A hot foil stamping press has a pressing system for pressing a foil onto a sheet, a blow unit which is positioned at a distance to the pressing system for directing a stream of gas between the sheet and the foil. The stream of gas to detaches the foil from the sheet after each stamping cycle. A gripper bar is arranged between the blow unit and the pressing system for gripping the sheet. A flow guiding element is arranged between the blow unit and the pressing system, preferably on the gripper bar, for directing the gas from the blow unit between the sheet and the foil. Said element avoids the losses in the stream of gas due to the aperture that exist between the grippers in a typical gripper bar.

A holographic foil supplying device for a hot foil stamping machine has a reel (26) for holographic foil (20), an advancement system (24) for advancing the holographic foil (20) along a movement path (P) in a feeding direction (F) and a frame (22) supporting the reel (26) and the advancement system (24), wherein the frame (22) comprises a mount (30) for mounting the holographic foil supplying device (18) to the hot foil stamping machine.

Further, a hot foil stamping machine is shown.

A platen press with a press toggle mechanism (43) having a driving member (14) and a press toggle column (44). The press toggle column (44) comprises a driven member (38), a first toggle lever (46) assigned to the driven member (38) and a second toggle lever (48) assigned to the driven member (38). The first toggle lever (46) has a first contact surface (50) and the second toggle lever (48) has a second contact surface (52). Both toggle levers (46, 48) contact each other via their contact surfaces (50, 52), and wherein both contact surfaces (50, 52) are convex-shaped.

A micro-device structure comprises a source substrate comprising sacrificial portions laterally spaced apart by anchors. Each sacrificial portion is exposed through an opening. A micro-device is disposed on each sacrificial portion and laterally attached to an anchor by a multi-layer tether. In certain embodiments, a micro-device structure is constructed by providing the source substrate, disposing micro-devices on each sacrificial portion, depositing a first tether layer over at least a portion of the source substrate and the micro-device, depositing a second tether layer over the first tether layer, and patterning the first tether layer and the second tether layer to form (i) a multi-layer tether for each of the micro-devices such that the multi-layer tether laterally attaches the micro-device to one of the anchors, and (ii) an opening exposing each of the sacrificial portions.

A hot foil stamping press with a pressing table (10) on which a sheet can be advanced, a pressing system (20) for pressing a foil (14) onto the sheet, a guiding system (18) for guiding the foil (14) over the sheet, the guiding system (18) defining a foil transportation path which extends across the path along which the sheet is being advanced, a holder (11) for receiving a supply (12) of foil, and a discarding system (22) for the used foil, the holder being arranged at an operator side of the press.

A process for printing on to a 3-dimensional article is described. An image is printed on to a first side of a stretchable carrier membrane having a first side and a second side. The membrane is mounted in a plane within a frame between a heating chamber defined on one side of the membrane, and an article receiving chamber defined on the other side of the membrane. A 3-dimensional article to be printed is placed on to a generally flat platen positioned generally parallel to the said plane, optionally with a nest for the article thereon, within the article receiving chamber. A thermo- and vacuum-forming step is performed in which there is relative movement of the platen with respect to the membrane in a direction perpendicularly to the said plane to bring the article into register with the image printed on the membrane and to carry the article into intimate contact with the membrane through the said plane into the heating chamber. A source of vacuum is applied to the membrane from the said other side, and heat is applied to the membrane from the said one side at a first temperature sufficient to soften the membrane, whereby the membrane is thermo- and vacuum-wrapped at least partially about the article with the membrane in intimate contact with surface details of the article. A dye-diffusion step is performed in which infra-red radiation is applied to the article with the membrane wrapped therearound using at least two infra-red sources to heat the membrane and underlying surface of the article over substantially a half-spherical solid angle uniformly to a temperature in excess of the first temperature and for a time sufficient to cause the printed image to diffuse into the surface of the article but insufficient to damage the article.

The present invention relates to a blowing means unit and a hot foil stamping and die-cutting device. The blowing means unit fora hot foil stamping device, comprising: a blowing means having a blowing part configured to inject a gas stream to a location of foil material to separate foil and a supporting part for supporting the blowing part; supporting means supporting the blowing means; and lifting means connected to the supporting means for moving the blowing means between a first position and a second position, in the first position, the blowing part of the blowing means is at a working level, and in the second position, the blowing means is at a non-working level to give access to an operation area.

A device for driving a stamping foil over a path through a stamping machine is disclosed herein. The driving device comprises two foil-introduction chain-like elements and a drive member coupled to the foil-introduction chain-like elements for driving the foil-introduction chain-like elements notably through a platen press of a stamping machine. The driving device further comprises at least one first load-measurement device comprising a first detector configured to measure a parameter indicative of the load applied by the drive member for driving the foil-introduction chain-like elements in a first direction, the at least one first load-measurement device being connected to a stamping-machine control unit configured to stop the driving by the drive member when the parameter indicative of the load applied by the drive member and measured by the first detector crosses a threshold.

A micro-transfer printing system comprises a source substrate having a substrate surface and components disposed in an array on, over, or in the substrate surface Each component has a component extent in a plane parallel to the substrate surface. A stamp comprises a stamp body and stamp posts extending away from the stamp body disposed in an array over the stamp body. Each of the stamp posts has (i) a post location corresponding to a component location of one of the components when the stamp is disposed in alignment with the source substrate, and (ii) a post surface extent on a distal end of the stamp post. The post surface extent is greater than the component extent.

Hot foil stamping machine stamping a foil onto a substrate, which improves stamping quality under changing conditions, includes a control unit for controlling the temperature of the stamping interface surface to a predefined desired temperature. The control unit receives at least an actual temperature of the heating plate from the at least one temperature sensor and provides a manipulated variable to the at least one heating device. Further, the stamping machine includes a state observer for estimating an actual temperature of the stamping interface surface of the at least one stamping plate based on a physics-based analytical model of the heat transfer between the heating plate and the stamping plate. The control unit also includes a feedback controller for calculating the manipulated variable for a heating device based on the predefined desired temperature and the estimated actual temperature of the stamping interface surface provided by the state observer.