W. R. Grace Co.

Robert A Irvin

Paul R Hein

Michael W Yang

Steven E Bauer

Roland L Orem

A relief producing laminate having an over-lamina comprised of an unsaturated natural-like rubber composition characterized by relief differentiation in response to patterned radiation exposure and an under-lamina comprised of a resilient composition and adhered to the over-lamina. The term 'natural-like rubber' as used herein includes both natural and synthetic rubbers which exhibit creep as a result of stress relaxation after being cast or formed. The over-lamina is preferably a butadiene homopolymer or copolymer resin composition, more preferably a halogenated butadiene composition and most preferably a neoprene composition. The composition preferably includes a thiol, a monomer and a photoinitiator. The under-lamina composition may be a woven textile or a polymer and is preferably a monoalkenyl aromatic-diene block copolymer resin composition. It is preferably radiation cured and preferably includes a monomer and a photoinitiator. The under-lamina preferably comprises at least three juxtaposed layers, each layer being less highly cured than the juxtaposed under-layer and the over-lamina preferably comprises at least three juxtaposed layers with at least the layer closest to the under-lamina being more highly cured than the over-layers. The invention also includes the stabilized plastic printing plate produced from the laminate and the method of radiation curing the laminate to produce the printing plate.

Radiation responsive relief imageable plastic laminate

Curable composition containing (1) at least 20% by weight monoalkenyl aromatic-diene copolymer resin; (2) at least 2% by resin weight of at least one monomer substantially compatible with said resin and having at least one cross-linkable C--C-double bond; (3) 0.1 to 35% by resin weight of polythiol containing at least two-SH groups per molecule; and, (4) a curing agent. The disclosure is directed primarily at printing plate production and the composition contains 0.01 to 10% by resin weight of photoinitiator and the monomer is an addition photopolymerizable polyethylenically unsaturated acrylic or methacrylic acid ester containing two or more acrylate or methacrylate groups per molecule or mixtures thereof. In an alternate form low molecular weight liquid rubber polymer may be included in the compositon. Other materials such as stabilizers may also be present.

Growing community of inventors

Marietta, GA, United States of America

Robert A Irvin