Metallization process and product produced thereby
First Claim
1. A layered structure comprising at least one each of:
- (a) a substrate layer;
(b) a metal-containing layer;
(c) an adhesive-containing layer adhering said metal in said metal-containing layer to said substrate layer; and
(d) a breakaway layer, having a top surface and a bottom surface, said bottom surface of said breakaway layer coating substantially only said metal of said metal-containing layer, and said breakaway layer having a cured elongation at break when tested in tension of less than about 20%.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A layered structure produced by metallizing a substrate including: (a) providing a transfer film including film layer and metal layer bonded together by a cured breakaway layer; (b) providing a substrate; (c) applying electron beam curable transfer adhesive to a portion of the substrate; (d) securing the transfer film to the substrate, where the transfer adhesive is between the metal layer and substrate, forming an intermediate product; (e) passing the intermediate product through an electron beam curing apparatus to cure the transfer adhesive; and (f) removing the transfer film. In the metallized product, the cured breakaway coating is bonded only to the metal. The cured breakaway layer preferably has a cured elongation at break, in tension, of less than about 20%. Precise metallized edges are produced, e.g., edge variation of about ±0.010 in., or better. The process can be utilized with total or selective metal transfer.
112 Citations
130 Claims
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1. A layered structure comprising at least one each of:
- (a) a substrate layer;
(b) a metal-containing layer;
(c) an adhesive-containing layer adhering said metal in said metal-containing layer to said substrate layer; and
(d) a breakaway layer, having a top surface and a bottom surface, said bottom surface of said breakaway layer coating substantially only said metal of said metal-containing layer, and said breakaway layer having a cured elongation at break when tested in tension of less than about 20%. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
- (a) a substrate layer;
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16. A method of metallizing a substrate comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a transfer film comprising a film layer and a metal layer bonded together by a cured breakaway layer, said breakaway layer having a cured elongation at break when tested in tension of less than about 20%;
(b) providing a substrate;
(c) applying an electron beam curable transfer adhesive to at least a portion of said substrate;
(d) securing said transfer film to said substrate comprising said transfer adhesive such that said transfer adhesive is disposed between said metal layer and said substrate to form an intermediate product;
(e) passing said intermediate product through an electron beam curing apparatus to cure said transfer adhesive;
(f) removing said transfer film from said intermediate product to provide a metallized substrate product. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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36. A method of selectively metallizing a substrate comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a transfer film comprising a film layer and a metal layer bonded together by a breakaway layer, said breakaway layer having a cured elongation at break when tested in tension of less than about 20%;
(b) providing a substrate;
(c) applying an electron beam curable transfer adhesive to selective areas of said substrate in order to form a selective adhesive layer;
(d) securing said transfer film to said substrate such that said transfer adhesive is between said metal layer and said substrate thereby forming an intermediate product;
(e) exposing said intermediate product to electron beam radiation to substantially cure said transfer adhesive; and
(f) removing said film layer from said intermediate product to provide a selectively metallized substrate product wherein said metal and said breakaway layer bonded thereto, and said selectively applied transfer adhesive layer are in substantial registration. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A method of metallizing a substrate to provide precisely metallized edges comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a transfer film comprising a film layer and a metal layer bonded together by a breakaway layer, said breakaway layer having a cured elongation at break when tested in tension of less than about 20%;
(b) providing a substrate;
(c) applying an electron beam curable transfer adhesive to at least a portion of said substrate wherein said portion includes at least one edge;
(d) securing said transfer film to said substrate comprising said transfer adhesive such that said transfer adhesive is disposed between said metal layer and said substrate to form an intermediate product;
(e) exposing said intermediate product to electron beam radiation to substantially cure said transfer adhesive;
(f) removing said transfer film from said intermediate product to provide a metallized product having at least one metallized edge, said metallized edge varying from a line drawn along said edge and mid-way through the variations from said line by less than or equal to about ±
0.010 inches. - View Dependent Claims (42)
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43. A method of selectively metallizing a substrate to provide sharply or precisely metallized edges comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a transfer film comprising a film layer and a metal layer bonded together by a breakaway layer, said breakaway layer having a cured elongation at break when tested in tension of less than about 20%;
(b) providing a substrate;
(c) applying an electron beam curable transfer adhesive selectively to at least two areas of said substrate in order to form a selective adhesive layer;
(d) securing said transfer film to said substrate such that said transfer adhesive is between said metal layer and said substrate thereby forming an intermediate product;
(e) exposing said intermediate product to electron beam radiation to substantially cure said transfer adhesive; and
(f) removing said film layer from said intermediate product to provide a metallized product having at least two selectively metallized areas, each said area comprising at least one metallized edge, said edges separated from one another by a non-metallized area, the distance between adjoining edges of said selectively metallized areas differing by less than or equal to about ±
0.010 inches. - View Dependent Claims (44)
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45. A method for selectively metallizing a polymer-containing substrate comprising:
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(a) providing a transfer film from a transfer film roll, wherein said transfer film comprises a film layer and a metal layer bonded together by a breakaway coating layer, wherein said breakaway layer has a cured elongation at break when tested in tension of less than about 20%;
(b) providing a polymer-containing substrate;
(c) selectively applying an electron beam curable transfer adhesive to portions of said substrate in order to form a selective adhesive layer thereon;
(d) bringing into contact said metal layer of said transfer film and said selective adhesive layer of said substrate, thereby forming an intermediate product;
(e) exposing said intermediate product to electron beam radiation to substantially cure said selectively applied transfer adhesive; and
,(f) removing said film layer from said intermediate product to provide a selectively metallized product comprising said metal layer in substantial registration with said selectively applied transfer adhesive. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49)
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- 50. A transfer film comprising a film layer and a metal layer bonded together by a cured breakaway coating layer having a top surface in contact with said transfer film and a bottom surface in contact with said metal layer, wherein said breakaway layer has a cured elongation at break when tested in tension of less than about 20%.
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58. A selectively metallized layered structure comprising at least one each of:
- (a) a substrate layer;
(b) a metal-containing layer comprising selectively metallized portions;
(c) an adhesive layer adhering said selectively metallized portions of said metal-containing metal layer to said substrate layer; and
(d) a breakaway layer, having a top surface and a bottom surface, said bottom surface of said breakaway layer coating said selectively metallized portions of said metal-containing layer, and said breakaway layer having cured elongation at break when tested in tension of less than about 20%. - View Dependent Claims (59, 60, 61)
- (a) a substrate layer;
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62. A layered structure comprising at least one each of:
- (a) a substrate layer;
(b) a metal-containing layer;
(c) a radiation curable adhesive layer adhering said metal of said metal-containing layer to said substrate layer; and
(d) a radiation curable breakaway layer, having a top surface and a bottom surface, said bottom surface of said breakaway layer coating said metal of said metal-containing layer, and said top surface of said breakaway layer dyne level of about 34 to about 58 dynes/cm.
- (a) a substrate layer;
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63. A layered structure comprising at least one each of:
- (a) a substrate layer;
(b) a metal-containing layer;
(c) a radiation curable adhesive layer adhering said metal of said metal-containing layer to said substrate layer; and
(d) a radiation curable breakaway layer, having a top surface and a bottom surface, said bottom surface of said breakaway layer coating said metal of said metal-containing layer, said breakaway layer having a cured elongation at break when tested in tension of about 100% to about 300%. - View Dependent Claims (64, 65, 66)
- (a) a substrate layer;
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67. A method of metallizing a substrate comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a transfer film comprising a film layer and a metal layer bonded together by a radiation cured breakaway layer, said breakaway layer having a top surface and a bottom surface, said top surface in contact with said film layer;
(b) providing a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface;
(c) applying an electron beam curable transfer adhesive to substantially all of said substrate top surface;
(d) securing said transfer film to said substrate top surface comprising said transfer adhesive such that said transfer adhesive is disposed between said metal present in said metal layer and said substrate to form an intermediate product;
(e) passing said intermediate product through an electron beam curing apparatus to cure said transfer adhesive;
(f) removing said transfer film from said intermediate product in order to transfer substantially all of said metal present in transfer film so as to provide a metallized product. - View Dependent Claims (68, 69, 70, 71)
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72. A layered structure comprising at least one each of:
- (a) a substrate layer;
(b) a metal-containing layer;
(c) an adhesive-containing layer adhering said metal in said metal-containing layer to said substrate layer; and
(d) a breakaway layer, having a top surface and a bottom surface, said bottom surface of said breakaway layer coating substantially only said metal of said metal-containing layer. - View Dependent Claims (73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94)
- (a) a substrate layer;
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95. A selectively metallized layered structure comprising at least one each of:
- (a) a substrate layer;
(b) a metal-containing layer comprising selectively metallized portions;
(c) an adhesive layer adhering said selectively metallized portions of said metal-containing metal layer to said substrate layer; and
(d) a breakaway layer, having a top surface and a bottom surface, said bottom surface of said breakaway layer coating said selectively metallized portions of said metal-containing layer. - View Dependent Claims (96, 97, 98)
- (a) a substrate layer;
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99. A layered structure comprising at least one each of:
- (a) a substrate layer;
(b) a metal-containing layer;
(c) a radiation curable adhesive layer adhering said metal of said metal-containing layer to said substrate layer; and
(d) a radiation curable breakaway layer, having a top surface and a bottom surface, said bottom surface of said breakaway layer coating said metal of said metal-containing layer, and said top surface of said breakaway layer exhibiting a dyne level of about 34 to about 58 dynes/cm.
- (a) a substrate layer;
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100. A layered structure comprising at least one each of:
- (a) a substrate layer;
(b) a metal-containing layer;
(c) a radiation curable adhesive layer adhering said metal of said metal-containing layer to said substrate layer; and
(d) a radiation curable breakaway layer, having a top surface and a bottom surface, said bottom surface of said breakaway layer coating said metal of said metal-containing layer, said breakaway layer having a cured elongation at break when tested in tension of about 100% to about 300%. - View Dependent Claims (101, 102, 103, 104)
- (a) a substrate layer;
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105. A method of metallizing a substrate comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a transfer film comprising a film layer and a metal layer bonded together by a cured breakaway layer;
(b) providing a substrate;
(c) applying an electron beam curable transfer adhesive to at least a portion of said substrate;
(d) securing said transfer film to said substrate comprising said transfer adhesive such that said transfer adhesive is disposed between said metal layer and said substrate to form an intermediate product;
(e) passing said intermediate product through an electron beam curing apparatus to cure said transfer adhesive;
(f) removing said transfer film from said intermediate product to provide a metallized substrate product having a cured breakaway layer bonded to said metal layer at said transfer adhesive portion. - View Dependent Claims (106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118)
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119. A method of selectively metallizing a substrate comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a transfer film comprising a film layer and a metal layer bonded together by a breakaway layer;
(b) providing a substrate;
(c) applying an electron beam curable transfer adhesive to selective areas of said substrate in order to form a selective adhesive layer;
(d) securing said transfer film to said substrate such that said transfer adhesive is between said metal layer and said substrate thereby forming an intermediate product;
(e) exposing said intermediate product to electron beam radiation to substantially cure said transfer adhesive; and
(f) removing said film layer from said intermediate product to provide a selectively metallized substrate product wherein said metal and said breakaway layer bonded thereto, and said selectively applied cured transfer adhesive layer are in substantial registration. - View Dependent Claims (120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130)
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Specification