Process for the manufacture of flexographic printing plates

A process for the manufacture of flexographic printing plates, said process comprising:

• a. selectively exposing certain areas of a printing plate element to actinic radiation, wherein the printing plate element comprises:
• 1. a metallic substrate;
• and
• 2. a photopolymer layer, comprising one or more binder(s), monomer(s) and photoinitiator(s), upon said metallic substrate wherein the thickness of said photopolymer layer is not more than about 22 mils, the durometer of the photopolymer layer, when cured, is at least 64 Shore A and wherein the photopolymer layer comprises not more than about 82% by weight binder(s);
• such that selected portions of the photopolymer layer are cured;
• b. heating the printing plate element to at least 70° C., thereby selectively softening or melting portions of the photopolymer layer;
• and
• c. contacting the heated printing plate element with a material which will absorb or otherwise remove the softened or melted portions of the photopolymer layer such that substantially all of the photopolymer is removed from areas that were not selectively exposed to actinic radiation and substantially no continuous layer of photopolymer remains on the substrate.