Methods and apparatus for use in photopolymer plate manufacture

摘要

The invention provides a photopolymer package for use in making a hand stamp plate, the package consisting of a sachet containing a photocurable liquid polymer, the walls of the sachet being formed of material capable of being released from the cured photopolymer. Methods for the formation of the package and the hand stamp plate are also provided. The invention eliminates the requirement for the use of a backing layer in the package and thereby offers significant advantages over the prior art in terms of cost and efficiency. The invention describes how that sachet can be inserted in a holding device to expose it to UV radiation to produce the printed surface. The invention describes a novel method for spraying the sachet with a liquid to enable it to be dry post-exposed in a new type of exposure unit. It describes how this exposure unit benefits from the simplicity of the sachet concept to require no movable upper lid. This unit combines the post exposure process with the exposure process without the requirement for a water bath.