Flexo Stereo Manufacturers | What Are Flexo Printing Block?

 

Flexo Stereo Manufacturers are flexible photopolymer plates used in flexo printing to transfer ink and images to a flexible substrate, such as paper or film. The printing plate is an important element of the flexographic printing process and the quality of the printed image depends largely on the quality of the flexo plates used. The Flexo process itself is known for being print friendly on all types of flexible substrates and the plates can be used and reused for millions of prints. Here, you'll understand how plates are made and how they work. The plates are designed in relief, meaning the print surface is raised where the image is exposed. The plate surface is the only area that comes into contact with the substrate after ink is applied to the plate. The etched or relief areas do not contact the ink. Originally, flexo plates were made from rubber, but are today made from photopolymer materials in sheet form – which differentiates them from the fixed metal printing plates of offset printing. The plates are flexible enough that they can be wrapped around cylindrical print/plate rollers. plate processing

 1) Traditional method The required image is first exposed onto the negative film using a laser image setter. It is then placed directly onto the surface of the uncoated plate material and held in place by means of a vacuum cover. The plate and film are then exposed to UV light to fix the image in the polymer material. Only the transparent regions of the negative film will allow UV light to pass through, allowing UV rays to change the molecular bonds in the photopolymer material. After sufficient exposure time, the plate is fixed on an oscillating plate and immersed in the washout tank. The washout solution may be water or solvent, depending on the type of plate material. Unexposed areas of the polymer are washed off the plate base via a washout brush. The waste polymer is dissolved in a washout solution, which is then processed for recycling/solvent reformation. After the washing process, the plate is placed in a hot air dryer, where the excess water/solvent evaporates, leaving a dry plate. A post curing is required using both UVA and UVC lamps, after which the finished plate is ready for use.

 2) Digital Plates Today most flexo Printing Blocks are exposed using direct 'computer-to-plate' technology. In this case, the unexposed film negative is supplied pre-laminated onto the photopolymer sheet, so that both layers can be exposed in a single device. The laser is first guided by a computer to illuminate the negative layer, after which the photopolymer is exposed to a UVA light source. This exposure technique produces a better quality plate than the traditional method. The exposed plate is then processed using the washout method described above.

 3) Thermal Flexo Plate Processing While exposure is a CTP process – as mentioned above – this processing method eliminates the need for water or solvent in the etching process. The unexposed regions of the photopolymer are essentially 'melted' and removed completely using a mechanical process such as heat treatment and a series of rotating rollers. This method is said to be more eco-friendly than traditional plate washout processing.

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