System and method for precise inking of micro-optical recesses

Abstract

A method for inking a three-dimensional micro-optical structure, comprising: jetting a first volume of a first radiation-curable ink (207) having a first pigment concentration to a first portion of a three-dimensional icon layer (201), wherein the first portion of the three-dimensional icon layer has a first volume fill requirement; jetting a second volume of the first radiation-curable ink (209) to a second portion of the three-dimensional icon layer, wherein the second portion of the three-dimensional icon layer has a second volume fill requirement; wiping excess radiation-curable ink from the three-dimensional icon layer; and radiation-curing the remaining radiation-curable ink.

Claims

1. A method for applying ink to a three-dimensional micro-optical structure, the method comprising: A first radiation-curable ink with a first volume having a first pigment concentration is sprayed onto a first portion of a three-dimensional icon layer (201), wherein the first portion of the three-dimensional icon layer has a first volume fill requirement, wherein the first volume fill requirement represents the amount of radiation-curable ink required to fill the relief structure of the first portion of the three-dimensional icon layer with radiation-curable ink of a given pigment concentration. The second volume of the first radiation-curable ink is sprayed onto the second portion of the three-dimensional icon layer, wherein the second portion of the three-dimensional icon layer has a second volume fill requirement, wherein the second volume fill requirement represents the amount of radiation-curable ink required to fill the relief structure of the second portion of the three-dimensional icon layer with radiation-curable ink of a given pigment concentration, and wherein the second volume fill requirement is different from the first volume fill requirement. Remove excess radiation-curable ink from the three-dimensional icon layer; as well as The remaining radiation-curable ink is then radiation-cured.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the concentration of the first pigment is between 20% by weight and 70% by weight.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: After scraping away the excess radiation-curable ink from the three-dimensional icon layer, image data of the radiation-curable ink applied to the first part is obtained; as well as The first volume of the radiation-curable ink is dynamically adjusted based on the image data.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: In response to one or more of the following: the image data indicates a specific patterning of the first radiation-curable ink, the amount of radiation-curable ink outside the first portion does not reach a first threshold area at a specified image density, or the amount of the first radiation-curable ink does not reach an ink density associated with a specific color, the first volume is increased.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising: The temperature of the unsprayed, radiation-curable first ink is adjusted based on the image data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: After spraying the first volume of the first radiation-curable ink, a third volume of the second radiation-curable ink is sprayed onto at least a portion of the first portion. The second radiation-curable ink contrasts with the first radiation-curable ink in at least a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the third volume of the second radiation-curable ink gradually varies within the at least portion of the first portion to produce a halo effect.

8. An apparatus for applying ink to three-dimensional micro-optical structures, the apparatus comprising: Jet distributor (305); and Controller (401), communicatively connected to the jet distributor, wherein the controller is configured to: The jet dispenser is controlled to dispense a first volume of a first radiation-curable ink with a first pigment concentration to a first portion of a three-dimensional icon layer (201), wherein the first portion of the three-dimensional icon layer has a first volume fill requirement, wherein the first volume fill requirement represents the amount of radiation-curable ink required to fill the relief structure of the first portion of the three-dimensional icon layer with a given pigment concentration, and The jet dispenser is controlled to dispense a second volume of the first radiation-curable ink to a second portion of the three-dimensional icon layer, wherein the second portion of the three-dimensional icon layer has a second volume fill requirement, wherein the second volume fill requirement represents the amount of radiation-curable ink required to fill the relief structure of the second portion of the three-dimensional icon layer with radiation-curable ink of a given pigment concentration, and wherein the second volume fill requirement is different from the first volume fill requirement.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising: An inspection camera (475) is configured to acquire image data of the three-dimensional icon layer. The controller is also configured to dynamically adjust the first volume of the first radiation-curable ink based on the acquired image data.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to increase the first volume in response to one or more of the following: the image data instructing a specific patterning of the first radiation-curable ink, the amount of radiation-curable ink outside the first portion not reaching a first threshold area at a specified image density, or the amount of radiation-curable ink not reaching an ink density associated with a specific color.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the temperature of the undistributed first radiation-curable ink based on the image data.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to: After dispensing the first volume of the first radiation-curable ink, a third volume of the second radiation-curable ink is dispensed to at least a portion of the first portion. The second radiation-curable ink contrasts with the first radiation-curable ink in at least a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the second radiation-curable ink (610) in the third volume gradually varies within the at least portion of the first portion to produce a halo effect.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second radiation-curable ink in the third volume is applied as one or more of a pattern or machine-readable code.

15. A micro-optical safety device (100), the micro-optical safety device comprising: Base (110); as well as A three-dimensional icon layer (201) is formed on the substrate, the three-dimensional icon layer including a first plurality of recesses in a first portion and a second plurality of recesses in a second portion. The recesses in the plurality of recesses are filled with a first radiation-curable ink having a first pigment concentration to a first volume fill requirement, wherein the first volume fill requirement represents the amount of radiation-curable ink required to fill the relief structure of the first portion of the three-dimensional icon layer with a given pigment concentration. The recesses in the second plurality of recesses are filled with the first radiation-curable ink to a second volume fill requirement, wherein the second volume fill requirement represents the amount of radiation-curable ink required to fill the relief structure of the second part of the three-dimensional icon layer with radiation-curable ink of a given pigment concentration, and wherein the second volume fill requirement is different from the first volume fill requirement.

16. The micro-optical safety device of claim 15, wherein the concentration of the first pigment is between 20% by weight and 70% by weight.

17. The micro-optical safety device as claimed in claim 15, further comprising: The second radiation-curable ink in at least a portion of the third volume of the first part, The second radiation-curable ink contrasts with the first radiation-curable ink in at least a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

18. The micro-optical safety device of claim 17, wherein the second radiation-curable ink (610) in the third volume gradually varies within the at least portion of the first portion to produce a halo effect.

19. The micro-optical security device of claim 17, wherein the second radiation-curable ink in the third volume is applied as one or more of a pattern or machine-readable code (701).

20. The micro-optical safety device as claimed in claim 19, further comprising: A focusing element layer is disposed on the substrate such that when viewed through the focusing element layer, the 3D icon layer projects a dynamic image, wherein the appearance of the machine-readable code dynamically changes according to the viewing angle (703). The dynamic changes described therein do not prevent the machine-readable code from being read by the code reader.

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