A study of the effects of the process parameters on the characteristics of photochemical flexographic printing plates

摘要

Inconsistency in flexographic platemaking techniques was perceived to influence the print quality and consistency. The results of a factorial designed experiment creaed to establish which platemaking factors had a significant influence on the flexographic printing quality are reported in this paper. The objective of the experiment was not only to define the optimum platemaking technique, but also to improve the understanding of the characteristics and properties of the photopolymer printing plate and to identify the key interacting factors which have the most significant effect on print quality and consistency. Various statistical methods were employed for the desig of the experiment and for the interpretation of experimental data generated. The results of the investigation have been used to fine-tune the flexographic platemaking techniques to significantly manipulate the properties for the end-use application to enhance printing performance and consistency of the plates.