METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IMPRINTING A THREE-DIMENSIONAL DESIGN INTO A SYNTHETIC MATERIAL

• Main Author: SOMMERFELD TIMOTHY JAMES
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 01.12.2011
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; DECORATIVE ARTS; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; LAUNDERING; MOSAICS; PAPERHANGING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PRODUCING DECORATIVE EFFECTS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TARSIA WORK; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TEXTILES; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; WALL, FLOOR OR LIKE COVERING MATERIALS, e.g. LINOLEUM,OILCLOTH, ARTIFICIAL LEATHER, ROOFING FELT, CONSISTING OF AFIBROUS WEB COATED WITH A LAYER OF MACROMOLECULARMATERIAL; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

A method, product, and apparatus for imprinting a three-dimensional design into a textured surface of a synthetic material includes laser-ablating the design into the synthetic material and then imprinting the design. The design is laser-ablated into the textured surface of the synthetic material by vaporizing a portion of the material in an x-y shape of the design to a predetermined z-depth. The vaporized portions of the material form a design-shaped void that extends a prescribed distance into the textured surface of the synthetic material. In one implementation, the design is imprinted by inserting a tool in the design-shaped void of the laser-ablated design. The tool has a substantial conformance fit with the void, thereby forming a substantially distortion-free imprint of the design on the synthetic material.