GB2100674A

GB2100674A - Transferable indicia

Info

Publication number: GB2100674A
Application number: GB08120196A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hans Ahlstrand
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1981-06-29
Filing date: 1981-06-30
Publication date: 1983-01-06
Also published as: DE3125686A1; FR2508494A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a figure symbol from a material such as metal, the object being to provide a simple and economic method that can be applied to the production of most various figure symbols. According to the invention, there is formed a metal layer (2); a figure symbol is printed upon the metal layer by means of a protective agent (3); so that, as for the figure symbol, the metal layer is covered by said protective agent; and the metal layer is dissolved with a dissolving agent for a region (4) outside the figure symbol in such a manner that there is a separate figure symbol, covered by the protective agent, formed in the metal layer. Said figure symbol can be formed directly upon the carrier sheet so that one surface of said metal layer, such as foil, is provided with an adhesive (5) and the surface of the foil provided with said adhesive is attached upon the carrier sheet (1). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Transferable indicia The present invention relates to a method of producing transferable indicia. Particularly, the invention relates to a method of making transference pictures, letters, or numbers from a foil of metal.

At present, transference letters and figures are produced e.g. by punching from plastic film. Punching is a relatively expensive method of producing transference pictures and letters. For each figure and letter to be punched, it is necessary to have a die that comforms to this particular figure or letter.

Furthermore, replacement of the dies is difficult. It is further necessary to provide the punched figures and characters with adhesive in order to transfer the symbols to a desired location. In addition, the formed figure and letter symbols must be adhered to a carrier sheet or a like substrate for handling and sale.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of making figure symbols, especially of metal wherein the above drawbacks are reduced or eliminated, and which is simple and economic.

According to the present invention there is provided a method of producing transferable indicia which comprises providing a layer of material pressing upon said layer a protective agent in the form of the desired indicia in such a manner that the metal layer is covered by said protective agent; dissolving a region of the layer outside said figure symbol with a dissolving agent, so that a separate indicia, covered by the protective agent, is formed on the metal layer.

The invention is based on the production of figure symbols from a foil of material by dissolution. A figure symbol is pressed upon the material, e.g. a metal layer, so that, the metal layer is covered by a protective agent in the form of the figure symbol. Thereafter, the parts of the metal layer remaining outside the figure symbol are dissolved by means of a solvent, the foil of metal forming a separate figure symbol covered by said protective agent, while the rest of the foil of metal dissolves in the solvent. If desired, the figure symbol can be provided with an adhesive either before dissolution or following it for adhering said symbol to a desired substrate.

The invention can be applied e.g. to the production of various transference pictures and letters from suitable soluble material, in particular any metal at all such as aluminium, copper, copper alloys, e.g. brass, and the like.

The production method of the invention is simple and inexpensive. The method can be applied to the mass-production of figure symbols with excellent results.

The invention will now be described in detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a transference letter produced by the method of the invention, and Figure 2 is a section along the line ll-ll in Figure 1.

Fig. 1 shows a metallic figure symbol, a transference letter A, produced by a method according to the invention. According to the invention, on a carrier sheet 1, e.g. sheet of paper, cardboard, plastic film or the like, there is formed a metal layer or foil. On the metal layer there is printed, e.g. by silk printing, offset method, photographic method or otherwise, a figure corresponding to said symbol A in such a manner that, as for the area of the figure symbol, the metal layer is covered by a protective agent, such as a paint, plastic or some other protective material. Thereafter, the carrier sheet 1, together with its metal layer 2, is immersed in a bath made up by a dissolving agent until the unprotected metal layer outside the figure symbol is dissolved.

Said dissolving agent is chosen to be capable of dissolving the layer 2. Where the layer 2 is a metal foil, this can be any acid capable of dissolving the particular metal employed in the method, including hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, nitric acid, or other inorganic and organic acids; or a base capable of dissolving the particular metal, including sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, or other inorganic or organic bases. Following the dissolving step, the carrier sheet 1 and its figure symbol A are washed for the removal of excess solvent, and then dried.

Fig. 2 shows a section of a prepared figure symbol and its carrier sheet. The metal layer 2 makes up a separate figure symbol covered by a protective agent 3. The surface of a metal layer dissolved in the dissolving step is indicated by dashed lines 6. There is an adhesive 5 underneath the metal layer, i.e. figure symbol A, said adhesive being applied to the bottom surface of the metal layer prior to the dissolving step for transference and adherence of the figure symbol 2 to a desired object.

The carrier sheet 1 may be used as a manufacturing and sales substrate e.g. for a plurality of figure symbols produced by one process.

The method of the invention can be used to manufacture figure symbols of metal with a thickness of e.g. 0,01-2 mm, usually 0,01-1 mm. For example, it is possible to manufacture a plurality of figure symbols at the same time on a single carrier sheet provided with a metal layer. It is also possible to manufacture figure symbols as a continuous process upon a hard endless web of carrier sheets.

The figure symbols manufactured by the method of the invention may preferably be transferred by means of a transfer frame, comprising a substantially transparent transfer film surrounded by said frame, one side of said film being coated with an adhesive, i.e.

one face of the film is provided with an adhesive. The transfer film is pressed upon the figure symbol, so that the adhesive-coated side of the film is against the figure symbol.

Thus, the figure symbol adheres to the transfer film whereafter the figure symbol is transferred to its place of application. In order to attach the figure symbol to the object of application, pressure is applied to the transfer film on the opposite side of figure symbol at the region of said figure symbol whereby the figure symbol adheres to the object of installation by the action of adhesive 5. By virtue of using a transparent transfer film, the orientation and installation of the figure symbol can be effected as exactly as desired. The transfer film can be further provided with alignment lines or points corresponding e.g. to the horizontal direction of a character in order to direct a figure symbol exactly as desired.

The protective agent used in the method preferably comprises a printing colour, such as conventional silk printing colours, not readily soluble in the dissolving agent. The protective agent preferably makes up a part of the figure symbol, i.e. the decorative or figure printing of a figure symbol. When a metal layer consists of a foil of aluminium, the dissolving can be suitably effected by ferri- or a like chloride which is also advantageous as it does not dissolve conventional printing colours, and, therefore, printing colours can be used as a protective agent.

Claims

1. A method of producing transferable indicia which comprises providing a layer of material pressing upon said layer a protective agent in the form of the desired indicia in such a manner that the layer is covered by said protective agent; dissolving a region of the layer outside said figure symbol with a dissolving agent, so that a separate indicia covered by the protective agent, is formed on the metal layer.

2. A method according to claim 1, in which said layer is formed on a carrier sheet.

3. A method according to claims 1 or 2 in which the material layer is a metal sheet or foil.

4. A method according to claim 3 in which the layer is formed of a foil of aluminium that one face of said foil is provided with an adhesive and the face of said foil provided with an adhesive is attached upon the carrier sheet.

5. A method according to any of the preceding claims, In which the protective agent comprises a printing colour, and that upon the metal layer there is printed a figure which forms a part of the figure symbol to be manufactured.

6. A method according to claims 4 or 5 in which dissolving is effected with a ferri-chloride.

7. A method of producing transferable indicia substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as iilustrated in the accompanying drawings.

8. Indicia whenever produced by a method as described in any of claims 1 to 7.