Microstructure groove color filling equipment and process thereof
By integrating the segmented ink filling, doctor blade assembly, and residual ink cleaning assembly of the microstructure groove filling equipment, the problems of uneven filling and overflow in microstructures are solved, achieving efficient and uniform microstructure filling and cleaning, thus improving production efficiency and product quality.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202610142111.9
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-02-02
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-17
AI Technical Summary
Existing microstructure coloring processes suffer from uneven coloring, ink overflow, excessive surface residue, and poor process continuity. In particular, it is difficult to achieve uniform filling and cleaning in the manufacture of high-precision complex microstructures.
The microstructured groove coloring equipment includes a segmented ink filling device, a doctor blade assembly, a curing device, and an excess ink cleaning assembly. Through selective ink filling, scraping off excess ink, and curing, combined with the synchronous delivery of the substrate and the reverse friction of the cleaning material, local coloring and surface cleaning are achieved.
It achieves uniform ink filling and clear boundaries within the microstructure, reduces ink overflow and residue, improves ink utilization and production efficiency, reduces product defect rate, and ensures high-brightness, high-contrast visual effects and product quality.
Smart Images
Figure CN121669486A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of microstructure processing equipment, and particularly to microstructure trench coloring equipment and its process. Background Technology
[0002] Microstructure graphics are widely used in the manufacturing of optical components, decorative materials, anti-counterfeiting labels, and other fields. Their production requires the precise and uniform filling of ink into the micron-level groove structure, while strictly controlling the absence of excess ink residue and contamination on the substrate surface. This ensures the optical performance, appearance quality, and reliability of the final product. Therefore, the coloring process of microstructure graphics has extremely high requirements for coloring accuracy, surface cleanliness, and process stability.
[0003] While traditional microstructure coloring processes in the industry can achieve basic coloring, they suffer from uneven ink penetration and ink overflow when dealing with high-precision, complex microstructures. Furthermore, they cannot be used for targeted filling, resulting in low ink utilization and waste in large-area coloring. In addition, a large amount of ink remains on the surface of the groove wall and in non-microstructure areas, which is difficult to remove and affects the surface smoothness of the product. In continuous roll-to-roll production, it can also contaminate the substrate across surfaces, leading to defects or performance degradation in the finished product. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a microstructure groove filling device and process to solve the problems of uneven filling, ink overflow, excessive surface residue, and poor process continuity in the existing microstructure manufacturing technology.
[0005] The technical solution of this invention is: a microstructure groove filling device, comprising the following components arranged sequentially along the substrate feeding direction: A segmented ink-filling device is used to fill microstructured grooves on the surface of a substrate with microstructured segments and non-microstructured segments spaced apart. The segmented ink-filling device selectively contacts the surface of the microstructured segments and transfers ink of a target width to the microstructured segments. A scraper assembly for scraping off excess ink from the surface of the substrate; The ink within the microstructured trenches is cured and shaped by the curing device to form a microstructured layer. The residual ink cleaning component cleans the microstructured groove walls on the surface of the substrate using cleaning materials. It includes a cleaning material conveying component and a substrate conveying component, wherein the feeding directions of the cleaning material conveying component and the substrate conveying component are opposite.
[0006] Preferably, the segmented ink filling device is provided with an ink supply station and an ink filling station, and the segmented ink filling device includes an ink transfer component that reciprocates between the ink supply station and the ink filling station.
[0007] Preferably, the segmented ink filling device includes an ink supply component and a driving component that drives the ink transfer component to move back and forth. The position where the driving component drives the ink transfer component to contact the microstructure segment is the ink filling station. When the microstructure segment is transported to the ink filling station, the ink transfer component is in the ink filling station.
[0008] Preferably, the position where the driving component drives the ink transfer component to contact the ink supply component is the ink supply station. When the non-microstructure segment is transported to the ink filling station, the ink transfer component is in the ink supply station and there is no contact between the ink transfer component and the non-microstructure segment.
[0009] Preferably, the driving component and the ink transfer component are connected by a connector, the driving component and the ink transfer component are located at opposite ends of the connector, and a rotation fixed point is provided in the middle of the connector.
[0010] Preferably, the scraper assembly includes a plurality of scraper structures and a support member that are attached to the surface of the substrate at a preset angle, and the curing device cures the substrate on which the rear end of the scraper structure is located on the support member.
[0011] Preferably, the substrate also includes a substrate unwinding device, a substrate winding device, a controller, and a dust removal device. The controller controls the substrate unwound by the substrate unwinding device to be conveyed along a preset direction and kept under constant tension. The dust removal device removes dust from the side end face of the substrate with microstructure. The substrate winding device winds up the substrate after it has been cleaned by the residual ink cleaning component.
[0012] This invention also discloses a microstructured groove filling process, applied to the microstructured groove filling equipment described in any of the above claims, comprising the following steps: Conveying and positioning the substrate; The ink transfer component reciprocates between the ink supply station and the ink filling station to locally fill the micro-structure segments on the substrate with ink. Scrape off excess ink from the substrate surface; The ink within the microstructure grooves is cured to form a microstructure layer; Clean the surface of the cured substrate.
[0013] Preferably, the reciprocating motion frequency of the ink transfer component is synchronously controlled with the substrate conveying speed, and the ink transfer component makes complete ink filling with any microstructure segment without overlap.
[0014] Preferably, the residual ink cleaning component removes residual ink from the substrate surface by friction under lubrication assistance and constant tension.
[0015] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are: (1) The microstructure graphics produced by the microstructure groove filling equipment have colors strictly limited to the preset microstructure and are filled evenly. The boundaries are clear and sharp, with no overflow or smudging. The non-microstructure sections have high light transmittance, and the microstructure sections have saturated colors and bright overall optical effects, thus achieving a high brightness and high contrast visual effect.
[0016] (2) The fully automated continuous production from substrate processing to finished product winding is realized through integrated and modular structural settings. The ink transfer component can quickly switch between ink supply station and ink filling station through reciprocating motion, so as to selectively fill the micro-structure segment of the target, improve the filling efficiency and ink utilization rate, reduce ink waste and pollution, and reduce the product defect rate caused by surface defects through the reverse movement of cleaning materials and substrate and lubrication assistance. Attached Figure Description
[0017] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the microstructure trench filling device described in this invention; Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the microstructured trench filling device described in this invention; Figure 3 for Figure 2 Enlarged view of point A in the middle; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding circuit for the substrate described in this invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding circuit for the cleaning material described in this invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the microstructure segments and non-microstructure segments of the substrate.
[0018] The components include: 1. Segmented ink filling device; 11. Ink supply station; 12. Ink filling station; 13. Ink transfer component; 14. Ink supply component; 15. Drive component; 16. Connector; 17. Rotation station; 2. Doctor blade assembly; 21. Doctor blade structure; 22. Support component; 3. Curing device; 4. Residual ink cleaning component; 41. Cleaning material conveying component; 42. Substrate conveying component; 5. Substrate unwinding device; 6. Controller; 7. Dust removal device; 8. Substrate winding device; 9. Substrate; 91. Microstructure segment; 901. Microstructure groove; 902. Microstructure groove wall; 92. Non-microstructure segment; 10. Cleaning material; 101. Cleaning unwinding device; 102. Cleaning winding device. Detailed Implementation
[0019] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments: like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4As shown, the microstructure groove filling equipment includes, in sequence along the feeding direction of the substrate 9: substrate unwinding device 5, controller 6, dust removal device 7, segmented ink filling device 1, doctor blade assembly 2, curing device 3, residual ink cleaning assembly 4, and substrate rewinding device 8. The controller 6 controls the substrate unwinding device 5 to unwind the substrate 9 along a preset direction at a preset conveying speed while maintaining constant tension. The controller 6 synchronously controls the reciprocating motion frequency of the ink transfer component 13 and the conveying speed of the substrate 9. The faster the substrate 9 is conveyed, the thinner the microstructure layer. The controller 6 adjusts the tension value according to the preset tension value and the substrate... The thickness of the substrate 9 is dynamically adjusted to adjust the unwinding or rewinding speed to prevent ink misalignment and microstructure deformation caused by stretching, shrinking, or shaking of the substrate 9, thereby improving process stability and product consistency. The dust removal device 7 removes dust from the microstructure side of the substrate 9. The substrate rewinding device 8 rewinds the substrate 9 after it has been cleaned by the residual ink cleaning component 4. This microstructure groove filling equipment adopts a modular streamlined layout to achieve microstructure filling with a printing accuracy of 2-20μm. Each module is rigidly connected by the frame to ensure the overall stability of the equipment during operation.
[0020] like Figures 1-3 and Figure 6As shown, the segmented ink-filling device 1 is used to fill the microstructured grooves 901 on the surface of the substrate 9 with ink. The surface of the substrate 9 is provided with microstructured segments 91 and non-microstructured segments 92 spaced apart. The segmented ink-filling device 1 selectively contacts the surface of the microstructured segments 91 and transfers ink of a target width onto the microstructured segments 91. The segmented ink-filling device 1 is provided with an ink supply station 11 and an ink-filling station 12. The segmented ink-filling device 1 includes an ink transfer component 13 that reciprocates between the ink supply station 11 and the ink-filling station 12. The segmented ink-filling device 1 includes an ink supply component 14 and a driving component 15 that drives the ink transfer component 13 to reciprocate. The position where the driving component 15 drives the ink transfer component 13 to contact the microstructured segment 91 is the ink-filling station 12. When the structural segment 91 is conveyed to the ink filling station 12, the ink transfer component 13 is in the ink filling station 12. The position where the driving component 15 drives the ink transfer component 13 to contact the ink supply component 14 is the ink supply station 11. When the non-microstructure segment 92 is conveyed to the ink filling station 12, the ink transfer component 13 is in the ink supply station 11. The ink transfer component 13 has no contact with the non-microstructure segment 92. The driving component 15 and the ink transfer component 13 are connected by a connecting component 16. The driving component 15 and the ink transfer component 13 are located at opposite ends of the connecting component 16. A rotation fixed point 17 is provided in the middle of the connecting component 16, forming a lever structure. The connecting component 16 swings around the rotation fixed point 17 as the fulcrum. When the microstructure segment 91 is conveyed to the ink filling station 12, the control... The controller 6 sends a command to the drive unit 15, which drives the connector 16 to swing around the rotation point 17, thereby driving the ink transfer component 13 at the other end of the connector 16 to rise. The ink transfer component 13 contacts the surface of the microstructure segment 91 with a preset pressure. At the same time, the ink transfer component 13 rotates under the drive of the motor, transferring the uniform ink obtained from the ink supply station 11 to the microstructure segment 91 in a rolling contact manner, in a full-width, one-time process. The ink quickly fills the microstructure grooves 901 under the contact pressure. When the non-microstructure segment 92 reaches the ink filling station 12, the controller 6 sends a command to the drive unit 15 to quickly return, pulling the connector 16 to swing in the opposite direction, thereby transferring the ink. Component 13 moves rapidly downward, detaching from the surface of substrate 9, avoiding non-microstructure segments 92 that do not require ink filling. The ink transfer roller moves downward to the ink supply station 11, contacting the surface of the uniformly rotating ink supply component 14 and maintaining a preset pressure. Through rolling contact, the ink on the surface of the ink supply component 14 is evenly transferred to the surface of the ink transfer component 13, replenishing ink for the next ink filling action. The controller 6 synchronously controls the reciprocating motion frequency of the upward ink filling and downward ink supply and the conveying speed of substrate 9, ensuring that any microstructure segment 91 can be completely filled with ink, and that there is no overlap or omission between the filled areas. The ink is applied to the target microstructure segment 91 with high utilization, eliminating ink waste and contamination of non-microstructure segments 92, thereby reducing the cost of ink use.
[0021] like Figure 2 and Figure 4As shown, the scraper assembly 2 is used to scrape off excess ink from the surface of the substrate 9. The scraper assembly 2 includes several scraper structures 21 and a support member 22 that are attached to the surface of the substrate 9 at a preset angle. The curing device 3 cures the substrate 9 whose rear end of the scraper structure 21 is located on the support member 22. When the ink in the microstructure groove 901 is in a liquid state and has not yet been cured, the excess ink on the surface of the microstructure groove wall 902 is removed. The microstructure pattern of the final product is only presented by the ink in the microstructure groove 901, while the planar part of the microstructure section 91 and the non-microstructure section 92 maintain high transparency, which is conducive to achieving high contrast and high brightness of optical diffraction. The substrate 9, after the excess ink on the surface has been scraped off, reacts rapidly in a short time through the curing device 3, changing from a liquid state to a solid state. The ink in the microstructure groove 901 is cured and shaped by the curing device 3 to form a microstructure pattern with excellent adhesion, hardness, scratch resistance and weather resistance, ensuring the long-term stability of the optical performance of the microstructure layer.
[0022] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the residual ink cleaning component 4 cleans the microstructure groove wall 902 on the surface of the substrate 9 using the cleaning material 10. It includes a cleaning material conveying component 41 and a substrate conveying component 42. The feeding directions of the cleaning material conveying component 41 and the substrate conveying component 42 are opposite. The cleaning material 10 and the substrate 9 form a relatively high-speed reverse friction in the contact area. The cleaning material 10 continuously contacts the substrate 9 with a contact surface that has a higher cleanliness than the surface of the substrate 9, avoiding secondary contamination of the substrate 9 after the cleaning material 10 is contaminated, ensuring that the product reaches the required cleanliness, thereby reducing the product defect rate caused by surface defects. Since a long cleaning stroke is required, in order to avoid the substrate 9 and the cleaning material 10 being affected by tension changes, multiple tension clamping points are set for the substrate 9 and the cleaning material 10 respectively during the cleaning stroke to ensure that the substrate 9 and the cleaning material 10 are flatly attached to the roller.
[0023] like Figures 1-6 As shown, the 901 micro-structure trench filling process, applied to the aforementioned micro-structure trench filling equipment, includes the following steps: Convey and position substrate 9; The ink transfer component 13 reciprocates between the ink supply station 11 and the ink filling station 12 to partially fill the microstructure segment 91 on the substrate 9 with ink. The reciprocating motion frequency of the ink transfer component 13 is synchronously controlled with the conveying speed of the substrate 9. The ink transfer component 13 contacts any microstructure segment 91 and fills the ink completely without overlap. Scrape off excess ink from the surface of substrate 9; The ink that cures microstructure segment 91 forms a microstructure layer; The surface of the cured substrate 9 is cleaned by the residual ink cleaning component 4, which removes the residual ink from the surface of the substrate 9 under lubrication and constant tension.
[0024] Example:
[0025] like Figures 1-6 As shown, the substrate 9 is a thin film material with microstructured patterns spaced on its surface. Multiple sets of guide rollers with parallel axes are installed during the conveying process of the substrate 9 to reduce the risk of deviation or wrinkling during conveying. The dust removal device 7 is a rubber roller, the curing device 3 is a UV lamp, the ink transfer component 13 is an ink transfer roller, and the ink supply component 14 is an ink supply roller. The ink supply component 14 is a motor-driven active roller, with a material tray below it. The ink supply component 14 partially immerses itself in the ink in the material tray. The ink supply component 14 rotates, adhering the ink in the material tray to its surface. Excess ink on the surface of the ink supply roller is then removed by a pre-scraper that controls the ink layer thickness on the ink supply roller surface, thereby controlling the amount of ink transferred when the ink supply roller contacts the ink transfer roller. The rolling contact type provides uniform ink filling pressure, which is beneficial for the ink to fill the microstructured grooves 901 with a large depth-to-width ratio, reducing filling defects such as air bubbles or missing ink. The drive component 15 is a cylinder, and the connecting component 16... The arm is a swing arm, and the rotation fixed point 17 in the middle of the connecting part 16 is a rotating shaft fixed on the frame. The cylinder action time is controllable and the response speed is fast, which is convenient for continuous conveying of the substrate 9 and meets the needs of high-speed production. The roller used to convey the substrate 9 above the ink filling station 12 is a passive roller. The support 22 is a round roller and a motor-driven active roller. All active rollers have synchronized linear speed. The cleaning material 10 is a lint-free cloth and the lubricant is alcohol. The cleaning material conveying assembly 41 includes a cleaning unwinding device 101, a cleaning pressure member and a cleaning winding device 102. The cleaning material 10 is pressed onto the surface of the substrate 9 by the cleaning pressure member. After the lubricant lubricates and softens the excess ink, the cleaning material 10 and the substrate 9 remove the excess ink through hard friction. The substrate winding device 8 is driven by a servo motor. A tension clamp is set at the front end of the substrate winding device 8 to avoid tension changes caused by changes in the material weight of the substrate 9.
[0026] like Figures 1-6 As shown, the microstructure trench filling process includes the following steps: S1. Pre-treatment of substrate 9: The substrate 9 to be filled is continuously unwound and led out by the unwinding device. The controller 6 adjusts the unwinding speed according to the tension signal fed back by the unwinding device so that the substrate 9 is kept under constant tension and enters the production line for conveying. After the substrate 9 is corrected in position by the positioning component, it passes through the dust removal device 7 to remove dust from the surface of the substrate 9, ensuring the cleanliness of the microstructure segment 91. Then the substrate 9 is conveyed at a uniform speed along the preset direction to the segmented ink filling device 1. S2, Segmented Ink Filling: The substrate 9 with the pre-set microstructure pattern on the surface forms a microstructure segment 91. The cylinder starts the swing arm to drive the ink transfer roller to move back and forth according to the division of the microstructure segment 91 and the non-microstructure segment 92. When the non-microstructure segment 92 is conveyed to the ink filling station 12, the ink transfer roller moves down away from the non-microstructure segment 92 and presses down on the surface of the ink supply roller. The ink transfer component 13 rotates to transfer the ink on the surface of the ink supply component 14 to the surface of the ink transfer component 13. When the microstructure segment 91 is conveyed to the ink filling station 12, the ink transfer component 13 presses against the microstructure segment 91 of the substrate 9 to fill the ink, so that the ink is filled into the microstructure groove 901. S3. Excess ink removal: The scraper assembly 2 is attached to the surface of the substrate 9 at a preset angle to scrape away excess ink other than the microstructure grooves 901 of the microstructure segment 91 and the excess ink remaining in the non-microstructure segment 92, leaving only the ink in the microstructure grooves 901. S4. Ink curing: The ink-filled substrate 9 is transported to the curing device 3 to cure and shape the ink in the microstructure grooves 901, forming a firm and stable microstructure layer. S5. Surface cleaning: The cured substrate 9 is conveyed to the residual ink cleaning component 4. The cleaning material 10 is conveyed in the opposite direction to the substrate 9. With the lubrication assistance of the lubricant and the action of constant tension, the residual ink on the surface of the substrate 9 is effectively removed by gentle friction without damaging the cured microstructure layer. After the surface treatment is completed, the substrate 9 is wound into the substrate winding device 8, thus completing the entire continuous production process.
[0027] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the technical concept and features of the present invention, intended to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of the present invention and implement it accordingly, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered exemplary and non-limiting in all respects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and thus all changes falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within the present invention.
Claims
1. A microstructure trench coloring apparatus, characterized by, comprise, in sequence along a feeding direction of the substrate (9): a sectional ink filling device (1) for filling ink into microstructure grooves (901) on a surface of the substrate (9), the surface of the substrate (9) being provided with microstructure sections (91) and non-microstructure sections (92) at intervals, the sectional ink filling device (1) being in selective contact with the surface of the microstructure sections (91) and transferring ink of a target width onto the microstructure sections (91); a scraper assembly (2) for scraping off excess ink on the surface of the substrate (9); a curing device (3) for curing and setting the ink in the microstructure grooves (901) to form a microstructure layer; a residual ink cleaning assembly (4) for cleaning microstructure groove walls (902) on the surface of the substrate (9) by a cleaning material (10), comprising a cleaning material conveying assembly (41) and a substrate conveying assembly (42), the feeding directions of the cleaning material conveying assembly (41) and the substrate conveying assembly (42) being opposite.
2. The microstructure groove color-filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The sectional ink filling device (1) is provided with an ink supply station (11) and an ink filling station (12), and comprises an ink transferring component (13) reciprocating between the ink supply station (11) and the ink filling station (12).
3. The microstructure groove color-filling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: The sectional ink filling device (1) comprises an ink supply component (14) and a driving member (15) for driving the ink transferring component (13) to move back and forth, the position where the driving member (15) drives the ink transferring component (13) to contact the microstructure sections (91) is the ink filling station (12), and when the microstructure sections (91) are conveyed to the ink filling station (12), the ink transferring component (13) is located at the ink filling station (12).
4. The microstructure groove color-filling apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: The position where the driving member (15) drives the ink transferring component (13) to contact the ink supply component (14) is the ink supply station (11), and when the non-microstructure sections (92) are conveyed to the ink filling station (12), the ink transferring component (13) is located at the ink supply station (11), and the ink transferring component (13) is not in contact with the non-microstructure sections (92).
5. The microstructure groove color-filling apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: The driving member (15) and the ink transferring component (13) are drivingly connected through a connecting member (16), the driving member (15) and the ink transferring component (13) are located at two ends of the connecting member (16) respectively, and a rotation fixing point (17) is arranged at the middle part of the connecting member (16).
6. The microstructure groove color-filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The scraper assembly (2) comprises a plurality of scraper structures (21) and a support member (22) which are attached to the surface of the substrate (9) at a preset angle, and the curing device (3) cures the substrate (9) whose rear end of the scraper structure (21) is located on the support member (22).
7. The microstructure groove color-filling apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: Further comprising a substrate unwinding device (5), a substrate winding device (8), a controller (6) and a dust removal device (7), the controller (6) controls the substrate (9) unwound by the substrate unwinding device (5) to be conveyed along a preset direction and to maintain a constant tension, the dust removal device (7) performs adhesion dust removal on the side end face of the substrate (9) having microstructures, and the substrate winding device (8) winds the substrate (9) cleaned by the residual ink cleaning assembly (4).
8. The microstructure groove color filling process applied to the microstructure groove color filling apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by, The method comprises the following steps: conveying and positioning the substrate (9); The ink transferring component (13) reciprocates between the ink supply station (11) and the ink filling station (12) to locally fill ink into the microstructure section (91) on the substrate (9); Scrape off the excess ink on the surface of the substrate (9); Solidify the ink in the microstructure groove (901) to form a microstructure layer; Clean the surface of the solidified substrate (9).
9. The microstructure trench color-filling process according to claim 8, wherein: The frequency of the reciprocating movement of the ink transferring component (13) is synchronized with the conveying speed of the substrate (9), and the ink transferring component (13) contacts any microstructure section (91) completely and without overlapping.
10. The microstructure trench color-filling process of claim 8, wherein: The residual ink cleaning assembly (4) rubs off the residual ink on the surface of the substrate (9) under the action of lubrication assistance and constant tension.