JP2004268365A - Hot press and hot pressing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the wrinkling of an exterior sheet without damaging collating precision and to provide a reference pin relief structure unnecessary for removing punched refuse or the like. <P>SOLUTION: This hot press 30 is constituted so that a white card (primary laminate body) 11A, which has a reference hole P through which the reference pin L erected on a carrier plate 25 for hot pressing penetrates, and a thermal transfer sheet (secondary laminate sheet) 18A are laminated on the carrier plate 25 on the basis of the reference pin L and the resulting laminate is hot-pressed through a resin film 35. The reference pin relief part 60, which is used for preventing the occurrence of wrinkles in the resin film 35 caused by the interference of the resin film 35 with the reference pin L at the time of hot pressing, is formed in a slit forming part 33 comprising first and second slit forming mechanisms 33A and 33B provided on the way of the feed of the resin film 35. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a hot press apparatus and a hot press method suitable for use in, for example, a card outer sheet laminating step, which is one of IC card manufacturing steps, and more particularly, to an outer sheet without impairing collating accuracy. The present invention relates to a hot press apparatus and a hot press method capable of preventing wrinkles of a film material to be thermally transferred.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, for example, in a card-shaped recording medium such as a credit card, an ID card, and a cash card, in addition to a magnetic card, a card material such as a microprocessor, a RAM (Random Access Memory), or a semiconductor such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) is used. An IC card on which an IC module including a memory is mounted has been developed. Examples of this type of IC card include a contact type IC card, a non-contact type IC card, and an IC card having both functions of a contact type and a non-contact type. Each of these IC cards is superior to other card-shaped storage media in that the information storage amount is very large and security is provided.
[0003]
Many of these cards are molded of plastic, and the manufactured cards store card information such as personal names and registration numbers, and the information is read by various reading devices.
[0004]
Various plastic cards including IC cards are manufactured by laminating a plurality of card constituent sheets (plastic sheets for card production) and heat-welding them by a hot press method. In a plastic card other than a conventional IC card, for example, all card constituent sheets such as an outer sheet having a magnetic stripe, a design pattern, and the like are collated and formed into a laminated card in a single pressing process.
[0005]
However, in the case of an IC card, since a convex antenna metal pattern and a convex IC chip are provided near the center of the card constituent sheet, each card constituent sheet can be pressed in a single pressing step as in the related art. When trying to make a laminated card, the sheets stacked on the convex IC chip follow the shape in the process of hot pressing, the printed pattern near the IC chip is significantly disturbed and deformed, and the appearance quality is easily impaired. was there.
[0006]
Therefore, in manufacturing an IC card, conventionally, a primary laminating step of laminating each core sheet sandwiching the antenna pattern and the IC chip by a hot press method, and an outer package for the manufactured card laminate (primary laminate). In many cases, a method of forming each card-constituting sheet into a laminated card is adopted separately from a secondary laminating step in which sheets are collated and laminated by a hot press method.
[0007]
Now, as an example of an apparatus configuration for collating and laminating an exterior sheet on a primary laminate, there is one proposed by the present applicant (Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-247578). This discloses a method in which a resin film is interposed between the exterior sheet and the upper press board in order to ensure the smoothness of the exterior sheet surface during hot pressing of the exterior sheet in the secondary laminating step. . This is to prevent the resin film from acting as a cushion and generating indentations on the sheet surface after hot pressing, even when minute dust or the like is attached to the surface of the exterior sheet.
[0008]
In addition, for the purpose of imparting smoothness to the surface of the material to be pressed, a technique of performing hot pressing on the material to be pressed via a protective film such as the above resin film is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 below. I have.
[0009]
On the other hand, in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-247578, when collating card constituent sheets, collating members vertically arranged on a carrier plate for hot press are used at a plurality of corresponding positions of each of the plurality of card constituent sheets. A reference hole through which a reference pin for use passes is formed. Thus, simply by placing each sheet on the carrier plate in a state where the reference pin is passed through the reference hole of each card constituent sheet, the collating and positioning operation of each sheet can be obtained automatically. .
[0010]
As a prior art document that discloses a configuration in which a reference hole through which a collating positioning reference pin penetrates is formed in a corresponding area for each card constituent sheet as described above, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-163873 is disclosed. There is.
[0011]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-5-210010
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-2000-33791
[0012]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the above-mentioned secondary laminating step, when the primary laminate and the secondary laminate sheet (exterior sheet) collated and laminated on the carrier plate on the basis of the reference pins are supplied to the hot press section, the carrier plate Above, a resin film for protecting the surface of the secondary laminate sheet 4 is opposed to the resin film.
[0013]
However, as schematically shown in FIG. 15, when the extending region of the resin film 5 and the extending region of the reference pin 2 of the carrier plate 1 interfere with each other, the planar resin film 5 There is a problem that wrinkles (wrinkles) 6 are generated on the pressurized surface of the resin film 5 because the resin film 5 is hot-pressed while riding. In this case, the generated wrinkles 6 are transferred to the surface of the secondary laminate sheet 4 (and the primary laminate 3), which significantly impairs the card appearance quality.
[0014]
In order to solve such a problem, a relief hole through which the reference pin 2 penetrates is formed in the resin film 5 in advance, and the resin film 5 is aligned by aligning the through hole and the reference pin 2 during hot pressing. It is conceivable to prevent the occurrence of wrinkles 6 of the above.
[0015]
However, the film material applied to the resin film 5 has a problem that it is very thin, for example, 40 μm to 50 μm, and it is very difficult to punch a relief hole. Further, even if the precision of the mold is improved so that punching can be performed, the mold manufacturing cost and maintenance cost for that purpose become a large burden. Furthermore, it is also difficult to remove the scraps after processing, and if the scraps are not completely removed, the scraps will be bonded to the exterior sheet 4 simultaneously with the resin film 5, thereby deteriorating the card appearance quality.
[0016]
On the other hand, if a relief hole for preventing wrinkles is formed in the resin film 5, a separate step for forming the relief hole in the resin film 5 is separately required in advance, which hinders card productivity, High costs are inevitable.
[0017]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problem, and can prevent wrinkling of an exterior sheet without deteriorating collating accuracy, and has a reference pin escape structure that does not require removal of scraps and the like. It is an object to provide a hot pressing method.
[0018]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, the hot press apparatus according to the present invention includes a reference pin relief including at least two slits in a region corresponding to a standing position of a reference pin of a film material facing above a material to be pressed. And a slit forming means for forming the portion.
[0019]
According to the hot press apparatus of the present invention, since a slit forming means for forming a reference pin relief portion composed of at least two slits in the film material is provided, foreign matters such as scraps are generated in the film material. Without wrinkling, it is possible to prevent wrinkles of the film material during hot pressing. This makes it possible to prevent wrinkles of the exterior sheet without impairing the collating accuracy and to avoid deterioration of the appearance quality of the pressure-receiving surface due to foreign matter such as scraps.
[0020]
It is preferable that the reference pin escape portion including the two slits is formed by forming the two slits substantially parallel to each other. By positioning the reference pin between these two slits, it is possible to prevent wrinkles from occurring on the pressure-receiving surface of the film material.
[0021]
As a more preferable configuration example of the reference pin escape portion, the reference pin escape portion is formed in two first slits formed substantially in parallel with each other and in a direction intersecting the two first slits. It is composed of a second slit. With this configuration, the reference pin breaks through the film material at the boundary of the second slit, and the film material can be pressed without causing wrinkles on the pressure-receiving surface.
[0022]
On the other hand, in the hot pressing method of the present invention, the reference pin escape portion formed of at least two slits is provided in the area corresponding to the standing position of the reference pin on the belt-like film while the belt-like film is being sent above the material to be pressed. Is formed.
[0023]
In the present invention, the film material is constituted by a band-shaped film which is fed out and wound up by a roll method, and a reference pin relief portion including at least two slits is formed in the middle of feeding the band-shaped film above the material to be pressed. I have to. Thus, the reference pin relief portion can be formed at the same time in the hot pressing step without independently providing a process of forming the reference pin relief portion, so that productivity can be improved.
[0024]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, examples in which the present invention is applied to the manufacture of a non-contact IC card will be described.
[0025]
First, the configuration of a non-contact IC card (hereinafter referred to as “IC card”) will be described with reference to FIG.
[0026]
The IC card 10 of the present embodiment has, for example, a seven-layer structure, and includes a center core 11 having a five-layer structure, and exterior sheets 17 and 18 laminated on both upper and lower surfaces thereof. The magnetic stripe 23 is transferred to the outer core sheet 16 as necessary. Each card constituent sheet is heat-welded to a predetermined card thickness (for example, 0.76 mm ± 0.08 mm) by a pressurized hot press called a laminating method to be integrated.
[0027]
The exterior sheets 17 and 18 are also called secondary laminate sheets, and are configured by a transfer layer of a print sheet on which a pattern, a character, or the like is printed, or a transfer sheet having a print layer on which a pattern, a character, or the like is printed. The exterior sheet 17 is also used as a concealing layer that conceals the magnetic stripe 23. The exterior sheets 17 and 18 may be constituted by not only a single layer but also a multilayer.
[0028]
The center core 11 includes an antenna substrate 12 in which an IC chip (semiconductor chip) 19 is mounted on an antenna pattern 12a, inner core sheets 13 and 14 laminated on both upper and lower surfaces thereof, and further laminated on the inner core sheets 13 and 14. Outer core sheets 15 and 16 to be formed.
[0029]
The antenna pattern 12a is formed by patterning a copper foil on an insulating film made of, for example, polyimide (PI), and the IC chip 19 is flip-chip mounted thereon. The IC chip 19 is sealed with a sealing resin 20, and a circular reinforcing metal plate 21 for protecting the IC chip 19 is adhered thereon. A circular reinforcing metal plate 22 is adhered to the surface on the opposite side of the antenna substrate 12 so as to correspond to the mounting portion of the IC chip 19, and the IC chip 19 is formed by the pair of reinforcing metal plates 21 and 22. It has a configuration of being sandwiched.
[0030]
In each of the inner core sheets 13 and 14, through holes 13a and 14a are formed in portions corresponding to the chip mounting portion of the antenna substrate 12, and one of the through holes 13a has an IC chip 19 and a resin sealed therein. A reinforcing metal plate 21 is accommodated, and a reinforcing metal plate 22 is accommodated in the other through hole 14a. The through holes 13a and 14a are closed by outer core sheets 15 and 16.
[0031]
The IC card 10 configured as described above is manufactured by imposing a plurality of cards on a large-size (for example, A4 size) sheet, and after laminating, punching out the card size. FIG. 2 schematically shows a manufacturing process of the IC card 10.
[0032]
In manufacturing the IC card 10, an IC chip 19 is mounted on the antenna substrate 12 in advance, and an IC module 26 in which the IC chip 19 is sandwiched between a pair of reinforcing metal plates 21 and 22 is formed. On the other hand, through holes 13a, 14a having the above-described configuration and a collating positioning reference hole P, which will be described later, are formed at predetermined positions in the plane of the inner core sheets 13, 14 by a punching press or the like (FIG. 2a, FIG. 2c, FIG. 3).
[0033]
As shown in FIG. 2B, the antenna substrate 12 having the IC module 26 formed thereon is aligned and pasted on one inner core sheet 13 one by one, and then the other inner core sheet 14 is attached as shown in FIG. 2C. It is collated and laminated on the antenna substrate 12. At this time, the IC module 26 is accommodated in the through holes 13a, 14a of the inner core sheets 13, 14.
[0034]
Collating and lamination of the antenna module 12 and the inner core sheet 14 on the inner core sheet 13 is performed using a transport tray 24 having a configuration as shown in FIG. Three positioning reference pins L are provided upright on the upper surface of the transport tray 24, and reference holes P (Pa, Pb, Pc) are formed in the inner core sheets 13 and 14 corresponding to the positions where these reference pins L are formed. ) Is formed. As a result, the inner core sheets 13 and 14 are stacked on each other with the reference pin L penetrating the reference hole P, so that high-accuracy collation is simultaneously performed.
[0035]
Here, the reference hole Pa is formed by a round hole having substantially the same diameter as the reference pin L, and the reference hole Pb and the reference hole Pc are formed by long holes having a large diameter in the long side direction of the sheet. With this configuration, at the same time as performing the positioning operation of each sheet, the deformation of the sheet during hot pressing is absorbed to suppress distortion and twist.
[0036]
Subsequently, outer core sheets 15 and 16 are collated and laminated on each inner core sheet 13 and 14 as shown in FIG. 2d. At this time, a similar reference hole P is formed in each of the outer core sheets 15 and 16. Then, the sheets 13 to 16 are hot-pressed and welded between the layers, thereby forming the center core 11 having the IC module 26 built-in. Hereinafter, in the present specification, the step of forming the center core 11 is referred to as a primary lamination step, and the obtained laminate is referred to as a white card 11A.
[0037]
Next, a secondary laminating step of laminating the exterior sheets 17 and 18 on the white card 11A manufactured by the primary laminating step is performed (FIG. 2E). In this secondary laminating step, the white card 11A is placed on a hot press carrier plate having the same configuration as the transport tray 24, and the secondary laminated sheets (outer sheets 17 and 18) are collated and laminated on the white card 11A. Then, the layers are welded by hot pressing. The details of this secondary laminating step will be described later.
[0038]
The sheet laminate 10A obtained after the completion of the secondary laminating step is punched into a predetermined single card size by a punching device to form an IC card 10 (FIG. 2f).
[0039]
Now, the details of the secondary laminating step according to the present invention will be described.
[0040]
(First Embodiment)
FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the hot press device 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, a secondary laminating process in which the printing layer of the thermal transfer sheet 18A is thermally transferred onto the white card 11A by hot pressing through the resin film 35 with the white card 11A and the thermal transfer sheet 18A as pressure-receiving materials. explain.
[0041]
First, the configuration of the carrier plate 25 for hot press that supports and transports the white card 11A and the thermal transfer sheet 18A will be described.
[0042]
As shown in FIG. 5, the carrier plate 25 has reference pins L standing on the upper surface corresponding to the positions where the reference holes P are formed in the white card 11A and the thermal transfer sheet 18A. By laminating the white card 11A and the thermal transfer sheet 18A while penetrating the P, highly accurate collation and positioning can be performed simultaneously. Guide pieces 28 are provided on both sides of the carrier plate 25 and are supported by a transport rail (not shown) for transporting the carrier plate 25 to the hot press device 30. A protruding piece 29 for defining a pitch between the carrier plates 25 conveyed on the rail is provided.
[0043]
Next, the details of the heat press device 30 will be described.
The hot press apparatus 30 is applied to a secondary laminating step for manufacturing an IC card, and includes a hot press section 31, a film supply / discharge section 32, and a slit forming section 33.
[0044]
The hot press unit 31 includes an upper press platen 41 having a built-in heating source such as a heater, a lower press platen 42, a support table 43 supporting the lower press platen 42, and elevating and lowering the support table 43 along a guide rod 44. And a drive cylinder 45. A transport rail (not shown) for transporting the carrier plate 25 is laid between the upper press board 41 and the lower press board 42, and the lower press board 42 moves the carrier plate 25 through the transport rail during hot pressing. From the upper press platen 41 to narrow the space.
[0045]
The film supply / discharge unit 32 is for supplying the belt-shaped resin film 35 between the upper press platen 41 and the lower press platen 42 of the hot press unit 31 via a plurality of guide rollers 49 and the like. , A winding shaft 48 for winding the used resin film 35, and a feeding mechanism 50 for feeding the resin film 35 at a predetermined pitch. The unwinding shaft 47 is provided with a back torque motor 54 for applying a constant tension to the unwound resin film 35, and the winding shaft 48 is provided with a winding motor 55 for winding the resin film 35. Is provided.
[0046]
The feed mechanism 50 has a pair of nip rollers 51 sandwiching the resin film 35, a motor 52 for intermittently driving the nip rollers 51, and a cleaning adhesive roller 53 that is in rolling contact with the roll surface of the nip rollers 51. By the feeding mechanism 50, the resin film 35 is intermittently fed by a length (or a slightly larger length) corresponding to the short side of the white card (primary laminate) 11A.
[0047]
The resin film 35 was made of a synthetic resin material that was softer than the secondary laminate sheet, and improved the gloss of the sheet surface after the secondary heat press, and there was a deposit such as dust on the sheet surface. In this case, it is used for the purpose of producing a sheet laminate having a good surface finish, such as immersion of the attached matter on the resin film 35 side to suppress the occurrence of dents or indentations on the sheet surface and impart smoothness. Is done. As the resin film 35, for example, an oriented polypropylene (OPP) film, an oriented polyethylene terephthalate (OPET) film, or the like can be used.
[0048]
The slit forming portion 33 is configured as a slit forming means for forming a reference pin escape portion in a region of the resin film 35 corresponding to the standing position of the reference pin L. In the present embodiment, the slit forming unit 33 forms a first slit forming mechanism 33A that forms two first slits 61 substantially parallel to each other with respect to the strip-shaped resin film 35 unwound from the unwinding shaft 47. And a second slit forming mechanism 33B for forming a second slit 62 orthogonal to the two first slits 61. The first slit 61 is formed along the long side direction of the white card 11A.
[0049]
The first slit 61 and the second slit 62 formed in the resin film 35 form a reference pin escape portion 60 as shown in FIG. 7A. The reference pin escape portion 60 is formed in a substantially H-shape by two first slits 61, and a second slit 62 communicating between them. Then, at the time of hot pressing in the hot pressing section 31, the two pieces 63 are pressed upward by the reference pin L of the carrier plate 25, as shown in FIG. The reference pin L is accommodated between the first slits 61.
[0050]
In this example, the second slit 62 is formed so as to be orthogonal to the first slit 61. However, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the second slit 62 is inclined with respect to the first slit 61. Of course, it is also possible to form the first slit 61 and the second slit 62 if the first slit 61 and the second slit 62 intersect with each other.
[0051]
Next, the configurations of the first slit forming mechanism 33A and the second slit forming mechanism 33B will be described with reference to FIG.
[0052]
In the first slit forming mechanism 33A, a cutter unit 67 is mounted via a linear guide 66 on a substantially U-shaped frame member 65 fixed to a stationary system. By reciprocating in a direction substantially perpendicular to the film surface, two first slits 61 substantially parallel to each other are formed in the resin film 35.
[0053]
The reciprocating motion of the cutter unit 67 is performed by a drive cylinder 70 connected to a linear arm member 69 that horizontally supports a total of three sets of cutting blade holders 68, one pair at a time. The cutting blade 71 fixed to each cutting blade holder 68 is pushed toward the slit-shaped through hole 73 of the guide plate 72 attached to the front end of the frame member 65, so that the resin film 35 located therebetween is pressed. Is to pierce. The tip of the cutting blade 71 has a V-shape or a triangular shape, and its vertex is directed toward the resin film 35. The cutting blade 71 has a symmetrical shape in the front-rear direction so that the replacement blade operation is easy. Note that the pair of cutting blade holders 68 constituting each set are integrally fixed by a coupling plate 74.
[0054]
On the other hand, similarly, in the second slit forming mechanism 33B, a cutter unit 77 is mounted via a linear guide 76 on a substantially U-shaped frame member 75 fixed to a stationary system. The second slit 62 is formed in the resin film 35 by reciprocating in a direction substantially perpendicular to the film surface of the resin film 35.
[0055]
The reciprocation of the cutter unit 77 is performed by a drive cylinder 80 connected to a linear arm member 79 that vertically supports the three cutting blade holders 78 via mounting plates 84. The cutting blades 81 fixed to the respective cutting blade holders 78 are pushed toward the slit-shaped through holes 83 of the guide plate 82 attached to the front end of the frame member 75, so that the resin film 35 located therebetween is pressed. Is to pierce. The tip of the cutting blade 81 has a V-shape or a triangular shape, and its vertex is directed toward the resin film 35. The cutting blade 81 has a symmetrical shape in the front-rear direction so that the replacement blade operation is easy.
[0056]
The arrangement interval between the first slit forming mechanism 33A and the second slit forming mechanism 33B is not particularly limited, but in the present embodiment, the reference pin is adjusted in accordance with the feed pitch of the feed mechanism 50 constituting the film feeding / discharging section 32 described above. The length is set to a length corresponding to the distance of the short side of the white card (A4 size primary laminate) 11A or an integral multiple thereof so that the escape portion 60 can be formed.
[0057]
If the first slit forming mechanism 33A and the second slit forming mechanism 33B are set on a common base to form an integral structure, the configuration of the slit forming section 33 can be made compact, and the size of the heat press device 30 can be reduced. Will be. In this case, the feed pitch of the feed mechanism 50 is also adjusted according to the installation interval of the first and second slit forming mechanisms 33A and 33B.
[0058]
The heat press device 30 of the present embodiment is configured as described above. Next, this operation will be described.
[0059]
Referring to FIG. 4, white card 11A manufactured by the primary laminating step is placed on carrier plate 25, and a thermal transfer sheet 18A is laminated thereon as a secondary laminated sheet. Each of the white card 11A and the thermal transfer sheet 18A is provided with a reference hole P through which a reference pin L on the carrier plate 25 penetrates. As soon as it is done, it is positioned.
[0060]
On the other hand, in the film supply / discharge unit 32, the resin film 35 is fed out from the unwinding shaft 47 by the feeding mechanism 50 by a fixed length, and the resin film 35 is fed by the first slit forming mechanism 33 </ b> A and the second slit forming mechanism 33 </ b> B of the slit forming unit 33. A reference pin escape portion 60 is formed in the film 35.
[0061]
That is, when the resin film 35 is sent out by a fixed size by the feed mechanism 50, the cutter unit 67 reciprocates by the driving of the drive cylinder 70 of the first slit forming mechanism 33A, and the two first slits are formed in the resin film 35 first. 61 is formed. Then, in the next feeding operation of the resin film 35 by the feeding mechanism 50, the formed first slit 61 reaches the arrangement position of the second slit forming mechanism 33B, and the driving cylinder 80 reciprocates the cutter unit 77, A second slit 62 is formed between the two first slits 61,61. These first and second slit forming mechanisms 33A and 33B are driven every time the resin film 35 is fed, and the operations are synchronized with each other.
[0062]
The resin film 35 on which the reference pin escape portion 60 is formed as described above is supplied between the upper press board 41 and the lower press board 42 of the hot press section 31. Further, the carrier plate 25 is transported to the hot press unit 31 in accordance with the supply timing of the resin film 35. FIG. 6A shows a relationship between the resin film 35 and the carrier plate 25 in the hot press section 31. The resin film 35 is located between the carrier plate 25 and the upper press platen 41, and the reference pin escape portion 60 is located immediately above the reference pin L.
[0063]
When the resin film 35 and the carrier plate 25 are both stopped in the hot press section 31, the lower press platen 42 is raised by driving the drive cylinder 45, and the carrier plate 25 and the resin film 35 are moved to the upper press platen as shown in FIG. 6B. It is sandwiched between the lower press plate 41 and the lower press plate 42 and hot-pressed under predetermined conditions. Thereby, the printing layer of the transfer sheet 18A is thermally transferred to the surface of the white card 11A.
[0064]
For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the thermal transfer sheet 18A has a multilayer structure including a protective film 91, a transparent top coat layer 92, a print layer 93, and a thermoplastic adhesive layer 94 from the upper layer. And is adhered to the surface of the white card 11A. After the hot pressing, the protective film 91 is peeled off from the transparent top coat layer 92, and the exterior sheet including the transparent top coat layer 92, the print layer 93, and the adhesive layer 94 is laminated on the white card 11A. In this example, the printed layer 23 is formed of a solid silver so that the exterior sheet functions as a concealing layer of the magnetic stripe 23.
[0065]
Now, in this hot press, the reference pins L projecting from the upper surface of the carrier plate 25 enter the escape holes 41a of the upper press platen 41 via the reference hole escape portions 60 of the resin film 35 as shown in FIG. 6B. I do. The reference hole escape portion 60 is divided at the second slit 62 as shown in FIG. 7B and the section 63 is bent upward, so that the pressing force from the reference pin L without giving excessive stress to the resin film 35. To release. Thereby, an appropriate heat press process can be performed without generating wrinkles in the resin film 35.
[0066]
After the hot press step is completed, the secondary laminate 10A is taken out of the carrier plate 25 carried out of the hot press unit 31 in the next sheet take-out step. The protective film 91 of the thermal transfer sheet 18A is removed before or after removing the secondary laminate 10A. The used resin film 35 is taken up by the take-up shaft 48 with the feeding of the resin film portion in which the reference pin relief portion 60 is newly formed by the slit forming portion 33.
[0067]
As described above, according to the heat press device 30 of the present embodiment, since the slit forming portion 33 that forms the reference pin relief portion 60 in the resin film 35 is provided, heat is generated without generating foreign matters such as scraps. Wrinkling of the resin film 35 during pressing can be prevented.
[0068]
Further, since the reference pin escape portion 60 is constituted by the two substantially parallel first slits 61 and the second slits orthogonal thereto, it is possible to reliably prevent the resin film 35 from wrinkling with a simple configuration. A reference pin escape mechanism can be configured.
[0069]
Further, according to the present embodiment, since the step of forming the reference pin escape portion 60 is provided while the resin film 35 is being sent to the hot press section 31, the step of forming the reference pin escape portion 60 is independent. This eliminates the need to provide the IC card 10 and contributes to improving the productivity of the IC card 10.
[0070]
(Second embodiment)
Subsequently, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a heat press device 130 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings, parts corresponding to those in the above-described first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.
[0071]
In the present embodiment, a description will be given of a secondary lamination process in which a white card 11A is used as a material to be pressed, and the printing layer of the thermal transfer sheet 135 is thermally transferred onto the white card 11A by hot pressing through a thermal transfer film 135.
[0072]
In the present embodiment, the film material supplied to the heat press unit 31 by the film supply / discharge unit 32 is a belt-like heat transfer film 135, and the print layer 136 is imposed on the heat transfer film 135 in card units. .
[0073]
For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the thermal transfer film 135 has a multilayer structure including a protective film 141, a transparent top coat layer 142, a magenta ink pattern layer 143, a yellow ink pattern layer 144, a cyan ink pattern layer 145, and a thermoplastic adhesive layer 146 from the upper layer. The printing layer 136 is constituted by the transparent top coat layer 142, the magenta ink pattern layer 143, the yellow ink pattern layer 144, the cyan ink pattern layer 145, and the thermoplastic adhesive layer 146. The protection film 141 remaining after the thermal transfer in the heat press unit 31 is wound around the winding shaft 48 of the film supply / discharge unit 32.
[0074]
In the heat press unit 31, since it is necessary to position the thermal transfer film 135 in card units with respect to the white card 11A placed on the carrier plate 25 by passing the reference pin L through the reference hole P, the slit is used. The reference pin relief portion formed on the thermal transfer film 135 by the forming portion 33 must be formed with higher positional accuracy than in the above-described first embodiment.
[0075]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, an image recognition mark 150 for accurately locating the formation position of the reference pin escape portion is printed and formed in a blank area of the belt-shaped thermal transfer film 135 in sheet units. An image pickup unit 151 for recognizing the image recognition mark 150 is arranged near the slit forming unit 33.
[0076]
The imaging unit 151 corresponds to the “recognition unit” according to the present invention, and is configured by a camera including an individual imaging device such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device). The imaging unit 151 captures the image recognition mark 150 and outputs it to a control unit of a computer (not shown). The obtained image is subjected to image processing to detect the presence / absence of a position shift. To do.
[0077]
The misalignment of the image recognition mark 150 means the misalignment of the thermal transfer film 135, and the correction is performed by controlling the feed amount of the feed mechanism 50 or by moving the film supply / discharge unit 32 to the unwinding shaft 47 and the winding shaft. It can be performed by a method such as controlling a moving mechanism (not shown) for moving the shaft 48 in the axial direction.
[0078]
In the thermal transfer film 135 that has been subjected to the position correction process as described above, the reference pin relief portion 60 is always formed at an appropriate position by the slit forming portion 33 in the manner shown in FIG. 7A. The pin escape portion is always arranged at a position directly facing the reference pin L of the carrier plate 25. It is assumed that the hot press section 31 has a mechanism for positioning the carrier plate 25 at a predetermined position.
[0079]
Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the printing layer 136 on the thermal transfer film fed out by the roll method is always formed with the white card 11A with appropriate positional accuracy while obtaining the same operation and effect as the above-described first embodiment. Can be laminated on top.
[0080]
(Third embodiment)
12A to 12D show a third embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings, parts corresponding to those in the above-described first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.
[0081]
In the present embodiment, the configuration of the hot press section 160 of the hot press device is different from that of the above-described first embodiment. The hot press section 160 according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which a curved metal plate 162 that is formed to be curved downward is attached to the upper press plate 41. The curved metal plate 162 is freely deformable in the pressing direction as shown in FIGS. 12C and 12D.
[0082]
The curved metal plate 162 faces the white card 11A (the thermal transfer sheet 18A) on the carrier plate 25 via the band-shaped resin film 35 when not operating as shown in FIG. 12A. The resin film 35 extends in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface, and a reference pin escape portion 60 as shown in FIG. 7A is formed in a region on the carrier plate 25 corresponding to the standing position of the reference pin L. I have. In addition, the curved metal plate 162 is attached to a position that does not cover the standing area of the reference pin L. 12B to 12D, illustration of the resin film 35 is omitted.
[0083]
At the time of hot pressing, the lower press platen 42 rises to bring the carrier plate 25 into contact with the curved metal plate 162 via the resin film 35 (FIG. 12B). The white card 11A (thermal transfer sheet 18A) is crimped by being deformed (FIGS. 12C and 12D).
[0084]
At this time, the curved metal plate 162 is gradually deformed from the central portion of the surface of the white card 11A (the thermal transfer sheet 18A) toward the outer peripheral side, and finally, almost the entire area of the sheet is pressed. The curved metal plate 162 has a function of pushing and releasing air existing between the surface of the white card 11A (thermal transfer sheet 18A) and the resin film 35 from the central portion of the sheet surface to the outer peripheral side. This makes it possible to perform the secondary laminating process without causing irregularities due to bubbles or the like on the sheet surface.
[0085]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is, of course, not limited to these, and various modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention.
[0086]
For example, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the slit forming unit 33 is configured by the first slit forming mechanism 33A and the second slit forming mechanism 33B. Instead, only the first slit forming unit 33A is used. May form the slit forming portion.
[0087]
In this case, the reference pin escape portion 110 formed by the slit forming portion includes only two parallel slits 61 as shown in FIG. 13A. However, during hot pressing, the reference pin escape portion 110 is formed from below as shown in FIG. 13B. When pressed by L, only the reference pin escape portion 110 bends upward at the boundary of the slit 61, thereby preventing the resin film 35 from wrinkling.
[0088]
The reference pin escape portion is not limited to the two parallel lines described above, but may be a reference pin escape portion 113 formed by intersecting two slits 111 and 112 as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, for example. In this case, the reference pin escape portion 113 can be configured by sequentially forming the slit 111 and the slit 112 with a pair of cutting blades arranged obliquely so as to cross each other.
[0089]
Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, an example in which the present invention is applied to the manufacturing process of the IC card 10 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the manufacturing of other card-shaped recording media such as a magnetic card and an optical card is also possible. The present invention can be applied to the process.
[0090]
Further, the present invention is not limited to the laminating step of the card-shaped recording medium, and the present invention can be applied by using a plastic molded body for secondary processing, for example, having a smooth surface finish as a pressure-receiving material.
[0091]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the hot press apparatus of the present invention, since the slit forming means for forming the reference pin relief portion formed of at least two slits in the film material is provided, the film material is made to have a scrap or the like. It is possible to prevent wrinkles from occurring in the film material during hot pressing without generating such foreign substances as described above.
[0092]
Further, according to the hot pressing method of the present invention, since the reference pin relief portion composed of at least two slits is formed during the feeding of the belt-shaped film above the material to be pressed, the reference pin relief portion is formed. The reference pin relief portion can be formed at the same time in the hot pressing step without independently providing a forming step, thereby improving productivity.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an IC card 10 applied to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating one manufacturing process of the IC card 10.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a sheet collating process in one manufacturing process of the IC card 10.
FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of the hot press device 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a main part of the heat press device 30.
FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of a main part of the hot press apparatus 30, in which A shows a state before hot press and B shows a state at the time of hot press.
7 is a perspective view illustrating a reference pin escape portion 60 formed by the slit forming portion 33 of the hot press device 30. FIG.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a modification of FIG.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a thermal transfer sheet 18A used as a secondary laminate sheet.
FIG. 10 is a partially exploded perspective view of a heat press device 130 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a thermal transfer film 135 applied as a belt-like film material.
FIG. 12 is a process sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a hot press unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating a modified example of the configuration of the reference pin escape portion.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating another modified example of the configuration of the reference pin escape portion.
FIG. 15 is a perspective view illustrating a problem of the related art.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 10: IC card, 11A: White card (primary laminate), 18A: Thermal transfer sheet (secondary laminate sheet), 25: Carrier plate, 30, 130: Hot press device, 31, 160: Hot press section, 32: Film Supply / discharge unit, 33: slit forming unit, 33A: first slit forming mechanism, 33B: second slit forming mechanism, 35: resin film, 47: unwinding shaft, 48: winding shaft, 50: feeding mechanism, 60, 110, 113: Reference pin escape portion, 61: First slit, 62: Second slit, 66, 76: Linear guide, 67, 77: Cutter unit, 68, 78: Cutting blade holder, 70, 80: Driving cylinder, 71, 81: Cutting edge, 135: Thermal transfer film (secondary laminated sheet), 150: Mark for image recognition, 151: Image pickup unit (recognition means), P: Reference hole, L Reference pin.

Claims (13)

A heat press unit, a plate member on which a reference pin is erected corresponding to a reference hole forming position of the material to be pressed, and a film material supplied to a position directly above the plate member and opposed to the plate member; A hot press apparatus for thermocompression-bonding a material to the pressurized material placed on the plate member at the hot press unit,
A hot press apparatus comprising: a slit forming means for forming a reference pin escape portion formed of at least two slits in a region corresponding to a position where the reference pin stands on the film material. The film material is a belt-shaped film that is sent out at a predetermined pitch from the unwinding unit to the winding unit,
The hot press apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the slit forming means is provided between the unwinding section and the hot pressing section. 2. The hot press apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said slit forming means has a cutter unit capable of reciprocating in a direction substantially perpendicular to a film surface of said film material. The hot press device according to claim 1, wherein the reference pin relief portion has two slits formed substantially parallel to each other. The reference pin escape portion includes two first slits formed substantially parallel to each other, and a second slit formed in a direction intersecting the two first slits. The heat press device according to claim 1. 2. The hot press apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the material to be pressed includes a laminate of a plurality of plastic sheets for card production inserted into the reference pin and gathered on the plate member. 3. The hot press apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the film material is a resin layer film softer than the pressure-receiving material. The hot press apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the film material is a transfer film having a print layer transferred onto an upper surface of the pressure-receiving material. The film material is provided with an image recognition mark for alignment with respect to the slit forming means,
The hot press apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a recognition unit that recognizes the image recognition mark is provided near the slit forming unit. 2. The hot press apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the press surface of the hot press section against which the film material is pressed is formed of a metal plate that is curved downwardly and that is deformable in the press direction. 3. . After placing the pressure-receiving material by passing the reference pin through the reference hole, on a plate member for hot pressing having a reference pin erected corresponding to the reference hole forming position of the pressure-receiving material. A hot pressing method in which a belt-shaped film is disposed above the pressure-receiving material so as to face each other, and the pressure-receiving material and the belt-shaped film are thermocompressed,
A step of forming a reference pin escape portion formed of at least two slits in a region corresponding to a standing position of the reference pin of the band-shaped film while the band-shaped film is being sent above the pressure-receiving material. A hot pressing method characterized by the following. Before the step of forming the reference pin escape portion,
The hot press method according to claim 11, further comprising a step of detecting a position shift of the film material and correcting the position shift. The step of thermocompression-bonding the pressure-receiving material and the belt-shaped resin film includes a step of releasing air existing between the pressure-receiving material and the belt-shaped resin film from a surface central portion of the pressure-receiving material to an outer peripheral side. The hot pressing method according to claim 11, further comprising:

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