JP2004122614A - Laser printing card - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a laser printing card which can be made to color as black as possible by a small power without being changed in a shape. <P>SOLUTION: The card has a card base 12, a transparent coloring layer 13 which is transparent and is formed on the card base 12 and made to color by exposure to a laser light and an opaquely coloring layer which is formed in the underlayer of the transparently coloring layer 13 by kneading a coloring agent into the card base 12 and made to color by exposure to the laser light. A first information indicating part J1 which is made to indicate information by making the transparent coloring layer 13 develop a color, is formed, while a second information indicating part J2 which is made to indicate information by making the opaque coloring layer of the card base 12 develop a color is formed at the same position as the first information indicating part J1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a laser printed card for displaying information by irradiating a laser beam.
[0002]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of laser-printed card is formed by forming a card base, a transparent surface protection layer formed on the surface of the card base, and a space between the card base and the surface protection layer. It is known that an information writing layer on which information can be written by heat energy is provided, and information is written on the information writing layer by a laser beam (for example, Patent Document 1).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-175838
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above-described conventional laser-printed card, the information writing layer (color-forming layer) is limited to a transparent portion because the information writing layer (color-forming layer) is invisible unless it is colored.
However, if the power of the laser is insufficient, there is a problem that a black color is not sharply formed. Therefore, when the power of the laser is increased, the color becomes black, but the surface protective layer is deformed. The reason for this is that when a color is formed by laser irradiation, not only is the coloring agent decomposed into carbon, but also a gas is generated, which swells.
[0005]
Also, recent credit cards and cash cards, if the magnetic stripe is exposed on the surface, it will be a design restriction, so a concealment layer that hides the lower magnetic stripe is provided, and a concealment card with a free pattern printed on it is provided. In many cases, when a concealed card was used, since the information writing layer was not exposed, laser irradiation was not possible to perform printing.
[0006]
It is an object of the present invention to provide a laser-printed card that can be colored as black as possible with a small power without deforming the card.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a laser-printed card on which information can be written by irradiating a laser even when the card is a concealment card.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is a laser printing method comprising: a card base; and a transparent first coloring layer formed on the card base and colored by irradiation with laser light. A card, comprising: a transparent or opaque second color forming layer formed below the first color forming layer and colored by laser light irradiation, and displaying information by coloring the first color forming layer. And forming a second information display section for displaying information by coloring the second coloring layer at the same position as the first information display section. It is a laser-printed card that features.
[0008]
The invention of claim 2 is the laser printed card according to claim 1, wherein the second coloring layer is formed by kneading a coloring agent into the card base material. is there.
[0009]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the laser printed card according to the first or second aspect, further comprising an opaque layer formed on the first color-forming layer and concealing a lower layer, wherein the first and second layers are provided. A laser printed card, wherein a third information display portion for displaying information by removing the opaque layer is formed at the same position as the information display portion.
[0010]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the laser-printed card according to any one of the first to third aspects, the opaque layer includes a hologram layer on a part or the entire surface thereof. Card.
[0011]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the laser printed card according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a transparent protective layer having a thickness of 50 μm or more is formed on the first color forming layer or the opaque layer. A laser printed card comprising a layer.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings and the like.
(1st Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a layer configuration of a first embodiment of a laser printed card according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method of writing information on a laser printed card according to the first embodiment of the present invention. is there.
As shown in FIG. 1A, a laser printed card 10 of this embodiment has an IC module layer 11, a card base material 12 (12A, 12B), a coloring layer 13 (13A, 13B), and a transparent protective layer. 14 (14A, 14B), a magnetic stripe 15 (15A, 15B), a concealed print layer 16, and the like.
The laser printing card 10 is suitably used for a card in which individual information such as a serial number and a name need to be written. For example, it can be used for a card such as a credit card, a cash card, and a PET card such as a point card. Can be. Further, the laser print card 10 may include a magnetic stripe, an IC chip, or a non-contact IC.
[0013]
The IC module layer 11 is a layer on which an IC module including an IC chip and an antenna is formed.
[0014]
The card base material 12 serves as a carrier of the card. For example, a resin sheet of vinyl chloride resin, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, PET-G, ABS, AES, PEN, PBT, or the like can be used. Those having a thickness of about 50 to 360 μm are preferably used.
[0015]
In this embodiment, the card base 12 is an opaque color-forming layer (second color-forming layer) that is colored by laser light irradiation.
This opaque coloring layer is formed by kneading a coloring agent such as a metal oxide when the card base 12 is a PETG sheet.
[0016]
The transparent color-forming layer 13 is a transparent layer (first color-forming layer) that develops a color with heat energy by laser light irradiation, and is formed outside the card base material 12. In this embodiment, the transparent coloring layer 13 is provided on one side of the card base 12 as shown in FIG. The transparent coloring layer 13 is a layer having good absorbability for laser light of a specific wavelength. For example, an Nd: YAG laser or the like can be used, and a layer having a thickness of about 10 to 60 μm is suitably used.
[0017]
The transparent protective layer 14 is a transparent or translucent layer for protecting the card base material 12 and the color forming layer 13, and includes vinyl chloride resin, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), PET-G, PP, PEN, PC, PBT, and the like. Can be formed by laminating the transparent resin sheet by heat-sealing or an adhesive, and the thickness is preferably 50 μm or more, more preferably about 100 to 200 μm.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1C, the transparent protective layer 14 has PET-G sheets 142 (142A, 142B) formed on both sides of a PC sheet 141, and has heat resistance and adhesiveness. They have to be combined.
Further, with this thickness, even if gas is generated from the transparent coloring layer 13 by laser irradiation, the degree of deformation is small.
[0018]
The magnetic stripe 15 is a layer for recording magnetic information, and is formed in advance on the transparent protective layer 14 in this embodiment.
[0019]
The concealment printing layer 16 is a layer for concealing the lower layer, and a pattern can be appropriately printed on the surface thereof. The concealment printing layer 16 may be a pattern printed by gravure printing, offset printing, or the like, but a hologram layer may be formed on a part of or the entire surface.
The concealing printing layer 16 is solid printed with a concealing ink in which, for example, a metal powder such as titanium white, zinc white, gold, silver, or aluminum, or carbon black is dispersed as a base, and has a thickness of about 8 to 20 μm. Are preferably used.
The concealed printing layer 16 has, for example, a base printed with a concealing ink in which aluminum powder is scattered, and a pattern printed with YMCK thereon. If a pattern is to be printed on a white background, the laser power must be appropriately changed under the influence of the pattern in order to develop a color. As in the present embodiment, by forming a picture on a substance that is easily removed by a laser, such as a base aluminum powder, there is an advantage that it can fly with a certain fixed power.
[0020]
Next, a method of writing information on the laser printed card 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
In the laser printed card 10, individual information is written after the above-described layers 11 to 16 are formed and the raw card is completed.
Information writing is performed by burning out the concealed printing layer 16 by the thermal energy of the laser beam 20a oscillated from the laser-oscillation device 20.
As the laser oscillation device 20, an Nd: YAG laser (1064 nm / 532 nm), a Nd: YVO ₄ laser (1064 nm), a carbon dioxide laser (10600 nm), or the like is used.
[0021]
Further, in the first embodiment, in the laser irradiation step, a blowing unit 31 for sending air to a laser irradiation unit A for performing a blowing step, and an intake for removing smoke and debris generated in the laser irradiation unit A for performing an intake step. And a section 32.
[0022]
In the first embodiment, a laser beam having a power for removing the concealing printing layer 16 and a laser beam having a power for coloring the opaque coloring layer of the transparent coloring layer 13 and the card base material 12 are irradiated at a time.
Specifically, a card substrate 12 having a 100 μm-thick opaque coloring layer using PET-G, a transparent coloring layer 13 having a thickness of 30 μm using PET-G, and three layers (PET-G / PC / PET) -G) as a raw card using a laser-printed card 10 including a 100 μm-thick transparent protective layer 14 using a printing ink and an 8 to 20 μm-thick concealing printing layer 16 using a printing ink, company manufactured Nd: using a YAG laser (DW5200 / 30W), scanning speed: 300 mm / sec, the pulse repetition frequency: 3KH _Z, was irradiated under the conditions of excitation control current value 13A.
[0023]
Thus, according to the first embodiment, the third information display portion J3 that displays information by removing the concealed print layer 16 is formed.
Next, the first information display portion J1 for displaying information by coloring the transparent coloring layer 13 at the same position as the third information display portion J3, and the opaque coloring layer of the card base material 12 are colored. A second information display portion J2 for displaying information is formed.
Accordingly, since information is formed by the first information display portion J1 and the second information display portion J2, black and clear printing can be performed with a small laser power.
As described above, since printing can be performed with a small laser power, the degree of deformation of each layer constituting the card 10 is small. In particular, since the transparent protective layer 14 having a thickness of 50 μm or more is used, the deformation is less noticeable.
[0024]
In addition, even the card 10 having the concealment printing layer 16 can display necessary information.
The display of such information is determined by the color of the lower card base material 12 and the like if only the concealment printing layer 16 is removed. In other words, the print information looks like a white color of the card base material 12 below the portion where the concealed print layer 16 has been shaved unless the color formation layer 13 and the opaque color formation layer of the card base material 12 are colored.
However, if the concealed printing layer 16 is peeled off during use, the color of the base of the card base material 12 appears, and the print information disappears.
Therefore, in the first embodiment, the color forming layer 13 and the opaque color forming layer of the card base material 12 are colored, so that the color forming layer 13 and the opaque color forming layer of the card base material 12 are colored even if the concealed printing layer 16 is shaved. So that the printed information remains. For this reason, it is possible to provide the laser printed card 10 that is resistant to abrasion and has high information security.
[0025]
(2nd Embodiment)
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a layer configuration of a laser printed card according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 3A, the laser printed card 10-2 of the second embodiment has a card base material 12 (12A, 12B) having an opaque coloring layer, a transparent coloring layer 13, and a transparent protective layer 14 ( 14A, 14B), a magnetic stripe 15 (15A, 15B), a concealed print layer 16, and the like.
As shown in FIG. 3B, the card 10-2 has an IC module 17 having a contact type IC chip mounted on an adhesive layer 18 in a module mounting portion.
Even with such a card 10-2, it is possible to provide a card that is resistant to abrasion and has high information security, as in the first embodiment.
[0026]
(Modified form)
Various modifications and changes are possible without being limited to the embodiment described above, and these are also within the equivalent scope of the present invention.
(1) In the first embodiment, the laser for removing the concealed printing layer 16 and the laser for coloring the opaque coloring layer of the coloring layer 13 and the card base 12 are described in the same example, but different lasers are used respectively. May be.
(2) By controlling the laser irradiation, the color forming layer 13 and the opaque color forming layer of the card base material 12 can be colored black or gray, so that the concealed print layer 16 is black for a light pattern and black for a black pattern. If it is colored in gray, letters with good contrast can be applied freely over the design.
(3) The present invention can be applied to a card without the concealment printing layer 16 as it is.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
As described in detail above, according to the present invention, the card can be colored as black as possible with a small power without deforming the card.
In addition, even when a concealed card is used, information can be written by laser irradiation.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a layer configuration of a first embodiment of a laser printed card according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for writing information on a laser printed card according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a layer configuration of a second embodiment of the laser printed card according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 10 Laser printed card 11 IC module layer 12 (12A, 12B) Card base material 13 (13A, 13B) Coloring layer 14 (14A, 14B) Transparent protective layer 15 (15A, 15B) Magnetic stripe 16 Concealed printing layer

Claims (5)

Card base material,
A transparent first color-forming layer formed on the card base material and colored by irradiation with laser light;
A laser-printed card with
A transparent or opaque second color-forming layer formed below the first color-forming layer and colored by irradiation with laser light;
By forming a first information display portion for displaying information by coloring the first color forming layer, information is formed by coloring the second color forming layer at the same position as the first information display portion. Forming a second information display section for displaying the information. The laser-printed card according to claim 1,
The second color forming layer is formed by kneading a color forming agent into the card base material. In the laser printed card according to claim 1 or claim 2,
An opaque layer formed on the first color-forming layer and concealing a lower layer;
A laser printed card, wherein a third information display section for displaying information by removing the opaque layer is formed at the same position as the first and second information display sections. The laser-printed card according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A laser printed card, wherein the opaque layer includes a hologram layer on a part or the entire surface. The laser-printed card according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A laser printed card comprising a transparent protective layer having a thickness of 50 μm or more formed on the first color forming layer or the opaque layer.

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