# US 2014/0360394 A1 · Printing process using soft photopolymer plates > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0360394 A1 - Document ID: US20140360394A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/301,018 - Filed: 2014-06-10 - Published: 2014-12-11 - Earliest claimed: 2013-06-11 - Assignees: Ball Corporation - Applicants: Ball Corporation - Inventors: Chris Carreras - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140360394A1 ## CPC - B41F 7/16: for printing on non-deformable material, e.g. sheet metal - B41F 17/08: for printing on filamentary or elongated articles, or on articles with cylindrical surfaces - B41F 17/22: by rolling contact - B41M 1/04: Flexographic printing - B41M 1/06: Lithographic printing - B41M 1/22: Metallic printing; Printing with powdered inks - B41M 1/40: Printing on bodies of particular shapes, e.g. golf balls, candles, wine corks {(sublimation or volatilisation of pre-printed design B41M5/035)} - B41N 1/006: {made entirely of inorganic materials other than natural stone or metals, e.g. ceramics, carbide materials, ferroelectric materials} - B41F 17/14: on articles of finite length - B41M 1/20: by applying differently-coloured inks simultaneously to different parts of the printing surface - B41M 1/28: on metals - B41F: PRINTING MACHINES OR PRESSES (manifolding devices or office printing machines B41L) - B41M: PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; COLOUR PRINTING, (correction of typographical errors B41J; processes for applying transfer pictures or the like B44C1/16; fluid media for correction of typographical errors by coating C09D10/00; printing textiles D06P) - B41N: PRINTING PLATES OR FOILS (photosensitive material G03); MATERIALS FOR SURFACES USED IN PRINTING MACHINES FOR PRINTING, INKING, DAMPING, OR THE LIKE; PREPARING SUCH SURFACES FOR USE AND CONSERVING THEM ## Abstract The present invention relates to using soft photopolymer plates in a printing process, and more specifically, to an apparatus and methods of using soft photopolymer materials to decorate an exterior surface of cylindrical metallic containers with high definition graphics and other indicia. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of using a soft photopolymer plate in a printing process to decorate an exterior surface of a metallic container, comprising: providing a first image to be printed onto the exterior surface of the metallic container; transferring said first image to a predetermined portion of a face portion of the soft photopolymer plate; removably affixing the soft photopolymer plate with a transferred first image onto a blanket cylinder of a decorator; attaching printing plates to a plate cylinder of the decorator; applying ink from an inker to the printing plates; transferring the ink from the printing plates to at least a portion of the soft photopolymer plate and the transferred first image; and transferring the ink from the soft photopolymer plate to the exterior surface of the metallic container, wherein the metallic container is decorated with the first image. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein transferring the first image to the predetermined portion of the face portion of the soft photopolymer plate further comprises: creating a film negative of the first image; placing the film negative on the predetermined portion of the face portion of the soft photopolymer plate; exposing the soft photopolymer plate and the film negative to a light source, wherein a material of the soft photopolymer plate hardens in predetermined locations where light passes through the film negative, and wherein the material of the photopolymer plate remains unexposed and soft in predetermined locations where the light is blocked by the film negative; removing the film negative from the soft photopolymer plate; and placing the soft photopolymer plate in a washing station and cleaning the soft photopolymer plate to remove the soft, unexposed material of the soft photopolymer plate to reveal the transferred first image. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the light source is an ultraviolet light source. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the soft photopolymer plate and the film negative are exposed to the light source for from about 0.01 minute to about 10 minutes. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the washing station uses at least one of a water and a solvent to clean the soft photopolymer plate. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the printing plates include a second image to be printed onto the exterior surface of the metallic container, and wherein the metallic container is decorated with the first image and the second image. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising etching or engraving the face portion of the soft photopolymer plate to form one or more recessed portions. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the soft photopolymer plate is comprised of one of elastomers which are cured using a light-catalyzed photopolymerization process, chloroprene crosslinked with trimethylolpropane triacrylate, and styrene-isoprene rubber with a polyacrylate, and wherein after the first image is transferred to the soft photopolymer plate, the soft photopolymer plate has a hardness of between about 40 durometers and about 110 durometers. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the metallic container has a cylindrical shape. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the transferred first image on the soft photopolymer plate has a depth of from about 0.0009 inch to about 0.089 inch. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: removably affixing from about 8 to about 12 soft photopolymer plates onto the blanket cylinder, wherein the about 8 to the about 12 soft photopolymer plates each have different images, and wherein ink transferred from the about 8 to the about 12 soft photopolymer plates produces 8 to 12 different images on about 8 to about 12 metallic containers. ### Claim 12 An apparatus for forming a high-definition lithographic image on an exterior surface of a metallic container, comprising: at least one plate cylinder with an inker, the inker operable to transfer ink to predetermined portions of one or more printing plates attached to a circumference of the at least one plate cylinder; a blanket cylinder, the blanket cylinder having one or more soft photopolymer plates affixed to a circumference of the blanket cylinder, the blanket cylinder operable to move the soft photopolymer plates into rotational contact with a printing plate attached to the at least one plate cylinder, wherein ink is transferred from the predetermined portions of the printing plate to at least a portion of the soft photopolymer plates, and wherein the soft photopolymer plates each have an image formed thereon; and a support cylinder, the support cylinder including a plurality of stations adapted to receive metallic containers, the support cylinder operable to receive the metallic container from a conveyor and move the metallic container into contact with a soft photopolymer plate affixed to the blanket cylinder, wherein ink is transferred from the soft photopolymer plate to the metallic container to form the high-definition lithographic image on the exterior surface of the metallic container. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one plate cylinder and the support cylinder rotate in a first direction, and wherein the blanket cylinder rotates in an opposite second direction. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein from about 8 to about 12 soft photopolymer plates are affixed to the circumference of the blanket cylinder. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein each of the soft photopolymer plates has a different image formed thereon, and wherein each of the different images are formed by creating a film negative of each different image, placing the film negatives on predetermined portions of the soft photopolymer plates, exposing the soft photopolymer plates and the film negatives to a light source, removing the film negatives from the soft photopolymer plates, and washing the soft photopolymer plates to remove unexposed soft material of the soft photopolymer plates to reveal the different images. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of the different images are formed in a same location on each of the soft photopolymer plates. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, wherein only one of the printing plates attached to the at least one plate cylinder transfers ink to the different images formed on each of the soft photopolymer plates, and wherein the other printing plates attached to the at least one plate cylinder transfer ink to other predetermined portions of each of the soft photopolymer plates. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the one of the printing plates has an area aligning with and operable to transfer ink to the different images on each of the soft photopolymer plates, wherein the other printing plates have a relief area aligning with the different images on each of the soft photopolymer plates, and wherein the relief area will not transfer ink to the different images. ### Claim 19 A soft photopolymer plate adapted to form a high-definition lithographic image on an exterior surface of a metallic container in a printing process, the soft photopolymer plate comprising: a plate body of a predetermined size and hardness, the plate body having a face portion and a back portion, wherein the back portion is adapted to be attached to a blanket cylinder of a decorator; an image formed on the face portion, wherein the image is formed by creating a film negative of the image, placing the film negative on a predetermined portion of the face portion, exposing the face portion and the film negative to a light source, removing the film negative from the face portion, and cleaning the soft photopolymer plate to remove unexposed soft material from the face portion. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The soft photopolymer plate of claim 18, wherein after the image is formed on the face portion, the soft photopolymer plate has a hardness of from about 40 durometers to about 110 durometers, and wherein the plate body is from about 0.04 inch to about 0.1 inch thick.