Stencil for forming surface structures by etching

Abstract

The invention relates to a stencil for forming surfaces structures by etching, a method for producing a stencil for forming surfaces structures by etching, a printing machine for producing a stencil for forming surface structures by etching, and a method for forming surface structures by etching. A known stencil for forming surface structures by etching includes an etching-resistant stencil layer. The stencil layer can be transferred to the surface to be structured, and the stencil layer can after an etching treatment be partially removed from the surface to be structured, and is elaborated and developed in that the stencil layer includes at least two partial regions and that at least two partial regions can be removed independently of one another from the surface to be structured.

Claims

1. A stencil for forming surface structures by etching, with an etch-resistant stencil layer, wherein the stencil layer can be transferred by means of rubbing to the surface to be structured and wherein, after an etching treatment of the surface to be structured, the stencil layer can be at least partially removed, wherein the stencil layer comprises at least two partial regions and the at least two partial regions can be removed independently of one another from the surface to be structured.

2. The stencil according to claim 1, wherein a partial region of the stencil layer comprises a UV-curable ink.

3. The stencil according to claim 2, wherein a partial region of the stencil layer comprises a paste comprising ink.

4. The stencil according to claim 1, wherein a partial region of the stencil layer comprises a paste comprising ink.

5. A method for producing a stencil for forming surface structures by etching, wherein an etch-resistant stencil layer is applied by means of a dot matrix printer to a stencil carrier, wherein in at least two partial regions of the stencil layer, stencil materials that can be removed independently of one another from the surface to be structured are applied by means of a dot matrix printer, wherein the stencil layer can be transferred by means of rubbing to the surface to be structured.

6. A method for forming surface structures by etching, wherein a stencil layer is transferred by means of rubbing from a stencil carrier to the surface to be structured and the surface to be structured undergoes an etching treatment with the applied stencil layer, wherein after a first etching treatment, a partial region of the stencil layer is removed and the surface to be structured undergoes at least a second etching treatment.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein after an etching treatment, a partial region of the stencil layer comprising a UV-curable ink is removed by means of caustic soda.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein after an etching treatment, a partial region of the stencil layer comprising a paste comprising ink is removed by means of ethyl acetate.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein after an etching treatment, a partial region of the stencil layer comprising a paste comprising ink is removed by means of ethyl acetate.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIGS. 1a)-1f) show, by way of example the formation of a surface structure by etching using a stencil configured according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(2) FIG. 1a) shows an untreated workpiece 1 with a surface 2 to be structured. As illustrated in FIG. 1b), a stencil layer 3, which according to the invention comprises partial regions, namely a first partial region 4 and a second partial region 5, is applied to the surface to be structured.

(3) In a next step the surface 2 to be structured undergoes an etching treatment, whereby the surface 2, as can be seen from FIG. 1c), is stripped, i.e. structured, in the regions not covered by the stencil layer 3. Since the first partial region 4 as well as the second partial region 5 of the stencil layer 3 are etch-resistant, these are not removed by the etching treatments.

(4) In a next step at least the stencil layer 3 in the illustrated exemplary embodiment is subjected to a treatment with caustic soda. Since in the illustrated exemplary embodiment the second partial region 5 consists substantially of a UV-curable ink, this second partial region 5 is removed by the treatment of the caustic soda. The result is shown in FIG. 1d).

(5) The structure of the surface 2 of the workpiece 1 after a second etching treatment, during which simply the first partial region 4 of the stencil layer remains on the surface 2, is illustrated in FIG. 1e).

(6) Finally, the resultant workpiece 1 with a structured surface 2 after removal of the first partial region 4 of the stencil layer 3 is illustrated in FIG. 1f). In the exemplary embodiment described here the first partial region 4 of the stencil layer 3 consists substantially of a paste-like ink, which had been removed in the final step with ethyl acetate.

(7) It can be seen from FIG. 1f) that with a stencil elaborated according to the invention it is possible with only a single transfer of a stencil layer 3 comprising two partial regions 4, 5, to create on the work-piece 2 a complex surface structure by etching treatments. To this end, according to the invention a stencil layer 3 need be applied only once to the surface 2 of the workpiece 1 to be structured. After a first etching treatment the second partial region 5 of the stencil layer is removed and a further etching treatment is carried out, which now acts also on the regions of the surface 2 that had previously been covered by the second partial region 5 of the stencil layer 3. Finally, also the first partial region 4 of the stencil layer 3 is removed from the workpiece 1.

(8) A stencil layer according to the invention can comprise two or more partial regions. It is also possible to process surfaces that are particularly complicated to structure, two or more times with stencils configured according to the invention.