System for and method of manufacturing gravure printing plates

• Main Authors: LIU XINBING, CHENG CHEN-HSIUNG
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 06.10.2005
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; CINEMATOGRAPHY; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY; LINING MACHINES; MACHINE TOOLS; MATERIALS FOR SURFACES USED IN PRINTING MACHINES FOR PRINTING,INKING, DAMPING, OR THE LIKE; MATERIALS THEREFOR; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES,e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTORDEVICES; PHYSICS; PREPARING SUCH SURFACES FOR USE AND CONSERVING THEM; PRINTING; PRINTING PLATES OR FOILS; PROCESSES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR REPRODUCTION OF PRINTINGSURFACES; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; STAMPS; TRANSPORTING; TYPEWRITERS; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

A method of operating a laser drilling system to manufacture gravure printing plates without etching or the use of hazardous chemicals includes activating a laser drilling system, including a picosecond laser, light valves, and a mechanism adapted to rotate a gravure cylinder blank. Operation of the light valves, includes setting the light valves to block and/or allow pulses of laser energy propagating from the laser drilling system that can ablate a linear pattern of cells along a substantially entire length of the gravure cylinder blank. Drilling of cells includes targeting the laser drilling system on the gravure cylinder blank, such that ablation of materials occurs as sub-beams propagate along an optical path to the target area and impinge upon the gravure cylinder blank, wherein specific cells within the target area of the gravure cylinder blank are drilled or not drilled according to settings of the light valves.