JP6668622B2 - Method for producing dyed substrate and printing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing a dyed substrate used in a transfer dyeing process, and a printing apparatus used for manufacturing the dyed substrate.

  Conventionally, various techniques for dyeing a resin body (for example, a plastic lens or the like) have been proposed. For example, in the vapor phase transfer dyeing method disclosed in Patent Document 1, a sublimable dye attached to a dye-coated substrate is heated, and the heated sublimable dye is deposited on a resin body. The dye-attached substrate of Patent Literature 1 is obtained by printing an ink in which a sublimable dye is dispersed on white paper by a printer.

JP 2001-59950 A

  In the related art, a dye-containing substrate is obtained by printing an ink containing a sublimable dye on each of a plurality of substrates (for example, paper) cut in advance to a predetermined size. In this case, it is necessary to perform various subsequent operations for each substrate on which the ink is printed. Therefore, it has been difficult to improve work efficiency.

  A typical object of the present disclosure is to provide a manufacturing method and a printing apparatus capable of efficiently manufacturing a dyed substrate.

It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the dyeing | staining process in this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the printing apparatus 10. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the carriage 30. FIG. 3 is an external view of a roll-shaped substrate 2. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of a dye-containing substrate manufacturing system 100 including a printing apparatus 1 and a PC 60. 5 is a flowchart of print control data creation processing executed by the PC 60. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a setting information input screen 80. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for describing an ink determination table. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating printing positions of a plurality of dye portions 3 with respect to each base section 29 when the horizontal arrangement printing is performed. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating printing positions of a plurality of dye portions 3 on each base piece 29 when the vertical arrangement printing is performed. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print mode setting screen 90. 5 is a flowchart of a printing process executed by the printing apparatus. It is a flowchart of a base manufacturing process with a dye.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. The dyed substrate 1 in the present embodiment is used in a process of producing a dyed resin body by performing transfer dyeing on the resin body. Hereinafter, a case where the plastic lens 4 which is one of the resin bodies is dyed by the vapor phase transfer dyeing using the dyed substrate 1 will be exemplified. However, the technique exemplified below can also be applied to a case where a resin body other than the plastic lens 4 (for example, a cover of a mobile phone, a cover for a light, an accessory, a toy, etc.) is dyed. The dyed substrate 1 exemplified below can be used in a transfer dyeing process other than the vapor phase transfer dyeing.

  According to this embodiment, for example, a polycarbonate resin (for example, diethylene glycol bisallyl carbonate polymer (CR-39)), a polyurethane resin, an allyl resin (for example, allyl diglycol carbonate and its copolymer, diallyl) Phthalate and its copolymer), fumaric acid resin (for example, benzyl fumarate copolymer), styrene resin, polymethyl acrylate resin, fiber resin (for example, cellulose propionate), thiourethane or thioepoxy It is also possible to dye a resin body made of a high refraction material or the like.

<Transfer dyeing process>
With reference to FIG. 1, a process of dyeing a resin body (the plastic lens 4 in the present embodiment) using the dyed substrate 1 (a manufacturing process of a dyed resin body) will be described. First, the manufacturing process of the dyed substrate 1 is performed. The dyed substrate 1 of the present embodiment includes a dye portion 3 on one surface of a sheet-shaped substrate (dying substrate) 2. The dye part 3 contains a sublimable dye deposited on the plastic lens 4. In this embodiment, in order to dye one set (two pairs) of plastic lenses 4 attached to the spectacles, a pair of dye parts 3 are formed on the base 2 as one unit. The details of the manufacturing process of the dyed substrate 1 will be described later.

  Next, a transfer step of transferring the dye adhering to the dyed substrate 1 to the plastic lens 4 is performed. In the present embodiment, the dye is sublimated toward the plastic lens 4 by heating the sublimable dye contained in the dye portion 3 of the dyed substrate 1. As a result, the dye is deposited on the plastic lens 4. Note that the plastic lens 4 may be formed with various layers such as a receptor film for facilitating fixing of a dye in a fixing step described later.

  The transfer step (vapor deposition step) of the present embodiment is performed by the vapor deposition unit 5. The vapor deposition unit 5 includes an electromagnetic wave generator 6, a vapor deposition jig 7, and a pump 8. The electromagnetic wave generator 6 increases the temperature of the dye in a short time by irradiating the dye-containing substrate 1 with an electromagnetic wave. In the present embodiment, a halogen lamp that generates infrared rays is used as the electromagnetic wave generator 6. However, a configuration that generates electromagnetic waves of other wavelengths such as ultraviolet rays and microwaves may be used as the electromagnetic wave generator 6. It is also possible to heat the sublimable dye by another method. For example, the sublimable dye may be heated by bringing a hot iron plate or the like into contact with the dye-containing substrate 1. The deposition jig 7 holds the dyed substrate 1 and the plastic lens 4. The vapor deposition jig 7 of this embodiment holds the dyed substrate 1 at a position separated from the plastic lens 4 by an appropriate distance. As a result, generation of color unevenness or the like in the dye deposited on the plastic lens 4 is suppressed. Further, the dyed substrate 1 is arranged such that the surface on which the dye portion 3 is attached faces the plastic lens 4. The pump 8 discharges the gas inside the vapor deposition unit 5 to the outside, and reduces the pressure inside the vapor deposition unit 5. The transfer step of the present embodiment is performed in a state where the pressure around the dyed substrate 1 and the plastic lens 4 is reduced (for example, in a substantially vacuum state). Therefore, the sublimable dye is appropriately sublimated and vapor-deposited on the plastic lens 4 as compared with the case where vapor deposition is performed under atmospheric pressure.

  Next, a fixing step is performed. In the fixing step, the dye is fixed to the plastic lens 4 by heating the plastic lens 4 on which the dye is deposited. As a result, a dyed resin body is manufactured. The fixing step of the present embodiment is performed by the oven 9. When the oven 9 (especially a blower-type constant temperature oven) is used, the temperature of the plastic lens 4 gradually increases over a long period of time, so that a temperature difference hardly occurs. Therefore, the dye is easily fixed on the plastic lens 4 evenly. Note that the content of the fixing step can be changed. For example, the plastic lens 4 may be heated by scanning the plastic lens 4 with a laser. Further, both the transfer step and the fixing step may be performed by the same apparatus. In this case, for example, the same heating unit (for example, an infrared heater or the like) may perform the heating in the transfer process and the heating in the fixing process.

<Printing device>
With reference to FIGS. 2 to 4, an example of the printing apparatus 10 used in the manufacturing process of the dyed substrate 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the printing device 10 includes a housing 11, an ink container mounting unit 12, and an operation unit 15. The housing 11 holds various components of the printing device 10. The internal configuration of the housing 11 will be described later. An ink container (for example, an ink pack, an ink cartridge, or the like) is mounted on the ink container mounting section 12. The printing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is provided with eight ink heads 33 (see FIG. 4) for discharging ink. Accordingly, the ink container mounting section 12 is provided with eight slots 13 in which ink containers are mounted in order to supply ink to each of the eight ink heads 33. Various operation instructions are input to the operation unit 15.

  The substrate 2 on which the dye portion 3 is printed is sent forward from the housing 11. A receiving table 17 on which the base 2 delivered from the housing 11 is placed is provided in front of the housing 11. The cradle 17 is provided detachably with respect to the main body of the printing apparatus 10. Therefore, the user can easily carry one or a plurality of bases 2 placed on the pedestal 17 by removing the pedestal 17.

  As the base 2 of the present embodiment, an elongated (that is, long) sheet-like base 2 is used. As an example, the substrate 2 of the present embodiment is an elongated paper (roll paper) wound in a roll shape. However, a material other than the roll paper (for example, a sheet-like metal foil, a sheet-like resin, or the like) may be used as the base 2. The printing apparatus 10 can also mount a plurality of (for example, four in the present embodiment) bases 2 and print the dye portions 3 on each of the mounted bases 2 in parallel. The printing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment includes four receiving stands 17 for accommodating each of the four bases 2 sent from the housing 11.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 11 of the printing apparatus 10 is formed in a substantially box shape having an open front upper part. An opening / closing cover 19 is attached to the upper end of the housing 11 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. When the opening / closing cover 19 is rotated upward, the front upper portion of the housing 11 is opened. A base mounting portion 20 for mounting the base 2 is provided at a lower rear portion of the printing apparatus 10. In the present embodiment, the elongated sheet-shaped substrate 2 is mounted on the substrate mounting portion 20 in a state of being wound in a roll shape. The base mounting portion 20 of the present embodiment is rotatably held by being fitted into the axial center of a roll-shaped dyeing base 2 (hereinafter, also referred to as “roll-shaped base 2”). I do. Further, the base mounting portion 20 of the present embodiment includes a jig (not shown) arranged between the adjacent roll-shaped bases 2. The jig keeps the distance between the plurality of roll-shaped substrates 2 at a constant distance. The positional relationship between the inner and outer surfaces of the roll-shaped substrate 2 and the printing device 10 will be described later.

  A lower base 22, an upper base 26, a carriage 30, and a guide rail 31 are provided inside the housing 11. The lower base 22 is located below the substrate 2 to be delivered. The upper base 26 is located above the substrate 2 to be delivered. That is, the base 2 passes between the lower base 22 and the upper base 26 in the front-rear direction.

  At the rear end of the upper end of the lower base 22, a delivery section 23 is provided. The sending unit 23 sends out the bases 2 (four bases 2 in the present embodiment) mounted on the base mounting unit 20 along the longitudinal direction of the bases 2. As an example, the sending unit 23 of the present embodiment is a grit roller whose rotation axis extends in the left-right direction. The sending unit 23 of the present embodiment sends four bases 2 by being rotated by a base sending motor 35 (see FIG. 6). At the lower end of the upper base 26, a pinch roller 27 that presses the base 2 toward the sending section 23 is provided. The rotation axis of the pinch roller 27 is parallel to the rotation axis of the delivery unit 23. Note that the configuration of the sending unit 23 can be changed. For example, the sending unit 23 may send each of the plurality of substrates 2 separately.

  A cutter 24 that cuts the base 2 is provided in front of the delivery section 23 at the upper end of the lower base 22. The cutter 24 of the present embodiment cuts the elongated base 2 in the short direction by moving in the left and right direction by the cutter drive motor 36 (see FIG. 6).

  A carriage 30 and a guide rail 31 are provided above the lower base 22 and forward of the sending section 23. The guide rail 31 is a bar-shaped member extending in the left-right direction, and is fixed to the housing 11. The carriage 30 has a plurality of ink heads 33 (see FIG. 4) at the bottom. The carriage 30 is moved left and right along the guide rail 31 by a carriage motor 37 (see FIG. 6). The printing apparatus 10 performs printing in the main scanning direction by discharging ink from the ink head 33 while moving the carriage 30 in the left-right direction (main scanning direction). The printing apparatus 10 performs sub-scanning by moving the base 2 in the front-rear direction by the sending unit 23. By repeating the main scanning and the sub-scanning, the two-dimensional dye portion 3 is printed on the printing surface of the base 2. It goes without saying that the main scanning and sub-scanning methods can be changed. For example, the printing apparatus 10 may move the carriage 30 in the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction. Further, the printing apparatus 10 may move the base 2 in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction with respect to the fixed ink head 33.

<Relationship between ink head and ink type>
The relationship between the ink head 33 and the type of ink in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of ink heads 33 are provided at the bottom of the carriage 30. For example, the ink head 33 prints the dyed portion 3 on the base 2 by discharging an ink containing a sublimable dye deposited on the resin body toward the dyeing base. Each of the plurality of ink heads 33 is separately connected to each of the plurality of ink containers mounted on the ink container mounting section 12 (see FIG. 2) by an ink supply path (for example, a flexible tube). Therefore, in this embodiment, ink is supplied to one ink head 33 from one ink container.

  As an example, in the present embodiment, the four color inks of black (BK), blue (B), red (R), and yellow (Y) are appropriately selected and ejected, so that the dye portion printed on the base 2 is appropriately selected. The third color (in other words, the color of the resin body dyed in the dyeing step using the dyed resin body 1) is reproduced. On the other hand, the number of the ink heads 33 provided in the printing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is eight. That is, the printing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment includes more ink heads 33 than the number of colors of ink used for reproducing the color of the resin body to be dyed (hereinafter, referred to as “number of used colors”).

  In the present embodiment, a part of the plurality of ink heads 33 includes a plurality of ink heads 33 that respectively discharge at least two or more inks that have the same color and are different from each other in the suitability for the resin body. ing. As an example, the black ink used in the present embodiment is one type, and is ejected from the BK ink head 33 shown in FIG. The black ink of the present embodiment is suitable for dyeing various substrates. There are two types of blue ink. One blue ink is ejected from the B1 ink head 33, and the other blue ink is ejected from the B2 ink head 33. There are two types of red ink. One red ink is ejected from the R1 ink head 33, and the other red ink is ejected from the R2 ink head 33. There are three types of yellow ink, and the three types of yellow ink are ejected from the ink heads 33 of Y1, Y2, and Y3. As will be described in detail later, the printing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes, among a plurality of types of inks having the same color, one or more inks suitable for the characteristics of the resin body to be dyed (for example, the base material of the resin body). Is selected and printed on the substrate 2.

  The number of colors used, the type of ink used, the number of ink heads 33, and the like can be changed. For example, the color of the dye portion 3 may be reproduced by three colors of cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). The color of the dye portion 3 may be reproduced by four colors of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K). The color of the dye part 3 is reproduced by a combination of three colors of cyan (C), magenta (M) and yellow (Y) and three colors of red (R), yellow (Y) and blue (B). You may. Inks of other colors (eg, brown) may be used. A plurality of types of black ink may be used.

<Arrangement of roll-shaped substrate in printing apparatus>
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of the base 2. For example, the base 2 is used in a dyeing step (a manufacturing step of a dyed resin body) in which the sublimable dye attached to the base 2 is heated and the dye is sublimated toward the resin body to dye the plastic lens 4. Things.

  For example, the base 2 has a surface 51 (hereinafter referred to as a dyed surface) to which a dye is attached. The dyed surface 51 is a surface on which the dyed part 3 is printed. Further, for example, the base 2 includes an electromagnetic wave absorbing layer 52 having a higher electromagnetic wave absorption rate than the base 2. The electromagnetic wave absorbing layer 52 is formed at least on the opposite side of the stained surface 51. For example, the substrate 2 is a substrate formed in a roll shape, and the stained surface 51 is formed on the outer surface of the roll-shaped substrate 2. Further, for example, in the base 2, the electromagnetic wave absorbing layer 52 is formed on an inner side surface 53 of the roll-shaped base 2.

  For example, the electromagnetic wave absorbing layer 52 only needs to be able to absorb at least an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength generated by the electromagnetic wave generating unit 6 with a higher absorption rate than the base 2. As an example, in the present embodiment, the electromagnetic wave absorbing layer 52 is formed of a coloring ink containing a heat-resistant black or dark (black in the present embodiment) pigment. As shown in FIG. 5, the electromagnetic wave absorbing layer 52 of the present embodiment is formed in a region occupying a part of one surface of the base 2 (formed in a state where a margin 56 remains). Therefore, the cost of the base 2 is reduced as compared with the case where the electromagnetic wave absorbing layer 52 is formed on all of one surface.

  In the present embodiment, the dyed surface 51 is formed on the outer surface of the roll-shaped substrate 2 and the electromagnetic wave absorbing layer 52 is formed on the inner surface 53 of the roll-shaped substrate 2 as an example. Although described above, the present invention is not limited to this. At least the structure in which the dyed surface 51 is formed on the outer surface of the roll-shaped substrate 2 may be used.

  For example, the base 2 is used by being mounted on a printing apparatus 10. For example, the user mounts the base 2 on the base mounting unit 20. Here, for example, the roll-shaped substrate 2 has a curl portion (roundness) 55 because the substrate 2 is wound in a roll shape. Thus, when the dyed portion 3 is printed on the base 2, the base 2 and the ink head 33 of the printing apparatus 10 come into contact with each other, which may cause problems such as occurrence of clogging and involvement of the dyeing base.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, in the present embodiment, when the dyeing unit 3 is printed by the printing apparatus 10, the user touches the ink head 33 of the printing apparatus 10 with the outer surface of the roll-shaped base 2. The base 2 is placed on the base mounting portion 20 of the printing apparatus 10 such that the. That is, the roll-shaped substrate 2 having the dyed surface 51 formed on the outer surface is placed on the substrate mounting portion 20 of the printing device 10 such that the outer surface of the substrate 2 faces the ink head 33 of the printing device 10. The installation can suppress contact between the curl portion 55 and the ink head 33.

<Electrical configuration>
With reference to FIG. 6, the electrical configuration of the dyed substrate manufacturing system 100 of the present embodiment will be described. The system for manufacturing a substrate with dye of the present embodiment includes a printing device 10 and a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as “PC”) 60.

  The printing device 10 includes a control unit 40 that controls the operation of the printing device 10. The control unit 40 includes a CPU (processor) 41, a ROM 42, and a RAM 43. The CPU 41 controls each unit of the printing apparatus 10. The ROM 42 stores a control program for controlling the operation of the printing apparatus 10 (for example, a print control program for executing the printing process illustrated in FIG. 13), initial values, and the like. The control program may be stored in a non-volatile memory (not shown). Various information is temporarily stored in the RAM 43. The operation unit 15, the ink head 33, the base body sending motor 35, the cutter driving motor 36, the carriage motor 37, and the external communication interface 38 are connected to the control unit 40 via a bus. The external communication interface 38 connects the printing device 10 to an external device such as the PC 60.

  The PC 60 includes a control unit 70 that controls the operation of the PC 60. The control unit 70 includes a CPU 71, a ROM 72, a RAM 73, and a hard disk drive (HDD) 74. The CPU 71 controls various processes in the PC 60. The ROM 72 stores a program such as a BIOS executed by the CPU 71. The RAM 73 temporarily stores various information. The HDD 74 is a nonvolatile storage medium. The HDD 74 stores, for example, a print control data creation program for executing the print control data creation process illustrated in FIG. 7, and various tables (for example, see FIG. 9). The program stored in the HDD 74 may be obtained via a CD-ROM, the Internet, or the like. A monitor 61, an operation unit 62, and an external communication interface 68 are connected to the control unit 70 via a bus. The monitor 61 displays various images under the control of the control unit 70. Various operation instructions from the user are input to the operation unit 62 (for example, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like). The external communication interface 68 connects the PC 60 to an external device such as the printing device 10.

<Print control data creation processing>
With reference to FIGS. 7 to 12, a description will be given of print control data creation processing executed by the PC 60. The print control data is data for controlling the operation of the printing device 10. The printing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment executes printing of the dye unit 3 on the base 2 in accordance with the print control data input from the PC 60. When a print control data creation instruction is input, the CPU 71 of the PC 60 executes a print control data creation process illustrated in FIG. 7 according to a print control data creation program.

  The print control data creation process according to the present embodiment includes a process of creating a print list (S1 to S7) and a process of creating print control data according to the print list (S8 to S18). The print list 89 (see FIG. 8) is a list of the dyed substrates 1 to be manufactured. In the print list 89, for each unit of the dyed substrate 1 to be manufactured, various information including the order in the list (list order) and the color of the dye portion 3 to be printed is associated. In the print list 89 of FIG. 8, the list order is displayed as “No.”, and the colors are displayed as codes of “color name”. In the process of creating the print control data (S8 to S18), the printing positions of the dye units 3 in a plurality of units on the base 2 are registered according to the print list 89.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the process of creating a print list (S1 to S7), "1" is first added in the order of the list (S1). In the present embodiment, the value of the counter for managing the list order is “0” at the start of the print control data creation process. Therefore, when the process of S1 is performed first, the value of the counter that manages the list order becomes “1”.

  Next, the CPU 71 obtains various setting information including the base material of the resin body to be dyed and the color of the dye portion 3 to be printed on the base 2 (in other words, the color of the resin body dyed by the dyed base 1). (S2).

  An example of a method for acquiring setting information will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the CPU 71 displays the setting information input screen 80 (see FIG. 8) on the monitor 61 during the process of creating the print list 89. The setting information input screen 80 displays a color name input field 81, a base material input field 82, a density input field 83, a pattern input field 84, a list addition button 86, a print start button 87, and a print list 89.

  In the color name input field 81, the color of the dye portion 3 to be printed on the base 2 (that is, the color of the resin body dyed by the dyed base 1 to be manufactured) is input. Needless to say, the color of the dye portion 3 printed on the dyed substrate 1 and the color of the resin body dyed using the dyeing substrate 1 may be different in appearance. In the base material input field 82, the base material of the resin body to be dyed is input. In the density input field 83, the density of a color for dyeing the resin body is input. In the pattern input field 84, a print pattern of the dye part 3 is input. The print pattern includes, for example, a pattern for uniformly dyeing the entire surface of the resin body, a pattern for dyeing the resin body in a gradation, a pattern for changing the density at the center and the outer periphery of the resin body, and the like. Can be adopted. The list addition button 86 is operated when the user adds an item to the print list 89. In the process of S2, when the list addition button 86 is operated, various setting information input to the various input fields 81 to 84 at that time is obtained as setting information corresponding to the print list to be added. The print start button 87 is operated by the user to start printing the dye portion 3 on the base 2.

  When acquiring various setting information (S2), the CPU 71 determines an ink to be used for printing from a plurality of (eight in the present embodiment) inks according to the acquired characteristic information (the base material in the present embodiment). (S3). More specifically, the CPU 71 determines, from a plurality of inks including at least two or more inks having the same color and different suitability for the resin body, inks used for dyeing the resin body by using the acquired characteristics. Make an informed choice.

  As an example, in the present embodiment, the CPU 71 selects a resin from a plurality of inks based on correspondence information that is information in which the characteristics of the resin body to be dyed and the appropriate ink for the resin body are associated. Select the ink used to dye the body. For example, in the present embodiment, the HDD 74 stores an ink determination table (see FIG. 9), which is a type of correspondence information that associates the base material of the resin body to be dyed with the ink used in the dyeing process.

  In the ink determination table illustrated in FIG. 9, it is determined that the color is reproduced by at least one of the four color inks BK, B, R, and Y, regardless of which base material is dyed. However, for each of the B, R, and Y inks, one of a plurality of inks having the same color and different in suitability for the resin base material is selected from a plurality of inks suitable for the resin base material to be dyed. The table is created so that one or more inks are used. In S3 of the present embodiment, the CPU 71 determines the ink corresponding to the base material acquired in S2 as the ink to be used for printing by referring to the ink determination table.

  In the present embodiment, the characteristic information of the resin body to be dyed is acquired by the CPU 71 by being input via the operation unit 62. However, it is also possible to change the method for acquiring the characteristic information. For example, the CPU 71 may acquire the characteristic information by receiving the characteristic information from another device.

  The method for determining the ink used for printing can be changed as appropriate. For example, the correspondence information may be set by operating the operation unit 62. For example, the ink determination table illustrated in FIG. 9 may be created in advance by a manufacturer or the like. The CPU 71 may change the contents of the ink determination table (that is, the correspondence between the characteristic information of the resin body and the ink used) based on an operation instruction by the user. The CPU 71 may newly create an ink determination table based on an operation instruction from the user. Also, using a table is not required. For example, when determining the ink to be used for dyeing, the CPU 71 may request the user to input an instruction to select a used ink, and may determine the ink selected by the user as the used ink. A program may be created in advance so that the ink corresponding to the input base material is automatically selected without using the table. Further, the characteristic information of the resin body is not limited to the information of the base material. For example, information on at least one of the thickness and the shape of the resin body to be dyed may be used as the characteristic information of the resin body. Further, in the present embodiment, inks of four colors are used one by one regardless of the characteristic information of the resin body (that is, four ink heads 33 are always determined as used heads). However, the CPU 71 may change the number of inks to be used according to the characteristic information of the resin body. Alternatively, two or more inks having the same color and different suitability for the resin body may be determined as inks used for dyeing one resin body.

  When determining the ink to be used (S3), the CPU 71 prints one unit of the dye unit 3 so that the color acquired in S2 (in other words, the color selected by the user) is reproduced by the ink determined in S3. Is created (S4). The CPU 71 adds and saves the created one unit of data to the n-th print list 89 (S5). Next, the CPU 71 determines whether an instruction to start printing has been input (S7). If not (S7: NO), the process returns to S1, and the process of adding the print list 89 to the next list order is performed (S1 to S5). In this embodiment, the user can input a color each time the print list 89 is added. Therefore, the dyed substrates 1 of various colors are efficiently manufactured. When the print start button 87 is operated and a print start instruction is input (S7: YES), print control data is created based on the print method set by the user (S8 to S18).

  With reference to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, a printing method of the dye section 3 in the present embodiment will be described. The dye-containing substrate manufacturing system 100 of the present embodiment can print a plurality of units of the dye units 3 on each of the elongated substrates 2 in the longitudinal direction of the substrate 2 (vertical direction in FIGS. 10 and 11). . Therefore, many units of the dye part 3 are printed efficiently. Further, in the present embodiment, by cutting each of the bases 2, a base piece 29 including a plurality of units of the dye portions 3 is created. In this case, various operations after printing of the dye section 3 are performed for each of the base sections 29 including the plurality of dye sections 3. Therefore, the working efficiency is improved as compared with the case where the dyed substrate 1 including only one dye portion 3 is manufactured immediately after the dye portion 3 is printed. Since the elongated base 2 is used by being appropriately cut, the loss of the base 2 can be reduced.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the user can select the number of units of the dye portion 3 included in one base fragment 29 (in the present embodiment, the number of units of the dye portion 3 arranged in the longitudinal direction of one base fragment 29). Can be. For example, in the examples shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the number of units selected by the user (hereinafter, referred to as “the number of selected units”) is “5”. However, when the number of selected units becomes "4", four dye units 3 are formed on each base piece 29. Therefore, the degree of freedom in forming the base piece 29 is improved. Further, in the present embodiment, the upper limit of the number of units that can be selected by the user is determined. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the base piece 29 from being too large (that is, too long) and conversely reducing the work efficiency. As an example, the upper limit of the number of units in the present embodiment is “5”, but the upper limit can be changed as appropriate.

  With reference to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, a printing arrangement of a plurality of dye units 3 on a plurality of substrates 2 will be described. In FIGS. 10 and 11, the vertical direction on the drawing is the sending direction of the base 2 by the sending unit 23 (sometimes called the vertical direction or the column direction). The left-right direction on the drawing is an intersecting direction (sometimes called a lateral direction or a row direction) intersecting the sending direction.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the dye-containing substrate manufacturing system 100 of the present embodiment can arrange a plurality of dye units 3 in a registration order along a crossing direction crossing the sending direction. Hereinafter, the printing illustrated in FIG. 10 is referred to as horizontal array printing. In the horizontal arrangement printing illustrated in FIG. 10, four units of the dye units 3 are arranged on the four (four rows) bases 2 one by one in the order of registration from right to left. When the printing of one line (one line) of the dye units 3 in the cross direction is completed, the dye units 3 of the one line are again moved to a position shifted in the sending direction from the line of dye units 3 where the printing is completed, according to the continuation of the registration order. Printing is performed. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the number of selection units is “5”. Accordingly, the dye portions 3 of 4 columns × 5 rows at maximum are printed on the four substrates 2 by a series of printing operations. According to the horizontal printing, a uniform number of dye parts 3 are printed on each of the plurality of substrates 2 as much as possible. Therefore, the dye portions 3 are efficiently printed on the plurality of substrates 2.

  In the example shown in FIG. 10, the order of registration of the dye parts 3 is increased one by one from the right to the left. However, the order of registration may increase from left to right. Further, for example, it is also possible to arrange so that the registration order is “1,” “3,” “2,” and “4” from the right. It is also possible to arrange so that the registration order is "1," "4," "2," and "3" from the left. That is, “arrange in the registration direction along the intersection direction” does not mean that the registration order is arranged in ascending order from one of the intersection directions to the other, and a maximum of 4 This includes arranging the dye parts 3 in the unit along the cross direction regardless of the order of registration.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the dye-containing substrate manufacturing system 100 of the present embodiment can arrange a plurality of dye units 3 in the order of registration along the sending direction. Hereinafter, the printing illustrated in FIG. 11 will be referred to as vertical array printing. In the vertical arrangement printing illustrated in FIG. 11, a plurality of units of dye units 3 are arranged in the registration order along the sending direction for each of four (four rows) bases 2. Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 11, the dye units 3 in the registration order “1” to “5” are arranged on the rightmost substrate 2. The dye units 3 in the order of registration “6” to “10” are arranged on the second substrate 2 from the right. The dye portions 3 in the registration order “11” to “15” are arranged on the third base 2 from the right. The dye portions 3 in the order of registration “16” to “20” are arranged on the fourth substrate 2 from the right. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the number of selection units is “5”. Therefore, in a series of printing operations, the dye units 3 of 5 units are printed on each substrate 2. According to the vertical printing, the user can collectively manage the dye units 3 of a plurality of units in which the registration order is continuous for each of the bases 2.

  The printing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment can print a plurality of dye units 3 in parallel on the plurality of substrates 2 by causing the carriage 30 to perform main scanning so as to cross the plurality of substrates 2. it can. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 11, after the dye units 3 in the registration order “1”, “6”, “11”, and “16” are printed in parallel, the registration order “2”, “7”, “ The dye portions 3 of "12" and "17" are printed in parallel. Therefore, the number of times the plurality of substrates 2 are sent out is reduced as compared with the case where the printing of the plurality of units of dye units 3 on each substrate 2 is performed separately.

  In the present embodiment, the user can select any one of a plurality of printing arrangements including horizontal printing and vertical printing, and cause the printing apparatus 10 to execute the printing arrangement. Therefore, the user can cause the printing apparatus 10 to execute printing in accordance with a desired printing method according to the manufacturing efficiency, the management efficiency, and the like of the dyed substrate 1.

  An example of a printing method setting method will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the CPU 71 can display the print mode setting screen 90 (see FIG. 12) on the monitor 61. The timing at which the print mode setting screen 90 is displayed may be, for example, after a print start instruction is input, or may be any timing at which a print mode setting start instruction is input. The print mode setting screen 90 displays a horizontal array print selection button 91, a vertical array print selection button 92, a column number input field 94, a row number (selection unit number) input field 95, and an OK button 97.

  The horizontal arrangement print selection button 91 is operated by the user when the horizontal arrangement print is selected. The vertical array print selection button 92 is operated by the user when the vertical array print is selected. The number of columns 2 (that is, the number of columns to be used) on which the dye portion 3 is to be printed is input to the number-of-columns input field 94 within a range equal to or less than a predetermined upper limit number (four columns in the present embodiment). In the number of rows (number of selected units) input field 95, the number of units of the dye units 3 arranged on each substrate 2 along the sending direction is input. As described above, in the present embodiment, the upper limit of the number of selection units is set. The user inputs the number of selected units within a range equal to or less than a predetermined upper limit. The OK button 97 is operated by the user when the setting of the printing method is completed.

  Returning to the description of FIG. When the print start button 87 is operated and a print start instruction is input (S7: YES), the CPU 71 acquires the number of selection units selected by the user (S8). The CPU 71 acquires the print arrangement (horizontal arrangement print or vertical arrangement print in the present embodiment) selected by the user (S9).

  If the selected print array is the horizontal array print (S11: YES), a process of creating print control data for causing the printing apparatus 10 to execute the horizontal array print (horizontal array data generation process) is performed (S12, S13). More specifically, the CPU 71 of the present embodiment registers the printing positions of the dye units 3 in a plurality of units sequentially in the cross direction according to the list order (S12). As described above, the upper limit of the number of units of the dye units 3 arranged in one row along the cross direction is the number of columns used. Further, the CPU 71 of the present embodiment sequentially executes the print registration for each line until the number of lines for which the print registration of the dye unit 3 is completed reaches the number of selection units (S13). Before the registration of the maximum number of units that can be registered (for example, the number of units of “4 columns” × “5 rows” in the examples shown in FIGS. 10 and 11) is completed, the unit is stored in the print list 89. If the print registration of all the lists is completed, the process proceeds to S17 at that time.

  If the selected print array is the vertical array print (S11: NO), a process of generating print control data for causing the printing apparatus 10 to execute the vertical array print (vertical array data generation process) is performed (S14, S15). More specifically, the CPU 71 of the present embodiment registers the printing positions of the dye units 3 in a plurality of units on the respective substrates 2 in the list in the sending direction (S14). As described above, the upper limit of the number of units of the dye units 3 arranged in one line in the vertical direction with respect to each substrate 2 is the number of selected units. In addition, the CPU 71 of the present embodiment sequentially executes the print registration for each column until the number of columns for which the print registration of the dye unit 3 is completed becomes the number of columns to be used (that is, the number of bases 2 to be printed). (S15). If the print registration of all the lists stored in the print list 89 is completed before the registration to all the columns to be used is completed, the process proceeds to S17 at that time. Through the above processing, a series of print control data for printing the dye units 3 of the selected number in the vertical direction on the base 2 is completed.

  The CPU 71 transmits the print control data created in S12 to S15 to the printing device 10 (S17). The CPU 71 determines whether or not the data of the dye section 3 for which the print registration has not been performed remains in the print list 89 (S18). If it remains (S18: YES), the process returns to S11, and a series of print control data is created again. If no data remains in the print list 89 (S18: NO), the print control data creation processing ends.

<Print processing>
With reference to FIG. 13, a printing process executed by the printing apparatus 10 will be described. In the printing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, a printing program for controlling a printing process is stored in the ROM 42. Upon receiving the print control data from the PC 60, the CPU 41 of the printing apparatus 10 executes a print control data creation process illustrated in FIG. 13 according to the print program.

  As shown in FIG. 13, when the printing process is started, the CPU 41 selects an ink to be used for printing (staining) from a plurality of inks (S21). As described above, the printing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment includes the ink heads 33 whose number is larger than the number of colors of the ink used for printing on the base 2. The plurality of inks ejected from each of the ink heads 33 include at least two or more inks having the same color and different suitability for the resin body. The CPU 41 determines the ink to be used for dyeing (that is, the ink head 33 to be used) based on the characteristic information of the resin body to be dyed. In the present embodiment, the ink to be used is determined by the PC 60, and information on the ink to be used is included in the print control data. The CPU 41 determines the ink actually used for printing according to the information on the used ink included in the print control data. However, the CPU 41 of the printing apparatus 10 may determine the ink to be used based on the characteristic information of the resin body.

  Next, the CPU 41 determines whether the received print control data is print control data for horizontal array printing (S22). If the print control data is for horizontal array printing (S22: YES), the CPU 41 prints the plurality of dye units 3 for which print registration has been performed in the registration direction along the cross direction according to the print control data (S23). ). Specifically, the CPU 41 of the present embodiment prints the dye units 3 arranged in the order of registration in the cross direction on the plurality of substrates 2 line by line. That is, if there is a dye portion 3 which has not yet been printed after the printing of the dye portion 3 of one line is completed, the CPU 41 moves the dye portion 3 to a position shifted from the printed dye portion 3 in the sending direction. The unprinted dye part 3 is printed successively.

  If the received print control data is print control data for vertical array printing (S22: NO), the CPU 41 registers the plurality of dye units 3 for which print registration has been performed along the sending direction according to the print control data. Printing is performed in order (S24). More specifically, the CPU 41 of the present embodiment prints the dye units 3 arranged in the registration order in the sending direction on one or a plurality of bases 2 line by line.

  Next, the CPU 41 determines whether or not printing of a predetermined line defined by the print control data has been completed (S25). If the printing has not been completed (S25: NO), the printing operation is continued until the printing of the predetermined line is completed. When the printing of the predetermined line is completed (S25: YES), the CPU 41 controls the driving of the cutter 24 by the cutter driving motor 36 to cut the base 2 between the portion where the dye portion 3 is printed and the portion where the dye portion 3 is not printed. By doing so, the base piece 29 is created (S26). Next, the CPU 41 determines whether or not printing of all the print control data received from the PC 60 has been completed (S27). If not completed (S27: NO), the process returns to S21, and the next base piece 29 is created (S21 to S26). When the printing of all the print control data is completed (S27: YES), the printing process ends.

<Manufacturing process of substrate with dye>
With reference to FIG. 14, a description will be given of a manufacturing process of the dyed substrate in the present embodiment. First, the user selects the number of units of the dye portion 3 (the number of selected units) to be included in one base piece 29 within a range equal to or less than the upper limit (S31). As described above, in the present embodiment, the user inputs the number of selected units to the PC 60. However, for example, the number of selected units may be input to the printing apparatus 10 or the like. Next, the user installs (arranges) the base 2 on the printing apparatus 10 so that the outer surface of the roll-shaped dyeing base 2 faces the ink head 33 of the printing apparatus 10 (S32). This suppresses the vicinity of the front end of the base 2 from bending toward the ink head 33.

  Next, the user uses the printing device 10 to print a predetermined number of dye units 3 on the respective bases 2 in a longitudinal direction (S34). The user cuts the base 2 to create a base piece 29 on which a plurality of dye parts 3 are printed (S35). As described above, in the present embodiment, the base piece 2 is cut by the cutter 24 of the printing apparatus 10 to create the base piece 29. However, for example, the user may cut the base body 2 by himself / herself, or may cut the base body 2 using another device (for example, a sheet cutter).

  When printing of all the print control data is completed (S36: YES), the user dries the ink printed on the base piece 29 (S38). As an example, in the present embodiment, each base piece 29 is set on a drying jig (not shown), and the drying jig is set on a drier (for example, a blower or an oven), so that A drying process of the ink of the fragment 29 is performed. Therefore, the drying step is performed more efficiently than in the case where the base 2 cut one by one is dried. Note that the drying step can be changed. For example, the ink may be dried by leaving the base piece 29 for a predetermined time or longer without using a dryer.

  Next, the user creates the dye-containing base (unit base) 1 including the dye part 3 of one unit by further cutting the base piece 29 from which the ink has been dried (S39). As a result, the user can easily select and use an appropriate dyed substrate 1 according to the color to be dyed when performing the transfer step. As an example, in S39 of the present embodiment, the base piece 29 is cut for each unit by a sheet cutter. However, the method of cutting the base piece 29 can be changed as appropriate. For example, a user may manually cut the base piece 29. With the above steps, the dye-coated substrate manufacturing process is completed.

  As described above, the method of manufacturing a substrate with a dye, which is one aspect of the present embodiment, includes heating a sublimable dye, and dyeing the resin body by sublimating the dye toward the resin body. This is a method for producing a dyed substrate to be used. The method for producing a dyed substrate according to the present embodiment includes an installation step and a printing step. The installation step is a dyeing substrate 2 formed in a roll shape to which a dye is attached, the dyeing substrate 2 having a surface to which the dye is attached on the outer surface of the roll-shaped dyeing substrate 2. Next, this is a step of installing the dyeing substrate 2 on the printing device 10 so that the outer surface of the dyeing substrate 2 faces the ink head 33 of the printing device 10 when printing the dye by the printing device 10. . The printing step is a step of printing the dye on the dyeing base 2 by discharging the ink containing the dye to be deposited on the resin body toward the dyeing base 2 by the ink head 33 of the printing apparatus 10. .

  According to the present embodiment, the tip of the roll-shaped dyeing substrate 2 is suppressed from bending toward the ink head 33. Therefore, for example, the occurrence of troubles (for example, clogging of the ink head, entanglement of the dyeing substrate 2) caused by the tip of the dyeing substrate 2 contacting the ink head 33 is suppressed. In addition, problems caused by uneven distance between the dyeing base 2 and the ink head 33 (for example, occurrence of color unevenness) are suppressed. In the present embodiment, the dyed substrate 1 is manufactured while cutting the roll-shaped dyeing substrate 2. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a dyeing base that has been cut in advance, and thus it is easy to reduce the manufacturing cost.

  The dyeing substrate 2 in the present embodiment includes an electromagnetic wave absorbing layer 52 having a higher electromagnetic wave absorptivity than the material of the dyeing substrate 2 on the surface opposite to the surface to which the dye is attached. The electromagnetic wave absorbing layer 52 is formed on the inner surface of the roll-shaped dyeing substrate 2. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the dyed substrate 1 having the electromagnetic wave absorbing layer 52 is rapidly manufactured. Further, the dyed substrate 1 having the electromagnetic wave absorbing layer 52 is manufactured at low cost.

  The method for producing a dyed resin body according to one aspect of the present embodiment includes a vapor deposition step and a fixing step. In the vapor deposition step, the dye-coated substrate 1 manufactured by the above-described method for manufacturing a dye-coated substrate is opposed to a resin body, and the dye attached to the dye-coated substrate 1 is heated to sublimate the dye and deposit on the resin body. This is the step of causing The fixing step is a step of fixing the dye to the resin body by heating the resin body on which the dye is deposited. According to the present embodiment, a dyed resin body is efficiently manufactured.

  A print control device (for example, the PC 60) according to one aspect of the present embodiment includes an acquisition unit and a selection unit. The obtaining means obtains characteristic information of the resin body to be dyed. The selecting means is a plurality of inks containing a sublimable dye to be deposited on the resin body, the plurality of inks including at least two or more inks having the same color and different suitability for the resin body. The ink used for dyeing the resin body is selected based on the characteristic information of the resin body. According to the present embodiment, dyeing is performed so that the color desired by the user is obtained. In addition, since printing is performed by selecting an appropriate ink according to the characteristics of the resin body, the resin body is appropriately dyed. Further, the dyed substrate 1 is rapidly manufactured.

  The printing control apparatus according to the present embodiment selects an ink to be used when dyeing a resin body from a plurality of inks based on correspondence information that is information in which characteristic information of a resin body and appropriate ink are associated with each other. I do. The correspondence information can also be set by operating the operation unit 62 by the user. In this case, even when a new type of resin body is dyed, an ink suitable for the resin body is easily selected. Further, even when it is difficult to perform staining with a desired color due to environmental changes such as temperature and humidity, the user can adjust the staining process by setting the corresponding information.

  The printing apparatus 10 according to one aspect of the present embodiment includes an ink head 33, a control unit 40, an acquisition unit, and a selection unit. The ink head 33 discharges an ink containing a sublimable dye toward the dyeing base 2. The ink head 33 provided in the printing apparatus 10 has more colors than the number of colors of ink used for printing on the dyeing substrate 2. The control unit 40 controls the operation of the printing device 10. The obtaining means obtains characteristic information of the resin body to be dyed. The selection means selects an ink to be used when dyeing the resin body from a plurality of inks including at least two inks having the same color and different suitability for the resin body based on the characteristic information of the resin body. . Therefore, a resin body is suitably manufactured.

  A print control program according to one aspect of the present embodiment is executed by a print control device (for example, the PC 60) that controls the operation of the printing device 10. When the print control program is executed by the processor of the print control device, the acquisition step and the selection step are executed by the print control device. The obtaining step is a step of obtaining characteristic information of the resin body to be dyed. In the selecting step, an ink used for dyeing the resin body is extracted from a plurality of inks including at least two or more inks having the same color and different in suitability for the resin body based on the characteristic information of the resin body. This is a selection step. According to the printing control program of the present embodiment, the resin body is suitably manufactured.

  The method for manufacturing a dyed substrate, which is one aspect of the present embodiment, is a method for manufacturing a dyed substrate 1 having a dye portion 3 containing a sublimable dye deposited on a resin body. And a drying step. In the printing step, a plurality of dye units are dyed by discharging an ink containing a sublimable dye onto the elongated base 2 by the printing apparatus 10 so that the dye unit 3 for dyeing one or one set of resin bodies is defined as one unit. This is a step of printing the prints 3 in the longitudinal direction of the base 2. The fragment preparation step is a step of preparing a substrate fragment 29 including a plurality of units of the dye units 3 by cutting the substrate 2 on which the dye units 3 are printed. The drying step is a step of drying a plurality of units of the ink of the dye parts 3 included in the base piece 29.

  According to the present embodiment, various operations performed after printing (for example, at least one of the operation of transporting the substrate 2 and the operation of drying) are performed for each of the substrate fragments 29 including the dye units 3 in a plurality of units. Therefore, the dyed substrate 1 is efficiently manufactured. Further, since the elongated base 2 is appropriately cut and used, it is easy to reduce the loss of the base 2.

  The fragment creation step of the present embodiment is performed by the cutter 24 included in the printing apparatus 10. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the base pieces 29 are efficiently created by the printing apparatus 10.

  In the present embodiment, printing of the dye units 3 in a plurality of units in the printing step and creation of the base piece 29 in the fragment creation step are alternately executed by the printing apparatus 10. Therefore, even when a plurality of base pieces 29 are created, the printing apparatus 10 can efficiently create the base pieces 29.

  The method of manufacturing a dye-coated substrate according to the present embodiment further includes a unit substrate forming step of forming the substrate 2 including one unit of the dye portion 3 by further cutting the substrate fragment 29 in which the ink has been dried in the drying step. Including. Therefore, when performing the transfer step, the user can easily select and use an appropriate dyed substrate 1 according to the color to be dyed.

  The method for manufacturing a dyed substrate in the present embodiment further includes a unit number input step of inputting an instruction to select the number of units of the dye portion 3 included in one substrate fragment 29 within a range equal to or less than a predetermined upper limit value. In the printing step, the dye unit 3 of the selected unit number is printed on the base 2 by the printing device 10. Therefore, the degree of freedom in forming the base piece 29 is improved. For example, it is easy to manufacture a small number of dyed substrates 1. Further, in the present embodiment, the upper limit of the number of units that can be selected by the user is determined. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the base piece 29 from becoming too large and conversely reducing the work efficiency.

  The printing apparatus 10 according to one aspect of the present embodiment includes an ink head 33, a cutter 24, and a control unit 40. The ink head 33 prints the dye portion 3 containing the sublimable dye on the substrate 2 by discharging the ink containing the sublimable dye deposited on the resin body toward the substrate 2. The cutter 24 cuts the base 2. The control unit 40 controls the operation of the printing device 10. The control unit 40 controls the driving of the ink head 33 to print a plurality of units of the dye unit 3 on the elongated base 2 with the dye unit 3 for dyeing one or one set of resin bodies as one unit. The control unit 40 controls the driving of the cutter 24 to cut the substrate 2, thereby creating the substrate fragment 29 including the plurality of dye units 3. According to the printing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the dyed substrate 1 is efficiently manufactured.

  The printing apparatus 10 according to one aspect of the present embodiment includes a base mounting section 20, a sending section 23, an ink head 33, and a control section 40. The substrate mounting section 20 mounts a plurality of elongated sheet-shaped substrates 2. The sending unit 23 sends out the plurality of bases 2 mounted on the base mounting unit 20 along the longitudinal direction of the base 2. The ink head 33 discharges the ink containing the sublimable dye vapor-deposited on the resin body toward the plurality of substrates 2 sent out by the sending unit 23, thereby forming a plurality of dye units 3 containing the sublimable dye. Is printed on the substrate 2. The control unit 40 controls the operation of the printing device 10. The control unit 40 controls the driving of the sending unit 23 and the ink head 33 so that the dye unit 3 for dyeing one or one set of resin bodies is regarded as one unit, and one unit or a plurality of units of the dye unit 3 are used. A plurality of substrates 2 are printed. According to the present embodiment, a plurality of dyed substrates 1 are manufactured more efficiently than in a case where the dye portion 3 is printed on only one substrate 2.

  In the present embodiment, when printing a plurality of units of dye units 3 for which printing registration has been performed on a plurality of substrates 2, the control unit 40 operates in a crossing direction that intersects the sending direction of the plurality of substrates 2 by the sending unit 23. Along with this, a horizontal array printing in which a plurality of dye units 3 are arranged in the order of registration is executed. According to the horizontal arrangement printing, the dye portions 3 are printed on the plurality of substrates 2 as evenly as possible. That is, the frequency at which a plurality of dye parts 3 are printed on a specific base 2 and the dye parts 3 are not printed on another base 2 is reduced. Therefore, according to the horizontal arrangement printing, the dye portions 3 are efficiently printed on the plurality of substrates 2.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 40 prints the dye units 3 arranged in a line in the crossing direction according to the registration order, and then, if there is a dye unit 3 that has been registered for printing and has not been printed yet, printing is performed. It is possible to print the dye portions 3 that have not yet been printed in a position displaced in the sending direction from the arranged dye portions along the cross direction. Therefore, the printing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment can print a plurality of units of the dye units 3 on each of the bases 2 while efficiently executing the printing of the dye units 3 on the plurality of bases 2 by the horizontal arrangement printing. is there.

  In the present embodiment, when printing a plurality of dye units 3 for which printing registration has been performed on a plurality of bases 2, the control unit 40 controls the plurality of units along the sending direction of the plurality of bases 2 by the sending unit 23. The vertical arrangement printing in which the dye portions 3 are arranged in the registration order is executed. According to the vertical arrangement printing, a plurality of dye units 3 in a continuous registration order are printed side by side on one base 2. Therefore, according to the vertical arrangement printing, it is possible to manage a plurality of dye units 3 in a continuous registration order for each substrate 2 collectively.

  The control unit 40 of the present embodiment executes one of a plurality of printing methods including horizontal arrangement printing and vertical arrangement printing in accordance with a printing method selection instruction input by the user. Therefore, the user can cause the printing apparatus to execute printing in accordance with a desired printing method according to the manufacturing efficiency and the management efficiency of the dyed substrate 1.

  The control unit 40 of the present embodiment sets the number of the dye units 3 arranged in the registration order along the sending direction to be equal to or less than a predetermined upper limit when performing the vertical arrangement printing. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation in which a large number of dye parts 3 are printed on one base 2 and the management efficiency is reduced.

  The control section 40 of the present embodiment can print the dye sections 3 of different colors on each of the plurality of bases 2. Therefore, the user can efficiently obtain dyed substrates of various colors.

  The print control data creation program, which is one aspect of the present embodiment, is executed by a data creation device (for example, PC 60 in the present embodiment) that creates print control data for controlling the operation of the printing device 10. The printing apparatus 10 includes a base mounting unit 20, a sending unit 23, and an ink head 33. When the print control data creation program is executed by the processor of the data creation device, the data creation step is executed by the data creation device. The data creating step is a step of creating print control data for printing one unit or a plurality of units of the dye units 3 on a plurality of substrates 2 using the dye units 3 for dyeing one or one set of resin bodies as one unit. is there. According to the present embodiment, a plurality of dyed substrates 1 are manufactured more efficiently than in a case where the dye portion 3 is printed on only one substrate 2.

  In the data creation step in the present embodiment, the printing positions of the plurality of dye units 3 are sequentially registered along the intersecting direction that intersects the sending direction of the plurality of substrates 2 by the sending unit 23 to create print control data. Includes an array data creation step. According to the horizontal array data creation step, the dye portions 3 are printed on the plurality of substrates 2 as evenly as possible.

  The data creation step in the present embodiment includes a vertical array data creation step of creating print control data by sequentially registering the printing positions of the plurality of dye units 3 along the sending direction of the plurality of substrates 2 by the sending unit 23. Including. According to the vertical array data creating step, a plurality of dye units 3 in a continuous registration order can be collectively managed for each base 2.

  In the present embodiment, one of a plurality of data creation steps including a horizontal array data creation step and a vertical array data creation step is executed in response to a selection instruction input by a user. Therefore, the user can cause the printing apparatus to execute printing in accordance with a desired printing method according to the manufacturing efficiency and the management efficiency of the dyed substrate 1.

  The technology disclosed in the above embodiment is merely an example. Therefore, the technology exemplified in the above embodiment can be changed. For example, in the above embodiment, the print control data creation processing (see FIG. 7) is executed by the PC 60. However, at least a part of the print control data creation processing may be executed by another device. For example, the control unit 40 of the printing apparatus 10 may execute at least a part of the print control data creation processing. That is, the printing device 10 itself may function as a print control device or a data creation device that creates print control data.

  In the above embodiment, after the base piece 29 is once manufactured and the dye part 3 is dried, the base piece 29 is further cut, whereby the dye-containing base 1 including one unit of the dye part 3 is manufactured. The deposition step is performed by the dyed substrate 1 including one unit of the dye part 3. However, it is also possible to manufacture a dyed substrate including a plurality of units of the dye part 3. For example, the base piece 29 on which a plurality of units of the dye portions 3 are printed may be used as it is as the dyed base 1 in the vapor deposition step. In this case, it is not necessary to install the dyeing substrates 1 one by one on the vapor deposition jig 7 for dyeing one unit of the resin body. Further, there is no need to further cut the base piece 29. Therefore, the efficiency of the dyeing process is further improved. Alternatively, the dye portion 3 may be dried without cutting the elongated base 2 on which the plurality of dye portions 3 are printed. In this case, the substrate 2 may be cut after the dye part 3 is dried. Further, after the dye part 3 is dried, the substrate 2 may be stored in a roll shape again.

  It is also possible to add an antistatic agent to at least one of the substrate 2 and the ink. As an example, an antistatic agent may be added to the ink forming the electromagnetic wave absorbing layer 52. In this case, the antistatic agent adheres to a wide area of the base 2. Further, an antistatic agent may be added to the ink containing the sublimable dye. By imparting an antistatic agent to at least one of the substrate 2 and the ink, dust and the like are less likely to adhere to the dyed substrate 1. As a result, the dyeing quality of the resin body is improved.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate with a dye 2 Substrate 3 Dye part 4 Plastic lens 10 Printer 20 Substrate mounting part 23 Sending part 24 Cutter 29 Substrate fragment 33 Ink head 40 Control part 41 CPU
51 Dyeing surface 52 Electromagnetic wave absorbing layer 53 Inner surface 60 PC
70 control unit 71 CPU
100 Dye Substrate Manufacturing System

Claims (4)

Substrate with dye is arranged opposite to the lens at a position away from the lens, and the sublimable dye is sublimated by heating the substrate with dye to deposit on the lens, and the lens on which the sublimable dye is deposited is heated. In order to dye the lens by a vapor phase transfer dyeing method of fixing the sublimable dye to the lens and dyeing the lens, a method of manufacturing a substrate with a dye having a dye part containing a sublimable dye deposited on the lens. So,
By discharging the ink containing the sublimable dye onto an elongated substrate by a printing apparatus, a plurality of the dye units are used as a unit for dyeing a pair of lenses. A printing step for printing side by side in the direction,
A fragment creation step of creating a fragment of the substrate including the pair of dye portions by cutting the substrate on which the dye portions are printed in units of the pair of dye portions,
A drying step of drying the ink of the dye unit of the plurality of units included in the fragment of the substrate,
A method for producing a substrate with a dye, comprising: It is a manufacturing method of the dyed base | substrate of Claim 1, Comprising:
A registration step of registering the order of printing when the plurality of dye units are arranged and printed on the base,
When arranging and printing the dye units of the plurality of units on the base, a vertical arrangement printing in which the dye units of the plurality of units are printed in the sending direction of the base in the registration order registered in the registration step, When printing the dye portions side by side on a plurality of the substrates, a horizontal array printing in which the dye units of the plurality of units are printed in an intersecting direction intersecting a sending direction of the substrates in the registration order registered by the registration step. A setting step for setting any one of the printing methods,
Have
The method of manufacturing a substrate with a dye, wherein the printing step prints the dye units of the plurality of units in a printing method set by the setting step. Substrate with dye is arranged opposite to the lens at a position away from the lens, and the sublimable dye is sublimated by heating the substrate with dye to deposit on the lens, and the lens on which the sublimable dye is deposited is heated. A printing apparatus for manufacturing a dye-coated substrate used in a vapor phase transfer dyeing method of fixing a sublimable dye to a lens and dyeing the lens,
An ink head that prints a dye portion containing the sublimable dye on the base by discharging ink containing a sublimable dye deposited on the lens toward the base,
A cutter for cutting the substrate,
A control unit for controlling the operation of the printing apparatus;
With
The control unit includes:
By controlling the driving of the ink head, while printing a plurality of units of the dye portion on the elongated base with a pair of the dye portions for dyeing a pair of lenses as one unit,
By cutting the substrate on which the dye portion is printed by controlling the driving of the cutter in units of the pair of dye portions, a fragment of the substrate including the pair of dye portions is created. Printing device. The printing device according to claim 3,
When arranging the dye units of the plurality of units on the base and printing the same, the printing order when arranging the dye units of the plurality of units on the base is registered in the registration order in which the printing order is registered. Vertical array printing to print the dye part of the unit,
When printing the dye units of the plurality of units on a plurality of substrates, the order of printing when the dye units of the plurality of units are printed on the substrates is registered in a registered order in the sending direction of the substrates. Horizontal array printing for printing the dye units of the plurality of units in an intersecting crossing direction,
A selecting means for selecting any one of the printing methods,
With
The printing apparatus, wherein the control unit prints the plurality of units of the dye units on the base by a printing method selected by the selection unit.