JP2002301782A - Composite resin material, and panel and cooking equipment using this material - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a composite resin material having a high stain proofness. SOLUTION: This composite resin material is structured of a different kind of a resin layer having a lower surface energy than that of a base material 3 composed of a resin layer and laminated on one of the sides of the base material 3, while a printing layer is formed on the other side of the base material 3. The composite resin material is used in a rice cooker.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device used for general household and business use, and more particularly to a material used for an appearance portion and an operation portion where cleanliness is important.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A rice cooker will be described as an example of a device in which cleanliness is regarded as important. The rice cooker consists of a lid and a housing that can be opened and closed, and has a pan that can be taken in and out of the housing.
The lower part of the pot has a pot or other heating means such as a heater or an induction heating coil, a temperature sensor or the like for detecting the temperature of the pot, and a circuit board for controlling heating inside the housing. In addition, at least one part of the lid or the housing has an operation unit having operation buttons such as a rice cook button and a heat retention button, and further has a display unit that displays the operation status, a cooking process, the current time, and the like. There are also things.

[0003] A lid and a casing constituting the outer surface of a rice cooker having these components may be made of a metal material such as stainless steel. However, productivity, mechanical strength, durability and cost are low. From a comprehensive point of view, general-purpose synthetic resins are often used.

[0004]

[0005] Cooking equipment such as a rice cooker is usually used in a home kitchen or a restaurant, but under such an environment, various contaminants such as seasonings and oils may cause contamination. It may adhere to the outer surface of the device, deteriorate the appearance of the product, and may cause unfavorable hygiene.

[0005] Similarly, various dirt and dust adhere to the outer surface of equipment such as a washing machine, a refrigerator, and a copy machine, which may deteriorate the appearance and cause unsanitary conditions.

[0006] Also, when displaying and selling products,
During the display, dust adheres to the surface of the device, which may cause a deterioration in appearance.

[0007] As described above, general-purpose synthetic resin constituting the outer surface of the housing and lid of a rice cooker and other appliances is contaminated by dust or various foreign substances such as seasonings and oils. It is easy to remove the foreign matter and adheres to the external surface after the foreign matter adheres. Therefore, it is difficult to remove these easily with a cloth or the like.

[0008] In view of these circumstances, the present invention relates to a cooking appliance such as a rice cooker, a jar pot, a mixer, a microwave oven and an oven toaster, a washing machine, a refrigerator, a vacuum cleaner,
Improves the antifouling effect of the materials that make up the outer surface of various machines, including copy machines, and makes it harder for dirt to adhere to the outer surface. The main object is to provide an operation member excellent in operability while keeping the device clean.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a method comprising: bonding a resin layer of a different kind having a smaller surface energy to one side of a substrate comprising a resin layer;
On the other side of the base material, a composite resin printing material having a printing layer is used for a part of the outer surface of the housing of the device, and a dissimilar material layer having a lower surface energy than the base material is formed on the surface. As a result, dirt and dust can be prevented from adhering to the outer surface, and the adhered dirt and dust can be easily removed, and the equipment can be kept clean for a long period of time. Becomes

[0010] Further, the operability as an operation button can be improved by forming a composite material.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Materials constituting the outer surfaces of equipment such as rice cookers, jar pots, mixers, etc. include acrylic, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, ABS (acrylonitrile = butadiene = styrene), nylon and the like. Generally, additives such as pigments are added to general-purpose synthetic resins for use.

However, these synthetic resins are liable to adhere to dirt and dust, and during actual use as equipment, dirt due to various foreign substances such as oil easily adheres to the surface, deteriorating the appearance of the product and improving sanitation. In addition, the situation may be unfavorable, and even when the product is displayed and sold, dust adheres to the surface of the device during the display, causing a situation in which the appearance is deteriorated.

Therefore, in the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention, the above-mentioned various general-purpose synthetic resin materials are used as a base material, and different kinds of resin layers having a smaller surface energy than the base material are formed by welding or adhesive. Provide a composite resin material characterized by having one or more printed layers on the other side of the substrate as required by bonding by the bonding method, which can be used for part or all of the outer surface of the device And

A substance having a low surface energy generally has low reactivity, is hardly contaminated, and has a property that even if the contaminant adheres to the surface, it can be easily removed.

A measure of the magnitude of the surface energy is the contact angle of water or oil on the surface of the material. The higher the contact angle, the smaller the surface energy of the material, and the less contaminants adhere to the surface. Low surface energy,
Materials with relatively high contact angles of water and oil include PTFE
(Ethylene tetrafluoride resin), PFA (ethylene tetrafluoride / perfluoroalkoxyethylene copolymer resin), FE
P (ethylene tetrafluoride-6-propylene copolymer resin), ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoride-ethylene copolymer resin), CTFE (chlorotrifluoroethylene resin),
PVDF (vinylidene fluoride resin), ECTFE
(E.g., ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene resin) and other silicone resin materials such as polydimethylsiloxane, and various general-purpose resins such as polyethylene terephthalate. The material includes a material obtained by painting a material or impregnating or kneading a fluorine-based or silicone-based material.

For example, the contact angle of water on the surface of polyethylene is 88 °, that of polypropylene is 90 °, and that of nylon is 77 °. On the other hand, PTFE which is known as a material having low surface energy and high antifouling property is 114 °, and FEP is 1 °
It shows a value of about 100 ° at 15 ° and ETFE, but it is desirable to use a material with a low surface energy having a contact angle of water exceeding 90 ° to obtain sufficient antifouling property.

Similarly, regarding the contact angle of a commercially available salad oil (manufactured by Nisshin Seimitsu Oil Co., Ltd.), for example, the contact angle of oil on polyethylene is 20 ° and that of polypropylene is 25 °.
°, and about 13 ° can be obtained with nylon, while PT
53 ° for FE, 55 ° for FEP, 49 for ETFE
Although it shows a value of about °, it is desirable to use a material having a low surface energy having a contact angle of salad oil exceeding 40 degrees in order to obtain a sufficient antifouling property.

In the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention, a general-purpose synthetic resin such as acrylic, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, ABS (acrylonitrile = butadiene = styrene), nylon or the like is used as a base material. Affixing a fluororesin-based material or silicone resin-based material that has antifouling properties, or a fluororesin-based coating or silicone resin-based antifouling material, or a fluororesin-based material or silicone resin-based It is a composite resin material obtained by laminating antifouling materials prepared by adding materials, and exhibits higher antifouling properties than when a substrate is used alone.

On the other side of the substrate of the composite resin material,
If necessary, further printing processing can be performed by a technique such as screen printing or tampo printing.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, at least 60% of the base material and a different resin having a lower surface energy than the base material are contained.
2. A light transmission device having the above visible light transmittance.
The composite resin material as described above, wherein both the base material and a different resin having a lower surface energy than the base material have a visible light transmittance of 60% or more, so that a pattern or a character printed on one surface of the base material can be formed on the front side. It becomes possible to more easily recognize.

Further, when the composite resin material is used for an operation section of an apparatus, an LED or an LCD disposed under the operation section is used.
Can be read directly.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a composite resin material according to the first or second aspect, wherein the different resin layer having a lower surface energy than the base material is 50% or less of the thickness of the base material. It is.

Usually, the thickness of the base material is about 50 μm to 500 μm from the viewpoint of obtaining a good visible light transmittance and the handleability.
It is desirable to have the following thickness.

This is because the properties of the base material, such as securing the strength of the base material, are fully utilized, the fluororesin or silicone resin material having a small surface energy is relatively expensive, This is a result in consideration of wear resistance due to wiping.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, an undulating portion is provided in a part of the composite resin material according to the first to third aspects, and this is used as an operation button.

By providing the undulating portion in a part of the composite resin material, the portion protrudes from the surroundings, so that the operator of the device can easily recognize that the device is an operation button. There are many chances that dirt will adhere to the operating unit that has been operated by humans, but since the surface of the composite resin material is made of a material with low surface energy and high antifouling properties, dirt will not easily adhere, Even if dirt adheres, removal is easy.

The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the composite resin material according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is bonded to the surface of any resin material such as polyethylene terephthalate or acrylic and is integrally formed on a panel or an operation panel. Since the surface of the panel or the operation panel is made of a material having a low surface energy and a high antifouling property, dirt is hardly adhered, and even if dirt adheres, it can be easily removed. The operation panel referred to here is a use form of the panel, and indicates a form in which the panel is used for the operation unit.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus using the composite resin material, the panel and the operation panel according to the first to fifth aspects on an operation portion or an outer surface of a housing. By applying a material having a high antifouling property, it is possible to provide a sanitary device for a long period of time, which is difficult for dirt to adhere to.

[0029]

(Embodiment 1) An embodiment utilizing the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows a base material 3 made of colorless and transparent 100 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate (hereinafter referred to as PET) having a visible light transmittance of 90% or more, and a visible light transmittance of 8 through a transparent adhesive layer 2 having a thickness of about 30 μm.
0% or more, colorless and transparent antifouling resin 1, 25 μm thick E
This is a composite resin material obtained by bonding TFE.

A plurality of color prints 4 are formed on the back surface of the composite resin material by screen printing, and an adhesive layer 5 is provided on the outer surface of the printed layer.

In addition, the ETFE of the surface antifouling resin 1 is subjected to a corona discharge treatment on the adhesive surface on the back surface so as to facilitate the adhesion to the substrate 3, and a printing layer is formed on the PET back surface. Similarly, a corona treatment, a plasma treatment, or a primer layer is provided so that the adhesion of No. 4 is good.

ETFE of substrate PET3, surface antifouling resin 1
In addition, since the adhesive layer 2 of PET and ETFE is all colorless and transparent and has a high visible light transmittance, it is configured such that characters and patterns printed on the back surface of the base material are easily visible from the front side. I have.

Further, since the adhesive layer 5 is provided on the outer layer of the printing layer 4, it can be easily attached to the outer surface of the housing or lid of a device such as a rice cooker.

In the above embodiment, the PE
The contact angle of water of T was 65 ° and the contact angle of salad oil was 20 °, but the water contact angle of ETFE bonded to the surface was 100 ° and the contact angle of salad oil was 49 °. Since a material having a lower surface energy than that of the base material is laminated on the base material, a surface having high antifouling property is obtained, and there is an advantage that various properties such as material strength of the base material are not impaired.

Here, in order to verify the antifouling durability of the composite resin material of this embodiment, a wear resistance test was conducted to confirm the wiping property of oily magic accompanying the wear, and the contact angle between water and salad oil. Are shown in Table 1.

[0036]

[Table 1]

The wear resistance test was 100 mm wide and 80 m long.
The surface of the composite resin material was subjected to reciprocating wear at a stroke length of 100 mm and a speed of 60 reciprocations / minute by applying a load of 10 N to the whole while soaking the water in a cloth having a thickness of about 10 mm and a thickness of about 10 mm.

As shown in Table 1, in the present embodiment, good magic wiping properties and high contact angles are maintained, and high antifouling properties are maintained not only at the initial stage but also after a wiper wear test in consideration of actual use by the user. And the sustainability of the effect.

(Embodiment 2) An embodiment in which the composite resin material of the present invention is attached to a material constituting an operation section of a rice cooker or other equipment and is used as an operation panel will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. Will be explained. Figure 2 shows the ETF from the surface
A composite resin material having a high antifouling property having the same configuration as that of Example 1 and having an order of E / adhesive layer / PET / print layer / adhesive layer is applied to the acrylic resin portion as the base material 15 of the operation portion. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an operation panel of the rice cooker prepared by attaching the operation panel 8, and FIG. 3 shows a rice cooker to which the operation panel 8 is attached. The acrylic resin as the operation panel base material 15 is bonded to the composite material of the present embodiment. Adhering via layer 5.

In this embodiment, since the operation panel unit 8 of the rice cooker is used, the rice cooker start button 9 and the cut button 1
0, there are operation buttons such as a heat retention button 11, etc., there is also a see-through window section 12 of a liquid crystal display stored inside the operation section and arranged on an operation board, and various characters, numbers, designs, etc. are displayed. Have been.

These letters, numbers, designs, etc. are printed on the printed layer 4 of the composite resin material, and the ETFE, adhesive layer and PET on the printed layer are sufficiently high to use those having high transparency. It can be recognized from outside by the user. Further, the transparent window portion 12 of the liquid crystal display made of a composite resin material is not printed so that the liquid crystal display disposed below the operation panel can be visually recognized.

Further, as shown in FIG.
The composite resin material portion 16 at a portion corresponding to 0 forms an undulating portion projecting up to about 0.5 to 2 mm to the outside at the maximum, and allows the user to recognize that the operation button is used. A click feeling when the operation button 20 is pressed is given.

The operation panel substrate 15 at a position corresponding to each operation button is a through hole, and when a user presses the operation button, a key top 19 arranged on the back surface of the operation button portion and transmitting an operation to the button. The operation of the switch 18 on the operation board 17 is enabled via the.

The operation panel having the above-described configuration is used by being incorporated in the operation section of the rice cooker as shown in FIG. By applying the composite resin material, an operation unit having high antifouling property can be obtained.

In this embodiment, an application example of the composite resin material of the present invention is described using a rice cooker as an example. However, in this embodiment, a washing machine, a jar, a refrigerator, a mixer, a microwave oven, an oven toaster, and a copy machine are used. It can be applied to various devices such as machines and vacuum cleaners.

[0046]

As described above, according to the present invention, dirt and dust are hardly adhered, and even if adhered, it can be easily removed. It can be demonstrated for a long time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a composite resin material according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an operation panel.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a rice cooker and an operation panel thereof according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of an operation button portion of an operation panel and an internal configuration thereof.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Antifouling resin 2 Adhesive layer 3 Base material 4 Printing 5 Adhesive layer 6 Lid 7 Housing 8 Operation panel 9 10 11 20 Operation button 12 Transparent window part of liquid crystal display 13 Steam cylinder 14 Cover opening / closing button 15 Operation panel base material 16 Composite resin material 17 Operation board 18 Switch 19 Key top

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masahiko Yamaguchi 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 4B055 AA03 AA34 BA36 BA52 BA56 CA19 CA21 CA65 CA66 FB33 FB36 FB49 FC12 FD03 4F100 AK01A AK01B AK04 AK18 AK42 AL01 AT00A BA02 GB41 HB31 JB04B JL06 JN01B YY00B

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A composite in which a different kind of synthetic resin having a smaller surface energy than the base material is attached to one surface of a base material made of synthetic resin, and one or more printed layers are arranged on the opposite surface of the base material as necessary. Resin material. 2. The composite resin material according to claim 1, wherein the base material and the different kinds of synthetic resin layers having lower surface energy than the base material have a visible light transmittance of at least 60% or more. 3. The composite resin material according to claim 1, wherein the different kinds of synthetic resin layers having a smaller surface energy than the base material have a thickness of 50% or less of the thickness of the base material. 4. The composite resin material according to claim 1, wherein an undulating portion is provided in a part of the composite resin material, and this is used as an operation button. 5. A panel made of the composite resin material according to claim 1 and integrally molded with another resin material. 6. A cooking appliance, wherein the composite resin material and the panel according to claim 1 are used for an operation section or an outer surface of a housing.