JP2015182235A - Method and apparatus for manufacturing shaped film - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing method that can easily manufacture a shaped film hardly generating curl and having a surface shape accurately transferred from a molding structure of a mold.SOLUTION: A manufacturing method for continuously manufacturing a shaped film having a surface shape transferred from a molding structure by a molding device provided with an endless belt having the molding structure on an outer peripheral surface thereof and a pressing tool having a pressing surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt comprises the steps of, in this order: conveying a resin film between the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt and the pressing surface of the pressing tool; transferring the molding structure on the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt to the resin film by pinching the resin film between the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt and the pressing surface of the pressing tool in a state where the resin film is heated to its glass transition temperature or higher; cooling the resin film to less than the glass transition temperature in a state where the resin film is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt and is made flat; and peeling off the resin film from the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt to obtain a shaped film.

Description

  The present invention relates to a manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus for continuously manufacturing a molded film having a surface subjected to a molding process.

  In a long resin film, for example, a concave portion or a convex portion may be formed on the surface in order to improve handling properties. Thus, the resin film which has a recessed part or a convex part on the surface is called a "shaped film". Various methods for producing a moldable film have been conventionally studied.

  For example, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the shape of the molding structure of the mold is copied by pressing the mold having the molding structure onto the resin extruded from the die into a film in a molten state. A method for producing a shaped film by solidification is described.

JP 2002-301751 A JP 2010-100031 A

  However, with the conventional technology, it has been difficult to accurately copy the mold forming structure. Further, in the conventional technique, the produced shaped film is easily curled. Therefore, it has been desired to develop a manufacturing technique that is less likely to cause curling and that can easily produce a shaping film having a surface shape obtained by accurately copying the shaping structure of a mold.

  The present invention was devised in view of the above problems, and provides a manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus capable of easily manufacturing a shaping film that is less likely to curl and has a surface shape obtained by accurately copying a shaping structure of a mold. The purpose is to provide.

As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the present inventor used an endless belt as a mold having a shaping structure, a step of copying the shaping structure of the endless belt onto a resin film, and the resin film as an endless belt. Surface that is hard to curl and accurately captures the molding structure by a manufacturing method that includes the step of cooling in contact and in a flat state and the step of peeling the resin film from the endless belt to obtain the molding film The inventors have found that a shaped film having a shape can be easily produced, and completed the present invention.
That is, the present invention is as follows.

[1] A surface shape copied from the shaping structure by a shaping apparatus including an endless belt having a shaping structure on an outer peripheral surface and a pressing tool having a pressing surface facing the outer circumferential surface of the endless belt. A production method for continuously producing a shaped film having:
A step of conveying a resin film between an outer peripheral surface of the endless belt and a pressing surface of the pressing tool;
The resin film is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt and the pressing surface of the pressing tool at a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin film, and the resin film is Copying the shaping structure of the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt;
Cooling the resin film below the glass transition temperature of the resin film in a flat state in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt;
The manufacturing method of a shaping film including the process of peeling the said resin film from the outer peripheral surface of the said endless belt, and obtaining a shaping film in this order.
[2] Before the step of copying the shaping structure onto the resin film,
The method for producing a shaped film according to [1], further comprising a preliminary temperature adjusting step for maintaining the resin film at a predetermined temperature.
[3] The shaping apparatus includes a heater capable of heating the endless belt,
The method for producing a shaped film according to [2], wherein the preliminary temperature adjustment step includes heating the resin film by the endless belt heated by the heater.
[4] The shaping apparatus includes a non-contact heater,
The method for producing a shaped film according to [2] or [3], wherein the preliminary temperature adjustment step includes heating the resin film with the non-contact heater.
[5] The method for producing a shaped film according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the endless belt has a shaped structure on an entire outer peripheral surface of the endless belt.
[6] Any one of [1] to [4], wherein the endless belt has a forming structure only in a region where the endless belt can contact both ends of the resin film in the width direction of the outer peripheral surface. The manufacturing method of the shaping film as described in 2.
[7] Before the step of transporting the resin film between the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt and the pressing surface of the pressing tool,
A process of producing the resin film by extruding a resin from a die into a film;
The manufacturing method of the shaping film as described in any one of [1]-[6] including the process of cutting off the both ends of the width direction of the manufactured said resin film.
[8] In a period from when the pressure is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt and the pressing surface of the pressing tool until the resin film is cooled to below the glass transition temperature of the resin film, the resin film is The manufacturing method of the shaping film as described in any one of [1]-[7] which contacts the outer peripheral surface of a belt and maintains a flat state.
[9] A manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a shaped film from a long resin film,
An endless belt having a shaping structure on the outer peripheral surface, provided so as to be able to go around,
A pressing tool having a pressing surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt, and capable of sandwiching a resin film between the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt and the pressing surface;
A heater capable of heating the resin film and heating the temperature of the resin film sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt and the pressing surface of the pressing tool to a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin film;
Cooling that can cool the resin film sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt and the pressing surface of the pressing tool to a temperature lower than the glass transition temperature of the resin film in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt. And
A peeling machine capable of peeling the resin film cooled by the cooler from the endless belt,
The endless belt is an apparatus for producing a shaped film, provided so as to be able to circulate in a flat state in a region where the resin film is cooled by the cooler.

  According to the manufacturing method and the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to easily manufacture a moldable film having a surface shape that hardly causes curling and accurately copies the mold molding structure.

FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing an apparatus for producing a shaped film according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the shaping apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the shaping apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a front view schematically showing an apparatus for producing a shaped film using a knurled roll as a mold. FIG. 5: is a front view which shows typically the manufacturing apparatus of the shaping film which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6: is a front view which shows typically the manufacturing apparatus of the shaping film which concerns on 3rd embodiment of this invention. FIG. 7: is a front view which shows typically the manufacturing apparatus of the shaping film which concerns on 4th embodiment of this invention. FIG. 8: is a front view which shows typically the manufacturing apparatus of the shaping film which concerns on 5th embodiment of this invention. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a cross section of an endless belt as an example, which is cut in parallel to the thickness direction in a region where the shaping structure is formed.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments and examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and exemplifications, and can be implemented with any modifications without departing from the scope of the claims of the present invention and the equivalents thereof.

  In the following description, the direction of the element “parallel” may include an error within a range that does not impair the effect of the present invention, for example, within a range of ± 5 °, unless otherwise specified.

  Further, in the following description, a “long” film refers to a film having a length of at least 5 times the width, preferably having a length of 10 times or more, specifically Refers to a film having a length that can be wound or stored in a roll.

  In the following description, unless otherwise specified, “transport direction” refers to the film transport direction, “width direction” refers to the film width direction, and “upstream” refers to upstream in the film transport direction. The term “downstream” refers to the downstream in the film transport direction. Unless otherwise specified, in the following embodiments, the film is transported in parallel to the longitudinal direction, so the transport method and the longitudinal direction are parallel.

[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing the shaping film manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the manufacturing apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention is equipped with the resin film manufacturing apparatus 100, the trimming apparatus 200, the shaping apparatus 300, and the winding apparatus 400 in this order from the upstream.

  The resin film manufacturing apparatus 100 is an apparatus that can manufacture a long resin film 10 by a melt extrusion method, and includes a die 110 and a cooling roll 120. The die 110 is provided such that a molten resin is supplied from a resin supply device (not shown) and the molten resin is extruded into a film shape to obtain the resin film 10. Moreover, the cooling roll 120 is provided so that the molten resin film 10 extruded from the die 110 can be received and the resin film 10 can be cooled and solidified.

  The trimming apparatus 200 is an apparatus capable of cutting off both end portions 11 in the width direction of the resin film 10 from the continuously transported resin film 10, and includes trimming knives 210 and 220 provided in pairs, and a resin film. And a transport roll 230 capable of guiding the both end portions 11 cut out from 10. In the resin film 10, the both end portions 11 generally have a lower thickness accuracy than an intermediate region that is a region between the both end portions 11 in the width direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, the example which manufactures the shaping film 20 using the resin film 12 which cut off the both ends 11 is shown.

  Of the trimming knives 210 and 220 provided in a pair, one trimming knife 210 and the other trimming knife 220 are provided on opposite sides of the conveyance path of the resin film 10. These trimming knives 210 and 220 are provided so that the blades touch each other at a point on the resin film 10. Therefore, the trimming apparatus 200 has a configuration capable of continuously cutting the resin film 10 conveyed between the trimming knives 210 and 220 in the longitudinal direction.

  Further, these trimming knives 210 and 220 are provided at the boundary portions between the both end portions 11 of the resin film 10 and other regions (intermediate regions), respectively. Therefore, the trimming apparatus 200 has a configuration in which both end portions 11 can be cut from the resin film 10 as a portion excluding the intermediate region in the width direction.

  The transport roll 230 is provided so that both end portions 11 cut from the resin film 10 can be guided separately from the intermediate region of the resin film 10. Therefore, the trimming 200 has a configuration in which both end portions 11 of the resin film 10 can be collected separately from the resin film 12 used for manufacturing the shaping film 20.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the shaping apparatus 300 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 2, the shaping apparatus 300 includes an endless belt 310, a pressing roll 320 as a pressing tool, a heating roll 330 as a heater, a driving roll 340, a refrigerant injector 350 as a cooler, and a peeling machine. The peeling roll 360 is provided.

  The endless belt 310 is an endless belt having a shaping structure 312 on the outer peripheral surface 311, which is circulated between the heating roll 330 and the drive roll 340. The shaping structure 312 indicates a concave portion, a convex portion, or a combination of the concave portion and the convex portion provided on the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310. The shaping structure 312 is provided in an area where the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 can be in contact with the “area of the resin film 12 where the shaping structure 312 is desired to be copied”. In the present embodiment, an example in which the shaping structure 312 is provided only in a region of the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 that can be in contact with both ends in the width direction of the resin film 12 is shown.

  The heating roll 330 and the drive roll 340 around which the endless belt 310 is hung are provided with their rotation axes in parallel. Therefore, the endless belt 310 spanned between the heating roll 330 and the driving roll 340 has a configuration in which the belt shape is flat when it circulates in the region 313 between the heating roll 330 and the driving roll 340. ing. Here, the “flat state” means a state in which the plate is flat without being bent or broken.

  The pressing roll 320 is a roll that is rotatably provided and has a pressing surface 321 as a smooth outer peripheral surface having no concave and convex portions. The pressing roll 320 is provided so that the pressing surface 321 of the pressing roll 320 faces the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310. The pressing roll 320 is given a pressing force toward the endless belt 310. Therefore, the pressing roll 320 has a configuration capable of sandwiching the resin film 12 between the pressing surface 321 of the pressing roll 320 and the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310.

  The pressing roll 320 is provided so that the rotation axis of the pressing roll 320 and the rotation axis of the heating roll 330 are parallel to each other. The pressing roll 320 is provided so as to face the endless belt 310 in the most downstream area 314 in the area where the endless belt 310 contacts the heating roll 330 in the circumferential direction of the endless belt 310. Therefore, the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 that circulates in contact with the heating roll 330 becomes a curved surface along the heating roll 330 until the time when the resin film 12 is pressed between the pressing surface 321 of the pressing roll 320. However, it has a configuration in which it can circulate in a flat state after the pinching time.

  The heating roll 330 is a roll on which an endless belt 310 is laid, and is provided so as to be able to rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the endless belt 310. Moreover, the heating roll 330 is a roll whose temperature can be adjusted, and has a configuration in which the endless belt 310 can be heated to a desired temperature by the heat of the heating roll 330. The desired temperature is the temperature of the resin film 12 sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 321 of the pressing roll 320 by the endless belt 310 heated by the heating roll 330. The temperature at which the resin film 12 can be heated to the glass transition temperature or higher. Therefore, the heating roll 330 has a configuration that can function as a heater for heating the resin film 12.

  The driving roll 340 is a roll on which an endless belt 310 is laid, and is provided so as to be rotated by a driving force of a driving device such as a motor (not shown). Therefore, the endless belt 310 has a configuration that can be driven by the rotation of the drive roll 340 to rotate.

The refrigerant injector 350 is a cooler for cooling the resin film 12 conveyed while being in contact with the endless belt 310, and can inject a fluid (for example, a gas such as air or a liquid such as water) as a refrigerant. A nozzle 351 is provided. The refrigerant injector 350 has a configuration capable of cooling the endless belt 310 to a desired temperature by injecting refrigerant from the nozzle 351 onto the inner peripheral surface 315 of the endless belt 310 as indicated by an arrow A ₃₅₁ . The desired temperature is the temperature of the resin film 12 in contact with the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 is cooled below the glass transition temperature of the resin film 12 by the endless belt 310 cooled by the refrigerant injector 350. Temperature. Further, the refrigerant injector 350 is provided so as to cool the region 313 between the heating roll 330 and the drive roll 340 of the endless belt 310. As described above, in the region 313 between the heating roll 330 and the drive roll 340 of the endless belt 310, the belt shape is flat. Therefore, the refrigerant injector 350 has a configuration capable of cooling the resin film 12 below the glass transition temperature of the resin film 12 in a flat state in contact with the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310.

  The peeling roll 360 is a roll that can peel the resin film 12 conveyed while being in contact with the endless belt 310 from the endless belt 310. The peeling roll 360 is rotatably provided downstream of the region 313 between the heating roll 330 and the driving roll 340 of the endless belt 310 in the circumferential direction of the endless belt 310. Therefore, the peeling roll 360 has a configuration in which the shaping film 20 can be obtained by peeling the resin film 12 cooled by jetting the refrigerant from the refrigerant jet 350 from the endless belt 310.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the winding device 400 includes a winding shaft 410 for winding the shaping film 20. The winding shaft 410 is provided so as to be rotationally driven by a driving device such as a motor (not shown). Therefore, the winding device 400 has a configuration in which the film roll 30 can be manufactured by winding the shaping film 20 in a roll shape with the winding shaft 410.

  The manufacturing apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention has the above structures. When manufacturing the shaping film 20 using this manufacturing apparatus 1, the following manufacturing methods are performed.

  The manufacturing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes an extrusion molding process for manufacturing a long resin film 10 in the resin film manufacturing apparatus 100 and a trimming apparatus 200 that cuts off both end portions 11 in the width direction of the resin film 10. A trimming step, a shaping step of copying the shaping structure 312 of the endless belt 310 on the resin film 12 to obtain the shaping film 20, and winding to obtain the film roll 30 by winding the shaping film 20 in the winding device 400 Steps in this order. All of these steps are performed while continuously transporting the long resin films 10 and 12 or the shaping film 20 in the longitudinal direction.

  As described above, the resin film manufacturing apparatus 100 performs the extrusion molding process. In this extrusion molding process, as shown in FIG. 1, a molten resin is extruded from a die 110 into a film shape to produce a resin film 10, and the resin film 10 is cooled and solidified by a cooling roll 120. A resin film 10 is obtained. This resin film 10 usually has a uniform thickness, and both surfaces thereof are smooth surfaces having no recesses and protrusions. The resin film 10 obtained in this way is sent to the trimming apparatus 200.

  The trimming apparatus 200 that has received the resin film 10 manufactured by the resin film manufacturing apparatus 100 performs a trimming process. In the trimming step, both end portions 11 in the width direction of the resin film 10 are cut off from the resin film 10 by the trimming knives 210 and 220. The resin film 12 corresponding to the intermediate region from which both end portions 11 are removed is sent to the shaping apparatus 300. Further, both end portions 11 of the cut resin film 10 are transported separately from the resin film 12 by the transport roll 230 and collected.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the shaping apparatus 300 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 3, the shaping apparatus 300 that has received the resin film 12 from which both end portions 11 in the width direction have been cut by the trimming apparatus 200 has a shaping structure 312 of an endless belt 310 (see FIG. 2). ) Is copied and the process of manufacturing the shaping film 20 is performed.

  Specifically, the resin film 12 sent from the trimming apparatus 200 is continuously conveyed between the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 321 of the pressing roll 320 (supplying step).

  The resin film 12 conveyed between the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 321 of the pressing roll 320 is pressed by the pressing force toward the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the endless belt 310. It enters between the pressing surface 321 of the roll 320. Thereby, the resin film 12 is pinched between the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 321 of the pressing roll 320. At this time, the endless belt 310 is sufficiently heated by the heating roll 330 in the region where the resin film 12 is sandwiched. Therefore, the resin film 12 is heated by the endless belt 310 to a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin film 12. Thus, the resin film 12 is soft in a state where the temperature is equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature. Therefore, the shaping structure 312 of the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 is copied onto the surface of the resin film 12 that is in contact with the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 by the clamping pressure as described above (clamping step). .

  Thereafter, the resin film 12 is conveyed downstream while maintaining the state in contact with the endless belt 310 that circulates. In this embodiment, the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 has a shaping structure 312, but the pressing surface 321 of the pressing roll 320 is a smooth surface that does not have a concave portion and a convex portion. The contact area with 310 is larger than the contact area between the resin film 12 and the pressing roll 320. Therefore, the resin film 12 after the clamping is easily peeled off from the pressing roll 320 and smoothly conveyed together with the endless belt 310. Therefore, peeling of the resin film 12 from the endless belt 310 due to adhesion to the pressing roll 320 does not occur. Therefore, since deformation of the resin film 12 due to elongation when peeling from the endless belt 310 does not occur, unintended deformation of the surface shape of the resin film 12 copied from the shaping structure 312 of the endless belt 310 can be suppressed.

The endless belt 310 is injected with refrigerant from the nozzle 351 of the refrigerant injector 350 in the region 313 between the heating roll 330 and the drive roll 340 as indicated by an arrow A ₃₅₁ . Therefore, the endless belt 310 is cooled, and the resin film 12 in contact with the endless belt 310 is also cooled. Thereby, the resin film 12 becomes a temperature lower than the glass transition temperature of the resin film 12 and solidifies. By solidifying, the surface shape of the resin film 12 formed by copying the shaping structure 312 of the endless belt 310 is fixed (cooling step).

  Here, the belt shape of the endless belt 310 is flat in a region 313 between the heating roll 330 and the driving roll 340. Therefore, the resin film 12 conveyed in the state which contacted the endless belt 310 in the area | region 313 between the heating roll 330 and the drive roll 340 is also conveyed in the flat state.

  Therefore, the resin film 12 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 in a period from the time when it is clamped between the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 321 of the pressing roll 320 until it is cooled. A flat state can be maintained. Therefore, no stress is applied by the bending of the resin film 12, and the resin film 12 does not partially peel from the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and extend. Therefore, the surface shape of the resin film 12 copied from the shaping structure 312 of the endless belt 310 is not deformed by the stress and elongation as described above. For this reason, unintended deformation of the surface shape of the resin film 12 copied from the shaping structure 312 of the endless belt 310 can be suppressed.

  Further, in the process of being cooled and solidified, the resin film 12 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and can be kept flat. Therefore, it is difficult for the solidified resin film 12 to generate stress that can cause bending. Therefore, the curling can be suppressed in the solidified resin film 12.

  Thereafter, the resin film 12 solidified by cooling is conveyed to the peeling roll 360. And this resin film 12 is peeled from the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 by the peeling roll 360, and the shaping film 20 is obtained (peeling process). Thus, the shaping film 20 is the resin film 12 peeled from the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310, and the shaping structure 312 of the endless belt 310 is formed on the surface that is in contact with the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310. A surface shape including the copied structure is formed. Hereinafter, the surface structure of the shaping film 20 copied from the shaping structure 312 of the endless belt 310 may be referred to as a “transfer structure” as appropriate. The shape of the transfer structure is a shape obtained by inverting the shaping structure 312 of the endless belt 310. Specifically, the shaping of the endless belt 310 with respect to a plane of symmetry parallel to the shaping structure 312 of the endless belt 310. The shape is symmetrical to the structure 312. Here, the symmetry plane parallel to the shaping structure 312 of the endless belt 310 means that the outer circumferential face viewed macroscopically when the outer circumferential face 311 of the endless belt 310 is viewed macroscopically ignoring the shaping structure 312. It means a plane parallel to 311. Further, in the surface of the shaping film 20 that is in contact with the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310, the region that is in contact with the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 in the region other than the shaping structure 312 is usually the surface of the resin film 12. The shape is maintained. Therefore, the surface of the shaping film 20 according to the present embodiment is smooth without a concave portion and a convex portion in a region other than both end portions in the width direction where the transfer structure is formed.

  When the resin film 12 is peeled from the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 to obtain the shaping film 20, the resin film 12 is subjected to tension for peeling. However, since the mechanical strength of the resin film 12 is improved by solidification by cooling, the surface shape of the resin film 12 is not easily deformed by the tension at the time of peeling. Moreover, even if it is a case where it deform | transforms, since the deformation | transformation is normally settled in the range of elastic deformation, the surface shape of the resin film 12 will return rapidly after peeling. Therefore, since the permanent deformation of the surface shape due to the tension at the time of peeling hardly occurs, the surface shape of the resin film 12 before peeling can be maintained in the obtained shaped film 20.

  The shaped film 20 thus obtained is sent to a winding device 400 as shown in FIG. In the winding device 400, the winding shaft 410 that is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown) winds the shaping film 20 to obtain the film roll 30 (winding step).

As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, unintended deformation of the surface shape of the resin film 12 copied from the shaping structure 312 of the endless belt 310 can be suppressed. The shaping film 20 having a surface shape obtained by accurately copying the shaping structure 312 can be easily manufactured. Furthermore, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, since the stress that causes curling of the shaped film 20 does not occur due to the cooling, a shaped film that does not easily curl can be easily manufactured.
Such an advantage according to the present embodiment is remarkable when compared with the case where, for example, a roll or a drum is used as a mold.

  FIG. 4 is a front view schematically showing an apparatus for producing a shaped film using a knurled roll 510 as a mold. As shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that the resin film 530 is sandwiched between the knurling roll 510 and the pressing roll 520 having a shaping structure on the outer peripheral surface 511, and the shaping structure is copied to the resin film 530. In this case, the sandwiched resin film 530 is solidified by being cooled after being peeled from the knurled roll 510. However, when peeling from the outer peripheral surface 511 of the knurled roll 510, the resin film 530 is pulled by the rotation of the knurled roll 510 in the portion 531 immediately downstream of the knurled roll 510. Therefore, since a large tension is applied to the resin film 530, the surface shape of the resin film 530 obtained by copying the shaping structure is deformed (elongated, distorted, etc.). Further, depending on the type of resin forming the resin film 530, it may be difficult to peel the resin film 530 from the knurled roll 510 in a high temperature state. Therefore, when the knurled roll 510 is used in this way, it is difficult to increase accuracy when copying the shaping structure of the knurled roll 510.

  In order to suppress deformation of the surface shape of the resin film 530 due to the tension at the time of peeling from the knurling roll 510, it is conceivable to cool the resin film 530 before peeling from the knurling roll 510. However, since such a knurled roll 510 performs heating in the pinching portion and cooling in the cooling portion in the same knurled roll 510, the knurled roll 510 is increased in size. Furthermore, since cooling is performed in a state where the outer peripheral surface 511 of the knurled roll 510 that is a curved surface is in contact with the resin film 530, stress that causes curling may occur. Therefore, curling is difficult to suppress.

  On the other hand, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, after being pinched between the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 321 of the pressing roll 320, the cooling is performed. The resin film 12 can maintain contact with the endless belt 310 during the period until solidification. Therefore, since the resin film 12 is not stretched unintentionally, the unintended deformation of the surface shape of the resin film 12 can be suppressed. In addition, the resin film 12 can maintain a flat state during a period from when it is nipped between the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 321 of the pressing roll 320 until it is cooled and solidified. Therefore, since deformation of the resin film 12 in a soft state before cooling can be suppressed, unintended deformation of the surface shape of the resin film 12 can be further stably suppressed. Furthermore, since the resin film 12 after copying the shaping structure 312 of the endless belt 310 is cooled in a flat state, the stress that causes curling of the shaping film 20 does not occur due to the cooling described above. . Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is easy to manufacture the shaping film 20 having a surface shape obtained by accurately copying the shaping structure 312 of the endless belt 310.

  Further, since the endless belt 310 is generally more flexible than the knurled roll, the resin film 12 can be pinched by following the pressing surface 321 of the pressing roll 320 precisely. Therefore, by using the endless belt 310, the shaping structure 312 can be copied onto the resin film 12 more uniformly than when a knurled roll is used.

  Furthermore, the endless belt 310 is generally less bent due to its own weight than a knurled roll. Therefore, since it is hard to be influenced by the eccentricity of the rotating shaft due to bending like a knurled roll, vibration when copying the shaping structure 312 to the resin film 12 can be suppressed. Therefore, the shaping structure 312 can be accurately copied.

  Moreover, according to examination of this inventor, the method of using the support body which concerns on a solution casting method as a type | mold is considered as a manufacturing method of a shaping film. In this method, a solution is prepared by dissolving a material for a moldable film in a solvent, the solution is applied to the surface of a support as a mold having a moldable structure, and the solvent is dried to obtain a moldable film. Can be considered. However, in this case, since the support becomes large, an increase in manufacturing cost is expected. On the other hand, when the resin film 12 is set to a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin film 12 as in the present embodiment, it is not necessary to increase the size of such equipment. Thus, the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment is an advantageous method in terms of cost.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, a large tension is not applied to the resin film 12 during a period in which the resin film 12 is heated to the glass transition temperature or higher and becomes flexible. Therefore, not only the recesses or protrusions included in the transfer structure, but also the elongation in the longitudinal direction of the resin film 12 itself on which the transfer structure is formed can be suppressed. Therefore, since the dimensional stability of the shaping film 20 can be enhanced, the generation of wrinkles and slack in the film roll 30 around which the shaping film 20 is wound can be suppressed. Moreover, when the shaping film 20 drawn out from the film roll 30 is bonded to another film, generation of wrinkles and air entrainment can be suppressed. Moreover, when a liquid is applied to the shaping film 20 fed out from the film roll 30, coating unevenness can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the temperature of the resin film 12 is set to be equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin film 12 by heating the resin film 12 with the endless belt 310 at the time of clamping. Accordingly, the surface of the resin film 12 on the side where the shaping structure 312 is copied can be quickly heated, so that the shaping structure 312 of the endless belt 310 can be smoothly copied onto the resin film 12. Furthermore, since the resin on the endless belt 310 side of the resin film 12 can be prevented from becoming lower in temperature than the resin on the opposite side, the resin film 12 after being pressed is pulled by the pressing roll 320 and peeled off from the endless belt 310. This can be suppressed more stably.

  In general, the resin film 10 extruded from the die 110 tends to have thicker end portions 11 in the width direction. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the shaping structure 312 of the shaping belt 310 is formed on the resin film 12 obtained by cutting off both end portions 11 in the width direction from the resin film 10 manufactured by the melt extrusion method. Was copied. Therefore, since it can be copied to the shaping structure 312 on the resin film 12 having a uniform thickness, copying can be performed more evenly than when the shaping structure 312 is copied to the resin film 10 whose thickness is not constant. Thereby, the shaping film 20 excellent in thickness accuracy can be obtained.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the shaping structure 312 of the endless belt 310 is copied only at both ends in the width direction of the resin film 12, the shaping film 20 has a transfer structure only at both ends in the width direction. However, the region other than both ends does not have a transfer structure. In the shaping film 20, the region where the transfer structure is not formed is smooth without a concave portion and a convex portion, and thus can have the characteristics of the resin film 12 as it is. Moreover, normally, in the shaping film 20, at least a part of the region where the transfer structure is formed protrudes in the thickness direction from the region where the transfer structure is not formed. Therefore, since the apparent thickness of the moldable film 20 is increased at both end portions in the width direction where the moldable structure is formed, the handling property is improved. Therefore, the shaping film 20 manufactured in the present embodiment can improve the handleability while maintaining the characteristics of the resin film 12.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment of the present invention described above, the position of the pressing roll 320 is the endless belt in the most downstream area 314 in the area where the endless belt 310 contacts the heating roll 330 in the circumferential direction of the endless belt 310. It was provided so as to face 310. However, the position of the pressing roll 320 is not limited to this. Hereinafter, the example is shown and demonstrated to 2nd embodiment.

  FIG. 5: is a front view which shows typically the manufacturing apparatus 2 of the shaping film which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention. In FIG. 5, the same parts as those described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the manufacturing apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as the manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment except that it includes a shaping apparatus 600 instead of the shaping apparatus 300. It has a configuration. Therefore, the manufacturing apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment includes the resin film manufacturing apparatus 100, the trimming apparatus 200, the shaping apparatus 600, and the winding apparatus 400 in this order from the upstream.

  The shaping apparatus 600 is shaped according to the first embodiment except that the suspension roll 630 is provided instead of the heating roll 330, the position of the pressing roll 320 is changed, and the infrared heater 670 is provided as a heater. A configuration similar to that of the apparatus 300 is provided.

  The suspension roll 630 is a roll having a configuration similar to that of the heating roll 330 according to the first embodiment except that the temperature may not be adjustable. Therefore, the endless belt 310 is hung on the suspension roll 630, and the suspension roll 630 is configured to be able to rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the endless belt 310.

  In the shaping apparatus 600, the pressing roll 320 is provided downstream of the suspension roll 630 and upstream of the region where the endless belt 310 is cooled by the refrigerant injector 350 in the circumferential direction of the endless belt 310. Further, the pressing roll 320 is provided so as to push in the endless belt 310 laid between the suspension roll 630 and the drive roll 340. Therefore, the shaping apparatus 600 includes the outer circumferential surface 311 of the endless belt 310 in the circumferential direction of the endless belt 310 in the range downstream of the suspension roll 630 and upstream of the region where the endless belt 310 is cooled by the refrigerant injector 350. The resin film 12 can be sandwiched between the pressing surface 321 of the pressing roll 320.

  The infrared heater 670 is provided so that the endless belt 310 can be heated to a desired temperature at a position pushed by the pressing roll 320. Therefore, the shaping apparatus 600 determines the temperature of the resin film 12 sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 321 of the pressing roll 320 by the endless belt 310 heated by the infrared heater 670. The resin film 12 can be heated to a temperature higher than the glass transition temperature.

  The manufacturing apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention has the above configuration. When manufacturing the shaping | molding film 20 using this manufacturing apparatus 2, after performing an extrusion molding process and a trimming process similarly to 1st embodiment, a shaping process is performed in the shaping apparatus 600. FIG.

  In the molding process, the molding film 20 is obtained by copying the molding structure 312 (see FIG. 2) of the endless belt 310 onto the resin film 12 as in the first embodiment. Specifically, the resin film 12 sent from the trimming device 200 is continuously conveyed between the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 321 of the pressing roll 320 (supplying step). Thereafter, the resin film 12 is pressed between the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 321 of the pressing roll 320 while heating the endless belt 310 by the infrared heater 670. As a result, the resin film 12 is pressed in a state where the temperature is equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin film 12, so that the shaping structure 312 of the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 is copied on the resin film 12. (Clamping process). Next, the resin film 12 is conveyed downstream while maintaining a state in contact with the circulating endless belt 310, and is cooled below the glass transition of the resin film 12 by the refrigerant injector 350 in a flat state (cooling). Process). The cooled resin film 12 is solidified, and the surface shape of the resin film 12 formed by copying the shaping structure 312 of the endless belt 310 is fixed. Then, the resin film 12 solidified by cooling is peeled from the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 by the peeling roll 360, and the shaping film 20 is obtained (peeling process).

  The shaped film 20 thus obtained is sent to the winding device 400. In the winding device 400, the shaping film 20 is wound around the winding shaft 410 in the same manner as in the first embodiment to obtain the film roll 30 (winding step).

As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.
Furthermore, since the position of the pressing roll 320 can be set more freely than in the first embodiment, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in designing the manufacturing apparatus.

[Third embodiment]
In 1st embodiment and 2nd embodiment of this invention which were mentioned above, the example which used the press roll 320 which has the press surface 321 as an outer peripheral surface was shown for the press tool. However, the pressing tool is not limited to the pressing roll 320. Hereinafter, the example is shown and demonstrated in 3rd embodiment.

  FIG. 6: is a front view which shows typically the manufacturing apparatus 3 of the shaping film which concerns on 3rd embodiment of this invention. In FIG. 6, parts similar to those described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 and 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in FIGS. 1 to 3 and 5.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the manufacturing apparatus 3 according to the third embodiment of the present invention is the same as the manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment except that it includes a shaping apparatus 700 instead of the shaping apparatus 300. It has a configuration. Therefore, the manufacturing apparatus 3 according to the present embodiment includes the resin film manufacturing apparatus 100, the trimming apparatus 200, the shaping apparatus 700, and the winding apparatus 400 in this order from the upstream.

  The shaping apparatus 700 includes a suspension roll 630 instead of the heating roll 330, an endless pressing belt 720 instead of the pressing roll 320 as a pressing tool, and a suspension roll 730, a drive roll 740, and a heating roll. Except having 770 and the opposing roll 780, it has the same structure as the shaping apparatus 300 which concerns on 1st embodiment.

  The suspension roll 630 is the same as that described in the second embodiment, and is a roll having the same configuration as the heating roll 330 according to the first embodiment except that the temperature may not be adjustable.

  The pressing belt 720 is an endless belt that is circulated between the suspension roll 730 and the drive roll 740, and has a pressing surface 721 as a smooth outer peripheral surface without a concave portion and a convex portion. The suspension roll 730 and the drive roll 740 on which the pressing belt 720 is hung are provided with a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis of the suspension roll 630 and the drive roll 340 on which the endless belt 310 is hung. The pressing belt 720 is provided so that the pressing surface 721 of the pressing belt 720 faces the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 in a region where the pressing belt 720 circulates in the transport direction of the resin film 12. More specifically, the resin in a flat state while being in contact with the resin film 12 in the region of the pressing surface 721 of the pressing belt 720 that circulates in the conveying direction of the resin film 12 and the outer surface 311 of the endless belt 310. An area where the film 12 can be conveyed is provided so as to face the area. Therefore, the pressing belt 720 has a configuration capable of sandwiching the resin film 12 between the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 721 of the pressing belt 720.

  The suspension roll 730 is a roll on which the pressing belt 720 is hung, and is provided so as to rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the pressing belt 720. The driving roll 740 is a roll on which a pressing belt 720 is laid, and is provided so as to be rotated by a driving force of a driving device such as a motor (not shown). At this time, the peripheral speed of the drive roll 740 is set to be the same as the peripheral speed of the drive roll 340 that drives the endless belt 310. For this reason, the pressing belt 720 is driven by the rotation of the driving roll 740 and has a configuration capable of rotating at the same speed as the endless belt 310.

  The heating roll 770 and the opposing roll 780 are rolls provided to face each other, and are provided to be rotatable at the same peripheral speed as the peripheral speed of the endless belt 310 and the pressing belt 720. The heating roll 770 and the opposing roll 780 are provided downstream of the suspension roll 630 and upstream of the region where the endless belt 310 is cooled by the refrigerant injector 350 in the circumferential direction of the endless belt 310. The heating roll 770 is provided so as to be in contact with the inner peripheral surface 315 of the endless belt 310, and the opposing roll 780 is provided so as to be in contact with the inner peripheral surface 722 of the pressing belt 720. Furthermore, the heating roll 770 and the opposing roll 780 are provided so as to press each other. Therefore, since the endless belt 310 and the pressing belt 720 can be sandwiched between the heating roll 770 and the opposing roll 780, the pressing belt 720 is downstream of the suspension roll 630 and by the refrigerant injector 350 in the circumferential direction of the endless belt 310. The resin film 12 can be sandwiched between the pressing surface 721 of the pressing belt 720 and the outer peripheral surface 311 of the intangible film 310 in a range upstream from the region where the endless belt 310 is cooled.

  The heating roll 770 is a roll whose temperature can be adjusted, and is provided so that the endless belt 310 can be heated to a desired temperature by the heat of the heating roll 770. Therefore, the shaping apparatus 700 uses the endless belt 310 heated by the heating roll 770 to set the temperature of the resin film 12 sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 721 of the pressing belt 720. The resin film 12 can be heated to a temperature higher than the glass transition temperature.

  The manufacturing apparatus 3 according to the third embodiment of the present invention has the above configuration. When manufacturing the shaping film 20 using this manufacturing apparatus 3, after performing an extrusion molding process and a trimming process similarly to 1st embodiment, a shaping process is performed in the shaping apparatus 700. FIG.

  In the molding process, the molding film 20 is obtained by copying the molding structure 312 (see FIG. 2) of the endless belt 310 onto the resin film 12 as in the first embodiment. Specifically, the resin film 12 sent from the trimming apparatus 200 is continuously conveyed between the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 721 of the pressing belt 720 (supplying step). Thereafter, in the region where the heating roll 770 and the opposing roll 780 are provided, the resin film 12 is interposed between the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 721 of the pressing belt 720 while heating the endless belt 310 by the heating roll 770. Pinch. As a result, the resin film 12 is pressed in a state where the temperature is equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin film 12, so that the shaping structure 312 of the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 is copied on the resin film 12. (Clamping process). Next, the resin film 12 is conveyed downstream while maintaining a state in contact with the circulating endless belt 310, and is cooled below the glass transition of the resin film 12 by the refrigerant injector 350 in a flat state (cooling). Process). The cooled resin film 12 is solidified, and the surface shape of the resin film 12 formed by copying the shaping structure 312 of the endless belt 310 is fixed. Then, the resin film 12 solidified by cooling is peeled from the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 by the peeling roll 360, and the shaping film 20 is obtained (peeling process).

  The shaped film 20 thus obtained is sent to the winding device 400. In the winding device 400, the shaping film 20 is wound around the winding shaft 410 in the same manner as in the first embodiment to obtain the film roll 30 (winding step).

As described above, according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, not the pressing roll but the pressing belt 720 is used as the pressing tool. In general, the pressure belt 720 has a higher thermal conductivity than air. Moreover, the press belt 720 can contact the resin film 12 for a longer time than a roll like the press roll 520 used in the first embodiment. Therefore, heating and cooling of the resin film 12 can be performed efficiently.

[Fourth embodiment]
In the above-described fourth embodiment of the present invention, the endless belt 310 and the pressing belt 720 are clamped by the heating roll 770 and the opposing roll 780 that are pressed against each other, whereby the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 721 of the pressing belt 720. The resin film 12 was sandwiched between the two. However, when the pressing belt 720 is used as a pressing tool, the resin film 12 may be clamped by a mechanism other than a roll. Hereinafter, the example is shown and described in the fourth embodiment.

  FIG. 7: is a front view which shows typically the manufacturing apparatus 4 of the shaping film which concerns on 4th embodiment of this invention. 7, parts similar to those described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, 5, and 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in FIGS. Show.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the manufacturing apparatus 4 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is the same as the manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment except that it includes a shaping apparatus 800 instead of the shaping apparatus 300. It has a configuration. Therefore, the manufacturing apparatus 4 according to the present embodiment includes the resin film manufacturing apparatus 100, the trimming apparatus 200, the shaping apparatus 800, and the winding apparatus 400 in this order from the upstream.

  The shaping apparatus 800 has the same configuration as the shaping apparatus 700 according to the third embodiment, except that the fluid ejectors 870 and 880 are provided instead of the heating roll 770 and the opposing roll 780.

The fluid ejector 870 is a device that can eject fluid onto the inner peripheral surface 315 of the endless belt 310 as indicated by an arrow A ₈₇₀ . The fluid ejector 880 is a device that can eject fluid onto the inner peripheral surface 722 of the pressing belt 720 as indicated by an arrow A ₈₈₀ . The fluid ejector 870 and the fluid ejector 880 are provided so as to be able to eject fluid in opposition to each other. The fluid ejector 870 and the fluid ejector 880 are provided downstream of the suspension roll 630 and upstream of the region where the endless belt 310 is cooled by the refrigerant ejector 350 in the circumferential direction of the endless belt 310. . Therefore, the endless belt 310 and the pressing belt 720 are pushed by the fluid ejected from the fluid ejector 870 and the fluid ejector 880, so that the pressing belt 720 is downstream of the suspension roll 630 and in the refrigerant direction in the circumferential direction of the endless belt 310. The resin film 12 can be sandwiched between the pressing surface 721 of the pressing belt 720 and the outer peripheral surface 311 of the intangible film 310 in a range upstream from the region where the endless belt 310 is cooled by the injector 350. .

  The fluid ejector 870 can adjust the temperature of the fluid to be ejected, and is provided so that the endless belt 310 can be heated to a desired temperature by the heat of the fluid ejected from the fluid ejector 870. Therefore, the shaping apparatus 800 is a resin film sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 721 of the pressing belt 720 by the endless belt 310 heated by the fluid ejected by the fluid ejector 870. The temperature of 12 can be heated above the glass transition temperature of the resin film 12.

  The manufacturing apparatus 4 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention has the above configuration. When manufacturing the shaping film 20 using this manufacturing apparatus 4, after performing an extrusion molding process and a trimming process similarly to 1st embodiment, a shaping process is performed in the shaping apparatus 800. FIG.

  In the molding process, the molding film 20 is obtained by copying the molding structure 312 (see FIG. 2) of the endless belt 310 onto the resin film 12 as in the first embodiment. Specifically, the resin film 12 sent from the trimming apparatus 200 is continuously conveyed between the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 721 of the pressing belt 720 (supplying step). Thereafter, in the region where the fluid ejectors 870 and 880 are provided, the endless belt 310 is heated by the fluid ejected from the fluid ejector 870 while the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 721 of the pressing belt 720 are in contact with each other. The resin film 12 is sandwiched between them. As a result, the resin film 12 is pressed in a state where the temperature is equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin film 12, so that the shaping structure 312 of the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 is copied on the resin film 12. (Clamping process). Next, the resin film 12 is conveyed downstream while maintaining a state in contact with the circulating endless belt 310, and is cooled below the glass transition of the resin film 12 by the refrigerant injector 350 in a flat state (cooling). Process). The cooled resin film 12 is solidified, and the surface shape of the resin film 12 formed by copying the shaping structure 312 of the endless belt 310 is fixed. Then, the resin film 12 solidified by cooling is peeled from the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 by the peeling roll 360, and the shaping film 20 is obtained (peeling process).

  The shaped film 20 thus obtained is sent to the winding device 400. In the winding device 400, the shaping film 20 is wound around the winding shaft 410 in the same manner as in the first embodiment to obtain the film roll 30 (winding step).

  As described above, according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the same effect as that of the third embodiment can be obtained.

[Fifth embodiment]
In the manufacturing method of this invention, you may perform the preliminary temperature control process which maintains a resin film at predetermined temperature before the process of copying the shaping | molding structure of an endless belt on a resin film. Hereinafter, the example is shown and demonstrated to 5th embodiment.

  FIG. 8: is a front view which shows typically the manufacturing apparatus 5 of the shaping film which concerns on 5th embodiment of this invention. 8, parts similar to those described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 and FIGS. 5 to 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in FIGS. 1 to 3 and FIGS. Show.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the manufacturing apparatus 5 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention is the same as the manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, except that a molding apparatus 900 is provided instead of the molding apparatus 300. It has a configuration. Therefore, the manufacturing apparatus 5 according to the present embodiment includes the resin film manufacturing apparatus 100, the trimming apparatus 200, the shaping apparatus 900, and the winding apparatus 400 in this order from the upstream.

  The shaping apparatus 900 includes a hot air heater 970 as a heater that can heat the region of the endless belt 310 downstream of the gantry roll 630 and upstream of the pressing roll 320 in the circumferential direction of the endless belt 310. A configuration similar to that of the shaping apparatus 600 according to the second embodiment is provided.

  The manufacturing apparatus 5 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention has the above configuration. When manufacturing the shaping film 20 using this manufacturing apparatus 5, after performing an extrusion molding process and a trimming process similarly to 1st embodiment, a shaping process is performed in the shaping apparatus 900. FIG. However, the shaping step in the present embodiment includes a preliminary temperature adjustment step for maintaining the resin film 12 at a predetermined temperature before the clamping step of copying the shaping structure 312 to the resin film 12.

  Specifically, in the shaping process according to the present embodiment, the resin film 12 sent from the trimming apparatus 200 is continuously conveyed between the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 321 of the pressing roll 320. (Supply process). Further, the hot air heater 970 heats the endless belt 310 in a region downstream of the gantry roll 630 and upstream of the pressing roll 320 in the circumferential direction of the endless belt 310 by injecting hot air onto the endless belt 310. The heated endless belt 310 heats the resin film 12 before being transported between the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 321 of the pressing roll 320 so that the resin film 12 can be maintained at a predetermined temperature ( Preliminary temperature control step). In the preliminary temperature adjustment process according to the present embodiment, the temperature is higher than the temperature of the resin film 12 before being conveyed to the shaping apparatus 900 and between the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 321 of the pressing roll 320. An example in which the resin film 12 is heated so as to maintain a predetermined temperature lower than the temperature of the resin film 12 at the time of being pinched by the process will be described. Thereafter, as in the second embodiment, the resin film 12 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 and the pressing surface 321 of the pressing roll 320 while the endless belt 310 is heated by the infrared heater 670. As a result, the resin film 12 is pressed in a state where the temperature is equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin film 12, so that the shaping structure 312 of the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 is copied on the resin film 12. (Clamping process). Next, the resin film 12 is conveyed downstream while maintaining a state in contact with the circulating endless belt 310, and is cooled below the glass transition of the resin film 12 by the refrigerant injector 350 in a flat state (cooling). Process). The cooled resin film 12 is solidified, and the surface shape of the resin film 12 formed by copying the shaping structure 312 of the endless belt 310 is fixed. Then, the resin film 12 solidified by cooling is peeled from the outer peripheral surface 311 of the endless belt 310 by the peeling roll 360, and the shaping film 20 is obtained (peeling process).

  The shaped film 20 thus obtained is sent to the winding device 400. In the winding device 400, the shaping film 20 is wound around the winding shaft 410 in the same manner as in the first embodiment to obtain the film roll 30 (winding step).

As mentioned above, according to 5th embodiment of this invention, the effect similar to 2nd embodiment can be acquired.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the resin film 12 is heated to a predetermined temperature by the hot air heater 970 before the step of copying the shaping structure 312 onto the resin film 12. Therefore, after the resin film 12 is preheated to a predetermined temperature, it is further heated to the glass transition temperature or higher by the heat of the infrared heater 670. Thereby, since the heating of the resin film 12 is performed stepwise or gradually, a rapid temperature increase of the resin film 12 can be avoided. Therefore, in the resin film 12 after copying the shaping structure, not only the area where the shaping structure 312 is copied but also any area where the pressure is narrowed can prevent problems such as wrinkles. Therefore, the productivity of the shaping film 20 can be improved. This advantage is more remarkable when the shaping structure 312 is formed over the entire surface of the endless belt 310.

  The predetermined temperature may be lower than the glass transition temperature of the resin film 12, may be the glass transition temperature of the resin film 12, or may be equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin film 12. Especially, it is preferable from the viewpoint of productivity of the shaping film 20 that it is less than the glass transition temperature of the resin film 12 or the glass transition temperature of the resin film 12. Said predetermined temperature can be made into Tg-140 degreeC or more and less than Tg, for example, with the glass transition temperature of the resin film 12 being Tg.

  In the fifth embodiment, the endless belt 310 is heated by the hot air heater 970, and the heated endless belt 310 is preheated so that the resin film 12 can be maintained at a predetermined temperature. However, a non-contact type heater such as the hot air heater 970 may preheat the resin film 12 without using the endless belt 310. For example, in the fifth embodiment described above, the hot air heater 970 may be installed on the opposite side of the resin film 12 from the endless belt 310. Thus, by heating the resin film 12 with a non-contact heater, the surface state of the resin film 12 can be maintained better than when the heat source for heating the resin film 12 is in direct contact.

In the present embodiment, a hot air heater is used as a heater that can heat the endless belt 310, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other heaters such as an induction heating device can also be used.
In the preliminary temperature adjustment step, for example, a hot air heater may be disposed on both surfaces of the film, and the resin film may be heated (non-contact) from both surfaces. As such a hot air heater, for example, a hot air heater main body and a porous plate (porous plate) are provided, and hot air is sent from the hot air heater main body to the resin film via the porous plate. It can be set as the structure which heats. Here, the porous plate can be disposed on one side or both sides of the resin film.

[Modification]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be further modified.
For example, the above-described embodiments may be implemented in any combination. As a specific example, by using the heating roll 770 according to the third embodiment and the fluid ejector 880 according to the fourth embodiment in combination, the endless belt 310 and the press between the heating roll 770 and the fluid ejector 880 are used. The resin film 12 may be clamped between the pressing surface 721 of the pressing belt 720 and the outer peripheral surface 311 of the intangible film 310 by pressing the belt 720. Further, for example, by using the opposing roll 780 according to the third embodiment in combination with the fluid ejector 870 according to the fourth embodiment, the endless belt 310 and the pressing belt 720 are provided between the opposing roll 780 and the fluid ejector 870. The resin film 12 may be clamped between the pressing surface 721 of the pressing belt 720 and the outer peripheral surface 311 of the intangible film 310.

  Furthermore, for example, the manufacturing method according to the above-described embodiment may further include an optional step. For example, the process of extending | stretching a resin film or a shaping | molding film, the process of bonding a resin film or a shaping | molding film with arbitrary films, the process of giving arbitrary surface treatments to a resin film or a shaping | molding film, etc. may be included.

  For example, as a resin film, you may use the film manufactured, for example by the solution casting method other than the film manufactured by the melt extrusion method. In addition, for example, instead of manufacturing a resin film in a series of steps, a film roll of a resin film manufactured in a separate step is prepared, and the resin film is drawn from the film roll and supplied to a shaping apparatus. Also good.

Furthermore, for example, the manufacturing method according to the above-described embodiment may be performed without performing a step of cutting both end portions in the width direction from the resin film by a trimming device.
Further, for example, a resin film produced by extruding from a die may be supplied to the shaping apparatus without being cooled and solidified.

  In the above-described embodiments, the endless belt is circulated by the roll. However, the endless belt may be circulated by a mechanism other than the roll. For example, the resin film may be rotated by a gear that is rotationally driven by an arbitrary driving device. In the case of using a gear, for example, by forming an engagement portion such as a hole that can engage with a gear tooth on the resin film, the resin film can be driven by rotation of the gear.

  As the heater, a heater other than the heating roll, the infrared heater, and the fluid ejector that ejects the heated fluid used in the above-described embodiment may be used. Examples of the heater include an induction heater. Further, for example, an oven including a housing that covers a desired region of the shaping apparatus and a heat source that heats a space in the housing may be used as the heater. Furthermore, if the resin film is sufficiently high in the step of sandwiching the resin film, it is not necessary to provide a heater in the shaping apparatus.

  In the embodiment described above, the heater is provided closer to the endless belt than the resin film, and the resin film is heated by the heated endless belt. However, the position of the heater may be changed. For example, the heater may be provided closer to the resin film than the endless belt, such as replacing the heating roll 770 and the opposing roll 780 according to the third embodiment. Further, for example, heaters may be provided on both sides of the resin film, such as using a heating roll whose temperature can be adjusted as the opposing roll 780 according to the third embodiment.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, since the heater that can heat the entire width direction of the resin film is used, in the step of clamping the resin film, the region where the resin film forming structure is not copied is the glass transition of the resin film. It was heated above the temperature. However, as the heater, for example, a region where the resin film shaping structure is copied can be heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin film, but a heater which does not heat the region where the resin film shaping structure is not copied is used. Also good.

  Further, as the cooler, a cooler other than the refrigerant injector used in the above-described embodiment may be used. When the example of a cooler is given, the cooling roll etc. which can adjust temperature will be mentioned. In addition, for example, a cooling chamber including a housing that covers a desired region of the shaping apparatus and a cooling mechanism that cools a space in the housing may be used as a cooler. Further, for example, in the case where the endless belt is sufficiently long and the resin film can be cooled by natural heat dissipation, it is not necessary to provide a cooler in the shaping apparatus.

  In the above-described embodiment, the cooler is provided closer to the endless belt than the resin film, and the resin film is cooled by the cooled endless belt. However, the position of the cooler may be changed. For example, the refrigerant injector 350 according to the first embodiment may be provided closer to the resin film than the endless belt. Further, for example, coolers may be provided on both sides of the resin film.

  It is preferable that the cooler takes a long time to cool the resin film to below the glass transition temperature of the resin film. Therefore, the time required for the cooler to cool the resin film below the glass transition temperature of the resin film is longer than the time required for the heater to heat the resin film above the glass transition temperature of the resin film. It is preferable to design the shaping device. For example, in the transport path of the resin film provided in the shaping apparatus, the length of the range in which the resin film is cooled by the cooler is longer than the length of the range in which the resin film is heated by the heater. It is preferable to provide a shaping apparatus.

[Endless belt]
As the endless belt, a seamless belt is preferably used.
The material of the endless belt is arbitrary, and a metal belt or a resin belt may be used. Among these, it is preferable to use a material having high thermal conductivity because the resin film can be efficiently heated and cooled. Examples of the material having high thermal conductivity include metals. In addition, for example, a resin belt including an additive such as carbon nanotube, a belt subjected to an appropriate surface treatment, and the like can have a thermal conductivity higher than that of a metal.

  Examples of the surface treatment for the endless belt include a coating treatment for suppressing sticking, a coating treatment for improving infrared absorption, and a coating treatment for enhancing durability of the endless belt.

  The shaping structure that the endless belt has on the outer peripheral surface thereof may include a concave portion, a convex portion, or a combination of the concave portion and the convex portion. Under the present circumstances, the shape of a recessed part and a convex part can be set according to the transcription | transfer structure to form in a shaping film. Examples of the shape of each concave or convex portion that can be included in the shaping structure include a pyramid shape, a cone shape, a frustum shape, a prism shape, a columnar shape, and a partial shape of a sphere. Moreover, the shaping structure may include a combination of two or more types of concave and convex portions.

  The dimensions of the concave and convex portions included in the endless belt can be set according to the transfer structure desired to be formed on the shaping film. The depth of the concave part and the height of the convex part are usually 0.01 μm or more, usually 100 μm or less, preferably 60 μm or less, more preferably 20 μm or less. Moreover, the width | variety of a recessed part and a convex part is 0.001 micrometer or more normally. However, the dimension of a recessed part and a convex part is not limited to the numerical value quoted here.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a cross section of an endless belt 1000 as an example cut in a region parallel to the thickness direction in a region where the shaping structure 1020 is formed. As shown in FIG. 9, the shaping structure 1020 formed on the outer peripheral surface 1010 of the endless belt 1000 may include a concave portion 1021 and a convex portion 1022 that are smoothly continuous with the surroundings.

  Further, the shaping structure on the outer surface of the endless belt may include a flat portion in addition to the concave portion and the convex portion.

  The endless belt may have a shaping structure at an arbitrary position on the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt according to the surface shape of the shaping film to be manufactured. Therefore, the endless belt may have a shaping structure on the entire outer circumferential surface of the endless belt, or may have a shaping structure on a part of the outer circumferential surface of the endless belt. For example, when it is desired to manufacture a shaping film having a transfer structure in the entire width direction, the shaping structure may be provided on the entire outer circumferential surface of the endless belt in the width direction of the endless belt. Further, for example, when it is desired to manufacture a shaping film having a transfer structure in a partial region in the width direction, the molding is performed on the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt in a region that can be in contact with the partial region of the endless belt. A structure may be provided. Furthermore, for example, the shaping structure may be provided on only a part of the outer peripheral surface in the circumferential direction of the endless belt, but usually the shaping structure is provided on the entire circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surface of the endless belt.

[Resin film]
As the resin film, any film including a layer made of a thermoplastic resin can be used. At this time, the layer made of the thermoplastic resin is preferably provided so as to be exposed on the surface of the resin film on the side where the shaping structure is copied. Examples of the thermoplastic resin include polyester resin, polyolefin resin, polycarbonate resin, cellulose ester resin, polystyrene resin, polyurethane resin, polysulfone resin, polyphenylene ether resin, and acrylic resin, but are not limited thereto. Absent. Among them, a polyolefin resin is preferable because of excellent mechanical properties, heat resistance, and transparency, and an alicyclic polyolefin resin such as a norbornene resin is particularly preferable.

In addition, the resin film may be a single-layer film composed of only one layer, or may be a multilayer film including two or more layers.
Further, the resin film may be a film that has been subjected to a stretching treatment or a film that has not been subjected to a stretching treatment.

  As described in the above-described embodiment, when copying the shaping structure of the endless belt, the resin film has a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin film. Here, the glass transition temperature of the resin film refers to the glass transition temperature of the resin forming the resin film. In the case where the resin film includes a plurality of resin layers made of resins having different glass transition temperatures, the glass transition temperature of the resin layer made of a resin having the highest glass transition temperature among the resin layers copying the moldable structure is The glass transition temperature of the resin film is used.

Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular in the thickness of a resin film, It is preferable to have a thickness of the grade which can be wound up in roll shape. For example, the thickness of the resin film can be 5 μm to 1000 μm.
Moreover, it is preferable that the thickness nonuniformity of the resin film is small. The smaller the thickness unevenness, the more stable the endless belt shaping structure can be copied onto the resin film.

[Shaping film]
The shaping film is a film obtained by copying the shaping structure of an endless belt on a resin film, and the surface of the shaping film has a surface shape including a transfer structure obtained by copying the shaping structure of the endless belt. It may have the same configuration as the resin film.

  The range in which the transfer structure is formed in the shaping film can be arbitrarily set. Therefore, the shaping film may have a transfer structure in the entire width direction, or may have a transfer structure in a part of the width direction. For example, from the viewpoint of obtaining a shaped film having excellent handling properties, a transfer structure may be provided only at both ends in the width direction of the shaped film. Furthermore, the shaping film may have a transfer structure in a part of its longitudinal direction, but usually has a transfer structure in its entire longitudinal direction. Furthermore, the transfer structure may be provided intermittently with a predetermined interval. In this case, the region between the transfer structures on the surface of the shaping film usually has a smooth surface shape having no recesses and protrusions.

  There is no restriction | limiting in the use of such a shaping film, For example, it can use for wide uses, such as an optical film and a film for nanoimprint.

1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 Molded Film Manufacturing Device 10 Resin Film 11 Both Ends of Resin Film in Width 12 Resin Film Cut at Both Ends in Width Direction 20 Molded Film 30 Film Roll 100 Resin Film Manufacturing device 110 Die 120 Cooling roll 200 Trimming device 210 and 220 Trimming knife 230 Conveying roll 300 Molding device 310 Endless belt 311 Outer peripheral surface of endless belt 312 Molding structure 313 Region between heating roll and driving roll 314 Endless belt is heated The most downstream area among the areas in contact with the roll 315 The inner peripheral surface 320 of the endless belt 320 The pressure roll 321 The pressure surface 330 The heating roll 340 The driving roll 350 The refrigerant injector 351 The nozzle 360 The peeling roll 400 The winding device 410 The winding shaft 510 Lore Troll 511 Outer surface of knurled roll 520 Press roll 530 Resin film 531 Portion of resin film immediately downstream of knurled roll 600 Molding device 630 Suspension roll 670 Infrared heater 700 Molding device 720 Press belt 721 Press belt pressing surface 722 Press belt 730 Suspension roll 740 Drive roll 770 Heating roll 780 Opposed roll 800 Molding device 870 and 880 Fluid ejector 900 Molding device 970 Hot air heater 1000 Endless belt 1010 Endless belt outer surface 1020 Molding structure 1021 Concave 1022 Convex Part

Claims (9)

Molding having a surface shape copied from the molding structure by a molding apparatus comprising an endless belt having a molding structure on the outer peripheral surface and a pressing tool having a pressing surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt. A production method for continuously producing a film,
A step of conveying a resin film between an outer peripheral surface of the endless belt and a pressing surface of the pressing tool;
The resin film is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt and the pressing surface of the pressing tool at a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin film, and the resin film is Copying the shaping structure of the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt;
Cooling the resin film below the glass transition temperature of the resin film in a flat state in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt;
The manufacturing method of a shaping film including the process of peeling the said resin film from the outer peripheral surface of the said endless belt, and obtaining a shaping film in this order. Before the step of copying the shaping structure onto the resin film,
The manufacturing method of the shaping film of Claim 1 further equipped with the preliminary temperature control process of maintaining the said resin film at predetermined temperature. The shaping apparatus includes a heater capable of heating the endless belt,
The method for producing a shaped film according to claim 2, wherein the preliminary temperature adjustment step includes heating the resin film by the endless belt heated by the heater. The shaping apparatus includes a non-contact heater,
The manufacturing method of the shaping film of Claim 2 or 3 with which the said preliminary temperature control process includes heating the said resin film with the said non-contact-type heater.   The manufacturing method of the shaping film as described in any one of Claims 1-4 with which the said endless belt has a shaping structure in the whole outer peripheral surface of the said endless belt.   The shaping | molding as described in any one of Claims 1-4 which has a shaping structure only in the area | region where the said endless belt can contact the both ends of the width direction of the said resin film of the outer peripheral surface of the said endless belt. A method for producing a film. Before the step of conveying the resin film between the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt and the pressing surface of the pressing tool,
A process of producing the resin film by extruding a resin from a die into a film;
The manufacturing method of the shaping film as described in any one of Claims 1-6 including the process of cutting off the both ends of the width direction of the manufactured said resin film.   In the period from when the pressure is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt and the pressing surface of the pressing tool until the resin film is cooled to below the glass transition temperature of the resin film, the resin film has an outer periphery of the endless belt. The manufacturing method of the shaping film as described in any one of Claims 1-7 which contacts a surface and maintains a flat state. A production apparatus for producing a shaped film from a long resin film,
An endless belt having a shaping structure on the outer peripheral surface, provided so as to be able to go around,
A pressing tool having a pressing surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt, and capable of sandwiching a resin film between the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt and the pressing surface;
A heater capable of heating the resin film and heating the temperature of the resin film sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt and the pressing surface of the pressing tool to a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin film;
Cooling that can cool the resin film sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt and the pressing surface of the pressing tool to a temperature lower than the glass transition temperature of the resin film in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt. And
A peeling machine capable of peeling the resin film cooled by the cooler from the endless belt,
The endless belt is an apparatus for producing a shaped film, provided so as to be able to circulate in a flat state in a region where the resin film is cooled by the cooler.

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