Production of Image Elements
The present invention can increase the number of instances where foils can be fed into a coating module for transferring imaging layers from a transfer foil onto a material that is to be printed. A transfer foil is provided that carries image elements to the foil-guiding mechanism. The image elements are transferred in the coating module from the transfer foil onto the material that is to be printed. The transfer foil can be guided past a pressure roll in an approximately tangential direction.
1 - 13 . (canceled)
14 . A method for coating a printing sheet in a sheet-processing printing machine comprising the steps of:
coating an image area of the printing sheet with an adhesive pattern in an application unit;
guiding a transfer foil through a transfer gap defined by an impression cylinder and a press cylinder in a coating module, the transfer foil being guided under pressure together with the printing sheet with a coated side of the transfer foil in contact with the printed sheet such that an image element arranged in an image-forming layer on the coated side of the transfer foil adheres to the adhesive pattern on the image area of the printing sheet, the image element being arranged with an image side adhered on a carrier layer of the transfer foil;
separating the image element adhered to the adhesive pattern from the carrier layer after the printing sheet exits the transfer gap;
controlling the guidance of the transfer foil and the printing sheet to position the image elements on the printing sheet.
15 . The method according to claim 14 wherein the step of controlling guidance of the transfer foil comprises detecting the position of the transfer film, detecting the position of the printing sheet, and positioning the transfer film relative to the printing sheet before or during the feeding into the transfer gap.
16 . The method according to claim 15 wherein the transfer foil includes a detectable marking for detecting the position of the transfer film.
17 . The method according to claim 14 wherein the image element is a hologram.
18 . The method according to claim 14 wherein the image element is a plastic embossing element.
19 . The method according to claim 14 wherein the image element is a colored image element.
20 . The method according to claim 14 further including the step of providing the printing sheet with a plastic embossing using the transfer film.
21 . The method according to claim 14 further including the step of providing the printing sheet with a color printing image after adhering the image element on the printing sheet.
22 . A device for transferring an image element in an image-forming layer on a transfer foil onto a printing sheet comprising:
an application unit for coating the printing sheet in an image area with an adhesive;
a coating module for transferring the image-forming layer from the transfer foil to the printing sheet, the coating module including an impression cylinder and a press cylinder that define a transfer gap therebetween, the transfer foil being guidable through the transfer gap together with the printing sheet with a coated side of the transfer foil containing the image-forming layer in contact with the printed sheet such that the image element is transferred to the image area of the printing sheet;
a first controller for detecting a position of the printing sheet before or in the transfer gap; and
a second controller for detecting the position of the transfer foil.
23 . The device according to claim 22 wherein the press cylinder includes a press surface having a size corresponding to the image element to be transferred and a flexible construction.
24 . The device according to claim 22 wherein the press cylinder includes a press surface having a size corresponding to the image element to be transferred and a profiled construction.
25 . A device for transferring an image element in an image-forming layer from a transfer foil to a printing sheet comprising:
a transfer foil including a removable image-forming layer that contains an image element having a contoured surface profile;
an application unit for coating the printing sheet in an image area with an adhesive pattern corresponding to an outline of the image element; and
a coating module for transferring the image-forming layer from the transfer foil to the printing sheet, the coating module including an impression cylinder and a press cylinder that define a transfer gap therebetween, the transfer foil being guidable through the transfer gap together with the printing sheet with a coated side of the transfer foil containing the image-forming layer in contact with the printed sheet such that the image element is transferred as a whole to the image area of the printing sheet.
26 . The device according to claim 25 wherein the press cylinder includes a press surface having a size corresponding to the image element to be transferred and a flexible construction.
27 . The device according to claim 25 wherein the press cylinder includes a press surface having a size corresponding to the image element to be transferred and a profiled construction.
28 . A device for transferring an image-forming layer from a transfer foil to a printing sheet comprising:
an application unit for coating the printing sheet in an image area with an adhesive;
a coating module for transferring the image-forming layer from the transfer foil to the printing sheet, the coating module including an impression cylinder and a press cylinder that define a transfer gap therebetween, the transfer foil being guidable through the transfer gap together with the printing sheet with a coated side of the transfer foil containing the image-forming layer in contact with the printed sheet such that the image-forming layer is transferred to the image area of the printing sheet;
a further processing module arranged downstream of the coating module in a printing sheet transport direction, the further processing module applying an image element to the image area of the printed sheet.
29 . The device according to claim 28 wherein the image element applied by the further processing module is embossed.
30 . The device according to claim 28 wherein the image element applied by the further processing module is applied via relief printing.
31 . The device according to claim 28 wherein the press cylinder includes a press surface having a size corresponding to the image element to be transferred and a flexible construction.
32 . The device according to claim 28 wherein the press cylinder includes a press surface having a size corresponding to the image element to be transferred and a profiled construction.
33 . A device for transferring an image element in an image-forming layer from a transfer foil to a printing sheet comprising:
a transfer foil including a removable image-forming layer that contains an multicolored image element;
an application unit for coating the printing sheet in an image area with an adhesive pattern corresponding to an outline of the image element; and
a coating module for transferring the image-forming layer from the transfer foil to the printing sheet, the coating module including an impression cylinder and a press cylinder that define a transfer gap therebetween, the transfer foil being guidable through the transfer gap together with the printing sheet with a coated side of the transfer foil containing the image-forming layer in contact with the printed sheet such that the image element is transferred as a whole to the image area of the printing sheet.