Adhesive Composition for Flexible Printing Plates

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing pressure-sensitive adhesives for flexographic printing face challenges in maintaining secure adhesion to materials like PET and steel surfaces, especially under solvent exposure, and struggle with residue-free detachment over time, leading to increased bond strength and difficulty in reusing printing plates.

Innovation Solution

A pressure-sensitive adhesive composition containing 10-25% aliphatic dicarboxylic acid esters, acetylated polyols, or ethoxylated fatty acid amines, and 5-10% stearyl alcohol, which reduces the adhesive's sensitivity to printing ink residues and enhances solvent resistance, allowing for easy and residue-free detachment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes are used for bonding printing plates to cylinders or sleeves, then secure adhesion is achieved, but over time adhesive strength increases significantly on polar substrates like steel, making residue-free detachment difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadhesive strengthVSAvoiddetachability
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent modifies the chemical composition parameters of the pressure-sensitive adhesive by incorporating specific compounds (aliphatic dicarboxylic acid esters, acetylated polyols, ethoxylated fatty acid amines, and stearyl alcohol) in controlled amounts. These compositional changes alter the adhesive's interaction with polar substrates, preventing excessive bond strength development over time while maintaining initial adhesion security.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Object-generated harmful factors

If printing plates are cleaned with solvents to remove printing ink, then ink residues are removed, but solvents creep under the adhesive bond edges, causing detachment and solvent resistance problems

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveink residueVSAvoidbond stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces specific chemical compounds as intermediary substances within the adhesive formulation. These compounds act as barriers that prevent solvent penetration at the adhesive-substrate interface. The aliphatic dicarboxylic acid esters, acetylated polyols, and other additives create a protective layer that blocks solvent creep while allowing the adhesive to maintain its bonding function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If the adhesive bond is made very strong to prevent detachment during printing, then bonding reliability is improved, but the printing plate cannot be removed without great effort and may be destroyed, reducing reusability

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebonding reliabilityVSAvoidplate reusability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a dynamic adhesive system where the bond characteristics can adapt to different operational phases. During printing operations, the adhesive provides strong, reliable bonding. During cleanup and removal phases, the presence of specific chemical compounds allows the bond to be broken cleanly without damage to the printing plate, enabling repeated use.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The adhesive composition ensures reliable bonding and easy detachment of printing plates from various surfaces, including polar substrates like steel, without leaving residues, even after prolonged use and exposure to solvents, maintaining the integrity of the printing process.

Implementation Method 1

at least one pressure-sensitive adhesive component, which comprises at least one polymer component based on a monomer mixture containing at least one of the following monomers: at least one acrylic acid ester, at least one methacrylic acid ester, acrylic acid and/or methacrylic acid

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdhesion: Adhesive

Data Source

PatentEP3272829B1Adhesive substances for sticking together flexible printing plates
Publication Date: 2020.02.19 TESA SE
  • EP3272829B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3272829B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3272829B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

An adhesive compound comprising at least one adhesive component, comprising at least one polymer component based on a monomer mixture containing at least one of the following monomers: - at least one acrylic acid ester - at least one methacrylic acid ester - acrylic acid - methacrylic acid. It is particularly suitable for bonding printing plates, especially on printing cylinders and/or printing sleeves, if the adhesive compound further contains 1 to 25 wt.%, preferably 2 to 20 wt.% and particularly preferably 5 to 12.5 wt.%, in each case based on the total mixture of the at least one adhesive component without solvent, at least one compound selected from the group consisting of stearyl alcohol, aliphatic and aromatic dicarboxylic acid esters, acetylated polyols and ethoxylated fatty acid amines.