Flexographic printing plate precursor and imaging method
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorsJankiel Kimelblat, Murray Figov, Yariv Pinto
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A laser imageable flexographic printing plate precursor comprises a thermoset elastomeric upper layer that is at least partially ablatable and comprises a radiation sensitive compound, and a non-ablatable elastomeric underlayer. This flexographic printing plate precursor can be imaged to provide a printing plate that is primarily useful for “high quality” printing because the resulting relief image is generally not greater than 600 μm and has an extremely even “floor”. The imaged flexographic printing plate also can have a high visual contrast between the imaged areas and the non-imaged background areas.
Claims28
A laser imageable flexographic printing plate precursor comprising:
- a thermoset, irreversibly hardened elastomeric upper layer that is at least partially ablatable, comprises a radiation sensitive compound, and an ablatable thermoset polymer derived by thermally crosslinking one or more thermally crosslinkable mono- or polvacrvlate monomers or oligomers in the form of a paste, and
- a non-ablatable elastomeric underlayer.
A method of producing a flexographic printing plate comprising:
- imagewise exposing a laser imageable flexographic printing plate precursor comprising:
- a thermoset, irreversibly hardened elastomeric upper layer that is at least partially ablatable and comprises a radiation sensitive compound, and an ablatable thermoset polymer derived by thermally crosslinking one or more thermally crosslinkable mono- or polvacrvlate monomers or oligomers in the form of a paste, and
- a non-ablatable elastomeric underlayer,
- to provide at least partially ablated imaged areas only in said upper layer.
A method of preparing a flexographic printing plate precursor comprising:
- A) preparing an ablatable upper layer paste of one or more thermally crosslinkable mono- or polyacrylate oligomers or monomers, a crosslinking agent, and a radiation sensitive compound,
- B) preparing a non-ablatable underlayer paste of one or more elastomeric materials that are optionally formed from thermally crosslinkable mono- or polyacrylate oligomers or monomers,
- C) thermally crosslinking both of said upper layer and underlayer pastes simultaneously or sequentially to form an irreversibly hardened upper layer composition and a hardened underlayer solid composition, and
- D) adhering said upper layer and underlayer pastes to each other before or during step C, or adhering said upper layer and underlayer solid compositions to each other after step C.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.