JP5568297B2 - Sticker manufacturing method and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sticker manufacturing method and an image forming apparatus.

  Conventionally, a method of manufacturing a sticker using an image forming apparatus such as a printer is known. Patent Document 1 discloses the following method. In this method, first, as shown in FIG. 8A, an image 102 is printed on the surface 101a of the carrier sheet 101 by a printer. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 8B, an adhesive 103 is applied on the carrier sheet 101 and the image 102. Next, as illustrated in FIG. 8C, the mount 104 is placed on the adhesive 103, and the mount 104 is pressed from above so that the image 102 is bonded to the mount 104 together with the adhesive 103. Thereafter, the carrier sheet 101 is removed. Then, as shown in FIG. 8D, the adhesive 103 between the mount 104 and the image 102 remains, and the sticker 100 with the mount 104 is obtained. Note that the sticker 100 includes an image 102 and an adhesive 103. In use, the sticker 100 is peeled off from the mount 104, and the adhesive 103 side of the sticker 100 is attached to a predetermined place.

JP 2005-516803 A

  In the above-described sticker manufacturing method, the mount 104 is indispensable. That is, the sticker 100 cannot be manufactured unless the adhesive 103 and the image 102 are once transferred to the mount 104 and then the carrier sheet 101 is peeled off from the mount 104.

  Also, when the carrier sheet 101 is peeled off from the mount 104, only the adhesive 103 on the back side of the image 102 remains, and the other adhesive 103 must be peeled off from the mount 104 together with the carrier sheet 101. Therefore, only the adhesive 103 having such properties can be used, and the usable adhesives 103 are limited.

  The present invention has been made in view of such points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a novel sticker that does not necessarily require a mount. Another object of the present invention is to provide a sticker in which more types of adhesives can be used.

A sticker manufacturing method according to the present invention includes: an ink-cured body formed by ejecting ink that can be released from the surface from an ink-jet recording head onto the surface of a support material; On the surface, at least a second step of applying an adhesive to the surface of the image, and before, after, or during the second step. And a cutting step for cutting the part .

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention is formed so as to be movable in a predetermined direction, and is formed so as to be movable in a predetermined direction, and an ink jet recording head that discharges ink that can be released from the surface onto the surface of a support material. A cutting head having a cutter, the support material and the recording head are relatively moved in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, and the support material and the cutting head are intersected with the predetermined direction. And the ink is cured by controlling the moving mechanism so that the support member and the recording head move relative to each other. A first control unit that forms an ink cured body including a mirror image on the surface of the support material; and the support material and the cutting head. While controlling the moving mechanism so as to pair move, in which and a control unit and a second control unit for cutting a portion of the ink cured body to the cutting head.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for producing a novel sticker that does not necessarily require a mount. In addition, according to the present invention, more types of adhesives can be used when manufacturing a sticker.

1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus. (A) And (b) is a front view of an inkjet head and a cutting head. 2 is a block diagram of a control system of the image forming apparatus. FIG. It is a flowchart of the production method of a sticker. (A)-(f) is a figure explaining the manufacturing method of a sticker, the figure on the left side represents the top view, and the figure on the right side represents sectional drawing, respectively. It is a front view of the head which apply | coats an adhesive agent. (A) And (b) is sectional drawing of a release paper and an image. (A)-(d) is sectional drawings, such as an image for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the conventional sticker.

<Embodiment 1>
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment includes an inkjet head 10 and a cutting head 20. Although details will be described later, the inkjet head 10 and the cutting head 20 are configured to be movable in the Y direction in the figure. Hereinafter, the Y direction is referred to as the main scanning direction or the left-right direction, and the X direction that is orthogonal to the Y direction is referred to as the sub-scanning direction or the front-rear direction.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes a platen 2 that supports the release paper 50 during printing and cutting. A grid roller 3 is provided on the platen 2. The grid roller 3 is driven by a feed motor 61 (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 3). A guide rail 5 is provided above the platen 2. The guide rail 5 extends in the left-right direction. Under the guide rail 5, pinch rollers 4a and 4b are provided. The pinch rollers 4a and 4b are attached to the guide rail 5 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction. The pinch rollers 4 a and 4 b are opposed to the grid roller 3. When the grid roller 3 rotates in a state where the release paper 50 is sandwiched between the pinch rollers 4a and 4b and the grid roller 3, the release paper 50 is conveyed forward or backward.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the inkjet head 10 is supported on the guide rail 5 via the carriage 11. The cutting head 20 is supported on the guide rail 5 via the carriage 21. The carriage 11 and the carriage 21 are engaged with the guide rail 5 so as to be movable in the left-right direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, a cutter 23 is attached to the carriage 21 via a solenoid 22. The solenoid 22 is controlled by a controller 60 (see FIG. 3). When the solenoid 22 is turned on / off, the cutter 23 moves in the vertical direction and contacts the release paper 50 or is separated from the release paper 50. A connecting member 24 composed of a magnet is fixed to the right side of the carriage 21.

  A part of the wire 6 extending in the left-right direction is fixed to the upper rear surface of the carriage 21. The wire 6 is connected to a scan motor 62 (see FIG. 3). When the scan motor 62 rotates, the wire 6 is displaced in the left-right direction. As a result, the carriage 21 moves in the left-right direction. Note that the scan motor 62 is controlled by the controller 60.

  An ink jet recording head 12 is supported on the carriage 11 of the ink jet head 10. Here, five recording heads 12 a and 12 b are supported by the carriage 11. Of these, the four recording heads 12a eject inks of four different colors. These recording heads 12 a form a color image on the surface of the release paper 50 by ejecting so-called process color ink. Another recording head 12b ejects white ink and forms a white ink layer on the image. The ink ejected by the recording head 12b is not limited to white ink, but may be other ink such as transparent ink. The number of recording heads 12a is not limited to four, and the number of recording heads 12b is not limited to one. The recording head 12a may form a monochrome image. The inkjet head 10 may include other recording heads in addition to the recording head 12a for forming an image on the release paper 50 and the recording head 12b for forming an ink layer on the image. Good.

  Each ink ejected from the recording heads 12a and 12b is ink having a property of being cured by receiving ultraviolet rays, that is, ultraviolet curable ink. This ink is an ink that does not penetrate the surface of the release paper 50 and has a property that it can be easily peeled off from the release paper 50 after being cured. That is, this ink is ink that can be released from the surface of the release paper 50. In this embodiment, the release paper 50 is used as a support material for supporting the image, but the support material is not limited to the release paper 50. Other materials such as a resin that is not affected by ink, glass, a release agent applied to a base material, and the like can be used as the support material.

  On the left side and the right side of the carriage 11, ultraviolet irradiation devices 13a and 13b are provided. Although the kind of ultraviolet irradiation device 13a, 13b is not limited at all, in this embodiment, ultraviolet irradiation device 13a, 13b is equipped with LED (not shown) which irradiates an ultraviolet-ray. However, the ultraviolet irradiation devices 13a and 13b may include other irradiation bodies such as a halogen lamp. The ultraviolet irradiation devices 13a and 13b irradiate ultraviolet rays downward. Thereby, the release paper 50 on the platen 2 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, and the ultraviolet curable ink on the release paper 50 is cured. A connecting member 14 composed of a magnet is provided on the left side of the left ultraviolet irradiation device 13a. The connecting member 14 is detachably connected to the connecting member 24 of the cutting head 20. In the present embodiment, the connecting members 14 and 24 utilize magnetic force. However, the connecting members 14 and 24 are not limited to those using magnetic force, and may have other configurations such as an engaging member. On the right side of the right ultraviolet irradiation device 13b, a receiving metal fitting 15 formed in an L shape is provided.

  Side frames 7 </ b> L and 7 </ b> R are disposed at the left and right ends of the platen 2. The guide rail 5 is supported by both side frames 7L and 7R. The right side frame 7R is provided with a lock device 30 for locking the inkjet head 10 at the standby position. The locking device 30 includes a receiving metal 31 that is hooked on the receiving metal 15 of the ultraviolet irradiation device 13b, and a position between the locking metal (see FIG. 2B) and the non-locking position (see FIG. 2A). And a solenoid 32 (see FIG. 3) to be moved. The solenoid 32 is controlled by the controller 60.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, when printing is performed by the inkjet head 10, the metal fitting 31 is set to the non-lock position. When the carriage 21 of the cutting head 20 moves to the right and the connecting member 24 and the connecting member 14 come into contact with each other, the carriage 21 and the carriage 11 are connected. As a result, the inkjet head 10 can move in the left-right direction together with the cutting head 20. On the other hand, at the time of cutting by the cutting head 20, as shown in FIG. 2B, the inkjet head 10 is positioned at the standby position, and the metal fitting 31 of the lock device 30 is set at the lock position. Thereby, the movement of the inkjet head 10 is prevented. When the carriage 21 moves to the left, the connecting member 24 and the connecting member 14 are separated from each other, and the connection between the carriage 21 and the carriage 11 is released. As a result, the cutting head 20 can move in the left-right direction while the inkjet head 10 is waiting at the standby position.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an upper cover 8 that constitutes an upper casing. Side covers 9L and 9R are provided on the left side of the side frame 7L and on the right side of the side frame 7R (see FIG. 2A), respectively. An operation panel 35 is disposed in front of the right side cover 9R. Below the platen 2, a stand 36 with casters is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the controller 60 is configured by a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like (not shown). The controller 60 is connected to the external computer 70 via the interface 63. Upon receiving a command from the external computer 70, the controller 60 receives the feed motor 61, the scan motor 62, the solenoid 32 of the lock device 30, the solenoid 22 of the cutting head 20, the recording head 12 of the inkjet head 10, and the ultraviolet irradiation devices 13a and 13b. To control. The external computer 70 is connected to an input device 71 composed of a keyboard, a mouse, etc., and a display device 72 composed of a liquid crystal display. In the present embodiment, the external computer 70 is used. However, the external computer 70 is not always necessary. Each of the above controls may be executed only by the controller 60 based on a command input via the operation panel 35.

  Next, a method for producing a sticker using the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a sticker manufacturing method. First, in step S <b> 1, a predetermined mirror image is formed on the release paper 50. Specifically, the inkjet roller 130 moves in the left-right direction while the grid roller 3 sequentially conveys the release paper 50 forward. Then, the process color recording head 12a ejects ink, and the ultraviolet irradiation devices 13a and 13b appropriately irradiate ultraviolet rays. As a result, the ejected ink is cured, and a mirror image 51 is formed on the release paper 50 as shown in FIG.

  In step S2, a white ink layer is formed on the image. Specifically, first, the grid roller 3 is reversed and the release paper 50 is once pulled back. When the release paper 50 returns to the printing start position, the inkjet roller 10 moves in the left-right direction while the grid roller 3 sequentially transports the release paper 50 forward. The recording head 12b discharges white ink, and the ultraviolet irradiation devices 13a and 13b irradiate the ultraviolet rays. As a result, a white ink layer 52 is formed on the image 51 as shown in FIG. The image 51 and the white ink layer 52 become the ink cured body 56. In the present embodiment, since the white ink layer 52 is overlaid on the image 51, the thickness of the ink cured body 56 can be increased. The white ink layer 52 is not limited to a single layer, and may be a plurality of layers. That is, white ink may be overlaid on the image 51.

  In the present embodiment, after the image 51 is formed, the release paper 50 is once pulled back, and then the white ink is ejected. However, the formation of the image 51 and the formation of the white ink layer 52 may be performed continuously in the same scan. That is, ink is ejected from the process color recording head 12a and cured, and then the white ink is ejected one or more times from the recording head 12b without transporting the release paper 50 forward to cure the white ink. You may make it make it. By repeating such an operation while sequentially transporting the release paper 50 forward, the image 51 and the white ink layer 52 can be laminated on the release paper 50.

  After step S2, the process proceeds to step S3, where the contour of the image is cut. Specifically, first, the cutting head 20 is separated from the inkjet head 10 (see FIG. 2B). Next, while the release paper 50 is conveyed in the front-rear direction, the cutting head 20 is moved in the left-right direction, and the periphery of the image 51 and the white ink layer 52 on the image 51 is cut (see FIG. 5C). Thereby, the sticker in a state where the adhesive is not applied, that is, the sticker body 55 is obtained.

  In step S4, the sticker body 55 is taken out from the image forming apparatus 1, and the adhesive 53 is applied to the surface of the sticker body 55 (see FIG. 5D). Specifically, the adhesive 53 is applied to the surface of the white ink layer 52. The type of the adhesive 53 is not particularly limited, and various known adhesives can be used. For example, a so-called spray paste can be suitably used. The adhesive 53 may be selectively applied only to the sticker body 55, or may be applied to the entire surface of the white ink layer 52. If the adhesive 53 is selectively applied, the waste of the adhesive 53 can be eliminated. On the other hand, if the adhesive 53 is applied to the entire surface of the white ink layer 52, the operation of applying the adhesive 53 can be simplified. Here, the adhesive 53 is applied to the entire surface of the white ink layer 52.

  In step S5, the sticker body 55 coated with the adhesive 53 is released from the release paper 50. In other words, the sticker body 55 is peeled off from the release paper 50. Thereby, the sticker 58 which consists of the sticker main body 55 and the adhesive agent 53 is obtained (refer FIG.5 (e)).

  As shown in FIG. 5 (f), when the sticker 58 is used, the adhesive 53 side of the sticker 58 is attached to a predetermined location 65. As a result, the image 51 is positioned on the front side with the white ink layer 52 as the background.

  The controller 60 functions as the “first controller” of the present invention when executing Step S1 and Step S2. Further, the controller 60 functions as a “second control unit” of the present invention when executing Step S3.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the mount is not necessarily required in the process of manufacturing the sticker 58. Further, as in the above-described prior art (see FIG. 8C), it is not necessary to devise such that when the carrier sheet 101 is peeled off, only a part of the adhesive is selectively peeled off. Therefore, usable adhesives are not limited, and more types of adhesives can be used.

  In addition, the usage method of the sticker 58 is not specifically limited. The sticker 58 may be carried while being held on the release paper 50, and the sticker 58 may be peeled off from the release paper 50 at a place of use and attached to a predetermined place 65. Alternatively, the sticker 58 peeled off from the release paper 50 may be once attached to a mount (not shown), and the sticker 58 may be carried to the place of use while being held on the mount. In this case, the sticker 58 is peeled off from the mount at the place of use and is attached to a predetermined place 65. As described above, in the present embodiment, a mount is not necessary when the sticker 58 is manufactured. However, the mount may be used when the sticker 58 is used.

  According to the present embodiment, the ink cured body 56 (that is, the image 51 and the white ink layer 52) is formed by the ink that does not penetrate the surface of the release paper 50. Therefore, the sticker body 55 can be easily released from the release paper 50 in step S5.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the ink cured body 56 is formed with ultraviolet curable ink. Therefore, the sticker body 55 can be more easily released from the release paper 50. Moreover, the sticker body 55 formed by curing the ultraviolet curable ink is easy to handle by itself. Therefore, even if there is no mount for supporting the sticker body 55, only the sticker body 55 can be easily handled.

  In the present embodiment, the white ink layer 52 is formed on the image 51, but the white ink layer 52 is not necessarily required. The sticker body 55 may be configured only by the image 51. However, according to the present embodiment, since the white ink layer 52 is formed on the image 51, the thickness of the sticker body 55 can be increased. Therefore, the release of the sticker body 55 from the release paper 50 and the handling of the sticker 58 can be further facilitated.

  According to the present embodiment, the image 51 and the white ink layer 52 thereon are cut along the contour of the image 51. Therefore, the release of the sticker body 55 from the release paper 50 can be performed more easily.

  In the present embodiment, the image 51 and the white ink layer 52 are cut before the adhesive 53 is applied. However, the order of application of the adhesive 53 and the cut is not particularly limited. The cut may be performed after the adhesive 53 is applied, or may be performed while the adhesive 53 is being applied.

  In the present embodiment, the white ink layer 52 is formed over a larger area than the image 51. However, the white ink layer 52 may be formed over the same area as the image 51 or an area smaller than the image 51. In the present embodiment, the cut is performed along the contour of the image 51, but the mode of the cut is not limited at all. For example, a part of the image 51 may be cut out.

<Embodiment 2>
In the first embodiment, after the sticker body 55 is manufactured by the image forming apparatus 1, the operation of applying the adhesive 53 to the sticker body 55 is performed outside the image forming apparatus 1. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, an apparatus for applying the adhesive 53 is built in the image forming apparatus 1, and an operation for applying the adhesive 53 is performed by the image forming apparatus 1.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment includes a head 40 that applies an adhesive. The head 40 includes a carriage 41 that engages with the guide rail 5 and a spray 45 that is supported by the carriage 41. The carriage 41 is configured to be movable in the left-right direction along the guide rail 5. Although not shown, the carriage 41 is configured to be detachable from the carriage 21 of the cutting head 20 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B). The mechanism for attaching and detaching is not particularly limited, and for example, the same configuration as that of the connecting members 14 and 24 described above can be used.

  The spray 45 is connected to the tank 43 via the hose 42. An adhesive 53 is stored in the tank 43. The spray 45 is controlled by the controller 60 (see FIG. 3).

  In the second embodiment, after the above-described steps S1 to S3 are executed, the grid roller 3 is reversed and the release paper 50 is once pulled back. When the release paper 50 returns to the print start position, the head 40 moves in the left-right direction while the grid roller 3 sequentially conveys the release paper 50 forward. At this time, the spray spray 45 sprays the adhesive 53. Thereby, step S4 described above is executed. At this time, the controller 60 functions as a “third control unit” of the present invention.

  According to the image forming apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment, not only the above-described steps S1 to S3 but also the processing of step S4 can be performed. That is, the image 51 can be printed, the image 51 can be cut, and the adhesive 53 can be applied by one image forming apparatus 1.

<Embodiment 3>
As described above, in each of the embodiments, the mirror image 51 is formed on the surface of the release paper 50. The back surface of the image 51, that is, the surface that is in contact with the release paper 50 is a surface that is visually recognized from the outside when the sticker 58 is used, in other words, the front surface. Here, the state of the back surface of the image 51 depends on the state of the surface of the release paper 50. If the surface of the release paper 50 is smooth, the back surface of the image 51 is also smooth. On the other hand, if there is unevenness on the surface of the release paper 50, unevenness also occurs on the back surface of the image 51.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7A, by using a release paper 50 having a smooth front surface 50a, the back surface 51a of the image 51 can be formed smoothly, and as a result, a sticker 58 having a large gloss can be obtained. it can. For example, by using the release paper 50 whose front surface 50a is smoother than the front surface 51b of the image 51, the back surface 51a of the image 51 can be formed more smoothly than the front surface 51b, and a sticker 58 with a more glossy feeling can be obtained. Can do. That is, the sticker 58 having a so-called glossy surface can be manufactured.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7B, unevenness can be formed on the back surface 51 a of the image 51 by using the release paper 50 having the surface 50 a with large unevenness. Thereby, the sticker 58 with a small glossiness can be obtained. For example, by using the release paper 50 whose surface 50a is rougher than the surface 51b of the image 51, the back surface 51a of the image 51 can be made rougher than the surface 51b, and the sticker 58 with less gloss can be obtained. That is, a sticker 58 having a so-called matte surface can be manufactured.

  The unevenness on the surface of the release paper 50 can be considered as a kind of pattern. The unevenness on the surface of the release paper 50 may be fine enough to be invisible, but may be large that can be visually recognized. A visually recognizable pattern may be formed on the surface of the release paper 50. This makes it possible to produce various forms of stickers 58.

<Other embodiments>
In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment, the inkjet head 10, the cutting head 20, or the head 40 that applies the adhesive 53 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction Y, and the release paper 50 is arranged in the sub-scanning direction X. It was supposed to be transported. However, the heads 10, 20, 40 and the release paper 50 only need to be relatively movable with respect to the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X, and the moving function for relatively moving them is not limited at all. For example, the guide rail 5 that supports the heads 10, 20, and 40 so as to be movable in the main scanning direction Y may be configured to be movable in the sub-scanning direction X.

  The inkjet head 10 or the head 40 that applies the adhesive 53 is not necessarily configured to be movable in the main scanning direction Y. The heads 10 and 40 may extend in the main scanning direction Y and eject or eject ink or adhesive 53 all over the entire area in the main scanning direction Y.

  The ultraviolet irradiation device 13a or 13b is not necessarily configured to be movable in the main scanning direction Y. For example, either one of the ultraviolet irradiation devices 13 a and 13 b may be arranged to extend in the main scanning direction Y in front of the inkjet head 10.

  In the embodiment, the ink that is cured when irradiated with ultraviolet rays is used. However, the type of ink according to the present invention is not limited to ultraviolet curable ink. For example, an ink that is cured by applying heat can be used. The means for curing the ink is not limited to the ultraviolet irradiation devices 13a and 13b. Depending on the type of ink, it can be cured by natural drying. In such a case, means for forcibly curing the ink is not always necessary.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Platen 3 Grid roller (movement mechanism)
5 Guide rail 10 Inkjet head 12 Recording head 20 Cutting head 23 Cutter 40 Head for applying adhesive (other head)
45 Spray spray 50 Release paper (support material)
51 Image 52 White ink layer 53 Adhesive 55 Sticker body 56 Ink cured body 58 Sticker 60 Controller (control device)

Claims (8)

First, an ink that can be released from the surface is ejected from the ink jet recording head onto the surface of the support material, and a cured ink including a mirror image is formed on the surface. Steps,
A second step of applying an adhesive to at least the surface of the image;
A cutting step of cutting a part of the ink cured body before, after, or during the second step;
How to make a sticker. The sticker manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein the cutting step is a step of cutting the ink cured body along an outline of the image. The first step includes ejecting ink for forming the image from the recording head, ejecting ink for forming another ink layer on the image from the recording head, and The manufacturing method of the sticker of Claim 1 or 2 containing. The ink is a UV curable ink which is cured when irradiated with ultraviolet light, stickers fabrication method according to any one of claims 1-3. The surface of the support material, the are smoothly formed than the surface of the image, stickers fabrication method according to any one of claims 1-4. The pattern on the surface of the support material is formed, stickers fabrication method according to any one of claims 1-4. An ink jet recording head that is formed so as to be movable in a predetermined direction, and that ejects ink that can be released from the surface of the support material;
A cutting head formed so as to be movable in a predetermined direction and having a cutter;
A moving mechanism that relatively moves the support material and the recording head in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, and relatively moves the support material and the cutting head in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction;
The ink cured body including the image of a mirror image that is cured by ejecting the ink from the recording head and controlling the moving mechanism so that the support member and the recording head move relative to each other. And a part of the ink cured body on the cutting head while controlling the moving mechanism so that the supporting member and the cutting head move relative to each other. A control device including a second control unit that cuts
An image forming apparatus. With other heads to apply adhesive,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the control device includes a third control unit that causes the other head to apply an adhesive to at least a surface of the image.

Images