EP1000768A2 - Fabrication d'un support pour plaque lithographique - Google Patents

Fabrication d'un support pour plaque lithographique Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1000768A2
EP1000768A2 EP99203681A EP99203681A EP1000768A2 EP 1000768 A2 EP1000768 A2 EP 1000768A2 EP 99203681 A EP99203681 A EP 99203681A EP 99203681 A EP99203681 A EP 99203681A EP 1000768 A2 EP1000768 A2 EP 1000768A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
substrate
treatment
aluminium
acid
applying
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP99203681A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP1000768B1 (fr
EP1000768A3 (fr
Inventor
Tu Vinh Chau
Felton Rudolph Mayers
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Agfa Gevaert NV
Original Assignee
Agfa Gevaert NV
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Agfa Gevaert NV filed Critical Agfa Gevaert NV
Publication of EP1000768A2 publication Critical patent/EP1000768A2/fr
Publication of EP1000768A3 publication Critical patent/EP1000768A3/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1000768B1 publication Critical patent/EP1000768B1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41N—PRINTING PLATES OR FOILS; MATERIALS FOR SURFACES USED IN PRINTING MACHINES FOR PRINTING, INKING, DAMPING, OR THE LIKE; PREPARING SUCH SURFACES FOR USE AND CONSERVING THEM
    • B41N3/00—Preparing for use and conserving printing surfaces
    • B41N3/03—Chemical or electrical pretreatment
    • B41N3/038—Treatment with a chromium compound, a silicon compound, a phophorus compound or a compound of a metal of group IVB; Hydrophilic coatings obtained by hydrolysis of organometallic compounds
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41N—PRINTING PLATES OR FOILS; MATERIALS FOR SURFACES USED IN PRINTING MACHINES FOR PRINTING, INKING, DAMPING, OR THE LIKE; PREPARING SUCH SURFACES FOR USE AND CONSERVING THEM
    • B41N3/00—Preparing for use and conserving printing surfaces
    • B41N3/03—Chemical or electrical pretreatment
    • B41N3/036—Chemical or electrical pretreatment characterised by the presence of a polymeric hydrophilic coating
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25D11/00—Electrolytic coating by surface reaction, i.e. forming conversion layers
    • C25D11/02—Anodisation
    • C25D11/04—Anodisation of aluminium or alloys based thereon
    • C25D11/16—Pretreatment, e.g. desmutting
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25D11/00—Electrolytic coating by surface reaction, i.e. forming conversion layers
    • C25D11/02—Anodisation
    • C25D11/04—Anodisation of aluminium or alloys based thereon
    • C25D11/18—After-treatment, e.g. pore-sealing
    • C25D11/20—Electrolytic after-treatment
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41N—PRINTING PLATES OR FOILS; MATERIALS FOR SURFACES USED IN PRINTING MACHINES FOR PRINTING, INKING, DAMPING, OR THE LIKE; PREPARING SUCH SURFACES FOR USE AND CONSERVING THEM
    • B41N3/00—Preparing for use and conserving printing surfaces
    • B41N3/03—Chemical or electrical pretreatment
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41N—PRINTING PLATES OR FOILS; MATERIALS FOR SURFACES USED IN PRINTING MACHINES FOR PRINTING, INKING, DAMPING, OR THE LIKE; PREPARING SUCH SURFACES FOR USE AND CONSERVING THEM
    • B41N3/00—Preparing for use and conserving printing surfaces
    • B41N3/03—Chemical or electrical pretreatment
    • B41N3/034—Chemical or electrical pretreatment characterised by the electrochemical treatment of the aluminum support, e.g. anodisation, electro-graining; Sealing of the anodised layer; Treatment of the anodic layer with inorganic compounds; Colouring of the anodic layer

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a method for the production of a metallic support for use as a substrate for a lithographic printing plate. More specifically, the invention provides a method for the surface treatment of a metallic sheet, most particularly an aluminium sheet, whereby a substrate having particularly favourable lithographic properties may be obtained.
  • aluminium substrates intended for use as support materials for lithographic printing plates and their precursors have generally been subjected to surface treatments prior to application of a light sensitive coating material. These treatments serve to improve the lithographic properties of the aluminium, in particular, its hydrophilicity. This is important during printing operations, since the basis of lithography is the ability of the lithographic plate to accept ink in image areas whilst rejecting ink and accepting water in background (non-image) areas, so that the printed image remains free from dirt and other contamination in said background areas.
  • the light-sensitive coating of a lithographic printing plate precursor is imagewise exposed to radiation in order to change the solubility characteristics of the coating in the radiation-struck areas. The soluble areas are subsequently dissolved away by treatment with a developing solution, to expose the aluminium surface which must be capable of rejecting ink and accepting water.
  • a typical surface treatment comprises an initial graining treatment, wherein the aluminium surface is roughened by either mechanical or electrochemical means, and a subsequent anodising treatment, by means of which a layer of aluminium oxide is formed on the surface of the aluminium.
  • Anodising treatments may, for example, be carried out by passing a grained aluminium web through a bath of a suitable anodising acid, such as sulphuric or phosphoric acid, or a mixture thereof, whilst an electric current flows through the anodising bath and the web serves as the anode.
  • post-anodic dip - is generally applied in order to improve specific lithographic printing properties of the substrate, such as clean up of background areas, coating adhesion or corrosion resistance, and will typically involve passing the aluminium through a solution, often an aqueous solution, of the chosen reagent.
  • aqueous solutions containing, for example, sodium carbonate or bicarbonate, poly(acrylic acid) or various aqueous-soluble copolymers.
  • Said metallic substrate may comprise any conducting metallic substrate but, most preferably, it comprises aluminium or an aluminium alloy containing small amounts of, for example, manganese, nickel, cobalt, zinc, iron, silicon or zirconium.
  • Said substrate is generally provided in the form of a continuous web or roll of metal or metal alloy.
  • said substrate is subjected to a degreasing treatment prior to said graining treatment.
  • Said degreasing treatment is most conveniently carried out by means of an aqueous alkaline solution.
  • said treatment involves passing said substrate through a bath containing a 5-20% w/v solution of, for example, sodium or potassium hydroxide.
  • said substrate is rinsed with water prior to further treatment.
  • Said treatment of said grained and anodised surface or surfaces with an aqueous solution comprising a copolymer of acrylic acid and vinylphosphonic acid is preferably carried out by immersing said substrate in an aqueous solution, preferably containing from 0.001% to 5.0% (w/w) (more preferably from 0.01% to 1.0%) of said copolymer at a preferred temperature of from 5° to 80°C (more preferably from 15° to 40°C) for a preferred dwell time of from 1 second to 60 minutes (more preferably from 15 seconds to 5 minutes) at a pH of between 0 and 13 (preferably from 1 to 5, and most preferably in the region of 3).
  • Said aqueous solution also preferably contains aluminium ions in an amount of from 0.1 to 50,000 ppm; said aluminium ions may be added to said aqueous solution in the form of any convenient aluminium salt or, in the case of an aluminium substrate, may be present as a result of dissolution from said substrate.
  • Said copolymer of acrylic acid and vinylphosphonic acid may be prepared by any of the standard polymerisation techniques known in the art, for example solution polymerisation, suspension polymerisation or emulsion polymerisation.
  • Copolymers which are suitable for use in the method of the present invention typically have a weight average molecular weight in the range of from 10000 to 100000, preferably from 30000 to 70000, and most preferably in the region of 50000; the ratio of acrylic acid units to vinylphosphonic acid units in the copolymers typically lies in the range of from 0.5:1 to 1.5:1, preferably from 0.85:1 to 1.30:1.
  • the application of the constant voltage or constant current is preferably realised by applying a constant d.c., pulsed d.c., a.c. (sine and square waveforms), biased a.c. or half wave 1-6 phases rectified a.c. voltage of from 0.1 to 1000 V (preferably from 1v to 100 V) across the treatment bath, using the substrate as one electrode and another electrical conductor, such as platinum, aluminium, carbon, stainless steel or mild steel as the other electrode.
  • the aluminium substrate may form the cathode and the other electrical conductor may provide the anode; preferably, however, the aluminium substrate forms the anode, with the other electrical conductor providing the cathode.
  • a surface film develops on said substrate, said film having a thickness of from 1 to 500 nm.
  • said surface film may be produced with a textured surface finish.
  • the graining treatment carried out in accordance with the method of the present invention may involve mechanical graining, wherein the surface of the substrate is subjected to mechanical forces which may, for example, be achieved by the use of a slurry of very small metal balls or via brush graining techniques.
  • electrochemical graining may be employed; said technique comprises passing a substrate through a solution of a mineral or organic acid, or a mixture thereof, such as a mixture of hydrochloric and acetic acids, whilst applying an electric current to the acid solution.
  • Typical graining conditions would involve the use of a bath of aqueous hydrochloric acid at a concentration of from 1-10 g/l and a temperature of 5-50°C, with a dwell time of from 1-60 seconds and an applied potential of from 1-40 V. The grained substrate is then rinsed with water prior to further processing.
  • said grained substrate is preferably subjected to a desmutting treatment in order to remove by-products formed during the course of said electrograining treatment, and deposited on the surface of the substrate.
  • a desmutting treatment in order to remove by-products formed during the course of said electrograining treatment, and deposited on the surface of the substrate.
  • the process involves treatment of the grained substrate with an aqueous acid or alkali according to the methods well known in the art.
  • the substrate is rinsed with water following desmutting.
  • the grained and optionally desmutted substrate is then subjected to an anodising treatment in order to provide an anodic film of aluminium oxide on the grained surface or surfaces of the substrate.
  • Anodising methods are well known in the art and typically involve passing the substrate through a bath containing an aqueous mineral acid, such as sulphuric, phosphoric, nitric, hydrofluoric or chromic acid, or an aqueous solution of an organic acid, for example oxalic, tartaric, citric, acetic or oleic acid, or a mixture of these acids, whilst applying an electric current to the anodising bath.
  • an aqueous mineral acid such as sulphuric, phosphoric, nitric, hydrofluoric or chromic acid
  • an organic acid for example oxalic, tartaric, citric, acetic or oleic acid, or a mixture of these acids
  • Typical anodising conditions would involve the use of a bath of sulphuric acid at a concentration of from 10 to 300 g/l, preferably in the region of 120 g/l, and a temperature in the range of from 20o-60o, preferably in the region of 40oC, with a dwell time of from 5 to 120 seconds, preferably around 40 seconds, an applied potential of from 10-25 V, preferably about 20 V, and a current density of from 1000-2000 A/m 2 , preferably in the region of 1400 A/m 2 .
  • the grained and anodised substrate is then rinsed with water prior to further processing.
  • the support provided by the method of the present invention may subsequently be coated with a light-sensitive coating to give a lithographic printing plate precursor.
  • coatings of the types well known to those skilled in the art may be applied for this purpose, for example, positive-working coatings incorporating quinone diazide derivatives, negative-working coatings incorporating diazo or azide resins or photocrosslinkable resins or silver halide based coatings.
  • the coatings may be applied by any of the standard coating techniques known to the skilled person, such as curtain coating, dip coating, meniscus coating, reverse roll coating, and the like.
  • the thus-obtained lithographic printing plate precursor may then be imagewise exposed and the non-image areas can be developed away to provide a lithographic printing plate which is subsequently used on a printing press to produce copies.
  • Lithographic printing plates produced from aluminium supports obtained by the method of the present invention show excellent abrasion resistance, corrosion resistance, staining resistance and scumming resistance, both on plate development and on press.
  • the surface film produced by the treatment according to the method of the present invention shows excellent coating adhesion in the image areas. Additionally, the plate exhibits very good exposure latitude and solvent resistance, and its overall properties are significantly improved when compared with a grained and anodised substrate which has been subjected to a prior art post-anodic dip treatment.
  • a conventionally degreased, grained, desmutted and anodised aluminium substrate was immersed for 120 seconds in a bath fitted with a carbon electrode, and containing an aqueous solution of a copolymer of acrylic acid and vinylphosphonic acid (1:1) (M w 50000) (10 g/l) at room temperature.
  • a constant d.c. voltage of 60 V was applied across the carbon electrode and the aluminium electrode which was formed by the aluminium substrate, the carbon electrode serving as the cathode and the aluminium electrode as the anode.
  • the resulting substrate was rinsed with water and coated with a solution of a naphthoquinone diazide photosensitive resin and a cresol novolak support resin in 2-methoxypropanol to produce a light-sensitive coating layer, and the coated substrate was baked at 130oC for 5 minutes.
  • the resulting lithographic printing plate precursor was imagewise exposed to UV light at 100-300 mJ/cm 2 and the non-image areas were developed away with an aqueous alkaline developer solution by immersion for 30 seconds at 20oC.
  • the resulting lithographic printing plate was rinsed with water and dried in a stream of cool air and subsequently produced 250,000 excellent quality copies on a Drent Web Offset press. The plate showed excellent resistance to abrasion, corrosion and staining/scumming, both during development and on press.
  • a conventionally degreased, grained, desmutted and anodised aluminium substrate was immersed for 10 seconds in a bath fitted with a carbon electrode, and containing an aqueous solution of a copolymer of acrylic acid and vinylphosphonic acid (1:1) (M w 50000) (10 g/l) at room temperature.
  • An a.c. voltage of 10 V was applied across the carbon electrode and the aluminium electrode which was formed by the aluminium substrate, the carbon electrode serving as the cathode and the aluminium electrode as the anode.
  • the resulting substrate was coated, baked, exposed and developed in exactly the same manner as described for Example 1 to provide a lithographic printing plate which produced 250,000 excellent quality copies on a Drent Web Offset press.
  • the plate showed excellent resistance to abrasion, corrosion and staining/scumming, both during development and on press.
  • a conventionally degreased, grained and desmutted aluminium substrate was immersed for 120 seconds in a bath fitted with a carbon electrode, and containing an aqueous solution of a copolymer of acrylic acid and vinylphosphonic acid (0.9:1) (M w 55000) (5 g/l) at room temperature.
  • a rectified a.c. voltage of 20 V was applied across the carbon electrode and the aluminium electrode which was formed by the aluminium substrate, the carbon electrode serving as the cathode and the aluminium electrode as the anode.
  • the resulting substrate was coated, baked, exposed and developed in exactly the same manner as described for Example 1 to provide a lithographic printing plate which produced 250,000 excellent quality copies on a Drent Web Offset press.
  • the plate showed excellent resistance to abrasion, corrosion, and staining/scumming, both during development and on press.

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Electrochemistry (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Metallurgy (AREA)
  • Printing Plates And Materials Therefor (AREA)
  • Photosensitive Polymer And Photoresist Processing (AREA)
  • Materials For Photolithography (AREA)
EP19990203681 1998-11-16 1999-11-03 Fabrication d'un support pour plaque lithographique Expired - Lifetime EP1000768B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GBGB9825822.1A GB9825822D0 (en) 1998-11-16 1998-11-16 Production of lithographic printing plate support
GB9825822 1998-11-16

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1000768A2 true EP1000768A2 (fr) 2000-05-17
EP1000768A3 EP1000768A3 (fr) 2001-02-21
EP1000768B1 EP1000768B1 (fr) 2004-03-03

Family

ID=10843020

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19990203681 Expired - Lifetime EP1000768B1 (fr) 1998-11-16 1999-11-03 Fabrication d'un support pour plaque lithographique

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1000768B1 (fr)
JP (1) JP2000141938A (fr)
DE (1) DE69915211T2 (fr)
GB (1) GB9825822D0 (fr)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1642746A1 (fr) * 2004-10-01 2006-04-05 Agfa-Gevaert Procédé pour la fabrication d'une plaque d'impression lithographique de type négatif
US7416831B2 (en) 2004-08-20 2008-08-26 Eastman Kodak Company Substrate for lithographic printing plate precursor
WO2012145162A1 (fr) 2011-04-19 2012-10-26 Eastman Kodak Company Substrats en aluminium et précurseurs de plaque d'impression lithographique
US9074162B1 (en) 2014-02-07 2015-07-07 Ecolab Usa Inc. Detergent compositions comprising vinylidene diphosphonic acid polymers

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP2301760B1 (fr) 2009-09-28 2013-08-14 Fujifilm Corporation Procédé de fabrication d'un substrat en aluminium pour plaque d'impression planographique et procédé pour le recyclage de la plaque d'impression planographique

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
NL267931A (fr) * 1960-08-05 1900-01-01
DE3406101A1 (de) * 1984-02-21 1985-08-22 Hoechst Ag, 6230 Frankfurt Verfahren zur zweistufigen hydrophilierenden nachbehandlung von aluminiumoxidschichten mit waessrigen loesungen und deren verwendung bei der herstellung von offsetdruckplattentraegern
DE4023267A1 (de) * 1990-07-21 1992-01-23 Hoechst Ag Platten-, folien- oder bandfoermiges traegermaterial fuer offsetdruckplatten, verfahren zu seiner herstellung und seine verwendung
US5262244A (en) * 1990-07-21 1993-11-16 Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft Hydrophilic copolymers and their use in reprography

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7416831B2 (en) 2004-08-20 2008-08-26 Eastman Kodak Company Substrate for lithographic printing plate precursor
EP1642746A1 (fr) * 2004-10-01 2006-04-05 Agfa-Gevaert Procédé pour la fabrication d'une plaque d'impression lithographique de type négatif
WO2012145162A1 (fr) 2011-04-19 2012-10-26 Eastman Kodak Company Substrats en aluminium et précurseurs de plaque d'impression lithographique
US8632940B2 (en) 2011-04-19 2014-01-21 Eastman Kodak Company Aluminum substrates and lithographic printing plate precursors
US9120299B2 (en) 2011-04-19 2015-09-01 Eastman Kodak Company Aluminum substrates and lithographic printing plate precursors
US9074162B1 (en) 2014-02-07 2015-07-07 Ecolab Usa Inc. Detergent compositions comprising vinylidene diphosphonic acid polymers

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE69915211D1 (de) 2004-04-08
EP1000768B1 (fr) 2004-03-03
EP1000768A3 (fr) 2001-02-21
DE69915211T2 (de) 2005-01-13
GB9825822D0 (en) 1999-01-20
JP2000141938A (ja) 2000-05-23

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