Esko-graphics Imaging Gmbh

Esko-graphics A/s

E.i. Dupont De Nemours and Company

Esko Software Bvba

Esko Software Bv

Barco Graphics

Asahi Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha

Thomas Klein

Yuki Yamamoto

Hideo Saito

Wolfgang Sievers

Jörg Wolterink

Pascal Thomas

Hans Dewitte

Robert W Hannum

Peter Morisse

Jan Buchweitz

Nils Kay

Thomas Hänsel

Kim Skovgaard Jensen

Frank Grewling

Christian Greve

Kim Skovgard Jensen

A plate processing line and methods for producing a flexographic printing plate. An imaging station applies image information to a first plate. A first exposure station cures the first plate. One or more of water, a solvent, and/or a thermal process is further applied to the first plate. A drying station or an after-exposure station is configured to expose the plate to further radiation. A feeding station is configured to feed the first plate cured by the exposure station and a second plate cured by a second exposure station to the processing station. A transportation cart may transport the plate between the first or second exposure stations and the processing station.

Process and apparatus for feeding a flexographic printing plate processor

A finished flexo plate with printing dots and non-printing indicia. The printing dots have an elevation above the plate floor sufficient to transfer ink to a substrate in a printing step, whereas the non-printing indicia are configured for persistent readability relative to the plate floor but have a height relative to the plate floor insufficient to transfer ink to the substrate in the printing step. The non-printing indicia define a pattern of alphanumeric characters, non-text graphics, or a combination thereof, and are disposed on the plate floor in the form of areas of presence and absence of polymer defined by structures formed of microdots, each microdot having an elevation relative to the plate floor lower than a printing height.

Flexographic printing plate with persistent markings

Systems and processes for making a flexo plate, and plates made thereby. Non-printing indicia defined by areas of presence and absence of polymer in the plate floor are readable downstream of the washing or other non-cured-polymer-removal step but do not print in the printing step. The non-printing indicia may define a repeating pattern of alphanumeric characters, non-text graphics, or a combination thereof.

System and process for persistent marking of flexo plates and plates marked therewith

A printing plate having a printing surface for receiving ink, including a defined area of an image intended to print with ink and a surface pattern applied to the defined area. The surface pattern includes a plurality of rows each having a plurality of diagonally oriented line segments, each line segment corresponding to an ink-carrying relief structure in a raised area of the plate, the plurality of diagonally oriented line segments having orientations alternating between a positive angle in one row and a negative angle in an adjacent row, wherein each line segment has a first end aligned with a middle portion of and spaced apart from a first line of a first adjacent row and a second end aligned with a middle portion of and spaced apart from a second line of a second adjacent row.

System and method for obtaining a uniform ink layer

Systems and processes for making a flexo plate, and plates made thereby. Non-printing indicia defined by areas of presence and absence of polymer in the plate floor created using microdots imaged during a LAMS layer imaging step are readable downstream of the washing or other non-cured-polymer-removal step but not to print in the printing step. The non-printing indicia may define a repeating pattern of alphanumeric characters, non-text graphics, or a combination thereof. A difference in growth of plate structures corresponding to different types of microdots may be used for characterizing processing conditions.

A method of creating a bitmap for a printing plate, including defining an area of an image intended to print with a solid color, applying a halftone screen to the defined solid color area, and creating the bitmap embodying the halftone screen in the defined solid color area. The halftone screen pattern includes a plurality of dashes with a plus or minus 45-degree orientation, a plus or minus 135-degree orientation, or a combination of two or more plus or minus 45-degree and 135-degree orientations. Each dash or component dash thereof has a same number of two or more adjacent touching pixels in length and a number of one or more adjacent touching pixels in width, or the dashes are orthogonally arranged in rows and columns, or a combination thereof. Masks, plates, processes for making them, and print methods using the bitmaps are also described.

The invention pertains to a method for preparing a composite printing form from a single precursor that is capable of forming a relief and a carrier. The single precursor can be a single photosensitive element or a single laser-engravable print element having a reinforced elastomeric layer. The single precursor has a size that is at least 70% of a size of the carrier. The single precursor is located on the carrier by approximately positioning the precursor on the carrier that has no registration markings. Precise registration of the single precursor is achieved by using digital information generated from a computer to create the registered image on the composite form. The method is particularly suited for preparing composite printing forms for relief printing, and in particular for preparing composite printing forms for flexographic printing of corrugated substrates.

Method for preparing a composite printing form

A method of imaging a printing plate and curing the printing plate made of or having photo-curable material that includes an ablatable mask. In one embodiment, the method comprises imaging the ablatable mask with a first portion of imaging data to produce a partially imaged uncured plate. Imaging data includes the first portion and a second portion of imaging data. The method includes curing the partially imaged uncured plate using UV with a first set of parameters to produce a partially cured plate with a partially ablated mask thereon, the curing arranged for producing flat tops, imaging the partially ablated mask on the partially cured plate with the second portion of imaging data to produce a totally imaged partially cured plate, and curing the totally imaged partially cured plate with a second set of one or more curing parameters to produce a totally cured plate to produce round tops.

UV curing creating flattop and roundtop structures on a single printing plate

The invention pertains to a method for preparing a composite printing form from a photosensitive element and a carrier using a template. The photosensitive element is located on the carrier by positioning the element through cutout portions in the template. The method is particularly suited for preparing composite printing forms for relief printing, and in particular for preparing composite printing forms for flexographic printing of corrugated substrates.

Method for preparing a composite printing form using a template

A method of modifying screened image data so that there is no visible seam when the image is printed repeatedly in a circumferential direction, for example using a drum output device. One version applicable to images screened using a supercell includes cutting the image so that the image size in the circumferential direction is an integral number of screen supercells. Another version includes displacing halftone dots in a neighborhood of the seam such that the seam is not visible in a repeated print.

Method and apparatus for eliminating seams in screened image data for repetitive printing

A method of exposing imaging data onto a sensitized medium including exposing K sets of N of tracks on to the medium according to a corresponding part of imaging data, each successive set being a pixel distance apart in a fast scan direction. The method further includes exposing L sets of N tracks onto the medium with an offset of M pixels in a slow scan direction substantially perpendicular to the fast scan direction, according to a second corresponding part of imaging data. The method includes repeating alternately exposing K sets and L sets of N tracks until the complete medium is exposed along the fast scan direction. During or after the alternately exposing K sets and L sets, there is progression in the slow scan direction such that after exposing the complete length of N tracks of exposed pixels, the next N tracks match along the medium at the start of the next N tracks.

Stitching prevention in multibeam imaging for exposing printing plates

A method and apparatus to aid the loading and unloading of flexographic plates to and from an imager. The apparatus includes a magazine containing a plurality of compartments each for holding a single flexographic plate, the compartments arranged vertically, and movable in a vertical direction, a lifting mechanism to lift and lower the compartments; and a control system to control the lifting and lowering by the lifting mechanism. The control system is such that a particular compartment is moved from its rest vertical position at a rest horizontal position to a loading vertical position and a loading horizontal position at which the particular compartment is at a height for loading onto the imager. The loading is automatic and in the case that the plate includes a protective sheet thereon, the loading includes removing the protective sheet from the plate.

Method and apparatus for loading and unloading flexographic plates for computer-to-plate imaging

An external drum laser imagesetter providing one or more imaging beams. The drum is rotated in a fast scan direction and the one or more beams are modulated while the beams are moved in a slow scan direction. In one embodiment, the imaging beams are deflected in a slow scan direction to compensate for the spiral advance.

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Wolfenbuettel, Germany

Thomas Klein