A hot-stamping device (1) is described, having a stamping device (2) for transferring a transfer layer (15u) disposed on a carrier layer (15t) of a hot-stamping foil (15) onto a substrate (14). The hot-stamping device comprises a heatable stamping roller (11) and a counter-pressure roller (12), between which a stamping gap (16) is realized, in which a stamped substrate (17) is realized, and comprising a separating device (3), disposed downstream, for separating the carrier layer (15t) from the stamped substrate (17). The separating device (3) has a separating element (20), which is realized as a bar-shaped hollow body, disposed on which there is a supply for a compressed gas (21). At least one longitudinal edge of the separating element (20) is realized as a perforated separating edge (20k) having outflow openings (20a) for the compressed gas (22), for the purpose of realizing a gas cushion between the carrier layer (15t) and the separating element (20). The separating edge (20k) is disposed transversely in relation to the running direction and parallelwise in relation to the top side of the coated substrate (17).

Force for biasing a roller member is changed according to the contact state of first and second plate-like bodies during the travel of the roller member. By that, the pressing force per unit area given from the second plate-like body to the first plate-like body during travel is suppressed. An object to be transferred is satisfactorily transferred despite a change in the contact state of the plate-like bodies during the travel of the roller member.

The invention relates to a method of printing onto the surface of a substrate, which method comprises a. coating a donor surface with a monolayer of individual particles, b. treating the surface of the substrate to render the affinity of the particles to at least selected regions of the surface of the substrate greater than the affinity of the particles to the donor surface, and c. contacting the surface of the substrate with the donor surface to cause particles to transfer from the donor surface only to the treated selected regions of the surface of the substrate, thereby exposing regions of the donor surface from which particles are transferred to the corresponding regions on the substrate, and characterised in that at least 50 wt. % of the particles are flaky metal pigments comprising a flaky metallic substrate and a surface modification layer of the metallic substrate, wherein the surface modification layer has been made by a treatment of the metallic substrate surface by at least one of the modification substances from the group consisting of phosphate ester, phosphonic esters, phosphonic acids, phosphinate esters, organofunctional silanes, organofunctional titanates, organofunctional zirconates, organofunctional aluminates and mixtures thereof.

Disclosed herein are a metastructure having a zero elastic modulus zone, which can experience constant stress in a predetermined strain zone, and a method for designing the same. The metastructure includes a first unit and a second unit, wherein the first unit has a structure capable of buckling and has a stress-strain relation having a zone corresponding to a negative elastic modulus, the second unit is disposed adjacent to the first unit and has a stress-strain relation having a zone corresponding to a positive elastic modulus, and the metastructure has zero elastic modulus in a predetermined target strain zone through synthesis of the negative elastic modulus of the first unit with the positive elastic modulus of the second unit.

An offset printing device for transferring a transfer ply of a transfer film to a substrate, wherein the printing device has a first printing unit, which has a first transfer unit including a transfer cylinder with a transfer medium and a first substrate cylinder, wherein the first transfer unit of the first printing unit is designed in such a way that a first adhesion promoter is transferred from the transfer medium to a first region of the surface of the substrate, and a corresponding method.

Systems and methods for laser assisted deposition of a material includes a printing unit configured to print individual dot-like portions of a material from a donor substrate onto a receiving substrate, and a vacuum shuttle configured to be positionable in two or three dimensions between the printing unit and the donor substrate and to engage the donor substrate upon application of a vacuum to the vacuum shuttle. The printing unit may include a coating system and a laser. The vacuum shuttle includes a vacuum channel about its periphery and an open window through which the laser irradiates the donor substrate. The vacuum channel is fluidly coupled to a vacuum inlet for receiving a vacuum suction, thereby to engage the donor substrate and hold it taught against the bottom of the vacuum shuttle in operation. The vacuum shuttle may also include one or more distance measuring sensors and fiducial markers.