Flexographic printing with curing during transfer to substrate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9579877-B2
Application number	US-201615092163-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 6, 2016
Priority date	Nov 15, 2006
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

Methods and systems for flexographic printing are described and include curing of material to be printed while the material is in contact with both a feature of a flexographic printing plate and a recipient substrate. The systems and method are useful in preventing slippage between the feature and the recipient substrate, and are particularly useful when printing at high resolution.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flexographic printing system comprising:
a donor substrate configured to receive a curable material;
a flexographic roll configured to attachably receive a flexographic printing plate comprising a feature, the feature including one or more raised projections, the flexographic roll positioned adjacent to the donor substrate and rotatable relative to the donor substrate to receive the curable material only on the one or more raised projections of the flexographic printing plate;
one or more backup rolls positioned relative to the flexographic roll such that movement of the one or more backup rolls relative to the flexographic roll is capable of causing a recipient substrate to move between the one or more backup rolls and the flexographic roll to allow the curable material to be transferred from the one or more raised projections to the recipient substrate; and
a first energy source for curing the material, the first energy source positioned to cause curing of the material while the material is in contact with both the feature and the recipient substrate.

2. A flexographic printing system according to claim 1 , wherein the first energy source is capable of emitting UV radiation to cure the material.

3. A flexographic printing system according to claim 1 , wherein the first energy source is positioned so that energy emitted from the energy source will penetrate the recipient substrate to cure the material while the material is in contact with both the feature and the recipient substrate.

4. A flexographic printing system according to claim 1 , further comprising a second energy source for precuring the material, the second energy source positioned to cause precuring of the material prior to transfer of the material from the feature to the recipient substrate.

5. A flexographic printing system according to claim 1 , further comprising a nitrogen infusion apparatus configured to introduce nitrogen at a location where material is transferred from the feature to the recipient substrate.

6. A flexographic printing system according to claim 1 , wherein the donor substrate is configured to receive a material comprising a solvent such that the material is disposed on the donor substrate.

7. A flexographic printing system according to claim 6 , further comprising a solvent removal apparatus capable of removing the solvent from the material disposed on the donor substrate to produce the curable material disposed on the donor substrate.

8. A flexographic printing system according to claim 1 , further comprising the flexographic printing plate.

9. A flexographic printing system according to claim 8 , wherein the feature comprises a lateral dimension of less than 15 μm.

10. A flexographic printing system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more backup rolls comprises first and second backup rolls that are positioned to have a portion of the recipient substrate therebetween to face the flexographic roll.

11. A flexographic printing system according to claim 10 , wherein the curable material is transferred from the one or more raised projections of the flexographic printing plate to the recipient substrate when the recipient substrate is between the first backup roller and the second back-up roller.

12. A flexographic printing system according to claim 1 , wherein the recipient substrate is a flexible recipient substrate.

Assignees

• 3M Innovative Properties Co

Inventors

• Pekurovsky Mikhail L

Classifications

• B41P2200/12

  Flexographic printing · CPC title

• B41F3/54 Primary

  Impression cylinders; Supports therefor · CPC title

• B41M7/009

  using thermal means, e.g. infrared radiation, heat · CPC title

• B41F23/04

  by heat drying, by cooling, by applying powders {(B41F23/005 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B41F23/0409

  Ultraviolet dryers · CPC title