Opaque Plastic Sheet with Apertures for Electronic Card Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
The integration of an electronic display in cards results in manufacturing challenges due to the transparency of the resin layer, leading to decreased color intensity and contrast in printing, as well as adherence issues with transparent films, requiring multiple layers and lengthy drying times for inks, and poor adherence of printed patterns to transparent external layers.
Innovation Solution
A card design featuring a core with an electronic display covered by a plastic layer composed of opaque and transparent materials, where the transparent material forms a window for the display, and a manufacturing method involving an opaque plastic sheet with apertures for transparent plates, ensuring a perfectly opaque background and improved adherence through adhesive layers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a transparent resin layer is used to cover electronic elements in the card core, then the electronic display becomes visible and protected, but the printing quality deteriorates with decreased color intensity and contrast
Solution Approach 1:
The card structure is segmented into distinct layers: a transparent resin core layer for electronic element protection and a separate opaque plastic layer for high-quality printing. This segmentation allows each layer to perform its optimal function without interfering with the other, resolving the contradiction between display visibility and printing quality.
Solution Approach 2:
An adhesive layer acts as an intermediary between the transparent resin core and the opaque plastic printing layer. This mediator ensures strong bonding between layers while maintaining the optical properties of the transparent layer and the printing properties of the opaque layer, thus preserving both display visibility and printing quality.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple layers of ink or varnish are deposited to achieve opaque background, then color intensity and contrast improve, but manufacturing time and complexity increase due to lengthy drying times
Solution Approach 1:
The opacity function is extracted from the ink/varnish system and transferred to a dedicated opaque plastic layer. This eliminates the need for multiple thick ink layers and their associated lengthy drying times, while maintaining excellent printing quality and color intensity.
Solution Approach 2:
The material parameter is changed from transparent resin to opaque plastic for the printing layer. This parameter change fundamentally alters the optical properties, providing complete opacity and excellent printing characteristics without requiring multiple coating passes or extended drying times.
3Reliability
If transparent film is used to cover the printed pattern, then display visibility is maintained, but adherence of the printed pattern to the external layer deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive layer serves as a mediator that chemically or mechanically bonds the printed pattern on the opaque layer to the transparent external film. This intermediary ensures strong adherence while preserving the transparency needed for display visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The card structure employs a composite material system consisting of transparent resin, opaque plastic, adhesive layer, and transparent film. Each material is selected for its specific properties, and their combination creates a structure that simultaneously achieves strong adherence and excellent display visibility.
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
The solution provides high-quality printed patterns with improved contrast and color intensity, reducing manufacturing complexity and costs by eliminating the need for multiple ink layers and enhancing adherence between layers, resulting in a more efficient and cost-effective card production process.
Implementation Method 1
enhancing adherence between layers
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a card including a digital display arranged in a core defining the central portion of the card. The card further comprises a plastic layer the major portion of which is opaque, and a transparent display portion. In a preferred variant, the plastic layer is covered with a transparent film attached thereto by a thin glue layer defining an adhesion interface. More particularly, the invention relates to an intermediate product intervening in a batch manufacture of such cards, wherein the intermediate product is formed by an opaque plastic sheet having a plurality of apertures defining windows for a respective plurality of corresponding electronic displays, and wherein a plurality of transparent parts are respectively arranged in the plurality of apertures and assembled to the opaque plastic sheet. The invention also relates to a manufacturing method of such an intermediate product.