Cliché mounting tape for flexographic printing

Cliché mounting tape fixes the printing plate to its mounting surface. 3M Cushion-Mount Plus E1320 and 3M Flexomount 411DL are described for photopolymer plates on printing cylinders or sleeves. tesa 52332 is intended for permanently bonding heavy clichés to mounting films. The mounting surface is therefore the first selection criterion. Carrier construction, print image and planned plate changes then help narrow the choice. Check the suitability of the specific product against its data and your process conditions.

The carrier affects the mechanical function during plate mounting. The elastic foam carrier of 3M Cushion-Mount Plus E1320 is compressible and recovers after compression; the product is described for print jobs combining halftone and solid areas. The solid vinyl carrier of 3M Flexomount 411DL is described for solid print areas. This does not establish a general ranking of foam and vinyl. The relevant factors are your print job, mounting surface and the properties of the selected tape.

Specify the type of printing plate, mounting surface and print image. The required behaviour when applying and removing the plate also matters. In 3M Cushion-Mount Plus E1320, microchannels support air release, while its differential acrylic adhesive is designed for adhesion on the plate side and subsequent removal. Tell us the required supply format as well if the tape needs to be cut for your process. We can then assess whether a particular version is suitable.