Decal Print Process Using Selective Adhesive Particle Application
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing decal printing process often results in an unattractive appearance on media due to incomplete adhesive coverage and requires precision trimming of the adhesive background, which is time-consuming and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that pre-heats the backing material, prints marking material without an initial adhesive background, applies UV light for partial curing, exposes the material to adhesive particles to form a mono-layer, and uses additional UV light and heat to fully cure the decal, eliminating the need for trimming and ensuring high-resolution, customizable decals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a white heat-sensitive glue background is formed on backing material before printing, then adhesive coverage is ensured, but the decal requires precision trimming to remove unattractive adhesive outlines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional sequence by printing the decal design first on the backing material, then applying adhesive particles only to the printed areas. This reversal eliminates the need to trim excess adhesive backgrounds, as adhesive is now applied selectively only where needed, rather than covering the entire backing material first and requiring removal of excess portions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies adhesive particles only to specific printed areas of the decal rather than uniformly across the entire backing material. This localized adhesive application ensures precise adhesive coverage exactly where required for the decal design, eliminating waste material and removing the need for trimming operations to eliminate adhesive outlines.
2Manufacturing precision
If precision trimming is performed to remove adhesive background extending beyond printed image, then unattractive outlines are avoided, but production time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the trimming step entirely by inverting the process sequence: printing the decal design first, then applying adhesive particles only to the printed areas. This approach inherently produces precise decal edges without requiring subsequent trimming operations, as adhesive is never applied to areas outside the printed design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the trimming operation from the production process. By applying adhesive particles only to printed areas through selective exposure, the process eliminates the need for the separate trimming step that would otherwise be required to remove excess adhesive backgrounds, thereby reducing production time and complexity.
3Reliability
If adhesive background is applied before printing, then complete adhesive coverage is achieved, but material usage efficiency decreases due to excessive adhesive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies adhesive particles only to the printed decal areas rather than uniformly across the entire backing material. This localized application ensures complete adhesive coverage exactly where needed for the decal design while eliminating adhesive waste in non-printed areas, achieving both reliability and material efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the conventional sequence to print first, then apply adhesive selectively to printed areas. This reversal ensures adhesive is applied only where required by the decal design, achieving complete coverage of the decal elements while eliminating excessive adhesive application and subsequent waste.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach produces fully customizable decals with high durability and resolution, eliminating the need for white or clear background outlines and enabling high-volume production without undesired edge trimming, while minimizing adhesive usage and ensuring efficient material usage.
Implementation Method 1
a first heater that is positioned to pre-heat backing material
Implementation Method 2
apply ultra-violet (UV) light to the marking material printed on the backing material, to partially cure the marking material
Implementation Method 3
apply additional UV light to the marking material partially cured on the backing material to fully cure the marking material
Implementation Method 4
a second heater is positioned to receive the backing material from the second light source and melt the adhesive particles that are adhered to the marking material
Implementation Method 5
a cooler can be positioned to receive the backing material from the second heater so as to remove heat from the marking material
Data Source
AI summary
Backing material is passed by a first heater to pre-heat the backing material. The backing material is then passed by a printing engine to print marking material on the backing material, and passed by a first light source to apply ultra-violet (UV) light to the marking material printed on the backing material, to partially cure the marking material. Further, the backing material is passed by a container to expose the partially cured marking material to adhesive particles to cause the adhesive particles to adhere only to the marking material. The backing material is passed by a second light source to apply additional UV light to the marking material partially cured on the backing material to fully cure the marking material. Finally, the backing material is passed by a second heater to melt the adhesive particles that are adhered to the marking material on the backing material.