JP2794460B2 - Hydraulic transfer method and plate determination method - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for printing an arbitrary desired pattern on an object having a so-called uneven surface such as a curved surface or an irregularly shaped surface.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a method of printing a pattern on an object having a so-called uneven surface such as a curved surface or an irregular shape, a conventional method is used for printing on one surface of a thin film film, and the film is printed with its printed surface up. 2. Description of the Related Art A so-called hydraulic transfer method of floating a liquid surface, lowering a transfer object from above toward a printing surface, and transferring a pattern to the transfer object by liquid pressure is widely known. In addition, multi-color printing is performed in advance by a conventional method, and a liquid containing a solvent capable of swelling the printing ink or a liquid agent such as an adhesive is directly roll-coated on the thin film film once dried, or on a liquid surface. A method of spray-coating the ink and giving the ink the tackiness again is disclosed in JP-A-54-33115 and JP-A-55-148190, and these methods are currently used. It has been implemented.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, the former method has a problem in multicolor printing,
In addition, the latter method requires an additional ink drying step for each color.

In any of the former and the latter, the so-called printing plate is used for pattern printing on the thin film film, so that the plate making cost greatly affects the cost, and the pattern is three-dimensionally printed on the object. However, since the base printing plate is made empirically, trial-and-error and made flat, so to speak, a one-shot game, for example,
Even for wood grain, it is not a technique that can be changed at all according to the unevenness of the object, but at least to the extent that it is sufficient that the wood grain should be uniformly applied,
A pattern irrespective of the unevenness of the object, for example, a pattern having a camouflage color of polka dots has been favorably used.

As a result, it is unsuitable for small-quantity multi-product processing or complicated uneven objects, which has hindered the further spread of the so-called hydraulic transfer method.

In today's age of playfulness and sensation, not only simple patterns, but also, for example, highly designed patterns such as paintings, can be individually and immediately responded to the irregularities of the object. There is a need.

Furthermore, in the conventional method, since a pattern is obtained by gravure printing, the gravure eyes may be conspicuous in the finish.

In view of this situation, the present applicant has invented a novel hydraulic pressure transfer method and plate determination method using an inkjet printer connected to a so-called personal computer, and has also filed an application as Japanese Patent Application No. 63-33240. However, when using an ink-jet printer, it takes a considerable amount of time to draw a pattern, which is inconsistent with human thinking speed. Although these methods can be approved as a near-futuristic design method, except for their speed, they have a psychic view that design design is hard to be accepted by designer souls who want to be artistic. Problems were also inherent.

Such a folded, accidental, so-called overhead projector film prepared as a meeting material on a desk, the remaining bottle of activator left over by the liquid pressure transfer method falls down, and the activator partially scattered When the handkerchief was overlaid to wipe it off, the film came to stick to the handkerchief, and the handkerchief was stained somehow readable as characters. Thus, the present invention has been made.

Means for Solving the Problems That is, in the hydraulic transfer method of the present invention, in order to solve the above-described problems, a desired pattern formed by fusing toner on a thin film film is fixed by so-called electrophotography. And
Subsequently, the thin film is floated on a liquid with the pattern facing upward, and at this time, an activator is applied to the fused toner before or after the liquid is applied so as to impart tackiness to the toner. While the constituting toner portion has tackiness, a part or all of the transferred object is put into the liquid while the transferred object is in contact with the thin film on the liquid, and the thin film is removed. The desired pattern is transferred to the transfer object by being brought into close contact with the transfer object by liquid pressure, and thereafter, if necessary, a thin film remaining on the surface of the transfer object is removed. ,Also,
Further, as a result, if the pattern does not match the unevenness of the transferred object, redraw the original image or modify the arithmetic processing to the microcomputer to deform the obtained pattern until it matches. It is characterized in that the above steps are repeated.

Further, in the method for determining the version of the present invention, if the best pattern is finally obtained in this manner, the final pattern obtained based on the original image at that time or by executing the arithmetic processing at that time again is obtained. It is characterized in that the pattern is taken out without floating on the liquid and the printing plate is raised based on this final pattern.

In the above method, the pattern obtained on the thin film by the so-called electrophotographic method is obtained by fusing the toner, and generally the toner is a colored resin powder, and has a thermoplastic resin as a binder component. Since the activator contains a solvent component, the resin component swells or dissolves with the activator even if the toner is fixed and solidified, and the pattern on the thin film becomes tacky. It will take on. In a state in which the transfer target is brought into contact with the transfer target while it is floating on the liquid, a part or all of the transfer target is immersed in the liquid. Will be transcribed.

Further, since each color toner is cooled and solidified almost instantaneously, a multicolor printing pattern can be fixed on the thin film film without any problem even if different color toners are used.

And among those using so-called electrophotography, even when using an electronic copying machine, based on an original image, when using a so-called microcomputer having a laser printer and a microprocessor as a core, encoded information is calculated. While processing, a pattern is obtained based on the processing result, so the state of the object once subjected to hydraulic transfer is visually checked, and if it does not match, the original image is manually corrected or The product finish is adjusted by modifying the arithmetic processing on the computer and attempting hydraulic transfer again.

Then, when a final match is made, the printing plate may be raised based on the original image at that time or the pattern obtained by executing the arithmetic processing again.

In particular, when the correction is based on the original image, the correction is performed by hand using a conte, pencil, paint, ink, pastel, and the like, and is exactly the same as ordinary drawing. On the other hand, if the pattern is drawn using a laser printer and a so-called microcomputer, various deformations such as enlargement, partial enlargement, partial reduction, repetition, and inversion can be easily and immediately performed.

Further, since the pattern is made to be solidified after the colored powder is sprinkled, it can be expressed as a so-called ink painting-like blur without appearing as a gravure or a dot.

EXAMPLES Next, each method of the present invention will be described with reference to specific examples shown in the drawings.

The thin film used in this example has the property of absorbing water by floating on the surface of water and swelling, and is easily extended and deformed along the shape of the object by pushing the object from the surface of the water. What can fuse a toner by electrophotography and can fix a desired pattern on the surface is used. Specific examples of the water-soluble or water-swellable film include a starch-based film, a polyvinyl alcohol resin film or a mixed resin film mainly composed of polyvinyl alcohol resin, for example, a mixed system of polyvinyl alcohol and starch, or a mixture thereof. The film material is coated on a substrate sheet having the property of penetrating liquid, especially water, such as paper, non-woven fabric, cloth, various porous films, etc., or a laminated sheet, and further provided with various release layers, and then peeled off from the release layer. It is preferable to use a sheet or the like which does not curl when fixing the toner. For this purpose, for example, a thin film may be used after being stretched on a base paper or the like.

Further, the toner is a so-called developer in electrophotography, and usually a thermoplastic resin and a coloring agent such as a pigment, a charge control agent are mixed, kneaded, cooled, coarsely pulverized, finely pulverized, and colored fine powder of 5 to 20 μm. It is normal to add other additives to the product, and further mix a carrier, including photoconductive phenomenon, electrostatic phenomenon, light, heat, radiation, static electricity,
By applying physical and chemical phenomena such as magnetism and electrochemical, the obtained latent image is developed and heated, whereby the resin component is melted, cooled and solidified, and fixed. . Since most of the commercially available films can be fixed to overhead projector films, they can be used almost as they are for the above water-soluble or water-swellable films. The activators include a solvent capable of swelling the resin component contained in the toner. The activator erodes the surface of the transfer-receiving body, and when it is undercoated with the paint, the paint is rapidly dissolved during the transfer. Desirably, a resin that does not cause the solvent is added, and it is desirable that a resin having an affinity for this solvent be added. In the case of electrophotography using a commercially available ordinary electronic copying machine or laser printer, it is possible to impart tackiness by diverting an activator conventionally used as it is.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, in FIG. 1, an original 2 handwritten by a designer is copied to a water-soluble or water-swellable film by an electronic copying machine 1, whereby a desired pattern, Here the original picture is 1: 1
In order to obtain a film 3 which is copied to the camera. Then, when such a film 3 is obtained, as shown in FIG. 2, the film is floated on the water surface 41 of the water tank 4 so that this pattern is upward, and after the ignition and before the transfer, the film absorbs water. After swelling, activator 5 is spray-coated from spray 50. Then, the toner fixed and solidified in the electronic copying machine swells or dissolves in the solvent component in the activators, and the entire pattern becomes tacky. At the same time, the extensibility of the entire film 3 is further enhanced, and as shown in FIG. 3, while the pattern is tacky and has extensibility, the film 3 The transfer body 6 is lowered together with the transfer member 3, and a part or all of the transfer member 6 is pushed into water. Then, the film 3
Will be attached to the transfer receiving body 6 by water pressure. Although not shown in the drawings, the remaining film components will be washed away, the water and solvent components will be volatilized, and a top coat will be applied as necessary to obtain a finished product, which will be described later in the description of other embodiments. .

Here, when the transfer object 6 is lowered, in the above-described embodiment, a person holds the upper portion of the transfer object 6 and pushes it in. However, the water-soluble or water-swellable film is continuously fed out. And if the pattern is also applied continuously, this is automatically added while giving an appropriate angle of incidence by a conveyor capable of shifting to a triangular shape shown in JP-A-58-31754. Do not use
It may be relatively and batchwise pushed into water by a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-19541 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-39964.

The temperature of the water in the water tank 4 is adjusted to an appropriate temperature according to the properties of the water-soluble or water-swellable film. For example, when a starch-based film is used as a water-soluble or water-swellable film, the water temperature is preferably about 40 to 50 ° C., and amylase or the like is used to promote dissolution during removal of the thin film. About 2 to 4% may be added. In addition, the water-soluble or water-swellable film floating on the water surface 41 absorbs water and swells and dissolves partially. Although the dissolution may be completed, washing is usually required to remove residual film components. At this time, the water temperature is generally 15 to 60 ° C., and the washing time is 1 to 1. About 10 minutes is enough.

Therefore, the remaining film components are washed off and dried,
If necessary, a finished product can be obtained by applying a top coat. However, if the original image 2 is transferred using the pattern as copied as described above,
In some cases, the pattern does not match the actual unevenness of the transfer target.

In such a case, as shown in FIG. 4, at least at the stage when the transfer is performed or the residual film component is removed, the finishing condition is immediately examined, and the original image 2 is modified and modified. This modification is a manual work, just like the designer's aesthetic.

Then, if the corrected original image 2 'is used as the original image in FIG. 1 and the above-mentioned hydraulic transfer and its evaluation are repeated,
Although it is trial and error in this part, the so-called PLA
N, DO, and SEE can be repeated within a very close time and in accordance with human aesthetic sense.

For this reason, even when the unevenness of the transfer target is complicated and it is difficult to match the pattern with the unevenness, the pattern for the transfer can be determined relatively quickly, and the actual transfer can be performed simultaneously.

In the electrophotography described above, an electrocopier is generally used to shine light on an original image, and a latent image is once obtained on a drum by utilizing photoconductive and electrostatic phenomena. The latent image is developed with toner, and the latent image is further transferred and heated to obtain a fixed pattern.However, even with electrophotography, when using a laser printer, not only the original image actually drawn by the designer but also the numerical value Since a pattern is obtained from the data by arithmetic processing, and the subsequent steps can be handled almost in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, this example will be described next. In this case, although not directly drawn from hand movements, deformations such as enlargement and reduction can be uniformly processed with the same command, which is excellent as a near-future design method.

In this case, the laser printer using electrophotography is connected and controlled by a so-called microcomputer having a microprocessor as a core, but the microcomputer replaces patterns with magnetism, light, etc. as other peripheral devices. External storage device that reads and writes data on cards, tapes, disks, etc., a camera that directly captures patterns directly, an image input device such as a scanner, an input device such as a keyboard and mouse for inputting and specifying points for processing procedures, and A CRT, etc. is connected via each interface as needed.

These are now widely used as CG and CAD system devices, and read one pattern information from a group of information encoded and stored in a storage medium, or use a camera, scanner, etc. The image input device directly captures image information from a photograph or the like, and receives instructions such as enlargement, partial enlargement, partial reduction, repetition, and inversion from the information or from, for example, a keyboard. While performing such arithmetic processing under the overall control, it is possible to draw any desired pattern according to the processing result, and as a means for implementing the present method, a considerable amount of its hardware and software Pieces are available.

That is, in FIG. 5, the water-soluble or water-swellable film 30 wound in a roll shape is sequentially pulled out and introduced into a commercially available laser printer 7, where an arbitrary desired pattern by the toner is drawn. It is.

That is, based on the overall control of the computer 9, for example, the image input device reads from a photograph or the like, or reads one of a group of pattern information stored in a floppy disk or the like. It will take root.

In the case of a laser printer as well, it is common to obtain a latent image once on a drum, develop the latent image with toner, and transfer and heat the latent image to obtain a fixed pattern.

Then, the film 31 on which the toner has been fixed passes through a conventionally known activator application device 51, where the activator 5 is applied here, and then the inclined surface 8 conveys the water surface 41 of the water tank 40.
The pattern on the film 31 is floated on the water surface 41 as an upper surface. To apply the activators, if you do this before you reach the surface of the water,
Means such as gravure coating, roll coating, bar coating and the like can be employed, and if this is performed after floating on the water surface, it can be performed using means such as spray coating and ultrasonic coating.

The subsequent steps are the same as those of the above-described embodiment, but here, the water in the water tank 40 is caused to overflow 42 from the other and flow out from one to the other, but the water in the water tank is forced by a pump or the like. It can also be performed by cyclically
Still water may be used when floating the sheet-like films one by one.

The transfer object 6 is pulled out of the water, and a separate booth A
The remaining film components are washed away by showering with hot water or the like, and exposed to hot air or blown with hot air to volatilize the washing water and the like, and a top coat is applied as necessary to obtain a finished product.

Here, similarly to the above-described embodiment, in the finish,
There is a case where the pattern is not matched with the unevenness of the transfer target, that is, when the pattern obtained while being read by the image input device or read from the floppy disk or the like is transferred, it may be unsatisfactory.

In such a case, this time, it is necessary to directly visually determine, in the pattern, a portion that should be enlarged, enlarged, a portion that should be reduced, a portion that should be emphasized, and the like, and an instruction of an arithmetic processing necessary for that is made. Can be input from the keyboard 91 of the computer 9.

At this time, what kind of pattern can be changed by giving a command and what kind of pattern is drawn depends on the software of the system. There is a case where the relationship when the pattern is applied cannot be grasped at all in advance. However, by repeating the instruction for the pattern deformation, the transfer, and the evaluation sequentially, the tendency between them can be grasped.

Therefore, even in the case where the unevenness of the transfer object is complicated and it is difficult to match the pattern with the unevenness, the pattern for that purpose can be determined relatively quickly, and the actual transfer can be performed simultaneously. The same as described above.

In this way, once there is a pattern that satisfies the condition, if it is stored in a storage medium such as a floppy disk, the pattern information can be read out thereafter and executed immediately. And at that time,
If an instruction to repeatedly draw the same pattern is input, mass-production transfer is also possible. Therefore, it is possible to easily cope with an object to be transferred having a slightly different shape,
In addition, for a transfer target having a largely different shape, if a certain amount of pattern information is read from the stored information group, it is possible to cope with a transfer operation of a small number of various kinds.

Furthermore, even in the case of using an electronic copying machine based on a handwritten original image, for a large number of transfer objects having the same shape, the optimal pattern is determined using the above method in the trial stage, After that, a printing plate is prepared based on this, and in a mass production stage, a method of performing the printing with the thin film printed by the printing plate according to a conventional hydraulic transfer method becomes possible. In this case, when the finally determined pattern is reproduced for plate making, the pattern may be drawn on the above-mentioned film, but may be separately drawn on a sheet of paper and passed to the plate making step without floating on the water surface. Of course, when based on a handwritten original, the finally modified original may be sent to the plate making process.

In addition, as the transfer object, ABS resin, acrylic resin, A
S resin, vinyl chloride resin, polystyrene resin, noryl resin, phenol resin, urea resin, melamine resin,
It may be a complex material with irregularities using a plastic material such as FRP, epoxy resin or other metal, etc.
Particularly, in the case of an aluminum material, a material having an anodic oxide film formed on its surface is suitable.

Further, in the above embodiment, a water-soluble or water-swellable film is used as the thin film, but the thin film does not have to be dissolved, and even if it is not water-soluble, acid, alkali and oxygen can be used. It can be used as long as it is a thin film that dissolves or swells in an aqueous solution, a solvent, or another liquid.
This may be used as a substitute for the top coat. Similarly, liquids are not limited to water,
It may be an acid, an aqueous alkali solution, a solvent, or another liquid.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, in fixing a desired pattern formed by fusing toner on a thin film by so-called electrophotography, an electrocopier or a laser printer is used, and these are classified into the same electrophotography. ,light,
Among the physical and chemical phenomena such as heat, radiation, static electricity, magnetism, and electrochemical phenomena, the so-called xerographic technique in a narrow sense applying photoconductive phenomena and electrostatic phenomena is used. Regardless of which phenomenon is applied to the electrophotography, any or some of these phenomena are applied, and the obtained latent image is developed with toner, and the toner is heated. Any means may be used as long as the resin component is melted, cooled and solidified, and information from various objects is fixed on the thin film as a pattern.

In this sense, the electronic copying machine according to the present invention refers to a means capable of copying a large number of similar shapes within the range of reduction and enlargement of the entire original image. A laser printer is a so-called microcomputer of a microprocessor having a microprocessor as a core. Under the general control, a printer that obtains a pattern based on the processing result while performing the oxidizing process on the encoded information is a general term.

For example, a facsimile that has become very popular in recent years can be used as long as an image can be obtained with toner fixed, and according to this, a designer at a remote location can send a rough design draft through a telephone line to a thin film film at a transfer factory. It can be sent to the top, where the operator can immediately judge the hydraulic transfer and the outline of the finish, and even decide the design with the answer.

In addition, various improvements in the conventional hydraulic transfer method, such as performing masking and two layers of liquid, can be applied almost as they are.

Therefore, according to the present invention, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform multicolor printing transfer without drying the ink for each color, as well as not requiring a printing plate, although it is trial and error, The so-called PLAN, DO, and SEE can be repeated within a very short period of time, and even when the transfer object has complicated irregularities, a pattern can be formed relatively quickly and as desired. In this process, the image may be directly drawn by hand and modified, so that even those who are not good at computers can immediately apply the image.

Also, if a command to repeatedly draw the same pattern based on the same original image is input, mass-production transfer becomes possible, so that it is also suitable for small-quantity multi-product transfer work.

Furthermore, if a printing plate is prepared based on the optimum pattern after it has been determined, a high-design pattern can be applied even in a conventional mass-produced hydraulic transfer method.

Also, in the finish, gravure does not appear, and even expression such as blurring of ink painting tone can be performed, and the range of design expression methods is widened.

For this reason, application development of the hydraulic transfer method can be expected more and more.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 to 4 are partial cross-sectional and partial perspective schematic views sequentially showing the flow of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a process for obtaining a pattern by an electronic copying machine, and FIG. FIG. 3 shows a step of applying floating activators to the surface of the water, FIG. 3 shows a step of pushing the transferred object into water, and FIG. 4 shows a step of evaluating the finish and correcting the original image. FIG. 5 is a partial cross section showing a flow in another embodiment using a laser printer.
It is a schematic diagram of a partial perspective. 1 ... Electronic copier, 2 ... Original image 2 '... Modified original image 31 .... Thin film with toner pattern fixed 4.40 ... Water tank, 41 ... Water surface 5 ... Activators, 6 ... transferred object 7 ... laser printer, 9 ... computer

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] A desired pattern formed by fusing toner on a thin film is fixed by a so-called electrophotographic method, and then the thin film is floated on a liquid with the pattern facing up. Applying activators such as to impart tackiness to the fused toner before or after liquid application,
While the toner portion constituting the pattern has tackiness, a part or all of the transfer target is put into the liquid while the transfer target is in contact with the thin film film on the liquid, A liquid in which a thin film is brought into close contact with the object by liquid pressure so that the desired pattern is transferred to the object, and then, if necessary, a thin film remaining on the surface of the object is removed. Pressure transfer method. 2. A method in which a desired pattern formed by fusing toner on a thin film is fixed based on an original image by using an electrocopier even among those utilizing so-called electrophotography. Floating the pattern on a liquid, at this time, applying an activator such that the fused toner has tackiness before or after immersion,
While the toner portion constituting the pattern has tackiness, a part or all of the transferred object is immersed in the liquid while the transferred object is in contact with the thin film film on the liquid, The thin film is brought into close contact with the object by liquid pressure so that the desired pattern is transferred to the object, and thereafter, if necessary, the thin film remaining on the surface of the object is removed. As a result, if the pattern does not match the irregularities of the transfer object, the original image is redrawn and the above steps are repeated until the pattern is matched. 3. A method in which a so-called microcomputer having a laser printer and a microprocessor as its core is used to calculate and process encoded information based on the processing result. A desired pattern formed by fusing the toner is fixed thereon, and then the thin film is floated on a liquid with the pattern facing up. At this time, the tack is applied to the fused toner before or after the liquid is applied. Applying an activator that imparts a property to the toner, and while the toner portion constituting the pattern has tackiness, the transfer object is brought into contact with the thin film film on the liquid while the transfer object is in contact therewith. Part or all of the body is immersed in the liquid, the thin film is brought into close contact with the transferred body by liquid pressure to transfer the desired pattern to the transferred body, If necessary, the thin film remaining on the surface of the transferred object is removed, and if the pattern and the unevenness of the transferred object do not match as a result, the above-described arithmetic processing is modified until the pattern is matched, and A hydraulic transfer method in which the process is repeated. 4. A method in which a desired pattern formed by fusing toner on a thin film is fixed on the thin film based on the original image by using an electrocopier among those using so-called electrophotography. Floating the pattern on a liquid, at this time, applying an activator such that the fused toner has tackiness before or after immersion,
While the toner portion constituting the pattern has tackiness, a part or all of the transferred object is immersed in the liquid while the transferred object is in contact with the thin film film on the liquid, The thin film is brought into close contact with the object by liquid pressure so that the desired pattern is transferred to the object, and thereafter, if necessary, the thin film remaining on the surface of the object is removed. As a result, if the pattern does not match the unevenness of the transferred object, the original image is redrawn, and the above steps are repeated until the pattern is matched. If the best one is finally obtained, the original image at that time is used. The method of determining the printing plate based on which the printing plate is raised. 5. A method using a so-called microcomputer, which uses a laser printer and a microprocessor as cores, among those utilizing so-called electrophotography. A desired pattern formed by fusing the toner is fixed thereon, and then the thin film is floated on a liquid with the pattern facing up. At this time, the tack is applied to the fused toner before or after the liquid is applied. Applying an activator that imparts a property to the toner, and while the toner portion constituting the pattern has tackiness, the transfer object is brought into contact with the thin film film on the liquid while the transfer object is in contact therewith. Part or all of the body is immersed in the liquid, the thin film is brought into close contact with the transferred body by liquid pressure to transfer the desired pattern to the transferred body, If necessary, the thin film remaining on the surface of the transferred object is removed, and if the pattern and the unevenness of the transferred object do not match as a result, the above-described arithmetic processing is modified until the pattern is matched, and The process is repeated, and if the best one is finally obtained, the arithmetic processing at that time is executed again, and the obtained final pattern is taken out without floating on the liquid, and printed based on the final pattern. How to determine the version that causes the version to wake up.