engleski

INFLUENCE OF UV EXPOSURE ON THE SURFACE AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF FLEXOGRAPHIC PRINTING PLATE

Flexographic printing plates are widely used in packaging printing and are therefore a subject of number of studies. Since the properties of the flexographic printing plate significantly influence properties of the final product, the impact of different plate processing conditions were investigated in this paper. Samples of flexographic printing plate used in this research were made form liquid photopolymer, and the influence of main exposure (UV radiation) on mechanical and physicalchemical properties was studied. Contact angle, surface energy and hardness changes were measured. Information about changes that occur on the surface and in the volume of a flexographic printing plate as a result of different processing conditions was provided. Results obtained in this paper are relevant for the flexographic reproduction process for two reasons: they point to the absorption of the printing ink and they define possible deformations that occur due to the pressure in printing process.

flexography; photopolymer; UV radiation; hardness; contact angle; surface energy

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