The object of the present invention is a method for decorating the edges of plastic cards whose shapes are convex polygons, especially regular polygons, with rounded corners, a plastic card whose edges and rounded corners are decorated using the said method, as well as a die for a hot stamping machine to be applied in the method concerned.
The object of the present invention is a method for decorating the edges of plastic cards, as well as the card produced using the method concerned, and dies for hot stamping machines applied in the method described by the present invention.
Plastic cards have been known since 1930s. For many decades they have been used as a product applied by the banking sector for cashless transactions. The popularization of manufacturing capacities and methods (printing on plastic, laminating, cutting), as well as the easiness of adapting cards to advanced electronic technologies, and the prestige of credit cards, have all contributed to the growing interest in the said product on other markets, in particular those that involve
At present plastic cards are made of PVC, PC or PET-G.
Methods for decorating the surfaces of plastic cards like credit or identity cards are well-known.
A method for decorating the edges of such cards together with their rounded corners as described in
The objective of the invention is to propose an improved method for decorating the edges of plastic cards.
The object of the present invention is a method for decorating the edges of plastic cards whose shapes are convex polygons, especially regular polygons, with rounded corners, characterised in that it covers a complete edge decorating cycle which includes:
The term of "basically opposite edges" used in the present description means the edges that do not have a shared corner. Preferably these are parallel edges, or edges that are possibly most remote from one another.
The consecutive cycles of decorating of the basically opposite edges are performed in such a way that all the edges and rounded corners are covered, and for cards with odd numbers of edges, at least one shortened cycle is to be performed to include the following:
Preferably, the card package is separated through blowing air only at the end of a complete or shortened cycle for decorating the edges.
Preferably, once the card package is placed in the cassette, the card package is clasped at two points at least.
Preferably, the width of foil is adjusted in such a way that the foil layers applied in consecutive cycles do not overlap or that their overlap is not more than 2 mm.
Preferably, the plastic card is rectangular with rounded corners, and in order to decorate its edges, two complete cycles of decorating the edges are performed.
The object of the present invention is also a card whose edges and rounded corners are decorated using the method described by the present invention.
In addition, the invention includes a die for the hot stamping machine to be applied within the method described by the present invention, which die includes an aluminium plate covered on the outside with silicone rubber which is intended for contact with the foil, and the section of the die corresponds to the shape of one edge and of precisely one rounded corner adjacent to the said edge.
Thanks to the application of the method described in the present invention, each of the rounded corners is covered only once. Thereby the risk of the foil peeling off or wrinkling on the rounded corners is reduced, and the consumption of the hot stamping foils is less wasteful.
Moreover, the method permits decorating the edges of cards with any shapes of convex polygons with rounded corners. In particular, where all angles of the particular polygon are the same, all edges and all corners may be decorated with the used on one die only.
Once the hot stamping foil is applied onto the surface of a card package, the cards remain "stuck together". This fact can be utilised to hold the card package while rotating, and to separate the cards only after at least two edges are decorated. Additionally, this reduces the number of stages within a cycle, as well as the consumption of compressed air.
The method proposed in the invention permits using one die with a given radius of curvature for cards/products with varied lengths of edges (cards with various sizes), as decorating is not limited to always two rounded corners and one edge.
The invention shall now be presented in an example performance which does not limit the scope of protection.
Two separate devices have been created for the manufacturing purposes: one used for colouring the long edge together with one corner, and the other used for colouring the short edge together with one corner.
The structure of both devices is very much like the structure of hot stamping machines - on pressing the button (pedal), the pneumatic actuator lowers the heating head. The heating head is made of aluminium and consists of a set of heaters that ensure that the required temperature is maintained.
The heating head has an attached die which is partially made up of aluminium (1), and partially of silicone rubber (2) whose toughness is 60 shore (fig. 1). The die's shape matches part of the edge and one of the adjacent rounded corners.
The heating plate is insulated from the actuator with textolite in order to reduce heat losses.
Then stages b) to g) are repeated. Once the package is taken out, individual cards are separated through blowing air from the side of the short edge.
A package of 50 cars is placed in a special cassette, with its shorter edge upwards.
Then stages b) to h) are performed just like in part one, and then stages b) to g). Once the package is taken out, individual cards are separated through blowing air from the side of the long edge.
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