System for reducing ablation debris
View Patent ↗A system for exposing a heat and/or light sensitive printing plate precursor including a coating on a support includes a platesetter including a laser head for generating a laser beam to create an image, and the platesetter further includes an electrostatic generator capable of electrostatically charging the surface of the coating.
1. A system for exposing a heat and/or light sensitive printing plate precursor including a coating on a support, the system comprising:
a platesetter including a laser head that generates a laser beam to create an image; and
an electrostatic generator that electrostatically charges a surface of the coating.
2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the electrostatic generator electrostatically charges the surface of the coating to become positively or negatively charged.
3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the electrostatic generator includes at least one charging bar and a DC high voltage generator.
4. The system according to claim 3 , wherein the DC high voltage generator generates a current of 0.5μA or more.
5. The system according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one charging bar includes at least one pinner electrode.
6. The system according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one charging bar includes 4 to 6 pinner electrodes.
7. The system according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one charging bar includes at least one wire electrode.
8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the at least one wire electrode includes 5 to 500 electrodes.
9. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the platesetter includes an external drum.
10. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the platesetter includes an internal drum.
11. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising the heat and/or light sensitive printing plate precursor, and the support is a grained and anodized aluminum support.
12. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising the heat and/or light sensitive printing plate precursor, and the coating includes an infrared absorbing agent and a heat-sensitive oleophilic resin.
13. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising the heat and/or light sensitive printing plate precursor, and the coating includes an infrared absorbing agent, hydrophobic thermoplastic polymer particles, and a hydrophilic binder.
14. A method for making a lithographic printing plate comprising the steps of:
applying a heat and/or light sensitive coating onto a support to obtain a printing plate precursor;
image-wise exposing the precursor with the system according to claim 1 ; and
optionally developing the precursor.
15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the surface of the coating is electrostatically charged before the step of image-wise exposing the precursor.