Patent ID: 6935236

Claim:
A process for the production of flexographic printing plates by laser engraving, comprising the following steps: (a) application of at least one photochemically crosslinkable relief layer to a dimensionally stable support, where the relief layer comprises at least one elastomeric binder, a polymerizable compound, a photoinitiator or photoinitiator system, a finely divided filler, and a plasticizer (b) crosslinking of the relief layer over the entire surface by irradiation with actinic light, (c) engraving of a printing relief into the crosslinked relief layer by means of a laser, wherein the elastomeric binder is a thermoplastic, elastomeric block copolymer made from alkenylaromatic compounds and 1,3-dienes, wherein the filler is selected from the group consisting of pyrogenic silicon dioxide, pyrogenic titanium dioxide, pyrogenic aluminum oxide, pyrogenic aluminum-doped silicon dioxide an mixtures thereof having a particle size of from 1 to 400 nm and a specific surface area from 30 to 300 m 2/ g and the amount employed is from 0.2 to 5% by weight, based on the amount of all components of the relief layer, with the proviso that the relief layer is transparent.