Methods for manufacturing articles, including articles of footwear, apparel, and sporting equipment are provided. The methods comprise decorating a plurality of foam particles. The decorating can comprise applying a coating on the foam particles, or embossing or debossing the foam particles, or both. The decorating can comprise applying a coating on the foam particles by printing, painting, dyeing, applying a film, or any combination thereof. The plurality of foam particles are affixed utilizing aspects of additive manufacturing methods. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

A thermal transfer and process for producing it that provides a fully-digital printed heat transfer capable of little to no process changeover between different graphics. Specifically, the method comprises printing a digital image onto a treated adhesive substrate, applying the image side to a carrier substrate, then digitally cutting and removing substrate not containing graphic elements through a combination of kiss-and-through cutting to produce a high stretch, multi-color photographic quality print transfers for the apparel and soft goods industry.

A new polymer coating for metal surfaces that allows for the application of disperse dyes in a sublimation process that preserves the luster and metal iridescence naturally occurring in a metal surface, such as occurs on a polished aluminum sheet. The coating includes a combination of natural metal oxide additives having the capability to be prepared in nano-sized particles and combined with an organic polymer coating binder and resin in restricted loading levels to allow for light penetration to and from the polished metal surface. An optimal loading level for the additive that utilizes particles having a size of between 5 nm and 15 nm of metal oxide additives is approximately 20 percent by weight of solids.

The invention relates to a process for partial colouring, in particular colour laser engraving, of plastic parts, preferably of thermoplastic parts, very particularly preferably of thermoplastic parts comprising a layer construction, comprising the steps of: i) providing a plastic part (A) having at least one surface; ii) laying a colour tape atop at least one portion of the at least one surface of the plastic part (A) to obtain a surface of the plastic part (A) covered with the colour tape; iii) irradiating the plastic part (A) from ii) with focused, preferably nonionizing, electromagnetic radiation (C) on at least one portion of the surface of the plastic part (A) covered with the colour tape, wherein the partial colouring is effected essentially only at the sites on the plastic part (A) irradiated in step iii), wherein the wavelength range of the focused, preferably nonionizing, electromagnetic radiation (C) is in a range from 200 to 20 000 nm, preferably in a range from 300 to 18 000 nm, particularly preferably in a range from 350 to 16 000 nm.

An article is comprised of a thermoset polymer having a dye sublimation image in a layer attached or integral to a surface of the thermoset polymer, wherein at least a portion of the thermoset polymer is a foam. The foam article may be made by pretreating a thermoset organic polymer foam to a temperature of 100? C. to about 250 ? C. for a time sufficient to stabilize the thermoset polymer and dye sublimating an image into a layer of the pretreated thermoset foam. The foam article having the dye sublimation image may be used for applications having aesthetic or structural requirements such as railing, decking or fences.

A marking system comprises plural marking heads disposed side-by-side in a horizontal direction, each of the marking heads performing printing on a surface of a tire by thermal transfer with a thermal transfer tape when the each of the marking heads is in proximity to the surface of the tire, air cylinders provided with the respective marking heads and moving the respective marking heads in proximity to the surface of the tire to make the respective marking heads perform printing, a linear actuator moving the marking heads and the air cylinders in the horizontal direction, and a controller selecting at least one of the marking heads and controlling the linear actuator to move the selected at least one of the marking heads to a position opposite the tire, thereby making the selected at least one of the marking heads perform printing.

A thermal transfer and process for producing it that provides a fully-digital printed heat transfer capable of little to no process changeover between different graphics. Specifically, the method comprises printing a digital image onto a treated adhesive substrate, applying the image side to a carrier substrate, then digitally cutting and removing substrate not containing graphic elements through a combination of kiss-and-through cutting to produce a high stretch, multi-color photographic quality print transfers for the apparel and soft goods industry.

Printing multi-color images on non-vinyl plastic identification documents in identification document printing systems. A non-linear pixel density adjustment curve is used to adjust the pixel density data of a multi-color image to be printed which adjusts the power applied to the thermal print head. The use of a non-linear pixel density adjustment curve to adjust the pixel density data improves the quality of the resulting multi-color printed image, reduces mass transfer of the dye donor layer, and reduces breaking of the carrier film of the print ribbon.

A method for digital printing of single or multiple color graphics and/or text on flexible and semi-rigid packaging materials comprising: digitally pre-printing on a sheet or roll of paper, polyethylene or other material, or digitally post printing on a bag, pouch, or sheet of material by depositing a thin layer of ink or toner onto a packaging material surface to form an image, and then adhering the ink or toner to the packaging material surface by use of a fuser fluid, heat, UV curing process, or any combination.

Products made from paper, polyethylene, or other materials with printing from a digital-based image directly onto its surface.