Eastman-Kodak Company

Yariv Y Pinto

Murray Figov

Jankiel Kimelblat

A method of manufacturing a flexographic plate having a uniform thickness comprises providing a thermoset layer having at least one uneven side; providing a thermoplastic layer having a first and a second side; attaching the first side of the thermoplastic layer to the uneven side of the thermoset layer thereby forming a flexographic plate; and calendering the flexographic plate via a series of heated pairs of rollers thereby creating a flexographic plate with a uniform thickness.

Fabricating thermoset plates exhibiting uniform thickness

Laser-engraveable flexographic printing plate precursors have a laser-engraveable elastomeric layer that comprises a non-free radical crosslinked polymeric binder, an infrared radiation absorbing compound, and a compound that remains stable in the precursor but upon imaging thermally degrades to produce gaseous products. The thermally degradable compounds can generate or liberate one or more gases such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

Laser-engraveable flexographic printing plate precursors

A laser imageable flexographic printing plate precursor comprises a thermoset elastomeric upper layer that is at least partially ablatable and comprises a radiation sensitive compound, and a non-ablatable elastomeric underlayer. This flexographic printing plate precursor can be imaged to provide a printing plate that is primarily useful for 'high quality' printing because the resulting relief image is generally not greater than 600 &#x3bc;m and has an extremely even 'floor'. The imaged flexographic printing plate also can have a high visual contrast between the imaged areas and the non-imaged background areas.

Growing community of inventors

Petach Tikva, Israel

Yariv Y Pinto