JPH08156394A - Image forming method, method and apparatus for producing decorative aluminum panel and decorative aluminum panel - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To form an image excellent in various characteristics by applying ink droplets to an anodic oxidation film subjected to dehydration and activation treatment to form an image and dyeing the anodic oxidation film by the dye of the ink droplets before covering the surface of the anodic oxidation film with a protective layer. CONSTITUTION: Ink droplets of at least one color are applied to the anodic oxidation film formed on the surface of a panel or foil composed of aluminum or an alloy thereof from a recording head having a large number of ink emitting orifices to form an image on the anodic oxidation film. In this case, at first, the anodic oxidation film is subjected to dehydration and activation treatment. Next, ink droplets are flown corresponding to an image signal to be applied to the predetermined position of the anodic oxidation film to form an image. Continuously, the anodic oxidation film is dyed by the dye contained in ink droplets and the excessive components contained in the ink droplets are removed. Thereafter, the surface of the anodic oxidation film is covered with a protective layer. For example, the material 701 to be recorded placed on a stocker 711 is fed to a printing tray 715 by a feeder 712 and ink droplets are applied to the material 701 to be recorded from a recording head 710.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording material having a plate or foil of aluminum or aluminum alloy, such as name plate, display plate, wall material for construction, vehicle panel and various parts, tableware, aluminum can, interior decoration. The present invention relates to an image forming method for recording characters, graphic patterns, pictures and the like on a display panel, a manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus for a decorative aluminum plate, and a decorative aluminum plate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Paper is mainly used as a material to be recorded by ink jet recording, and other than paper, it is limited to a plastic film having at least one surface provided with a layer having an ink absorbability by a special treatment. Was there. This is because the ink jet recording apparatus is mainly used for office work, so that it is often recorded on paper as an information medium, and further, ink droplets are ejected and adhered to a recording material. Due to the nature of the inkjet recording method, it is considered that the recording material is required to have ink absorbability and fixability.

Under these circumstances, the application of inkjet recording to recording materials made of materials other than paper and plastic films is attracting attention as the speed and functionality of inkjet recording apparatuses increase. Among them, ink jet recording on a metal material such as aluminum or its alloy can not only provide a simpler recording method on a metal material as an alternative to printing but also characters, patterns, and
It is also expected to promote the expansion of applications of recorded materials with pictures and the like.

Aluminum or its alloy is mentioned as a metal material utilized in various fields and applications. Among them, those with an anodized film formed on the surface of aluminum to improve the corrosion resistance, surface strength and decorativeness of aluminum are used for building materials, tableware, panels of electronic devices, etc., and have good heat dissipation. It has been used for a long time as a heat dissipation plate that utilizes the property. In particular, since the anodic oxide coating has a good dyeing property, the member having the anodic oxide coating is also used as a decorated wall plate member, a door member, or an art ornament itself. Further, it is also widely used as various personal name plates.

As a method for coloring or recording on an anodized film, a photographic printing method is the mainstream. This method forms a color image with a multicolor recording liquid by repeating a series of steps of applying a resist, exposing, developing, dipping in a recording liquid (dye) of a predetermined color, and peeling the resist for each color. is there.

The photo printing method conventionally used for recording on a material made of aluminum or its alloy on which an anodic oxide film is formed has many steps, is complicated, and is time consuming. The greater the number, the greater the number of steps and processing time. Therefore, there is a limit in processing a large amount of material.

Therefore, if an ink jet recording method capable of high-speed color recording is applied to this, the processing time can be greatly shortened and the productivity can be further improved, and it is necessary for the photo printing method. A resist, a developing solution, a cleaning solution, etc. are not required, and the cost can be significantly reduced. Further, it is possible to solve the problems of environmental pollution and its treatment due to waste liquid such as developer and cleaning liquid after use.

The application of ink jet recording to an anodized film is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-115074 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-147883.
In the methods described in these publications, the conventional inkjet recording method is merely applied directly to a plate material having an anodized film.

[0009]

In ink jet recording, ink absorbability and fixability on a recording material are particularly important. If the fixability is poor, previously recorded ink droplets and later recorded ink droplets are recorded. The ink droplets mix with each other to mix colors, and desired color reproducibility and sharpness cannot be obtained. If the surface of the recording material is not wet, the ink will be repelled on the surface, so that a good image cannot be obtained.

However, the above-mentioned anodized film is not always sufficient in terms of ink wettability, ink absorbability and ink fixability, and even if ink jet recording is directly applied to the anodized film, However, such problems were not always practical.

Most of the ink applied to the anodic oxide coating is not absorbed by the anodic oxide coating, and ink droplets are mixed on the surface of the ink, resulting in a blurred image. Further, the ink fixing property is poor with the anodized film, and various rollers related to the conveyance of the recording material and the control of the recording position in the ink jet recording apparatus come into contact with the unfixed portion of the ink, so that the traces of the roller are recorded on the recording surface. Appears, and the recorded image is damaged.

On the other hand, even when ink-jet recording is carried out using a conventionally well-known dye for an anodized film as an ink component, the surface of the anodized film cannot be sufficiently colored, and a particularly dark color and a sufficient color are obtained. There is a drawback in that

Further, in normal ink jet recording, in order to increase the printing speed, recording is simultaneously performed by a recording head having a large number of nozzles. However, when recording is performed in an unfixed state, the ink of the previously written line is generated. There is also a drawback that uneven stripes are generated in which a portion of high density is generated in each line due to being pulled by the ink described later.

Further, in general, dyes are attacked by ultraviolet rays and faded. On the other hand, a dye resistant to ultraviolet rays, a so-called metal-containing dye, is very excellent in light resistance, but has a problem in color development and cannot sufficiently reproduce color.

In particular, those recorded on a metal material such as an anodic oxide coating are mechanically stronger than those recorded on paper, etc., and are more resistant to natural environments such as wind and rain, so that they can be used outdoors. Expected to be used for a long time.

Therefore, it is not practical to directly apply the ink jet recording technology conventionally used for paper or the like in order to obtain a high quality recorded matter which meets these usage conditions.

On the other hand, an ink jet recording apparatus for making cans and for printing lot numbers has been put into practical use, but many of them use oil-based inks and pigment-based inks.
If the small-diameter ink droplets necessary for forming a high-definition image cannot be ejected or if the nozzles are arranged at a high density, clogging easily occurs and the applicable fields are limited, and a higher-definition image is recorded. It is not practical to use. Further, in the inkjet recording apparatus for these applications, the processing accuracy of the nozzles is not sufficient, and the nozzle density can be increased only up to about several nozzles / mm, which makes it difficult to improve the accuracy of the image. There was a problem with the image quality when it was applied. Therefore, it cannot be said that it is practical to apply the ink jet recording method in this field to the recording of the anodized film.

As described above, if the conventional ink jet recording method is simply applied to the anodized film of aluminum or its alloy, the following problems will occur. 1) Color mixing (bleeding) occurs between the colors, and the image is blurred. 2) Line unevenness in the print scan of each print head occurs. 3) Unfixed ink is transferred to the transport rollers in the device,
Ghost images and image crushing occur. 4) The dyeing property of the color ink to the anodized film is poor, and the image density is lowered by washing with water after printing, resulting in a thin image. 5) An image having light fastness and good color reproducibility cannot be obtained.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these problems. The problem is that the ink jet recording system is adopted for the aluminum anodic oxide coating.
Sufficient color density with no color mixture, scanning unevenness, image crushing, etc.
An image forming method necessary for forming an image having excellent image fastness such as color fastness and light fastness of an image, a manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus for a decorative aluminum plate, and a decorative aluminum plate obtained by the method Is to provide.

[0020]

The above object can be achieved by the present invention described below.

That is, according to the present invention, at least one color ink droplet is applied from a recording head having a plurality of ink ejection ports to an anodized film formed on the surface of a plate or foil made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. An image forming method for forming an image on a film, comprising: a first step of dehydrating and activating the anodized film; and ink droplets flying from an ejection port of the recording head according to an image signal, The second step of forming an image by applying ink droplets at a predetermined position on the oxide film, and dyeing the dye contained in the applied ink droplets into the anodic oxide film from the anodic oxide film after the image formation. The image forming method is characterized by including a third step of removing excess components contained in the ink droplets and a fourth step of covering the surface of the anodized film with a protective layer.

This image forming method includes a fifth step of shaping the recorded matter into a desired shape after the fourth step,
A color image is formed using a multicolor ink, and the treatment for the anodized film in at least one of the first step and the third step is any one of heat treatment, electromagnetic induction treatment, and dry gas blowing treatment, The third step includes washing with water, the fourth step includes laminating the protective film, and the fifth step includes punching or bending with a press.

Further, according to the present invention, at least one color ink droplet is applied from a recording head having a plurality of ink ejection ports to an anodized film formed on the surface of a plate or foil made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. A method of manufacturing a decorative aluminum plate for forming an image on a coating, comprising the steps of dehydrating and activating the anodized coating.
And the second step of ejecting ink droplets from the ejection port of the pre-recording head according to an image signal and applying the ink droplets to a predetermined position of the anodized film to form an image, and after the image formation From the anodic oxide coating, the third step of dyeing the dye contained in the attached ink droplets into the anodic oxide coating and removing the excess components contained in the ink droplets, and the surface of the anodic oxide coating with a protective layer A method of manufacturing a decorative aluminum plate, which includes a fourth step of covering.

This manufacturing method includes a fifth step of molding the recorded material into a desired shape after the fourth step, forming a color image using multicolor ink, and carrying out the first step and the first step. Three
The treatment for the anodized film in at least one of the steps is any one of heat treatment, electromagnetic induction treatment, and dry gas spraying treatment, the third step is washing treatment, and the fourth step is protective film. Laminating process, and the fifth step includes punching or bending with a press.

The present invention is a decorative aluminum plate manufactured by the above manufacturing method, in which an image is formed on an anodized film formed on the surface of a plate or foil made of aluminum or aluminum alloy, and the surface thereof is formed. The decorative aluminum plate is characterized by being provided with a protective film.

A protective film is formed on this decorative aluminum plate.
Includes a protective film and a base material.

Further, according to the present invention, at least one color ink droplet is applied from a recording head having a plurality of ink ejection ports to an anodized film formed on the surface of a plate or foil made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. An apparatus for manufacturing a decorative aluminum plate for forming an image on a coating film, comprising: (a) means for dehydrating and water-activating the anodized coating film; and (b) flying an ink droplet in response to an image signal to produce the anode. A recording head that applies ink droplets to predetermined positions on the oxide film, and (c) the dye contained in the attached ink droplets are dyed in the anodic oxide film from the anodic oxide film after the image formation to form ink droplets. An apparatus for producing a decorative aluminum plate, characterized in that it is provided with means for removing excess components contained therein and (d) means for forming a protective layer on the surface of the anodized film.

This manufacturing apparatus further comprises means (e) for shaping the recorded matter into a desired shape and means (f) for conveying the aluminum plate in a heat-insulated state, and detection for detecting the temperature of the aluminum plate. The recording head (b) comprises a means (g) and a means (h) for controlling the operation of the means (a) and / or the means (c) based on information detected by the means.
An image is printed by scanning the aluminum plate, and the main scanning direction of the recording head (b) and the main scanning direction of the recording head (b) based on the information detected by the temperature detecting means (g). Means for controlling the feed in the sub-scanning direction (i)
The transport means (f) includes means for correcting warpage generated by heating the aluminum plate.

According to the image forming method of the present invention, the anodized film formed on the surface of the plate or foil of aluminum or its alloy is subjected to the above-mentioned dehydration and activation treatment before ink droplets are applied. Ink fixability is improved by improving the dyeing property of the ink and further evaporating the solvent component of the ink mixed in the film after applying the ink droplets to dye the dye (color material) in the ink. Since the surface is improved and the surface of the anodized film is covered with the protective layer, an image having excellent image performance can be finally formed on the anodized film.

Further, according to the apparatus for producing a decorative aluminum plate of the present invention, for example, the anodic oxide film formed on the surface of the aluminum or its alloy plate or foil according to the method described above is finally excellent. An image having image performance can be formed.

Further, the recorded matter (decorative aluminum plate) of the present invention is, before and after applying the ink to the anodized film provided on the surface of the plate or foil of aluminum or its alloy,
That is, since the processing by the above-mentioned method is performed before and after forming an image, it has excellent image performance.

The image forming method and the method for producing a decorative aluminum plate of the present invention will be described below.

The recording material in the present invention has an anodized film formed on the surface of a plate or foil of aluminum or its alloy. The recording material may have a structure in which a foil made of aluminum or its alloy is laminated on a portion made of a material other than aluminum or its alloy, for example, various materials (base material) such as clard material.

The aluminum or its alloy used in the present invention can be used without any particular limitation as long as it has a good ability to form an anodized film. For example, a pure aluminum plate material or foil such as JIS-1050, or Mg is contained. A plate material, a foil, or the like made of an aluminum alloy such as the above alloy can be used.

An image is formed by forming an anodized film of aluminum or its alloy plate or foil of a material having a predetermined shape and size by a press or the like so that undesired deformation such as warp and burr does not occur. On the surface that will be the surface,
If necessary, in order to form a good image during recording, it is preferable to perform a treatment for adjusting the surface property by a mechanical method or chemical polishing. The surface treatment may be, for example, a treatment in which a concave portion, which is smaller than an ink droplet and has a ridge on the outer circumference, is provided on the entire image forming surface. By performing such a surface treatment, when the ink lands on a desired position, it is possible to prevent bleeding by mixing with the ink lands on another area or moving. In particular, since a general aluminum plate material is a rolled material, rolling traces (grooves) extend in one direction, and ink runs easily along the rolling traces. Color mixing easily occurs.
Therefore, such color mixing can be prevented by forming a concave portion having a diameter smaller than that of the ink droplet on the entire surface, on this surface.
The diameter of the concave portion may be set according to the diameter of the ink droplet. For example, under a recording condition of 360 dpi, the diameter of the ink droplet is about 100.
Since it is μm, it is sufficient to select and use a surface treatment method such that the diameter of the recess is 100 μm or less. 2A to 2A schematically show the mechanism of preventing bleeding on the surface provided with such a recess. Moreover, FIG.
A typical example of the case where bleeding occurs in (b) -is shown schematically.

As the treatment method used for this surface treatment,
Mechanical processing methods such as short blasting in which a beaded abrasive is sprayed on the surface or chemical methods using an etching solution can be used, but gas generation when the recording material is immersed in the etching solution, grain boundaries A chemical polishing method is preferable because it can effectively form an uneven portion with a ridge on the outer circumference.

If necessary, the surface of the material on which the anodic oxide coating is formed is further subjected to degreasing treatment and acid cleaning treatment which are generally carried out, and then electrolysis in a sulfuric acid bath, for example. An anodic oxide coating is formed by an anodic oxidation method and washed with water. The film thickness of the anodized film is, for example, 5 to 25 μm.

FIG. 1 schematically shows the structure of the anodized film of aluminum or its alloy. Anodized film 1 formed on the surface of a base 4 made of aluminum or its alloy
Is composed of a large number of cells 3, and pores (micropores) 2 are formed at approximately the center of each cell. This Pore 2
The bottom is an oxide barrier layer 5 at the boundary with the base 4.
It consists of.

Therefore, the larger the diameter of the pores 2, the higher the dyeing property and the ink receptivity, and the deeper the pores 2, the higher the ink receptivity. It is preferable to select and use the conditions capable of forming pores in various states.

The diameter and depth of the pores 2 can be increased by treatment at a higher temperature or with a higher concentration electrolyte, but the thinner the barrier layer 5, the lower the corrosion resistance of the material itself. Therefore, it is advisable to set the electrolysis conditions in consideration of these requirements.

For example, as an electrolytic solution composition, 10 to 10 of sulfuric acid is used.
A 30% weight ratio solution was prepared, an SUS plate was used as a cathode, the above-mentioned pretreatment was applied to the anode, and an aluminum plate that had been degreased, washed with water and smut-removed before the anodizing treatment was set, and the bath temperature was set to about 25. The current density is controlled to 60 to 300 mA / m ² in an electrolytic cell which is controlled at ℃ and well stirred.
Then, anodization is performed for a predetermined time until the required film thickness is obtained. Then, it is taken out from the electrolytic cell, washed thoroughly with water, dried and stored.

Further, the electrolytic treatment is divided into two steps, and the condition that large pores are formed in the first stage is adopted, and the condition that small pores are formed in the second stage is adopted. It is also effective to grow the layer on the base side to increase the corrosion resistance.
In this case, the treatment of the second stage may be carried out in the same bath as the first stage, or in a bath different from the first stage. In order to grow the barrier layer, it is also effective to use a boric acid-based electrolytic solution.

A recording material obtained by forming an image forming surface made of an anodized film on the surface of a portion made of a plate or foil of aluminum or its alloy as described above is stored as necessary and then It is processed in the first step in the image forming method of the invention.

When the recording material is stored, the storage state has a great influence on the image forming operation, so it is preferable to manage the storage state so as to meet the initial purpose. As described with reference to FIG. 1, the anodic oxide coating is composed of a large number of cells having pores, and the presence of the pores allows the ink to be absorbed in the coating to enable recording. However, if the anodic oxide coating is left in an atmosphere containing water (water vapor) and oxygen such as in the atmosphere,
Hydroxide is formed by the reaction with water and oxygen, and if this is formed in the pores, the pores become narrowed or blocked, and when the reaction proceeds, most of the pores in the film are blocked. The decrease in the pore volume and the blockage reduce the ink receptivity (ink absorbability), which causes a problem that the image quality is likely to deteriorate due to the occurrence of blurring and color mixing.
Therefore, it is preferable to block moisture and oxygen when storing the recording material. As a method of storing the recording material,
It can be stored in a container that can form a nitrogen gas atmosphere by flowing nitrogen gas, can be stored in a container that can form a dry air atmosphere by containing a moisture-proofing agent such as silica gel or an oxygen scavenger, and can block the outside air. preferable.

An example of the storage method is shown in FIGS. FIG.
Is a storage box 32 in which a tube (N ₂ blow tube) 33 for blowing nitrogen gas is set, and the inside of the box is replaced with nitrogen to store the recording material 31. In FIG. 4, the oxygen absorber 35 is sealed together with the recording material in a resin bag 34, and the bag is stored. The storage method of FIG. 5 is an adhesive tape 36 composed of a film 36-1 such as a polyethylene terephthalate film that is impermeable to oxygen and water vapor and an adhesive layer 36-2 formed on the surface thereof, and a base 31 made of aluminum or an alloy thereof. -2 is a method of covering and sealing the surface of the anodic oxide coating 31-1 formed on the surface of the anodic oxide film 31-1, and blocking the contact with the atmosphere to store.

In the first step of the image forming method of the present invention, the anodized film forming the image forming surface of the recording material is dehydrated and activated.

By this treatment, the aluminum anodic oxide coating forms a boehmite (AlO (OH)) and γ-Al formed on the outer surface portion of the aluminum anodic oxide coating.
_The water adsorbed on ₂ O ₃ is dehydrated and condensed to form an activation point. Since this activation point reacts with moisture in the atmosphere and immediately returns to its original state, it is important to perform it immediately before the recording process. When this activation point is formed, the reactive group of the dye contained in the ink is bonded at this point, and the dyeing property is enhanced. In addition, the water content in the ink is also absorbed, and there is an excellent effect that the ink receiving amount is increased.

In the first step, heat treatment, electromagnetic induction treatment, dry air blowing treatment or the like can be used. An active gas such as H ₂ or O ₃ may be mixed in the dry air.
Also, a method of charging by corona discharge can be used.

Specifically, for example, dry air heated to 60 ° C. is applied at about 20 liters / min at 20 cm × 5 cm.
Spray on the aluminum anodized film through the openings in. The aluminum plate on which the aluminum anodic oxide coating is formed is passed through the opening at a speed of about 30 cm / min and conveyed to the inkjet recording unit. Further, since the effect is not sufficiently exerted when the outside air temperature and the aluminum plate are low, as shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of aluminum plates to be supplied are set in the stocker 701 and the stocker 711, and a device for sequentially sending out is configured, Constant temperature of the stocker,
For example, it is desirable to preheat the set aluminum plate to about 60 ° C. by taking a form with a temperature control function 726 so as to keep it at 60 ° C. Or
It is preferable to provide a heater for preheating on the transfer tray 715 to preliminarily heat to about 60 ° C.

Further, it is more effective if the activation is carried out with dry air or the like in the constant temperature stocker, which is a more preferable method as the first step.

At the end of the processing in the first step,
Inkjet recording (second step) is performed on the recording material. For the inkjet recording in the second step, a recording device or recording method applied to a recording material such as ordinary paper can be used.

The ink is not particularly limited as long as the intended purpose can be achieved, but an ink using a coloring material (dye) having a good dyeing property to the anodized film is more preferable. That is, in the anodic oxide coating of aluminum or its alloy, because the aluminum or its alloy side as the anode is subjected to electrolytic treatment with direct current or alternating current in an electrolytic solution such as sulfuric acid to form an oxide coating, the coating is It still contains various intermediate products generated when aluminum or its alloy is converted into its oxide in the dehydration condensation process in the electrolytic oxidation reaction. This intermediate product is highly reactive (for example, boehmite), and the dyeing property can be improved by using a dye having high reactivity with such an intermediate product. Examples of such dyes include dyes having at least one anionic group, and dyes having a carboxyl group and / or a sulfone group are particularly preferable.

The pH of the ink is preferably on the alkaline side rather than the acidic side. It is considered that this is because the coating is formed on the anode side and is easily dissolved on the alkali side.

Further, the solvent component of the ink is not limited as long as the initial purpose can be achieved, but glycerin and glycols having a high molecular weight which are used in the conventional ink for ink jet recording used for paper and the like are used. The non-volatile solvent remains on the image forming surface after the volatile solvent evaporates as shown in FIG. 6, for example.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the amount of evaporation of the ink containing the non-volatile solvent over time. FIG. 6 shows the evaporation amount of the ink put in the petri dish under the drying condition of 60 ° C.
The vertical axis represents the amount of evaporation and the horizontal axis represents time. First, when ink is added at 60 ° C., the volatile component evaporates, and the evaporation amount increases according to the evaporation rate. However, when the volatile component is completely evaporated and only the non-volatile component remains, the ink amount remains constant. If this is more than the amount that can be received by the cells, the surrounding ink droplets may mix with each other and bleed, which may deteriorate the image quality.

In the case of paper or cloth, or a recording material having a structure in which the base of the image forming surface has a solvent absorbing property, these non-volatile solvents permeate into the base, so that the dye forming the image of the surface layer may be absorbed. No impact or negligible. On the other hand, in the anodized film formed on the surface of aluminum or its alloy, since the penetration of the non-volatile solvent in the direction of the base does not occur when using paper or the like, these remain in the film, May cause color mixing, bleeding, bleeding, etc. For inks prepared only with water and dye, it is not possible to use these non-volatile solvents in ink jet ink recording devices, because bubbles are not generated in the device and the ink does not have a viscosity suitable for recording. It is imperative to work effectively. Therefore, in order to prevent the above-mentioned problem due to the non-volatile solvent, the content of the non-volatile solvent in the ink is smaller than the total volume of the pores existing in the area where the ink droplets land and spread on the image forming surface. It is preferable to set the volume so that the non-volatile solvent occupies it.

Since the ink absorbency of the anodized film is defined by the volume of the pores, the amount of the dye to be applied in the ink during ink jet recording in the present invention is
It is preferably set according to the structure of the anodic oxide coating forming the image forming surface, particularly the volume of the pores. For example, the cell diameter of the anodized film having the structure shown in FIG. 1 is about 400 angstroms, and the pore diameter is about 100 angstroms.
The depth of the pores is about 10 μm, and when recording under the condition of 400 dpi, one side of each pixel is about 63 μm.
Among the present approximately 2.4 million cells, the internal volume per one pore of about 0.0008Myuemu ^3, the total volume of pores per pixel is about 1900μm ^3. The value obtained by dividing the total capacity of the pores by the area of one pixel is the receiving height, which is 0.46 μm. The dye concentration in the ink in this case is defined by this acceptance height. When the volume per unit ink droplet (ejection amount) is 30 ng, the receiving height of 0.43 μm gives a dye concentration of about 3%. In addition, the degree of coloring and the reflection O.D. D. From the viewpoint, in order to obtain a clear image, the receiving height is preferably 0.2 μm or more, and in forming the anodized film, the film thickness, cell density, and pore size satisfying this receiving height are It is desirable to set the electrolysis conditions so that they can be obtained.

Under the above-mentioned condition settings, when the ink droplet ejection amount is 30 ng and the aluminum anodic oxide coating amount is 0.46 μm, the permissible amount of the non-volatile component contained in the ink is less than or equal to the above-mentioned coating amount. Is important. Therefore, it was revealed that image bleeding can be suppressed by controlling the amount of the non-volatile solvent to 6% by weight or less.

This is determined by the shapes of cells and pores and the film thickness of the anodized film. In other words, the film thickness is 20μ
When the cell density is about m, the compounding ratio can be about doubled, and when the cell density is high and the pore size is large, the compounding ratio can be further increased. However, it is desirable that the upper limit is about 10% in a general anodic oxide coating and that it is set at 5% or less.

When the non-volatile solvent is completely removed,
There is a case where the clogging of the ink-jet head and the reproducibility are deteriorated, and the image quality is rather deteriorated. Therefore, it is important to set the optimum mixing ratio within the above range.

The nonvolatile component is composed of diethylene glycol, triethanolamine, polyethylene glycol, glycerin, urea and the like in addition to the dye.
Any solvent and additive may be used as long as they are excellent in J (inkjet) suitability and do not adversely affect printing on the anodized film.

Further, in the bubble jet recording, the volatile component is a solvent which is foamed by heating,
If it is water, IPA, acetone or alcohol, I
/ J Any solvent may be used as long as it has excellent suitability and does not adversely affect the printing of the anodized film.

The evaporation rate of this volatile component is 1.0 × 10 ⁻⁵ g / mm in a mixed state of each solvent and in a dry environment at 60 ° C.
It is preferably in the range of ^{2 · sec~1.0 × 10 -7 g /} mm 2 · sec. At this time, the speed of complete evaporation of the ink droplets hit on the surface of the anodic oxide coating is several seconds to several tens of seconds, which means that the ink droplets will dry within one to several scans, and there is no blurring or bleeding and high It means that it is a quality image recording.

At the end of ink jet recording,
The third step, that is, the step of evaporating the solvent component of the ink in the anodized film on which the image is formed and fixing the dye component of the ink, is performed on the image formed on the image forming surface.

In the third step, the coloring component contained in the ink is a dye, the other components are necessary components for ink jet recording, and unnecessary components after coloring the anodized film. Therefore, after the dye in the ink has settled in the cell after recording and the dyeing reaction with the coating is completed, it is necessary to quickly remove the unnecessary components.

First, in order to efficiently dye the dye and the coating, it is important to heat the coating itself to promote the reaction. Then, in order to deposit the dye in the pores of the cell,
It is important to evaporate the volatile components in the ink as quickly as possible and to keep the dye in the cell in order to form a high quality image.

Further, since the discharge amount is designed so as to maximize the recording density, the dye is set at the maximum value of the film receiving amount as much as possible, but the head discharging amount varies so much that the film receiving amount is large. The phenomenon of being driven over the capacity occurs. Further, in forming an image, multi-colored ink may be ejected at the same place, and the dye itself may become an unnecessary component, so that it may remain on the film. If the dye remains in the film in this way, it will ooze out due to the sealing treatment to improve the corrosion resistance of the subsequent anodic oxide film, degrading the image quality, or using it as it is, water, condensation, etc. The same bleeding occurs in an environment requiring water resistance, and the image quality becomes inferior in durability.

As a specific method for removing unnecessary components after recording as described above, the same processing as the processing performed in the first step can be used.

For example, an aluminum plate on which an anodized film after ink jet recording is formed is 1000 W from the bottom.
While passing over the heat sheet of No. 1, heat with an infrared lamp, 500 W × 3 units from above, and let it pass at a conveying speed of about 30 cm / min. Normally, this is the end of the third step, but if the recording method is such that a large amount of excess dye remains on the surface, for example, if there is a large amount of ink shot against the anodized film thickness, then wash with pure water and dry. The recorded matter is sealed with pure water boiled after washing with water or boiled for about 10 to 60 minutes, and then dried.

Next, a sheet-like protective film is laminated on the aluminum coating surface recorded in the fourth step. As shown in FIG. 14, the protective film may be of an adhesive type, a photo-curing type, a thermosetting type, or the like, and may be used properly according to the application. FIG. 14 (a)
Is an adhesive type, 1401 is a separator, 14
Reference numeral 02 is an adhesive layer, 1403 is a protective layer, and 1404 is a base material. Further, FIG. 14B shows a photo-curing or heat-curing type, and after 1405 is attached to the surface of the recorded matter by the protective layer, it is cured and fixed by heat or light. This protective film preferably contains a material that blocks ultraviolet rays in the protective layer.

Here, as shown in FIG.
Although 4 is used after peeling off the laminating material, it is desirable to carry out the following 5th step without peeling off this base material 1404 which comes to the outermost layer.

In the fifth step, the image drawn on the aluminum plate is formed into a required shape by shirring, pressing or the like. Particularly, after forming a large number of independent images on one aluminum plate at the same time. When separating each of them into separate pieces, or removing the alignment marks and the like provided in the margins in order to accurately form an image. In addition to forming, forming such as light bending may be added. In any case, if the fifth step is performed without peeling off the base material that comes to the outermost layer of the protective film on the recording surface formed in the fourth step, the surface of the aluminum plate when pressed or clamped Scratches can be prevented, and the fifth step can be efficiently performed with high yield.

The relationship between the cell composition of the anodic oxide coating and the amount of ink to be ejected will be described in more detail below.

In the anodized film cell structure shown in FIG. 1, the cell size diameter is A μm, the pore diameter formed in the cell is a μm, and the anodized film thickness is L μm. Here, since the cells of the anodized film are arranged in a substantially regular hexagonal shape, the cell surface area Sc is

[0075]

[Outside 1] And the surface area Sp of the pore is

[0076]

[Outside 2] Becomes

Therefore, the area ratio Cp occupied by the pores is

[0078]

[Outside 3] Becomes

Therefore, ignoring the barrier layer 5 in the figure, the ink receiving amount height Ra (μm) per unit area is

[0080]

[Outside 4] Becomes

At this time, the volume of the ejected ink droplet is set to Vd
(Μm ³ ) and the implantation area is Sd (μm ² ),
Ink drop height h (μ
m) becomes h = Vd / Sd.

At this time, if the volume ratio of the non-volatile component in the ink is X, the height t of the non-volatile component after drying is t.
(Μm) is t = XVd / Sd (μm). It is important that this height t does not exceed the above-mentioned ink reception amount height Ra. If t ≦ Ra is not satisfied, the ink overflows and the image quality deteriorates as described above. Therefore,

[0083]

[Outside 5] That is,

[0084]

[Outside 6] It is important to select the mixture ratio X and the film thickness L so that In general, in inkjet,
Vd / Sd = 10 μm, a / A of alumite coating = 0.
Since it is 25, usually X ≦ 0.0076L ^* (L ^* is dimensionless).

Next, an example of an apparatus for manufacturing a decorative aluminum plate using the above-mentioned ink jet recording system of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the entire manufacturing apparatus. In the figure, 710 is a recording head, which is 400 dpi,
The inkjet recording head has 128 nozzles, and the ejection amount is 25 ng per dot. Further, four heads for four colors of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and Bk (black) are provided, and are set so that a full-color image can be recorded by one scanning.
A recording material 701 is an image forming surface by forming an anodized film on the surface made of the above-mentioned aluminum or its alloy plate or foil. A plurality of recording materials 701 are set in the stocker 711, and the recording material 701 is sent to the belt conveyor by the conveyor 712 and sent to the printing tray 715. Reference numeral 714 is an auxiliary roller for feeding.

Here, the stocker 711 is preferably a constant temperature stocker in which the stocker itself has a temperature control function by the temperature control unit 726. Furthermore, it is more preferable that the inside of the stocker is in a dry state.

Recording material 7 sent to printing tray 715
01 is firmly adsorbed and fixed on the tray by suction with the pump 716. The recording material 701 on 715 is the first
Of the anodic oxide film of the recording material 701 is removed by being heated by irradiation of infrared rays from the infrared lamp 704, and the moisture contained in the recording material 701 is removed. Since the dehydration reaction is performed, the film is activated. Further, by rotating the fan 705 to blow air, the effect of the treatment in the first step can be further promoted.

Furthermore, as described above, the stocker 71
The processing efficiency in the first step can be made more effective by adding the temperature control function to 1 or providing the stocker 711 itself with the function of activating.

When the recording material is unloaded from the area of the first processing step by the feed motor 717, the recording head 71 is immediately moved.
Inkjet recording by 0 is performed. For the inkjet recording which is the second step, various inkjet recording methods such as a piezo method and an electrostatic method can be used.
A bubble jet method that can stably perform high-speed recording is preferable.

As for the recording method, if problems such as blurring occur in the case of 1-pass printing, 2 passes, 4 passes
Pass printing is adopted. The ink used here is
Although various compositions can be used, it is preferable to select and use the kind of dye and the content of the non-volatile solvent suitable for the anodized film as mentioned above. The recording material on which the image is recorded is immediately conveyed to the area where the processing of the third step is performed. Here, the volatile solvent of the ink present in the anodic oxide coating on which the image is formed is evaporated and scattered, and the dye of the ink is reacted with the coating to promote dyeing and ensure fixation. Is done to In this apparatus, the third step is performed by the heating means 703 including a fan and an infrared lamp as a set. In addition,
In the third step, the purpose is to dye the dye in the ink,
Different from the first step, since it is also a preferable process for dyeing dye, that the pores in the film are blocked by the reaction of moisture and oxygen in the air with the anodic oxide film to form a hydroxide, which is not always the case. There is no need to activate the fan.

The recorded matter having an image which has undergone the above three processing steps is the laminating apparatus 72 which is the fourth step below.
Then, the protective film 725 is laminated on the surface. As this protective film, an adhesive type, a thermosetting type, a photocuring type, or the like is used, and the protective film is brought into close contact with the alumite plate 701 by effective curing means such as pressure, heat, or UV light. Fig. 15 (a) shows the adhesive type 1
Reference numeral 402 is an adhesive layer, 1403 is a protective layer, and 1404 is a base material, which is peeled off when the printed matter is actually used. FIG.
(B) is a type that is cured by heat or light, and the protective layer itself of 1405 is a type that is cured.

The protective film 725 has the substrate 14 as the outermost layer.
With No. 04 left, it is sent to the next fifth step, separated by a press 723, a blank part is removed, or after being bent, it is stored in a stocker 719. Needless to say, this step is not always necessary in the case of a recorded matter that does not require separation or bending by a press or the like.

Reference numeral 720 is a conveyor belt conveyer for sending the printed matter to the stocker 719.

In the illustrated example, the recording material 710 has a plate shape, but the tray for conveying the recording material 710 is appropriately adjusted so as to correspond to the shape of the recording material. For example, by using a spacer 811 or the like as shown in FIG. 8, it is possible to support recording on a disc-shaped recording material. or,
It is desirable that this apparatus has means for adjusting the distance between the recording head and the image forming surface of the recording material according to the thickness of the recording material.

In order to promote the heating effect in the first step and the third step, the tray is additionally provided with a heating means such as a heater, and the recording material is heated before each processing. By setting it, heating efficiency can be improved and effective processing can be performed even for processing a relatively large recording material having a large heat capacity.

When the heat treatment is carried out, thermal expansion causes the dimensions to be distorted, which causes both the width direction and the feeding direction of the recording, and causes white stripes in the recorded image and deviation of the print size. 9 occurs, the surface temperature of the image forming surface of the recording material 901 is detected by the temperature sensor 902 and amplified by the amplifier (Amp), and this is amplified by the A / D converter (A / After being digitized in D), it is compared with a preset value by a comparator, and the optimum delay signal with respect to the clock signal is applied to the recording head 910.
A signal is sent to the motor 903 to adjust the recording material so that the recording material can be set at the correct position, and the data of the recorded image is corrected as much as the aluminum plate becomes large due to thermal expansion, and the aluminum plate is kept at room temperature after recording. It is preferable to use a system that will ensure the correct image size when returned.

In addition, as described above, in the anodized film of aluminum or its alloy, the sealing rate of the pores forming the film,
The influence of the film thickness, pore size, cell density, etc. on the ink receiving amount is large. However, the characteristics of these coatings also vary among a plurality of recording materials formed under the same conditions, and when recording is performed under the same conditions in the second step, image quality variations, especially among lots, occur. It may occur. In such a case, print on the part of the anodic oxide film where no recording is performed in advance, pre-examine the print density, the balance of shades between colors, and feed back the results to determine the pulse width of the recording head. Such a problem can be solved by further adding a control means for controlling the head temperature, the time between full pulses, etc. to adjust the ejection amount.

Further, in order to convey the recording material with high accuracy, a mark is marked on the non-printing area of the recording material by etching or pressing, and the position is read by an appropriate reading means to always keep the position of the recording material. It is also possible to check and check the position and control the transfer means to carry out more accurate transfer. Further, when the recording material has warp or the like, it is also effective to add a function of correcting the warp to the roller or the like in order to correct the warp or the like.

Next, an example of the mechanism in the ink jet recording which is the second step of the method and apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail.

In ink jet recording on an aluminum anodized film, the aluminum anodized film itself does not have ink permeability as described above, and the volume of the pore portion which becomes the ink receiving portion is not so large. Furthermore,
Since there is a limit even if the ink vaporizability is increased, especially in the case of a recording method in which a plurality of multicolor inks are simultaneously ejected, the above method alone may be insufficient in terms of image quality.

Therefore, it is possible to obtain a high-quality image by combining printing by dividing the printing scan into a plurality of times and carrying out reciprocating printing instead of printing all at once by a plurality of aligned nozzles. . That is, when printing is performed by n times of scanning, a plurality of (m) nozzles are arranged on the printing surface by m / n, printing is repeated, and n × a pixel units are formed and divided into n times of scanning. This is a method of recording by filling n × a pixels. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the unevenness in the printing scan, save the time until the ink is dyed and fixed, and take the drying time that allows the ink to be received in the pores.

FIG. 10 shows a specific example of dot formation on the recording medium in the present invention. In FIG. 10, C ink and Y
It shows how ink is ejected at the same time. The squares shown in the first scan indicate the position of the recording head and the range that can be driven in during scanning. The blackened area is the area where the recording signal was actually applied and recording was performed.
The lower half of the head is set so that the driving amount is half. Next, in the second scan, the paper is fed by ½ of the nozzle width of the head, the remaining half of the print head that was not printed in the first scan is printed, and the lower half is printed in the same pattern. , Leave only 1/2 for recording. Further, this is a printing method in which the 100% printing portion is formed by repeating the third scanning and the fourth scanning. Here, such a recording method is named as 2-pass printing.

With this two-pass printing, the unevenness in scanning can be eliminated, but since two colors are printed at the same time as shown in FIG. 10, the acceptance amount of the anodized film is required to be doubled.
As described above, it is not suitable for a thin anodic oxide film. Therefore, in the case of multi-color printing, in a printing method in which printing is performed at the same position at the same time, it is necessary to print by changing the pattern for each color so that each color is printed at a different position for each pass.

FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 show concrete examples of recording by changing the pattern for each color. In FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, recording is performed using a recording device as shown in FIG. 13 in which four colors of Y, M, C, and Bk are used and four heads of 64 nozzles are arranged in parallel. In FIG. 13, 1201 is a four-color recording head, 1202 is an ejection portion, 1203 is a carriage, and 12
04, 1205 are aluminum plate feed rollers, 120
6 is an anodized aluminum plate on the surface, 120
7 is a rail, and 1208 is an encoder.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, when recording four colors, 4 × 4 pixels are set so that the four colors do not overlap, and among these, 4 dots are printed in one pass for each color. Select the recording signal. FIGS. 11 and 12 show 16 pixels in the nozzle row direction and 16 pixels in the scanning direction, which are set so as to obtain a 100% image by four repeated scans. Is the driving part. An aluminum plate is sent to the head by 16 nozzles for 2nd pass, 3rd pass, 4th pass in the right direction, and recording is performed. As a result, each color is not ejected at the same time, ink droplets are received by the pores within a time period during which each scan is repeated, bleeding between colors is eliminated, and a high-quality color image can be formed. This recording method is referred to as each color pass printing here.

Table 1 shows a table for explaining the effect on image quality for each printing method. The judgment criteria for each image quality are also shown. One pass is a normal one scan for 100% printing, and two passes are the printing method shown in FIG. 10 and four passes are the printing method shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. In addition, mono color indicates the image quality when recording is performed in Bk single color, and full color indicates Y, M, C,
This is a recording method in which four colors of Bk ink are simultaneously recorded and a maximum of three colors is set.

As can be seen from Table 1, in the case of mono-color, if there are two or more passes of division, unevenness of scanning lines and bleeding on the recording surface are considerably suppressed, but there is no problem in practical use.
It can be seen that in full-color printing, high-quality images are achieved by 4-pass printing using separate passes for each color.

[0109]

[Table 1] ⊚: No bleeding and good image quality. ◯: Good quality with some bleeding but practically no problem. Δ: Bleed in a part where two colors are overlapped or more. X: Bleed was severe and the image quality was inferior.

[0110]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples.

Example The present invention was carried out by using the recording apparatus as described above and further ink on the surface of an A4 size aluminum plate (plate thickness 0.5 mm) on which an aluminum anodic oxide coating having a thickness of about 10 μm was formed. An image was formed according to the steps according to the above method.

For the first step and the third step, a heat-drying treatment was adopted, and as shown in Table 2 below, under the conditions in which heating was not performed, heating at 40 ° C. and heating at 60 ° C. were appropriately combined. went. The image quality of the obtained recorded image was evaluated. The evaluation criteria and the results are also shown in Table 2. From the results shown in the table, it is possible to finally form a good image by heating at 60 ° C. or higher in the first processing step and by heating at 40 ° C. or higher in the third processing step. However, it was further found that in the case where the first processing step was not performed, an image could not be formed well under any condition of the third processing step.

[0113]

[Table 2] ⊚: No bleeding and good image quality. ◯: Good quality with some bleeding but no problem in practical use. Δ: Bleed in a part where two colors are overlapped or more. X: Bleed was severe and the image quality was inferior.

Next, a protective film was laminated on the recorded matter and press punching was carried out in the fifth step without peeling off the substrate of the outermost layer. This is the case where the fifth step of press punching is performed without laminating the protective film, and the case where the protective film is laminated but the base material of the outermost layer is not present and the fifth step is press punching. The finished state of the decorative aluminum plate was compared with the case of performing. Table 3 shows the results.

[0115]

[Table 3]

As can be seen from the above, by performing the fifth step with the base material of the protective film attached, the decorative aluminum plate can be formed without scratches on the protective film as well as the anodized film. Can be completed.

[0117]

According to the present invention, an anodized film formed on the surface of a plate or foil of aluminum or its alloy is subjected to the above-mentioned dehydration and activation treatment before application of ink droplets, whereby a dye is obtained. And the ink receiving amount are improved, and after the ink droplets are applied, the solvent component of the ink mixed in the coating film is evaporated to dye the dye (coloring material) in the ink, thereby improving the ink fixability. It is possible to finally form an image having excellent image performance on the anodized film, and by further laminating a protective film on the surface, it is possible to obtain a decorative aluminum plate having excellent environmental resistance. Since the color tone of the dye can be mainly selected, it is possible to manufacture a decorative aluminum plate having excellent color reproducibility.

Further, if a protective film is laminated on the surface without rinsing or sealing after recording, waste liquid treatment caused by rinsing or sealing is not necessary, and sealing using high heat must be used. If so, it becomes safer and a safe and clean process can be achieved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an anodized film of aluminum or its alloy.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the surface property of aluminum or its alloy material and the occurrence of bleeding.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a storage example of a recording material on which an anodized film is formed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a storage example of a recording material on which an anodized film is formed.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a storage example of a recording material having an anodized film formed thereon.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the evaporation state of a solvent in a general inkjet ink.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a main part of an example of a manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a tray used in the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a position correction system according to the temperature of the image forming surface of the recording material when aligning the recording material and the recording head in the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of dot formation on a recording medium in inkjet recording of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example in which a pattern is changed for each color and recorded in the inkjet color recording of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example in which a pattern is changed for each color in the inkjet color recording of the present invention and recording is performed.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an example of an apparatus for performing inkjet color recording of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a protective film used in the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a final manufacturing process of the decorative aluminum plate of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Anodized film 2 Pore 3 Cell 4 Base part 5 which consists of aluminum or its alloy 5 Barrier layer 21 Ink droplets 22 Alumite layer 23 Base part which consists of aluminum or its alloy 31,901 Recording material which has an image forming surface consisting of an anodized film 31 -1 Anodized film 31-2 Base made of aluminum or its alloy 32 Storage box 33 N ₂ blow tube 34 Resin bag 35 Deoxidizer 36 Adhesive tape 36-1 Plastic film 36-2 Adhesive layer 701, 910 Recording head 702 Area where the first step is performed 703 Area where the third step is performed 704 Infrared lamp 705 Fans 711, 719 Stocker 712, 718 Handler 713, 720 Belt conveyor 714, 721 Feed roller 715 Transport tray 716 Suction pump 717, 03 Feed motor 722 Laminating device 723 Pressing device 724 Separator winding device 725 Laminating film roll 811 Auxiliary sheet 902 Temperature sensor 1201 Recording head 1202 Discharging part 1203 Carriage 1204, 1205 Aluminum plate Feed roller 1206 Aluminum plate on which an anodized film is formed 1207 Rail 1208 Encoder

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Masami Ikeda 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (27)

[Claims] 1. An image is formed on an anodized film by applying at least one color ink drop from a recording head having a plurality of ink ejection ports to the anodized film formed on the surface of a plate or foil made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. An image forming method for forming a film, comprising: (a) a first step of dehydrating and activating the anodized film;
And (b) a second step of forming an image by ejecting ink droplets from an ejection port of the recording head in accordance with an image signal and applying the ink droplets to a predetermined position of the anodized film. (C) A third step of dyeing the dye contained in the applied ink droplet from the anodic oxide coating after the image formation to remove the excess component contained in the ink droplet, and (d) ) An image forming method comprising a fourth step of covering the surface of the anodized film with a protective layer. 2. The image forming method according to claim 1, further comprising a fifth step of shaping the recorded material into a desired shape after the fourth step. 3. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein a color image is formed using multicolor ink. 4. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the treatment on the anodized film in at least one of the first step and the third step is a heat treatment. 5. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the treatment on the anodized film in at least one of the first step and the third step is an electromagnetic induction treatment. 6. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the treatment on the anodized film in at least one of the first step and the third step is a spraying treatment with a dry gas. 7. The third step is a washing process with water.
The image forming method described in 1 .. 8. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the fourth step is a protective film laminating process. 9. The image forming method according to claim 2, wherein the fifth step is punching or bending by a press. 10. An image is formed on an anodized film by applying at least one color ink droplet from a recording head having a plurality of ink ejection ports to the anodized film formed on the surface of a plate or foil made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. A method of manufacturing a decorative aluminum plate for forming an anodized film, comprising: (a) dehydrating and activating the anodized film;
And (b) a second step of forming an image by ejecting ink droplets from an ejection port of the recording head in accordance with an image signal and applying the ink droplets to a predetermined position of the anodized film. (C) A third step of dyeing the dye contained in the applied ink droplet from the anodic oxide coating after the image formation to remove the excess component contained in the ink droplet, and (d) ) A method for producing a decorative aluminum plate, comprising a fourth step of covering the surface of the anodized film with a protective layer. 11. The method for producing a decorative aluminum plate according to claim 10, further comprising a fifth step of forming the recorded material into a desired shape after the fourth step. 12. The method for producing a decorative aluminum plate according to claim 10, wherein a color image is formed using multicolor ink. 13. The method for producing a decorative aluminum plate according to claim 10, wherein the treatment of the anodized film in at least one of the first step and the third step is heat treatment. 14. The method for producing a decorative aluminum plate according to claim 10, wherein the treatment on the anodized film in at least one of the first step and the third step is an electromagnetic induction treatment. 15. The method for producing a decorative aluminum plate according to claim 10, wherein the treatment on the anodized film in at least one of the first step and the third step is a spraying treatment with a dry gas. 16. The method for producing a decorative aluminum plate according to claim 10, wherein the third step is a water washing treatment. 17. The method for producing a decorative aluminum plate according to claim 10, wherein the fourth step is a laminating process of a protective film. 18. The method for producing a decorative aluminum plate according to claim 11, wherein the fifth step is punching or bending with a press. 19. A decorative aluminum plate manufactured by the method according to claim 10. 20. A decorative aluminum plate comprising an anodized film formed on the surface of a plate or foil made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy on which an image is formed, and a protective film being provided on the surface. 21. The decorative aluminum plate according to claim 20, wherein the protective film comprises a protective film and a base material. 22. An image is formed on an anodized film by applying at least one color ink droplet from a recording head having a plurality of ink ejection ports to the anodized film formed on the surface of a plate or foil made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. An apparatus for manufacturing a decorative aluminum plate for forming an anodized film, comprising: (a) a means for dehydrating and water-activating the anodized film; and (b) flying an ink droplet in accordance with an image signal to produce an anodized film of the anodized film. A recording head for applying ink droplets to a predetermined position, and (c) a dye contained in the adhered ink droplets is dyed into the anodic oxide coating from the anodic oxide coating after the image formation, and excess ink contained in the ink droplets is dyed. An apparatus for producing a decorative aluminum plate, comprising: a means for removing various components; and (d) a means for forming a protective layer on the surface of the anodized film. 23. The apparatus for manufacturing a decorative aluminum plate according to claim 22, further comprising means (e) for molding the recorded matter into a desired shape. 24. The apparatus for manufacturing a decorative aluminum plate according to claim 22, further comprising means (f) for transporting the aluminum plate in a heat insulating state. 25. Detecting means (g) for detecting the temperature of the aluminum plate, and means (h) for controlling the operation of the means (a) and / or means (c) based on the information detected by the means. 23. The apparatus for manufacturing a decorative aluminum plate according to claim 22, comprising: 26. A recording head (b) is for scanning an image on the aluminum plate to record an image. The recording head (b) records the image detected by the temperature detecting means (g) and the temperature detecting means (g). 26. The apparatus for manufacturing a decorative aluminum plate according to claim 25, further comprising means (i) for controlling the feeding of the recording head (b) in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction based on the recording head (b). 27. The apparatus for manufacturing a decorative aluminum plate according to claim 24, wherein the conveying means (f) has a means for correcting warpage caused by heating the aluminum plate.