JP2940346B2 - Dyeing method using fusion type thermal transfer ribbon - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to dry dyeing of a substrate to be dyed.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for flexibly changing a dyed image and producing a substrate to be dyed on which the image is dyed extremely quickly.

[0003] The term "substrate to be dyed" and "substrate to be dyed" as used in the present invention mean the same material, such as a cloth or a polymer film. It refers to those in which there is a sublimation dye that can be dyed well.

The fabric referred to in the present invention includes natural fibers such as silk and cotton, synthetic fibers such as polyester, polyamide and polyacrylonitrile, regenerated fibers and semi-synthetic fibers of cellulose and protein. Refers to woven fabric, knitted fabric, non-woven fabric and the like.

[0005] In addition, the image referred to in the present invention refers to any printable object, such as characters, pictures, pictograms, trademarks, design pictures, bar codes, two-dimensional codes, and identification marks of color codes.

[0006]

2. Description of the Related Art First, a fabric among the substrates to be dyed according to the present invention will be described.

[0007] Printing is the main method for dyeing arbitrary characters, images and the like on a cloth, but it is a well-known fact that it is not easy to change the images and the like. In addition, since a paste or the like containing a dye is formed on the fabric and steaming is performed, the apparatus becomes large-scale. Furthermore, if the cloth is not washed to remove the sizing agent and excess dye after dyeing, it may cause contamination of other cloths when the cloth is used. After washing with water, it is necessary to dry, and it takes a lot of time and energy to obtain a dyed fabric.

As described above, in the conventional textile printing, the image can be flexibly changed, the apparatus becomes large,
It took a long time to obtain a dyed fabric having good rub fastness and the like, and it was not possible to dye it as if printing an image on paper with various printers of OA-related equipment.

Next, the polymer film among the substrates to be dyed according to the present invention will be described.

Although there is no particular example of a method for recording arbitrary characters and images on a film, various printing methods for large-volume printing and printing methods using OA-related equipment printers for small-volume printing are already known. Widely used. However, from the point of view of dyeing,
In all of these methods, pigments are used as a coloring agent as much as possible, and the pigments are not fixed inside the film, but are only fixed or fixed on the film surface. It does not have good rub fastness like dyeing. There is a sublimation-type thermal transfer printing method in which the dye is barely dyed. However, due to the problem of the durability of the thermal head, a dye having a high sublimation property, that is, a dye having a low sublimation temperature, which will be described later, is used. At present, the color fastness of many dyes is poor.

As described above, in the conventional printing and printing method, although the image can be changed more flexibly than the above-mentioned printing or the like, the coloring agent is a pigment and has a problem in the fastness to friction. Various dyeing fastnesses were not good even in the method using a dye.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, the present invention has disadvantages of printing, that is, the apparatus becomes large in size, must be washed with water, has to remove excess dye, and requires a long time. Solves many problems such as requiring a lot of energy, not being able to change images flexibly, and the disadvantages of various printing and printing methods, that is,
An object of the present invention is to solve the problem that an image having good fastness cannot be recorded, and to supply a dyed fabric or film having good fastness in a printer-like manner. Other objects of the present invention will become clear in the following description.

[0013]

The present invention employs the following configuration in order to solve the problems of the prior art. That is, the dyeing method using the fusion type thermal transfer ribbon of the present invention is a fusion type thermal transfer ribbon containing a sublimation type dye, wherein the content of the dye per unit area of the ribbon is 100 g of the substrate to be dyed. Transfers an image to a substrate to be dyed by using a thermal transfer ribbon of 1.5g or less per unit.
Print, and then heat the thermal transfer image forming portion
And dyeing the substrate with a sublimation dye .

[0014]

[0015]

[0016]

The present inventors have conducted intensive studies to solve the above problems, and as a result, have found that a sublimation dye can be sufficiently dyed by dry heating without relying on steaming heating. It has been found that the excess dye does not substantially remain on the surface of the substrate to be dyed by specifying. Based on these findings, the present invention has been reached.

The present invention relates to a fusion type thermal transfer ribbon containing a sublimation type dye, wherein the content of the dye per unit area of the ribbon is not more than the maximum dyeing amount per unit area of the substrate to be dyed. It is a dye-containing fusion-type thermal transfer ribbon characterized by the following. The definition of this dye amount is one of the key points of the present invention, and by specifying this amount, all the dyes are dyed on the substrate to be dyed by the subsequent heat treatment, and substantially excess dye is removed. It does not remain on the surface of the substrate to be dyed.

As described above, it is important that the amount of the dye is not more than the maximum amount of dyeing per unit area of the substrate to be dyed. It is preferably not more than the maximum dyeing amount with respect to the amount of fibers from the surface of the fabric to a depth of 100 μm.
It is more preferably not more than the maximum dyeing amount with respect to the fiber amount up to a depth of 0 μm, and more preferably 30 μm from the surface of the fabric.
It is highly preferred that it is less than or equal to the maximum dyeing amount for the amount of fiber up to a depth of m 2. Also, when the substrate to be dyed is a polymer film, the amount of the dye is preferably the same as in the case of a fabric. The maximum amount of dyeing depends on the fine structure of the substrate to be dyed and the like, but it does not depend on the type of the dye and is 1.5 g per 100 g of the substrate to be dyed (fiber).
Ie, 1.5% owf or less. For example, the fiber weight per square centimeter is about 8 mg and the thickness is about 18
For a 0 μm cloth, a dye-containing fusion-type thermal transfer ribbon containing 0.12 mg or less of dye per area may be produced, and more preferably 0.07 mg or less of dye is contained. The ribbon may be prepared so as to contain 0.03 mg or less of dye, more preferably 0.02 mg or less of dye.

The regulation of the amount of the dye is not only to prevent the excess dye from remaining as described above, but also to shorten the time as compared with the printing and the like in which heating conditions are often used unconditionally. It is advantageous. However, if the amount is too small, the contrast of the dyeing is naturally weakened. Therefore, it is preferable to select an appropriate amount according to the purpose. For example, according to the findings of the present inventors, in the above example, when BASF Paranil Navy Blue TRM P / C was used as the dye, 0.03 mg per square centimeter was used.
A practical contrast amount can be obtained with a dye amount of from 0.05 to 0.05 mg.

The composition of the thermal transfer ink layer of the dye-containing thermal transfer ribbon of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it contains a sublimation type dye capable of dyeing a fabric as described above, and in particular, the binder component and the like are particularly limited. Instead, conventional ones can be used. There are many examples of such examples, but paraffin wax, ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer, acrylic polymer, polyester polymer, polyamide polymer, etc. can be used. Oil is also preferably used. Their melting points and melt indices may be the same as those of ordinary thermal transfer ribbons, and are approximately 50, respectively.
20-1000 at ~ 90 ° C and approximately 190 ° C
It should be controlled at g / 10min. Such a range is preferable because it is a melting point or a melt index at which no excessive load is applied to the thermal head portion of the thermal transfer printer.

The composition of the base film of the ribbon is not particularly limited either, and a generally used polyethylene terephthalate film or the like may be used. In the present invention, for the sake of convenience, the structure of the dye-containing thermal transfer ribbon is assumed to have a thermal transfer ink layer substantially formed on a base film, but a release layer is provided between the base film and the thermal transfer ink layer. Or a release layer may be provided, and a protective layer or an adhesive layer may be provided on the thermal transfer ink layer.

The sublimation dyes used in the present invention include:
Although the kind of the disperse dye or the basic dye is not particularly limited, the dye is sublimable and has a sublimation temperature of 140 ° C or higher and 30 ° C or higher.
0 ° C. or less is preferable, and 180 ° C. or more and 280 ° C.
The following is more preferable, and 200 ° C. or higher and 250 ° C.
The following are more preferred. In short, it is preferable to use a dye having high sublimation fastness. Further, it is preferable to use a dye suitable for the type of the cloth, and a disperse dye is preferably used if the fibers constituting the cloth are polyester fibers. The dyes mentioned in the above example, namely, BASF Paranil Na
Dyes of vy Blue TRM P / C and CI Disperse Blue 207 are examples of preferably used dyes. However, they may be used without being limited to these. The sublimation temperature in the present invention refers to a temperature at which the vapor pressure (sublimation pressure) of a sublimable dye is equal to the external pressure.

The sublimation dye may be used singly or in any combination of plural kinds, and may be selected as appropriate according to the color of the image to be recorded. Since identification marks, particularly barcodes and the like, are generally read by the presence or absence of reflection of light in the red to near-infrared wavelength region, in that case, the dyes mentioned in the above example, that is, PASF Co.
ranil Navy Blue TRM P / C, CIDisperse Blue 207
Is an example that is preferably used.

The fabric used as the substrate to be dyed used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be made of fibers of any composition and may have any fiber fineness. Those made of polyester fibers are preferred.In particular, when a fabric mainly composed of ultrafine fibers having a single fiber fineness of 0.0001 denier or more and 1 denier or less is used, the fabric has excellent surface smoothness, and is extremely excellent in thermal transfer printing. This is preferable because a clear image can be obtained. The single fiber fineness is 0.0001 denier or more and 0.1
Denier or less is more preferable, and 0.0001 to 0.07 denier is more preferable. In these ultrafine fibers, the specific surface area is large,
This is very preferable because it has the advantage that dyeing can be completed in a shorter time.

Further, the fabric which is made of ultrafine fibers, and which is made of two kinds of fibers of polyamide fiber and polyester fiber, has a dense surface,
As a result, it has a surface excellent in smoothness, and is therefore preferable. It is also a preferable method to apply a high-speed fluid flow treatment (water jet punch) to the surface of the cloth to open and / or entangle the ultrafine fibers to densify the surface. By such treatment, the shape stability of the fabric is also significantly improved.
Furthermore, calendering is also preferable because it leads to improvement in surface smoothness and dimensional stability due to entanglement of fibers. The method for producing such ultrafine fibers is not particularly limited, and conventionally known techniques for producing various ultrafine fibers can be used as they are. In addition, a cloth made of a polyester fiber and a polyamide fiber, particularly a cloth in which they are mixed in a single fiber order with ultrafine fibers, is preferably used because the surface smoothness may be excellent without performing the above treatment. It is something that can be done.

The sectional shape is not limited to a circle, but may be any of a triangle, a square, an ellipse, a polygon, and the like. Rather, an elliptical shape having a large flattening ratio, a rectangular cross-sectional shape, and the like have better surface smoothness when compared with the same single fiber fineness, and can be said to be more preferable shapes.

Also, when a polymer film is used as a substrate to be dyed, a polyester film is preferably used, and a film containing polyethylene terephthalate as a main component is particularly preferably used.

According to the present invention, an image is thermally transferred and printed on a fabric using the dye-containing melt-type thermal transfer ribbon as described above,
This is a dyeing method using a dye-containing fusion-type thermal transfer ribbon, which comprises heating the thermal transfer image forming portion thereafter. By this method, it is possible to supply a dyed fabric having good fastness, which is the object of the present invention, in a printer-like manner.

The heating method is not particularly limited, and a heating roll or a heat press may be used as the heating element or the heating element. For the purpose of the present invention, it is preferable to carry out the drying, but depending on the case, a steaming method may be used, or a hot roll or a hot press under steaming may be used. Further, at the time of heating, a heat treatment may be performed by applying paper, a film, a cloth, or the like to the thermal transfer image forming surface, or nothing may be applied. Without applying anything, when a heat roll or press machine is brought into direct contact with the thermal transfer image forming surface, the heat transfer efficiency is good, and if it is carried out under the following conditions, these heating elements or heating elements are also used. This is preferable because the inventors have found that there is no contamination.

The heating temperature may be appropriately selected, but it is preferable to add a temperature equal to or higher than the sublimation temperature of the dye. For example, if the dye sublimation temperature is 140 ° C. or higher, the heating temperature is 140 ° C. or higher, and the sublimation temperature is 18 ° C.
The heating temperature is preferably 180 ° C. or higher if the temperature is 0 ° C. or higher, and the heating temperature is 200 ° C. or higher if the sublimation temperature is 200 ° C. or higher.

The heating time may be appropriately selected in the same manner, but according to the knowledge of the inventors, when the dyes described in the above description of the amount of the dye are used, a dry heat press at 180 ° C. Within 20 seconds of the treatment, a dyed cloth or film having good friction fastness and almost no problem can be produced. The longer the heating time, the better the friction fastness, but from the viewpoint of quick supply, the shorter the better, the total heating time is preferably 5 seconds or more and 180 seconds or less,
10 seconds or more and 120 seconds or less are more preferable, and 20 seconds or more and 6 seconds or more.
More preferably, it is within 0 seconds.

As the above-mentioned conditions, it is preferable to select a heating temperature and a time required for 95% or more of the sublimation dye contained in the thermal transfer image forming portion to be dyed on the substrate to be dyed. It is more preferable to select the heating temperature and time required for dyeing 97% or more of the dye,
It is more preferable to select the heating temperature and time required to dye 99% or more of the dye.

According to the present invention, there is provided a recording material wherein an image is formed by fixing a mixture of a sublimation dye and a binder resin to a substrate to be dyed by the method as described above.

As can be seen from the above description, a recording medium in which a dye-containing material forms an image on a substrate to be dyed using a dye-containing thermal transfer ribbon has a great advantage that it is not necessary to remove excess dye. The present invention can solve many of the problems to be solved by the present invention, such as being able to perform dyeing in a short time.

The concept of the present invention is not limited to the above, and any method such as ink jet dyeing, transfer printing, direct printing, or image formation using an impact ribbon containing the above dye, may be used as a dye. The method can be applied without any obstacle to the definition of the amount and the heating method. Therefore, the dye-containing material may be a dispersion, suspension or emulsion of the dye, a water-soluble paste or the like, or an oil-based polymer or wax.

[0036]

The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples. It should be noted that the validity and scope of the rights of the present invention are not limited or limited thereby.

Example 1 First, a high-density fabric composed of 700 warp yarns and weft yarns of 700 ultra-fine polyester filaments each having a single fiber fineness of 0.06 denier was subjected to a water jet punching treatment, and thereafter, using a so-called 24-ton press machine. 20 kg / cm ² ,
A calender treatment was performed at 190 ° C. to obtain a dense and smooth surface fabric.

On the other hand, BASF's Paranil Navy Blu is used as a dye.
e Using TRM P / C, add about 10 parts by weight of the dye and a molecular weight of about 5
Of paraffin wax of about 81 parts by weight, ethylene /
A dye-containing material comprising about 9 parts by weight of a vinyl acetate copolymer was coated at a thickness of 4.5 such that the total coating weight was 3 g / m ^2.
It was formed on a μm polyethylene terephthalate film to prepare a dye-containing thermal transfer ribbon. The dye content per unit area of the ribbon is about 25% or less of the maximum dyeing amount per unit area of the cloth. next,
A bar code was recorded on the fabric using the dye-containing thermal transfer ribbon thermal transfer printer. Then, at 190 ° C, 3
A hot press treatment was performed for 0 seconds. Regarding the barcode dyed image obtained in this way, the rub fastness obtained by rubbing 100 times each of a wet cotton cloth and a dry cotton cloth with a load of 200 g was 5th (all cotton cloths were used). No contamination), which proves that the technical idea of the present invention is correct.

[0039]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to remove excess dye in the dyeing, the flexibility is high for changing the image, and the fastness is such that the dyeing is completed in a short time. A good dyed recording material can be supplied in a printer-like manner.

Claims (9)

(57) [Claims] 1. A melt-type thermal transfer ribbon comprising a sublimation dye, the content of the dye per unit area of the ribbon, a melt-type thermal transfer ribbon is less than the dyed material per 100g 1.5g To transfer the image to the substrate to be dyed
Lint, and then heat the heat transfer image forming portion.
Wherein a sublimation dye is dyed on the substrate.
Dyeing method . 2. A dyeing thermal transfer ink layer of the melting type thermal transfer ribbon is substantially claim 1, characterized in that the oily
How . 3. The sublimation type dye has a sublimation temperature of 140.degree.
The dyeing method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature is 0 ° C or less.
Law . 4. The dyeing method according to claim 1, wherein heating is performed using a heating element or a heating element that directly contacts the thermal transfer image forming portion. 5. A dyeing method according to claim 4 , wherein heating is performed until 95% or more of the sublimation dye contained in the thermal transfer image forming portion is dyed on the substrate to be dyed. 6. The dyeing method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate to be dyed is composed of a fiber or a film. 7. The dyeing method according to claim 6 , wherein the structure composed of fibers is a fabric. 8. The dyeing method according to claim 7 , wherein the fibers are mainly made of ultrafine fibers of not less than 0.0001 denier and not more than 0.1 denier. 9. fibers, according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that one mainly composed of polyester fibers
Dyeing method .