Method of making retroreflective sheeting and articles
Assignee3M Innovative Properties Company
InventorKenneth L. Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a method of making retroreflective sheeting and other articles prepared from casting a moldable synthetic resin onto a tool having a microstructured surface.
Claims24
A method of making retroreflective sheeting comprising:
- providing a tool comprising a PG cube corner microstructured surface with at least one channel;
- advancing the tool in a direction such that the channel is substantially parallel to the direction of the advancing tool;
- casting a moldable resin onto said tool surface;
- solidifying the resin forming a retroreflective sheet having a surface comprising cube corner elements;
- and
- removing the sheet from the tool.
A method of making retroreflective sheeting comprising:
- providing a tool comprising a cube corner microstructured surface with channels selected from primary groove channels, structured channels, cube cavity channels, and combinations thereof;
- advancing the tool in a direction such that the channel is substantially parallel to the direction of the advancing tool;
- casting a moldable resin onto said tool surface;
- solidifying the resin forming a retroreflective sheet having a surface comprising cube corner elements;
- and
- removing the sheet from the tool.
Retroreflective sheeting comprising at least one longitudinal peripheral edge and at least one row of PG cube corner microstructures and at least one channel extending substantially parallel to the row;
- wherein the channel is substantially parallel to the longitudinal peripheral edges of the sheeting.
Retroreflective sheeting comprising a pair of longitudinal peripheral edges and rows of cube corner microstructures and channels extending substantially parallel to the rows;
- wherein a major portion of the channels are substantially parallel to the longitudinal peripheral edges of the sheeting and the channels are selected from primary groove channels, structured channels, cube cavity channels, and combinations thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.