JP2018094829A - Recording medium production device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording medium production device that facilitates various kinds of maintenance such as replacement, repair, servicing and inspection.SOLUTION: A recording medium production device has a material supply unit that supplies a fiber-containing material containing cellulose fiber and resin, and a carrying part that carries the fiber-containing material supplied from the material supply unit to apply it to a base material. On the base material, a recording layer composed of the fiber-containing material is formed. At least one of the material supply unit and the carrying part can be displaced between a first position where it can form the recording layer and a second position where it retreats from the first position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording medium manufacturing apparatus.

  In recent years, environmental awareness has increased, not only reducing the amount of paper used in the workplace, but also performing paper recycling at the workplace and other “reusable” printing that can be reused. It is demanded.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for producing paper by forming a layer of fibers on the surface of a peeling substrate to which an aqueous liquid is adhered, and then peeling the layered fibers from the peeling substrate. An executable device is disclosed. In this apparatus, the fibers are configured to be supplied from the fiber supply apparatus to the peeling substrate.

JP 2005-48333 A

  However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose or suggest that various kinds of maintenance such as replacement and repair can be performed on the fiber supply device when a failure such as a failure occurs in the fiber supply device. .

  One of the objects according to some aspects of the present invention is to provide a recording medium manufacturing apparatus that can easily perform various maintenance such as inspection, repair, maintenance, and replacement.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following aspects.

The recording medium manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes a material supply unit that supplies a fiber-containing material containing cellulose fibers and a resin, and a carrier that is supported to apply the fiber-containing material supplied from the material supply unit to a substrate. A recording medium manufacturing apparatus for forming a recording layer composed of the fiber-containing material on the base material,
At least one of the material supply unit and the carrying unit is displaceable between a first position where the recording layer can be formed and a second position retracted from the first position.

  Accordingly, there are cases where it is desired to perform various maintenance such as inspection, repair, maintenance, replacement, etc. on at least one of the material supply unit and the carrying unit. In this case, it is possible to easily perform the maintenance at the second position by displacing the maintenance target, that is, the maintenance target to the first position and the second position. In addition, the reliability of the apparatus can be improved and the maintenance cost can be reduced.

In the recording medium manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, at the first position, the recording medium manufacturing apparatus is in a loaded state,
In the second position, it is preferable that the detachable state is detachable from the recording medium manufacturing apparatus.

  Thereby, for example, various maintenance such as replacement, repair, maintenance, and inspection can be easily performed as compared with a state where the second position is maintained.

  In the recording medium manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the one of the material supply unit and the carrying unit that can be displaced between the first position and the second position is replaceable in the detached state.

  Thus, for example, replacement of the material supply unit when the material supply unit fails due to deterioration over time, or replacement of the material supply unit when the fiber-containing material of the material supply unit is used up, that is, when it is empty Can be done easily and quickly.

In the recording medium manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the material supply unit includes a storage unit that stores the fiber-containing material, and a first support body that supports the fiber-containing material discharged from the storage unit,
It is preferable that the carrying part has a second carrying body that carries the fiber-containing material transferred from the first carrying body.
Thereby, transfer of the fiber containing material to a base material can be performed smoothly and rapidly.

  In the recording medium manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the storage unit is positioned above the first carrier when the material supply unit is in the first position.

  Thereby, the fiber-containing material can move by its own weight from the storage part to the first carrier. In this case, provision of a means for forcibly moving the fiber-containing material from the storage unit to the first carrier can be omitted, and thus the material supply unit can have a simple configuration.

  In the recording medium manufacturing apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the material supply unit includes a loosening unit that loosens the fiber-containing material in the storage unit.

  As a result, the fiber-containing material can be sufficiently loosened in the storage portion, and therefore the transition of the fiber-containing material from the storage portion to the first carrier can be performed smoothly without excess or deficiency.

In the recording medium manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the material supply unit includes a storage unit that stores the first carrier.
It is preferable that the storage part and the storage part are displaceable to the first position and the second position in a connected state of the material supply parts.

  As a result, when performing maintenance on the material supply unit, the material supply unit can be displaced from the first position to the second position while being connected to the material supply unit, and thus the maintenance can be performed quickly. .

In the recording medium manufacturing apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the material supply unit includes a positioning unit that positions the storage unit and the storage unit when the material supply unit is connected.
Thereby, the transfer of the fiber-containing material from the storage part to the first carrier is accurately performed.

  In the recording medium manufacturing apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the storage portion and the storage portion can take a material supply portion separation state in which the material supply portion connection state is released and separated at the second position.

  Thereby, the maintenance with respect to each of the structure on the storage unit side and the structure on the storage unit side can be easily performed independently (selectively).

In the recording medium manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the storage unit includes a discharge port that discharges the fiber-containing material toward the storage unit in the connected state of the material supply unit, and a discharge port that closes the discharge port in the separated state of the material supply unit. An exit shutter, and
The storage unit communicates with the discharge port in the material supply unit connected state, and takes in the fiber-containing material from the discharge port, and an intake port that closes the intake port in the material supply unit separated state And a shutter.
Thereby, scattering of the fiber containing material in a material supply part isolation | separation state can be prevented.

  In the recording medium manufacturing apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the material supply unit and the carrying unit are displaceable to the first position and the second position in a connected state.

  Accordingly, it is possible to easily perform the maintenance at the second position on at least one of the material supply unit and the carrying unit that is to be maintained, that is, the maintenance target.

  In the recording medium manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable to have a connecting portion that maintains the connected state.

  Thereby, the operation which displaces a material supply part and a carrying part to a 1st position and a 2nd position collectively can be performed easily.

  In the recording medium manufacturing apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the material supply unit and the support unit can take a separated state in which the connection state is released and separated at the second position.

  Thereby, the maintenance with respect to each of a material supply part and a holding | maintenance part can be easily performed independently (selectively).

In the recording medium manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the material supply unit includes: a discharge port that discharges the fiber-containing material toward the carrier in the connected state; and a discharge port shutter that closes the discharge port in the separated state. Have
The carrying portion communicates with the discharge port in the connected state, takes in the fiber-containing material from the discharge port, and the fiber-containing material taken in from the intake port at the first position. It is preferable to have a delivery port that feeds out toward the base material, and an intake port shutter that closes the intake port and the delivery port in the separated state.

  Thereby, scattering of the fiber-containing material in the separated state can be prevented. Moreover, the light exposure of a 2nd support body can be avoided and lifetime reduction can be suppressed.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main part of a recording medium manufacturing apparatus (first embodiment). FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a recording medium manufactured by the recording medium manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of a recording medium manufactured by the recording medium manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional side view sequentially illustrating the process of manufacturing the recording medium by the recording medium manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional side view sequentially illustrating the process of manufacturing the recording medium by the recording medium manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional side view sequentially illustrating the process of displacing the material supply unit with respect to the recording medium manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional side view sequentially illustrating the process of displacing the material supply unit with respect to the recording medium manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional side view sequentially illustrating the process of displacing the material supply unit with respect to the recording medium manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional side view sequentially illustrating the process of displacing the material supply unit with respect to the recording medium manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a region [B] surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a surface texture treatment unit provided in the recording medium manufacturing apparatus (second embodiment) of the present invention. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a surface texture treatment unit provided in the recording medium manufacturing apparatus (third embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the surface texture treatment unit provided in the recording medium manufacturing apparatus (fourth embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a vertical cross-sectional side view sequentially illustrating the process of displacing the material supply unit and the support unit with respect to the recording medium manufacturing apparatus (fifth embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a vertical cross-sectional side view sequentially illustrating the process of displacing the material supply unit and the support unit with respect to the recording medium manufacturing apparatus (fifth embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 18 is a vertical cross-sectional side view sequentially illustrating the process of displacing the material supply unit and the support unit with respect to the recording medium manufacturing apparatus (fifth embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 19 is a vertical cross-sectional side view sequentially illustrating the process of displacing the material supply unit and the support unit with respect to the recording medium manufacturing apparatus (fifth embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 20 is a vertical cross-sectional side view sequentially illustrating the process of displacing the carrier with respect to the recording medium manufacturing apparatus (sixth embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 21 is a vertical cross-sectional side view sequentially illustrating the process of displacing the carrier with respect to the recording medium manufacturing apparatus (sixth embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 22 is a vertical cross-sectional side view sequentially illustrating the process of displacing the holding unit with respect to the recording medium manufacturing apparatus (sixth embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 23 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a material supply unit included in the recording medium manufacturing apparatus (seventh embodiment) of the present invention. 24 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a state where the material supply unit shown in FIG. 23 is disassembled. FIG. 25 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a material supply unit included in the recording medium manufacturing apparatus (eighth embodiment) of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, a recording medium manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main part of a recording medium manufacturing apparatus (first embodiment). FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a recording medium manufactured by the recording medium manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of a recording medium manufactured by the recording medium manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 5 and 6 are vertical cross-sectional side views sequentially showing the process of manufacturing the recording medium by the recording medium manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 7 to 10 are vertical sectional side views sequentially showing the process of displacing the material supply unit with respect to the recording medium manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a region [B] surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. In the following, for convenience of explanation, there are drawings in which three coordinate axes orthogonal to each other, that is, the x axis, the y axis, and the z axis are drawn. In this drawing, the xy plane including the x axis and the y axis is the horizontal direction, and the z axis is the vertical direction. A direction parallel to the x-axis is also referred to as “x-axis direction (first direction)”, a direction parallel to the y-axis is also referred to as “y-axis direction (second direction)”, and a direction parallel to the z-axis. Is also referred to as “z-axis direction (third direction)”. The direction in which the arrow in each direction is directed is called “positive”, and the opposite direction is called “negative”. In the drawing in which the coordinate axes are drawn, the upper side may be referred to as “upper” or “upper”, and the lower side may be referred to as “lower” or “lower”. In the drawing in which the coordinate axes are drawn, the left side may be referred to as “upstream side” and the right side may be referred to as “downstream side”.

  The recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present invention applies (transfers) a fiber-containing material supplied from the material supply unit 2 and a material supply unit 2 that supplies a fiber-containing material containing cellulose fibers and a resin to a substrate. A recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 for forming an ink receiving layer 902 (recording layer) made of a fiber-containing material on a base material 901, the material supply unit 2 and the supporting unit 130. At least one of the portions 130 can be displaced between a first position where the ink receiving layer 902 (recording layer) can be formed and a second position retracted from the first position.

  As will be described later, for example, maintenance, inspection, cleaning, replenishment of material (fiber-containing material), repair to at least one of the material supply unit 2 and the support unit 130 (the material supply unit 2 in this embodiment), There are cases where various maintenance such as maintenance and replacement (including replacement of some parts) is desired. In this case, maintenance is easily performed at the second position by displacing the material supply unit 2 that is to be maintained, that is, the maintenance target, between the first position and the second position.

  An example of the recording medium 90 manufactured by the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 is the recording medium 90 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the recording medium 90 includes a sheet-like base material 901 and an ink receiving layer 902 formed on the base material 901. The unused recording medium 90 can be used after printing on the ink receiving layer 902. By this printing, various information is recorded in the ink receiving layer 902. In this way, the ink receiving layer 902 can also be referred to as a “recording layer” on which various types of information are recorded. The various information includes, for example, characters, symbols, figures, patterns, colors, or combinations thereof.

  In addition, the ink receiving layer 902 can also record a marking portion including information regarding the ink receiving layer 902. The marking portion may be a barcode (one-dimensional barcode), but is preferably a QR code (two-dimensional code) (“QR code” is a registered trademark).

  In addition, when the recording medium 90 that has been used after printing is no longer needed, the recording medium 90 is reused as waste paper. In this case, the ink receiving layer 902 is removed from the recording medium 90 to obtain the base material 901. Then, the ink receiving layer 902 is formed again on the substrate 901, whereby the unused recording medium 90 is reproduced (manufactured). The substrate 901 is not particularly limited. For example, the substrate 901 may be one obtained by removing the ink receiving layer 902 from a used recording medium 90, or a commercially available PPC (Plain Paper). Copier) paper. The ink receiving layer 902 can be removed by at least one of cutting, scraping, grinding, and polishing.

  First, before describing the configuration of each part of the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1, the recording medium 90 will be described.

  As described above, the recording medium 90 includes the base material 901 and the ink receiving layer 902.

  The base material 901 is, for example, the PPC paper. In addition, the base material 901 may be a recycled paper manufactured by defibrating used paper, or may be an OHP sheet (trend spare) used for an OHP (Over Head Projector). The base material 901 is flexible as described above, but is not limited thereto, and may be a rigid body. In the configuration shown in FIG. 2, the shape of the base material 901 in plan view (the shape seen from the thickness direction of the base material 901) is a rectangle, but is not limited thereto. When the base material 901 is rectangular in plan view, the size is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, A size or B size.

  The base material 901 has a blank portion 903 where the ink receiving layer 902 is not provided at least at a part of the edge of the base material 901 in plan view. In the configuration shown in FIG. 2, the blank portion 903 is provided in a strip shape over the entire periphery of the edge portion of the base material 901. By providing such a blank portion 903, for example, when the ink receiving layer 902 is removed when the recording medium 90 is reused, the ink receiving layer 902 can be easily removed from the blank portion 903. .

  In addition, the width of the blank portion 903 is preferably, for example, 1 mm to 10 mm, and more preferably 3 mm to 7 mm. If the width of the blank portion 903 is equal to or greater than the lower limit value, the ink receiving layer 902 can be easily removed from the blank portion 903. Further, if the width of the blank portion 903 is equal to or less than the upper limit value, the area of the ink receiving layer 902 on the base material 901 can be sufficiently ensured to be printable. In addition, although the blank part 903 is provided over the perimeter of the edge part of the base material 901, it is not limited to this, You may be provided in a part of edge part of the base material 901.

  An ink receiving layer 902 is provided on the substrate 901. In the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the ink receiving layer 902 is provided on one surface of the substrate 901 (the upper first surface 905 in FIG. 3). Further, the shape of the ink receiving layer 902 in plan view is a rectangle, but is not limited thereto.

  The ink receiving layer 902 is a portion that is printed by an inkjet method (for example, by an inkjet printer), and is a composite (fiber-containing material) that includes cellulose fibers and a hydrophobic material that covers at least part of the cellulose fibers. It is the fiber content layer comprised by these. Since such a fiber-containing layer is an ink receiving layer 902 that receives ink, the ink receiving layer 902 can easily receive and infiltrate ink ejected from the print head of the ink jet printer. As a result, the ink receiving layer 902 is printed. As described above, various kinds of information such as characters are recorded on the ink receiving layer 902 by printing. The composite that is a constituent material of the ink receiving layer 902 is a material used for recording information, and can also be referred to as an “information recording material”.

  For example, the thickness of the ink receiving layer 902 is preferably 20 μm or more and 100 μm or less, and more preferably 30 μm or more and 70 μm or less. If the thickness of the ink receiving layer 902 is equal to or more than the lower limit value, it is possible to suppress the ink ejected by the ink jet printer from penetrating to the base material 901 below the ink receiving layer 902. Further, if the thickness of the ink receiving layer 902 is equal to or less than the upper limit value, the manufacturing cost of the recording medium 90 can be suppressed. For example, when the thickness of the ink receiving layer 902 is greater than 50 μm, it is possible to obtain a recording medium 90 that is more excellent in ink absorbability and retention in the ink receiving layer 902.

  The ink receiving layer 902 is composed of a composite (fiber-containing material) containing cellulose fibers and a hydrophobic material covering at least a part of the cellulose fibers. As will be described later, the ink receiving layer 902 is obtained by applying a composite on the substrate 901 by electrostatic coating (coating using an electrostatic force) by a method similar to an electrophotographic method, and applying pressure and heating. It is formed. Cellulose fibers are fibers composed of cellulose. The cellulose fiber may be a natural fiber, a regenerated fiber, or a semi-synthetic fiber. In other words, for example, the cellulose fiber may be derived from virgin pulp, may be derived from a cellulose product such as paper (including waste paper, recycled paper, etc.), or cellulose as described above. Semi-synthetic fibers obtained by subjecting a material containing to chemical treatment may also be used. In the state before the hydrophobic material covers the cellulose fibers, the cellulose fibers may be powder fibers.

  In the present invention, the cellulose fiber is not particularly limited as long as it is mainly composed of cellulose (narrowly defined cellulose) as a compound and has a fibrous form, and includes hemicellulose and lignin in addition to cellulose (narrowly defined cellulose). It may be.

  The size of the cellulose fibers contained in the ink receiving layer 902 is preferably, for example, an average (number average) length (major axis) of 1 μm to 100 μm and a width (minor axis) of 1 μm to 30 μm. More preferably, the thickness is 5 μm or more and 30 μm or less, and the width is 5 μm or more and 20 μm or less. When the length of the cellulose fiber is made smaller than the lower limit value, the production cost of the cellulose fiber becomes high. However, the production cost can be suppressed within the above range. Furthermore, if the magnitude | size of a cellulose fiber is in the said numerical range, the length of a cellulose fiber can be adjusted with a dry system. If the length of a cellulose fiber is below the said upper limit, it can suppress that a cellulose fiber entangles. Thereby, the uniformity of the distribution of the charge amount of the powder composed of the composite forming the ink receiving layer 902 can be improved, and thus the composite can be uniformly electrostatically coated on the substrate 901. .

  In addition, the magnitude | size (length, width | variety) of a cellulose fiber is measured using the particle | grain image analyzer Morphologi G3 (Morphologi G3) by Malvern Instruments, for example. This apparatus is an apparatus for measuring particle size and particle shape by uniformly dispersing a sample by an automatic dry dispersion unit and analyzing a still image of the sample.

  The fiber-containing material constituting the ink receiving layer 902 includes a hydrophobic material, and the hydrophobic material covers at least a part of the cellulose fiber. The average aspect ratio of the cellulose fibers contained in the ink receiving layer 902 is preferably less than 3, and more preferably 2 or less. If the average aspect-ratio of a cellulose fiber is less than 3, it can suppress that a cellulose fiber entangles. As a result, the uniformity of the charge amount distribution of the powder composed of the composite forming the ink receiving layer 902 can be improved, and thus the composite can be uniformly electrostatically applied onto the substrate 901. . Moreover, by setting the average aspect ratio of the cellulose fiber to 2 or less, the ink receiving layer 902 can be made more suitable for the ink to permeate during printing. In this way, in particular, the ink absorbability of the ink receiving layer 902 can be increased. The average aspect ratio of the cellulose fiber is, for example, a value obtained by dividing the average length of the cellulose fiber measured by the particle image analyzer Morphogi G3 by the average width.

  In addition, it is preferable that the average length of a cellulose fiber is 1 micrometer or more and 100 micrometers or less. Thereby, in the recording medium 90, the length of a cellulose fiber can be made small by a dry system, and it can suppress that a cellulose fiber entangles. Thereby, the uniformity of the distribution of the charge amount of the powder composed of the composite forming the ink receiving layer 902 can be improved, and thus the composite can be uniformly electrostatically coated on the substrate 901. .

  The hydrophobic material is fused to the cellulose fiber by heat treatment, for example, to form a composite. The hydrophobic material may cover a part of the surface of the cellulose fiber or may cover the entire surface of the cellulose fiber. In addition, the hydrophobic material should just be a thing with hydrophobicity higher than a cellulose as a whole, for example, may contain the component (hydrophilic component with a low hydrophobicity) rather than a cellulose.

  The hydrophobic material binds cellulose fibers together to form a porous ink receiving layer 902. Also, by having hydrophobicity, the balance between hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity of the ink receiving layer 902 can be adjusted, and excessive wetting and spreading of the ink when ink is applied to the ink receiving layer 902 is suppressed. In addition, the ink absorbability in the ink receiving layer 902 can be made excellent. Furthermore, the hydrophobic material can make the charging property of the composite excellent in stability by coating the cellulose fiber. Thereby, the ink receiving layer 902 can be suitably formed by electrostatic coating. For example, in a cellulose fiber that is not coated with a hydrophobic material, the chargeability is likely to change depending on the environment (specifically, humidity), and it may be difficult to form the ink receiving layer 902 by electrostatic coating. In addition, cellulose fibers that are not coated with a hydrophobic material have high affinity with ink, and the ink may ooze. By covering the hydrophobic material with cellulose, the chargeability of the cellulose fiber can be stabilized, and ink bleeding can be suppressed.

  The hydrophobic material includes at least a resin. The resin binds cellulose fibers together to form a porous ink receiving layer 902. In the state before coating the cellulose fiber, the resin may be in powder form. The content of the resin in the ink receiving layer 902 is preferably 10% by mass or more and less than 40% by mass, and more preferably 15% by mass or more and 30% by mass or less.

  The hydrophobic material has a function of binding cellulose fibers together, and also has a function of stabilizing the charging characteristics of the composite by covering the cellulose fibers. The hydrophobic material is generally composed of a resin as described later. This resin may be positively charged or negatively charged, but is preferably negatively charged. In general, negatively chargeable resins are particularly excellent in stability of charging characteristics. In addition, negatively chargeable resins are more abundant than positively chargeable resins, and resin properties (for example, melting point, glass transition temperature, bonding strength with cellulose fibers, charge amount, degree of hydrophobicity, etc.) ) Can be easily adjusted, and is advantageous from the viewpoint of reducing the manufacturing cost of the recording medium 90.

  As the resin constituting the hydrophobic material, for example, a thermoplastic resin, a curable resin, or the like can be used, but it is preferable to use a thermoplastic resin. In particular, if the hydrophobic material contains a thermoplastic resin, generally more stable charging characteristics (particularly negative chargeability) can be obtained. If the hydrophobic material contains a curable resin, the heat resistance and durability of the recording medium 90 can be made particularly excellent. Accordingly, the hydrophobic material may include a thermoplastic resin and a curable resin in addition to the thermoplastic resin alone.

  Examples of the thermoplastic resin include AS resin, ABS resin, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyolefin such as ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), modified polyolefin, acrylic resin such as polymethyl methacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, and polyethylene. Polyesters such as terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, nylon 6, nylon 46, nylon 66, nylon 610, nylon 612, nylon 11, nylon 12, nylon 6-12, nylon 6-66 and other polyamides (nylon), polyphenylene ether, polyacetal , Polyether, polyphenylene oxide, polyether ether ketone, polycarbonate, polyphenylene sulfide, thermoplastic polyimide, polyether imide, aromatic polymer Liquid crystalline polymers such as esters, various thermoplastic elastomers such as styrene, polyolefin, polyvinyl chloride, polyurethane, polyester, polyamide, polybutadiene, trans polyisoprene, fluororubber, chlorinated polyethylene, etc. 1 type selected from these, or 2 or more types can be used in combination. Preferably, as the thermoplastic resin, polyester or one containing the same is used.

  For example, the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the thermoplastic resin is preferably 50 ° C. or higher and 200 ° C. or lower, and more preferably 55 ° C. or higher and 160 ° C. or lower. If the glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic resin is equal to or higher than the lower limit, it is possible to suppress the ink receiving layer 902 from being peeled off by heating to the extent of friction, and to suppress the strength of the ink receiving layer 902 from being lowered. it can. If the glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic resin is equal to or lower than the upper limit value, for example, when the composite that becomes the ink receiving layer 902 is heated and pressed to be fixed, the recording medium 90 needs to be heated to a temperature higher than the upper limit value. It is possible to prevent the cellulose fibers from being damaged by heat. Further, as described above, also when the ink receiving layer 902 is peeled off, the ink receiving layer 902 can be softened by heating, and at that time, it is not necessary to heat the recording medium 90 to a temperature higher than the upper limit value. .

  Examples of the curable resin include a thermosetting resin, a photocurable resin, and the like. More specifically, a phenol resin, an epoxy resin, a melamine resin, a urea resin, an unsaturated polyester resin, an alkyd resin, and a urethane resin. (Polyurethane), an acrylic resin, etc. are mentioned, It can use combining 1 type (s) or 2 or more types selected from these.

  When the content of the resin (thermoplastic resin) in the ink receiving layer 902 (fiber-containing layer) is Wa, Wa is preferably 10% by mass or more and less than 40% by mass, and 15% by mass or more and 30% by mass. The following is more preferable. If content Wa is more than the said lower limit, the binding force of a cellulose fiber can be ensured and it can suppress that a cellulose fiber falls from the ink receiving layer 902. If the content Wa is less than the above upper limit value, it is possible to suppress the ink receiving layer 902 from becoming too hydrophobic and repel the ink, and the print quality can be improved. Whether the composite is in a state before being deposited on the substrate 901 or in a state in which the complex is deposited on the substrate 901 to form the ink receiving layer 902, the content Wa is It is preferable to be within the numerical range.

  The hydrophobic material may contain a charge control agent (charge control agent). Thereby, the composite used as the ink receiving layer 902 can have stable chargeability and greater chargeability. Whether or not the composite contains a charge control agent can be confirmed not only by a change in the charge amount of the composite but also by a decrease in the angle of repose of the composite. The charge control agent may have a function as an aggregation inhibitor that suppresses aggregation of the complex. In the hydrophobic material, at least a part of the charge control agent is usually exposed on the surface of the resin. Thereby, the effect by including a charge control agent is exhibited more effectively.

  Examples of the charge control agent include silica (silicon dioxide), titanium oxide, aluminum oxide, zinc oxide, cerium oxide, magnesium oxide, zirconium oxide, strontium titanate, barium titanate, calcium carbonate, metal salt of benzoic acid, and salicylic acid. Metal salts, alkylsalicylic acid metal salts, catechol metal salts, metal-containing bisazo dyes, nigrosine dyes, tetraphenylborate derivatives, quaternary ammonium salts, alkylpyridinium salts, chlorinated polyesters, nitrofunnic acid, etc. One or two or more selected from can be used in combination.

  The charge control agent may be subjected to surface treatment for the purpose of adjusting charging characteristics, adjusting hydrophobicity, and the like. For the surface treatment of the charge control agent, for example, a silane compound can be used. Thereby, a hydrophobic treatment can be suitably performed on the charge control agent. Examples of the silane compound used for the hydrophobic treatment of the charge control agent include alkylsilanes such as trimethylsilane, dimethylsilane, triethylsilane, triisopropylsilane, and triisobutylsilane, and silanes such as vinyltrimethoxysilane and vinyltriethoxysilane. A coupling agent etc. are mentioned.

  The form of the charge control agent is not particularly limited, but is preferably in the form of particles (fine particles). The volume-based average particle diameter (volume average particle diameter) of the charge control agent is, for example, preferably from 1 nm to 100 nm, and more preferably from 5 nm to 50 nm. If the particle size of the charge control agent is within the above numerical range, a better charging effect can be obtained. Furthermore, when the particle size of the charge control agent is within the above numerical range, coating can be performed more favorably on the resin surface. The volume average particle diameter of the charge control agent can be determined by, for example, a laser diffraction / scattering method or a dynamic light scattering method.

  The content of the charge control agent is preferably 0.5 parts by mass or more and 10 parts by mass or less, and preferably 1 part by mass or more and 5 parts by mass or less with respect to 100 parts by mass of the cellulose fiber and resin mixture. Is more preferable. If the range of the content of the charge control agent is within the above numerical range, the composite that becomes the ink receiving layer 902 can exhibit better and more stable chargeability.

  The hydrophobic material may include a white pigment. Thereby, the whiteness of the ink receiving layer 902 can be adjusted suitably. For example, the white pigment can form the ink receiving layer 902 with high whiteness even when the low-whiteness base material 901 or cellulose fibers with low whiteness is used, and the appearance of printing ( Quality).

  Examples of the white pigment material include inorganic pigments such as calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, barium sulfate, lithopone, aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, antimony trioxide, titanium phosphate, zinc oxide, white lead, zirconium oxide, polystyrene, styrene- Examples thereof include organic fine powders such as divinylbenzene copolymer, and one or two or more selected from these can be used in combination. Preferably, titanium dioxide or calcium carbonate is used as the white pigment.

  As a compounding quantity of a white pigment, it is preferable that it is 1 to 30 mass parts with respect to 90 mass parts of resin, and it is more preferable that it is 3 to 20 mass parts. Thereby, it is possible to more suitably increase the whiteness of the ink receiving layer 902 while suppressing an increase in manufacturing cost of the recording medium 90. The white pigment may be arranged either on the surface or inside of the resin.

  For example, when 90 parts by weight of polyester is mixed with 10 parts by weight of calcium carbonate, which is a white pigment, in a hopper and then charged into a twin-screw kneading extruder and melt-kneaded to produce white resin pellets. The ink receiving layer 902 formed from resin pellets has higher whiteness.

  The hydrophobic material may contain components other than those described above. For example, the hydrophobic material may include pigments and dyes other than white pigments. In this case, colored paper can be easily obtained at low cost by electrostatic coating.

  The absolute value of the average charge amount of the composite forming the ink receiving layer 902 is preferably 3 μC / g or more. When the absolute value of the average charge amount of the composite is higher, the composite can be easily attached onto the substrate 901 by electrostatic coating, and the ink receiving layer 902 can be formed. The charge amount of the composite can be measured by friction charging the composites. The charge amount can be measured, for example, by stirring (mixing) a powder called a standard carrier and a composite in the air and measuring the charge amount of the powder. As a standard carrier, for example, a spherical carrier having a ferrite core surface-treated, which can be purchased from the Imaging Society of Japan (standard carrier for positively charged or negatively charged polarity toner, available as “P-01 or N-01”). Standard carriers for positively charged polarity toners or negatively charged polarity toners, ferrite carriers available from Powder Tech Co., etc. can be used. More specifically, the average charge amount of the composite can be determined, for example, as follows. The mixed powder of 80% by mass of the carrier and 20% by mass of the composite is put into an acrylic container, and the container is placed on a ball mill frame at 100 rpm for 60 seconds, and the container is rotated. Body). The absolute value of the average charge amount can be obtained by measuring the mixed composite and carrier mixture with a suction-type small charge amount measuring device (for example, “Model 210Hs-2” manufactured by Trek).

  For example, a powder composed of cellulose fibers having an average length (major axis) of 18 μm and an average width (minor axis) of 9 μm and a polyester resin (glass transition temperature: 56 ° C., molecular weight: 10,000), and having a particle diameter of 1 μm to 40 μm. The body was mixed in air at a ratio of 2: 8 (weight ratio), and then the polyester resin was fused to cellulose fibers by heat treatment to form a composite. Next, silicon dioxide fine particles whose surface is hydrophobized are added to the composite so that the weight ratio is 1.5%, and the mixture is put into a table-top blender and stirred for 60 seconds at a blade tip speed of 30 m / s. Processed. In addition, the effect of the hydrophobized inorganic fine particles can be confirmed by a decrease in the angle of repose and a change in charge amount. Usually, cellulose fiber is a material that is relatively easy to be positively charged, but it becomes easy to be negatively charged by forming a composite with a polyester resin and coating the composite with inorganic fine particles. In this case, the average charge amount is −6 μC / g.

  Next, the configuration of each part of the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 11, an ink receiving layer forming unit 13, a surface property processing unit 14, an ink receiving layer solidifying unit 15, and a transport unit 16. Yes.

  The control unit 11 is a control device that controls the operation of each unit of the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1. The control unit 11 includes a CPU (central processing unit) 111 and a storage unit 112. The storage unit 112 stores a control program for controlling the operation, various data, and the like.

  Although not shown, the control unit 11 preferably includes an input unit such as a keyboard or a touch panel and an image display unit such as an LCD monitor. The operating conditions of each part to be described later may be input in advance to the control program, or may be input each time via the input part. This input information can also be confirmed via the image display unit. The control unit 11 may be provided with a connection unit to which an input unit and an image display unit are connected.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the transport unit 16 transports the base material 901 before the ink receiving layer 902 is formed or the base material 901 (the recording medium 90) on which the ink receiving layer 902 is formed. Is.

  The transport unit 16 includes a transport roller 163. The transport roller 163 is configured to be transported while sandwiching the base material 901 between the two as a pair. In addition, each pair of transport rollers 163 is arranged at intervals along the transport direction of the base material 901. In addition, it is preferable that the space | interval of each adjacent conveyance roller 163 is smaller than the length of the base material 901 in the x-axis direction (conveyance direction).

And the base material 901 can be conveyed by each conveyance roller 163 rotating in the arrow (alpha) ₁₆₃ direction, respectively. In the present embodiment, the transport unit 16 does not need to be a drive roller in which all the transport rollers 163 are connected to a motor, and any transport roller 163 can be a drive roller as long as the substrate 901 can be transported. It is optional. Moreover, the conveyance part 16 is comprised so that change of the conveyance speed which conveys the base material 901 is possible. The changing method is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a method of adjusting a voltage applied to a motor connected to the transport roller 163.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the substrate 901 before the ink receiving layer 902 is formed is supplied from the tray 17 to the transport unit 16. This supply may be performed automatically or manually. Moreover, it is preferable to supply the base material 901 to the conveyance part 16 for every sheet (every leaf). Further, the base material 901 on which the ink receiving layer 902 is formed is separately collected from the transport unit 16 on the downstream side in the transport direction. This collection may also be performed automatically or manually.

  In the middle of the substrate 901 in the transport direction, the ink receiving layer forming unit 13 is disposed. The ink receiving layer forming unit 13 is an apparatus that forms the ink receiving layer 902 on the substrate 901 with a fiber-containing material (a composite that becomes the ink receiving layer 902). The ink receiving layer forming unit 13 includes a material supply unit 2 having a first carrier 24 and the like, a carrier 130 having a second carrier (photoconductor) 131, a charging unit 132, an exposure unit 133, and a transfer unit. 134, and an apparatus for forming the ink receiving layer 902 on the substrate 901 by electrostatic coating.

  The material supply unit 2 moves and attaches the fiber-containing material to the outer peripheral surface 131 a of the second carrier 131. The material supply unit 2 includes a storage unit 21, an agitator 22, a supply roller 23, a first carrier 24, a blade 25, and a housing 26.

The storage unit 21 stores a powdery fiber-containing material therein.
The stirrer 22 can rotate in the direction of arrow α ₂₂ (counterclockwise) in the storage unit 21. Thereby, the fiber-containing material can be stirred and charged in the storage unit 21. This fiber-containing material is supplied to the first carrier 24 via the supply roller 23 that rotates in the direction of the arrow α ₂₃ (clockwise).

The first carrier 24 is a roller that carries the fiber-containing material discharged from the storage unit 21. The first bearing member 24 has a potential difference between the fiber-containing material supplied through the supply roller 23, while rotating in an arrow alpha ₂₄ (clockwise), fiber-containing material is electrostatically adhered .

  The blade 25 adjusts the thickness (attachment amount) of the fiber-containing material attached on the first carrier 24 to form a thin film, which is triboelectrically charged.

  Further, the fiber-containing material on the first carrier 24 moves and adheres to the outer peripheral surface 131 a of the second carrier 131 due to the potential difference between the first carrier 24 and the second carrier 131. Moreover, the electric potential of the 1st support body 24 and the 2nd support body 131 is set suitably. The setting of the potential is controlled by the control unit 11.

  The housing 26 has a box shape, for example, and is a storage unit that stores therein the storage unit 21 containing the stirrer 22, the supply roller 23, the first carrier 24, and the blade 25.

The carrier 130 has a second carrier 131. The second carrier 131 is a roller for carrying the fiber-containing material transferred from the first carrier 24 on the outer peripheral surface 131 a and transferring the fiber-containing material to the base material 901. The second carrier 131 is connected to a motor and can rotate in the direction of arrow α ₁₃₁ (counterclockwise). As a result, the second carrier 131 can stably transfer the fiber-containing material to the base material 901 while rotating in the direction of the arrow α _{131 as the} base material 901 is conveyed. In addition, the 2nd support body 131 is comprised so that the rotational speed can be changed. This changing method is not particularly limited, and for example, it is possible to change the voltage applied to the motor connected to the second carrier 131. In addition, the outer peripheral surface 131a of the second carrier 131 is preferably formed of, for example, an organic photoreceptor. The rotation of the second carrier 131 is controlled by the control unit 11. The second carrier 131 is preferably grounded via an earth wire (not shown).

  As described above, in the ink receiving layer forming unit 13, the material supply unit 2 includes the storage unit 21 that stores the fiber-containing material, and the first carrier 24 that supports the fiber-containing material discharged from the storage unit 21. The supporting unit 130 includes a second supporting member 131 that supports the fiber-containing material transferred from the first supporting member 24. Thereby, the transfer of the fiber-containing material to the base material 901 can be performed smoothly and quickly.

On the outer side of the second bearing member 131, along the arrow alpha ₁₃₁ toward the second bearing member 131, a charging unit 132, exposure unit 133, the material supply unit 2, and the transfer unit 134 are arranged in this order.

The charging unit 132 is a roller that uniformly charges the outer peripheral surface 131 a of the second carrier 131 while rotating in the direction of arrow α ₁₃₂ (clockwise) with the rotation of the second carrier 131. In the present embodiment, the charging unit 132 can charge the outer peripheral surface 131a of the second carrier 131 to a negative potential, for example. The charging unit 132 can be configured by, for example, a corona charger that irradiates ozone, a charging brush, a charging film, or the like. The operation of the charging unit 132 is controlled by the control unit 11.

The exposure unit 133 exposes the outer peripheral surface 131a of the second carrier 131 and adjusts the potential of the outer peripheral surface 131a of the second carrier 131. In the present embodiment, the exposure unit 133 irradiates the outer peripheral surface 131a of the second carrier 131 with the laser beam LB ₁₃₃ and adjusts the potential so that the fiber-containing material moves and adheres to the outer peripheral surface 131a of the second carrier 131. can do. The potential can be adjusted, for example, by gradually charging a part of the outer peripheral surface 131a of the uniformly charged second carrier 131. The operation of the exposure unit 133 is controlled by the control unit 11.

The transfer unit 134 is disposed below the second carrier 131 and can sandwich the base material 901 with the second carrier 131. Accordingly, the fiber-containing material attached to the outer peripheral surface 131a of the second carrier 131 can be transferred to the base material 901. The transfer unit 134 is an idle roller that rotates in the direction of arrow α ₁₃₄ (clockwise), and forms a transfer nip 135 that is a gap (space) with the second carrier 131. The outer peripheral surface 134a of the transfer unit 134 has a predetermined potential. Accordingly, in the transfer nip 135, a potential difference is generated between the second carrier 131 and the transfer unit 134, and thus the fiber-containing material on the second carrier 131 is electrostatically moved to the transfer unit 134 side. And transferred to the substrate 901. Then, the transferred fiber-containing material is formed into a layer shape with the movement of the base material 901 and becomes the ink receiving layer 902. The transfer unit 134 has a function as a transport roller that transports the base material 901 together with the transport roller 163 of the transport unit 16. On the transfer unit 134 (transfer nip 135), the conveyance direction CD ₁₃₁ of the fiber-containing material by the second carrier 131 is the same as the conveyance direction CD _{16 of the} substrate 901 by the conveyance unit 16 (FIG. 5).

  As described above, the transfer unit 134 transfers the fiber-containing material by the electrostatic force generated by the potential difference with the second carrier 131. In this way, the fiber-containing material can be easily and properly attached to the base material 901 by a simple method of using electrostatic force (electrostatic coating). Further, the use of electrostatic coating contributes to downsizing and noise reduction of the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1.

  With respect to the ink receiving layer forming portion 13, the surface texture processing portion 14 is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction of the base material 901, that is, on the positive side in the x-axis direction.

  By the way, the ink receiving layer 902 immediately after being formed by the ink receiving layer forming portion 13 is in a state in which various types of unevenness such as unevenness in the stripes, waviness, etc. (hereinafter, “represented by unevenness in stripes”) have occurred. Such a state depends on the degree, but for example, the ink reception in the ink receiving layer 902 may be somewhat inhibited. Therefore, it is necessary to perform a process for adjusting the surface texture on the ink receiving layer 902 where the unevenness has occurred, and the surface texture process is performed by the surface texture processing unit 14. In the present embodiment, as the surface texture treatment, a leveling treatment for leveling the surface 902a of the ink receiving layer 902, a pressure treatment for pressing the ink receiving layer 902, and a semi-solidification for semi-solidifying the surface 902a of the ink receiving layer 902. Processing. The cause of unevenness in the ink receiving layer 902 is, for example, due to an assembly error between components constituting the ink receiving layer forming portion 13 (for example, an error in the driving gear pitch during layer formation or transfer), or during transfer. And the like due to the ink receiving layer 902 being broken by the transfer vibration after transfer.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the surface texture treatment unit 14 includes a leveling treatment unit 3, a pressure treatment unit 4, and a semi-solidification treatment unit 5. Further, the leveling processing unit 3, the pressure processing unit 4, and the semi-solidification processing unit 5 are arranged in this order along the conveyance direction of the base material 901.

  As described above, the surface texture treatment includes a leveling process (flattening process) in which the surface 902a of the ink receiving layer 902 is leveled and flattened, that is, smoothed. By the leveling process, the surface 902a of the ink receiving layer 902 can be made smooth.

  In the surface texture processing unit 14, the leveling processing is performed by the leveling processing unit 3. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 11, the leveling processing unit 3 includes a leveling roller 31 and a support roller 32.

Leveling roller 31 can be rotated by a drive source and a motor (not shown), the arrow alpha ₃₁ direction (counter-clockwise) about the y-axis. Further, the leveling roller 31 can contact the surface 902 a of the ink receiving layer 902. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, leveling roller 31, the tangential velocity at the point of contact with the surface 902a and _{V 31,} when the speed at which the transport unit 16 transports the substrate 901 was _{V 16,} V ₃₁ <rotation so as to satisfy the _{V 16} the relationship is adjusted. Thus, the surface 902a of the ink-receiving layer 902, as you move in the x-axis direction positive side, with fine irregularities or the like to form a stripe unevenness is crushed, fiber-containing material is pushed back to the upstream side in the conveying direction CD ₁₆ It is. As a result, the surface 902a of the ink receiving layer 902 is smoothed (flattened), with undulations, irregularities and the like being reduced. Further, the material pushed back from the ink receiving layer 902 may be separately collected and discarded, or may be reused. Further, the rotation of the leveling roller 31 is controlled by the control unit 11.

  In addition, it is preferable that the outer peripheral surface of the leveling roller 31 is made of a metal material such as stainless steel. Moreover, the surface roughness (centerline average roughness Ra) of the outer peripheral surface of the leveling roller 31 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.1 μm or more and 100 μm or less, for example.

  The ink receiving layer 902 is charged with static electricity generated by friction with the leveling roller 31. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the leveling roller 31 is grounded via the ground wire 33. As a result, the leveling roller 31 can be neutralized, and therefore the fiber-containing material powder constituting the ink receiving layer 902 can be prevented from adhering to the leveling roller 31. As described above, the surface property processing unit 14 can perform static elimination on the ink receiving layer 902 (recording layer) while the substrate 901 is being conveyed.

The support roller 32 is disposed below the leveling roller 31. The support roller 32 is an idle roller that rotates around the y axis in the direction of arrow α ₃₂ (clockwise). As a result, the support roller 32 can support the substrate 901 on which the ink receiving layer 902 is formed from below, and thus sufficiently performs a leveling process (flattening process) on the surface 902a of the ink receiving layer 902. be able to. In addition, the support roller 32 has a function as a conveyance roller which conveys the base material 901 with the conveyance roller 163 of the conveyance part 16.

In the surface texture processing unit 14, the pressurizing process is performed by the pressurizing process unit 4. As shown in FIG. 6, the pressure processing unit 4 is a calendar machine having two pressure rollers 41 whose outer peripheral part 411 is made of a metal material such as stainless steel. These two pressure rollers 41 are arranged at the top and bottom and are idle rollers that rotate in the direction of arrow α ₄₁ . When the ink receiving layer 902 passes between the two pressure rollers 41, the ink receiving layer 902 can be pressed in a direction in which the layer thickness decreases. As a result, pressure treatment is performed, and thus the fiber-containing materials are bonded to each other in the ink receiving layer 902. Further, in the pressurized ink receiving layer 902, the density of the fiber-containing material is increased and the density is also made uniform. The force with which the two pressure rollers 41 press the ink receiving layer 902 is, for example, a strong pressure of preferably 10 kg or more and 2000 kg or less, more preferably 100 kg or more and 800 kg or less. In addition, although pressurization with respect to the ink receiving layer 902 is once in this embodiment, it is not limited to this, For example, you may perform in steps over multiple times. The two pressure rollers 41 have a function as a transport roller that transports the base material 901 together with the transport roller 163 of the transport unit 16. Further, the two pressure rollers 41 may be configured such that the distance between the centers is variable. Thereby, a pressurizing force can be adjusted. This adjustment is also controlled by the control unit 11.

  In the surface property processing unit 14, the semi-solidification processing is performed by the semi-solidification processing unit 5. As shown in FIG. 6, the semi-solidification processing unit 5 includes a chamber 51 and a heater 52.

  The chamber 51 has a heat insulating wall 511 made of a heat insulating material. The chamber 51 has an inlet 512 and an outlet 513. Accordingly, the base material 901 can pass through the chamber 51 together with the ink receiving layer 902.

  The heater 52 is disposed on the upper side in the chamber 51. The heater 52 is preferably composed of a heating element that generates heat when energized. For example, a halogen heater (halogen lamp) can be used. Thereby, the ink receiving layer 902 is heated in a non-contact manner from above while passing through the chamber 51. By this heating, the thermoplastic resin is once melted on the surface 902a side of the ink receiving layer 902. When the ink receiving layer 902 comes out of the chamber 51, the molten thermoplastic resin is naturally cooled, bound, and solidified, for example. By this solidification, a thin film is formed on the surface 902a with respect to the thickness of the ink receiving layer 902. By this film formation, for example, the fiber-containing material scatters from the ink receiving layer 902 due to static electricity generated by contact with the ink receiving layer solidified portion 15 disposed next to the surface texture processing portion 14, or the ink receiving layer due to vibration caused by conveyance. It is possible to prevent the shape of 902 from collapsing.

In addition, the heating temperature in the semi-solidification process part 5 is more than the said glass transition temperature of a thermoplastic resin, for example, Preferably it is more than melting | fusing point of a thermoplastic resin. The heating temperature is controlled by the control unit 11. The heating time in the half solidification part 5, for example, a distance that the inside of the chamber 51 is the ink-receiving layer 902 moves is determined in relation to the velocity V _16.

The ink receiving layer solidifying unit 15 is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction of the base material 901 with respect to the surface property processing unit 14, that is, on the positive side in the x-axis direction. The ink receiving layer solidifying unit 15 has two solidifying rollers 151. These two solidification rollers 151 are arranged vertically and rotate in the direction of arrow α ₁₅₁ . Each solidifying roller 151 has a built-in heater 152. The heater 152 is preferably composed of a heating element that generates heat when energized. For example, a halogen heater (halogen lamp) can be used. Then, when the ink receiving layer 902 passes between the two solidifying rollers 151, the ink receiving layer 902 can be heated and pressed against the ink receiving layer 902 in a direction in which the layer thickness decreases. Thereby, the thermoplastic resin in the ink receiving layer 902 can be fully melted as a whole. Then, after the ink receiving layer 902 has passed between the two solidifying rollers 151, the molten thermoplastic resin is naturally cooled, bonded, and solidified, for example. Thereby, the ink receiving layer 902 solidified without excess or deficiency is formed, and thus the ink receiving layer 902 can be fixed to the base material 901. The force with which the two solidifying rollers 151 press the ink receiving layer 902 is, for example, preferably 10 kg to 2000 kg, more preferably 100 kg to 800 kg. The temperature for heating the ink receiving layer 902 is preferably 100 ° C. or higher and 200 ° C. or lower, and more preferably 120 ° C. or higher and 180 ° C. or lower. In addition, the temperature which heats the ink receiving layer 902 is not limited to the said numerical range, It can also change according to the kind of thermoplastic resin. In this case, it is preferable to heat until the thermoplastic resin is softened or melted.

  Moreover, the heating temperature by the upper solidification roller 151 of the two solidification rollers 151 and the heating temperature by the lower solidification roller 151 may be the same or different. Further, the lower solidification roller 151 may be one in which the heater 152 is omitted. Further, the two solidifying rollers 151 each have a function as a transport roller that transports the base material 901 together with the transport roller 163 of the transport unit 16. Further, the two solidifying rollers 151 may be configured so that the distance between the centers is variable. Thereby, a pressurizing force can be adjusted. This adjustment is also controlled by the control unit 11.

  Further, the ink receiving layer 902 may be solidified in multiple stages. In this case, a plurality of sets of two solidification rollers 151 can be installed along the x-axis direction. Then, the heating temperature in each group may be lowered or raised toward the positive side in the x-axis direction. Further, the applied pressure in each set may be lowered or raised toward the positive side in the x-axis direction. Furthermore, you may combine these conditions suitably.

  The ink receiving layer solidifying unit 15 can solidify the ink receiving layer 902 by heating and pressurizing, and thus the recording medium 90 can be obtained as the ink receiving layer 902 fixed to the substrate 901. . The recording medium 90 can be printed on the ink receiving layer 902 and is discharged from the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1.

  In the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1, it is preferable to perform various maintenance such as replacement, repair, maintenance, and inspection for the material supply unit 2 when the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 is used for a long period of time. Therefore, the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 is configured to be able to perform the various maintenance operations on the material supply unit 2. Hereinafter, this configuration and operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 7 to 10.

  The material supply unit 2 is a cartridge that can take the state shown in FIG. 5 and the state shown in FIGS. 7 to 10 moved from the state shown in FIG. In the state shown in FIG. 5, the material supply unit 2 is located at the first position where the ink receiving layer 902 (recording layer) can be formed. On the other hand, in the state shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the material supply unit 2 is displaced from the first position to the second position.

  The ink receiving layer forming unit 13 is provided with a support unit 6 that enables displacement between the first position and the second position of the material supply unit 2. The support part 6 supports the material supply part 2 movably in the x-axis direction (horizontal direction) and the second guide part 61 supports the material supply part 2 movably in the z-axis direction (vertical direction). And a guide part 62.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the first position, the material supply unit 2 is in a loaded state loaded in the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1, and the fiber-containing material is transferred to the second carrier 131 so that the ink for the base material 901 is transferred. The receiving layer 902 can be formed. When maintenance is performed, the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 is brought into a state where the formation of the ink receiving layer 902 is stopped, and the material supply unit 2 is displaced to the second position. This operation, as shown in FIG. 7, x-axis direction negative side and along the material supply unit 2 to the first guide portion 61, i.e., moves in the arrow alpha ₆₁ direction. Next, as shown in FIG. 8, z axis direction positive side by along the material supply unit 2 to the second guide section 62, i.e., is moved in the arrow alpha ₆₂ direction, finally, the material supply section 2 It can be detached from the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1. As described above, the material supply unit 2 is in a detached state in which the material supply unit 2 can be detached from the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 at the second position. Then, maintenance can be performed on the material supply unit 2 in the detached state. In addition, since the material supply unit 2 is in the detached state, for example, maintenance and the like can be easily performed as compared with the state where the material supply unit 2 is supported by the second guide unit 62.

  As described above, the types of maintenance include, for example, maintenance, inspection, cleaning, replenishment of materials (fiber-containing materials), repair, maintenance, replacement (including replacement of some parts), and the like. When the material supply unit 2 fails due to, for example, deterioration over time, the material supply unit 2 is replaced or repaired. In addition, when the fiber-containing material stored in the storage unit of the material supply unit 2 is used up, that is, when the material is empty, the material supply unit 2 is replaced. In addition, when the material supply unit 2 is prevented from malfunctioning or the like, the material supply unit 2 is serviced or inspected.

  Of the material supply unit 2 and the second carrier 131 (support unit 130), the one that can be displaced between the first position and the second position, that is, in this embodiment, the material supply unit 2 is in a new state in a detached state. The material supply unit 2 can be replaced. Thereby, replacement | exchange of the material supply part 2 at the time of failure and replacement | exchange of the material supply part 2 when a fiber containing material becomes empty can be performed easily and rapidly.

  In addition to being exchangeable in the detached state, the material supply unit 2 can be repaired, maintained, and inspected in the detached state. Thereby, inspection, repair, maintenance, etc. can be performed easily and quickly.

After the maintenance, as shown in FIG. 9, the material supply unit 2 is moved along the second guide unit 62 in the negative z-axis direction, that is, in the direction of arrow β ₆₂ opposite to the direction of arrow α ₆₂ . Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the material supply unit 2 is moved along the first guide unit 61 in the x-axis direction positive side, that is, in the direction of arrow β ₆₁ opposite to the direction of arrow α ₆₁ . Thereby, the material supply unit 2 returns to the first position and is positioned at the first position. Thereafter, the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 can be used continuously.

  The ink receiving layer forming unit 13 is preferably provided with a lock unit (not shown) for fixing the material supply unit 2 in the first position. Thereby, for example, even if the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 in the process of manufacturing the recording medium 90 is vibrated by the operation of each part, the positional deviation of the material supply unit 2 can be prevented. The receiving layer 902 can be formed stably. Further, when the material supply unit 2 is moved to the second position, the fixed state by the lock unit can be released.

  Further, the replacement of the material supply unit 2 includes replacement for manufacturing various recording media 90 in addition to replacement at the time of failure and replacement when the fiber-containing material becomes empty. This will be described below.

A plurality of types (for example, six types) of material supply units 2 are prepared.
The first material supply unit 2 (hereinafter referred to as “cartridge A”) stores a fiber-containing material in which the ratio of cellulose fiber to resin in the fiber-containing material is 9: 1 by weight. The resin before coating the cellulose fibers is a polyester powder having an average particle size of 12 μm.

  The second material supply unit 2 (hereinafter referred to as “cartridge B”) stores a fiber-containing material in which the ratio of cellulose fiber to resin in the fiber-containing material is 8: 2 by weight. The resin before coating the cellulose fibers is a polyester powder having an average particle size of 12 μm.

  The third material supply unit 2 (hereinafter referred to as “cartridge C”) stores a fiber-containing material in which the ratio of cellulose fiber to resin in the fiber-containing material is 2: 8 by weight.

  The fourth material supply unit 2 (hereinafter referred to as “cartridge D”) stores a material in which a pigment as a coloring material is dispersed in a polyester powder having an average particle diameter of 12 μm. Examples of the color of the pigment include yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), and are appropriately selected from these.

  In the fifth material supply unit 2 (hereinafter referred to as “cartridge E”), the ratio of cellulose fiber to resin in the fiber-containing material is 9: 1 by weight, and the pigment as a colorant is dispersed. The fiber-containing material is stored. The resin before coating the cellulose fibers is a polyester powder having an average particle size of 12 μm.

  In the sixth material supply unit 2 (hereinafter referred to as “cartridge F”), the ratio of the cellulose fiber to the resin in the fiber-containing material is 8: 2 by weight, and the pigment as the color material is dispersed. The fiber-containing material is stored. The resin before coating the cellulose fibers is a polyester powder having an average particle size of 12 μm.

  For example, when the cartridge A is loaded in the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1, a recording medium 90 having an ink receiving layer 902 suitable mainly for printing characters is obtained. Further, the ink receiving layer 902 can be relatively easily peeled off from the base material 901 when the recording medium 90 is used. In addition, the cartridge A is inexpensive because the ratio of the resin in the fiber-containing material is relatively small.

  Even if the cartridge A is not used up, the cartridge B can be loaded in the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 instead of the cartridge A. In this case, a recording medium 90 having an ink receiving layer 902 suitable for printing an image having a relatively high ink dot arrangement density such as a graphic image or a photographic image is obtained. In addition, the ink receiving layer 902 is prevented from lowering in strength even when holding ink, and has excellent wear resistance. Moreover, it is excellent also in antifouling property.

  Further, for example, it is possible to manufacture a recording medium 90 in which a plurality of (two in the illustrated configuration) ink receiving layers 902 as shown in FIG. 4 are laminated. In this case, first, the cartridge C is loaded into the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1, and the first ink receiving layer 902 (hereinafter referred to as “ink receiving layer 902 b”) is formed on the substrate 901. Next, the base material 901 on which the ink receiving layer 902b is formed is returned to the tray 17 and the cartridge B is loaded in the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 instead of the cartridge C. Thereafter, a second ink receiving layer 902 (hereinafter referred to as “ink receiving layer 902c”) is formed on the ink receiving layer 902b. In such a recording medium 90, the ink is mainly held by the ink receiving layer 902c, and further ink permeation, that is, the ink reaching the substrate 901 is prevented by the ink receiving layer 902b. As a result, the recording medium 90 is prevented from bleeding of the ink on the back surface, that is, the back surface.

  As another aspect, first, the cartridge B is loaded into the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1, and the ink receiving layer 902 b is formed on the base material 901. Next, the base material 901 on which the ink receiving layer 902b is formed is returned to the tray 17 and the cartridge D is loaded in the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 instead of the cartridge B. Thereafter, an ink receiving layer 902c is formed on the ink receiving layer 902b. Such a recording medium 90 is a color recording medium 90 in which the color of the pigment is reflected.

  The color recording medium 90 can be manufactured by forming the single ink receiving layer 902 by using the cartridge E or the cartridge F in addition to laminating the ink receiving layer 902. .

  As described above, the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 can manufacture various recording media 90 by appropriately selecting and exchanging a plurality of types of cartridges.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a surface texture treatment unit provided in the recording medium manufacturing apparatus (second embodiment) of the present invention. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG.

  Hereinafter, the second embodiment of the recording medium manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to these drawings. The description will focus on the differences from the above-described embodiment, and the description of the same matters will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 12, in the present embodiment, the leveling processing unit 3 of the surface texture processing unit 14 includes a scraper (squeegee) 34. The scraper 34 is formed of a long plate member. The scraper 34 is arranged to be inclined with respect to the x-axis direction, that is, the conveyance direction CD ₁₆ of the base material 901. Further, both end portions of the scraper 34 are supported by the pedestal 35, respectively. As a result, the scraper 34 is supported at both ends and is stably placed. Scraper 34 in this way is placed, in accordance with the surface 902a of the ink receiving layer 902 is moved in the x axis direction positive side, the upstream side of the fine irregularities or the like to form a stripe unevenness of the surface 902a carrying direction CD ₁₆ Push back to. Further, the excess portion pushed back moves in the direction of the arrow α ₃₄ along the inclination direction of the scraper 34 and is recovered at the destination.

The scraper 34 may be configured to be able to change the inclination angle with respect to the transport direction CD ₁₆ .

  As shown in FIG. 13, the leveling unit 3 also has three support rollers 32. These three support rollers 32 are arranged at intervals along the x-axis direction. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 12, it is preferable that all of the three support rollers 32 intersect with the scraper 34 in a plan view, that is, are partially overlapped. Thereby, the minute unevenness can be stably eliminated without being excessive or insufficient.

  The distance between the scraper 34 and each support roller 32 in the z-axis direction may be changeable.

<Third Embodiment>
FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a surface texture treatment unit provided in the recording medium manufacturing apparatus (third embodiment) of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, the third embodiment of the recording medium manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to this drawing. However, the difference from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described, and the description of the same matters will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 14, in the present embodiment, the leveling processing unit 3 of the surface texture processing unit 14 includes a leveling roller 36 and a support roller 32.

  The leveling roller 36 is rotatably supported by the rotation support portion 37. The leveling roller 36 can be rotated by being in contact with the surface 902a of the ink receiving layer 902 by a motor (not shown) as a driving source. A spiral groove 361 is formed on the outer periphery of the leveling roller 36. Due to the groove 361, the surface 902a of the ink receiving layer 902 is eliminated by removing minute irregularities and the like that form streaks as the surface 902a moves to the positive side in the x-axis direction. Further, the excess material scraped off moves toward the rotation support portion 37 along the groove 361 and is collected at the destination.

<Fourth embodiment>
FIG. 15 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the surface texture treatment unit provided in the recording medium manufacturing apparatus (fourth embodiment) of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, the fourth embodiment of the recording medium manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to this drawing. However, the difference from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described, and the description of the same matters will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 15, in the present embodiment, the semi-solidification processing unit 5 of the surface texture processing unit 14 includes a chamber 51 and a heater 53.

  The heater 53 is disposed on the lower side in the chamber 51. The heater 53 is preferably composed of a heating element that generates heat when energized. For example, a halogen heater (halogen lamp) can be used. As a result, while the ink receiving layer 902 passes through the chamber 51, heat from the heater 53 is transmitted through the substrate 901, and a thin film is formed on the surface 902a. This thinning can prevent scattering of the fiber-containing material, which is a constituent material of the ink receiving layer 902, maintain the shape of the ink receiving layer 902, and the like.

  In the present embodiment, a heater 52 may be disposed on the upper side in the chamber 51 as in the first embodiment. In this case, the heating conditions (heating time etc.) of the heater 52 and the heater 53 may be different.

<Fifth Embodiment>
FIGS. 16 to 19 are vertical cross-sectional side views sequentially illustrating the process of displacing the material supply unit and the support unit with respect to the recording medium manufacturing apparatus (fifth embodiment) of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, the fifth embodiment of the recording medium manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to these drawings. However, the difference from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described, and the description of the same matters will be omitted.

  As described above, the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present invention provides a material supply unit 2 that supplies a fiber-containing material containing cellulose fibers and a resin, and a fiber-containing material supplied from the material supply unit 2 to a substrate. A recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 for forming an ink receiving layer 902 (recording layer) made of a fiber-containing material on a base material 901, the supporting unit 130 for supporting (transferring) the material. At least one of the supply unit 2 and the support unit 130 can be displaced between a first position where the ink receiving layer 902 (recording layer) can be formed and a second position retracted from the first position.

  Then, it is desired to perform various maintenance such as replacement, repair, maintenance and inspection on at least one of the material supply unit 2 and the support unit 130 (both the material supply unit 2 and the support unit 130 in this embodiment). There is a case. In this case, maintenance is easily performed at the second position by displacing the material supply unit 2 and the holding unit 130 to be maintained, that is, the maintenance target, between the first position and the second position. it can.

  As shown in FIGS. 16 to 19, in the present embodiment, the carrier 130 has a housing 137 that houses the second carrier 131. The housing 137 has a box shape, for example, and is a storage unit that can store the charging unit 132 in addition to the second carrier 131 therein.

The material supply unit 2 and the support unit 130 are cartridges, and in a coupled state, the ink receiving layer 902 (recording layer) can be formed at a first position (see FIG. 16) and the first position. It can be displaced from the first position to the second position (see FIGS. 17 and 18) retracted in the direction of the arrow α ₆₁ and the arrow α ₆₂ in order. In addition, the material supply unit 2 and the support unit 130 are in a detachable state that can be detached from the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 at the second position. In this detached state, maintenance can be performed on at least one of the material supply unit 2 and the support unit 130.

  In addition, after maintenance, these can be returned to the first position by moving the material supply unit 2 and the support unit 130 in the opposite manner.

  In addition, the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a connection unit 7 that maintains a connection state between the material supply unit 2 and the carrier unit 130. The connection part 7 is a holder that is configured separately from the material supply part 2 and the support part 130 and holds them from the upper side in a state of being adjacent to each other. Thereby, the operation which displaces the material supply part 2 and the holding | maintenance part 130 to a 1st position and a 2nd position collectively can be performed easily. Moreover, the mutual relationship of the material supply part 2 and the holding | maintenance part 130 in a connection state is also maintainable by the connection part 7. FIG. Thereby, the transfer of the fiber-containing material from the material supply unit 2 to the support unit 130 is performed accurately.

  In addition, the connection part 7 is not limited to what was comprised separately from the material supply part 2 and the support part 130, For example, the convex part formed in the housing 26 of the material supply part 2, and the support part 130 The structure which maintains a connection state by engagement with the recessed part formed in the housing 137 may be sufficient.

As shown in FIG. 19, the material supply unit 2 and the support unit 130 can be separated from each other when the connected state is released in the state where the material supply unit 2 and the carrier unit 130 are separated from the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 (second position). Note that the separation state, with respect to the connection portion 7, along with pulling out the material supply portion 2 in the arrow alpha ₂ direction, it is possible by pulling out the carrier part 130 in the arrow alpha ₁₃₀ direction.

  In the separated state, maintenance of each of the material supply unit 2 and the support unit 130 can be easily performed independently. For example, in the material supply unit 2, when the fiber-containing material in the storage unit 21 is empty, or at least one member of the stirrer 22, the supply roller 23, the first carrier 24, and the blade 25 is changed over time. When failure or wear due to deterioration occurs, the material supply unit 2 can be replaced with a new one. In this case, the carrier 130 may be used as it is without being replaced. Further, in the carrier 130, when at least one member of the second carrier 131 and the charging unit 132 is damaged or worn out due to deterioration over time, the carrier 130 is replaced with a new one. be able to. In this case, the material supply unit 2 may be used as it is without being replaced. As described above, one of the material supply unit 2 and the supporting unit 130 can be exchanged or both can be exchanged according to the location requiring maintenance. By selectively maintaining a plurality of components having different lifetimes, the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 can be stably operated, and maintenance costs can be reduced.

  In addition, after the maintenance, the material supply unit 2 and the support unit 130 are again connected to each other via the connection unit 7 by pushing the material supply unit 2 and the support unit 130 against the connection unit 7. It becomes. At this time, the material supply unit 2 is positioned by the positioning unit 71 provided in the connecting unit 7, and the carrier unit 130 is positioned by the positioning unit 72 provided in the connecting unit 7.

  The housing 26 of the material supply unit 2 includes a discharge port 261 that discharges the fiber-containing material toward the support unit 130 in a connected state, and a discharge port shutter 262 that closes the discharge port 261 in a separated state. The discharge port shutter 262 can prevent the fiber-containing material from scattering from the discharge port 261 in a separated state (see FIG. 19). In addition, the housing 137 of the carrier 130 communicates with the discharge port 261 of the material supply unit 2 in a connected state, the intake port 137a for taking in the fiber-containing material from the discharge port 261, and the fibers taken in from the intake port 137a. A delivery port 137b that feeds the contained material toward the base material 901 via the second carrier 131 at the first position, and an intake port shutter 137c that closes the intake port 137a and the delivery port 137b in a separated state; have. The intake port shutter 137c can prevent the fiber-containing material from scattering from the intake port 137a and the delivery port 137b in a separated state (see FIG. 19). Further, contamination to the surroundings due to scattering of the fiber-containing material can be prevented, so that operability at the time of replacement is improved. Furthermore, light exposure of the second carrier 131 (photosensitive member) can be avoided, and a reduction in lifetime can be suppressed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, prior to displacing the material supply unit 2 and the support unit 130 to the second position, a cleaning unit that removes the fiber-containing material attached to each unit and a charged state in each unit are eliminated. A static elimination unit may be provided.

  Moreover, the support part 130 may prepare several things from which the width | variety of the 2nd support body 131 comprised with the roller differs, and may select and use these suitably. Thereby, the ink receiving layers 902 having different widths can be formed according to the selected second carrier 131.

  In addition, the second position is not only the movement destination of the material supply unit 2 and the support unit 130 during maintenance, but also the material supply unit 2 during idling when the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 is preparing for operation and The moving destination of the carrier 130 is also included.

<Sixth Embodiment>
20 to 22 are respectively vertical cross-sectional side views sequentially showing the process of displacing the carrier with respect to the recording medium manufacturing apparatus (sixth embodiment) of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, the sixth embodiment of the recording medium manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to these drawings. However, the difference from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described, and the description of the same matters will be omitted.

  As described above, the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present invention provides a material supply unit 2 that supplies a fiber-containing material containing cellulose fibers and a resin, and a fiber-containing material supplied from the material supply unit 2 to a substrate. A recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 for forming an ink receiving layer 902 (recording layer) made of a fiber-containing material on a base material 901, the supporting unit 130 for supporting (transferring) the material. At least one of the supply unit 2 and the support unit 130 can be displaced between a first position where the ink receiving layer 902 (recording layer) can be formed and a second position retracted from the first position.

  In some cases, at least one of the material supply unit 2 and the carrying unit 130 (the carrying unit 130 in the present embodiment) may be subjected to various maintenance such as inspection, repair, maintenance, and replacement. In this case, what is desired to be maintained, that is, the carrier 130 which is a maintenance object is displaced between the first position and the second position, so that the maintenance can be easily performed at the second position.

  In the present embodiment, the carrier 130 is a cartridge that can take the state shown in FIG. 20 and the state shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 moved from the state shown in FIG. In the state shown in FIG. 20, the carrier 130 is located at the first position where the ink receiving layer 902 (recording layer) can be formed. On the other hand, in the state shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the material supply unit 2 is displaced from the first position to the second position.

  The ink receiving layer forming portion 13 is provided with a support portion 8 that enables displacement between the first position and the second position of the carrier portion 130. The support portion 8 includes a first guide portion 81 that supports the support portion 130 movably in the x-axis direction (horizontal direction), and a second guide portion that supports the support portion 130 movably in the z-axis direction (vertical direction). 82.

As shown in FIG. 20, the carrier 130 is in a loaded state loaded in the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 at the first position, and can receive the fiber-containing material from the material supply unit 2. As a result, the ink receiving layer 902 can be formed on the substrate 901. When performing maintenance, the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 is brought into a state where the formation of the ink receiving layer 902 is stopped, and the carrier 130 is displaced to the second position. In this operation, first, as shown in FIG. 21, the carrying part 130 is moved along the first guide part 81 in the x-axis direction positive side, that is, in the arrow α ₈₁ direction. Next, as shown in FIG. 22, when the carrier 130 is moved along the second guide portion 82 in the positive direction of the z-axis, that is, in the direction of the arrow α ₈₂ , the carrier 130 is finally moved to the recording medium. It can be detached from the manufacturing apparatus 1. As described above, in the second position, the carrier 130 is in a detached state in which the carrier 130 can be detached from the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1. Then, maintenance can be performed on the carrier 130 in the detached state. In addition, since the carrier 130 is in the detached state, for example, maintenance can be easily performed as compared with a state where the carrier 130 is supported by the second guide portion 82.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the material supply unit 2 and the support unit 130 that can be displaced between the first position and the second position, that is, in this embodiment, the support unit 130 can be replaced in the detached state. It is. Thereby, replacement | exchange of the support part 130 at the time of a failure can be performed easily and rapidly.

  After the maintenance, the carrier 130 can be returned to the first position by moving the carrier 130 in the opposite direction.

<Seventh embodiment>
FIG. 23 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a material supply unit included in the recording medium manufacturing apparatus (seventh embodiment) of the present invention. 24 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a state where the material supply unit shown in FIG. 23 is disassembled.

  Hereinafter, the seventh embodiment of the recording medium manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to these drawings. However, the difference from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described, and description of similar matters will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 23, in the present embodiment, the material supply unit 2 has a housing 26 (storage unit) that stores the stirrer 22, the supply roller 23, and the blade 25 together in addition to the first carrier 24. ing. In addition, the storage portion 21 is disposed adjacent to the outside of the housing 26. In the material supply unit 2 having such a configuration, the storage unit 21 and the housing 26 (storage unit) are connected to each other in the material supply unit connection state (the state shown in FIG. 23), and the first position, the second position, Can be displaced. Accordingly, when performing maintenance on the material supply unit 2, the material supply unit 2 can be displaced from the first position to the second position while being connected to the material supply unit 2, and can be detached from the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1. Therefore, the maintenance can be performed quickly.

  The storage part 21 has the discharge port 211 which discharges | emits a fiber containing material toward the housing 26 (storage part) in a material supply part connection state. The discharge port 211 projects outward and forms a stepped portion 212. The housing 26 (housing portion) communicates with the discharge port 211 in a connected state with the material supply unit, and has an intake port 263 that takes in the fiber-containing material from the discharge port 211. The intake port 263 protrudes outward and forms a stepped portion 264. And the material supply part 2 has the positioning part 27 which positions the storage part 21 and the housing 26 (storage part) in a material supply part connection state. Thereby, the discharge port 211 of the storage unit 21 and the intake port 263 of the housing 26 can communicate with each other, so that the transfer of the fiber-containing material from the storage unit 21 to the first carrier 24 is performed accurately. The positioning portion 27 includes a convex portion 213 that protrudes from the step portion 212 of the storage portion 21 and a concave portion 265 that is recessed in the step portion 264 of the housing 26. By engaging the convex portion 213 and the concave portion 265, the storage portion 21 and the housing 26 are positioned in the material supply portion connected state.

  Moreover, the material supply part 2 has the loosening part 28 which loosens the fiber containing material in the storage part 21. The loosening portion 28 can rotate in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. The fiber-containing material composed of powder may aggregate (harden) depending on the usage environment of the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1. Accordingly, the fiber-containing material can be sufficiently loosened in the storage portion 21 by the rotation of the loosening portion 28. Thereby, transfer of the fiber containing material from the storage part 21 to the 1st support body 24 can be performed smoothly without excess and deficiency. Moreover, the fiber-containing material in the storage part 21 can be extruded toward the housing 26 by rotating the loosening part 28.

As shown in FIG. 24, the storage unit 21 and the housing 26 (storage unit) are separated from the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 (second position) when the material supply unit connected state is released and separated. A separation state can be taken. In this material supply part separation state, the material supply part 2 is divided into two structures, a first structure 2A on the storage part 21 side and a second structure 2B on the housing 26 side (arrows in FIG. 24). _α2A direction reference). And in a material supply part isolation | separation state, the maintenance with respect to each of 1st structure 2A and 2nd structure 2B can be easily performed independently. For example, in the first structure 2A, when the fiber-containing material in the storage portion 21 becomes empty, the first structure 2A can be replaced with a new one (in the direction of arrow β _{2A in} FIG. 24). reference). In this case, the second structure 2B may be used as it is without being exchanged. Similarly, in the second structure 2B, even when at least one member of the stirrer 22, the supply roller 23, the first carrier 24, and the blade 25 is damaged due to deterioration over time or worn, etc. The second structure 2B can be exchanged. In this case, the first structure 2A may be used as it is without being exchanged. Thus, according to the location requiring maintenance, one of the first structure 2A and the second structure 2B can be exchanged, or both can be exchanged. By selectively maintaining a plurality of components having different lifetimes, the recording medium manufacturing apparatus 1 can be stably operated, and maintenance costs can be reduced.

  The storage unit 21 has a discharge port 211 that discharges the fiber-containing material toward the housing 26 (storage unit) in the connected state of the material supply unit, and a discharge port shutter 214 that closes the discharge port 211 in the separated state of the material supply unit. doing. The discharge port shutter 214 is slidably inserted into the step portion 212. By this discharge port shutter 214, it is possible to prevent the fiber-containing material from being scattered from the discharge port 211 in the material supply portion separated state (see FIG. 24). In addition, the housing 26 (storage unit) communicates with the discharge port 211 in a connected state with the material supply unit, and includes an intake port 263 that takes in the fiber-containing material from the discharge port 211 and an intake port 263 that is separated with the material supply unit. A closing inlet shutter 266. The intake port shutter 266 is slidably inserted into the stepped portion 264. The intake port shutter 266 can prevent the fiber-containing material from scattering from the intake port 263 in the material supply part separated state (see FIG. 24).

<Eighth Embodiment>
FIG. 25 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a material supply unit included in the recording medium manufacturing apparatus (eighth embodiment) of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, an eighth embodiment of the recording medium manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to this figure. However, the description will focus on the differences from the above-described embodiment, and the description of the same matters will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 25, in the present embodiment, when the material supply unit 2 is in the first position, the storage unit 21 is positioned above the housing 26 (first carrier 24). In the present embodiment, the loosening portion 28 described in the seventh embodiment is omitted from the storage portion 21.

  With such an arrangement, the fiber-containing material can move from the reservoir 21 to the housing 26 by its own weight. In this case, it is possible to omit providing the means (for loosening part 28) for forcibly pushing out the fiber-containing material from the storage part 21 to the first carrier 24. Therefore, the material supply part 2 has a simple configuration. can do.

  The recording medium manufacturing apparatus of the present invention has been described above with respect to the illustrated embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and each unit constituting the recording medium manufacturing apparatus may be any unit that can exhibit the same function. It can be replaced with the configuration of Moreover, arbitrary components may be added.

  Further, the recording medium manufacturing apparatus of the present invention may be a combination of any two or more configurations (features) of the above embodiments.

  Moreover, as a conveyance part which conveys a base material, the thing of the structure which has an endless belt, for example, and the structure of having a platen (stage) may be sufficient.

  Further, in the recording medium manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, at least one of the leveling processing unit, the pressurizing processing unit, and the semi-solidifying processing unit constituting the surface texture processing unit can be omitted.

  Further, for example, if maintenance or inspection is performed among various types of maintenance, the material supply unit 2 may be supported by the second guide unit without being separated from the second position. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Recording-medium manufacturing apparatus, 2 ... Material supply part, 2A ... 1st structure, 2B ... 2nd structure, 21 ... Storage part, 211 ... Discharge port, 212 ... Step part, 213 ... Convex part, 214 ... Exhaust Exit shutter, 22 ... Stirrer (agitator), 23 ... Supply roller, 24 ... First carrier, 25 ... Blade, 26 ... Housing, 261 ... Ejection port, 262 ... Ejection shutter, 263 ... Intake port, 264 ... Step Part, 265 ... concave part, 266 ... inlet shutter, 27 ... positioning part, 28 ... loosening part, 3 ... leveling processing part, 31 ... leveling roller, 32 ... support roller, 33 ... ground wire, 34 ... scraper, 35 ... pedestal, 36 ... leveling roller, 361 ... groove, 37 ... rotation support part, 4 ... pressure treatment part, 41 ... pressure roller, 411 ... outer peripheral part, 5 ... semi-solidification treatment part, 51 ... chamber, 511 ... insulated walls 512 ... Inlet, 513 ... Outlet, 52 ... Heater, 53 ... Heater, 6 ... Supporting part, 61 ... First guide part, 62 ... Second guide part, 7 ... Connecting part, 71 ... Positioning part, 72 ... Positioning part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 8 ... Support part, 81 ... 1st guide part, 82 ... 2nd guide part, 11 ... Control part, 111 ... CPU (central processing unit), 112 ... Memory | storage part, 13 ... Ink receiving layer formation part, 130 ... Carrier 131, second carrier (photoconductor), 131a, outer peripheral surface, 132, charging unit, 133, exposure unit, 134, transfer unit, 134a, outer peripheral surface, 135, transfer nip, 137, housing, 137a, take-off Inlet, 137b ... Outlet, 137c ... Inlet shutter, 14 ... Surface texture processing unit, 15 ... Ink-receiving layer solidifying unit, 151 ... Solidifying roller, 152 ... Heater, 16 ... Conveying unit, 163 ... Conveying roller, 1 ... tray, 90 ... recording medium, 901 ... substrate, 902 ... ink receiving layer, 902a ... surface, 902b ... ink receiving layer, 902c ... ink receiving layer, 903 ... margin, 905 ... first face, CD _{131 ...} conveyor Direction, CD ₁₆ ... transport direction, LB ₁₃₃ ... laser light, V ₃₁ ... speed, V ₁₆ ... speed, α ₂ ... arrow, α _2A ... arrow, α ₂₂ ... arrow, α ₂₃ ... arrow, α ₂₄ ... arrow, α ₃₁ ... arrow, α ₃₂ ... arrow, α ₃₄ ... arrow, α ₄₁ ... arrow, α ₆₁ ... arrow, α ₆₂ ... arrow, α ₈₁ ... arrow, α ₈₂ ... arrow, α ₁₃₀ ... arrow, α ₁₃₁ ... arrow, α ₁₃₂ ... arrow, α ₁₃₄ ... arrow, α ₁₅₁ ... arrow, α ₁₆₃ ... arrow, β _2A ... arrow, β ₆₁ ... arrow, β ₆₂ ... arrow

Claims (14)

A material supply unit that supplies a fiber-containing material containing cellulose fibers and a resin; and a support unit that supports the fiber-containing material supplied from the material supply unit for applying to the substrate. A recording medium manufacturing apparatus for forming a recording layer composed of the fiber-containing material on a material,
At least one of the material supply unit and the carrying unit can be displaced between a first position where the recording layer can be formed and a second position retracted from the first position. Medium production equipment. In the first position, the recording medium manufacturing apparatus is loaded,
The recording medium manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium manufacturing apparatus is in a detachable state at the second position.   The recording medium manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein one of the material supply unit and the carrying unit that can be displaced between the first position and the second position is replaceable in the detached state. The material supply unit includes a storage unit that stores the fiber-containing material, and a first carrier that supports the fiber-containing material discharged from the storage unit,
4. The recording medium manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carrier has a second carrier that carries the fiber-containing material transferred from the first carrier. 5.   The recording medium manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the material supply unit is in the first position, the storage unit is positioned above the first carrier.   The recording material manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the material supply unit includes a loosening unit that loosens the fiber-containing material in the storage unit. The material supply unit includes a storage unit that stores the first carrier.
7. The recording according to claim 4, wherein the storage unit and the storage unit are displaceable to the first position and the second position in a connected state of the material supply units connected to each other. Medium production equipment.   The recording material manufacturing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the material supply unit includes a positioning unit that positions the storage unit and the storage unit when the material supply unit is connected.   9. The recording medium manufacturing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the storage unit and the storage unit can take a material supply unit separation state in which the material supply unit connection state is released and separated at the second position. The storage unit has a discharge port that discharges the fiber-containing material toward the storage unit in the material supply unit connected state, and a discharge port shutter that closes the discharge port in the material supply unit separated state,
The storage unit communicates with the discharge port in the material supply unit connected state, and takes in the fiber-containing material from the discharge port, and an intake port that closes the intake port in the material supply unit separated state The recording medium manufacturing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a shutter.   11. The recording medium manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the material supply unit and the carrying unit are connected to each other and can be displaced between the first position and the second position. apparatus.   The recording medium manufacturing apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a connecting portion that maintains the connected state.   The recording medium manufacturing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the material supply unit and the carrying unit can take a separated state in which the connection state is released and separated at the second position. The material supply unit includes a discharge port that discharges the fiber-containing material toward the carrier in the connected state, and a discharge port shutter that closes the discharge port in the separated state.
The carrying portion communicates with the discharge port in the connected state, takes in the fiber-containing material from the discharge port, and the fiber-containing material taken in from the intake port at the first position. The recording medium manufacturing apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising: a delivery port that feeds out toward the base material; and an intake port shutter that closes the intake port and the delivery port in the separated state.

Images