Method and apparatus for thermal processing of photosensitive printing elements

A method of forming a relief structure on a flexographic photosensitive printing element, wherein the flexographic photosensitive printing element comprises a flexible substrate and at least one layer of photosensitive material comprising cured photosensitive material and uncured photosensitive material on the flexible substrate, the method comprising the steps of:

• (i) providing an enclosure;
• (ii) providing conveying means comprising a continuous loop, upon which the flexographic photosensitive printing element is supported by the conveying means with the flexible substrate in contact with the conveying means;
• (iii) providing a mounted heatable roller in the enclosure;
• (iv) providing an absorbent material to at least a portion of the heatable roller, wherein the absorbent material absorbs liquefied or softened uncured photosensitive material from the flexographic photosensitive printing element when the flexographic photosensitive printing element comes into contact with the absorbent material on a portion of the heatable roller;
• (v) causing the flexographic photosensitive printing element to come into contact with the absorbent material between the conveying means and the heatable roller;
• (vi) heating the heatable roller to a temperature that causes the uncured photosensitive material to liquefy or soften when contact between the heatable roller, the absorbent material and the flexographic photosensitive printing element is made;
• (vii) causing the same side of the flexographic photosensitive printing element that contacted the absorbent material to contact a smoothing or roughening roller that changes the surface roughness of the cured photosensitive material of the flexographic photosensitive printing element, wherein this contact does not occur at the point where the absorbent material contacts the flexographic photosensitive printing element.

A method of forming a relief structure on a flexographic photosensitive printing element, wherein the flexographic photosensitive printing element comprises cured photosensitive material and uncured photosensitive material on a flexible substrate, the method comprising the steps of:

• (i) providing an enclosure:
• (ii) providing conveying means comprising a continuous loop, upon which the flexographic photosensitive printing element is supported by the conveying means with the flexible substrate in contact with the conveying means;
• (iii) developing the flexographic photosensitive printing element to remove the uncured photosensitive material;
• (iv) conveying the developed flexographic photosensitive printing element on said conveying means such that the flexible substrate is in contact with the conveying means and the face of the photosensitive printing element opposite the flexible substrate comes into contact with at least one smoothing or roughening roller thereby changing the surface roughness of the cured photosensitive material of the photosensitive printing element, wherein said contact does not occur at a point where any absorbent material contacts the photosensitive printing element.