DEVICE AND METHOD FOR ALIGNING MAGNETIC OR MAGNETISABLE PARTICLES, AND MACHINE FOR GENERATING OPTICALLY VARIABLE IMAGE ELEMENTS

The invention relates to a device for aligning magnetic or magnetisable particles (P) which are contained in a coating agent (06) applied to a side of a strip-shaped or arcuate substrate (02), the device having a first aligning means (33; 33') which is arranged in the transport path of the substrate (02) to be conveyed and has a plurality of magnets (44) in the region of its side facing the transport path in order to align, in each case in a surface region having the coating agent (06), at least some of the particles (P) contained in the coating agent (06) in a defined manner in order to generate image information, wherein the magnets (44) of the first aligning means (33;33') which are used for the alignment and the substrate (02) which is supplied with the coating agent (06) containing the particles (P) move synchronously with one another at least on a portion of the transport path. At least one further aligning means (42; 43) which is attached to the frame on the transport path during operation and has a plurality of magnets (46; 47) which remain stationary in the device during operation is allocated in front of or opposite the first aligning means (33; 33') in the transport path of the substrate (02) to be conveyed. The invention further relates to a printing machine having such a device as well as to a method for aligning magnetic or magnetisable particles.