METHOD FOR CUTTING AN INK STICKER IN A MULTILAYER STRUCTURE AND METHOD FOR PRINTING THE INK STICKER ONTO A SUBSTRATE
Method for cutting an ink sticker situated in a multilayer structure having an ink layer between a protective layer and an ink carrier layer. by positioning the multilayer structure to be cut in front of a femtosecond laser device with the protective layer facing said femtosecond laser device and kiss cutting the ink layer through the protective layer with a laser beam emitted by the femtosecond laser device in order to produce an ink sticker between the protective layer and the uncut ink carrier layer, with the possibility to cut, partially cut or leave intact the protective layer.
1 . A method for cutting an ink sticker in a multilayer structure having an ink layer between a protective layer and an ink carrier layer, comprising:
positioning the multilayer structure to be cut in front of a femtosecond pulsed laser device with the protective layer facing said femtosecond pulsed laser device; and
kiss cutting the ink layer through the protective layer by laser irradiation generated by the femtosecond pulsed laser device in order to produce an ink sticker between the protective layer and the uncut ink carrier layer.
2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the femtosecond pulsed laser device is configured to adapt parameters of the laser irradiation to predetermined characteristics of a cutting line.
3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the femtosecond pulsed laser device is configured to adjust laser parameters for cutting, partly cutting or uncutting the protective layer.
4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the femtosecond pulsed laser device comprises a laser source operating in femtosecond regime, at pre-defined scanning speeds having values between 100 and 5000 mm/s.
5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the ink of the ink layer is an acrylic ink.
6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least two ink stickers are cut in the multilayer structure ( 10 ), both ink stickers having different shapes one from the other.
7 . A method for printing an ink sticker onto a substrate, comprising:
cutting the ink sticker according to the method of any one of claims 1 to 6 ;
peeling off the uncut protective layer;
transferring the ink sticker from the ink carrier layer to a substrate; and
peeling off the ink carrier layer.
8 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein the transferring operation comprises placing the ink carrier layer so that the ink sticker faces the substrate.
9 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein the transferring operation comprises a thermal transfer with heated soft rollers.
10 . The method according to claim 7 , further comprising an operation of adding a protection sheet on the transferred ink sticker as a protection of said ink sticker.
11 . The method according to claim 7 , further comprising an operation of collating the ink sticker printed substrate with a printed sheet.