JP3797128B2 - Image transfer mechanism for cards - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image transfer mechanism for a card in which an ink image-receiving sheet having an image printed with a sublimation dye ink is laminated on a card, heat-treated, and the image is thermally transferred to the surface of the card.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, two types of thermal and ink-jet printers are well known as general sublimation printers using sublimable dye inks incorporating this type of image transfer mechanism. Among these, the ink jet type prints an image by ejecting sublimation dye ink on a card having an ink image-receiving sheet that receives sublimation dye ink on the surface, and then subtracts this image on the surface of the card. In order to diffuse (heat transfer), the card is heated by a non-contact heater.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, there are various known cards such as magnetic cards such as cash cards and credit cards, and IC cards. This type of card is based on PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PVC (polyvinyl chloride), or the like. As a material layer, it has a laminated structure composed of a plurality of layers provided with a protective layer, a transfer layer and the like on its surface. For this reason, not only when the image is thermally transferred, but when the card is heated, there is a problem that the card is warped due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficient of each layer.
In particular, if the sublimable dye ink is heated at a temperature of about 200 ° C. for completely sublimating the ink, the softening temperature of the card (for example, about 80 ° C. for the base material layer PET) is reached before the ink sublimation. However, the thermal transfer becomes unstable and the value of the card itself is lost.
[0004]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an image transfer mechanism for a card that can suitably prevent warping of the card during non-contact heat treatment.
[0015]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The image transfer mechanism for a card according to the present invention is a heat treatment performed on a card overlaid on the surface of a card body that is configured separately from an ink image-receiving sheet on which an image is printed with a sublimable dye ink, In a card image transfer mechanism that thermally transfers an image held on an ink image receiving sheet to the surface of the card body, the card has a press margin that is cut after the heat treatment at the four peripheral edges, and the card is not subjected to heat treatment. A contact heater, a card mounting table that allows the card to face the non-contact heater horizontally, and a pressing member that presses the card against the card mounting table from above at least at the two opposing sides of the presser allowance. And
[0016]
According to this configuration, the card is provided with a presser foot to be cut after the heat treatment in advance, and the card is in a state where at least two opposite sides of the presser foot are pressed against the card mounting table by the pressing member. Heat treatment is performed with the non-contact heater facing horizontally. As a result, the sublimation dye ink held on the ink image-receiving sheet moves to the surface of the card body at the molecular level, and develops a color to form a transfer image.
In this case, the horizontal posture of the card is maintained by pressing the presser allowance of the card. For this reason, at the time of image transfer, the warp of the card (card body) due to heating can be forcibly prevented, and the transfer of the sublimable dye ink can be stably and reliably performed on the surface of the card body. In particular, it is not necessary to consider the thermal expansion coefficient of each layer constituting the card body.
[0017]
In this case, it is preferable that the pressing member is configured in a quadrilateral frame shape and presses the four peripheral edges of the card.
[0018]
According to this structure, since the four peripheral edge where the curvature by heating becomes remarkable is pressed in frame shape, the card | curd can prevent the curvature effectively.
[0019]
In this case, the card is configured by superimposing the printed ink image-receiving sheets on the front and back surfaces, and two sets of non-contact heaters are provided so as to form a pair corresponding to each ink image-receiving sheet. The mounting table is preferably configured in a quadrilateral frame shape corresponding to the pressing member, and receives the four peripheral edges of the card pressed by the pressing member.
[0020]
According to this structure, a card | curd can be heat-processed from the front and back both sides, and an image can be thermally transferred to front and back each surface. Moreover, since the thermal expansion is the same on the front and back sides of the card by simultaneous heating from both the front and back sides, the card warpage can be more effectively prevented.
[0027]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an image transfer mechanism for a card and an image forming apparatus for a card having the same according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This card image forming apparatus prints images such as figures, photographs, and backgrounds on a resin card such as a cash card or a credit card by using an ink jet method using a sublimation dye ink and then printing. Heat treatment is performed on the subsequent card in a non-contact state, and the ink is sublimated and diffused to transfer and form an image. In particular, the card can be suitably prevented from warping during the heat treatment. It is.
[0028]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of a card image forming apparatus. As shown in the figure, the card image forming apparatus 1 reciprocates with a supply means 4 for supplying a card C into an apparatus main body 3 having an outline formed by a box-shaped apparatus case 2. Printing means 5 for printing on the card C by the head unit 20, transfer means 6 (image transfer mechanism) for heat-treating the printed card C in a non-contact state, and cooling means 7 for cooling the heat-treated card C An adsorbing and conveying unit 8 that adsorbs the card C received from the supplying unit 4 and conveys the card C to the printing unit 5 and the transferring unit 6; and a discharging unit 9 that sends out the cooled card C to the outside of the apparatus. I have. The image forming apparatus 1 also includes a controller 10 that performs overall control of the above-described units.
[0029]
A card supply port 11 for introducing the card C is formed in the upper corner of the device case 2 on the supply means 4 side, and a card is provided on the right middle side of the device case 2 on the discharge means 9 side. A card discharge port 12 for sending C out of the apparatus case 2 is formed. Further, the apparatus main body 3 is configured with a horizontal linear card C conveyance path 13 so that the card supply port 11 and the card discharge port 12 communicate with each other.
[0030]
The card image forming apparatus 1 sucks and conveys the card C introduced and delivered to the suction conveyance means 8 along the conveyance path 13, and passes through the lower side of the head unit 20 to use sublimation dye ink. In addition to printing the image by the ink jet method, heat treatment is performed by the transfer means 6 in the adsorbed state after printing, and the printed image is transferred and formed by sublimating and diffusing the ink, and discharged outside the device case 2 To do.
[0031]
Here, before describing each unit of the image forming apparatus 1 for a card in detail, the card C and the image forming process will be described for easy understanding. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a laminated structure of the card C, and FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing a process in which an image is formed on the card C. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, two types of cards C are prepared: (a) a low-priced card Ca and (b) a high-end card Cb. Both the cards Ca and Cb are composed of a card main body 50 to be a printed card that is finally used and an ink image receiving sheet IS laminated on the surface of the card main body 50.
[0032]
The card body 50 includes a base material layer 51 and an ink fixing layer 52 laminated on the surface of the base material layer 51 (see FIG. 2A). Further, in the card Cb of FIG. 2B, a fluorine film layer 53 instead of a laminate film is further laminated on the surface of the ink fixing layer 52. 2A, the ink image-receiving sheet IS with an adhesive is attached to the surface of the ink fixing layer 52, and the card Cb of FIG. 2B is attached to the surface of the fluorine film layer 53. ing.
[0033]
The base material layer 51 is made of a plastic film such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or PET (polyethylene terephthalate), synthetic paper, or the like, and maintains the overall rigidity of the card body 50. The base material layer 51 is generally composed of a white system. The ink fixing layer 52 is made of a transparent PET film or the like, and is a layer into which the finally printed sublimation dye ink penetrates. On the other hand, the ink image-receiving sheet IS is configured to be capable of temporarily holding a sublimable dye ink that is directly printed, and is configured from a hydrophilic resin material that exhibits easy peeling when heated. . That is, the pressure-sensitive adhesive of the ink image-receiving sheet IS is in a state where its sticking power is reduced after heating and can be easily peeled off.
[0034]
As shown in FIG. 3, when an image is printed by an ink jet method with the ink image receiving sheet IS attached to the card body 50, ink droplets of sublimable dye ink are impregnated and held in the ink image receiving sheet IS. At this time, the ink droplet permeates to the vicinity of the interface between the ink image-receiving sheet IS and the ink fixing layer 52 located therebelow. When the card C is heated in this state, the ink droplets move at the molecular level to the back of the lower ink fixing layer 52. That is, the ink droplets held on the ink image-receiving sheet IS are sublimated and diffused in the ink fixing layer 52 by heating to be colored. As a result, the image is fixed and formed on the ink fixing layer 52. Thereafter, the ink image receiving sheet IS is peeled off, and the ink fixing layer 52 is exposed to the outside, whereby a card C in which an image is thermally transferred to the ink fixing layer 52 is created.
[0035]
In this case, when printing is performed using the card C on which the fluorine film layer 53 of FIG. 2B is also laminated, ink droplets are similarly impregnated and held in the ink image receiving sheet IS. When heat treatment is performed in this state, ink droplets pass through the fluorine film layer 53 and diffuse to the ink fixing layer 52 to be fixed. Then, the card C in a state where the ink image receiving sheet IS is peeled off, the transferred image is protected by the ink fixing layer 52 with the fluorine film layer 53 as the outermost layer. As a result, the card C after image formation has more weather resistance, light resistance, heat resistance, abrasion resistance, abrasion resistance and chemical resistance due to the characteristics of the fluorine film layer 53, and is glossy. It will be a thing.
[0036]
Although the ink image-receiving sheet IS with an adhesive is used, the ink image-receiving sheet IS may be a card C in which the ink fixing layer 52 is previously coated (applied) in layers. In consideration of peeling, it is preferable to make the ink image-receiving sheet IS slightly larger than the card C. According to this, the ink image receiving sheet IS can be provided with a separation margin, and printing can be appropriately performed on the card C up to the four peripheral edges (full surface printing). Further, since the ink can be fixed to the base material layer 51, the transparent ink fixing layer 52 can be omitted in consideration of cost reduction.
[0037]
Next, each unit of the card image forming apparatus 1 will be described in detail. The supply means 4 includes a card cassette 14 that stacks and stocks a plurality of cards C, a supply motor 15 that is a drive source, and a supply roller 16 that is rotated by the supply motor 15. The card cassette 14 is formed by projecting a part of the device case 2 to the side, and the inner planar shape is substantially the same as the planar shape of the card C. Further, the card cassette 14 has a predetermined depth at which a plurality of cards C can be stacked and set, the upper part faces the card supply port 11, and the card C which is stacked and positioned at the top in the closed state. The upper surface of is pushed down by a spring 17.
[0038]
The supply motor 15 is connected to the controller 10 and controls the rotation of the supply roller 16. The supply roller 16 is disposed on the lower side of the front surface of the card cassette 14 and is in contact with the lower surface of the front portion of the card C stacked on the card cassette 14 and positioned at the lowest position. The lower end of the front wall constituting the card cassette 14 extends downward to a position where only the lowest card C can pass. When the lowest card C is fed by the supply roller 16, the upper card C is Attempting to move at the same time prevents this. Thereby, the cards C are surely sent out one by one.
[0039]
The printing unit 5 includes a head unit 20, a carriage motor 21 serving as a drive source, and a reciprocating mechanism 22 that reciprocates the head unit 20 in response to the rotation of the carriage motor 21. The head unit 20 includes an inkjet head 24 having a number of nozzles formed on the lower surface, an ink cartridge 25 that supplies ink to the inkjet head 24, and a carriage 23 on which the inkjet head 24 and the ink cartridge 25 are mounted. The carriage motor 21 is connected to the controller 10. The ink cartridge 25 is filled with sublimable dye inks of four colors of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black. In addition, a total of six inks may be filled by adding two colors, light cyan and light magenta.
[0040]
The reciprocating mechanism 22 has a carriage guide shaft 26 supported at both ends by guide frames (not shown), and a timing belt (not shown) extending in parallel with the carriage guide shaft 26. The carriage 23 is supported on the carriage guide shaft 26 so as to be reciprocally movable, and a part of the carriage 23 is fixed to the timing belt. The carriage 23 is guided by the carriage guide shaft 26 and reciprocates as the timing belt travels forward and backward via a pulley by the carriage motor 21. In this reciprocation, ink is appropriately discharged from the inkjet head 24 and printing on the card C is performed.
[0041]
Specifically, the card C passing under the head unit 20 is intermittently fed, and the head unit 20 is reciprocated in a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction to print on the card C. That is, the reciprocating motion of the head unit 20 and the intermittent feeding of the card C are the main scanning and the sub scanning in the printing technique, and ink jet printing using the sublimable dye ink is performed.
[0042]
The sublimable dye ink is an ink composed of a sublimable dye, and exhibits sublimability by heat. As described above, the sublimation dye ink is once impregnated and held in the ink image-receiving sheet IS in printing, and is transferred to the lower ink fixing layer 52 by the heat in the heat treatment, and is evaporated and diffused to form a color.
[0043]
The transfer means 6 is composed of an irradiation unit 30 that faces the sent card C in a non-contact state. The irradiation unit 30 faces the lower conveyance path 13 with a predetermined gap, and includes a halogen lamp 31 as a light source serving as a heating source, and a flat light diffusion plate 32 that diffuses the irradiation light of the halogen lamp 31. have. The card C is heated by heat radiation of the halogen lamp 31 via the light diffusing plate 32 while maintaining a certain gap with respect to the upper halogen lamp 31 and stopping its feeding.
[0044]
The halogen lamp 31 is a so-called linear heater that extends in the width direction crossing the card C (direction perpendicular to the transport direction), and is connected to the controller 10 so that the heating temperature is controlled. . Since the halogen lamp 31 is a heat source that rises quickly, the heat treatment time can be shortened as a whole.
[0045]
The light diffusing plate 32 is interposed between the halogen lamp 31 and the transport path 13 (card C), and has a predetermined heating area and is arranged in parallel with the card C. More specifically, the light diffusing plate 32 is made of heat-resistant glass facing the card C in parallel, and is formed to be slightly larger than the card C so as to cover the surface of the card C up to the four peripheral edges. The light diffusing plate 32 is arranged with a slight gap from the card C. Thereby, the light irradiated from the halogen lamp 31 as a linear light source is diffused, and the light diffusion plate 32 functions as a planar light source for the card C.
[0046]
For this reason, the card C is uniformly irradiated in both the front and rear end regions in the transport direction as well as the central region where the halogen lamp 31 is located. Therefore, since the card C is uniformly radiated in the plane, the amount of heat received by the ink image receiving sheet IS which is the surface is leveled in the plane direction. Then, the card C receives this uniform surface light emission, and the print image of the ink image receiving sheet IS is thermally transferred to the card body 50. The heat-resistant glass constituting the light diffusion plate 32 is preferably made of a material having high light transmittance, thermal diffusivity, and thermal conductivity, and for example, neoceram is preferably used.
[0047]
In this case, the light diffusing plate 32 may function as an optical filter. That is, the light diffusing plate 32 may transmit only light of a specific wavelength and absorb or reflect light of other wavelengths. As a result, the card C is shielded from the irradiation light having a wide wavelength region and is thermally radiated only with the irradiation light having a certain wavelength, so that the amount of received energy (heat receiving heat amount) does not vary. I'll do it. That is, the change in the diffusion depth of the sublimable dye ink based on the difference in the energy amount of the wavelength of the irradiation light can be prevented, and the card C can be heated uniformly in the thickness direction (stacking direction).
[0048]
Specifically, the light diffusing plate 32 is configured to transmit only long-wavelength far-infrared light so that the irradiation light to the card C becomes far-infrared and burns the ink image-receiving sheet IS. A large amount of short-wavelength visible light or the like can be shielded. Thereby, the card C can be heated uniformly to the inside (base material layer 51), and thermal efficiency can be improved as compared with visible light or the like. However, an optical filter configured as a single unit may be incorporated in the irradiation unit 30 separately from the light diffusion plate 32. In this case, the optical filter may be disposed on one side of the light diffusion plate 32 on the halogen lamp 31 side or the card C side. In addition, when the halogen lamp 31 is configured to be capable of uniform light irradiation in the plane direction, only an optical filter made of heat-resistant glass or the like may be provided in place of the light diffusion plate 32. .
[0049]
Moreover, it is preferable to select the halogen lamp 31 having a far-infrared wavelength region as a main wavelength. Thereby, heat radiation to the card C can be performed by far infrared rays, and heat can be uniformly transferred to the inside of the card C in the thickness direction, and further coupled with the optical filter function described above, Thermal efficiency can be further improved.
[0050]
The cooling means 7 has a cooling fan for cooling the heated card C. The cooling fan is disposed facing the conveyance path 13, and is appropriately controlled by the controller 10 to blow cooling air. More specifically, the cooling fan faces the card C in a state of being placed on a card mounting table 35 described later, and forcibly cools the heated card C with the cooling air. As a result, the heat-treated and image-transferred card C is cooled to the extent that the user can hold it by the cooling fan. Although not shown, it is preferable to form an air inlet and an air outlet in the device case 2 facing the air flow path of the cooling fan.
[0051]
The suction conveyance means 8 has a rectangular card placement table 35 for sucking and placing the card C, a pair of left and right guide rails 36 extending along the conveyance path 13, and guiding the card placement table 35 to the guide rail 36. It is comprised with the conveyance belt mechanism 37 to move. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the card mounting table 35 has a mounting surface 38, which is a contact surface with the card body 50, treated with fluorine (fluorine coating). A hole 39 is formed. Inside the card mounting table 35, a chamber 40 that communicates with a number of suction holes 39 and a suction fan 41 that communicates with the chamber 40 are incorporated.
[0052]
A number of suction holes 39 are formed in an annular shape along the edge of the mounting surface 38 corresponding to the four peripheral edges of the card C. The suction fan 41 is connected to the controller 10 and appropriately sucks air in the chamber 40 to make it negative pressure. As a result, the card mounting table 35 sucks the back surface of the card C through the numerous suction holes 39 and horizontally sucks and places the card C on the mounting surface 38. That is, the card C is sucked along the back surface edge portion and is horizontally sucked and placed on the card placing table 35. Both guide rails 36 are supported by left and right frames (not shown), support the card mounting table 35 on the upper side, and stably guide the movement along the transport path 13.
[0053]
The transport belt mechanism 37 includes a pair of transport pulleys 42 and 42 disposed opposite to the start and end of the transport path 13, a transport belt 43 spanned between the transport pulleys 42 and 42, and transport on the start end side. The belt drive motor 44 drives the pulley 42. The conveyor belt 43 extends between the pair of guide rails 36 in parallel to the guide rails 36, and a card mounting table 35 is fixed to a part via a fixed piece 45.
[0054]
The belt driving motor 44 is connected to the controller 10, and the rotation of the belt driving motor 44 causes the conveyance belt 43 to travel forward and backward via the conveyance pulley 42 on the start end side. As a result, the card mounting table 35 is supported and guided by the guide rails 36 in a balanced manner on the left and right sides, and can reciprocate along the transport path 13. In other words, the card mounting table 35 transports the suctioned card C along the transport path 13, causes the card C to face the printing unit 5, the transfer unit 6, and the cooling unit 7 in order, and then the discharging unit 9. Send card C.
[0055]
The discharge unit 9 includes a discharge motor 47 serving as a driving source and a discharge roller 48 that is rotated by the discharge motor 47. The discharge motor 47 is connected to the controller 10 and controls the rotation of the discharge roller 48. The discharge roller 48 is disposed above the end of the transport path 13 so as to face the transport path 13 and is made of a high friction material such as rubber. The discharge roller 48 is rotated via a conveyance motor so as to be brought into contact with the card C placed on the card placement table 35 and sent out from the card placement table 35 to the card discharge port 12. The discharge roller 48 may be constituted by a grip roller.
[0056]
The controller 10 includes a CPU for performing various controls, a ROM for storing control programs and control data for controlling the above means, a RAM for various work areas for control processing, and for driving various means. Drive circuit. The controller 10 controls the above-mentioned means in association with each other, and an image is formed on the card C without causing warpage due to heating.
[0057]
Here, a series of image forming processes on the card C by the card image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the card image forming apparatus 1 introduces the card C from the supply unit 4 to the start end of the suction conveyance unit 8, drives the suction fan 41, and horizontally places the card C on the card mounting table 35. Place adsorption. Subsequently, the card mounting table 35 is caused to travel so that the card C faces the printing unit 5, and an image is printed on the card C by the reciprocating movement of the head unit 20 and the intermittent movement of the card mounting table 35.
[0058]
After the printing is completed, the card mounting table 35 is sent forward to face the transfer means 6 and the feeding operation is stopped at the position of the irradiation unit 30. Here, the halogen lamp 31 is driven to generate heat at a predetermined heating temperature based on the attribute information of the card C, and the print image is transferred. After the image transfer, the cooling fan is driven, the card sucked and held on the card mounting table 35 is rapidly cooled, and further conveyed to the end of the suction conveying means 8. Up to this point, the suction fan 41 is driven without stopping the suction fan 41, while the card C is sucked and placed on the card placement table 35. Subsequently, when the card C is brought to the discharge means 9, the suction fan 41 is placed. Are stopped before and after, and finally the card C is discharged from the card discharge port 12.
[0059]
For the discharged card C, the user peels off the ink image-receiving sheet IS using an adhesive tape or the like and exposes the ink fixing layer 52 (or the fluorine film layer 53) to the outside, so that the printed image becomes the ink fixing layer. 52, that is, the card C formed as a transfer image by thermal transfer onto the surface of the card C can be created.
[0060]
In addition, although the mounting surface 38 of the card mounting table 35 is subjected to a fluorine treatment, the card C is prevented from sticking to and fused to the card mounting table 35 by heat treatment. A fluorine film layer (see FIG. 2B) corresponding to the above-described fluorine coating may be laminated also on the contact surface of the mounting table 35 with the mounting surface 38. In any case, it is possible to prevent the handling of the card C from being hindered during heating, and it is not difficult to remove the card C from the card mounting table 35 even after heating.
[0061]
According to the image forming apparatus 1 for a card as described above, an image can be printed on the card C by the printing unit 5 while the card C is horizontally sucked and mounted, and heated by the transfer unit 6. Since the printed image can be transferred by processing, warping of the card C due to heating can be forcibly prevented. Therefore, a clear and high-quality image can be formed on the card C by the ink jet method, and a truly horizontal card C on which a high-quality transfer image is formed can be created.
[0062]
The controller 10 may control the heating temperature and also control the feeding rate of the card C by the card mounting table 35 to control the amount of heating heat. That is, the card C may be heated while being fed. In addition, instead of the suction fan 41, the card C may be sucked by a vacuum pump, or electrostatic adsorption may be performed.
[0063]
In addition to the irradiation unit 30, a preheater that preheats the card C at a temperature close to and lower than the softening temperature (60 to 80 ° C.) may be provided. That is, after pre-heating the card C at a temperature that does not reach its softening temperature (60 to 80 ° C.), the heating (heating temperature 150 to 200 ° C.) is performed by the irradiation unit 30. Thereby, uniform heating is promoted, and the sublimation dye ink can be sublimated and diffused quickly and satisfactorily. In this case, the preheater is constituted by a non-contact heater, and is disposed, for example, between the printing unit 5 and the transfer unit 6.
[0064]
Next, a plurality of embodiments of the card image transfer mechanism (mainly transfer means 6) of the present invention will be described. In each of the other embodiments described below, the card C faces the card image transfer mechanism 6 by another transport unit corresponding to the suction transport unit 8 of the above embodiment. Since the gist of the invention is not directly related, the description thereof will be omitted.
[0065]
FIG. 6 shows an image transfer mechanism 6 for a card according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, instead of sucking and mounting the card C, the card C is placed on the card mounting table 35 via an adhesive member 60. With the adhesive placed, the card C is subjected to heat treatment. The pressure-sensitive adhesive member 60 is made of a silicon-based double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape having good heat resistance and peelability. The double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is attached to the placement surface 38 of the card placement table 35 and is also attached to the back surface of the card C, that is, the back surface of the card body 50, so that the card C is horizontally placed on the card placement table 35. .
[0066]
Thereby, even if the card C adhesively mounted on the card mounting table 35 faces the irradiation unit 30 in parallel, the ink image receiving sheet IS on the front side faces the irradiation unit 30 horizontally, and is heated. Thermal deformation due to heating is suppressed. That is, since the card C can be strongly adhered to the card mounting table 35 by the double-sided adhesive tape and the horizontal posture can be maintained, it is possible to forcibly prevent the card C from warping due to the heat treatment in image transfer. it can. In this case, the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape may adhere the entire back surface of the card C to the card mounting table 35, or annularly attach to the card mounting table 35 along the back surface edge of the card C as in the above embodiment. You may stick.
[0067]
FIG. 7 shows an image transfer mechanism 6 for a card according to the third embodiment. In this embodiment, the printed card C is pressed and clamped from both the front and back sides, faces the halogen lamp 31 in this state, and is subjected to heat treatment. Is done. In other words, the pressing plate 61 is disposed so as to face the card mounting table 35 in parallel, and the card C is heated with the pressing plate 61 pressed against the card mounting table 35. Yes. The pressing plate 61 is formed to be somewhat larger than the card size, and is formed in a flat plate shape made of translucent heat-resistant glass having a high thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity.
[0068]
Further, a release agent is applied to the pressing plate 61 on the surface facing the mounting surface 38 of the card mounting table 35, that is, the contact surface with the ink image receiving sheet IS laminated on the card C on the card mounting table 35. Yes. The release agent is made of chlorosilicon or the like, and prevents sticking of the ink image receiving sheet IS to the pressing plate 61 due to heating, and the sublimation dye ink held on the ink image receiving sheet IS blots into the pressing plate 61. Prevents diffusion. The pressing plate 61 may be configured to descend and press the card C by a mechanism attached to the halogen lamp 31. Alternatively, the pressing plate 61 may hold the card C in advance by a hook mechanism or the like provided on the card mounting table 35, and The structure introduced into the lamp | ramp 31 may be sufficient.
[0069]
Thereby, since the heat treatment is performed in a state where the card C is sandwiched between the front and back sides with a predetermined area, it is possible to maintain the horizontal posture of the card C and forcibly prevent the card C from warping. In this case, the pressing plate 61 may be configured as a light diffusing plate 32 similar to that of the first embodiment, and the pressing plate 61 may have a function as a planar light emitter for the card C, and similarly an optical filter function. May be played. Accordingly, diffused light that emits surface light from the card C can be applied in a state in which heat escape from the gap between the card C and the pressing plate 61 to the outside is further suppressed, so that the thermal efficiency can be improved. And the quality of the transferred image can be improved.
[0070]
FIG. 8 shows an image transfer mechanism 6 for a card according to the fourth embodiment. In this embodiment, the card C is formed by previously providing presser margins 63 to be cut after the heat treatment at the four peripheral edges thereof. The card C faces the irradiation unit 30 in a state where the presser allowance 63 is pressed in a frame shape against the card mounting table 35 by the pressing member 71 and is heat-treated. In other words, the card C on the card mounting table 35 is in a state in which the presser 71 disposed opposite to the upper side presses the four-step presser allowance 63 that becomes an area unnecessary for image transfer onto the card mounting table 35. The image transfer area is horizontally exposed to the halogen lamp 31 and is heated. After the heating, the presser allowance 63 is cut to create a card C of a predetermined size.
[0071]
The pressing member 71 is configured in a quadrilateral frame shape so that the center portion is an opening, and presses the presser allowance 63 formed on the four peripheral edge portions of the card C against the card mounting table 35. Note that the pressing member 71 may be configured to descend and press the card C by a mechanism provided alongside the halogen lamp 31 as in the case of the pressing plate 61 described above, or may be a hook mechanism provided on the card mounting table 35 or the like. A configuration in which the card C is previously sandwiched and introduced into the halogen lamp 31 may be employed.
[0072]
As shown in FIG. 8 (a), the card C is placed on the card placement table 35 with the entire back surface in contact with the placement surface 38, and the presser allowance 63 is transferred to the card placement table 35 by the pressing member 71. Pressed. As a result, the card C is pressed in a frame shape at the four peripheral edges where warpage due to heating becomes significant, so that a transfer image can be formed in a state where warpage due to heating is forcibly prevented. In this case, warping of the card C can be further prevented by configuring the card mounting table 35 so that the card C can be sucked and stuck on as in the first and second embodiments.
[0073]
Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, the card mounting table 35 is configured in a four-frame shape corresponding to the four-frame-shaped pressing member 71, and the four peripheral portions of the card C pressed by the pressing member 71 are formed. I try to receive it. That is, instead of placing the card C by bringing the entire back surface of the card C into contact with the placement surface 38, only the presser allowance 63 on the four circumferences of the card C is pressed and clamped between the card placement table 35 and the pressing member 71. I am doing so. Then, by arranging a pair of irradiation units 30 and 30 corresponding to both the front and back surfaces of the card C, it is possible to thermally transfer images onto both the front and back surfaces.
[0074]
That is, by using the presser allowance 63, the card C is held in a frame shape by the card mounting table 35 and the pressing member 71, and the ink image receiving sheet IS superimposed on the front and back surfaces is exposed to the pair of irradiation units 30 and 30. By doing so, it is possible to thermally transfer images simultaneously on both the front and back sides. By simultaneous heating from both the front and back sides, the thermal expansion becomes the same on the front and back sides of the card C, so that the warp of the card can be more effectively prevented.
[0075]
In this embodiment, instead of pressing the presser allowance 63 into a frame shape by the pressing member 71, two opposing sides of the presser allowance 63, that is, one of the pair of long sides or the pair of short sides are pressed. May be. Further, the presser margin 63 may be previously formed with a cut line that can be separated by heating. Further, after the heat treatment, the corner of the card C may be trimmed using the presser bar 63.
[0076]
In the case of the image transfer mechanism 6 for a card represented in all the embodiments as described above, the stacked form of the card C is a form in which the card body 50 and the ink image receiving sheet IS are stacked in advance as described above. It is not limited to. That is, the ink image-receiving sheet IS is configured as a single body as a so-called transfer sheet, separately from the card body 50, and the printing surface of the ink image-receiving sheet IS after printing an image by the printing unit 5 faces the surface of the card body 50. In such a manner, they may be overlapped and face the image transfer mechanism 6 for cards.
[0077]
【The invention's effect】
According to the image transfer mechanism for a card of the present invention, in the heat treatment for transferring an image made of sublimable dye ink to the surface of the card, the card is sucked or mounted on the card mounting table, and is a non-contact heater. Therefore, it is possible to prevent warping of the card due to heating without considering the coefficient of thermal expansion of each layer constituting the card, and as a truly horizontal card that forms a good quality transfer image Can be provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional structure diagram schematically showing an internal structure of a card image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of (a) a low-priced card and (b) a high-end card used in the image forming apparatus for a card of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which an image is transferred and formed on a card.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a card mounting table.
FIG. 5 is a front view of a transfer unit (image transfer mechanism).
FIG. 6 is a front view of an image transfer mechanism for a card according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a front view of an image transfer mechanism for cards according to a third embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a front view of an image transfer mechanism for cards according to a fourth embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
Image forming device for 1 card
2 Device case
3 Device body
4 Supply means
5 Printing means
6 Transfer means
7 Cooling means
8 Adsorption transport means
9 Discharge means
10 Controller
11 Card supply port
12 Card outlet
13 Transport path
20 head unit
30 Irradiation unit
31 Halogen lamp
32 Light diffusion plate
35 Card placement table
38 Placement surface
39 Suction hole
40 chambers
41 Suction fan
50 Card body
51 Base material layer
52 Ink fixing layer
53 Fluorine film layer
60 Adhesive members
61 Press plate
63 Presser foot
71 Pressing member
C card
IS ink image-receiving sheet

Claims (3)

An ink image-receiving sheet on which an image is printed with a sublimation dye ink is subjected to heat treatment on a card superimposed on the surface of a card body that is configured separately from the ink image-receiving sheet, and the image held on the ink image-receiving sheet is In the image transfer mechanism for cards that transfer heat to the surface of the card body,
The card has a press margin that is cut after the heat treatment at the four peripheral edges,
A non-contact heater for heat-treating the card;
A card placing table for horizontally facing the card on the non-contact heater;
An image transfer mechanism for a card, comprising: a pressing member that presses the card against the card placing table from above at least at the two opposing sides of the presser allowance. The pressing member is configured in a quadrilateral frame shape,
The image transfer mechanism for a card according to claim 1, wherein the four peripheral portions of the card are pressed. The card is configured by superimposing the printed ink image receiving sheets on the front and back surfaces, and two sets of the non-contact heaters are provided so as to form a pair corresponding to each ink image receiving sheet,
The card image according to claim 2, wherein the card mounting table is configured in a quadrilateral frame shape corresponding to the pressing member, and receives the four peripheral edges of the card pressed by the pressing member. Transcription mechanism.

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