JPH0633002B2 - Transfer printed matter manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Industrial Field of the Invention The present invention uses a transfer sheet printed with a sublimable ink to transfer predetermined characters, codes, etc. to a keyboard or other non-fibrous plastic molded article. It relates to a method of printing.

2. Description of the Related Art Keyboards such as computers, word processors, and typewriters have to display predetermined characters and codes, but the characters and codes on the keyboard will disappear in a few months simply by printing.

Therefore, there is a method of forming the concave portions of the letters and symbols and coloring the concave portions. However, this method is not sufficient in preventing the disappearance of the letters and symbols, and the concave portions are formed in the mold during molding. Since there are only the number of letters and codes, the cost becomes extremely high.

There is also known a method of molding a keyboard with characters and codes by so-called two-color molding. According to this method, it is possible to prevent the characters and codes from disappearing even if the keyboard is used for a long time. The cost is quite high,
There is a problem that fine characters and codes cannot be obtained.

By the way, recently, a method of printing characters and codes on a keyboard using a transfer sheet on which a sublimable ink is printed has been attracting attention. This method is very advantageous in terms of molding cost because it is sufficient to mold the same keyboard and print the characters and codes on it, and because the characters and codes are added by printing, the characters and codes are small. Or, even if it has a complicated stroke, it is possible to clearly attach letters and codes on the keyboard, and it is easy to use multiple colors.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, this transfer printing method also has the following problems, and improvement thereof has been strongly demanded.

That is, since this transfer printing method utilizes the phenomenon that sublimated ink penetrates into the inside of the keyboard, the plastics material that can be used as the keyboard is actually limited to polybutylene terephthalate having a special crystal structure. Inexpensive general-purpose engineering plastics of Ink do not penetrate deeply,
It cannot be used because it is deformed by heat during transfer printing.

Even if a keyboard made of polybutylene terephthalate is used, the transfer conditions are, for example, 200 ° C.,
A relatively strict condition of 30 seconds was required, and it was not always satisfactory in terms of productivity. Furthermore, although the sublimable ink penetrates into the inside by using a keyboard made of polybutylene terephthalate, due to the lotion etc. attached to the fingers of the woman who operates the keyboard, when operating for a long time, the letters and symbols gradually bleed, There was a tendency to fade.

The present invention is intended to solve the problems of the conventional transfer printing method.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention is characterized in that a transfer sheet printed with a sublimable ink is superposed on a non-fibrous plastics molded article to which a fluorine-based compound has been adsorbed in advance, and heat transfer is performed. The production method of the transfer printed matter is the gist of the method, and in particular, at that time, the transfer sheet printed with the sublimable ink should also be coated with a fluorine compound on the printing turn. This is a feature of the present invention, and by doing so, the conventional problems described above have been solved all at once.

Fluorine-based compounds are generally known to have water and oil repellency. By adsorbing such a fluorine-based compound on a non-fibrous plastic molded product, transfer printability with a sublimable ink is significantly improved. It can be said that this is a surprising fact.

Examples of the non-fibrous plastics molded product according to the present invention include polyacetal, ABS resin, polyamide, and ethylene-vinyl, which are cheaper general-purpose engineering plastics, as well as polybutylene terephthalate conventionally used for transfer printing. Alcohol copolymers, polycarbonates and the like can be used, and engineering plastics such as polysulfone and polyphenylene oxide can also be used. In addition, polyolefin, polymethylmethacrylate,
Polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, nitrocellulose, cellulose acetate and the like, and various resins such as phenol resin, urea resin, melamine resin, epoxy resin, urethane resin and unsaturated polyester resin can also be used.

A fluorine compound is adsorbed in advance on these non-fibrous plastic molded products. As a fluorine compound,
A fluororesin such as a homopolymer or copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene, a homopolymer or copolymer of vinylidene fluoride, a homopolymer or copolymer of chlorotrifluoroethylene, or a derivative of these resins is preferably used, and a fluorosurfactant is also used. Used. In particular, it is preferable to use a homopolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and a copolymer or derivative thereof in an appropriate ratio, for example, in a weight ratio of 95: 5 to 5:95. Examples of the comonomer include olefins, fluorinated olefins, perfluoroolefins, fluoroalkyl vinyl ethers and the like. It is also preferable to use a homopolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and a fluorosurfactant in an appropriate ratio, for example, in a weight ratio of 95: 5 to 5:95.

These fluorine-based compounds are usually used for adsorption treatment of the above-mentioned non-fibrous plastics molded product in the form of a solution or dispersion, but are used particularly as an aqueous dispersion from the viewpoint of workability and environmental non-polluting property. It is preferable. This aqueous dispersion further contains a silicon-based resin, such as silicone oil,
It is preferable to contain silicone grease, oil compound, silicone varnish, etc., in addition, wax, various anionic, nonionic, cationic or amphoteric surfactants, pH adjusters, solvents, polyhydric alcohols,
Softeners, viscosity modifiers, brighteners, stabilizers and the like may be added.

The adsorption of the fluorine compound to the non-fibrous plastic molded product is usually carried out by impregnation. The impregnation process is 8
It is preferably carried out under a temperature condition of 0 ° C. or lower, further 70 ° C. or lower. Even in the impregnation treatment under such low temperature conditions, the fluorine compound is adsorbed inside the molded product in a short time, and since the impregnation treatment condition is low, the dimensional change and deterioration of the molded product are less likely to occur and the thermal energy It is also advantageous.

Further, the impregnation treatment of the non-fibrous plastics molded article with the fluorine-based compound is performed under reduced pressure conditions, for example, 500 torr or less,
In particular, it is preferably performed at 400 torr or less, more preferably 300 torr or less. The impregnation treatment under reduced pressure is effective for the rapid and uniform penetration of the fluorine-based compound into the inside of the molded article.

The non-fibrous plastics molded article may be adsorbed with a fluorine compound by a method such as coating or spraying.

After the adsorption treatment, the solution or dispersion adhering to the surface of the molded product may be removed by a means such as washing with water or wiping, if necessary, and then natural drying or heat drying.

A non-fibrous plastics molded article that has thus been adsorbed with a fluorine-based compound, an ink containing a sublimable dye,
That is, thermal transfer is performed by stacking transfer sheets on which arbitrary patterns such as letters, codes, and figures are printed with sublimable ink, and heating and pressing. The heating temperature varies depending on the type of the sublimable ink used, but is often selected from the range of, for example, 120 to 230 ° C., and the heating time is often selected from the range of several seconds to several minutes.

In the present invention, it is desirable to coat the fluorine-based compound on the print pattern of the transfer paper on which the sublimable ink is printed. This way,
Compared with the case where the fluorine-based compound is adsorbed only on the side of the molded product, clear transfer printing in which the sublimable ink deeply penetrates into the molded product is performed under a transfer condition at a lower temperature and a shorter time.

The method of the present invention is particularly suitable for the purpose of attaching a predetermined character, code, etc. to a keyboard, but also for the purpose of attaching a product name, a description, a design, etc. to a non-fibrous plastic molded product, for entertainment purposes. It can be applied to various purposes such as the pie and the marking of the pieces.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION The method of the present invention has the following excellent effects.

Not limited to the polybutylene terephthalate conventionally used for transfer printing, ABS resins, polyacetals, polyamides and other cheaper general-purpose engineering plastics can be used for this purpose as well.

Compared with conventional transfer conditions, transfer can be achieved at a lower temperature and in a shorter time. As an example, when polybutylene terephthalate was used, the condition of 200 ° C. for 30 seconds was conventionally required, but in the present invention, if it is 200 ° C., it takes about 3 seconds, and if it is 150 ° C. It can be about 7 seconds. Therefore, productivity is improved, energy is saved, and severe temperature conditions are not adopted, so that the risk of dimensional change or thermal deterioration of the molded product is reduced.

The sublimation ink penetrates further into the inside of the molded product compared to the conventional one, and since the fluorine compound is adsorbed on the molded product, the lotion etc. on the finger of the woman who operates the keyboard is the character and code on the keyboard. Even if it adheres, the characters and codes will not bleed or become light over a long period of time.

EXAMPLES Next, the method of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples.

Example 1 Fluorine-based compound aqueous dispersion composition Tetrafluoroethylene homopolymer 3% Tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer 3% Silicone oil 2% Paraffin low-boiling solvent 8% Surfactant, viscosity modifier, stabilizer 5 % Water 79% A polybutylene terephthalate keyboard for a word processor is placed in an aqueous dispersion of a fluorine compound having the above composition, impregnated at 60 ° C. for 10 minutes under a reduced pressure of 240 torr, and then the keyboard after the treatment is treated. After washing with water to remove the dispersion adhering to the surface, it was naturally dried.

Then, a transfer paper on which a pattern (alphabet for keyboard, katakana, kanji, code, etc.) is printed with a sublimable ink containing a sublimable disperse dye is applied to the keyboard subjected to the above treatment, and the temperature is 150 ° C. for 7 seconds. Thermal transfer was performed under the conditions of.

The results are shown in Table 1.

Example 2 The above-mentioned fluorine-based compound aqueous dispersion was coated on the printed surface of the printing pattern of the transfer paper, naturally dried, and the keyboard treated with this transfer paper in the same manner as in Example 1 was heated to 150 ° C. The thermal transfer was performed for 7 seconds.

The results are also shown in Table 1.

Comparative Example 1 Thermal transfer was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a keyboard made of polybutylene terephthalate which was not subjected to the above treatment was used. However, since clear transfer could not be obtained under the transfer conditions of temperature 150 ° C. and 7 seconds, it was used in the past 20
A transfer condition of 0 ° C. and 30 seconds was adopted.

The results are also shown in Table 1.

The chemical resistance was judged by immersing the keyboard in the lotion solution and observing whether or not bleeding occurred on the display on the keyboard surface.

The depth of the ink layer was measured by cutting the keyboard vertically and measuring the penetration depth of the ink.

Although not shown in the above table, Example 1 or Example 2
If the transfer temperature is set to 200 ° C., the transfer time can be set to only about 3 seconds.

Example 3 A keyboard made of ABS resin was placed in an aqueous dispersion of a fluorine-based compound having the composition of Example 1 and impregnated for 12 minutes at 55 ° C. under a reduced pressure of 200 orr, and the keyboard after the treatment was washed with water. The adhered dispersion liquid was removed and naturally dried.

Next, a transfer paper on which a pattern is printed with a sublimable ink containing a sublimable dye is applied to the keyboard subjected to the above treatment,
Thermal transfer was performed under the conditions of a temperature of 170 ° C. and 15 seconds.

The results are shown in Table 2.

Example 4 The fluorine-containing compound aqueous dispersion used in Example 1 was coated on the printing surface of the printing pattern of the transfer paper, naturally dried, and the same treatment as in Example 3 was performed using this transfer paper. Thermal transfer was performed on the keyboard at 170 ° C. for 15 seconds.

The results are shown in Table 2 together.

Comparative Example 2 Thermal transfer was performed in the same manner as in Example 3 except that an ABS resin keyboard that did not undergo the above treatment was used, but clear transfer printing was performed even if the temperature was 200 ° C. or higher and the time was 10 minutes or longer. In addition to that, the keyboard has undergone significant deformation.

The results are shown in Table 2 together.

Example 5 Composition of aqueous dispersion of fluorine compound Homopolymer of tetrafluoroethylene 2% Fluorine surfactant 2% Silicone oil 1% Paraffin low boiling point solvent 8% Ethylene glycol 2% Brightener, surfactant, viscosity modifier Stabilizer 6% Water 79% A polyacetal gear was added to the fluorine compound aqueous dispersion having the above composition, and the pressure was reduced to 40 torr at 160 torr.
Was impregnated for 10 minutes, the treated gear was washed with water to remove the dispersion liquid adhering to the surface, and naturally dried.

Next, a transfer paper on which a pattern (manufacturing company name and product number) is printed with a sublimable ink containing a sublimable disperse dye is applied to the gear that has been subjected to the above treatment, and thermal transfer is performed at a temperature of 160 ° C. for 10 seconds. It was

The results are shown in Table 3.

Example 6 A gear coated with the above-mentioned fluorine-based compound aqueous dispersion from the printing surface of the printing pattern of the transfer paper, naturally dried, and subjected to the same treatment as in Example 5 using this transfer paper was heated to 160 ° C. Thermal transfer was performed under the condition of 1 second.

The results are shown in Table 3 together.

Comparative Example 3 Thermal transfer was performed in the same manner as in Example 5 except that a polyacetal gear that was not subjected to the above treatment was used, but the temperature was set to 2
Even when the temperature was 00 ° C. or higher and the time was 10 minutes or longer, clear transfer printing was not possible and the gear was significantly deformed.

The results are shown in Table 3 together.

Example 7 Nylon 6/6 dumbbells, polycarbonate dumbbells, ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer dumbbells, and various engineering plastic dumbbells were transferred and printed in the same manner as in Example 6. Although there were some differences in temperature conditions and processing time, clear transfer printing could be performed in any case.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A method for producing a transfer print, which comprises superimposing a transfer sheet on which a sublimable ink is printed on a non-fibrous plastics product to which a fluorine-based compound has been adsorbed in advance and performing thermal transfer. 2. A non-fibrous plastic molded article to which a fluorine compound has been adsorbed in advance, and a transfer sheet formed by coating the fluorine compound on the printed pattern after printing the sublimable ink is overlaid, and thermal transfer is performed. The method for producing a transfer printed matter according to claim 1, wherein 3. A non-fibrous plastic molded article,
A plastic compound having a fluorine compound adsorbed by removing the dispersion liquid adhering to the surface after impregnating the fluorine compound aqueous dispersion under a temperature condition of 80 ° C. or lower. A method for producing a transfer printed matter according to item 1 above. 4. Impregnation with an aqueous dispersion of a fluorine-based compound at 80 ° C.
The method for producing a transfer printed product according to claim 1, wherein a non-fibrous plastics molded product obtained by the following temperature conditions and reduced pressure conditions is used. 5. The method for producing a transfer printed product according to claim 1, wherein the fluorine-based compound is a fluorine-based resin.