Orienting magnetically-orientable flakes
AssigneeViavi Solutions Inc.
InventorsVladimir Raksha, Cornelis Jan Delst
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
According to examples, a substrate may be moved through a magnetic field, in which the substrate includes a fluid carrier containing magnetically-orientable flakes. The magnetic field may influence the magnetically-orientable flakes to be respectively oriented in one of multiple orientations. In addition, during movement of the substrate through the magnetic field, radiation may be applied onto a plurality of selected portions of the fluid carrier through at least one opening in a mask to cure the fluid carrier at the plurality of selected portions and fix the magnetically-orientable flakes in the plurality of selected portions at the respective angular orientations as influenced by the magnetic field.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- moving a substrate, along a feed direction, through a magnetic field, wherein the substrate includes a fluid carrier containing magnetically-orientable flakes, wherein the magnetic field orients the magnetically-orientable flakes in one of multiple orientations;
- and
- during movement of the substrate through the magnetic field, applying radiation onto a plurality of selected portions of the fluid carrier through two or more openings in a mask,
- wherein the mask is positioned between the substrate and a radiation source, and the two or more openings in the mask are positioned on opposite sides of an undulation point of the magnetic field;
- wherein the flakes are oriented in a helical or bi-helical arrangement with respect to each other along a direction that is perpendicular to the feed direction.
A method comprising:
- moving a substrate in a first direction through a magnetic field having a strength of at least 0.001 tesla, wherein ink with magnetically-orientable flakes is disposed on the substrate;
- and
- during movement of the substrate through the magnetic field, providing radiation through at least one opening in a mask,
- wherein the at least one opening has at least one open side;
- wherein the at least one opening in the mask defines a radiation footprint with a leading edge;
- curing the magnetically-orientable flakes, when a portion of the substrate moves past the leading edge, in a helical or hi-helical arrangement with respect to each other along a direction that is perpendicular the first direction.
A method comprising:
- moving a substrate with a fluid carrier deposited thereon relative to an external magnetic induction and a radiation footprint from a mask with at least one opening, the fluid carrier comprising magnetically-orientable flakes, the radiation footprint having a leading edge with non-zero extent in a feed direction;
- and
- curing the magnetically-oriented flakes in a helical or bi-helical arrangement with respect to each other along a direction that is perpendicular to the teed direction;
- wherein a first region of the magnetically-orientable flakes has a dihedral angle α with respect to a major plane of the substrate, wherein α is in a range of about 0°<β<90° taken in the feed direction;
- wherein a second region of the magnetically-orientable flakes has a dihedral angle α with respect to the major plane of the substrate, wherein β is in a range of about 0°<β<90° in a direction opposite the teed direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.