JP3140011B2 - Plastic panel and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plastic panel in which a picture or the like is printed on the surface by impregnation printing, and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Plastic products are generally difficult to print, but at present, various printing techniques have been developed to facilitate printing and obtain a clear screen. Peeling or fading may occur. As a printing method that can solve this problem, there is impregnation printing, which is used when printing a small area on the surface of a small plastic part or card. However, in the conventional impregnation printing method, even if printing is performed on a relatively large and wide surface of a sheet-shaped molded product for the purpose of obtaining a panel for ornamental use, decoration, display, etc. Deformation is likely to occur, and it is difficult to obtain a clear and beautiful screen.

In addition, in a general printing method requiring a plate, there is a problem that unless the same one is printed in large quantities, the unit price per panel becomes high. Also, paintings and the like on paper tend to cause dust and dirt to adhere, so when putting them in a picture frame, glass is often fitted to the front to prevent dust and dirt. However, there is a risk that the entire panel framed by the large-sized one becomes very heavy due to the weight of the glass.

[0004]

The present invention pays attention to these points, and performs impregnation printing on a sheet-like plastic molded product without causing the above-mentioned problems, thereby producing a plastic panel having a clear print screen. The task was to get it.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a plastic panel according to the present invention comprises a transfer sheet on which an original image is formed using a sublimable dye, which is formed on a sheet-like plastic molded product by a surface on the original image side. Are superimposed so that they adhere to each other, and are preheated for several minutes at an ambient temperature between normal temperature and main heating temperature to allow the transfer sheet and the plastic molded product to blend in, and then impregnated with the dye sublimated by high-temperature main heating. In this way, the original picture is printed on the surface of the plastic molded article, and the plastic molded article after the printing of the original picture can be stored in a frame. The pattern of the original image transferred to the plastic molded article is not limited to a normal painting, illustration, or photograph, but may be any pattern, character, symbol, or a combination thereof, and is hereinafter collectively referred to as an "image".

According to the present invention, by appropriately selecting the processing conditions of impregnation printing, the material of plastic, and the like,
There is no peeling, fading, or uneven color of the dye, and a clear and beautiful image comparable to other printing methods can be obtained. In addition, the plastic panel itself is more durable than paper, and it is impregnated with dye and has excellent image durability, so even if it gets dirty or graffitied with an oil-based pen, it can be washed with detergent or alcohol. Since it can be wiped off directly, it is easy to maintain and requires no cost. Therefore, for example, even if it is put in a picture frame, glass is unnecessary,
The weight is reduced and no glass breakage accidents occur. Furthermore, since the transfer sheet can be relatively easily manufactured by using, for example, a computer-controlled printer, a small number of plastic panels can be manufactured at a low cost by manufacturing the transfer sheet by a method that does not require plate making. .

Further, according to the method of manufacturing a plastic panel of the present invention, a transfer sheet is prepared by printing an original image on a sheet-like substrate using a sublimable dye, and the transfer sheet is formed into a sheet-like plastic molded product. And then preheated for several minutes at ambient temperature between normal temperature and main heating temperature to allow the transfer sheet and plastic molded product to blend in, and then sublimate by high temperature main heating. An original image is printed by sublimating the dye and impregnating the surface of the plastic molded article with the dye, and the printed plastic molded article is cooled while being kept flat. Thus, a plastic panel having the above-described characteristics can be manufactured.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a view for explaining the procedure of main heating for performing impregnation printing on a plastic molded product, FIG. 2 is a front view of a transfer sheet, FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the transfer sheet, and FIG. 4 is a plastic molded product after impregnation printing. 5 is a front view of the completed plastic panel, and FIG. 6 is a view showing an example of a temperature change in a processing step.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a sheet-shaped plastic molded product, 2 is a transfer sheet, 3 and 4 are heated press plates, 5 and 6 are protective sheets, and the plastic molded product 1 is, for example, PBT or PET. A flat plate is used. The vertical and horizontal dimensions of the plastic molded product 1 are appropriately selected according to the size of the finished plastic panel, but the thickness is usually about several mm, and may be thinner for a small panel. . The surface of the plastic molded product 1 may be either a smooth surface or a matte surface having fine irregularities.

As shown in FIG. 3, the transfer sheet 2 has an original 2c drawn on one surface of a substrate 2a using a sublimable dye 2b. In FIG. 3, the sublimable dye 2b is exaggerated. Is shown. The basic configuration of the transfer sheet 2 is as shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), an original 2c was formed on a substrate 2a, but as shown in (b), a coating layer 2d made of a release material was provided on the surface of the substrate 2a, and an original 2c was formed thereon. As shown in (c), a substrate provided with a protective film 2e on the back surface of the substrate 2a, or a substrate provided with both a coating layer 2d and a protective film 2e can be used. The coating layer 2d and the protective film 2e prevent the dye sublimated in the impregnation printing step described below from diffusing to the opposite side of the plastic molded product 1 as much as possible, and can effectively impregnate the plastic molded product 1. It is provided in order to perform it.

The original image 2c is formed by using a special ink based on a sublimable disperse dye, and can be directly drawn by a means such as handwriting, but is generally formed by printing. Is done. The above-mentioned special ink is used, for example, based on offset printing or gravure printing used in an electrostatic plotter, and its composition is appropriately selected according to a printing apparatus or a printing method. In general, the thickness of the sheet for normal printing is generally 50 to 60 for offset printing.
g / m2, and 20-30 g / m2 for gravure printing, but in the present invention, the original 2c can be printed without any trouble using ordinary high quality paper in the above range as the substrate 2a. Was.

Although the transfer sheet is referred to herein, the base material 2a may be a thin film generally classified as a film, and when paper is used as described above, the transfer paper may be used. It may be called. In addition, substrate 2
It is also possible to use, for example, aluminum foil or plastic film instead of paper for a, and a material suitable for the type of ink and printing method may be selected.

FIG. 2 shows the transfer sheet 2 manufactured as described above, and the original image 2c is formed with a predetermined image turned upside down. The original image 2c can be either color or monochrome. If the original image 2c is colored, color printing can be performed at once in the next impregnation printing process. The impregnated printing on the plastic molded article 1 is performed using the transfer sheet 2 as described above in the following manner.

First, the transfer sheet 2 is overlaid on the flat molded article 1 of PBT or PET with the surface on which the original image 2c is formed facing downward, and an appropriate adhesive tape is used so that the position is not shifted. Preheating is performed by fixing both to each other by means. For the preheating, the temperature of the transfer sheet 2 and the plastic molded product 1 is raised to 60 to 70 ° C., for example, by storing the transfer sheet 2 and the plastic molded product 1 in a thermostat at 100 to 110 ° C. for several minutes. If the time is long even at this temperature, the sublimation of the sublimable dye 2b starts, so to prevent this, the preheating time is desirably at most about 4 minutes.

If the transfer sheet 2 contains moisture, the sublimation and movement of the dye during the main heating may be hindered, but this moisture is removed by performing the preheating. In addition, the preliminary heating improves the familiarity between the transfer sheet 2 and the plastic molded article 1 and enhances the adhesion. In addition, the material is prevented from being deformed due to a rapid temperature change from room temperature to the time of the main heating. There is no problem that the materials are warped and difficult to overlap as in the case of preliminary heating before.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1, the main heating is performed while pressing from above and below on the flat pressing surfaces of the heating press plates 3 and 4 of the press device. Due to this pressure, the transfer sheet 2 adheres sufficiently to the plastic molded article 1 and is heated by the heat of the heating press plates 3 and 4, whereby the sublimable dye 2b constituting the original 2c is sublimated. The original 2c is transferred by impregnating the surface of the original 2c.

The protective sheets 5 and 6 prevent the diffusion of the dye,
The heat press plates 3 and 4 are used to prevent the heat press plates 3 and 4 from directly hitting and damaging the plastic molded product 1 and the transfer sheet 2. For example, high quality paper is used. 3 and between the transfer sheet 2 and the heated press plate 4 respectively. Even when the transfer sheet 2 is provided with the coating layer 2d and the protective layer 2e, the use of the protective sheet improves the dye diffusion preventing function. Although not shown, if a silicone sheet, for example, is used in addition to the protective sheets 5 and 6, the cushioning property is enhanced, and irregularities and scratches on the surface of the heated press plate affect the transfer sheet 2 and the plastic molded article 1. As a result, a more uniform pressurization becomes possible, and a rapid change in temperature is alleviated, so that more sufficient protection can be performed.

By the way, the temperature of the transfer sheet 2 and the plastic molded article 1 during the main heating is 130 to 22.
0 ° C., preferably 160-180 ° C., the time is 0.5 minutes or more, preferably 3.0-5.0 minutes, and the pressure is 0.0-4.
0 kgf / cm 2, preferably 1.5 to 2.0 kgf / cm 2, and a press machine having specifications capable of satisfying these conditions was used. Within the above range, the dye 2b penetrated into the surface of the plastic molded article 1 as shown in FIG. 4, and transfer without practical problems could be performed. Dye 2 at this time
The penetration depth of b was about 20 to 40 μm.

The larger the size of the plastic molded article 1, the longer the heating time, the better the result. This is considered to be because if the plastic molded article 1 is large, it takes time to reach a predetermined temperature due to heat capacity and the like. The pressure is applied as described above in order to make clear transfer by bringing the plastic molded article 1 and the transfer sheet 2 into close contact with each other, but it is not necessary to apply pressure as long as it can be brought into close contact with other means. . A pressure of 0 in the above numerical values means such a case.

Further, for example, a vacuum press device having at least a portion of the heating press plates 3 and 4 having a double structure is used,
It is also possible to perform impregnation printing in a vacuum state. In this case, since the molecular movement is also active without being hindered by air, the sublimation dye is easily penetrated by sublimation and movement, so that the time and pressure are slightly smaller than those in the above example. can do. In addition, for example, it is also possible to use only the press plate on the transfer sheet 2 side as a heating type. In this case, it is generally desirable to set the temperature higher.

After the transfer by the impregnation printing is performed in this way, the transfer sheet 2 and the plastic molded article 1 are transferred to a heat retaining press with the plastic sheet 1 overlapping with each other in order to prevent rapid cooling. The temperature is kept for several minutes, for example, 4 minutes, until it reaches the temperature, and then transferred to a room temperature press and cooled while lightly pressing. A flat and warped press plate is used for both the warm press and the room temperature press.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a temperature change of the plastic molded article 1 in the above steps. The temperature of the preheating and the temperature of the heating are selected to be an intermediate value between the normal temperature and the main heating temperature, so that the temperature changes gradually and the deformation of the material such as warpage is prevented.

In the above-mentioned example, a PBT or PET plastic molded product is used. This is because PBT and PET are particularly excellent in chemical resistance, and because they have good compatibility with sublimable dyes, it is easy to obtain clear images and good color tones. For example, polyester, acetate, nylon, Impregnation printing is also possible with plastic molded articles made of other synthetic resin materials such as ABS and acrylic. That is, the processing conditions described above are examples, and the specific conditions at the time of the impregnation printing are the specifications of the press device based on the experimental results and the like.
What is necessary is just to determine according to the kind of the plastic molded article 1, the transfer sheet 2, and the like.

In this way, as shown in FIG. 5, the plastic panel 8 on which the image 7 is drawn can be obtained in a flat state without warpage. This panel 8 can be used as it is or in a necessary processing suitable for storing the frame. Is applied to the picture frame 9, and the plastic panel 8 with the picture frame is finished as shown in FIG.

The structure when the plastic panel 8 is put in the picture frame 9 may be the same as that of a general picture.
The surface is harder than paper or cloth and has excellent durability, so that it is not necessary to cover the front surface with glass, and in some cases, the back plate can be omitted. Also, by appropriately selecting the processing conditions of impregnation printing and the material of the plastic, the image 7 drawn on the panel 8 has a very deep gloss and is as sharp as other printing methods. Therefore, it is easy to obtain a plastic panel 8 that is valuable as an intelligent product.

When the plastic panel 8 is placed in the picture frame 9 as in the above-described example, it is desirable to keep the plastic panel 8 in a flat shape without warpage. Some unevenness may be provided on a part of or the entire surface, such as a relief shape corresponding to the design. In this case, a heat press plate having irregularities corresponding to the pressing surface may be used. If the irregularities are large, it is desirable to use the transfer sheet 2 using a stretchable material for the substrate 2a. . Also, by bending or cutting the plastic molded product 1 after the impregnation printing,
Not only can a simple flat panel be obtained, but it can also be processed into household items such as trays, learning items, and various intellectual products.

[0027]

As is clear from the above description, the plastic panel of the present invention is obtained by superimposing a transfer sheet on which an original image is formed using a sublimable dye on a sheet-like plastic molded product, and preheating the book. An original image is printed on the surface of a plastic molded product by sublimating and impregnating a dye by heating.

Therefore, by appropriately selecting the conditions of the impregnated printing and the material of the plastic, the peeling or fading of the dye,
Since a clear and beautiful image can be obtained without color unevenness or the like, a relatively large-sized plastic panel valuable for ornamental use, decoration use, display use, and the like can be manufactured.
Also, since the plastic panel itself and the impregnated printed image are durable, the front glass is unnecessary even when put in a picture frame, so the weight is reduced and the glass is not damaged, and the dirt can be wiped off directly. Therefore, maintenance is easy. Further, for example, if a computer-controlled printer is used, the transfer sheet can be manufactured relatively easily, so that the unit price is not expensive even with a small number of sheets, and the cost does not matter so much even with an original panel of only one sheet. It can be manufactured with.

Further, according to the method for producing a plastic panel of the present invention, a transfer sheet is prepared by printing an original image on a sheet-like base material using a sublimable dye, and the transfer sheet is formed into a sheet-like plastic molded product. Preliminary heating is performed at a low temperature by superimposing on the substrate, then the sublimation dye is sublimated by the main heating at a high temperature, and the surface of the plastic molded article is impregnated with the dye to print the original image, and then cooled while maintaining a flat state. Thus, a plastic panel having the above-described characteristics can be manufactured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a main heating procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the transfer sheet according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the transfer sheet.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the plastic molded product according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the completed plastic panel in the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a temperature change of a plastic molded product in a processing step of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Plastic molded article 2 Transfer sheet 2a Substrate 2b Sublimation dye 2c Original 3,4 Heat press plate 7 Image 8 Plastic panel 9 Frame

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-63-45097 (JP, A) JP-A-61-112634 (JP, A) JP-A-57-102347 (JP, A) JP-A 50-108 49062 (JP, A) JP-A-56-139938 (JP, A) JP-A-1-150598 (JP, A) JP-A-58-155957 (JP, A) JP-A-5-246197 (JP, A) JP-A-5-162495 (JP, A) JP-A-62-185098 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B44C 3/02 B41M 3/12 B44C 1/17 G09F 3/02

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A transfer sheet on which an original image has been formed using a sublimable dye is superimposed on a sheet-like plastic molded product such that the surface on the original image side is in close contact with the transfer sheet. After preliminarily heating the transfer sheet and the plastic molded product for a period of time, the original image is printed on the surface of the plastic molded product by impregnating the dye sublimated by high-temperature main heating. Plastic panels. 2. The plastic panel according to claim 1, wherein said molded article on which an original image is printed is housed in a frame. 3. An original image is printed on a sheet-like substrate using a sublimable dye to prepare a transfer sheet, and the transfer sheet is attached to a sheet-like plastic molded product so that the surface of the original image side is in close contact. Laminate and preheat for several minutes at ambient temperature between normal temperature and main heating temperature to allow the transfer sheet and plastic molded product to blend in, then sublimate the sublimable dye by high-temperature main heating to obtain the plastic molded product. A method for producing a plastic panel, comprising printing an original image by impregnating the surface with a dye, and cooling the printed plastic molded article while keeping it flat.