System and method for providing pin register holes in flexible printing plates and apparatus and method for aligning plates on a flexographic printing press plate cylinder

摘要

A method for accurately drilling pin register holes in flexible printing plates for flexographic printing plate cylinders includes placing aligning pin hole location marks as a part of original artwork used for creating the printing plates. The pin hole location marks are then carried through with each step of developing the flexible plates, including creation of photographic negatives and final type flex negatives from which raised patterns are produced in the finished plates. Pin register holes are then drilled through the finished plate at the marker locations which form a portion of the raised pattern. To align the finished plate on a press, a removable pin register bar is then attached to the plate cylinder, the flexible plate with the register holes drilled therein is placed over the register pins on the bar, the plate is adhered to the plate cylinder in proper printing position and the bar is then removed.