Method and apparatus for applying a stamp for micro-contact printing to a stamping roll
Assignee3M Innovative Properties Company
InventorsKarl K. Stensvad, Jonathan J. O'Hare
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus to facilitate the application of a micro-contact printing stamp to a roll. The apparatus preferentially constrains some of the stamp's six degrees of freedom, and then drives the stamp (or the assembly of the stamp and the master against which it was formed) into controlled contact with the printing roll so as to attach the stamp onto the outer surface of the roll.
Claims21
An apparatus for applying a micro-contact printing stamp to a roll, the apparatus comprising:
- an upper platen supporting the micro-contact printing stamp, a lower support, and a plurality of flexures connecting the upper platen to the lower support,
- an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis passing though a centroid of the upper platen with the X-axis and the Z-axis located within the plane of the upper platen and the Z-axis parallel to a rotation axis of the roll;
- an elevating member to translate the upper platen along the Y-axis with respect to the lower support to contact the micro-contact printing stamp with an outer diameter of the roll;
- and
- at least one linear motion member located between the lower support and a base allowing translation of the lower support along the X-axis when transferring the micro-contact printing stamp from the upper platen to the roll.
A method of applying a micro-contact printing stamp to a roll comprising:
- supporting the micro-contact printing stamp on an upper platen having an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis passing though a centroid of the upper platen with the X-axis and the Z-axis located within the plane of the upper platen and the Z-axis parallel to a rotation axis of the roll;
- allowing translation of the upper platen along the Y-axis, rotation of the upper platen about the X-axis, and translation of the lower support along the X-axis;
- providing stiffness ratios, resulting from the physical coupling chosen between the upper platen and the lower support, such that kX/kY and kZ/kY are both greater than 3 and kΦZ/kΦX and kΦY/kΦX are both greater than 3;
- elevating the upper platen along the Y-axis to touch the micro-contact printing stamp to the roll;
- and
- rotating the roll while translating the lower support along the X-axis to transfer the micro-contact printing stamp to the roll.
A method of applying a micro-contact printing stamp to a roll comprising:
- supporting the micro-contact printing stamp on an upper platen having an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis passing though a centroid of the upper platen with the X-axis and the Z-axis located within the plane of the upper platen and the Z-axis parallel to a rotation axis of the roll;
- allowing translation of the upper platen along the Y-axis, rotation of the upper platen about the X-axis, and translation of the lower support along the X-axis;
- providing motion control, resulting from the physical coupling and mechanical actuators chosen connecting the upper platen to the lower support;
- wherein the upper platen is controlled by at least one of the group consisting of translation along the X-axis using position feedback, translation along the Y-axis using force feedback, translation along the Z-axis using position feedback, rotation about the X-axis using force feedback, rotation about the Y-axis using position feedback, and rotation about the Z-axis using position feedback;
- elevating the upper platen along the Y-axis to touch the micro-contact printing stamp to the roll;
- and
- rotating the roll while translating the lower support along the X-axis to transfer the micro-contact printing stamp to the roll.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.