Wear and Corrosion Resistance of Photopolymer Plate Under Different Flexo Ink Systems
This technical study explores aging, corrosion and wear rules of photopolymer plates under long-term contact with water-based, solvent-based and UV flexo inks, and provides targeted plate selection and maintenance strategies for different ink systems.
Different chemical compositions of flexo inks produce differentiated corrosion and aging effects on photopolymer plate polymer molecular structures. Long-term contact with different ink systems changes plate surface hardness, resilience and relief edge sharpness gradually, shortening plate service life and reducing printing pattern accuracy in late usage stage.
Water-based flexo ink causes fatigue aging on photopolymer plates mainly through long-term water molecule penetration. Water molecules penetrate into plate polymer gaps, reducing cross-linking density slowly. This aging process is mild and slow, with no obvious surface corrosion but gradual resilience attenuation after long-time printing.
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Solvent-based flexo ink brings moderate chemical corrosion to
photopolymer plates. Organic solvent in ink dissolves partial low-cross-linking polymer on plate surface, causing passivation of pattern edges. The corrosion speed accelerates under high printing pressure, resulting in thickened fine lines and blurred text patterns after long-batch production.
UV curing ink causes the most severe photo-aging effect on photopolymer plates. Repeated ultraviolet radiation during printing breaks partial polymer molecular chains on plate surface, making plates brittle and easy to crack. UV ink matched photopolymer plates need special anti-UV aging formula to slow down photo-aging damage effectively.
Plate maintenance strategies targeted at three ink systems: for water-based ink, clean plates completely after each production to avoid long-term water penetration; for solvent-based ink, shorten single continuous printing batch and strengthen plate surface protection; for UV ink, adopt low-energy UV auxiliary drying and regularly check plate brittleness degree.
High-hardness special photopolymer plates are customized for harsh ink working conditions. Modified polymer materials improve ink corrosion resistance and anti-UV aging performance, adapting to long-term uninterrupted printing with UV and solvent-based inks. Reasonable matching between plate type and ink system maximizes plate service life and reduces plate making cost for printing enterprises.
