WO1998016874A1 - Procede d'imagerie d'une plaque d'impression flexographique en photopolymeres liquides sans recourir a des creations photographiques - Google Patents

Procede d'imagerie d'une plaque d'impression flexographique en photopolymeres liquides sans recourir a des creations photographiques Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1998016874A1
WO1998016874A1 PCT/IL1997/000330 IL9700330W WO9816874A1 WO 1998016874 A1 WO1998016874 A1 WO 1998016874A1 IL 9700330 W IL9700330 W IL 9700330W WO 9816874 A1 WO9816874 A1 WO 9816874A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
layer
ablatable
accordance
liquid
film
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IL1997/000330
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
John J. Grunwald
Original Assignee
J.G. Systems Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by J.G. Systems Inc. filed Critical J.G. Systems Inc.
Priority to AU45705/97A priority Critical patent/AU4570597A/en
Publication of WO1998016874A1 publication Critical patent/WO1998016874A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
    • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
    • G03F7/20—Exposure; Apparatus therefor
    • G03F7/2002—Exposure; Apparatus therefor with visible light or UV light, through an original having an opaque pattern on a transparent support, e.g. film printing, projection printing; by reflection of visible or UV light from an original such as a printed image
    • G03F7/2014—Contact or film exposure of light sensitive plates such as lithographic plates or circuit boards, e.g. in a vacuum frame
    • G03F7/2016—Contact mask being integral part of the photosensitive element and subject to destructive removal during post-exposure processing
    • G03F7/202—Masking pattern being obtained by thermal means, e.g. laser ablation

Definitions

  • U.S. Patent 4,137,081, 4,442,302 the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, describe liquid photopolymers that are actinically imagewise exposed using phototools. Many of the basic teachings in the foregoing patents, concerning the typical use of liquid photopolymers in printing, are applicable to the practice of this invention.
  • U.S. Patent 5,262,275 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, describes solid sheet, UV photosensitive compositions, wherein the top layer is laser ablatable, using computer-guided mechanisms. The laser ablated areas are transparent to UV radiation, whereas unablated areas are opaque to UV. Following laser scanning to obtain the desired pattern, the solid sheet is "flood-exposed" using UV lamps, as is well known in the art. This is followed by development, to achieve the desired printing pattern.
  • Liquid systems of flexographic plates are well entrenched in the industry, and supplied by companies such as MacDermid, W.R. Grace, Asahi and others, but, unlike with sold sheet flexographic plates, no known techniques are available to make them adaptable for use without phototools (i.d.:via in-silu negatives or direct ablation of the desired relief image). This objective is addressed by one of the methods described further.
  • the present invention relates to an improved process for manufacturing flexographic printing plates that do not require the use of phototools of the prior art, comprising.
  • Figure 1 illustrates an IR laser-abatable layer sandwiched between a non-adherent peelable polyester layer and a UV-transparent support film.
  • Figure 2 depicts an IR laser abatable layer sandwiched between a polymeric film transparent to IR laser and a UV-transparent support film.
  • the present invention can be carried out according to two general methods:
  • the liquid photosensitive layer (usually consisting of a binder, a monomer and negative-acting UV radical polymerization initiator) is cast against a "sandwich" composite (element), instead of a negative or phototool as currently practiced in the art.
  • a "sandwich" composite element
  • the construction of the sandwich film is given in Figure 1.
  • the IR-abatable layer can be vacuum-metallized T, Cu, Al, W, other metals or metal oxides (i.e.: Ti0 2 ,Cu 2 0, etc) or carbon lack, that ablated at reasonably low energies and without residues.
  • the IR-ablatable layer may contain a binder such as acrylic polymers and IR dyes that maximize the absorption of IR radiation and its conversion into thermal energy needed to facilitate ablation. Still, another possibility is to simply use IR ablatable dyes, without polymeric binders.
  • the main essential criteria for the abatable layer are:
  • the liquid photopolymer layer is cast against polyester film (3) Fig. 1), thereby replacing the phototool of the prior art, following current techniques.
  • the peelable top layer (1) is removed and the LR-ablatable coating (2) is "computer scanned" to obtain and in situ negative, which is followed by UV-flood exposure, peeling away film (3) followed, if needed, by development as practiced by the prior art.
  • the IR-ablated surface is covered by a protective transparent polymeric film prior to UV exposure. This, to avoid mechanical or other damage during UV exposure.
  • This method offers an alternate embodiment of this invention. Specifically, it envisions the formation of an in situ mask, without requiring removal/peeling off the upper film covering the "sandwich", as is described in Method #1 In Method #2, the cover film is transparent to the energy delivered by the IR laser without causing optical problems, and therefore, need not to be removed. Alternatively, the top film can be co-ablated with the LR layer. The "sandwich" film is shown in Figure 2.
  • the three layer composite (“sandwich”) is placed on the exposure unit, replacing the phototool as practiced in the prior art.
  • IR laser scanning follows, achieving an in situ negative by generating a pattern of transparent and opaque areas, as commanded by the computer.
  • UV flood exposure through the in situ negative achieves photo-polymerization where actinic (UV) radiation is allowed to reach the liquid photopolymers through he transparent regions of the in situ negative.
  • Method #2 by necessity, envisions the use of bleachable dyes, as opposed to ablatable coatings. Indeed, due to the presence of the upper film (no peeling-off of the top film is envisioned), ablation could cause problems because volatiles cannot freely excape unless the upper film is porous enough to accommodated the escape of gaseous/volatile constitutionts ("breathing films”), in which case ablation remains an option.
  • the coposite is flood-exposed to actinic (UV) radiation to acieve insolubilization of the areas not to be washed away in the developer. This is followed by peeling away of the bottom film (3) adjacent to the liquid photopolymer that supports the LR coating, allowing development of the final plate, as needed.
  • UV actinic
  • the method of this invention is summarized the following steps, though modifications thereof, are pracicable by those skilled in the art: 1. Apply adjacently to the liquid photopolymer at least one IR-abiatable, UV-opaque layer supported by a polymer film which is transparent to actinic radiation.

Abstract

Dans le procédé de production d'une plaque d'impression flexographique, la composition liquide photopolymérisable est coulée contre un élément pouvant être imagé par un laser IR, lequel fait ensuite office de négatif in situ destiné à être exposé ensuite à un flux d'UV.
PCT/IL1997/000330 1996-10-16 1997-10-14 Procede d'imagerie d'une plaque d'impression flexographique en photopolymeres liquides sans recourir a des creations photographiques WO1998016874A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU45705/97A AU4570597A (en) 1996-10-16 1997-10-14 Process for imaging a flexo-graphic printing plate from liquid photopolymers and without using phototools

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US73310396A 1996-10-16 1996-10-16
US08/733,103 1996-10-16

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1998016874A1 true WO1998016874A1 (fr) 1998-04-23

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/IL1997/000330 WO1998016874A1 (fr) 1996-10-16 1997-10-14 Procede d'imagerie d'une plaque d'impression flexographique en photopolymeres liquides sans recourir a des creations photographiques

Country Status (2)

Country Link
AU (1) AU4570597A (fr)
WO (1) WO1998016874A1 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2336219A (en) * 1998-03-30 1999-10-13 Eastman Kodak Co Flexographic printing plate with mask layer
DE112004001662B4 (de) * 2003-09-12 2013-08-08 Eastman Kodak Co. (N.D.Ges.D. Staates New Jersey) Verfahren zur Erzeugung einer Reliefdruckplatte

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2232781A1 (en) * 1973-06-08 1975-01-03 Grace W R Ltd Prc5printing pla0e prodn. using laser beam - to form image by perforation of metallised plastic sheet, followed by photopolymsn.
US4247576A (en) * 1979-03-09 1981-01-27 Hercules Incorporated Process for preparing silicate coated polypropylene film
US5262275A (en) * 1992-08-07 1993-11-16 E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Flexographic printing element having an IR ablatable layer and process for making a flexographic printing plate
WO1994003839A1 (fr) * 1992-08-07 1994-02-17 E.I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Procede et element permettant de produire une image en relief au moyen d'une couche sensible a l'infrarouge
EP0634695A1 (fr) * 1993-06-25 1995-01-18 PT Sub, Inc. Plaque d'impression imagée au laser
US5506086A (en) * 1995-05-01 1996-04-09 E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Process for making a flexographic printing plate

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2232781A1 (en) * 1973-06-08 1975-01-03 Grace W R Ltd Prc5printing pla0e prodn. using laser beam - to form image by perforation of metallised plastic sheet, followed by photopolymsn.
US4247576A (en) * 1979-03-09 1981-01-27 Hercules Incorporated Process for preparing silicate coated polypropylene film
US5262275A (en) * 1992-08-07 1993-11-16 E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Flexographic printing element having an IR ablatable layer and process for making a flexographic printing plate
WO1994003839A1 (fr) * 1992-08-07 1994-02-17 E.I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Procede et element permettant de produire une image en relief au moyen d'une couche sensible a l'infrarouge
EP0634695A1 (fr) * 1993-06-25 1995-01-18 PT Sub, Inc. Plaque d'impression imagée au laser
US5506086A (en) * 1995-05-01 1996-04-09 E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Process for making a flexographic printing plate

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2336219A (en) * 1998-03-30 1999-10-13 Eastman Kodak Co Flexographic printing plate with mask layer
GB2336219B (en) * 1998-03-30 2002-05-22 Eastman Kodak Co Flexographic printing plate with mask layer and methods of imaging and printing
DE112004001662B4 (de) * 2003-09-12 2013-08-08 Eastman Kodak Co. (N.D.Ges.D. Staates New Jersey) Verfahren zur Erzeugung einer Reliefdruckplatte

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU4570597A (en) 1998-05-11

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