Film ink support media and sublimation decoration process
AssigneeE. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
InventorChristophe Chervin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sublimation ink carrier media is provided comprising a support sheet with a polymer film where a sublimation ink is printed in a pattern on the planar surface of the film. The polymer film is peelable from the planar surface of the support sheet, the polymer film is substantially non-extensible when the film is attached to the support sheet, the polymer film is extensible after being peeled from said carrier support sheet, and the polymer film has a melting temperature of at least 190° C. A process for the decoration of a shaped article by ink sublimation using the sublimation ink carrier media of the invention is also provided.
Claims20
A sublimation ink carrier media comprising:
- a support sheet having a planar surface, said sheet and planar surface having a machine direction and a substantially perpendicular cross direction, said support sheet being substantially non-extensible in said machine direction;
- a polymer film having opposite first and second planar surfaces, said film and said film first and second planar surfaces having a machine direction and a substantially perpendicular cross direction, the first planar surface of said film being attached to the planar surface of the support sheet such that the machine directions of said support sheet and said polymer film are substantially aligned;
- a sublimation ink printed in a pattern on the second planar surface of said film;
- wherein when said polymer film is peelable from the planar surface of the support sheet, said polymer film is substantially non-extensible in the machine direction when the film is attached to the support sheet, said polymer film is extensible in the machine and cross directions after being peeled from said carrier support sheet, and said polymer film has a melting temperature of at least 190° C.
A process for the decoration of a shaped article by ink sublimation comprising the steps of:
- selecting a polymer film and support sheet laminate, said support sheet having a planar surface, said sheet and planar surface having a machine direction and a substantially perpendicular cross direction, said support sheet being substantially non-extensible in said machine direction, and said polymer film having opposite first and second planar surfaces, said film and film first and second planar surfaces having a machine direction and a substantially perpendicular cross direction, the first planar surface of said film being attached to the planar surface of the support sheet such that the machine directions of said support sheet and said polymer film are substantially aligned;
- feeding said polymer film and support sheet laminate through a printing apparatus in the machine direction of the polymer film and support sheet;
- printing the second planar surface of the polymer film with one or more sublimation inks in the printing apparatus;
- peeling the polymer film from the support sheet;
- pressing the printed surface of the polymer film against the surface of the shaped article to be decorated such that the carrier film is extended and conforms to the surface being decorated;
- heating the ink printed on the polymer film to a temperature sufficient to sublime the ink to a vapor and decorate the shaped object;
- removing the polymer film from the shaped object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.