Transplanted flat brush or transplanted roll brush, developer processing system, and method for manufacturing printing plate

Abstract

The present invention enables the reduction of debris adhesion, facilitates the removal of adhered debris, and sufficiently removes an uncured resin or the like. To this end, an transplanted flat brush (50) or an transplanted roll brush according to the present disclosure is used in a development step for a printing plate that is produced through an exposure step and a development step, wherein bristle bundles (53) are transplanted at equal intervals in a plurality of bristle planting holes (52) of a brush base (51), and when the smallest among the bottom areas between the four adjacent bristle bundles (53) is S [mm2] and the bristle length of the bristle bundles (53) is L [mm], the debris adhesion coefficient S / L is 6.00 to 12.00.

Description

Planted flat brush or planted roll brush, developer processing system, and method for manufacturing printing plate

[0001] The present invention relates to a planted flat brush or a planted roll brush used in the developing process of a printing plate, a developer processing system, and a method for manufacturing a printing plate.

[0002] In the development process for printing plates, which are made using a photosensitive resin plate through various steps such as exposure, development, and rinsing, a roll brush is used to wash out and remove uncured resin and other materials in the unexposed areas while spraying an aqueous developer (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Brushes include rotating roll brushes and flat brushes.

[0003] One type of roll brush is a so-called channel roll brush, in which bristle bundles are crimped into a channel made of zinc-plated or other steel and arranged in a spiral, as well as a brush in which bristle bundles are embedded in a flat brush base (embedded flat brush). However, when these types of brushes are used for repeated development processes, a problem occurs in that developer residue, known as debris, adheres to the brush, accumulates along the bristle bundles, and eventually grows outward in an icicle-like shape. This problem can become particularly pronounced when the bristle bundles are densely embedded with a narrow embedding pitch.

[0004] One type of roll brush that can address this problem is one in which the brush base, which is the main body of the brush, is made of resin, thereby reducing the phenomenon of debris adhering to the channel brush as described above.

[0005] International Publication No. 2020 / 158380

[0006] However, even with a planted roll brush that has a brush base made of resin, debris buildup may not be sufficiently reduced. Furthermore, the difficulty of removing the debris can lead to poor workability. This problem can also occur with a planted flat brush, which has a flat brush base.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a planted flat brush or a planted roll brush, a developer treatment system, and a method for manufacturing a printing plate, which reduce the adhesion of debris, make it easier to remove the adhered debris, and enable sufficient removal of uncured resin, etc.

[0008] The present inventors have conducted various studies and repeated tests, and have arrived at findings that lead to a solution to the above-mentioned problems. The present invention is based on these findings, and one aspect of the present invention is an implanted flat brush or implanted roll brush used in the development process of a printing plate that is made through an exposure process and a development process, in which bristle tufts are implanted at equal intervals in a plurality of bristle implantation holes in a brush base, and where the smallest bottom area between four adjacent bristle tufts is S [mm2] and the bristle length of the bristle tuft is L [mm], the implanted flat brush or implanted roll brush has a debris adhesion coefficient S / L of 6.00 to 12.00.

[0009] As a result of repeated various studies and tests as described above, it was found that even in the case of a planted flat brush or a planted roll brush with a resin brush base, various factors such as the pitch density of the bristle holes, bristle length, bristle thickness, diameter and depth of the bristle holes, and in particular factors such as the density of the bristle hole pitch, affect debris adhesion, debris removal, chipping, etc. Based on the findings obtained by focusing on these factors, it was found that by first setting the bristle bundle arrangement density within the specified range as described above and setting the debris adhesion coefficient S / L within the range as described above, it is possible to improve debris adhesion and debris removal, or to maintain suitable performance.

[0010] In the planted flat brush or planted roll brush as described above, the base area between four adjacent bristle bundles may be 110.00 mm2 or more and 200.00 mm2 or less, the distance between one bristle bundle and another bristle bundle closest to it may be 4.00 mm or more and 16.00 mm or less, in the region between the four adjacent bristle bundles, the ratio of the bristle length L of the bristle bundle to the distance between two adjacent bristle implantation holes may be 0.70 or more and 1.30 or less, the bristle length L of the bristle bundle may be 8.00 mm or more and 20.00 mm or less, the number of bristle implantation holes may be 4,000 pcs / m2 or more and 15,000 pcs / m2 or less, the depth of the bristle implantation holes may be 5 mm or more and 20 mm or less, and the ratio of the bristle length to the depth of the bristle implantation holes may be 5.0:13.0 or more and 30.0:13.0 or less.

[0011] Another aspect of the present invention is a planted flat brush or a planted roll brush used in the development process of a printing plate that is made through exposure and development processes, wherein bristle bundles are planted in a plurality of bristle planting holes in a brush base, the bristle bundles have a bristle height of 8 mm or more and 20 mm or less, the bristle planting holes have a depth of 5 mm or more and 20 mm or less, the ratio of the bristle planting hole depth to the bristle height is 5.0:13.0 or more and 30.0:13.0 or less, and the number of bristle planting holes is 4,000 bristle / m2 or more and 15,000 bristle / m2 or less.

[0012] In the case of the above-mentioned planted flat brush or planted roll brush, the printing plate may be made by further undergoing a rinsing step.

[0013] In the planted flat brush or planted roll brush described above, cleaning holes that serve as outlets for cleaning liquid are formed in the flat brush base, the cleaning holes are arranged in a staggered pattern, the distance between adjacent cleaning holes is 65.00 mm or more and 80.00 mm or less, and the number of bristle bundles between adjacent cleaning holes may be 3 or more and 7 or less.

[0014] In the planted flat brush or planted roll brush as described above, the distance between adjacent bristle bundles arranged at equal intervals in a straight line across a cleaning hole may be 3.00 times or less the distance between adjacent bristle bundles not sandwiching the cleaning hole.

[0015] In the planted flat brush or planted roll brush as described above, the bristle diameter of each bristle in the bristle bundle is 80 μm or more and 400 μm or less, the bristle mass of the bristle bundle is 500 g / m2 or more and 4000 g / m2 or less, the hole diameter of the bristle hole is 1.0 mm or more and 6.0 mm or less, the number of bristles is 100 or more and 500 or less per hole, the ratio of hole depth to hole diameter is 5.0:4.2 or more and 30:4.2 or less, the brush base is made of resin, and the material of the brush base is one or more of PVC, PP, and ABS, and the material of the bristles may be any of 66NY, 612NY, 610NY, and PP.

[0016] In the above-described planted flat brush, the brush base may be rectangular, and the ratio of the short side to the long side may be 1:6.00 or more and 1:10.00 or less.

[0017] Yet another aspect of the present invention is a method for producing a printing plate, including an exposure step and a development step, in which an implanted flat brush or an implanted roll brush used in the development step has bristle tufts implanted at equal intervals in a plurality of bristle implantation holes in a brush base, and the debris adhesion coefficient S / L is 6.00 or more and 12.00 or less, where S [mm2] is the smallest bottom area between four adjacent bristle tufts, and L [mm] is the bristle length of the bristle tuft.

[0018] Yet another aspect of the present invention is a method for producing a printing plate including an exposure step and a development step, wherein the planted flat brush or planted roll brush used in the development step has bristle bundles planted in a plurality of bristle planting holes in a brush base, the bristle bundles have a bristle length of 8 mm or more and 20 mm or less, the bristle planting holes have a depth of 5 mm or more and 20 mm or less, the ratio of the bristle planting hole depth to the bristle length is 5.0:13.0 or more and 30.0:13.0 or less, and the number of bristle planting holes is 4,000 bristle / m2 or more and 15,000 bristle / m2 or less.

[0019] In the above-described method for producing a printing plate, the rotation speed of the brush in the developing step may be 3 rpm or more and 25 rpm or less, and the oscillation speed during oscillation rotation may be 20 rpm or more and 150 rpm or less.

[0020] In the above-described method for producing a printing plate, the contact pressure of the brush on the printing plate in the developing step may be 50 g / cm or more and 800 g / cm or less, and the amount of penetration of the brush into the printing plate may be 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less.

[0021] The method for manufacturing a printing plate as described above may include a step of selecting a brush suitable for the design and / or quality of the plate, and a step of adjusting the brush contact pressure by installing a spacer at the base of the brush base.

[0022] In the above-described method for producing a printing plate, the flat brush may include at least two or more regions having bristles of different thickness, length and material.

[0023] In the above-described method for producing a printing plate, a developer may be used in the developing step, and the developer may contain a surfactant in an amount of 0.00 wt % to 4.20 wt %.

[0024] Yet another aspect of the present invention is a system used in the development process of printing plates which are made through an exposure process and a development process, comprising the above-mentioned planted flat brush or planted roll brush, a developer tank, and a developer filtration device, wherein the developer filtration device is a developer processing system having at least one filter, characterized in that the system is configured so that when unexposed resin is introduced into the system, the total of the resin present in the developer filtration device and the resin floating in the developer tank is 70.0 wt% or more and 95.0 wt% or less of the unexposed resin introduced, in the unexposed resin mass balance.

[0025] In the developer processing system as described above, the developer tank has a developer suction device, and the developer filtration device filters the developer sucked by the developer suction device, and may have a dispersion filter that aggregates dispersed particles in the developer, and an aggregate filter that removes the aggregates aggregated by the dispersion filter.

[0026] According to the present invention, adhesion of debris is reduced, the adhered debris is easily removed, and uncured resin and the like can be sufficiently removed.

[0027] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the configurations of the implanted roll brushes (A) "dense channel," (B) "dense implantation," (C) "10 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (D) "12 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (E) "12 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (F) "13 mm implantation bristle length," and (G) "10 mm implantation bristle length" (the above names of the implanted roll brushes will be described later). A table showing the bristle weight, bristle material, bristle length, thickness, implantation hole diameter, number of holes, hole pitch, and base material of the implanted roll brushes (A) "dense channel," (B) "dense implantation," (C) "10 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (D) "12 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (E) "12 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (F) "13 mm implantation bristle length," and (G) "10 mm implantation bristle length." 1A and 1B are images showing the state of each of the implanted roll brushes after cleaning: (A) "dense channel," (B) "dense implantation," (C) "10 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (D) "12 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (F) "13 mm implantation bristle length," and (G) "10 mm implantation bristle length." (a) is a graph showing the amount of resin developed by each implanted roll brush for each development time: (A) "dense channel," (B) "dense implantation," (C) "10 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (D) "12 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (F) "13 mm implantation bristle length," and (G) "10 mm implantation bristle length." (b) is a diagram illustrating the thickness RD of the uncured resin, etc., after exposing the photosensitive resin plate to ultraviolet light. This graph shows the depth of the recesses (white lines, 500 μm wide) of a photopolymer plate after cleaning with each of the implanted roll brushes (A) "dense channel," (B) "dense implantation," (C) "10 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (D) "12 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (F) "13 mm implantation bristle length," and (G) "10 mm implantation bristle length." This graph shows the depth of the recesses (white lines, 100 μm wide) of a photopolymer plate after cleaning with each of the implanted roll brushes (A) "dense channel," (B) "dense implantation," (C) "10 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (D) "12 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (F) "13 mm implantation bristle length," and (G) "10 mm implantation bristle length." This is an image showing a photopolymer plate before development processing, placed near the center and sides of a cleaning device.(A) A top view of a cleaning device, (B) a side view of the cleaning device, (C) an enlarged image of an actual plate after development processing, (D) a side view of the plate, and (E) a graph showing the correlation between the amount of brush penetration into the printing plate and the brush contact surface width (the width of the mark left by a single brush contacting an unexposed photopolymer plate). (B) Enlarged images of a photopolymer plate after cleaning with roll brushes with (A) "dense channel," (B) "dense implantation," (C) "10 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (D) "12 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (F) "13 mm implantation bristle length," and (G) "10 mm implantation bristle length" are shown for evaluating whether chipping occurred. 1A and 1B are enlarged images of a photopolymer plate after cleaning with roll brushes having (A) "dense channels," (B) "dense implantation," (C) "10 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (D) "12 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (F) "13 mm implantation bristle length," and (G) "10 mm implantation bristle length," for the purpose of evaluating whether chipping has occurred. 1B are enlarged images of a photopolymer plate after cleaning with roll brushes having (A) "dense channels," (B) "dense implantation," (C) "10 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (D) "12 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (F) "13 mm implantation bristle length," and (G) "10 mm implantation bristle length," for the purpose of evaluating whether chipping has occurred. (A) "Dense channel", (B) "Dense implantation", (C) "Implantation 10 mm pitch (horizontal)", (D) "Implantation 12 mm pitch (horizontal)", (F) "Implantation bristle length 13 mm", (G) "Implantation bristle length 10 mm" After cleaning with each of the roll brushes, it is an enlarged image of the photosensitive resin plate to confirm the depth of the recesses (white line, 100 μm width) of the photosensitive resin plate. (A) "Dense channel", (B) "Implantation bristle", (C) "Implantation 10 mm pitch (horizontal)", (D) "Implantation bristle length 12 mm", (F) "Implantation bristle length 13 mm", (G) "Implantation bristle length 10 mm" After cleaning with each of the roll brushes, it is an enlarged image of the photosensitive resin plate to confirm the depth of the recesses (white line, 500 μm width). These are enlarged images of photosensitive resin plates under conditions of 150 lpi and 5% after cleaning with implant roll brushes with (A) "dense channels," (B) "dense implantation," (C) "10 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (D) "12 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (F) "13 mm implantation bristle length," and (G) "10 mm implantation bristle length."These are enlarged images of photopolymer plates under conditions of 150 lpi and 75% after cleaning with implant roll brushes with (A) "dense channels," (B) "dense implantation," (C) "10 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (D) "12 mm implantation pitch (horizontal)," (F) "13 mm implantation bristle length," and (G) "10 mm implantation bristle length." These are diagrams showing examples of implant hole arrangement patterns of implant roll brushes: (A) parallel type, (B) staggered type, (C) V-shaped type, and (D) spiral type. The sharp tip shape of the bristles of the implant roll brush is explained, with (A) a diagram showing an inclined tip and (B) a diagram showing a tapered tip. 1 is a table summarizing parameter values ​​for five types of planted flat brushes (Brushes 1 to 5) with different parameters (debris adhesion coefficient, bristle length [mm], brush arrangement, shortest distance between bristle tufts [mm], base area [mm2], cleaning time [sec], bristle tuft diameter [mm], bristle tuft density [pieces / m2], and bristle mass [kg / m2]). [Figure 1] is a perspective view showing the configuration of Brush 5. [Figure 2] is a plan view showing the configuration of Brush 5. [Figure 3] is a plan view showing an enlarged view of the configuration of Brush 1. [Figure 4] is a plan view showing an enlarged view of the configuration of Brush 2. [Figure 5] is a plan view showing an enlarged view of the configuration of Brush 3. [Figure 6] is a plan view showing an enlarged view of the configuration of Brushes 4 and 5. (A) is a graph showing the time required to clean a printing plate by 0.55 mm for each of Brushes 1 to 5. (B) is a table showing the microcell depth after cleaning for Brushes 1 and 5. [Figure 7] is a graph showing the amount of debris adhering to the brush after cleaning 100 plates for each of Brushes 1 to 5. 1 is a graph showing the mass balance of unexposed resin removed in the development process for each of brushes 1 and 5. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a parallel arrangement. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a staggered arrangement. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printing plate development process system.

[0028] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The configuration of the present invention will be described in detail below based on an example of an embodiment shown in the drawings (see FIG. 1, etc.).

[0029] First Embodiment of the Invention The roll brush 10 (excluding (A)) is used in a cleaning process during the various steps of making a printing plate, in which an aqueous developer is applied to wash out and remove uncured resin, etc., in the unexposed areas. The planted roll brush 10 (excluding (A)) of this embodiment is configured by planting bristle bundles 40 into multiple bristle planting holes 30 in a resin brush base 20.

[0030] The brush base 20 is cylindrical and rotates around a rotation axis 20A (see FIG. 1, etc.). A plurality of bristle holes 30 are formed on the surface of the brush base 20 in a predetermined pattern, such as a parallel pattern, a staggered pattern (e.g., a pattern in which the positions are shifted by half a pitch, or a pattern in which holes are arranged at each vertex of an equilateral triangle), a V-shape, or a spiral pattern (see FIG. 16). A bristle bundle 40 consisting of a plurality of bristles is planted in each of the bristle holes 30. A plurality of planted roll brushes 10 having this configuration are arranged side by side in a printing plate cleaning device 100 (see FIG. 7). Example 1

[0031] The inventors of the present invention manufactured various types of planted roll brushes 10 and conducted tests to confirm their performance and effectiveness, with the aim of reducing debris adhering to the planted roll brush 10 during the cleaning process, making it easier to remove the adhering debris, and enabling sufficient removal of uncured resin and the like without causing chipping. In this test, seven types of roll brushes 10, designated (A) to (G) below, were manufactured and subjected to testing (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Note that "bristle weight" refers to the total weight of the bristle bundles 40, "bristle height" refers to the height (length) from the surface of the brush base 20 to the tip of the bristle bundles 40, "thickness" refers to the bristle diameter, "hole diameter" refers to the inner diameter of the bristle holes 30, "number of holes" refers to the total number of bristle holes 30, and "hole pitch" refers to the distance between the centers of adjacent bristle holes 30. The outer diameter of all brushes 10, including the bristle height, was standardized to 90 mm, and differences in bristle height were adjusted by changing the outer diameter of the brush base 20.

[0032] [Specifications for 7 types of planting roll brushes] (A) "Dense Channel" Bristle weight: 3680 (g) Bristle material: 66NY Bristle length: 15.7 (mm) Thickness: 200 (μm) Hole diameter: (none) Number of holes: (none) Hole pitch: (none) m ２ Number of holes per: (none) ・m ２ Bristle weight per hole: 15,600 (g) Maximum hole depth: (None) Ratio of maximum depth to bristle length: (None) Ratio of maximum depth to bristle hole diameter: (None) Number of bristles per hole: (None) Base material: Galvanized steel plate Note: This "dense channel" roll brush 10 is a so-called channel roll brush in which the bristle bundles 40 are fixed by crimping a spiral metal (zinc) channel (see Figures 1(A) and 3(A)). Such channel roll brushes are prone to the phenomenon of debris adhering to the metal channel and gradually accumulating. In this example, as a comparison, tests were also conducted on this "dense channel" roll brush 10, one of the current products. Note that, due to the configuration in which the bristle bundles 40 are fixed in a spiral metal (zinc) channel as described above, there are no multiple bristle implantation holes 30, and items such as the inner diameter or number of bristle implantation holes 30 are not included.

[0033] (B) "Planting dense" Bristle weight: 1510 (g) Bristle material: 66NY Bristle length: 15.7 (mm) Thickness: 200 (μm) Hole diameter: 4.00 (mm) Number of holes: 7190 (pieces) Hole pitch: Pitch in the axial direction along the rotating shaft 20A (hereinafter also referred to as "horizontal hole pitch") is 8.5 (mm), and pitch in the rotation direction of the rotating shaft 20A (hereinafter also referred to as "rotational hole pitch") is 7.67 (mm) Arrangement: staggered. ２ Number of holes per unit: 30,677 (pieces) ・m ２ Hair weight per hole: 6401 (g) Maximum hole depth: 10 (mm) Ratio of maximum depth to hair length: 10 to 15.7 Ratio of maximum depth to diameter of hair bundle hole: 10 to 4.0 Number of hairs per hole: 280 (pieces) Base material: PP and PVC

[0034] (C) "Implanted 10mm pitch (horizontal)" Hair weight: 762 (g) Hair material: 66NY Hair length: 15.7 (mm) Thickness: 200 (μm) Hole diameter: 4.2 (mm) Number of holes: 3044 (pcs) Hole pitch horizontal: 10 (mm) Hole pitch rotation direction: 7.67 (mm) Arrangement: parallel type m ２ Number of holes per m: 13,038 (pieces) ２ Hair weight per hole: 2092 (g) Maximum hole depth: 10 (mm) Ratio of maximum depth to hair length: 10 to 15.7 Ratio of maximum depth to diameter of hair bundle hole: 10 to 4.2 Number of hairs per hole: 340 (pieces) Base material: PVC

[0035] (D) "Implantation 12mm pitch (horizontal)" Hair weight: 642 (g) Hair material: 66NY Hair length: 15.7 (mm) Thickness: 200 (μm) Hole diameter: 4.2 (mm) Number of holes: 2564 (pieces) Hole pitch horizontal: 12 (mm) Hole pitch rotation direction: 7.67 (mm) Arrangement: Parallel type m ２ Number of holes per m: 10,865 (pieces) ２ Hair weight per hole: 1762 (g) Maximum hole depth: 10 (mm) Ratio of maximum depth to hair length: 10 to 15.7 Ratio of maximum depth to diameter of hair bundle hole: 10 to 4.2 Number of hairs per hole: 340 (pieces) Base material: PVC

[0036] (E) "Implantation 12 mm 612 pitch (horizontal)" Bristle weight: 762 (g) Bristle material: 612NY Bristle length: 15.7 (mm) Thickness: 200 (μm) Hole diameter: 4.2 (mm) Number of holes: 3044 (pieces) Hole pitch horizontal: 12 (mm) Hole pitch rotation direction: 7.67 (mm) Arrangement: Parallel type m ２ Number of holes per m: 10,865 (pieces) ２ Hair weight per hole: 1762 (g) Maximum hole depth: 10 (mm) Ratio of maximum depth to hair length: 10 to 15.7 Ratio of maximum depth to diameter of hair bundle hole: 10 to 4.2 Number of hairs per hole: 340 (pieces) Base material: PVC

[0037] (F) "Implanted hair length 13 mm" Hair weight: 409 (g) Hair material: 66NY Hair length: 13 (mm) Thickness: 200 (μm) Hole diameter: 4.2 (mm) Number of holes: 1819 (pieces) Hole pitch horizontal: 12 (mm) Hole pitch rotation direction: 11.82 (mm) Arrangement: Parallel type m ２ Number of holes per m: 7062 (pieces) ２ Hair weight per hole: 948 (g) Maximum depth of hole: 10 (mm) Ratio of maximum depth to hair length: 10 to 13.0 Ratio of maximum depth to diameter of hair bundle hole: 10 to 4.2 Number of hairs per hole: 340 (pieces) Base material: PVC

[0038] (G) "Hair length 10mm" Hair weight: 429 (g) Hair material: 66NY Hair length: 10 (mm) Thickness: 150 (μm) Hole diameter: 4.2 (mm) Number of holes: 1926 (pcs) Hole pitch horizontal: 12 (mm) Hole pitch rotation direction: 12 (mm) Arrangement: Parallel type m ２ Number of holes per m: 6836 (pieces) ２ Weight of hair per hole: 706 (g) Maximum depth of hole: 10 (mm) Ratio of maximum depth to hair length: 10:10 Ratio of maximum depth to diameter of hair bundle hole: 10:4.2 Number of hairs per hole: 506 (pieces) Base material: PVC

[0039] [Roll Brushes After Cleaning Test] For reference, images of the roll brushes 10 (A) to (G) after the cleaning test are shown in FIG. 3 (see FIGS. 3(A) to (G)).

[0040] [Developability Data] The change in the amount of resin developed (g) by the roll brushes 10 (A) to (G) over a cleaning time of 9 to 11 minutes was examined (see Figure 4). The cleaning tests were conducted under the following conditions: a cleaning solution temperature of 38°C, a rotation speed of 10.2 rpm, an oscillation speed of 48 rpm (note that "oscillating rotation" as used herein means that one linear oscillation back and forth corresponds to one rotation of the cam shaft), a brush contact pressure against the printing plate of up to 180 g / cm² for (C) and up to 600 g / cm² for (F), and a surfactant concentration of 2.1 wt% in the cleaning solution, which are within the normal range. Note that for the implanted roll brush 10 (E) with a "12 mm implantation, 612 pitch (horizontal)," the bristle bundles 40 were noticeably spread apart, making it impossible to obtain any verification results.

[0041] [Verification 1: Depth of Outline Lines] As one of the evaluation indices for cleaning performance when washing out uncured resin and the like after exposing a photopolymer plate to ultraviolet light, the depth of the recesses (also referred to herein as "outline lines") on the photopolymer plate after cleaning was confirmed when the recesses were 100 μm wide and 500 μm wide (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The depth was 35 μm or more for the 100 μm width and 120 μm or more for the 500 μm width, and there were no quality issues in actual printing tests, so the cleaning performance was determined to be good. In this test, the central portion of the cleaning device 100 and the portion near the side (the right side as viewed in FIG. 7) were checked. As a result, (A) "dense channel," (B) "dense implantation," (C) "implantation at 10 mm pitch (horizontal)," (D) "implantation at 12 mm pitch (horizontal)," (F) "implantation bristle length 13 mm," and (G) "implantation bristle length 10 mm" were all good (see Figures 12 and 13). In the figures, the symbol P indicates that the results were good.

[0042] [Verification 2: Chipping (Part 1)] The photopolymer plate after cleaning was evaluated for chipping. As a result, (B) "Densely implanted" had chipping and was not good, but (C) "10 mm implanted pitch (horizontal)", (D) "12 mm implanted pitch (horizontal)", (F) "13 mm implanted bristle length", and (G) "10 mm implanted bristle length" were all good (see FIGS. 9, 10, and 11).

[0043] [Verification 3: Chipping (Part 2)] Under the Dot Fail condition, an evaluation was conducted to see whether chipping occurred on the photopolymer plate after cleaning (see FIGS. 9 to 11). Here, a predetermined position on the photopolymer plate was used as the evaluation point (in the figures, the symbol P indicates a good result).

[0044] [Verification 4: Cleanability of Printing Plates (Part 3)] Under conditions of 150 lpi and 5%, an evaluation was conducted to determine whether uncured resin could be removed from fine areas of the photopolymer plate after cleaning. The evaluation points were the sides of the photopolymer plate. The results were good for all of the following: (A) "Dense Channels," (B) "Densely Grown," (C) "10 mm Horizontal Grown-Up Pitch," (D) "12 mm Horizontal Grown-Up Pitch," (F) "13 mm Groove Length," and (G) "10 mm Groove Length" (see FIG. 14). In the figure, the symbol P indicates a good result.

[0045] [Verification 5: Cleanability of Printing Plates (Part 4)] Under conditions of 150 lpi and 75%, an evaluation was conducted to determine whether uncured resin could be removed from fine areas of the photopolymer plate after cleaning. The evaluation points were the sides of the photopolymer plate. The results were good for all of the following: (A) "Dense Channels," (B) "Densely Grown," (C) "10 mm Horizontal Grown-Up Pitch," (D) "12 mm Horizontal Grown-Up Pitch," (F) "13 mm Groove Length," and (G) "10 mm Groove Length" (see FIG. 15). In the figure, the symbol P indicates a good result.

[0046] [Verification Results] As a result of the above-described various studies, tests, and repeated verifications, it was found that in the planted roll brush 10 having a resin brush base 20, various factors such as planting density, bristle length, bristle thickness, and bristle implantation holes, and in particular factors such as the denseness of the planting pitch of the bristle bundles 40, affect debris adhesion, debris removal, chipping, etc., and it was also found that by keeping the bristle length, etc. of the bristle bundles 40 within predetermined ranges and the density of the bristles planted in the bristle implantation holes 30 within predetermined ranges, it is possible to improve debris adhesion, debris removal, chipping, etc., or maintain suitable performance. The preferred ranges for the bristle length, etc. of the bristle bundles 40 obtained from these findings are described below.

[0047] [Preferable Range (Part 1)] The bristle length of the bristle bundles 40 is preferably 8 mm or more and 20 mm or less, and the number of bristle implantation holes 30 is preferably 4,000 / m2 or more and 15,000 / m2 or less. The bristle length of the bristle bundles 40 is more preferably 10 mm or more and 18 mm or less, and even more preferably 12 mm or more and 15 mm or less. The optimum value for the bristle length of the bristle bundles 40 is 13 mm.

[0048] [Preferable Range (Part 2)] The number of tufting holes 30 is preferably 6,000 / m to 9,000 / m, more preferably 6,500 / m to 8,000 / m. The optimum number of tufting holes 30 is 7,062 / m or less.

[0049] [Preferable Range (Part 3)] The bristle diameter of each bristle in the bristle bundle 40 is preferably 80 μm or more and 400 μm or less, more preferably 100 μm or more and 300 μm or less, and even more preferably 170 μm or more and 230 μm or less.

[0050] [Preferable Range (Part 4)] The bristle mass of the bristle bundle 40 is preferably 500 g / m or more and 4000 g / m or less, more preferably 700 g / m or more and 2000 g / m or less, and even more preferably 800 g / m or more and 1200 g / m or less. The optimal bristle mass of the bristle bundle 40 is 948 g / m. Note that, as used herein, the bristle mass (bristle weight) refers to the weight of all bristles in the bristle bundle 40, including those within the bristle implantation holes 30. However, this weight does not include the metal fittings that secure the bristle bundle 40. It was concluded that a planted roll brush 10 with a bristle mass in the above-described preferred range reduces debris adhesion to the planted roll brush 10 and makes adhered debris easier to remove, resulting in better cleaning of printing plates. This planted roll brush 10 has a lower bristle density than a typical developing brush, allowing for easier passage of developer.

[0051] [Preferable Range (Part 5)] The diameter of the bristle implantation hole 30 is preferably 1.0 mm or more and 6.0 mm or less, and the number of bristles is preferably 100 to 500 per hole. Furthermore, the diameter of the bristle implantation hole 30 is more preferably 3.0 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less, and even more preferably 4.0 mm or more and 4.5 mm or less. Furthermore, the number of bristles is more preferably 200 to 400 per hole, and even more preferably 310 to 370 per hole. A range of 320 to 360 per hole is particularly preferred, and 330 to 350 per hole is most preferred. The optimal number of bristles is 340 per hole. The number of bristles refers to the number of bristles protruding from the bristle implantation hole 30. For example, if 340 bristles per hole are stretched at the bent portion, the total number will be 170. It was concluded that an implanted roll brush 10 with the hole diameter or bristles of the implanted holes 30 within the preferred ranges described above is less likely to lose bristles during cleaning and can maintain high cleaning power for printing plates over a long period of time. It was also concluded that an implanted roll brush 10 with a hole depth-to-bristle length ratio of 10:13 and a hole depth-to-hole diameter ratio of 10:4.2 is desirable. The holes were drilled with a drill with a tip angle of 140 degrees, and measurements were made using a Mitutoyo CD-10APX digital caliper (tip diameter 1.9 mm). Furthermore, the maximum depth of the implanted holes is preferably 5 mm to 20 mm, more preferably 8 mm to 15 mm, and even more preferably 9 mm to 13 mm. When the maximum depth of the implanted holes is within these preferred ranges, bristles are less likely to open, and the cross-section of the bristle tips is closer to a perfect circle, ensuring stable cleaning.

[0052] [Preferred Materials] It has been found that the brush base 20 is preferably made of PVC or PP, except for (A), and the bristles are preferably made of 66NY, 612NY, 610NY, PP, or ABS. In particular, these materials facilitate the processing of the planted roll brush 10.

[0053] With the implanted roll brush 10 of this example, (1) debris adhesion is drastically reduced, (2) adhered debris is easily removed, improving workability, (3) developability (performance during cleaning) is equivalent to that of conventional products, (4) chipping performance is improved, (5) the load on the developing device is reduced, and (6) when the implanted roll brush 10 is constructed with a resin brush base 20 and a stainless steel shaft, it can be separated and is low cost (reducing the environmental load).

[0054] [Shape of Bristle Tips] The tips of the bristles (indicated by reference symbol 41 in Figure 17) of the implanted roll brush 10 are sharp, and the width at a position 10 µm from the sharp tip towards the base is preferably 10 to 50% of the base of the bristles, more preferably 20 to 50%, and even more preferably 30 to 50%. This allows the bristles to enter between minute irregularities (for example, 50 µm grooves), improving cleaning properties, removing uncured resin, and making it possible to more gently develop gaps such as those between narrow dot pitches (see Figure 17).

[0055] [Plate Making Method] In the development step of a printing plate making method including exposure, development, and rinsing steps, when brushing the plate surface with the implanted roll brush 10, the implanted roll brush 10 preferably has a bristle length of 8 mm to 20 mm and a number of implanted bristle holes 30 of 4,000 to 15,000 per m², preferably a bristle length of 10 to 18 mm, and more preferably 12 to 15 mm. The optimum value is 13 mm. The number of implanted bristle holes 30 is preferably 6,000 to 9,000 per m², more preferably 6,500 to 8,000 per m².

[0056] It goes without saying that the various implanted roll brushes 10 described in the respective embodiments can be used in combination with a printing plate making method that includes exposure, development, and rinsing steps. A draining step may be added after the rinsing step.

[0057] The above-described embodiment is one example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but is not limited to this and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, the arrangement of the tufting holes 30 of the tufting roll brush 10 can be a parallel type, a staggered type, a V-type, a spiral type, or the like, and can be adopted as appropriate (see FIG. 16).

[0058] Furthermore, the rotation speed of the planting roll brush 10 during cleaning is preferably 3 rpm or more and 25 rpm or less, or the oscillation speed during oscillating rotation (oscillating rotation means that one linear swing back and forth of the cam shaft constitutes one rotation) is preferably 20 rpm or more and 150 rpm or less. The rotation speed is more preferably 7 to 18 rpm, and even more preferably 9 to 15 rpm. At these speeds, the planting roll brush 10 retains the cleaning solution better, making it less likely to become soiled. The rotation direction and oscillation offset timing of each planting roll brush 10, as well as their respective speeds, may be the same or different. They may also be constantly the same speed or may vary. For example, a high speed may be used in the initial stage to improve productivity, a slight reduction in speed in the middle stage to reduce the load on the raised portions of the printing plate, and a further reduction in speed in the final stage to allow the bristles to penetrate into the recessed portions of the printing plate and thoroughly scrape out the unexposed resin.

[0059] Furthermore, during the development process, the maximum contact pressure of the implanted roll brush 10 against the printing plate is preferably 50 g / cm or more and 800 g / cm or less, more preferably 300 to 800 g / cm, and even more preferably 500 to 800 g / cm. By maintaining this range, the development time can be shortened without affecting the quality of the printing plate. The contact pressure of the implanted roll brush 10 can be adjusted by adjusting the bristle length, number of bristle holes 30, bristle diameter, bristle volume, bristle hole diameter, bristle density, rotation speed, and oscillation speed of the implanted roll brush 10. The contact pressure was measured using an I-SCAN (pressure distribution measurement system) manufactured by Nitta Corporation.

[0060] The tips of the bristles of the implant roll brush 10 are spherical, with an R of preferably 50 μm or more and 230 μm or less, more preferably 70 to 200 μm, and even more preferably 100 to 180 μm. This makes it possible to avoid damaging the hardened photosensitive resin (which should not be scraped).

[0061] It is recommended to use an implanted roll brush 10 having bristle tips shaped as described above. That is, the tips of the bristles (indicated by reference numeral 41 in FIG. 17) of the implanted roll brush 10 are sharp, and the width at a position 10 μm from the sharp tip toward the base is preferably 10% to 50% of the base of the bristles, more preferably 20% to 50%, and even more preferably 30% to 50%. This allows the bristles to penetrate between minute irregularities (e.g., 50 μm grooves), improving cleaning performance and removing uncured resin, making it possible to more gently develop gaps such as between narrow dot pitches (see FIG. 17).

[0062] The depth of penetration of the brush into the printing plate is preferably 1 to 5 mm, more preferably 2 to 5 mm, and even more preferably 2 to 4 mm. This applies a load to the brush, delaying deterioration of the brush bristles and maintaining high cleaning performance (see Figure 8). Furthermore, by doing so, the contact area with the printing plate is reduced, making it less likely for the plate to come off the conveying table.

[0063] Furthermore, the developer used in the development step preferably contains a surfactant in an amount of 0.2 wt % to 9.0 wt %. In this case, high developability and foam suppression can be achieved, and the planted roll brush 10 can be washed during development. In particular, by increasing the flow rate of the washing liquid and supplying more developer to the planted roll brush 10, the planted roll brush 10 becomes less likely to become soiled. This reduces the number of times the planted roll brush 10 needs to be washed.

[0064] The planted roll brush 10 of this embodiment has a wide bristle pitch and a low bristle volume compared to the "dense channel" brush, which increases the fluidity of the cleaning solution on the table (inclined at a 1.2-degree angle), thereby uniforming the thickness of the printing plate, shortening the cleaning time, and facilitating quality control. The channel brush has a narrow bristle pitch and a high bristle volume, which results in poor fluidity of the cleaning solution and poor cleaning performance on the upper (higher) side of the table inclination. It was confirmed that when the hole pitch was 12 mm, the cleaning time was not delayed compared to conventional brushes, and the fluidity of the cleaning solution was particularly good. On the other hand, conventional brushes had a high bristle volume and poor fluidity of the cleaning solution, resulting in large thickness variations within the plate surface (the plate tended to be thicker upstream of the table inclination and thinner downstream).

[0065] The planted brush can be applied to drum, batch, and in-line machines.

[0066] Example 2 The inventors used the above-mentioned roll brush (D) (planted at a 12 mm pitch (horizontal)) to confirm the relationship between (i) the roll rotation speed, (ii) the brush contact pressure, and (iii) the brush penetration amount, and A: cleaning speed and B: chipping resistance, and determined the optimal range for improving the quality of the printing plate.

[0067] The cleaning test was conducted under normal conditions, with a cleaning solution temperature of 38°C, a vibration speed of 48 rpm, and a surfactant concentration of 2.1 wt% in the cleaning solution. The photopolymer plate used was 1.14 mm thick and 900 mm x 1200 mm in size.

[0068] The scores were determined based on the evaluation shown in Table 1 below. The cleaning ability of the 1.14 mm plate used in the test was 100% when 0.9 mm could be cleaned on average at 25 points on the surface. Example: If 0.5 mm could be cleaned on average at 25 points, it would be 55.6%, which would be 3 points. If 0.3 mm could be cleaned on average at 25 points, it would be 33.3%, which would be 2 points. The chipping ability was 15% of 150 lpi, and the evaluation was made by observing a 10 mm x 10 mm area. Example: 10 mm x 10 mm = 100 mm ２ Of these, 2 points for chipping with an area ratio of 35% 10mm x 10mm = 100mm ２1 point for chipping of 55% area

[0069] (i) Roll rotation speed The conditions for the brush rotation speed are shown in the table below, and the cleaning performance and chipping resistance were given scores and points based on the details shown in Table 2. As a result of the test, it was confirmed that the optimum range was 3 to 25 rpm.

[0070] (ii) Brush Contact Pressure The test conditions for brush contact pressure were as shown in Table 3, and the cleaning ability and chipping resistance were given scores and points based on the contents shown in Table 3. Test results: 50 to 800 kg / cm ２ It was confirmed that this was a suitable range.

[0071] (iii) Brush Biting Amount The test conditions for the brush biting amount were as shown in Table 4, and the cleaning ability and chipping resistance were given scores and points based on the contents shown in Table 4. As a result of the test, it was confirmed that the brush bite depth is in the suitable range of 1 to 5 mm.

[0072] Second Embodiment of the Present Invention The configuration of the present invention will be described in detail based on an example of a second embodiment shown in the drawings (see FIG. 18, etc.). First, a planted flat brush 50 and a method for manufacturing a printing plate using the same will be described, and then a printing plate developing process system 300 will be described.

[0073] [Planted Flat Brush] The planted flat brush 50 is used in a cleaning step during the various steps of making a printing plate, in which an aqueous developer is applied to wash out and remove uncured resin and other materials from unexposed areas. The various steps of making a printing plate may include only an exposure step and a development step, or may further include a rinsing step.

[0074] The planted flat brush 50 of this embodiment is constructed by planting bristle bundles 53 in multiple bristle holes 52 in a resin brush base 51 (see FIG. 19 ). The brush base 51 is flat and has multiple bristle holes 52 on one side. The bristle bundles 53 are planted at equal intervals in these multiple bristle holes 52. Note that "equal intervals" here refers not only to strictly equal intervals but also to substantially equal intervals (approximately equal intervals). Specific examples of substantially equal intervals (approximately equal intervals) include a case where two alternating spacing patterns are used to adjust bristle bundle density in consideration of cleaning performance and debris adhesion, but the overall spacing is approximately equal, or a case where the spacing is partially offset due to various reasons, such as the placement of the cleaning holes 54 or the installation of the brush fixing screws, but the overall spacing is approximately equal. A specific example of an arrangement in which the hair bundles 53 are implanted at equal intervals in a plurality of hair implantation holes 52 is, for example, an arrangement in which the hair bundles 53 are arranged at equal intervals in a certain linear direction, and the hair bundles 53 are also arranged at equal intervals on a line parallel to the said line.

[0075] The multiple bristle bundles 53 may be arranged in a predetermined pattern, such as a parallel arrangement, a staggered arrangement, a V-shaped arrangement, or a spiral arrangement (see Figures 19 and 20, etc.). A "parallel arrangement" refers to a situation in which the bristle bundles 53 are arranged at equal intervals in a certain linear direction, and the bristle bundles 53 are arranged at equal intervals in a direction perpendicular to the bristle bundles 53 on the line (see Figure 28). A "staggered arrangement" refers to a situation in which the bristle bundles 53 are arranged at equal intervals in a certain linear direction, and the bristle bundles 53 are arranged at equal intervals on a line parallel to the line (excluding parallel arrangement). Examples of a staggered arrangement include an arrangement in which the bristle bundles 53 are alternately shifted in position from one row to the other, such as an arrangement in which the bristle bundles 53 are alternately shifted by half a pitch from one row to the other, or an arrangement in which holes are provided at each vertex of an equilateral triangle. Alternatively, the bristle bundles 53 may be arranged so that the area connecting the center of a certain bristle bundle 53 and the centers of all three nearby bristle bundles 53 (a total of four points) is constant (see Figure 29). In this specification, the smallest of the base areas between four adjacent bristle bundles 53 is defined as S [mm2] (hereinafter also referred to as the "minimum base area"), the bristle length of the bristle bundle 53 is defined as L [mm] (see Figure 19), and S / L is referred to as the "debris adhesion coefficient." The shape of the minimum base area S varies; for example, if the bristle bundles 53 are arranged in parallel, it is rectangular (see Figure 28), and if the bristle bundles 53 are arranged in a staggered pattern, it is a parallelogram (see Figure 29). Note that the sides of each area (shape) shown here are defined as connecting the center points of the tufting holes 52.

[0076] [Printing Plate Development Process System] The printing plate development process system 300 is a system used in the development process of printing plates that are made through various processes when making printing plates. In addition to the above-mentioned implanted flat brush 50, it includes a developer tank 310, a developer filtration device 320, and other components (see Figure 30). The various processes when making printing plates may include only an exposure process and a development process, or may also include a rinsing process. The developer filtration device 320 includes at least one filter, such as a dispersion filter 340 that aggregates dispersed particles in the developer, and an aggregate filter 350 that removes aggregates aggregated by the dispersion filter 340. The developer tank 310 includes a developer suction device 330. The developer filtration device 320 filters the developer sucked by the developer suction device 330. A more specific configuration of the printing plate developing process system 300 is described in detail in the specification and drawings of Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-17963 (Patent No. 5503214), for example. In FIG. 30, reference numeral 10A denotes a developer supply device, 11 denotes a developer treatment device, 20 denotes a mounting table, 22 denotes a drain pan, 30A denotes a developer supply pipe, 31 denotes a pump, 32 denotes a developer discharge pipe, 40 denotes a rinse nozzle, 41 denotes a rinse brush, 42 denotes a developer supply source, 43 denotes a developer supply pipe, 44 denotes a pump, 45 denotes a water supply source, 46 denotes a water supply pipe, 47 denotes a pump, 60 denotes a float member, 61 denotes a developer suction member, 70 denotes a developer suction pipe, 71 denotes a pump, 72 denotes a liquid supply pipe, 80 denotes a first filter device, 81 denotes a second filter device, 90 denotes a housing, 91 denotes a basket, 92 denotes a dispersion filter, 101 denotes a liquid supply pipe, 120 denotes a filter tank, 121 denotes a flocculate filter, 122 denotes a liquid supply pipe, 123 denotes a pump, and 130 and 131 denote valves.

[0077] The printing plate developing process system 300 of this embodiment is configured so that, in the unexposed resin mass balance when unexposed resin is introduced into the printing plate developing process system 300, the sum of the resin present in the developer filtration device 320 and the resin floating in the developer tank 310 is 70.0 wt % or more and 95.0 wt % or less of the introduced unexposed resin (see FIG. 27 ).

[0078] The inventors of the present invention manufactured various types of planted flat brushes 50 in order to reduce debris adhesion to the planted flat brush 50 during the development process, to facilitate removal of the debris, and to thoroughly remove uncured resin and other materials. They then conducted tests to confirm their performance and effectiveness by actually cleaning the brushes (see FIGS. 18 to 27). In these tests, five types of planted flat brushes 50, designated "Brush 1," "Brush 2," ..., and "Brush 5," were manufactured and tested (see FIG. 18). These five types of planted flat brushes 50 were designed with different parameters (debris adhesion coefficient (S / L), bristle length [mm], brush arrangement, minimum distance between bristle tufts [mm], cleaning time [sec], bristle tuft diameter [mm], bristle tuft density [pieces / m2], and bristle mass [kg / m2]). The "bristle length" refers to the length from the surface of the brush base 51 to the tip of the bristle tuft 53. The "cleaning time" refers to the time required to clean 0.55 mm of unexposed resin. In these five types of implanted flat brushes 50, referred to as Brush 1 to Brush 5, the bristle diameter was 200 μm, the brush material was 66NY, the base material was PVC, and the number of bristles per tuft was 340 (see FIG. 18).

[0079] In this example, printing plates were manufactured using a printing plate developing process system 300 including the above-described planted flat brush 50. The planted flat brush 50 used in the manufacturing process included at least two regions with different bristle thickness, length, and material, and the planted flat brush 50 was selected to suit the design and / or quality of the printing plate. In the developing process, a spacer was inserted at the base of the brush base 51 of the planted flat brush 50 to adjust the brush contact pressure, and the cleaning solution contained 4.20 wt % or less of a surfactant.

[0080] The preferred range for the debris adhesion coefficient S / L was 6.00 to 12.00. The implanted flat brush 50 with a debris adhesion coefficient S / L in this range had a lower bristle density than brushes 1 to 3, which had debris adhesion coefficients outside this range. However, the relatively short brush bristle length dramatically reduced debris adhesion to the brush without changing the cleaning time (printing plate productivity). The amount of debris adhesion to the brush was measured using a brush size of 107 mm x 860 mm (see Figure 26). Furthermore, it was found that when the debris adhesion coefficient S / L was in this range, when cleaning fine areas known as microcells, where the inter-convex distance is 30 μm or less, the cleaning solution flows more quickly between the bristle tufts, improving the removal of unexposed resin. The depth of the microcells was measured using a Keyence VK-X1000 laser microscope (see Figure 25(B)).

[0081] Furthermore, for brushes 1 to 3, whose debris adhesion coefficients were outside the preferred range, the spacing and even distribution of the cleaning solution resulted in a significant reduction in debris adhesion to the brushes without changing the cleaning time (printing plate productivity). From these perspectives, the following configuration of the planted flat brush 50 was preferable. For example, it was preferable that the base area L between four adjacent bristle bundles 53 be 110.00 mm or more and 200.00 mm or less, and that the bristle length L of the bristle bundles 53 be 8.00 mm or more and less than 20.00 mm. Furthermore, it was preferable that in the region between the four adjacent bristle bundles 53, the ratio of the bristle length L of the bristle bundles 53 to the spacing between two adjacent bristle holes be 0.70 or more and 1.30 or less. For example, when the bristle length L is 13 mm and the bristle bundle spacing in two directions is 10 mm and 12 mm, respectively, the ratio is 1:0.76:0.92 (see FIG. 19 ). Furthermore, when cleaning holes 54, which are outlets for the cleaning liquid, are formed in the flat brush base 51, it is preferable that these cleaning holes 54 be arranged in a staggered pattern (see FIG. 20).It is preferable that the distance between adjacent cleaning holes 54 is 65.00 mm to 80.00 mm, and that the number of bristle bundles 53 between adjacent cleaning holes 54 is 3 to 7 (see FIG. 20).

[0082] In a planted flat brush 50 having bristle bundles 53 arranged at equal intervals in a straight line, it is preferable that the distance between adjacent bristle bundles 53 across a cleaning hole 54 be 3.00 times or less the distance between adjacent bristle bundles 53 without a cleaning hole 54. More specifically, in a parallel arrangement (see FIG. 28 ), for example, if cleaning holes 54 were to be substituted for the positions of the bristle bundles 53, replacing all three consecutive bristle bundles 53 with cleaning holes 54 would result in the bristle bundles 53 being separated, resulting in a decrease in the ability to remove unexposed resin. Therefore, such an arrangement is avoided. In other words, since bristle bundles 53 that could have been positioned may not be positioned due to the cleaning holes 54, it is preferable to appropriately adjust the spacing of the bristle bundles 53 to limit the number of bristle bundles 53 skipped by the cleaning holes 54 to at least two. Furthermore, for example, in a parallel arrangement (see Figure 28), if cleaning holes 54 are to be replaced at the positions of bristle bundles 53, it is preferable to avoid an arrangement in which both of two consecutive bristle bundles 53 are replaced with cleaning holes 54.

[0083] In the planted flat brush 50, it is preferable that the distance between one bristle bundle 53 and the closest bristle bundle 53 is 4.00 mm or more and 16.00 mm or less (see Figures 20 to 26). This ensures cleanability, prevents debris from adhering to the brush, and improves brush maintenance, ensuring plate quality. When the brush base 51 of the planted flat brush 50 is rectangular, it is preferable that the ratio of the short side to the long side is 1.00:6.00 or more and 1.00:10.00 or less. This simplifies installation and removal of the planted flat brush 50, making maintenance easy. It is preferable that the number of bristle holes 52 in the planted flat brush 50 be 4,000 / m² or more and 15,000 / m² or less, preferably 7,000 / m² or more and 9,000 / m² or less (see Figures 18, 25, and 26). The bristle diameter of each bristle in the bristle bundle 53 of the planted flat brush 50 is preferably 80.00 μm to 400.00 μm, and more preferably 100.00 μm to 300.00 μm (see FIGS. 18, 25, and 26). The bristle mass of the bristle bundle 53 of the planted flat brush 50 is preferably 0.50 kg / m to 1.20 kg / m, and more preferably 0.70 kg / m to 1.00 kg / m (see FIGS. 18, 25, and 26). The number of bristles in the bristle bundle 53 of the planted flat brush 50 is preferably 250 to 400 bristles per hole, and more preferably 300 to 350 bristles per hole (see FIGS. 18, 25, and 26). - It is preferable that the diameter of the tufting holes 52 of the planted flat brush 50 be 4.00 mm or more and 5.00 mm or less (see Figures 18, 25, and 26). - It is preferable that the ratio of the depth of the tufting holes 52 to the bristle length L of the planted flat brush 50 be 5.0:13.0 or more and 30.0:13.0 or less, and that the ratio of the depth of the tufting holes 52 to the hole diameter be 5.0:4.2 or more and 30.0:4.2 or less (see Figures 25 and 26). - It is preferable that the maximum depth of the tufting holes 52 of the planted flat brush 50 be 5.00 mm or more and 20.00 mm or less, and preferably 5.00 mm or more and 15.00 mm or less (see Figures 25 and 26).It is preferable that the material of the brush base 51 of the planted flat brush 50 is one or more of PVC, PP, and ABS, and the material of the bristles is one of 66NY, 612NY, 610NY, and PP.

[0084] The present invention is suitable for application to a planted flat brush or a planted roll brush used in the developing process of a printing plate.

[0085] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Planted roll brush 20... Brush base 20A... Rotating shaft 30... Planted bristle hole 40... Bristle bundle 41... Bristles 50... Planted flat brush 51... Brush base 52... Planted bristle hole 53... Bristle bundle 54... Cleaning hole (discharge outlet for cleaning solution) 100... Cleaning device 300... Printing plate developing process system 310... Developer tank 320... Developer filtration device 330... Developer suction device 340... Dispersion filter 350... Aggregate filter L... Bristle length of bristle bundle [mm] S... Minimum base area (smallest of the base areas between four adjacent bristle bundles) S / L... Debris adhesion coefficient

Claims

1. A planted flat brush or a planted roll brush used in the development process of a printing plate which is made through an exposure process and a development process, in which bristle bundles are planted at equal intervals in multiple bristle planting holes in the brush base, and the debris adhesion coefficient S / L is 6.00 or more and 12.00 or less, where the smallest bottom area between four adjacent bristle bundles is S [mm2] and the bristle length of the bristle bundle is L [mm].

2. The planted flat brush or planted roll brush according to claim 1, wherein the base area between four adjacent bristle bundles is 110.00 mm2 or more and 200.00 mm2 or less, the distance between a bristle bundle and another bristle bundle closest to the bristle bundle is 4.00 mm or more and 16.00 mm or less, in the region between the four adjacent bristle bundles, the ratio of the bristle length L of the bristle bundle to the distance between two adjacent bristle implantation holes is 0.70 or more and 1.30 or less, the bristle length L of the bristle bundle is 8.00 mm or more and 20.00 mm or less, the number of bristle implantation holes is 4,000 pcs / m2 or more and 15,000 pcs / m2 or less, the depth of the bristle implantation holes is 5 mm or more and 20 mm or less, and the ratio of the bristle hole depth to bristle length is 5.0:13.0 or more and 30.0:13.0 or less.

3. A planted flat brush or a planted roll brush used in the development process of a printing plate which is made through exposure and development processes, wherein bristles are planted in a number of bristle planting holes in a brush base, the bristles have a bristle length of 8 mm or more and 20 mm or less, the depth of the bristle planting holes is 5 mm or more and 20 mm or less, the ratio of the bristle planting hole depth to the bristle length is 5.0:13.0 or more and 30.0:13.0 or less, and the number of the bristle planting holes is 4,000 pcs / m2 or more and 15,000 pcs / m2 or less.

4. The planted flat brush or planted roll brush according to claim 3, wherein the printing plate is made by further undergoing a rinsing process.

5. A planted flat brush or planted roll brush as described in claim 1, wherein cleaning holes which are outlets for cleaning liquid are formed in a flat brush base, the cleaning holes are arranged in a staggered pattern, the distance between adjacent cleaning holes is 65.00 mm or more and 80.00 mm or less, and the number of bristle bundles between adjacent cleaning holes is 3 to 7.

6. The implanted flat brush or implanted roll brush according to claim 5, wherein the distance between adjacent bristle bundles across the cleaning hole is 3.00 times or less the distance between adjacent bristle bundles not across the cleaning hole in the bristle bundles arranged at equal intervals in a straight line.

7. A planted flat brush or planted roll brush as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the bristle diameter of each bristles in the bristle bundle is 80 μm or more and 400 μm or less, the bristle mass of the bristle bundle is 500 g / m2 or more and 4000 g / m2 or less, the hole diameter of the bristle hole is 1.0 mm or more and 6.0 mm or less, the number of bristles is 100 bristles / hole or more and 500 bristles / hole or less, the ratio of hole depth to hole diameter is 5.0:4.2 or more and 30:4.2 or less, the brush base is made of resin, the material of the brush base is any one or more of PVC, PP and ABS, and the material of the bristles is any one of 66NY, 612NY, 610NY and PP.

8. A planted flat brush as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the brush base is rectangular and the ratio of the short side to the long side is greater than or equal to 1:6.00 and less than or equal to 1:10.

00.

9. A method for manufacturing a printing plate including an exposure step and a development step, wherein the implanted flat brush or implanted roll brush used in the development step has bristle bundles implanted at equal intervals in a plurality of bristle holes in a brush base, and the debris adhesion coefficient S / L is 6.00 or more and 12.00 or less, where S [mm2] is the smallest bottom area between four adjacent bristle bundles and L [mm] is the bristle length of the bristle bundle.

10. A method for producing a printing plate including an exposure step and a development step, wherein an implanted flat brush or an implanted roll brush used in the development step has bristle bundles implanted in a plurality of bristle implantation holes in a brush base, the bristle bundles have a bristle length of 8 mm or more and 20 mm or less, the bristle holes have a depth of 5 mm or more and 20 mm or less, the ratio of the bristle hole depth to the bristle length is 5.0:13.0 or more and 30.0:13.0 or less, and the number of bristle implantation holes is 4,000 pcs / m2 or more and 15,000 pcs / m2 or less.

11. A method for producing a printing plate as described in claim 9 or 10, wherein the rotation speed of the brush in the developing step is 3 rpm or more and 25 rpm or less, and the oscillation speed during the oscillating rotation is 20 rpm or more and 150 rpm or less.

12. A method for producing a printing plate as described in claim 9 or 10, wherein the contact pressure of the brush on the printing plate in the developing process is 50 g / cm2 or more and 800 g / cm2 or less, and the amount of penetration of the brush into the printing plate is 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less.

13. A method for producing a printing plate according to claim 9 or 10, comprising the steps of: selecting a brush suitable for the design and / or quality of the plate; and adjusting the brush contact pressure by installing a spacer at the base of the brush base.

14. The method for manufacturing a printing plate according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the flat brush includes at least two or more regions having bristles of different thickness, length and material.

15. The method for producing a printing plate according to claim 9 or 10, wherein a developer is used in the developing step, and the developer contains a surfactant in an amount of 0.00 wt % or more and 4.20 wt % or less.

16. A system used in the development process of printing plates which are made through an exposure process and a development process, comprising the implanted flat brush or implanted roll brush according to any one of claims 1 to 6, a developer tank, and a developer filtration device, said developer filtration device having at least one filter, characterized in that the printing plate development process system is configured such that, in the unexposed resin mass balance when unexposed resin is introduced into the system, the sum of the resin present in the developer filtration device and the resin floating in the developer tank is 70.0 wt% or more and 95.0 wt% or less of the unexposed resin introduced.

17. A developer processing system as described in claim 16, wherein the developer tank has a developer suction device, and the developer filtration device filters the developer sucked by the developer suction device, and has a dispersion filter that coagulates dispersed matter in the developer, and a coagulate filter that removes the coagulates formed by the dispersion filter.