Seamless sleeve and seamless substrate

Abstract

A seamless, embossed or cast substrate is formed using a seamless sleeve having a seamless surface relief formed thereon and configured to slide over an cylindrical base in an embossing or casting assembly. The substrate is a flat web, foil, or film of, for example, paper, polyester, polypropylene, metal or other elongated flat material. The surface relief can be applied through interfering ablation, non-interfering ablation, ink jet printing, or other techniques wherein a seamless surface relief is formed onto the seamless sleeve. A method of making a seamless, embossed or cast substrate includes expanding a diameter of a seamless sleeve having a seamless surface relief formed thereon, sliding the expanded seamless sleeve onto a cylindrical base, allowing the diameter of the seamless sleeve to contract around the cylindrical base, and conveying a substrate through the embossing or casting assembly and embossing or casting the seamless surface relief into the substrate.

1 . A seamless, embossed or cast substrate formed using a seamless sleeve having a seamless surface relief formed on an exterior surface of the seamless sleeve, the seamless sleeve configured to slide over a cylindrical base in an embossing or casting assembly, the seamless, embossed or cast substrate comprising:
 a surface relief formed in the substrate, wherein the surface relief is seamlessly formed along a length of the substrate.   
     
     
         2 . The seamless, embossed or cast substrate of  claim 1  wherein the substrate is a flat web, foil or film. 
     
     
         3 . The seamless, embossed or cast substrate of  claim 1  wherein the substrate is a paper, a polyester, a polypropylene, a metal, or a thermoplastic polymer. 
     
     
         4 . The seamless; embossed or cast substrate of  claim 1  wherein the substrate has a surface treatment thereon. 
     
     
         5 . The seamless, embossed or cast substrate of  claim 4  wherein the surface treatment is a coating. 
     
     
         6 . A seamless sleeve for use with an cylindrical base in an embossing or casting assembly comprising:
 a seamless sleeve; and   a seamless surface relief applied on an exterior surface of the seamless sleeve, the seamless sleeve configured to slide over the cylindrical base in the embossing or casting assembly.   
     
     
         7 . The seamless sleeve of  claim 6  wherein the surface relief is formed on an exterior surface of the seamless sleeve through interfering ablation, non-interfering ablation, micro-etching, or ink jet printing. 
     
     
         8 . The seamless sleeve of  claim 6  wherein the seamless sleeve further includes a laser-ablatable surface. 
     
     
         9 . The seamless sleeve of  claim 6  wherein an exterior surface of the seamless sleeve is directly laser-ablatable. 
     
     
         10 . The seamless sleeve of  claim 6  wherein an exterior surface of the sleeve is coated with a laser ablatable coating. 
     
     
         11 . The seamless sleeve of  claim 10  wherein the laser ablatable coating is UV or EB curable. 
     
     
         12 . The seamless sleeve of  claim 10  wherein the laser ablatable coating is a polyimide or gelatin coating. 
     
     
         13 . The seamless sleeve of  claim 6  wherein the surface relief is applied directly to an exterior surface of the seamless sleeve. 
     
     
         14 . The seamless sleeve of  claim 6  wherein the surface relief is applied in an ablatable material applied to an exterior surface of the seamless sleeve. 
     
     
         15 . The seamless sleeve of  claim 6  wherein the seamless sleeve is formed of a metal. 
     
     
         16 . The seamless sleeve of  claim 15  wherein the sleeve is nickel. 
     
     
         17 . The seamless sleeve of  claim 6  wherein the seamless sleeve is formed of a ceramic or polymeric material. 
     
     
         18 . A method of making a seamless, embossed or cast substrate in an embossing or casting assembly comprising:
 expanding a diameter of a seamless sleeve having a seamless surface relief formed thereon;   sliding the expanded seamless sleeve onto a cylindrical base;   allowing the diameter of the seamless sleeve to contract around the cylindrical base; and   conveying a substrate through the embossing or casting assembly and embossing or casting the seamless surface relief into the substrate.