Thermal Technology

The thermal technology is a big concept and the way it is implemented is also varied. At present, the main thermal CTP technologies include thermal curing technology, thermal decomposition technology, and heat-free processing technology. The lasers used in these technologies are all infrared lasers, but the imaging mechanism is different. The heat-sensitive curing technique uses a laser beam scan to photopolymerize the photosensitive layer of the dot portion. In the developing process, the reacting photosensitive layer is insoluble, and the photosensitive layer that is not scanned by the laser beam dissolves. The imaging mechanism of the thermo-decomposition technique is the opposite of that in which a decomposition reaction occurs in the portion scanned by the laser beam. In the development process, the reacting photosensitive layer is dissolved, and the photosensitive layer that is not scanned by the laser beam is insoluble. The heat-free technology eliminates the need to develop printed information by melting it into a hydrophilic silicon layer using a thermal laser beam.

Either way, there is no silver salt component in the photosensitive material of the thermal plate. This fundamentally solved the issue of expensive plate materials. Although the prices of thermal plates currently on the market are still high, such prices are not a true reflection of manufacturing costs. From a development perspective, the overall price of the thermal plate should be close to the price of the widely used conventional PS plate.

The exposure light source of the thermal plate is a thermal laser. Under normal storage conditions, the photosensitive layer of the thermal plate will not change, so the thermal plate should be stored without any problems, and the operation of the thermal plate is not necessary. It can be done in the bright room, which is a leap. Although users are often faced with the problem of thermal plate failure, this is caused by the process control of the plate material manufacturing company during the process of preparing the sensitizer, which has nothing to do with the technology.

Thermal technology also has certain problems. The first is the complexity of the system. The thermal CTP technology itself is more and more, the polymer system that can realize the thermal plate making purpose is more, and there is no technology in the field of thermal CTP, can get everyone like the 215 sensitizer used in the traditional PS plate. With common approval, all production companies also have their own opinions and do not show weaknesses. This brings a lot of trouble to the user's choice. In addition, the exposure speed of the thermal plate is relatively slow, which also limits the application of the thermal technology to some extent. It is also known that the requirements for the development conditions of the thermal plate, especially the temperature requirements, are very severe. Once the temperature exceeds the specified development temperature, the photosensitive layer may be completely dissolved and the plate becomes a “white plate”.

Despite some problems, the thermal technology still occupies a dominant position in the CTP market with its lower price of consumables and a relatively relaxed operating environment. It can be said that before the purple laser technology and CTP technology matured, there was no competitor for the thermal CTP technology in the market, and there was only competition between the manufacturers of thermal sensitive devices and different thermal plate manufacturers. .