Method for producing a flexographic printing frame through multiple exposures using uv leds

Abstract

A method for producing flexographic printing plates, using as starting material a photopolymerizable flexographic printing element which at least comprises, arranged one atop another, a dimensionally stable support, and at least one photopolymerizable, relief-forming layer, at least comprising an elastomeric binding, an ethylenically unsaturated compound, and a photoinitiator, a digitally imagable layer, and the method comprises at least the following steps (a) producing a mask by imaging the digitally imagable layer, (b) exposing the photopolymerizable, relief-forming layer through the mask with actinic light, and photopolymerizing the image regions of the layer, and (c) developing the photopolymerized layer by washing out the unphotopolymerized regions of the relief-forming layer with an organic solvent, or by thermal development, characterized in that step (b) comprises two or more exposure cycles (b 1) to (b n) with actinic light with an intensity of 100 to 5000 mW/cm2 from a plurality of UV-LEDs, the energy input into the photopolymerizable, relief-forming layer per exposure cycle being 0.1 to 5 J/cm2.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.