Clean flexographic printing plates and method of making the same

1. A method of processing a flexographic printing blank to produce a relief image printing element capable of printing cleanly, the method comprising the steps of:

a) providing a flexographic printing blank comprising:

i) a support layer;

ii) at least one photocurable layer disposed on the support layer, the at least one photocurable layer comprising a photocurable composition comprising:

1) at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer;

2) at least one silicone monomer or oligomer; and

3) at least one binder or oligomer; and

4) a photoinitiator

iii) a laser ablatable mask layer disposed on the at least one photocurable layer;

b) laser ablating the laser ablatable mask layer to create an in situ negative in the laser ablatable mask layer;

c) disposing a barrier layer on the laser ablatable mask layer;

d) exposing the at least one photocurable layer to actinic radiation through the barrier layer and the laser ablatable mask layer; and

e) developing the imaged and exposed flexographic printing blank to reveal a relief image therein, wherein the relief image comprises a plurality of relief printing dots;

wherein the resulting relief image printing element is mountable in a printing press and is capable of printing cleanly and of resisting paper fibers, dust and ink during a print run when mounted in the printing press.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one silicone monomer or oligomer is selected from the group consisting of aliphatic silicone (meth) acrylate, silicone p-ethyl (meth) acrylate, silicone (meth) acrylate, silicone polyester (meth) acrylate, silicone p-acrylate, silicone diacrylate, silicone hexacrylate and combinations of one or more of the foregoing.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one silicone monomer or oligomer comprises silicone p-ethyl acrylate or silicone diacrylate.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one silicone monomer is present in the photocurable composition at a concentration of between about 0.01 to about 5.0 percent by weight, based on the total weight of the photocurable composition.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one silicone monomer is present in the photocurable layer at a concentration of between about 0.05 to about 0.5 percent by weight, based on the total weight of the photocurable composition.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the at least one silicone monomer is present in the photocurable layer at a concentration of about 0.1 to about 0.2 percent by weight, based on the total weight of the photocurable composition.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the barrier layer is disposed on the laser ablatable mask layer by laminating the barrier layer to the photocurable layer.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the barrier layer is disposed on the laser ablatable mask after the laser ablation step but before the exposure to actinic radiation step.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the barrier layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polyamides, polyvinyl alcohol, hydroxyalkyl cellulose, polyvinyl pyrrolidinone, copolymers of ethylene and vinyl acetate, amphoteric interpolymers, cellulose acetate butyrate, alkyl cellulose, butyral, cyclic rubbers, and combinations or one or more of the foregoing.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the barrier layer comprises a film selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyester and combinations of one or more of the foregoing.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the barrier layer comprises a polypropylene film or a polyethylene terephthalate film.

12. A relief image printing element produced by the process of claim 1 .