TWI414437B - Dye sublimation heating module and system thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A heating module for dye sublimation printing on an article comprises a first heating plate, an infrared heating source, and a metal shield. The infrared heating source is disposed under the first heating plate and emits a radiation. The metal shield can prevent the radiation, emitted by the infrared heating source, from projecting directly on the article. The first heating plate preheats a retransfer sheet to be softened and then molded on the article. Consequently, the infrared heating source heats the retransfer sheet for sublimation dye transfer on the article.

Description

Dye sublimation heating module and system

The present invention relates to a heating module and system therefor, and more particularly to a heating module for dye sublimation printing and a system therefor.

Thermal transfer printing involves the reverse patterning of one or more thermal transfer dyes onto a transfer sheet. The pattern is transferred to the surface of the article by thermal transfer (which causes the pattern to contact the surface of the article and heat).

Conventional infrared heating sources encounter many problems in thermal transfer technology. In general, the transfer sheet is preliminarily heated to be attached to the outer contour of the article, and in order to uniformly heat the transfer sheet, the transfer sheet must be disposed equidistant from the infrared heat source. Since it is very difficult to make the distance between the transfer sheet and the infrared heat source effective in an equidistant manner, the transfer sheet sometimes becomes too soft to be properly attached to an object having a three-dimensional appearance. And sometimes too hard to properly cover the surface of the three-dimensional object. In addition, if the intensity of the radiation radiated by the infrared heat source is too strong, it may cause the transfer sheet to be deformed due to strong radiation.

Moreover, since a general infrared heating source can be rapidly heated to its preset temperature, the intense radiation emitted by the infrared heating source may cause damage to some fragile objects. However, if the predetermined temperature setting is lowered, the thermal transfer process will not be economically produced due to the low temperature.

In addition, the infrared heat source is difficult to irradiate heat to the object on the object of the three-dimensional space, for example, having an upwardly protruding portion, so that the side surface or the lower surface of the object may be compared with the temperature of the top surface. Lower. This phenomenon will cause the three-dimensional object and the transfer sheet to be unevenly heated, and the quality of the dye transfer may become poor at a lower temperature of the object due to the temperature difference, thereby deteriorating the overall printing quality.

In order to address the deficiencies of the prior art described above, the present invention discloses a heating module for dye sublimation printing of an article. The heating module comprises a first heating plate, an infrared heating source for radiating radiation, and a metal mask for preventing the radiation from directly projecting on the object. Since the infrared heating source is disposed under the first heating plate, the infrared heating source is disposed between the first heating plate and the object. Since the directly projected radiation may cause damage to the fragile object, the metal mask is disposed between the infrared heat source and the object. Therefore, the radiation emitted by the infrared heat source is indirectly projected onto the object. Furthermore, the main function of the first heating plate is to preheat and soften a transfer sheet to properly attach the transfer sheet to the article. Compared with the first heating plate, the infrared heating source heats the transfer sheet molded on the object by rapid heating, thereby reducing the time of the dye transfer process.

In addition, the present invention also discloses a system for dye sublimation printing of an article. The system comprises a heating module, an air inlet, an exhaust port, a receiving device and a guide rail. The heating module comprises a first heating plate, an infrared heating source, and a metal mask. The infrared heating source is disposed under the first heating plate and radiates radiation to the accommodating device for rapidly heating the transfer sheet molded on the object. Before the transfer sheet is subjected to rapid heating, the first heating plate preheats the transfer sheet so that the transfer sheet can be properly attached to the object. In addition, the air inlet guides the gas into a space between the transfer sheet and the first heating plate, and the gas is uniformly heated and distributed due to the gas entering the space via the first heating plate. The vent is used to maintain a vacuum between the transfer sheet and the article to avoid bubble formation between the transfer sheet and the article. The receiving device supports the object and contains a thermal insulating wall. The thermal insulation wall of the accommodating device maintains the temperature inside the accommodating device to prevent the object from warping due to the rapid cooling effect. The guide rail is connected to the bottom of one of the accommodating devices, so that the accommodating device can be automatically transported by the guide rail without manual handling.

The technical features and advantages of the present invention are set forth in the <RTIgt; Other technical features and advantages of the subject matter of the claims of the present invention will be described below. It is to be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced otherwise. It is also to be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that this invention is not limited to the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention are hereinafter described in conjunction with the drawings to illustrate the details. In addition, similar component symbols correspond to the same or corresponding component parts.

A modular process for painting an object 90 is shown in FIGS. 1 through 4. The details of each step will be revealed as follows. Object 90 includes a complex geometric pattern surface 92 that is printed via the process. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 1, the object 90 is disposed on a receiving device 20. A transfer sheet 30 is placed on the receiving device 20 to be above the object 90. The transfer sheet 30 is fixed to the edge portion 22 of the accommodating device 20. The edge portion 22 is provided at the highest area of the side wall 21 of the accommodating device 20. Generally, the bottom surface 23 of the accommodating device 20 and the transfer sheet 30 have a predetermined distance between 0.5 and 3 cm for printing a plurality of articles having different materials.

As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1, a deep-stacked receiving device 20 includes a side wall 21 that is disposed upwardly relative to the substantially horizontal bottom surface 23, thereby defining a recessed space 24 in the receiving device 20. . The object 90 is received in the recessed space 24. In other words, the object 90 is fixed to the bottom surface 23 of the accommodating device 20.

The prior art discloses a container (not shown) which is constructed of a thermally conductive material such as an aluminum of metal, thereby enhancing the cooling effect of the container. Due to the rapid cooling effect of prior art containers, the articles contained by the container will be affected by uneven or lower temperature gases, resulting in warpage and uneven coloration of the article. In order to solve the above drawbacks, the side wall 21 in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 will be coated with a layer of thermally insulating material. Therefore, the side wall 21 can also be referred to as a thermal insulating wall 21, which can be insulated to avoid heat loss. Therefore, the thermal insulating wall 21 can prevent the object 90 from being warped and unevenly colored as in the case of the case. The thermal insulation material is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, butadiene-styrene rubber and epoxy polyester, wherein the heat transfer coefficient is preferably less than 0.0011 Kcal/m‧s‧°C.

Referring to FIG. 1, the accommodating device 20 further includes at least one fastener 25 and a clip 26. The lock member 25 and the clip member 26 fix the transfer sheet 30 to the edge portion 22, thereby ensuring that the transfer sheet 30 is correctly disposed on the accommodating device 20 during the manufacturing process. Although the pair of locks 25 and the clips 26 are as shown in FIG. 1 of the embodiment, the present invention can be implemented by a single lock 25 and a clip 26 in accordance with various designs in practice.

Referring to Figures 1 through 4, the bottom surface 23 has a plurality of one-way valves 27 each for allowing liquid and gas to flow through the one-way valve 27 in a unidirectional manner. The gas or liquid flows from the groove space 24 (surrounded by the thermal insulation wall 21 of the accommodating device 20) through the one-way valve 27 to the outside of the accommodating device 20. Although a plurality of one-way valves 27 are shown in this embodiment, a suitably arranged one-way valve 27 can provide the same efficiency depending on the design. In addition, a vacuum pump (not shown) aspirates the gas or liquid from the accommodating device 20 to maintain a vacuum pressure, preferably in the range of 5 to 25 kPa or 20 to 60 kPa, at atmospheric pressure. under.

In the first stage of the process shown in FIG. 1, the object 90 is directly disposed on the bottom surface 23 for coloring. The article 90 can be made from a variety of materials selected from the group consisting of plastic, metal, ceramic, wood, and composite materials of the foregoing. In other embodiments, such as shown in FIG. 5, the article 90 can be nested over the nesting member 80. The nesting member 80 comprises a suitable material selected from the group consisting of elastomers, steel, and aluminum alloys. The top surface 81 of the nesting member 80 is nested for the bottom edge of the article 90 and secures the solid or thin-walled article 90 thereto. The bottom surface of the nesting member 80 includes two or more positioning pins 82 for positioning the nesting member 80 accurately, so that the object member 90 is indirectly disposed on the bottom surface 23 of the recessed space 24 of the accommodating device 20. The bottom surface 23 further includes a plurality of positioning holes (not shown) corresponding to the positioning pins 82. This positioning mechanism further ensures that the pattern or design on the transfer sheet 30 can accurately correspond to the article 90, thereby causing the quality of the transferred product to be within a certain expected range.

Once the article 90 is placed in the receiving device 20, the transfer sheet 30 will then be placed over the rim 22. As shown in FIG. 1, a transfer sheet 30 is disposed between the fastener 25 and the edge portion 22 to transfer a pattern or design to the surface of the corresponding article 90. When the fastener 25 is positioned on the transfer sheet 30, the clip 26 is also positioned such that the clip 26 grips the bottom of the rim 22 and grips the lock 25 against the receiving device 20.

In the second process step shown in FIG. 2, a first heating plate 40 is disposed on the infrared heat source 50. In other words, the infrared heating source 50 is disposed under the first heating plate 40 and partially covered by the metal mask 70. The distance (D1) between the first heating plate 40 and the transfer sheet 30 has a significant influence on the softening of the transfer sheet 30. The distance (D1) between the first heating plate 40 and the transfer sheet 30 is preferably in the range of 3 to 20 cm, and the appropriate distance (D1) can be adjusted in accordance with the material of the different object 90. The first heating plate 40, the infrared heating source 50 and the metal mask 70 can be used to construct a heating module 35. In other words, the heating module 35 includes the first heating plate 40, the infrared heating source 50, and the metal mask 70. The heating module 35 is mainly used to preheat the transfer sheet 30 (the temperature range is preferably controlled between 40 and 100 ° C, generally about 65 ° C), and the transfer sheet 30 can be softened. Before the transfer sheet 30 is attached to the article 90, the transfer sheet 30 is exposed to the gas stream heated by the first heating plate 40 for softening. In the second process step, the first heating plate 40 preheats the gas guided by an air inlet 60 so that a gentle preheating heat can be supplied to the transfer sheet 30. Specifically, the intake port 60 directs the gas (wind speed range of about 500 m ³ /h to 3000 m ³ /h) into the space 41 between the transfer sheet 30 and the first heating plate 40. The gas in the space 41 will be preheated by the first heating plate 40 to soften the transfer sheet 30. At the same time, the exhaust port 62 will be exhausted by the check valve 27 to remove a gas or liquid for maintaining a vacuum pressure, preferably in the range of 20 to 60 kPa (about 50 kPa) under one atmosphere for The transfer sheet 30 is in gentle contact with the object 90 of the three-dimensional space. Next, the exhaust port 62 maintains a vacuum pressure between the transfer sheet 30 and the third-degree object 90, which ranges from 5 to 25 kPa (about 5 kPa) at atmospheric pressure to The transfer sheet 30 is completely attached to the surface of the three-dimensional object 90. The vacuum pressure is gradually increased from a low vacuum (about 50 kPa) to a high vacuum (about 5 kPa), which is a gradual vacuum process, which is controlled by a control member (not shown). . The offset error refers to the distance between the pattern after dye transfer and the pattern originally designed to be printed on the object 90. The gradual vacuum process can significantly reduce the offset error, so that the preheated transfer sheet 30 can be appropriately softened and attached to a predetermined position on the surface of the three-dimensional object 90 to reduce the offset error. Further, the exhaust port 62 excludes the gas and liquid discharged from the check valve 27 to maintain the vacuum pressure between the transfer sheet 30 and the three-dimensional object 90. Specifically, the exhaust port 62 for generating a vacuum includes a vacuum pump or a compressor (not shown) that sucks the gas and the liquid.

A tungsten wire coil 42 of the first heating plate 40 is activated, and the heat or heat generated by it is transferred to the transfer sheet 30 in the A direction as shown in FIG. 2, whereby the temperature of the transfer sheet 30 is further slowly increased, so that The transfer sheet 30 becomes soft and is easily molded on the surface of the article 90 having a three-degree space. Therefore, the first heating plate 40 can prevent the transfer sheet 30 from becoming too soft (because the temperature rises too fast) or too hard (because the temperature is not high enough) to be properly attached or molded on the contour of the article 90. In addition, the system for dye sublimation printed article 90 of the present invention is primarily regulated by a preset temperature rather than by the time interval of heating. Further, the temperature range in which the transfer sheet 30 is heated to cause dye transfer is mainly from 100 to 240 ° C, and generally about 160 ° C. The preferred distance between the article 90 and the first heating plate 40 is in the range of 2 to 15 cm for stably maintaining the dye transfer temperature. The first heating plate 40 will increase the temperature analogously from about room temperature to 100 ° C compared to the temperature of the dye transfer heating. This process is the aforementioned preheating process, which is controlled by a control member (not shown). The controlled analog heating process is controlled. By controlling the temperature, the system provides a gentle heating process that avoids damage to the article 90 caused by the intense warming caused by the infrared heating source in a very short period of time (e.g., within 1 microsecond). In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, a very uniform temperature distribution will be produced around the transfer sheet 30 to improve the integrity of the transfer sheet 30 after the final casting.

The exhaust port 62 is successively activated, so that the gas system existing between the transfer sheet 30 and the three-dimensional object 90 is discharged through the check valve 27 provided on the bottom surface 23, and is discharged in the B discharge direction as shown in FIG. The locker 25 and the impervious transfer sheet 30 form a vacuum between the transfer sheet 30 and the article 90. This vacuum pressure is regulated by precise regulation, and is gradually gradually increased from 20 kPa to 1 kPa, and the gas in the groove space 24 is completely discharged. The above vacuum will cause the transfer sheet 30 to closely adhere to the surface 92 of the article 90 and ensure good adhesion quality so as not to form bubbles between the transfer sheet 30 and the article 90. When the exhaust port 62 is turned off, the check valve 27 can also have a function of maintaining a part of the vacuum.

In the third process step shown in FIG. 3, the infrared heat source 50 of the heating module 35 is activated to emit radiation. Since the metal mask 70 is disposed between the infrared heat source 50 and the object 90, the metal mask 70 can prevent the radiation from directly projecting to the object 90. If the strong radiation of the infrared heat source 50 is directly projected on the object 90, damage is caused. The metal mask 70 reflects the radiation and, in conjunction with the gas heated by the first heating plate 40, heats the transfer sheet 30 cast onto the article 90 for the dye to sublimate the transfer pattern to the article 90. However, the distance (D2) between the infrared heat source 50 and the object 90 may also affect the rate of the dye sublimation transfer step, and the distance (D2) preferably ranges from 1 to 10 cm; thus the metal mask 70 The distance from the object 90 is between 0.5 and 9 cm to completely reflect the radiation emitted by the infrared heat source 50. In addition, when the rapid dye sublimation transfer step is performed, the infrared heat source 50 and the analog heating process are simultaneously activated.

In the fourth process step shown in FIG. 4, the heating module 35 further includes a second heating plate 43 disposed under the object 90 and the bottom surface 23 of the receiving device 20. The distance (D3) between the second heating plate 43 and the bottom surface 23 ranges between 2 and 5 cm. The second heating plate 43 also includes a tungsten wire coil 44 that maintains the temperature of the receiving device 20 between 50 and 100 ° C to prevent the object 90 from warping due to the cooling effect. In addition, the heating module 35 further includes at least one coil 45. In this embodiment, the two coils 45 are disposed corresponding to the sides of the third-degree object 90. However, in many different embodiments (not shown), a suitably arranged coil 45 is also sufficient to perform its function, and its function is to guide the infrared heating source 50 and the first heating plate 40 as shown in FIG. The gas is heated to the object 90. Specifically, the coil 45 guides the heated gas to be blown (in the direction of C as shown in FIG. 4) to the side of the object 90, so that the coil can circulate on the side of the object 90 or the gas near the bottom surface. Compared to the top surface of the object 90, the side of the third-degree object 90 or the position closer to the bottom surface does not have a lower temperature. The design of the coil 45 allows the dye to be uniformly transferred to the side of the three-dimensional object 90 or the surface closer to the bottom surface during sublimation transfer, thereby improving the quality of the overall sublimation transfer. In addition, the wind speed at which the heated gas is blown from the coil 45 will also affect the circulation of the gas around the side of the article 90 or near the bottom surface, preferably at a wind speed ranging from 500 m ³ /h to 300 m ³ /h.

As shown in FIG. 6, the system 1 for dye sublimation printing includes the above-described heating module 35, an air inlet 60, an exhaust port 62 (shown in FIG. 2), two accommodating devices 20, and a guide rail 100. The rail 100 is coupled to the bottom of the receiving device 20 such that the receiving device 20 can be automatically transported to the reaction chamber 200 for processing by the processing steps illustrated in Figures 1-4. In addition, the outer surface of the reaction chamber 200 of the system 1 includes an operation panel 210 for the operator to monitor the current process steps or to monitor the current temperature parameters to determine whether to proceed to the next stage of the process steps.

According to the offset error of the measured side of the above test, it is obvious that the analog heating process, the preheating process, the coil cycle and the gradual vacuum process all significantly affect the value of the offset error (the smaller the offset error, the better).

The technical content and technical features of the present invention have been disclosed as above, but it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited by the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. Can be used for various substitutions and modifications. For example, many of the devices or structures disclosed above may be implemented in different ways or substituted with other structures, or a combination of the two.

Moreover, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the particular process, machine, manufacture, composition, means, method or method of the particular embodiments disclosed. Those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains will appreciate that the present invention and the embodiments of the present invention, based on the teachings and disclosures of the process, the machine, the manufacture, the composition, the device, the method, or the steps of the present invention, whether present or future developers The revealer performs substantially the same function in substantially the same manner, and achieves substantially the same result, and can also be used in the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the following claims is intended to cover such <RTIgt; </ RTI> processes, machines, manufactures, compositions, devices, methods or steps.

1. . . system

100. . . guide

20. . . Storing device

200. . . Reaction chamber

210. . . Operation panel

twenty one. . . Side wall, thermal insulation wall

twenty two. . . Edge

twenty three. . . Bottom

twenty four. . . Groove space

25. . . Lock firmware

26. . . Clamp

27. . . Check valve

30. . . Transfer sheet

35. . . Heating module

40. . . First heating plate

41. . . space

42. . . Tungsten wire coil

43. . . Second heating plate

44. . . Tungsten wire coil

45. . . Snake tube

50. . . Infrared heating source

60. . . Air inlet

62. . . exhaust vent

70. . . Metal mask

80. . . Set of stacks

81. . . Top surface

82. . . Positioning bolt

90. . . object

92. . . surface

(D1). . . distance

(D2). . . distance

(D3). . . distance

A. . . direction

B. . . Discharge direction

C. . . direction

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a first process step of dye sublimation transfer printing according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a cross-sectional view showing a second process step of dye sublimation transfer printing according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a cross-sectional view showing a third process step of dye sublimation transfer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a cross-sectional view showing a fourth process step of dye sublimation transfer printing according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an article having a complex contour nested on a nested member;

6 shows a schematic diagram of a system for dye sublimation printing and a guide rail for transporting a receiving device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

20. . . Storing device

twenty one. . . Side wall, thermal insulation wall

twenty two. . . Edge

twenty three. . . Bottom

25. . . Lock firmware

26. . . Clamp

27. . . Check valve

30. . . Transfer sheet

35. . . Heating module

40. . . First heating plate

41. . . space

42. . . Tungsten wire coil

50. . . Infrared heating source

60. . . Air inlet

62. . . exhaust vent

70. . . Metal mask

90. . . object

92. . . surface

A. . . direction

B. . . Discharge direction

Claims (9)

A dye sublimation heating module comprises: a first heating plate; an infrared heating source disposed under the first heating plate and emitting a radiation; and a metal mask to prevent the radiation from being directly projected on the An object; wherein the first heating plate preheats a transfer sheet, and the infrared heating source heats the transfer sheet, and molds the transfer sheet on the object, wherein the object and the transfer sheet are interposed The preset distance ranges from 0.5 cm to 3 cm. The dye sublimation heating module of claim 1 further comprising a second heating plate disposed under the article. The dye sublimation heating module of claim 2, wherein the first heating plate and the second heating plate comprise a tungsten wire coil. The dye sublimation heating module of claim 1, further comprising a coil for guiding a gas heated by the infrared heat source to the object. The dye sublimation heating module of claim 4, wherein the coil guides the gas to a side of the article. A dye sublimation heating system comprising: a heating module comprising: a first heating plate; an infrared heating source disposed under the first heating plate and emitting a radiation; and a metal mask to avoid The radiation is directly projected onto an object Above, wherein the first heating plate preheats a transfer sheet, and the infrared heating source heats the transfer sheet, and molds the transfer sheet on the object; an air inlet, guiding gas enters between a space between the transfer sheet and the first heating plate; an exhaust port that maintains a vacuum pressure between the transfer sheet and the object; a receiving device that supports the object and contains a heat An insulating wall; and a rail connected to a bottom of the receiving device, wherein a predetermined distance between the object and the transfer sheet ranges from 0.5 cm to 3 cm. The system of claim 6, wherein the heating module further comprises a second heating plate disposed under the article. The system of claim 7, wherein the first heating plate and the second heating plate comprise a tungsten wire coil. A system according to claim 6, wherein the heating module further comprises a coil for guiding a gas heated by the infrared heat source to the object.