Process for producing polymer-covered flexographic printing sleeves

Abstract

A process for producing a durable, readily-storable, cylindrically-shaped flexographic printing sleeve having inner and an outer cylindrically-shaped walls and a substantially constant cross-sectional inner and outer diameter is provided. The flexographic printing sleeve is readily axially mountable on and dismountable from a complementary cylindrically-shaped printing cylinder having an outer cylindrically shaped wall. The process comprises providing a sleeve body. A layer of a low temperature curable polymeric material is provided to the outer circumferential surface of the sleeve body. The low temperature curable polymeric material is then cured at a temperature not greater than about 150 degrees F. to form a hardened layer of the polymeric material having a substantially uniform degree of hardness without damaging or distorting the sleeve body. A portion of the hardened layer of the polymeric material is removed to produce a flexographic printing sleeve having a thickness of up to about 0.100' and an impression range comprising an engagement distance of at least about 0.375' without any substantial visible reduction in print performance. The print performance comprises a print dot distortion of not more than about 0.0005' in the machine direction and not more than about 0.0002' in the cross machine direction.