JP2002040202A - Method and device for coloring plastic lens - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and a device for coloring a plastic lens wherein the plastic lens is efficiently colored in a stable tint free from color missing defects and color unevenness and waste liquid is not generated. SOLUTION: A material for coloring is transferred to a transfer body having elasticity from layout paper without using a transfer sheet and the transfer body is transferred to the surface of the plastic lens. The material for coloring is transferred to one surface or both surfaces of the plastic lens according to desired density.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for coloring a plastic lens.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional method of coloring a plastic lens is to disperse various disperse dyes together with a surfactant in warm water to prepare a dyeing solution, and immerse the plastic lens in a heated dyeing solution. Have been. (Less than,
This is called the "dyeing method." Also, as an alternative to the dip dyeing method, for example, a coloring method by a transfer method as described in JP-A-2000-9905 has been proposed.
In this coloring method, a transfer sheet prepared in advance is attached to a plastic lens by a transfer device, and after the colored layer is transferred,
The transfer sheet is peeled off, and then the plastic lens is heated within a certain temperature and time range to allow the sublimable dye to sublimate and penetrate into the plastic lens.

[0003]

However, in the dyeing method,
There is a problem that the affinity of the dye in water with the plastic lens is low, and it takes an extremely long time to color the dye at a high concentration. Further, since this dyeing solution must be finally discarded, a problem of waste liquid treatment also arises.

In the above-described coloring method by the transfer method,
When a transfer sheet is attached to a plastic lens, if a bubble is generated, a colored layer cannot be formed at that portion, color loss occurs, and if wrinkles occur, the thickness of the colored layer becomes uneven and color unevenness occurs. . In particular, since plastic lenses for glasses have various curved surfaces, bubbles and wrinkles are likely to be generated when a transfer sheet is attached, and color missing or color unevenness occurs. Further, if a colored layer is formed on only one side of the plastic lens, it takes a long time to perform coloring at a high density.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a plastic lens,
An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for coloring a plastic lens which can efficiently color a stable hue without color loss and color unevenness and do not generate waste liquid.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems The inventor of the present invention has repeatedly studied to achieve the above object, and found that a method of transferring a coloring material to a plastic lens without using a transfer sheet is effective. . More specifically, it has been found that it is effective to transfer the coloring material from the plate to a transfer member having elasticity, and transfer this to the surface of the plastic lens. In addition, it has been found that in order to efficiently color plastic lenses of various concentrations, it is effective to transfer a coloring material to one or both surfaces of the plastic lens according to a desired concentration. Thus, the present invention has been completed.

Hereinafter, the invention will be described with reference to FIG.

First, a case will be described in which a predetermined amount of a coloring material is applied to a metal or photosensitive resin plate having a predetermined pattern and an unnecessary coloring material is removed from under the plate to form a plate. .

First, in step S1, a coloring material is prepared by changing the mixing ratio of the three primary colors of red, blue and yellow so that the plastic lens has a desired hue.

Next, in step S2, a predetermined amount of a coloring material is applied to the pre-prepared printing plate, and unnecessary coloring material is removed from the printing plate to prepare a printing plate. The underlay may be prepared by adding a total halftone dot or a gradation pattern to a metallic or photosensitive resin plate material.

Next, in step S3, if the underlay has a pattern having directionality such as gradation, the plate and the plastic lens are aligned.

Next, in step S4, the coloring material is transferred from the plate to a transfer member having elasticity, and this is transferred to the surface of the plastic lens.

At the time when step S4 is completed, if the desired coloring density is equal to or higher than the specified value, it is determined whether the coloring material has been transferred to both surfaces of the plastic lens. If the coloring material is transferred to only one side of the plastic lens, the coloring material is dried in step S7, the plastic lens is inverted in step S4, and the process is repeated from step S2.

If the desired coloring density is lower than the specified value, or if the desired coloring density is higher than the specified value and the coloring material is transferred to both surfaces of the plastic lens, sublimation in the coloring material is performed in step S5. Sublimation penetrates the coloring pigment into the plastic lens.

In step S6, which is the final step, the coloring material remaining on the surface of the plastic lens is removed.
Perform cleaning.

Next, a case where a coloring material is applied to a plate material in a predetermined pattern by an ink jet method to form a plate will be described.

First, in step S2, a coloring material is applied to the plate material by an ink jet method so that the plastic lens has a desired pattern and hue. The shape of the plate material is not limited as long as the coloring material can be held on the surface and can be transferred to an elastic body. Step S1 is a step S1
2 in some cases.

Step S3 and subsequent steps are the same as the case of applying a coloring material under a metal or photosensitive resin plate having a predetermined pattern and removing the unnecessary coloring material to form a plate.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a method for coloring a plastic lens includes a first step of preparing a coloring material containing a sublimable dye, and a second step of applying a coloring material to form a plate. A third step of aligning the plate and the lens, a fourth step of transferring the coloring material from the plate to the elastic body, and transferring the coloring material to a plastic lens, a fifth step of drying the coloring material, It is characterized by comprising a sixth step of inverting the lens, a seventh step of sublimating and penetrating the sublimable dye contained in the coloring material into the plastic lens, and an eighth step of cleaning the plastic lens.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for coloring a plastic lens according to the first aspect, wherein the method for coloring a plastic lens according to the first aspect comprises the steps of: It is characterized in that a coloring material is transferred to one or both sides.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the method for coloring a plastic lens according to the first aspect, the second step comprises:
It is characterized in that a predetermined amount of a coloring material is applied to a metal or photosensitive resin plate having a predetermined pattern, and an unnecessary coloring material is removed from under the plate to form a plate.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the method for coloring a plastic lens according to the first aspect, the second step comprises:
A printing plate is prepared by applying a coloring material to a plate material in a predetermined pattern by an ink jet method.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plastic lens coloring apparatus, comprising: a blending means for blending a coloring material containing a sublimable dye; a plate forming means for applying a coloring material to form a plate; Positioning means for performing the positioning, a transfer device made of an elastic body and transferring the coloring material from the plate to the plastic lens, a drying means for drying the coloring material, a reversing means for reversing the plastic lens,
It is characterized by comprising a heating device for sublimating and penetrating the sublimable dye contained in the coloring material into the plastic lens, and a cleaning means for cleaning the plastic lens.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the coloring apparatus for a plastic lens according to the fifth aspect, the plate forming means comprises:
It is provided with a metal or photosensitive resin underlay having a predetermined pattern, a coloring material applying means for applying a predetermined amount of coloring material to the underlay, and a coloring material removing means for removing unnecessary coloring materials from the underlay. It is characterized by the following.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the coloring apparatus for a plastic lens according to the fifth aspect, the plate forming means comprises:
It is characterized by comprising a plate material and an ink jet applying means for applying a coloring material to the plate material in a predetermined pattern.

[0026]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5, which are schematic views of a plastic lens coloring apparatus according to the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

First, a case will be described in which a predetermined amount of a coloring material is applied to a metal or photosensitive resin plate having a predetermined pattern and an unnecessary coloring material is removed from under the plate to form a plate. .

First, a coloring material is prepared. As the coloring material, for example, a thermal sublimation dyeing ink for screen printing may be used. These three primary colors of red, blue and yellow are converted into the desired hue,
The mixture is prepared while appropriately adding a diluting liquid or the like so as to have a concentration.

Next, a plate is created. As the plate material, a photosensitive resin plate is preferably used. Although a metal plate can be used, a photosensitive resin plate is preferable in terms of cost and elaboration of the plate. As shown in FIG. 2, a predetermined pattern is previously applied to this plate material to prepare a composition 2, a predetermined amount of coloring material 1 is applied to the composition 2, and unnecessary coloring material 1 is applied from the composition 2. Remove 1 to make a plate.

Next, when the composition 2 has a pattern having directionality such as gradation, the plate and the plastic lens are aligned with the astigmatic axis and the principal meridian by a positioning means (not shown). Perform position adjustment.

Next, as shown in FIG.
To the transcript 5. The transfer member 5 can be made of silicone, gelatin, urethane, or the like.

Next, the coloring material 1 transferred to the transfer body 5
Is transferred to the surface of the plastic lens 7 held by the jig 6. At this time, it is desirable to fix the plastic lens 7 using the suction device 8 or the like at the time of transfer so that the plastic lens 7 does not move. When a desired coloring density is desired to be higher than a specified value, the coloring material is dried by a hot air blowing type drying means (not shown), and then the plastic lens 7 is turned over by a reversing means (not shown). The coloring material is transferred to the surface of the plastic lens 7 again. Here, the specified value of the coloring density does not necessarily need to be set high, but by setting it low, it is possible to produce a product having a desired coloring density in a shorter time. Alternatively, the coloring material may be transferred to both surfaces at once without turning the plastic lens 7 upside down.

After the transfer of the coloring material 1 is completed, the sublimation dye is sublimated and permeated using a heating device. The heating device shown in FIG. 5 includes a heater 9 and emits, for example, infrared rays. The plastic lens 7 supplied to the heating device is heated at a temperature equal to or lower than the heat resistant temperature of the plastic lens 7 for a time set in advance according to the coloring density and the hue.

In the final step, the plastic lens 7 is immersed in an unillustrated ultrasonic cleaning tank filled with a solvent such as monoethylene glycol monomethyl ether.
The coloring material remaining on the surface of the plastic lens 7 is removed by washing. Thus, the plastic lens 7
Can be colored to a desired color and density.

Next, a description will be given of a case where a coloring material is applied to a plate material in a predetermined pattern by an ink jet method as shown in FIG. Plate 4
Is preferably made of polyethylene, for example. The coloring material 1 is preferably prepared by adding a dispersant to a disperse dye and filtering the mixture with a filter. The coloring material is applied to the plate material 4 by the inkjet coating means 3 to form a plate. The preparation of the coloring material is unnecessary when included in the inkjet coating means 3. The other steps are the same as the case where a coloring material is applied to a metal or photosensitive resin plate having a predetermined pattern and an unnecessary coloring material is removed from under the plate to form a plate.

Example 1 In this example, first, a photosensitive resin plate PG250 manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc. was prepared as a plate material. Using a film on which a gradation pattern was prepared in advance using a plate making machine PGP300 manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc., a plate 2 was formed by an exposure method.

Next, a coloring material was prepared. The target color is Seiko Nouveau Color Amber 20, and a thermal sublimation ink for screen printing by Toyo Ink Manufacturing Co., Ltd., S, so that the colored plastic lens 7 has the target hue.
Each of the three primary colors of red, blue and yellow of the UB series was used in an appropriate amount, and was mixed by a mixing means (not shown) while adding a solvent C-002 for thinning solution of Toyo Ink Mfg. Co., Ltd.

Next, the prepared coloring material 1 is applied to the composition 2 prepared above, and the excess coloring material 1 on the composition 2 is removed.
Created a version.

Next, the positioning means (not shown)
The plate and the plastic lens were aligned.

Next, the coloring material 1 of the plate was transferred to a transfer member 5 made of silicon, and the coloring material 1 was transferred to the concave side of the plastic lens 7 made of epoxy resin using a jig 6.

Since the desired coloring density of the target color is equal to or higher than the specified value, the coloring material is dried by a hot air blowing type drying means (not shown), and the plastic lens 7 is inverted by a not-shown inverting means. The process from step S2 in FIG. 1 was repeated again to transfer the coloring material 1. During transfer of the coloring material 1, the plastic lens 7 was held by the adsorber 8 so that the plastic lens 7 did not move. Thereafter, the plastic lens 7 was placed in a heating device that emits infrared rays, and the sublimation dye was sublimated and permeated for 20 minutes while controlling the surface temperature of the plastic lens 7 to 130 ° C. under normal pressure.
Thereafter, the plastic lens 7 was immersed in an ultrasonic cleaning tank filled with monoethylene glycol monomethyl ether, and the coloring material remaining on the surface of the plastic lens 7 was removed.

[0042] Twenty plastic lenses manufactured under the same conditions were colored by the above-described method, and then inspected. The inspection items are color unevenness, missing colors, and the degree of coincidence with the target color. Color unevenness and color omission are determined by visual inspection.
Those satisfying the points were judged to be good. 1) No defect easily recognized within the center diameter of 30 mm 2) No significant defect outside the center diameter of 30 mm The degree of coincidence with the target color is determined by the CIELA between the target color and the article to be colored.
If the B color difference (JIS Z 8729) was within 0.5, it was determined to be good, and if it was greater than that, it was determined to be defective. As a result of the inspection, 18 sheets were non-defective.

Embodiment 2 In this embodiment, first, a plate material 4 made of polyethylene was prepared. The target color is the same as in Example 1, and the disperse dye Daianix Red A is used so that the colored plastic lens 7 has the target hue.
CE (Mitsubishi Chemical Industries), DaianixBlue A
CE (Mitsubishi Kasei Kogyo), Kayalon Micro
Ester Yellow AQ-LE (Nippon Kayaku) was added with a dispersing agent, and filtered through a filter to prepare each of the three coloring materials 1. An inkjet having a resolution of 720 × 720 dpi using the coloring materials 1. A gradation pattern was printed on the plate material 4 by the head to prepare a plate.

Next, the positioning means (not shown)
The plate and the plastic lens were aligned.

Next, the coloring material 1 for the plate is transferred to a transfer member 5 made of silicon, and a plastic lens 7 made of an epoxy resin is transferred.
The coloring material 1 was transferred using the jig 6 on the concave surface side of.

Since the desired coloring density of the target color is equal to or higher than the specified value, the coloring material is dried by a hot air blowing type drying means (not shown), and the plastic lens 7 is inverted by a reversing means (not shown). The process from step S2 in FIG. 1 was repeated again to transfer the coloring material 1. During transfer of the coloring material 1, the plastic lens 7 was held by the adsorber 8 so that the plastic lens 7 did not move. Thereafter, the plastic lens 7 was placed in a heating device that emits infrared rays, and the sublimation dye was sublimated and permeated for 20 minutes while controlling the surface temperature of the plastic lens 7 to 130 ° C. under normal pressure.
Thereafter, the plastic lens 7 was immersed in an ultrasonic cleaning tank filled with monoethylene glycol monomethyl ether, and the coloring material remaining on the surface of the plastic lens 7 was removed.

Twenty plastic lenses manufactured under the same conditions were colored by the above-described method, and then inspected. The inspection method is the same as in the first embodiment. As a result of the inspection, 16 sheets were non-defective.

<Comparative Example> The target color was the same as in Examples 1 and 2, and the disperse dye Terrasil Blue E-GLF was used so that the colored plastic lens had the target hue.
(Nihon Ciba Geigy), FSP Red BL (Futaba Sangyo), and Miketone Polystar Brown GF (Mitsui Chemicals) were used in appropriate amounts. Was prepared. The same epoxy resin plastic lens 7 as in Examples 1 and 2 was immersed in the heated dyeing solution for 130 minutes.
Thereafter, the disperse dye adhering to the surface of the plastic lens 7 was wiped off with lens paper impregnated with ethanol.

Twenty plastic lenses manufactured under the same conditions were colored by the above-described method, and then inspected. The inspection method is the same as the embodiment. As a result of the inspection, nine sheets were non-defective.

Table 1 shows the inspection results of Example 1, Example 2, and Comparative Example.

[0051]

[Table 1]

[0052]

As described above, by using the method and apparatus for coloring a plastic lens according to the present invention, a plastic lens can be efficiently colored to a stable hue without color loss and color unevenness, and no waste liquid is generated. be able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a manufacturing flowchart of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a plate making means of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a plate creating means of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an apparatus for transferring a coloring material according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a heating device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Coloring material 2: Underprint 3: Inkjet coating means 4: Plate material 5: Transfer body having elasticity 6: Jig 7: Plastic lens 8: Adsorber 9: Heater

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) B41M 1/10 B41M 1/30 D 1/30 Z 3/12 3/12 G02C 7/02 G02C 7/02 G02B 1/10 Z F term (reference) 2H084 AA40 BB13 CC03 CC16 CF03 CF10 2H113 AA01 AA02 AA03 AA04 AA05 BA03 BA21 BA41 BB07 BB23 BC06 CA21 DA56 FA10 FA29 FA48 2K009 BB11 DD01 DD09 EE01

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A first method for preparing a coloring material containing a sublimable dye.
, A second step of applying a coloring material to form a plate, a third step of aligning the plate with the lens, and transferring the coloring material from the plate to an elastic body and transferring it to a plastic lens. A fourth step, a fifth step of drying the coloring material, a sixth step of inverting the plastic lens, a seventh step of sublimating and penetrating a sublimable dye contained in the coloring material into the plastic lens, 8. A method for coloring a plastic lens, comprising: an eighth step of cleaning the lens. 2. A method for coloring a plastic lens according to claim 1, wherein a coloring material is transferred to one or both surfaces of the plastic lens according to a desired coloring density of the plastic lens. Method. 3. The method for coloring a plastic lens according to claim 1, wherein the second step comprises applying a predetermined amount of a coloring material under a metal or photosensitive resin plate having a predetermined pattern, A method for coloring a plastic lens, characterized in that an unnecessary coloring material is removed therefrom to form a plate. 4. The method of coloring a plastic lens according to claim 1, wherein in the second step, a plate is formed by applying a coloring material to the plate material in a predetermined pattern by an ink-jet method. How to color the lens. 5. A preparation means for preparing a coloring material containing a sublimable dye, a plate making means for applying a coloring material to form a plate,
Positioning means for positioning the plate and the lens, a transfer device comprising an elastic body and transferring the coloring material from the plate to the plastic lens, drying means for drying the coloring material, and reversing means for reversing the plastic lens A plastic lens coloring apparatus, comprising: a heating device for sublimating and penetrating a sublimable dye contained in a coloring material into a plastic lens; and a cleaning unit for cleaning the plastic lens. 6. An apparatus for coloring a plastic lens according to claim 5, wherein the plate making means applies a metal or photosensitive resin plate having a predetermined pattern and a predetermined amount of coloring material to the plate. A coloring apparatus for a plastic lens, comprising: a coloring material applying means; and a coloring material removing means for removing an unnecessary coloring material from under the printing plate. 7. The plastic lens coloring apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the plate making means comprises a plate material and an ink jet coating means for applying a coloring material to the plate material in a predetermined pattern. Coloring equipment.