CYLINDER FOR ALIGNING MAGNETIC OR MAGNETISABLE PARTICLES CONTAINED IN COATING AGENTS ON A SUBSTRATE, AND MACHINE FOR GENERATING OPTICALLY VARIABLE IMAGE ELEMENTS

The invention relates to a cylinder (26) for aligning magnetic or magnetizable particles (P) contained in coating agents (06) on a substrate (02), the outer circumference of said cylinder comprising a matrix of n x m (in words n times m; where n, m ∈ N > 1) elements (24) that provide magnetic fields, or magnetic elements (24) for short, which are arranged in n rows running axially parallel to one another and in m columns running in the circumferential direction, wherein at least two or all of the magnetic elements (24) provided one behind the other in the same column are mounted on a common support element (31) as a group and can be varied collectively and independently of the magnetic elements (24) of an adjacent column with respect to the axial position thereof in or on the cylinder (26) by means of the support element. The at least two or all of the magnetic elements (24) of the same column are arranged on respective magnetic element supports (37) which can be positioned on the common support element (31) in the circumferential direction independently of one another and/or can be released from the support element (31), and the at least two or all of the magnetic elements (24) of the same column are mounted on the respective magnetic element support (37) in an adjustable manner relative thereto in the axial direction within an adjustment range. The invention additionally relates to a machine (01) for generating optically variable image elements on a substrate.