United States Patent [191 I [11'] 4,125,661 Messerschmidt, Jr
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United States Patent [191 I [11'] 4,125,661 Messerschmidt, Jr. et al. [45] Nov. 14, 1978 [54] LAMINATED PLATES FOR CHEMICAL 3,201,239 8/1965 Neugebauer et a1. ...... .. 96/33 X MILLING 3,222,175 12/1965 Rasch ................. .. 156/905 X 3,305,416 2/ 1967 Kahan et a1. ...... .. 156/630 [75] ' Inventors: Harold J. Messerschmidt, Jr., 3,448,516 6/ 1969 Buck .......... .. 156/630 X Stockholm; Karl Heyman, Montclair, 3,607,474 9/ 1971 Hensdale . .. 156/630 both of NJ. 3,660,088 5/1972 Lundsager . 96/36.3 X 3,765,894 10/ 1973 _ Mellan . .. 96/49 X [73] Assignee: Mona Industries, Inc., Paterson, NJ. 3,816,273 6/ 1974 Snyder 156/659 X [21] Appl. No.: 857,350 3,960,622 6/ 1976 H'd?ing .......................... .. 156/656 X Primary Examiner—William A. Powell [22] Filed: Dec. 2, 1977 Assistant Examiner-Thomas Bokan Related U.S. Application Data Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Sprung, Felfe, Horn, Lynch & Kramer ‘ [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 668,568, Mar. 19, 1976, abandoned. ' [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. C1.2 ...................... .. B41N 1/00; B32B 15/08; Metal plates, e.g., of magnesium, zinc or copper, suit B32B 27/38; G03C 1/94 able for chemical milling and etching operations to [52] U.S. Cl. ................................... .. 428/201; 96/36.3; produce photoengraving plates, printed circuit boards, 96/86 R; 101/456; 101/458; 156/330; 156/332; nameplates, etc., comprising a metal layer and, adhered - 156/334; 156/656; 156/659; 428/209; 428/213; thereto, a plastic ?lm layer having a thickness substan 428/215; 428/908 tially smaller than that of the metal layer. The resulting [58] Field of Search ............. .. 428/201, 209, 213, 215, composite laminates have proved outstandingly useful 428/416, 458, 462, 908, 216; 427/388; 156/330, in permitting the employment of thinner metal layers, 332, 334, 656, 658, 659, 630, 634, 655, 905; thus resulting in lighter weight and less expensive 96/36.3, 86 R, 86 P; 101/453, 456, 457, 458, 459 plates, yet retaining the ‘required resistance to the chem ical milling or etching process without impairment of [56] References Cited mechanical stability and other desirable properties of U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS , the plate. 2,999,016 9/ 1961 Beeber et a]. ...................... .. 96/92 X 3,100,760 8/1963 Brown et al. .................. .. 156/332 X 11 Claims, No Drawings 4, 125,661 1 that the resultant composites give the support needed LAMINATED PLATES FOR CHEMICAL MILLING for their ultimate purpose. '_ The ratio of the thicknessof the metal plate to that of This is a continuation application of Ser. No. 668,568, the adhered plastic ?lm is typically about 30:1 but may ?led Mar. 19, 1976, now abandoned. range to values as low as 3:1 to values as high as 70:1. This invention relates to composite plates used in Thus, it is, for instance, possible to back a 30 mil magne chemical milling. More particularly, the invention re sium photoengraving plate with a 1 mil polyester ?lm to lates to composite plates comprising a metal layer and result in a composite which, after development and adhered thereto a substantially thinner plastic ?lm layer etching, is suf?ciently stable to be used for mat making, which. These plates are useful in the ?eld of photoen i.e., as a matrix for making the mats'from which the graving, printed circuits, nameplates and, generally, actual printing platesare. then cast. Of course, it will be products obtained by chemical milling. understood that the etched metal plate should retain a It is known to chemically dimension metal objects by metal frame or border around the plate to give the en the action of chemicals, e.g., strong acids, such as nitric tire etched composite suf?cient dimensional stability. acid, or strong alkalis thereon. The indiscriminate ac-" 15 The metals to which the present invention is applica tion of the etchant, such as nitric acid, can be controlled ble are millable or etchable metals, such as magnesium, by adding to the acid etchant materials known as “?lm zinc, and copper; magnesium/plastic ?lm laminates ing agen ” which control or direct the penetrating have been found particularly outstanding in that they action of the etchant acid. Particularly useful ?lming provide the inherent advantages of magnesium (light agents have been developed in the ?eld of photoengrav 20 ness, quick etching action, and a high quality relief) ing wherein various powderless etching techniques with the added advantages of the present invention, i.e., have been known for many years. Recent patents, viz., the requirement for relatively very small amounts of US. Pat. Nos. 3,725,158; 3,725,159; 3,728,180; 3,730,899; and 3,736,197 disclose especially advanced metal. In addition, the instantly provided composite etching systems which permit the high speed etching of 25 plates have the advantage that, during the etching pro magnesium and zinc plates, particularly photoengrav cess the etching depth need not be closely controlled, as ing plates, to form sharply de?ned relief patterns in one in the case of etching conventional metal plates where operation. care needed to be exercised to retain enough plate bot tom for structural stability, in that etching of the instant or However,etching such in the as prior in theart practicephotoengraving of chemical ?eld, the 30 composites can‘be carried out down to the plastic ?lm depth of the etch still needed to be carefully controlled, layer 'which is relatively impervious to the action of the particularly on planar surfaces in that it is, of course, acid etchant and thus provides a uniform overall depth essential to retain a suf?ciently thick contiguous metal of the bottom of the etching surface. layer forming the bottom of the plate in order to give v The use of composite plates of the invention provides the plate suf?cient structural stability to be used in 35 a further advantage in that the etched plate may contain printing or to be used as matrixes to make the mats used isolated’ printing elements adhered to the plate only in casting the ultimate printing plates. This in turn has through the plastic ?lm backing. In such instances, it is required the use of relatively large amounts of metal to possible to remove such element if desired and replace form not only the raised relief areas, but to maintain the same, provided, of course, that a non-hardening bond entire plate “bottom” of suf?cient strength and thick ing agent or adhesive is used. Thus, use of self-adhesive, ness. ~ e.g., pressure-sensitive, “Mylar” has been found to per To overcome the economic disadvantage of having mit removal of individual isolated printing elements to use relatively large amounts of the voften costly pho from the etched plate. For this application a non-hard toengraving metals, it has been suggested in the art to ening bonding agent or adhesive may also be used. laminate the zinc or magnesium engraving plates to Thus, by use of this embodiment of the invention, a relatively cheap and strong metals, such as aluminum or newspaper may, for instance, carry a weekly advertise steel. This was accomplished by metallurgically bond ment for certain merchandise with price quotations. ing the zinc or magnesium to the base metal. However, Such a master plate may be used repeatedly and in case the resulting plates were still relatively expensive and of price changes the numbers can easily be removed lacked etching uniformity since they were “rolled” 50 from the ?lm backing and replaced with new ones after the metal-to-metal bonding, thereby distorting the which are fastened with adhesive. This embodiment of crystal structure of the metal to be etched. the invention is also useful as a means for correcting The present invention provides composite‘ plates errors. Likewise, the original plate may have openings which require much less of the metal to be etched or into which later deadline items can be inserted. The milled than conventional plates, yet are not subject to 55 replacement printing areas or deadline items are pro the disadvantages of the metal-to-metal laminates that duced on separate plates and can easily be removed have been previously suggested. In addition, the com from the supportive ?lm and inserted into the master posite plates provided by the present invention are suf? plate with adhesive. ciently strong and stable to survive the etching process This procedure lends itself also to the production of and retain enough mechanical rigidity to be used either individual numbers or letters for signs, nameplates, etc. as printing plates per se or as matrixes for casting print Base elements for custom jewelry in intricate design or ing plates. parts for machines, instruments, etc., can easily be mass The laminate compositions provided by the present produced in magnesium, zinc, copper or other metal. If invention comprise a metal layer of a millable metal desired, the thickness of the metal can be substantially adhered to a substantially thinner layer of a plastic ?lm. 65 increased as required for deep etching. The ?lm thick Surprisingly we have' found that, e.g., plates according ness must be such that the individual parts to be etched to the invention can be made by use of 30 mil thick will not distort the ?lm or break it on account of their metal plates adhered to plastic ?lms only 1 mil thick and weights, particularly when still in the etching machine. 4,125,661 3 4 The plastic ?lms usable in the present invention are in recognized, particularly useful because it permits the general plastic ?lms resistant to the action of the etching plate manufacturer to adhere the plastic ?lm and thus chemicals, e.