Printing system and method
AssigneeActega Metal Print GmbH
InventorsBenzion Landa, Anton Krassilnikov, Moshe Fahima, Vadim Yakhel, Barak Edgar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is disclosed a method of printing onto the surface of a substrate, which method comprises i) coating a donor surface with a monolayer of particles, ii) treating the substrate surface to render at least selected regions tacky, and iii) contacting the substrate surface with the donor surface to cause particles to transfer from the donor surface only to the tacky regions of the substrate surface. After printing on a substrate, the donor surface returns to the coating station where the continuity of the monolayer is restored by recovering with fresh particles the regions of the donor surface exposed by the transfer of particles to the substrate.
Claims11
A printing system comprising:
- a continuously circulating endless donor surface,
- a coating station for applying particles to the donor surface, the donor surface bearing a monolayer coating of individual particles on exiting the coating station, wherein the coating station comprises:
- a) a supply of particles suspended in a fluid, the fluid being a liquid and the particles adhering more strongly to the donor surface than to one another,
- b) an application device for applying the fluid to the donor surface in a manner to cause the particles suspended in the fluid to adhere to the donor surface so as to form a particle coating on the surface, and
- c) a surplus extraction system operative to extract fluid and to remove surplus particles that are not in direct contact with the surface, so as to leave only a monolayer of particles adhering to the surface on exiting the coating station,
- a treatment station at which a substrate surface is treated to produce selected regions of the substrate surface having an affinity to the particles on the donor surface that is greater than the affinity of the particles to the donor surface,
- an impression station at which the substrate surface contacts the donor surface to cause particles to transfer from the donor surface to only the selected regions of the substrate surface, thereby exposing corresponding regions of the donor surface, and
- a drying station located between the coating station and the impression station for removing any residual liquid remaining on the donor surface on exiting the coating station,
- wherein after passing through the impression station, the donor surface returns, during operation, to the coating station for the layer of particles to be rendered continuous by the application of fresh particles to the exposed regions of the donor surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.