JP2018140573A - Thermally-expandable sheet and method for producing thermally-expandable sheet - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thermally-expandable sheet that can reduce trouble in the formation of a stereoscopic image, and a method for producing the thermally-expandable sheet.SOLUTION: A thermally-expandable sheet 100 has a thermally expanded layer for forming a stereoscopic image by heating in a stereoscopic image formation system, and a base material 101 on which the thermally expanded layer is put. The flow line direction of the base material 101 is vertical to the transport direction of the thermally-expandable sheet 100 in the stereoscopic image formation system.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermally expandable sheet and a method for producing the thermally expandable sheet.

  A technique for forming a stereoscopic image is known. For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a method for forming a stereoscopic image using a thermally expandable sheet. Specifically, in the methods disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a pattern is formed on the back surface of the thermally expandable sheet with a material having excellent light absorption characteristics, and heating is performed by irradiating the formed pattern with light. To do. Thereby, the part in which the pattern in the thermally expansible sheet was formed expand | swells, and it rises, and a three-dimensional image is formed.

JP-A 64-28660 JP 2001-150812 A

  A thermally expansible sheet is manufactured by apply | coating to a base material the thermal expansion layer expanded by heating. By the way, the base material of a thermally expansible sheet has the property that it tends to warp in the direction of the flow according to environments, such as temperature and humidity. Such warpage causes a problem when a stereoscopic image is formed on the thermally expandable sheet. For this reason, it is required to suppress problems caused by such warpage.

  This invention is for solving the above subjects, and provides the thermal expansible sheet which can suppress the malfunction at the time of a three-dimensional image formation, and the manufacturing method of a thermal expansible sheet. With the goal.

In order to achieve the above object, the thermally expandable sheet according to the present invention is:
A thermal expansion layer for forming a stereoscopic image by heating in a stereoscopic image forming system, and a base material on which the thermal expansion layer is laminated,
The flow direction of the base material is a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the thermally expandable sheet in the stereoscopic image forming system.
It is characterized by that.
The thermally expandable sheet according to the present invention is
A thermal expansion sheet in which a thermal expansion layer for forming a stereoscopic image on a surface by heating in a predetermined stereoscopic image forming system is laminated on a base material,
When the thermally expandable sheet is set in the stereoscopic image forming system, the conveying direction of the thermally expandable sheet in the stereoscopic image forming system is set to be a direction orthogonal to the flow of the base material An identification mark is provided for the stereoscopic image forming system to determine whether or not
It is characterized by that.

In addition, the method for producing a thermally expandable sheet according to the present invention includes:
A method for producing a thermally expandable sheet, comprising a base material and a thermal expansion layer, wherein the thermal expansion layer is heated and expanded by a stereoscopic image forming system to form a stereoscopic image,
An expansion layer application step of applying the thermal expansion layer to the substrate;
The base material on which the thermal expansion layer is applied in the expansion layer application step so that the flow direction of the base material is perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the thermal expansion sheet in the stereoscopic image forming system A cutting step for cutting
It is characterized by including.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the malfunction at the time of forming a stereo image can be suppressed.

It is sectional drawing of the thermally expansible sheet in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the back surface of the thermally expansible sheet shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which the thermally expansible sheet shown in FIG. 2 curved. (A)-(c) is a figure which shows typically the three-dimensional image formation system in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the printing unit in embodiment of this invention. (A), (b) is a figure which shows the state in which the thermally expansible sheet in the former and embodiment of this invention curved in the printing unit, respectively. It is a figure which shows the structure of the expansion | swelling unit in embodiment of this invention. (A), (b) is a figure which shows the state which the thermally expansible sheet in the conventional and embodiment of this invention curved in the expansion | swelling unit, respectively. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control unit in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the stereo image formation process in embodiment of this invention. (A)-(e) is a figure which shows a mode that a stereo image is formed in the thermally expansible sheet | seat shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the manufacturing system of the thermally expansible sheet in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the barcode printing apparatus in embodiment of this invention. (A), (b) is a figure which shows the example of printing of the barcode in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the coating device in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the manufacturing process of the thermally expansible sheet in embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

<Thermal expansion sheet 100>
In FIG. 1, the structure of the thermally expansible sheet 100 which concerns on this embodiment is shown. The thermally expandable sheet 100 is a medium on which a three-dimensional image is formed by expanding a preselected portion. A stereoscopic image is a three-dimensional image formed by expanding a part of a sheet in a direction perpendicular to the sheet in a two-dimensional sheet.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the thermally expandable sheet 100 includes a base material 101, a thermally expandable layer 102, and an ink receiving layer 103 in this order. FIG. 1 shows a cross section of the thermally expandable sheet 100 before a stereoscopic image is formed, that is, in a state where no part is expanded.

  The substrate 101 is a sheet-like medium that is the basis of the thermally expandable sheet 100. The substrate 101 is a support that supports the thermal expansion layer 102 and the ink receiving layer 103, and plays a role of maintaining the strength of the thermal expansion sheet 100. As the substrate 101, for example, a general printing paper can be used. Alternatively, the material of the base material 101 may be a cloth such as synthetic paper or canvas, or a plastic film such as polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), and is not particularly limited.

  The thermal expansion layer 102 is laminated on the upper side of the base material 101 and is a layer that expands by heating. The thermal expansion layer 102 includes a binder and a thermal expansion agent dispersedly disposed in the binder. The binder is a thermoplastic resin such as a vinyl acetate polymer or an acrylic polymer. The thermal expansion agent is a thermally expandable microcapsule having a particle diameter of about 5 to 50 μm in which a substance that vaporizes at a low boiling point such as propane and butane is encapsulated in an outer shell of a thermoplastic resin. When heat is applied to the thermal expansion agent, the encapsulated substance is vaporized and foamed and expanded by the pressure. In this way, the thermal expansion layer 102 expands according to the amount of heat absorbed. The thermal expansion agent is also called a foaming agent.

  The ink receiving layer 103 is a layer that is laminated on the upper side of the thermal expansion layer 102 to absorb and receive ink. The ink receiving layer 103 receives printing ink used in an ink jet printer, printing toner used in a laser printer, ballpoint pen or fountain pen ink, pencil graphite, and the like. The ink receiving layer 103 is formed of a suitable material for fixing them to the surface. As a material of the ink receiving layer 103, for example, a general-purpose material used for ink jet paper can be used.

  In FIG. 2, the back surface of the thermally expansible sheet 100 is shown. The back surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100 is a surface on the base material 101 side of the heat expandable sheet 100 and corresponds to the back surface of the base material 101. On the other hand, the surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100 is a surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100 on the ink receiving layer 103 side and corresponds to the surface of the ink receiving layer 103.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a barcode B is attached to the back surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100. The barcode B is identification information (identifier) for identifying the thermally expandable sheet 100, and is information indicating that the thermally expandable sheet 100 is a dedicated sheet for forming a stereoscopic image. The barcode B is an identifier that is read by the expansion unit 20 of the stereoscopic image forming system 1 to be described later, and has a function for determining that the sheet is processed normally in the expansion unit 20. In other words, the barcode B is an identifier for determining whether or not the thermally expandable sheet 100 can be used in the expansion unit 20.

  The barcode B is attached to an edge on the front side in the conveyance direction of the thermally expandable sheet 100 so that the stereoscopic image forming system 1 can read the barcode B when the thermally expandable sheet 100 is carried. The conveyance direction is a direction in which the thermally expandable sheet 100 is conveyed in the stereoscopic image forming system 1. In order to improve readability, the thermally expandable sheet 100 is provided with a plurality of barcodes B. The plurality of barcodes B are long in the direction of the flow of the base material 101 along the front edge in the conveying direction of the thermally expandable sheet 100. Each of the plurality of barcodes B is arranged such that when the thermally expandable sheet 100 is set in the stereoscopic image forming system 1, the conveyance direction of the thermally expandable sheet 100 in the stereoscopic image forming system 1 is the flow of the base material 101. It is an identification mark for the stereoscopic image forming system 1 to determine whether or not it is set so as to be in a direction orthogonal to the direction.

  The flow line of the base material 101 is the direction of the fibers constituting the base material 101. Since the base material 101 is generally manufactured while flowing the material in a specific direction, the fibers are easily aligned in the specific direction. Therefore, a flow line is formed in the manufactured base material 101. As shown in FIG. 2, the flow of the base material 101 is provided in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the thermally expandable sheet 100 in the stereoscopic image forming system 1.

  The base material 101 is easy to tear and fold along the flow direction. Further, when the fiber of the base material 101 swells or shrinks in accordance with the environment such as temperature and humidity, the fiber expands and contracts in a direction perpendicular to the flow line. Therefore, the base material 101 has a property that it is likely to warp in a direction parallel to the flow line due to a difference in expansion / contraction degree between the front and back surfaces. Due to the properties of the base material 101, the thermally expandable sheet 100 is likely to warp in the direction of the flow of the base material 101 from the planar shape indicated by the dotted line, as shown in FIG. Note that the base material 101 warps in the direction of the flow line, as shown in FIG. 3, both end portions of the base material 101 in the direction orthogonal to the direction of the flow line are in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the base material 101. It means that it bends like a bow.

<Stereoscopic image forming system 1>
Next, with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4C, the stereoscopic image forming system 1 for forming a stereoscopic image on the thermally expandable sheet 100 will be described.

  FIG. 4A is a front view of the stereoscopic image forming system 1. FIG. 4B is a plan view of the stereoscopic image forming system 1 in a state where the top plate 30 is closed. FIG. 4C is a plan view of the stereoscopic image forming system 1 in a state where the top board 30 is opened. 4A to 4C, the X direction corresponds to the direction in which the printing unit 10 and the expansion unit 20 are arranged, and the Y direction is the conveyance direction of the thermally expandable sheet 100 in the printing unit 10 and the expansion unit 20. The Z direction corresponds to the vertical direction. The X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction are orthogonal to each other.

  4A to 4C, the stereoscopic image forming system 1 includes a printing unit 10, an expansion unit 20, a top plate 30, a display unit 40, a control unit 50, a frame 60, Is provided.

<Printing unit 10>
The printing unit 10 is an ink jet printing apparatus. As shown in FIG. 4C, the printing unit 10 includes a carry-in unit 11 for carrying in the thermally expandable sheet 100 and a discharge unit 12 for discharging the thermally expandable sheet 100. The printing unit 10 prints the instructed image on the front or back surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100 carried in from the carry-in unit 11 and discharges the thermally expandable sheet 100 on which the image is printed from the discharge unit 12.

  FIG. 5 shows a detailed configuration of the printing unit 10. As shown in FIG. 5, the printing unit 10 includes a carriage 41 that can reciprocate in a main scanning direction D2 (X direction) orthogonal to the sub-scanning direction D1 (Y direction), which is a direction in which the thermally expandable sheet 100 is conveyed. Is provided.

  A print head 42 that executes printing and an ink cartridge 43 (43k, 43c, 43m, 43y) that stores ink are attached to the carriage 41. The ink cartridges 43k, 43c, 43m, and 43y contain black K, cyan C, magenta M, and yellow Y color inks, respectively. Each color ink is ejected from the corresponding nozzle of the print head 42.

  The carriage 41 is slidably supported by the guide rail 44 and is sandwiched by the drive belt 45. The carriage 41 moves in the main scanning direction D2 together with the print head 42 and the ink cartridge 43 when the driving belt 45 is driven by the rotation of the motor 45m.

  A platen 48 is provided below the frame 47 at a position facing the print head 42. The platen 48 extends in the main scanning direction D2, and constitutes a part of the conveyance path of the thermally expandable sheet 100. A feed roller pair 49a (lower roller is not shown) and a discharge roller pair 49b (lower roller is not shown) are provided in the conveyance path of the thermally expandable sheet 100. The paper feed roller pair 49a and the paper discharge roller pair 49b convey the thermally expandable sheet 100 supported by the platen 48 in the sub-scanning direction D1.

  The printing unit 10 is connected to the control unit 50 via the flexible communication cable 46. The control unit 50 controls the print head 42, the motor 45m, the paper feed roller pair 49a, and the paper discharge roller pair 49b via the flexible communication cable 46. More specifically, the control unit 50 controls the paper feed roller pair 49a and the paper discharge roller pair 49b to convey the thermally expandable sheet 100. Further, the control unit 50 rotates the motor 45m to move the carriage 41, and conveys the print head 42 to an appropriate position in the main scanning direction D2.

  The printing unit 10 acquires image data from the control unit 50 and executes printing based on the acquired image data. More specifically, the printing unit 10 acquires color image data, front surface foam data, and back surface foam data as image data. The color image data is data indicating a color image to be printed on the surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100. The printing unit 10 causes the print head 42 to eject each ink of cyan C, magenta M, and yellow Y toward the thermally expandable sheet 100 to print a color image.

  On the other hand, the surface foaming data is data indicating a portion to be foamed and expanded on the surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100. The back surface foaming data is data indicating a portion that is foamed and expanded on the back surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100. The printing unit 10 causes the black K ink containing carbon black to be ejected toward the thermal expansible sheet 100 on the print head 42 to print a grayscale image (dark pattern). Black ink containing carbon black is an example of a material that converts light into heat.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the thermally expandable sheet 100 is likely to warp in the direction of the flow of the base material 101. Due to such warpage, the sheet may be deformed from a flat shape when conveyed in the printing unit 10.

  FIG. 6A shows an example in which the flow direction of the base material 101 is parallel to the sub-scanning direction D <b> 1 that is the conveyance direction of the thermally expandable sheet 100 in the printing unit 10. In this case, the thermally expandable sheet 100 tends to warp in a direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction D2, which is the direction in which the print head 42 moves.

  When the thermally expandable sheet 100 is warped in this manner, the thermally expandable sheet 100 is likely to come into contact with the print head 42. In addition, since the distance between the print head 42 and the thermally expandable sheet 100 varies depending on the position in the main scanning direction D2, the printing accuracy decreases. Therefore, the warp of the thermally expandable sheet 100 causes a problem in the printing unit 10.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the flow of the base material 101 is provided perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction D1 that is the conveyance direction of the thermally expandable sheet 100 in the printing unit 10. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6B, the thermally expandable sheet 100 is likely to warp in the main scanning direction D2, which is the direction in which the print head 42 moves.

  The warp in the main scanning direction D2 is corrected by being pinched by the paper feed roller pair 49a, the paper discharge roller pair 49b, and the like when the thermally expandable sheet 100 is conveyed. Further, since the distance between the print head 42 and the thermally expandable sheet 100 does not change depending on the position in the main scanning direction D2, the influence on the printing accuracy is small. Therefore, the warp of the thermally expandable sheet 100 in the main scanning direction D <b> 2 is unlikely to cause a problem in the printing unit 10.

<Expansion unit 20>
The expansion unit 20 is an expansion device that heats and expands the thermally expandable sheet 100. As shown in FIG. 4C, the expansion unit 20 includes a carry-in portion 21 for carrying in the thermally expandable sheet 100 and a discharge portion 22 for discharging the thermally expandable sheet 100. The expansion unit 20 applies heat to the thermally expandable sheet 100 carried in from the carry-in unit 21 to expand it, and discharges the expanded thermally expandable sheet 100 from the discharge unit 22.

  FIG. 7 shows a detailed configuration of the expansion unit 20. As shown in FIG. 7, the expansion unit 20 includes a housing 23 and an irradiation unit 24 provided inside the housing 23. The thermally expandable sheet 100 carried in from the carry-in unit 21 is conveyed by the conveyance roller pairs 21a and 23a while being guided by the conveyance guides 21b and 23b.

  The irradiation unit 24 is, for example, a halogen lamp, and the near-infrared region (wavelength 750 to 1400 nm), the visible light region (wavelength 380 to 750 nm), or the mid-infrared region (wavelength) with respect to the thermally expandable sheet 100. 1400-4000 nm). When light is applied to the thermally expandable sheet 100 on which black ink containing carbon black is printed, light is converted into heat more efficiently in the portion where the black ink is printed than in the portion where the black ink is not printed. Is done. Therefore, the portion of the thermal expansion layer 102 on which the black ink is printed is mainly heated, and as a result, the portion of the thermal expansion layer 102 on which the black ink is printed expands.

  The expansion unit 20 is connected to the control unit 50 via a cable (not shown). The control unit 50 causes the irradiation unit 24 to irradiate light toward the thermally expandable sheet 100 while driving the pair of conveying rollers 21 a and 23 a to convey the thermally expandable sheet 100. Thereby, the control unit 50 expands the thermally expandable sheet 100.

  Further, the expansion unit 20 includes a barcode reader 26 and a reflector 27 in the carry-in unit 21. The barcode reader 26 functions as a reading unit that reads the barcode B attached to the back surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100. The reflector 27 is a mirror that reflects light, and is disposed on the opposite side of the barcode reader 26 across the conveyance path of the thermally expandable sheet 100.

  When the front end portion of the thermally expandable sheet 100 set in the carry-in portion 21 reaches the position of the barcode reader 26, the barcode reader 26 reads the barcode B attached thereto. Specifically, when the thermally expandable sheet 100 is inserted into the expansion unit 20 with the front side facing upward, the barcode reader 26 uses the barcode B attached to the back surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100 as a reflector. Read without going through 27. On the other hand, when the thermally expandable sheet 100 is inserted into the expansion unit 20 with the back surface facing upward, the barcode reader 26 converts the barcode B attached to the back surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100 into the reflector 27. Read through.

  Depending on whether or not the barcode B can be read by the barcode reader 26, the expansion unit 20 determines whether the medium set in the carry-in unit 21 is the thermally expandable sheet 100 (in the expansion unit 20). To determine whether it can be used. This is because the expansion unit 20 may not operate normally when a medium that is not a dedicated sheet for forming a stereoscopic image is carried into the expansion unit 20.

  Specifically, when the barcode B attached to the thermally expandable sheet 100 can be read by the barcode reader 26, the expansion unit 20 carries the thermally expandable sheet 100 into the housing 23. . On the other hand, when the barcode B attached to the thermally expandable sheet 100 cannot be read by the barcode reader 26, the expansion unit 20 does not carry the thermally expandable sheet 100 into the housing 23. . Thereby, malfunction of expansion unit 20 can be controlled.

  When the thermally expandable sheet 100 is conveyed in the expansion unit 20, as in the printing unit 10, the thermally expandable sheet 100 may be deformed from a planar shape by warping in the flow direction of the base material 101.

  FIG. 8A shows an example in which the flow direction of the base material 101 is parallel to the conveyance direction D1 of the thermally expandable sheet 100 in the expansion unit 20. In this case, the thermally expandable sheet 100 tends to warp in the transport direction D1.

  When the heat-expandable sheet 100 is warped in this manner, the heat-expandable sheet 100 is likely to come into contact with the irradiation unit 24. In addition, since the distance between the irradiation unit 24 and the thermally expandable sheet 100 varies depending on the position, the foaming accuracy decreases. Therefore, the warp of the thermally expandable sheet 100 causes a problem in the expansion unit 20.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the flow of the base material 101 is provided perpendicular to the transport direction D1 of the thermally expandable sheet 100 in the expansion unit 20. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8B, the thermally expandable sheet 100 is likely to warp in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction D1.

  The warp in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction D1 is corrected by being pinched by the conveyance roller pairs 21a, 23a and the like when the thermally expandable sheet 100 is conveyed. Therefore, the warp in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction D1 of the thermally expandable sheet 100 is unlikely to cause a problem in the expansion unit 20.

  Returning to FIG. 4A, the top plate 30 is provided so as to cover the upper part of the printing unit 10 and the expansion unit 20. The top plate 30 is provided with a display unit 40 that displays information related to the printing unit 10 or the expansion unit 20.

  The display unit 40 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, and a display drive circuit that displays an image on the display device. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, the display unit 40 displays an image printed on the thermally expandable sheet 100 by the printing unit 10. Further, the display unit 40 displays information indicating the current state of the printing unit 10 or the expansion unit 20 as necessary.

  Although not shown, the stereoscopic image forming system 1 may include an operation unit operated by a user. The operation unit includes a button, a switch, a dial, and the like, and receives an operation on the printing unit 10 or the expansion unit 20. Alternatively, the display unit 40 may include a touch panel or a touch screen in which a display device and an operation device are overlaid.

  The control unit 50 controls the printing unit 10, the expansion unit 20, and the display unit 40. In addition, the control unit 50 supplies power to the printing unit 10, the expansion unit 20, and the display unit 40. As shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 50 includes a control unit 51, a storage unit 52, an input unit 53, a communication unit 54, and a recording medium drive unit 55. These units are connected by a bus for transmitting signals.

  The control unit 51 includes a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), and a random access memory (RAM). In the control unit 51, the CPU reads the control program stored in the ROM, and controls the operation of the entire stereoscopic image forming system 1 while using the RAM as a work memory. The control unit 51 may be a dedicated control circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

  The storage unit 52 is a flash memory, a hard disk, or the like, and stores a program or data executed by the control unit 51. For example, the storage unit 52 stores color image data, front surface foam data, and back surface foam data that are printed by the printing unit 10. The input unit 53 is a keyboard, a mouse, or the like, and receives an operation from the user. The communication unit 54 is an interface for communicating with external devices including the printing unit 10, the expansion unit 20, and the display unit 40.

  The recording medium driving unit 55 reads a program or data recorded on a portable recording medium. The portable recording medium is a CD (Compact Disc) -ROM, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) -ROM, a flash memory equipped with a USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard connector, or the like. For example, the recording medium driving unit 55 reads out and acquires color image data, front surface foaming data, and back surface foaming data printed by the printing unit 10 from a portable recording medium.

<Stereoscopic image formation processing>
Next, with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 10 and the cross-sectional views of the thermally expandable sheet 100 shown in FIGS. 11A to 11E, a stereoscopic image is formed on the thermally expandable sheet 100 by the stereoscopic image forming system 1. The processing flow will be described.

  First, the user prepares the thermally expandable sheet 100 before the stereoscopic image is formed, and designates color image data, front surface foam data, and back surface foam data via the input unit 53. Then, the thermally expandable sheet 100 is inserted into the printing unit 10 with its surface facing upward. The printing unit 10 prints the photothermal conversion layer 104 on the surface of the inserted thermally expandable sheet 100 (step S1). The photothermal conversion layer 104 is a layer formed of a material that converts light into heat, specifically, black ink containing carbon black. The printing unit 10 ejects black ink containing carbon black onto the surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100 in accordance with the designated surface foaming data. As a result, a photothermal conversion layer 104 is formed on the ink receiving layer 103 as shown in FIG.

  Second, the user inserts the thermally expandable sheet 100 on which the light-to-heat conversion layer 104 is printed into the expansion unit 20 with the surface thereof facing upward. The expansion unit 20 heats the inserted thermally expandable sheet 100 from the surface. If demonstrating it concretely, the expansion | swelling unit 20 will irradiate light to the surface of the thermally expansible sheet 100 by the irradiation part 24 (step S2). The photothermal conversion layer 104 printed on the surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100 generates heat by absorbing the irradiated light. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11B, the portion of the thermally expandable sheet 100 where the light-to-heat conversion layer 104 is printed rises and expands.

  Thirdly, the user inserts the thermally expandable sheet 100 whose surface is heated and expanded into the printing unit 10 with its surface facing upward. The printing unit 10 prints the color ink layer 105 (color image) on the surface of the inserted thermally expandable sheet 100 (step S3). More specifically, the printing unit 10 ejects cyan C, magenta M, and yellow Y ink onto the surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100 in accordance with the designated color image data. As a result, a color ink layer 105 is formed on the ink receiving layer 103 and the photothermal conversion layer 104 as shown in FIG.

  The printing unit 10 is formed by mixing three colors of inks of cyan C, magenta M, and yellow Y when printing a black or gray color image on the color ink layer 105, or carbon black. It is formed by further using black ink that does not contain. Thus, the portion where the color ink layer 105 is formed is prevented from being heated in the expansion unit 20.

  Fourth, the user turns over the thermally expandable sheet 100 on which the color ink layer 105 is printed, and inserts the sheet into the expansion unit 20 with the back surface facing upward. The expansion unit 20 causes the irradiation unit 24 to irradiate light to the back surface of the inserted thermally expandable sheet 100, and heats the thermally expandable sheet 100 from the back surface. Thereby, the expansion unit 20 volatilizes the solvent contained in the color ink layer 105 and dries the color ink layer 105 (step S4). The color ink layer 105 is dried in this way because, if the color ink layer 105 is not sufficiently dried, the photothermal conversion layer 106 printed on the back surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100 in a later step is expanded to a necessary height. Because it becomes difficult.

  Fifth, the user inserts the thermally expandable sheet 100 on which the color ink layer 105 is printed into the printing unit 10 with the back surface thereof facing up. The printing unit 10 prints the photothermal conversion layer 106 on the back surface of the inserted thermally expandable sheet 100 (step S5). Similar to the photothermal conversion layer 104 printed on the surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100, the photothermal conversion layer 106 is a layer formed of a material that converts light into heat, specifically, black ink containing carbon black. . The printing unit 10 ejects black ink containing carbon black on the back surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100 according to the specified back surface foaming data. As a result, a photothermal conversion layer 106 is formed on the back surface of the substrate 101 as shown in FIG.

  Sixth, the user inserts the thermally expandable sheet 100 on which the light-to-heat conversion layer 106 is printed into the expansion unit 20 with its back surface facing upward. The expansion unit 20 heats the inserted thermally expandable sheet 100 from the back surface. If demonstrating it concretely, the expansion | swelling unit 20 will irradiate light to the back surface of the thermally expansible sheet 100 by the irradiation part 24 (step S6). The photothermal conversion layer 106 printed on the back surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100 generates heat by absorbing the irradiated light. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11E, the portion of the thermally expandable sheet 100 on which the light-to-heat conversion layer 106 is printed rises and expands.

  11A to 11E, the photothermal conversion layer 104 and the color ink layer 105 are illustrated as being formed on the ink receiving layer 103 for easy understanding. More precisely, however, the color ink and the black ink are absorbed in the ink receiving layer 103 and thus formed in the ink receiving layer 103.

  As described above, a color stereoscopic image is formed on the thermally expandable sheet 100 by expanding the portion of the thermally expandable sheet 100 where the light-to-heat conversion layers 104 and 106 are formed. The light-to-heat conversion layers 104 and 106 are heated more greatly as the concentration is higher, and thus expand more greatly. Therefore, it is possible to obtain stereoscopic images of various shapes by adjusting the shades of the photothermal conversion layers 104 and 106 according to the target height.

  In addition, you may abbreviate | omit either one of the process which heats the thermally expansible sheet 100 from the surface, and the process which heats from the back surface. For example, when only the surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100 is heated and expanded, steps S5 and S6 in FIG. 10 are omitted. On the other hand, when only the back surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100 is heated and expanded, steps S1 and S2 in FIG. 10 are omitted. The color image printing in step S3 may be executed after the process of heating the thermally expandable sheet 100 from the back side in step S6.

  When a monochrome stereoscopic image is formed, the printing unit 10 may print a monochrome image instead of a color image in step S3. In this case, a layer of black ink is formed on the ink receiving layer 103 and the photothermal conversion layer 104 instead of the color ink layer 105.

<Method for producing thermally expandable sheet 100>
Next, a method for manufacturing the above heat-expandable sheet 100 will be described. In FIG. 12, the structure of the manufacturing system 200 for manufacturing the thermally expansible sheet 100 is shown. As shown in FIG. 12, the manufacturing system 200 includes a printing device 210, a coating device 220, and a cutting device 230.

  The printing apparatus 210 prints the barcode B, which is identification information, on the base material 101. FIG. 13 shows the configuration of the printing apparatus 210. As illustrated in FIG. 13, the printing apparatus 210 includes a holding unit 211 that holds the long base 101, a transport mechanism 212 that transports the long base 101, and a long base 101. And a printing mechanism 213 for printing the barcode B.

  The elongated base material 101 is a medium that is a base for producing the thermally expandable sheet 100. The holding unit 211 holds the long base material 101 before the barcode B is printed in a rolled state. The transport mechanism 212 includes a roller and a roller pair (a part of which is omitted in FIG. 13) for transporting the long base material 101, and is wound in a roll shape and held by the holding unit 211. The substrate 101 is unwound and conveyed.

  The printing mechanism 213 prints the barcode B on the back surface of the long substrate 101 conveyed by the conveyance mechanism 212. The printing mechanism 213 performs printing by a known printing method such as a laser method, a thermal transfer method, an ink jet method, or a screen printing method.

  The printing apparatus 210 prints the barcode B via the printing mechanism 213 so that the barcode B is provided on the edge of the back surface of the thermally expandable sheet 100 after manufacture. For this purpose, the printing apparatus 210 prints the barcode B on at least one of the edge of the long base 101 and the cutting position of the long base 101 cut by the cutting apparatus 230.

  FIGS. 14A and 14B show printing examples of the barcode B in the case of manufacturing the A4 size and A3 size thermally expandable sheets 100, respectively. 14A and 14B, a cutting line C1 indicates a cutting position where the long substrate 101 is cut in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction by the cutting device 230. On the other hand, the cutting line C <b> 2 indicates a cutting position where the long substrate 101 is cut in the longitudinal direction by the cutting device 230.

  The cutting lines C1 and C2 are set according to the size and shape of the thermally expandable sheet 100 to be manufactured. For example, in the case of manufacturing the A4 size thermally expandable sheet 100 as shown in FIG. 14A, compared to the case of manufacturing the A3 size thermally expandable sheet 100 as shown in FIG. 14B, Many cutting lines C2 are set in the longitudinal direction.

  More specifically, the cutting lines C1 and C2 are arranged such that the flow direction of the elongated base material 101 is perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the thermally expandable sheet 100 in the stereoscopic image forming system 1. Is set. This is in order to suppress problems when a stereoscopic image is formed in the thermally expandable sheet 100 after manufacture. As shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the flow direction of the elongated base material 101 is generally parallel to the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the cutting lines C <b> 1 and C <b> 2 are set so that the conveyance direction of the thermally expandable sheet 100 is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the long base material 101.

  As shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the printing apparatus 210 includes a cutting line C <b> 2 extending in the longitudinal direction among the cutting lines C <b> 1 and C <b> 2 set in this way, and a long substrate 101. A plurality of barcodes B are printed on the edge in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and in a region extending in the longitudinal direction along the edge. Thereby, after the elongate base material 101 is cut by the cutting device 230, the thermally expandable sheet 100 provided with a plurality of barcodes B along the front edge in the transport direction can be obtained. .

  The printing mechanism 213 can print the barcode B with ink that is optically distinguishable at room temperature but disappears when heated. In this case, the barcode B printed on the elongate base material 101 can be optically identified before being heated in the expansion unit 20, but disappears by heating. Therefore, the barcode B that is no longer needed can be erased.

  The coating device 220 applies the thermal expansion layer 102 and the ink receiving layer 103 to the base material 101 on which the barcode B is printed by the printing device 210. The reason why the thermal expansion layer 102 and the ink receiving layer 103 are applied after the barcode B is printed is that when the thermal expansion layer 102 and the ink receiving layer 103 are applied, the weight and thickness of the substrate 101 increase. This is because it becomes difficult to print the barcode B.

  FIG. 15 shows the configuration of the coating apparatus 220. As shown in FIG. 15, the coating apparatus 220 includes a holding unit 221 that holds the long base material 101, a transport mechanism 222 that transports the long base material 101, and a long base material 101. An application mechanism 223 for applying the thermal expansion layer 102 and the ink receiving layer 103.

  The holding unit 221 holds the long base material 101 on which the barcode B is printed in a state of being wound in a roll shape. The transport mechanism 222 includes a roller and a roller pair (a part of which is omitted in FIG. 15) for transporting the long base material 101, and is wound in a roll shape and held by the holding unit 221. The substrate 101 is unwound and conveyed.

  The coating mechanism 223 applies the thermal expansion layer 102 and the ink receiving layer 103 to the surface of the long base material 101 transported by the transport mechanism 222 on the side opposite to the surface on which the barcode B is printed. . The application mechanism 223 applies the paint by a known method such as a bar coater method, a roll coater method, a spray method, or a screen printing method. FIG. 15 shows, as an example, a configuration of an application mechanism 223 that applies a paint by a bar coater method suitable for uniform thick coating.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, the application mechanism 223 includes a paint tank 224 for storing paint, a roller 225 for scooping up the paint from the paint tank, and a uniformizing member for making the thickness of the applied paint uniform. 226. The paint is a material for applying the thermal expansion layer 102 or the ink receiving layer 103. The application mechanism 223 scoops up the paint in the paint tank 224 with the roller 225 and applies it to the surface of the long substrate 101 conveyed by the conveyance mechanism 222. The applied paint is homogenized by the homogenizing member 226, thereby forming a smooth layer on the surface of the substrate 101.

  As the uniformizing member 226, for example, a wire bar (Meyer bar) in which a plurality of wires are wound around a bar can be used. In this case, the uniformizing member 226 forms a layer having a target thickness by scraping off the paint applied to the surface of the base material 101 other than the paint entering the gap between adjacent wires. In this way, the thermal expansion layer 102 or the ink receiving layer 103 is applied by the application mechanism 223.

  Further, the coating apparatus 220 applies the thermal expansion layer 102 or the ink receiving layer 103 to the long base material 101, and then transports the long base material 101 by a predetermined distance, so that the thermal expansion layer 102. Alternatively, the ink receiving layer 103 is dried. Although not shown in FIG. 15, the transport mechanism 222 is provided with a transport path of a predetermined distance after the coating mechanism 223 in order to dry the applied paint. The predetermined distance is, for example, about several meters to 10 meters.

  The cutting device 230 includes a cutting mechanism that cuts the long substrate 101. The cutting device 230 cuts the long base material 101 on which the thermal expansion layer 102 and the ink receiving layer 103 are applied by the coating device 220 at a preset cutting position. The preset cutting position is a cutting position according to the size and shape of the thermally expandable sheet 100 to be manufactured, and specifically, the cutting lines shown in FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b). It corresponds to C1 and C2.

  For example, when manufacturing the A4 size thermally expandable sheet 100, the cutting device 230 cuts the long base 101 along the cutting lines C1 and C2 shown in FIG. On the other hand, when manufacturing the A3 size thermally expandable sheet 100, the cutting device 230 cuts the long base material 101 along the cutting lines C1 and C2 shown in FIG. . As described above, the cutting device 230 cuts the long base 101 in the longitudinal direction and the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction according to the size and shape of the thermally expandable sheet 100 to be manufactured. . Thereby, the thermally expansible sheet 100 of various sizes and shapes can be obtained.

  As described above, the cutting lines C <b> 1 and C <b> 2 are set so that the flow direction of the base material 101 is perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the thermally expandable sheet 100. Therefore, the cutting device 230 cuts the long base material 101 along the cutting lines C <b> 1 and C <b> 2 so that the flow direction of the base material 101 is perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the thermally expandable sheet 100. Thus, the long base material 101 can be cut. Thereby, it is possible to obtain the thermally expandable sheet 100 that is less likely to cause problems when a stereoscopic image is formed.

  Next, the flow of the manufacturing process for the thermally expandable sheet 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, the user prepares the long base 101 and installs the prepared long base 101 on the holding unit 211 of the printing apparatus 210 in a rolled state. Then, the user operates the operation unit of the printing apparatus 210 to cause the printing apparatus 210 to start printing. Thereby, the printing apparatus 210 unwinds the elongate base material 101 wound by roll shape, and prints barcode B (step S11). Step S11 is an example of a printing step.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the printing apparatus 210 includes an edge portion in the width direction of the elongated base material 101, a cutting line C <b> 2 extending in the longitudinal direction, A plurality of barcodes B are printed along This is because the barcode B is provided on the front edge of the thermally expandable sheet 100 obtained by cutting the long base material 101 in the conveying direction. The elongate base material 101 after passing through such a printing step is wound up in a roll shape by a winding device.

  When the printing of the barcode B is completed, the user prepares to apply the thermal expansion layer 102 to the long base material 101 on which the barcode B is printed. Specifically, the user winds the long base material 101 on which the barcode B is printed in a roll shape and installs it on the holding unit 221 of the coating apparatus 220, and the thermal expansion layer 102 is placed in the paint tank 224. Inject material. At this time, the user installs the long base material 101 so that the surface opposite to the surface on which the barcode B is printed becomes the application surface. Then, the user operates the operation unit of the coating apparatus 220 to cause the coating apparatus 220 to start coating. Thereby, the coating device 220 applies the thermal expansion layer 102 to the long base material 101 on which the barcode B is printed (step S12). Step S12 is an example of an expansion layer application step (formation step).

  More specifically, the coating device 220 applies the material of the thermal expansion layer 102 stored in the paint tank 224 to the surface of the long substrate 101 to be conveyed. Thereby, the thermal expansion layer 102 is formed on the surface of the elongated base material 101. In addition, after applying the thermal expansion layer 102, the coating apparatus 220 equalizes the thickness of the applied thermal expansion layer 102 by the uniformizing member 226.

  In step S <b> 12, after applying the thermal expansion layer 102, the coating apparatus 220 transports the long base material 101 for a predetermined distance. Thereby, the applied thermal expansion layer 102 is dried. The elongate base material 101 after passing through such a drying step is wound up in a roll shape by a winding device. The thermal expansion layer 102 is repeatedly applied until a target thickness layer is formed. Therefore, the process of step S12 is repeated as necessary.

  When the application of the thermal expansion layer 102 is completed, the user prepares to further apply the ink receiving layer 103 to the elongated base material 101. More specifically, the user rolls the long base material 101 coated with the thermal expansion layer 102 in a roll shape and installs it again on the holding unit 221 of the coating device 220, and receives the ink in the paint tank 224. The material of layer 103 is injected. At this time, the user installs the long base 101 so that the surface of the thermal expansion layer 102 becomes the application surface. Then, the user operates the operation unit of the coating apparatus 220 to cause the coating apparatus 220 to start coating. Thereby, the coating device 220 further coats the ink receiving layer 103 from above the thermal expansion layer 102 (step S13). Step S13 is an example of a receiving layer application step.

  More specifically, the coating apparatus 220 applies the material of the ink receiving layer 103 stored in the paint tank 224 so as to overlap the thermal expansion layer 102. Thereby, the ink receiving layer 103 is further formed on the thermal expansion layer 102. In addition, after applying the ink receiving layer 103, the coating device 220 equalizes the thickness of the applied ink receiving layer 103 by the uniformizing member 226.

  In step S <b> 13, after applying the ink receiving layer 103, the coating device 220 transports the long base material 101 for a predetermined distance. Thereby, the applied ink receiving layer 103 is dried. The elongate base material 101 after passing through such a drying step is wound up in a roll shape by a winding device. The ink receiving layer 103 is overcoated until a target thickness layer is formed. Therefore, the process of step S13 is repeated as necessary.

  When the application of the ink receiving layer 103 is completed, the user prepares to cut the long substrate 101. More specifically, the user winds the long base material 101 coated with the ink receiving layer 103 in a roll shape and installs it on the holding unit of the cutting device 230. The user operates the operation unit of the cutting device 230 to cause the cutting device 230 to start cutting. Thereby, the cutting device 230 cuts the long base material 101 on which the thermal expansion layer 102 and the ink receiving layer 103 are applied (step S14). Step S14 is an example of a cutting step.

  More specifically, the cutting device 230 cuts the long base material 101 along the cutting lines C1 and C2 set according to the size and shape of the thermally expandable sheet 100 to be manufactured. Thus, the manufacturing process for the thermally expandable sheet 100 shown in FIG. 16 is completed. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the flow of the base material 101 is provided in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the heat-expandable sheet 100 in the stereoscopic image forming system 1. Is completed.

  As described above, the thermally expandable sheet 100 according to this embodiment includes the base material 101 and the thermally expandable layer 102, and the flow of the base material 101 is the thermally expandable sheet in the printing unit 10 and the expansion unit 20. It is provided in a direction perpendicular to the 100 conveying direction. Thus, since the flow path of the base material 101 is provided in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction, the thermally expandable sheet 100 tends to warp in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction, but in the conveyance direction. It is hard to warp in the direction parallel to the. As a result, it is possible to suppress problems when a stereoscopic image is formed in the printing unit 10 and the expansion unit 20.

  Further, in the method for manufacturing the thermally expandable sheet 100 according to the present embodiment, after applying the thermally expandable layer 102 to the base material 101, the flow direction of the base material 101 is the heat expandable sheet in the stereoscopic image forming system 1. The base material 101 to which the thermal expansion layer 102 is applied is cut so as to be perpendicular to the conveyance direction 100. Thereby, the thermally expansible sheet 100 which can suppress the malfunction at the time of forming a three-dimensional image can be manufactured.

(Modification)
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above embodiment is an example, and the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the embodiments of the present invention can be applied in various ways, and all the embodiments are included in the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the barcode B is printed on a long base material, the thermal expansion layer 102 and the ink receiving layer 103 are applied, and then the long base material 101 is cut to thermally expand. Sheet 100 was manufactured. However, in this invention, the base material 101 used as the origin for manufacturing the thermally expansible sheet 100 is not necessarily long shape. For example, after the thermal expansion layer 102 and the ink receiving layer 103 are applied to the base material 101 having an appropriate size other than the long shape, the flow direction of the base material 101 is the thermal expansion property in the stereoscopic image forming system 1. The substrate 101 coated with the thermal expansion layer 102 and the ink receiving layer 103 may be cut so as to be perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the sheet 100.

  In the above embodiment, the thermally expandable sheet 100 includes the base material 101, the thermally expandable layer 102, and the ink receiving layer 103. However, the thermally expandable sheet 100 may not include the ink receiving layer 103. When the thermally expandable sheet 100 does not include the ink receiving layer 103, the printing unit 10 prints the photothermal conversion layer 104 and the color ink layer 105 directly on the thermally expanded layer 102. In this case, in the method for manufacturing the thermally expandable sheet 100, the receiving layer application step for applying the ink receiving layer 103 is not necessary.

  The thermally expandable sheet 100 may include a layer made of any other material between the base material 101 and the thermally expandable layer 102 or between the thermally expandable layer 102 and the ink receiving layer 103. . In this case, in the method for manufacturing the heat-expandable sheet 100, a step for applying a layer of any other material described above is required.

  In the above embodiment, the printing apparatus 210 has printed the barcode B indicating that the thermally expandable sheet 100 is a dedicated sheet for forming a stereoscopic image as the identification information. However, in the present invention, the identification information printed on the substrate 101 is not limited to an identifier such as the barcode B. For example, the printing apparatus 210 may print information that can be identified by humans such as characters, symbols, and graphics as identification information.

  Further, the printing apparatus 210 may print arbitrary information regarding the thermally expandable sheet 100 as the identification information. For example, the printing apparatus 210 may print information (for example, an arrow) indicating the conveyance direction of the thermally expandable sheet 100 in the printing unit 10 or the expansion unit 20 as the identification information. Further, the printing apparatus 210 may print information indicating the front and back sides or the thickness of the thermally expandable sheet 100 as the identification information. Alternatively, the printing apparatus 210 may print a logo mark indicating the manufacturer of the thermally expandable sheet 100 as identification information, or may print setting information when processing by the expansion unit 20.

  In the above-described embodiment, the coating device 220 includes the thermal expansion layer 102 and the ink receiving layer on the surface of the substrate 101 on which the barcode B is printed by the printing device 210 on the side opposite to the surface on which the barcode B is printed. 103 was applied. However, in the present invention, if the coating device 220 can apply the thermal expansion layer 102 and the ink receiving layer 103 while avoiding the barcode B, the coating device 220 may be heated on the same surface as the surface on which the barcode B is printed. The expansion layer 102 and the ink receiving layer 103 may be applied. In other words, the printing apparatus 210 prints the barcode B on the front surface, not the back surface of the substrate 101, and the coating apparatus 220 is in a region other than the region where the barcode B is printed on the surface of the substrate 101. The thermal expansion layer 102 and the ink receiving layer 103 may be applied.

  In the above embodiment, the flow of the base material 101 is a direction perpendicular to both the conveyance direction of the thermally expandable sheet 100 in the printing unit 10 and the conveyance direction of the thermally expandable sheet 100 in the expansion unit 20. Was provided. However, in the present invention, when the purpose is to suppress a problem in only one of the printing unit 10 and the expansion unit 20, the flow of the base material 101 is the printing unit 10 and the expansion unit 20. And only one of them may be provided in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the thermally expandable sheet 100.

  In the above embodiment, the stereoscopic image forming system 1 includes the printing unit 10, the expansion unit 20, the display unit 40, and the control unit 50 in one apparatus. However, these units may be independent devices. In that case, each of these units may be installed in a place distant from each other, and may communicate by wire or wireless as necessary.

  In the above-described embodiment, the expansion unit 20 includes the conveyance roller pairs 21a and 23a that convey the thermally expandable sheet 100. From the irradiation unit 24 whose position is fixed with respect to the thermally expandable sheet 100 that is conveyed. The thermally expandable sheet 100 was heated by a method of irradiating light. However, the expansion unit 20 includes a moving mechanism that moves the irradiation unit 24, and the thermal expansion is performed by irradiating light to the thermally expandable sheet 100 whose position is fixed while moving the irradiation unit 24. The conductive sheet 100 may be heated. In other words, the expansion unit 20 may heat the thermally expandable sheet 100 by any method as long as the thermally expandable sheet 100 and the irradiation unit 24 can be relatively moved.

  Further, the printing method of the printing unit 10 is not limited to the ink jet method. For example, the printing unit 10 is a laser type printing apparatus, and may print an image with toner and a developer. The photothermal conversion layers 104 and 106 may be formed of a material other than black ink containing carbon black as long as it is a material that easily converts light into heat. In this case, the photothermal conversion layers 104 and 106 may be formed by means other than the printing unit 10.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and the present invention includes the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof. included. Hereinafter, the invention described in the scope of claims of the present application will be appended.
(Appendix 1)
A thermal expansion layer for forming a stereoscopic image by heating in a stereoscopic image forming system, and a base material on which the thermal expansion layer is laminated,
The flow direction of the base material is a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the thermally expandable sheet in the stereoscopic image forming system.
A thermally expandable sheet characterized by that.
(Appendix 2)
The base material has identification information indicating the transport direction on a surface opposite to the thermal expansion layer.
The heat-expandable sheet according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein
(Appendix 3)
The identification information is an identifier that is read in the stereoscopic image forming system, and the base material has the identification information at a front edge in the transport direction.
The thermally expandable sheet according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein
(Appendix 4)
The stereoscopic image forming system includes a printing unit that prints an image on the thermally expandable sheet or an expansion unit that heats the thermal expansion layer, and the flow direction of the base material is the same as that of the printing unit or the expansion unit. A direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the thermally expandable sheet,
The heat-expandable sheet according to any one of appendices 1 to 3, characterized in that:
(Appendix 5)
A thermal expansion sheet in which a thermal expansion layer for forming a stereoscopic image on a surface by heating in a predetermined stereoscopic image forming system is laminated on a base material,
When the thermally expandable sheet is set in the stereoscopic image forming system, the conveying direction of the thermally expandable sheet in the stereoscopic image forming system is set to be a direction orthogonal to the flow of the base material A thermally expandable sheet, characterized in that an identification mark is provided for the stereoscopic image forming system to determine whether or not it has been done.
(Appendix 6)
The thermal expansion sheet according to appendix 5, wherein the identification mark is provided on a surface of the base material opposite to the surface on which the thermal expansion layer is laminated.
(Appendix 7)
A plurality of the identification marks are provided,
The thermal expansion sheet according to appendix 5 or 6, wherein the plurality of identification marks are provided so as to be arranged in a direction orthogonal to the flow line of the base material.
(Appendix 8)
A method for producing a thermally expandable sheet, comprising a base material and a thermal expansion layer, wherein the thermal expansion layer is heated and expanded by a stereoscopic image forming system to form a stereoscopic image,
An expansion layer application step of applying the thermal expansion layer to the substrate;
The base material on which the thermal expansion layer is applied in the expansion layer application step so that the flow direction of the base material is perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the thermal expansion sheet in the stereoscopic image forming system A cutting step for cutting
A method for producing a thermally expandable sheet, comprising:
(Appendix 9)
The base material is a long base material,
In the expansion layer application step, the thermal expansion layer is applied to the elongated base material,
In the cutting step, the long base material to which the thermal expansion layer is applied in the expansion layer application step is set so that the transport direction is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the long base material. Cut,
The method for producing a thermally expandable sheet according to Supplementary Note 8, wherein:
(Appendix 10)
A printing step of printing identification information on the elongated substrate;
In the expansion layer application step, the thermal expansion layer is applied to the elongated base material on which the identification information is printed in the printing step.
The method for producing a thermally expandable sheet according to Supplementary Note 9, wherein
(Appendix 11)
In the cutting step, the long base material is cut in a longitudinal direction of the long base material and in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction,
In the printing step, at least one of an edge portion in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the elongated base material and a cutting position cut in the longitudinal direction in the cutting step, the identification information Print,
The method for producing a thermally expandable sheet according to supplementary note 10, wherein:
(Appendix 12)
In the printing step, the identification information is printed in a long region in the longitudinal direction.
The method for producing a thermally expandable sheet according to Supplementary Note 11, wherein:
(Appendix 13)
A receiving layer applying step of applying an ink receiving layer for receiving ink on the thermally expanding layer applied in the expanding layer applying step;
In the cutting step, the base material coated with the ink receiving layer in the receiving layer coating step is cut so that a flow direction of the base material is perpendicular to the transport direction. The manufacturing method of the thermally expansible sheet of any one of Additional remarks 8 to 12 to do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Stereoscopic image forming system, 10 ... Printing unit, 11, 21 ... Carry-in part, 12, 22 ... Discharge part, 20 ... Expansion unit, 21a, 23a ... Pair of conveyance rollers, 21b, 23b ... Conveyance guide, 23 ... Housing , 24 ... Irradiation unit, 26 ... Bar code reader, 27 ... Reflector, 30 ... Top plate, 40 ... Display unit, 41 ... Carriage, 42 ... Print head, 43, 43k, 43c, 43m, 43y ... Ink cartridge, 44 ... Guide rail, 45 ... drive belt, 45m ... motor, 46 ... flexible communication cable, 47, 60 ... frame, 48 ... platen, 49a ... feed roller pair, 49b ... discharge roller pair, 50 ... control unit, 51 ... control , 52 ... storage unit, 53 ... input unit, 54 ... communication unit, 55 ... recording medium drive unit, 100 ... thermal expansion sheet, 101 ... base material, 10 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Thermal expansion layer, 103 ... Ink receiving layer, 104, 106 ... Photothermal conversion layer, 105 ... Color ink layer, 200 ... Manufacturing system, 210 ... Printing apparatus, 211, 221 ... Holding part, 212, 222 ... Conveyance mechanism, 213 ... Printing mechanism, 220 ... Coating device, 223 ... Coating mechanism, 224 ... Paint tank, 225 ... Roller, 226 ... Uniform member, 230 ... Cutting device, B ... Bar code, C1, C2 ... Cutting line, D1 ... Sub scanning Direction (conveyance direction), D2 ... main scanning direction

Claims (13)

A thermal expansion layer for forming a stereoscopic image by heating in a stereoscopic image forming system, and a base material on which the thermal expansion layer is laminated,
The flow direction of the base material is a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the thermally expandable sheet in the stereoscopic image forming system.
A thermally expandable sheet characterized by that. The base material has identification information indicating the transport direction on a surface opposite to the thermal expansion layer.
The thermally expandable sheet according to claim 1. The identification information is an identifier that is read in the stereoscopic image forming system, and the base material has the identification information at a front edge in the transport direction.
The thermally expandable sheet according to claim 2. The stereoscopic image forming system includes a printing unit that prints an image on the thermally expandable sheet or an expansion unit that heats the thermal expansion layer, and the flow direction of the base material is the same as that of the printing unit or the expansion unit. A direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the thermally expandable sheet,
The thermally expandable sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sheet is thermally expandable. A thermal expansion sheet in which a thermal expansion layer for forming a stereoscopic image on a surface by heating in a predetermined stereoscopic image forming system is laminated on a base material,
When the thermally expandable sheet is set in the stereoscopic image forming system, the conveying direction of the thermally expandable sheet in the stereoscopic image forming system is set to be a direction orthogonal to the flow of the base material A thermally expandable sheet, characterized in that an identification mark is provided for the stereoscopic image forming system to determine whether or not it has been done.   The thermally expandable sheet according to claim 5, wherein the identification mark is provided on a surface of the base material opposite to a surface on which the thermally expandable layer is laminated. A plurality of the identification marks are provided,
The thermally expandable sheet according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the plurality of identification marks are provided so as to be arranged in a direction orthogonal to a flow line of the base material. A method for producing a thermally expandable sheet, comprising a base material and a thermal expansion layer, wherein the thermal expansion layer is heated and expanded by a stereoscopic image forming system to form a stereoscopic image,
An expansion layer application step of applying the thermal expansion layer to the substrate;
The base material on which the thermal expansion layer is applied in the expansion layer application step so that the flow direction of the base material is perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the thermal expansion sheet in the stereoscopic image forming system A cutting step for cutting
A method for producing a thermally expandable sheet, comprising: The base material is a long base material,
In the expansion layer application step, the thermal expansion layer is applied to the elongated base material,
In the cutting step, the long base material to which the thermal expansion layer is applied in the expansion layer application step is set so that the transport direction is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the long base material. Cut,
The method for producing a thermally expandable sheet according to claim 8. A printing step of printing identification information on the elongated substrate;
In the expansion layer application step, the thermal expansion layer is applied to the elongated base material on which the identification information is printed in the printing step.
The method for producing a thermally expandable sheet according to claim 9. In the cutting step, the long base material is cut in a longitudinal direction of the long base material and in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction,
In the printing step, at least one of an edge portion in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the elongated base material and a cutting position cut in the longitudinal direction in the cutting step, the identification information Print,
The method for producing a thermally expandable sheet according to claim 10. In the printing step, the identification information is printed in a long region in the longitudinal direction.
The method for producing a thermally expandable sheet according to claim 11. A receiving layer applying step of applying an ink receiving layer for receiving ink on the thermally expanding layer applied in the expanding layer applying step;
In the cutting step, the base material coated with the ink receiving layer in the receiving layer coating step is cut so that a flow direction of the base material is perpendicular to the transport direction. The method for producing a thermally expandable sheet according to any one of claims 8 to 12.

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