FLEXOGRAPHIC PLATE MOUNTING

1 . A method of mounting a flexographic printing plate to a cylinder comprising:

providing the flexographic printing plate with a first alignment feature;

providing a fixture with a second alignment feature which matches the first alignment feature;

aligning the plate to the fixture using the first and second alignment features;

mounting the cylinder in the fixture in alignment with the second alignment feature; and

transferring the plate from the fixture to the cylinder maintaining registration.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the first alignment feature is selected from a group consisting of a notch, a reverse line, a line, an edge, a series of lines and a combination thereof.

3 . The method of claim 1 wherein the second alignment feature is selected from a group consisting of a wire, a bar, and combinations thereof.

4 . The method of claim 1 wherein an axis of the cylinder is perpendicular to the second alignment feature.

5 . The method of claim 1 wherein the flexographic plate has a raised surface containing an image and the first alignment feature.

6 . The method of claim 5 wherein the raised image and the first alignment feature are in register.

7 . A method of mounting flexographic printing plates to plate cylinders comprising:

providing a first flexographic printing plate with a first set of raised relief image features and a first alignment feature;

providing a fixture with a second alignment feature which matches the first alignment feature;

aligning the first flexographic printing plate to the fixture using the first and second alignment features;

mounting a first plate cylinder in the fixture in alignment with the second alignment feature;

transferring the first flexographic printing plate from the fixture to the first plate cylinder with the first set of raised relief image features registered to the first plate cylinder;

providing a second flexographic printing plate with a second set of raised relief image features and a third alignment feature;

wherein the third alignment matches the second alignment feature;

aligning the second flexographic printing plate to the fixture using the third and second alignment features;

mounting a second plate cylinder in the fixture in alignment with the second alignment feature; and

transferring the second flexographic printing plate from the fixture to the second plate cylinder with the second set of raised relief image features registered to the second plate cylinder.

8 . The method of claim 7 wherein the first plate cylinder is mounted in a first flexographic printing station; and

the second plate cylinder is mounted in a second flexographic printing station.

9 . The method of claim 8 wherein the first flexographic printing plate mounted on the first plate cylinder in the first flexographic printing station prints a first image onto a receiver web; and

wherein the second flexographic printing plate mounted on the second plate cylinder in the second flexographic printing station prints a second image in register to the first image onto the receiver web.

10 . The method of claim 9 wherein the receiver is selected from a group consisting of paper, plastic, glass, metal, semiconductor, metalized film, film or a combination thereof.

11 . The method of claim 10 wherein the receiver is precoated.

12 . The method of claim 9 wherein the printed receiver web is a functional printed device.

13 . The method of claim 12 wherein the functional printed device is selected from a group consisting of a mechanical device, a three-dimensional device, an electronic device, a memory, a conductive device, a light emitting device, a light detector device, a strain detector, a stress detector, a diode junction, a capacitive device, a multi-colored graphic image, and combinations thereof.

14 . The method of claim 8 wherein the first flexographic printing plate mounted on the first plate cylinder in the first flexographic printing station prints a first image onto a receiver web;

the web is flipped upside down; and

and the second flexographic printing plate mounted on the second plate cylinder in the second flexographic printing station prints a second image in register to the first image onto the back side of the receiver web.

15 . A method of mounting flexographic printing plates to plate cylinders in flexographic printing stations comprising:

providing platen rails aligned to a first cylinder;

providing a platen aligned to the platen rails;

providing a first flexographic printing plate with a first alignment feature;

providing a fixture with a second alignment feature;

mounting the fixture onto the platen;

aligning the first flexographic printing plate to the fixture using the first and second alignment features;

transporting the platen on the platen rails to the first plate cylinder in a first printing station; and

transferring the first flexographic printing plate from the fixture to the first plate cylinder maintaining registration.

16 . The method of claim 15 wherein the first alignment feature is selected from a group consisting of a notch, a reverse line, a line, an edge, a series of lines and a combination thereof.

17 . The method of claim 15 wherein the second alignment feature is selected from a group consisting of a wire, a bar, and combinations thereof.

18 . The method of claim 15 wherein an axis of the first plate cylinder is perpendicular to the second alignment feature.

19 . The method of claim 15 wherein the first flexographic plate has a raised surface containing a first raised image and the first alignment feature.

20 . The method of claim 19 wherein the first raised image and the first alignment feature are in register.

21 . The method of claim 15 wherein a second cylinder is aligned to the platen and platen rails;

wherein the second cylinder is mounted in a second flexographic printing station;

providing a second flexographic printing plate with a third alignment feature;

aligning the second flexographic printing plate to the fixture using the third and second alignment features;

transporting the platen on the platen rails to the second plate cylinder in a second printing station; and

transferring the second flexographic printing plate from the fixture to the second plate cylinder maintaining registration.

22 . The method of claim 21 wherein the first flexographic printing plate mounted on the first plate cylinder in the first flexographic printing station prints a first image onto a receiver; and

the second flexographic printing plate mounted on the second plate cylinder in the second flexographic printing station prints a second image in register to the first image onto the receiver.

23 . The method of claim 22 wherein the receiver is selected from a group consisting of paper, plastic, silicon, glass, metal, semiconductor, metalized film, film, ceramic, and a combination thereof.

24 . The method of claim 23 wherein the printed receiver is a printed functional receiver.

25 . The method of claim 24 wherein the printed functional receiver is selected from a group consisting of a an electronic device, a memory, a conductive device, a light emitting device, a light detector device, a diode junction, a capacitive device, a strain detector, a stress detector, a mechanical device, a three-dimensional object, a multi-colored graphic image, and combinations thereof.