PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPLY OF PARTICULATE MATERIAL TO A PARTICULATE PRINTING PROCESS

摘要

The present invention relates to a process for depositing particulate material in a predetermined pattern onto a moving surface comprising the steps of: feeding the particulate material under gravity from a hopper to a discharge zone containing an feed opening; supplying a gas under pressure to the bulk of particulate material within the hopper discharge zone; transferring the particulate material through the feed opening to the surface of a transfer device, wherein the outer surface of the transfer device contains a pattern of particulate-receiving recesses; rotating the transfer device to a deposition zone and transferring the particulate material to a carrier layer. The present invention further relates to an apparatus comprising: a hopper comprising a discharge zone, the discharge zone comprising a feed opening, and wherein the discharge zone further comprises a gas supply assembly to supply gas under pressure into particulate material within the discharge zone; a transfer device adjacent to the feed opening, wherein the outer surface of the transfer device contains a pattern of particulate-receiving recesses.