Apparatus for imprinting discrete substrates with a flexible stamp

An apparatus for imprinting on a discrete substrate with a discrete flexible stamp comprising

• a) at least a first flexible rectangular stamp having a length L, a width W, a stamp area Astamp, an onset, and an end, wherein the stamp comprises
• a front surface comprising an imprint texture having an imprint area Aimprint≤Astamp, wherein the imprint texture has openings and elevations,
• a rear surface,
• an onset areal segment and an end areal segment both extending along the whole width W of the flexible stamp, wherein
• the onset areal segment extends for an onset length Lonset, and
• the end areal segment extends for an end length Lend
• along the length L of the stamp,
• b) at least a first clamp which clamps the onset areal segment of the flexible stamp and at least a second clamp which clamps the end areal segment of the flexible stamp,
• c) a first roller which is an imprint roller,
• d) at least one driven belt connected with the first clamp and with the second clamp and capable of moving the clamped flexible stamp along its length L and with its rear surface over the imprint roller for an imprinting distance Id to imprint the imprint texture of the flexible stamp onto a substrate by contacting the front surface of the flexible stamp and the substrate with a lacquer in between so that the lacquer is provided with an imprinted texture replicating an imprinted area A′ on the substrate, and wherein the belt is capable to move the stamp in a moving direction, wherein the moving direction either is an imprinting direction or a direction opposite to the imprinting direction,
• wherein
• either the imprint roller is not able to cause its own rotation, but is driven by the stamp which in turn is driven by the belt which in turn is driven by a belt driving device,
• or the imprint roller is driven at the same speed as the belt by a roller driving device which follows the belt driving device in a master slave configuration.