Cylinder for aligning magnetic or magnetizable particles, system for mounting and/or positioning magnetic elements at the cylinder, and machine for generating optically variable image elements

A cylinder for aligning magnetic or magnetizable particles (P) contained in coating agent (06) on a substrate (02), which, in the region of the outer circumference thereof, viewed in the axial direction, comprises a number m of groups, which are arranged next to one another, each having a number n of elements (24) providing magnetic fields, magnetic elements (24) for short, which are arranged one behind the other in the circumferential direction, at least two or all of the magnetic elements (24) of a group being mounted, directly or by way of mounts (28) accommodating the magnetic elements or by way of magnetic element carriers (37) carrying the magnetic elements (24), on a shared ring-like carrier element (31) that is arranged on a cylinder inner body (32) and positionable on the carrier element (31) in the circumferential direction, characterized in that, viewed in the axial direction of the cylinder (26), at least one clamping element (72;

• 73) is provided on each side at the respective magnetic element (24), at the mount (28) or magnetic element carrier (37) thereof or at a modular unit (36) comprising the magnetic element carrier (37), whose effective ends, in the mounted state, each engage under one of the stop surfaces (74;
• 77) that extend in the circumferential direction at the two end faces of the ring-like carrier element (31) and are directed into the interior of the cylinder (26) and/or counteract a radial removal of the magnetic element (24), of the mount (27) or of the magnetic element carrier (37), or of the modular unit (36) by cooperation with the respective clamping element (72;
• 73) situated in the clamping position.