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US 6,249,297 B1Granted
Process for continuously printing a plastic film, device for carrying out the process and printed plastic film obtained by the process
AssigneeSociete d'Enduction et de Flockage
InventorJean-Pierre Lion
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Process for continuously printing a plastic film includes the steps of applying to the back of the plastic film a temporary anti-sticking support, heating the assembly of the plastic film and the temporary support to a temperature such that the plastic film reaches its softening point to stick temporarily to the temporary sport, transferring by sublimation a design constituted by a sublimable ink pre-printed on a printing paper, by contact under predetermined temperature and pressure with the front of the plastic film therm-stuck to the temporary support, and cooling the assembly of the thus-printed plastic film and of the temporary support to a temperature permitting unsticking the temporary support.
Claims13
Process for the continuous printing of a plastic film (4), flocked or not, comprising the steps of:
- applying on a back side of a continuously moving strip of plastic film (4) a strip of temporary anti-adhering support (3), made of a material that has little sensitivity to heat,
- while the plastic film strip is continuously moving with the temporary support strip applied to the back side of the plastic film strip, heating the assembly of the continuously moving plastic film strip and the temporary support strip to a temperature such that the plastic film reaches its softening point to stick temporarily the plastic film strip to the temporary support strip, such that said temporary support strip ensures the dimensional stability of the plastic film strip during a succeeding thermal printing step,
- while the plastic film strip thermo-stuck to the temporary support strip is continuously moving, applying a strip of paper (14) pre-printed with a design (30, 40) constituted by a sublimable ink to a front side of the continuously moving plastic film strip, and thermoprinting said plastic film strip thermo-stuck to the temporary support strip by transferring by sublimation said design (30, 40) under predetermined temperature and pressure from the pre-printed paper strip to the front side of the continuously moving plastic film strip (4) thermo-stuck to the temporary support (3), so as to provide a continuously moving thermo-printed plastic film strip thermo-stuck to the temporary support strip,
- separating the pre-printed paper strip from the continuously moving thermo-printed plastic film strip thermo-stuck to the temporary support strip,
- cooling the assembly of the continuously moving thermo-printed plastic film strip and the temporary support strip (3) to a temperature permitting unsticking of the temporary support strip from the continuously moving thermo-printed plastic film strip to provide a thermo-printed plastic film strip (104).
2 more elements
Device for continuous printing of a plastic film, comprising:
- an unwinding station (1), comprising a reel (17) for a strip of plastic film (4), flocked or not, and a reel (2) for a strip of temporary support (3),
- a heating station (5) comprising a rotatable driven heating drum (7), at an entry of which the temporary support strip (3) is applied against a back side of the strip of plastic film (4) so as to superpose said temporary support strip and plastic film strip, the assembly constituted by said superposed strips passing about the heating drum with the temporary support strip being in contact with said heating drum, so as to deliver at an outlet of said heating station a composite strip (18) constituted of the plastic film strip thermo-stuck to the temporary support strip,
- a thermoprinting machine (8), comprising a conveyor belt (10) under tension which comes into contact with the temporary support strip (3) of said composite strip (18), a heating calender (11) driven in rotation, and at least one reel (13) for a strip of paper (14) pre-printed with a design (30, 40) constituted by a sublimable ink, said strip of pre-printed paper being applied to a front side of the plastic film strip (4) of said composite strip (18), upstream of the heating calender, the conveyor belt pressing with a predetermined pressure said composite strip covered with said pre-printed paper strip against the heating calender, to transfer by sublimation the sublimable ink onto the front side of the plastic film strip to obtain a composite printed strip (19) made of a printed plastic film strip stuck to the temporary support strip, the pre-printed paper strip being separated from the composite printed strip (19) downstream of the heating calender,
- a cooling station (20) to cool the composite printed strip (19) to a temperature such that the temporary support strip (3) can be unstuck from the printed plastic film strip (104),
- a winding up station (23) comprising rotably driven take-up reels (24, 25), at an inlet of which the temporary support strip (3) is unstuck from the printed plastic film strip (104), each of said temporary support strip and printed plastic film strip being wound up on a respective one of said take-up reels (24, 25).
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.