll with a layer of gum arabic, carboxymethylcellulose rubber, etc. (hereinafter simply referred to as "rubber") having a Such a coating may also be applied when it is desired to form an image on the roll for as long as possible. If the coating is applied immediately after the imaging process, the image is protected because the comb is attracted to the exposed hydrophilic areas and forms a protective coating that is itself hydrophilic over the hydrophilic areas. The lifespan of the plate will also be extended. Alternatively, a protective coating may be applied before applying the hydrophilic layer material, as described below.

Actuation of applicator 20Fi, a series of applicator rolls extending across the width of plate roll 100, applies a thin layer of a suitable hydrophobic layer material. Doctor means 22
consists in this embodiment of a roll 23 and a water jet cleaning device 24 disposed in front of it, which removes excess layer material and leaves a relatively uniform and continuous hydrophobic layer on the surface of the plate roll 10. Leave a thin scrap of material behind. The thickness of the hydrophobic layer material may be set to any appropriate value, and any appropriate coating means and method may be adopted. However, it has been found that in many cases a thickness close to the dimensions of a monolayer gives satisfactory results, and that a thickness close to the dimensions of a monolayer has been found to give satisfactory results, with the need for uniform application and the presence of three hydrophobic properties as described below. Even considering that it is not easy to clean when used for the layer material 'FJr' and that it is difficult to clean,
It is preferable to set the thickness as described in ifl.

If it is possible to apply a suitable yarn of I-Water IA material relatively uniformly and completely cover the entire roll surface, and if the roll surface cannot be dyed, what is the application method or method? Ritsui (3 methods may be adopted. For example, 6 Bt
t can also be used, but Figures 1 to 41;'l
As shown in Fig.
The applicator is formed as a series of rolls 11'4 to 7
Immediately after washing, it is best to wash with water and bring the roll into contact with a doctor's wheel or doctor blade.
2. In general, the thickness is preferably automatically limited to j·v, which is close to approximately a single layer (it is advantageous to employ a fabric method).

As the material for forming the 1υ aqueous layer of the plate roll,
Printing that can be done using appropriate materials.
+! Both q′ of +i image [3・Good<-rru7? In order to select some essential Song items, [j4 plus 4.4 departments is l.
I3: Better, better. Zf, wa1haj14' l-, +-
It is used because it has the effect of making the printing roll almost uniformly water-dispersible and lipophilic by forming a hydrophobic/oleophilic layer on the plate roll when applied as a thin layer on the plate roll. It is preferable to select an offset that exhibits a relatively large wet 4 ml angle for the desired aqueous developer, exhibits a parent grain direction for the printing ink used, and is also relatively durable.

Additionally, the material has an affinity for the roll surface, and small amounts of contaminants or residues that appear to have adhered to the roll surface (such as large discontinuous or exposed areas on top of the material) Equally important is that it must be able to be applied as a thin, smooth layer without leaving behind any residue, and that it must form a layer that is fairly uniformly hydrophobic.

When using an old material that can be coated as a homogeneous material with even specific yield, a layer of hydrophobic material with a thickness that appears to have been adsorbed on an almost uniform hydrophobic layer is extremely difficult to obtain. It has been found that 1'14J is relatively young and generally desirable. Therefore, materials that readily form layers such as those described by Mil, eg, by self-limiting coating methods, are generally preferred.

In the following description, it is assumed that the material layer is in an adsorbed state. However, it is assumed for illustration purposes only that an adsorbed monolayer is formed; in reality, the layer formed by the method described below is somewhat thicker than a monolayer. In some cases, thicker layers may be desired (e.g.
tetracosane) as described in Table 1 and in the description below.

However, thinner layers are usually easier to remove than thicker ones, and problems such as unwanted vapor formation are usually less common, so thinner layers are generally easier to remove than thicker ones, and problems such as unwanted vapor formation are usually less common. is preferable. To get the most out of the material layer, it is best to use a material that does not remain when heated to temperatures above about 345C. If the plate roll is tested with a monthly charge that meets these conditions, the layers can be completely removed from the plate roll without problems with residue adhesion, and imaging can be repeated for an unlimited number of times. If you want the image formed on the plate roll to last for a long time, for example if you do not reimage it periodically, you may want to remove it when it comes into contact with the solution or ink in the ink fountain, or when the plate roll is exposed to the atmosphere during use. It is desirable to select materials that are resistant to attack when exposed to rubber or any composition containing rubber. It is also advisable to select a material that does not flow easily when applied to the roll, ie, does not migrate to the surface in contact with the surface of the printing roll or to the hydrophilic regions of the surface of the printing roll. Unlike traditional methods, the material does not need to be photosensitive, i.e. photochemically reactive, and may also contain polymers, oligomers, or materials capable of polymerization, oligomerization, or crosslinking. There's no need to be there. However, if necessary, 1? Materials containing +7-mers or oligomers or crosslinkable materials may also be used (eg polyvinyl butyral, see Table 1). Additionally, the compound need not be readily soluble in cleaning fluids or liquid developers.

There are many materials that satisfy the above-mentioned conditions.

Table 1 lists representative materials, the specific solvents used to apply these materials to the listed metal shims, and optical ratios of 4+ in contact angle tests conducted in the laboratory.
't! 'i is shown together with the contact angle measured manually. The measured contact angle corresponds to the wetting angle defined by Young's equation, which is the degree of diffusion or wetting of a liquid, in this case distilled water, on a solid surface, in this case the surface of a plate carrying a thin layer of the test material. is the inverse of the measured value. The smaller the contact angle or wetting angle, the more easily the surface will be wetted by distilled water, and probably the material forming the layer will be less suitable as a hydrophobic layer material used with water-based ink solutions in lithographic printing methods. It is thought that. Measurements were made on a portion of 304 type stainless steel gym stock that had been pretreated by standing for several hours. Unless otherwise noted below, the shims were quickly immersed into solvents containing the indicated concentrations of materials, withdrawn, and then quickly and thoroughly rinsed with distilled water and contact angles were measured. Several tests were conducted on each material. Angles marked with an asterisk indicate that contact angles less than 0/'L were obtained for that particular material in several tests. These materials are believed to be sensitive to whether or not the application is applied evenly.

In general, hexadecanoic acid and octadecanoic acid are preferable because hexadecanoic acid and octadecanoic acid have relatively low solubility and are difficult to apply uniformly.

Among the preferred acid salts listed in the table, ammonium and potassium salts are particularly preferred.

Preferred metal soaps include all salts of stearic acid using aluminum, magnesium or calcium cations; such metal soaps are manufactured by Wlteo Chem.
ical Co, 10017 = z-yori state,
It is commercially available from 2-Quavenue-277, New York.

A preferred anionic surfactant is a product of Rohm & Haas (19105-19105-!, Small West, Ind., Philadelphia, N.F.). Moisture of phosphate ester +1
・Although the one-horned deer was relatively large, it is thought that the aging of the material and (j 1.

11, a preferred hydrocarbon wax, was prepared by dipping it in an all-hexane solution and evaporating only the hexane. As a result, although the applied layer was thicker than in the other cases, Totracozan showed a sufficient contact angle, making it more flexible in the printing process, where it would be advantageous to use a thicker material layer. 1- Nagisa is always wearing a sword.

Preferred ethoxylated caroon C listed in the table
&l-1, riljko inyo 4? Late (Gly)
Co Inc., Private Box 700.51 Weeper Street, Greenino, Co., 06830).

Suitable carginic acid anhydrides listed in Table 1 are:
It is a reaction product of olefins and maleic anhydride and is manufactured by Milliken Chemical (Δ4i11ikenChemicaL).
Manufactured by P.O. Box 817, Inman, South Carolina 293349).

Elemental sulfur is an example of a preferred inorganic material, ie, carbon-free material, that can be used to form the hydrophobic layer.

Is No. Sorivinylzotilal the appropriate 2J? This is an example of a rimmer amulet. The sample used was manufactured by Monzant Plastics &Reson's Kanno e = - (Mon
5anto Plastics and
Re5ins Co., +63]66 St. Louis, Missouri) and Butvar r.
It is commercially available under the trade name 3-76.

Rohm and Haas (Duncilpania).

Acrylic resin, ACR, a product of Philadelphia)
Is YLOID B-44 also preferable? - of rimmer material
Example 1st surface force A/d? tetracosanoic acid 50150 (volume) 2-zo
1250 pts/gnol/o, i% (weight) in distilled water Hekitubicanic acid 50150 (volume) 2-ply
1260 mouths, 9 nols/0.1 chi in distilled water (weight) Octa r can Ik 50150 (volume) 2-ply
130' Yanor/0.1% in distilled water (weight) Olay 7 /ff 50150 (volume) 2-zo
98'gol / 0.1% (by weight) in distilled water Isostearic acid 5 (17'50 (volume) 2-12oO lovanol / 0.1% in distilled water (Keiyo) Material Content in solution Contact angle caldate (Na+) pl+-=10. (60C) (
NH4±) PI(=1 0,
(60℃) Monthly Content in solution Contact angle Metal soap Stearin Al 0.1% in toluene←it+t)
9o.

Mini Ramya 18 Stearic acid 0.1% in toluene (1if
fi) 96°9-Gunetsu,,, (77°C) Stearic acid 0.1% in toluene (type needle) 86
°9 Sodium T-1 (7'7°C) Stearic acid 0.1% (wt) in toluene 78
°1 Calcium (110C) Anionic interfacial occupying agent (alkylaryl (weight) Sodium ether sulfone disodium) Tetracosane Hexane 90
'Ethoxylated Cal? Succinic anhydride (manufactured by Milliken Chemical) Succinic anhydride 50150 (volume)2 -P
88°! Octatecenyl Ro-Yanol / 0.1% (weight) in distilled water (66°C) Anhydrous Koha〈Acid 50150 (Volume) 2-f
88°*Tetradecenyl Ro-Yanol/0.1 g (weight) in distilled water (66°C) Succinic anhydride 50150 (volume) 2-p 8
9゜Pdecenyl 0.0% in distilled water.
1 inch (weight) (45℃) Isomerized anhydrous sawdust 50.750 (volume @) 2-no
99°*〈Dodecenyl acid 9p9nol/0.1% (weight) in distilled water Inorganic sulfur (element) 0.1% (weight) in toluene
6961 lid) (110° C.) Material Content in solution Contact angle polymer (manufactured by Monnant) 4-Limer B-44) (solution).

Returning to FIG. 1, the explanation will be continued. The plate roll 10 passes through an applicator 22 consisting of a series of rolls or similar means which ensures that the selected hydrophobic layer material 25 is applied as a thin, uniform layer over the roll surface. For purposes of illustration, the plate roll 10 has roll row 4 at this point in the printing process.
When the ink fountain solution and the oleo ink are applied via 0 and 50, the plate roll 10 shall print a solid ink.q In the embodiment shown, a hydrophobic layer material is placed on the plate roll 10. The process of forming a latent image by removing a predetermined portion of the hydrophobic layer into a desired image-complementary shape, for example by ablation, is carried out by an image forming means that renders the predetermined region nearly hydrophilic. . Any suitable energy means can be used as an imaging means to remove the hydrophobic layer material in the intended manner. The energy means need not be so powerful as to change the properties of the underlying roll surface. In fact, it is generally advantageous if the properties of the underlying hydrophilic material remain unchanged, and it is an advantage of the present invention that such changes are largely unnecessary. Therefore,
Generally speaking, the preferred energy level is sufficient to remove the required amount of hydrophobic layer material with little effect on the hydrophilic material below the hydrophobic layer material, except where very small holes are left open. This is a possible level. By removing a portion of the hydrophobic layer, a portion of the underlying hydrophilic material is at least partially or almost completely exposed and is thus preferentially exposed to an aqueous developer such as a fountain solution or water-based ink. A wet area is formed. Selective removal of at least some portions of the hydrophobic layer covering the underlying roll surface, which is naturally hydrophilic, results in the partially exposed portions of the underlying roll surface being damaged, respectively. A latent image is formed that is defined by the continuity of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions formed by the portions of the hydrophobic layer that are not covered. Unlike prior art methods, there is no cleaning process using materials such as water, solvents, toner, etc. and a developing process to form a latent image on the roll surface. Additionally, the formation of the latent image can be achieved by light-induced reactions such as hardening, softening or other methods of hydrophilic or hydrophobic layers [Kahuan-1
Polymerization, crosslinking employed to make the hydrophilic or hydrophobic layer soluble or insoluble during the conventional post-exposure washing or development steps commonly carried out in prior art methods. or any kind of chemical reaction seen in practice.

Various energy means can be used as an imaging means to remove a portion of the hydrophobic layer material from the surface of the plate roll 1θ. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, a means for arranging needles as shown in FIG. 6 is used, but electrodes having a shape other than the needle device may also be used. The needle array 30 is an array of spaced apart needle electrodes 32 that are insulated and individually addressable by a computer. These sword-shaped poles are arranged inside the insulating mold 34 substantially perpendicular to the surface of the plate roll 1θ of the plate roll 1θ and at uniformly equal distances from the conductive surface. The spacing between adjacent needles and the total number of needles are determined by the desired effective print quality. If you want to arrange the letters relatively finely, you must make the sword's dense layer all high.

If the density of the draw is so high that adjacent needles interfere with each other and unambiguous identification of the amount of steel is impossible, use multiple rows of more widely spaced needles so that adjacent rows They may be arranged so as to overlap alternately. Instead of planting buttons across the width of the row, by placing one or more buttons in close proximity to the surface of the roll, the needles are moved sequentially across the width of the roll as the plate roll gradually rotates. 6th
It is also possible to form an image on the roll surface without using needles arranged across the width of the roll as shown in the figure. In order to selectively prevent removal of unintended portions of the hydrophobic layer material, if a suitable selectively addressing imaging means is used,
Masks, stencils, such as those shown at 76 in FIG.
You can use overlays etc.

When such a mask is inserted between the image forming means and a hydrophobic layer applied to the surface of the plate or its soil,
For example, a row of continuously energized buttons or a plate-shaped receiver electrode that scans the entire image area can be used, thereby eliminating the need for direct computer control of the printing process. Such a needle row removes only those portions of the hydrophobic layer material that are not covered by the mask or stencil.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a lightning bolt of several hundred delts is generated between the roll surface and one or more predetermined needles in the row of needles. An image is formed on the coated roll bladder surface by creating a spark discharge between the tip and the roll surface. The electrical signals for energization are applied individually to the predetermined blades according to the image. By "according to the image" we mean according to the shape of the image (to which the ink is to be deposited) or the complementary shape of the image. , regardless of the type of ink used, the hydrophilic/oleophilic areas of the plate are
It merely indicates that they are arranged in a shape that allows the formation of a desired ink image. Images are typically formed with water-based inks (the ink adheres to the hydrophilic areas of the plate), but when using oleo-inks, it is possible to create an image that is complementary to the desired ink image and avoid any gaps. (ink will stick to hydrophobic areas). FIG. 1 shows the case where oleo ink is used. Therefore, the desired image takes on an image-complementary shape.

The electrical signal source (not shown) is a digital computer or other electronic imaging source. In general, it has been found that DC signals with moderate voltage levels (300-1000.N) and low current levels (less than 10 milliamps) are sufficient. The electrical resistance of the surface of the plate roll is relatively low in order to avoid charge build-up on the roll surface and consequent potential loss. Furthermore, the polarity of the high-power signal can be periodically reversed. Introducing an inert gas, such as argon, neon, helium, or a combination thereof, into the arc region by duct 26 of FIG. 1 or by other means reduces the required breakdown voltage and minimizes electrode erosion. It is advantageous in that it can be suppressed to Satisfactory results have been obtained using a gas consisting of 10% helium and 90% neon. Additionally, more expensive spark chamber type gases can be used to reduce the required voltage levels.

When it is desired to quickly form an image on the plate roll 10, it is difficult to start the necessary discharge without causing a large time lag between the application of the necessary voltage level and the start of the discharge Q. It is.

This is considered to be because free electrons lack the ability to instantaneously create the avalanche state necessary for generating discharge. It has been found that such time lags can be significantly shortened by "sweeping the area where the discharge is to occur with charged particles from a corona discharge device, such as that shown at 28 in FIG. An ultraviolet light source can also be used instead of a corona discharge device.

A plate imaged in this manner is shown in an enlarged perspective view in FIG. In this case, the plate roll JO has a region 100 carrying the hydrophobic layer and a region 10 which is the exposed surface.
2 is a limited supporting hydrophilic printing plate 1. As will be described later, a hydrophilic protective layer may be applied directly to the region 102 on the surface of the printing plate 1, and this protective layer may extend to the middle of the region 10θ.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates another embodiment of the present invention using an electric, polar energy beam as an energy means.
vinegar. In the fourth embodiment, instead of the spark discharge described above, the energy '(f) of one or more incident laser beams generated by the laser device 60 is utilized. Depending on the method,
The hydrophobic layer is now ready to be selectively incident on the layer of material with enough energy t to selectively fuse portions of the hydrophobic layer according to the desired image shape. One or more such laser beams can be electronically modulated and moved across the surface of the plate roll as required. The laser device 60 may be a laser array arranged in close proximity to each other in a glossy turn similar to the copper electrodes described above. As mentioned above, this image forming process involves almost no light-induced chemical reactions.

Examples 1 and 2 demonstrate the results of using a laser beam to image an originally hydrophilic sheet with a hydrophobic layer applied thereon. It is believed that the imaged sheets in these examples can be used as printing plates if properly run through a printing press. Any other suitable one, provided that enough energy is incident on the hydrophobic layer to remove portions of the layer according to the desired image pattern! Magnetic energy sources may also be used. If desired, stencils, masks, etc., such as those mentioned in connection with other imaging means, may be inserted between the energy source and the plate. For example, it may be advantageous to use such masks or stencils in situations where it may not be possible to properly modulate a laser or other beam to properly form a complete image.

Other means can be used to remove the soft, hydrophobic layer; for example, by heating a fluid such as air 7 and forming a jet controlled by an electrically actuated valve, the heating fluid is heated. The flow may strike the layer and thereby selectively remove at least a portion of the layer, e.g. by evaporation, exposing at least a portion of the hydrophilic material underneath. The flow streams are specifically defined and focused to form one or more columns and positioned and/or actuated so that they impinge on the hydrophobic layer in the correct order to form the desired latent image. Using one or several independent streams,
They can also be combined with means for actuating or modulating their flow and displacing or positioning them relative to the hydrophobic layer to form the desired latent image. In other applications, it uses one or more unfocused streams of fluid inserted between the jet and a hydrophobic layer applied over the printing plate. It is advantageous to direct the fluid through a stencil, mask, etc. Stencils or masks are used to help direct fluid flow to the appropriate areas on the hydrophobic layer and to prevent unintended removal of the hydrophobic layer material.

After a portion of the hydrophobic layer has been selectively removed from the plate roll according to the ij+i image complementary shape, a series of rolls 4o or other means are used to apply an aqueous developer, e.g. applies the solution to the roll surface. Generally, the fountain solution will contain such amounts of gums as are commonly employed in commercially available solutions. However, if the image on the plate is only to be used for a short time, for example when new images are frequently formed on the plate, distilled water or other aqueous solutions can be used as the ink solution.

In either case, the ink solution adheres to the areas where the hydrophobic layer material has been removed, forming an image on the roll surface that is a negative of the desired oleo-ink image.

To increase the durability of the hydrophilic areas of the image plate, a rubber-containing composition can be applied to the plate after the imaging process is completed and before the ink solution is applied. As mentioned above, rubber is attracted to exposed hydrophilic areas and
A protective coating, which is itself hydrophilic, is formed over the hydrophilic regions. As a result, the life of the image formed on the plate can be extended. The rubber-containing composition may be applied in any conventional manner by conventional means. After the entire composition containing such rubber has been applied, a washing process is usually carried out to remove excess rubber. In many cases, it is sufficient to apply a solution of the rubber-containing ink 1' as long as it can remain temporarily on the imaged plate during the rubber coating process.

After applying the ink solution, a layer of oleo-marking material, such as oleo-ink, is applied to the surface of the plate roll in a conventional manner by a series of rolls 50 or other suitable means. As expected in a lithographic printing process, the oleo ink adheres only to those areas of the roll surface that are not covered by the solution. As shown in FIG. 1, the surface of the roll may then be pressed against the surface of the moving base material 8 via the pressure roll 6. Alternatively, an offset or blanket roll 6 may be used in place of the pressure roll 60 to advance the inked image onto the substrate 8, as in conventional offset printing.
Transfer to the surface of A. Other intermediate transfer devices such as belts can be used. The substrate 8 or 8A consists of paper, textile material or other suitable material. Any suitable means for moving the base material 8 or 8A can be used. If desired, the ink image may be fused within the roll holes without being transferred to the substrate.

If a plate roll is used, it is preferred if the roll surface not only supports another printing plate but actually acts as the printing plate itself, or if a belt or the like is used to provide the plate surface. When using other endless surfaces,
An image can be formed continuously over the circumference of the roll or belt without creating gaps or seams on the surface of the plate that would create gaps or seams in the substrate after printing. The length of the printed image is limited to the length of the surface of the plate roll or belt or the length of the circumferential surface of the plate roll or belt divided by an integer, as in the case of conventional rotary printing presses. There isn't. In practice, the length of the offset j may exceed the circumference of the printing roll, and the circumference of the printing roll may be a non-integral multiple of the image length. This means that while a part of the image previously formed on the opposite side of the roll is being printed, at the same time another part of the image is successively erased, and yet another part is placed on the roll or This is because a new image is formed. Rather than using the roll surface itself as a printing plate, a separate thin, disposable sheet of material that is hydrophilic in nature, as described above (see 7), may obviously also be secured around the roll. A sheet of such hydrophilic material is similar in appearance to a conventional lithographic printing plate, but is used as an ink image transfer surface rather than a roll surface as described above, as shown in FIG. so that
This separately affixed sheet takes the form of a continuous hollow cylinder or cylinder 1) affixed to the plate roll 10, or has a shape similar to a conventional lithographic printing plate. Yes, as shown in FIG. 5, the mask 36 is
can be used. It is clear that unless such a plate is actually affixed to the entire surface of the plate roll, it is not possible to image the entire circumference of the plate.

The present invention is mainly applied to the production of a plate that continues to rotate without any new images being formed through a relatively large number of plate printing processes once both images are formed. . Preferred metals for such uses include 29. Jkel, copper, tin, brass, zinc, titanium, zirconium, aluminum, stainless steel, /4'ranium,
These include platinum, lead, and gold. In this case, rubber can be used to protect the hydrophilic areas of the plate, preferably in a separate rubber application process.

A second scope of application of the invention includes titer image printing methods in which the plate is scraped or regenerated, ie the hydrophilicity of the hydrophilic regions of the printing plate is restored. In this case, the ink and the ink may be tapered through the imaging means (e.g. needle electrodes or other ablation means) according to the original pattern at appropriate points in the printing cycle after most of the solution has been removed. It is only necessary to remove any remaining film (i.e., ink or other undesirable substances) in the hydrophilic or ink-free areas of the plate.

However, after cleaning the plate roll with its originally hydrophilic surface 1 and coating its interface with an N-absorbing layer of hydrophobic layer material [7, after rotating the roll a given number of times the same image or It is also possible to fully image the plate roll with a different (i.e. 411) image, and this is often the case, especially when the presence of extraneous contaminants is noticeable. It's better. This can be considered a third scope of application of the invention. Each time the plate roll rotates or after a predetermined number of rotations of the plate roll, the plate is completely reimaged with the same image or with a completely different reconstructed image.

If it is desired to form a completely new image with a different image on the plate roll, before applying a new layer of hydrophobic layer material, remove any remaining ink and the previously applied hydrophobic layer. You can remove the material. Conventional roll cleaning means can be used to remove the ink and solution that has not been transferred to the substrate.

Alternatively, the press may be run without replenishing ink until all or most of the ink is used up, and then the press may be run further without replenishing fountain solution. a hydrophobic layer material held by or adsorbed to the plate roll;
It is advantageous to use additional cleaning means when removing the applied rubber composition to increase the durability of the image. This additional re-leaning means can easily be used with additional imaging means, such as a row of needles onto which a "blank" pattern (thus providing a completely hydrophilic roll surface) is conveyed in lithography. In this case, all needles must be energized.

In many applications, intermediate imaging means can be used for both imaging and cleaning. Referring to FIG. 1, the roll cleaning process is carried out by rotating the plate roll 10 twice in succession after proper separation of the pressure roll 6f. During the first rotation, ink is removed from the plate roll io by a roll cleaning/drying means consisting of a cleaning roll 12, a doctor blade 14 and a jet 16, but the hydrophobic layer applicator 20 and doctor means 22 are removed. During this rotation, no hydrophobic layer material is applied as the roll surface passes through the image forming means array 30. Since the needle array 30 is detailed with a completely blank pattern, the roll surface can be effectively cleaned. That is, virtually all significant surface contaminants, including hydrophobic layer material and rubber remaining on the plate roll 1o from previously completed imaging processes, can be removed. For best results, energy levels that are slightly higher than those used or preferred for use in normal imaging processes may be employed or the roll surface may be decelerated during the cleaning process. It would be necessary.

After passing through the nbJ image forming station, the surface of the plate roll 10 is completely free of ink, ink fountain solution, hydrophobic layer material, comb composition, contaminants, or foreign matter, and the surface is dry. It is completely hydrophilic. The ink solution and the rolls 40 and 50 for applying the ink are also removed. The applicator 20 and doctor means 22, which are used to apply the entire hydrophobic layer material, are now pressed together (and cleaned) to apply a continuous, uniform layer of the hydrophobic layer material to the surface of the hydrophilic roll. Next, pressure roll 6 gold plate roll 1Ot
LR pressure contact, image forming process, optional comb coating process,
Wetting process and ink application example When it is desired to scrape off the already formed image of VC1 without further application of hydrophobic layer material, the layer removal f1 of that part is completely removed from the hydrophilic area of the plate. , so that only the image forming means array 30 needs to be used to reduce scum. For best results, most of the remaining ink and fountain solution on the plate should be removed or dried before the plate is reimaged by the needle array 30. When it is necessary to remove excess material such as rubber, additional energy may have to be supplied. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, unlike the embodiment in FIG. When the plate roll 10 is rotated a predetermined number of times, the image on the roll surface is not replaced or scraped off. Once an image is formed on the roll surface, multiple copies of that image are printed without forming new images. The first revolution of the plate roll 10 is utilized to clean the surface of the plate roll 10 and form an image on the surface as described above.

During this time, the ink is temporarily removed from the solution application roll 40, the ink application roll 50, and the pressure roll 6. If the hydrophilic roll material becomes contaminated with hydrophobic contaminants when exposed to the atmosphere, the imaged roll may be coated with a composition containing rubber, i.e., combs, to form the plate roll. A hydrophilic coating may be formed on the 10 hydrophilic regions. The coating may be dried before inking and printing. If the coating is applied, for example, immediately after image formation on the plate roll 10 and before the start of printing, the coating will prevent the exposed portion of the roll surface from becoming contaminated or causing an undesirable chemical reaction with the atmosphere. This can be prevented by This coating is applied to plate roll 1
This has the effect of maintaining the hydrophilicity of the portion of the surface of the plate from which the hydrophobic layer material has been removed, and further increasing the durability of the image on the plate. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, this coating process is carried out by using an arabic comb or the like in which the ink is contained in a solution, i.e., by applying the coating to the plate roll 10.
Immediately after the image is formed on the surface of the ink fountain, the ink coating roll 50, cleaning roll 12, and doctor blade 14 are removed, and the ink fountain solution is applied while the solvent drying shet 16 is operated. j roll 40
This is done by pressing the In this case, one complete revolution of the plate roll IQ is required, during which the rubber-containing ink solution is applied to the newly imaged surface and the optional jetting is carried out. Dry by motion. Alternatively, the rubber-containing composition may be prepared separately and the ink may be applied to a suitable applicator not shown in FIG. a series of rolls,
It can be applied with a doctor roll.

To greatly increase the abrasion resistance of the plate, a full coat of oleotype lacquer may be applied together with water. In this case, the 7-car attaches only to the hydrophobic region.

After the desired image is initially formed on the surface of the plate roll 100 and captured by any necessary measures to avoid possible oxidation or contamination of the exposed hydrophilic surface areas,
(a) means for printing the plate (i.e. a series of cleaning rolls 12 for applying the solvent, a doctor blade 14 and jets for drying the solvent 16); (b) means for applying the hydrophobic layer material (i.e. , applicator 2° and doctor means 22), and (c) means for imaging the hydrophobic layer (i.e. needle array 30, gas introduction duct 26 and corona discharge device 28) are all temporarily inactive. becomes. If these means temporarily stop working,
The device is visually similar to a conventional printing device, in which an ink box solution is applied (via a series of rolls 4θ) to an imaged surface defined by hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions. applied. As a result, the next series of rolls 50
The oleo ink applied by the method adheres only to the hydrophobic areas of the roll surface where the ink repels the solution. next,
As previously mentioned, the ink image is transferred to the substrate using the pressure roll 6 as an impression cylinder or offset roll. Subsequently, the ink-coated roll is replenished with ink fountain solution and ink via coating rolls 40 and 50, respectively, and the printing process is repeated. As in the case of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, unlike conventional printing methods, the hydrophilic area is formed by exposing a part of the surface of the plate roll and drawing a gonograph arbitrarily on it. , the hydrophobic regions can be selectively removed from the roll surface using a photosensitive coating, without polymerization, crosslinking, or other chemical changes to the material in the hydrophobic regions, and without the need for cleaning or development steps. The hydrophobic layer is formed by a single thin layer of material removed.

As mentioned above, li! After the iI image is formed, the plate may be used in the conventional manner by applying ink, solution, or ink cartridge to the plate. Accordingly, a thin sheet of hydrophilic abrasive material as described above is cut to the appropriate size and coated with the roll to form each image, and then run through a conventional printing press to print a plurality of desired sheets. Copies can be obtained. In this regard, see Example 1 to Example ■. The apparatus shown in FIG. 3 is similar to apparatus d of FIG. 1, but the means necessary for actual image printing (such as rolls 40 and 50) are omitted. This device can be used to manufacture plates and form images separately from the actual printing process. The printing process can be carried out on a separate conventional printing device some time after the image plate has been manufactured.

The outlines of several embodiments of the printing apparatus and printing method have been described above, and various operating procedures have been described. Next, reference is made to FIG. 7 which shows yet another embodiment. Unless otherwise indicated, elements similar to those of the previously described embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals and serve the same function. 7th
In the illustrated embodiment, the plate is formed by an endless surface in the form of a roll 10 rotating in the direction of arrow 86. Other shapes of endless surfaces may be utilized, such as belt-like ink transfer surfaces disposed around a plurality of rolls.

Various auxiliary means, as described above, are arranged around the ink transfer surface and along its direction of movement. These auxiliary means include a cleaning means 62 comprising a cleaning roll 12, a doctor blade 14, and a jet 16, a hydrophobic layer applying means 64 comprising an applicator 20 and a doctor means 22, and a latent image forming means. 70, an aqueous ink fountain solution application means comprising a roll 40, an ink application means comprising a roll 50, and an image transfer means comprising a pressure roll 6 and optionally a roll 4.

In the examples given above, the substrate to which the ink image was transferred was in the form of a web. However, in the case of conventional printing devices in actual use, profiteering is
It is one of the separate sheets. In the embodiment shown in FIG.
2. For example, the sheets are fed one by one to the transfer section (pressure roll 6) by a paper feed roller 74 and a cassette 76. A feed roll 74 picks up sheets from the bottom of the pile and feeds them to a pressure roll 6 where the ink image is transferred to the surface of the substrate 8. The sheets are then sent to the output tray 78 and stacked. On the other hand, when the pressure roll 6 is used as an offset roll, the ink image is transferred to the pressure roll 6 rather than to the sheet between the pressure roll 6 and the printing roll 10. Next, ink 1
The III image is transferred back from the pressure roll to the substrate 88. The base material 8A is supplied by a paper feeding device similar to the paper feeding device 72 (indicated by a dotted line). The paper feed device 72, the paper feed roll 74, the cassette 7G, and the paper discharge tray 78 can be considered to be arbitrary components of the image transfer means. The latent image forming means 70 may be any suitable means as described above, such as an electrical spark discharge device, one or more beams of electromagnetic energy, one or more streams of heated fluid, etc., such as a digital conbeater, etc. an imaging signal source.

According to a preferred method, the latent image forming means 70 can be used both for forming the latent image and for reimaging the roll surface. Alternatively, another reimaging means 88 can be used. This reimaging means 88 may consist of spark discharge means or other means as described with respect to the latent image forming means 70 and may be arranged, for example, between the cleaning means 62 and the hydrophobic layer application means 64. ,do it. The first function of the reimaging means 88 is to clean the surface of the plate roll 10 by removing any remaining hydrophobic layers, rubber, etc. This is written throughout the edition as “
The result is a plate called a blank in the lithography process, ie a plate that is hydrophilic on its entire surface.

Each of the auxiliary means is selectively operated, and each operation is controlled by a control device 8θ. The series of cleaning rolls 12 and doctor blades 14 are actuated by a mechanical actuator, such as a solenoid or motor with a screw-type drive 82, to move the cleaning rolls and doctor blades toward and away from the ink transfer surface. Similar actuating device ρ82 includes hydrophobic layer coating means 64, latent image forming means 7
0. It can also be used to bring the ink fountain solution application rolls 40 and ' and the ink application rolls 50 into contact with and away from the ink transfer surface.

The operation of the transfer pressure roll 6 can be controlled by controlling the paper feed device 72. Alternatively, pressure roll 6 may be disengaged from the ink transfer surface by conventional means. Drying jetting device 82, valve 84 or paper feeding device 7
By appropriately energizing 2, it is possible to selectively operate any one of the various auxiliary means. Each successive operative engagement of the ink transfer surface with all of the series of auxiliary means causes the plate roll 10 to make one complete revolution, which is referred to as an operating cycle.

Control device 80 may be configured in a conventional manner. For example, a conventional cam and switch combination may be utilized to selectively actuate each of mechanical actuators 82, valves 84, and feeder 72 to provide the desired sequence of operations. However, according to the state of the art, it is preferable to employ a digital control scheme using a programmable computer. The use of a digital controller is advantageous because it allows a wide variety of operating sequences to be selected.

The same computer can be used as both the control device and the source of the electronic signals that form the image to be printed.

It is believed that such computerized controls and associated actuators can readily perform the various operating sequences necessary to fully implement the teachings of the present invention for a single printing press. It will be done. for example,
Assume that there is a need to form a latent image on a plate as described above, and to control the printing of multiple oleo ink copies using the same image. This mode of operation is called "image formation and rotation." During the first revolution of the form roll 10, only the cleaning means 62 are activated to remove ink or other substances from the surface of the form roll 1o. During the second revolution of the plate roll 100, the latent image forming means 70 or another reimaging means 88 is used to remove any remaining hydrophobic layer material, rubber, etc. on the roll surface. The cleaning means 62 and the image reforming means 88 may be operated as desired, and may not be operated if the surface of the plate is sufficiently clean. After optionally passing the roll surface through the reimaging means 88, the latent image forming means 70 and the ink solution application roll 60 as well as the hydrophobic layer application means 64 are activated. Since the ink application roll 50 and the image transfer means are not activated, the plate roll 10 makes at least one revolution with only the rubber-containing composition being applied over the formed image. When the ink solution is applied in this way, this becomes an optional rubber application process, which increases the life of the hydrophilic parts of the plate, as mentioned above. At this point, the drying jets 16 can be operated as desired.

If a separate rubber-containing composition is to be used, it is desirable to use a separate rubber application and water jet cleaning means 63, as shown schematically at 18 and 19 in FIG. It is clear that When such an auxiliary means is added, the control device 80 can be appropriately modified to cope with it.

After an image is formed on the plate and rubber is optionally applied, the ink fountain solution application roll 40 and the ink application roll 5 are applied.
0 and the image transfer means are activated, so that plate roll 1
The same image is printed each time 0 is rotated.

At this point, you can take some optional actions as soon as you want to change the image. If it is desired to completely reimage the plate and the plate is coated with rubber, then only the cleaning means 62 is activated in order to completely clean the roll surface, as described above. Preferably, the latent image forming means 70 or another image reforming means 88 is then activated. When no rubber is used, there is no need to operate the latent imaging or reimaging means, and in many cases a new layer of hydrophobic material is applied over an already existing hydrophobic layer. All you need to do is to ensure that little or no ink remains on the plate. In addition to this coating method, the hydrophobic layer has an adsorption property that allows the material applied in layers to automatically reach a predetermined uniform thickness, so that the material can be applied to an appropriate thickness. After applying a new hydrophobic layer material, forming an image on the plate as described above, wetting, inking and transferring the image to the substrate. These are just a few examples of possible sequences that may be considered advantageous under. Other sequences can be employed to improve the printing operation, if desired.

By the method explained above, it is thought that the area on the surface of the hydrophilic plate to which the oleo ink should be attached is covered with the hydrophobic layer material, and the area on the surface of the hydrophilic plate that is not involved in image formation is at least partially exposed17. A printing plate is obtained that looks like this.

If desired, these partially exposed areas may be covered with a rubber layer to make them more durable and completely hydrophilic. The method for manufacturing the above-mentioned plates consists of (1) a process of coating a hydrophilic plate surface with a thin layer of a hydrophobic layer material, and (2) selectively forming the hydrophobic layer into a desired shape. and (3) an optional step of removing the rubber from the plate and attaching the comb, usually only to the exposed areas of the plate surface. However, printing plates as described above may also be produced by other methods, and the printing plates themselves may have other structures.

In this way, the plate, in which areas of hydrophobic layer material and areas of rubber follow adjacently, selectively removes a uniform layer of hydrophobic layer material and then applies rubber as described above. Or, or
For example, if the surface of the (]) plate is coated with a thin layer of rubber, (2
) selectively removing portions of the comb layer depending on the desired shape; and (3) thereafter coating the plate with a hydrophobic N4-4 material. Many hydrophobic layer materials do not readily cover the remaining comb layer portions, but preferentially cover the exposed portions of the plate surface. As a result, a plate is obtained in which the hydrophobic layer material and the rubber are connected as described above.

However, (1) the removal process is carried out on the comb rather than the hydrophobic layer material, and (2) the removal process is carried out according to a negative form of the form used in the first mentioned method.

By another method, it is possible to produce a plate having substantially the same construction as the above-described plate, in which the hydrophobic layer material is arranged on the plate according to a predetermined image pattern. This method selectively applies hydrophobic layer material in a suitable pattern, rather than selectively removing material from a uniform layer as described above. This method can be carried out using an inkjet printing device or other means in which a hydrophobic layer material of a suitable viscosity other than ink is provided. Many of the materials listed in Table 1 are suitable for this application. Inkjet printing apparatus C may be used in place of the debris removal portions of the hydrophobic layer coating means 64 and latent image forming means 70 of the apparatus shown in FIG.

That is, in FIG. 7, the hydrophobic layer coater kg, 64
The latent image forming means 70 may consist of an ink jet device or an array of ink jet devices to deposit the hydrophobic layer material in the correct pattern. As previously mentioned, stencils, masks or similar devices may be used to assist in forming the correct pattern of hydrophobic layer material.

As mentioned above, you can also change the structure of the edition. If you want to make the image on the plate last longer, for example, (1) cover the hydrophilic plate surface with a thin subbing rubber layer, (2) cover the subbing rubber layer with an upper layer of hydrophobic layer material, (3) A suitable plate may be manufactured by selectively removing the upper layer of the hydrophobic layer material in accordance with the desired pattern without significantly damaging the undercoat rubber layer. Depending on which material you choose,
When forming the hydrophobic top layer required in step (2), it is useful to provide the hydrophobic layer material in vapor form and allow the material to condense on the surface of the comb, or to heat the hydrophobic layer material prior to application. It is known that

Due to the chemical properties of most rubbers, especially their high molecular weight, rubbers adhere well to the exposed areas of the plate surface.In many cases, the rubber layer is more difficult to remove than the hydrophobic layer material as it is difficult to remove and tends to remain intact.
The imaging energy can be easily adjusted to provide selective debris removal for various combinations of rubber compositions or similar materials and hydrophobic layer materials. As a result, the hydrophilic area is formed from the hydrophilic plate surface V covered with the comb layer, and the hydrophobic area is formed from the hydrophilic plate surface V which is covered with the rubber layer and further covered with an upper layer of hydrophobic material. A plate formed by the surface is obtained. As previously mentioned, rather than selectively removing material from a uniform layer, hydrophobic layer material is selectively deposited in a desired pattern onto the rubber layer via means such as inkjet. 6 First, the entire surface of the plate is uniformly coated with the hydrophobic layer material, and then the hydrophilic rubber layer is selectively coated based on the pattern of the image using, for example, inkjet. Inkjet or other selective applicators can also be used in plate production, such as when coating.

In the printing method described above, the image area of the plate is generally formed from relatively hydrophobic areas, and the areas that are not involved in the image of the plate (7), that is, the areas complementary to the image, are relatively hydrophilic. The assumption is that a substantially lithographic printing plate is used, which is formed from strong areas.In conventional lithographic printing methods, the printing plate is coated with an aqueous plate dampening solution or dampening solution according to a complementary pattern of both images. Oleo ink is applied to the surface of the selectively wetted plate.

However, the plates used in conventional methods are also suitable for use in printing systems using water-based inks.

The simplest version of this method is the lithographic printing method, which uses an aqueous plate dampening solution as a component of the aqueous ink. Aqueous ink solutions composed of multiple components can be applied in a similar manner as in conventional plate dampening solutions, for example by means of a series of rolls 40 or other suitable applicators. good. The ink application roll 50 has been removed and no ink is applied.

The ink contained in the dampening solution is transferred to the substrate as described above, ie directly or via an offset roll or the like. In this case, since the ink adheres to the hydrophilic areas rather than the hydrophobic/oleophilic areas, the entire image on the plate must be replaced. That is, the hydrophobic layer material is made into an image-complementary pattern, contrary to the above-mentioned embodiment,
The hydrophilic areas of the plate must be formed according to the image pattern. Therefore, the electronic image generation means that control the selective application or removal of the hydrophobic layer material must be modified to provide the desired signals to the image forming means. (As mentioned above, the more general term "image-related pattern" is used to describe the shape of hydrophilic or hydrophobic regions. Alternatively, the latent image and the resulting ink image are The method for cleaning water-based inks from a roll is somewhat different from that for oleo-inks, and the hydrophobic layer material is compatible with the printing ink used. There are other obvious differences, but apart from the image forming means, the overall printing method is almost the same. It can be applied in situations where it would not be considered advantageous.

As explained above, using a different method or a plate with a different structure [
2, and also using water-based inks rather than oleo-inks, in which the various plates are manufactured, imaged, erased, re-imaged or used in the printing process; The equipment used to perform all such operations does not vary significantly, except as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, in accordance with the schemes and apparatus described above. For example, if an image plate is produced that is labor efficient and consists of a lower layer of a specially rubberized surface and an upper layer of hydrophobic layer material formed over the pattern, as shown in FIG. It is assumed that the plate is to be used without reimaging in an apparatus such as that shown in FIG. The apparatus is similar to the apparatus shown in FIG. 7, except that a hydrophilic layer application means 63 consisting of 82 is provided immediately before the hydrophobic layer application means. The sequence of the "imaging and rotating" mode of operation described above, except that immediately before, the hydrophilic layer application means 63 is activated to deposit a uniform thin layer of the rubber composition on the hydrophilic surface of the plate roll 10. The plate roll 10 may optionally be rotated one or more times in order to dry the rubber composition.

Following this comb application process, all remaining steps of the "imaging and rotation" mode of operation are performed. If a water-based ink should be added to the plate dampening solution instead of the oleo ink, the above-mentioned method should be changed to (1) remove the ink application roll 50'z, and (2) add hydrophobic ink. Latent image forming means so that the layer material is removed in accordance with the image pattern rather than the complementary pattern of both images? It may be necessary to make adjustments.

In particular, when using water-based ink, the rubber layer adheres uniformly and somewhat strongly to the plate surface, and the water-based ink is removed by the cleaning means 6.
Re-imaging of such a plate is relatively easy since it can be easily removed via the plate 2. The process of selectively removing portions of the entire layer of hydrophobic layer material is carried out, for example, by actuating the reimaging means 88. If necessary, hydrophilic layer coating means 63'f! :The rubber layer may be reapplied by optional operation. Since rubber has the property of regulating itself to a predetermined thickness, rubber does not accumulate too thickly. Such a reimaging step, as well as a reimaging/printing step following the application of a new layer of hydrophobic layer material, can also be carried out during one revolution of the plate roll 10.

Instead of a lithographic printing plate roll as described above, a gravure rather than lithographic printing plate cylinder having a sharply contoured surface that is hydrophilic in nature may be used; The same advantages as described above are obtained. The physical shape of the surface is as commonly chosen in the prior art; it is immaterial whether the contoured surface is formed by recesses, cells, or grooves. . The term cell includes all of these surface features. First, a clean cylinder is prepared, a thin uniform layer is applied to the surface of the cylinder, and aqueous developer, e.g. ink, is selectively removed from the surface of the cell to which the ink is to be applied, e.g. by fusion. The desired hydrophobic layer material may be applied by selectively applying a coating or layer of the material to the inner surfaces of the desired cells, for example by ink jetting. The material to be applied and the application means are applied to the wall and floor of the desired cell, or a portion thereof, to a thickness of a monolayer of 4$1.
Preferably, a layer of material of equal or near thickness is applied and selected to conform to the cell surface.

There is no need to fill most of the interior of the cell with hydrophobic layer material. Before applying the hydrophobic layer material or after imaging,
Optionally, treat the surface of the nine cylinders with a rubber-containing composition. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a cross-section of the surface of a conventional gravure printing plate roll 104 imaged by placing a hydrophobic layer material on a hydrophilic surface soil.

A thin hydrophobic layer is adsorbed to the roll cells 106 that are marked on the left side (lines).The cells 108 without diagonal lines have no hydrophobic layer material attached to them, and therefore, these cells are It is formed from a hydrophilic protective layer such as the exposed side of the originally hydrophilic interleaved side slope of the roll or a rubber layer.Boundary line 1'09 is formed by hydrophobic layer material only in a part of one cell. After forming an image on the roll in this way, printing can be carried out according to the conventional gravure printing method.Water-based ink is applied to the surface of the plate cylinder, and then it is inked by a doctor means. Once the excess ink is removed, an ink image is formed on the surface of the plate cylinder consisting of cells to which no hydrophobic layer material has been applied. It is transferred to a suitable substrate by contacting with W.

As mentioned above, when using oleo ink with another plate dampening solution and an applicator for applying the plate dampening solution,
The "yin and yang" of the image on the plate cylinder must be changed so that the hydrophobic layer material is applied to the cells where the ink is to be deposited.

The gravure printing plate cylinder manufactured in this way is manufactured by removing ink from the cells and the surface of the plate cylinder by a conventional method.
It can be easily reused, ie, reimaged, by removing any remaining hydrophobic layer material or other material from the cell, eg, by fusing. After removing all dirt, coatings, etc. from the plate cylinder, apply the material selectively as described above, i.e. either selectively in a desired pattern or turn, or selectively after forming a uniform layer. A new hydrophobic layer material may be applied either by removing the hydrophobic layer material or by removing the hydrophobic layer material. A. In the invention, by changing the area within each individual cell where the hydrophobic layer material is applied, i.e. by changing the area of the inner surface of the cell covered by the layer of hydrophobic layer material inside each individual cell. By changing, it is possible to summon a song 1 image of intermediate %Ir,i.

As mentioned above, there are continuous sequences such as cleaning, image formation, printing, and re-image formation, and these processes are automatically performed.1. This method uses only lithographic printing plates (,),
The same PC can be applied when using J-Rule for gravure printing. However, in the case of gravure printing, modifications that are obvious to those skilled in the art must be made from the conventional gravure printing procedure.

Instead of the aforementioned lithographic printing plate roll, the same one used in conventional screen printing methods (child splicing 11
Using a cylindrical screen without any of the aforementioned advantages, the E7 also has the advantages of being suitable for screen printing.

Reusable screens should be free of dirt and clogging, similar to those made of materials that are hydrophilic in nature, and have a relatively fine mesh (e.g., approximately 100×100 mesh, depending on the desired ink density, etc.). or even finer than that) on which no image is formed is set in an apparatus such as that shown in FIG. Rather than a solid plate roll, a cylindrical, hollow rotating frame 9o is used, around which a screen 92 is stretched and driven by any convenient means. A suitable hydrophobic layer material, as described above, is applied to the mesh elements making up the mesh surface of the screen 92 by an applicator 20 consisting of a series of rolls or other suitable means. Doctor means 22, consisting of a water jet cleaning device 24 and a doctor roll or kiss roll 23, are for removing excess hydrophobic layer material from screen 92. Other doctoring devices or instruments such as flexible doctor blades may also be used. Ronil 97.99 is provided to prevent the screen 92 from deforming, and the frame 90 and the screen 92
Supply energy to rotate in the direction of the arrow. Passing through the doctor means 221. After that, a hydrophobic layer material is uniformly adhered to the surface of the screen 920. This hydrophobic layer material can be selectively removed by any convenient means, such as a laser device, 90, as described above in connection with FIG. In Figure 12, the hydrophobic layer material is attached to the diagonally shaded area on the left 1. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a cross section of the printing screen 110. The layer material adheres to the mesh in areas 112 and does not block the screen openings 114.

The mesh region 116 outside the region 112 remains substantially hydrophilic. After selective removal of the hydrophobic layer material from the screen 920 surface, ink is applied by a series of rolls 50 or other means. In general, surface tension is strong,
It is wise to use water-based ink with low viscosity. The ink is retained only in the areas of the screen mesh where the hydrophobic layer material has been removed and is not deposited elsewhere.

The hydrophobic material does not need to cover or fill the predetermined mesh area where water-based ink or other water-based developer is to be repelled, and the layer material must be such that it does not substantially cause clogging The water-based ink is then transferred to the substrate as described above. If it is desired to print in a manner similar to printing, oleolithographic inks may be used in conjunction with suitable dampening solutions or other aqueous developers.

In this case, the oleo-ink is retained only in the areas of the screen mesh where the hydrophobic layer material remains.

As previously mentioned, other methods may be employed to remove the hydrophobic layer material. The desired amount of hydrophobic layer material need only be arranged on the screen in a pattern or turn related to the image, making it easy to first deposit a uniform layer and then selectively remove it. The hydrophobic layer material may also be selectively applied to the surface of the screen, for example using an inkjet device 6 as described above. A rubber coating treatment can optionally be performed before coating the hydrophobic layer or after image formation.

When it is desired to form a new image, the ink is removed from the screen by any suitable method and all hydrophobic layer 4A material is removed by using fusing means as described above. After the screen has been completely cleaned in this way and is clean again, as mentioned above,
The screen can be reimaged by properly arranging the hydrophobic layer H material according to the desired new pattern. For example, forming a discontinuous image, ie. If seamed printing is desired, non-cylindrical screens can be used with appropriate modifications to the imaging and printing methods and apparatus.

The various sequences of cleaning, imaging, printing, reimaging, etc. previously described with respect to lithographic printing plates and gravure rolls, and the manner in which these processes are performed automatically, can be achieved using such printing screens. It is equally applicable in the case of conventional screen printing procedures, provided that such modifications as would be obvious to a person skilled in the art are required according to conventional screen printing procedures.

The following examples are intended to illustrate some preferred embodiments of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Example 1 Precision Steel Warehouse, Inc.
A thin, flat sheet of stainless steel, 5 mil (0,005 in.) thick, obtained from 6000 F.
The sheet was left in an oven at 315.6° C. for 5 minutes to evaporate all contaminants adhering to the surface of the sheet. Next, the sheet was attached to a grounded steel cylinder. 0.2 grams of hexadecanoic acid with 100ml of distilled water and 100ml
A small amount of solution dissolved in Inglovir alcohol,
It was manually applied to a 4 inch by 4 inch area in the center of the sheet to make that area hydrophobic. Areas of the sheet other than the 4 inch by 4 inch area remain free of contaminants and are therefore substantially hydrophilic.

California Fine Wire Pumper 1--
(Ca1ifornia Fine Wire Com
A linear array of needles was constructed by placing tungsten wires approximately 10 mtl in diameter spaced approximately 0.5 inches apart from each other, obtained from the company Pany + Caliphate, Inc. (Groveer City, NY). The distance between the stainless steel M7-) surface is approximately 3rn.
It was arranged so that it was il. The wires were implanted into an insulating matrix of glass-filled epoxy and fiberglass reinforcement. Each wire is connected to a +800 delt DC power source through a 100,000 ohm resistor and a switch. The cylinder carrying the stainless steel sheet was rotated at a cylinder speed of about 4 yards per minute while the switch connecting the wire was closed and the wire was connected to the 1 source. Argon gas was introduced into the area of the wire tip at a flow rate of about 3C,F,)I. As the surface of the sheet passes beneath the wire, an arc is created between the tip of the wire and the surface of the sheet, thereby forming an image on the sheet surface. After the sheet has passed under the wire once, a switch is opened, the sheet is removed from the cylinder, and the sheet is soaked in distilled water to prevent oxidation or contamination that may occur on the clean hydrophilic surface of the sheet when the arc passes through. I soaked it in

After a few hours, the sheet was removed from the water and placed in a conventionally produced lithographic printing plate (instead of Multilith 1250).
Offset lithographic deglicator (Mu
ltilith 12500ffsetLithogr
aphic DupHeator) (A, M, International (A, M, International
+ Los Angeles, California) product). Pantone Process Brown ink in the duplicator.
n ink ) (A, M.

A,M Multigraphics, a subsidiary of International Inc., Mount Prospect, IL, was applied. The plate dampening solution is manufactured by 3M Gritting Products Division (3M PrintlngProducts).
l) 3M Duplicator Fountain Outlet, obtained from LVision, Centozol, Minn.)
or Fountain Concentrate,
e) 1 part (volume) dissolved in 31 parts (volume fJli) of distilled water. After installing the seat, the deglicator was operated normally. After the dampening solution was applied to the surface of the sheet by a dampening roll, ink was applied to the surface of the sheet by an inking roll. The dampening solution was found to wet only the portion of the 4 inch by 4 inch area that was struck by the arc. The ink not mixed with the dampening solution coated only the portion of the residue within the 14 inch by 4 inch area to which the dampening solution had not adhered. The remaining parts of the uncontaminated plate are moistened with the plate dampening solution and thus repel the ink. The ink image was transferred to a blanket cylinder and then to paper.

On the paper is a pattern complementary to the pattern of the arc's trajectory, an image with a clearly defined 4 inch by 4 inch inked area containing uninked lines corresponding to the area traversed by the arc. printed as. Although the same sheet was used to print multiple copies on paper, no major deterioration in image quality was observed.

Example■ The procedure of Example I was repeated with the following exceptions.

Instead of the stainless steel sheet, a 5 ml thick flat aluminum sheet obtained from the same vendor was used. The sheets were cleaned with alcohol and placed in a 600°F oven for 1 minute to evaporate any surface contaminants.

After forming the image on the sheet, remove the sheet from the cylinder,
Plate dampening solution (Formula 1 from AM Multigraphics, Mount Prospect, IL)
A dilute solution prepared by mixing distilled water at a ratio (volume) of 1:32 (volume) of 00 version dampening solution) was applied and dried in air. The next day, the plate was loaded into the printing press. Although the image was copied and printed multiple times on paper, the image was clear and sharp, with high resolution, and no deterioration in image quality was observed. Even if the hydrophilic areas of the plate were intentionally smeared with ink, the self-cleaning action of the plate immediately restored a clear, crisp, high-resolution printed image.

Example I11 A 5 ml thick flat stainless steel sheet obtained from Precision Steel Warehouse, Inc. (Downers Grove, IL) was
The Multilith 1250 offset lithographic dusolicator, a product of International (Los Angeles, Calif.), was installed in place of a conventionally produced lithographic printing plate.

A wire array made of tungsten wires with a diameter of 10ml1L obtained from California Fine Wire Company (Groveer City, California) arranged in a straight line at a ratio of 25 wires per linear inch was used to connect the tips of the wires and the plate. They were arranged so that the distance between them was about 3ml. The wires are embedded in an insulating matrix of glass-filled epoxy and glass fiber reinforced plates.

Each wire is connected to a +700 Gault DC power source through a 100,900 ohm resistor and a switch. Before mounting, the surface of the stainless steel sheet was prepared with a solution of sodium stearate dissolved in distilled water (prepared by heating the mixture to a temperature of about 50 °C and then cooling. ), then rinsed with a stream of distilled water and briefly dried in air.

As a result, the sheet becomes uniformly hydrophobic. The deplicator is made by Sinclair and Valentine Co.
15 percent of O/S H/T Process Blue, a product of
3401 ink was supplied. Plate dampening solution is available from Research for Petter Solinting Chemical Corporation θtesearch for Better
Printing Chemical Corpora
RBP Craftman Fountain Solution Soft No. 290701 (RBP Craftman Fountain Solutions, Inc. + Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
ftsmanFountain 5solution 5
of Number 290701) 1 part (volume)
This is a solution prepared by dissolving the following in 31 parts (volume) of water.

Wet 1 roller and ink applicator roller were moved away from the sheet and the switch connected to the wire was closed to complete the circuit to the power source while the plate cylinder was rotated at a circumferential speed of about 4 yards per minute. . The stainless steel sheet is held at ground potential as it is in contact with the frame of the deplicator which is grounded. Argon gas was introduced into the area of the wire tip at a flow rate of approximately 3C,F,H. As the surface of the sheet passed beneath the wire, an arc was created between the tip of the wire and the surface of the sheet.

After one pass of the sheet under the wire, a switch was opened, the speed of the plate roll was increased to 20 yards per minute, and the dampening roll was brought into operative engagement with the sheet. The dampening solution wets only the areas of the sheet that were struck by the arc. After the plate cylinder was rotated several times while remaining in operative engagement with the dampening roller, the inking roll of the duplicator was brought into operative engagement with the sheet. Ink that does not mix with the dampening solution will be repelled in the areas wetted by the dampening solution, and will be repelled by areas of the sheet surface that are not wetted by the dampening solution, i.e. areas that were not struck by the arc. Forms a film only on the surface. Next, transfer the ink image to the blanket cylinder,
It was then transferred to paper. On the paper, a clear, crisp, high-resolution image was printed of a pattern that complemented the pattern left by the arc impact. That is, the paper exhibited a peta inked area containing a series of sharp, uninked lines corresponding to the arc trajectory area. Although the same sheet was used to print copies of the image multiple times, no deterioration in image quality was observed. The sheet was then washed with petroleum benzine 7, coated again with stearic acid solution and rinsed with distilled water as before. The above-described image forming process and printing process were repeated. In this case, as well as the previously obtained images, a series of clear, crisp, high-resolution images were obtained that included trace lines with no ink in areas of flat ink. No trace of the previously formed image was visible.

Example ■ The surface of a glass roll made of 60% At203 and 40 inches of TiO2 and having a diameter of about 4 inches was first coated.
Washed with isopropyl alcohol and wiped dry. Next, a solution containing 50% hexadecanoic acid and 50% I, sozolopyl alcohol (by volume) was applied with a cotton swab.
Excess solution was washed away by running distilled water. As a result, it is thought that a thin layer remained. After drying in air, the roll was imaged using a 10 ml diameter tungsten needle spaced 2.0 ml from the surface of the roll. While rotating the roll at a circumferential speed of 4.67 parts m, +800? A current of 8 milliamps was applied to create a spark discharge between the roll and the needle, forming a line on the roll surface indicating the trajectory of the arc. Argon gas at a pressure approximately equal to atmospheric pressure was introduced into the discharge region at a flow rate of about 10 C, F, H,.

A mixture (by weight) of 1 part 3M Duplicator 7A Lanten Concentrate, a product of 3M Printing Zorodacts Division, St. Paul, Minn., and 15 parts distilled water (by weight) was imaged. It was applied over the entire area of the roll surface and allowed to remain temporarily in place.A roller was used to further apply the solution described above, but it was observed that this solution only wetted the image area. Next, a lithographic printing ink (Burntrad Industries Incorporated) was used.
Offset Black B, a product of Wood Industries Inc., + Addison, Illinois
I 8261) was applied via a roller over the area of the roll surface on which the image was formed. The ink adhered only to the areas of the roll surface that were not wetted by the dampening solution, ie, the areas that were not imaged by the spark discharge. The ink image was then transferred to paper. The printed images were clear and of high resolution. A dampening solution and ink were sequentially applied to the entire area of the roll surface where the image was formed, and the image was transferred to paper again. As in the previous case, clear, high-resolution printed images were obtained.

Example ■ Precision Steel Warehouse Inc. 71
? A 5 ml (0.005 in.) thick sheet of 304 stainless steel obtained from Rated (Downers Grove, IL) was cut to 4 in. x 1 in., rinsed in a stream of isopropyl alcohol, and then air The sheet was dried in an oven and placed in an oven at 600°F for 1 minute to evaporate any contaminants that might be on the sheet surface. Next, add 0.2 grams of hexadecanoic acid to 100 m
Dissolve in a solution of 1 ml of distilled water and 1 ml of isopropyl alcohol and soak in the resulting solution.
A quick rinse under cold running water rendered the sheet hydrophobic. The sheet is then dried in a stream of nitrogen gas,
In order to form an image on the sheet surface, the sheet tra was fixed to a grounded steel cylinder. A piece of tungsten wire, approximately 10 ml in diameter, obtained from California Fine Wire Company (Grove City, California) was used, with a distance between the tip of the wire and the surface of the stainless steel sheet of approximately It was arranged so that the volume was 3ml/l.

The wires were held insulated by sandwiching them between acrylic plastic.

The wires were connected through a 100,000 ohm resistor and a switch to a DC power supply regulated to generate +800 port pulses at a frequency of M 7 kHz. The switch connected to the wire was closed to complete the connection with the power source while the cylinder carrying the stainless steel sheet was rotated at a circumferential speed of about 1.2 inches per second. Since the stainless steel sheet is in contact with the grounded cylinder, it is held at ground potential. Argon gas at about 3C
, F, H, were introduced into the region of the wire tip.

As the surface of the sheet passed beneath the wire, an arc was created between the tip of the wire and the surface of the sheet. After the sheet passed under the wire once and the image was formed, the switch was opened. Remove the sheet from the cylinder and use 3M
A solution of 7 g of 3M Fountain Liquid (commercially available from Printing Products Division (J-L), Sen., MN) and a 1:15 acid solution of distilled water (Azumi) was applied to the sheet for 5 minutes. Leave it on for a while, thereby creating a rubberized stain on the plate. The sheets were then rinsed with distilled water and a
Insert into the notch previously formed in the center of the MR mold plate. Since the image was previously formed on this plate by the characteristic four turns, inserting the sheet creates a ``hybrid'' plate. This "hybrid" plate was then used in place of a lithographic printing plate made according to conventional methods in a Mu 1t I 1% 1250 Offset Lithographic Generator (AM International, Los Angeles, CA). ) products). For the duplicator, Pantone
Process Blue A, 530-8000
(a product of AM Multi-Graphics, Mt. Pross, Illinois, a subsidiary of AM International). The plate dampening solution used was 1 part (by volume) of Rosos Fountain Solution.
n) G-7A'-V-Comb (o Sos Earz
-Poratey)'' (a product of Rosog Inc-+Lake Bluff, Illinois) mixed with 31 parts (by volume) of distilled water. After installing the sheet,
The duplicator was operated in a normal manner to apply dampening solution to the surface of the sheet using a dampening roll, and then applying ink to the surface of the sheet using an ink applicator roll.

The dampening solution was found to dampen only the areas of the inserted stainless steel sheet that were struck by the arc.

The ink that did not mix with the dampening solution formed a film only on the areas of the stainless steel sheet that were not covered by the dampening solution. The remaining part of the plate, the plate ti+, in which the conventional characteristic image is formed! As expected, the plates were selectively wetted by the dampening solution, with ink depositing only in the characteristic image areas. Ingi ii formed across the composite board! The +i image was transferred to a blanket cylinder and then to paper. The paper was printed with a clear, sharp, high resolution ink image containing uninked lines representing the area of the arc trajectory of the inserted stainless steel sheet-F. Several i4L copies were made using the same sheet, but no significant deterioration in image quality was observed.

In order to know the erasability of the plate and its suitability for reuse, we removed the inserted Sudenres t[/-towo hybrid plate.
Obtained from AM Multigraphics (Mt. Prospect, IL), t? c pushin crawler (Bl
Ankrola) to manually clean the sheets. After drying in the air, the sheet was rinsed with isopropyl alcohol and the ladle was dried in the air.

The sheet was again secured to the grounded steel cylinder at an angle of approximately 45° to the direction of rotation of the cylinder. +95
The plate was imaged as described above, except that a voltage of 0 volts was used and the cylinder speed was set at 1.5 yards per minute. The resulting arc trajectory line intersects the original arc trajectory line at an angle of about 45°. Regarding the same area, the arc generation process is
Repeated several times. Next, rinse the sheet with palmitic acid,
Wipe it gently with paper fibers. The sheets were then rinsed with distilled water, followed by the aforementioned solution, then rinsed again with distilled water and dried in a stream of nitrogen gas. The sheet was inserted into the same notch to form a "hybrid" plate as described above and again mounted in the lithographic dusolicator. Multiple copies were printed, resulting in equally clear and sharp images, but the lines that were initially uninked were stripped of the rubber and coated with hexadecanoic acid. It now includes a small ink adhesion area that corresponds to the second arc trajectory area. In reality, this area has been erased.

To reimage the plate, the composite plate was removed from the dusolicator and the sheet was removed from the cutout. The sheet was manually cleaned with a plankroller, dried, and rinsed with isopropyl alcohol. The plate was then imaged as described above, with lines parallel to the direction of rotation of the cylinder immediately above the originally formed lines. However, at this time, non-pulsed direct current was used. The sheet was then reinserted into the standard plate as described above and placed in the duplicator. I printed multiple copies, but
The same clear and sharp images seen during the first arc were obtained. However, the same uninked line (corresponding to the arc trajectory area) did not appear to contain the inked area seen during the previous print.

In reality, this area is being reimaged.

EXAMPLE ■ The procedure of Example V was repeated except that instead of stainless steel sheet K, a 5 ml thick, 4 inch by 1 inch sized aluminum sheet obtained from the same vendor was used, with similar results. Obtained.

EXAMPLE ■ A 5m11 thick, 4" x 1" 30 steel plate obtained from Grecision Steel Warehouse, Inc. (Downers Grove, Illinois).
A Type 4 stainless steel sheet was placed in a 650°F oven for 1 minute and then immersed in the hexadecanoic acid solution of Example 1.

The image was formed according to the procedure of Example 2, with the cylinder mounted on the apparatus of Seatra Example 2 and rotating at a speed of 46 yards per minute. The comb solution of Example 1 was applied and the sheet was dried. The above-mentioned rubber solution of fi Oml was manufactured by ClbaGeigy Co.
Tetrazo 1 Non Blue R (TFJ), a product of rporatlon+Greensdero, North Carolina)
An ink 7 plate dampening solution mixture consisting of 10 drops of TRAPRINT Blus R) disperse dye was applied to the sheet by a roller. The mixture is divided into sheets,
It adhered only to the area of the spark trajectory. Next, the ink-applied side of the sheet was pressed against the paper to transfer the ink to the paper.
A clear and sharp image of the spark trajectory was obtained. The results were similar when the mixture was reapplied to the sheet and subsequently transferred to paper.

Example 7' Stainless steel sheets and copper sheets, each 5 ml thick, obtained from 7' L/Ccision Steel Warehouse, Inc. (Downers Group, Illinois) and a copper sheet were manufactured by Appointment Lasers, Inc. Ted (Apoll.

Illumination was by a pulsed ruby laser from La5ers+Inc, +Los Angeles, CA). The average beam energy of the laser is 3°5 joules, the cross-sectional area of the beam is approximately 0.0123 square inches,
The pulse width was 4o)) second tear.

Since the sheet was not treated before lighting, the film of substances such as machine oil that adhered to the surface of the sheet during the sheet manufacturing process was removed, and when distilled water was poured over it, the surface of the sheet became hydrophobic. ing. Immediately after illumination, each sheet is immersed in distilled water and quickly removed. The distilled water wets and adheres only to the areas of each sheet that are illuminated by the laser. Since all other areas of the sheet remain water repellent, each sheet has a precise
A clearly demarcated hydrophilic/hydrophobic image is depicted.

EXAMPLE ■ The procedure of Example Kari was repeated using 5 ml thick zinc and aluminum sheets from Alfa Products, Danvers, CT, in place of the stainless steel and copper sheets. .Similar results were obtained.

Although specific ingredients are listed for this example, many other methods may be introduced to enhance, improve, or otherwise compromise the effect. Although specific embodiments have been described in this specification, upon reading the specification it will be understood that modifications and derivations thereof are included in the present invention.

EXAMPLE and cleaned the surface. The roll was then immersed in the hexadecanoic acid solution of Example 1 and immediately rinsed with water. Next, an image was formed on the roll according to the procedure of Example 2, except that the voltage was set to ohms. The sparks formed four linear trajectories equally spaced laterally. Next, 50 chi (
volume) of distilled water and 50% Schafer-Eaton blue fountain pen ink (5heaff@r Ea
ton + Fort Mazoson, Iowa) products)
Spray ink containing this onto the roll. I used a large rubber doctor blade to remove excess ink. The ink wetted the roll surface only in the area of the spark trajectory. When the roll was pressed against the paper, four short lines of ink were formed on the paper. Multiple copies were made, and all images were clear and sharp.

Although specific ingredients are listed for this example, many other methods may be introduced to enhance, improve, or otherwise affect the effectiveness. A specific example has been given in this specification, but if you read the specification, you will find that variations and derivatives thereof will be explained in Embodiment X1 by McMaster Car Inc.
A small piece of stainless steel screen (120×1 (18 mesh) obtained from 8ter-Carr+Inc, +Elmnorst, IL) was placed in a 6000F furnace without a trench for 1 minute, and then Briefly soaked in hexadecanoic acid solution. The screen was then briefly rinsed partially with water and mounted in the apparatus of Example 2. An image was formed according to the procedure of Example 2. Forming a trail of sparks. By doing so, the region of the trajectory was made wet.The screen on which the image was formed in this way was then placed on the screen, which is commercially available from Peikan AG (West Germany). ξMillikan Yellow (
When I immersed the ink for drawings in distilled water to which Kobuni had been added, the ink adhered only to the area of the spark trajectory. Press the screen slightly onto the paper (=
When the image was turned on, a clear and sharp image was obtained.

The image was repeatedly printed by simply replenishing the ink.

Although specific ingredients have been mentioned in this example, many other methods may be introduced to enhance, improve, or otherwise affect the effectiveness. Although specific embodiments have been described in this specification, upon reading the specification, it will be understood that modifications and derivations thereof are included in the present invention.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a rotary printing press in which a printing plate according to the invention is successively erased and reimaged by electric spark discharge means, during which part of the image is transferred to a web-like substrate; FIG. 2 shows the rotary printing press of FIG. 1 in which the plate is not erased or reimaged and is used to print multiple copies of the image formed on the plate onto a web-like substrate; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the apparatus used to image a plate according to the invention; FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 1 in which a laser is used instead of the electric spark discharge means; FIG. A schematic diagram showing a rotary printing press; FIG. 5 shows a plate mounted on a plate roll according to the invention;
A schematic diagram showing a mask used in forming an image on a printing plate; FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a needle bar to be used for forming an image according to the present invention; and FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the printing press of FIG. 7 modified to include separate hydrophilic layer application means; FIG. 9 is a reusable cylindrical printing screen FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view schematically showing a cross-section of the surface of a lithographic printing plate after imaging; FIG. 11 is a gravure roll imaged according to the invention; FIG. FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view schematically illustrating a cross section of a portion of the surface of a printing screen imaged in accordance with the present invention. 10... plate roll, 12... cleaning roll,
14...Doctor blade, 16...Jet, 18
...Rubber application means, 19...Water jet cleaning device,
20... Applicator, 22... Doctor means, 30
... needle array, 40 ... roll, 50 ... roll, 62 ... cleaning means, 63 ... rubber coating /
Water jet cleaning means, 64...Hydrophobic layer coating means, 7
0...Latent image forming means, 80...Control device, 82...
- Mechanical actuator, 84... Valve, 88... Image reforming means, 92... Screen, 110... Printing screen. Applicant's representative Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue Engraving of the drawing (no change in content) FIG, -7- FIG, -θ- FIG, -9- FIG, -/2- Continuation of page 1 Priority claim @1982 August 9th ■United States (US)■4
06700 @August 9, 1982 ■United States (US) ■407001 Procedural amendment (recommendation) □ゎp8.1i.22 Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office Kazuo Wakasugi 1, Case Indication Patent Application No. 145597 1987 2, Invention name printing method and device 3, relationship with the case of the person making the supplementary market Special WFI'B applicant Milliken Research Corporation 4, agent 5, date of amendment order November 29, 1980 7, amendment contents of

Claims (1)

Claims: (1) a support surface having an image formed thereon and essentially comprising: (a) a support surface formed from a material that is hydrophilic in nature; (b) in direct contact with said support surface; Related to the image above. 4) Hydrophobicity arranged in a turn
an oleophilic material layer, the supporting surface being exposed to light in a shape complementary to the pattern; 2. The imaging printing surface of claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic layer is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of caldicic acids, carboxylic acid salts, carboxylic acid anhydrides, and polymers. 3. The imaging printing surface of claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic layer is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of hexadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid, polyvinyl butyral, and acrylic resin. 4. The image forming printing surface according to claim 3, wherein the supporting surface is a lithographic printing plate. 5. (a) providing a clean hydrophilic surface formed of a first material that is substantially hydrophilic in nature; A substantially hydrophobic and lipophilic layer of the second material is directly formed in a flat turn, and a layer of the second material is applied to make the layer substantially hydrophobic. forming a latent image on the hydrophilic surface by making a portion of the surface substantially hydrophilic, thereby forming a latent image on the hydrophilic surface. A method of producing an imaged printing surface on which a latent image is formed defined by a region and an adjoining hydrophilic region of complementary shape. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of forming the latent image is performed in the absence of a photoconducting chemical reaction. 7. (a) providing an imaged printing surface formed from a first material that is substantially free of surface contamination and substantially hydrophilic in nature; and (+)) a pattern associated with the first image. As if drawing
a hydrophobic compound defining a first latent image on the imaged printed surface;
A first latent image that correlates to a desired first full-format image is created by placing a thin layer of a second material on the image printing surface in direct contact with the surface that provides oleophilic regions. (c) forming a first ink image correlated with the first latent image on the image-forming printing surface; (d) forming a first ink image on the image-forming printing surface; positioning in operative relation to the first ink image carried by a printing surface; (e) transferring the first ink image from the imaging printing surface to the first substrate surface; and: (f)
exposing the substantially hydrophilic in nature first material by cleaning the imaged printing surface carrying the first ink image; (g) a pattern associated with a second image; Another thin layer of the second material is applied on the imaging printing surface to provide hydrophobic and oleophilic regions defining a second latent image on the imaging printing surface so as to depict a second latent image on the imaging printing surface. forming a second latent image correlated to a desired second full-format image by placing it in direct contact with a surface; (h) forming a second latent image on said imaged printed surface; forming a correlated second ink image; (+) positioning a second substrate surface in operative relationship with the second ink image carried by the imaging printing surface; (j) transferring the second ink image from the image-forming printing surface to the second substrate surface; (k)
While automatically moving the image forming printing surface from step (b) to step (j), steps (c), (d) and (e)
) and repeating steps (h), (+) and ('') as many times as necessary. A method to automatically print full-size images sequentially onto the surface of a board. 8. The step of forming the latent image by arranging the layer of the second material is a step of applying the second material in a thin layer onto the hydrophilic image-forming printing surface. and then directing energy into the second material forming the layer to remove a portion of the layer by ablation, causing the second material to pattern in a pattern associated with the image. , and in the meantime, Md
maintaining said layer substantially unchanged in the area of the Ml-imaged printing surface. 9. Forming the latent image by disposing a layer of the second material comprises depositing a thin layer of the second material on the imaged printing surface in a thin pattern that traces the image-related pattern. arranging said second material in a pattern associated with said image by selectively applying it in layers, said second material comprising: hexadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid; 8. The method of claim 5 or 7, wherein the resin is selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl butyral and acrylic resins. 10, (a) a hydrophilic ink image transfer surface; (b)
cleaning the hydrophilic ink image transfer surface;
(c) means for disposing a hydrophobic/oleophilic layer in an image-related pattern on the ink image transfer surface to form a latent image; a latent image forming means for forming a latent image on a transfer surface; (d) an ink image forming means for forming an ink image corresponding to the latent image; (a) a transfer means for transferring the ink image onto the surface of the base material. (f) engaging means for operatively engaging the ink image transfer surface with (b) cleaning means, (C) latent image forming means, (d) ink image forming means, and (e) transfer means; (g)
) A printing apparatus comprising control means for controlling the operation and operation of each means from (b) cleaning means to (f) retaining means according to a desired cycle operation mode. 11. The latent image forming means comprises: (a) applicator means for applying a layer of hydrophobic, oleaginous material to the ink image transfer surface; (b) applicator means for applying a layer of hydrophobic, oleaginous material to the ink image transfer surface; (b) applying a portion of the layer according to a pattern associated with the image; 11. The printing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a fusing means for selectively removing. 12. The printing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the fusing means is a spark discharge means. 13. an upper surface having an image formed thereon, consisting essentially of (a) a mesh surface formed from a material that is hydrophilic in nature; (b) in direct contact with said mesh surface and associated with an image on said mesh surface; a hydrophobic/oleophilic material layer that does not cause clogging, which is arranged in a noline pattern, and the mesh surface is exposed to light in a shape complementary to the i9 turn. 14. The printing screen according to claim 13, wherein the hydrophobic/oleophilic material is selected from the group consisting of carboxylic acids, caldates, carboxylic acid anhydrides, and polymers. 15. The printing screen according to claim 13, wherein the hydrophobic/oleophilic material is hexadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid, polyvinyl butyral or acrylic resin. 16, (a) providing a clean hydrophilic mesh surface formed from a first material that is substantially hydrophilic in nature; (b) providing a second surface on the hydrophilic mesh surface; applying a substantially non-clogging hydrophobic and oleophilic layer of material; (c) leaving said second material substantially unchanged in selected areas on said hydrophilic mesh surface; while maintaining the hydrophobic property by making other portions of the mesh surface substantially hydrophilic with respect to the selected areas made substantially hydrophobic by applying the second material. forming a latent image on the mesh surface by removing an amount of the second material from the mesh surface according to a predetermined 79 turns to form an image; A method of manufacturing a mesh surface in which a latent image is formed on the upper surface defined by hydrophilic regions of complementary shape adjoining it. 17. The hydrophobic/oleophilic second material is removed by fusion! Patent NII! Scope of Request The method described in item 16. 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the second material is selected from the group consisting of hexadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid, polyvinyl butyral, and acrylic resin.