Effect of the Common Solvents on UV-Modified Photopolymer and EPDM Flexographic Printing Plates and Printed Ink Films
Source abstract
Abstract
The aim of this research was to analyze the influence of the solvents commonly used in flexography on photopolymer and ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) flexographic printing plates and prints. EPDM plates are recommended when the reproduction process includes a higher amount of the solvents or aggressive solvents. Since additional UV treatment of flexographic printing plates could decrease the interaction between the plate and solvent, photopolymer and EPDM plates were treated with varied UV radiation and exposed to different types of solvents. Effects of the UV treatment and of the solvents on printing plate properties and on prints were analyzed. Results show that EPDM plates are more resistant to solvents in terms of the degree of swelling; however, surface properties of the plates were affected for both plate materials. In addition, the degree of swelling and increased hardness due to UV radiation were crucial for changes of the width of printed lines, and altered surface free energy affected the thickness of deposited ink film for both plate materials. Therefore, depending on the qualitative requirements of specific printed film, the duration of UV treatment can be adjusted for use with specific types of printing plate and solvent.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Nanomaterials and Printing Technologies · Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies · Nanofabrication and Lithography Techniques
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Faculty of Graphic Arts, University of Zagreb, Getaldićeva 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Faculty of Natural Science and Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva cesta 12, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
References (65)
Show source-provided references
1. Sun, J., Cui, B., Chu, F., Yun, C., He, M., Li, L., and Song, Y. (2018). Printable nanomaterials for the fabrication of high-performance supercapacitors. Nanomaterials, 8.10.3390/nano8070528 ↗
2. Sun, J., Yun, C., Cui, B., Li, P., Liu, G., Wang, X., and Chu, F. (2018). A Facile Approach for Fabricating Microstructured Surface Based on Etched Template by Inkjet Printing Technology. Polymers, 10.10.3390/polym10111209 ↗
3. Bodwell, R., and Scharfenberg, J. (2020, February 03). Advancing Flexography: The Technical Path Forward. Available online: http://www.intermarketcorp.com/images/business/PosWhitePaper4-11.pdf.
4. Flexography Printing for Organic Thin Film Transistors10.1016/j.matpr.2018.05.050 ↗
5. Evaluation of Flexographic Printing Technology for Multi-Busbar Solar Cells10.1016/j.egypro.2015.03.296 ↗
6. Custom tailoring of conductive ink/substrate properties for increased thin film deposition of poly(dimethylsiloxane) films10.1007/s10854-018-9108-y ↗
7. Flexographic printing of polycarbazole-based inverted solar cells10.1016/j.orgel.2017.10.016 ↗
8. Rentzhog, M. (2006). Water-Based Flexographic Printing on Polymer-Coated Board. [Ph.D. Thesis, Royal Institute of Technology].
9. Izdebska, J., and Sabu, T. (2015). Printing on Polymers: Fundamentals and Applications, Elsevier.10.1016/B978-0-323-37468-2.00001-4 ↗
10. Printing Technologies on Flexible Substrates for Printed Electronics
11. Gravure printed ultrathin layers of small-molecule semiconductors on glass10.2352/J.ImagingSci.Technol.2011.55.4.040201 ↗
12. Investigation on electrostatic assist and gravure process parameters on solid mottle reduction for shrink films10.1007/s11998-015-9753-5 ↗
13. High-resolution patterning of graphene by screen printing with a silicon stencil for highly flexible printed electronics10.1002/adma.201404133 ↗
14. Ultraviolet-induced aging of flexographic printing plates studied by thermal and structural analysis methods10.1002/app.29525 ↗
15. Todd, R.E. (1994). Printing Inks: Formulation Principles, Manufacture and Quality Control Testing Procedures, Pira International.
16. Speirs, H.M. (2003). Introduction to Printing and Finishing, British Printing Industries Federation and Pira International. ISBN 10: 1858029066; ISBN 13: 9781858029061.
17. Cusdin, G. (1999). Flexography: Principles & Practices, Foundation of Flexographic Technical Association. [5th ed.].
18. Hamblyn, A. (2015). Effect of Plate Characteristics on Ink Transfer in Flexographic Printing. [Ph.D. Thesis, Swansea University].
19. Thompson, B. (1998). Printing Materials: Science and Technology (Pira Printing Guide Series), Pira International.
20. Correlations between properties of water-based flexographic inks and their print uniformity on PE-coated board10.3183/npprj-2006-21-03-p403-410 ↗
21. Flexographic ink-coating interactions - Effects of porous structure variations of coated paperboard10.3183/npprj-2013-28-04-p573-581 ↗
22. Bimodal particle size distribution polymer/oligomer combinations for printing ink applications10.1016/S0300-9440(99)00074-0 ↗
23. Enhancement of flexographic print quality on bleached kraft liner using nano-silica from rice husk10.1016/j.porgcoat.2015.06.008 ↗
24. INTERGRAF (International Confederation for Printing and Allied Industries) (2020, February 03). Flexography and Packaging Gravure. Available online: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/archives/air/stationary/solvents/activities/pdf/155_en.pdf.
25. Mantis, D., and Dfh, D. (2020, February 03). Solvent Based Printing Inks. Available online: https://ocp.teiath.gr › TGT_UNDER100 › Παρουσιάσεις.
26. Jenkins, J. (1985). The Effects of Common Solvents on Different Types of Flexographic Printing Plates. [Ph.D. Thesis, Rochester Institute of Technology].
27. Meeting the quality requirements in the flexographic plate making process
28. Foundation of Flexographic Technical Association (2003). FIRST, Flexographic Image Reproduction Specifications & Tolerance, Foundation of Flexographic Technical Association. [3rd ed.].
29. Johnson, J. (2008). Aspects of Flexographic Print Quality and Relationship to Some Printing Parameters, Karlstad University.
30. The effect of surface properties on the printability of flexographic printing plates
31. Formation of the printing elements in the photopolymer material used in flexography
32. UVA and UVC modification of photo polymeric surface and application for flexographic deposition of thin coatings10.1002/app.43526 ↗
33. Tailoring the properties of deposited thin coating and print features in flexography by application of UV-ozone treatment10.1007/s11998-016-9794-4 ↗
34. (2020, February 03). Flint Group, nyloflex® ACE Digital. Available online: https://www.flintgrp.com/media/1296/nyloflex_ace_en.pdf.
35. Knöll, R. (2003). Photopolymerizable Flexographic Printing Elements Comprising SIS/SBS Mixtures as Binder for the Production of Flexographic Printing Plates. (6,531,263), U.S. Patent.
36. The effect of monomer structure on oxygen inhibition of (meth)acrylates photopolymerization10.1016/j.polymer.2004.06.060 ↗
37. Cushner, S., Fan, R.N., Leberzammer, E., Shea, P.T., and Zoeren, C.M. (1998). Van Laser Engravable Single-Layer Flexographic Printing Element. (5,798,202), U.S. Patent.
38. Burberry, M.S., Tutt, L.W., and Rowley, L.A. (2015). System for Direct Engraving of Flexographic Printing Members. (8,941,028), U.S. Patent.
39. (2020, February 03). The New Conti Laserline Flexographic Printing Plate. Available online: https://www.conti-laserline.com/pages/produkte/know-how/digital/digital_en.html.
40. (2020, February 03). Birkan Laser Engraved Elastomer Printing Plates. Available online: https://www.birkan.de/pdf/en/BIRKAN_Laser-engraved-elastomer-printing-plates_en.pdf.
41. Mogg, B.T., Claypole, T., Deganello, D., and Phillips, C. (2016). Flexographic printing of ultra-thin semiconductor polymer layers. Transl. Mater. Res.10.1088/2053-1613/3/1/015001 ↗
42. (2020, February 03). Aktiprint L - Technigraf. Available online: http://en.technigraf.de/portfolio/aktiprint-l/.
43. Tomašegović, T. (2016). Functional Model of Photopolymer Printing Plate. [Ph.D. Thesis, University of Zagreb Faculty of Graphic Arts].
44. National Center for Biotechnology Information (2020, February 03). 1-Methoxy-2-propanol, CID=7900, Available online: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/1-Methoxy-2-propanol.
45. National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Database (2020, February 03). Isopropyl Alcohol, CID=3776, Available online: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Isopropyl-alcohol.
46. Hansen, C.M. (2007). Hansen Solubility Parameters: A User’s Handbook, CRC Press. [2nd ed.].10.1201/9781420006834 ↗
47. Study on the gravimetric measurement of the swelling behaviors of polymer films
48. (2020, February 03). ISO 7619-1:2010 Rubber, Vulcanized or Thermoplastic—Determination of Indentation Hardness—Part 1: Durometer Method (Shore Hardness). Available online: https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:48:-4:ed-1:v1:en.
49. (2020, February 03). OCA Product Series. Available online: https://www.dataphysics-instruments.com/Downloads/OCA_EN.pdf?v=1.4.
50. Mittal, K.L. (1993). Contact Angle, Wettability and Adhesion, VSP.
51. Estimation of the surface free energy of polymers10.1002/app.1969.070130815 ↗
52. IGT Testing Systems Pte Ltd. (2020, February 03). IGT Printability Tester F1. Available online: http://www.igt.com.sg/products/details/igt-printability-tester-f1-f1-basic-f1-uv-f1-corrugated-f1-100.
53. (2020, February 03). User Manual. Coating Thickness Gauge. SaluTron© D4/D5. Available online: https://www.salutron.de/fileadmin/redakteure/dokumente/Instruction-manual-SaluTron-D4-5.pdf.
54. Poljaček, S.M., Tomašegović, T., and Gojo, M. (2012, January 15–16). Influence of UV exposure of the surface and mechanical properties of flexographic printing plate. Proceedings of the GRID 2012 Symposium, Novi Sad, Serbia.
55. Mechanical and swelling properties of thermoplastic elastomer blends10.1016/j.matdes.2009.07.059 ↗
56. Degradation of physical properties of different elastomers upon exposure to palm biodiesel10.1016/j.energy.2010.12.023 ↗
57. Neural network-based UV adjustment of the photopolymer surface for modification of coating properties printed in flexography
58. Effect of UV-irradiation on poly(vinyl chloride) modified by methyl methacrylate-butadiene-styrene copolymer10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2004.10.010 ↗
59. Investigation of different solvents in flexographic printing ink’s effects to print quality on coated and uncoated paper
60. Customization of flexographic printing plates related to uvc-induced changes in the crosslinking degree
61. The orientation of N-O=C and N-N hydrogen bonds in biological systems: How good is a point charge as a model for a hydrogen bonding atom?10.1023/A:1007923124523 ↗
62. Preparation and characterization of carbon powder paste ultramicroelectrodes as tips for scanning electrochemical microscopy applications10.1021/ac302349m ↗
63. Vasconcelos, G., Chagas, D.C., Campos, D.C., and Dias, A.N. (2012). Covering with carbon black and thermal treatment by a CO2 laser surfaces of AISI 4340 steel. Mater. Sci. Forum.10.5772/37640 ↗
64. Effects of carbon blacks with various structures on vulcanization and reinforcement of filled ethylene-propylene-diene rubber10.3144/expresspolymlett.2008.83 ↗
65. Deflorian, F., Fedrizzi, L., and Rossi, S. (1998). Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy of Natural and Accelerated Weathering of Organic Coatings. Corrosion.10.5006/1.3287635 ↗