JPH09131854A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent occurrence of interference with projected parts of a transfer receiving body with the projected parts on the back face side of a transfer receiving face and to perform good transfer by forming a recessed parts on a transfer receiving body-supporting elastic sheet for supporting a transfer receiving body. SOLUTION: A plastic card 1 being a transfer receiving body is arranged on a silicone rubber sheet 2 being a transfer receiving body-supporting elastic sheet. Here, such a card that has projected parts 3 prepd. in advance by means of emboss processing on the transfer receiving back face of the card is used. The rubber sheet 2 is fixed on a carrying stage 4 and in order to avoid interference of the projected parts 3 of the card 1, it is partly eliminated to form recessed parts A. E.g. to the max. range of an embossing, the rubber sheet 2 is eliminated so as to be penetrated through by a size being larger by 1mm on all four sides. In addition, it may be used here for avoiding the interference that the height of the rubber sheet 2 is small only on the parts interferring to the projected parts 3.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for transferring an image written on a film which is an intermediate transfer medium to a transfer medium by heating and pressing the image on the transfer medium. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that realizes a good image transfer on a transfer target having a convex portion on the back surface of the transfer surface of the transfer target.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A method is known in which a transfer ribbon coated uniformly with a sublimable dye is selectively heated locally by a thermal head based on image data to transfer a desired image to a transfer target. . However, materials that can be dyed with sublimable materials are limited, such as polyester,
It can be applied only to transfer materials made of limited materials such as acrylic resin and vinyl chloride resin. However, as the material of the transferred material, in addition to the above synthetic resins, synthetic resins generally not dyeable with a sublimable dye, metal, paper,
There are various materials such as glass. Therefore, JP
As disclosed in JP-A-3-81093, in an image writing unit using a transfer ribbon of a sublimable dye and a thermal head, first, an image is written on a film-shaped intermediate transfer medium having an adhesive layer, and then, A method has been proposed in which the image on the intermediate transfer medium is transferred to the transfer target by heating and pressing the image on the intermediate transfer medium together with the adhesive layer on the transfer target at the transfer unit. According to this method, by selecting the adhesive layer, it is possible to transfer and form an image regardless of the material of the transferred material. Further, when heating and pressurizing at the transfer portion, the transfer target is supported by the elastic sheet from the back surface of the image transfer surface.

[0003]

However, for example, an image is transferred to a transfer object such as a plastic card which has a convex portion on the back surface of the transfer object by an embossing process for embossing character data on the transfer object. When transferring is attempted, the convex portion on the back surface of the transferred material interferes with the elastic sheet, and it becomes impossible to apply a uniform transfer pressure to the transferred surface during heating and pressing. Therefore, there arises a problem that the image is not partially transferred. Further, the interference causes the holding of the transfer target to become unstable, and as a result, the image alignment becomes unstable due to the deviation of the image transfer,
The transfer target moves during heating and pressurization, or is disengaged from the clamp mechanism that holds the transfer target,
In the worst case, various problems such as jamming may occur. The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional technique. In the image forming apparatus that transfers an image from an intermediate transfer medium, the transfer target has a convex portion on the back surface side of the transfer surface. Even in such a case, the purpose is to enable good transfer without the above-mentioned troubles.

[0004]

[Means for Solving the Problems] Means provided by the present invention for solving the above problems are as follows. First, as shown in claim 1, an intermediate transfer medium having a transfer layer on which an image based on image information is formed. An image in which the image is transferred from the intermediate transfer medium to the transfer target together with the transfer layer by heating and pressing the intermediate transfer medium onto the transfer target using a transfer roller so that the transfer layer faces the transfer target. In the forming apparatus, a recess is formed in the transfer-target-supporting elastic sheet that supports the transfer target in order to avoid interference with the projection of the transfer target that has a protrusion on the back side of the transfer surface. And an image forming apparatus.

And, preferably, as shown in claim 2,
The image formed on the transfer layer of the intermediate transfer medium is an image formed by heat-sensitive sublimation transfer recording based on image information, and the intermediate transfer medium is arranged so that the transfer layer faces the transfer target. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image is transferred from the intermediate transfer medium to the transfer medium by heating and transferring the transfer medium onto the transfer medium using a transfer roller.

More preferably, as shown in claim 3,
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer-receiving-member-supporting elastic sheet is a synthetic rubber-based elastic material containing silicon rubber or fluororubber as a main component. .

More preferably, as shown in claim 4,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the transfer-receiving body supporting elastic sheet on which the transfer-receiving body is mounted is polished to be a rough surface.

More preferably, as shown in claim 5,
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the transfer target supporting elastic sheet is a heat-vulcanizing type silicone rubber and is heat-vulcanized and molded by a cylinder type. .

More preferably, as shown in claim 6,
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the transfer-member-supporting elastic sheet has a surface in contact with the transfer-target member coated with a fluorine-based polymer compound.

More preferably, as shown in claim 7,
The fluorine-based polymer compound is a fluorine-based polymer compound containing, as a main component, either polytetrafluoroethylene or a tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkylvinylether copolymer. The image forming apparatus.

More preferably, as shown in claim 8,
The transfer roller is a heat roller, and a silicon rubber elastomer layer is provided on the surface of a metal cylindrical core metal, and further, polytetrafluoroethylene or tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer is provided on the surface of the silicon rubber elastomer layer. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a coating layer made of a fluorine-containing polymer compound containing any of the above as a main component.

[0012]

According to the image forming apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 8 of the present invention, an embossing process for embossing character data or the like is performed in advance by using a plastic card or the like as a transfer target. The image transfer can be satisfactorily performed on the transferred material or the like on the concave side later. Specifically, according to the image forming apparatus of claim 1 or 2 of the present invention, it corresponds to a convex portion existing on the back surface of the image transfer surface of the transfer target of the transfer target supporting elastic sheet that supports the transfer target. Since the parts are partially deleted, the convex portion on the back surface of the transfer target does not interfere with the elastic sheet when the image on the intermediate transfer medium is transferred under heat and pressure to the transfer target. It is possible to apply a uniform transfer pressure, and it is possible to provide a transferred body on which an excellent image is formed. Therefore, the above-mentioned interference does not make the holding of the transfer target unstable, the image alignment becomes unstable due to the deviation of the image transfer, and the transfer target moves during the heating and pressing. There is no problem such as jamming or jamming as in the conventional case, because it does not fall off or come off from the clamp mechanism that holds the transfer target.

Particularly, in the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, since the transfer-receiving member-supporting elastic sheet is a synthetic rubber-based elastic material containing silicon rubber or fluororubber as a main component, it is very stable against heat. The transferability is good, and the transfer target can be stably held even if the temperature of the transfer target supporting elastic sheet rises during the heating and pressure transfer described above, and as a result, stable image transfer can be realized. Further, according to the image forming apparatus of claim 4 of the present invention, since the surface of the transfer-receiving member supporting elastic sheet on which the transfer-receiving member is mounted is roughened by polishing, the transfer-receiving member can be easily carried in and out. It can be performed in a short time and can be fixed with an appropriate holding force so that the transfer target does not move during transfer. Further, since the unevenness of the polishing surface is fine, the adhesive strength of the image on the intermediate transfer film does not vary even if it is heated and pressed by a heat roller. Also,
Since the unevenness forms a thin layer of air, the adhesive layer of the transfer film does not adhere or adhere to the support member. For this reason, it is possible to sufficiently heat and press through the transfer film even in a place where the transfer target does not exist.

Particularly, according to the image forming apparatus of the fifth aspect of the present invention, the transfer-receiving-member-supporting elastic sheet is a heat-vulcanizing type silicone rubber, and is heat-vulcanized and molded by a cylinder type.
After that, since the surface on which the transfer target is mounted is roughened by polishing, very stable fine irregularities can be formed on the surface of the transfer target supporting elastic sheet on which the transfer target is mounted, and as a result, it is more stable. The transfer target can be easily loaded and unloaded in a short time, and the transfer target can be fixed with an appropriate holding force so as not to move during transfer. The heat-resistant temperature of the transfer-receiving member-supporting elastic sheet is as high as 220 ° C. or higher, and it has excellent thermal stability in a high temperature range. Therefore, the stable fine irregularities do not change even under high temperature and are heated by a heat roller. Even when pressure is applied, the adhesive strength of the image on the intermediate transfer film does not vary. Further, the stable fine irregularities form a thin layer of air, so that the adhesive layer of the transfer film does not adhere to or adhere to the support member. For this reason, it is possible to sufficiently heat and press through the transfer film even in a place where the transfer target does not exist. In particular, in the subject elastic body supporting the transfer medium formed by the cylinder, the elastomer layer is stably formed in the front direction such as the thickness direction and the width direction, and the molecular arrangement has little distortion.
Therefore, as in the present invention, it is possible to provide a very stable image forming apparatus in which distortion and the like do not occur in the transfer target supporting elastic sheet even if a part thereof is deleted.

In the image forming apparatus of the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the surface of the transfer-receiving member supporting elastic sheet which is in contact with the transfer-receiving member is coated with the fluorine-containing polymer compound, the transfer-supporting elastic sheet is covered by the heat and pressure transfer. The holding and releasing operations of the transfer body to the transfer-receiving body supporting elastic sheet are smoothly performed. Further, the adhesive layer of the transfer film is not further attached or fixed by the supporting member. According to the image forming apparatus of claim 7 of the present invention, the fluorine-containing polymer compound is polytetrafluoroethylene or
It is a fluorine-based polymer compound that contains either tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether / copolymer as the main component and has excellent heat resistance and releasability. Since the compound is coated, the holding and releasing operation of the transfer target on the transfer target supporting elastic sheet is smoothly performed for the heating and pressure transfer. Further, the adhesive layer of the transfer film is not further attached or fixed by the supporting member.

In the image forming apparatus according to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the transfer roller is a heat roller, a silicon rubber elastomer layer is provided on the surface of the metal cylindrical core metal, and the surface of the silicon rubber elastomer layer is made of polytetrafluoroethylene. A soft-touch heat roller having a coating layer made of a fluorine-containing polymer compound containing fluoroethylene or a tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer as a main component is used as a transfer roller.
Therefore, in the heating / pressurizing transfer process by the transfer roller, even when the vicinity of the uneven portion of the transfer target is heated and pressed, a large pressure fluctuation does not occur in the pressing pressure. Therefore, as in the present case, when an image is transferred to a transfer target having a convex portion on the back surface, it is very effective and a good final image can be provided. The coating layer made of a fluorine-containing polymer compound on the surface of the heat roller is
The releasing effect and lubrication effect are excellent even at high temperatures, and since heating and pressurization is performed while sliding near the uneven parts of the transferred object, it is effective that transfer defects (dropouts, etc.) are less likely to occur near the uneven parts of the transferred object. effective.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a front view of the transfer unit of the image forming apparatus. In the transfer section, the intermediate transfer film on which the image has already been recorded is heated and pressed by the heat roller to transfer the image to the transfer target. Before that, a method of holding the transfer target will be described with reference to FIG. First, the plastic card 1 that is the transfer target
Is manually placed on the rubber sheet 2 of silicon rubber, which is an elastic sheet for supporting the transferred body. In this embodiment, the convex portion 3 is previously formed on the transfer surface of the card by embossing.
Is used. The rubber sheet 2 is fixed on the carrier 4 and is partially removed so as to avoid interference with the convex portion 3 of the card 1 (A portion). In the embodiment, the rubber sheet 2 is deleted so as to penetrate the maximum embossing range by 1 mm in all four directions. As shown in FIG. 4, the rubber sheet 2 having a small height only at the portion that interferes with the convex portion 3 may be used to avoid the interference.
Further, the rubber sheet 2 is a heat-vulcanizing type silicone rubber, which is heat-vulcanized and molded by a cylinder type, and the surface with which the card 1 contacts is roughened by polishing. After the operator arranges the card 1 according to the card guide 5,
The clamp members 6a and 6b hold the card 1 so that the card 1 is not displaced in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The clamp members 6a and 6b urge the card 1 toward the card guide 5 by pressure springs 7a and 7b, respectively. The clamp members 6a and 6b can be held and released by sliding the clamp levers 8a and 8b, respectively. At this time, the clamp members 6a and 6b cause friction on the rubber sheet 2, but since the rubber surface is roughened, it can slide smoothly. Further, the convex portion 3 of the card enters the deleted portion of the rubber sheet 2 on which the card 1 is placed, and since the convex portion 3 and the rubber sheet 2 do not interfere with each other, the end surfaces of the clamp members 6a and 6b are surely attached to the card 1. It can hit the end face and hold it stably. That is, it does not come off during conveyance or transfer.

After holding the card 1, image formation is started. In the printing unit (not shown) in the image forming apparatus,
A desired image is formed on the image-receiving layer of the intermediate transfer film 9 by using a sublimation transfer method using a thermal head and a sublimable color ink and a combination of other methods. Although not shown, the intermediate transfer film 9 is pulled out from the unwinding roll by the pinch roller 12, and the used film is accommodated in the winding roll 13 via the printing unit and the transfer unit. After the printing is completed, the image on the intermediate transfer film 9 is conveyed to the transfer section. At the same time, the carrier table 4 holding the card 1 is also sent to the transfer section by a carrier means (not shown) and positioned at the position where the image should be transferred. FIG. 2 is a front view of the transfer portion. The transfer roller is the heat roller 10, and the silicon rubber elastomer layer 10b is provided on the surface of the aluminum cylindrical core metal 10a. A layer 10c of about 10 to 150 μm made of a fluorine-based polymer compound containing ethylene perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer as a main component is coated. The heat lamp 11 blinks at the center of the core of the heat roller 10 and the surface temperature is set to 120.
It is controlled at one point from ℃ to 180 ℃.

After the positioning is completed, the heat roller 10 presses the card 1 with the intermediate transfer film 9 interposed therebetween by a pressing means (not shown). The pressurization starts from the right end of the card 1, and the heat roller 10 is rolled by the rolling means while pressing the card 1 to transfer the image to the card 1. Then, the rolling is stopped at the left end of the card 1, and the heat roller 10 is disengaged. While the intermediate transfer film 9 is conveyed downstream,
At point B, the image receiving layer of the intermediate transfer film 9 is separated from the base film and remains on the card 1 side.

During transfer, the deleted portion (A portion) of the rubber sheet 2
When the portion without pressure is being pressed, the pressure applied by the heat roller 10 is uniform in the length direction of the heat roller. When the pressure applied by the heat roller 10 is applied to the deleted portion, the pressure in that portion is lost to some extent. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
The periphery of the deleted portion of the rubber sheet 2 is elastically deformed inward, and the surface of the heat roller 10 is also restored by the amount of the released pressure. As a result, the pressure fluctuation becomes gentle and the adverse effect on the transfer quality is small. Since the convex portion 3 does not interfere with the rubber sheet 2, the vertical movement of the card 1 is small, and the convex portion 3 does not come off from the clamp members 6a and 6b. Since the rubber sheet 2 and the card 1 contact each other in a larger area, the adhesiveness of the rubber sheet 2 contributes to stable card holding. Generally, silicone rubber has high adhesive strength and poor slipperiness. However, since the surface of the rubber sheet 2 has fine irregularities, the rubber sheet 2 has an appropriate adhesiveness, which allows the card 1 to move finely.
The amount of deformation due to the heat pressure of can be suppressed. Since the holding force is not excessively large, the loading / unloading work of the card 1 can be smoothly performed.

When the edge of the card 1 is transferred, the image receiving layer of the intermediate transfer film 9 may be heated and pressed against the surface of the rubber sheet 2, but the surface of the rubber sheet 2 has fine irregularities. A thin layer of air can be formed between the image receiving layer and the image receiving layer, so that the image receiving layer does not melt and adhere to the rubber sheet 2 and become soiled. As described above, when the rubber sheet 2 does not require an appropriate holding force, the surface of the rubber sheet can be covered with a fluorine-containing polymer compound so that the rubber sheet 2 is less likely to become dirty and the transfer body is further carried in and out. It will be easy.

[0022]

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, an image is formed on a transfer-receiving member on the concave side after the embossing process for embossing character data or the like is performed in advance, for example, a plastic card as the transfer-receiving member. Good transfer is possible. Specifically, even when an image is to be transferred to a transfer object having a convex portion on the back surface of the transfer object in advance by an embossing process such as embossing character data on the transfer object (such as a plastic card), It does not occur that the convex portion on the back surface side of the transfer body interferes with the transfer target supporting elastic sheet, and a uniform transfer pressure cannot be applied to the transfer surface during heating and pressing. Therefore, the problem that the image is not partially transferred does not occur. Further, the interference causes the holding of the transfer target to become unstable, and as a result, the image registration becomes unstable due to the deviation of the image transfer, and the transfer target moves during the heating and pressing. There is no problem such as the occurrence of jamming as in the conventional case, which does not occur even if the clamp mechanism that holds the transfer-receiving body is removed from the clamp mechanism. The coating layer made of a fluorine-containing polymer compound on the surface of the heat roller is excellent in releasing effect, lubricating effect, etc. even at high temperature, and heats and presses while sliding near the uneven portion of the transfer target, It is also possible to obtain an effective effect that transfer defects (such as omission) are less likely to occur in the vicinity of the uneven portion.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an outline of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus of the present invention, using a plan view and a side view thereof.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the outline of another embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, using a front view of a transfer portion thereof.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the outline of another embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, using a front view and a side view of a transfer portion thereof.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the outline of another embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, using a front view of the carrier.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a state at the time of transfer in one embodiment according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention by using a partially enlarged view of a transport base and a heat roller.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Card 2 ... Rubber sheet 3 ... Convex part 4 ... Conveyance stand 5 ... Card guide 6a, 6b ... Clamp member 7a, 7b ... Crimping spring 8a, 8b ...・ Clamp lever 9 ・ ・ ・ Intermediate transfer film 10 ・ ・ ・ Heat roller 10a ・ ・ ・ Cylinder core 10b ・ ・ ・ Silicon rubber elastomer layer 10c ・ ・ ・ Fluorine polymer layer 11 ・ ・ ・ Heat lamp 12 ・ ・・ Pinch roller 13: Take-up roll

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An intermediate transfer medium provided with a transfer layer on which an image based on image information is formed is made to face the transfer target, and the transfer roller is used to heat the intermediate transfer medium to the transfer target. In an image forming apparatus that transfers the image together with the transfer layer from the intermediate transfer medium to the transfer target by applying pressure, avoid interference with the projection of the transfer target that has a projection on the back side of the transfer surface. Therefore, the image forming apparatus is characterized in that a concave portion is formed in the transfer target supporting elastic sheet that supports the transfer target. 2. An image formed on a transfer layer of the intermediate transfer medium is an image formed by thermal sublimation transfer recording based on image information, and the transfer layer of the intermediate transfer medium faces a transfer target. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image is transferred from the intermediate transfer medium to the transfer target by heating and pressing the intermediate transfer medium onto the transfer target using a transfer roller. . 3. The elastic sheet for supporting the transferred body is a synthetic rubber type elastic material containing silicon rubber or fluororubber as a main component. Image forming apparatus. 4. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the transfer target supporting elastic sheet has a roughened surface on which the transfer target is mounted. apparatus. 5. The heat transfer vulcanization type silicone rubber is used as the transfer target supporting elastic sheet, and is heat vulcanization molded by a cylinder type. Image forming apparatus. 6. The image according to claim 1, wherein the transfer target supporting elastic sheet has a surface in contact with the transfer target coated with a fluorine-containing polymer compound. Forming equipment. 7. The fluorine-containing polymer compound is a fluorine-containing polymer compound containing, as a main component, either polytetrafluoroethylene or a tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkylvinylether copolymer. Item 6. The image forming apparatus according to Item 6. 8. The transfer roller is a heat roller, wherein a silicon rubber elastomer layer is provided on the surface of a metal cylindrical core metal, and polytetrafluoroethylene or tetrafluoroethylene peroxide is further provided on the surface of the silicon rubber elastomer layer. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a coating layer made of a fluorine-containing polymer compound containing any of fluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer as a main component.