Flexographic printing element having an IR ablatable layer and process for making a flexographic printing plate

• US 5,262,275 A
• Filed: 08/07/1992
• Issued: 11/16/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (Corteva, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (Corteva, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fan, Roxy N.
• Primary Examiner(s): RoDee, Christopher D.
• Application Number:
  US07/927,084
• Time in Patent Office: 466 Days
• Field of Search: 430/273, 430/944, 430/945, 430/271, 430/306, 101/471
• US Class Current: 430/273.1
• CPC Class Codes: B41C 1/05 Heat-generating engraving heads, e.g. laser beam, electron beam
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/202 Masking pattern being obtained by thermal means, e.g. laser ablation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 430/145 Infrared
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 430/146 Laser beam

Abstract

A photosensitive printing element having an IR ablatable layer and at least one barrier layer as set forth within and a process for making a flexographic printing plate from such an element are disclosed.

Claims

1. A photosensitive printing element used for preparing flexographic printing plates comprising in the order listed:

(a) a support,

(b) a photopolymerizable layer comprising an elastomeric binder, at least one monomer and an initiator having sensitivity to non-infrared actinic radiation, said layer being soluble, swellable or dispersible in a developer solution;

(c) at least one barrier layer which is soluble, swellable or dispersible or liftable in the developer solution for the photopolymerizable layer and which is substantially transparent to actinic radiation; and

(d) at least one layer of infrared radiation sensitive material which is substantially opaque to actinic radiation,

wherein the infrared-sensitive material is ablatable form the surface of the barrier layer upon exposure to infrared laser radiation.

2. An element according to claim 1 which further comprises

(e) a strippable coversheet which is adjacent to layer (d).

3. An element according to claims 1 or 2 wherein carbon black is present in the infrared radiation sensitive layer (d).