US Patent 11745496 Thermal conduction transfer printing

A printing assembly is disclosed for thermal transfer printing onto a surface of a substrate. The assembly comprises at least one first printing system comprising a transfer member having opposite front and rear sides with an imaging surface on the front side, a coating station at which a monolayer of thermoplastic particles is applied to the imaging surface, an imaging station at which energy is applied by a thermal print head, optionally via the rear side of the transfer member, to selected regions of the imaging surface to render particles coating the selected regions tacky, a transfer station at which the imaging surface of the transfer member and the substrate surface are pressed against each other to transfer to the substrate the particles that have been rendered tacky to form an adhesive image; and at least one more printing system downstream from the first system.