# US 7,422,840 B2 · Apparatus and process for forming a printing form having a cylindrical support > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,422,840 B2 - Document ID: US7422840B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/269,096 - Filed: 2005-11-08 - Published: 2006-05-18 - Granted: 2008-09-09 - Earliest claimed: 2004-11-12 - Assignees: E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company - Inventors: Dietmar Dudek; Allan Banke; Soren Michael Juul Jorgensen; Helmut Luetke; Andreas Koch - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7422840B2 ## CPC - G03G 15/06: for developing - G03F 7/18: Coating curved surfaces - G03F 7/36: Imagewise removal not covered by groups G03F7/30 - G03F7/34, e.g. using gas streams, using plasma - G03G 15/75: {Details relating to xerographic drum, band or plate, e.g. replacing, testing (electrographic recording members per se G03G5/00)} - G03G 2215/0631: melted, or otherwise made liquid - Y10S 430/136: Coating process making radiation sensitive element - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY - G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G) - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS ## Abstract The invention pertains to an apparatus and a process for forming a printing form from a photosensitive element having a cylindrical support, and in particular, to an apparatus and a process for thermally treating the photosensitive element to form a relief pattern and particularly to form a cylindrically-shaped flexographic printing form. The apparatus and process includes supporting the cylindrical support to accommodate thermal treating of photosensitive elements with various sizes of the cylindrical support. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A process for forming a printing form from a photosensitive element comprising a cylindrical support and a composition layer on the support opposite an interior surface of the support, the composition layer capable of being partially liquefied, comprising: supporting the photosensitive element by contacting a first part of the interior surface of the cylindrical support with a first support member, and by contacting a second part of the interior surface of the cylindrical support different from the first part with a second support member, wherein the cylindrical support has one or more unsupported parts between the first part and the second part; and treating an exterior surface of the photosensitive element opposite the support to form a relief surface. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 further comprising heating the composition layer to a temperature sufficient to cause a portion of the layer to liquefy. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein the treating comprises contacting a development medium to the exterior surface. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The process of claim 3 wherein the contacting comprises supplying the development medium to the exterior surface of the element. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The process of claim 3 wherein the contacting comprises delivering the exterior surface of the element to the development medium. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The process of claim 3 wherein the contacting of the development medium to the exterior surface is adjacent the first support member. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The process of claim 3 further comprising separating the photosensitive element from the development medium. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The process of claim 2 further comprising pressing the photosensitive element and a development medium into contact at a pressure sufficient for at least a portion of the liquefied material to be absorbed by the development medium. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 further comprising heating the composition layer to a temperature sufficient to cause a portion of the layer to liquefy and wherein the treating is selected from the group consisting of air stream, liquid stream, and vacuum. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein the first part and the second part are opposite or substantially opposite each other. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 further comprising providing relative movement between the first support member and the second support member. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein the first support member is stationary and the second support member is movable relative to the first support member. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 further comprising moving the second support member. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 further comprising tensioning the cylindrical support between the first support member and the second support member. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 further comprising providing relative movement between the first support member and a supplying member for a development medium. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein the photosensitive element has an axial length and the first support member supports the first part along the axial length of the element. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein the photosensitive element has an axial length and the second support member supports the second part along the axial length. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein the first support member comprises a roller. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The process of claim 18 further comprising rotating the roller. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The process of claim 18 wherein the roller is an air-shaft having radial passages for supplying air to an outer circumferential surface of the roller. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The process of claim 20 further comprising mounting an adapter sleeve to the air-shaft. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The process of claim 21 wherein the adapter sleeve comprises a resilient layer. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The process of claim 21 wherein the adapter sleeve comprises a resilient layer as an outermost circumferential surface. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein the second support member has an outer surface having an arcuate shape contacting the second part. ### Claim 25 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein the second support member is selected from the group consisting of a roller and a platform member. ### Claim 26 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein the second support member comprises a platform member having an arcuate outer surface. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The process of claim 26 wherein the outer surface of the platform member has a fixed curvature. ### Claim 28 (depends on 26) The process of claim 26 wherein the outer surface of the platform member has a changeable curvature that can conform or substantially conform to a curvature of the interior surface of the cylindrical support. ### Claim 29 (depends on 26) The process of claim 26 wherein the platform member is segmented in at least two parts that are flexibly coupled together. ### Claim 30 (depends on 24) The process of claim 24 wherein the outer surface of the second means for supporting is a layer of a reduced friction material. ### Claim 31 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 further comprising supplying a development medium to the exterior surface of the element with a supplying member, wherein the supplying member is selected from the group consisting of a roll, and a non-cylindrical supplying member having a cross-sectional shape selected from the group consisting of elliptical, arcuate, parabolic, semi-circular, wedge, triangular, rectangular, and polygonal shapes. ### Claim 32 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 further comprising heating the composition layer to a temperature sufficient to cause a portion of the layer to liquefy, wherein the heating is selected from the group consisting of a first heating for applying heat to the exterior surface of the composition layer adjacent where a development medium contacts the layer; a second heating for heating a supplying member supporting the development medium to a temperature capable of heating the exterior surface of the composition layer while the development medium is contacting the exterior surface of the layer; a third heating for heating a first support member contacting the first part to a temperature capable of heating the exterior surface of the composition layer; a combination of the first heating and the second heating; a combination of the first heating and the third heating; a combination of the second heating and the third heating; and a combination of the first heating, the second heating, and the third heating; wherein the first heating, the second heating, and the third heating, individually or in the above combinations, is capable of heating the exterior surface of the composition layer sufficiently to cause a portion of the layer to liquefy. ### Claim 33 (depends on 32) The process of claim 32 wherein the first heating comprises an infrared heating device. ### Claim 34 (depends on 32) The process of claim 32 further comprising sensing at least one of the temperatures of the first heating, the second heating, and the third heating, and controlling to maintain the at least one sensed temperature at predetermined temperature. ### Claim 35 (depends on 31) The process of claim 31 wherein the heating is a combination of the first heating and the second heating. ### Claim 36 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 further comprising cooling the photosensitive element. ### Claim 37 (depends on 36) The process of claim 36 wherein the cooling is selected from the group consisting of a first cooling for cooling the first support member; a second cooling for cooling the second support member; and a combination of the first cooling and the second cooling. ### Claim 38 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein the second support member includes a cavity for transporting a temperature controlled fluid. ### Claim 39 (depends on 38) The process of claim 38 wherein the temperature controlled fluid is water. ### Claim 40 (depends on 39) The process of claim 39 wherein the water cools an outer surface of the second support member, and thereby cools the second part of the interior surface of the cylindrical support. ### Claim 41 (depends on 39) The process of claim 39 wherein the water heats an outer surface of the second support member, and thereby heats the second part of the interior surface of the cylindrical support. ### Claim 42 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 further comprising heating the composition layer to a temperature sufficient to cause a portion of the layer to liquefy, and contacting a development medium to the exterior surface. ### Claim 43 (depends on 42) The process of claim 42 wherein the first support member is a roller, and the contacting step supplies a web of the development medium with a hot roll. ### Claim 44 (depends on 43) The process of claim 43 further comprising synchronizing a linear speed of the exterior surface of the photosensitive element rotating on the roller with a linear speed of the web transporting on the hot roll. ### Claim 45 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 further comprising rotating the cylindrical support about the first support member and the second support member. ### Claim 46 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 the process further comprising heating the composition layer to a temperature sufficient to cause a portion of the layer to liquefy, and contacting a development medium to the exterior surface, wherein the cylindrical support continuously rotates about the first support member and the second support member thereby continuously repeating the steps of heating and contacting. ### Claim 47 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 further comprising imagewise exposing the photosensitive element to actinic radiation prior to supporting and treating. ### Claim 48 (depends on 47) The process of claim 47 wherein imagewise exposing is through a mask selected from the group consisting of a phototool and an integrated mask. ### Claim 49 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 further comprising at least one additional exposing selected from the group consisting of exposing through the support of the element to actinic radiation, post-exposing the element to actinic radiation after treating, and finish exposing the element to radiation less than 300 nm. ### Claim 50 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein the photosensitive element is selected from the group consisting of a continuous photopolymerizable layer on the cylindrical support, one or more photosensitive sheets on the cylindrical support, and a photosensitive plate comprising the composition layer and a base support formed into the cylindrical support. ### Claim 51 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 further comprising changing at least one of the process parameters selected from the group consisting of a temperature of the first support member, a temperature of the second support member, a temperature of a supplying member supplying the development medium to the exterior surface, pressure between the supplying member and the first support member, and a linear rotation speed of the exterior surface of the photosensitive element, during treating. ### Claim 52 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein the composition layer is elastomeric, and comprises a binder, at least one monomer and a photoinitiator or photoinitiator system. ### Claim 53 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein the photosensitive element further comprises at least one additional layer on the composition layer that is capable of being thermally removed during treating, the additional layer being selected from the group consisting of an elastomeric layer capable of becoming photosensitive, a second photosensitive elastomeric layer, a release layer, a wax layer, and an infrared-sensitive mask layer, wherein a surface of the outermost additional layer opposite the composition layer forms the exterior surface of the photosensitive element. ### Claim 54 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 further comprising forming a cylindrically-shaped photosensitive element by joining opposite ends of a planar photosensitive element to form the cylindrical support. ### Claim 55 (depends on 54) The process of claim 54 wherein the joining step is selected from the group consisting of melt fusing, clamping, stitching, taping, gluing, and stapling. ### Claim 56 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein after the treating step the process further comprises mounting the printing form onto a printing cylinder. ### Claim 57 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein after the treating step the process further comprises cutting the cylindrical support to create a planar printing form and mounting the planar printing form onto a printing cylinder. ### Claim 58 (depends on 47) A cylindrical flexographic printing form produced by the process of claim 47.