The present invention relates to an improved method for reclaiming and
recycling developing solvents used in the production of flexographic
printing plates. More specifically, the invention relates to reclaiming
and/or recycling of the developing solvent through centrifugation and/or
filtration. According to the invention, the solvent used in developing
printing plates can be reclaimed and/or recycled by simply centrifuging
the polymer-contaminated solvent. In certain embodiment, the centrifuged
solvent is further filtered. The process involves transferring the
contaminated solvent, from a plate processor or a dirty holding tank, to
a centrifuge, and centrifuging the contaminated solvent to remove the
polymer. The reclaimed solvent can be transfer directly back to the plate
processor or to a clean holding tank.