3m Innovative Properties Company

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Bruce A Nerad

Andrew John Ouderkirk

Caroline M Ylitalo

Richard L Severance

George F Vesley

William J Hunt

Jennifer L Lee

Dong Wu

Brant Ulrick Kolb

William Ward Merrill

Timothy J Hebrink

James G Carlson

Yaoqi Joe Liu

Ronald K Thery

John Allen Wheatley

Michael F Weber

Carl A Stover

Robert L Brott

Robin Edgar Wright

Robert S Moshrefzadeh

Emily S Goenner

James D Carlson

Kanta Kumar

Michael J Robrecht

Terence D Neavin

Verna J LeMire

Elisa M Cross

Laurence R Gilbert

Michael R Kesti

Brian E Aufderheide

Kevin M Eliason

Brandon T Berg

David D Nguyen

John A Wheatley

Bruce H Koehler

Tony B Hollobaugh

Jessica L Voss-Kehl

Kelly M Roscoe

Jessica L Voss

Yaoqui Joe Liu

Richard L Rosenberg

Verna J Lemire

Ink jet technology is used to deposit an ink stabilizing agent at the time of ink deposition (printing), upon a substrate. The stabilizing agent and the ink mix on the substrate. The amount of stabilizing agent is varied based on the needs of the inks being printed.

Method for improving durability of ink jet printed ink

A radiation curable ink composition includes a first 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl compound. The first 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl compound is present in the radiation curable ink composition at a concentration above 0.5 wt %. A hindered amine group of the first 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl compound is substituted with only carbon or hydrogen and is a solid at 20 degrees centigrade and does not include carbon to carbon double bonds.

Radiation curable ink composition

Low viscosity, radiation curable fluid formulations that can be used advantageously as radiation curable, inks. The formulations are easily prepared for use in ink jet systems. The viscosity of the compositions is low enough so that conventional solvent is not required in order to satisfy the requisite low ink jet viscosity specifications. After curing, the compositions form durable, weatherable, abrasion resistant, printed images on a wide variety of porous and nonporous substrates. The formulations are very suitable for outdoor printing applications, especially for printing outdoor graphics onto a variety of surfaces, including vinyl or other polymer films commonly used for signage, retroreflective signage or other retroreflective items.

Weather resistant, ink jettable, radiation curable, fluid compositions particularly suitable for outdoor applications

The present invention provides touch panels and touch panel substrates that include spacer dots comprising a nanocomposite material. The present invention also provides methods of ink jet printing spacer dots for touch panel applications. The spacer dots and methods of making spacer dots can lead to spacers that have good durability, have controllable sizes, shapes, and spacings, and have desirable optical properties.

Touch panel spacer dots and methods of making

An ink set is disclosed that comprises a first ink composition containing a first colorant, and a second ink composition containing a second colorant, wherein the first colorant is different from the second colorant; wherein each ink composition, when printed at 100% fill on the same substrate, produces a color having a hue angle, h&#xb0;, and a lightness relative to that of the substrate, &#x394;L*, according to:=tan()&#x394;wherein n=1 or 2 for the first and second ink compositions, respectively; h&#xb0;and h&#xb0;differ from each other by no more than 15&#xb0;; and &#x394;L*&#x3e;&#x394;L*. An ink jet printing method that employs the ink set is also disclosed, as well as a printed image prepared with the ink set.

Ink set and ink jet recording method

Inkjet printing apparatus for use with radiation curable ink includes a sensor for sensing the amount of radiation emitted by a source of radiation. A controller is connected to the sensor and is operable to vary the amount of radiation emitted by the radiation source in accordance with a signal received from the sensor. A drive mechanism moves the source of radiation to a location laterally offset from the substrate where the sensor is positioned.

Method and apparatus for inkjet printing using radiation curable ink

Methods and apparatuses are provided for the manufacture of coextruded polymeric multilayer optical films. The multilayer optical films have an ordered arrangement of layers of two or more materials having particular layer thicknesses and a prescribed layer thickness gradient throughout the multilayer optical stack. The methods and apparatuses described allow improved control over individual layer thicknesses, layer thickness gradients, indices of refraction, interlayer adhesion, and surface characteristics of the optical films. The methods and apparatuses described are useful for making interference polarizers, mirrors, and colored films that are optically effective over diverse portions of the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared spectra.

Method for making coPEN/PMMA multilayer optical films

Described is a method of indirect printing on a thermoplastic film having texture, wherein said method comprises: a) providing a heated thermoplastic melt; b) providing a tool having a molding portion that comprises a texture having a surface and a plurality of cavities in said surface, and that comprises a material having a surface energy sufficient to release ink; c) applying ink to said texture; d) substantially drying or curing said ink; e) contacting said thermoplastic melt with said molding portion having ink applied to it; f) forming a texture in said thermoplastic melt, wherein said texture comprises a plurality of protrusions and an area between said protrusions, that is the inverse of the texture of said molding surface; g) transferring said ink from said molding portion to said thermoplastic melt; h) quenching said thermoplastic melt to form a thermoplastic film; and i) removing said thermoplastic film from said molding portion.

Continuous process for indirect printing of polymeric films having texture

A multilayered polymer film is formed with a stack of one or more first optical layers, one or more second optical layers, and one or more non-optical layers. These optical and non-optical layers are typically made using polymer materials, such as polyesters. In one embodiment, the non-optical layers are made from a polyester having a composition which corresponds to the average molar composition of the combination of all of the first and second optical layers. Using this formulation, scrap material from the manufacture of multilayered polymer films may be used to generate the non-optical layers in subsequent films. Alternatively, the non-optical layers of a multilayered polymer film are made using scrap material from prior-manufactured multilayered polymer films with the optional addition of other polymer material which may be either new or recycled.

Multilayered polymer films with recyclable or recycled layers

Inkjet printing apparatus includes a drum, a print head for directing radiation curable ink toward a substrate on the drum, and a curing device for directing radiation toward the ink that is received on the substrate. The curing device is selectively operable to direct radiation toward a certain portion of the ink received on the substrate only after that certain portion has moved with the substrate and the drum through an arc that is at least 360 degrees. In this manner, the ink on the substrate has sufficient time to spread and level and the resultant image is of high quality.

Rotatable drum inkjet printing apparatus for radiation curable ink

Compositions that incorporate relates to compositions that incorporate surface modified, nanometer sized, inorganic oxide particles into energy curable fluids. The surface modification aspect allows the compatibility between the particles and fluid to be controllably adjusted to achieve a wide range of rheological characteristics. For printing, preferred compositions have favorable dot gain and thickness build up. When the composition is cured, the presence of the particles also helps improve physical properties such as hardness, modulus, abrasion resistance, refractive index, and the like. The compositions are particularly well-suited for forming printed, radiation cured features on substrates such as paper, signs, walkways, roadways, motor vehicles, boats, aircraft, furniture, equipment, and the like.

Energy curable inks and other compositions incorporating surface modified, nanometer-sized particles

In a multilayer dielectric reflector, treating the surface of the reflector selectively increases the amount of light transmitted through the reflector. Various surface treatments can be used to permit light to transmit through the reflector that would otherwise be reflected by the reflector. In one such reflector, different portions of the surface have different coupling efficiencies for coupling light having a high propagation angle into the multilayer reflector. Those portions having higher coupling efficiencies on each side of the reflector have a higher degree of transmission.

Multilayer reflector with selective transmission

An optically responsive film that includes liquid crystal dispersed in a crosslinked polymer matrix that includes the reaction product of an isotropic polymerizable mixture that includes at least one vinyl ether.

Light modulating device having a vinyl ether-based matrix

An optically responsive film that includes liquid crystal dispersed in a polymer matrix that includes the reaction product of (1) one or more polymerizable matrix reactants other than an acid reactant and (2) at least one copolymerizable acid reactant.

Light modulating device having a matrix prepared from acid reactants

Growing community of inventors

Oakdale, MN, United States of America

Bruce A Nerad