PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MICROREPLICATION

Title:

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MICROREPLICATION

Document Type and Number:

WIPO Patent Application WO2004039551

Kind Code:

A3

Abstract:

A method of embossing a sheet material (24) includes: heating at least a portion of the sheet (30) directly or indirectly with radiant energy from a radiant energy source (32); pressing a tool against he heated portion of the sheet (34), thereby patterning a surface of the sheet; and separating the sheet and the tool. The radiant energy may travel through a solid material (20) that is relatively transparent to radiation, on its way to being absorbed by a relatively-absorptive material (22). The relatively-transparent material (20) may be an unheated portion of the sheet, and the relatively-absorptive material (22) may be either the tool or the heated portion of the sheet (34). Alternatively, the relatively-transparent (20) material may be the tool, and the relatively-absorptive material (22) may be all or part of the sheet. The method may be performed as one or more roll-to-roll operations.

Inventors:

MEHRABI REZA
EDWARDS DAVID N
FERMIN ROBERT J
MEHRABI ALI R
WANG CHUNHWA
BHARADWAJ RISHIKASH K
SIELOFF RONALD F
CHUANG KEN
COUZIN DENNIS I
SPILIZEWSKI KAREN L
BUTTERMORE WILLIAM J
DAVIS DONALD J
FRANK CHRISTOPHER P
HYDE BARBARA B
LANG MICHAEL F
LUTZ KEITH A
SHORT AUSTIN E
WISNIEWSKI MARK

Application Number:

PCT/US2003/024251

Publication Date:

April 07, 2005

Filing Date:

August 04, 2003

Export Citation:

Click for automatic bibliography generation Help

Assignee:

AVERY DENNISON CORP (US)

International Classes:

B28C1/00; B29C35/08; B29C47/06; B29C55/00; B29C59/00; B29C59/02; B29C59/04; B29C67/00; B29C71/00; H05B6/00; B29C35/02; B29C; (IPC1-7): B29C35/08; B29C55/00; B29C67/00

Foreign References:

US5945042A

1999-08-31

Other References: