Methods of manufacture and use of customized flexomaster patterns for flexographic printing

Manufacturing method and use method of customized flexible master pattern for flexographic printing

METHODS OF MANUFACTURE AND USE OF CUSTOMIZED FLEXOMASTER PATTERNS FOR FLEXOGRAPHIC PRINTING

[Cross reference of related applications]

This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/657,942 filed on June 11, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates to (but not limited to) a method for printing conductive patterns on flexible substrates; more specifically, the present invention relates to a method for producing high-precision (less than 50μm) flexographic printing masters for printing patterns. Version (flexographic master) method.

Flexographic printing is a form of rotary web letterpress printing, which combines the characteristics of letterpress printing and gravure rotary printing, using a relief plate composed of flexible rubber or photopolymer plates, and an anilox roller feeding Quick-drying low-viscosity solvent, water-based or UV curable ink. Traditionally, the flexible master pattern is generated by a bitmap pattern, in which a pixel in the bitmap image is related to a point of the flexible master. For example, the pixels arranged in a straight line in the bitmap image will become a continuous straight line on the flexible master. For traditional printing of graphic images, in order to make the printed image look good to the human eye, the printed line width or features may be very important. For flexographic printing or flexographic printing, a flexible plate with a relief image is usually wrapped around a cylinder, and the relief image is coated with ink, and then the ink is transferred to a suitable printable medium. In order to fit For various types of printing media, the flexographic printing plate can have a rubber-like or elastomeric nature, and its precise properties can be adjusted for each specific printable medium. Generally, flexographic printing plates can be prepared by exposing a UV-sensitive polymer layer through a photomask or other preparation techniques.

In one embodiment, a method for flexographic printing of a substrate includes: placing a flexible master on a roller, wherein the flexible master includes a pattern formed by a plurality of lines including at least one junction; using ink The pattern including the at least one joint is printed on a substrate to form a printed pattern, wherein the printed joint has a shape different from the at least one joint on the flexible master.

In one embodiment, a system for flexographic printing of a substrate includes: a printing plate cylinder, wherein an anilox roller transfers ink to a flexible master plate arranged on the printing plate cylinder, wherein The flexible master includes a pattern, the pattern includes a plurality of lines, and wherein at least one of the lines in the plurality of lines is a discontinuous line; and a substrate, wherein the flexible master uses the ink to The pattern is printed on the substrate, and the at least one discontinuous line is printed on the substrate with a continuous line.

In an alternative embodiment, a system for flexographically printing a micro pattern using a plurality of flexographic masters includes: a plurality of printing plate cylinders and a plurality of flexographic masters, a substrate; wherein the plurality of printing plates At least some of the cylinders are used to print a single pattern using at least one ink type from at least one ink source; wherein each of the plurality of flexographic masters is arranged in the plurality of printing plate cylinders Each of the at least some printing plate cylinders includes at least a portion of the single pattern; wherein each portion of the single pattern includes a plurality of lines; wherein at least one of the plurality of flexible masters includes Include at least A pattern formed by a plurality of lines of a junction, and wherein at least one of the lines in the plurality of lines is a discontinuous line; and wherein the at least one flexible master uses the ink to print the pattern on On the substrate, the printed junction point and the at least one junction point on the flexible master have different shapes, and the at least one discontinuous line is printed on the substrate as a continuous line.

<p>100Flexo Printing System</p><p>102Ink plate</p><p>104Ink roller</p><p>106Anilox roller</p><p>108Printing plate cylinder</p><p>110flexible master</p><p>112Imprint Cylinder</p><p>114Scraper</p><p>116Substrate</p><p>118Contact printing area</p><p>120Ink</p><p>122Ink transfer area</p><p>202Printing surface</p><p>204Angled side walls</p><p>Line 206</p><p>206aA line oriented in the transverse direction</p><p>206bA line oriented in the longitudinal direction</p><p>302Vertical</p><p>304Horizontal</p><p>Unit 402</p><p>404Too much ink</p><p>406Insufficient ink</p><p>502Sine type shape</p><p>504Cross pattern</p><p>506Intersection</p><p>508Ink additional part</p><p>510line</p><p>512line</p><p>Line 514</p><p>Line 602</p><p>Line 604</p><p>702Discontinuous patterned lines</p><p>704Pitch</p><p>Line 706</p><p>Line 902</p><p>1000flexible master</p><p>1002Volume expansion</p><p>1004High warp patterned thread</p><p>1006Short stylized thread</p><p>1008High characteristic arc</p><p>1010Low characteristic arc</p><p>1100Style design</p><p>1102Transition area</p><p>1104Small patterned thread</p><p>1106The Great Stylized Thread</p><p>1108Completely broken</p><p>1110Neck</p><p>1112Brick filling pattern</p><p>1114Cross fill pattern</p><p>1116dot pattern</p><p>1118Check pattern</p><p>1202Multiple lines</p><p>1204Multiple lines</p><p>1300Style</p><p>1302Horizontal angle</p><p>1304Continuous patterned thread</p><p>1306Longitudinal angle</p><p>1400Method</p><p>1501Expanded view</p><p>1502First flexible master joint</p><p>1503Expanded view</p><p>1504Solid intersection</p><p>1506Second flexible master joint</p><p>1508Knock out the intersection</p><p>1510First corner style</p><p>1512Solid corner</p><p>1514Second corner style</p><p>1516Knockout corner</p><p>1518First cross line style</p><p>1520Intersection</p><p>1522Second cross line pattern</p><p>1524Intersection</p><p>1526The first printed corner pattern</p><p>1528Overfilled printed corner</p><p>1530The second printed corner pattern</p><p>1532Small printed corners</p><p>1534Hollow part</p><p>H1Height</p><p>H2Height</p><p>T1Cross section</p><p>T2Cross section</p>

Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary flexible printing process capable of implementing embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an illustration of an expanded view of a cross section of a contact printing area.

Fig. 3 illustrates the transverse direction (T) and longitudinal direction (M) of a roll-type flexographic printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 4A to 4C illustrate cross-sectional views of the decomposition of the ink transfer area.

Figure 5 is an illustration of a substrate for flexographic printing with too much ink.

Figure 6 is an alternative illustration of a substrate for flexographic printing with too much ink.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of printing a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 is an illustration of a substrate for flexographic printing with insufficient ink.

Figure 9 is an illustration of the possible impact of excessive pressure between the flexible master and the substrate on printing.

Figure 10 is an illustration of the effect of flexographic expansion in a flexographic printing system.

FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary result of a flexible master pattern design having a junction point between a small feature and a large feature according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 12 illustrates a cross-sectional view and an isometric view of a flexible master pattern design with a transition area.

FIG. 13 illustrates a plurality of orientation ranges of a flexible master pattern according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a flowchart of a flexographic printing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an illustration of a plurality of flexo master pattern characteristics and the resulting printed pattern characteristics.

The present invention discloses a method for printing high-precision, continuous lines and patterns on a substrate using non-continuous patterns on a flexible master. The term "flexible master" as used herein can refer to a rubber or photopolymer block or sheet containing a pattern to be printed on a substrate. Generally, a flexible master is a "master-copy" or master with embossed or embossed shapes. In an alternative embodiment, the flexible master may include a convex shape of one of the patterns for printing on the substrate.

By engraving explanation or considering the physical characteristics of the flexible master material and the influence of different printing factors such as target speed, viscosity, pressure and ink volume of the anilox roller on the final printed pattern, a pattern that is modified The pattern is formed on the flexible master. The term "anilox roller" as used herein refers to a cylinder used to provide a measured amount of ink to a printing plate. In one embodiment, in order to form a flexible master, a pattern designed using any CAD software is converted into a label image format file (tiff file). Then load the file into a laser imaging system. In the laser imaging system, the pattern is ablated into the black resist material covering the UV transparent substrate. Next, a blank elastomer laminated photoresist (also known as "flexo board" or "flexo-blank") is exposed to UV light through the pattern of laser ablation. Where UV light interacts with the flexible board, the pattern is "recorded" in the laminated photoresist. Once the UV exposure is complete, the flexible board is developed, dried and cut. This can then be referred to as a flexible master (laminated elastomer photoresist, which carries a pattern on one side), and it can then be adhered to the printing plate cylinder. It should be understood that the terms "flexible board" and "flexible master" can be used interchangeably herein to mean A patterned flexible blank that is enough to print a pattern or a part of a pattern. Please note that this is one of the methods used to make flexible masters, but it is not the only method. Other methods include direct laser ablation of the pattern into a polymer substrate. Any of these patterning methods can be performed on a flat plate or on a patternable material pre-coated on a cylindrical sleeve. The patterned sleeve can be mounted on the cylinder simply by sliding the patterned sleeve over the end of the printing plate cylinder. The present invention does not depend on a specific method for making flexible masters, but focuses on methods for overcoming the inherent shortcomings of the physical properties of flexible materials, inks, substrates, and printing equipment. The ink as discussed herein may refer to a combination of liquid monomers, oligomers or polymers, metal elements, metal element complexes, or organometallic compounds that are discretely applied to the surface of a substrate.

For example, a wide solid line can be formed by making a pattern containing multiple thin lines or features on the flexible master. In some cases, the thus configured flexible master can avoid printing defects, such as uneven ink transfer within large features, for example greater than about 50μm, and large features or lines at the boundaries between small features or lines. Potential continuity issues. Uneven ink transfer is a term used to describe the ink deposition in an unintended manner to form an unintended pattern or part of the pattern, which is the opposite of uniform ink transfer in which the ink is deposited in the shape of the intended pattern. The term "uniform" as used herein is intended to distinguish the intended ink deposition on a substrate, as opposed to the unintended ink deposition on the substrate. The term "repeatable" is used herein to refer to the ability of the flexible master and the system and method using the flexible master (or the flexible masters) to reliably and stably print uniform patterns. Another aspect of the present invention provides a technique to print lines or features at different angles, and to adapt to changes in the line or feature pattern caused by the expansion of the flexible master in a timely and continuous operation. In addition, throughout the present invention, descriptions referring to lines should be interpreted to include any style that can be made with CAD drawings.

WO/2006/092817 titled "Embossing Roller, Embossing Device Including Said Roller And Paper Article Produced With Said Embossing Device", US20070181016 titled "Printing Machine", US20020170451 titled "Method Of Lithographic Printing", titled " US20070190452 of Flexographic Printing Plate Precursor And Imaging Method, US20100028815 titled "System And Method Employing Secondary Back Exposure Of Flexographic Plate", and titled "Method For Providing Or Correcting A Flexographic Printing Plate, Sleep, Or Precursor The disclosure content of US20090191333 of "Thereof" can be related to the disclosure content in this article, and is hereby incorporated by reference.

Flexographic printing is a form of rotary web letterpress printing in which a relief plate (for example) is mounted on a printing cylinder using double-sided adhesive. However, the conventional flexographic printer cannot stably print continuous and uniform fine lines with a width of less than 10 micrometers (μm). The flexographic printing process has certain commercially advantageous characteristics, such as ease of use and low cost. However, for commercial printing of high-precision patterns, this method and process may not be able to stably control the printed feature width, thickness, and pattern continuity due to conventional disadvantages. In some instances, the flexible substrate may be too flexible, so the thin line pattern is easily deformed, making it difficult to maintain the shape and continuity of the fine printed lines and patterns. In addition, the flexible substrate can absorb moisture and fluids, and is expandable. The expansion of the flexible substrate may cause differential distortions with features of different sizes, especially when these deformations are very close. In addition, different amounts of ink are printed depending on the style and proximity of various features. Therefore, a wide line pattern with an individual line or feature width greater than about 50 μm will not print a uniform ink layer within the full width of the pattern. Therefore, the industry needs high-precision flexographic printing patterns.

It can be used in combination with fast-drying, low-viscosity solvents and inks fed from an anilox roller or other double-roll inking system, which can also be referred to as a master or a flexible board. It should be understood that the master can be any roller that carries a predefined pattern used for printing on any substrate, and the anilox roller can be a cylinder used to provide a printing plate with ink for measurement. The ink may be, for example, a water-based or ultraviolet (UV) curable ink. In one example, the first roller transfers ink from an ink pan or metering system to a meter roller or anilox roller. When the ink is transferred from the anilox roller to the plate cylinder, the ink is metered to achieve a uniform thickness. When the substrate is moved from the plate cylinder to the imprinting cylinder through the reel type processing system, the imprinting cylinder applies pressure to the plate cylinder, thereby transferring the image on the embossed plate to the substrate. In some embodiments, there may be an inking roller instead of a plate cylinder, and a doctor blade can be used to improve the ink distribution on the roller.

The flexographic printing plate can be made of, for example, plastic, rubber, or photopolymers which can also be called UV-sensitive polymers. The term photopolymer as used herein refers to a polymer that is sensitive to light and changes its properties when exposed to light (usually in the ultraviolet spectrum). The plates can be made by laser engraving, photomechanical or photochemical methods. These boards can be purchased or manufactured according to any known method. Preferably, the flexographic printing process can be configured as a stack type, where one or more stacks of printing stations are arranged vertically on each side of the printer frame, and each stack has its own type of ink for printing The plate cylinder, and this setting allows printing on one or both sides of the substrate. In another embodiment, an intermediate stamping cylinder can be used, which uses a single stamping cylinder installed in the frame of the printer. As the substrate enters the printer, the substrate comes into contact with the impression cylinder, and the appropriate pattern is printed. Alternatively, an in-line flexographic printing process can be used, in which the printing station is arranged in a horizontal line and driven by a common drive shaft. In this example, the printing station may be coupled to a curing station, cutter, folding machine, or other post-printing processing equipment. Also available Other configurations of the flexographic printing process.

In one embodiment, a flexible plate sleeve can be used, for example, in an in-the-round (ITR) imaging process. In the ITR process, the photopolymer plate material is processed on a sleeve, where the sleeve will be loaded on the printing machine, and the plate can be mounted on a printing cylinder which can also be called a conventional plate cylinder The method discussed above is in contrast. The flexible sleeve may be a continuous sleeve of photopolymer with a laser ablation mask coating disposed on the surface. In another example, the individual photopolymer blocks can be mounted on the base sleeve using adhesive tape, and then the photopolymer blocks can be treated in the same manner as the sleeve with laser ablation mask discussed above. Perform imaging and processing. Flexible sleeves can be used in several ways, for example, as a carrier roll, which is used for an imaged flat plate mounted on the surface of the carrier roll, or as a sleeve surface, which has been directly (circumferentially) Engraved with images. In the case where the sleeve only serves as a carrier roller, a printing plate with an engraved image can be mounted on the sleeve, and then these sleeves can be assembled on the cylinder in the printing station. Since the sleeve can be stored in the state where the plate has been installed to the sleeve, the pre-installed plates can shorten the replacement time. The sleeve is made of various materials, including thermoplastic composites, thermoset composites, and nickel, and may or may not be reinforced with fibers to resist rupture and splitting. Will incorporate foam or cushion substrate (cushion The long-term reusable sleeve of base) is used for high-quality printing. In some embodiments, disposable "thin" sleeves without foams or cushions can be used.

The systems and methods disclosed herein utilize ink properties (such as viscosity) together with processing parameters and machine settings related to pressure, linear speed, component selection (ie, ink roller, anilox roller selection), and flexible master design Produce a microscopic uniform printed pattern, a phenomenon that can be called "dot gain" can cause the printed material to be larger or different than expected. In some cases, this is because the ink has a fuzzy appearance. The instructions are not even and complete Ground or evenly and completely print out the intended style during printing. The dot expansion can be attributed to a combination of factors, such as the contact pressure between the printing plate cylinder with the flexible master and the substrate, insufficient or excessive ink transfer, machine temperature at the transfer/contact area, ink viscosity, and ink composition. Therefore, the present invention takes advantage of this phenomenon in the design of flexographic masters. These flexographic masters may be able to print high-resolution patterns. As discussed above, the patterns may include lines with a width greater than 50 microns and less than one micron (sub-micron). Micrometer size) lines, and lines with a size between 1 micrometer and 50 micrometers. In some embodiments, these printed patterns can be further processed, which can be a costly process that helps to print patterns clearly and uniformly. In other embodiments, the printed pattern can be used as is or stored for potential further processing, so pattern stability can also be considered.

Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary flexible printing process that may be capable of implementing embodiments of the present invention. The flexographic printing system 100 can include an ink pan 102 or other ink source, an inking roller 104 or ink roller, an anilox roller 106 or a metering roller, a printing plate cylinder 108, an imprinting cylinder 112 or a NIP roller, and a device for moving In addition to the squeegee 114 with excessive ink, these items can be used to print the substrate 116 in a combined form. The ink roller 104 transfers the ink 120 from the ink pan 102 to the anilox roller 106. The anilox roller 106 can be constructed from a steel or aluminum core, where the core is coated with industrial ceramics with millions of very fine pits (referred to as cells) on the surface. Depending on the style configuration, ink type and viscosity, and other machine setting parameters, the anilox roller 106 may be selected to transfer a specific amount of ink 120.

In one embodiment, the doctor blade 114 can remove excess ink on the anilox roller 106, where the anilox roller measures the ink to achieve a uniform thickness on the printing plate cylinder. The flexible master 110 can be placed on the printing plate cylinder 108, where the printing plate cylinder is used to print a pattern on the substrate 116. An adhesive that can be used on at least one of the flexible master 110 and the printing plate cylinder 108, or the flexible master 110 can be placed by a mechanical member, a thermal member, a chemical member, or a combination thereof To/attach to the printing plate cylinder. In some embodiments, more than one printing plate cylinder 108 may be used to print a single pattern on the substrate. In this embodiment, a plurality of flexible masters 110 can be arranged, so that each printing plate cylinder 108 has a flexible master, and more than one composition and/or viscosity of the ink 120 can be used. In other embodiments, a plurality of flexible masters 110 may be used to print more than one pattern on the substrate 116, wherein the substrate may be further processed into individual fragments. It should be understood that printing can occur on one side of the substrate 116 or on both sides of the substrate 116, depending on the final application of the printed pattern. The substrate 116 can move between the plate cylinder 108 and the imprint cylinder 112. The imprint cylinder 112 can apply pressure to the plate cylinder 108, thereby transferring the image from the flexible master to the substrate with the ink 120. The rotation speed of the plate cylinder 108 can be synchronized to match the speed of the substrate 116 moving through the flexographic printing system 100, which may also be referred to as a roll-to-roll processing system. In some embodiments, the speed can vary between 20 feet/minute and 2600 feet/minute. The flexographic master can include any or all of the joints, discontinuous lines, or other flexographic features, and/or use at least a combination of flexographic features, ink viscosity, and machine pressure to be used in the flexographic printing process A method of depositing the ink only in the intended area on the substrate 116 (which may also be referred to as uniform printing or uniform pattern printing) without depositing the ink in the unintended area on the substrate 116. In an embodiment, the intended area on the substrate 116 may be referred to as a plurality of positions associated with the flexible master pattern 110.

In one embodiment, the plate cylinder 108 may be made of metal, and the surface of the plate cylinder may be plated with chromium for the purpose of improving wear resistance, for example. The substrate 116 may be a printable material, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high density polyethylene (HDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP), polyester, Polypropylene, foam sheet, paper, aluminum foil, other metal foil or thin glass. It should be understood that polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as used herein refers to a melt phase PET resin, such as reactor grade polyester or polyester flakes, which can be It is a polymer used in the production of polyester series products and used in engineering resins that are often combined with glass fibers. In some cases, PET or PET films are thermally stable and may or may not have adhesion promoting coatings. The polymer substrate as discussed herein for the substrate 116 may be an acrylate, which may be optically transparent. In one example, the substrate 116 may have a maximum thickness of about 0.50 mm.

FIG. 1 also illustrates that one of the plate cylinder 108, the imprint cylinder 112, the flexible master 110, the substrate 116, and the ink transfer area 122 may be included in the contact printing area 118. The ink transfer area 122 may include an anilox roller 106, a flexible master 110 and a printing plate cylinder 108. It should be appreciated that for embodiments using more than one printing plate cylinder 108, there may be more than one ink transfer area 122 and/or contact printing area 118.

Figure 2 is an illustration of an expanded view of a cross section of a contact printing area. The contact printing area 118 as discussed in FIG. 1 is the area where the flexible master 110 and the substrate 116 are in contact. The raised printing surface 202 containing the lines 206 of the pattern to be printed can be engraved on the flexible master 110 and can exhibit angled sidewalls 204. In an alternative embodiment (not drawn), the line 206 may be concave. While the plate cylinder 108 and the imprint cylinder 112 may be rotating synchronously, when the imprint cylinder 112 presses the substrate 116 against the printing surface 202, the ink 120 is transferred from the ink source to, for example, an anilox roller, Then it is transferred to the raised printing surface 202 and then transferred to the substrate 116. This contact printing area 118 is illustrated as an example of a preferred embodiment, in which the ink 120 is extracted by the convex pattern line 206 and transferred to the substrate 116 in a clean, precise, uniform and repeatable manner, and can be combined with (for example) Figure 4A contrasts with Figure 4C.

<b>Flexible master style orientation:</b>Fig. 3 illustrates the transverse direction (T) and longitudinal direction (M) of a roll-type flexographic printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In some embodiments, the invention relates to A flexible master pattern oriented relative to the direction of rotation of the plate cylinder 108. Figure 3 shows lines 206a oriented in the transverse direction 304 (T) and lines 206b oriented in the longitudinal direction 302 (M) on the flexible master 110. It should be understood that the lines 206a and 206b represent a plurality of lines forming a pattern or patterns, where the pattern(s) can ultimately be used as conductive patterns for applications including (but not limited to) touch screens and RF antenna applications , And the discussion of lines in a particular direction represents the style in the same direction. In a flexible master 110 with lines 206a oriented in the transverse direction 304, all of the ink 120 can be transferred as a result of the discrete impact of the printing surface 202 when the printing surface 202 is in contact with the substrate 116. In a flexible master 110 with a line 206b oriented in the longitudinal direction 304, as the plate cylinder 108 rotates, the printing surface 202 can preferably continuously contact the substrate 116, and the ink 120 can be transferred to the substrate 116 over the length of the line 206b. It should be understood that the ink 120 includes one or more small droplets attached to the printing surface 202 of the line 206a or 206b on the flexible master 110.

<b>Ink transfer volume:</b>Figures 4A to 4C illustrate cross-sectional views of the decomposition of the ink transfer area. 4A to 4C show the ink transfer from the anilox roller 106 to the flexible master 110 in the ink transfer area 122 as shown in FIG. 1. In one embodiment, the anilox roller 106 may have some control over the amount of ink 120 transferred based on the unit size of the anilox roller 106, that is, units 402 of different sizes transfer different amounts of ink to the flexible Master 110. In FIG. 4A, when the insufficient amount of ink 120 is transferred from the anilox roller 106 to the line 206 on the flexible master 110, the ink 120 transferred to the line 206 and/or the printing surface 202 may not be enough to form a uniform ink. Dimensionally intact style. As used herein, a dimensionally intact or dimensionally correct pattern refers to the uniform pattern of the printing discussed above, in which the ink is only deposited in the intended position and not deposited on Unintended position. This style can be made according to a predetermined set of customer specifications, internal specifications, regulatory requirements, or a combination thereof. This can also be called a uniformly printed Style or uniform style.

The transfer of insufficient ink as illustrated in Figure 4A may result in insufficient pattern printing, which may result in scrapping and/or inability to further process the printed pattern and/or unusable intermediate products or final products including the printed pattern. product. By controlling and changing the printing factors as discussed herein, the flexible master 110 design described herein can be used to achieve the desired width of the printed lines or features. The printing factors that can be changed include printing speed, pressure, ink viscosity and (anilox roller) transferred ink volume. As discussed herein, some properties of the ink, such as viscosity and volume, can be utilized by the design and design direction of the flexible master 110 to use properties such as bleeding to form a complete and uniform pattern.

Conversely, as shown in FIG. 4C, if the amount of ink 120 transferred to the line 206 on the flexible master 110 is too large to be contained only on the printing surface 202, the excessive ink 404 may spread out and adhere to the immediate vicinity A portion of the angled side wall 204 of the printing surface 202 of the line 206. It should be understood that this can be a problem because if the ink is unintentionally squeezed onto the side wall 204, it can mean that the pattern is not uniformly printed on the substrate 106. In addition, if one or more lines 206 from the pattern on the flexible master 110 have too much ink 404 at least in the sidewall position, this may cause problems as the printing process continues, resulting in agglomeration and/or failure of the flexible master to hold The correct amount of ink. In the embodiment discussed in FIG. 9 below, excessive pressure can be used to generate two separate printed lines from one flexible master line 206. And finally, FIG. 4B depicts a preferred embodiment of ink transfer from the anilox roller 106 to the flexible master 110 as the ink 120 is completely and uniformly transferred to the substrate 106.

Figure 5 is an illustration of a substrate for flexographic printing with too much ink. Figure 5 illustrates results such as those that can be caused by the excessive ink 404 described in Figure 4A. Just like not Foot ink is used in this paper to describe the pattern at least partly due to the amount of ink transferred and is not uniform (the ink is printed in the pattern in an unintended area/position, or the ink is missing in the intended position one by one That is, there are gaps or other positions where ink is lacking) and/or the terms of printing correctly. Too much ink is the term used in this article to describe the opposite problem, that is, the pattern is shifted to a pattern size and/or that is required for printing. Geometric shapes require more ink and are not printed uniformly. The representative line 206 in the longitudinal direction 302 (M) and the line 510 in the transverse direction 304 (T) can form a cross pattern 504 on the flexible master 110. When the vertical 302 line 206 is printed at the contact point between the flexible master 110 and the substrate 116, the ink 120 still on the flexible master 110 can contact the substrate 116 and (potentially contact) the ink 120 has been transferred to the substrate Part 116 of both. If there is too much ink 404 at this contact point, the ink 120 may be pushed forward as the lines 206 in the longitudinal direction 302 and the lateral direction 304 continue to rotate in contact with the substrate 116.

This excess ink 404 can be spread out into the extra width of the printed line, thereby continuously making the edges of the printed line appear to have a sinusoidal shape 502 (that is, it can look like beads on a necklace), or ink 404 It may accumulate in the cross pattern 504 or at similar junctions as discussed below. At this point, the entire amount of excess ink 404 may be deposited at the same time, resulting in excess ink at intersection 506. Alternatively, or in addition to this problem, the length of the printed line 206 may also be extended, resulting in an ink addition portion 508 after the end of the line 206 in the longitudinal direction 302 (M). In addition, too much ink 404 can lead to printed lines such as lines 512 that may not have 508 shapes, but may be significantly wider than the designed and printed patterned lines 510 (ie, do not meet the specifications to be applied)Line of. In one embodiment, the amount of these lines wider than the flexible master line 510 may be as much as 10 times the line width of the patterned line 510 on the flexible master 110, and since the flexible master 110 is designed to produce With a width tolerance of 10X or +/-5X Some sizes of wires, therefore, these wires may not be desirable. It should be understood that in addition to the width issue, the length and height of the printed pattern may also be adversely affected by the issues discussed above.

Figure 6 is an illustration of a substrate for flexographic printing with too much ink. As used herein, the term "too much ink" is used to describe when more ink is transferred from the ink source to the anilox roller, and/or from the anilox roller to the printing plate cylinder 108 than the ink required for the printing pattern. , And/or transfer from the printing plate cylinder 108 to the substrate 116. Excess ink 404 on one or more of the flexographic master lines 604 may merge to form bridge-like features when printed, which may completely obscure the original intended patterned line 604. That is, the two printed lines 602 printed by the two separation lines 604 on the flexible master may become distorted and/or partially merged together as shown at 602, which may not produce the desired uniform warp The printing style, and may cause the product to be scrapped. In some embodiments, scrapping has cost, labor, and environmental impacts, which further deepens the need to be able to print uniform patterns, where the ink can be repeatedly deposited only on the intended area on a high-resolution line and not on the non- The area of desire. Since the flexible master is designed to print a line pattern with a specific width, length, height, and the characteristic size of the joint point of each line or set of lines, it should be understood that there is no need to have the lines depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6 Any uncontrolled effect. On the contrary, for example, by using the system and method disclosed in this article, a clear and uniform pattern can be printed stably and repeatedly to achieve cost-effective manufacturing and final product reliability as well as intermediate post-printing processing. It should be understood that, in some embodiments, because the printed pattern may be further cleaned, plated, cured, or otherwise processed as discussed further in Figure 14, poorly printed patterns may cause even greater downstream processing. Impact.

Therefore, in order to help reduce at least the effect shown in Figure 6, use as shown in Figure 7 The non-continuous patterned line 702 (dotted or dashed, or gap in the line) shown and discussed in detail below may be better, rather than using a continuous pattern with an angle nearly parallel to the longitudinal direction 302 (M) Change the thread 604 to make the thread 206. In some embodiments, it may also be necessary to take advantage of the effect shown in FIG. 6 to use the combination of printing parameters, ink properties, and flexible master design as discussed above to generate lines in a controlled manner, thereby using the flexible master Two or more lines 206 or features on 110 are used to form a single line or feature on substrate 116. In this embodiment, the two or more lines used may have the same size, similar size, or different height, width, length, and shape of the two or more lines on the flexible master 110. Size or combination of these.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of printing a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printed example line 706 is produced by a non-continuous patterned line 702 on the flexible master 110. The non-continuous (or discontinuous) patterned line 702 as discussed herein may include a plurality of uniform or non-uniform segments along a single direction or (undrawn) along more than one direction. Uniform sections are sections with approximately the same length, width, and height dimensions or other dimensions, while non-uniform sections may have different sizes, and discontinuous lines 702 may include some that are uniform with respect to each other but may be different with respect to other sections. Section. In one embodiment, the discontinuous line 702 includes only uniform sections, and in an alternative embodiment, the discontinuous line 702 includes only non-uniform sections, and in another embodiment, the discontinuous line 702 may include A combination of segments, some of the segments have at least one of the same or similar height, width, and length. From the top view, the line section (also referred to as segment) of the line 702 can be a rectangle, a square, a circle, a polygon, or a combination of these shapes suitable for printing one or more lines. Splitting the continuous line on the flexible master 110 into multiple segments as shown in the discontinuous line 702 can alleviate the excessive ink as described in FIGS. 5 and 6 Sine printing problem caused by 404. By placing a gap 704 between the segments of the non-continuous patterned lines 702 on the flexible master 110, continuous features or lines 706 can actually be printed when the ink 120 is merged together on the substrate 116.

In contrast to the accidental merger shown in FIG. 6, the merger in FIG. 7 can be controlled by the flexible master design and by the ink and machine setting factors/properties discussed above to form part of the pattern. The spacing 704 required for the line 206 or other features including more than one line 206 or the transition between one or more lines 206 may vary depending on printing factors such as printing speed, viscosity of ink 120, flexibility The pressure between the master 110 and the substrate 116, the amount of ink 120 transferred to the flexible master 110 by the anilox roller 106, and the surface energy of the substrate 116. The proper pitch 704 can be determined by selecting a specific combination of one of the above-mentioned printing factors such as ink viscosity, final pattern size, pressure, etc., and printing lines oriented 304 laterally. The actual width of the wide printed line 512 will define the maximum spacing 704 when compared with the width of the style line 510. The spacing 704 can be used to define the requirements and adjustments of the original style design to make the lines 206 on the flexible master 110. In another embodiment, the high-precision flexible master used to make the printed electronic pattern includes lines printed in the longitudinal direction, wherein the lines are non-continuous patterns. In this embodiment, if a 10μm wide line on the flexible master prints a 40μm wide line (30μm wider than the original patterned line) on the substrate 116, then the pattern on the flexible master The pitch can be made such that there is a gap of less than 30 μm between each line segment in order to obtain a continuous printed line. During the printing process, too much ink merges together on the substrate so that the gap is closed and a continuous printed line 706 is provided.

Figure 8 is an illustration of a substrate for flexographic printing with insufficient ink. Figure 8 is shown to illustrate what type of all the ink can be transferred from the insufficient ink 406 during any part of the transfer process. The line of printing. As discussed above, the insufficient ink 406 can be produced by several factors including the design of the flex master, especially under the following conditions: the flex master 110 has ink on the sidewall 204 as discussed in FIG. 4C, Or the flexible master 110 does not have a uniform height on the pattern surface, that is, the lines or features of the pattern have varying heights, so that all the pattern lines are not sufficiently covered with ink before printing. If the insufficient ink 406 on the printing surface 202 of the line 206 is transferred to the substrate 116, a non-continuous printed line 514 can be formed. In addition, the amount of pressure applied in order to push the flexible master 110 to contact the substrate 116 may affect the amount of ink 120 transferred from the line 206 on the flexible master 110, and therefore may also affect the formation of the ink 120 transferred to the substrate 116. Printed style. In some embodiments, the combination of insufficient ink 406 and slight pressure may cause the printed line width to most closely match the pattern on the flexible master 110. However, there may be irregularities in the top surface of the flexible master 110, which may cause gaps or breaks in the printed pattern.

<b>Pressure changes:</b>Figure 9 is an illustration of the effect that excessive pressure between the flexible master and the substrate may have on printing. In this example, the use of ink 120 under conditions of increased pressure between the substrate and the flex master, which can be caused by, for example, an impression roller, will result in a line whose overall combined width is significantly wider than the original line 206 on the flex master 110 902 printed style. As discussed above, because the flexible master 110 can be designed to print a pattern of lines with specific size tolerances, wider lines may not be desirable. In FIG. 9, the pattern to be printed is a continuous line 206 in the longitudinal direction 302 (M). However, when the flexible master 110 is pushed to contact the substrate 116 with excessive pressure, all the ink 120 is squeezed onto the angled sidewall 204 of the line 206. The pattern printed since the printing operation is basically two different printed lines 902 separated by an interval roughly corresponding to the width of the printed surface 202 of the line 206 on the flexible master 110. In order to achieve the desired line 206 or The characteristic width, in the printed pattern, can use a precise combination of the amount of ink 120 and the pressure. In some embodiments, the flexographic master design as discussed herein can print patterns with line widths exceeding 50 microns or more, and in other embodiments, the flexographic master design can print patterns that include line widths less than one micron ( In an alternative embodiment, the line width can be between 1 micrometer and 50 micrometers.

<b>Expansion:</b>Figure 10 is an illustration of the effect of flexographic expansion in a flexographic printing system. Figure 10 shows how the expansion of the flexible master 1000 affects the feature height and printing performance. FIG. 10 illustrates an example of the volume expansion 1002 of the high patterned line 1004 on the flexible master 110, and more specifically, it is shown as a bulge compared to the angled sidewall 204. FIG. The flexible master 110 can have high elasticity and can absorb moisture from high humidity and contact fluids such as inks, adhesives, and other machine fluids. As a result of this absorption, the volume of the flexible master 110 expands, resulting in deformation of the printed features, including changes in the length, width, height, and shape of the printed features, and the height of various features depending on the volume cross-section Difference. In general, the tall styled line 1004 exhibits a height (H1) that is higher than the height (H2) of the short styled line 1006. The ink 120 on the tall patterned line 1004 rotates along the high characteristic arc 1008, and the ink 120 on the low patterned line 1006 rotates along the low characteristic arc 1010. In this scenario, due to the height difference between 1008 and 1010, most, if not all, of the ink 120 from the short patterned line 1006 may not be properly transferred to the substrate 116 during the printing process. And the desired uniform pattern cannot be printed on the substrate 116. The height difference of various features in the flexible master 110 can be caused by whether there is a quality difference at a given point/part of one of the lines 206. In this situation, the thread 206 can expand due to moisture absorption, and the tall patterned thread 1004 can expand more than the short patterned thread 1006 because of the higher density and the higher patterned thread 1006. There is a larger material under line 1004 Material volume. In the method disclosed herein, swelling can be solved by both flexible master design and ink selection, machine parameter selection, and machine component selection (for example, regarding anilox rolls).

FIG. 11 is an illustration of an embodiment of a styled line design with a line filling style. The line filling pattern is used to describe that one or more pattern lines on the flexible master 110 have been textured as discussed below and are displayed in the exploded view in order to obtain an effect to assist pattern printing uniformity and promote ink deposition as desired The term for one or more textures that are not deposited at an unintended location. When the pattern is printed by the print design 1100 on, for example, the flexible master 110 as discussed above, there may be different line widths, which may need to be at the intersection (joining point) (at 90 degrees or another angle) ), or in a corner, or in another transition area and/or connected to each other using transition geometry. In an embodiment, it may be necessary to make these connected areas/transition areas formed on the flexible master, without creating a potential height difference between the lines that may cause the pattern continuity problem as discussed above in FIG. 10. For example, when a set of printed lines generated by a plurality of tall patterned lines 1004 must be connected to a set of printed lines generated by a plurality of short patterned lines 1006, the height difference may cause One printing problem. The tall styled line 1004 can expand more than the short styled line 1006 and become taller than the short styled line 1006. When this happens, it may be due to the height difference between the two sets of lines or features, and the printed pattern appears at the point where the short stylized line 1006 connects to the higher feature (or wider) line A gap. In some cases, a wider line or feature can be replaced with a plurality of smaller lines or features that have almost the same width as the smaller line or feature that needs to be connected, so that various printing problems can be minimized. If no adjustment is made in the printing pattern, the transition area 1102 connecting the small patterned line 1104 and the large patterned line 1106 can have a complete break 1108 in the printed pattern, or at the junction of the feature /Intersections/Transitions with smaller lines or features Reduction of the printed width (or necking 1110).

In one embodiment, when printing a very large patterned line 1106 with a line width greater than 50 μm, there may be a problem in the uniformity of the printed ink 120. The ink 120 may tend to try to form spheres (or beads) depending on the surface energy of the flexible material due to the surface tension of the ink 120. This can result in non-uniform distribution (both thickness and area) of the ink 120 on the surface of the large patterned line 1106 of the flexible master 110 before and after printing on the substrate 116. This can produce a non-uniform ink distribution of the printed ink 120 on the substrate 116 in terms of both thickness and area.

Such non-uniformity of the ink 120 may cause problems with the conductivity or resistivity of the printed conductive pattern, and/or may affect the further processing of the printed pattern. Explain the various filling styles that 1112, 1114, and 1116 are lines. In order to clarify the filling styles of 1114 and 1116, Figure 11 contains an exploded view of those styles and checkered pattern 1118. In contrast to the flexible master pattern containing a plurality of lines as discussed above, the fill pattern is a term used to describe the pattern on some of the lines of the pattern that can be located on the flexible master, where the flexible master is Designed to print lines with different widths on the substrate. That is, one, some or all of the lines on the flexible master can be patterned in various combinations as shown in 1112, 1114, and 1116, so that the printed ink pattern is sufficiently (in size) and uniform Ground (consistent between styles) fill. The examples of style filling in 1112, 1114, and 1116 are illustrative, and depending on the application, other filling styles and combinations of filling styles are possible.

In one embodiment, by printing multiple thin lines, a brick-like filling pattern 1112 grid composed of thin lines with multiple interconnected structures can be formed to achieve the equivalent of a single large patterned line 1106. Or change the pattern of the large patterned line 1106 on the flexible master 110 The pattern of the surface is used to more evenly transfer the ink 120 to the printed substrate 116 to solve non-uniform printing. The exploded views of 1116 and 1114 are provided for illustration. It should be understood that the features of the filling patterns in 1116, 1114, 1112 and 1118 can be oriented as shown, or oriented at 45°, 90°, 180° or suitable for flexible mothers Other angles of version design. In another embodiment, a single large conductive pattern line 1106 with a width of up to 500μm can be printed by using a brick-like filling pattern 1112 with a width of 20μm, where the gap is about 20μm (the actual gap value will be determined as described previously ). Similarly, various filling styles can be used for the large styled line 1106, such as a cross-style filling pattern 1114 or a dot-like pattern 1116 instead of a thin line 1112. The actual size, shape, and spacing values of these filling patterns will be determined based on the values obtained from the printing test using the selected set of printing factors. In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of flexible masters 110 may be disposed on a plurality of printing plate cylinders 108, and each flexible master 110 may be used to print a part of a single pattern. In that embodiment, the same ink 120 can be used for each part of the pattern, and more than one ink 120 with different compositions or viscosities can be used to print the pattern. It should be understood that although 50 μm wide or larger lines are discussed above, the filling pattern may be used for lines smaller than 50 μm, in which case, for example, the brick filling pattern may have a size smaller than 20 μm.

Figure 12 illustrates a cross-sectional view and an isometric view of a flexible master pattern design with a transition area. Figure 12 shows an isometric depiction of a flexible master pattern design 1100 on a flexible master 110 (not shown). The cross section of the feature on the flexible master 110 is also shown. The section T1 includes a plurality of lines 1202, and the section T2 includes a plurality of lines 1204. In an embodiment, the plurality of lines 1201 in the section T1 may, for example, be smaller in width and/or height than the plurality of lines 1202 in the section T2. Cross-sections T1 and T2 represent the height difference caused when the photopolymer under the feature is cross-linked and shrunk during the UV exposure (patterning) step discussed above in relation to the manufacture of the flexible master. In one implementation In the example, the larger the volume of the photopolymer represented by T2 and 1204, the larger the shrinkage due to the cross-linking of the polymer. Therefore, the large patterned line 1106 has a cross section T2 1204 that is shorter than the cross section T1 1202 of the small patterned line 1104. In other words, the wider lines on the flexible master may have a shorter height than the thinner lines on the same flexible master.

FIG. 13 illustrates a plurality of orientation ranges of a flexible master pattern according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 shows a pattern 1300 of the line 206 drawn according to the orientation angle of the printed line on the flexible master 110. A CAD file is generated by a specific pattern, and then this CAD is converted into a bitmap file, and the bitmap file will be converted into a patterned flexible master 110. Must be based on the horizontal 304 (T) or vertical 302 (M) to make the pattern of the pattern. If the drawing from the CAD file is for the landscape (T) pattern, the continuous patterned line 1304 is better because it allows printing factors such as printing speed, ink 120 viscosity, pressure, and amount of ink 120 Carry out improved control. If the drawing from the CAD file is for the vertical (M) pattern, the non-continuous patterned line 702 is preferable. It should be understood that the printing result can vary based on ink viscosity, surface energy of the substrate (both natural and induced by corona discharge), component temperature, and the size/volume of the anilox roller used. In one example, an anilox roller with a volume of less than 1 BCM (billion cubic microns per square inch) may have a dot expansion that is small enough not to significantly change the size of the printed features, because as it moves from the anilox roller The reduction in the amount of ink to the flexible board will promote the formation of deformed or incomplete features with less ink. However, if the size of the printed pattern is small enough, it can even be The ink transfer of BCM or smaller anilox rolls can also present a problem and an opportunity to use discontinuous lines. However, in most cases, discontinuous lines on the flexible master used to print continuous lines and features can be used for larger line widths.

In addition, the directional printing angle may have certain characteristics that can limit its angle. as well as That is, the directional printing angle ranging between 0° and 45° and between 135° and 180° can be regarded as a transverse angle because it is closer to the transverse direction 304(T) (0° and 180°) 1302, therefore, a continuous patterned line 1304 is better. Conversely, the directional printing angle between 45° and 135° is regarded as the longitudinal angle (machine angle) 1306, so a non-continuous patterned line 702 can be used. Therefore, although the horizontal direction 304 is described as being substantially vertical or nearly vertical to the vertical direction 302 in the above figure, the term "horizontal" 302 as used herein is not the same as the "longitudinal" 304, but is not the same as the vertical 304 direction of intersection. It should be understood that although the longitudinal direction 304 and the transverse direction 302 are illustrated in the various figures above, the directions indicated in these drawings are only illustrative, and the determination of the range and angle of the line in the two directions may include such as Ink viscosity, machine pressure, and design considerations as well as other factors such as machine speed. In an embodiment, the printing plate cylinder rotates in a first direction, and a part of the plurality of lines is oriented within a first predetermined range in the first direction. In this embodiment, a part of the plurality of lines is oriented at an angle outside the first predetermined range in the first direction, wherein the plurality of lines within the first predetermined range are discontinuous lines; and the lines outside the first predetermined range The plural lines are continuous lines.

Fig. 14 is a flowchart of a flexographic printing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the method 1400, a flexographic printing system such as the system 100 as discussed in FIG. 1 is set in block 1402. The machine setting at block 1402 may include placing ink in the ink tray 102 or other ink sources at block 1401, selecting at least one anilox roller 106 at block 1406, and placing the flexible master 110 at block 1408 It is placed on the printing plate cylinder 108, and the substrate 116 is placed in the system 100. The substrate 116 may be a printable material, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP), polyester, Polypropylene, foam sheet, paper, aluminum foil, other metal foil or thin glass.

In some embodiments, more than one ink type may be used, so more than one ink source 102 may be present. In some embodiments, a plurality of anilox rollers 106 and printing plate cylinders 108 may be used in method 1400. In these embodiments, the plurality of printing plate cylinders 108 may each have a flexible master 110 disposed thereon at block 1408, where each flexible master 110 includes a different part of a single pattern. These different parts can include varying line widths, transition geometries, and can use the same ink or different types of inks. At block 1412, the flexographic printing system 100 is ready for use. At block 1414, the substrate 116 placed in the system 100 at block 1410 can be cleaned using water washing, a web cleaner, or other cleaning methods. At block 1416, at least one flexible master 110 placed on at least one printing plate cylinder 108 at block 1408 is used to print the substrate 116. In some embodiments, the substrate 116 as discussed above may be printed on a single side, and in some embodiments, the substrate 116 may be printed on both sides. Double-sided printing can be achieved by using a single flexible master 110 placed on a single printing plate cylinder 108, or by using a plurality of flexible masters 110 of a plurality of printing plate cylinders 108, and can use suitable The same ink or multiple inks used in the application are printed on each side in the same way or in different ways. As discussed above, at least in part to take advantage of the inherent properties of ink due to its viscosity, composition, temperature sensitivity, pressure sensitivity, and other system factors, at least one flexible master 110 used for printing patterns may include at least one A continuous line, a joint shape smaller than the shape of the joint being printed, a single line printed with two lines, or at least two lines used to print a single line. In block 1418, the printed substrate from block 1416 can be further processed. It should be understood that further processing may include curing, plating, electroless plating, coating, trimming, cutting, packaging, and/or further assembly.

Figure 15 is an illustration of a plurality of flexo master pattern features and the resulting printed pattern features. Figure 15 shows four patterns from the flexible master 110 (not shown) on the base The printed result on the board 116. The pattern on the flexible master 110 is drawn above the printed result on the substrate 116. The printed patterns are: (1) a first flexible master junction 1502 with a solid intersection 1504, (2) a second flexible master junction 1506 with a hollowed-out intersection 1508 compared to the solid intersection 1504 (see decomposition Figure 1501), (3) a first corner pattern 1510 with a solid corner 1512, and (4) a second corner pattern 1514 with a hollow corner 1516 that can also be called a rounded corner compared to the solid corner 1512. It should be understood that the term "turn angle" as used herein can be used to describe a corner formed by one or more lines with any angle.

It should be understood that although two intersecting lines and a corner are illustrated in FIG. 15, depending on the embodiment, two or more lines may form a junction, and the flexible master pattern shown in FIG. 15 is partly derived from For illustrative purposes, it is compared with the printed pattern, and is not actually located on the substrate 116. Compared with the solid intersection 1504, it best describes the hollow intersection 1508 on the flexible master, because the solid intersection 1504 can be the intersection of two or more lines at any angle, and the size of each intersection line remains in the solid In the size of intersection 1504. It should be understood that the expanded view 1501 of features 1504 and 1508 is shaded for illustrative purposes to illustrate that the dimensions of each intersecting line are not preserved at the cut-out intersection 1508, and instead, a portion of the line is cut to The resulting hollow part 1508 can also be described as a hollow void (hollow void). It should be understood that flexible masters can be manufactured to have this feature, and the term "cut off" refers to the features of the flexible master compared to the printed features. It should also be understood that the flexible master can be manufactured as discussed above, and then further processed to thermally and/or mechanically change the feature size in order to print corresponding features within certain size ranges.

It should be understood that the expanded view 1503 of the intersection features 1504 and 1508 is shaded for illustrative purposes to illustrate the hollow portion 1534, and although FIG. 15 illustrates that it is located at two There are four hollows 1534 at the intersection of the lines, but two or more lines can cross, and depending on factors such as ink viscosity, machine speed, pressure, and pattern size, the intersection may include one or more hollows 1534. In some embodiments, if there is more than one hollow portion 1534, the hollow portion 1534 may have a uniform size, and in other embodiments, the hollow portions may have different sizes. The intersection of two or more lines may be called a junction or an intersection, or a set of rounded corners or hollow portions 1534.

Printing the first flexible master junction 1502 with a solid intersection 1504 results in a printed first cross-line pattern 1518 that has a large/overfilled printed intersection 1520 at the intersection of the cross-line. The term "overfilled" is used to reflect that the printed feature is not printed in a size specified for a specific one or more features and/or overall style. Printing a second flexible master junction 1506 with a hollowed-out intersection 1508 results in a printed second cross-line pattern 1522 that has a printed smaller at the intersection of the intersection than the larger intersection 1520 discussed below Intersection 1524. In one embodiment, the small printed intersection 1524 is printed as a plurality of predetermined sizes that can be associated with a specific application. Therefore, although it can be called a "small" printed intersection 1524, the printed size is only smaller than the large printed intersection 1520, where the large printed intersection 1520 is not cut. Printed in the case of empty intersection 1508 with rounded corners 1534. This difference can also be explained by observing that the shape/geometry of the cut-out intersection 1508 at or near the intersection is different from the corresponding position on the smaller printed intersection 1524 in the preferred embodiment.

Printing the first flexographic corner pattern 1510 with solid corners 1512 results in a first printed corner pattern 1526 that has a large/overfilled printed corner 1528 at the corner of the angled line. Printing a second flexible master corner pattern 1514 with a hollowed-out corner 1516 results in a second printed corner pattern 1530, which has a small printed rotation at the corner of the angled line Horn 1532. Therefore, in one embodiment, if it is necessary to control the movement of the ink relative to the printed junctions or intersections of two or more lines, the cutout intersection 1508 can be used on the flexible master, where the cutout intersection 1508 The size is smaller than the required size of the printed intersection. Thus, the geometric shape of the cut-out intersection 1508 is used to influence the printed style. In another embodiment, it should be understood that the modified cut-out intersection 1508 is not to print its geometry on the substrate 116, but is designed with properties such as ink viscosity, flexible master material, pressure, and other factors. To print a part of the pattern within at least the predefined tolerances of height, width and length. It can be said that the embodiment of the junction/corner/intersection point in FIG. 15 is an implementation where the shape of the flexible master feature is different from the shape of the corresponding printed feature to minimize the occurrence of large/overfilled corners 1528 and intersections 1520. example.

In one embodiment, the high-precision flexible master used to make the printed electronic pattern includes a raised printing surface, wherein the ink is transferred from the flexible master to the substrate, leaving the printed pattern on the substrate. The flexible master preferably includes a discontinuous pattern to form straight lines printed in the longitudinal direction as discussed in FIG. 7. In another embodiment, one of the high-precision flexible masters used to make the printed electronic pattern has patterned lines in the lateral direction, wherein the lines are continuous patterns. The required line width is achieved by optimizing printing factors such as target speed, viscosity, pressure and ink volume. In a related embodiment, using the originally undesirable phenomenon in Figure 6, a single line can be used to print two lines (as discussed in Figure 4C), or multiple lines on a flexible master can be used to print a single line . It should be understood that the systems and methods disclosed herein can utilize any combination of the flexographic features described above in order to reliably print uniform patterns.

Certain terms may be used throughout the following description and the scope of the patent application to refer to specific system components. This document does not intend to distinguish between components with different names but the same function. In the following discussion and the scope of patent application, the terms "include" and "include" are used in an open manner, and Therefore, these terms should be interpreted as meaning "including, but not limited to...". As used herein, the word "approximately" is intended to mean "plus or minus 10%."

It should be understood that the embodiments described herein regarding junctions, a single flexible master line for printing two lines, multiple flexible lines for printing one line, and discontinuous lines and flexible masters with different thicknesses can be implemented in various ways. Used in combination to produce microscopic printed patterns. The methods and systems disclosed herein can be used in a single flexographic printing system with various combinations of these embodiments with multiple types of inks, and in some cases, multiple printing plate cylinders can be used to print a single pattern , Wherein each printing plate cylinder has a part of the pattern in the flexible master set on the printing plate cylinder.