DE102009005132A1 - Method for producing structures on substrate surface in micrometer range by applying printing techniques, involves filling structures with functional ink by nozzles - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves filling the structures with functional ink by nozzles. The structures are embossed by a fixing roller in the newly printed surface. The surface is coated before the embossing with printing techniques. The coating melts during the fixing, and a structure is introduced at a temperature above the glass transition temperature by an impression from the fixing drum.

Description

problem

The Hot stamping of Structures in a PET film take a long time and therefore can not inline with the later Printing process for filling the structures are used. It is also separated by a separate one Construction very expensive.

task

coating a substrate and fix and structure the new coating in one step

solution

exchange the fuser unit in a xerographic printing system with a Heat-pressure roller. This roller is negative to the desired one Structure in the surface Structured. The new unit heats and characterizes the powdery coating.

Achieved benefits

• 1. The advantages achieved with this invention consist, in particular, of modifying existing techniques to enable more economical production.
• 2. The printing processes laser and screen printing have been around for a long time State of the art and very well controlled. The resulting Knowledge about fixation possibilities and their characteristics is an advantage of a speedy exchange allows the fuser and promises a successful implementation of this invention.
• 3. Paper can be used as a substrate and allows this another field of application.
• 4. The structuring becomes a process with coating and can be further processed directly, which promises cost reductions.

Further description

Around to affect an ink as it wets on a substrate, There are many ways and means. One way is through geometric Limit the specification in your form. This can be z. B. by walls be realized, the previously embossed or in the substrate etched were. Hot stamping of Slides take a long time compared to a printing process. Therefore Here, the powdered toner is taken as a coating. He melts very fast and if liquid deformable. The printing of functional inks on paper was hardly possible until now, as the ink penetrates the paper (repels) and thus its function do not exercise can. The paper has a porous structure that favors this and liquids sucks. This is prevented by the coating as described above.

By the application of toner particles and the subsequent fixation by means of heat and Pressure seals the paper surface and prevents penetration of liquids in the paper. For this, the resolution of the toner particles must be very high be, so only small spaces arise. These spaces Then, with the help of the pressure and the displaced material of the structures filled. It is preferably only more spherical Toner, very high quality to use, which is characterized by equality and roundness. If However, this does not lead to a completely sealed area, so this can be done with a second coating, which z. B. more toner brings on the paper, improved and the layer thickness can be increased.

In the subsequent fixation, a heat-pressure fixation is crucial and core idea of the invention. The entire surface of the roller is structured ( 2 ). The structure may, for. B. as a coat with the sleeve technology, is applied to a support roller. This allows the structure to be created in an apparatus separate from the process. This structure is pressed into the toner during fixing, at the same time the roller is heated to a temperature above the glass transition temperature T _{g of} the toner or paste. Thus, the coating material fuses by the heat input into a closed layer and seals the paper. The structure of the roller is simultaneously pressed into the toner, thus forming the geometric boundaries for the later inserted functional fluid.

The Coating of the substrate can also be done by screen printing The paste printed with it must be adapted to the fuser unit become. The fixation is expandable by other heat sources, such as for example, IR emitters. The layer thickness of the coating can when screen printing over The mesh size can be adjusted and is therefore flexible. The applied mass to the substrate is of the displacement of the Structure on the hot Fuser roller pending and must be determined mathematically beforehand.

Claims (3)

A method of fabricating, using printing techniques, on a substrate surface in the micrometer range. These structures can then be filled by means of nozzles (inkjet) with functional ink. The structures are embossed by means of a fixing roller in the newly printed surface, and is characterized in that the surface before the embossing is coated with printing techniques. This coating then melts during fixation and, at a temperature above the glass transition temperature, becomes a microstructure into which an embossing from the same fuser roll is applied by pressure. Method according to 1, characterized in that, Printing techniques is either xerographic and spherical Apply toner or screen print and apply fixable pastes. Method according to 1, characterized in that, Fuser roll are coated with a coat can, which one the desired Structure owns and change is bar