JP7040421B2 - Decorative film and film manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a decorative film and a film manufacturing method.

Conventionally, decorative films that can be attached to objects to be painted, such as the body of an automobile, have been known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-231232 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-74939

Some objects to be painted have a three-dimensional shape that is not flat. When painting on such an object to be coated is performed by attaching a decorative film, the decorative film is deformed from a two-dimensional planar shape to a three-dimensional shape, and is therefore stretched. For this reason, if the original decorative film has a uniform thickness, there will be places where the thickness will be reduced by stretching. At this point, the color tone and skin gloss are deteriorated, which is inconvenient.

An object of the present invention is to provide a decorative film suitable for application instead of spraying a paint.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the decorative film of the present invention is attached to a coating object, and is a primer layer responsible for at least one of adhesion and light resistance to the coating object. The stretched portion, which is a portion of the primer layer to be stretched while being attached to the object to be coated, is provided with a color layer in charge of color development and a transparent clear layer laminated on the color layer. It is formed thicker than the non-stretched portion.

Further, the decorative film of the present invention is attached to a coating object , and is a primer layer responsible for at least one of adhesion and light resistance to the coating object, a color layer responsible for color development, and the color layer. The stretched portion of the clear layer, which is a portion to be stretched while being attached to the object to be coated, is formed to be thicker than the non-stretched portion which is the other portion. It is .

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a decorative film suitable for application instead of spraying a paint.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an object to be coated with the decorative film of the embodiment and the appearance of the test film. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the appearance of the object to be painted to which the test film is attached. FIG. 3-1 is a diagram showing a state in which a test film is put on a coating target. FIG. 3-2 is a diagram showing a BB cross section in FIG. 3-1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the area division of the decorative film. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the decorative film. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the thickness of the color layer before and after stretching and the color tone. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the appearance of an apparatus for manufacturing a decorative film. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the discharge head. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of the discharge head shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of the coating target 100 and the test film 200 of the decorative film of the present embodiment. For convenience of explanation, of the three axes shown in the figure, the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction, the positive direction of the Z-axis is upward, and the negative direction is downward.

The decorative film of the present embodiment is a stretchable film provided with a coating film to be attached to an object to be coated, and the coating film composed of a primer layer, a color layer and a clear layer is sandwiched between an inner film and a guard film. Consists of. The test film 200 also has a primer layer, a color layer, and a clear layer, like the decorative film.

The test film 200 is for visualizing the stretched portion and the stretched state when the film 200 is attached to the coating target 100. In the present embodiment, the result of the investigation by the test film 200 is reflected in the production of the decorative film.

The coating target 100 is an example of a target to which the coating film is applied. The object to be painted 100 has a three-dimensional shape (three-dimensional shape). The test film 200 is a decorative film for testing, and is a coating film on which, for example, a grid of 20 mm per square is drawn.

For example, the surface 110 of the object to be painted 100 has the highest height (dimension in the Z-axis direction in the figure). The surface 110 has a substantially U-shape, and the three portions 111, 112, and 113 surround the recess 120 recessed from the surface 110 in three directions.

Further, each portion 111, 112, 113 surrounding the recess 120 is surrounded by slopes 114, 115, 116, respectively. The slope 114 is continuous with the portion 111. The portion 112 is continuous with the slope 115. The portion 113 is continuous with the slope 116.

The test film 200 is placed on the coating target 100 so as to face the surface 110 close to the flat surface that spreads most widely among the parts of the coating target 100, and the test film 200 is brought into close contact with the coating target 100 by, for example, compressed air vacuum processing. Let me. Compressed air vacuum processing is a processing method that performs both compressed air that presses the object to be molded (test film 200) toward the mold (painting target 100) and vacuum suction that attracts it from the back side of the mold. The test film 200 has adhesiveness on the surface on the side in contact with the coating target 100.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the appearance of the coating target 100 to which the test film 200 is attached, and is a state in which the portion surrounded by the frame line in FIG. 1 is viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow A (Y-axis direction).

When attached by the above-mentioned method, the test film 200 remains substantially flat on the surface 110 and hardly stretches, but on the slopes 114, 115, 116 around the surface 110 and the slope 121 continuous with the portion 111 of the recess 120. It grows greatly. For example, on the slope 116, the test film 200 is stretched so that the mass of 20 mm becomes 30 mm. The degree of elongation (stretching ratio) at this location is 150%.

The stretching of the test film 200 described above will be described in more detail. FIG. 3-1 is a diagram showing a state in which the test film 200 is covered with the coating target 100. FIG. 3-2 is a diagram showing a BB cross section in FIG. 3-1. The BB cross section includes a portion 113 and a slope 116 of the object 100 to be painted.

The test film 200 is clamped (grasped) at predetermined clamp positions 301 and 302 sandwiching the coating target 100, and is brought into close contact with the coating target 100 by compressed air vacuum processing. In the process of close contact, the test film 200 is first attached to the flat portion 113, and then the sections from both ends of the portion 113 to the respective clamp positions 301 and 302 are pulled downward while extending to the slope 116. It will be pasted.

The clamp position 302 in FIG. 3-2 is conceptually and schematically shown, and in reality, the recess 120 exists between the clamp position 302 and the portion 113.

As described above, the test film 200 after being attached to the coating target 100 has a non-stretched portion (non-stretched portion) and a portion extending from the flat state and matching the shape with the coating target 100 (stretched portion). , Mixed. The degree of elongation of the stretched portion is quantified by, for example, the stretching ratio of the lattice shown in FIG. The stretch ratio indicates the state after stretching when the state before stretching (non-stretching state) is 100%.

A decorative film is manufactured based on the above-mentioned investigation results by the test film 200. From the investigation of the test film 200, it is confirmed that when a film having a uniform thickness is attached to a three-dimensional shape, stretching occurs partially and the thickness after the application varies. If the thickness of the decorative film before being attached to the object to be coated 100 is uniform, the thickness after attachment will vary as in the case of the test film 200. In that case, as described in the problem, deterioration of color tone and skin gloss can be seen in the portion where the thickness is thinned. In the present embodiment, in order to prevent such inconvenience, the thickness of the stretched portion of the decorative film is made thicker than that of the non-stretched portion. When the thickness of the decorative film is set in this way, the thickness of the stretched portion becomes close to the thickness of the non-stretched portion after application, and the thickness of the decorative film becomes close to constant on the surface of the coating target 100. .. As a result, variations in color tone and skin gloss can be suppressed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing region division of the decorative film 400 of the present embodiment. In the decorative film 400, the stretched portion is formed thicker than the unstretched portion. The thickness of the stretched portion is set to be thicker as the stretch ratio is larger. For example, each portion of the decorative film 400 has a thickness proportional to the stretch ratio.

Region 401 is a non-stretched portion (stretching rate 100%). The region 402 is a stretched portion having a stretch ratio of 120%. Region 403 is a stretched portion having a stretch ratio of 150%. Region 404 is a stretched portion having a stretch ratio of 200%.

Since the region 401 does not stretch, the film thickness of the region 401 is a standard thickness necessary and sufficient to function as a coating film. Since the region 402 has a stretch ratio of 120%, it has a thickness 1.2 times the reference so as to satisfy the reference thickness after stretching. Since the region 403 has a draw ratio of 150%, it has a thickness 1.5 times the reference so as to satisfy the reference thickness after stretching. Since the region 404 has a draw ratio of 200%, it has twice the thickness of the reference so as to satisfy the reference thickness after stretching.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the decorative film 400. The decorative film 400 includes a primer layer 411, a color layer 412, and a clear layer 413 from the side (inside) close to the coating target 100 in the thickness direction. The primer layer 411, the color layer 412, and the clear layer 413 constitute the coating film 410. Further, the coating film 410 is formed on the inner film 421 and is covered with the guard film 422.

The primer layer 411 is in contact with the object to be painted 100. Further, the primer layer 411 of the present embodiment functions as an adhesive for adhering the coating film 410 to the coating target 100 (adhesive performance) and imparts light resistance (light resistance performance). The color layer 412 is a layer (color-developing layer) in charge of color development, and contains, for example, a dye such as red, blue, white, or black. When the bright material is included in the coating film, it is included in the color layer 412. The clear layer 413 is a layer that becomes the outer side after painting, and is the layer farthest from the painting target 100. The clear layer 413 is transparent and is a layer for improving the gloss of the skin. The clear layer 413 also functions to protect the color layer 412.

The thickness of each layer in the example of FIG. 5 is described here. The thickness of the primer layer 411 in the unstretched portion of the decorative film 400 is, for example, 10 μm (micrometer), the thickness of the color layer 412 is, for example, 15 μm, and the thickness of the clear layer 413 is, for example, 25 μm. The thickness of the primer layer 411 in the stretched portion of the same decorative film 400 having a stretch ratio of 150% is 15 μm, which is about 1.5 times the thickness of the unstretched portion. The thickness of the color layer 412 is 23 μm, which is about 1.5 times the thickness of the unstretched portion. Similarly, the thickness of the clear layer 413 in the stretched portion of the decorative film 400 having a stretch ratio of 150% is 38 μm, which is about 1.5 times the thickness of the unstretched portion.

In order for the color layer 412 to emit the desired color tone, a predetermined thickness is required. When the thickness of the color layer 412 after sticking satisfies a predetermined value, a target color tone can be obtained. If the thickness of the color layer 412 after sticking is less than a predetermined value, the color tone becomes poor. The above-mentioned color tone can be represented by, for example, a Lab value. The L value represents lightness. The a value and the b value represent hue and saturation.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the thickness of the color layer 412 before and after stretching and the color tone. Here, the case of the conventional decorative film having a uniform thickness and the case of the decorative film 400 of the present embodiment are compared. In this figure, the black circles represent pigments.

In the conventional decorative film, when the thickness of the color layer 412 is about 15 μm before stretching, the thickness after 150% stretching is about 10 μm. In this case, the number of pigments overlapping in the thickness direction was about 3 before stretching, but decreased to about 2 after stretching. As a result, the color tone becomes poor.

In the decorative film 400 of the present embodiment, when the thickness of the color layer 412 in the 150% stretched portion is about 23 μm before stretching, the thickness after 150% stretching is about 15 μm. In this case, the number of pigments overlapping in the thickness direction is about 3 after stretching, which is the same as that before stretching the conventional decorative film, so that the color tone is also the same. This makes it possible to obtain the desired color tone.

For example, a bumper, which is one of the members of a car, is adjacent to another member (for example, a fender). Each member is painted separately and combined in a later step. If the paint film of the bumper has a poor color tone and the color tone of the adjacent fenders is as specified, the color tone of the adjacent members is different, so that the difference in color is conspicuous. As described above, the poor color tone is obvious when each member is placed next to another member, even if it is difficult to understand when the member is viewed alone. For this reason, it is important to match the color tone to the regulations when painting the parts that are finally combined, such as car parts.

As with the color layer 412, the clear layer 413 is also specified to have a thickness for obtaining the desired skin gloss, so it is preferable that the stretched portion also has a predetermined thickness.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, in the decorative film 400, the film thickness of the stretched portion is formed to be thicker than that of the non-stretched portion, so that the variation in color tone after sticking is suppressed.

Further, in the present embodiment, in the decorative film 400, the film thickness before stretching of the coating film is set to be thicker as the stretching ratio after sticking is larger, so that the desired color tone and skin gloss can be obtained after sticking. ..

Further, in the present embodiment, since the thickness of the primer layer 411 is specified to obtain the desired adhesive performance and light resistance performance, the stretched portion is also satisfied with a predetermined thickness after stretching. It is preferable to have it.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the appearance of an apparatus (manufacturing apparatus) 500 for manufacturing the decorative film 400 of the present embodiment. The manufacturing apparatus 500 employs, for example, an inkjet method. That is, the manufacturing apparatus 500 has a structure similar to that of an inkjet printer, and includes a ejection head 510 (see FIG. 8). FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the discharge head 510. Further, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of the discharge head 510 shown in FIG.

The discharge head 510 includes a pressure chamber 511, a piezo element 512, a filling port 513, and a discharge port 514. The pressure chamber 511 is a room in which the paint 600 is stored and is a room to be pressurized. The piezo element 512 pressurizes the pressure chamber 511 by being operated under electrical control. The filling port 513 is an opening for replenishing the pressure chamber 511 with the paint 600. The discharge port 514 is an opening through which the paint 600 pressurized by the piezo element 512 is discharged. The discharge port 514 blows the paint 600 in a granular shape. The paint 600 is a liquid material for forming a stretchable coating film.

In manufacturing the decorative film 400 of the present embodiment by the manufacturing apparatus 500 having a structure like an inkjet printer as described above, the viscosity of the paint 600, the components of the paint 600, or the ejection head 510 are devised. It takes. This is because the conventional decorative film is not expected to be stretched, but the decorative film 400 of the present embodiment is to be stretched. Therefore, the paint 600 constituting the coating film of the decorative film 400 must not be completely cured and must be in a stretchable state.

As the paint constituting the stretchable coating film, for example, an ultraviolet curable paint can be considered. In the present embodiment, a stretchable coating film is formed by adjusting the degree of irradiation of ultraviolet rays to a semi-cured state of a type of paint that is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays.

In the film manufacturing method for manufacturing the decorative film 400 of the present embodiment, the first step and the second step described below are repeated for the number of layers. In the first step, the manufacturing apparatus 500 skips and coats the liquid material for forming the stretchable coating film according to the shape obtained by replacing the shape of the coating target 100 with a two-dimensional plane viewed from a predetermined direction. It is attached to the inner film 421 which is the base film that supports the film 410. In the second step, the manufacturing apparatus 500 semi-cures the liquid material adhered to the inner film 421 in the first step to a hardness having a predetermined stretchability.

More specifically, the manufacturing apparatus 500 first discharges the material forming the primer layer 411 onto the inner film 421 to the discharge head 510. Next, the manufacturing apparatus 500 causes the paint 600 forming the color layer 412 to be blown onto the discharge head 510 and adhered onto the primer layer 411 (first step), and is brought into a predetermined semi-cured state by ultraviolet irradiation (second step). Process). Subsequently, the manufacturing apparatus 500 causes the paint 600 forming the clear layer 413 to be blown to the discharge head 510 and adhered onto the color layer 412, and is brought into a predetermined semi-cured state by irradiation with ultraviolet rays. Then, the manufacturing apparatus 500 covers the coating film 410 from above the clear layer 413 with the guard film 422, and finishes the manufacturing of the decorative film 400.

Here, since the manufacturing apparatus 500 is an inkjet printer-like apparatus, each layer is formed on the inner film 421 so as to print on the inner film 421 based on the printing schedule as shown in FIG. In the process, the manufacturing apparatus 500 controls the discharge amount of the discharge head 510 and the feed rate of the inner film 421 so that the amount of the paint 600 corresponding to the film thickness to be formed adheres to the corresponding pixel. As a result, the manufacturing apparatus 500 forms the decorative film 400 in which the stretched portion is thicker than the unstretched portion.

By the way, as described above, when the decorative film 400 is manufactured so as to print the inner film 421 with the paint 600 based on the printing schedule as shown in FIG. 4, the manufacturing apparatus 500 manufactures the inner film 400. The paint 600 is not ejected to the portion of the entire surface of the 421 that does not correspond to the coating range on the coating target 100. Therefore, the effect of significantly reducing the amount of waste of the paint 600 can be expected.

More specifically, when the coating film 410 is attached to the coating target 100 by the processing method as shown in FIG. 3-2, the inner film 421 is peeled off when the coating film 410 is clamped at the clamping positions 301 and 302. Therefore, it is only the guard film 422. The coating film 410 exists only in the range corresponding to the coating target 100 (or exists up to a predetermined allowable range set around the range), and the primer layer 411 faces the coating target 100.

By attaching the decorative film 400, the coating film 410 is appropriately stretched and attached to the object to be coated 100. The guard film 422 is peeled off as necessary after the coating film 410 is attached.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the stretchable coating film 410 is appropriately stretched and attached to the coating target 100, but the film thickness of the stretched portion is thicker than that of the non-stretched portion. Therefore, since the variation in the film thickness after stretching is suppressed, inconveniences such as differences in color tone and skin gloss are less likely to occur in each portion.

Further, if the film thickness of the stretched portion is formed so as to become thicker as the stretching ratio from the unstretched state increases, the film thickness after sticking tends to approach a constant value. This makes it easier to obtain the desired color tone.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the decorative film 400 suitable for application in place of the spray of paint, which can be applied even to the painted portion which had to be sprayed with paint because it is not flat. Can be provided. Further, it becomes possible to provide a manufacturing apparatus 500 capable of manufacturing the decorative film 400.

In the present embodiment, both the stretched portion of the color layer and the clear layer are thicker than the unstretched portion, but the embodiment is not limited to this. That is, even if the stretched portion is formed thicker than the unstretched portion in only one of the color layer and the clear layer, improvement can be expected as compared with the conventional case. That is, if the variation in the thickness of the color layer after pasting is suppressed, the color tone can be made uniform. Further, if the variation in the thickness of the clear layer after application is suppressed, the skin gloss can be made uniform.

(Modification example)
The manufacturing apparatus 500 in the above-described embodiment includes an inkjet type ejection head 510, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a dispenser system such as a jet dispenser may be adopted for the ejection head. In addition to the mechanical type, the dispenser type includes a type that uses a piezo element.

Although the embodiment according to the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and at the implementation stage, the components can be modified and embodied within a range that does not deviate from the gist thereof. In addition, various inventions can be formed by an appropriate combination of the plurality of components disclosed in the above-described embodiment. For example, some components may be removed from all the components shown in the embodiments.

100 ... Painting target 110 ... Surface 111, 112, 113 ... Part 114, 115, 116 ... Slope 120 ... Recess, 121 ... Slope 200 ... Test film 301, 302 ... Clamp position 400 ... Decorative film 401 to 404 ... Region 410 ... Coating film 411 ... Primer layer 412 ... Color layer 413 ... Clear layer 421 ... Inner film 422 ... Guard film 500 ... Manufacturing equipment 510 ... Discharge head 511 ... Pressure chamber 512 ... Piezo element 513 ... Filling port 514 ... Discharge port 600 ... Paint

Claims (6)

It is a decorative film that is attached to the object to be painted.
A primer layer responsible for at least one of adhesion and light resistance to the object to be coated, a color layer responsible for color development, and a transparent clear layer laminated on the color layer are provided.
A decorative film in which the stretched portion of the primer layer, which is a portion to be stretched while being attached to the coating target, is thicker than the non-stretched portion, which is the other portion. It is a decorative film that is attached to the object to be painted.
A primer layer responsible for at least one of adhesion and light resistance to the object to be coated, a color layer responsible for color development, and a transparent clear layer laminated on the color layer are provided.
A decorative film in which the stretched portion of the clear layer, which is a portion to be stretched while being attached to the coating target, is thicker than the non-stretched portion, which is the other portion. The decoration according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the stretched portion of the color layer, which is a portion to be stretched while being attached to the coating target, is formed thicker than the non-stretched portion which is the other portion. the film. The decorative film according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stretched portion is formed thicker as the stretch ratio from the non-stretched state before stretching is larger. It is a film manufacturing method for manufacturing a decorative film to be attached to an object to be painted.
When the decorative film is composed of a primer layer responsible for at least one of adhesion and light resistance to the object to be coated, a color layer responsible for color development, and a transparent clear layer laminated on the color layer, the primer is used. A liquid material for forming the decorative film so that the stretched portion of the layer, which is a portion to be stretched while being attached to the coating target, is thicker than the non-stretched portion, which is the other portion. The first step of adhering to the base film and
The second step of semi-curing the liquid material adhered to the film in the first step to a hardness having a predetermined stretchability, and the second step.
Film manufacturing method including. It is a film manufacturing method for manufacturing a decorative film to be attached to an object to be painted.
When the decorative film is composed of a primer layer responsible for at least one of adhesion and light resistance to the object to be painted, a color layer responsible for color development, and a transparent clear layer laminated on the color layer, the clear film is formed. A liquid material for forming the decorative film so that the stretched portion of the layer, which is a portion to be stretched while being attached to the coating target, is thicker than the non-stretched portion, which is the other portion. The first step of adhering to the base film and
The second step of semi-curing the liquid material adhered to the film in the first step to a hardness having a predetermined stretchability, and the second step.
Film manufacturing method including.

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