Waterless Printing Plate with Hydrophobic Solvent Barrier

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current waterless planographic printing technologies face challenges with ink transferability, resolution, and durability, particularly in forming high-definition patterns for electronic devices, due to solvent permeation issues and base staining problems.

Innovation Solution

A printing plate with a substrate containing an elastic body swellable in solvent, a hydrophobic solvent permeation preventing layer, and a hydrophilic portion is developed, where the hydrophobic layer inhibits solvent permeation and the hydrophilic portion enhances ink transferability and prevents base staining, allowing for high-resolution printing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a waterless planographic printing plate uses a hydrophobic non-image portion to prevent base staining, then printing durability is improved, but solvent permeation occurs causing ink transferability deterioration

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprinting durabilityVSAvoidink transferability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by creating distinct regions with different properties: the non-image portion remains hydrophobic to prevent base staining, while the image portion is made hydrophilic to enable complete ink transfer. This spatial differentiation of wettability properties resolves the contradiction between preventing solvent permeation and ensuring ink transferability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent inverts the conventional approach by making the image portion hydrophilic rather than hydrophobic. Traditionally, the entire plate surface is hydrophobic to prevent base staining, but this patent reverses the wettability of the image portion to enable complete ink transfer, thereby solving the transferability problem while maintaining durability through the hydrophobic non-image portion.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Shape

If the printing plate achieves complete ink transfer to the substrate, then print surface smoothness is improved, but remaining ink accumulates in plate graves causing resolution deterioration

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprint surface smoothnessVSAvoidprint resolution

Core Design Contradiction:

ShapeVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies discarding and recovering by ensuring complete transfer of ink from the plate to the substrate, effectively discarding the remaining ink that would otherwise accumulate in plate graves. The hydrophilic image portion facilitates this complete transfer, preventing resolution deterioration while maintaining surface smoothness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

3Force

If ink viscosity is increased by adding binder polymer for gravure printing, then ink adhesion is improved, but metal particle purity is reduced causing resistance increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveink adhesionVSAvoidelectrical resistance

Core Design Contradiction:

ForceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical/binder-based adhesion system with a wettability-based system. Instead of using binder polymers to increase viscosity and adhesion, the patent uses the hydrophilic property of the image portion to enable complete transfer of low-viscosity ink containing metal particles, thereby maintaining electrical conductivity while achieving sufficient adhesion through the transfer mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

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 solution enables excellent transferability, printing durability, and resolution, facilitating the production of high-definition patterns suitable for electronic devices by controlling solvent permeation and preventing ink adhesion to non-image areas.

Implementation Method 1

a substrate containing an elastic body swellable in a solvent in an ink

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSwelling:

Implementation Method 2

a hydrophobic solvent permeation preventing layer which includes a function of inhibiting permeation of a solvent

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHydrophobicity: Hydrophobe

Implementation Method 3

a hydrophilic portion that is an image portion formed on a surface of the substrate at an opening portion of the hydrophobic solvent permeation preventing layer and higher in hydrophilicity than the hydrophobic solvent permeation preventing layer

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHydrophilicity: Hydrophile

Data Source

PatentEP3153325B1Printing plate, method for producing printing plate, method for manufacturing functional element and printing apparatus

Publication Date: 2021.04.28 DAI NIPPON PRINTING CO LTD

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Figure 2A~2E
Figure 3A~3C

AI summary

The main object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a printing plate with excellent transferability, printing durability, and resolution, a producing method for the printing plate, a producing method for a functional element utilizing the printing plate, and a printing apparatus. An embodiment of the present invention achieves the objective by providing a printing plate comprising: a substrate containing an elastic body swellable in a solvent, a hydrophobic solvent permeation preventing layer formed on the substrate in a pattern, and a hydrophilic portion that is formed on a surface of the substrate at an opening portion of the hydrophobic solvent permeation preventing layer and higher in hydrophilicity than the hydrophobic solvent permeation preventing layer.