Agfa-gevaert

Agfa Gevaert Nv

Rudi A Goedeweeck

Eric Verschueren

Jean-Pierre D Tahon

Joan T Vermeersch

Luc H Leenders

Bart J Verlinden

Hieronymus Andriessen

Frank Louwet

Bartholomeus Verlinden

Tom Cloots

Leo Vermeulen

Joseph Vander Aa

Luc J Heremans

Peter Kempenaers

A method of printing is disclosed which comprises the steps of

Method of lithographic printing without dampening liquid

A method of lithographic printing is disclosed which comprises the steps of unwinding a web of a flexible lithographic base from a supply spool, the lithographic base having a hydrophilic surface, wrapping the lithographic base around a cylinder of a printing press, applying on the lithographic base an image-recording layer which is removable in a single-fluid ink or can be rendered removable in a single-fluid ink by exposure to heat or light, image-wise exposing the image-recording layer to heat or light, processing the image-recording layer by supplying single-fluid ink, thereby obtaining a printing master, printing by supplying single-fluid ink to the printing master which is mounted on a plate cylinder of the printing press; and removing the printing master from the plate cylinder, preferably by winding up on an uptake spool. Since the image-recording layer can be processed by single-fluid ink, the imaging material is suitable for on-press processing in printing presses wherein no fountain solution is supplied to the plate. The method allows a rapid, fully automatic plate change with reduced press down time.

On-press coating and on-press processing of a lithographic material

An off-press plate-making apparatus is provided which comprises an apparatus for removing the lithographic image from the substrate of a used printing master and an apparatus for recoating the recycled substrate with a new image-recording layer. The off-press cleaning and recoating of the substrate provides a short press down-time. The recoated substrate forms an imaging material which can be exposed either on-press in a digital press comprising an integrated exposure apparatus or off-press in an exposure apparatus, which can be integrated in the plate-making apparatus or mechanically coupled thereto.

Apparatus for automatic plate coating and cleaning

A direct-to-plate method of lithographic printing is disclosed wherein a printing press is used that is coupled to a coating apparatus and to a cleaning apparatus; wherein the coating apparatus applies an image-recording layer on a substrate so as to obtain a printing plate, which is mechanically transferred to the printing press; and wherein, after the print job, the printing plate is mechanically transferred to the cleaning apparatus wherein the substrate is recycled, so that the recycled substrated can be reused in a next cycle of coating, printing and cleaning. The off-press coating and the off-press cleaning step provide a fully automated printing method wherein the press down-time is minimized. The method comprises also an off-press or an on-press exposure step.

Direct-to-plate lithographic printing method using automatic plate-coating and cleaning

A method is disclosed for making a module that can be used in an electric or electronic device such as a flat panel display, a light emitting diode or a photovoltaic cell. The figure shows as a preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention a schematic section of a panel consisting of three adjacent modules (liquid crystal display cells; only one is shown completely). The panel is obtained by assembling two substrates ( ) and ( ) which carry functional layer ( ) and ( ) respectively. The substrates are preferably flexible plastic foils. Thin glass sheets ( ) are laminated to the substrates ( ) so as to obtain an efficient barrier layer which protects the functional layers ( ) from mechanical damage, heat and degradation due to diffusion of oxygen or water vapor. The method is especially suitable for making flexible, low-weight flat panel displays, e.g. LCDs comprising a liquid crystal composition ( ), spacers ( ) and seals ( ).

Method for making an electric or electronic module comprising a glass laminate

A method for making a semiconductor device is disclosed which comprises the step of applying a functional layer on a substrate, characterized in that said substrate is a laminate which comprises a support and a glass layer, said glass layer having a thickness of less than 700 &mgr;m. The support is preferably a plastic foil. The laminate has the combined benefits of low weight and high strength and is therefore a suitable substrate for making flat panel displays such as liquid crystal displays, plasma displays, field emission displays or organic light-emitting polymer displays. Preferred examples of the functional layer are e.g. electroconductive layers, liquid crystal orientation layers, color filters, electroluminescent layers, passivation layers and phosphor layers.

Use of glass laminate as a substrate in semiconductor devices

A material is disclosed which comprises a substrate and an organic electroconductive layer provided on said substrate, characterised in that the substrate is a laminate comprising a glass layer and a support. The glass layer is preferably a flexible glass layer having a thickness from 10 to 500 &mgr;m. The material can be used as an electrode in electric or semiconductor devices thereby providing an improved lifetime, e.g. displays, photovoltaic cells or light-emitting diodes.

Electroconductive glass laminate

There is provided a silver halide photographic, black-and-white medical hard copy material, comprising an opaque reflecting polymeric support and at least one hydrophilic colloid outermost layer, characterized in that: (i) the material comprises a silver halide emulsion layer A and a silver halide emulsion layer B, coated on the same side of said support, the emulsion layer B being closest to said support and (ii) the silver halide emulsion layer A is faster than the silver halide emulsion layer B. Emulsion layer A is preferably between 1.25 and 3.20 times faster than emulsion layer B. A method is also provided for printing radiological images in combination with the protocol describing said radiological images onto a single sheet of hard-copy film.

Material and method for printing radiological images

A photographic light-sensitive silver halide material is disclosed comprising a support and one or more hydrophylic colloid layers including at least one light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer characterized in that in said emulsion layer is a gold and sulphur sensitized silver bromide or silver bromoiodide emulsion having cubic crystal habit and in that said emulsion and/or a hydrophylic colloid layer in water-permeable relationship therewith comprises a 3-pyrazolidinone compound.

Photographic silver halide material

A photographic laser recording material is disclosed comprising a transparent base and at least one emulsion layer containing a silver halide emulsion which is sensitized to the near infra-red by the combination of a heptamethine chain containing dye according to general formula (I) and a supersensitizer characterized in that said emulsion layer further contains a compound according to general formula (II): ##STR1## wherein, Z.sup.1 and Z.sup.2 represent a non metallic atomic group necessary to complete a benzothiazole, benzoxazole, naphtothiazole or naphtoxazole nucleus; R.sub.5 and R.sub.6 each represent an alkyl or substituted alkyl group;

Growing community of inventors

Herent, Belgium

Rudi A Goedeweeck