Flexographic plates have the printing image in relief, which means the image area is raised

relative to the non-image area. As the name implies, flexographic plates are very flexible and are
typically composed of rubber type compounds. Technological evolution has brought changes in
flexographic plates. Plates made from light sensitive photopolymers are now commonly being
used throughout the industry. Photopolymer plates are similar to traditional rubber plates in that
they are flexible and resilient, but their use poses different environmental concerns.

Using a photographic film process, a film negative is produced. The film is then used to expose
the plate material, which is coated with light-sensitive chemicals, to UV light. The plate is then
chemically developed using water or solvent to remove the unexposed image areas of the plate
ultimately producing a plate with raised image that is identical to the artwork. One plate is made
for each ink color used on the job.

Types of Plates:

Rubber Plates
The original flexographic printing plate was composed of rubber. There are several steps
to make molded rubber flexographic printing plates. A master pattern (or engraving) is
made by exposure through a photographic negative. A photographic negative is imaged
and developed by using traditional black and white silver halide film and chemistry (i.e.,
developer, fixer, and wash water).
Photopolymer Plates
Photopolymers are ultraviolet (UV) light sensitive materials. Photopolymer plates used
for flexographic printing plates are similar to rubber plates in that they are flexible and
resilient. Photopolymer plates are either viscous liquids or solid sheets of appropriate
thickness.
Dry Thermal Photopolymer Plates
Dry thermal plate processing eliminates the use of solvents, reduces plate making time
and improves plate quality. This system eliminates the need for conventional chemical
solvent or aqueous washout.
Digital Photopolymer Plates
Digital photopolymer flexographic plate imaging uses no film, and is not actually part of
the traditional prepress process. Conventional plate making generates chemical waste
from film processing and solid waste from the films. Multiple generations of films are
usually produced during job approval and for conventional analog proofing. Digital plate
making only generates a thin black integral mask as waste. It promotes the transition to
an all-digital workflow that employs digital proofing for job approval and final proofs.
 Flexographic Printing Plates

In the typical flexographic printing sequence, the substrate is fed into the press from a roll. The image is printed as
substrate is pulled through a series of stations, or print units. Each print unit is printing a single color. As with
Gravure and Lithographic printing, the various tones and shading are achieved by overlaying the 4 basic shades of
ink. These are magenta, cyan, yellow and black.

To begin the process of Flexographic printing, you must have the appropriate plates to transfer the image to the
substrate.

There are three main ways for developing plates:

1. Using a Light-Sensitive Polymer

A film negative is placed over the plate, which is exposed to ultra-violet light. The polymer hardens where
light passes through the film. The remaining polymer is softer and is able to be washed away in a tank of
either water or solvent. The plate to be washed out is fixed in the orbital washout unit on a sticky base plate.

2. Digital Platemaking

This method is the most common used today for plate development; it uses a computer-guided laser to etch
the image onto the printing plate. Direct laser engraving process is called digital platemaking.
Digital imaging of flexographic plates is a multiple step process, but it requires fewer steps than conventional
flexographic platemaking. The process begins with the placement of the plate material on an external drum
where it is held in place by a vacuum or double-stick tape.
A flexographic plate for CTP (computer-to-plate) systems consists of a photopolymer layer topped by a black
masking layer. As the imaging drum rotates, a laser head creates the image on the plate by melting portions
of the black masking layer to reveal corresponding areas on the photopolymer layer. Only a light coating of
ash is formed from the imaging process, which is removed with a debris extractor built into the system. This
is followed by a simple water wash and a short drying period.
Many flexographic digital platesetters use infrared lasers that operate at 830 nm or 1064 nm wavelengths.
Flexographic platesetters for CTP require more power than offset CTP thermal units because the lasers must
be able to ablate unwanted areas of the plate material in order to provide proper imaging.

3. Molding Process

The first step is to create a metal plate out of the negative of our original image through an exposition
process (followed by an acid bath). This metal plate in relief is then used in the second step to create the
mold that could be in Bakelite board or even glass or plastic, through a first molding process. Once cooled,
this master mold will press the rubber or plastic compound (under both controlled temperature and
pressure) through a second molding process to create the printing plate.

For every color to be printed, a separate plate is produced. To ensure an accurate picture is made, registration marks
are made on the flexographic plates. These mounting marks can be microdots (down to 0.3 mm) and/or mounting
crosses.

A flexographic print is made by creating a mirrored master of the required image as a

3D relief in a rubber or polymer material. The image areas are raised above the non-
image areas on the rubber or polymer plate. The ink is transferred to the anilox via a
metering roll (rubber roller) and the access in is removed using a "Docter Blade." the
substrate is then pulled between the plate and the impression cylinder to transfer the
image.