Printing plate materials and method of producing the same

Details Printing plate materials and method of producing the same Printing plate materials and method of producing the same

1995-12-18

1998-07-14

Baxter, Janet C.

Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th

Imaging affecting physical property of radiation sensitive...

Radiation sensitive composition or product or process of making

430300, 430322, 430945, G03C 173

Patent

active

057802009

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a printing plate material which can be sculptured with laser light and to a method for its production.


BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGY

A laser-sculptured printing plate material is known which comprises a mixture of polyethylene and carbon black as molded in the form of a sheet. However, this material requires high-energy laser radiation for creating a concave-convex (three-dimensional) pattern on its surface. For this reason, any printing plate material on which a three-dimensional pattern can be produced with a low-energy laser radiation has not been commercially implemented yet.
Meanwhile, a recording material supplemented with nitrocellulose for enhanced sensitivity is known but this material is deficient in the strength required of any printing plate. By way of example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 35144/1976 (JP-B-51-35144) discloses an image forming technology which comprises coating a support with a photosensitive composition containing nitrocellulose and carbon black and irradiating the coated support with laser light from behind the support which is coated with a photosensitive layer to form an image. Described in this prior art literature is an embodiment in which an ink is transferred to the photosensitive layer for printing. However, this photosensitive layer is invariably of low film strength so that the final material is not practically useful as a printing plate.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 6569/1976 (JP-B-51-6569) discloses an image-forming printing plate material having a photosensitive layer containing nitrocellulose as a self-oxidative binder, carbon black as a particulate pigment capable of absorbing laser energy, and melamine resin as a curing agent (cross-linking agent). This literature describes examples in which an alkyd resin, a methyl methacrylate resin, a butyral resin, an epoxy resin or a novolac resin is further used as a binder resin. However, the photosensitive material described in the above literature is designed for use in the process for producing a lithographic or planographic printing plate which comprises contacting the photosensitive coating layer coated on a support with the polyvinyl alcohol coating layer coated on an aluminum plate and irradiating them with laser light from behind the support to thereby transfer an image corresponding to the irradiated area to the aluminum plate. Therefore, it is not a printing plate belonging to the category in which a printing ink is directly transferred on a photosensitive layer for printing. Moreover, the film strength of the photosensitive layer formed with the photosensitive material is not sufficiently high so that the product can hardly be used, as it is, as a printing plate.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 506709/1992 (JP-A-4-506709) corresponding to W090/12342 discloses an imaging material as produced using a composition comprising a sensitizer which is capable of absorbing an infrared ray, and a polyurethane as a decomposable binder. The material described in this literature is, however, belonging to the category of a thermal transferring color imaging material where a reverse image is formed by partial thermal decomposition of the decomposable binder and thus transferring the remained binder and a pigment to a receptor sheet. Therefore, it is not a printing plate belonging to the category in which a printing ink is directly transferred on a photosensitive layer for printing.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a printing plate material which can be sculptured even at a low laser energy output, and which can be used in a printing process comprising transferring a printing ink directly on the surface of its layer having a concave-convex (three-dimensional) pattern produced with laser light and has excellent durability and wear resistance (printing pressure resistance) in association with printing, and a method of producing the printing plate material.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a printing plate material which c

REFERENCES:
patent: 5156938 (1992-10-01), Foley et al.
patent: 5262275 (1993-11-01), Fan
patent: 5330876 (1994-07-01), Kaszczuk et al.

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