Abstract: Certain types of lithographic printing plates are activated by preheating while certain other types are post heated to harden the coating. A platen having a large mass compared to the mass of a printing plate is heated and maintained in the exact temperature range to which the printing plate is to be heated. A printing plate is brought into heat exchange contact with the platen for the period of time required to heat the printing plate to the temperature of the platen. The printing plate may be heated while resting in a fixed position on the platen or while the printing plate is carried over the platen by a continuous thin metal conveyor belt in intimate contact with both the platen and printing plate.

Abstract: A coated imageable semiconductor is imaged by heating an area of the coating with an infrared laser and reacting the coating in the heated area with ultraviolet or visible radiation. The coating can be either positive working or negative working. The modulated radiation may either be the ultraviolet/visible radiation or the infrared radiation and the radiation spots are superimposed or the ultraviolet/visible spot may closely trail the infrared spot. The imaging time is reduced since the reaction rate is increased at the elevated temperature.

Abstract: An imageable lithographic printing plate has a substrate with an aluminum base and a quantity of alumina particles embedded and retained in the aluminum base. The quantity of embedded and retained particles is relatively high thereby increasing the hydrophilicity of the base. The regions of the aluminum base between the embedded particles may optionally be anodized. The substrate has a coating which is imageable by absorbing the selective imaging radiation.

Abstract: A lithographic printing plate has a coating which is imaged by heating an area of the coating with an infrared laser and actinically reacting the coating in the heated area with ultraviolet or visible radiation. The coating can be either positive working or negative working and the coating contains an infrared absorber. The imaging time is reduced since the actinic reaction rate is increased at the elevated temperature.

Abstract: A metal substrate is treated with a plurality of rotating brushes and a slurry of particulate material such that the treated surface is capable of absorbing incident infrared laser radiation. The substrate is itself capable of being visibly imaged by selective writing with an infrared laser. The substrate is coated with an ablatable coating which is transparent to the imaging infrared laser radiation. Selective exposure to infrared laser radiation ablates this coating in the laser exposed areas as a result of the absorption of infrared radiation by the substrate. The substrate can be anodized after rotary brush graining and still retain its ability to be imaged and ablate a coating. The coated article can be imaged in a computer-to-plate infrared laser imaging device. Depending on the specific coating and substrate selection, the imaged article can be used in a conventional lithographic printing process or in a dryographic printing process.

Abstract: A catalyst structure is formed by forging catalyst support particles from a slurry into the surface of a metal substrate such that the particles protrude from the surface and are permanently fixed into the surface. The forging is accomplished by engaging rollers with the surface as it passes through the slurry to press the particles into the surface. The rollers may be brush rollers, fabric rollers or solid rollers. The particles may be any particles which are capable of having a catalyst deposited thereon and which are hard enough to forge into the metal substrate. The catalyst material is then deposited onto the catalyst support particles.

Abstract: A lithographic printing plate or other coated imageable substrate is imaged by heating an area of the coating with an infrared laser and reacting the coating in the heated area with ultraviolet or visible radiation. The coating can be either positive working or negative working. The modulated radiation may either be the ultraviolet/visible radiation or the infrared radiation and the radiation spots are superimposed or the ultraviolet/visible spot may closely trail the infrared spot. The imaging time is reduced since the reaction rate is increased at the elevated temperature.

Abstract: A catalyst structure has catalytic particles dispersed over and forged into the surface of a metal substrate such that the particles protrude from the surface and are permanently fixed into the surface. The forging is accomplished by brush graining to press the particles into the surface The particles may be any particles which have catalytic activity for a particular purpose and which are hard enough to forge into the metal substrate.

Abstract: A catalyst structure is formed by forging catalytic particles from a slurry into the surface of a metal substrate such that the particles protrude from the surface and are permanently fixed into the surface. The forging is accomplished by engaging rollers with the surface as it passes through the slurry to press the particles into the surface. The rollers may be brush rollers, fabric rollers or solid rollers. The particles may be any particles which have catalytic activity for a particular purpose and which are hard enough to forge into the metal substrate.

Abstract: A positive-working lithographic printing plate which is imageable by dual infrared lasers has a substrate which absorbs modulated, imaging infrared laser radiation of one wavelength to heat the substrate and an adjacent coating. The substrate has a coating which is a material which will react and form gaseous reaction products which ablate or propel the coating from the substrate upon reaching a threshold reaction temperature. The coating is transparent to the infrared radiation of the one wavelength and contains a dye which absorbs unmodulated, non-imaging infrared laser radiation of another wavelength to heat the coating. The unmodulated, non-imaging infrared laser radiation heats the coating in the imaged areas to a temperature below the threshold temperature and the heat from the substrate further heats the coating to a temperature above the threshold temperature and ablates the coating in the imaged areas.

Abstract: A positive-working, infrared imageable coating and a lithographic printing plate or other element with the coating are described. The coating is a phenolic resin containing an o-diazonaphthoquinone derivative which couples or reacts with the resin to partially insolubilize the coating and an infrared absorbing dye or pigment which further insolubilizes the coating and which renders the coating imageable by infrared radiation. The coating contains only that quantity of infrared radiation absorber necessary to be imageable and only that small quantity of o-diazonaphthoquinone derivative necessary to supplement the insolubilizing function of the absorber. Specifically, the absorber is from 1 to 10 weight percent of the total dry weight of the coating and the dry weight ratio of the absorber to the diazonaphthoquinone moiety is greater than 1:5 and preferably 1:2 or greater.

Abstract: To form a catalytic surface, discrete metal nodules are electrolytically deposited onto the atmospheric oxide coating on an aluminum substrate. The nodules are formed from a catalyst metal or a core of another metal with a catalyst metal coating. The catalytic metal may be fully reduced by treatment with hydrogen gas.

Abstract: A metal substrate is treated with a plurality of rotating brushes and a slurry of particulate material such that the treated surface is capable of absorbing incident infrared laser radiation. The substrate is itself capable of being visibly imaged by selective writing with an infrared laser. The substrate is coated with an ablatable coating which is transparent to the imaging infrared laser radiation. Selective exposure to infrared laser radiation ablates this coating in the laser exposed areas as a result of the absorption of infrared radiation by the substrate. The substrate can be anodized after rotary brush graining and still retain its ability to be imaged and ablate a coating. The coated article can be imaged in a computer-to-plate infrared laser imaging device. Depending on the specific coating and substrate selection, the imaged article can be used in a conventional lithographic printing process or in a dryographic printing process.

Abstract: An archival medium, such as a compact disc, is made of a metal such as aluminum which is mechanically gained with particulate material under conditions that embed particulate material into the surface of the medium and visibly imageable by selective exposure to infrared laser radiation. A mechanically grained aluminum medium can also be anodically oxidized under conditions that do not impair the ability of the substrate to be laser imaged. The archival medium can be coated with opaque and transparent polymer coatings before or after imaging for security and/or protection. The coating can be a laser ablatable coating to provide a tamper-proof medium.

Abstract: A catalytic structure is formed by first partially embedding discrete, non-conductive particles into the surface of an aluminum substrate. Nodules of a catalyst metal are then electrodeposited onto the surface between the embedded particles. The non-conductive particles control the distribution of the electrodeposited nodules. The aluminum substrate may be anodized after embedding the particles and the particles themselves may possess catalytic activity thereby providing a dual catalyst structure.

Abstract: In an offset printing apparatus, the offset blanket is configured to prevent the transfer of ink from the bare metal edges of the lithographic printing plates. These edges may also have burrs which would exacerbate the ink pick-up and transfer of the unwanted ink to the offset blanket and the paper. The offset blanket is shaved down or relieved in the areas juxtaposed to the edges of the printing plates so that the ink will not be transferred.

Abstract: A series of printing plate imagers for imaging lithographic printing plates onto a continuous web are combined in a single imaging process line. The imageable web is passed through a series of properly spaced imaging stations in the line with multiple plate sections being selectively imaged in one or another of the stations or with each individual plate section being partially imaged in two or more stations. The imaging stations may operate in different modes, such as the digital mode with a laser and the analog mode with actinic radiation, with the prepared web capable of being imaged by either of the modes.

Abstract: A novel method and apparatus for the imaging of a continuous web on an internal drum type imaging device is disclosed. The method and apparatus may further be included in a process to produce punched, imaged sheets. A web is punched with registration holes and imaged in an internal drum-type imager prior to cutting the web into individual imaged plates particularly for use as printing plates. The web with an imageable surface is serially punched, imaged and sheeted with the punched holes being utilized to assure registration and alignment in the imaging operation and in the subsequent use of the plates on a printing press. The imaging station has an arcuate concave imaging platen. The web is advanced under tension and then stopped while a roller on an arm forces the web down into contact with the platen. Vacuum is then used to hold the web on the imaging platen while the web is imaged.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the formation and use of catalytic materials as a part of or in association with heat exchangers such as automotive radiators and air conditioning condensers. The catalytic material involves a metal substrate with a porous anodic oxide coating and metallic nodules which are electrodeposited in the pores and extend above the surface of the anodic oxide coating. The nodules are either formed of the catalytic metal or formed of other metals and then coated with the catalyst metal. The catalytic stock material is then formed into heat exchanger fins and mounted on the heat exchanger tubes. In the alternative, the catalytic stock material may be formed into a separate catalytic structure which is then mounted in an air flow stream and preferably in air-flow relationship to the heat exchanger.

Abstract: A web is punched with registration holes and imaged prior to cutting the web into individual imaged plates particularly for use as printing plates. The web with an imageable surface is serially punched, imaged and sheeted with the punched holes being utilized to assure registration and alignment in the imaging operation and in the subsequent use of the plates on a printing press. The punching and imaging may be performed at separate stations or at a single punching and imaging station. The web is preferably advanced under tension and tension and/or vacuum may be used to hold the web flat on the imaging platen.