JPH07239644A - Reproducing method for image holding base and device used for this reproducing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a reproducing method and reproducing device for a copying or printing paper not only by cleaning of copied images and printed images of a special paper (erasable paper) but also by cleaning of ordinary PPC-copied images and PPC-printed image currently utilized in markets. CONSTITUTION:Holding of a liquid contg. water (image peeling liquid) on an image holding base which is at least partly composed of a paper-base layer essentially consisting of cellulose fibers and on which a hydrophobic image consisting of thermoplastic ink (toner) is formed on the paper layer, is executed by a means for supplying the image peeling liquid without contact with the image holding base in the reproducing method of the image holding base by holding the image peeling liquid on the image holding base by the means for supplying the liquid and bringing the hydrophobic image and an image peeling body into contact with each other in the state of holding the liquid, thereby peeling the hydrophobic image from the paper-base layer.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for reproducing an image support from an image holding support on which an image made of thermo-flexible ink (toner) is formed on a paper layer.

[0002]

[Prior art]

(1) Due to recent OA, printer paper and copying paper have come to be used in large quantities. As a result, the problem of deteriorating the global environment due to deforestation has become a problem. Conventionally, the only solution to this problem is to remove the ink or the like on the paper that has been used once, soak it again, and reuse it to recycle it into the so-called waste paper.
However, recently, a paper has been developed in which a character image on a used paper can be removed by cleaning and reused for copying or printing. For example, as such a paper, as described in JP-A-4-67043, the sheet-like support is subjected to a release treatment on its surface, particularly on only one side, and the release-treated support is used. The one marked with is distinguished from plain paper. However, such copy paper is a special paper with a release treatment on its surface, and nowadays,
It is difficult to apply because it cannot be used as general copying paper and printing paper used in large quantities. Therefore, it is difficult to copy by mixing with a general copying paper. Furthermore, from the perspective of resource reuse, double-sided copying,
That is, it is important to make a double-sided copy of one copy sheet, and it is considered that it will become the mainstream in the future. Under such circumstances, it is difficult to use recycled paper coated with a release agent on one side. An image is formed on the release agent, and the fixing property is naturally poor and there are difficulties in use. (2) JP-A-1-101576, JP-A-1-1015
No. 77: An image is removed from the image-formed support by immersing the image-formed support in an organic solvent that dissolves the image-forming toner resin on the image-formed support and subjecting it to ultrasonic treatment. . However, these methods have problems such as pollution, ignitability and toxicity due to the use of an organic solvent, and thus are difficult to use in general offices and homes. (3) JP-A-1-297294 As an image forming support, one formed of plastic, metal, paper having poor liquid permeability, ceramics or the like is used, and an image formed on the support is heat fusible. A cleaning method is described in which the image is peeled off from the support by heating with a peeling body interposed, but a special paper (erasable paper) with a release treatment on the surface must be used, and currently a large amount is required. There is a drawback that it cannot be applied to general copying paper and printing paper used in.

[0003]

[Purpose] The object of the present invention is not only to clean copy images and printing images of special paper (erasable paper), but also to ordinary PP currently used in the market.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a reproducing method and a reproducing apparatus for copying or printing paper by cleaning a C copy image and a PPC printing image.

[0004]

[Structure] The applicant has previously formed a hydrophobic image composed of a paper-based layer, at least a part of which is composed mainly of cellulose fibers, and a thermoflexible ink (toner) formed on the paper layer. At least one aqueous solution selected from the group consisting of an aqueous solution containing water or a surfactant, an aqueous solution containing a water-soluble polymer, and an aqueous solution containing a water-soluble polymer and a surfactant on the image-holding support. Hold
While the liquid is held, the method for regenerating an image holding support is proposed, in which the hydrophobic image is peeled off from the paper-like layer by bringing the hydrophobic image and the image peeling body into contact with each other. The method is characterized in that the liquid containing water (image stripping liquid) is held on the image holding support by means for supplying the image stripping liquid which is not in contact with the image holding support. That is, in the above-mentioned method of reproducing the image holding support proposed by the present applicant, as shown in FIG. 2, the liquid supply roller holding the stripping solution is brought into direct contact with the image holding support. When the image holding support is impregnated with a liquid containing water (image peeling liquid), the image holding support is pressed against the image holding support, and excessive force is applied to the image holding support to cause wrinkles. However, in the present invention, by supplying a liquid containing water (image peeling liquid) to the image holding support in a non-contact manner, excessive force is not applied to the image holding support and The image can be peeled off without wrinkling of the holding support. In the present invention, various means are conceivable as means for supplying a liquid containing water (image stripping liquid) to the image holding support in a non-contact manner, but a liquid containing water flowing between a pair of pipes (image stripping liquid). ) Is sprayed to the image holding support by a gas flow. In particular, the pair of pipes is composed of a liquid absorption side pipe and a liquid supply pipe, and the flow of the liquid flowing between the pair of pipes is the output of a liquid absorption pump provided in the liquid absorption side pipe provided on the liquid supply pipe side. It is preferable that the output is larger than the output of the liquid delivery pump. The output of the liquid suction pump provided on the pipe that sucks the liquid containing water (image stripping liquid) is increased so that the output of the liquid feed pump provided on the liquid delivery pipe side is not impregnated into the image holding support. It is possible to suck and collect a liquid containing water (image stripping liquid) with a strong gas flow without scattering around. When the flow of a liquid containing water (image peeling liquid) flowing between a pair of pipes is sprayed onto the image holding support by a gas flow in a non-contact manner, as shown in FIG. When the image holding liquid is blown up by a gas flow to impregnate the image holding support, an excessive force is not applied to the image holding support, and the image holding support is less likely to be wrinkled. The type of gas flow that can be used in the present invention is not particularly limited, but an air flow is preferable. Further, the blowing speed of the gas flow to the image holding support is determined by the output of the liquid feed pump provided on the liquid feed pipe side, the output of the liquid feed pump provided on the liquid feed side pipe, the type of image forming material (toner), etc. Depending on the type, a suitable range can be adopted. Similarly, the gap between the pair of pipes also differs depending on the output of the liquid feed pump provided on the liquid feed pipe side, the output of the liquid feed pump provided on the liquid feed side pipe, and the blowing speed of the gas flow onto the image holding support. Therefore, those in a suitable range can be appropriately adopted.

The image support of the present invention mainly includes copying or printing paper, but it is not limited to these and any image-supporting material may be used. Further, the structure of the support does not have to be entirely composed of a paper layer, and the layer on which the hydrophobic image of the thermoflexible ink (toner) is held may be a paper-based layer containing cellulose fibers as a main component. For example, it may be a laminate of a paper layer and a plastic layer. Examples of the material constituting the image peeling member in the present invention include high-quality materials such as polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, polypropylene, acrylic resin, methacrylic resin, epoxy resin, styrene-butyl acrylic copolymer, and styrene-butadiene copolymer. Molecular materials can be mentioned,
In particular, a toner component resin of thermo-flexible ink or a resin having an SP value similar to the resin is preferable. Examples of the polymer material forming the image peeling body further include water-soluble polymers and / or component resins of adhesives as described below. However, the type of material constituting the sheet-shaped image peeling member in the present invention is not limited to the above as long as it has adhesiveness to an image, and a water-soluble material or a water-insoluble material is used. It may be of a sex. Adhesive component resins: glue, gelatin, albumin, casein, and other protein resins, starch, cellulose fiber, complex polysaccharides (eg, gum arabic, tragacanth, etc.), carbohydrate resins, vinyl acetate polymers and copolymers Coalesce, acrylic, ethylene copolymer, polyamide, polyester,
Thermoplastic resin such as polyurethane, polychloroprene-based, nitrile rubber-based, recycled rubber-based, SBR-based, and natural rubber-based rubber-based resin.

The resin forming the image peeling body may be used by itself in the form of a sheet such as a sheet, belt or tape, or in the form of a roller.
It may be used by being carried on the surface of another sheet-shaped support or roller-shaped support. Examples of the image peeling member provided on the other sheet-like support as described above include cellophane tape, kraft paper tape, polyvinyl chloride tape, acetate tape, and an adhesive layer on the support of filament tape, such as a rubber-based adhesive. An adhesive tape provided with a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer such as an acrylic adhesive can be used. Furthermore, it is preferable that the support on which the image peeling body is formed is formed of a material having a porous or uneven surface, or that the surface of the support is processed to be uneven. In the present invention, examples of the material forming the image peeling body include a metal material having a high surface activation energy and a vapor deposition material thereof, and examples thereof include aluminum and nickel. Generally, when paper is moistened with water, the so-called waist becomes weak. At this time, the hydrophobic thermo-flexible ink (toner) retained in the paper layer
The adhesiveness between the paper and the paper layer is very weak. That is, the paper quality layer containing cellulose fibers as a main component is entangled with the fibers, and the surface of the paper quality layer is innumerable unevenness,
Furthermore, there are innumerable minute voids inside the paper. When the hydrophobic image is carried on the paper material in such a state, the PP is more likely to be formed than the unevenness and the minute voids due to the entanglement of the cellulose fibers.
C Thermo-flexible ink (toner) fixed in the copying process
Since the image is larger, a large number of spaces are present at the contact area between the cellulose fiber and the image. When an image holding support carrying such a hydrophobic image is impregnated with the liquid containing at least water (peeling liquid) by coating, dipping, spraying, etc., the liquid becomes cellulose fiber and its voids and spaces. Through the capillarity, and the peeling liquid penetrates to the contact area between the heat-flexible ink (toner) image and the cellulose fiber. As a result, when the action of reducing the adhesive force between the thermo-flexible ink (toner) image and the cellulose fiber and the absorption of the peeling liquid by the cellulose fiber, the cellulose fiber is deformed due to a so-called swelling phenomenon and the thermo-flexible ink (toner). ) The space of the contact portion with the image is increased, the contact area between the cellulose fiber and the thermo-flexible ink (toner) image is reduced, and the adhesive force is reduced, and the like, so that the cellulose fiber and the thermo-flexible ink ( (Toner) Adhesion to the image becomes very weak. Therefore, by adopting an appropriate peeling means in a state in which a liquid containing water (image peeling liquid) is impregnated in the paper layer containing cellulose fibers of the image support on which the image is formed, the image can be easily printed on the paper layer. Can be removed without damaging.

The wettability between water and the image-bearing paper is important in order to wet the image-bearing paper made of thermo-flexible ink (toner) with water in a sufficiently short time. Further, in order to remove the image from the image holding paper, it is necessary that water sufficiently penetrates into the boundary between the thermo-flexible ink (toner) and the paper. There is a surfactant as an effect of promoting the capillary phenomenon and allowing the liquid containing water to quickly penetrate into the support holding the hydrophobic image composed of the thermo-flexible ink (toner). Examples of the liquid containing (image peeling liquid) include a liquid containing water and a surfactant. As an image stripping solution containing water and a surfactant, the permeation rate of the liquid into the image support is t (contact time between the liquid containing the water and the surfactant and the image support, the same applies hereinafter) = 0.4. 12 in seconds
ml / m ² or more, the contact angle of 100 ° with respect to the image forming material (toner) or less, and preferably has a surface tension of not more than 70 dyne / cm. Further, it is preferable that 1.0 g or more of the liquid containing water (image peeling liquid) is held on the image holding support based on the A4 size paper. Further, as the surfactant in the liquid containing water and the water containing the surfactant (image peeling liquid), there are a great many types,
Generally, fatty acid derivative sulfuric acid ester, sulfonic acid type,
Anionic (anion) surfactants such as phosphate ester type, quaternary ammonium salts, heterocyclic amines, cationic (cationic) surfactants such as amine derivatives, amphoteric surfactants, nonionic surfactants, etc. Although any of these types of surfactants can be used, nonionic surfactants are preferable from the viewpoint of being less likely to change the surface resistance of recycled paper. In addition, a silicone-based surfactant,
In particular, a silicone-based surfactant in which at least a part of the hydrophobic group is made of methyl siloxane and at least a part of the hydrophilic group is a polyalkylene oxide and / or a carboxylic acid group is deteriorated by regeneration due to the silicone oil attached during fixing. It is more preferable because it can be improved and whiteness can be improved and re-copying and re-printing can be improved. Table 1 shows the groups of these representative surfactants and the types of surfactants.
~ As shown in Table 7, the surfactant used in the present invention is not limited to these as long as it has the above characteristics.

The concentration of the surfactant in the liquid containing water and the image support is preferably 0.01% to 20%, more preferably 0.01 to 5%. If the concentration of the surfactant is too high, it gives conductivity to the paper, which is not preferable at the time of re-copying. On the other hand, the concentration of the water-soluble polymer in the image carrier capable of supporting the peeling liquid containing the water-soluble polymer and the hydrophobic image is preferably 0.1 to 20%, more preferably 0.5 to 10%. . If the concentration of the water-soluble polymer is too high, the viscosity becomes high and the penetration into the paper is delayed, which is not preferable.

[0009]

[Table 1]

[0010]

[Table 2]

[0011]

[Table 3]

[0012]

[Table 4] Cationic surfactant

[0013]

[Table 5] Amphoteric surfactant

[0014]

Table 6 Nonionic Surfactants I. Ether type alkyl and alkyl allyl polyoxyethylene ethers Alkyl allyl formaldehyde condensed polyoxyethylene ethers Block polymers containing polyoxypropylene as lipophilic group Polyoxyethylene polyoxypropyl alkyl ethers II. Ether ester type Polyoxyethylene ether of glycerin ester Polyoxyethylene ether of sorbitan ester Polyoxyethylene ether of sorbitol ester III. Ester type polyethylene glycol fatty acid ester glycerin ester polyglycerin ester sorbitan ester propylene glycol ester sucrose ester IV. Nitrogen-containing fatty acid alkanolamide Polyoxyethylene fatty acid amide Polyoxyethylene alkylamine Amine oxide

[0015]

[Table 7]

In the present invention, the water-soluble polymer is held in a state where the image support contains water and a surfactant, whereby a peelable body of the heat-flexible ink (toner) can be formed. The hydrophilic polymer contacts the heat-flexible ink (toner) image inside the cellulose fiber that cannot come into contact with the image peeling body, such as cellulose fiber / thermoflexible ink (toner) image / water-soluble polymer / peeling body The adhesive force enables the heat-flexible ink (toner) image to be peeled off without damaging the paper quality. Representative examples of such water-soluble polymers include, but are not limited to, the polymers shown in Table 8.

[0017]

[Table 8] Incidentally, the surfactant and the water-soluble polymer used in the present invention are those used in paper sizing agents in the paper manufacturing industry, and therefore, even if these are used, the surface of the paper is not damaged, Rather, it has the effect of improving the surface of the paper.

The structure of the present invention will be specifically described below based on examples.

【Example】

Example 1 The image peeling member is a polyethylene terephthalate film having a thickness of 100 μm, and the image on the image holding support is contacted and heated with a heat roller at about 90 ° C. The feeding speed of the image holding support is about 1 cm / sec. On a copy image paper on which an image is formed by a normal PPC copying machine (FT6960 manufactured by Ricoh), the output of the pump on the suction side of the apparatus of FIG. 1% aqueous solution of surfactant BT-7 manufactured by Co., Ltd.] and then conveyed to the peeling section to peel off the formed image from the paper surface. A copy paper without any image or wrinkle was obtained.

Comparative Example 1 The same procedure as in Example 1 was carried out except that the roller was pressed to supply the liquid in the apparatus shown in FIG. As a result, wrinkles were observed on the copy image paper with a probability of about 10%.

Example 2 The same experiment as in Example 1 was conducted except that the output of the pump on the suction side and the output of the pump on the delivery side were made the same in the apparatus of FIG. A copy paper without images and wrinkles was obtained, but liquid dripping was observed in the liquid supply part.

[0021]

【effect】

(1) In a method of regenerating an image holding support for peeling a hydrophobic image from a paper-like layer, a liquid containing water (image peeling liquid) is held on the image holding support by an image peeling liquid which is not in contact with the image holding support. After peeling the image, the image support having no image or wrinkle was regenerated by the above-mentioned feeding means. (2) The flow of the liquid flowing between the pair of pipes composed of the liquid suction side pipe and the liquid feed pipe is the liquid feed pump in which the output of the liquid suction pump provided in the liquid suction side pipe is provided in the liquid feed pipe side pipe. By forming with an output larger than the output of No. 1, no dripping occurs in the liquid supply section of the image holding support.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an image peeling liquid supply unit of a reproducing device for an image holding support used in Example 1.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an image peeling liquid supply unit of a reproducing device for an image holding support used in Comparative Example 1.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Image Holding Support 2 Stripping Liquid Delivery Pipe 3 Stripping Liquid Suction Pipe 4 Blower 5 Stripping Liquid 6A Stripping Liquid Falling Without Impregnation 6B Stripping Liquid Dropping Without Impregnation 7 Stripping Liquid Recovery Slope 8 Liquid Feeding Roller 9 Opposing roller 10 Stripping solution reservoir 11 Stripping solution

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An image-bearing support comprising a paper-based layer, at least a part of which is composed mainly of cellulose fibers, on which a hydrophobic image made of a thermo-flexible ink (toner) is formed. , A liquid containing water (image peeling liquid) is held by the liquid supplying means, and the hydrophobic image is peeled from the paper-like layer by bringing the hydrophobic image and the image peeling body into contact with each other in the liquid holding state. In the method of regenerating an image holding support, the liquid containing water (image peeling liquid) is held on the image holding support by an image peeling liquid supply means that is not in contact with the image holding support. A method for reproducing an image holding support. 2. The image holding device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid containing water (image peeling liquid) is held on the image holding support by means for blowing a flow of the liquid containing water (image peeling liquid) with a gas flow. How to regenerate the support. 3. The holding of the liquid containing water (image stripping liquid) on the image holding support is performed by means for blowing up the flow of the liquid containing water (image stripping liquid) flowing between the pair of pipes by a gas flow. Item 2. A method for regenerating an image holding support according to item 1. 4. The flow of the liquid flowing between a pair of pipes composed of a liquid suction side pipe and a liquid feed pipe is the output of a liquid suction pump provided in the liquid suction side pipe, and the output of the liquid suction pipe provided in the liquid feed pipe side pipe. The method of regenerating the image holding support according to claim 2, wherein the image holding support is formed with an output larger than the output of the liquid pump. 5. A means for supplying a liquid containing water (image peeling liquid) to an image holding support, and image peeling for contacting a hydrophobic image with the holding state of the liquid and peeling the hydrophobic image from the image holding support. In an image-holding support reproducing apparatus having at least a means, the means for supplying a liquid containing water (image stripping liquid) to the image-holding support is a means not in contact with the image-holding support. apparatus. 6. The means for supplying a liquid containing water (image stripping liquid) to the image holding support is a means for blowing up a flow of a liquid containing water (image stripping liquid) flowing between a pair of pipes by a gas flow. The image reproducing support reproducing apparatus according to claim 5.