Patent ID: 8137762

Claim:
A method of planarizing a plurality of orientable non-spherical flakes supported by a longitudinal web comprising: a) providing a web supporting a coating of field orientable non-spherical flakes; b) providing first and third magnets on a first side of a feedpath and providing a second magnet between the first and third magnets on a second opposite side of the feedpath, wherein the first and third magnets have a same polarity and wherein the second magnet has a complementary polarity to the first and third magnets, so that a first magnetic field spanning the feedpath is present between the first and second magnets and second magnetic field spanning the feedpath is present between the second and third magnets, wherein the magnets are positioned so that a plurality of non-spherical field orientable flakes moving along the feedpath experience a first rotation as they pass the second magnet during relative movement between the web and the magnets; and, c) relatively moving at least one of the web supporting the flakes and the magnets forming two pairs of complementary attracting magnets.