Aqueous processing method for flexographic printing plates

1. A method for forming a flexographic printing plate, comprising:

providing a flexographic printing plate precursor including:

a substrate; and

an aqueous-processable photopolymer layer having a front surface and a back surface that is in contact with the substrate;

laminating a mask element to the flexographic printing plate precursor in direct contact with the front surface of the photopolymer layer;

image-wise exposing the photopolymer layer through the mask element to provide an exposed photopolymer layer having a latent image;

removing the mask element from the flexographic printing plate precursor;

using a main processing unit to develop the latent image into a relief image including raised portions with micro-textures by removing unexposed photopolymer from the photosensitive flexographic printing plate by contacting the photosensitive flexographic printing plate with an aqueous processing solution including a first dispersing agent while the photosensitive flexographic printing plate is being subjected to mechanical cleaning, wherein the aqueous processing solution is supplied to the main processing unit from a processing solution tank, and wherein used aqueous processing solution containing the removed photopolymer is returned from the main processing unit back into the processing solution tank;

using a secondary processing unit to further processes the developed relief image with a secondary aqueous processing solution including a second dispersing agent to remove debris from the developed relief image, wherein the removed debris includes residual particles of unexposed photopolymer that were not removed by the main processing unit, wherein unused secondary aqueous processing solution that has never been used to process a photosensitive flexographic printing plate is provided to the secondary processing unit for use in further processing of the developed relief image, and wherein used secondary aqueous processing solution containing the removed photopolymer is directed from the secondary processing unit into the processing solution tank; and

removing a portion of the aqueous processing solution from the processing solution tank to keep a volume of aqueous processing solution in the processing solution tank below a predefined maximum volume;

wherein a concentration of photopolymer in the aqueous processing solution in the processing solution tank is maintained below a maximum photopolymer concentration of 2.5 mass percent.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first dispersing agent is the same as the second dispersing agent.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or both of the first and second dispersing agents is a salt of a fatty acid.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the fatty acid has an average carbon number in the range of 10-20.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or both of the first and second dispersing agents is a sulfonate.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the sulfonate is an alkylbenze sulfonate having an average carbon number in the range of 8-16, or an -α-olefin sulfonate having an average carbon number in the range of 10-20.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein a concentration of the second dispersing agent in the secondary aqueous processing solution is equal to a concentration of the first dispersing agent in the aqueous processing solution in the processing solution tank.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a concentration of the second dispersing agent in the secondary aqueous processing solution is greater than a concentration of the first dispersing agent in the aqueous processing solution in the processing solution tank.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein a pH of the aqueous processing solution in the processing solution tank is maintained within a predefined pH range.

10. The method of claim 1 , further including filtering the used aqueous processing solution to remove large particles of photopolymer before the used aqueous processing solution is returned back into the processing solution tank.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the secondary processing unit subjects the developed relief image to mechanical cleaning while the developed relief image is being further processed with the secondary aqueous processing solution.

12. The method of claim 1 , further including a washing unit to wash the developed relief image with fresh water after the developed relief image has been further processed with the secondary aqueous processing solution.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the aqueous processing solution removed from the processing solution tank is directed into a holding tank.

14. The method of claim 13 , further including adding a coagulant to the aqueous processing solution in the holding tank to coagulate the removed photopolymer so that coagulated removed photopolymer can be removed from the aqueous processing solution for disposal.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mechanical cleaning is provided by one or more brushes which contact the photosensitive flexographic printing plate.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous processing solution is maintained at a temperature between 40° C. to 60° C.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein a concentration of the second dispersing agent in the secondary aqueous processing solution is less than a concentration of the first dispersing agent in the aqueous processing solution in the processing solution tank.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of polymer to dispersing agent in the processing solution tank is maintained at a value less than or equal to 2.0.