JP2007210166A - Multilayered sheet for laser marking and laser marking method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a plastic multilayered sheet which enables laser marking not damaging appearance, good in contrast and excellent in surface smoothness and has excellent heat resistance, and a laser marking method using it. <P>SOLUTION: The multilayered sheet for laser marking composed of a first surface layer, an inner layer and a second surface layer is formed of first and second transparent surface layers composed of a thermoplastic resin composition (A) containing 0.0001-5 pts.wt. of mica and/or carbon black with respect to 100 pts.wt. of a transparent thermoplastic resin and the inner layer comprising a thermoplastic resin composition (B) containing 0.001-3 pts.wt. of an energy absorber for absorbing a laser beam with respect to 100 pts.wt. of the thermoplastic resin. The thickness constitution ratio of the sheet of first surface layer/inner layer/second surface layer is 1:4:1-1:10:1. The multilayered sheet for laser marking is formed by the melt coextrusion of the first surface layer/inner layer/second surface layer. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  In the present invention, the surface of the plastic sheet is marked without damage by the laser beam, the marking portion is smooth, the contrast between the fabric color and the printed portion is high, and clear characters, symbols, and photographs are obtained, and the heat resistance is improved. The present invention relates to an excellent multilayer sheet for laser marking.

  For printing on the surface of a plastic molded product, conventionally, a printing method using an ink such as tampo printing, silk printing, ink jet printing, thermal transfer printing or the like is used. In this method, there is an environmental hygiene problem because ink containing an organic solvent is used, ink bleeding occurs during printing, the abrasion resistance of the printed part is inferior, and the weather resistance of the ink used outdoors. There are various problems such as that there is a problem in performance, and that a molded article having a complicated shape cannot be printed.

  Conventionally, plastic sheets have been used for circuit boards such as credit cards, cash cards, ID cards, tag cards, display boards, authentication plates, etc. Personal names, symbols, characters, photographs, etc. are used on these cards and plates. Silk printing and sublimation printing are performed, but there is a problem that the production process is complicated and the productivity is inferior.

  On the other hand, as a printing method that does not use ink, there has been proposed a laser marking method (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 5) in which a laser beam is irradiated and printed on a plastic molded product.

  However, if the method considering laser marking on a plastic injection molded product is applied as it is to a plastic multilayer sheet having a surface transparent skin layer, various problems occur. That is, Patent Document 6 describes that a transparent thermoplastic resin sheet and a multilayer sheet laminated with an elastomer on the back of the film and heat sealed are preferable. However, in this multilayer sheet, if the adhesion between the skin layer and the inner layer is poor, depending on the conditions of laser marking on the inner layer which is the energy absorber of the laser beam, the transparent skin layer may swell or be damaged by the gas generated during marking There is a problem to do.

Recently, the present applicant has determined that the surface layer is a transparent resin layer, the inner layer includes carbon black as an energy absorber, and a two-layer structure of a thermoplastic resin composition including a colorant, or a surface layer / inner layer / surface layer. Although a multilayer sheet for laser marking having a three-layer structure was proposed (see Patent Document 7), there were some problems with respect to heat resistance.
Thus, further improvements are required in the conventional plastic multilayer sheet.

Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 61-11771 Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 61-41320 Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 62-59663 JP-A 61-192737 Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 2-47314 JP-A-7-276575 JP 2002-273732 A

  The present invention is a plastic multilayer sheet widely used in ID cards, tag cards, credit cards, display boards, authentication plates, cash cards, ETC cards, etc., with no damage to the appearance, good contrast, and smooth surface. Another object of the present invention is to provide a plastic multilayer sheet that can perform laser marking with excellent properties and has excellent heat resistance, and a laser marking method using the same.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multilayer sheet comprising a first surface layer / inner layer / second surface layer, and (A) 100 parts by weight of a transparent thermoplastic resin, mica and / or carbon black. Energy absorber that absorbs a laser beam with respect to 100 parts by weight of the transparent first and second surface layers made of the thermoplastic resin composition containing 0.0001 to 5 parts by weight of the thermoplastic resin composition (B). 001-3 parts by weight of the thermoplastic resin composition, and the first surface layer / inner layer / second surface layer has a thickness ratio of 1: 4: 1 to 1:10: 1 and a multilayer sheet for laser marking formed by forming the first surface layer / inner layer / second surface layer by melt coextrusion.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the carbon black used has an average particle diameter of 13 to 75 nm because the background color of the inner layer to be obtained becomes stronger in white and the contract becomes more favorable. The dibutyl phthalate (DBT) oil absorption of carbon black is preferably 60 to 120 ml / 100 gr.
Moreover, it is preferable that it is 0.1-2.0 mm as thickness of a multilayer sheet.

  According to the second embodiment of the present invention, the multilayer sheet is composed of the first surface layer / inner layer / second surface layer, and (C) the first and second surface layers composed of a transparent thermoplastic resin, (D) The first surface layer is formed of an inner layer made of a thermoplastic resin composition containing 0.001 to 5 parts by weight of carbon black having an average particle size of 13 to 75 nm with respect to 100 parts by weight of the thermoplastic resin. The thickness constitution ratio of the sheet of the / inner layer / second surface layer is 1: 4: 1 to 1: 10: 1, and the first surface layer / inner layer / second surface layer is formed by melt coextrusion. A multilayer sheet for laser marking is provided.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, the laser marking multi-layer sheet has a laser oscillation wavelength of 532 (second harmonic), 1,064 nm (fundamental wave), a laser medium of neodymium-modified yttrium-vanadium tetroxide, There is provided a laser marking method in which a beam is in a single mode, irradiation is performed with a laser marker having a beam diameter of 20 to 40 μm, printing is performed, and a contrast between a print coloring portion and a base portion is 3 or more.

  According to the multilayer sheet and the laser marking method of the present invention, the appearance of the multilayer plastic sheet widely used in ID cards, tag cards, credit cards, display boards, authentication plates, cash cards, ETC cards, etc. is damaged. The laser marking with excellent contrast, excellent surface smoothness, and excellent heat resistance can be achieved.

  BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The best mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment”) will be specifically described below, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and the present invention is not limited thereto. It should be understood that design changes, improvements, and the like can be made as appropriate based on ordinary knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

First, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
(A) Transparent first and second surface layers comprising a thermoplastic resin composition:
The thermoplastic resin composition used in the surface layer of the present invention contains mica and / or carbon black with respect to the transparent thermoplastic resin. Here, the term “transparent” means that the total light transmittance is 40% or more. Specifically, the total light transmittance is obtained by using a flat plate and JIS-K7105 (light transmittance and Measured in accordance with (total light reflectance). As a measuring instrument, CE7000A of Greytag Macbeth Co. was used.

  Examples of the transparent thermoplastic resin include polyethylene terephthalate (PET, A-PET, PETG), polycyclohexane 1,4-dimethylphthalate (PCT), polystyrene (PS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and transparent. Examples include ABS (MABS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene (PE). Among these (A) thermoplastic resins, PMMA resins are preferred for applications that require surface hardness characteristics and weather resistance characteristics. Also, for various card applications, PVC resin and PETG resin are preferable because of laminate properties with other sheets.

0.001 to 3 parts by weight of mica and / or carbon black is contained with respect to 100 parts by weight of the transparent thermoplastic resin. By including mica and / or carbon black, it is possible to improve contrast even when the surface layer is formed thin while maintaining transparency.
The content of mica and / or carbon black is preferably 0.001 to 0.7 parts by weight, particularly preferably 0.005 to 0.5 parts by weight. If the amount is less than 0.001 part by weight, the contrast is not improved. On the other hand, if the amount exceeds 3 parts by weight, the total light transmittance of the thermoplastic resin composition is lowered and the transparency is lowered.

Here, mica is a group of layered silicate minerals and is a kind of clay mineral composed of interlayer cations, octahedral cations, tetrahedral cations, and hydroxyl groups and oxygen (O). There are muscovite, soda mica, biotite, phlogopite, crimson mica and the like, and artificial mica in which OH is artificially substituted with F is also synthesized.
The carbon black contained in the transparent thermoplastic resin has the same characteristics (average particle diameter, dibutyl phthalate (DBT) oil absorption as used in the thermoplastic resin composition (B) that forms the inner layer described later. ) Is used.

  The thickness of the surface layer is preferably 0.01 to 0.25 mm, and particularly preferably 0.05 to 0.1 mm.

Inner layer (B) thermoplastic resin composition:
The thermoplastic resin composition (B) that forms the inner layer contains 0.001 to 3 parts by weight of an energy absorber that absorbs a laser beam with respect to 100 parts by weight of the thermoplastic resin. Examples of the thermoplastic resin include rubber-reinforced styrene resins such as ABS resin, ASA resin, AES resin, and HIPS resin, PC resin, PBT resin, PET resin, and modified PPO resin. Among these thermoplastic resins, PC resin and PBT resin are preferable, and PC resin is particularly preferable from the viewpoint of heat resistance.

  The energy absorber used in the thermoplastic resin composition (B) that forms the inner layer is at least one selected from the group consisting of carbon black, metal oxide, metal sulfide, carbonate, and metal silicate. Is mentioned. Among these, carbon black used for the energy absorber is preferably carbon black having an average particle diameter of 13 to 75 nm and a dibutyl phthalate (DBT) oil absorption of 60 to 120 ml / 100 gr. Examples of the metal oxide include zinc oxide, magnesium oxide, alumina, iron oxide, iron black, titanium oxide, silicon oxide, and antimony trioxide. Furthermore, examples of the metal sulfide include zinc sulfide and cadmium sulfide. Further, as carbonates, calcium carbonate and the like, and as metal silicates, alumina silicate, iron-containing alumina silicate (mica), hydrous silicate silicate (kaolin), magnesium silicate (talc), silicate Examples include calcium and magnesium silicate. These energy absorbers can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  The addition amount of the energy absorber used in the present invention is 0.001 to 5 parts by weight, preferably 0.002 to 5 parts by weight, more preferably 0.005 to 3 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the thermoplastic resin. Part. If the amount is less than 0.001 part by weight, sufficient contrast cannot be obtained. On the other hand, if the amount exceeds 5 parts by weight, the energy absorption function becomes excessive, resulting in a decrease in contrast and a problem of damage to the transparent layer.

In addition, a coloring agent can also be added to the (B) thermoplastic resin composition which forms an inner layer.
Examples of the colorant include inorganic pigments, organic pigments, and dyes. Among these, examples of inorganic pigments include titanium oxide, barium sulfate, zinc sulfide, and zinc oxide as white pigments, iron oxide, titanium yellow as yellow pigments, iron oxide as red pigments, cobalt blue and ultramarine blue as blue pigments. Examples of organic pigments include monoazo, condensed azo, anthraquinone, disazo, heterocyclic ring for yellow, quinacridone, anthraquinone, perylene, monoazo for red, phthalocyanine for blue, and phthalocyanine for green. Furthermore, examples of the dye include monoazo, anthraquinone, disazo, and heterocyclic ring for yellow, anthraquinone, perinone, thioindigo, disazo, and anthraquinone for blue.

  The amount of the colorant used varies depending on the application, but is 0.05 to 15 parts by weight, more preferably 0.1 to 12 parts by weight, and particularly preferably 0.2 to 11 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the thermoplastic resin. It is. When the colorant exceeds 15 parts by weight, the physical properties of the molded article are deteriorated, which is not preferable. On the other hand, when the colorant is less than 0.05 parts by weight, there may be a problem in concealability.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The second embodiment of the present invention is different from the first embodiment in that (C) a surface layer made of a transparent thermoplastic resin does not necessarily contain mica and / or carbon black, and an inner layer is formed. (D) Carbon black having a predetermined particle size is used as the energy absorber used in the thermoplastic resin composition.

  As the transparent thermoplastic resin (C) used as the surface layer, the same as the transparent thermoplastic resin (A) described above is used. The transparent thermoplastic resin (C) may be a single resin or a resin composition containing other components suitable for the resin.

As the thermoplastic resin used for (D) the thermoplastic resin composition forming the inner layer, the same one as used for the above-described (B) thermoplastic resin composition is used.
(D) As carbon black contained in a thermoplastic resin composition, an average particle diameter is 13-75 nm, Preferably it is 50-75 nm.
By using carbon black having a large average particle diameter, a good contract can be obtained without impairing the whiteness of a white application member such as a card.

  In the present invention, (B) the thermoplastic resin composition or (D) the thermoplastic resin composition forming the inner layer is prepared, for example, by mixing each component with, for example, a Henschel mixer, etc. However, the method is not limited to this.

  In addition, although the thickness of an inner layer changes with uses, 0.15-0.7 mm is preferable in a card use. Among these, a thickness of 0.2 to 0.5 mm is particularly preferable.

  The total thickness of the multilayer sheet of the present invention is 0.2 to 2 mm, preferably 0.2 to 8 mm. If the thickness is less than 0.2 mm, surface layer breakage at the time of laser marking and printing permeation problems occur. On the other hand, if the thickness exceeds 2 mm, there is no problem in marking properties, but there is a problem that, for example, when cutting into card size, it cannot be cut cleanly.

In the multilayer sheet for laser marking of the present invention, the thickness constitution ratio of the three-layer sheet comprising the first surface layer / inner layer / second surface layer is 1: 4: 1 to 1: 10: 1, preferably 1: 5: 1 to 1: 8: 1. When the composition ratio of this thickness is reached, laser marking may be performed twice in some cases when providing further contrast. In such a case, damage to the surface layer does not occur, and a sheet thickness configuration with a wide range of laser marking conditions is preferable. Also, from the viewpoint of heat resistance, the thickness composition ratio of the above three-layer sheet is preferable.
In addition, although the form which consists of a sheet | seat of only 3 layers is normal, the multilayer sheet of this invention is not limited to it, Furthermore, the thing of 4 layers or more which has another layer may be sufficient.

  The surface layer and the inner layer constituting the multilayer sheet for laser marking of the present invention may have other additives such as a mold release agent, a stabilizer, an antioxidant, an ultraviolet ray as long as the characteristics are not impaired as necessary. Absorbers, reinforcing agents and the like can be added.

The multilayer sheet of the present invention is, for example, coextruded (A) component / (B) component / (A) component using a melt extruder equipped with a multi-die, and the first surface layer / inner layer / second layer. Is obtained as a multilayer sheet obtained by thermocompression bonding by melt coextrusion. The temperature of the melt extrusion at this time is usually about 250 to 290 ° C, preferably about 260 to 280 ° C.
In the multilayer sheet of the present invention, the first surface layer and the second surface layer are preferably made of the same material and the same thickness, but may be formed of different materials and different thicknesses depending on the application.

  In order to perform laser marking using the multilayer sheet for laser marking of the present invention, for example, the multilayer sheet of the present invention has a laser oscillation wavelength of 532 nm (second harmonic), 1,064 nm (fundamental wave), and a laser medium. Neodymium-modified yttrium-vanadium tetroxide, a method in which the laser beam is single-mode and a laser marker having a beam diameter of 20 to 40 μm is irradiated for printing, and the contrast between the printed color portion and the background portion is 3 or more. It is done.

The laser marker is a multimode using a commonly used Nd: YAG laser with a wavelength of 1,064 nm, and the beam diameter is 80 to 100 μm. Then it is unsuitable. In the present invention, since the Nd: YVO ₄ laser (laser oscillation wavelength is 532 nm, 1,064 nm) having a beam diameter of 20 to 40 μm is used in the present invention, the contrast between the print coloring portion and the background portion is set to 3 or more. Print quality with good contrast can be obtained.

  The multilayer sheet for laser marking according to the present invention is excellent in laser markability, and can easily and beautifully draw lines on the surface thereof with a laser. Therefore, the multilayer sheet for laser marking of the present invention can be effectively used for printing on electric parts, electronic parts, automobile parts, various recording medium cases, various display boards, and the like.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by way of examples. In addition, evaluation of the various items in an Example was based on the following method.

For the laser marking, a laser marker of Nd: YVO ₄ laser (RSM20E manufactured by Roffin Basel) was used.

The marking property was evaluated by performing marking at a laser irradiation speed of 400 mm / sec, and judging from the quality of the contrast and the presence or absence of damage to the surface layer.
○: Contrast 3 or more, no surface layer breakage Δ: Contrast 2 or more to less than 3, no surface layer breakage ×: Contrast 2 less, no surface breakage

The multilayer sheet permeability was measured using a CE7000A manufactured by Greytag Macbeth Co., Ltd., and the total light transmittance was measured.
○: Total light transmittance less than 5% Δ: Total light transmittance 5% to 10%
×: Total light transmittance exceeds 10%

The damage of the surface layer of the laser marking printing part was observed using a magnifying microscope VH5900 manufactured by Keyence Corporation.
○: No damage △: Partial damage ×: Damage

  The contrast evaluation of printing was measured using a luminance meter LS100 manufactured by Konica Minolta. The larger the value, the higher the contrast and the higher the visibility. In the present invention, a contrast of 3 or more is acceptable.

  Evaluation of heat resistance was performed by using a constant height tank SH-221 manufactured by Espec, and leaving a test piece obtained by cutting each sheet into a size of 8.5 × 5.4 mm in the constant height tank at 85 ° C. for 4 hours. Then, the dimensional change of the test piece was measured. The dimensional change in the longitudinal direction was 1 mm or less, ◎: particularly good, dimensional change 2 mm or less, ○: acceptable, dimensional change more than 2 mm, x: rejected.

(Examples 1-5, Comparative Examples 1-3)
In Examples and Comparative Examples, the following raw materials were used, and various multilayer sheets were produced by a three-layer multi-die method at a melting temperature of 280 ° C. And laser marking was given with respect to various multilayer sheets. The results are shown in Table 1.

(Transparent resin surface)
PC resin: Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. Taflon A2500 Natural PC resin-a: Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. Taflon A2500 To 100 parts by weight, carbon black 0.002 parts by weight was added and granulated with a normal extruder.
PETG resin: 6863 natural manufactured by Eastman Chemical Co. PETG resin-a: 0.053 part by weight of mica added to 10063 parts by weight of Eastman Chemical Co., and granulated with a normal extruder.
PETG resin-b: 0.063 parts by weight of carbon black was added to 100 parts by weight of 6673 manufactured by Eastman Chemical Co., and granulated with a normal extruder.
PMMA resin: Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd. Acrypet VH Natural

(Inner layer of colored resin)
PC resin-1: Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. Toughlon A2500 100 parts by weight, carbon black 0.002 parts by weight, white colorant titanium oxide 6 parts by weight, zinc sulfide 5 parts by weight, normal extrusion Granulated with a machine.
PC resin-2: 6 parts by weight of titanium oxide and 5 parts by weight of zinc sulfide as white colorant were added to 100 parts by weight of Taflon A2500 manufactured by Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., and granulated with an ordinary extruder.
PBT resin-1: Wintech Polymer Co., Ltd. C7000 100 parts by weight, carbon black 0.003 parts by weight, white colorant titanium oxide 6 parts by weight, zinc sulfide 5 parts by weight, in a normal extruder Granulated.

Mica: Iriodin LS825 manufactured by Merck
Carbon black: # 10, # 950 manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation

(Coloring agent)
Titanium oxide: CR60-2 manufactured by Ishihara Sangyo Co., Ltd.
Zinc sulfide: Santorius HD

(result)
From the results shown in Table 1, the following is clear.
In the multilayer sheets of Examples 1 to 5, in addition to transparency and heat resistance, the contrast and surface layer damage when laser marking was good.
On the other hand, the multilayer sheet of Comparative Example 1 does not contain mica and carbon black in the surface layer, and the multilayer sheet of Comparative Example 3 does not contain an energy absorber such as carbon black in the inner layer, resulting in poor contrast. . In Comparative Example 2, it can be seen that the thickness ratio of the surface layer / inner layer / surface layer is 1: 4: 1, the inner layer is thinner and the heat resistance is inferior.

  The multilayer sheet for laser marking of the present invention is effectively used as a plastic multilayer sheet widely used in ID cards, tag cards, credit cards, display boards, authentication plates, cash cards, ETC cards and the like.

Claims (7)

A multilayer sheet comprising a first surface layer / inner layer / second surface layer,
(A) Transparent first and second surface layers made of a thermoplastic resin composition containing 0.0001 to 5 parts by weight of mica and / or carbon black with respect to 100 parts by weight of a transparent thermoplastic resin,
(B) For 100 parts by weight of the thermoplastic resin, it is formed from an inner layer made of a thermoplastic resin composition containing 0.001 to 3 parts by weight of an energy absorber that absorbs a laser beam,
The thickness composition ratio of the sheet of the first surface layer / inner layer / second surface layer is 1: 4: 1 to 1: 10: 1,
A multilayer sheet for laser marking formed by forming the first surface layer / inner layer / second surface layer by melt coextrusion.   The multilayer sheet for laser marking according to claim 1, wherein the energy absorber is at least one selected from the group consisting of carbon black, metal oxide, metal sulfide, carbonate and metal silicate.   The multilayer sheet for laser marking according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the carbon black has an average particle size of 13 to 75 nm.   The multilayer sheet for laser marking according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the carbon black has a dibutyl phthalate (DBT) oil absorption of 60 to 120 ml / 100 gr. A multilayer sheet comprising a first surface layer / inner layer / second surface layer,
(C) first and second surface layers made of a transparent thermoplastic resin;
(D) An inner layer composed of a thermoplastic resin composition containing 0.001 to 5 parts by weight of carbon black having an average particle diameter of 13 to 75 nm with respect to 100 parts by weight of the thermoplastic resin,
The thickness composition ratio of the sheet of the first surface layer / inner layer / second surface layer is 1: 4: 1 to 1: 10: 1,
A multilayer sheet for laser marking formed by forming the first surface layer / inner layer / second surface layer by melt coextrusion.   The multilayer sheet for laser marking according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the thickness is 0.2 to 2 mm.   The multilayer sheet for laser marking according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the laser oscillation wavelength is 532 nm (second harmonic), 1,064 nm (fundamental wave), and the laser medium is neodymium modified yttrium-vanadium tetroxide. There is a laser marking method in which a laser beam is in a single mode and is irradiated with a laser marker having a beam diameter of 20 to 40 μm for printing, and the contrast between the print coloring portion and the background portion is 3 or more.