A template and method of using the template is disclosed. The template can include a body with a first side and a second side, and an extension. The extension can include a first surface adjacent the body, a second surface, and a third surface between the first surface and the second surface, where the first surface includes a curvature and where a portion of the curvature of the first surface is interior to the third surface. The method can include dispensing a formable material over a substrate, where the substrate includes a non-uniform surface topography. The method can also include curing the formable material contacting the second surface of the extension to form a layer over the substrate while the formable material contacting the third surface of the extension remains in a liquid state, wherein curing is performed while the template is contacting the formable material.

A production method of a mold having a recessed pattern includes: a plate precursor preparation step of preparing a plate precursor having a pedestal on which a protruding pattern is disposed; a resin plate preparation step of preparing a thermoplastic resin plate having a recessed step portion; and a resin plate precursor production step of producing a thermoplastic resin plate precursor, the resin plate precursor production step including a positioning step of positioning the protruding pattern of the plate precursor and a center position of the recessed step portion, and a recessed pattern forming step of forming a recessed pattern having an inverted shape of the protruding pattern on the thermoplastic resin plate by pressing the protruding pattern of the heated plate precursor and the pedestal against the recessed step portion, thereafter cooling the plate precursor, and separating the plate precursor from the thermoplastic resin plate.

A method for nanoimprinting a pattern on an organic polymer substrate, comprising: (a) preparing a soft operational mold, the operational mold comprising a pattern to be replicated to the substrate; (b) soaking the operational mold in a solvent to produce diffusion of solvent to the mold; (c) removing the operational mold from the solvent, and placing it on a surface of the organic polymer substrate to form a structure, and simultaneously (i) heating the structure to a temperature T<Tg, where Tg is the glass transition temperature of the organic polymer; and (ii) applying controlled pressure in a range of 20-300 psi on the mold to effect a penetration into the surface of the organic polymer substrate, thereby to replicate the pattern of the mold to the surface of the substrate; and (d) separating the operational mold from the patterned substrate.

2D code patterns, such as digital watermark patterns, are formed on plastic objects by injection molding. In some implementations, a marked cell of the code pattern is not formed by a single mark on the mold surface, but by multiple discrete marks. Such marks can be exceedingly small (e.g., 50 microns or less—smaller than the width of a human hair), yet the resulting code pattern on the molded object is still readable from a distance. The small scale of the marks assures that the code pattern does not detract from object aesthetics, while also speeding the mold-marking process. Style transfer networks are employed in some implementations. The detailed technologies facilitate digital marking and identification of a great number of consumer plastic objects, thereby aiding recovery of such objects for recycling. Many other features and arrangements are also detailed.

A method of manufacturing a seamless inflatable ball contains: 1) inflating air into a preformed body so as to form a spherical body and covering a medium layer on the spherical body so as to form a semi-finished part; 2) forming a fluidic surface material on the medium layer of the semi-finished part in a predetermined thickness so as to produce a spherical portion with a covering layer; 3) placing the spherical portion into two ball molds; and 4) partially discharging air out of the spherical body and inflating the air into the spherical body repeatedly. In the step 3), the spherical portion is clamped in the two ball molds, and after the fluidic surface material is dried or is solidified to form a solid layer on the spherical portion, the spherical portion is removed from the two ball molds, thus forming a sphere.

An imprint apparatus that performs a supply step of supplying an imprint material onto each of shot regions adjacent to each other on a substrate and, after the supply step, execute an imprint process including a contact step, a curing step, and a mold releasing step for each of the shot regions. The apparatus comprises an irradiator that irradiates the imprint material on the shot region with light in the curing step, and a light-shielding member that defines an irradiation region of the light from the irradiator, wherein the light-shielding member defines the irradiation region such that the imprint material in an end portion of a first shot region on a side of a second shot region adjacent to the first shot region is complementarily cured by light irradiation in the curing step performed on the second shot region.

A method for producing a curved substrate panel with a hologram includes producing a curved substrate panel from plastic by forming, injection moulding or injection-compression molding between a first mold half, which defines a predetermined desired geometry of a substrate surface, and a second mold half removing the first mold half from the second mold half and applying a holographic master to a surface of the first mold half, or of a further mold half fixing the first mold half or further mold half on the second mold half such that an empty gap of a predetermined constant thickness remains between the holographic master and the substrate surface, and filling this gap with a hologram-receiving material; and exposing the hologram-receiving layer formed between the substrate surface and the holographic master with a coherent light for forming a hologram defined by the holographic master.

The present invention provides an imprint apparatus including a control unit that feedback-controls a mold deformation unit based on difference data indicating a shape difference between a pattern region of a mold and a shot region on a substrate, target data indicating a relative target deformation amount between the pattern region of the mold and the shot region on the substrate, and time series data indicating a relative deformation amount between the pattern region of the mold and the shot region on the substrate which changes at each time while performing shape control on the shot region.

An imprint method includes bringing a mold and an uncured imprint material supplied onto a substrate into contact with each other, enhancing viscoelasticity of the imprint material, making position adjustment of the mold and the substrate, and curing the imprint material. The imprint material is supplied onto a shot region of the substrate, and time between bringing the mold brought into contact with the imprint material and starting enhancing viscoelasticity is shorter when the shot region includes an outer periphery of the substrate than when the shot region does not include the outer periphery of the substrate.

The present disclosure is directed towards a kit for approximating texture of a building surface (e.g., a wall or ceiling). The kit can include a repair compound, a texture holding material, and optionally one or material to textured more pressing and shaping tools. The texture holding compound can be used to create a mold or stamp of surface texture in a non-damaged area of the building surface needing repair. The texture mold can be used to impart consistent surface texture to the repair compound as it dries, allowing a repaired area to at least approximate the texture of the area of the building surface surrounding the repaired area. The tool, if provided, can include a planar surface that can be used to conform the texture holding material to the surface texture, maintain contact between the texture mold and the repair compound to impart the mimicked texture, or both.