Techniques for transferring holograms into metal surfaces
AssigneeAluminum Company of America
InventorsMark W. Schaefer, Thomas L. Levendusky, Simon Sheu, Robert B. Larsen, Neville C. Whittle
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for impressing holographic images or holograms in the surface of metal objects such as aluminum cans. The surfaces of metal shims and print rolls bearing holograms are hardened as by coating them with thin amorphous diamond coatings or diamond like coatings so the holograms can be embossed into many thousands of metal cans with clarity and consistency.
Claims48
A method for imposing a holographic image on exterior surfaces of many hollow metal cylinders, comprising:
- forming a positive holographic image into a surface of a shim;
- impressing said positive holographic image into the outer surface of a print cylinder so as to form a negative holographic image on the exterior surface of said print cylinder;
- and
- embossing said negative image from said print cylinder seriatim into the exterior surfaces of said hollow metal cylinders so as to form a positive holographic image on each cylinder.
A method for imposing a holographic image on an exterior surface of a hollow metal cylinder, comprising:
- forming a positive holographic image into a surface of a shim;
- impressing said positive holographic image into the outer surface of a print cylinder so as to form a negative holographic image on the exterior surface of said print cylinder;
- hardening said exterior surface of said print cylinder after said negative holographic image has been formed thereon;
- and
- embossing said negative image from said print cylinder into said exterior surface of said hollow metal cylinder so as to form a positive holographic image thereon.
A method for imposing a holographic image on an exterior surface of a hollow metal cylinder, comprising:
- forming a positive holographic image into a surface of a shim;
- hardening the surface of said shim before said holographic image is impressed into the outer surface of said print cylinder;
- impressing said positive holographic image into the outer surface of a print cylinder so as to form a negative holographic image on the exterior surface of said print cylinder;
- and
- embossing said negative image from said print cylinder into said exterior surface of said hollow metal cylinder so as to form a positive holographic image thereon.
A method for imposing a holographic image on an exterior surface of a hollow metal cylinder, comprising:
- forming a positive holographic image into a surface of a shim;
- impressing said positive holographic image into the outer surface of a print cylinder so as to form a negative holographic image on the exterior surface of said print cylinder;
- embossing said negative image from said print cylinder into said exterior surface of said hollow metal cylinder so as to form a positive holographic image thereon;
- and
- wherein the surface of said shim is at least 2.5 times harder than said outer surface of said print cylinder and wherein said outer surface of said print cylinder is at least 2.5 times harder than said exterior surface of said hollow metal cylinder.
A method of decorating a metal can body comprising the steps of:
- providing a hard metal can having a substantially mirror-like outer surface;
- providing a hard metal shim having a holographic or diffraction image thereon;
- transferring said image from said shim to a metal roll having a surface hardness less than about 40% of the surface hardness of said shim;
- hardening the surface of said roll after said image has been transferred to the roll;
- and
- transferring said image from said roll to said substantially mirror-like outer surface of the metal can body.
A method for decorating a hard temper aluminum alloy can body with a holographic image comprising:
- providing at least one metal shim having a holographic image on it and having a surface hardness of at least about 550 kg/mm.sup.2,
- mounting said shim on a cylindrical roller around at least a portion of the perimeter of the roller,
- providing a cup-shaped can body made of aluminum alloy having a hardness in a range of about 110-125 kg/mm.sup.2 and a substantially mirror-like exterior surface,
- positioning said can body on a rigidly supported mandrel, and
- pressing said shim on said roller against the outer surface of said can body and rolling said roller with respect to longitudinal axis of said can body to transfer the image on said shim to the outer surface of said can body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.