Cards with special texture and color
A multi layered card embodying the invention includes an outer layer of an amorphous laser reactive copolymer material which is embossed with a selected pattern at a selected temperature which is above the glass transition temperature, Tg, of the copolymer and below its melting temperature, Tm. So embossed, the selected pattern is set in the copolymer layer, and its external shape cannot be changed from the embossed form to which it was set at the selected temperature, without destroying the selected pattern. The outer layer may be laminated with the other layers of the card and laser engraved before or after lamination.
1. A method of forming a card comprising the steps of:
stacking an amorphous laser-reactive copolymer layer and a plurality of additional layers, including at least a metal core layer, wherein said amorphous laser-reactive copolymer layer comprises an outer layer of the card and has a glass transition temperature (Tg), a melting temperature (Tm), and a thermosetting crystalline state at a temperature above Tg and below Tm; and
laminating the stacked layers and concurrently embossing the amorphous laser-reactive copolymer layer with a pattern at a predetermined temperature which is greater than Tg and less than Tm; and
thermosetting said pattern in said amorphous laser-reactive copolymer layer as a result of laminating at the predetermined temperature which is greater than Tg and less than Tm, the thermosetting either limiting or preventing changes to said pattern.
2. The method of claim 1 , further including the step of applying a laser beam to said amorphous laser-reactive copolymer layer, to one of the plurality of additional layers, or to a combination thereof.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein any indentation due to the embossing of the laser-reactive copolymer layer is limited to the amorphous laser-reactive copolymer layer.
4. The method of forming a card as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said plurality of additional layers includes: (a) colored PVC layers located on either side of the core layer for imparting a desired color to the card, and (b) other laser-reactive PVC layers; and said method includes selectively applying a laser to selected ones of said laser-reactive layers and to said core layer.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of additional layers includes: (a) at least one colored PVC layer for imparting a desired color to the card, and (b) other laser reactive PVC layers; and said method includes applying a laser to selected ones of said laser-reactive layers.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of embossing also includes patterning an embossing plate to create an optical lens which is transferred via lamination into an outer layer of the card in register with an optically-matched printed mark in a lower layer to create a multilayer security feature.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of embossing also includes patterning an embossing plate to create a holographic pattern that is laminated into an outer layer of the card.