The invention relates to the field of the protection of security documents such as for example banknotes and identity documents against counterfeit and illegal reproduction. In particular, the present invention provides processes for magnetically transferring one or more indicia into a not yet hardened coating layer made of a coating composition including platelet-shaped magnetic or magnetizable pigment particles so as to produce optical effect layers (OELs) as anti-counterfeit means on security documents or security articles or for decorative purposes.

The invention relates to the field of the protection of security documents such as for example banknotes and identity documents against counterfeit and illegal reproduction. In particular, the present invention provides processes for magnetically transferring one or more indicia into a not yet hardened coating layer made of a coating composition comprising platelet-shaped magnetic or magnetizable pigment particles so as to produce optical effect layers (OELs) as anti-counterfeit means on security documents or security articles or for decorative purposes.

The present invention relates to the field of protecting value documents and value commercial goods against counterfeit and illegal reproduction. In particular, the present invention provides processes for producing optical effect layers (OELs) comprising non-spherical magnetic or magnetizable particles and comprising a motif made of at least two areas made of a single applied and cured layer, said motif being obtained by using a selective curing performed by irradiation with an actinic radiation LED source (x41) comprising an array of individually addressable actinic radiation emitters.

In a printed article, pigment flakes are magnetically aligned so as to form curved patterns in a plurality of cross-sections normal a continuous imaginary line, wherein radii of the curved patterns increase along the imaginary line from the first point to the second point. When light is incident upon the aligned pigment Hakes from a light source, light reflected from the aligned pattern forms a bright image which appears to gradually change its shape and move from one side of the continuous imaginary line to another side of the continuous imaginary line when the substrate is tilted with respect to the light source.

According to examples, a substrate may be moved through a magnetic field, in which the substrate includes a fluid carrier containing magnetically-orientable flakes. The magnetic field may influence the magnetically-orientable flakes to be respectively oriented in one of multiple orientations. In addition, during movement of the substrate through the magnetic field, radiation may be applied onto a plurality of selected portions of the fluid carrier through at least one opening in a mask to cure the fluid carrier at the plurality of selected portions and fix the magnetically-orientable flakes in the plurality of selected portions at the respective angular orientations as influenced by the magnetic field.

A device is provided for aligning magnetic or magnetizable particles, which are contained in a coating that is applied to a first side of a web-type or a sheet-type substrate. An application device is arranged in the transport path of the substrate, by the use of which, the coating is applied or is applicable to the first side of the substrate, in at least one application site. A first cylinder, which is embodied as a magnetic cylinder, is arranged in the transport path of the substrate to be transported downstream of the application device and comprises a plurality of elements creating a magnetic field in the region of the outer periphery of the first cylinder. Another cylinder, which is embodied as a magnetic cylinder, is arranged in the transport path of the substrate to be transported and comprises a plurality of elements creating a magnetic field in the region of the outer periphery of that cylinder. A drying device or an hardening device is arranged on the transport path between a site of a winding-on of the substrate on the first cylinder and a site of a winding-on of the other cylinder. The first cylinder, which is embodied as the magnetic cylinder, is arranged in the transport path of the substrate to be transported on the second side thereof. The drying or the hardening device is oriented in the transport path of the substrate to be transported on the first side thereof.

The present invention relates to the field of magnetic assemblies and processes for producing optical effect layers (OEL) comprising magnetically oriented non-spherical magnetic or magnetizable pigment particles on a substrate. In particular, the present invention relates magnetic assemblies and processes for producing said OELs as anti-counterfeit means on security documents or security articles or for decorative purposes.

An optical article printed on a substrate may include an organic binder; and a plurality of reflective magnetic platelets provided in the organic binder, wherein the plurality of reflective magnetic platelets are substantially aligned in accordance with at least part of a surface of revolution, and wherein the plurality of reflective magnetic platelets are aligned to cause a first reflective effect of the optical article when the substrate is rotated around a first axis and to cause a second reflective effect of the optical article when the substrate is rotated around a second axis, wherein the first reflective effect is different from the second reflective effect.

The invention relates to a device for producing security elements (03) on a substrate (02), said device having a first printing couple (21; 22), by means of which substrate (02) being conveyed along a transport path is and/or can be printed with a plurality of first print image elements (12) spaced apart from one another using a first coating medium (11) that contains magnetic particles; a first magnetic cylinder (41), arranged downstream of the first printing couple (21; 22) in the transport path and comprising magnetic elements (43) on its outer circumference; a second magnetic cylinder (42), arranged downstream of the first magnetic cylinder (41) in the transport path and likewise comprising magnetic elements (43) on its outer circumference; and a drying and/or curing device (52), associated with or positioned downstream of the second magnetic cylinder (42) in the transport path, by means of which at least the coating medium (13) of a plurality of second print image elements (14), printed onto the substrate (02) and spaced apart from one another, is and/or can be dried and/or cured at least superficially and/or at least each partially, wherein in the transport path between the first and the second magnetic cylinder (41; 42) a second printing couple (31; 32) is provided, by means of which the substrate (02) is and/or can be printed with the spaced-apart second print image elements (14; 12) using the second coating medium (13) that contains magnetic particles, and wherein a drying and/or curing device (51) positioned upstream of the second printing couple (31; 32) is associated with or positioned downstream of the first magnetic cylinder (41) in the transport path, by means of which device the coating medium (11) containing magnetic particles of the first print image elements (12) printed by the first printing couple (21; 22) is and/or can be dried and/or cured at least superficially and/or at least each partially.

The invention relates to the field of the protection of security documents such as for example banknotes and identity documents against counterfeit and illegal reproduction. In particular, the present invention provides processes for optical effect layers (OEL) exhibiting one or more indicia using a magnetic assembly comprising i) a soft magnetic plate (x31) comprising a) one or more voids (V) and b) one or more dipole magnets (x32-a), wherein the one or more dipole magnets (x32-a) are disposed within the one or more voids (V) and/or are facing said one or more voids (V), and/or one or more pairs of two dipole magnets (x32-b), wherein the dipole magnets (x32-b) of the one or more pairs are disposed below the soft magnetic plate (x31) and are spaced apart from the one or more voids (V).