Deformable Polymer Printing Plates for Low-Cost Gravure
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-cost manufacturing of printing plates for gravure and flexographic printing processes limits their application to high-volume printing, making them inaccessible for lower volume or diverse printing needs.
Innovation Solution
A printing plate formed from a substrate with an array of cells containing deformable polymer material, where the cells can be heated to soften and deform to form a printing pattern, allowing for the creation of high-quality prints without the need for expensive master plates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional gravure or flexographic printing plates are used, then high-quality high-speed printing is achieved, but the manufacturing cost is high and limited to high-volume applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses deformable polymer material that changes its physical state between solid and liquid phases through temperature control. By heating the polymer above its melting point, it becomes liquid and flows into the cell cavities to form the printing pattern. Upon cooling, it solidifies to create the final printing plate surface. This parameter change enables low-cost manufacturing while maintaining high printing quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The deformable polymer material undergoes phase transitions between solid and liquid states to enable pattern formation. The polymer is heated to melt it (liquid phase), allowing it to fill cell cavities and form the desired printing pattern. After pattern formation, cooling solidifies the polymer (solid phase), creating the permanent printing plate surface. This phase transition mechanism allows inexpensive plates to achieve gravure-quality printing.
2Manufacturing precision
If expensive master plates are used for gravure and flexographic printing, then high-quality prints are produced, but the process is inaccessible for lower volume printing applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates inexpensive, disposable printing plates using deformable polymer material that can be easily manufactured and replaced. These low-cost plates enable small businesses and low-volume printers to access high-quality printing capabilities without the need for expensive master plates. The plates can be discarded after use and replaced with new ones, eliminating the need for costly plate maintenance and storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The deformable polymer material serves as a copy medium that captures the printing pattern from a master image and reproduces it on the printing plate surface. This copying mechanism allows the creation of multiple identical printing plates from a single master design, enabling widespread distribution of affordable plates for various printing applications.
3Ease of manufacture
If deformable polymer material is used in cells, then printing plate cost is reduced, but the cells must be heated and cooled to form the printing pattern
Solution Approach 1:
The deformable polymer material performs self-actuation through temperature-induced phase changes. When heated above its melting point, the polymer automatically becomes liquid and flows into the cell cavities without requiring external mechanical actuation. Upon cooling, it automatically solidifies to form the printing pattern. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for complex mechanical actuation systems while maintaining low plate cost.
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
Enables the production of high-quality prints at lower costs, allowing for broader applications of high-speed printing processes beyond high-volume use, with the ability to reuse or easily replace printing plates.
Implementation Method 1
heating the cells such that the deformable polymer material in selected ones of the cells softens and returns to a less deformed state
Implementation Method 2
cooling the surface to solidify the deformable polymer material in the printing pattern
Data Source
AI summary
A printing plate has a substrate, an array of cells on the substrate, wherein each cell corresponds to an element of a print image, a deformable polymer material localized into the cells such that each cell is at least partially formed from the deformable polymer material, a reservoir corresponding to each cell to collect the deformable polymer material as needed when the deformable polymer material is one of either melted or softened, and a heater to cause the deformable polymer material to either melt or soften. A method of forming a printing plate provides an array of cells, first heats the array of cells such that the deformable polymer material does one of either melts or softens, actuates the cells in the array to assume a deformed state, cools the array of cells to solidify the cells in the deformed state, second heats the cells such that the deformable polymer material in selected ones of the cells does one of either soften or melt and return to a less deformed state to form a printing pattern, and cools the surface to solidify the deformable polymer material in the printing pattern. A method of forming a printing plate provides an array of cells, heats the array of cells such that the deformable polymer material softens, actuates selected ones of the cells to deform surfaces of the selected ones to form a printing pattern, and cools the array of cells to solidify the printing pattern into a printing plate.