JP4981902B2 - Method and apparatus for producing liquid photosensitive resin relief printing plate - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing a liquid photosensitive resin relief printing plate used for printing corrugated cardboard, films, seals, labels and the like. In more detail, this invention relates to the manufacturing method of a liquid photosensitive resin letterpress including a specific shaping | molding and exposure process, and the manufacturing apparatus used for this method.

  In general, in order to produce a printing plate using a liquid photosensitive resin, an exposure apparatus for a liquid photosensitive resin is used as represented by the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1 (for example, Patent Documents 1 to 4). reference). FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a conventional exposure apparatus 10 used when a printing plate is manufactured using a liquid photosensitive resin. The exposure apparatus 10 includes an upper light source 11, an upper hard plate 13, a lower hard plate 14, and a lower light source 12 in order from the top of the apparatus. The exposure apparatus 10 supplies a cover film storage unit 15 for supplying a cover film disposed on a negative film on the lower hard plate 14 and a base film disposed on the upper hard plate 13 via a mask negative film. A base film set unit 16. The exposure apparatus 10 further includes a liquid photosensitive resin coating bucket 17 that supplies the liquid photosensitive resin onto the lower hard plate 14 via a cover film. The liquid photosensitive resin coating bucket 17 moves left and right on the lower hard plate 14 by the movement of the carriage 18, and the liquid photosensitive resin is transferred from the base film set unit 16 together with the liquid photosensitive resin onto the lower hard plate 14. A base film can be supplied on the conductive resin.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the production of a liquid photosensitive resin relief printing plate from a liquid photosensitive resin using the exposure apparatus 10 shown in FIG. First, the negative film 23 and the cover film 24 supplied from the cover film storage unit 15 are closely adhered to the lower hard plate 14 processed with high planar accuracy so as not to be wrinkled by means such as vacuum, Fix on the lower rigid plate 14. Next, the carriage 18 shown in FIG. 1 is moved to apply the liquid photosensitive resin 25 on the cover film 24. In order to suppress the outflow of the liquid photosensitive resin 25 applied on the flat surface of the cover film 24, the dam material 30 having a height corresponding to the thickness of the liquid photosensitive resin 25 to be applied on the cover film 24. Is fixed to the cover film 24 by, for example, pasting it on the cover film 24. Here, after applying the liquid photosensitive resin 25 in the frame formed by the dam material 30, the base film 26 and the mask negative film 27 are overlaid on the liquid photosensitive resin 25. Thereafter, a negative film 23, a cover film 24, a dam material laminated on the lower hard plate 14 by the upper hard plate 13 placed on the spacer 28 set to determine the thickness of the photosensitive resin plate. 30. The liquid photosensitive resin 25, the base film 26, and the mask negative film 27 are sandwiched.

  Next, active light from the upper light source 11 is irradiated through the upper hard plate 13 to perform masking exposure for forming the base of the relief portion of the printing plate to be manufactured. Next, in order to form an image of the relief portion, relief exposure is performed by irradiating active light from the lower light source 12 through the negative film 23 on the lower hard plate 14, and the exposure process is completed.

The cover film 24 is peeled off from the plate after the exposure, and the resin adhering to the cover film 24 and the uncured resin on the relief surface not irradiated with active light are scraped off with a rubber blade or the like. In order to completely remove the uncured resin from the plate surface, the plate surface is washed out with a suitable detergent and developed, followed by post-exposure and drying treatment, whereby a liquid photosensitive resin relief plate is produced.
JP-A-8-305006 JP-A-8-314126 JP-A-11-84633 JP-A-11-151729

  However, in the method of manufacturing the liquid photosensitive resin relief printing plate by the above-described technique, the liquid photosensitive resin is applied on a smooth plane, and thus the dam material 30 for suppressing this outflow is required. The dam material 30 which is a secondary material for plate making must be used every time a printing plate is produced, and in order to form it into a frame shape, at least the peripheral length of the range where resin is applied is necessary. Become. Moreover, it is necessary to select the dam material 30 having a height corresponding to the plate thickness to be formed, and possessing a plurality of types of dam materials 30 at the manufacturing site is a factor that complicates the plate making operation. ing. When forming the frame shape with the dam material 30, the plate thickness accuracy is not stable unless the dimensions match the area range to which the liquid photosensitive resin is applied, and the dam material 30 is pasted at a predetermined position. If it is not fixed by a method such as attaching, resin leakage will occur, so this forming operation requires a certain level of skill and is a factor in extending the plate making operation time.

  In addition, since the resin directly adheres to the dam material 30 and the resin that has been exposed and cured by actinic rays adheres to the dam material 30, when the dam material 30 is used repeatedly, a great deal of effort is required to remove this wiping. Therefore, in practice, disposable dam materials 30 are generally used, and these are treated as industrial waste.

  By the way, it is the greatest cost merit when manufacturing the liquid photosensitive resin relief printing plate that the liquid photosensitive resin of the portion not related to the design of the printing plate can be scraped and recovered without being cured. However, in the step of scraping and collecting uncured resin, when the cover film 24 is peeled off and the resin adhering to the film surface is scraped off, the dam material 30 attached to the film surface inhibits the scraping. Therefore, efficient and sufficient resin recovery cannot be realized and the amount of resin that can be reused is reduced, which increases the cost required for plate making.

  Here, as the disposable dam material 30, a member having a self-adhesive cell and an adhesive tape on one side is generally used. The sponge has a height of 0.5 mm, and a plurality of types of height members are used depending on the plate thickness to be manufactured. The closed-cell sponge is effective for damming because the liquid resin does not easily leak, and the sponge is light and easy to handle, and can be easily broken by hand, so it can be easily cut into any length and used.

  Furthermore, the adhesive tape attached to one side of the sponge has the advantage that it can be fixed on the cover film as soon as the interleaf is peeled off. However, although there is an advantage in the work, the work itself of pasting on the cover film 24 is not eliminated, and it does not contribute to shortening the plate making time or reducing the plate making cost. In addition, about the manufacturing method and apparatus of a liquid photosensitive resin relief printing plate, the method of making a plate without using this dam material 30 is not described in the above-mentioned patent documents 1 to 4.

  The object of the present invention is to produce a liquid photosensitive resin relief printing plate without exposing the dam material 30 for suppressing the outflow of the liquid photosensitive resin on the plate cover film 24 in the exposure step. An object of the present invention is to provide a production method for producing a liquid photosensitive resin relief plate having an arbitrary thickness and a production apparatus for carrying out the production method.

  As a result of intensive studies to solve the above-mentioned problems, the inventors of the present invention can fix the cover film by smooth vacuum suction on the hard plate without wrinkles, and the cover film itself in a recess having an arbitrary depth. A method for producing a liquid photosensitive resin plate having an arbitrary plate thickness without using a dam material by forming and exposing an appropriate amount of a liquid photosensitive resin to the inside of the recess and forming and exposing the present invention is found. It came to complete.

That is, in the first aspect of the present invention, the laminate including the first film layer, the liquid photosensitive resin layer, and the second film layer is sandwiched between the lower hard plate and the upper hard plate, and then exposed. A method for producing a letterpress,
(A) A step of bringing the first film layer into close contact with the lower hard plate and a dam member disposed around the lower hard plate so as to have a gap between the lower hard plate and the lower hard plate. When,
(B) a step of forming a recess with the first film layer by moving the lower hard plate and / or the weir member upward or downward;
(C) applying a liquid photosensitive resin to the inside of the recess by the first film layer;
(D) providing a method for producing a relief printing plate, comprising a step of laminating a second film layer on the liquid photosensitive resin.

  With this manufacturing method, by adjusting the elevation of the lower hard plate and the weir member, when forming the recess by the cover film, an arbitrary depth of the recess can be obtained, and the liquid photosensitive resin inside the recess Can be applied to a thickness approximately equal to the depth of the recess to produce a liquid photosensitive resin relief plate molded to an arbitrary thickness.

Further, in the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for producing a relief plate, which is exposed after sandwiching a liquid photosensitive resin between a lower hard plate and an upper hard plate facing the lower hard plate,
A lower rigid plate that transmits actinic rays and has a first groove;
An upper hard plate disposed at a position facing the lower hard plate;
A dam member disposed around the lower hard plate with a predetermined gap from the lower hard plate, and having a second groove;
An elevating mechanism for moving the lower hard plate and / or the weir member;
An apparatus for manufacturing a relief printing plate is provided.

  In the apparatus for producing a liquid photosensitive resin relief printing plate according to the present invention, without using a dam material which has been formed by pasting on a cover film each time a plate is produced, for example, 1. A liquid photosensitive resin plate having an arbitrary plate thickness within a range of about 7 to 8 mm can be obtained.

  In addition, if the cover film that has been formed in the recesses is peeled off, it becomes an original flat film shape, so it is easy to scrape off the uncured resin adhering to the film surface, and the amount of resin that can be reused can be increased. it can. In other words, it is possible to shorten the work load and the plate making time by not using the dam material, the plate cost, and the industrial waste.

The perspective view of the exposure apparatus 10 of the prior art utilized when manufacturing a printing plate using a liquid photosensitive resin is shown. The schematic sectional drawing for demonstrating manufacture of a liquid photosensitive resin letterpress from liquid photosensitive resin using the exposure apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 is shown. It is a schematic sectional drawing explaining the process (a) in the manufacturing method which is this embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing explaining the process (b) in the manufacturing method which is this embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing explaining the process (c) in the manufacturing method which is this embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing for demonstrating the shaping | molding and exposure process in this embodiment. The schematic exploded view of the principal part of the exposure apparatus for enforcing the manufacturing method of this embodiment is shown. It is a schematic perspective view explaining the relationship between the lower rigid board 14 and the dam member 29 with which the exposure apparatus 100 used for this embodiment is equipped, and the raising / lowering mechanism 32 which controls operation | movement of these lower rigid boards 14 and the dam member 29. is there. It is the schematic explaining the relationship between the lower hard board 14 and the dam member 29 in the exposure apparatus 100 used for this embodiment. The schematic cross-sectional perspective view at the time of laminating | stacking the cover film 14 so that the whole surface of both the lower hard board 14 and the dam member 29 may be covered is shown.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,100: Exposure apparatus, 11: Upper light source, 12: Lower light source, 13: Upper hard board, 14: Lower hard board, 15: Cover film storage part, 16: Base film setting part, 17: Liquid photosensitive resin coating Bucket, 18: carriage, 23: negative film, 24: cover film, 25: liquid photosensitive resin, 26: base film, 27: mask negative film, 28: spacer, 29: weir member, 30: dam material, 32: Elevating mechanism, 35, 36: groove.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as “the present embodiment”) will be described in detail. In addition, this invention is not limited to the following embodiment, It can implement by changing variously within the range of the summary.

  The plate making method of this embodiment can be applied to an exposure apparatus for producing a liquid photosensitive resin relief plate described later. The advantage of producing a plate using a liquid photosensitive resin is that an arbitrary plate thickness can be produced, and the plate thickness of a flexographic printing plate that is one aspect of the liquid photosensitive resin relief plate used in this embodiment. Is determined by the specifications of the substrate to be printed and the printing press, but a plate thickness in the range of 2.0 to 8.0 mm is generally used. In producing a plate satisfying this plate thickness range, a recess is formed with a cover film as in this embodiment, and a liquid photosensitive resin is applied to the recess and exposed. If the depth of the concave portion can be arbitrarily formed within the range of 1.7 to 8.0 mm, the desired plate thickness of the flexographic printing plate can be obtained.

  The photosensitive resin for flexographic printing plates used in the present embodiment is not limited to the following resins, but known resins can be used as the photosensitive resin. Typical examples thereof are resins proposed in JP-A-10-171111, JP-A-63-088555, JP-A-05-134410, and the like. As a general structure of the photosensitive resin for flexographic printing plates, it is composed of an oligomer or polymer component, a polymerizable monomer component, a photoinitiator and a stabilizer. There are a wide variety of materials used for the oligomer or polymer component that has the greatest effect on the physical properties of the plate, and a polar group-containing polymer and a hydrophobic polymer are mixed and dispersed from polyurethane, polyvinyl alcohol, polyester resin, or nylon resin. There are various cases including a resin meter system (binder polymer) and a hydrophobic polymer such as a thermoplastic elastomer. These oligomer or polymer components may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  The method for producing a relief printing plate according to this embodiment includes a laminate including a cover film that is a first film layer, a liquid photosensitive resin layer, and a base film that is a second film layer, a lower hard plate and an upper hard plate. A method of manufacturing a relief printing plate, which is then exposed to light, and is (a) arranged around the lower hard plate and the lower hard plate so as to have a gap between the lower hard plate and the lower hard plate. A step of bringing the first film layer into close contact with the dam member, and (b) forming a recess in the first film layer by moving the lower hard plate and / or the dam member upward or downward. And (c) applying a liquid photosensitive resin to the inside of the recess by the first film layer; and (d) laminating a second film layer on the liquid photosensitive resin. And including.

  The exposure apparatus used in this embodiment is a liquid photosensitive resin applied to a thickness corresponding to the plate thickness of a plate to be manufactured, and then sandwiched between two upper and lower hard plates that transmit actinic rays. This is an apparatus for performing exposure by compressing and molding so as to be smooth and irradiating with actinic rays. When actually manufacturing a printing plate, actinic rays are selectively irradiated through a negative film or the like prepared so that light is irradiated to a place where a convex portion is formed. The resin irradiated with the actinic ray is cured by exposure and solidified, but the non-irradiated part is not cured and remains liquid. The uncured resin can be recovered by scraping with a recovery machine in a subsequent process.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating step (a) in the manufacturing method of the present embodiment. In the step (a), the cover film 24 is formed on the lower hard plate 14 placed on the lifting mechanism 32 and the dam member 29 arranged around the lower hard plate 14 and having a gap d. Is a step of closely adhering. In addition, the negative film 23 which shapes the relief part of a letterpress can be previously arrange | positioned between the lower hard board 14 and the cover film 23. FIG.

  Here, the dam member 29 is a frame member disposed around the lower hard plate 14, and the material is not particularly limited, but even if the upper hard plate 11 is placed, a hard material that hardly changes in shape due to its own weight, For example, metals, non-ferrous metals, resin molding materials and the like are preferable. Note that the surface of the dam member 29 that contacts the cover film 24 is a member whose surface is processed or processed as smoothly as possible to prevent the cover film 24 from being broken. It is preferable that the material is surface-treated so as to suppress generation. Since the dam member 29 itself is a frame member, the lower hard plate 14 is arranged in the dam member 29 by arranging the dam member 29 around the lower hard plate 14. In the present embodiment, the cover film 24 is disposed on the upper surfaces of the lower hard plate 14 and the dam member 29. The gap d between the side surface of the dam member 29 and the side surface of the lower hard plate 14 forms a recess in the cover film 24, and when the liquid photosensitive resin is applied in the recess, the liquid photosensitive resin The influence of the sagging of the cover film 24 due to its own weight, specifically, the viewpoint of suppressing the liquid photosensitive resin applied in the recesses from flowing out of the molding range without maintaining the shape of the recesses, and around the device In consideration of workability, a gap of 200 mm or less is preferable and a gap of 5 mm or less is more preferable from the viewpoint of minimizing the size of the apparatus itself.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the lower hard plate 14 and the dam member 29 preferably have grooves 36 and 35 on their upper surfaces, respectively. By evacuating the air by means of vacuum means or the like through the grooves 36 and 35, the position of the cover film 24 is adjusted by supplying air as necessary, and then the evacuation is further performed. The lower hard plate 14 and the weir member 29 can be brought into close contact with each other without wrinkles. In addition, although FIG. 3 demonstrated the process (a) in this embodiment by the structure which formed the grooves 36 and 35 in the upper surface of the lower hard board 14 and the dam member 29, in this invention, the position of a groove | channel is lower hard. The upper surfaces of the plate 14 and the dam member 29 are not limited. If the cover film 24 is in close contact with the lower hard plate 14 and the dam member 29, the position of the groove in the lower hard plate 14 and the dam member 29 is not limited. Good.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating step (b) in the manufacturing method of the present embodiment. The step (b) is a step of forming a recess by the cover film 24 by moving the lower hard plate 14 and / or the dam member 29 upward or downward by an elevating mechanism described later. Specifically, the lower rigid plate 14 is moved downward by an elevating mechanism, which will be described later, or the weir member 29 is moved upward, and the concave portion for receiving the liquid photosensitive resin is constituted by the cover film 24 alone. In this step (b), the lower hard plate 14 may be moved downward, and the weir member 29 may be simultaneously moved upward to form a recess by the cover film 24. Further, when the lower hard plate 14 and / or the dam member 29 is moved by the lifting mechanism, the cover film 24 can be brought into close contact with the lower hard plate 14 and the dam member 29 while maintaining the vacuum via the grooves 35 and 36. From the viewpoint of positioning of the letterpress produced, it is preferable.

  Here, in the step (b), the distance between the upper surface of the lower hard plate 14 and the upper surface of the dam member 29 corresponds to the depth of the concave portion formed by the cover film 24 and is finally produced by curing by exposure. This distance is approximately equivalent to the thickness of the relief printing plate. Therefore, the distance between the upper surface of the lower hard plate 14 and the upper surface of the dam member 29 is preferably in the range of 1 to 10 mm, more preferably in the range of 1.0 to 9.0 mm.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating step (c) in the manufacturing method of the present embodiment. Step (c) is a step of applying the liquid photosensitive resin 25 to the inside of the concave portion formed by the cover film 24 formed in the preceding step (b). Specific examples of the liquid photosensitive resin used here are not limited to the following, but are liquid tourism composed of the above-mentioned oligomer or polymer component, polymerizable monomer component, photoinitiator and stabilizer. Examples thereof include resins. Note that when applying the liquid photosensitive resin, the cover film 24 is brought into close contact with the lower hard plate 14 and the dam member 29 while maintaining a vacuum through the grooves 35 and 36, from the viewpoint of positioning of the manufactured relief printing plate. To preferred.

  The application method of the liquid photosensitive resin 25 in this embodiment is not particularly limited, but the carriage 18 provided in the exposure apparatus as illustrated in FIG. 1 is moved left and right on the lower hard plate 14. At this time, the liquid photosensitive resin coating bucket 17 is preferably applied to the inside of the recess formed by the cover film 24. In addition, since the thickness of the resin layer itself when applying the liquid photosensitive resin 25 corresponds to the depth of the concave portion by the cover film 24 described above, the range of 1 to 10 mm is preferable, and more preferably 1.0 to The range is 9.0 mm.

  Moreover, the process (d) in the manufacturing method of this embodiment is a process of laminating | stacking the base film 26 which is a 2nd film layer on the above-mentioned liquid photosensitive resin 25 (refer FIG. 5). The method of laminating the base film 26 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to supply the base film 26 onto the liquid photosensitive resin 25 by the base film setting unit 16 as illustrated in FIG. Similarly to the steps (b) and (c), when the base film 26 is laminated, the cover film 24 may be brought into close contact with the lower hard plate 14 and the dam member 29 while maintaining a vacuum through the grooves 35 and 36. From the viewpoint of positioning of the letterpress produced, it is preferable. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 5, when the base film 26 is laminated on the liquid photosensitive resin 25, it is preferably pressed by a rotating roller. In the preferred embodiment, it is preferable to supply the base film 26 from the base film set portion 16 onto the liquid photosensitive resin 25 almost simultaneously with the application of the liquid photosensitive resin 25 on the lower hard plate 14.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the molding and exposure steps in the present embodiment. From the upper side of the liquid photosensitive resin layer 25 applied on the lower hard plate 14 as described above, the upper hard plate 13 is disposed together with the mask negative film 27. While holding the vacuum through the grooves 36 and 35 in the lower hard plate 14 and the dam member 29, the cover film 24 is brought into close contact with the lower hard plate 14 and the dam member 29, and the mask negative film 27 and the upper hard plate 13 are liquid-sensitive. Is laminated on the conductive resin layer 25 and compressed. After that, actinic rays from the upper light source 11 are irradiated through the upper hard plate 13 to perform masking exposure for forming the base of the relief portion of the printing plate to be manufactured. Next, in order to form an image of a relief part, relief exposure is performed by irradiating an actinic ray from the lower light source 12 through the negative film 23 on the lower hard plate 14, and the molding and exposure process is completed. The upper and lower light sources 11 and 12 used in the present embodiment are not limited to the following, but a light source that emits ultraviolet rays or the like, which is an example of actinic rays, is preferable. Specific examples of the light source include a high-pressure mercury lamp, an ultraviolet fluorescent lamp, a metal halide lamp, and a UV-LED. The light applied to the liquid photosensitive resin preferably has a wavelength of 300 to 400 nm.

  After the exposure, after removing the upper hard plate 13 and the mask negative film 27, air is supplied to the grooves 35, 36, and the cover film 24 that has been in vacuum contact with the lower hard plate 14 and the dam member 29 is removed. A laminate composed of the cover film 24, the liquid photosensitive resin 25, and the base film 26, that is, the manufactured relief printing plate is taken out from the apparatus. In a subsequent process, the cover film 24 is peeled off from the manufactured plate, and the resin adhering to the cover film 24 and the uncured resin on the relief surface not irradiated with active light are removed with a rubber blade or the like. In order to completely remove the uncured resin from the plate surface, a suitable detergent, for example, developer W-10 (trademark, manufactured by Asahi Kasei Chemicals Co., Ltd., anionic surfactant aqueous solution) 1.5 wt%, surface treatment agent A- 0.5 wt% of 10 (trademark, manufactured by Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corporation, benzophenone-containing nonionic surfactant aqueous solution), and 0.4% of antifoaming agent SH-4 (trademark, manufactured by Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corporation, silicon-based antifoaming agent). The plate surface is washed out with an aqueous solution containing 3 wt% and developed. After post-exposure and drying treatment, a liquid photosensitive resin relief plate is obtained.

Next, the manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment that can implement the manufacturing method of this embodiment will be described in detail.
The manufacturing apparatus in this embodiment is a manufacturing apparatus of a letterpress plate that is exposed after sandwiching a liquid photosensitive resin between a lower hard plate and an upper hard plate facing the lower hard plate, and transmits actinic rays, A lower hard plate having a groove, an upper hard plate disposed at a position facing the lower hard plate, and around the lower hard plate with a predetermined gap between the lower hard plate, A dam member having a second groove, and an elevating mechanism for moving the lower hard plate and / or the dam member. FIG. 7 shows a schematic exploded view of a main part of an exposure apparatus for carrying out the manufacturing method of the present embodiment. As illustrated in the configuration of FIG. 7, the exposure apparatus 100 used in the present embodiment includes two upper hard plates 13 and a lower hard plate 14 that are opposed to each other in the vertical direction of the exposure apparatus 100, and a lower portion disposed on the lower side. On the hard plate 14, the dam member 29, the negative film 23, the cover film 24, the liquid photosensitive resin 25, the base film 26, and the mask negative film 27 are laminated in this order and sandwiched between the upper hard plates 13 arranged on the upper side, After compression, exposure is performed. Of the upper and lower hard plates used in this embodiment, the upper hard plate 13 does not necessarily need to transmit actinic rays, but both the upper and lower hard plates 13 and 14 are plate members that transmit actinic rays. preferable. The exposure may be performed in a state of being sandwiched between upper hard plates, or after being compressed by sandwiching between upper hard plates and smoothing the surface, the resin in the recesses is exposed without being sandwiched between the upper hard plate and the lower hard plate. May be.

  The dam member 29 used in the present embodiment is arranged around the lower hard plate 14 with a gap from the lower hard plate 14. This gap is between the weir member 29 and the lower hard plate 14, and the sides adjacent to each other are arranged with a certain gap (corresponding to d in FIG. 3 described above). Although not illustrated in FIG. 7, the exposure apparatus 100 used in the present embodiment includes the cover film storage unit, the base film set unit, the liquid photosensitive resin coating bucket, and the carriage shown in FIG.

  FIG. 8 illustrates the relationship between the lower hard plate 14 and the dam member 29 and the lifting mechanism 32 that controls the operation of the lower hard plate 14 and the dam member 29 provided in the exposure apparatus 100 used in the present embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view. Either or both of the lower hard plate 14 and the dam member 29 in the present embodiment have an elevating mechanism 32, and the positional relationship between the lower hard plate 14 and the dam member 29 is arbitrarily adjusted by the control of the elevating mechanism 32. it can. Specifically, the lower rigid plate 14 can be disposed above the dam member 29 by the action of the elevating mechanism 32, or the dam member 29 can be disposed above the lower hard plate 14. . Using such a positional relationship between the lower hard plate 14 and the weir member 29, the cover film 24 disposed on the lower hard plate 14 forms a recess capable of storing the liquid photosensitive resin, and the depth of the recess. It is also possible to adjust the height arbitrarily. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the lifting mechanism used in the present embodiment is a so-called sheet pile type that continuously and variably controls the amount by which the lower hard plate 14 and / or the weir member 29 is moved upward or downward. Although it is preferable from the point which can be performed, it is not limited to the shape of the raising / lowering mechanism illustrated in FIG. As a method of continuously moving the lower hard plate 14 and / or the dam member 29 upward or downward, a method using a ball screw can be used in addition to the sheet pile type. In addition, as a means for variably controlling the moving amount of lifting, there is generally known a method of using a driving device such as a stepping motor or a servo motor with a built-in encoder and a driver device that drives and controls them. The most common method is a feedback control system that takes a pulse signal from an encoder, calculates it, and rotates the motor by an amount desired to be moved up and down.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic view for explaining the relationship between the lower hard plate 14 and the weir member 29 in the exposure apparatus 100 used in the present embodiment. Both the lower hard plate 14 and the dam member 29 used in the present embodiment have grooves 35 and 36 on the upper surface thereof. In order to bring the lower hard plate 14 and the cover film 24 disposed on the upper surface of the dam member 29 into close contact with each other from the grooves 35 and 36, the groove 35 formed in the dam member 29 and the groove 36 formed in the lower hard plate 14. Then, air is exhausted by means such as vacuum. 9 illustrates the configuration in which grooves are formed on the top surfaces of the dam member 29 and the lower hard plate 14, but in the present embodiment, the cover film 24 is not limited to such a configuration, and the cover film 24 is not limited to this configuration. As long as the groove can be brought into close contact with the plate 14, the position where the groove is formed is not limited, and the groove on the side surfaces of the dam member 29 and the lower hard plate 14 may be formed.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional perspective view when the cover film 14 is laminated so that the entire surfaces of both the lower hard plate 14 and the dam member 29 are covered. As described with reference to FIG. 9, the cover film 14 is brought into close contact with the lower hard plate 14 and the dam member 29 by exhausting through the grooves 36 and 35 formed in the lower hard plate 14 and the dam member 29. Can do. Thereafter, the lifting mechanism 32 used in the description of the schematic diagram of FIG. 8 moves the lower hard plate 14 downward while maintaining the position of the weir member 29, or keeps the position of the lower hard plate 14 while maintaining the position of the lower hard plate 14. By moving the member 29 upward, a recess formed by the cover film 14 is formed. Alternatively, the lower hard plate 14 and the weir member 29 are moved simultaneously by the lifting mechanism 32, thereby forming a recess by the cover film 14. In this way, the depth of the recess formed by the cover film 24 can be arbitrarily adjusted by adjusting the amount of elevation of the lower hard plate 14 and the weir member 29.

  In addition, it is preferable that a groove for exhausting air by means of vacuum or the like is also formed in the lower hard plate 14 on the surface of the upper hard plate 13 facing the lower hard plate 14. This is an upper and lower hard plate that removes air pockets remaining on the contact boundary surface between the base film 26 and the upper hard plate 13 when the laminate including the liquid photosensitive resin is sandwiched between the base film and the base film. This is for adsorbing and fixing to the upper hard plate 13 so that the position of the base plate 26 is not displaced, and in consideration of the difference in the size of the base film 26 and the permissible shift amount of the position laminated on the liquid photosensitive resin 25. If it is a groove | channel which can adsorb and fix the film 26 to the upper hard board 13, the shape of the groove | channel and the position which forms a groove | channel will not be limited, The said groove | channel is divided | segmented in the center, for example, the shape where the U-shape faced It doesn't matter.

  Next, the liquid photosensitive resin relief plate formed to have a desired thickness is applied to the inside of the concave portion by the cover film 24 thus formed by applying a liquid photosensitive resin to a thickness substantially equal to the depth of the concave portion. Can be manufactured. The liquid resin can be prevented from flowing out by applying an appropriate amount of the liquid photosensitive resin to the inside of the cover film 24 in which the recess is formed so as not to exceed the depth of the recess. In this way, it is not necessary to use the dam material 30 that has been formed by pasting on the cover film 24 conventionally.

  In forming the depth of the recess, the difference in height between the upper surface of the lower hard plate 14 disposed in the lower portion and the upper surface of the dam member 29 formed in the periphery is uniform. Is an important factor for determining. If the difference in height is local or has a gentle tendency, a plate having a uniform surface structure, that is, a plate having a stable plate thickness cannot be produced by the flow of the applied liquid photosensitive resin. Therefore, the difference in height between the upper surface of the lower hard plate 14 and the upper surface of the dam member 29 needs to maintain positional accuracy that is not affected by the resin flow over the entire surface. If the depth of the recess is arbitrarily changed while maintaining this positional accuracy, it can move uniformly over the entire surface of the lower hard plate 14 or the weir member 29 to be raised and lowered, and is equal to the plate thickness to be obtained. An elevating mechanism that can be completely held at a position where the depth of the recess is formed is preferable.

  Further, as a structural consideration, the upper surface of the lower hard plate 14 and the weir are formed even when compressed by the upper hard plate 13 disposed on the upper side after the liquid photosensitive resin is applied to the inside by forming a concave portion with the cover film 24. A structure in which the difference in height from the upper surface of the member 29 does not change is also necessary.

  The height accuracy of the lifting mechanism for forming the recess will be described. In general, if a relief plate having a typical plate thickness of 2.84 mm or the like is to be manufactured as a thin plate, the required plate thickness is in units of 1/100 mm, so the depth accuracy of the recesses is also in units of 1/100 mm. Need to guarantee. Therefore, in forming the recess, a mechanism in which the lower hard plate 14 and / or the entire weir member 29 formed around the lower plate 14 can be moved up and down in units of 1/100 mm and the height does not easily change while maintaining accuracy. It is preferable to have.

  In the case of forming the recesses in the cover film 24, it is important that the preferable film properties are not only flexible but also have excellent tear strength and do not break easily. Further, it is necessary that the actinic light necessary for exposure is efficiently transmitted and that the property change is small even when the actinic light is irradiated. Therefore, examples of the material of the cover film 24 suitable for forming the recess include PP (polypropylene), PE (polyethylene), and PET (polyethylene terephthalate). As thickness when using these as the cover film 24, 10-30 micrometers is preferable. It is preferable that the cover film 24 has a thickness accuracy of at least several μm and does not affect the plate thickness accuracy even if the liquid photosensitive resin 25 is applied on the cover film 24 and exposed and cured.

  In forming a recess having an arbitrary depth with the cover film 24, first, as described above, first, the cover film 24 is laminated so as to cover the entire upper surface of the lower hard plate 14 and the dam member 29 disposed around the lower hard plate 14. Then, the cover film 24 is brought into close contact with the entire surface of the lower hard plate 14. Next, the procedure of lowering the lower hard plate 14 by the elevating mechanism 32 or raising the dam member 29 formed around the lower hard plate 14 to lift the entire periphery of the cover film 24 to form the concave portion is the present embodiment. Is the most effective.

  As a means for bringing the cover film 24 into close contact with the entire surface of the lower hard plate 14, an air layer existing at the contact boundary between the surface of the lower hard plate 14 and the cover film 24 is exhausted by means such as vacuum. As in the prior art, in order to manufacture a liquid photosensitive resin relief plate, a negative film 23 and a cover film 24 are laminated on the upper surface of the lower hard plate 14, and in this embodiment, grooves formed on the upper surface of the lower hard plate 14. By evacuating from 35, the negative film 23 is sandwiched between the lower hard plate 14 and the cover film 24 so as to be intimately fixed, and image blurring important for plate formation is prevented. The means for evacuating from the upper surface of the lower hard plate 14 is not particularly limited. By evacuating from the groove 35 on the upper surface of the lower hard plate 14, the bottom surface of the recess when the recess is formed with the cover film 24 is planarized with high accuracy while satisfying the original purpose of closely attaching the negative film 23. An accurate bottom surface can be obtained that follows the surface of the lower hard plate 14 formed.

  As a means for bringing the cover film 24 into close contact with the lower hard plate 14, a vacuum pump or the like is mainly used. However, the vacuum does not easily peel off after vacuum contact and does not break the cover film 24 due to over-adhesion. Should be pressure. The vacuum pressure in the present embodiment is preferably in the range of 350 to 450 Torr. Also, once exhausting to the ultimate vacuum pressure of the vacuum pump is completed, a recess is formed, a liquid photosensitive resin is applied to the inside of the recess, the resin is compression-molded with the upper hard plate 13, and actinic rays are irradiated. Thus, it is preferable to use a vacuum pump that keeps the reached vacuum pressure and does not lower the pressure until the liquid photosensitive resin is exposed and cured. Since the exhaust capacity varies depending on the size of the plate to be manufactured and the system / length of the exhaust pipe, it is necessary to calculate an appropriate capacity.

  Next, the vacuum groove 35 for adsorbing the cover film 24 formed on the dam member 29 will be described. In the present embodiment, the structure allows exhaust and supply from the upper surface or side surface of the dam member 29 disposed around the lower hard plate 14. When the cover film 24 is vacuum-sucked to the dam member 29 by exhausting from the groove 35 and the cover film 24 is formed in the recess, the side surface and upper periphery of the cover film 24 that has become the recess are fixed, and the recess This is for maintaining the shape. It should be noted that when an attempt is made to form a two-dimensional flat cover film 24 having almost no elasticity in a three-dimensional recess with a constant bottom area, an excess area is always generated as the depth of the recess increases, The cover film 24 generates sagging and wrinkles, making it impossible to form a well-formed recess. In order to alleviate this state, it is preferable that the groove 35 formed in the dam member 29 is not structured to adsorb and fix the entire circumference around the side surface of the cover film 24 or the entire circumference around the upper part. This is because, for example, when the flat cover film 24 is to be formed in a concave portion having a rectangular bottom surface, wrinkles starting from the apexes of the squares are generated. In order to eliminate the folds from folds intensively, it is only necessary to secure a free relief for the excess area generated at the corners. It is preferable to disperse wrinkles generated in the surplus area by not forming the grooves 35 in the weir member 29 and not vacuum-adsorbing the cover film 24 that becomes the corners of the recesses.

  Thus, the vacuum pressure when air is exhausted through the grooves 36 and 35 formed in the lower hard plate 14 and the weir member 29 can be appropriately selected. Specifically, the vacuum pressure when air is exhausted through the groove 36 can be the same as the vacuum pressure when air is exhausted through the groove 35, or the vacuum in both the grooves 36 and 35 can be set. It is also possible to exhaust air with a difference in pressure. The conditions of the vacuum pressure can be appropriately changed by those skilled in the art.

  From the above description, in the present invention, it can be expected that the average plate thickness variation for each plate that has fluctuated by at least 2/100 mm or more when the plate is continuously manufactured can be reduced. This is because, until now, every time one plate was made, the dam material was manually attached and fixed, so the frame-like dimension formed by this dam material was substantially the same every time the plate was made. They were different and could not have the same dimensions for each version. Therefore, the internal volume of the dam formed in a frame shape differs from plate to plate, and the mass balance with the amount of resin applied to the inside does not always have the same ratio. It has become one of the. On the other hand, according to this embodiment, by using a frame-like dam with fixed vertical and horizontal dimensions, the volume of the concave portion of the cover film formed by the dam becomes substantially invariable every plate. Therefore, by fixing the dimensions of the weir so as to be a dimension commensurate with the range in which the liquid photosensitive resin is applied, the mass balance between the volume of the recess formed by the cover film and the amount of resin applied in the recess is It can be expected that the plate thickness accuracy will be always stable with the same ratio. Furthermore, because the plate thickness accuracy is stable, it does not take time to adjust the amount of ink applied to the plate and the amount of ink transferred to the substrate, which is required every time the plate is replaced on the printing drum. This reduces the work burden at the printing site and contributes to the improvement of printing productivity.

  This application is based on a Japanese patent application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-149107) filed with the Japan Patent Office on June 5, 2007, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

  According to the present invention, in the liquid photosensitive resin plate manufacturing apparatus, the cover film is formed in the recess having an arbitrary depth, for example, regardless of the plate thickness in the range of 1.7 to 8.0 mm. There is no need to use a dam material on the cover film every time one plate is manufactured. As a result, only the uncured resin is attached to the cover film surface, and the uncured resin can be scraped and recovered almost entirely and reused. Furthermore, the stabilization of the plate thickness accuracy can reduce the amount of trial printing required for adjustment at the printing site. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of materials used and the amount of waste generated at both the site where the liquid photosensitive resin letterpress is manufactured and the site where printing is performed using this letterpress, and the liquid photosensitive resin is less likely to pollute the environment. It is possible to spread the version.

Claims (11)

A laminate comprising a first film layer, a liquid photosensitive resin layer, and a second film layer is sandwiched between a lower hard plate and an upper hard plate, and then exposed to a relief printing method,
(A) A step of bringing the first film layer into close contact with the lower hard plate and a dam member disposed around the lower hard plate so as to have a gap between the lower hard plate and the lower hard plate. When,
(B) a step of forming a recess with the first film layer by moving the lower hard plate and / or the weir member upward or downward;
(C) applying a liquid photosensitive resin to the inside of the recess by the first film layer;
(D) laminating a second film layer on the liquid photosensitive resin;
A method for producing a relief printing plate comprising:   The method for producing a relief printing plate according to claim 1, wherein the adhesion in the step (a) is performed by vacuum through the first groove formed in the lower hard plate.   The method for producing a relief printing plate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the adhesion in the step (a) is further performed by vacuum through a second groove formed in the dam member.   In the step (b), the lower hard plate and / or the dam member is moved so that the distance between the upper surface of the lower hard plate and the upper surface of the dam member is in the range of 1 to 10 mm. 4. The method for producing a relief printing plate according to any one of 3 above.   The method for producing a relief printing plate according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein in the step (b), the amount of movement of the lower hard plate and / or the weir member upward or downward is continuously variably controlled. .   In the said (c) process, the manufacturing method of the relief printing as described in any one of Claims 1-5 which apply | coats liquid photosensitive resin in the range of thickness 1-10mm. An apparatus for producing a relief printing plate that is exposed after sandwiching a liquid photosensitive resin with a lower hard plate and an upper hard plate facing the lower hard plate,
A lower rigid plate that transmits actinic rays and has a first groove;
An upper hard plate disposed at a position facing the lower hard plate;
A dam member disposed around the lower hard plate with a predetermined gap from the lower hard plate, and having a second groove;
An elevating mechanism for moving the lower hard plate and / or the weir member;
An apparatus for producing letterpress.   7. The relief plate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the elevating mechanism can be arbitrarily changed so that the upper surface of the dam member is higher than the upper surface of the lower hard plate in a range of 0 to 10 mm.   The letterpress manufacturing apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the elevating mechanism can continuously and variably control the height of the upper surface of the dam member and the upper surface of the lower hard plate.   The relief plate manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein a side surface of the weir member and a side surface of the lower hard plate are disposed with the gap being 200 mm or less.   The first groove is formed on an upper surface or a side surface of the lower hard plate, and the second groove is formed on an upper surface or a side surface of the weir member, and air is exhausted from the first and second grooves. The relief plate manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 10, which is configured to supply air.

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