JPH0781037A - Activation of transfer ink - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide new method for activating transfer ink for the purpose of obtaining good transfer finish and eliminate the occurrence of gravure meshes or the occurrence of wrinkles in a transfer film by the prior art. CONSTITUTION:In a method imparting tackiness to the ink surface of a transfer film 2 constituting specific transfer patterns to active the same so as to impart a transferrable state thereto prior to forming the specific transfer patterns on the surface of a receiving material 8, the activation of the ink surface 2a is performed after the transfer film 2 is delivered from a transfer film supply device 4 but before supplied to a transfer tank 3 by sprinkling an activator over the surface of the transfer film 2 from an activator sprinkling device 9. In this case, the ink surface 2a is activated almost simultaneously with the contact of the water-soluble film being the support sheet of the transfer film with water.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hydraulic transfer method in which, for example, a transfer film prepared by applying a transfer ink to a water-soluble film in advance is supplied to a transfer tank, and then the transfer ink is transferred to a transfer target by the liquid pressure of the liquid. The present invention can be applied to an apparatus, and in particular, relates to a method for activating a transfer ink which is once dried and becomes a solid state to have tackiness again and to be in a transferable state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a hydraulic transfer method has been used in the field of so-called curved surface printing, in which a pattern such as wood grain or marble is printed on the surface of a solid having a complicated curved surface. That is, this method supplies a transfer film coated with transfer ink with the transfer ink side facing upward on the surface of the liquid in the transfer tank in which a liquid such as water is stored, makes the liquid contact, and then from above it. The transfer target is pressed against the transfer ink surface of the transfer film and immersed in the liquid, and the liquid pressure generated thereby is used to transfer the transfer pattern formed by the transfer ink onto the surface of the transfer target. Is.

In such a transfer method using hydraulic pressure, it is necessary to impart tackiness to a transfer ink forming a transfer pattern of a transfer film so that the transfer ink can be transferred (in this specification). “Activation” means putting the transfer ink in such a state.) When activating the transfer ink in such a transferable state, it depends on the time when the activation is performed. Generally, there are the following two methods.

That is, the first method is to activate the transfer ink of the transfer film before the transfer film is supplied to the liquid surface in the transfer tank and brought into contact with water.
This method is also adopted in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-122673, “Hydraulic transfer method and its apparatus”, which the applicant of the present application has already applied, and a transfer film having a relatively large extensibility is used. Therefore, it has an advantage that it can follow a complicated curved surface shape or a relatively large curved surface.

The second method is to activate the transfer ink after the transfer film is supplied onto the liquid surface in the transfer tank, comes into contact with water, and becomes in a swollen state. The second method uses a transfer film having a relatively small extensibility, and therefore has an advantage that a printed pattern appears sharply.

[0006]

Of the two conventional methods as described above, in the first method, as a means for activating the transfer ink, for example, a rectangular concave portion is formed on the peripheral surface in a dot shape. It is common to apply the activator by a roller coater using a large number of gravure rolls. Therefore, in applying the activator, there is a problem that the gravure eye appears as a pattern in the transferred product, because the shade of the activator may be caused by the eyes of the gravure roll used for the activator.

On the other hand, when the transferred material is flat,
If the second method is used, the advantage that the printed pattern appears sharply is highlighted as an advantage, but in that case, the transfer film is floated on the liquid surface in the transfer tank. Since the activator is applied after that, the roller coater using the gravure roll cannot be used because of the mechanism, and the activator is applied by a spray gun manually or using an automatic machine.

Therefore, in the second method, it is possible to prevent the generation of the gravure, but when the activator is applied by using a spray gun, a constant pressure is applied to the transfer film to transfer the film. It may cause wrinkles on the edges and cause defective transfer. In any of these conventional techniques, either activation of the transfer ink or water contact of the transfer film is started before the other. This is more difficult, and this has been one of the problems in achieving good transfer to the transfer target.

That is, in the first method, since the transfer film is activated before contacting with water, the transfer film is contacted with water, and when determining the time to reach the transfer position, transfer at the time of contact with water is performed. It is necessary to sufficiently consider the progress of the activation of the film, and if this is ignored, it will lead to excessive activation. In the second method, on the contrary, since the transfer film is activated after contact with water, it is necessary to determine the transfer timing after sufficiently considering the progress of swelling of the transfer film, which is ignored. In some cases, it will lead to excessive swelling. Further, in these methods, since the swelling region and the activation region are separately provided, there is a problem that the process distance and the process time are lengthened accordingly. The present invention has been made based on such a situation, and provides a new method for activating a transfer ink having a good transfer finish, and at the same time, generation of gravure and wrinkle of a transfer film in the conventional technique. It is intended to eliminate the transfer failure due to.

[0010]

That is, the first invention of the method for activating transfer ink according to the present application is that the transfer ink forming the transfer pattern is formed prior to forming a predetermined transfer pattern on the surface of the transfer object. In the method of imparting tackiness to and activating the transfer ink in a transferable state, the activation of the transfer ink is performed on the transfer film after being fed from the transfer film supply device and before being supplied to the transfer tank. And spraying an activator on the transfer ink, and the activation of the transfer ink is performed almost simultaneously with the contact of the water-soluble film, which is a carrying sheet of the transfer ink, with water. .

In addition to the above requirements, a second aspect of the transfer ink activating method according to the present application is that an inclined surface is provided between the transfer film supply device and the transfer tank. The transfer film delivered from the device is
While passing through this inclined surface and being guided into the transfer tank,
The activation of the transfer ink is performed on the transfer film passing on the inclined surface.

Furthermore, in addition to the requirement of claim 2, the third invention of the method for activating transfer ink according to the present application is that the inclined surface is provided with a water outlet, and water flowing out from this water outlet is provided. According to this, a constant amount of water flow is formed on the upper surface of the inclined surface, and the transfer film fed from the transfer film supply device is supplied to the transfer tank according to the water flow on the upper surface of the inclined surface. To do.

[0013]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the activation of the transfer ink is performed after the transfer ink is fed from the transfer film supply device and is brought into contact with the transfer film before the transfer film is supplied to the transfer tank. Almost simultaneously. Therefore, the activation of the transfer ink and the swelling of the water-soluble film that is the transfer ink carrying sheet due to the contact with water proceed almost at the same time, so that the transfer timing can be set earlier than before, and the transfer timing can be easily adjusted. This leads to good transfer. And when activating the transfer film,
Since it is carried out by spraying the activator on the transfer film, there is no possibility of causing transfer failure due to gravure.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the activation of the transfer ink is performed on the transfer film which is passing on the inclined surface. Therefore, the transfer film is sprayed with the active agent while being supported by the inclined surface. Thus, when spraying the activator on the transfer film, the occurrence of wrinkles on the water surface and the wrinkles of the transfer film that occur with the spray pressure is suppressed, and the burden of consideration for the spray pressure of the activator is reduced. It is possible to select and use from various types of spreaders.

According to the third aspect of the invention, a constant flow rate of water is formed on the inclined surface. Therefore, since the transfer film is guided into the transfer tank by this water flow, it is necessary to make sure that only the water-soluble film on the back side of the transfer film comes into contact with water and start swelling while assisting the supply of the transfer film to the transfer tank. You can

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A method for activating a transfer ink according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the description, a hydraulic transfer device will be taken as an example, and the method for activating the transfer ink of the present invention will be described together with the outline and operation description of the hydraulic transfer device. FIG. 1 schematically shows a hydraulic transfer device. Reference numeral 1 is a hydraulic transfer device, and 2 is a transfer film.

The transfer film 2 uses a water-soluble film made of, for example, gelatin, sodium alginate, polyvinyl alcohol resin or the like as a carrier sheet, and has a binder component on its surface, which can be transferred from the transfer film 2 swollen with water W. An ink surface 2a is formed beforehand by applying a transfer ink having the above, and a required transfer pattern to be transferred to the transfer target 8 is formed on the ink surface 2a.

The hydraulic transfer device 1 has a transfer tank 3, a transfer film supply device 4, and a transfer target supply device 5. The transfer tank 3 includes a processing tank 3a and an overflow tank 3b,
In this embodiment, the water W is stored in the processing tank 3a,
The water W overflowing from the treatment tank 3a is allowed to slowly flow back to the treatment tank 3a through the circulation pipe 6 by the pump 7 without ripples on the liquid surface after passing through the overflow tank 3b. Note that other liquid may be used instead of the water W as long as it can swell or dissolve the carrier sheet of the transfer film 2.

Inside the processing tank 3a of the transfer tank 3, the processing tank 3a
A pair of chains 13 wound between the sprockets 11 and 12 is arranged in the vicinity of the side walls on both the left and right sides of the chain conveyor 15 to form a chain conveyor 15.
On the upper liquid surface circulation side, the transfer film 2 is driven in the same direction so as to assist the transfer film 2 in advancing toward the overflow tank 3b side.

The transfer film supply device 4 is equipped with a film roll 17 on which the roll-shaped transfer film 2 is mounted.
And a heat roll 18. Then, the continuous transfer film 2 drawn out from the film roll 17 is supplied toward the water inlet portion A side of the transfer tank 3 through the tension roll 19 and the heat roll 18 and the upper surface of an inclined surface 21 described later. The transfer film 2 pulled out from the film roll 17 has its ink surface 2a facing upward.

The transfer film supply device 4 continuously supplies the downstream end of the transfer film supply device 4 and the upstream end of the processing tank 3a of the transfer tank 3 on the side of the water inlet A. An inclined surface 21 for guiding the transfer film 2 to the liquid surface of the processing tank 3a is provided, and the transfer film 2 passing through the upper surface of the inclined surface 21 smoothly enters the liquid surface in the processing tank 3a with a gentle inclination. It is like this.
The inclined surface 21 is formed in a flat plate shape or a gutter shape as in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and the inclined surface 21 is curved in the width direction as shown in FIG.
Of the corrugated plate in which shallow unevenness is formed in the transport direction of the transfer film so as to give directionality to the water flowing out from the water outlet 23 described later, or under the same idea, in the transport direction of the transfer film 2 on a flat plate. Various shapes can be adopted, such as one having a plurality of grooves formed along it.

A water tank 22 is installed on the lower surface side of the inclined surface 21, and a water outlet 23 communicating with the water tank 22 is formed on the inclined surface 21.
The water outlet 23 has a large number of small holes formed on the inclined surface 21.
Is formed over the entire width direction of the
In the water tank 22, a part of the water W recirculated from the overflow tank 3b via the circulation pipeline 6 is supplied by the pump 25 via the supply pipeline 24.

The water outlet 23 is provided in only one row in the width direction of the inclined surface 21 as shown in FIG. 3, and as shown in FIG. 4 (b), three rows are provided upstream, midstream and downstream of the inclined surface 21. The outlet 23 may be provided so that the amount of water increases as it goes downstream. In addition, in this case, the water outlets 23 may be arranged in rows, may be arranged in a staggered manner, or may be arranged randomly without regularity. Furthermore, the inclined surface 21
Can also be configured by joining a plurality of thin tubes 21a in a plane as shown in FIG. 4 (c). In this case, the water outlet 23 is bored in the thin tube 21a and the supply conduit 24 is formed. To communicate with the thin tube 21a. The thin tube 21a may be joined in a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction of the transfer film 2 as shown in FIG. However, in this case,
A separate guide for preventing the water W from flowing to the side is required separately.

A flow rate adjusting valve 26 is provided in the supply line 24 as an example, and the amount of water discharged from the water outlet 23 of the inclined surface 21 and flowing down on the inclined surface 21 can be adjusted. ing. Therefore, the transfer film 2 passing on the inclined surface 21 is smoothly supplied to the liquid surface of the water inlet portion A of the processing tank 3a along the gentle inclination of the inclined surface 21 and along an appropriate water flow flowing down the upper surface thereof. It becomes a floating state.

Above the inclined surface 21, the transfer ink is provided with adhesiveness toward the ink surface 2a of the transfer film 2 passing over the inclined surface 21 to activate the transfer ink in a transferable state. An active agent spraying device 9 for spraying the active agent is provided. The activator spraying device 9 has an activator tank 31, a sprayer 32, and a spraying nozzle 33, and the activator sprayed from the spraying nozzle 33 is uniformly sprayed on the ink surface 2 a of the transfer film 2. It is like this. By the way, in this embodiment, the transfer film 2 is supported by the inclined surface 21, so that the transfer film 2 will not be wrinkled without giving special consideration to the spraying pressure of the activator from the sprayer 32. Good transfer is possible.

The sprayer 32 is preferably a centrifugal or ultrasonic atomizer which sprays the active agent by atomizing the active agent by its own weight-precipitating drop.
An ordinary spray gun type may be used, and the number of the spray nozzles 33 and the number of nozzle openings are not limited to one, and a plurality of spray nozzles may be provided.

Further, on the inclined surface 21, the transfer film 2 starts to swell by the water W from the water outlet 23, and at the same time as this, the activator is sprayed from the activator spraying device 9 to activate the transfer ink. Therefore, the swelling of the transfer film 2 and the activation of the transfer ink on the ink surface 2a proceed almost at the same time, the transfer timing can be set earlier, and the transfer timing can be easily adjusted.

In the illustrated hydraulic transfer device 1, the entire activator spraying device 9 is arranged above the inclined surface 21, but the invention is not limited to this, and only the spraying nozzle 33 or the spraying nozzle 3 is provided.
It goes without saying that only 3 and the spreader 32 may be arranged above the inclined surface 21. In this way, the processing tank 3a
After that, the transfer film 2 supplied on the liquid surface of the above-mentioned swelling and activation proceed, and at the same time, a gentle flow on the liquid surface and transferred to the downstream side by the chain conveyor 15 and transferred to the transferred body 6. It reaches the transfer section B where the transfer process is performed.

The transfer portion B is a portion on the overflow tank 3b side of the processing tank 3a, and is the transfer target supply device 5
Is provided above the processing tank 3a. The transfer target supply device 5 has a holder 36 for holding the transfer target 8 on a conveyor 35. The transfer target supply device 5 is continuously driven by a drive motor (not shown) in correspondence with the transfer speed of the transfer film 2 indicated by an arrow in the figure. It is designed to be driven in the direction.

Therefore, the transfer target supply device 5 holds the transfer target 8 by the holder 36 while slightly submerging it from the liquid level of the processing tank 3a.
The surface to be transferred of the transfer target 8 is pressed against the surface of the transfer target 8 by hydraulic pressure, and the transfer to the transfer target 8 is performed by this contact. The transferred body 8 transferred in this way
After that, it is removed from the holder 36 of the transfer-target member supply device 5, and then dried and top-coated to obtain a finished product.

As described above, in this embodiment, the activator is applied to the transfer film 2 by the activator spraying device 9, which is different from the conventional roller coater system, so that a so-called gravure may be avoided. can do. Further, in this embodiment, the transfer film 2 is a continuous sheet, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the transfer film 2 may be a cut sheet, for example.

[0032]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, the activation of the transfer ink is performed after the transfer ink is fed from the transfer film supply device 4 and before the transfer ink is supplied to the transfer tank 3. The transfer film 2 is subjected to water contact almost simultaneously. Therefore, the activation of the transfer ink and the swelling of the water-soluble film that is the transfer ink carrying sheet due to the contact with water proceed almost at the same time, so that the transfer timing can be set earlier than before, and the transfer timing can be easily adjusted. This leads to good transfer. Since the transfer film 2 is activated by spraying an activator onto the transfer film 2, there is no possibility of a transfer failure due to gravure.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the activation of the transfer ink is performed on the transfer film 2 which is passing over the inclined surface 21. Therefore, the transfer film 2 is sprayed with the activator while being supported by the inclined surface 21. As a result, when the activator is sprayed on the transfer film 2, the ripples on the water surface and the wrinkles of the transfer film 2 caused by the spray pressure are suppressed, so that the burden of paying attention to the spray pressure of the activator is reduced. It is possible to select and use from various types of spreaders.

Further, according to the third aspect of the invention, a constant amount of water flow is formed on the inclined surface 21. Therefore, since the transfer film 2 is guided into the transfer tank 3 by this water flow, while assisting the supply of the transfer film 2 to the transfer tank 3,
Only the water-soluble film on the back surface side of the transfer film 2 can be surely brought into contact with water to start swelling. By these effects acting synergistically, excellent transfer finish can be obtained at a very low cost, and high design of the product can be realized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a hydraulic transfer device to which a transfer ink activation method of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing, in an enlarged manner, a portion that activates the transfer ink.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing various embodiments in which the shape and configuration of the inclined surface or the arrangement of water outlets are different.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hydraulic transfer device 2 Transfer film 2a Ink surface 3 Transfer tank 3a Processing tank 3b Overflow tank 4 Transfer film supply device 5 Transfer target material supply device 6 Circulation conduit 7 Pump 8 Transfer target material 9 Activator spraying device 11 Sprocket 12 Sprocket 13 Chains 15 Chain Conveyors 17 Film Rolls 18 Heat Rolls 19 Tension Rolls 21 Inclined Surfaces 21a Fine Tubes 22 Water Tanks 23 Water Outlets 24 Supply Pipelines 25 Pumps 26 Flow Control Valves 31 Activator Tanks 32 Sprinklers 33 Sprinkling Nozzles 35 Conveyors 36 Holders A Water entry part B Transfer part W Water

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A method of activating the transfer ink by applying tackiness to the transfer ink constituting the transfer pattern and activating the transfer ink so that the transfer ink can be activated before forming a predetermined transfer pattern on the surface of the transfer target. The activation is performed by spraying an activator on the transfer film after being fed from the transfer film supply device and being supplied to the transfer tank, and at the time of activating the transfer ink. A method for activating a transfer ink, which is carried out almost simultaneously with the contact with water of the water-soluble film which is the transfer ink carrying sheet. 2. An inclined surface is provided between the transfer film supply device and the transfer tank, and the transfer film fed from the transfer film supply device passes through the inclined surface and enters the transfer tank. 2. The method of activating the transfer ink according to claim 1, wherein the activation of the transfer ink is performed on the transfer film which is being guided and is passing over the inclined surface. 3. A water outlet is provided on the inclined surface, and a constant flow rate of water is formed on the upper surface of the inclined surface by the water flowing out from the water outlet, and the water is fed from the transfer film supply device. 3. The method for activating transfer ink according to claim 2, wherein the transfer film is supplied to the transfer tank according to the water flow on the upper surface of the inclined surface.