US 12,076,974 B2
Method for identifying a relief precursor for producing a relief structure
Markus Muehlfeit, Weil der Stadt (DE); Timo Bickert, Barnitz (DE); Ruediger Lennick, Remseck (DE); and Andrew Knapp, Charlotte, NC (US)
Assigned to Flint Group Germany GmbH, Stuttgart (DE)
Appl. No. 16/768,682
Filed by Flint Group Germany GmbH, Stuttgart (DE)
PCT Filed Dec. 7, 2018, PCT No. PCT/EP2018/083996
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 31, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/110809, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 13, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 17206168 (EP), filed on Dec. 8, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0187934 A1, Jun. 24, 2021
Int. Cl. G03F 7/20 (2006.01); B41C 1/05 (2006.01)
CPC B41C 1/05 (2013.01) [G03F 7/2022 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
 
1. A method for identifying a relief precursor or a relief comprising a carrier and a relief-forming layer, having the steps:
a) providing a relief precursor comprising a carrier and a relief-forming layer, wherein the relief-forming layer is a photopolymerizable layer, to which a mask layer that can be imaged is applied;
b) providing a desired printing image and data which identifies the type of relief precursor or relief and contains process-relevant data for processing it, in the form of at least one two-dimensional code;
c) performing image-based structuring of the relief precursor based on the desired printing image and introducing the at least one two-dimensional code into the relief-forming layer as a relief during the image-based structuring,
wherein step c) comprises the following steps:
ca) writing the two-dimensional code and the desired printing image into the mask layer by imaging the mask layer,
cb) exposing the photopolymerizable relief-forming layer with electromagnetic radiation through the imaged mask layer;
cc) removing the remainder of the mask layer and the unexposed parts of the photopolymerizable relief-forming layer so as to obtain the relief,
wherein after step ca) the data contained in the code is read in order to control at least one of steps cb) and cc).