Other

Anocoil Corporation

I-tek, Inc.

Howard A. Fromson

Robert F Gracia

Howard A Fromson

William J Rozell

Steven A Rubin

Sean P Evans

William J Ryan

Paul F Tuohey

Richard A Laughrey

Yijin Ren

Shek C Hong

A metal substrate is treated with a plurality of rotating brushes and a slurry of particulate material such that the treated surface is capable of absorbing incident infrared laser radiation. The substrate is itself capable of being visibly imaged by selective writing with an infrared laser. The substrate is coated with an ablatable coating which is transparent to the imaging infrared laser radiation. Selective exposure to infrared laser radiation ablates this coating in the laser exposed areas as a result of the absorption of infrared radiation by the substrate. The substrate can be anodized after rotary brush graining and still retain its ability to be imaged and ablate a coating. The coated article can be imaged in a computer-to-plate infrared laser imaging device. Depending on the specific coating and substrate selection, the imaged article can be used in a conventional lithographic printing process or in a dryographic printing process.

Laser imageable printing plate and substrate therefor

A substrate is coated with a first material which is soluble in a first solvent, whereupon a second material which is strongly adherent to the first material and insoluble in the first solvent is selectively applied by an ink jet printer. The substrate is then developed in the first solvent to establish the image. In a preferred embodiment the substrate is hydrophilic, the first material is a negative working photosensitive material, and the second material is a transparent adhesive, which permits curing the first material by exposure to actinic light after the development step. The adhesive is then removed. In an embodiment directed to a waterless plate the substrate includes a surface coating of silicone, and the first material is a primer which promotes adhesion of a second material in the form of an oleophilic adhesive which is selectively applied. The primer is then developed to expose the silicone on the non-image areas. The ink carrying image areas are formed by the adhesive, which in this embodiment is not removed.

Imaging a lithographic printing plate

A positive-working, infrared imageable coating and a lithographic printing plate or other element with the coating are described. The coating is a phenolic resin containing an o-diazonaphthoquinone derivative which couples or reacts with the resin to partially insolubilize the coating and an infrared absorbing dye or pigment which further insolubilizes the coating and which renders the coating imageable by infrared radiation. The coating contains only that quantity of infrared radiation absorber necessary to be imageable and only that small quantity of o-diazonaphthoquinone derivative necessary to supplement the insolubilizing function of the absorber. Specifically, the absorber is from 1 to 10 weight percent of the total dry weight of the coating and the dry weight ratio of the absorber to the diazonaphthoquinone moiety is greater than 1:5 and preferably 1:2 or greater. By replacing a portion of expensive dye with some less expensive o-diazonaphthoquinone derivative to obtain the necessary degree of insolubility, the cost of the coating is greatly reduced.

Positive-working, infrared-sensitive lithographic printing plate and method of imaging

Waterless lithographic printing plate having a cyanoacrylate image

Method for selectively imaging a lithographic printing plate

The water-loving properties of an anodized aluminum lithographic surface are enhanced or restored by treatment with a solution containing a monomeric, organo-phosphonic acid chelating compound or salt thereof. Such treatment can take place following, during or in lieu of the treatment of anodized aluminum in web form with an alkali metal silicate in the process of manufacturing printing plates. Alternatively, the treatment can be carried out as a plate is developed and/or prepared for the press. In a third approach, an organo-phosphonic acid chelating compound can be incorporated into a fountain solution, ink or correction fluid.

Lithographic printing plate treated with organo-phosphonic acid

Smooth planar metal surfaces, usually an aluminum web, intended for a lithographic printing plate, are roughened by brush graining with fine abrasive particles which are hard and dense and have a radial or disk-like configuration such that the abrasive particles are forged into the surface of the metal forming cavities in which the abrasive particles remain embedded. The embedded abrasive particles are dislodged and removed from the cavities by subjecting the web to an anodic treatment employing electrolyte materials and concentrations, temperatures and voltage which will dislodge and remove the particles while retaining the surface texture or morphology of the as-roughened surface. The web is then subjected to a second anodic treatment under conditions which favor oxide formation in order to provide a final anodized product.

Process for graining and anodizing a metal plate

The present invention provides photopolymerizable coating compositions comprising (a) a photosensitive compound selected from the group consisting of photoinitiators and negative-working photosensitive substances which are present in an amount effective to render the compositions sensitive to radiant energy, and (b) an ethylenically unsaturated, urethane-containing, self-crosslinkable grafted cellulose ester polymer; imaging elements for use in offset printing processes prepared therefrom; and processes employing said imaging elements.

Photopolymerizable coating composition and lithographic printing plate

Anodizing current is prevented from being carried downstream by an aluminum web after anodizing in a continuous anodizing process. An anode is placed in a post-treatment cell containing an electrolyte which is electrically connected to a cathode in the anodizing cell via a source of DC current which is independent of the source of anodizing current. The web polarity is switched from positive to negative and a voltage greater than the exist voltage of the web is applied to prevent anodizing current from being carried downstream in the web after anodizing.

Process and apparatus for anodizing aluminum

A coated lithographic printing plate comprises a grained, anodized aluminum substrate and coating thereon comprising a diazo resin in admixture with particulate energy absorbing material that will absorb incident radiation and re-radiate it as radiation that will change the diazo resin coating which is imageable with a Crosfield Datrax 760 YAG laser plate maker producing incident radiation of 1/06 microns. The topography of the substrate and the particulate material in the coating trap and convert a substantial portion of the incident laser radiation which passes through the coating without substantially affecting same into radiation that will change the coating.

Laser imagable lithographic printing plate with diazo resin

A security medium, secure articles made therefrom and methods of making same. Articles are disclosed which are resistant to counterfeiting and unauthorized alteration and which are suitable for use as currency, securities, security passes, identification cards, and analogous items now usually manufactured on paper. The novel articles comprise two synthetic material layers with a barrier layer therebetween and an image formed from sublimatable dye within at least one of the synthetic layers.

Growing community of inventors

Scituate, MA, United States of America

Robert F Gracia