An apparatus for coating a part that has an asymmetrical edge. The apparatus includes a film dispenser, a film retriever, a mandrel; and a part holder. Preferably one or both of the mandrel and the part holder move in an angular relationship to one another, and the film dispenser and the film retriever move co-operatively in at least two dimensions with respect to the part holder. There is further provided a film having a first edge and a second edge, and the film can be a decorative coating, a protective coating or combinations of these. The film dispenser holds the first edge of the film, the film is positioned between the mandrel and the part holder and the film retriever holds the film second edge.

An apparatus for coating a part that has an asymmetrical edge. The apparatus includes a film dispenser, a film retriever, a mandrel; and a part holder. Preferably one or both of the mandrel and the part holder move in an angular relationship to one another, and the film dispenser and the film retriever move co-operatively in at least two dimensions with respect to the part holder. There is further provided a film having a first edge and a second edge, and the film can be a decorative coating, a protective coating or combinations of these. The film dispenser holds the first edge of the film, the film is positioned between the mandrel and the part holder and the film retriever holds the film second edge.

In an aspect, there is provided a method of foil printing that may comprise providing a substrate, the substrate having a first area and a second area, wherein the first area has printed thereon a first electrostatic ink composition comprising a thermoplastic resin; applying a liquid solvent composition to the first electrostatic ink composition on the first area, to swell the thermoplastic resin and not applying the liquid solvent composition to the second area; and contacting a foiling material with the first area of the surface, such that the foiling material selectively adheres to the first area. In another aspect, an electrostatic and foil printing system for performing the method is provided.

A position fine tuning device for a unit-type die cutting & hot stamping machine includes at least two imprinting elements, wherein paper of the imprinting elements is delivered by the gripper installed on the chain. The present invention is characterized in that a positioning element is disposed on an input end of a first unit imprinting element and a positioning element is disposed on an output end of each imprinting element. Two neighboring positioning elements accomplish the positioning between the two positioning elements together. By providing the fine tuning elements, the accuracy in the art of die cutting & hot stamping can be assured when the machine is performing a multiple-working-position procedure; whereas, by setting up the reference positioning, it assures that the standards of the front and rear positioning are consistent.

A transfer method is provided and includes a disposing step of disposing a transfer sheet and a medium in an inside of a sealed space formed by using a pressure welding sheet having flexibility in at least one part; a pressure welding step of suctioning the inside of the sealed space by a negative pressure and pressure welding the pressure welding sheet and the medium by the negative pressure to closely attach the transfer sheet and the medium; an irradiating step of softening an adhesive layer of the transfer sheet by irradiation of a light ray in a state in which the transfer sheet is closely attached to the medium by the pressure welding sheet and adhering the adhesive layer to the medium by a pressure welding force from the pressure welding sheet; and a peeling step of peeling off the transfer sheet from the medium after the irradiating step.

A precision positioning device of a unit-type die cutting & hot stamping machine includes a positioning element on an input end of a first imprinting element and a positioning element on an output end of each imprinting element. Two neighboring positioning elements accomplish the positioning between the two positioning elements together. Each positioning element is constituted by a positioning assembly installed symmetrically on each end of the imprinting element. The positioning assembly includes a positioning rod which can rotate against an installation shaft. Each positioning rod includes a positioning block which is provided with a reference surface. A rear side of the gripper is provided with a reference matching surface. By the positioning elements, the accuracy in the art of die cutting & hot stamping can be assured when the machine is performing a multiple-working-position procedure.

A warp transferring machine includes a color transferring unit, a colored paper unit and a yarn arranging unit. The color transferring unit includes a heating roller, a driving shaft, a separable shaft, a supporting shaft that are rotatable about their respective axes and a pressing belt that is looped therearound to circulate continuously. The colored paper unit and the yarn arranging unit respectively guide a colored paper and a yarn toward the heating roller such that the pressing belt presses thereagainst so as to transfer colors of the colored paper onto the yarn.

A method for monitoring a characteristic of a printed image of a thermal transfer printer. The method comprises providing a ribbon and a substrate at a printing location of the thermal transfer printer. The method further comprises printing an image on the substrate at the printing location by transferring ink from a region of the ribbon in a printing operation, a negative image being formed on the region of ribbon. The method further comprises transporting the region of ribbon, by a ribbon transport system, from the printing location towards an imaging location along a ribbon transport path. The method further comprises when a characteristic of the ribbon transport meets a predetermined criterion, obtaining, by an image capture system, a ribbon image of the negative image. The method further comprises processing said ribbon image to generate data indicative of the characteristic of the printed image.

A layer transfer device includes a housing main body having an opening, a cover movable between an open position in which the opening is open and a closed position in which the opening is closed, a heating member provided in the housing main body and configured to heat a multilayer film and a sheet, a pressure member provided on the cover and configured to nip the multilayer film and a sheet laid on the multilayer film between the heating member and the pressure member, and a shutter movable between a protecting position in which the heating member is covered with the shutter, and a retreated position in which the shutter is away from the protecting position. The shutter is in the protecting position when the cover is in the open position.

The present invention relates to a decoration method, for applying a new dcor (170) on a surface (2) of an object (1) including an existing dcor (120), characterized in that the method comprises the following successive steps: a step a) for measuring at least two identification points (120a, 120b, 120f) of the existing dcor (120) applied on the surface (2) of the object (1); a step b) for dynamic correction of localization points (170a, 170b, 170f) of the new dcor (170) to be applied on the surface (2) of the object (1), using the identification points (120a, 120b, 120f) measured during the measuring step a); and a step c) for application of the new dcor (170) on the surface (2) of the object (1), by using the localization points (170a, 170b, 170f) determined in the dynamic correction step b). The invention also relates to a control system and a decoration machine comprising such a control system.