Method for manufacturing a security element having a lens grid image

A method for manufacturing a security element having a lenticular image for depicting one or more target images that are visible only from predetermined viewing directions and whose motifs are formed by visually perceptible, contrasting metallic and demetalized sub-regions of a motif layer, and in the method

• a lenticular image having a lens grid composed of a plurality of microlenses and a metallic motif layer arranged spaced apart from the lens grid is provided,
• the refractive effect of the microlenses defining a focal plane and the metallic motif layer being arranged substantially in said focal plane,
• a line width is chosen for the demetalized sub-regions to be produced in the metallic motif layer,
• a marking laser source having a laser wavelength λ is selected such that the resolving power D(λ) of the microlenses of the lenticular image at the selected laser wavelength λ substantially corresponds to the line width of the demetalized sub-regions to be produced, and
• the metallic motif layer is impinged on through the microlenses with laser radiation of the selected marking laser source to produce demetalized sub-regions in the metallic motif layer.