JP2002293096A - Hydraulic transferring method for steering wheel - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hydraulic transferring method capable of reducing the number of times of transferring and reducing the range of masking. SOLUTION: The hydraulic transfer is applied individually and differently from the front surface 10a side of a rim part on both areas of the rim part of a steering wheel 10 divided into two parts by spoke unit 12 and requiring transferring.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for transferring a desired pattern to a steering wheel having a three-dimensional curved surface by hydraulic pressure transfer, and relates to a method for transferring a desired pattern from either the front side or the rear side of the rim portion of the steering wheel. This is a method in which hydraulic transfer having sufficient commercial value is efficiently performed with a smaller number of hydraulic transfer times by performing only hydraulic transfer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a hydraulic transfer method has been employed for printing a pattern on the surface of a rim portion of a steering wheel formed in a ring shape. In such a hydraulic transfer method, a water-soluble film on which a pattern for transfer is printed is floated on the surface of the water, and the transfer desired area of the steering wheel is pressed against the pattern remaining on the surface of the water in a state where the film is melted, and immersed in water in that state. In this method, the pattern is pressed against the surface of the rim portion of the steering wheel by water pressure, and the pattern is clearly transferred to the outer peripheral surface of the three-dimensional curved surface of the rim portion.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-5981 discloses that a steering wheel is erected on a film surface floating on the water surface in accordance with a grain pattern of the film surface, and the erected steering wheel is rotated along the grain pattern. A technique for performing hydraulic transfer in this manner is disclosed.

According to this method, the state in which the grain pattern was transferred so as to flow in the cross-sectional direction of the steering wheel can be transferred so that the grain pattern flows along the steering wheel. Transfer printing that resembles the appearance of wheels can now be performed.

[0005] Further, when the hydraulic pressure is transferred to the rim portion of the steering wheel, since the transfer is performed so as to wrap the outer periphery of the rim portion, a seam is inevitably formed. Such a joint is
Since the grain pattern is likely to be cut off, it has been performed by those skilled in the art that the joint can be formed at a position invisible to the driver when the steering wheel is mounted on the vehicle.

[0006] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-329498 discloses that a front surface of a steering wheel is pressed and immersed in a state where the front surface of a steering wheel is inclined in a transfer direction to a transfer film floating and traveling on a water surface. A single transfer technique is disclosed in which the seam is formed almost on the back side of the steering wheel, which is difficult for the driver to see.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-321663 discloses a method of hydraulically transferring a steering wheel by using masking to perform hydraulic transfer. In this publication, for example, after a part of the surface of a molding member constituting a part of a rim is masked with a first mask member, a transfer pattern is transferred by hydraulic transfer to a non-masking part,
There is disclosed a technique in which a coating film is formed on a transfer pattern surface by PVA or the like, and the first mask member is peeled off after the coating film is formed, and a hydraulic transfer is performed on the peeled portion.

That is, this hydraulic transfer method is a method in which one side of the rim portion is transferred and then hydraulic transfer is performed again from the opposite side. Normally, hydraulic transfer is performed from two directions from the front surface where the spokes protrude from the rim surface and from the back surface which is the opposite surface.

[0009]

In these conventional hydraulic transfer methods, the steering wheel is pressed all at once against a transfer film floating on the liquid surface, and the whole is immersed below the liquid surface as it is. A so-called one-time transfer method in which transfer is completed in one time, and after transferring from the front or back surface of the rim portion, hydraulic transfer is performed again from the opposite surface, and the transfer surface from both surfaces is combined to transfer the entire pattern Is a so-called two-way double transfer method in which the transfer is performed hydraulically.

When comparing the two methods, the one-time transfer method is a method with a high transfer efficiency which does not require much transfer since the number of times of transfer is one. However, in this method, since the entire steering wheel is immersed below the liquid level, it is necessary to sufficiently mask a spoke portion or the like of a non-transfer desired portion. The operation of masking the spokes with the masking tape cannot be mechanized, but is performed manually, which is a cumbersome and time-consuming operation.

On the other hand, in the so-called two-way double transfer method in which the transfer is performed twice from the front side and the back side, unlike the above-described single transfer method, it is not necessary to immerse the entire steering wheel below the liquid level. Can be minimized to the minimum required.

However, since the transfer is performed twice from the front side and the back side, it is necessary to mask the first transfer side so that an overlapping portion with the second transfer pattern does not occur. For this reason, the first transfer portion is masked. However, in practice, it is extremely difficult to exactly mask only the first transfer portion. Is formed.

Further, since the image is transferred twice from the front side and the back side, the number of times of the transfer is larger than that of the single transfer.
The labor of the transfer operation is increased accordingly.

Further, in the above-mentioned conventional transfer method, the transfer direction of the steering wheel with respect to the transfer film surface is kept constant during the transfer, regardless of whether the transfer is performed once or twice. It is sinking while pressing. However, in such a transfer method, since the steering wheel is formed in a ring shape, the joint of the transfer pattern formed on the steering wheel is slightly displaced.

That is, in such a transfer method, the joint cannot be formed at the same position in any part of the steering wheel. For example, in such a transfer method, a seam cannot be formed in a straight line horizontally on the back side of the steering wheel along the ring surface of the steering wheel. A wavy seam will be formed.

Further, in such a transfer method, air bubbles are interposed between the transfer film surface and the steering wheel at the time of transfer, and there is also a problem that so-called pinholes are easily generated in a transfer pattern. .

In the field of hydraulic transfer of the steering wheel, there is a strong demand for a technique for more efficient, low-cost, and clean hydraulic transfer. We thought it was necessary to develop a transfer technology that could combine the advantages of photography.

An object of the present invention is to reduce the number of times of hydraulic transfer in a hydraulic transfer method for a steering wheel.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a hydraulic transfer method for a steering wheel, in which joints of a transfer pattern can be similarly formed at respective portions of the steering wheel.

An object of the present invention is to prevent the occurrence of pinholes during transfer.

[0021]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a steering wheel, in which a desired transfer area of a rim is divided in two directions by a spoke, is pressed against a transfer film floating on a liquid surface, and A transfer method in which a transfer desired area is immersed below a liquid surface and a printing pattern of the transfer film is hydraulically transferred to the transfer desired area, wherein one of the transfer desired areas divided into two sides of the rim portion. A first transfer step of performing hydraulic transfer using a first transfer film only from one of the front and back transfer directions of the rim portion, and the other side of the transfer desired area. A second transfer step of performing hydraulic transfer using a second transfer film only from the transfer direction selected in the first transfer step, wherein the transfer selected in the first transfer step and the second transfer step is performed. Hydraulic rolling from directions other than Characterized in that it does not perform.

In the first transfer step, in each of the transfer-desired regions divided into two sides of the rim portion, one of both ends of the rim portion along the circumference is set as a transfer start end;
The other side is a transfer end end, and hydraulic transfer is advanced along the circumference from the transfer start end side to the transfer end end side. In the second transfer step, in each of the transfer desired areas divided into two sides of the rim portion, one of both ends of the rim portion along the circumference is set as a transfer start end, and the other side is set as the transfer start end. As a transfer end end, hydraulic transfer is advanced along the circumference from the transfer start end side to the transfer end end side.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1A is a front view showing the configuration of a steering wheel to which the hydraulic transfer method of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 1B is a side view as viewed from the direction of the arrow in FIG.

The steering wheel 10 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the rim portion 11 is formed in a ring shape, and the spoke portion 12 is provided in the ring of the rim portion 11. In the center position of the spoke part 12, FIG.
As shown in (B), a boss 13 is provided. In the figure, the spokes 12 are shaded.

In this specification, as shown in FIG. 1B, the side where the spoke portion 12 and the boss portion 13 do not protrude from the ring surface formed by the rim portion 11 of the steering wheel 10 is referred to as a front surface 10a. , Spoke part 12, boss part 1
The side where 3 protrudes will be referred to as the back surface 10b.

Further, the spoke portion 12 shown in FIG.
Of the desired transfer area of the rim portion 11 divided by the above, one side is referred to as a rim front portion 11a (11) and the other side is referred to as a rim rear portion 11b (11) for the sake of explanation.

Steering wheel 1 used in the present invention
In the case of 0, it is not necessary to limit the materials constituting the rim portion 11, the spoke portion 12, and the boss portion 13, and a conventionally used material such as wood, metal, or resin may be used.

In the method for hydraulically transferring a steering wheel according to the present invention, the steering wheel 10 having a configuration in which the desired transfer area of the rim 11 is divided in two directions by the spokes 12.
This is an effective technology for

More specifically, the hydraulic pressure transfer step of the steering wheel of the present invention includes a first activator application step A for activating the first transfer film floating on the water surface, and an activated first transfer film. From the front 10a side of the steering wheel 10, the rim front portion 11a or the rim rear portion 11
b) a first transfer step B in which the liquid pressure transfer is performed once only in one of the transfer directions, and a second activator application step C in which the second transfer film is activated prior to the second transfer step On the activated second transfer film surface only from the transfer direction selected in the first transfer step, that is, only from the front surface 10a side of the steering wheel 10,
A second transfer step D in which the other side of the rim rear portion 11b to which the hydraulic transfer has not yet been performed is hydraulically transferred at one time.

That is, in the hydraulic transfer method for a steering wheel described in the present embodiment, the first activator application step A, the first transfer step B, the second activator application step C, and the second transfer step D are performed. Have.

In the first activator application step A, the first transfer film 20 is floated on the water surface 21 as shown in FIG. The transfer film 20 is, as shown in FIG.
The transfer pattern 23 is printed by printing ink on the surface of the water-soluble film 22. With the transfer pattern 23 facing upward, the water-soluble film 22 behind is floated on the water surface 21.

With the transfer film 20 floating, an activator is applied to the transfer pattern 23 facing upward.
For example, the activator may be uniformly applied on the transfer pattern 23 surface by moving a spray nozzle back and forth on the transfer pattern 23 surface using a semi-automatic application device 23a or the like. After the application of the activator, the water-soluble film 22 behind the surface of the transfer pattern 23 gradually dissolves in water, and the transfer pattern 23 floats on the water.

After completion of the first activator application step A,
Move to the first transfer step B. In the first transfer step B, the front rim 11 of the rim 11
A hydraulic transfer is performed between the transfer start end a and the transfer end end b of a.

As shown in FIG. 3 (A), with the water surface 21 at a predetermined angle, along the circumferential portion of the rim front portion 11a from the transfer start end a to the transfer end end b. gradually,
It is pressed against the first transfer film 20 and is immersed below the water surface. In this manner, the hydraulic pressure transfer is gradually advanced along the circumference from the transfer start end a to the transfer end b, so that the transfer portion is immersed below the water surface at a stretch, unlike the conventional case where the transfer portion is immersed below the water surface. It is possible to remarkably reduce the risk of bubbles being interposed between the desired transfer area of the front portion 11a and the pattern, and to suppress the distortion of the transfer pattern, thereby performing a very clean hydraulic pressure transfer at one time. Can be.

At the same time, the joint of the transfer pattern can be formed uniformly. By progressively pressing along the circumference, any part of the steering wheel will be transferred in the same situation, so that the seams formed will be similar. That is, a beautiful seam is formed in a straight line.

However, if there is no need to worry about the presence of bubbles, pattern distortion, etc. as described above, the transfer is not a procedure for progressively performing hydraulic pressure transfer from the transfer start end a to the transfer end end b. Of course, the hydraulic transfer may be performed such that the so-called desired transfer region from the start end a to the transfer end end b is immersed below the water surface at one time.

FIG. 3B shows a state in which the rim front portion 11a is immersed below the water surface. The angle of inclination of the rim front portion 11a with respect to the water surface 21 at the time of performing the hydraulic transfer may be appropriately selected depending on, for example, where the seam formed by the single transfer is formed.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (B), it may be immersed below the water surface at a larger angle (90 degrees or less) with respect to the water surface 21 than the angle α with the water surface 21. . As the angle is increased, the joint of the transfer pattern is formed at a position closer to the center of the inner peripheral surface of the rim front portion 11a.

When the hydraulic transfer is performed at the angles shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the joint is formed at the rim front portion 11a.
Is formed at a position slightly deviated inward from the center of the vehicle, and is formed at a position that is relatively difficult to see from the driver side when the steering wheel 10 is mounted on the vehicle.

FIG. 3C shows a state in which the hydraulic transfer is performed once on the rim front portion 11a in this manner. That is, after the end of the first transfer step, the hydraulic transfer is performed on the transfer desired area of the rim front part 11a, and the hydraulic transfer desired area of the rim rear part 11b is left untransferred.

Before the first transfer step, the spokes 12 may be masked with a masking tape. The masking range is set to a range in which the spokes may be immersed below the water surface during the hydraulic transfer and a transfer pattern may be formed.

After the completion of the first transfer step B, a second activator application step C is entered. The work content in the second activator application step C is basically the same as in the first activator application step A. Second
In the activator application step C, a second transfer film having the same configuration as the first transfer film 20 is floated on the water surface. In a floating state, use a semi-automatic coating device to move the spray nozzle back and forth on the transfer pattern surface facing upward to uniformly apply the first activator on the transfer pattern surface. The same activator as used in step A is applied. After application of the activator, the water-soluble film is almost dissolved in water, and the transfer pattern is in a state of floating in water.

After completion of the second activator application step C,
Move to the second transfer step D. In the second transfer step D, the rim rear portion 11 is
A hydraulic transfer is performed between the transfer start end a and the transfer end end b of a.

As shown in FIG. 4 (A), with the water surface 21 having a predetermined angle, along the circumferential portion of the rim rear portion 11b from the transfer start end a to the transfer end b. gradually,
It is pressed against the first transfer film 20 and is immersed below the water surface. At the time of the transfer, the bubble is not interposed between the desired transfer area of the rim rear portion 11b and the pattern, and the distortion of the transfer pattern is also suppressed, so that extremely clean hydraulic pressure transfer is performed on the rim rear portion 11b. .

After the completion of the second transfer step, the transfer portion transferred in the second transfer step is dried, and the desired transfer pattern is transferred to the rim front portion 11a and the rim rear portion 11b by hydraulic transfer. 10 can be manufactured.

In the above description, in the second activator coating step C, the same transfer film as the first transfer film was used as the second transfer film. In order to transfer the same transfer pattern to the first and second transfer films, it is not necessary to use the same transfer pattern for the first transfer film and the second transfer film. Needless to say.

As the hydraulic transfer device used in the hydraulic transfer method of the present invention having the above-described structure, a conventional hydraulic transfer device can be used as it is. For example, the following hydraulic transfer device can be used. An apparatus may be used.

The water is configured to flow from the upstream to the downstream in the water tank, and the transfer film is supplied and floated on the flowing water surface. For the supply of the transfer film, the transfer film wound in a roll shape is continuously supplied onto the flowing water surface, and the partition member is appropriately placed back and forth so as to have a predetermined length. The steering wheel is immersed in water in the manner described above on the transfer film surface divided into front and rear portions by the partition member, and is further pulled up from the water to perform hydraulic transfer.

The transfer pattern remaining after the hydraulic transfer flows to the overflow portion on the downstream side, is trapped, and only the water from which the ink pattern has been removed is circulated again to the upstream side.

The transfer film may not be continuously supplied as described above, but may be a sheet-like transfer film cut to a predetermined size. Further, even if the transfer film is not supplied on the flowing water surface, for example, it may be supplied on the still water surface.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be changed as needed without departing from the gist thereof.

In the above-described embodiment, only the case where the front side is selected as the transfer direction has been described. However, when special consideration is not required for the disturbance of the transfer pattern due to the protrusions such as the spokes and the bosses, Alternatively, the rim front portion and the rim rear portion may be gradually hydraulically transferred only from the back side.

In the above embodiment, a drying step may be provided after the first transfer step B is completed. In the drying step, the transfer pattern transferred in the first transfer step B may be dried and fixed so as not to peel off. The steering wheel 10 immersed in the liquid surface and having the transfer pattern attached to the rim front portion 11a may be appropriately washed with water, then held in an atmosphere free from dust and the like, and air-dried. When drying, compared to the case where forced air is blown by blowing hot air, natural drying maintains a gentle drying state, effectively eliminating uneven shrinkage of patterns that tend to occur with forced drying. Can be prevented.

Further, it goes without saying that various print patterns such as woodgrain, carbon and burl can be used as the print pattern applicable to the hydraulic pressure transfer method for a steering wheel according to the present invention. No.

[0055]

According to the present invention, since the hydraulic transfer is performed only from the transfer direction on the front side or the back side of the rim portion, compared to the case where the hydraulic transfer is performed from a different transfer direction, the hydraulic transfer is performed earlier. There is no need to mask the transferred portion, and the transfer operation can be made much more efficient than in the conventional method.

Further, if the front side is selected as the transfer direction, the hydraulic transfer can be performed from the side having no protrusions such as spokes, and the disturbance of the printed pattern due to such protrusions during the hydraulic transfer can be performed. Don't worry.

At the time of hydraulic transfer, it is not necessary to immerse the entire steering wheel below the liquid surface at one time, so that a masking range of a desired non-transfer portion such as a spoke portion can be further reduced, thereby improving work efficiency. Can be achieved.

The hydraulic transfer of the desired transfer area divided into two at the spokes is performed separately in the first transfer step and the second transfer step, so that the two transfer patterns are different from each other. Can be.

Since the hydraulic transfer gradually proceeds from the transfer start end side to the transfer end end side, the occurrence of pinholes is prevented compared with the case where the transfer desired area is hydraulically transferred at one time, and The transfer pattern seams can be formed at similar locations throughout the steering wheel.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a front view of a steering wheel, and FIG. 1B is a side view.

FIG. 2 (A) is an explanatory diagram showing a working state of a first activator application step, and FIG. 2 (B) is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a transfer film.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory views showing a work state of a first transfer step, and FIG. 3C is a side view showing a transfer state of a steering wheel after the end of the first transfer step.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are explanatory views showing a work state of a second transfer step, and FIG. 4C is a side view showing a transfer state of a steering wheel after the end of the second transfer step.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 Steering wheel 10a Front 10b Back 11 Rim 11a Rim front 11b Rim rear 12 Spoke 13 Boss 20 Transfer film 21 Water surface 22 Water soluble film 23 Transfer pattern 23a Coating device

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3B005 EB05 EC13 EC14 EC16 FA17 GA28 3D030 CA01 DA11

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A transfer wheel in which a desired transfer area of a rim is divided into two sides by spokes is pressed against a transfer film floating on a liquid surface, so that the transfer desired area of the rim section is below the liquid surface. A method of transferring the print pattern of the transfer film to the desired transfer area by hydraulic pressure transfer, wherein one side of the desired transfer area divided into two sides of the rim section is the rim section. A first transfer step of performing hydraulic transfer using the first transfer film only from one of the front and back transfer directions; and selecting the other side of the desired transfer area in the first transfer step. A second transfer step of performing hydraulic transfer using the second transfer film only from the transfer direction that has been performed, and a hydraulic transfer from a direction other than the transfer direction selected in the first transfer step and the second transfer step. It is characterized by not performing transcription Hydraulic transfer method for steering wheel. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transfer direction selected in the first transfer step and the second transfer step is a transfer direction from a front side of the rim portion. A method for hydraulically transferring a steering wheel. 3. The hydraulic transfer method for a steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein, in the first transfer step, each of the transfer-desired regions divided into two sides of the rim portion is formed along a circumference. One end of both ends of the rim portion is a transfer start end, the other side is a transfer end end, and the hydraulic transfer is performed along the circumference from the transfer start end to the transfer end end. And a hydraulic pressure transfer method for a steering wheel. 4. The hydraulic pressure transfer method for a steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein, in the second transfer step, each of the transfer-desired regions divided into two sides of the rim portion. One end of both ends of the rim portion along the circumference is defined as a transfer start end, and the other side is defined as a transfer end end, and the circumference is formed from the transfer start end side toward the transfer end end side. A hydraulic pressure transfer method for a steering wheel, comprising: