JP2018047619A - Thermal transfer system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thermal transfer system which welds an outer ink ribbon to an inner ink ribbon without extrusion of ink to the outside.SOLUTION: A thermal transfer system includes: a delivery unit which delivers an ink ribbon 13; a first heating device which is arranged on the downstream side of the delivery unit; a take-up unit 21 which is arranged on the downstream side of the first heating device and takes up the ink transferred-ink ribbon 13; and a preliminary heating device 23 and second heating device 25 which are provided in the vicinity of the take-up unit 21 and heat the ink transferred-ink ribbon 13 from a support layer 11 side. The preliminary heating device 23 and second heating device 25 include band-like protrusions extending in the conveyance direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermal transfer system that transfers ink to a transfer medium using an ink ribbon having a support layer and an ink layer.

  2. Description of the Related Art A thermal transfer system that uses an ink ribbon to print an image such as a character on a transfer medium such as a card is widely used. The ink ribbon includes a ribbon (support layer) extending in a strip shape, and an ink layer formed on the ribbon and containing a pigment, a dye, or the like. In printing using an ink ribbon, ink is transferred to a transfer medium in a pattern corresponding to a desired image to be printed.

  In this case, in the ink ribbon after ink transfer, a portion where the ink has been removed by transfer to the transfer medium exists in a pattern corresponding to the printed image. Therefore, it is possible to specify a printed image from the ink ribbon that has been ink-transferred. Therefore, when printing information to be concealed such as ID information on an object to be transferred using an ink ribbon, it is necessary to pay attention to the handling of the ink ribbon to which ink has been transferred.

  In order to cope with such a problem, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561, the ink ribbon positioned at the outermost periphery of the ink ribbon that has been transferred to the winding portion is positioned inside the ink ribbon at the outermost periphery. A thermal transfer system for bonding to a ribbon has been proposed. According to the thermal transfer system described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to integrate the ink transferred ink ribbon wound on the winding unit, and thereby, the printed image is transferred from the ink transferred ink ribbon. It can be prevented from being identified.

JP 2008-49663 A

  By the way, the ink ribbon (hereinafter referred to as the outer ink ribbon) on the outermost periphery among the ink ribbons that have been transferred onto the winding portion, the ink ribbon (hereinafter referred to as the outer ink ribbon) positioned on the inner side of the outermost ink ribbon. In the case of bonding to the inner ink ribbon, the outer ink ribbon support layer is welded to the inner ink ribbon support layer. However, in this case, the ink layer of the outer ink ribbon to which ink has been transferred may remain between the support layers to which the ink layers are welded, and the welding between the support layers may be hindered. In order to prevent this state, it is conceivable to heat the outer ink ribbon to which ink has been transferred at a high temperature and high pressure using a heating head or a heating roller. In this case, however, the ink layer is pushed outward and the heating head or heating roller is heated. May contaminate the roller.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and the ink layer support layer of the outer ink ribbon is appropriately applied to the support layer of the inner ink ribbon without the ink layer being pushed outward. It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermal transfer system that can be welded to a substrate.

  The present invention relates to a thermal transfer system that transfers ink to a transfer medium using an ink ribbon having a support layer and an ink layer, and is disposed on the downstream side of the delivery section, the delivery section that sends out the ink ribbon, and the ink A first heating device having a first heating body provided on the support layer side of the ribbon, and transferring the ink in the ink layer of the ink ribbon to the transfer target body in a predetermined pattern; and the first heating device. And a winding unit that winds up the ink-transferred ink ribbon used in the first heating device, and is provided in the vicinity of the winding unit, and the ink-transferred ink ribbon is supported on the support layer. A second heating device having a second heating body for heating from the side, wherein the second heating body has a plurality of belt-like projections parallel to the transport direction of the ink ribbon, Winding around the winding part Of the taken ink ribbons that have been transferred, the support layer of the outermost ink-transferred ink ribbon that supports the ink-transferred ink ribbon that is positioned inside the outermost ink-transferred ink ribbon A thermal transfer system characterized in that it is welded to a layer.

  The present invention includes a preheating device having a preheating body that heats the ink ribbon after ink transfer from the support layer side and melts the ink layer in the vicinity of the upstream side of the second heating device. Thermal transfer system.

  According to the present invention, the preheating body has a plurality of belt-like convex portions parallel to the transport direction, each being at a position corresponding to the belt-like convex portion of the second heating body in the width direction of the ink ribbon. This is a featured thermal transfer system.

  The present invention is the thermal transfer system, wherein the preheating body heats the ink ribbon from the support layer side at a temperature that melts the ink layer but does not melt the support layer.

  The present invention is the thermal transfer system, wherein the second heating body and the preheating body are block-type heating bodies.

  According to the present invention, the support layer of the outer ink ribbon to which ink has been transferred can be appropriately welded to the support layer of the inner ink ribbon without the ink layer being pushed outward.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a thermal transfer system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a view showing an ink ribbon that has been ink-transferred in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2B is a diagram in which the ink of the ink ribbon is transferred in a first pattern in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along the line III-III of the ink ribbon after ink transfer shown in FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing a winding device of the thermal transfer system of FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the operation of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the present invention.

<Embodiment of the present invention>
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. First, the overall structure of the thermal transfer system 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

<Thermal transfer system>
As shown in FIG. 1, a thermal transfer system 10 that transfers an ink 12 a in a predetermined pattern onto a transfer target 14 using an ink ribbon 13 having a support layer (also referred to as a base material) 11 and an ink layer 12 is an arrow. a sending unit 16 for feeding the ink ribbon 13 in the direction indicated by R _1, a first heating device 17 arranged downstream of the delivery section 16, it is arranged downstream of the first heating device 17, indicated by an arrow R ₂ A winding unit 21 that winds up the ink ribbon 13 that has been ink-transferred in the direction, a second heating device 25 that is provided in the vicinity of the winding unit 21 and that heats the ink ribbon 13 that has been ink-transferred from the support layer 11 side, It has. Further, a preheating device 23 that preheats the ink ribbon 13 to which ink has been transferred from the support layer 11 side is provided in the vicinity of the winding unit 21 and upstream of the second heating device 25. As shown in FIG. 1, the ink ribbon 13 is conveyed along a plurality of guide rolls 15. Here, the winding unit 21 shown in FIG. 1, the second heating device 25, and the preheating device 23 constitute a winding device 20.

<Support layer (base material)>
In the present invention, since the support layer (base material) is heated during thermal transfer, the support layer (base material) is preferably a material having a mechanical strength that does not hinder handling even in a heated state. Such support layer materials include polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, 1,4-polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate film, polyethylene naphthalate film, polyphenylene sulfide film, polystyrene film, polypropylene film, polysulfone film, and aramid film. , Polycarbonate film, polyvinyl alcohol film, cellophane, cellulose derivatives such as cellulose acetate, polyethylene film, polyvinyl chloride film, nylon film, polyimide film, ionomer film and the like. Further, the thickness of the support layer is preferably 2 μm or more and 20 μm or less, and more preferably 4 μm or more and 10 μm or less.

<Ink layer>
As the ink layer, ink for heat melting or ink for heat sublimation can be used, but it is excellent in sharpness and high density and suitable for recording binary images such as characters and line drawings. It is preferable to use a special ink. Hereinafter, a case where an ink layer for heat melting is used will be described.
The ink layer is preferably formed from various colorants, waxes and resins. Examples of the colorant include black pigments and dyes such as carbon black and oil black, cyan, magenta, yellow pigments and dyes, and these are appropriately selected according to the application field or purpose of use of the ink ribbon. be able to. Examples of waxes include carnauba wax, candelilla wax, rice wax, montan wax, paraffin wax, microcrystalline wax, polyethylene wax, ester wax, oxidized wax, and Fischer-Tropsch wax (Sazol wax). Examples of the resins include ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer, styrene butadiene copolymer, polyester resin, epoxy resin, rosin derivative, terpene derivative, and styrene resin. The coating amount of the ink layer is generally 0.5 g / m ² or more and 10 g / m ² or less, preferably 2 g / m ² or more and 6 g / m ² or less. The ink layer is not limited to the above.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the first heating device 17 includes a platen roll 19 that supports the transfer target 14 and a first heating provided so as to face the platen roll 19 with the ink ribbon 13 and the transfer target 14 interposed therebetween. It has a body 18, for example, a print head (thermal head). As shown in FIG. 1, the first heating body 18 is provided on the support layer 11 side of the ink ribbon 13. The first heating body 18 heats the ink ribbon 13 in a predetermined pattern corresponding to the ID information and the like, so that the ink 12a of the ink layer 12 of the ink ribbon 13 has a predetermined pattern with respect to the transfer body 14. Transcribed.

  FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a case where the ink ribbon 13 after the ink 12a is transferred to the transfer medium 14 in a predetermined pattern is viewed from the ink layer 12 side, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the to-be-transferred body 14 to which the ink 12a of the ink layer 12 of the ribbon 13 was transcribe | transferred with the predetermined pattern. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of the ink ribbon 13 to which ink has been transferred shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 3, in the ink ribbon 13 to which the ink has been transferred, the ink layer 12 is printed on the transferred object 14 and the remaining ink 12 a without being transferred to the transferred object 14. A predetermined pattern, for example, an ink missing portion 12b corresponding to ID information. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2A, the pattern of the ink missing portion 12b in the ink ribbon 13 to which ink has been transferred corresponds to the predetermined pattern in the first heating body 18 described above. For this reason, it is possible to specify a predetermined pattern printed on the transfer target 14, for example, ID information, based on the pattern of the ink missing portion 12b.

<Winding device>
Next, the winding device 20 of the thermal transfer system 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As described above, the winding device 20 is provided in the vicinity of the roll-shaped winding unit 21 that winds the ink ribbon 13 to which ink has been transferred and the winding unit 21, and the ink ribbon 13 to which ink has been transferred is supported on the support layer 11. A second heating device 25 that heats from the side, and a preheating that is provided in the vicinity of the winding unit 21 and upstream of the second heating device 25 and preheats the ink ribbon 13 to which the ink has been transferred from the support layer 11 side. Device 23.

(Winding part)
As shown in FIG. 4, in the winding unit 21 of the present embodiment, the ink ribbon 13 is wound so that the support layer 11 of the ink ribbon 13 is positioned outside the ink layer 12. As shown in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the ink ribbon 13 positioned on the outermost periphery among the ink ribbons 13 wound around the winding unit 21 is referred to as an outer ink ribbon 13A, and the outer ink ribbon 13A. The ink ribbon 13 wound around the winding portion 21 on the inner side and adjacent to the outer ink ribbon 13A is referred to as an inner ink ribbon 13B.

(Preheating device, second heating device)
The preheating device 23 and the second heating device 25 include a preheating body 23A and a second heating body 25A, respectively.
Among these, the preheating body 23A and the second heating body 25A both have the same structure having a block shape, and both have a plurality of belt-like convex portions 24 parallel to the transport direction of the ink ribbon 13 on the surface. 26. In the present embodiment, the second heating body 25A is an essential component, but the preheating body 23A is not necessarily provided.

  Since the preheating body 23A and the second heating body 25A have substantially the same structure, the second heating body 25A will be described below.

  The second heating body 25 </ b> A is detachable from the winding unit 21. Then, after the conveyance of the ink ribbon 13 is stopped, the second heating body 25A is separated from the ink ribbon 13.

  The second heating body 25A is made of a ceramic heater having a temperature control function. Further, as described above, the second heating body 25A has a plurality of belt-like convex portions parallel to the transport direction of the ink ribbon 13 that heats the ink ribbon 13 wound around the winding portion 21 from the support layer 11 side. 26.

  The plurality of strip-shaped convex portions 26 are formed on the surface of the second heating body 25A made of a ceramic heater. A strip-shaped convex portion is formed by forming a flat surface on the ceramic heater and bonding glass fibers to the flat surface. May be formed.

  Note that the plurality of belt-like convex portions 26 provided on the surface of the ceramic heater slide with respect to the ink ribbon 13. For this reason, the plurality of belt-like convex portions 26 have a low friction coefficient and wear resistance.

  By the way, the belt-like convex part 26 of the second heating body 25A heats the ink ribbon 13A to a temperature at which the support layer 11 is melted, for example, about 200 ° C. to 240 ° C. Then, the support layer 11 of the ink ribbon 13A having been transferred onto the winding portion 21 is melted and welded to the support layer 11 of the ink ribbon 13B positioned inside. For this reason, the heating temperature of the second heating body 25A and the length in the transport direction of each belt-like convex portion 26 are set so that the ink ribbon 13A can be heated to about 200 ° C. to 240 ° C.

  On the other hand, the belt-like convex portion 24 of the preheating body 23A heats the ink ribbon 13A to about 100 ° C. at which the ink layer 12 melts, and moves the ink layer 12 in the width direction. For this reason, the heating temperature of the preheating body 23A and the length in the transport direction of each belt-like convex portion 24 are set so that the ink ribbon 13A can be heated to about 100 ° C.

  Note that the delivery unit 16, the first heating device 17, the winding unit 21, the second heating device 25, and the preheating device 23 are all driven and controlled by the control unit 30.

<Operation of the present embodiment>
Next, the operation of the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described. Here, the ID information is printed on the transfer medium 14 by the first transfer device 17 of the thermal transfer system 10, and then the outer ink ribbon 13 A to which ink has been transferred is transferred to the inner ink ribbon by the preheating device 23 and the second heating device 25. The action of the support layer 11 of the outer ink ribbon 13A being welded to the support layer 11 of the inner ink ribbon 13B by being heated and pressed against the support layer 11 of 13B will be described.

  First, the transfer target body 14 such as an ID card is prepared, and then the control unit 30 drives the transport mechanism 31 to transport the transfer body 14 toward the first heating device 17. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 30 drives the winding unit 21 to send out the ink ribbon 13 from the sending unit 16 toward the first heating device 17. At this time, tension is applied to the ink ribbon 13 by a brake mechanism built in the delivery unit 16.

  When the transfer body 14 reaches between the first heating body 18 of the first heating device 17 and the platen roll 19, the first heating device 17 is driven by the control unit 30, and the first heating body 18 causes the ink ribbon 13 to move. Then, it is pressed against the transfer body 14 while heating in a predetermined pattern corresponding to the ID information. As a result, the ink 12a of the ink layer 12 of the ink ribbon 13 is transferred onto the transfer target 14 in a predetermined pattern. As a result, the ID information is printed on the transfer medium 14, and the ink missing portion 12 b corresponding to the ID information is formed in the ink layer 12 of the ink ribbon 13.

  The ink ribbon 13 to which ink has been transferred after passing through the first heating device 17 is taken up by the take-up unit 21 of the take-up device 20. Then, in a state where the ink ribbon 13 to which ink has been transferred is wound up by the winding unit 21, the preheating device 23 and the second heating device 25 are driven by the control unit 30, and the outer ink ribbon 13A is driven by the preheating device 23. The ink layer 12 is melted, the support layer 11 of the outer ink ribbon 13A is melted by the second heating device 25, and the support layer 11 of the outer ink ribbon 13A is welded to the support layer 11 of the inner ink ribbon 13B.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the preheating device 23 and the second heating device 25 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

  First, when the transferred ink ribbon 13 is wound up by the winding unit 21 of the winding device 20, the support layer 11 of the outer ink ribbon 13A is heated by the preheating body 23A of the preheating device 23 as shown in FIG. Then, the ink layer 12 is melted. At this time, the preheating body 23A melts the ink layer 12 of the outer ink ribbon 13A, but the support layer 11 heats the support layer 11 of the outer ink ribbon 13A at a temperature at which the support layer 11 does not melt, for example, about 100 ° C.

  During this time, the controller 30 controls the preheating body 23A to adjust the heating temperature of the preheating body 23A.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the support layer 11 of the outer ink ribbon 13A is heated by the preheating body 23A, the support layer 11 is heated and pressed by the belt-like convex portion 24 of the preheating body 23A. At this time, the ink layer 12 is released in the width direction by the belt-like convex portion 24, and the support layer 11 of the outer ink ribbon 13A approaches the support layer 11 of the inner ink ribbon 13B located inside the outer ink ribbon 13A. At this time, the ink layer 12 enters the concave portions between the belt-like convex portions 24 of the preheating body 23A.

  Note that the number of windings of the ink ribbon 13 is reduced immediately after the winding of the ink ribbon 13 by the winding unit 21. In this case, since the thermal conductivity similar to the state in which the ink ribbon 13 is wound up to some extent is provided in the winding unit 21, the gap between the tip of the ink ribbon 13 and the core (not shown) of the winding unit 21 is used. A leader (not shown) having thermal conductivity similar to that of the ink ribbon and constituting the tip of the ink ribbon may be interposed. Alternatively, a heat-resistant leader may be interposed between the tip of the ink ribbon 13 and the core of the winding unit 21 so that the ink ribbon 13 is not fused to the core. By preventing the ink ribbon 13 from being fused to the core, the core of the winding unit 21 can be reused.

  Next, the outer ink ribbon 13 </ b> A is conveyed from the preheating device 23 to the second heating device 25. As shown in FIG. 6, when the outer ink ribbon 13 </ b> A reaches the second heating device 25, the support layer 11 of the outer ink ribbon 13 </ b> A is heated by the belt-like convex portion 26 of the second heating body 25 </ b> A.

  In this case, the belt-like convex portion 26 of the second heating body 25A is located at a portion where the support layer 11 of the outer ink ribbon 13A approaches the support layer 11 of the inner ink ribbon 13B. That is, the belt-like convex portion 26 of the second heating body 25A is installed at a position corresponding to the belt-like convex portion 24 of the preheating body 23A in the width direction.

  The belt-like convex portion 26 of the second heating body 25A heats the support layer 11 of the outer ink ribbon 13A to, for example, about 200 ° C. to 240 ° C., melts the support layer 11 of the outer ink ribbon 13A, and supports the outer ink ribbon 13A. Layer 11 is welded to support layer 11 of inner ink ribbon 13B.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the ink layer 12 is melted by heating the support layer 11 of the outer ink ribbon 13A by the belt-like convex portion 24 of the preheating body 23A, so that the concave portion between the belt-like convex portions 24 is obtained. Can escape. After allowing the ink layer 12 to escape to the concave portions between the belt-like convex portions 24, the support layer 11 of the outer ink ribbon 13A is heated by the belt-like convex portions 26 of the second heating body 25A to melt the support layer 11 of the outer ink ribbon 13A. The support layer 11 of the outer ink ribbon 13A and the support layer 11 of the inner ink ribbon 13B can be welded. In this case, since the ink layer 12 of the outer ink ribbon 13A can escape to the concave portions between the belt-like convex portions 24 of the preheating body 23A, the belt-like convex portions of the second heating body 25A are not obstructed by the ink layer 12. 26, the support layer 11 of the outer ink ribbon 13A can be reliably welded to the support layer 11 of the inner ink ribbon 13B. Further, since the preheating body 23A of the preheating device 23 heats the outer ink ribbon 13A at a heating temperature that melts the ink layer 12 of the outer ink ribbon 13A, it is not necessary to excessively apply energy to the preheating body 23A. . In addition, since it is not necessary to heat the preheating device 23 or the second heating device 25 excessively, the ink layer 12 is discharged outward when the outer ink ribbon 13A is heated, so that the preheating device 23 or the second heating device 25 is discharged. Will not pollute you.

<Modification of the present invention>
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the preheating device 23 is installed on the upstream side of the second heating device 25 is shown. However, the outer ink ribbon 13A is not limited to this and the second heating device 25 alone is 200 ° C to 240 ° C. You may heat to about degreeC.

  In this case, the support layer 11 of the outer ink ribbon 13 </ b> A is heated and pressed by the belt-like convex portion 26 of the second heating body 25 of the second heating device 25. At this time, the ink layer 12 of the outer ink ribbon 13 </ b> A is melted by the belt-like convex portions 26 of the second heating body 25, and the ink layer 12 is released to the concave portions between the belt-like convex portions 26. Next, the support layer 11 of the outer ink ribbon 13A is melted and welded to the support layer 11 of the inner ink ribbon 13B by the belt-like convex portion 26 of the second heating body 25.

  Moreover, although the example which used the block-type ceramic heater as the preheating body 23A and the 2nd heating body 25A was shown, a rotary heater may be used as not only this but the preheating body 23A and the 2nd heating body 25A. In addition, as the rotary heater, a cylindrical or polygonal column can be used, but in that case, the plurality of belt-like convex portions parallel to the ink ribbon transport direction of the preheating body 23A and the second heating body 25A are: It is formed continuously on the outer peripheral surface of a cylinder or polygonal column.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Thermal transfer system 11 Support layer 12 Ink layer 12a Ink 12b Ink omission part 13 Ink ribbon 13A Outer ink ribbon 13B Inner ink ribbon 14 Transfer object 15 Guide roll 16 Delivery part 17 1st heating device 18 1st heating body 19 Platen roll 20 Winding device 21 Winding portion 23 Preheating device 23A Preheating body 24 Strip-like convex portion 25 Second heating device 25A Second heating body 26 Strip-like convex portion 30 Control portion 31 Conveying mechanism

Claims (5)

In a thermal transfer system that transfers ink to a transfer object using an ink ribbon having a support layer and an ink layer,
A delivery section for delivering the ink ribbon;
A first heating element is provided on the downstream side of the delivery unit and provided on the support layer side of the ink ribbon, and the ink in the ink layer of the ink ribbon is transferred to the transfer object in a predetermined pattern. A first heating device that
A take-up unit that is disposed on the downstream side of the first heating device and winds up the ink ribbon that has been used in the first heating device;
A second heating device provided in the vicinity of the winding unit and having a second heating body for heating the ink ribbon after ink transfer from the support layer side,
The second heating body has a plurality of belt-like convex portions parallel to the transport direction of the ink ribbon,
The belt-shaped convex portion is a support layer for the outermost ink-transferred ink ribbon of the ink-transferred ink ribbon wound on the winding portion, and the outermost-ink-transferred ink ribbon. A thermal transfer system, wherein the thermal transfer system is welded to a support layer of an ink ribbon to which ink has been transferred.   A preheating device having a preheating body for heating the outermost ink-transferred ink ribbon from the support layer side to melt the ink layer in the vicinity of the upstream side of the second heating device. Item 2. The thermal transfer system according to Item 1.   The pre-heating body has a plurality of belt-like convex portions parallel to the transport direction, each in a position corresponding to the belt-like convex portion of the second heating body in the width direction of the ink ribbon. 2. The thermal transfer system according to 2.   4. The preheating body heats the outermost ink-transferred ink ribbon from the support layer side at a temperature that melts the ink layer but not the support layer. 5. The thermal transfer system according to one item.   5. The thermal transfer system according to claim 2, wherein the second heating body and the preheating body are block-type heating bodies. 6.

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