Photosensitive, flexo printing element and method for the production of newspaper flexo printing plates

US7235346B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• XSYS Print Solutions Deutschland, GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Rolf Knöll · Weinheim, DE
• Hartmut Sandig · Bischofswerda, DE
• Uwe Stebani · Monsheim, DE
• Thomas Telser · Weinheim, DE
• Thomas Zwez · Karlsruhe, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 18, 2002
• Grant date: Jun 26, 2007
• Expiry date: Jul 18, 2022

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S430/146
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The present invention relates to a photosensitive flexographic printing element for the production of flexographic newspaper printing plates, comprising at least a flexible, metallic support, an adhesive layer applied thereto, a photopolymerizable layer which can be developed in organic media and which itself comprises at least one elastomeric binder, ethylenically unsaturated monomers, a photoinitiator or photoinitiator system and a plasticizer, a transparent substrate layer, and optionally a removable protective film, where the total thickness of the flexographic printing element is from 300 to 1000 μm, the elastomeric binder has a weight average molecular weight Mw of from 80,000 to 150,000 g/mol and a Shore A hardness of from 50 to 80, and the amount of plasticizer is from 5 to 50% by weight, based on the amount of all constituents of the photopolymerizable layer, and to a process for the production of flexographic newspaper printing plates by imagewise exposure of the flexographic printing element to actinic light, followed by development and drying at from 105 to 160° C.