JP2014133956A - Image forming system and image forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming system capable of suppressing increase of waste in forming an image, while suppressing degradation in the texture of a fabric caused by deposition of an image forming substance other than coloring material on the fabric.SOLUTION: A fabric dyeing device 100 is provided, which forms an image on a fabric 20 by using a dye A1, and the device includes: an image forming unit 1 and a fixing unit 25 for forming and fixing an image on a surface of an image support film 10 by using a toner A containing the dye A1; a merging unit 3 for overlapping the fabric 20 on the image support film 10 where the image is formed; a dyeing unit 4 for dyeing the fabric 20 by transferring the dye A1 in the toner A on the image support film 10 overlapped by the fabric 20 onto the fabric 20; a separating unit 6 for separating the image support film 10 from the fabric 20 where the dye A1 is transferred; a film cleaning unit 8 for cleaning the image support film 10 separated from the fabric 20; and a fabric cleaning unit 5 for cleaning the fabric 20 separated from the image support film 10.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming system and an image forming method for forming an image on the surface of a cloth.

  Conventionally, as a method for forming an image on the surface of a cloth, there are printing methods such as a screen printing method, a roller printing method, and a rotary screen printing method. Patent Documents 1 and 2 propose a method of directly forming an image on a cloth using an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

  The image formation by textile printing takes time for producing a screen for creating a new pattern, and requires roller engraving and adjustment of color paste. The print after printing is dyed by means such as steaming or dry heat treatment, and thereafter, there are various processes such as washing and drying. Since a long period of time is spent from design to printing fabric, and normal processing is forced to make predictions and prospective production, there are difficulties such as making and storing stock and bad stock. In particular, when fashion is diversified or individualized as in recent years, there are problems such as difficulty in handling from the viewpoint of delivery, and difficulty in processing small quantities of various products.

  Such a problem can be solved by the image forming methods described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. In the methods described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, an image is formed on the surface of the cloth by transferring the toner image formed on the surface of the toner image carrier provided in the image forming apparatus to the surface of the cloth. For this reason, it is possible to shorten the time until the fabric on which an image is formed from the design is completed as compared with the textile printing method.

The toner used in the image forming method described in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2 contains not only a dye for expressing a color but also a resin material for retaining the dye on a transfer target in the image forming apparatus. Yes. The image forming methods described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 include a resin removal step of removing the resin material attached to the cloth.
However, a resin removal step for removing the resin material is required. Further, the resin material of the toner image formed on the surface of the cloth by the image forming apparatus is subjected to a fixing process while being carried on the cloth. In the fixing process, the resin material is once melted and solidified. For this reason, the resin material is entangled with the fibers of the cloth by fixing, and it may be difficult to remove the resin in the resin removal step. In the resin removing step, the resin cannot be completely removed from the cloth, and if the resin remains on the cloth, the texture of the cloth is lowered.

  In the above description, the problem of deterioration in the texture of the cloth due to the resin material contained in the toner remaining on the cloth has been described. Such a problem is not limited to the case where toner is used as an image forming substance for forming an image, and the same problem may occur even with ink jet ink. Further, the material expressing the color contained in the image forming substance is not limited to the dye, and the same problem may occur even when other color materials are used. That is, if the image forming substance contains a component other than a color material such as a dye, it is a possible problem that the texture of the fabric is lowered due to the component other than the color material remaining on the fabric.

  The following configuration is conceivable as a configuration capable of suppressing a decrease in the texture of the fabric due to the components other than the colorant remaining on the fabric. That is, an image is formed on an image support such as paper using an image forming material containing a color material, and heat or water vapor is applied to the image support by overlapping a cloth. With such a configuration, the color material contained in the image forming material on the image support moves to the cloth by heat or water vapor and is dyed. On the other hand, components other than the color material in the image forming substance can hardly move from the image support to the cloth by heat or water vapor, and remain on the image support. Since components other than the color material hardly move to the cloth, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the texture of the cloth due to the component other than the color material remaining on the cloth. However, in such a configuration, since components other than the color material contained in the image forming substance remain on the image support, it cannot be reused as it is, and the image support once used should be discarded. This leads to an increase in waste during image formation.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to form an image while suppressing the texture of the cloth from being damaged due to adhesion of an image forming substance other than a coloring material to the cloth. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming system capable of suppressing an increase in waste at the time.

  In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is an image forming system for forming an image on a cloth using a color material, and an image support made of a film material using an image forming substance containing the color material. An image forming means for forming and fixing an image on the surface of the image forming apparatus; an overlapping means for superimposing a cloth on the image support on which the image is formed; and an image forming material on the image support on which the cloth is superimposed. Dyeing means for moving the coloring material to the cloth to dye the cloth, separation means for separating the image support from the cloth to which the coloring material has been moved, and cleaning the image support separated from the cloth An image support cleaning means and a cloth cleaning means for cleaning the cloth separated from the image support.

  In the present invention, the image support is made of a film material, and the film material generally has a small surface energy. Therefore, after fixing an image made of the image forming substance on the surface, the image forming substance is cleaned by the image support cleaning means. It is possible to realize a configuration that removes. By removing the image forming material on the surface of the image support by the image support cleaning means, it is possible to prevent components other than the color material contained in the image forming material from remaining on the image support separated from the cloth. . For this reason, the image support cleaned by the image support cleaning means can be reused, and it is not necessary to discard the image support once used, thereby suppressing an increase in waste during image formation. I can do it.

  In the present invention, after fixing the image forming substance containing the color material on the image support, the cloth is overlapped to move the color material in the image forming material to the cloth. At this time, components other than the color material in the image forming material are hardly transferred from the image support to the cloth by heat or water vapor, and most of them remain on the image support. Since the image support of the present invention is composed of a film material having a small surface energy, a small amount of components other than the color material in the image forming substance migrates from the image support to the cloth and is separated from the image support. There is a possibility that components other than the color material in the image forming substance may remain on the cloth. However, unlike the configuration in which the image is directly formed on the cloth by the image forming substance, there are few components other than the color material adhering to the cloth. Further, unlike the configuration in which image formation is performed directly on the cloth, since the image forming substance is not fixed to the cloth, the adhesion force of components other than the color material adhering to the cloth is small. Therefore, it can be removed by washing the cloth with the cloth washing means. For this reason, it can suppress that the texture of cloth is impaired by image forming substances other than a coloring material adhering to cloth.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress an increase in waste during image formation while suppressing the texture of the fabric from being impaired due to adhesion of image forming substances other than color materials to the fabric. Has an excellent effect.

1 is a schematic diagram of a fabric dyeing apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic diagram illustrating a process from when a toner image is formed on a water-soluble transfer member until an image with a dye is formed on the surface of a cloth. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a wet image forming apparatus applicable to an image forming unit. FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a first example of a dry image forming apparatus applicable to an image forming unit. FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a second example of a dry image forming apparatus applicable to an image forming unit. FIG. 6 is an enlarged explanatory view of an image forming unit provided in the dry image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of an ink jet printer that can be applied to an image forming unit. The schematic diagram of the cloth dyeing | staining apparatus of Embodiment 2. FIG. The schematic diagram of the cloth dyeing | staining apparatus of Embodiment 3. FIG.

Embodiment 1
Hereinafter, a first embodiment (hereinafter referred to as Embodiment 1) of an image forming system to which the present invention is applied will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a cloth dyeing apparatus 100 as an image forming system according to the first embodiment.
The cloth dyeing apparatus 100 includes an image supporting film 10 stretched on three stretching rollers, an image forming unit 1, a cloth roll 21, a merging unit 3, a dyeing unit 4, a separating unit 6, a cloth washing unit 5, and a cloth winding. A take-up roll 22, a film cleaning unit 8, a film drying unit 104, and the like are provided.

  In the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1, an image is formed on the image support film 10 by the image forming unit 1 using an electrophotographic or inkjet image forming apparatus, and the image is fixed by the fixing unit 25. The cloth 20 wound around the cloth roll 21 is fed out when the cloth roll 21 rotates in the direction of the arrow in the figure. Then, the image support film 10 that has passed through the fixing unit 25 and the fabric 20 that has been fed out from the fabric roll 21 are overlapped with the fabric 20 at the joining unit 3 and conveyed to the dyeing unit 4.

The image support film 10 and the cloth 20 that have passed through the dyeing unit 4 are separated by the separation unit 6. The cloth 20 that has passed through the separation unit 6 is washed by the cloth washing unit 5 and taken up by the cloth take-up roll 22. Thereby, the cloth 20 on which an image is formed with a dye as a coloring material can be obtained.
On the other hand, the image support film 10 that has passed through the separation unit 6 is cleaned by the film cleaning unit 8, dried by the film drying unit 104, and then conveyed again to the image forming unit 1.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged view illustrating a process until a toner image is formed on the surface of the image support film 10 by the toner A containing the dye A1 and the resin material A2, and an image of the dye A1 is formed on the surface of the cloth 20. It is a schematic diagram. 2A is an explanatory diagram of the image supporting film 10 before an image is formed, and FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram of the image supporting film 10 on which a toner image is formed. FIG. 2C is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the cloth 20 is superimposed on the image support film 10 on which the toner image is formed. FIG. 2D is a diagram in which the dye A1 contained in the toner A is the cloth 20. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which moved to. Further, FIG. 2E is an explanatory diagram of the cloth 20 in a state where the image support film 10 is separated from the cloth 20 in the state of FIG.

An endless belt-shaped image support film 10 shown in FIG. 1 is stretched around a first stretching roller 101, a second stretching roller 102, and a third stretching roller 103. When one of the three stretching rollers (101, 102, 103) receives a drive transmission from a drive source (not shown) and is driven to rotate, the image support film 10 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow α in FIG. Move endlessly.
The image support film 10 heading from the position in contact with the first stretching roller 101 toward the image forming unit 1 is in the state shown in FIG. Next, the image forming unit 1 forms an image on the surface of the image support film 10 using toner A by an electrophotographic method, and the fixing unit 25 fixes the image. The image support film 10 that has passed through the image forming unit 1 and the fixing unit 25 is in the state shown in FIG. 2B, and is conveyed toward the junction 3 in FIG.

  The cloth roll 21 shown in FIG. 1 is obtained by winding a belt-like cloth 20 in a roll shape, and the cloth take-up roll 22 to which the front end portion of the cloth 20 is fixed and the cloth roll 21 are indicated by arrows in the drawing. , The cloth 20 is fed out from the cloth roll 21 toward the joining portion 3.

  The image support film 10 that has passed through the fixing unit 25 and the cloth 20 that has been fed out from the cloth roll 21 are overlapped at the merging unit 3 and conveyed so as to maintain the state in which the image support film 10 and the cloth 20 are overlapped. Is done. A superposition of the image support film 10 and the cloth 20 that have passed through the merge portion 3 is in the state shown in FIG.

The superposed image support film 10 and cloth 20 that have passed through the merging portion 3 reach the dyeing portion 4, and water vapor is applied at the dyeing portion 4.
The inventors conducted the following experiment. That is, a toner image was formed on a film insoluble in water using an image forming apparatus that forms an image with toner composed of a dye and a resin material. Then, with the surface of the film on which the toner image was formed facing upward, a sheet-like cloth (satin) was superimposed thereon to give water vapor. In this experiment, it was confirmed that the dye contained in the toner that formed the toner image moved to the cloth and an image was formed on the cloth.
Further, it was confirmed that the resin material contained in the toner hardly moved to the cloth even when the dye moved to the cloth. For this reason, also in the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 that executes the same process, the resin material A2 contained in the toner A on the image supporting film 10 is hardly adhered to the cloth 20, and the dye A1 is applied to the cloth 20. It is thought that an image can be formed. That is, in the dyeing portion 4, the dye in the image forming substance moves to the cloth 20, and most of the other resin materials and the like remain on the image support film 10.

FIG. 2D shows a state in which the dye A1 moves to the cloth 20 side after passing through the dyeing portion 4 and the resin material A2 remains on the image support film 10 side. In FIG. 2D, for convenience, the image support film 10 and the cloth 20 are illustrated as being separated from each other. However, in actuality, the image support film 10 and the cloth 20 are conveyed while maintaining an overlapping state.
Further, since the image support film 10 having a small surface energy is used, the fixed resin material A2 is more easily detached than paper. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 2 (d), the fabric 20 after passing through the dyed portion 4 is considered to have a slight amount of components of the image forming substance other than the dye A1 such as the resin material A2.

  A superposition of the image support film 10 and the cloth 20 that has passed through the dyeing unit 4 reaches the separation unit 6, and the image support film 10 and the cloth 20 are separated due to a difference in the respective transport directions. As the image support film 10 and the cloth 20 are separated, the cloth 20 carrying the dye A1 moves toward the cloth cleaning section 5 and the image support film 10 carrying the resin material A2 moves toward the film cleaning section 8. Moving.

In the cloth washing part 5, the resin material A2 slightly adhered by washing with water is washed away. Since the toner A is fixed on the image supporting film 10 and is not fixed on the cloth 20, the resin material A2 is not firmly fixed to the cloth and is sufficiently removed only by washing with water. Can do. However, washing may be performed after applying a softening agent that softens the resin material A2 as necessary. At this time, since the dye A1 that has moved to the cloth 20 side is dyed on the cloth, the dye A1 does not flow down from the cloth 20 even when washed with water, and the state where an image is formed on the cloth 20 can be maintained.
The cloth 20 that has passed through the cloth cleaning section 5 is in a state as shown in FIG. 2 (e), moisture is removed by a cloth drying section (not shown), and the film 20 is wound around the cloth winding roll 22. Thereby, the cloth 20 on which an image is formed with the dye can be obtained.

  On the other hand, the image support film 10 that has passed through the separation unit 6 is provided with a lubricant that reduces the surface energy, such as a surfactant, by the film cleaning roll 83 of the film cleaning unit 8. The image support film 10 to which the lubricant has been applied is scraped off of the resin material A2 by the film cleaning blade 81. The resin material A2 thus scraped off is accommodated in the resin material disposal unit 82. The image support film 10 from which the resin material A2 has been scraped is applied with warm air by the film drying unit 104 to remove moisture on the surface thereof, and prepares for the next image formation.

Through such a process, an image can be formed on the surface of the cloth 20, and the image support film 10 on which a toner image for moving the component of the dye A1 is formed on the cloth 20 is cleaned and repeatedly used. As a result, an increase in waste during image formation can be suppressed.
In the cloth dyeing apparatus 100, various image forming apparatuses can be used as the image forming unit 1 that performs image formation on the image supporting film 10. Only the film 10 is separated. For this reason, time can be shortened compared with the conventional textile printing method which prints using color paste.

  In the dyeing | staining part 4, dye A1 moves to the cloth 20 and is fixed by giving water vapor | steam. Hereinafter, the dye moving to the cloth 20 and being fixed is referred to as dyeing. In the dyeing part 4, depending on the type of the dye A1, there is a case where the dyeing is not performed only with water vapor. In this case, components necessary for dyeing dye A1 are contained in water vapor, and dyeing of dye A1 is performed. Moreover, not only what is contained in water vapor | steam, but also as a structure with which cloth 20 is equipped with the component required for dyeing | staining of dye A1, such as apply | coating previously the component required for dyeing | staining of dye A1 on the surface of cloth | dye 20, Good. Thereby, even if the dye A1 is a reactive dye that is not dyed only with water vapor, it can be dyed, and the range of applicable cloths and dyes can be widened.

For example, when the dye A1 is a reactive dye, a component that adds alkalinity to the water vapor in the dyeing portion 4 is contained to cause the dye A1 to undergo a reduction reaction. At this time, if the reduced dye A1 has an affinity for the fiber molecules of the cloth 20, the dye A1 stays in the fiber and can be dyed.
In the case of applying a water vapor that causes the dye A1 to undergo a reduction reaction at the dyeing part 4, a reaction that oxidizes the reduced dye A1 that has been reduced at the dyeing part 4 before the cloth 20 is washed with the cloth washing part 5. Is configured to be performed. By these steps, even if the fabric 20 is washed with water, the dye A1 does not fall off and the dyeing is completed.

Moreover, in the dyeing | staining part 4, when performing reaction (for example, oxidation reaction) other than reducing dye A1, other reaction required according to the reaction (when the oxidation reaction is carried out in the dyeing part 4) (Reduction reaction).
Even when a disperse dye is used, reduction cleaning may be performed to remove excess dye A1 adhering to the cloth 20.

The image forming apparatus used in the image forming unit 1 is not limited to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that develops a latent image on a photoreceptor using toner, but an ink jet system that sprays ink onto an image supporting film 10 that is a recording medium. The image forming apparatus may be used.
In the cloth dyeing apparatus 100, the image made of the dye remains on the cloth 20, and the dye is moved using the water vapor in the dyeing portion 4, so that a clear and high-density image is obtained regardless of the unevenness of the cloth.

Next, the cloth 20 will be described.
As a cloth used as the cloth 20 of the present embodiment, any cloth structure can be used regardless of a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, a non-woven fabric, a braid or the like, and a woven fabric is particularly preferable. Synthetic fibers, regenerated fibers, cellulosic fibers, animal fibers, and the like can be used as materials constituting the fabric and the like, and these may be blended or woven. Examples of synthetic fibers include various polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, vinylon, acrylic, nylon, acetate, and the like. In addition, examples of the regenerated fiber include rayon, examples of the cellulosic fiber include cotton and hemp, and examples of the animal fiber include silk and wool.

Next, the image support film 10 will be described.
The image supporting film 10 is desirably a material having a surface energy sufficiently smaller than that of cloth or paper, and is a material capable of removing the resin component of the fixed toner by the film cleaning unit 8 without using an organic solvent or the like. Is desirable.
Examples of the material used for the image support film 10 include a PET film, a PP film, a PE film, a PVDC (polyvinylidene chloride) film, a polyimide film, and a PPTA (polyparaphenylene terephthalamide) film. Further, a film having a low surface energy coat such as a fluorine coat may be used.

  When the image forming unit 1 uses dry toner, the fixing unit 25 heats the image support film 10 on which the toner image is formed, melts the dry toner, and converts the image formed with the dry toner into an image support film 10. To settle. As described above, when the fixing unit 25 is heated, the image support film 10 needs to have heat resistance that does not deteriorate due to the heating of the fixing unit 25. Since the fixing temperature of an image forming apparatus using a dry toner in recent years is less than 200 [° C.], the image support film 10 has a heat resistance of 200 [° C.] or more and is not deteriorated by heating of the fixing unit 25. The configuration can be realized.

Next, the film cleaning unit 8 will be described.
The lubricant supplied by the film cleaning roll 83 prevents water from being repelled when the surface of the image support film 10 is cleaned.

As the lubricant, various anionic, cationic, amphoteric and nonionic surfactants can be used.
As an anionic surfactant, any compound type of sulfonic acid type, sulfuric acid ester type, carboxylic acid type and phosphoric acid ester type may be used.
Examples of the sulfonic acid type surfactant include alkane sulfonate, a-olefin sulfonate (AOS), alkyl benzene sulfonate (ABS), alkyl naphthalene sulfonate, acylmethyl taurate, dialkyl sulfo succinate, and the like. Can be mentioned.

Examples of the sulfate type surfactant include alkyl sulfate ester salts, sulfated oils, sulfated olefins, polyoxyethylene alkyl ether sulfate ester salts, polyoxyethylene alkyl phenyl ether sulfate ester salts, and the like.
Examples of the carboxylic acid type surfactant include fatty acid salts (soaps) and alkyl sarcosine salts.
Examples of phosphoric acid ester type surfactants include alkyl phosphate ester salts, polyoxyethylene alkyl ether phosphate ester salts, polyoxyethylene alkyl phenyl ether phosphate ester salts, monoglyceride phosphate ester salts, and the like.

As the cationic surfactant, any compound type of amine salt type and quaternary ammonium salt type may be used.
Examples of amine salt type surfactants include alkylamine salts and polyoxyethylene alkylamine salts.
Examples of the quaternary ammonium salt type surfactant include alkyltrimethylammonium salts and alkyldimethylbenzylammonium salts.

As the amphoteric surfactant, any compound type of biridinium type, amino acid type and betaine type may be used.
Examples of viridinium-type surfactants include alkylpyridinium salts, amino acid-type surfactants include alkylamino acid salts, and betaine-type surfactants include alkyldimethylbetaine. .

As the nonionic surfactant, any compound type of ethylene oxide addition type, polyol ester type, polyol ether type and alkanolamide type may be used.
Examples of the ethylene oxide addition type surfactant include polyoxyethylene alkyl ether, polyoxyethylene alkyl phenyl ether, polyoxyethylene alkyl ester, polyoxyethylene alkyl amide, and the like.
Examples of the polyol ester type surfactant include glycerin alkyl ester, sorbitan alkyl ester, sugar alkyl ester and the like.
Examples of the polyol ether type surfactant include polyhydric alcohol alkyl ethers, and examples of the alkanolamide type surfactant include alkanolamine fatty acid amides.

  These surfactants depend on the type of the image support film 10, but generally, about 0.1 [wt%] is added to water and the contact angle is 110 [°] when the contact angle is 110 [°]. °] decreases to the front and back and becomes easy to wet with the surface of the image support film 10.

By applying a lubricant such as a surfactant to the surface of the image support film 10 by the film cleaning roll 83, the resin material A2 is easily scraped off by the film cleaning blade 81. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the image support film 10 from being deteriorated by the rubbing of the film cleaning blade 81 and to extend the life of the image support film 10.
The configuration for applying the lubricant is not limited to the configuration using the film cleaning roll 83, and the component of the lubricant may be included in the water vapor generated in the dyeing unit 4.
The film cleaning blade 81 provided in the film cleaning unit 8 of the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 of Embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 1 is in contact with the counter movement direction with respect to the surface movement direction of the image support film 10. Ring direction is also acceptable.

Next, image formation on a conventional cloth will be described.
Conventionally, as a method for forming an image on the surface of a cloth, there are printing methods such as a screen printing method, a roller printing method, a rotary screen printing method, and a thermal transfer printing method. These textile printing methods have the following problems. The screen printing method has problems such as that it takes time to manufacture the screen, takes a place for storing the screen, and the work is an intermittent process, so that the production speed of the printing is slow. On the other hand, the roller printing method has a high production speed, but the process of engraving the pattern on the metal roll is complicated, and furthermore, the handling is difficult because the roller is heavy. The rotary screen printing method has the characteristics of the roller printing method and the screen printing method, and the rotary screen is lightweight and can be easily replaced.

  However, each printing method takes time to produce a screen for creating a new pattern, and requires roller engraving and adjustment of color paste. The print after printing is dyed by means such as steaming or dry heat treatment, and thereafter, there are various processes such as washing and drying. Since a long period of time is spent from design to printing fabric, and normal processing is forced to predict and produce prospectively, there are difficulties such as making and storing and having bad stock. In particular, when fashion is diversified or individualized as in recent years, there are problems such as difficulty in handling from the viewpoint of delivery, and difficulty in processing small quantities of various products.

  Under these circumstances, the following can be considered as printing methods with improved design of screens after design, roller engraving, adjustment of color paste, cleaning after printing, and drying process. . That is, this is a thermal transfer printing method in which a sheet-like material printed with a sublimation dye is adhered to a fabric or the like, heated to sublimate the dye and dyed onto the fabric or the like, and the above-mentioned problems and difficulties have been considerably improved. However, the fibers that can be printed by this method are limited to a pre-treated fabric that can be dyed with polyester fibers or sublimation dyes, and the design change is limited to the transfer master paper supplied by the printing manufacturer. Although it is suitable for mass production, it has inefficiency, transfer paper is uneconomical, and the processing process has the same difficulties as described above.

  In recent years, in the textile printing industry, there is an increasing demand for shortening the delivery time in addition to high-mix low-volume production. Under such circumstances, printing using an ink-jet printer that is linked to a computer and omits the engraving plate making process, which is the biggest problem among the above-described printing methods, has been proposed. This textile printing method does not require engraving rolls and screens, can be produced immediately after receiving an order, can easily change designs and colors, and can be stored and taken out easily. It became high. However, there remain problems such as fine line reproducibility due to blurring and the need for cloth pretreatment.

On the other hand, there is a method of drawing a pattern using an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. That is, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, an original image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum as an electrostatic latent image, and a toner containing a colorant and a resin is scattered by an electrostatic force to form a toner image. A method of printing a copied image by transferring this toner image onto a cloth or the like at a transfer portion and then heat-melting and fixing the toner onto the cloth or the like at a fixing portion has been developed and publicly known in recent years.
As a configuration using an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a direct development printing method for a cloth by an electrophotographic method is dyed by steaming, and then washed and de-resined by trichlene. As an electrostatic printing method, a dye is dyed on a cloth or the like by steam heat fixing, and then the binder resin in the toner is washed and removed with a solvent or the like.

  Solvents used in these deresining steps are substances such as trichlene, methyl ethyl ketone, toluene, xylene, acetone, butyl acetate. These correspond to volatile organic compounds (VOC, abbreviation of volatile organic compounds), and are considered to be one of air pollution related to suspended particulate matter and photochemical oxidants. Moreover, since these substances have volatility, they give off an unpleasant feeling by emitting odor. Apart from the approach of removing the resin as described above, an attempt has been made to maintain the flexibility of the fabric even when the resin is attached.

  However, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the toner does not adhere to the concave portions on the surface of the cloth, and the image is lost, which may lead to a decrease in image quality.

In response to these problems, the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment uses the image support film 10 as a transfer body used as a transfer unit in the image forming process. Then, after forming an image on the image support film 10, the image surface of the image support film 10 is overlapped with the cloth 20. By applying water vapor to the superposed image support film 10 and cloth 20, the dye A1 contained in the toner A on the image support film 10 moves to the cloth 20 and is fixed.
It becomes possible.

  Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe a configuration in which an electrophotographic image forming apparatus is used to directly transfer to a cloth, but the surface of the cloth has irregularities formed by cloth fibers, and the top of the cloth fibers. The toner adheres to the convex portions. However, toner cannot adhere to the recesses on the cloth surface, and the image quality varies depending on the size of the recesses and the size of the gaps between the fibers. A relatively good image quality can be obtained with a dense cloth having a small concave portion and a small gap between fibers, but the image quality is deteriorated with a cloth having a large concave portion and density between fibers.

  With respect to such a problem, in the image forming method of Embodiment 1, the image support film 10 on which the toner image made of the toner A is formed is superposed on the cloth 20, and water vapor is applied to the toner A to be included in the toner A. The dye A1 moves to the cloth together with water vapor. For this reason, it can cope with many kinds of cloths with excellent image quality.

  Since the water vapor moves from the lower side to the upper side in the air, it is desirable to apply the water vapor in a state where the cloth 20 is positioned above the image support film 10 in the dyeing unit 4. The dye A1 on the lower image supporting film 10 rises with water vapor and can adhere to the cloth 20. Moreover, since the cloth 20 is on the upper side, it is possible to suppress the resin material A2 on the image support film 10 from adhering to the cloth 20.

  In the cloth dyeing apparatus 100, a toner image is formed on the image support film 10 as a recording medium in the image forming process of the image forming unit 1. Thereafter, the cloth 20 is overlapped, and the dye A1 is moved and dyed on the cloth 20 in the dyeing process. In the image forming process, the image is transferred from the toner image carrier having a belt-like or roller-like shape with high surface smoothness to the image support film 10. Since the image support film 10 having a surface smoothness higher than that of the cloth is more easily adhered to the toner image carrier than the cloth, a high-quality toner image can be formed on the image support film 10. When the dye A1 in the toner A that forms a toner image in the dyeing process at the dyeing part 4 is moved to the surface of the cloth 20 by heat and water vapor, the influence of the unevenness on the surface of the cloth 20 is small. For this reason, the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 of this embodiment has a higher resolution than a conventional apparatus that directly transfers to an uneven cloth in the image forming apparatus, and a high-density image can be obtained.

  Furthermore, since the dyeing is performed with the dye A1 contained in the toner A corresponding to the image, it is possible to dye the cloth with a minimum amount of dye as in the case of conventional textile printing, so the burden on the environment is reduced. can do. Moreover, a dye can be moved by water vapor, and depending on the type of dye, a component necessary for dyeing can be contained in water vapor, thereby providing high-quality designs for many types of fabrics.

  In addition, depending on the type of dye, there is a dye that can be dyed on a cloth without using water vapor or heat alone, but contained in a toner image formed on a transfer body. However, by using water vapor, the fibers of the cloth open and it becomes easy to dye, so even if it is a dye that can be dyed only with heat, by applying water vapor, it is more than dyeing with heat alone Can also be satisfactorily dyed.

In the dyeing method of Embodiment 1, an image is formed on the surface of the image support film 10 which is a film-like transfer body insoluble in water on the transfer body at the time of image formation, and this is superimposed on the cloth 20 and then dyed. After passing through the attaching process, the image supporting film 10 is peeled from the cloth 20 and the cleaning process is performed. Since the image support film 10 can be cleaned and reused after peeling, it can be used repeatedly. Repeated use eliminates the need to discard the image support film 10 that is an image support once used, and can suppress an increase in waste during image formation.
In addition, a toner image is formed on the image support film 10, and the dye A1 contained in the toner A that forms the toner image is moved to the cloth 20 in the dyeing process. be able to.

  When an image is directly formed on a cloth using an image forming apparatus, the adhesive force of the resin component contained in the toner to the cloth is strong, and an organic solvent or the like has been used to remove this. On the other hand, in the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, after the image is once formed on the image support film 10, the cloth 20 is dyed with water vapor or the like, and the cloth is washed. The resin component contained in can be removed.

  The image support film 10 is preferably thin and flexible because it can follow the unevenness of the fibers of the fabric 20. Moreover, in the dyeing | staining part 4, when the image support film 10 and the cloth 20 are bonded together and dyed by applying pressure, the surface of the image support film 10 can follow the unevenness of the fibers, and the image support film 10 It is more preferable because the dye A1 easily migrates from the fiber to the fiber.

  If the dye A1 is dyed and fixed on the image support film 10, the image formation may be affected when the next toner image is formed after cleaning. Further, when dyed with the image support film 10, the dye A1 used for dyeing with the cloth 20 is reduced. For this reason, it is desirable to use the image support film 10 in which the dye A1 is not dyed in the dyeing process.

As the shape of the cloth 20, a sheet-like one that can be handled individually is also usable. However, as in the first embodiment, productivity is improved by continuously feeding the cloth 20 to the merging portion 3, the dyeing portion 4, and the like using the belt-like cloth 20 wound in a roll shape.
Moreover, as the shape of the image support film 10, a sheet-like one that can be handled individually can be used as in Embodiment 3 described later. However, productivity is improved by continuously feeding the image support film 10 to the image forming unit 1, the merging unit 3, the dyeing unit 4, and the like as in the first embodiment and the second embodiment described later.

  Next, an example of an image forming apparatus that can be applied as the image forming unit 1 of the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a wet image forming apparatus 410 applicable to the image forming unit 1.

  The outline of the image forming unit around the photoreceptor 301 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, there is a uniform charging device 121 directly above the photoconductor 301 to charge the surface of the photoconductor 301. Charges in portions other than the image portion are erased by partial lighting of the erase lamp 122. The exposure light L based on the image information of the original is imaged on the surface of the photosensitive member 301 by an exposure device (not shown). As a result, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoreceptor 301.

  The wet developing device 302 includes two developing rollers, a first developing roller 109 and a second developing roller 110, and a reverse roller 111. A liquid developer 131 is contained in the developing tank 129, and the liquid developer 131 is conveyed to the wet developing device 302 and the cleaning device 116 by the pump 130. The liquid developer 131 sent to the wet developing device 302 is poured into two developing rollers, a first developing roller 109 and a second developing roller 110. The two developing rollers are rotated, and the liquid developer 131 is supplied to the electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor 301 by this rotation. Therefore, the toner in the liquid developer 131 adheres onto the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoreceptor 301 by electrophotographic electrophoresis.

  Next, the reverse roller 111, which is set closer to the photosensitive member 301 than the developing rollers (109, 110), removes excess carrier liquid and undeveloped toner from the liquid developer 131 adhering to the surface of the photosensitive member 301. Thereafter, the developer image formed on the photosensitive member 301 is transferred to the image support film 10 by the transfer device 113 to form a toner image made of toner A. The residual liquid developer 131 that has not been transferred is sucked by the foam roller 118 in the cleaning device 116, further squeezed from the foam roller 118 by the squeezing roller 117, and returned to the developing tank 129. Further, the remaining liquid developer 131 is scraped off by a cleaning blade 119 for cleaning the surface of the photoreceptor 301 cleanly. The liquid developer 131 scraped off is also sucked by the foam roller 118.

Next, the operation of the wet image forming apparatus 410 shown in FIG. 3 will be described.
When the image support film 10 is not in the form of a roll as shown in FIG. 1 but in the form of a sheet that can be handled individually as in Embodiment 3 described later, a sheet-like image support film 10 is conveyed from a sheet supply tray (not shown). Then, it passes through a conveyance guide (not shown) and abuts against the registration roller pair 49. Here, the timing is controlled so that the image on the photosensitive member 301 is aligned with a predetermined position of the sheet-like image support film 10 conveyed to the registration roller pair 49. More specifically, a driving source (not shown) that drives the registration roller pair 49 is transmitted at a predetermined timing by an electromagnetic clutch (not shown) to rotate the registration roller pair 49 and convey the image support film 10.

Thereafter, the image support film 10 that has passed through the nip portion of the registration roller pair 49 faces the photoconductor 301, and the photoconductor 301 and the image support film 10 move together. When the toner image reaches just above the transfer device 113, the toner image formed on the photoconductor 301 as described above is transferred by the transfer potential of the transfer device 113. Thereafter, the image support film 10 is separated from the photosensitive member 301 and fixed by the fixing unit 25 which is a drying device for wet development and fixing, and the dyeing unit 4 having a function as a dyeing unit by a conveying device (not shown). It is conveyed to.
When a wet image forming apparatus such as the wet image forming apparatus 410 is used as the image forming unit 1, the image supporting film 10 after passing through the image forming unit 1 is transported to the joining unit 3 before the image supporting film 10. It is desirable to provide a drying step for drying 10.

In the above description, the case where the sheet-like image support film 10 is used has been described. However, the wet image forming apparatus 410 shown in FIG. 3 uses the belt-like image support film 10 as shown in FIG. The present invention can also be applied to the case of using a roll.
When the belt-shaped image support film 10 is used, image formation is performed in a state in which the image support film 10 exists in the transport path from the registration roller pair 49 to the discharge belt 115 through a transport guide (not shown). At this time, the conveyance of the image support film 10 in the registration roller pair 49 is not stopped, the continuous conveyance speed is maintained by the conveyance rollers including the registration roller pair 49, and the continuous image support film is provided. 10 to form images continuously.

Next, a first example of the dry image forming apparatus 210 that can be applied to the image forming unit 1 of the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a first example of the dry image forming apparatus 210.
A dry image forming apparatus 210 shown in FIG. 4 includes a photosensitive member 301, a charging roller 220 as a charging unit, and an exposure device (not shown) as an exposure unit. Further, a developing device 45 (black developing device 45K, yellow developing device 45Y, magenta developing device 45M, cyan developing device 45C) as developing means and an intermediate transfer belt 50 as an intermediate transfer member are provided. Furthermore, it has the cleaning apparatus 116 which has a cleaning blade as a cleaning means, and the static elimination lamp 70 as a static elimination means.

The intermediate transfer belt 50 is an endless belt, and is stretched by three stretching rollers 251 disposed on the inner side thereof, and can move on the surface in the arrow direction in FIG. A part of the three stretching rollers 251 also functions as a transfer bias roller that can apply a predetermined transfer bias (primary transfer bias) to the intermediate transfer belt 50. A belt cleaning device 17 having a cleaning blade is disposed in the vicinity of the intermediate transfer belt 50. Further, a secondary transfer roller 280 as a transfer unit capable of applying a transfer bias for transferring (secondary transfer) the toner image to the image support film 10 is disposed to face the intermediate transfer belt 50. .
Around the intermediate transfer belt 50, a corona charger 252 for applying a charge to the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 50 is provided from the contact portion between the photosensitive member 301 and the intermediate transfer belt 50. And the contact portion between the image support film 10 and the image support film 10.

  The dry image forming apparatus 210 includes developing units 45 for each color (a black developing unit 45K, a yellow developing unit 45Y, a magenta developing unit 45M, and a cyan developing unit 45C). Each color developing device 45 includes a developer container 46 (46K, 46Y, 46M, and 46C). Further, a developer supply roller 43 (43K, 43Y, 43M, and 43C) and a development roller 44 (44K, 44Y, 44M, and 44C) are provided.

  In the dry image forming apparatus 210, after the photosensitive member 301 is uniformly charged by the charging roller 220, the exposure light L is irradiated onto the photosensitive member 301 by an exposure device (not shown), and the surface of the photosensitive member 301 is electrostatically charged. A latent image is formed. Next, the developer from the developing unit 45 (black developing unit 45K, yellow developing unit 45Y, magenta developing unit 45M, cyan developing unit 45C) is applied to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive member 301. To develop a toner image.

Thereafter, the toner image is transferred (primary transfer) onto the intermediate transfer belt 50 by the potential difference between the transfer bias applied from a part of the three stretching rollers 251 and the surface potential of the photosensitive member 301. Further, the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 50 is charged by the corona charger 252 and then transferred onto the image support film 10 by the potential difference between the secondary transfer roller 280 and the intermediate transfer belt 50 (secondary transfer). Is done. The toner image transferred onto the image support film 10 is fixed to the image support film 10 by the fixing unit 25.
The toner remaining on the photosensitive member 301 is removed by the cleaning device 116, and the photosensitive member 301 is once discharged by the discharging lamp 70.

Next, a second example of the dry image forming apparatus 210 that can be applied to the image forming unit 1 of the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a second example of the dry image forming apparatus 210.
A dry image forming apparatus 210 shown in FIG. 5 is a copying machine of a tandem color image forming apparatus, and includes a copying machine main body 150, a paper feed table 200, a scanner 300, and an automatic document feeder (ADF) 400. The copying machine main body 150 is provided with an intermediate transfer belt 50, which is an endless belt-like intermediate transfer member, at the center. The intermediate transfer belt 50 is stretched around support rollers (14, 15 and 16) and can rotate in the direction of the arrow in FIG.

  A belt cleaning device 17 for removing the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 50 is disposed in the vicinity of the second support roller 15. Further, a tandem type image forming unit 320 is disposed so as to face the stretched surface stretched by the first support roller 14 and the second support roller 15 in the intermediate transfer belt 50. In the tandem type image forming unit 320, four image forming units 18 of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black are juxtaposed in opposition to the stretching surface along the surface movement direction of the facing stretching surface.

  FIG. 6 is an enlarged explanatory view of one of the four image forming units 18 provided in the dry image forming apparatus 210 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, each color image forming unit 18 includes a photosensitive member 301, a charging roller 220, a developing device 45, a transfer roller 62, a cleaning device 116, and a charge eliminating lamp 70. The charging roller 220 uniformly charges the photosensitive member 301, and the developing unit 45 converts the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive member 301 into yellow (Y), cyan (C), and magenta (M). And a black (K) color developer to form a toner image. The transfer roller 62 transfers the toner images of the respective colors on the photoreceptor 301 onto the intermediate transfer belt 50.

  An exposure device 221 is disposed in the vicinity of the tandem image forming unit 320. The exposure device 221 irradiates the exposure light L onto the photosensitive member 301 (the black photosensitive member 301K, the yellow photosensitive member 301Y, the magenta photosensitive member 301M, and the cyan photosensitive member 301C) to form an electrostatic latent image.

  Further, a secondary transfer device 322 is disposed on the side (upper side) opposite to the side (upper side) on which the tandem image forming unit 320 is disposed of the intermediate transfer belt 50. The secondary transfer device 322 includes a secondary transfer belt 24 that is an endless belt stretched between a pair of secondary transfer stretch rollers 23, and is a recording medium (image support film) conveyed on the secondary transfer belt 24. 10) and the intermediate transfer belt 50 can contact each other. On the left side in FIG. 5 in the vicinity of the secondary transfer device 322, a fixing unit 25 is disposed. The fixing unit 25 includes a fixing belt 26 that is an endless belt, and a pressure roller 27 that is arranged to be pressed against the fixing belt 26.

Next, full color image formation in the dry image forming apparatus 210 shown in FIG. 5 will be described.
When copying an image formed on a recording medium such as paper, the document is set on the document table 430 of the automatic document feeder 400 or the automatic document feeder 400 is opened and the contact glass 332 of the scanner 300 is opened. A document is set on the document and the automatic document feeder 400 is closed.

  Next, when a start switch (not shown) is pressed, when the document is set on the automatic document feeder 400, the scanner 300 is driven after the document is transported and moved onto the contact glass 332. When the document is set on the contact glass 332, the scanner 300 is immediately driven. Then, the first traveling body 333 and the second traveling body 334 travel. At this time, light from the light source is emitted from the first traveling body 333 and reflected light from the document surface is reflected by the mirror in the second traveling body 334 and received by the reading sensor 36 through the imaging lens 35. . Thus, a color original (color image) is read, and image information of each color of black, yellow, magenta, and cyan is obtained.

  In addition, when an image is formed based on image information input from an external device such as a personal computer, rather than copying an image formed on a recording medium, the image information is transmitted from the external device to a control unit (not shown). Is input, image information of each color is obtained.

  Next, after an electrostatic latent image of each color is formed on the photoreceptor 301 based on the obtained image information of each color by the exposure device 221, the electrostatic latent image of each color is supplied from the developing device 45 of each color. The developed developer is used to form a toner image of each color. The formed toner images of the respective colors are sequentially transferred (primary transfer) on the intermediate transfer belt 50 that is rotated and moved by the support rollers (14, 15, and 16), and a composite color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 50. It is formed.

  When the image support film 10 is not a roll as shown in FIG. 1 but a sheet that can be handled individually, the sheet-like image support film 10 is stored in the paper feed table 200. can do. When an image is formed on the image support film 10 in the paper feed table 200, one of the paper feed rollers 142 is selectively rotated, and the image support film is fed from one of the sheet supply trays 144 provided in multiple stages in the sheet supply bank 143. 10 out. Then, the sheet is separated one by one by the separation roller 145 and sent to the sheet feeding path 146, conveyed by the conveying roller 147, guided to the sheet feeding path 148 in the copying machine main body 150, and abutted against the registration roller pair 49 and stopped. Let

In the case of the sheet-like image support film 10, an image can be formed by disposing the image support film 10 on the external transfer body tray 54. In this case, the external paper feed roller 51 is rotated to feed the image supporting film 10 from the external transfer body tray 54, and the external separation roller 52 separates the image support film 10 one by one and guides it to the external paper feed path 53 in the copier body 150. Then, it abuts against the registration roller pair 49 and stops.
Note that the registration roller pair 49 is generally used while being grounded, but may be used in a state where a bias is applied in order to remove deposits from the image support film 10.

  After the image support film 10 is stopped by the registration roller pair 49, the registration roller pair 49 is rotated in synchronization with the synthesized color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 50. As a result, the image support film 10 is sent out between the intermediate transfer belt 50 and the secondary transfer device 322, and the composite color toner image is transferred (secondary transfer) onto the image support film 10. The image support film 10 to which the composite color toner image has been transferred is conveyed by the secondary transfer device 322 and sent to the fixing unit 25. The fixing unit 25 is heated and pressed by the fixing belt 26 and the pressure roller 27 to fix the composite color toner image on the image support film 10. Thereafter, the image support film 10 is discharged onto the discharge tray 57 by the discharge roller 56 and is conveyed to the merging unit 3.

The toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 50 after the composite color toner image is transferred is removed by the belt cleaning device 17.
In the above description, the case where the sheet-like image support film 10 is used has been described. However, the dry image forming apparatus 210 illustrated in FIG. 5 uses the belt-shaped image support film 10 as the image support film 10 as illustrated in FIG. The present invention can also be applied to the case of using a roll.
When the belt-shaped image support film 10 is used, the leading edge of the image support film 10 is drawn from the external paper feed roller 51, and the image support film 10 exists in the conveyance path from the external paper feed roller 51 to the discharge roller 56. Perform image formation. At this time, the conveyance of the image support film 10 in the registration roller pair 49 is not stopped, the continuous conveyance speed is maintained by each conveyance member including the registration roller pair 49, and continuous paper feeding is performed. 10 to form images continuously.

Next, an example of an ink jet printer 310 that is an ink jet image forming apparatus applicable to the image forming unit 1 of the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 7 is a schematic top view of an example of the inkjet printer 310.
The inkjet printer 310 shown in FIG. 7 forms an image by ejecting, for example, four colors (black, yellow, cyan, magenta) of ink onto the image support film 10.

  The inkjet printer 310 includes four inkjet heads 311 that eject ink of each color, and a carriage 312 on which the four inkjet heads 311 are mounted. Further, a guide rod 313 is provided for guiding the moving direction when the carriage 312 moves in the main scanning direction (left-right direction in the figure) by drive transmission from a driving system (not shown). Further, a paper transport mechanism 314 that transports the image support film 10 in the sub-scanning direction (the vertical direction in the figure) is provided. The paper transport mechanism 314 includes a transport belt stretching roller 315 that is rotated by drive transmission from a drive system (not shown), a tension roller 316, and a transport belt 317 that is stretched between them.

Each ink jet head 311 includes a piezoelectric actuator made of a piezoelectric element. Of course, another actuator for discharging ink, for example, a thermal actuator, a shape memory alloy actuator, or an electrostatic actuator may be provided.
The ink jet printer 310 includes four ink cartridges 318 that store ink of each color, and four sub tanks 319 that are mounted on the carriage 312 and are connected to the ink jet heads 311. Furthermore, an ink supply tube (not shown) that communicates each ink cartridge 318 and each sub tank 319 is provided. Each color ink stored in each ink cartridge 318 is supplied to each inkjet head 311 via each sub tank 319.

  That is, a liquid flow path of the ink jet printer 310 is configured by the ink supply tube (not shown), the sub tank 319 and the flow path in the head of the ink jet head 311. The ink supply tube is provided with an ink supply pump (not shown) for supplying the ink in the ink cartridge 318 to the sub tank 319.

Next, the dyeing | staining part 4 which is a dyeing means is demonstrated.
The image supporting film 10 on which an image is formed in the image forming unit 1 is dyed (fixed) in the dyeing unit 4. As the dyeing part 4, when the cloth 20 is polyester or the like, HT steaming, HP steaming, thermosoling (thermosol method), or the like can be used. HT steaming is a process using heated steam obtained by heating steam. For example, wet steaming is performed at about 175 [° C.] for 8 minutes. The HP steaming uses high-temperature and high-pressure steam, for example, wet heat treatment at about 130 [° C.] for 30 [minutes]. Further, the thermosoling is performed, for example, about 200 [° C.] × 90 [seconds]. An appropriate dyeing means is selected according to the type of the cloth 20.

The dye A 1 in the toner A placed on the image supporting film 10 moves to the cloth 20 by the dyeing unit 4.
In the conventional cloth dyeing method using toner, the toner placed on the cloth or the like is fixed to the cloth or the like by the dyeing means, and the dye in the toner moves to the cloth or the like. At this time, since the resin in the toner is softened by heat, it is difficult to remove it by binding to a fiber such as a cloth, and it remains on the printed cloth. Since the resin remaining without being removed in this manner is harder than the fibers constituting the cloth, the texture is damaged, so that the softening liquid is applied and removed in the resin removing device (resin removing step).
In the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, since the resin material in the toner hardly adheres to the cloth 20, the resin removal can be performed without using a softener in the resin removing process as in the conventional cloth dyeing method using toner. Is possible.

  The image support film 10 that has passed through the dyeing unit 4 and the cloth 20 are overlapped to reach the separation unit 6 and the image support film 10 and the cloth 20 are separated. The cloth 20 that has passed through the separation unit reaches the cloth cleaning unit 5.

The processing in the dyeing unit 4 and the cloth washing unit 5 is slightly different depending on the type of the cloth 20.
As an example, if the cloth 20 is polyester, the cloth 20 dyed can be obtained through reduction washing (soaping), hot water washing, water washing, and a drying process, and the resin material A2 adhering to the cloth 20 can be obtained through these steps. It will be detached from the cloth 20. For example, reducing cleaning is performed by using 2 [mL] for 38 [°] Baume caustic soda (caustic soda having a Baume degree of 38 [°], which is a unit corresponding to specific gravity) of 70 to 80 [° C.], and 2 [hydrosulfite] g] and a cleaning agent in a mixture of 1 [g / L] for 1 to 5 [minutes]. Then, it is washed with hot water at 50 to 60 [° C.], washed with water and dried.

When the cloth 20 is a cotton cloth or the like, the dyeing process is preferably performed by a pad-steam method with an alkali concentration of 0.1 [%] or more and 10 [%] or less. As an alkali component contained in the water vapor of the dyeing part 4, a hydroxide such as sodium, calcium and barium, sodium carbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate, ammonium carbonate, sodium phosphate and the like have a concentration of 0.1 [%] or more, 10 [%] The following aqueous solution is used. Any of these materials can provide the effect, but sodium bicarbonate (sodium bicarbonate) (NaHCO ₃ ) is particularly preferable.

  The alkaline aqueous solution concentration is 0.1 [%] or more and 10 [%] or less, preferably 0.5 [%] or more and 5 [%] or less, more preferably 0.5 [%] or more and 2 [%]. It is as follows. When the alkali concentration is lower than 0.1 [%], the reactivity is lowered, and when the alkali concentration is higher than 10 [%], the reactive group of the dye itself is hydrolyzed before the reaction with cotton (cellulose). , It may collapse.

  The processing temperature in the dyeing part 4 is 80 [° C.] or higher and 140 [° C.] or lower, preferably 95 [° C.] or higher and 110 [° C.] or lower. When the treatment temperature is lower than 80 [° C.], the resin and dye are not sufficiently dissolved, and the reactivity is lowered. When the treatment temperature is higher than 140 [° C.], the dye reactive group may be crushed before the reaction with the cloth. Moreover, it is necessary to carry out not only the temperature but also the steaming method using heating steam. Further, as the final product, for example, a finishing agent such as an antistatic agent, a water repellent, or a functional agent may be added.

Next, the image forming substance will be described.
As an example of the image forming substance, first, an example of toner used for the liquid developer is shown. The liquid developer is composed of toner and carrier liquid.
Examples of the dye contained in the toner that can be used in the exemplary embodiment include a direct dye, an acid dye, and a basic dye (cationic dye) reactive dye.

For example, direct dyes include direct fast yellow R, direct fast yellow GC, direct fast orange, direct sky blue 5B, direct splat red 3B, coplantin green G, direct fast black D, and the like. Examples of the acid dye include Acid Brilliant Scarlet 3R, Acid Violet 5B, Alizarin Direct Blue A2G, Acid Syanine 6B, Acid Syanine Green G, and Acid First Black VLG. Examples of the cationic dye include cationic yellow 3G, cationic golden yellow GL, cationic orange R, cationic brilliant red 4G, and cationic blue 5G. Examples of reactive dyes include Reactive Orange 2R, Reactive Red 3B, Reactive Blue 3G, Reactive Brilliant Blue R, Reactive Black B, and the like.
80% by weight or more of these dyes are present in the carrier liquid in a dispersed state.

  When these dyes are used, they are excellent in the reflection on the back surface of the fabric 20 and the fastness to washing. Depending on the material of the cloth 20, the dyeability and the fastness to washing are better when a dye is selected. For example, when the cloth 20 is a cloth made of synthetic fibers such as polyester, acetate, polyethylene, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, and vinylon, a disperse dye is desirable. When the cloth 20 is acrylic, a basic dye is desirable, and when the cloth 20 is a cellulose-based cloth such as cotton or hemp, a reactive dye or a direct dye is desirable. When the cloth 20 is a cloth such as nylon or rayon, a direct dye is desirable, and when the cloth 20 is a cloth such as silk or wool, an acid dye is desirable.

  Commercially available powder dyes have a dye purity of about 50 [%] and contain a large amount of salt and sodium sulfate, which adversely affects the resistance and chargeability of the solution. It is better to use a small amount of dye. As for what is used in Embodiment 1, it is desirable that the purity of the dye is 80% or more.

  As the carrier liquid used in the liquid developer that can be used in the exemplary embodiment, a high resistance and low dielectric constant is preferable, and isoparaffin hydrocarbon, silicone oil, and the like are preferable. Isoparaffin hydrocarbons include Isopar C, Isopar E, Isopar G, Isopar H, Isopar L, Isopar M, and Isopar V (Exxon Chemical). Examples of the silicone oil include 1 to 10,000 mPas of KF96 (Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.), SH200, SH344 (Toray Dow Corning Co., Ltd.), TSF451 (GE Toshiba Silicone), and the like. Among these, saturated hydrocarbons having a boiling point of 130 [° C.] or more are favorable in terms of toner odor and safety. These solvents can be evaporated at the stage of heating and steaming in the subsequent process.

  Examples of the dispersing resin contained in the toner used in the liquid developer that can be used in the exemplary embodiment include the following. Examples of the copolymer include a vinyl monomer represented by the general formula “Chemical Formula 1”, a vinyl monomer represented by the general formula “Chemical Formula 2”, and the other third component, and a graft copolymer. The third component is at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of vinylpyridine, vinylpyrrolidone, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, styrene, divinylbenzene, and vinyltoluene.

In “Chemical Formula 1” and “Chemical Formula 2”, “R ¹ ” represents “H” or “CH ₃ ”, “R ² ” represents a C1-C4 alkyl group, and “n” represents an integer of 6-20. Represent.
The copolymerization ratio of the component represented by “Chemical Formula 1” and the component represented by “Chemical Formula 2” is “60 to 95:40 to 5”, desirably “70 to 90:30 to 10”. The third component is preferably 0 to 5% of the component represented by “Chemical Formula 1”.

  These dyes, resins, and carrier liquids are placed in a dispersing machine such as a ball mill, kitty mill, disk mill, pin mill, etc., dispersed and kneaded to prepare a concentrated toner, which is then dispersed in a carrier liquid for liquid development. An agent can be obtained.

  In addition, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus used for the image forming unit 1 may be configured to use a liquid developer or a dry developer, but the liquid developer is used. The wet electrophotographic method is more preferable. In general, a liquid developer is characterized in that since resin particles containing a colorant such as a dye in an insulating liquid are dispersed, the resin particles are not scattered and the particle size can be made finer than that of a dry toner. For this reason, since the layer thickness of the toner image transferred to the surface of the image support film 10 can be reduced, the resin adhering to the image support film 10 after dyeing can be compared with a dry developer. The amount can be reduced. Accordingly, the amount of resin that dissolves in the water in the washing process together with the image support film 10 can be reduced, and the frequency of replacing the water used in the washing process can be reduced and the processing load on the used water can be reduced.

  As an example of the next image forming substance, a toner used for dry electrophotography will be described. Dry electrophotographic toners are mixed with dyes, resin materials, charge control agents and other additives, kneaded with a kneader such as Busconida, then coarsely pulverized and finely crushed, and cut to a predetermined particle size. Can be obtained. As the dye, the dyes described in the liquid developer described above can be used. The concentration of each component may be appropriately determined. Usually, the colorant dye is 5 to 25 [wt%], the resin material is 70 to 95 [wt%], and the charge control agent is 1 to 10 [wt%]. Degree.

As an example of the next image forming substance, an ink used in an ink jet image forming apparatus will be described. In the case of ink for ink jet, it can be obtained by dispersing or dissolving the dye described in the above liquid developer into fine particles in water to make an ink.
As the dispersant used for dispersing the dye, an anionic dispersant such as a formalin condensate of lignin sulfonate, a formalin condensate of creosote oil sulfonate, and a formalin condensate of β-naphthalene sulfonate can be used. .

Ink wetting agents include glycerin, diglycerin, polyglycerin, propylene glycol, 1,3 butanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, 1 , 3-pentanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, 2-pyrrolidone, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and the like. These are preferably added in an amount of 10-40 [wt%] in the ink.
As the surface modifier of the ink, a polysiloxane / polydimethylsiloxane surfactant, and as the antiseptic / antifungal agent, sodium dehydroacetate, sodium benzoate, sodium pyridinethione-1-oxide, zinc pyridinethione-1- Oxides, 1,2-benzisothiazolin-3-one, amine salts of 1-benzisothiazolin-3-one, etc., pH adjusters include alkali hydroxides such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide, tri And tertiary amines such as ethanolamine, diethanolamine, dimethylethanolamine, and diethylethanolamine.
An inkjet ink can be obtained by dispersing and dissolving a dye, a wetting agent, a surface preparation agent, an antifoaming agent, an antiseptic, a pH adjusting agent, and the like.

  When a liquid developer is used, the absolute value of the ζ potential is preferably 10 to 200 [mV]. Within this range, a high quality image can be obtained. When the zeta potential is lower than 10 [mV], the toner particles aggregate, electrophoretic properties are deteriorated, the background is soiled, and the density is decreased. On the other hand, when the ζ potential is higher than 200 [mV], the adhesion amount of the photosensitive member may be reduced and the density may be lowered. The weight average particle diameter of the liquid toner used in the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 of this embodiment is desirably 0.1 to 5 [μm]. Within this range, a high quality image can be obtained. If the thickness is less than 0.1 [μm], a sufficient density cannot be obtained or blurring tends to occur, and if it exceeds 5 [μm], the color and resolution may be deteriorated.

  When a dry developer is used, the volume average particle size of the toner is preferably 3 to 20 [μm], and dust is generated when it is less than 3 [μm], and when it exceeds 20 [μm], the color and resolution are deteriorated. The particle size of the dry toner used in the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 is determined by a Coulter counter method. This method is a method usually used for measuring the particle diameter of dry electrophotographic printing toner. That is, when the toner is dispersed in the electrolyte solution and a voltage is applied from both sides of the partition wall having small holes, the electrolyte solution for the volume of particles is eliminated from the small holes, so that the electrical resistance between the left and right electrodes is instantaneously reduced. This produces an increased voltage pulse. The particle size distribution is obtained from the number and size of the pulses.

  When the inkjet ink is used, the ink preferably has a viscosity at 25 [° C.] of 1 to 25 [mPa · s] and a surface tension of 20 to 50 [mN / m]. The viscosity is determined by an E-type viscometer, and the surface tension is determined by a surface tension meter.

  Next, examples of the present invention will be described below.

[Example 1]
Next, as Example 1, an example in which the image forming unit 1 of the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 is a wet electrophotographic image forming apparatus as described with reference to FIG. 3 will be described.
<Create toner>
The toner formulation is shown below.
-Disperse dye (Nippon Kayaku, Kalon Polyster Turq. Blue GL-S 200%) and epoxy resin (shell chemical epicoat 1001) kneaded and ground at a ratio of “1: 4”: 70 [parts by weight]
-Isopar H 20% solution of lauryl methacrylate / methyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid / glycidyl methacrylate (80/10/5/5) copolymer: 100 [parts by weight]
・ Isopar H: 250 [parts by weight]
Charge control agent: 5 [parts by weight]
These were put into a ball mill and dispersed for 24 [hours], and then 250 [parts by weight] of Isopar H was added and dispersed for 1 [hour].

<Image creation with cloth dyeing device>
Concentrated toner 1 was dispersed in 10 [g] in 1 [L] isoparaffinic hydrocarbon (trade name: Isopar H) to obtain a liquid developer. The electrostatic latent image developed using such a liquid developer is transferred onto a 2 [μm] fluorine-coated 16 [μm] PPTA film (manufactured by Asahi Kasei), and this is superimposed on a polyester 100% cloth. In addition, a wet heat treatment of HT steaming (175 [° C.] for 8 minutes) was performed. Thereafter, the PPTA film is peeled off from the cloth, and the cloth from which the PPTA film has been peeled is subjected to reduction cleaning (70 to 80 [° C.], 38 [°] Baume caustic soda 2 [mL], hydrosulfite 2 [g], The cleaning agent is immersed in a mixture of 1 [g / L] for 1 to 5 [min]. Further, it was washed with hot water of 50 to 60 [° C.], washed with water and dried.

[Example 2]
Next, as an example 2, an example in which the image forming unit 1 of the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 is a dry electrophotographic image forming apparatus as described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 will be described.
<Create toner>
The toner formulation is shown below.
Polyester resin: 80 [parts by weight] (weight average molecular weight (MW): 68,200, glass transition temperature (Tg): 65.5 [° C.])
・ Microcrystalline wax: 5 [parts by weight]
-Reactive dye CibacronRed P-6B (Ciba Chemical) (purity 95% purified product): 20 [parts by weight]
Charge control agent (Spiron Black TR-H, manufactured by Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.): 1 [parts by weight]

  The above formulations were mixed, kneaded at 120 [° C.] using a biaxial extruder (BCTA type, manufactured by Buehler), and then pulverized by an airflow pulverizer (jet mill, manufactured by Nisshin Engineering Co., Ltd.). Then, after classifying and making the mass average particle diameter 11.0 [μm], using a Henschel mixer (FM type, manufactured by Mitsui Miike Chemical Co., Ltd.), 2.2 [mass%] silica (R-972: Japan) Toner 1 was obtained by mixing. The obtained toner had a volume average particle diameter of 8 [μm].

<Image creation with cloth dyeing device>
As a carrier constituting the two-component developer together with the toner, a magnetite particle having an average particle diameter of 50 [μm] coated with a silicone resin (thickness 0.5 [μm]) is used and mixed with the toner 1 described above. A dry two-component developer having a toner concentration of 5.0 [mass%] was obtained.
Using this dry dry two-component developer, printing was performed on a 5 [μm] polyvinylidene chloride film (manufactured by Kureha Chemical) with a dry printer Imagio made by Ricoh.
On the other hand, a cloth obtained by applying a solution of the following to 100 [g] of warm water of 80 [° C.] to 200 broad cotton cloth having a thread thickness of 40 is used. That is, 1 [g] of sodium carbonate, 1 [g] of sodium sulfate, 3 [g] of urea, 1 [g] of sodium alginate, and these were dissolved in 100 [g] of warm water of 80 [° C.].

  The printed polyvinylidene chloride film and cloth are overlapped, treated with steam at 105 [° C] and 0.1 [Mpa] atmospheric pressure for 20 [minutes], the polyvinylidene chloride film is peeled off the cloth, and the peeled cloth is washed with water. did. Thereafter, the fabric was treated with 2 [g / L] anionic surfactant at 80 [° C.] for 5 [minutes] to prepare a dyed fabric sample.

Example 3
Next, as Example 3, an example in which the image forming unit 1 of the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 is a wet electrophotographic image forming apparatus as described with reference to FIG. 3 will be described.
<Create toner>
The toner formulation is shown below.
-Disperse dye (Arimoto Chemical Disperse Blue 60) and polyethylene resin (Sanyo Kasei Sun Wax 250P) kneaded and ground at a ratio of "1: 3": 60 [parts by weight]
-Isopar H 20% solution of lauryl methacrylate / methyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid / glycidyl methacrylate (80/10/5/5) copolymer: 100 [parts by weight]
・ Isopar H: 250 [parts by weight]
Charge control agent: 5 [parts by weight]
These were placed in a ball mill and dispersed for 24 [hours], and further 250 [parts by weight] of Isopar H was added and dispersed for 1 [hour].

<Image creation with cloth dyeing device>
Concentrated toner 2 was dispersed in 1 [L] isoparaffinic hydrocarbon (trade name: Isopar H) of 50 [g] to obtain a liquid developer. The electrostatic latent image developed using such a liquid developer is transferred to a 12 [μm] PP film (manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.), and this is overlaid on a 100% polyester cloth to perform HT steaming ( The wet heat treatment was performed at 185 [° C.] for 10 [minutes]. Thereafter, the PP film is peeled off from the cloth, and the cloth from which the PP film has been peeled is subjected to reduction cleaning (70 to 80 [° C.], 38 [°] Baume caustic soda 2 [mL], hydrosulfite 2 [g], The cleaning agent is immersed in a mixture of 1 [g / L] for 1 to 5 [min]. Further, it was washed with hot water of 50 to 60 [° C.], washed with water and dried.

  In any of Examples 1 to 3, a clear dyed pattern could be obtained, and a decrease in fabric texture (flexibility) due to the resin material remaining on the fabric was not observed.

[Embodiment 2]
Next, a second embodiment (hereinafter referred to as a second embodiment) of an image forming system to which the present invention is applied will be described.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the fabric dyeing apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment.
In the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 of Embodiment 1 described above, the image support film 10 has an endless belt shape, whereas in Embodiment 2, the belt-shaped image support film 10 is wound as a film roll 105 in a roll shape. It is different in using. Since the configuration other than the shape of the image support film 10 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description of the common points is omitted.

  The leading end portion of the image support film 10 wound in a roll shape as the film roll 105 is fixed to the film take-up roll 108. Then, when the film take-up roll 108 and the film roll 105 rotate in the direction indicated by the arrows in the figure, the image support film 10 is fed out from the film roll 105 toward the image forming unit 1. The image support film 10 drawn out toward the image forming unit 1 is in a state shown in FIG.

  The image supporting film 10 that has passed through the image forming unit 1 is fixed with the toner image formed by the image forming unit 1 in the fixing unit 25 and conveyed to the merging unit 3 and dyed in the dyeing unit 4 as in the first embodiment. A1 moves to the cloth 20, is separated from the cloth 20 by the separation unit 6, and is cleaned by the film cleaning unit 8. The image supporting film 10 that has passed through the film cleaning unit 8 is dried by the film drying unit 104. In the second embodiment, the image support film 10 that has passed through the film drying unit 104 is wound on a film winding roll 108. The wound image support film 10 has been cleaned and image formation can be performed again. For this reason, when the image support film 10 which forms the film roll 105 is lost, it can be used again by exchanging the film take-up roll 108 and the film roll 105. Thus, by repeatedly using the roll-shaped image support film 10, it is possible to suppress an increase in waste during image formation.

  In the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment, an image is formed, and the image support film 10 having the dye A1 moved on the cloth 20 is cleaned by the film cleaning unit 8 and then taken up by the film take-up roll 108. By winding after cleaning, the diameter of the film take-up roll 108 when the image supporting film 10 having the same length is taken up can be reduced as compared with the case of taking up without cleaning.

[Embodiment 3]
Next, a third embodiment (hereinafter referred to as a third embodiment) of an image forming system to which the present invention is applied will be described.
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the fabric dyeing apparatus 100 of the third embodiment.
In the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 of Embodiment 1 described above, the image support film 10 has an endless belt shape, whereas in Embodiment 3, each piece is handled individually as the belt-like image support film 10. The difference is that a sheet-like material that can be used is used. Since the configuration other than the shape of the image support film 10 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description of the common points is omitted.

  In the third embodiment, a plurality of sheet-like image support films 10 are placed on the sheet supply tray 144, and the image support film 10 is fed out by rotating the paper feed roller 142. The fed image support film 10 is separated one by one by the separation roller 145 and conveyed toward the image forming unit 1 while being guided by the sheet guide 139. The image support film 10 conveyed toward the image forming unit 1 is in the state shown in FIG.

  The image supporting film 10 that has passed through the image forming unit 1 is fixed with the toner image formed by the image forming unit 1 in the fixing unit 25 and conveyed to the merging unit 3 and dyed in the dyeing unit 4 as in the first embodiment. A1 moves to the cloth 20 and reaches the separation unit 6. The separation unit 6 of the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 3 includes a separation claw 138, and the separation claw 138 guides the leading edge of the sheet-like image support film 10 away from the cloth 20, whereby the cloth 20 and the image support film are used. 10 is separated. The image supporting film 10 separated from the cloth 20 is cleaned by the film cleaning unit 8 and dried by the film drying unit 104. The image supporting film 10 that has passed through the film drying unit 104 is loaded on the film collection tray 112.

  The image supporting film 10 loaded on the film collection tray 112 has been cleaned and image formation can be performed again. Therefore, the image support film 10 loaded on the film collection tray 112 is taken out and set on the sheet supply tray 144, so that it can be used again. Thus, by repeatedly using the sheet-like image support film 10, an increase in waste during image formation can be suppressed.

  In the cloth dyeing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 9, an integrated apparatus in which the sheet supply tray 144 to the film collection tray 112 are continuous is formed. However, the image forming method having the characteristic configuration of the third embodiment is not limited to this. Specifically, the image support film 10 is stored in a state where an image is formed with an image forming substance containing the dye A1, and the stored image support film 10 is overlaid on the cloth 20 as needed to provide water vapor. Also good. In the case of such a configuration, the image support film 10 on which an image is formed may be moved so that transfer onto the cloth 20 is performed at a place different from the place where the image is formed.

What has been described above is merely an example, and the present invention has a specific effect for each of the following modes.
(Aspect A)
In an image forming system such as a cloth dyeing apparatus 100 that forms an image on a cloth such as cloth 20 using a color material such as dye A1, an image made of a film material using an image forming substance such as toner A containing the color material Image forming means such as the image forming unit 1 and the fixing unit 25 for forming and fixing an image on the surface of the image support such as the support film 10, and the joining unit 3 for overlapping the cloth on the image support on which the image is formed From the overlapping means, the dyeing means such as the dyeing part 4 for transferring the coloring material in the image forming substance on the image support on which the cloth is superposed to the cloth, and the cloth from which the coloring material has been moved Separation means such as a separation unit 6 for separating the image support, image support cleaning means such as a film cleaning unit 8 for cleaning the image support separated from the cloth, and cloth washing for washing the cloth separated from the image support And a cloth cleaning means such as part 5.
According to this, as described in the above-described embodiment, image formation is performed while suppressing the texture of the cloth from being impaired due to adhesion of an image forming substance other than a color material such as the resin material A2 to the cloth. The increase of waste at the time can be suppressed.
(Aspect B)
In the aspect A, the image support such as the image support film 10 has an endless belt shape, and the surface thereof is an image forming unit such as the image forming unit 1 and the fixing unit 25, an overlapping unit such as the merging unit 3, and a dyeing unit 4 or the like. And the image support cleaning means such as the film cleaning part 8 are moved endlessly so as to pass repeatedly.
According to this, as described in the first embodiment, a configuration in which the endless belt-like image support film 10 is repeatedly used can be realized, and an increase in waste during image formation can be suppressed.
(Aspect C)
In the aspect A, the image support such as the image support film 10 is a structure in which a continuous belt-shaped member such as the film roll 105 is wound out in a roll shape, and the portion of the image support that is fed out is an image forming unit. 1 and image forming means such as the fixing section 25, overlapping means such as the merging section 3, dyeing means such as the dyeing section 4, separation means such as the separation section 6, and image support cleaning means such as the film cleaning section 8 And it is the structure wound up by the support body winding axis | shaft like the film winding roll 108 grade | etc.,.
According to this, as described in the second embodiment, a configuration in which the continuous belt-like image support film 10 is repeatedly used can be realized, and an increase in waste during image formation can be suppressed.
(Aspect D)
In the aspect A, the image support such as the image support film 10 is a sheet-like image support sheet that can be routed one by one, and the image support sheet includes image forming means such as the image forming unit 1 and the fixing unit 25, After passing through the overlapping means such as the merging portion 3, the dyeing means such as the dyeing portion 4, the separation means such as the separation portion 6, and the image support cleaning means such as the film cleaning portion 8, it is accommodated in the film collection tray 112 etc. The
According to this, as described in the third embodiment, a configuration in which the sheet-like image support film 10 is repeatedly used can be realized, and an increase in waste during image formation can be suppressed.
(Aspect E)
In any one of the aspects A to D, the dyeing means such as the dyeing part 4 is applied to the cloth by applying water vapor to the image support such as the image support film 10 in a state of being overlapped with the cloth such as the cloth 20. Dye the coloring material.
According to this, as described in the first embodiment, it is possible to perform dyeing better than dyeing only with heat.
(Aspect F)
In aspect E, the image support cleaning means such as the film cleaning unit 8 is provided with a rubbing member such as a film cleaning blade 81 that cleans the surface by contacting and rubbing the image support such as the image support film 10. An image forming system comprising: a water component in a dyeing unit containing a component that reduces a rubbing load such as a lubricant on the surface of an image support before the rubbing member contacts.
According to this, as described in the first embodiment, image forming substances other than the color material such as the resin material A2 can be easily scraped off from the image support, and the life of the image support can be extended. . Further, by containing it in water vapor, it is not necessary to provide a rubbing load reducing component applying means such as a film cleaning roll 83, and the mechanism can be simplified.
(Aspect G)
In any one of the aspects A to F, the image support cleaning unit such as the film cleaning unit 8 contacts the image support such as the image support film 10 and cleans the surface by rubbing. A rubbing load reducing component applying means such as a film cleaning roll 83 provided with a rubbing member such as 81, and applying a component for reducing a rubbing load such as a lubricant to the surface of the image support before the rubbing member contacts. Is provided.
According to this, as described in the first embodiment, image forming substances other than the color material such as the resin material A2 can be easily scraped off from the image support, and the life of the image support can be extended. .
(Aspect H)
In any of the aspects A to G, the image forming means such as the image forming unit 1 and the fixing unit 25 are mainly composed of a color material such as a dye A1 and a binder resin such as a resin material A2 as an image forming substance. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a dry image forming apparatus 210 that forms an image using toner.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, it is possible to realize a configuration that forms a good image using a color material on a cloth using a dry electrophotographic method. Further, the dry toner contains a resin material, and if this resin material remains on the cloth, it leads to a decrease in the texture of the cloth. According to this aspect, the resin material is added to the cloth as described in the above embodiment. It can suppress adhering. For this reason, the fall of the texture of the cloth resulting from a resin material adhering to cloth can be prevented.
(Aspect I)
In aspect H, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as the dry image forming apparatus 210 forms a toner image on an image support such as the image support film 10 using a dry toner as a toner such as the toner A. The image support is provided with fixing means such as a fixing unit 25 that heats the image support on which the toner image is formed, melts the dry toner, and fixes the image formed with the dry toner on the image support. [° C.] or higher heat resistance.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, it is possible to realize a configuration in which the image support is not deteriorated by heating of the fixing unit.
(Aspect J)
In an image forming method of forming an image on a cloth such as cloth 20 using a color material such as dye A1, an image of an image support film 10 or the like made of a film material using an image forming substance such as toner A containing the color material An image forming process such as the image forming unit 1 and the fixing unit 25 that forms an image on the surface of the support, an overlapping process such as a merging unit 3 that overlaps the cloth on the image support on which the image is formed, and a cloth are overlapped. A dyeing process such as a dyeing part 4 for transferring the colorant in the image forming substance on the image support to the cloth for dyeing, and a separating part 6 for separating the image support from the cloth to which the colorant has been moved. A separation process such as: an image support cleaning process such as a film cleaning unit 8 that cleans the image support separated from the cloth; a cloth cleaning process such as a cloth cleaning unit 5 that cleans the cloth separated from the image support; including.
According to this, as described in the above-described embodiment, image formation is performed while suppressing the texture of the cloth from being impaired due to adhesion of an image forming substance other than a color material such as the resin material A2 to the cloth. The increase of waste at the time can be suppressed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming part 3 Merge part 4 Dyeing part 5 Cloth washing part 6 Separation part 8 Film cleaning part 10 Image support film 14 First support roller 15 Second support roller 17 Belt cleaning device 18 Image forming unit 20 Cloth 21 Cloth roll 22 Cloth winding roll 23 Secondary transfer stretching roller 24 Secondary transfer belt 25 Fixing portion 26 Fixing belt 27 Pressure roller 35 Imaging lens 36 Reading sensor 43 Developer supply roller 44 Developing roller 45 Developing unit 45Y Yellow developing unit 45C Cyan developing device 45K Black developing device 45M Magenta developing device 46 Developer accommodating portion 49 Registration roller pair 50 Intermediate transfer belt 51 External paper feeding roller 52 External separation roller 53 External paper feeding path 54 External transfer material tray 56 Discharge roller 57 Paper discharge tray 62 Transfer roller 70 Static elimination lamp 81 Film Leaning blade 82 Resin material disposal unit 83 Film cleaning roll 100 Cloth dyeing apparatus 101 First stretching roller 102 Second stretching roller 103 Third stretching roller 104 Film drying unit 105 Film roll 108 Film winding roll 109 First developing roller 110 Second developing roller 111 Reverse roller 112 Film collection tray 113 Transfer device 115 Discharge belt 116 Cleaning device 117 Drawing roller 118 Foam roller 119 Cleaning blade 121 Uniform charging device 122 Erase lamp 129 Development tank 130 Pump 131 Liquid developer 138 Separation claw 139 Sheet guide 142 Paper feed roller 143 Sheet supply bank 144 Sheet supply tray 145 Separation roller 146 Paper feed path 147 Conveying roller 148 In-body paper feed path 1 0 Copier body 200 Paper feed table 210 Dry image forming apparatus 220 Charging roller 221 Exposure apparatus 251 Stretching roller 252 Corona charger 280 Secondary transfer roller 300 Scanner 301 Photoconductor 301Y Yellow photoconductor 301C Cyan photoconductor 301K For black Photosensitive member 301M Magenta photosensitive member 302 Wet developing device 310 Inkjet printer 311 Inkjet head 312 Carriage 313 Guide rod 314 Paper conveying mechanism 315 Conveying belt stretching roller 316 Tension roller 317 Conveying belt 318 Ink cartridge 319 Sub tank 320 Tandem type image forming unit 322 Secondary transfer device 332 Contact glass 333 First traveling member 334 Second traveling member 400 Automatic document feeder 410 Wet image forming device 430 Original A toner A1 dye A2 resin material L exposure light

JP 2008-101299 A JP 2008-102314 A

Claims (10)

In an image forming system for forming an image on a cloth using a color material,
An image forming means for forming and fixing an image on the surface of an image support made of a film material using an image forming substance containing the color material;
Superimposing means for superimposing a cloth on the image support on which an image is formed;
A dyeing means for transferring the coloring material in the image forming substance on the image support on which the cloth is superposed to the cloth to dye the cloth;
Separating means for separating the image support from the cloth to which the coloring material has been moved;
Image support cleaning means for cleaning the image support separated from the cloth;
An image forming system comprising: a cloth cleaning means for cleaning the cloth separated from the image support. The image forming system according to claim 1.
The image support has an endless belt shape, and its surface moves endlessly so as to repeatedly pass through the image forming means, the overlapping means, the dyeing means, the separating means, and the image support cleaning means. A featured image forming system. The image forming system according to claim 1.
The image support is a structure in which a continuous belt-shaped member is wound out in a roll shape, and the drawn-out portion of the image support is the image forming means, the overlapping means, the dyeing means, and the separation. And an image support cleaning means, and the image forming system is wound around a support winding shaft. The image forming system according to claim 1.
The image support is a sheet-like image support sheet that can be handled one by one,
The image supporting sheet passes through the image forming means, the overlapping means, the dyeing means, the separating means, and the image support cleaning means, and is stored in an image supporting sheet storing portion. Forming system. The image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The image forming system, wherein the dyeing unit dyes a color material on the cloth by applying water vapor to the image support in a state of being overlapped with the cloth. The image forming system according to claim 5.
The image support cleaning means includes a rubbing member that contacts the image support and cleans its surface by rubbing,
An image forming system comprising: a water vapor in the dyeing means containing a component for reducing a rubbing load on the surface of the image support before the rubbing member contacts. The image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The image support cleaning means includes a rubbing member that contacts the image support and cleans its surface by rubbing,
An image forming system comprising: a rubbing load reducing component applying means for applying a component for reducing a rubbing load to the surface of the image support before the rubbing member contacts. The image forming system according to claim 1,
The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the image forming unit is an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that forms an image by using a toner mainly composed of the color material and a binder resin as the image forming substance. The image forming system according to claim 8.
The electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms a toner image on the image support using dry toner as the toner.
Fixing means for heating the image support on which the toner image is formed to melt the dry toner and fixing the image formed by the dry toner on the image support;
The image forming apparatus, wherein the image support has a heat resistance of 200 [° C.] or more. In an image forming method for forming an image on a cloth using a color material,
An image forming step of forming an image on the surface of an image support made of a film material using an image forming substance containing the colorant;
An overlapping step of overlapping a cloth on the image support on which an image is formed;
A dyeing step in which the coloring material in the image forming substance on the image support on which the cloth is superimposed is moved to the cloth for dyeing;
A separation step of separating the image support from the cloth to which the coloring material has been moved;
An image support cleaning step for cleaning the image support separated from the cloth;
And a cloth cleaning step for cleaning the cloth separated from the image support.

Images