Apparatuses and methods are provided for manufacturing a transaction card. The disclosed apparatuses and methods may be used to form a transaction card frame configured to house a data storage component. The card frame may be formed of a resin mixture comprising a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). The card frame may also have a Shore D hardness in the range of 20-80.

Apparatuses and methods are provided for manufacturing a transaction card. The disclosed apparatuses and methods may be used to form a transaction card frame configured to house a data storage component. The card frame may be formed of a resin mixture comprising a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). The card frame may also have a Shore D hardness in the range of 20-80.

A method for manufacturing a physical security element with a spatially appearing pattern includes a carrier and at least one see-through transparent cover layer. Onto the carrier is applied a design layer deformable under pressure. Either the carrier has a lower dimensional stability under heat than the cover layer, or a cover layer has a lower dimensional stability under heat than the carrier. A see-through transparent structural layer forming the pattern is arranged between carrier and cover layer. The structural layer has a higher dimensional stability under heat than either the carrier or a cover layer. During lamination, the structural layer is pressed into the carrier or into the cover layer, whereby the design layer is deformed under the pattern formed by the structural layer and the structural layer in its edge regions is reshaped in such a way that its surfaces, in cross-section, converge tangentially.

A thin hinged laminated body and a layout sheet for the hinged laminated body are provided. A hinged laminated body, equipped with: an IC module having an IC chip capable of performing contactless communication; a hinge layer having a hinge section which can be bound into a booklet; a non-hinge layer which is laminated onto the hinge layer and does not have a hinge part, wherein the hinge layer is disposed over the entire surface of the laminated body having the hinge, the hinge layer and the non-hinge layer have a housing hole penetrating across the two layers, and the IC module is housed and held inside the housing hole.

A thin hinged laminated body and a layout sheet for the hinged laminated body are provided. A hinged laminated body, equipped with: an IC module having an IC chip capable of performing contactless communication; a hinge layer having a hinge section which can be bound into a booklet; a non-hinge layer which is laminated onto the hinge layer and does not have a hinge part, wherein the hinge layer is disposed over the entire surface of the laminated body having the hinge, the hinge layer and the non-hinge layer have a housing hole penetrating across the two layers, and the IC module is housed and held inside the housing hole.

A method for producing security elements, security elements, a security document with at least one security element as well as a transfer film with at least one security element wherein a three-dimensional object is recorded and a surface profile of the three-dimensional object, described by a function F(x,y), is determined, wherein the function F(x,y) describes the distance between the surface profile and a two-dimensional reference surface spanned by co-ordinate axes x and y at the co-ordinate points x and y. A first microstructure is determined in such a way that the structure height of the first microstructure is limited to a predetermined value smaller than the maximum distance between the surface profile and the two-dimensional reference surface, and the first microstructure provides an observer with a first optical perception which corresponds to the surface profile of the three-dimensional object described by the function F(x,y).

A method for producing security elements, security elements, a security document with at least one security element as well as a transfer film with at least one security element wherein a three-dimensional object is recorded and a surface profile of the three-dimensional object, described by a function F(x,y), is determined, wherein the function F(x,y) describes the distance between the surface profile and a two-dimensional reference surface spanned by co-ordinate axes x and y at the co-ordinate points x and y. A first microstructure is determined in such a way that the structure height of the first microstructure is limited to a predetermined value smaller than the maximum distance between the surface profile and the two-dimensional reference surface, and the first microstructure provides an observer with a first optical perception which corresponds to the surface profile of the three-dimensional object described by the function F(x,y).

A single plasma nozzle of a plasma treatment station is used to treat the card surface prior to performing drop-on-demand printing on the card surface. The single plasma nozzle has a plasma discharge width that is less than the width of the card. The card and the plasma nozzle are moved relative to one another using a two direction control scheme during plasma treatment in order to be able to plasma treat a desired area of the card surface. The card and the plasma nozzle may also be moveable toward or away from one another to change the distance therebetween.

A sheet material having a security device applied over a paper machine made or soft-edged through-hole and a method for preparing such a sheet material is provided. The through-hole(s) is formed in a forming fibrous web before it becomes sufficiently consolidated and then the security device is applied onto the fibrous web and preferably over the through-hole(s) at or near a couch roll or similar tool of a paper machine when the fibrous web constitutes a sufficiently consolidated, fully formed wet web. Moreover, papers made in accordance with the inventive method, when subjected to the Circulation Simulation Test, showed minimal damage at the paper/security device interface. Further, the surface-applied security devices showed acceptable levels of intaglio ink adhesion, and the papers had higher cross-direction (CD) tensile strength and much less show-through on opposing sides thereof.

A laminating machine comprises at least one material source, configured as a sheet feeder, for sheets of a material to be laminated. The laminating machine further comprises at least one laminating unit. The laminating machine also comprises at least two lamination sources, each for at least one web-type laminating material. The laminating machine additionally comprises at least one laminating unit for producing a material web, which is laminated on both sides, from the sheets and the respective at least one laminating material. At least one lamination control device is disposed downstream of a laminating region of the laminating unit, along a transportation path provided for the transporting of the laminated material web. The control device monitors a control region, lying outside a transport region that is occupied by the transportation path provided for the laminated material web.