Composite printing plate
United States Patent 3929073
Composite printing plate for relief and/or photogravure printing, characterised in that it consists of a support layer of aluminum or aluminum alloy of very low tin or zinc content, and of an aluminum-zinc layer clad onto one side of the support layer.
US Patent References:
/1083890.html
Smith - January 1914 - 1083890
Aluminum alloy
Bonsack - July 1942 - 2290026
Printing plate and method of making the same
Prongay - June 1964 - 3136672
COMPOSITE PRINTING PLATE WITH A MAGNESIUM ALLOY BONDED TO AN ALUMINUM LAYER
Russell - October 1969 - 3475140
/3717915.html
Teubler - February 1973 - 3717915
/1083890.html
Smith - January 1914 - 1083890
Aluminum alloy
Bonsack - July 1942 - 2290026
Printing plate and method of making the same
Prongay - June 1964 - 3136672
COMPOSITE PRINTING PLATE WITH A MAGNESIUM ALLOY BONDED TO AN ALUMINUM LAYER
Russell - October 1969 - 3475140
/3717915.html
Teubler - February 1973 - 3717915
Inventors:
Bretthauer, Klaus (Volkertshausen, DT)
Simon, Erich (Singen, Hohentw, DT)
Simon, Erich (Singen, Hohentw, DT)
Application Number:
05/446121
Publication Date:
12/30/1975
Filing Date:
02/27/1974
View Patent Images:
Export Citation:
Assignee:
Swiss Aluminum Ltd. (Neuhausen am Rheinfall, CH)
Primary Class:
Other Classes:
101/150, 420/542, 420/540, 101/395, 101/459
International Classes:
B41N1/06; B41N1/00; B41N1/06
Field of Search:
101/459,458,401.1,395,150 29/197.5 75/146,147
Other References:
Book Production Industry; Vol. 41, No. 12; Dec. 1965, pp. 38-41..
Primary Examiner:
Crowder, Clifford D.
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
Marmorek, Ernest F.
Claims:
What we claim is
1. A printing plate formed of a composite material, comprising a support layer consisting of from 0.2 to 5 per cent manganese, from 0.1 to 0.5 per cent magnesium, zinc and tin at most as impurities, and the balance being aluminum and a clad layer consisting of from 0.2 to 10 per cent zinc and the balance being aluminum clad onto one side of said support layer.
2. The printing plate as claimed in claim 1, wherein for said support layer the manganese content is in the range of from 0.5 to 2 per cent and for said clad layer the zinc content is in the range of from 0.5 to 2 per cent.
1. A printing plate formed of a composite material, comprising a support layer consisting of from 0.2 to 5 per cent manganese, from 0.1 to 0.5 per cent magnesium, zinc and tin at most as impurities, and the balance being aluminum and a clad layer consisting of from 0.2 to 10 per cent zinc and the balance being aluminum clad onto one side of said support layer.
2. The printing plate as claimed in claim 1, wherein for said support layer the manganese content is in the range of from 0.5 to 2 per cent and for said clad layer the zinc content is in the range of from 0.5 to 2 per cent.
Description:
The invention presented here concerns a composite printing plate, which finds use in relief and/or photogravure printing, and which in its construction is based on aluminun.
Printing plates produced from two or more layers of different metals are well known. Such plates however consist of a zinc alloy containing only little aluminun, clad on an aluminum alloy.
By way of contrast to this, the object of the invention is a printing plate exhibiting an AlZn layer, containing 0.2-10 percent Zn, preferably 0.5-2 percent Zn, rolled onto one side of a supporting material. This support layer which is also known as the core layer consists of aluminun or a suitable aluminum alloy which may contain tin or zinc only as impurities. In particular an aluminum alloy, containing 0.2-5 percent Mn, preferably 0.5-2 percent Mn is used. This alloy may also contain 0.1-0.5 percent Mg.
The layer of AlZn cladding should be able to be etched away as quickly and as uniformly as possible, the core layer on the other hand shoud exhibit high strength, formability and resistance to the etchant.
For the manufacture of the composite plates the AlZn billets, after annealing at approximately 400°C for 1 hour, are hot rolled down to a thickness of, for example, 10 percent of the thickness of the core billet and, in plate form, laid on top of the core billet. The two materials are then annealed in contact with each other for 1-4 hours at a cladding temperature lying between 400° and 450°C, preferably at 420°C, and finally hot rolled to 7-9 mm. The final thickness of the composite plate is arrived at by cold rolling. This, as a rule, is at about 1 mm thickness.
By etching with pure dilute hydrochloric acid which has no additives in it, the AlZn cladding is completely removed at the desired places in a short time; the substrate which is low in tin and zinc is on the other hand almost unattacked by the etchant. The relief height or depth is given by the different etching behaviour of the materials. No edge protection agent is necessary.
The innovation is illustrated in greater detail by way of an example in a drawing which follows and shows:
FIG. 1 Schematic section through a composite printing plate before the etching process.
FIG. 2 Schematic section through a composite printing plate after the etching process.
The substrate layer 1 of a suitable Al alloy has been clad with an AlZn layer. This layer is masked with an acid resistant partial layer 3. On etching in pure dilute hydrochloric acid the AlZn layer is completely removed on the areas not masked; the support layer is almost unattacked.
EXAMPLE
An aluminum alloy billet containing about 1 per cent zinc was annealed at about 400°C for about 1 hour and then hot rolled down to a plate whose thickness was about 10 per cent of that of the core billet to be used. This cladding plate and the aluminum alloy core billet, which contained about 1 per cent manganese and about 0.3 per cent magnesium, were annealed in contact with each other for about 4 hours at about 420°C and then hot rolled to about 7 millimeters. The final thickness of about 1 millimeter of the composite material was arrived at by cold rolling.
The cladding layer was masked at the places which were not to be attacked by the etchant. The cladding at the places not masked was completely removed with pure dilute hydrochloric acid. The support layer was not or only negligibly attacked by the etchant.
Printing plates produced from two or more layers of different metals are well known. Such plates however consist of a zinc alloy containing only little aluminun, clad on an aluminum alloy.
By way of contrast to this, the object of the invention is a printing plate exhibiting an AlZn layer, containing 0.2-10 percent Zn, preferably 0.5-2 percent Zn, rolled onto one side of a supporting material. This support layer which is also known as the core layer consists of aluminun or a suitable aluminum alloy which may contain tin or zinc only as impurities. In particular an aluminum alloy, containing 0.2-5 percent Mn, preferably 0.5-2 percent Mn is used. This alloy may also contain 0.1-0.5 percent Mg.
The layer of AlZn cladding should be able to be etched away as quickly and as uniformly as possible, the core layer on the other hand shoud exhibit high strength, formability and resistance to the etchant.
For the manufacture of the composite plates the AlZn billets, after annealing at approximately 400°C for 1 hour, are hot rolled down to a thickness of, for example, 10 percent of the thickness of the core billet and, in plate form, laid on top of the core billet. The two materials are then annealed in contact with each other for 1-4 hours at a cladding temperature lying between 400° and 450°C, preferably at 420°C, and finally hot rolled to 7-9 mm. The final thickness of the composite plate is arrived at by cold rolling. This, as a rule, is at about 1 mm thickness.
By etching with pure dilute hydrochloric acid which has no additives in it, the AlZn cladding is completely removed at the desired places in a short time; the substrate which is low in tin and zinc is on the other hand almost unattacked by the etchant. The relief height or depth is given by the different etching behaviour of the materials. No edge protection agent is necessary.
The innovation is illustrated in greater detail by way of an example in a drawing which follows and shows:
FIG. 1 Schematic section through a composite printing plate before the etching process.
FIG. 2 Schematic section through a composite printing plate after the etching process.
The substrate layer 1 of a suitable Al alloy has been clad with an AlZn layer. This layer is masked with an acid resistant partial layer 3. On etching in pure dilute hydrochloric acid the AlZn layer is completely removed on the areas not masked; the support layer is almost unattacked.
EXAMPLE
An aluminum alloy billet containing about 1 per cent zinc was annealed at about 400°C for about 1 hour and then hot rolled down to a plate whose thickness was about 10 per cent of that of the core billet to be used. This cladding plate and the aluminum alloy core billet, which contained about 1 per cent manganese and about 0.3 per cent magnesium, were annealed in contact with each other for about 4 hours at about 420°C and then hot rolled to about 7 millimeters. The final thickness of about 1 millimeter of the composite material was arrived at by cold rolling.
The cladding layer was masked at the places which were not to be attacked by the etchant. The cladding at the places not masked was completely removed with pure dilute hydrochloric acid. The support layer was not or only negligibly attacked by the etchant.