Patent · US Active

Method and dye mixtures for marking shape memory polymers, and shape memory polymer articles with switchable readability

US9670330B2 · kind B2 · utility

1Cited by

2References

29Claims

0Family size

Assignee

BAM Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und-pruefung · DE

Inventors

Thorsten Pretsch · Berlin, DE
Melanie Ecker · Austin, US
Markus Schildhauer · Berlin, DE

Key dates

Filing date	Oct 26, 2012
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Feb 1, 2033

Classification

Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
CPC primaryY10T428/24909
WIPO fieldOther consumer goods
WIPO sectorOther fields

Abstract

A method for marking an item including a shape memory polymer (SMP) having a visual readable and/or machine readable graphic element on the surface of the item. The method includes pretreating the surface of the item; coloring the surface of the item with a dye solution containing an organic dye and an organic solvent; cleaning and drying the surface of the item; and engraving by at least partially ablating the surface of the item. The dyeing process is suitable for coloring the surface of a shape memory polymer (SMP), wherein the information is engraved in a form of a code or other label on the colored surface. The coloring causes an increased contrast and thus facilitates machine readability of marking and coding without affecting the other properties of the SMP.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.