Photopolymerizable elements and processes

Claim 2

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A PHOTOPOLYMERIZABLE ELEMENT WITH A PHOTOPOLYMERIZABLE LAYER AND AN INTEGRAL POLYMERIZED SUPPORTING STRATUM AND FORMING AN IMAGE IN SAID LAYER WHICH COMPRISES (1) POLYMERIZING AN ENTIRE OUTER STRATUM OF A SOLID PHOTOPOLYMERIZABLE LAYER FROM 10 TO 250 MILS IN THICKNESS TO A LAYER OF POLYMER ABOUT 2 TO 8 MILS IN THICKNESS BUT NOT MORE THAN 1/5 THE TOTAL THICKNESS OF THE LAYER, SAID PHOTOPOLYMERIZABLE LAYER COMPRISING: (A) AN ORGANIC POLYMER BINDING AGENT, (B) AN ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED COMPOUND CONTAINING 1-4 TERMINAL ETHYLENIC GROUPS, HAVING A BOILING POINT ABOVE 100*C. AT NORMAL ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, A MOLECULAR WEIGHT LESS THAN 1500, AND BEING CAPABLE OF FORMING A HIGH POLYMER BY PHOTOINITIATED POLYMERIZATION AND (C) AN ADDITION POLYMERIZATION INITIATOR ACTIVATABLE BY ACTINIC LIGHT AND INACTIVE THERMALLY BELOW 85*C., SAID COMPONENTS BEING PRESENT IN THE RESPECTIVE AMOUNTS, BY WEIGHT, OF 40 TO 90, 10 TO 60 AND 0.0001 TO 10, WHEREBY ANOTHER OUTER PHOTOPOLYMERIZABLE STRATUM 8 TO 242 MILS IN THICKNESS REMAIN; (2) EXPOSING THE LATTER OUTER STRATUM, IMAGEWISE, TO ACTINIC LIGHT TO FORM A POLYMER IMAGE, AND REMOVING THE UNEXPOSED AND UNPOLYMERIZED IMAGE AREAS OF THE OUTER STRATUM TO YIELD THE IMAGE IN RELIEF.

Claim 3

A PROCESS OF RELIEF IMAGE SUBSTITUTION WHICH COMPRISES. (1) POLYMERIZING AN ENTIRE OUTER STRATUM OF A SOLID PHOTOPOLYMERIZABLE LAYER FROM 10 TO 250 MILS IN THICKNESS TO A LAYER OF POLYMER ABOUT 2 TO 8 MILS IN THICKNESS BUT NOT MORE THAN 1/5 THE TOTAL THICKNESS OF THE LAYER, SAID PHOTOPOLYMERIZABLE LAYER COMPRISING: (A) AN ORGANIC POLYMER BINDING AGENT, (B) AN ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED COMPOUND CONTAINING 1-4 TERMINAL ETHYLENIC GROUPS, HAVING A BOILING POINT ABOVE 100*C. AT NORMAL ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, A MOLECULAR WEIGHT LESS THAN 1500, AND BEING CAPABLE OF FORMING A HIGH POLYMER BY PHOTOINITIATED POLYMERIZATION, AND (C) AN ADDITION POLYMERIZATION INITIATOR ACTIVATABLE BY ACITINIC LIAGHT AND INACTIVE THERMALLY BELOW 85*C., SAID COMPONENTS BEING PRESENT IN THE RESPECTIVE AMOUNTS, BY WEIGHT, OF 40 TO 90, 10 TO 60, AND 0.0001 TO 10, WHEREBY ANOTHER OUTER PHOTOPOLYMERIZABLE STRATUM 8 TO 242 MILS IN THICKNESS REMAINS; (2) EXPOSING A SEGMENT OF THE LATTER STRATUM, IMAGEWISE, TO ACTINIC LIGHT TO FORM A POLYMER IMAGE AND REMOVING THE UNEXPOSED AND POLYMERIZED IMAGE AREAS OF THE OUTER STRATUM OT YIELD THE IMAGE IN RELIEF; AND (3) REMOVING A CORRESPONDING SEGMENT CONTAINING A CORRESPONDING INFERIOR RELIEF IMAGE FROM A PRINTING PLATE AND SUBSTITUTING THEREFOR THE SEGMENT MADE IN ACCORDANCE WITH STEP (2) OF THIS PROCESS.

Claim 4

A PROCESS OF RELIEF IMAGE SUBSTITUTION WHICH COMPRISES. (1) POLYMERIZING AN ENTIRE OUTER STRATUM OF A SOLID PHOTOPOLYMERIZABLE LAYER FROM 10 TO 250 MILS IN THICKNESS TO A LAYER OF POLYMER ABOUT 2 TO 8 MILS IN THICKNESS BUT NOT MORE THAN 1/5 THE TOTAL THICKNESS OF THE LAYER, SAID PHOTOPOLYMERIZABLE LAYER COMPRISING: (A) AN ORGANIC POLYMER BINDING AGENT, (B) AN ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED COMPOUND CONTAINING 1-4 TERMINAL ETHYLENIC GROUPS, HAVING A BOILING POINT ABOVE 100*C. AT NORMAL ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, A MOLECULAR WEIGHT LESS THAN 1500, AND BEING CAPABLE OF FORMING A HIGH POLYMER BY PHOTOINITIATED POLYMERIZATION, AND (C) AN ADDITION POLYMERIZATION INITIATOR ACTIVATABLE BY ACITINIC LIAGHT AND INACTIVE THERMALLY BELOW 85*C., SAID COMPONENTS BEING PRESENT IN THE RESPECTIVE AMOUNTS, BY WEIGHT, OF 40 TO 90, 10 TO 60, AND 0.0001 TO 10, WHEREBY ANOTHER OUTER PHOTOPOLYMERIZABLE STRATUM 8 TO 242 MILS IN THICKNESS REMAINS; (2) EXPOSING A SEGMENT OF THE LATTER STRATUM, IMAGEWISE, TO ACTINIC LIGHT TO FORM A POLYMER IMAGE AND REMOVING THE UNEXPOSED AND POLYMERIZED IMAGE AREAS OF THE OUTER STRATUM OT YIELD THE IMAGE IN RELIEF; AND (3) REMOVING A CORRESPONDING SEGMENT CONTAINING A CORRESPONDING INFERIOR RELIEF IMAGE FROM A PRINTING PLATE AND SUBSTITUTING THEREFOR THE SEGMENT MADE IN ACCORDANCE WITH STEP (2) OF THIS PROCESS.