This application claims priority to Taiwan Application Ser. No. 101201294, filed Jan. 18, 2012, which is herein incorporated by reference.
1. Technical Field
The prevent invention relates to an engraving apparatus of making rollers, and more particularly to an engraving apparatus of making rollers for manufacturing retarder films.
2. Description of the Related Art
A retarder film has been developed and applied to a liquid crystal display (LCD) to generate a visual three-dimensional stereo effect. The retarder film is commercialized in products, like stereoscopic display glasses, stereoscopic display TVs and other display products.
For the display products, keeping the accuracy in manufacturing process of the retarder film is required to ensure an optical quality of the retarder film. However, the accuracy requirement of manufacturing process therefore reduces manufacturing speed of the retarder film.
It is known that the retarder film is manufactured by using rollers having specific micro-groove structures to emboss a curable resin, such that the specific micro-groove structures are transferred to the curable resin. Afterwards liquid crystal is coated on the curable resin so as to form the retarder film. The specific micro-groove structures of the retarder film in associate with the liquid crystal render a specific phase difference value to the retarder film.
Some methods for manufacturing the retarder film having the specific micro-groove structures are provided in the art. For example, an engraving apparatus is used to engrave the rollers. After engraving the rollers by the engraving apparatus, some specific micro-groove structures are transferred to the surface of rollers. Then, the rollers can be used to emboss the retarder film to make the retarder film having the specific micro-groove structures. However, it is needed longer processing time to change engraving directions and engraving angles of the engraving apparatus in the engraving step. Sometimes, the engraving apparatus fails to accurately engrave the transferred area on the surface of the rollers in the engraving step.
The present invention intends to provide a novel apparatus for manufacturing the retarder film to solve the mentioned issues.
The invention is to provide an engraving apparatus of making rollers for manufacturing retarder films.
According to an aspect of the present invention, an engraving apparatus is provided for making a roller including a roller surface, in use of manufacturing a retarder film. The engraving apparatus includes a body and an engraving end having a plurality of micro-groove structures.
In an engraving process, the engraving end moves over the roller surface of the roller and rubs the roller surface in a predetermined direction. Accordingly, predetermined pattern structures are rubbed on the roller surface in the predetermined direction and individually with a predetermined spacing, depth and width.
In some embodiments, the micro-groove structures of the engraving end are arranged in parallel or irregularly.
In the rubbing process, the engraving apparatus according to the embodiments of the present invention are able to rub the roller surface by changing rubbing direction of the engraving end. Also, the pattern structures are formed by the rubbing the roller surface, instead of transferred from the micro-groove structures of the embossing tool. As such, the engraving apparatus can manufacture a retarder film with a required accuracy and manufacturing speed.
The above and other embodiments of the invention will become better understood with regard to the following detailed description of the preferred but non-limiting embodiment(s). The following description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings.
This specification discloses one or more embodiments that incorporate the features of present invention. The disclosed embodiment(s) merely exemplify the invention. The scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment(s). The invention is defined by the claims appended hereto.
The embodiments(s) described, and references in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodiment(s) described can include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is understood that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.
In some embodiments, materials of the engraving end 110 are selected from materials featured with easily embossed to the roller and hardness greater than that of roller, such as diamond, metal or ceramic. In one preferred embodiment, the material of the engraving end 110 is made of diamond.
As embodiments, the engraving apparatus 10 includes the engraving end 110 all over with micro-groove structures 111. The micro-groove structures 111 are arranged in parallel (shown in
Furthermore, in that the manufactured micro-groove structures 111 have no specific direction but a structure with a direction controlled by the engraving process, the engraving apparatus according to the embodiments of the present invention can be flexibly applied to various designs of products, so as to keep the accuracy of manufactured retarder film as well.
According to the present invention, the engraving apparatus 10 rubs the predetermined structures with the micro-groove structures 111 on the engraving ends 110. The micro-groove structures 111 are not needed to be rotated back to a specific angle and the starting position so as to reduce the time required for the processing. In addition, damages to the micro-groove structures 111 is avoided because the micro-groove structures 111 directly rub the roller surface of the roller to form the predetermined pattern structures rather than from embossing the roller surface.
While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiment(s), it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements and procedures, and the scope of the appended claims therefore should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements and procedures.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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101201294 | Jan 2012 | TW | national |