WO2016189512A1

WO2016189512A1 - Printing method and apparatus for coating selected regions of a substrate with a film

Info

Publication number: WO2016189512A1
Application number: PCT/IB2016/053139
Authority: WO
Inventors: Benzion Landa; Anton KRASSILNIKOV; Michael Nagler; Ariel ADLER; Nir RUBIN BEN HAIM; Ofer Aknin; Ronen YOGEV
Original assignee: Landa Labs (2012) Ltd
Priority date: 2015-05-27
Filing date: 2016-05-27
Publication date: 2016-12-01
Also published as: AU2016268513B2; BR112017025305B1; IL255934B; CN107667013B; BR112017025305A2; JP6762323B2; KR102316761B9; EP3302987A1; CA2986518C; PT3302987T; KR20180017021A; RU2706446C2; AU2016268513A1; US10336059B2; RU2017138079A; US10780689B2; CA2986518A1; KR102316761B1; US20190275786A1; RU2017138079A3

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed for coating selected regions of a surface of a substrate with a film. The method comprises the steps of: a) providing a continuously moving transfer member having an imaging surface, b) coating the imaging surface of the transfer member with individual particles formed of, or coated with, a thermoplastic polymer, c) removing substantially all particles that are not in direct contact with the imaging surface to leave a uniform monolayer particle coating on the imaging surface, d) exposing selected regions of the coated imaging surface to radiation of sufficient power to render the particles tacky within the selected regions, e) pressing the coated imaging surface and the substrate surface against one another, either during or after irradiation, to cause transfer to the surface of the substrate of only the regions of the particle coating that have been rendered tacky, the tacky regions forming a film, and f) repeating steps b) and c) to apply a fresh monolayer coating of particles to the selected regions from which the previously applied monolayer coating was transferred to the substrate surface in step e), to leave the imaging surface again uniformly coated with a monolayer of particles.

Description

PRINTING METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COATING SELECTED REGIONS

OF A SUBSTRATE WITH A FILM

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a printing method and apparatus for coating selected regions of a surface of a substrate with a film or a thermoplastic material.

BACKGROUND

Typewriters are known that employ a ribbon carrying a polymeric ink film. The ribbon is equivalent to the ink ribbon used in a conventional typewriter and ink in the shape of a printing character is transferred from it onto a substrate (usually paper) not by impact but by means of a printing head that heats only the regions of the ribbon from which the ink is to be transferred to the paper. After a character has been printed, the typewriter carriage is advanced for printing of the next character and the ribbon is also advanced.

Such typewriters achieve printing of high quality but are wasteful, and therefore costly to operate, because at the time that a ribbon needs to be discarded, most of its surface is still coated with ink that has not been transferred to a printing substrate.

OBJECT

The aim of the present disclosure is to provide a printing apparatus and method that operate on the same principle of transferring a thermoplastic film to the printing substrate but that is less wasteful, capable of printing images of high quality and not restricted to printing text.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, there is herein proposed a method of printing a film onto selected regions of a surface of a substrate, which method comprises the steps of: a) providing a continuously moving transfer member having an imaging surface, b) coating the imaging surface of the transfer member with individual particles formed of, or coated with, a thermoplastic polymer, c) removing substantially all particles that are not in direct contact with the imaging surface to leave a uniform monolayer particle coating on the imaging surface, d) exposing selected regions of the coated imaging surface to radiation of sufficient power to render the particles tacky within the selected regions, e) pressing the coated imaging surface and the substrate surface against one another, either during or after irradiation, to cause transfer to the surface of the substrate of only the regions of the particle coating that have been rendered tacky, the tacky regions forming a film, and f) repeating steps b) and c) to apply a fresh monolayer coating of particles to the selected regions from which the previously applied monolayer coating was transferred to the substrate surface in step e), to leave the imaging surface again uniformly coated with a monolayer of particles.

In different embodiments, steps b) and c) may comprise

• directing a gas jet carrying the particles onto the imaging surface,

• rubbing the particles onto the imaging surface using a cloth, brush or an application roller, · forming the imaging surface and the particles of a hydrophobic material and directing a liquid jet containing the particles onto the imaging surface, the liquid of the jet being selected so as not to wet the imaging surface, or

• directing onto an intermediate applicator a gas or liquid jet containing the particles, the applicator being capable of receiving the particles and transferring them to the imaging surface.

In accordance with a second aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a printing apparatus for printing a film made of a thermoplastic material onto selected regions of a surface of a substrate, the apparatus comprising a) a continuously movable endless transfer member having an imaging surface, b) a coating station at which particles made of, or coated with, a thermoplastic polymer are applied to the imaging surface and at which particles not in direct contact with the imaging surface are removed from, or fail to adhere to, the imaging surface, so that a uniform monolayer particle coating is formed on the imaging surface, c) an imaging station at which selected regions of the coated imaging surface are exposed to radiation of sufficient power to render the particles tacky within the selected regions, and d) an impression station at which the coated imaging surface and the surface of the substrate are pressed against one another, either during or after irradiation, to cause transfer to the surface of the substrate of a tacky film formed on the selected regions of the imaging surface by exposure of the monolayer particle coating to radiation, wherein, upon return of the imaging surface to the coating station, during operation, after having passed through imaging and impression stations, the particle coating on the imaging surface is again rendered a uniform monolayer by application of fresh particles to regions of the imaging surface that have been depleted of particles. In the present disclosure, the afore-described apparatus may also be interchangeably referred to as a printing apparatus or a printing system. The imaging surface may also be referred to and regarded as a donor surface.

The terms "tacky" and "sufficiently tacky" as used herein are not intended to mean that the particle coating is necessarily tacky to the touch but only that it is softened sufficiently to be able to adhere to the surface of a substrate when pressed against it in the impression station 18. The tacky particles or regions of particles rendered tacky are believed to form individual films or contiguous films which following their transfer to a printing substrate may optionally yield thinner films, as a result of the pressure being applied upon contacting of the imaging surface to the substrate and/or of the optional further processing (e.g., drying, curing, etc.) of the transferred films.

In some embodiments, in the coating station, the particles can be directly applied to the imaging surface by jetting, for instance by using one or more spray heads. In alternative embodiments, the particles can be applied to an intermediate applicator and from there to the imaging surface. The latter type of application is said to be indirect and both direct and indirect application of particles to the imaging surface are encompassed in the present disclosure. It is to be understood that direct or indirect application of particles to the imaging surface can take place either for the initial coating of the imaging surface with a monolayer of individual particles or for the replenishment of the monolayer in selected regions (e.g. , previously depleted by transfer) or for both. The reason that the particle coating on the imaging surface can be repaired after each impression is that the particles are selected to adhere to the imaging surface more strongly than they do to one another. This results in the applied layer being substantially a monolayer of individual particles, that is to say it is only one particle deep over a major proportion of the area of the surface and most if not all of the particles will have at least some direct contact with the imaging surface.

Taking, for example, a platelet shaped particle contacting the imaging surface over most of its planar face (e.g., being substantially parallel), the resulting thickness of the monolayer (in the direction perpendicular to the surface) would approximately correspond to the thickness of the particle. If the particles have a globular shape, then the thickness of the monolayer will be commensurate with the diameter of the sphere. Hence the average thickness of a monolayer at the time of coating of the imaging surface can be approximated by the average thickness or equivalent diameter of the individual particles forming it, depending on shape.

However, as there could be partial overlaps between adjacent particles, the thickness of the monolayer can also amount to a low multiple of the dimension of the constituting particles, depending on the type of overlap, for instance on the relative angles the particles may form with one another and/or with the imaging surface and/or the extent of the overlap and/or the extent of packing etc. A monolayer may therefore have, in only some regions, a maximum thickness (T) corresponding to about one-fold, or about two-fold, or about threefold, or any intermediate value, of a thinnest dimension characteristic to the particles involved (e.g., up to three-fold the thickness of the particles for flake shaped ones and up to two-fold the particle equivalent diameter of near spherical ones).

This occurs for the same reason that an adhesive tape, when used to pick up a powder from a surface, will only pick up one layer of powder particles. When the adhesive tape is still fresh, the powder will stick to the adhesive until it covers the entire tape surface. However, once the adhesive has been covered with powder, the tape cannot be used to pick up any more powder because the powder particles will not stick strongly to one another and can simply be brushed off or blown away from the tape. Similarly, the monolayer herein is formed from the particles in sufficient contact with the imaging surface and is therefore typically a single particle thick. Contact is said to be sufficient when it allows the particle to remain attached to the imaging surface at the exit of the coating station, e.g., following surplus extraction, drying, or any other like step that shall be described in more details in the following.

Though the monolayer is believed to be formed essentially from particles in direct contact with the imaging surface, it cannot be ruled out that some particles tightly packed by adjacent particles might remain part of the monolayer at the exit side of the coating apparatus even if not in direct contact with the imaging surface, possibly mildly protruding from the layer. Conceivably, a portion of such minority of non-surface contacting particles may differently absorb radiation, and could eventually transfer to a printing substrate as a result of their cohesivity with adjacent particles, which would be exposed to a greater extent to the intended "energy dose" or effect of the received radiation. In some embodiments, in any field- of-view, the percentage of particles having no direct contact with the imaging surface out of the number of particles being in contact with this surface is of 15% or less, or of less than 10% or even of less than 5%.

In some embodiments, the monolayer of individual particles on the imaging surface forms a sufficiently continuous layer of particles. The monolayer is sufficiently continuous if upon exposure to radiation at the imaging station, the adjacent particles can fuse to form a transferable film. In such case and depending on the size and shape of the particles forming the monolayer, an area coverage of at least about 40%, and at most about 50%, or at most about 60%, or even at most about 70%, may suffice. For smaller particles and/or for particles having a relatively lower ability to expand radially upon exposure to radiation, the monolayer of particles on the imaging surface may need to form a substantially continuous layer. By "substantially continuous" it is meant that at least 70% of the area is covered by particles, or at least 80%, or at least 90%, or even at least 95%.

Taking for illustration a particle being an ideal sphere having a diameter of 2 μιη, such particle would therefore have an initial volume of about 4.19 μιη and a planar projection of about 3.14 μιη . Assuming now that upon radiation exposure such a particle melts to form a disc of same volume having a thickness of about 0.5μιη, then such a disc of liquefied particle would have a diameter of about 3.3μιη, covering an area of about 8.38 μιη .

For the sake of clarity, the actual thickness of the film would be governed by the surface tension properties of the merged liquefied particles relative to air, the wetting properties of this liquid relative to the imaging surface, according to the following equation: t= (2_Yia(l-cose)/gp)^1/2 (Eq. 1) where t is the resulting film thickness, y_\a is the surface tension between the liquefied particles and air, Θ is the wetting angle of the merged liquefied particle relative to the imaging surface, g is the gravitational constant and p is the density of this liquid. It should be understood that the surface tension and the wetting angle are both dependent on the temperature of the liquid.

Going back to the illustrative example and taking now for simplicity a squared surface having an area of 100 μιη , about 12 such melt particles would be needed (assuming substantially even distribution) to form a contiguous film about 0.5 μιη thick on such a surface. In their original shape, prior to exposure to radiation, these 12 particles would only cover about 38% of the square. These values and calculations are provided for the sake of simplified illustration and persons skilled in the art of film forming polymers can readily appreciate the factors which may affect operating situations.

Clearly the initial area coverage, which needs to be such that a transferable film, possibly a contiguous one, is ultimately formed, depends, among other things, on the size distribution of the particles, on the specific material used for the particles, on their specific rheological parameters, such as temperature dependent surface tension, viscosity and temporal fluid behavior, etc. and like factors depending on the chemical and/or physical properties of the particles per se. Properties of the imaging surface may also contribute to this matter {e.g., facilitating or hampering sufficient contact and/or spreading to contiguity). Additionally, specific process parameters, such as the operating conditions of the coating station, the distribution of the particles on the imaging surface (an essentially homogeneous one being advantageous), the energy density of the radiation received by the particles and/or imaging surface at the imaging station, the pressure at the transfer point at the impression station, can also affect the end-result {e.g., facilitating the spreading and/or merging of the irradiated particles so as to create a film of a desired thickness) thus modify the prerequisites.

The percentage of an area covered by particles out of a specific target surface (% coverage) can be assessed by numerous methods known to skilled persons, including by determination of optical density possibly in combination with the establishment of a calibration curve of known coverage points, by measurement of transmitted light if either the particles or the substrate are sufficiently transparent, or conversely, by measurement of reflected light, for instance if the particles are reflective {e.g., comprising a reflective material coated by a thermoplastic polymer).

As used in the specification, a preferred method of determining the percentage area of a surface of interest covered by particles is as follows. Squared samples having 1cm edges are cut from the surface being studied (e.g. , from the imaging surface or from the printed substrate). The samples are analyzed by microscopy (either laser confocal microscopy (Olympus, LEXT OLS30ISU) or optical microscopy (Olympus BX61 U-LH100- 3)) at a magnification of up to xlOO (yielding a field of view of at least about 128.9 μιη x 128.6 μιη). At least three representative images are captured in reflectance mode for each sample having an opaque substrate (e.g., paper). The captured images were analyzed using ImageJ, a public domain Java image processing program developed by the National Institute of Health (NIH), USA. The images are displayed in 8-bit, gray scale, the program being instructed to propose a threshold value of reflectance differentiating between the reflective particles (lighter pixels) and the interstices that may exist between neighboring or adjacent particles (such voids appearing as darker pixels). A trained operator may adjust, if needed, the proposed threshold value, if needed, but typically confirms it. The image analysis program then proceed to measure the amount of pixels representing the particles and the amount of pixels representing the uncovered areas of the intra-particle voids, from which the percent area of coverage can be readily calculated. Measurements done on the different image sections of the same sample are averaged. When the samples are on a transparent substrate (e.g. , printed on a translucent plastic foil), a similar analysis can be done in transmittance mode, the particles appearing as darker pixels and the voids as lighter ones. Results obtained by such method, or by any substantially similar analytical techniques known to those of skill in the art, are referred to as optical surface coverage, which can be expressed in percent or as a ratio.

In some embodiments, the polymer film resulting from the conversion of the monolayer of particles by exposure to radiation has a thickness of 2 μιη or less, or of less than 1 μιη, or even of less than 750 nm. In other embodiments, the thickness of the polymer film is of 100 nm or more, or of more than 200 nm, or even of more than 300 nm. The thickness of the polymer film may be in the range of 300nm-l,000nm, or of 500nm- l,500nm, or of 600nm- 800nm, or of 700nm- l,000nm.

The thermoplastic particles have a particle size of less than 10 μιη, or less than 5 μιη, or less than 1 μιη, or within the range of 100 nm to 4 μιη, or 300 nm to 1 μιη, or 500 nm to 1.5 μηι.

For assisting in the transfer of the tacky film of particles from the imaging surface to the substrate, the imaging surface may be hydrophobic.

Advantageously, the imaging surface is compatible with the radiation intermittently generated by the imaging station to expose desired selected areas. By compatible, it is meant for instance, that the imaging surface is relatively resistant and/or inert to the radiation, and/or able to absorb or reflect the radiation, and/or able to conduct or insulate the heat that can be generated by the radiation.

In some embodiments, the thermoplastic particles may themselves be hydrophobic.

The coating station may suitably comprise at least one spray head for applying directly or indirectly to the imaging surface a fluid stream within which the thermoplastic particles are suspended, a housing surrounding the spray head(s) and defining an interior plenum for confining the fluid stream, the housing having a rim adjacent the imaging surface that is configured to prevent egress of particles from a sealing gap defined between the rim of the housing and the surface to be coated, and a suction source connected to the housing to extract from the plenum the sprayed fluid and particles suspended in the sprayed fluid, the suction source being operative to extract substantially all particles that are not in direct contact with the surface, so as to leave only a single particle layer adhering to the imaging surface on exiting the apparatus.

The coating station may optionally further comprise temperature controlling means, so as to desirably adjust the temperature of the imaging surface.

In one embodiment, the temperature of the imaging surface can be raised above ambient temperature, the temperature increase being brought about by a heater. In some embodiments, the heater is positioned on the exit side or downstream of the coating station. In such embodiments, the temperature of the outer surface of the imaging surface can be greater than 30°C, or greater than 40°C or even greater than 50°C, but typically lower than 80°C, or even no more than 70°C.

In some embodiments, the temperature of the imaging surface can be lowered, the temperature reduction being brought about by a cooler, such as a cold air blower. The cooler may be positioned on the entry side or upstream of the coating station. In such embodiments, the temperature of the outer surface of the imaging surface can be less than 40°C, or less than 30°C, or even less than 20°C, but typically above 0°C, or even above 10°C. In some embodiments, the imaging surface is cooled prior to arriving at the coating station and heated after leaving the coating the station.

In the present disclosure, the term "suspended" and its variations do not refer to any particular type of mixture of materials of same or different phase, but are to be more generally understood as "carried" and like terms.

The imaging system may comprise a device for projecting individually controllable laser beams onto the imaging surface as the imaging surface moves in a reference X-direction relative to the device, the device including a plurality of semiconductor chips mounted on a support in such a manner that, when activated continuously, the emitted laser trace across the imaging surface a set of parallel lines that extend in the X-direction and are substantially uniformly spaced in the Y-direction.

In some embodiments, each semiconductor chip of the imaging device comprises a plurality of laser beam emitting elements arranged in a two dimensional array of M rows and N columns, the elements in each row having a uniform spacing A_r and the elements in each column having a uniform spacing ac, the imaging device further comprising a lens system for focusing the emitted laser beams onto the particle coated imaging surface. The lens system can have a plurality of lens elements, each associated with a respective one of the chips, and may comprise, in some embodiments, a gradient-index (GRIN) rod.

The lens elements of the imaging device, exemplified herein by GRIN rods, can be used in integral form, by which it is meant that the laser light passes through a single element in the light path from the laser source to the imaging surface. Alternatively, each light path may comprise two or more lens elements arranged in series, the separate elements being coupled to one another, such as by mirrors or prisms, so as to produce the same effect as a lens element. The use of multiple lens elements is to allow the light path to be folded so as to simplify packaging. For this reason, the separate elements will not typically be aligned with one another in a straight line. In other words, a laser beam emitted from the same element on a chip can target a similar location on the imaging surface, whether conveyed by an integral lens element (e.g., a single "straight" GRIN rod) or by a series of lens elements (e.g., two or more GRIN rods, with the light being directed from each to the next by an associated prism).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the imaging device are described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. The description, together with the figures, makes apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the pertinent art how the teachings of the disclosure may be practiced, by way of non-limiting examples. The figures are for the purpose of illustrative discussion and no attempt is made to show structural details of an embodiment in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the disclosure. For the sake of clarity and simplicity, some objects depicted in the figures may not be drawn to scale.

In the Figures:

Figure 1 depicts schematically a first embodiment of a printing system,

Figure 2 depicts schematically a second embodiment of a printing system,

Figure 3 shows part of an imaging device comprising a set of VCSEL chips mounted on a support;

Figure 4 is a schematic representation of the laser emitting elements of two VCSEL chips and the lines that they can trace on a relatively moving imaging surface; and

Figure 5 is a schematic representation that demonstrates in one pair of rows the alignment between the VCSEL chips and the GRIN rods used as lenses to focus the emitted laser beams onto the imaging surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Overall description of the printing system

Figure 1 shows a drum 10 having an outer surface 12 that serves as an imaging surface. As the drum rotates clockwise, as represented by an arrow, it passes beneath a coating station 14 where it acquires a monolayer coating of fine particles. After exiting the coating station 14, the imaging surface 12 passes beneath an imaging station 16 where selected regions of the imaging surface 12 are exposed by an imaging device to laser radiation, which renders the particle coating on the selected regions of the imaging surface 12 tacky. Next, the imaging surface 12 passes through an impression station 18, having a nip indicated by an arrow, where a substrate 20 is compressed between the drum 10 and an impression cylinder 22. The pressure applied at the impression station 18 causes the selected regions of the coating on the imaging surface 12 that have been rendered tacky by exposure to laser radiation in the imaging station 16, to transfer from the imaging surface 12 to the substrate 20. The regions on the imaging surface 12 corresponding to the selected tacky areas transferred to the substrate 20 consequently become exposed, being depleted by the transfer of particles. The imaging surface 12 can then complete its cycle by returning to the coating station 14 where a fresh monolayer particle coating is applied only to the exposed regions from which the previously applied particles were transferred to the substrate 20 in the impression station 18. As detailed below, the substrate, also termed printing substrate, may be made of various materials (e.g., paper, cardboard, plastics, fabrics etc.), some optionally existing in coated and uncoated form depending on quality desired, and can be supplied to the impression station in different forms (e.g., as sheets or continuous webs).

The thermoplastic polymeric particles selectively exposed to laser radiation so as to be transferred to the substrate are said to form a film, or as further detailed hereinafter a polymer film. As used herein, the term "film" indicates that each spot of particle(s) exposed on the imaging surface may form a thin layer or coating of material, which may be flexible at least until transfer to the substrate at the impression station. The term "film" does not necessarily mean that spots of adjacent particles exposed to laser radiation at the imaging station are to collectively transfer as a continuous coating. It is believed that a thin film formed on the imaging surface (i.e. by one or more adjacent particles sufficiently exposed to a laser beam) may at most retain its thickness or become even thinner upon impression. Hence the printing apparatus and method according to the present teachings advantageously enable the printing on a substrate of a thin layer of irradiated particles. In some embodiments, the printed film can have a thickness of 1 micrometer or less, or of no more than 800 nm, or of no more than 600 nm, or of no more than 400 nm, or of no more than 200 nm, or even of no more than 100 nm.

The coating station

The coating station 14 may comprise a plurality of spray heads 1401 that are aligned with each other along the axis of the drum 10 and only one is therefore seen in the section of Figure 1. The sprays 1402 of the spray heads are confined within a bell housing 1403, of which the lower rim 1404 is shaped to conform closely to the imaging surface leaving only a narrow gap between the bell housing 1403 and the drum 10. The spray heads 1401 are connected to a common supply rail 1405 which supplies to the spray heads 1401 a pressurized fluid carrier (gaseous or liquid) having suspended within it the fine particles to be used in coating the imaging surface 12. If needed the suspended particles may be regularly or constantly mixed, in particular before their supply to the spray head(s). The particles may for instance be circulated in the coating apparatus within a flow rate range of 0.1 to 10 liter/minute, or in the range of 0.3 to 3 liter/min. The fluid and the surplus particles from the sprays heads 1401, which are confined within a plenum 1406 formed by the inner space of the housing 1403, are extracted through an outlet pipe 1407, which is connected to a suitable suction source represented by an arrow, and can be recycled back to the spray heads 1401. Though herein referred to as spray heads, any other type of nozzle or orifice along the common supply pipe or conduit allowing applying the fluid suspended particles are encompassed.

As an alternative to the above-described direct spraying of the fluid and suspended particles onto the imaging surface, the coating station, as shown in Figure 2 may comprise a rotatable applicator 1420 operative to wipe the fluid and suspended particles onto the surface. The applicator 1420 may for example be a cylindrical sponge or may comprise a plurality of flexible strips extending radially from a rotatable axle. The material of the spongy roller or the strips is to be "relatively soft", selected so as to wipe the particles on the imaging surface 12, without affecting the integrity of the coat thereupon formed, in other words without scratching the layer of particles. The surface of the applicator, or of its bristles or stripes, may suitably comprise a closed cell foam (such as such as closed cell polyethylene, closed cell PVA or closed cell silicone); or a relatively soft open cell foam (such as a polyurethane foam); or a fabric, such as cotton, silk or ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fabric.

The fluid comprising the suspended particles may be supplied externally to such the applicator 1420, in the manner shown in Figure 2, as a spray or a jet 1420 from nozzles 1401, which may be constituted simply by holes in the wall of a pipe. Alternatively, the fluid and suspended particles may be supplied internally. In such an embodiment, the fluid may be provided by a supply duct, or spray, positioned within the applicator, for instance, within or in parallel with the axis 1421, and diffuse through the material of the applicator 1420 towards its external surface.

The applicator may serve to remove, at least partially, any particles that are not in direct contact with the imaging surface and optionally at least partially flatten the particles coated on the surface as a monolayer.

Advantageously, a monolayer of particles facilitates the targeted delivery of radiation as emitted by the laser elements of the imaging station. This may ease the control of the imaging device, as the selectively irradiated particles reside on a single defined layer, which may facilitate focusing the laser radiation to form upon transfer to a substrate a dot of approximately even thickness and/or relatively defined contour. Another advantage of having a monolayer is that it can provide for good thermal coupling between the particles and the imaging surface on which the particles are coated. As shall be described below, the imaging surface may be a heat absorbing substrate or made of a suitably heat absorbing material, thus easing the transfer of energy from the imaging surface to the polymer particle(s) which render them tacky. It should be mentioned that because of the very small thickness of the particles, most of the laser energy can pass through them without being absorbed. Instead of heating the particles directly, the laser radiation tends instead to heat the imaging surface and the particles are heated indirectly.

As the intermediate applicator 1420 (e.g., roller or brush) rotates about its axis 1421, it applies the particles upon contact with imaging surface 12 of drum 10. The outer surface of the applicator need not have the same linear velocity as the imaging surface and it can, for instance, be up to about ten-fold higher. It may rotate in the same direction as drum 10 or in counter-direction. The applicator may be independently driven by a motor, or driven by drum 10 by gears, belts, friction, and the like. In some embodiments, the surplus extraction system, that serves to remove any particles that are not in direct contact with the surface, is configured similarly to the applicator. In such case, the fluid that is externally or internally supplied to the applicator-like element, to serve as a remover of excess particles, does no itself have any particles suspended within it. The fluid of the surplus extraction system, which may be regarded as a cleaning device, may be the same or different from the fluid in which the particles are suspended for the application device. For instance, particles may be applied while suspended in water or any other aqueous medium, and excess thereof may be removed by the same aqueous medium or by a different fluid, such as by an air stream.

It is important to be able to achieve an effective seal between the housing 1403 and the imaging surface 12, in order to prevent the spray fluid and the fine particles from escaping through the narrow gap that must essentially remain between the housing 1403 and the imaging surface 12 of the drum 10. Different ways of achieving such a seal are shown schematically in the drawings.

The simplest form of seal is a wiper blade 1408. Such a seal makes physical contact with the imaging surface and could score the applied coating if used on the exit side of the housing 1403, that is to say the side downstream of the spray heads 1401. For this reason, if such a seal is used, it is preferred for it to be located only upstream of the spray heads 1401 and/or at the axial ends of the housing 1403. The terms "upstream" and "downstream" as used herein are referenced to points on the imaging surface 12 as it cycles through the different stations.

Figures 1 and 2 also shows how egress of the fluid within which the particles are suspended from the sealing gap between the housing 1403 and the drum 10 can be prevented without a member contacting the imaging surface 12. A gallery 1409 extending in the present illustration around the entire circumference of the housing 1403 is connected by a set of fine passages 1410 extending around the entire rim of the housing 1403 to establish fluid communication between the gallery 1409 and the sealing gap.

In a first embodiment, the gallery 1409 is connected to a suction source of a surplus extraction system, which may be the same suction source as is connected to the outlet 1407 or a different one. In this case, the gallery 1409 serves to extract fluid passing through the gap before it exits the housing 1403. The low pressure also sucks off the drum 10 any particles that are not in direct contact with the imaging surface 12 and, if the sprayed fluid is a liquid, it also sucks off surplus liquid to at least partially dry the coating before it leaves the coating station 14. Surplus liquid can alternatively and additionally be removed by mean of a liquid extracting roller (e.g., having a liquid absorbing surface) positioned on the exit side of the coating apparatus. Any such means of drying the particle coating (e.g., a blower, a heater, a liquid extractor etc.), if present, can be internal to the coating device 14 (i.e., within plenum 1406 of housing 1403), or can alternatively be positioned downstream of the coating station, as long as it remains upstream of a station where the coating needs to be substantially dry. The drying element, if present, is advantageously compatible with the particle layer, and for instance does not negatively affect the particles and/or the integrity of the layer formed therefrom.

In an alternative embodiment, the gallery 1409 is connected to a source of gas at a pressure higher than the pressure in the plenum 1406. Depending on the rate of fluid supply to the plenum through the spray heads 1401 and the rate of extraction through the outlet 1407, the plenum 1406 may be at a pressure either above or below the ambient atmospheric pressure.

If the plenum is at sub-atmospheric pressure, then is suffices for the gallery 1409 to be at ambient atmospheric pressure, or indeed no gallery need be present. In this case, because the pressure within the sealing gap will exceed the pressure in the plenum 1406, gas flow through the gap will be towards the interior of the housing with no risk of fluid egress. If the plenum is at above atmospheric pressure, then the gallery 1409 may be connected to a pressurized gas supply, preferably air. In this case, air will be forced into the sealing gap under pressure through the passages 1410 and will split into two streams. One stream will flow towards the plenum 1406 and will prevent egress of the fluid within which the particles are suspended. That stream will also dislodge and/or entrain particles not in direct contact with the imaging surface and assist in at least partially drying the coating if the carrier fluid is a liquid. The second stream will escape from the coating station without presenting a problem as it is only clean air without any suspended particles. The second gas stream may also assist in further drying of the particle coating on the imaging surface 12 before it leaves the coating station 14. If desired, the gas stream can be heated to facilitate such drying.

In an alternative embodiment, the afore-mentioned gallery 1409 does not extend around the entire circumference of the housing, so as to seal the plenum chamber on all sides. It can be a "partial" gallery or a combination of one or more air knives (with negative or positive flow) positioned either downstream or upstream of the spray head(s) and/or intermediate applicator(s) in parallel to the axis of the drum and/or on the lateral edges of the spray heads and/or applicators in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the drum. A "partial" gallery on the exit side may, in some embodiments, serve as gas blower (e.g. , cold or hot air) additionally or alternatively facilitating the drying of the particles, in which case the passages 1410 may be adapted to provide sufficient flow rate. In one embodiment, and independently of the type of fluid carrying the suspended particles being applied to the imaging surface 12, there is included on the exit side of the coating apparatus 14, and typically at an external downstream location as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a heater 1424 allowing the temperature of the particle layer and the imaging surface to be raised before it reaches the imaging station 16. The temperature of the particles and the imaging surface may in this way be raised from ambient temperature to above 30°C, or 40°C or even 50°C, so as to reduce the amount of laser energy that is needed to render the particles tacky. However, the heating should not itself render the particles tacky and should not raise their temperature to above 80°C or possibly to above 70°C. Such heating of the particles and imaging surface may be further facilitated by using a fluid carrier at desired temperature. In some embodiments, there can be included on the entry side of the coating apparatus

14, and typically at an external upstream location as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a cooler 1422 allowing lowering the temperature of the imaging surface 12 before the particle layer is being replenished in the previously exposed regions. It is believed that an imaging surface at a temperature of less than 40°C, or less than 30°C, or even less than 20°C, but typically above 0°C, or even above 10°C, can reduce the temperature of the particles neighboring the exposed regions so that by the time the imaging surface is being replenished, the so cooled particles may have no or reduced "residual tackiness", that is to say a partial softening insufficient for a subsequent step (e.g., transfer to a printing substrate). The cooled coating behaves in the same manner as the particles freshly deposited on the exposed regions of the imaging surface. In this manner, only particles selectively targeted by any laser element of a chip of an imaging device as herein disclosed would become sufficiently tacky for transfer to a printing substrate. Such cooling of the particles and imaging surface may be further facilitated by using a fluid carrier at desired temperature.

It is possible to provide both a cooler 1422 on the entry side of the coating apparatus 14 and a heater 1424 on the exit side, each cooler and heater operating as above described. Additionally, the drum 10 can be temperature controlled by suitable cooling / heating means internal to the drum, such temperature controlling means being operated, if present, in a manner allowing the outer surface of the imaging surface to be maintained at any desired temperature.

The particles

The shape and composition of the coating particle will depend in practice on the nature of the effect to be applied to the surface of the substrate 20. In a printing system, the particles may conveniently be formed of a pigmented thermoplastic polymer. Polymers and/or pigments associated therewith able to heat up and soften as a response to the irradiation wavelength of the laser beam emitting elements can be suitable. This need not be construed as limiting, as alternatively (and additionally) the particles may be rendered tacky by the laser elements as a result of the heating up of the imaging surface upon which they are applied. For printing of high quality, it is desirable for the particles to be as fine as possible to minimize the interstices between particles of the applied monolayer coating. The particle size is dependent upon the desired image resolution and for some applications a particle size of 10 micrometer (μπι) or possibly even more may prove adequate. However, for improved image quality, it is preferred for the particle size to be a few micrometers and more preferably less than about 1 μπι. In some embodiments, suitable particles can have an average diameter between 100 nm and 4 μπι, 300 nm and 1 μπι , in particular between 500 nm and 1.5 μπι. On account of the manner in which such particles are produced, they are likely to be substantially spherical but that is not essential and they may be shaped as platelets. Thus particle selection and ideal size determination, will depend upon the intended use of the particles, the effect sought (e.g., visual effect in the case of printing), and the operating conditions of the relevant coating and imaging stations. Optimization of the parameters may be done empirically, by routine experimentation, by one of ordinary skill in the art. Depending on their shape, the particles may be characterized by their length, width, thickness, diameter or any such representative measurement of their X-, Y- and Z-dimensions. Typically such sizes are provided as average of the population of particles and can be determined by any technique known in the art, such as microscopy and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). In DLS techniques the particles are approximated to spheres of equivalent behavior and the size can be provided in term of hydrodynamic diameter. DLS also allows assessing the size distribution of a population. As used herein, particles having a size of, for instance, 10 μιη or less, have at least one dimension smaller than 10 μιη, and possibly two or even three, depending on shape.

The particles are said to fulfill on average any desired size preference, if the D50 (up to 50% of the population) is about the intended size; whereas a population of particles wherein the D90 is about the intended size implies a vast majority of particles (up to 90% of the population) satisfy the same.

Though not essential, the particles may preferably be uniformly shaped and/or within a symmetrical distribution relative to a median value of the population and/or within a relatively narrow size distribution.

A particle size distribution is said to be relatively narrow if at least one of the two following conditions applies:

A) the difference between the hydrodynamic diameter of 90% of the particles and the hydrodynamic diameter of 10% of the particles is equal to or less than 150 nm, or equal to or less than 100 nm, or even equal to or less than 50 nm, which can be mathematically expressed by: (D90 - D10) < 150 nm and so on; and/or

B) the ratio between a) the difference between the hydrodynamic diameter of 90% of the particles and the hydrodynamic diameter of 10% of the particles; and b) the hydrodynamic diameter of 50% of the particles, is no more than 2.0, or no more than 1.5, or even no more than 1.0, which can be mathematically expressed by:

(D90 - D10)/D50 < 2.0 and so on. As mentioned, such relatively uniform distribution may not be necessary for certain applications. For instance, having a relatively heterogeneously sized population of particles may allow relatively smaller particles to reside in interstices formed by relatively larger particles. The particles may have any suitable aspect ratio, i.e., a dimensionless ratio between the smallest dimension of the particle and the equivalent diameter in the largest plane orthogonal to the smallest dimension. The equivalent diameter can be for instance the arithmetical average between the longest and shortest dimensions of that largest orthogonal plane. Such dimensions are generally provided by the suppliers of such particles and can be assessed on a number of representative particles by methods known in the art, such as microscopy.

Depending on their composition and/or on the processes they undergo {e.g., milling, recycling, burnishing etc.), the particles can be hydrophobic with different degrees, if any, of hydrophilicity. As the balance between the hydrophobic and hydrophilic nature of the particles may shift with time, the process is expected to remain efficient if the hydrophobic nature of the particles predominates. In the present disclosure such particles are said to be hydrophobic or substantially hydrophobic. It is envisaged that the particles will be carried by either a gaseous or a liquid fluid when they are sprayed onto the imaging surface or upon the intermediate applicator(s). When the particles are suspended in a liquid, in order both to reduce cost and minimize environmental pollution, it is desirable for the liquid to be aqueous. In such a case, it is desirable for the polymer used to form the particles to be hydrophobic, so that blowing a gas stream over the coating will both serve to dislodge and/or entrain particles not in direct contact with the imaging surface and to at least partially dry the coating on the imaging surface.

It is possible to apply to the substrate 20 an effect similar to foil blocking, where the printed image transferred to the substrate has metal like reflectivity. This may be achieved using particles that are metallic or metal-like {e.g., made of a polymeric or ceramic material having a metallic appearance) and are coated with a thermoplastic polymer. Because of the manner in which metallic particles are produced (commonly by milling), they tend to be flat platelets and though not essential this enables highly reflective coatings of near mirror quality to be achieved. Such particles lend themselves to being burnished or polished which may be carried out while they are on the imaging surface 12 either by the use of high pressure during the spraying or by means of a burnishing roller. Though not shown in the drawing, a burnishing roller may be positioned downstream of the spray heads. Burnishing is of particular advantage when operating the spray head(s) of the coating apparatus at relative low pressure and/or when including an intermediate applicator. A burnisher may be positioned in the same housing as previously described or in a separate housing. Burnishing of the monolayer of particles is advantageously carried out, when desired, before the coating reaches the imaging station, i.e. while the particles are still on the imaging surface, but this need not be necessarily be the case as some printing system may benefit from burnishing of the particles following their transfer to the substrate. Burnishing may be carried out with a dry roller or with a wet roller {e.g., impregnated and/or washed with the particles' vehicle, for instance water). In the event an intermediate applicator is used, it cannot be ruled out that it may in addition to applying the particles to the imaging surface also at least partly burnish them.

The outer surface of the optional burnishing roller may rotate at a linear speed different than that of the imaging surface of the drum and/or of the outer surface of an intermediate applicator, if present. It can rotate in the same or counter-direction relative to the drum. The particle carrier

The particle carrier, that is to say the fluid within which the particles are suspended, may be either a liquid or a gas. If liquid, the carrier is preferably water based and if gaseous the carrier is preferably air. In the interest of economy, particles sucked from the interior of the chamber of a housing may be recycled to the supply and/or applicator device. The imaging surface

The imaging surface 12 in some embodiments is a hydrophobic surface, made typically of an elastomer that can be tailored to have properties as herein disclosed, generally prepared from a silicone-based material. The silicone-based surface may have any thickness and/or hardness suitable to bond the intended particles. The suitable hardness is to provide a strong bond to the particles when they are applied to the imaging surface 12 in the coating station 14, the bond being stronger than the tendency of the particles to adhere to one another. It is believed that for relatively thin imaging surfaces {e.g., 100 μπι or less), the silicone-based material may have a medium to low hardness; whereas for relatively thick imaging surfaces {e.g., up to about 1 mm), the silicone-based material may have a relatively high hardness. In some embodiments, a relatively high hardness between about 60 Shore A and about 80 Shore A is suitable for the imaging surface. In other embodiments, a medium-low hardness of less than 60, 50, 40, 30 or even 20 Shore A is satisfactory. In a particular embodiment, the imaging surface has a hardness of about 40 Shore A.

The hydrophobicity is to enable the tacky film created by exposing the particles to radiation to transfer cleanly to the substrate without splitting. A surface is said to be hydrophobic when the angle formed by the meniscus at the liquid/air/solid interface, also termed wetting angle or contact angle, exceeds 90°, the reference liquid being typically distilled water. Under such conditions, which are conventionally measured with a goniometer or a drop shape analyzer and can be assessed at a given temperature and pressure of relevance to the operational conditions of the coating process, the water tends to bead and does not wet, hence does not adhere, to the surface. Advantageously, an imaging surface suitable for use with a printing system herein disclosed can be flexible enough to be mounted on a drum, appropriately extendible or inextendible if to be mounted as a belt, have sufficient abrasion resistance and/or resilience, be inert to the particles and/or fluids being employed, and/or be resistant to any operating condition of relevance (e.g., irradiation, pressure, heat, tension, and the like). In particular, the composition forming the outer coat of the imaging surface, hereinafter the release layer, can be able to absorb radiant energy at the wavelength of the laser emitting elements. For instance, if the radiation is emitted in any portion of the near infrared (NIR) range within about 800-2,000 nm, then the release layer needs to absorb over at least such portion of the NIR spectrum. In such case, the heating up of the imaging surface outermost layer can assist in the softening of the particles disposed thereupon, sufficient heating rendering the particles suitably tacky so as to transfer to a printing substrate upon impression. As previously mentioned, in some embodiments, the desired tackiness can be achieved by using particles comprising a polymer and/or a pigment being tuned to the wavelengths of the laser elements of the imaging device, so as to directly heat up and soften upon exposure to the laser, and by selecting a suitable imaging surface.

Advantageously, when desired tackiness is to be promoted, enhanced or achieved by proper selection of the imaging surface, the material forming the outer coat of the surface is such that it may absorb over a relatively wide range of laser wavelengths, compatible with different types of particles, each eventually having a different sub-range, even minute ones, of laser absorbance. Carbon black, which has a broad absorption and is a strong absorber in the NIR region, can be used to provide desired corresponding properties to the release layer of the imaging surface. Incorporation of carbon black into silicone-based release layers may also contribute to the thermal conductivity of the imaging surface and allows to modulate it, if and as desired.

The imaging surface 12 in the drawing is the outer surface of a drum 10, which can be either directly cast thereupon or mounted as a sleeve separately manufactured. This, however, is not essential as it may alternatively be the surface of an endless transfer member having the form of a belt guided over guide rollers and maintained under an appropriate tension at least while it passes through the coating station. Additional architectures may allow the imaging surface 12 and the coating station 14 to be in relative movement one with the other. For instance, the imaging surface may form a movable plan which can repeatedly pass beneath a static coating station, or form a static plan, the coating station repeatedly moving from one edge of the plan to the other so as to entirely cover the imaging surface with particles. Conceivably, both the imaging surface and the coating station may be moving with respect to one another and with respect to a static point in space so as to reduce the time it may take to achieve entire coating of the imaging surface with the particles dispensed by the coating station. All such forms of imaging surfaces can be said to be movable (e.g., rotatably, cyclically, endlessly, repeatedly movable or the like) with respect to the coating station where any such imaging surface can be coated with particles (or replenished with particles in exposed regions).

The transfer member, whether formed as a sleeve over a drum or a belt over guide rollers, may comprise in addition to the imaging surface, on the side opposite the release layer, a body. The transfer member body may comprise different layers each providing to the overall transfer member one or more desired property selected, for instance, from mechanical resistivity, thermal conductivity, compressibility (e.g., to improve "macroscopic" contact between the imaging surface and the impression cylinder), conformability (e.g., to improve "microscopic" contact between the imaging surface and the printing substrate on the impression cylinder) and any such characteristic readily understood by persons skilled in the art of printing transfer members.

The imaging station

The imaging device 16 in Figure 1 is composed of a support 1601 carrying an array of laser sources such as VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser) chips 1602 that emit laser beams and an array of corresponding lenses 1603 that focus the laser beams on the imaging surface 12. Figures 3 to 5 provide more details on the chips and the manner in which they are mounted on the support and aligned with the lenses 1603. In Figure 1, the imaging station 16 provides a way of selecting the regions of the particle coating applied to the imaging surface 12 that will transfer to the substrate 20 at the impression station 18. The imaging station 16 comprises a support 1601 carrying an array of laser sources such as VCSEL chips 1602 that are optionally arranged in pair(s) of rows in positions that are accurately predetermined relative to one another (e.g., in a staggered manner providing laser sources suitable to target points along the entire width of the substrate). Laser beams emitted by the chips 1602 are focused by lenses 1603, that may conveniently have a magnification of +1 or -1, and may be constructed as two or more corresponding rows of GRIN (Gradient Index) rod lenses (each chip 1602, and all laser elements thereupon, being associated with a corresponding focusing lens 1603). Signals supplied to the chips for the activation of one or more laser element are synchronized with the rotation of the drum so as to allow a high resolution image to be traced on the imaging surface 12 by the emitted laser beams. The effect of the irradiation of each pixel by a laser beam is to convert the particle at that pixel into a tacky film so that it may later transfer to the substrate 20 when it is pressed against is at the impression station 18.

Figure 3 shows the support 1601 on which are mounted a plurality of VCSEL chips 1602 arranged in two rows in accurately predetermined positions relative to one another, as will be described in more detail by reference to Figure 4.

The support 1601 is a rigid at least partially hollow elongate body fitted with connectors 1634 to allow a cooling fluid to flow through its internal cavity to cope with the significant amount of heat that may be generated by the chips 1602. The body of the support may be made of an electrically insulating material, such as a suitable ceramic, or it may be made of a metal and at least its surface on which the chips 1602 are mounted may be coated with an electrical insulator. This enables a circuit board made of thin film conductors (not shown in the drawing) to be formed on the surface. The chips 1602 are soldered to contact pads on this circuit board and a connector 1632 projecting from the lower edge of the support 1601 allows control and power signals to be applied to the chips 1602. The laser emitting elements 1640 of each chip 1602 are individually addressable and are spaced apart sufficiently widely not to interfere thermally with one another. Figure 4 shows schematically, and to a much enlarged scale, the relative positioning of two laser emitting element arrays of VCSEL chips 1602a and 1602b that are adjacent one another in the Y-direction but are located in different rows. Each of the chips has a regular array of M by N laser emitting elements 1640, as previously described, which are represented by circular dots. In the example illustrated, M and N are equal, there being nine rows and nine columns. Having equal numbers of rows and columns in each chip permits the design of the optics to be optimised. The spacing between the elements in a row, designated A_r, and the spacing between the elements in a column, designate a_c, are shown as being different from one another but they may be the same. The array is shown as being slightly skewed so that the columns and rows are not perpendicular to one another. Instead, the rows lie parallel to the Y- direction while the columns are at a slight angle to the X-direction. This enables lines, such as the lines 1644, traced by the elements 1640 on the imaging surface, if energized continuously, to be sufficiently close together to allow high resolution images to be printed. Figure 4 shows that the element at the end of each row traces a line that is a distance A M away from the line traced by the corresponding element of each adjacent row, the separation between these lines being the image resolution I_r. Thus A_r and M are selected in dependence upon the desired image resolution, based on the equation A_r = M x I_r.

It should be mentioned that it is possible for the elements to lie in a square array where the columns are perpendicular to the rows. In this case, the chips would need to be mounted askew on their support and compensation would need to be applied to the timing of the control signals used to energize the individual elements.

As is clear from Figure 4, the positioning of the array 1602b is such that the line traced by its bottom left element 1640 should ideally also be spaced from the line traced by the top right element of the array 1602a by a distance equal to A M. Therefore when all the elements 1640 of both arrays of chips 1602a and 1602b are energized, they will trace 2·Μ·Ν lines that will all be evenly spaced apart by a distance A M between adjacent lines, without any gaps.

If one wishes to provide compensation for defective elements, the array could include additional rows of laser emitting elements 1640, but it is alternatively possible to compensate for a defective element by increasing the intensity of the laser beams generated by the laser emitting elements that trace the two adjacent parallel lines.

In addition to the M by N array of elements 1640, each chip has two additional columns that are arranged one each side of the main array, each containing a respective further element 1642. These further elements 1642 are represented in Figure 4 by stars, to distinguish them from the main array elements 1640. The additional laser elements on each side of each array, can be positioned at a distance of 1/3 the spacing between traced lines that are imaged by the lenses onto the imaging surface. Furthermore additional elements could be placed in the gap between two arrays that nominally spans a distance of A M so that higher sensitivity is achieved in correcting the spacing errors between adjacent arrays.

As can be seen from Figure 4, when activated, these elements 1642 trace two additional lines 1646 between the two sets of evenly spaces parallel lines 1644a and 1644b traced by the elements 1640 of the two chips 1602a and 1602b, respectively.

One of the additional lines 1646 is spaced by a distance A_r/3M from the last adjacent line 1644a traced, for example, by the array of chip 1602a in Figure 4 and the other is spaced by a distance A_r/3M from the first adjacent line 1644b traced, for example, by the array of the chip 1602b. In the event of a misalignment between the two chips 1602a and 1602b these elements 1642 can be energized in addition to, or instead of some of, the elements 1640 of the main arrays to compensate for any misalignment between the arrays that tends to create a stripe in the printed image, be it a gap or a dark line resulting from an overlap.

While the two additional elements 1642 in the present proposal are shown in Figure 4 as tracing two separate lines 1646, the energies of these two elements can be combined on the imaging surface to form a single line of which the position is controllable by appropriate setting of the energies emitted by each of the additional elements 1646.

For the chips 1602a and 1602b in Figure 4 to function correctly as described above, their relative position in the Y-direction is critical. In order to simplify the construction of the lens system serving to focus the emitted laser beams on the imaging surface it is advantageous to adopt a configuration shown in Figure 5 which enables the two rows of lenses corresponding to a pair of chip rows to be self-aligning.

Figure 5 shows arrays of seven adjacent chips 1602 each shown lined up with a respective lens 1603. Though the arrays can as afore-mentioned include additional laser elements 1442, such are not shown on the present figure. Each lens 1603 is constructed as a GRIN (Gradient-Index) rod, this being a known type of lens that is shaped as a cylinder having a radially graduated refractive index. In the case of the geometry shown in Figure 5, corresponding elements of any three bi-directionally adjacent chips 1602 lie on the apices of an equilateral triangle, three such triangles designated 1650 being shown in the drawing. It will be noted that all the triangles 1650 are congruent. As a result, if the diameter of the GRIN rods is now selected to be equal to 2·Ν·Α_Γ, which is the length of the sides of the equilateral triangles 1650, or the distance between corresponding laser emitting elements of adjacent VCSEL chips 1602 in the same row, then when stacked in their most compact configurations, the lenses 1603 will automatically align correctly with their respective chip.

Though the lens 1603 has been schematically illustrated in Figure 1 (side view) and Figure 5 (cross section view) as being an individual GRIN rod, the laser beams of each chip can be transmitted by a series of lenses. In the case of Figure 2, the single GRIN rod 1603 is replaced by two mutually inclined GRIN rods 1603a and 1603b and the light from one is directed to the other by a prism 1603c of high refractive index glass, so that the light follows a folded path. Such a configuration enables coating stations in a colour printing system to be arranged closer to one another in a more compact configuration and allows the irradiation of the coating on the imaging surface 12 to take place nearer the nip 18 of the impression station. Such a folded light path can adopt different configurations while fulfilling all the requirements of magnification and light transmission. To enable the light path to be split in this manner, the length of the GRIN rods is selected such that light is collimated on leaving the rods 1603a and entering the rods 1603b as shown by the light rays drawn in Figure 2. In some embodiments, the intensity of the laser beam emitted by each laser element of a chip may be adjustable either continuously (in an analogue manner) or in discrete steps (digitally). In one embodiment, the chips may include D/A converters so as to receive digital control signals. In this way, the laser beam intensity may be adjusted in 4, 8, 16, 32 or up to 4096 discrete steps. The lowermost level of energy is defined as 0, where the individual laser element is not activated, the uppermost level of energy can be defined as 1. Such distinct levels may be considered analogous in the field of printing to "grey levels", each level providing for a gradually distinct intensity (e.g., shade when considering a colored output). Taking for instance, a laser beam emitting element having 16 levels of activation, level 0 would result in lack of impression (e.g., leaving a substrate bare or white if originally so) and level 1 would result in transfer of a tacky film formed by a particle irradiated at maximum energy (e.g., forming a full black dot in the event the particles are so colored). In previous illustrative example, levels 1/16, 2/16, 3/16 and so on would correspond to increasingly stronger shades of grey, comprised between white (0) and black (1). Typically, the energy levels are evenly spaced.

In an alternative embodiment, the individually controllable laser elements of a chip can emit laser beams having variable energy that can be modulated in a continuous analogue manner. Printing systems and methods incorporating such an imaging station may further comprise control devices able to individually control the laser elements and the beams projected therefrom onto a moving imaging surface.

The energy profile of each dot is symmetrical with tapering sides. The exact profile is not important as the distribution may be Gaussian, sinusoidal or even an inverted V. In any such profile, as the peak intensity increases, the base widens and the area of intersection of the profile with a threshold at which the particle coating is rendered tacky also increases in diameter. A consequence of this energy distribution is that points of the imaging surface that are not in alignment with the centerline of any one laser emitting element will receive energy from adjacent elements. It is possible for two nearby elements to be energized to below the level needed to render coating particles on the centerline of the elements tacky, yet for the cumulative energy in the region of overlap between the two centerlines to rise above the level necessary to render the coating particles tacky. In this way, it is possible create potential raster lines between the centerlines of the laser lines in addition to, or as an alternative to, the raster lines coinciding with the centerlines of the laser elements. This ability to combine the energies from adjacent elements is used to achieve different effect, as will be described below. These effects are dependent upon the ability of the imaging surface to combine energies received from different laser elements, even if there is a slight difference between the times of irradiation. In some embodiments, at least one pair of laser elements, selected either both from the same array or one from each of two adjacent arrays, are controlled in such a manner that their energies are combined on the imaging surface to increase the temperature of the imaging surface above a predetermined threshold at a point intermediate the centers of the images of the two laser elements on the imaging surface, without raising the temperature of the imaging surface at at least one of the centers of the images of the two laser elements above the latter threshold.

Once a region of the imaging surface has reached a temperature at which the particles become tacky, any further increase in temperature will not have any effect on the transfer to the substrate. However, it should also be noted that as the intensity of the laser is increased the size of the dot that is rendered tacky also increases.

The imaging station 16 is shown in Figures 1 and 2 as being located upstream of the impression station and in an embodiment having such a configuration, it is important to ensure that the film on the imaging surface 12 does not lose its tackiness during transit between the imaging station and the impression station. This may be achieved by positioning the imaging station as closely as possible to the impression station. The imaging system of Figure 2, that has a folded light path, assists in this respect.

It is alternatively possible to combine the imaging and impressions stations and to selectively heat the imaging surface 12 at the same time as it is pressed against the substrate. This may be achieved, for example, by forming the drum 10 of a transparent material and locating the imaging system 16 within the drum or externally to the drum and across it at a position "facing" the impression station. By "transparent" it is meant that the material of the drum and/or of the imaging surface does not significantly affect the irradiation of the selected particles and/or allow the transfer of sufficient power to render them tacky.

The digital printing system shown in the drawing can only print in one color but multicolor printing can be achieved by passing the same substrate successively through multiple towers that are synchronized with one another and each printing a different color. In such case it may be desirable to provide substrate treating stations in between the different coating stations. A treating station can be for instance a cooler able to reduce the temperature of the substrate on its exit of a previous coating station. As some transferred films may retain some residual tackiness to a degree that may impair a subsequent transfer of different particles, it may be advantageous to eliminate such residual tackiness by cooling of the transferred film. Depending on the thermoplastic polymer, the elimination of any residual tackiness, or its reduction to a level not affecting the process, can alternatively be achieved by a treating station being a curing station.

Furthermore, a printing system, even if mono-color, may include a perfecting system allowing double-sided printing. In some cases, perfecting can be addressed at the level of the substrate transport system, which may for example revert a substrate to a side not yet printed on and reefed the unprinted side of the substrate to the same treating and impressions stations having served to print the first side. In other cases, perfecting can be addressed by including two separate impression stations (and their respective upstream or downstream stations), each impression station enabling printing on a different side of the same substrate.

The substrate The printing system shown in the drawing is not restricted to any particular type of substrate. The substrate may be individual sheets of paper or card or it may have the form of a continuous web. Because of the manner in which a thin polymeric film of ink is applied to the substrate, the film tends to reside on the surface of the substrate. This allows printing of high quality to be achieved on paper of indifferent quality. Furthermore, the material of the substrate need not be fibrous and may instead be any type of surface, for example a plastics film or a rigid board. The impression station

The illustrated impression station comprises only a smooth impression cylinder 22 that is pressed against the drum 10 and its outer imaging surface 12. The impression cylinder 22 may form part of a substrate transport system, in which case it may be equipped with grippers for engaging the leading edge of individual substrate sheets. As earlier mentioned, in other than digital printing systems, the impression cylinder may have an embossed surface to select the regions of the particle coating to be transferred to the substrate 20.

In the description and claims of the present disclosure, each of the verbs, "comprise" "include" and "have", and conjugates thereof, are used to indicate that the object or objects of the verb are not necessarily a complete listing of members, components, elements, steps or parts of the subject or subjects of the verb. These terms encompass the terms "consisting of and "consisting essentially of.

As used herein, the singular form "a", "an" and "the" include plural references and mean "at least one" or "one or more" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Positional or motional terms such as "upper", "lower", "right", "left", "bottom", "below", "lowered", "low", "top", "above", "elevated", "high", "vertical", "horizontal", "backward", "forward", "upstream" and "downstream", as well as grammatical variations thereof, may be used herein for exemplar}' purposes only, to illustrate the relative positioning, placement or displacement of certain components, to indicate a first and a second component in present illustrations or to do both. Such terms do not necessarily indicate that, for example, a "bottom" component is below a "top" component, as such directions, components or both may be flipped, rotated, moved in space, placed in a diagonal orientation or position, placed horizontally or vertically, or similarly modified.

Unless otherwise stated, the use of the expression "and/or" between the last two members of a list of options for selection indicates that a selection of one or more of the listed options is appropriate and may be made.

In the disclosure, unless otherwise stated, adjectives such as "substantially" and "about" that modify a condition or relationship characteristic of a feature or features of an embodiment of the present technology, are to be understood to mean that the condition or characteristic is defined to within tolerances that are acceptable for operation of the embodiment for an application for which it is intended.

While this disclosure has been described in terms of certain embodiments and generally associated methods, alterations and permutations of the embodiments and methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The present disclosure is to be understood as not limited by the specific embodiments described herein.

Claims

1. A method of printing a film onto selected regions of a surface of a substrate, which method comprises the steps of: a) providing a continuously moving transfer member having an imaging surface, b) coating the imaging surface of the transfer member with individual particles formed of, or coated with, a thermoplastic polymer, c) removing substantially all particles that are not in direct contact with the imaging surface to leave a uniform monolayer particle coating on the imaging surface, d) exposing selected regions of the coated imaging surface to radiation of sufficient power to render the particles tacky within the selected regions, e) pressing the coated imaging surface and the substrate surface against one another, either during or after irradiation, to cause transfer to the surface of the substrate of only the regions of the particle coating that have been rendered tacky, the tacky regions forming a film, and f) repeating steps b) and c) to apply a fresh monolayer coating of particles to the selected regions from which the previously applied monolayer coating was transferred to the substrate surface in step e), to leave the imaging surface again uniformly coated with a monolayer of particles.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein step b) comprises directing a gas jet carrying the particles onto the imaging surface.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein step b) comprises forming the imaging surface and the particles of a hydrophobic material and directing a liquid jet containing the particles onto the imaging surface, the liquid of the jet being selected so as not to wet the imaging surface.

4. A method as claimed in any one of claim 1 to claim 3, wherein the coating of the imaging surface of step b) is performed by an intermediate applicator.

5. A method as claimed in any one of claim 1 to claim 4, which further comprises cooling and/or heating the imaging surface prior to, during, or subsequent to, coating of the imaging surface with the particles.

6. A printing apparatus for printing a film made of a thermoplastic material onto selected regions of a surface of a substrate, the apparatus comprising a) a continuously movable endless transfer member having an imaging surface, b) a coating station at which particles made of, or coated with, a thermoplastic polymer are applied to the imaging surface and at which particles not in direct contact with the imaging surface are removed from, or fail to adhere to, the imaging surface, so that a uniform monolayer particle coating is formed on the imaging surface, c) an imaging station at which selected regions of the coated imaging surface are exposed to radiation of sufficient power to render the particles tacky within the selected regions, and d) an impression station at which the coated imaging surface and the surface of the substrate are pressed against one another, either during or after irradiation, to cause transfer to the surface of the substrate of a tacky film formed on the selected regions of the imaging surface by exposure of the monolayer particle coating to radiation, wherein, upon return of the imaging surface to the coating station, during operation, after having passed through imaging and impression stations, the particle coating on the imaging surface is again rendered a uniform monolayer by application of fresh particles to regions of the imaging surface that have been depleted of particles.

7. A printing apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the coating station comprises an intermediate applicator able to apply the particles to the imaging surface.

8. A printing apparatus as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the polymer particles have a particle size of less than 10 μπι, or less than 5 μπι, or less than 1 μπι, or within the range of 100 nm to 4 μπι, or 300 nm to 1 μπι, or 500 nm to 1.5 μπι.

9. A printing apparatus as claimed in any one of claim 6 to claim 8, wherein the imaging surface is hydrophobic.

10. A printing apparatus as claimed in any one of claim 6 to claim 9, wherein the particles are hydrophobic.

11. A printing apparatus as claimed in any one of claim 6 to claim 10, wherein the coating station comprises:

• at least one spray head for directly or indirectly applying to the imaging surface a fluid stream within which the particles are suspended,

• a housing surrounding the spray head(s) and defining an interior plenum for confining the fluid stream, the housing having a rim adjacent the imaging surface that is configured to prevent egress of particles from a sealing gap defined between the rim of the housing and the surface to be coated, and

• a suction source connected to the housing to extract from the plenum the sprayed fluid and particles suspended in the sprayed fluid, wherein the suction source is operative to extract substantially all particles that are not in direct contact with the surface, so as to leave only a single particle layer adhering to the surface on exiting the apparatus.

12. A printing apparatus as claimed in any one of claim 6 to claim 11, wherein the imaging station comprises an imaging device for projecting individually controllable laser beams onto the imaging surface as the imaging surface moves in a reference X-direction relative to the device, the device including a plurality of semiconductor chips having a plurality of laser beam emitting elements mounted on a support in such a manner that, when activated continuously, the emitted laser trace across the imaging surface a set of parallel lines that extend in the X-direction and are substantially uniformly spaced in the Y-direction.

13. A printing apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the individually controllable laser beam emitting elements of each semiconductor chips are arranged in a two dimensional main array of M rows and N columns, the elements in each row having a uniform spacing A_r and the elements in each column having a uniform spacing a_c, wherein the chips are mounted on a support in such a manner that each pair of chips that are adjacent one another in a reference Y-direction, transverse to the X-direction, are offset from one another in the X-direction, and, when activated continuously, the emitted laser beams of the two chips of said pair trace on the imaging surface 2·Μ·Ν parallel lines the laser beams of each chip tracing a set of M x N lines that do not overlap the set of lines of the other chip, wherein in addition to the M rows and N columns of elements of the main array, each chip comprises at least one additional column on each side of the main array, each containing at least one selectively operable laser emitting element capable of compensating for any misalignment in the Y-direction in the relative positioning of the adjacent chips on the support by tracing at least one additional line that lies between the two sets of Μ·Ν lines.

14. A printing apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein each of the two columns comprises two or more elements.

15. A printing apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the lines traced by the elements of the additional columns are evenly spaced from one another, the spacing between the lines traced by the element of the additional column(s) being substantially equal to the quotient of the spacing of the lines traced by the elements of main array and the number of elements in each additional column.

16. A printing apparatus as claimed in any one of claim 13 to claim 15, wherein the elements in each row of each chip lie on a line parallel to the X-direction and the elements in each column of each chip lie on a straight line inclined at an angle to the Y-direction.

17. A printing apparatus as claimed in any one of claim 13 to claim 16, wherein the chips are arranged in pair of rows on the support, corresponding laser emitting elements of all the chips in each of the two rows lying in line with one another in the Y-direction.

18. A printing apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the alignment of the chips within the two rows of the pair is such that corresponding elements in any group of three adjacent chips in the X and Y-directions lie at the apices of congruent equilateral triangles.

19. A printing apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein a respective lens is provided for each chip to focus the laser beams emitted by all the elements of the associated chip onto the imaging surface.

20. A printing apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein each lens is formed by a single GRIN rod.

21. A printing apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein each lens is formed by a series of two or more mutually inclined GRIN rods.

22. A printing apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein light from each GRIN rod is directed to the next GRIN rod in the series by a prism.

23. A printing apparatus as claimed in claim 22, in which the prism has a higher refractive index than the GRIN rods.

24. A printing apparatus as claimed in any one of claim 19 to claim 23, wherein each lens or series of lenses has a magnification of +1 or -1.

25. A printing apparatus as claimed in claim 24 when appended to claim 20 or claim 21, wherein the GRIN rods have a diameter equal to 2·Ν·Α_Γ, being the distance between corresponding elements of adjacent chips in each row.

26. A printing apparatus as claimed in any one of claim 13 to claim 25, wherein each chip has an equal number of rows and columns of laser beam emitting elements in the main array.

27. A printing apparatus as claimed in any one of claim 12 to claim 27, wherein the support is fluid cooled.

28. A printing apparatus as claimed in any one of claim 12 to claim 28, wherein the support is constructed of a rigid metallic or ceramic structure.

29. A printing apparatus as claimed in claim 28, wherein the surface of the support is formed of, or coated with, and electrical insulator and thin film conductors are formed on the electrically insulating surface to supply electrical signals and power to the chips.

30. A printing apparatus as claimed in any one of claim 12 to claim 29, wherein the chips are vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) chip arrays.

31. A printing apparatus as claimed in any one of claim 12 to claim 30, further comprising a cooler and/or a heater so as to modify the temperature of the imaging surface prior to, during, or subsequent to, coating of the imaging surface with the particles.