3m Innovative Properties Company

Dale L Ehnes

Alan B Campbell

Daniel S Wertz

Mark E Gardiner

Daniel H Carlson

James P Burke

Bryan V Hunt

John F Van Derlofske, Iii

Levent Biyikli

Patrick H Marushin

Mark R Dupre

Luis A Aguirre

Stephen J Dreyer

Todd M Johnson

Michael Alan Meis

Gary Timothy Boyd

Robert L Brott

Tri Dinh Pham

James N Dobbs

John C Nelson

David Jon Lundin

Jennifer L Trice

John S Huizinga

Gregory F King

Charles N DeVore

Luther E Erickson

Gary A Shreve

A fly-cutting system is disclosed, and in particular one that comprises a dynamically-controllable actuator for controlling the position, orientation, or both position and orientation of a cutting element carried by a fly-cutting head. In certain embodiments, the actuator can adjust the position or orientation of a cutting element, or both, hundreds or thousands of times per second, enabling precise control over the shape of features formed by the cutting element in a surface of a workpiece.

Fly-cutting head, system and method, and tooling and sheeting produced therewith

A light directing film includes a structured major surface with a plurality of microstructures extending along a first direction. Each microstructure has a first region and a second region different from the first region, a substantially constant height in the first region and a non-constant maximum height in the second region greater than the substantially constant height in the first region, and a same lateral cross sectional shape in the first region and the second region.

Light directing film and method for making the same

Methods of fly-cutting a workpiece are disclosed, and in methods in which the position of a fly-cutting head or its associated cutting element is known as a function of time. Also disclosed are methods of forming features, such as grooves or groove segments, in a workpiece such as a cylindrical roll. The features may be provided according to one or more disclosed patterns. Articles made using tools machined in the manner described are also provided, such as polymeric film or sheeting that exhibit certain beneficial properties.

Fly-cutting system and method, and related tooling articles

Methods and systems for forming a displacement scale comprising TIR prisms on a substrate are described. A system for forming the displacement scale includes one or more rollers having a pattern of total internal reflection (TIR) prism features in negative relief. As the rollers are rotated, the scale is formed on the substrate. The rollers may also include pattern features in negative relief. Rotation of the rollers simultaneously forms the displacement scale and the pattern features on the substrate. The TIR prism features of the displacement scale may be oriented to provide measurement of one or more of lateral displacement, longitudinal displacement and angular displacement.

Systems and methods for fabricating displacement scales

Fly-cutting system and method, and related tooling and articles

Optical films having anti-Moir&#xe9; and anti-wetout features are described, along with systems and methods for making these optical films. A master used to make optical films is formed using a single axis actuator cutting along a trajectory that is out of plane with the surface of the master. Movement of the cutting tool along the trajectory cuts grooves having variable depth and variable pitch into the surface. Prisms formed from the master have variable depth, variable height prisms that provide anti-wetout and anti-Moir&#xe9; features.

Optical film

Methods and systems for indicating the displacement of a flexible web are described. An elongated, flexible web includes an integral scale having scale features configured to modulate energy directed towards the web. A transport mechanism provides relative movement between the web relative to a transducer. The transducer detects energy modulated by the scale features and generates a signal indicting a continuous web displacement based on the modulated energy.

Systems and methods for indicating the position of a web

In one aspect, the invention provides a light control film having an indicium visible at a range of viewing angles. The light control film comprises a light input surface and a light output surface opposite the light input surface. The control film further comprises alternating transmissive and absorptive regions disposed between the light input surface and the light output surface. Each absorptive region has a height and a length, wherein the heights of the absorptive regions corresponding to the indicium are different that the heights of the absorptive regions that surround the absorptive regions corresponding to indicium.

Light control film with off-axis visible indicia

A backlight for a stereoscopic 3D liquid crystal display apparatus includes a light guide formed from a plurality of segments. Each segment has a first side and a second side opposite the first side, and a first surface extending between the first and second sides and a second surface opposite the first surface. The first surface substantially re-directs light and the second surface substantially transmits light. The plurality of segments are arranged substantially in parallel with the second surfaces transmitting light in substantially the same direction to provide backlighting for a stereoscopic 3D liquid crystal display. A light source is disposed along only one of the first side or second side of each segment for transmitting light into the light guide from either the first side or second side. Each segment light source is selectively turned on and off in a particular pattern.

Stereoscopic 3D liquid crystal display with segmented light guide

The disclosure is directed to a cutting tool assembly used for creating grooves in a microreplication tool. The cutting tool assembly includes a mounting structure and multiple diamonds aligned in the mounting structure to a tolerance of less than 10 microns. For example, first and second tool shanks having first and second diamond tips can be positioned in the mounting structure such that a cutting location of the first diamond tip is identical to a cutting location of the second diamond tip. However, the second diamond tip may be a defined distance further away from the mounting structure than the first diamond tip, or the second diamond tip may have a different shape than the first diamond tip. In this manner, the first diamond tip may cut a groove into a work piece and the second diamond tip may cut a sub-feature into the groove to create a multi-featured groove.

Aligned multi-diamond cutting tool assembly for creating microreplication tools

Growing community of inventors

Cotati, CA, United States of America

Dale L Ehnes