System for Thermal Development of Flexographic Printing Plates

A method for treating vapor and/or liquid byproducts produced in a thermal developing assembly during a thermal development process, wherein the thermal developing assembly accepts a photosensitive printing element comprising one or more radiation curable layers, wherein the one or more radiation curable layers are subject to imagewise exposure to actinic radiation to crosslink and cure portions of the one or more radiation curable layers prior to processing of the photosensitive printing element in the thermal developing assembly, wherein uncured portions of the one or more radiation curable layers are removed in the thermal developing assembly to reveal the relief structure in the photosensitive printing element by contacting the one or more radiation curable layers with a web of absorbent material at an elevated temperature to soften or liquefy the uncured portions of the one or more radiation curable layers, wherein the softened or liquefied uncured portions are absorbable into the absorbent web, and wherein vapor and/or liquid byproducts are produced in the thermal developing assembly when the photosensitive printing element is heated and portions of the one or more radiation curable layers soften or liquefy, wherein the method comprises:

• a. collecting and/or delivering vapor and/or liquid byproducts produced in the thermal developing assembly;
• and
• b. exposing the vapor and/or liquid byproducts to at least one UV light source to crosslink and cure the collected and/or delivered vapor and/or liquid byproducts for subsequent removal.

A system for treating liquid condensate produced in a thermal developing assembly, wherein the thermal developing assembly accepts a photosensitive printing element comprising one or more radiation curable layers, wherein the one or more radiation curable layers are subject to imagewise exposure to actinic radiation to crosslink and cure portions of the one or more radiation curable layers prior to processing of the photosensitive printing element in the thermal developing assembly, wherein uncured portions of the one or more radiation curable layers are removed in the thermal developing assembly to reveal the relief structure in the photosensitive printing element by contacting the one or more radiation curable layers with a web of absorbent material at an elevated temperature to soften or liquefy the uncured portions of the one or more radiation curable layers, wherein the softened or liquefied uncured portions are absorbable into the absorbent web, and wherein the liquid condensate is produced in the thermal developing assembly when the photosensitive printing element is heated and portions of the one or more radiation curable layers soften or liquefy, wherein the system comprises:

• a conveyor comprising a continuous loop wherein the photosensitive printing element is positionable on the continuous loop of the conveyor, wherein the conveyor rotates in a first direction;
• at least one mounted rotatable heatable roller positionable relative to the conveyor such that a gap of a predetermined distance is defined therebetween, wherein the at least one heatable roller rotates in a second direction that is opposite the first direction;
• an absorbent material covering at least a portion of the at least one heatable roller, wherein the absorbent material is capable of absorbing liquefied or softened uncured photosensitive material from the photosensitive printing element when the photosensitive printing element comes into contact with the absorbent material on a portion of the at least one heatable roller, wherein the photosensitive printing element comes into contact with the absorbent material at least partially within the gap;
• a pumping device configured to deliver the liquid condensate from a first position to a second position, wherein the second position is the second position is located after the web of absorbent material has contacted the photosensitive printing element;
• and
• at least one UV light source mounted with respect to the absorbent material, wherein the at least one UV light source is positionable to crosslink and cure at least the absorbed liquid condensate for subsequent removal.