Process for making deflection member using three-dimensional mask

A continuous process for making a deflection member, the process comprising steps of:

• providing a coating of a liquid curable material supported by a forming surface, and continuously moving the forming surface with the coating in a machine direction, the coating having a bottom surface facing the forming surface and a top surface opposite to the bottom surface;
• providing a source of curing radiation structured and configured to emit a curing radiation to continuously cure the coating supported by the forming surface moving in the machine direction;
• continuously providing a transparent film;
• continuously printing the film to form a pattern of transparent and opaque regions therein;
• continuously embossing the film to form a pattern of a three-dimensional topography therein, thereby forming a three-dimensional mask;
• continuously moving the three-dimensional mask having the pattern of transparent and opaque regions to continuously position said mask in contact with the top surface of the coating to selectively shield the coating with the opaque regions of the mask, and to form in the coating a three-dimensional pattern approximating the three-dimensional topography of the mask;
• continuously curing the curable material through the mask, wherein the opaque regions of the mask at least partially shield selected areas of the curable material from the curing radiation such that the selected areas are cured through at least a portion of their thickness, thereby forming a partly-formed deflection member;
• and
• continuously removing substantially all uncured material from the partly-formed deflection member to leave a hardened resinous structure comprising a patterned framework having a web-side formed from the top surface of the coating, and a backside formed from the bottom surface of the coating.

A continuous process for making a deflection member, the process comprising steps of:

• providing a coating of a liquid curable material supported by a forming surface, and continuously moving the forming surface with the coating in a machine direction, the coating having a bottom surface facing the forming surface and a top surface opposite to the bottom surface;
• providing a source of curing radiation structured and configured to emit a curing radiation to cure the coating of the liquid curable material supported by the forming surface;
• providing a transparent film;
• embossing the film to form a pattern of three-dimensional topography therein;
• printing the film to form a pattern of opaque regions comprising opaque regions having a first opacity and opaque regions having a second opacity, wherein the film retains transparent regions, and wherein the first opacity is greater than the second opacity;
• juxtaposing the mask having the pattern of three-dimensional topography and the patterns of opaque regions with the coating and moving the mask in the machine direction together with the coating such as to form in the coating a three-dimensional pattern substantially corresponding to the three-dimensional topography of the mask;
• curing the coating of the curable material, wherein the opaque regions having the first opacity shield first areas of the coating from the curing radiation to cause the first areas remain uncured through their entire thickness, the opaque regions having the second opacity partially shield second areas of the coating to allow the curing radiation to cure the second areas through a portion of their thickness, and the transparent regions leave third areas of the coating unshielded to allow the curing radiation to cure the third areas through their entire thickness, thereby forming a partly-formed deflection member;
• and
• removing substantially all uncured material from the partly-formed deflection member to leave a hardened resinous structure comprising a patterned framework having a web-side formed from the top surface of the coating, and a backside formed from the bottom surface of the coating.

A process for making a deflection member, the process comprising steps of:

• providing a coating of a liquid curable material supported by a forming surface, the coating having a bottom surface facing the forming surface, and a top surface opposite to the bottom surface;
• providing a source of curing radiation structured and configured to emit a curing radiation to cure the coating of the liquid curable material supported by the forming surface;
• providing a three-dimensional embossing element and juxtaposing the embossing element with the top surface of the coating such that the embossing element is at least partially submerged into the coating, thereby forming a corresponding three-dimensional pattern in the coating;
• providing a film and juxtaposing the film with the embossing element, wherein the embossing element and the film in combination comprise a combined pattern of transparent regions and opaque regions, wherein the opaque regions shield areas of the coating from the curing radiation, while the transparent regions cause other areas of the coating to be unshielded;
• curing the unshielded areas of the coating by exposing the coating to the curing radiation through the embossing element and the film, while leaving the shielded areas of the coating uncured, thereby forming a partly-formed deflection member;
• and
• removing substantially all uncured material from the partly-formed deflection member to leave a hardened resinous structure comprising a patterned framework having a web-side formed from the top surface of the coating, and a backside formed from the bottom surface of the coating.