Abstract:
Conventional methods of making holographic labels use separate, stand-alone machines for embossing, laminating, printing, and diecutting. This means that embossed material must be transferred and loaded into the laminator, that laminated material must be transferred and loaded into the printer, and that printed material must be transferred and loaded into the diecutter. Unfortunately, transferring and loading material into the separate machines is not only time consuming but also introduces errors, particularly in achieving accurate registration, or alignment, of embossed, printed, and diecut patterns. Accordingly, the inventors devised an in-line rotary microembosser for use with a rotary laminator, printer, and/or diecutter. One embodiment, or implementation, of the invention includes a rotary microembosser operatively coupled in line with a rotary laminator, a rotary printer, a rotary diecutter, or another web processing device to concurrently process a continuous web. The apparatus not only eliminates one or more of the machine-transfer and machine-loading delays which occur when using a separate embosser, laminator, printer, and diecutter, but also reduces the need to correct registration errors at each separate machine.

Description:
“This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/336,032, filed on Jun. 18, 1999 (the &#39;032 Application, now abandoned). The &#39;032 Application is incorporated herein by reference.” 
    
    
     RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application is related to a co-assigned and co-filed United States patent application entitled Microembosser for Faster Production of Holographic Labels. This related application is incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention concerns microembossing, printing, laminating, and diecutting technologies, especially as used in the manufacture of holographic labels or stickers. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Microembossing is a process of imprinting or cutting microscopic grooves into a layer of material, sometimes called a substrate. One use of microembossing is to emboss a hologram—a three-dimensional image of an object—on a paper-thin substrate of reflective plastic. The embossed substrate can then be used as part of a holographic label. 
     Holographic labels are used on a variety of articles of manufacture for security, authenticity, or aesthetic appeal. For example, holographic labels are used on compact discs, computer software, cosmetics, watches, and sporting goods. Other uses include clothing hang tags, automobile-registration certificates, fine-jewelry certificates, concert and sporting-event tickets, recreational passes, credit cards, passports, driver licenses, postage stamps, government bonds and certificates, and so forth. 
     Producing holographic labels or stickers generally entails a multi-pass process, which begins with forming a specific diffractive pattern, for example, a five-by-five array of 25 three-dimensional bald eagle images, on a thin rectangular sheet of metal known as a stamping shim. Using the stamping shim like a printing plate, a microembosser repeatedly imprints or embosses the array of bald eagles onto a long section of metalized polyester film, called a web. The embossed film is then typically rolled and loaded into a separate laminating machine, which laminates, or glues, a pressure-sensitive adhesive material to the back of the web, forming the peel-away part of each sticker. 
     The laminated web is then rolled and loaded onto a printer, which prints images at designated positions on the web. For example, one could print a ring of white stars around each of the 25 embossed eagle images, using a printing plate which includes a corresponding five-by-five array of 25 star rings. To ensure proper registration, or alignment, of the array of star rings with the array of eagle images, some printers include special controls that adjust relative position of the printing plate and the web during printing. However, these controls generally limit printing speed and waste some of the web, which is rolled up as it exits the printer. 
     The manufacturing process then continues by loading the rolled web of embossed and printed images onto a separate, stand-alone diecutter which cuts each star-encircled eagle image from the web to form a sticker of a certain shape. The diecutter typically includes a die cylinder (or steel-rule die) with a specific pattern of raised cutting edges on its surface. For example, the die cylinder could include a five-by-five array of 25 square-shaped cutting edges that corresponds to the array of star-encircled eagles on the web. In operation, the die cylinder rolls over the web of star-encircled eagle images, cutting out each image as a separate square-shaped sticker. To ensure registration of the array of square-shaped cutting edges with the array of star-encircled eagles, it is often necessary to stop diecutting to manually adjust position of the die cylinder or the web. 
     One problem with this process is its use of separate, stand-alone machines for embossing, laminating, printing, and diecutting. This means that the web must be unrolled, rerolled, and transferred from one machine to the next, ultimately slowing the manufacturing process. Moreover, the web stretches and contracts during and after each stage of manufacture, often requiring adjustments to correct registration of embossed, printed, and/or diecut patterns—a procedure which further slows the manufacturing process. Accordingly, there is a need for a better way of making holographic stickers and labels. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To address this and other needs, the inventors have developed an in-line rotary microembosser for use with a rotary laminator, printer, and/or diecutter. One embodiment, or implementation, of the invention includes a rotary microembosser operatively coupled in line with a rotary laminator, a rotary printer, a rotary diecutter, or another web processing device to concurrently process a continuous web. This exemplary arrangement not only eliminates one or more of the machine-transfer and machine-loading delays which occur when using a separate embosser, laminator, printer, and diecutter, but also reduces the need to correct registration errors at each separate machine. Accordingly, this and various other embodiments of the invention reduce the time required to manufacture products, such as holographic labels. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1A is a block diagram of a unique in-line rotary web processing apparatus  100 , including a rotary embosser  102 , a laminator  104 , a printer  106 , and a die-cutter  108  operating concurrently on a continuous web of material  110 . 
     FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of apparatus  100 , showing an exemplary structure of web  110  and web  117 . 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment  200  of in-line rotary web processing apparatus  100 , including a rotary embosser  202 , a laminator  204 , a printer  206 , and a die-cutter  208  operating concurrently on a continuous web of material  210 . 
     FIG. 3 is perspective view of an exemplary rotary microembosser  300  incorporating teachings of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3A is a simplified cross-sectional view of shimroller  316 . 
     FIG. 3B is a top view of shimroller  316 . 
     FIG. 3C is a side view of shimroller  316 . 
     FIG. 3D is a top view of an exemplary magnetic assembly  387 . 
     FIG. 3E is a side view of exemplary magnetic assembly  387 . 
     FIG. 4A is a top view of an alternative shimroller  400 . 
     FIG. 4B is a side view of shimroller  400 . 
     FIG. 4C is a top view of another alternative shimroller  400 ′. 
     FIG. 4D is a side view of shimroller  400 ′. 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a base roller  500 . 
     FIG. 6A is a front view of a cam  600  for raising or lowering a base roller relative a shimroller. 
     FIG. 6B is a side view of cam  600 . 
     FIG. 7A is a front view of another cam  700  for raising and lowering a base roller relative a shimroller. 
     FIG. 7B is a side view of cam  700 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     The following detailed description, which references and incorporates the above-identified figures, describes and illustrates specific embodiments of the invention. These embodiments, offered not to limit but only to exemplify and teach the invention, are shown and described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to implement or practice the invention. Thus, where appropriate to avoid obscuring the invention, the description may omit certain information known to those of skill in the art. 
     FIG. 1A shows a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an in-line rotary web processing apparatus (and method)  100 , embodying numerous inventive teachings. Though the apparatus and method have a wide variety of uses, it is especially useful for forming diecut, pressure-sensitive labels and stickers with reflective and/or diffractive images, and printed images, such as barcoding or serial numbers. For example, the in-line apparatus and method are also useful for forming compact disks or other mediums bearing digital or analog information and for forming lenses or portions of lenses. The apparatus and process are equally applicable to both hard and soft embossing applications, though for clarity the description focuses on a hard embossing application. 
     In particular, apparatus  100  includes a rotary embosser  102 , a laminator  104 , a printer  106 , and a diecutter  108 . The embosser  102 , laminator  104 , printer  106 , and die-cutter  108  are arranged “in line,” that is, to operate concurrently and sequentially on a continuous web  110  which feeds through the apparatus. (Other embodiments of the invention include additional web-processing devices, omit the laminator, printer, or diecutter, and/or reorder the laminator, printer, and diecutter. Also, other embodiments arrange two or more of the stages vertically.) In the exemplary embodiment, web  110  feed through each machine at a substantially constant rate of speed, for example, 100-200 feet (30-60 meters) per minute. 
     Web  110  includes five distinct sections  110   a ,  110   b ,  110   c ,  110   d , and  110   e , delineated by the embosser, laminator, printer, and diecutter. Section  110   a  represents the pre-embosser state of web  110 ; section  110   b  includes embossed reflective and/or diffractive images or regions  116 ; section  110   c  includes a laminated backing web  117 ; section  110   d  includes print images or regions  118  as well as embossed regions  116 ; and section  120  includes die-cut images or regions  120 , print regions  118 , and embossed regions  116 . The in-line arrangement facilitates not only registration of regions  116 ,  118 , and  120 , but also higher processing speeds than conventional processes which rollup the web at the output of the microembosser, the laminator, or the printer and transfer to another web-processing device. 
     FIG. 1B shows a cross-sectional view of web  110  running through embosser  102 , laminator  104 , printer  106 , and diecutter  108 . This view shows that section  110   a , the pre-embosser section of web  110 , includes two layers; a transparent plastic layer  112  and a reflective layer  114 . Layer  114 , in the exemplary embodiment, comprise one or more metals, such as aluminum, gold, an alloy of such metals, or more generally, any reflective material affixable to layer  112 . Also, this view shows embossed regions  116 , print regions  118 , and diecut regions  120 . Other embodiments reverse the position of the plastic and metallized layers so that embossing occurs on the metalized side of the web and backing  117  is applied to layer  112 . 
     More importantly, however, FIG. 1B shows an exemplary structure of backing web  117  and an exemplary structure representative of its lamination with web  110  in sections  110   b - 110   e . In particular, exemplary backing web  117  includes three layers: a paper layer  117   a , a pressure-sensitive-adhesive layer  117   b , and a release-backing layer  117   c . This type of backing is sometimes called a transfer tape. (Transfer tape can be purchased from a variety of manufacturers and vendors in numerous grades, for example, freezer grades, pharmaceutical grades, and so forth.) Release-backing layer  117   c  can be separated or peeled away from layer  117   b , allowing pressure-sensitive-adhesive layer  117   b  to be applied to an article of manufacture. During lamination, paper layer  117   a  is glued, using a thermal-sensitive or UV-curable adhesive, represented as layer  117   d , to layer  114  of web  110 . In some embodiments, backing web  117  consists of only one paper layer; however, the invention is not limited to any number or combination of backing web materials. 
     FIG. 2 shows an exemplary in-line rotary web processing apparatus  200  embodying teachings of apparatus  100 . Apparatus  200  includes an exemplary rotary microembosser  202 , an exemplary laminator  204 , an exemplary printer  206 , and an exemplary diecutter  208  operating concurrently on a continuous web  210  which originates from a web supply roll  209  and terminates at output roll  212 . In the exemplary embodiment, web  210  comprises a reflective plastic film, such as an aluminized polyester, which is approximately six-to-seven inches (150-180 mm) wide and 0.001 to 0.002 inches (0.0025-0.005 mm) thick. However, the invention is not limited to any particularly web compositions or dimensions. Indeed, other embodiments of the invention use films of polyethylenterephthalate or biaxially oriented polyproplylene, cellulose tri-acetate, polystyrene, polyethylene, and/or polyvinyl chloride. 
     From supply roll  209 , web  210  feeds through exemplary microembosser  202 . Microembosser  202  comprises a base roller  214 , a shimroller  216 , a shim  218 , a force roller  220 , and guide rollers  222  and  224 . More precisely, web  210  feeds over base roller  214  to contact shim  218  held by shimroller  216 . (In one embodiment, base roller  214  automatically engages with shimroller  216  during start-up of embosser  200  and disengages during shutdown.) Shim  218  includes one or more reflective and/or diffractive images or patterns, that is, images or patterns which are meant to produce a reflective or diffractive image. Shim  218  embosses or transfers these images into web  210  when pressed against web  210  with sufficient force in a direction perpendicular, or transverse, to the axis of rotation of base roller  214  and shimroller  216 . Force roller  220  presses shimroller  218  into base roller  214  to facilitate image transfer from shim  216  to web  210 . Maintaining shimroller  216  in a temperature range of 200 to 500° F. (93-260° C.), for example, 400° F. (204° C.), also facilitates image transfer. The temperature, however, should be adjusted generally to match the web materials and web processing rate, with faster rates generally requiring higher shimroller temperatures than slower rates. 
     From base roller  214 , embossed web  210  passes around guide rollers  222  and  224  into laminator  204 . The invention is not limited to any particular genus or species of laminator. Indeed, many commercially available printers can be used as laminators or augmented with laminator options. When using a conventional printer without a laminator attachment, one uses an adhesive instead of ink. 
     Laminator  204  includes a guide roller  226  and pinch rollers  228  and  230 . Web  211 , which comprises a three-layer structure like that shown for web  117  in FIG. 1A, feeds over guide roller  226  between pinch rollers  228  and  230  where it meets web  210 . Webs  210  and  211  are laminated together using a thermal-activated adhesive as they pass through the pinch rollers, before ultimately feeding into printer  206 . 
     Printer  206  can be of any type, for example, a single- or multicolor flexographic or central-impression printer as known in the art. Exemplary types include in-line flexographic, in-line rotary letter press, rotating gravere, rotating screen, central-impression UV rotary letter press. In other embodiments, printer  206  comprises an inkjet- or ion-deposition-type automatic numbering and/or barcoding machine alone or in combination with another printer. In the exemplary embodiment, printer  206  includes one or more stages, for example, seven, though for clarity, only one is shown in FIG.  2 . Each stage can be used to apply a different color ink or to apply the same color ink. 
     Specifically, printer  206  includes an ink-pickup roller  234 , a gravure  236 , a flex-o-roller  238 , a flex-o-plate  240 , and a pressure roller  242 . Pickup roller  234  transfers ink of a predetermined color to gravure  236 , which collects and meters out a predetermined amount of ink to plate  240  as plate  240  rotates conjointly with flexo-roller  238 . As the laminated web passes between flex-o-roller  238  and pressure roller  242 , ink-bearings areas or regions of plate  240  contact web  210  (or web  211  if so desired), forming a print image on the web. Each revolution of flex-o-roller  238  forms a corresponding printed image on web  210 . Thus, repeated revolutions form a printed sequence of images substantially equispaced along the length of web  210 . In some embodiments, particularly those with multi-color printing, printer  206  includes one or more ink-drying or ink-curing stations that accelerate the drying or curing of inks. One example of such a station uses ultraviolet light as to accelerate drying or curing. 
     After printer  206 , web  210  and web  211  feed into diecutter  208 . Diecutter  208  can take a variety of forms. Manufacturers of suitable commercial diecutters include Webtron, Sanke, and Profiteer. (See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,498 which describes another suitable diecutter and which is incorporated herein by reference.) Thus, the invention is not limited to any genus or species of diecutter. 
     In the exemplary embodiment, diecutter  208  includes an anvil roller  244  and a die cylinder  246  which form a nib  248 . As known in the art, webs  210  and  211  feed through nib  246 , contacting die cylinder  244  which cuts webs  210  and/or  211  and thus defines individual labels. Diecut webs  210  and  211  exit diecutter  208  onto roll  212 . Though not shown in this exemplary embodiment, other embodiments of diecutter  208  include a waste-matrix remover or stripper for separating scrap portions of webs  210  and  211  onto a separate roll. Scrap portions are generally those portions outside the perimeters of any individual label. 
     FIG. 3 is perspective view of an exemplary rotary microembosser  300  embodying several inventive concepts. Like microembosser  202  in FIG. 2, microembosser  300  includes a base roller  314 , a shimroller  316 , a shim  318 , a force roller  320 , and guide rollers  322  and  324 . Additionally, microembosser  300  includes left and right side frame members  326  and  328 , left and right force-roller adjustments  330  and  332 , left and right bearing block channels  334  and  336 , right force-roller bearing block  338 , right shimroller bearing block  340 , right base-roller bearing block  342 , bottom frame plate  344 , lateral adjustment mechanism  346 , bottom frame support  348 , and left and right frame support rails  350  and  352 . 
     More precisely, FIG. 3 shows that base roller  314 , shimroller  316 , force roller (or bridge assembly)  320  and guide (or idle) rollers  322  and  324  are held in an axially parallel arrangement between left and right side frame members  326  and  328 . Left and right side frame members  326  and  328  are attached respectively to opposing sides of bottom frame plate  344 . Frame plate  344  has a front edge  344   a  which engages with front guide clips  348   a  and  348   b  of bottom frame support  348 . Frame plate  344  also has a back edge (not shown) which engages with two back guide clips (also not shown.) Bottom frame support  348  is attached to left and right frame support rails  350  and  352 , which, in the exemplary embodiment, are attached to or stem from a printer support frame (not shown.) Frame plate  344  can be moved laterally or transversely relative to bottom frame support  348  and support rails  350  and  352  using lateral adjustment mechanism  346 . Thus, one can adjust the lateral alignment of base roller  314 , shimroller  316 , force roller  320  and guide rollers  322  and  324  relative to support rails  350  and  352  and other web processing equipment, such as a laminator, printer, diecutter, or even another embosser. 
     Base roller  314 , shimroller  316 , and force roller  320  are supported between left and right side frame members  326  and  328 . To this end, right bearing-block channel  334  engages with right bearing blocks  338 ,  340 , and  342 , and left bearing block channel  336  engages with corresponding left bearing blocks (not shown in this view.) Each right-left pair of bearing blocks engages with a corresponding spindle portion of respective rollers  314 ,  316 , and  320 . 
     More particularly, force roller  320  includes two end (radial bearing) portions  320   a  and  320   b  and a center portion  320   c , with the end portions having a greater diameter than that of the center portion. End portions  320   a  and  320   b  contact corresponding portions of shimroller  316 . Left and right force-roller adjustments  330  and  332  screw down onto the bearing blocks for force roller  320 , allowing one to adjust the force that roller  320  applies to shimroller  316  and therefore the force shim  318  exerts on base roller  314 . In the exemplary embodiment, end portions  320   a  and  320   b  have a diameter of 3.0 inches (76 mm) and length (or width) of 0.75 inches (19 mm); center portion  320   c  has a diameter of 1.375 inches (35 mm) and a length of 16.0 inches (406 mm); and the end and center portions are made of steel. However, the invention is not limited to any particular dimensions, composition, or form of force roller  320 . 
     Shimroller  316  includes unique shimclamps  354  and  356  which clamp one edge of shim  318 , for example, its leading edge, to shimroller  316 . The remainder of shim  318  wraps around shimroller  316 . In the exemplary embodiment, the circumference of shimroller  316  is greater than the length of shim  316  to prevent the shim from overlapping itself. More precisely, in the exemplary embodiment, shim  318  has a length of about 11.990-11.995 inches (304-305 mm) and the circumference of shimroller  316  is about 12.0 inches (305 mm), providing a gap of about 0.0050-0.010 inches (0.5-1.0 mm) between the ends of the wrapped shim. Though not necessary, the gap is desirable to facilitate thermal expansion of the shim during operation of the embosser. 
     FIG. 3A, a simplified center-cross-sectional view of shimroller  316  shows details of shimclamps  354  and  356 . In particular, this view shows that shimclamp  354  is fixed to the surface of shimroller  316  via fasteners  358  and  360  which, in the exemplary embodiment, are screwed into a pair of tapped holes, thereby pinching a portion of shim  318  between clamp  358  and a portion of shimroller  316 . In the exemplary embodiment, shimclamp  354 , which is formed of steel, has a width (or length)  354   w  of 0.75-1.00 inches (19-25 mm), a height  354   h  of 0.25 inches (6 mm), and depth of 0.75 inches (19 mm) (not shown.) 
     Shimclamp  356 , on the other hand, is fixed via two screws  362  and  364  to a movable—more precisely, a laterally movable—block  366  that rests in a rectangular recess  368  in shimroller  316 . Block  366  is fastened to roller  316  via an adjustment screw  370  that allows one to adjust the lateral (or axial) position of shimclamp  356  and block  366  relative to shimroller  316  and embosser  300 . In some embodiments, a coil spring or other spring or positional-bias mechanism biases block  366  toward the near or far end of shimroller  316 , that is, toward the left or right side of recess  368  Therefore, using lateral-adjustment screw  370  allows one to move shimclamp  356  laterally relative to shimclamp  354 , and thus to ensure that at least the leading edge of shim  318  lays substantially flat against the cylindrical surface of shimroller  316 . 
     In other embodiments, shimclamps  354  and  356  (and related components) mirror each other in structure and function. For example, one embodiment includes left and right shimclamps that both resemble shimclamp  354 , and another embodiment includes two shimclamps that both resemble shimclamp  356 . This latter embodiment thus allows one to move a left and right shimclamp using a respective adjustment screw. 
     FIG. 3A also shows that shimroller  316  includes an internal heating element  372  with power leads  372   a  and  372   b . The exemplary embodiment, shimroller  316  further includes a temperature sensor  374  within (that is, interior to the outermost or exterior surface of) shimroller  316  or within the volume defined by installed shim  318 . Temperature sensor  374  includes sensor-output leads  374   a  and  374   b . The heating element and temperature sensor, both of which rotate in unison with shimroller  316 , are electrically connected through a rotary electrical union (not shown) to a conventional temperature-control circuit (also not shown.) The exemplary embodiments provides the heating element and temperature sensor as a heating cartridge. One example of a commercially available heating cartridge is the 208-volt, 2500-watt, FIREROD™ heating cartridge from WatLow, Inc. of St. Louis, Mo. This heating cartridge, has a diameter of about 0.75 inches (19 mm), includes an internal J-type thermocouple for sensing the temperature of the element. 
     In contrast to conventional shimrollers that use external temperature sensors to sense the surface temperature of the shimroller, the use of an internal temperature sensor, such as sensor  374 , provides superior control of the temperature of shimroller  316 . Exterior placement of the sensor leads to undesirable temperature oscillation during operation of the embosser, which in turn leads to melting or burning the shim or the web or to under or over embossing of the web and consequent web waste. Placing the temperature sensor inside the shimroller mitigates or eliminates these problems. 
     FIG. 3B is a front view of shimroller  316  without shim  318 , showing several features of the exemplary embodiment not visible in FIGS. 3 or  3 A. In particular, shimroller  316  has a total width  316   w  of 21.75 inches (550 mm), including a left spindle portion  376  having a width  376   w  of 6.5 inches (165 mm) and a diameter  376   d  of 1.25 inches (32 mm) and a right spindle portion  378  having a width  378   w  of 2.5 inches (64 mm) and diameter  378   d  of 1.25 inches (32 mm). Left spindle portion  376  includes a 1.1 8-inch-by-0.056-inch-by-0.25-inch (30   33   1 . 5 × 6   mm) groove  377 . 
     Between spindle portions  376  and  378  is a roller portion  380 , which has a diameter  380   d  of about 3.8-3.9 inches (97-99 mm) and a width  380   w  of 12.75 inches (324 mm). Roller portion  380  includes left and right bearer regions  382  and  384 , left and right magnetic regions  386  and  388 , and a center region  390 . Bearer regions  382  and  384 , which are about 0.75 inches (19 mm) wide in this embodiment, contact respective end portions of force roller  320  as shown in FIG.  3 . In this exemplary embodiment, magnetic region (or band)  386  include one or more permanent magnets—for example,  386   a ,  386   b ,  386   c , and  386   d —inset around its circumference. Magnetic region  386  also includes recess  368  which mates with block  366  as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG.  3 A. Magnetic region (or band)  388  includes one or more permanent magnets—for example,  388   a ,  388   b ,  388   c , and  388   d —inset around its circumference. In the exemplary embodiment, magnets  386  and  388  have respective widths  386   w  and  388   w  of about 2.0 inches (51 mm), heights  386   h  and  388   w  of about 0.75 inches (19 mm), and depths (not shown) of about 0.75 inches (19 mm). The magnets in the exemplary embodiment are at least strong enough to hold the trailing edge of shim  318  against shimroller  316  during its maximum rate of operation. The magnets need not be of the same strength or size, although ideally they have substantially the same mass and mass distributions to facilitate balanced rotation of the shimroller. 
     FIGS. 3D and 3E show a respective top and side view of a magnetic assembly  387  used for each of the  22  magnets  386  and  388  in the exemplary embodiment of FIG.  3 B. Magnetic assembly  387  includes an interleaved arrangement of 12 permanent ceramic-magnet plates  387   a  and 12 ferromagnetic plates  387   b , with a ferromagnetic plate between each adjacent pair of ceramic-magnet plates. This arrangement provides seven poles per inch. A ferromagnetic dowel, or rod,  387   c  extends through a hole in each magnetic and ferromagnetic plate. A high-temperature epoxy adhesive secures each interleaved assembly of magnetic and ferromagnetic plates in a recess corresponding to a position of one of magnets  386  and  388 . FIG. 3E shows that each plate in the assembly has a top radial edge  387   d  sized to meet flush or substantially flush with the surface of the shimroller. 
     The invention, however, is not limited to any particular number, strength, arrangement, construction, dimensions, or attachment of magnets to shimroller  316 . For example, one embodiment includes only one pair of magnets to hold the trailing edge of shim  316  or include a single magnetic member that extends across most or all of roller portion  380  or across most or all of center portion  390  to hold a trailing edge portion of the shim. Other embodiments form one or both of magnetic regions  386  and  388  as a continuous magnetic band encircling an eighth, a quarter, a half, or the whole of shimroller  316 , for example. Moreover, still other embodiments use one or more electromagnetic members to define a particular magnetic region. 
     More generally, the inventors contemplate extension of their teachings to use an attractive force, such as magnetism, to hold a shim to using other attractive forces, such as electrostatic forces or negative pressures. A negative pressure or vacuum embodiment would likely entail providing one or more orifices at strategic points of the shimroller, for example, within regions  386  and  388 , with each orifice communicatively coupled to a negatively pressurized axial bore in the shimroller, such as axial bore  392  in FIG.  3 B. The axial bore would, in turn, be coupled to a pump to develop a negative pressure, that is, a pressure less than that of the ambient environment. 
     FIG. 3C is a side view of shimroller  316 , showing location of magnets  386  and location of block  366  and recess  368  used with shimclamp  356  (of FIGS. 3 and 3A.) More particularly, FIG. 3C shows three equispaced fasteners  391 - 393  which secure portion  384  to portion  388  of shimroller  316 . It also shows three equispaced jack-screws  394 - 396 , which facilitate separation of portion  384  from portion  388  during disassembly of shimroller  316 . Portions  382  and  386  are similarly secured and disassembled. 
     FIGS. 4A and 4B show respective top and side views of an alternative shimroller  400  which embodies principles that can be used independently or jointly with one or more other teachings embodied in shimroller  316 . Specifically, shimroller  400  includes respective left and right spindle portions  402  and  404  and a roller portion  406 . Roller portion  406  is almost entirely surrounded by a shim  408  which is more clearly shown in the side view of FIG.  4 B. Holding shim  408  against roller portion  408  are respective left and right shimcollars (or shimrings)  410  and  412 , which, include respective ends  410   a  and  410   b  and  412   a  and  412   b . End  410   a  is fastened or secured to shimroller  400  via screws or pins  415 . Similarly, end  412   a  is fastened to shimroller  400  via screws or pins  417 . 
     FIG. 4B shows that shimcollars  410  and  412  span over a gap  408   a  between the leading and trailing edges  408   b  and  408 c of shim  408 . Additionally, FIG. 4B shows that screws or pins  415  (and  417 ) extend through shim  408  into the cylindrical surface of shimroller  400 . One embodiment of shimroller  400  fastens ends  410   a  and  412   a  to shimroller  400  in a fashion analogous or similar to that illustrated using shimclamps  354  and/or  356  in FIG.  3 A. Thus, one can laterally (or axially) adjust one or both shimcollars relative the shimroller to ensure a good fit between a shim and the surface of the shimroller. 
     In this exemplary embodiment, ends  410   a  and  410   b  and ends  412   a  and  412   b  are separated by respective gaps respective gaps  414  and  416 . However, in other embodiments, one or more of shimcollars  410  and  412  forms a closed loop when installed on shimroller  400  with shim  408  in place. Though not shown here, other embodiments include screws that adjust the spacing between ends  410   a  and  410   b  and between ends  412   a  and  412   b , and/or secure end  410   a  to end  410   b  and end  412   a  to end  412   b . Shimcollars  410  and  412 , which are formed of steel in the exemplary embodiment, have an interior diameter that matches that of roller portion  406  plus the nominal thickness of shim  408 . 
     In other embodiments, the length of one or more of the shimcollars is substantially less than that necessary to fully encircle the roller portion of shimroller  400 . For example, the shimcollars can be three-fourths, one-half, one-forth, one-eighth, or one-sixteenth of the circumstance, with one end attached to the shimroller to fasten a portion of the leading edge of shim  408  to the shimroller and the other end overlapping the trailing edge of the shim to prevent it from being centrifugally separated from the shimroller during embossing. 
     FIGS. 4C and 4D show respective top and side view of an such an alternative shimroller  400 ′. In particular, FIG. 4C shows short shimcollars  410 ′ and  412 ′, which, as measured from respective ends  410   a ′ and  412   a ′ to ends  410   b ′ and  412   b ′, are about one-third or one-fourth the circumference of the shim-mount surface of shimroller  400 ′. Each of the shimcollars spans a gap  408   a  between the leading and trailing edges of shim  408 . To improve rotational balance in some embodiments, the inventors contemplate counterbalancing the mass of some shimcollars by internally weighting shimroller  400 ′. 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a base roller  500  which may be used as base roller  214  in FIG. 2 or base roller  314  in FIG.  3 . Base roller  500  includes left and right symmetrical bearing portions  502  and  504 , an central roller portion  506 , an axial bore  508 . Axial bore  508  has a diameter  508   d  of 1.25 inches (32 mm), for example. Left and right symmetrical bearing portions  502  and  504 , which are made of steel in the exemplary embodiment, have respective widths  502   w  and  504   w  of approximately 2:125 inches (54 mm) and include stepped axial bores  510  and  512 . Bearing portion  502  is mounted to inner portion  507  via four fasteners, two of which are shown as fasteners  518  and  520 . Axial bore  510 , which provides clearance for the four fasteners, has a diameter of about 2.0 inches (51 mm) and extends 1.0 inches (54 mm) into the interior of base roller  500 , forming an inner annular shoulder  514 . Axial bore  512  defines an outer annular shoulder  516  and receives a bearing (not shown). The exemplary embodiment uses a bearing which complies with the NTN6207 bearing standard. 
     Central roller portion  506  has a diameter of about 4 inches (102 mm) and forms a sleeve around inner portion  507 , which has a diameter  507   d  of about 2.5 inches (64 mm). Portion  507  has outer annular ring portions  507   a  and  507   b  with a thickness  507   t  of 0.1875 inches (5 mm) and a width  507   w  of 0.5 inches (13 mm), for example. Central roller portion  506  has a width  506   w  of about 6.25 inches (159 mm) and a thickness  506   t  of about 1.0 inch (25 mm). In the exemplary embodiment, roller portion  506  comprises a polyimide, such as TORLON™4501 polyimide from Amoco Corporation or VESPELL™ polyimide from Dupont, or a polyethcreter ketone, such as PEEK™ polyethcreter ketone from VicTrex Incorporated. TORLON™ polyimide and PEEK™ polyethcreter ketone materials provide performance advantages over the VESPELL™ polyimide as well as the steel, both of which are used conventionally. In particular, the TORLON™ polyimide unexpectedly enhances shimlife and thus reduces manufacturing cost. The PEEK™ polyethcreter ketone is expected to provide similar advantages. 
     In further contrast to conventional base rollers which have an initial diameter of about 8 inches (204 mm), exemplary base roller  500  has a diameter of about 4 inches (102 mm). The use of a smaller diameter dramatically reduces the weight of the base roller and facilitates maintenance activities, such as re-turning or re-shaping the base roller to ensure a good work surface. The conventional 8-inch (204 mm) base rollers are not only difficult to install and remove because of their weight but also require more frequent removal and installation because of their use of the VESPELL™ polyimide. Therefore, the exemplary embodiment&#39;s use of a single base roller that is smaller, lighter, and more durable provides significant improvement. 
     FIGS. 6A and 6B,  7 A and  7 B show front and side view of respective exemplary cams  600  and  700  which can be used with base roller  500 , specifically to raise and lower it about 0.125 inches (3 mm) during operation of microembosser  200  or  300 . A pair of cams  600  (or a pair of cams  700 ) fit inside the bearings of base roller  500  and engage with a rotary actuator (not shown.) Cam  600 , which includes an interior bore  602  and a retaining-ring groove  604 , has an exemplary exterior diameter  600   d  of about 1.378 inches (35 mm). Interior bore  602 , which is offset by an exemplary distance  602   o  of about 0.125 inches (3 mm) or 0.25 inches (6 mm) from the center of the cam, has an exemplary interior bore diameter  600   i  of about 1.0 inches (25 mm). Retaining-ring groove  604  has a width of  604   w  of about 0.0625 inches (2 mm) and is positioned a distance  604   d , for example 0.675 inches (17 mm), from one face of the cam. Cam  700 , which has exemplary dimension (not labeled) similar to cam  600 , replaces retaining-ring groove  604  with a smaller-diameter region  704 . 
     At startup of in-line apparatus  200  in FIG. 2, the rotary actuator, for example a pneumatic rotary actuator, rotates the cams, thereby raising the base roller and bringing a web, such as web  210 , into contact with a shim, such as shim  218 . Conversely, when the apparatus or microembosser stops or receives a stop command, the actuator automatically rotates the cams to lower the base roller and separate the web from the shim, which is typically heated through the shimroller. Automatic separation prevents the stopped or decelerating web from melting or severing because of continued contact with the heat shim. In contrast conventional microembosser include a manually engaged lever mechanism to move the base roller toward or away from the shimroller. This arrangement requires human operators to remember to engage the lever and is therefore prone to human error. 
     In some embodiments, a timer delays operation of the rotary actuator for a specific time after start up of the in-line apparatus or the microembosser to allow all portions of the apparatus to reach their intended operating speeds. One or more of the web processing devices, such as printer  206  or diecutter  208 , may have masses that require appreciable time to accelerate to an intended operating speed. Other embodiments use the timer to also delay engagement of the shimroller and base roller until the shimroller reaches a desired operating temperature, thereby reducing web waste. 
     Furthermore, other embodiments of the invention use a similar cam-arrangement or other axial-lifting mechanism to raise or lower the shimroller relative the base roller, or to move both the shimroller and base roller toward each other. Thus, this aspect of the invention encompasses not just raising or lowering either the base roller or the shimroller but more generally automatically moving either the base roller or the shimroller relative the other. 
     Conclusion 
     In furtherance of the art, the inventors have devised an in-line apparatus which includes a microembosser in combination with one or more other web-processing devices, such as laminator, printer, or diecutter. The exemplary embodiment of the in-line apparatus includes a unique exemplary microembosser which includes several unique features. Among these are a shimroller with one or more leading-edge shimclamps, one or more magnetic shimholding members, and one or more internal temperature sensors. Additionally, the exemplary microembosser includes a unique base or anvil roller incorporating a superior material and having a mechanism for automatically separating the base roller from the shimroller when the microembosser stops. 
     The embodiments described above are intended only to illustrate and teach one or more ways of practicing or implementing the present invention, not to restrict its breadth or scope. The actual scope of the invention, which embraces all ways of practicing or implementing the invention, is defined by the following claims.