Method of applying indicia onto a surface of a plastic article
OwnerMichael J. Stevenson, Robert A. Reeves +2inventors
InventorsMichael J. Stevenson, Robert A. Reeves, Corey R. Dibrom, Darren Gemmill
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Abstract
Methods, apparatus and system for decorating plastic articles having an uneven surface or hollow structure are disclosed. An assembly comprising a transfer pad and a flexible heat transfer die comprising a thermal interface material (TIM) replace the hard rubber die in a hot-stamping process to fuse indicia into the surface. The assembly modifies ordinary pad printing into a hot-stamping process that transfers indicia onto uneven surfaces. A pad printing machine or other robotics is used to move the assembly from a position of heating to a position of compressing the ink transfer to the surface of the article.
Claims20
A method of applying indicia onto a surface of a plastic article, the method comprising:
- heating a flexible heat transfer die to a target temperature, the flexible heat transfer die comprising a thermal interface material (TIM) portion;
- and
- conforming the flexible heat transfer die under pressure to the surface of the plastic article with a thermal printing ink transfer comprising the indicia on a carrier sheet positioned between the flexible heat transfer die and the surface of the plastic article.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.