JPWO2017134887A1 - Image transfer method, image transfer apparatus, and transfer printing method using adhesive ink for inkjet - Google Patents

Abstract

The image transfer method includes an image layer forming step of forming an image layer constituting a transfer image with a colorant on the surface of a water-soluble transfer film, and an adhesive film formed on the surface of the image layer or a transfer target with an adhesive material. An adhesive film forming step for forming the transfer film, a softening step for softening the transfer film with water particles, a step for preliminarily deforming the transfer film, and the transfer film and the object to be transferred by the action of pressure or negative pressure. A close contact step, and the transfer image is transferred to the transfer medium through the adhesive film by the close contact in the close contact step. Thereby, it is possible to provide an image transfer method capable of transferring an image to a transfer object such as a three-dimensional solid object with high positional accuracy without heating.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image transfer method for transferring an image to the surface of an object, and an image transfer apparatus. The present invention also relates to a method in which an adhesive layer is formed on an image by ink jet printing and can be transferred without heating.

  As an image transfer method capable of transferring a pigment image without heating, there is a hydraulic transfer (see, for example, JP 09-001996 A). A water-soluble film on which an image is formed on one surface is floated on the water surface in the transfer tank so that the image forming surface is the upper surface. Thereby, a film softens under the influence of water. When the transfer target is submerged so that the water-soluble film is pushed into water, the water pressure works to push the water-soluble film back to the transfer target, so that the water-soluble film adheres to the transfer target. If the activation treatment for imparting adhesiveness to the image forming surface on the water-soluble film is performed by spray coating, the image adheres to the transferred material even without heating. This hydraulic transfer is effective for printing three-dimensional objects, and is used for transfer printing such as wood grain and marble patterns.

  The image is formed on a water-soluble film by gravure printing, ink jet printing, laser printing, or the like. The water-soluble film includes a water-soluble PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) film alone and a PVA film layer formed on a substrate. After drying the image printed on the water-soluble film, the water-soluble film is rolled or stored as a bundle of cut films. At the time of transfer, a single PVA film with the substrate removed is floated on the surface of the water, and the activator composition is applied to the image side of the water-soluble film by a technique such as spraying to restore the dry state to the active state and adhere Get sex. Examples of the activator composition include a short oil alkyd resin and cellulose acetobutyrate as a resin component, and butyl cellosolve and butyl carbitol acetate as a solvent component (see, for example, JP-A-08-238897).

  Further, as a technique capable of printing on a three-dimensional solid object, there is a vacuum type sublimation transfer (see WO 2004/022354). And as a transfer film which deform | transforms along the shape of a to-be-transferred body, the A-PET (amorphous polyethylene terephthalate) film with a heat softening property is proposed. When the transfer film on which the transfer image is printed is heated and softened at 80 ° C. or higher, the space with the transfer target is adsorbed under a negative pressure. When the transfer film is completely in close contact with the transfer target, the temperature is increased to 140 to 200 ° C. to transfer the image to the transfer target. Since the image by the vacuum sublimation transfer soaks into the transferred body itself or the resin coat layer on the surface of the transferred body, it is not necessary to provide an activator composition for obtaining adhesiveness such as hydraulic transfer.

  In addition, as a conventional image transfer method that can be printed on a flat or quadratic curved transfer target, a toner image is formed on a release sheet coated with hot melt over the entire surface, and the image side is heated and pressed on the print. The technique of transferring is known. The hot melt layer moves to the base material together with the image and functions as a fixing material to the printed material side of the image. In this method, a hot melt layer is also attached to a blank portion other than the image, and the texture of the fiber is changed and hated. Avoiding foreign matters on the margin is a major theme of transfer printing. An example of countermeasures is proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-52497. In this method, at least two types of layers are applied to the peeling sheet, and the transfer conditions are devised so that the hot melt layer does not migrate to the blank portion. Many of these hot melt layers for fibers follow urethane products because they are urethane-based and soft, but are not used for hard materials due to insufficient strength.

  On the other hand, in a toner image transfer sheet that can be printed on a transfer object having a flat or quadratic curved surface and transfers an image to a hard material other than fibers, a transfer sheet that does not transfer any blank portion is generally common. This is because it is considered that the adhesive strength of the polyester resin hot melt constituting the toner is sufficient. A toner image is directly formed on the release layer, and the adhesive force at the time of transfer is obtained by thermal softening of the hot melt resin at the time of heating and pressing. In order to obtain the final strength, it is common to put a substrate to be printed in a heating furnace and heat it for several tens of minutes. All of these conventional transfer methods are the same in that they require heating and pressing at the time of transfer.

  There is also a hard material transfer method in which an adhesive is selectively applied by hand, such as a brush, only to the image portion of the toner image formed on the release sheet for the purpose of transferring nothing to the margin part by image transfer to the fiber. It is proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-125292. Depending on the type of adhesive, this technique can provide a higher adhesive strength by transfer to a hard material, and can be a technique that enables non-heat transfer. However, the application of the adhesive is a manual operation.

  Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-51940 is known as an ink-jet printing ink having adhesiveness. This is a technique in which a layer is formed with this adhesive ink on an image, and a fired pigment powder is sprinkled on it to be fired and fixed. The fired pigment referred to here is a mixture of an inorganic pigment and glass frit. By firing, the adhesive ink component evaporates, and the inorganic pigment powder is fused and fixed to the glass frit. The adhesive ink here functions as a temporary adhesive ink for powder, and a complete image is fixed to the substrate by a glass component. The inventor proposed in JP-A-2014-162226 a method for attaching a heat-adhesive powder to a printed image portion using this adhesive ink. There is a need for heat-adhesive powder for final image fixing.

  As a conventional technique related to the adhesive ink of the present invention, there is a paint containing inorganic fine particles whose size is crushed to the nano level (see, for example, JP2013-130593A and WO2008 / 035669). Solvents are water-based and solvent-based, fine particles are 100% inorganic or hybrid of organic and inorganic mixed, but many of these cured coatings have mechanical strength, heat resistance, weather resistance, stain resistance, and transparency. It has excellent characteristics such as chemical resistance.

  For example, the hydraulic transfer disclosed in the above-mentioned JP-A-09-001996, JP-A-08-238897 and the like that can be transferred and printed onto a three-dimensional solid-shaped transfer target, and the vacuum type disclosed in WO2004 / 022354 In sublimation transfer, there are first problems such as difficulty in positioning, poor working environment, lack of light resistance, risk of re-penetration, and heat resistance. That is, in the above-described hydraulic transfer, since the water-soluble film on which the image is formed is floated without being fixed to the liquid surface in the transfer tank, it is difficult to position the image in the transfer region of the transfer target. For this reason, the use of hydraulic transfer is limited to transfer of wood grain, marble pattern, etc., which do not require positioning.

  In addition, since the activation treatment in the hydraulic transfer is a spray coating method as described above, there is a problem that the working environment is deteriorated due to scattering of the activator composition. Depending on the excess or deficiency of the spray amount of the activator composition, there is a tendency that a part of the image is excessively dissolved and collapses, a part that cannot be transferred remains, or a pattern is blurred.

  In the above-described vacuum type sublimation transfer, since the dye that forms an image is a dye, long-term light resistance cannot be expected. For this reason, a to-be-transferred body is restrict | limited to the thing of an application used indoors. Further, a transfer body using the above-described vacuum type sublimation transfer also has a problem that, when left in a high temperature and high humidity environment for a long time, the transfer body oozes out due to re-penetration (migration) of the dye and the image is blurred. Further, in the above-described vacuum type sublimation transfer, since the temperature is set to 140 ° C. or higher at the time of transfer, there is a restriction that transfer to a transfer target without heat resistance cannot be performed.

  Further, for example, the plane disclosed in JP-A-9-52497, JP-A-2005-125292, JP-A-2010-51940, JP-A-2014-162226, JP-A-2013-130593, or WO2008 / 035669 The conventional technique capable of printing on a transfer object having a quadratic curved surface has a second problem that an adhesive having a final adhesive force can only be formed by an analog method in addition to the first problem that the transfer member needs heat resistance. There is. That is, all of the conventional image transfer methods require heating and pressing during transfer. Although there was a method to obtain a higher final adhesive force by manually applying adhesive powder or adhesive liquid to the image, a method of printing an adhesive with final adhesive force by digital printing without requiring manual work There was no. Further, although there was a temporary adhesive ink for inkjet printing, the ink alone did not give a final adhesive force between the transferred image and the substrate.

  In view of the first problem, the present invention can be applied to a three-dimensional three-dimensional object to be transferred, allows easy positioning of an image with respect to the object to be transferred, can be transferred without heating, and has a wide range of materials. It is an object to provide an image transfer method and an image transfer apparatus capable of obtaining a sufficient final adhesive force.

  In addition, for the first and second problems, the present invention can handle hand-drawn images, but digital printing can be used to perform a series of operations from image printing to applying an adhesive to a transfer image. It is intended to be able to transfer even without heating and to obtain a sufficient final adhesive force for a wide range of printed materials.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image layer forming step of forming an image layer constituting a transfer image with a colorant on a surface of a film body formed into a film shape from a water-soluble material, and the above image An adhesive film forming step of forming an adhesive film with an adhesive material on at least one of the surface of the layer or the transferred body, and a softening step of softening the film body by attaching water particles to at least one surface of the film body, or The film body is deformed so that the film body is recessed toward the back surface side of the film body, and at least one of the film body deformation steps and the action of pressurization or negative pressure are performed through the at least one process. An adhesion step for bringing the film body and the transferred body into close contact with each other, and the image layer adheres to the image transfer surface of the transferred body through the adhesive film by the close contact in the adhesion step. By the above transferred The transferred image is characterized in that it is transferred to.

  Further, in the image transfer method of the present invention corresponding to the first problem, when the film body deformation step is performed, in the adhesion step, the transfer target is brought close to a concave deformation region of the film body. It is characterized by being closely attached to each other.

  Further, in the image transfer method of the present invention corresponding to the first problem, the film body deformation step includes the step of forming a back surface of the film body on at least a part of the concave surface constituting the concave area of the female member having the concave area. The film body is deformed so that the film body is recessed by bringing at least a part of the film body into close contact with each other by the action of pressure or negative pressure.

  In the image transfer method of the present invention corresponding to the first problem, the diameter of the water particles in the softening step is approximately 100 μm or less.

  Further, in the image transfer method of the present invention corresponding to the first problem, the water-soluble material is any one of polyvinyl alcohol, dextrin, water-soluble urethane, a composite thereof, or a mixture thereof. It is characterized by comprising.

  In the image transfer method of the present invention corresponding to the first problem, the adhesive film is formed of an organic solvent containing an organic / inorganic hybrid composition from which a silica hybrid cured film can be obtained after drying and curing. And

  In the image transfer method of the present invention corresponding to the first problem, the adhesive film is formed by printing with a printer using the organic solvent as an adhesive ink.

  In the image transfer method of the present invention corresponding to the first problem, the organic solvent has a silica concentration of 5 wt% to 80 wt% dispersed in the silica hybrid cured film, and has a single particle size. It is the range of 1-100 nm, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  Further, the image transfer apparatus of the present invention corresponding to the first problem is to transfer an image layer formed on the surface of a film body formed of a water-soluble material into a film shape via an adhesive film. An image transfer apparatus for transferring to a body, wherein the film body is dented toward a water particle spraying portion having a structure capable of spraying water particles on at least one surface of the film body, or toward the back side of the film body. At least one of the film body deforming parts for deforming the film body, and the film body treated by at least one of the water particle spraying part or the film body deforming part by the action of pressure or negative pressure, and the above And a contact mechanism portion that closely contacts the transfer target. As a result, the image layer adheres to the image transfer surface of the transferred body through the adhesive film due to the close contact between the film body and the transferred body, whereby the image layer is transferred to the transferred body. Is done.

  Further, in the image transfer apparatus of the present invention corresponding to the first problem, the film body deforming section applies the positive pressure or the negative pressure to the concave region by applying the female member having the concave region and the positive pressure or the negative pressure. And a pump that causes at least a part of the back surface of the film body to be in close contact with at least a part of the concave surface to be configured, and the film body is deformed by the close contact.

  Further, in the image transfer apparatus of the present invention corresponding to the first problem, the water particle spraying section is constituted by an ultrasonic humidifier capable of spraying the water particles having a diameter of about 100 μm or less. .

  The first problem-solving means of the present invention corresponding to the first problem and the second problem is to provide an organic / inorganic hybrid composition from which a silica hybrid cured film can be obtained after drying and curing in order to achieve the above object. Using the contained organic solvent as an adhesive ink, an adhesive film layer is printed on an image formed on a water transfer sheet by an ink jet printer, and then the adhesive film layer is non-heated or heated and pressed on a substrate. A method of forming a transfer image on the printed material via the adhesive film layer (hereinafter referred to as a first transfer image) including a step of attaching and a step of applying moisture to the water transfer sheet and peeling off and removing the base sheet. Forming method).

  Further, the second problem-solving means of the present invention corresponding to the first problem and the second problem is that an organic solvent containing an organic / inorganic hybrid composition capable of obtaining a silica hybrid cured film after drying and curing is used as an adhesive ink. After using the ink jet printer to print and form an adhesive film layer on the image formed on the release sheet, the adhesive film layer is heated and adhered to the printed material, and the base sheet of the release sheet is peeled and removed. A method is employed in which a transfer image is formed on the substrate including the steps via the adhesive film layer.

  The third problem solving means of the present invention corresponding to the first problem and the second problem is that the concentration of silica dispersed in the silica hybrid cured film is 5 wt% to 80 wt%, There is provided an adhesive ink for ink jet printing used in first and second problem solving means having a particle diameter in the range of 1 to 100 nm.

  The fourth problem solving means of the present invention corresponding to the first problem and the second problem provides an adhesive ink for ink jet printing as the third problem solving means containing a tackifier and / or a plasticizer. To do.

  The fifth problem-solving means of the present invention corresponding to the first problem and the second problem is that silica having a single particle diameter in the range of 1 to 100 nm is dispersed at a concentration of 5% by weight to 80% by weight. In addition, an image transfer product is provided in which a toner image is held on a printing material using an organic / inorganic hybrid cured film having an affinity for both an organic material and an inorganic material as an adhesive layer.

  The operation of the first problem solving means is as follows. The adhesive strength of the adhesive ink will be described in two parts. The initial adhesive force is the force required to transfer the image during transfer, and the final adhesive force is the force required for the printed material to be used. When water is applied to the image formed on the water transfer sheet from the front surface and / or the back surface of the water transfer sheet, the water-soluble layer such as dextrin applied on the surface of the sheet is dissolved, so that the image is released from the base sheet. Therefore, even if the initial adhesive force of the adhesive layer formed on the image is weak, it is easy to receive the image and press-transfer it to the substrate side without heating. It is sufficient to push the pressing force with a finger. Another role at the time of transfer of the adhesive layer is to hold the water transfer sheet so that there is no displacement. In general, an operation is performed by placing a transfer sheet on a substrate with the image on the bottom and the base sheet on the top. Accordingly, the weight of the base sheet acts in the direction in which the image is pressed and does not affect the horizontal displacement. Here, it can be understood that the purpose can be achieved even if the initial adhesive force is weak. In the transfer onto the curved surface, the water transfer sheet is easily peeled off when the base sheet is warped. Therefore, when the base sheet is paper, a thin paper of 120 μm or less is preferable. However, the paper warping force can be removed by applying moisture before spraying. Furthermore, when the substrate is a cylinder or the like, it can be considered that the transfer work is performed by rolling on the water transfer sheet. In this case, the image is easily transferred to the cylindrical object by applying moisture in advance to make the image free and rolling the cylindrical object at a low speed on the image. From the above, it can be said that the initial adhesive force of the adhesive layer for realizing the non-heat transfer may be as weak as the adhesive ink provided in the present invention. In the adhesive ink of the present invention, if the solid image layer printed is left for several minutes, the viscosity increases due to evaporation of the solvent. The actual transfer procedure includes image formation on the water transfer sheet, inkjet printing of the adhesive layer, leaving the wet ink on the image for a few minutes until it dries a little, pressing the image, applying moisture from the back of the water transfer sheet, The base sheet is peeled off. Water may be applied from the front and / or back of the water transfer sheet before the image is pressed and transferred.

  The adhesive ink of the present invention is not a temporary adhesive ink that newly attaches a bonding powder in order to obtain a final adhesive force. A strong final adhesive force can be obtained by the adhesive layer itself formed by printing. This is because the silica hybrid cured film is excellent in various properties such as transparency, high hardness, chemical resistance, water resistance, heat resistance and adhesion. The solvent containing the organic / inorganic hybrid composition includes an aqueous solvent, but the organic solvent is selected in the present invention. On a laser printer print image made of toner, water-based ink is bounced and scattered in a polka dot shape. This is because the solvent-based ink can cleanly cover the entire surface of the image and can firmly bond the entire surface of the image. The reason why the inorganic fine particle 100% dispersion solvent was not used in the adhesive ink of the present invention was that a wider base material range to be bonded was obtained. The organic / inorganic hybrid type, which has an affinity for both organic polymers and inorganic materials, adheres to a wide range of materials. The substrate to be printed extends to various plastics, glass, metal, leather, wood, paper, ceramics, rubber, non-woven fabrics and the like. If an appropriate resin such as polyurethane or acrylic is selected as the hybrid organic polymer, the adhesive layer can be flexible and can be transferred not only to hard materials but also to flexible materials such as rubber.

  The operation of the second problem solving means is as follows. If the image formed on the release sheet is not heated and pressed, the image cannot be released from the base sheet. This is because the force with which the image adheres to the release layer of the release sheet is much greater than when the water-soluble layer dissolves and the image floats. When heated and pressed, the adhesion force of the layer formed with the adhesive ink of the present invention to the substrate is superior and enables transfer. The adhesive ink of the present invention forms a strong adhesive layer by itself after being dried at room temperature or after being cured by heating and drying. Therefore, in order to obtain the final adhesive force, it is necessary to newly attach an adhesive powder. The same is true. Of course, the adhesion force is stronger than the adhesion force of the toner image itself without the adhesive ink layer of the conventional method to the printing material, and the adhesion to a wide range of materials is the same as in the case of the first problem solving means.

  The operation of the third problem solving means is as follows. The cured film after drying and curing is required to have a strong adhesion to both the image and the printing material. If the ratio of silica generated in the cured film is too low, the effect of the present invention cannot be obtained. If it is too high, cracks are likely to occur. Considering these, the silica concentration in the adhesive film layer was set to 5 wt% to 80 wt%. The standard pigment ink particle size on the market is said to be 200-300 nm. If it is too large, the inkjet printing ejection stability will be poor, and if it is too small, the color will be light. For the purpose of the invention, it is not necessary to consider the color density, and the silica single particle diameter dispersed and formed in the cured film is in the range of 1 to 100 nm. Although it is said that transparency exceeds 50 nm for coating applications, there is no problem even in this range because it is not attached to glass and seen through for the purpose of the present invention.

  The action of the fourth problem solving means is enhancement of the initial adhesive force of the adhesive layer provided by the present invention. The final adhesion does not change. That is, the initial adhesive force provided by the ink according to the third problem solving means utilizes the increase in viscosity due to evaporation of the solvent, and achieves the purpose but is weak. If a tackifier, a plasticizer, or the like is added to the adhesive ink, a new tack can be imparted. As a result, even if the level is the same, the initial adhesive force is increased, so that the transfer operation is facilitated.

  Although toner images to be printed by a laser printer have been mainly described, even hand-drawn images using screen printing, oil-based magic pens, etc., which are conventional techniques, can be transferred by the technique of the present invention. An inkjet printer can transfer images formed with water-based ink, UV ink, latex ink, and the like. The condition is that an image is formed on the water-soluble layer or the release layer. As the resin to be combined with the inorganic fine particles of the organic / inorganic hybrid composition, any of thermosetting or thermoplastic organic resins such as acrylic resins, ester resins, ketone resins, polyurethane resins, and the like can be used. The organic solvent is not particularly limited as long as it is a solvent that dissolves the organic / inorganic hybrid composition contained in the adhesive ink, but alcohol-based use is preferable. This is because the safety of handling, the working environment, the relatively low solubility and the low risk of dissolving the resin parts of the printer. Low boiling alcohols, medium boiling alcohols, and high boiling alcohols can be mixed, and it is easy to obtain the required evaporation rate. Adhesive inks are organic, inorganic, such as viscosity modifiers, leveling agents, antifoaming agents, colorants, stabilizers, solvents for preparing solubility, etc., depending on various purposes within the range not impairing the effects of the present invention. Various additives may be added as necessary. There is a method of forming the white layer of the image back using a white toner, but it is also possible to form a white adhesive layer by including a white pigment such as titanium oxide in the adhesive ink of the present invention.

  According to the present invention corresponding to the first problem, the present invention can be applied to a three-dimensional three-dimensional transfer object, the positioning of the image with respect to the transfer object is easy, the transfer can be performed without heating, and the transfer to a transfer object having a wide range of materials. On the other hand, an excellent effect that a sufficient final adhesive force can be obtained can be obtained.

  According to the present invention corresponding to the first problem and the second problem, as described above, according to the present invention, an adhesive layer can be formed by printing on an image formed on a transfer sheet, and the printed material can be printed. It is possible to provide a transfer printing method and an ink jet ink for ink jet printing that can be easily transferred even without heating and can provide sufficient adhesive strength to a wide range of substrates to be printed.

3 is a flowchart of an image transfer method according to the first embodiment of the present invention when an adhesive film is formed on the surface of an image layer. When the adhesive film is formed on the transfer target, the adhesive layer forming process may be performed at any timing as long as it is before the adhesion process. It is a figure which shows the transfer film in which an image layer is formed with the image transfer method in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a side view of a transfer film on which an image layer is formed, and (b) is a front view of the transfer film on which an image layer is formed. It is a figure which shows a mode that a transfer film is softened with the image transfer method in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a figure which shows a mode that a transfer film is softened using an ultrasonic water particle spray apparatus, (b) is a figure which shows a mode that a transfer film is softened using a constant temperature and humidity chamber. It is a figure which shows a mode that a transfer film is closely_contact | adhered to a to-be-transferred body by the image transfer method in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. (A) is sectional drawing which shows a mode that the transfer film has been arrange | positioned so that a to-be-transferred body may be opposed, (b) is sectional drawing which shows a mode that a to-be-transferred body and a transfer film begin to contact, (c ) Is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a transfer film is brought into close contact with a transfer target. It is a flowchart of the image transfer method in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention when forming an adhesive film in the image layer surface. When the adhesive film is formed on the transfer target, the adhesive layer forming process may be performed at any timing as long as it is before the adhesion process. It is a figure which shows a mode that a transfer film is predeformed by the image transfer method in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and the predeformed transfer film is made to contact | adhere to a to-be-transferred body. (A) is sectional drawing which shows a mode that the transfer film was arrange | positioned so as to oppose a female-type member, (b) is sectional drawing which shows a mode that the transfer film was adsorb | sucked to the female-type member, (c) , (D) is a cross-sectional view showing the state until the transfer film is brought into close contact with the transfer target in time series. It is a figure which shows the image transfer apparatus in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a side view of the image transfer apparatus in a state where the lid is open, and (b) is a side view of the image transfer apparatus in a state where the lid is closed. (A) is sectional drawing which the adhesive ink layer has mounted on the image on the transfer sheet which shows the 4th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view in which the transferred image is transferred to a printing material through an adhesive ink layer.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<1. First Embodiment>
The image transfer method according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The image transfer method according to the first embodiment of the present invention is a method in which a film body on which a transfer image is formed is brought into close contact with a transfer target body, and the transfer image is transferred to the transfer target body. The transferred material includes a three-dimensional solid shape.

<1-1. Film>
First, the film body used in the image transfer method according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The film body is formed into a film shape from a water-soluble material (hereinafter referred to as a water-soluble material). The water-soluble material is a material having a property of being dissolved in a liquid. Examples of the water-soluble material include polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), dextrin, and water-soluble polyurethane resin. However, the water-soluble material is not limited to this, and other water-soluble materials may be used. .

  In addition, the water-soluble material may be a material obtained by synthesizing or mixing a plurality of water-soluble materials such as polyvinyl alcohol, dextrin, and water-soluble polyurethane resin. In addition, the water-soluble material may be, for example, a material obtained by synthesizing or mixing a water-soluble material such as polyvinyl alcohol, dextrin, or a water-soluble polyurethane resin and a material having other properties.

  The film body may be formed as a single film, or may be a film-shaped resin coat formed by resin coating on a paper substrate. That is, the film body may be a single body or a complex formed with other base materials. In the following description, the film body is described as being a transfer film formed as a single film, but is not limited thereto. That is, the film body of the present invention may be a film body as a simple substance other than the above or a film body formed in a layer on another substrate.

<1-2. Image transfer method>
Next, the image transfer method according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the specific examples of FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 2A, the image layer 2 is formed with a colorant on the surface 3a of the transfer film 1 (image layer forming step: S100). As shown in FIG. 2B, the image layer 2 is a layer that constitutes a transfer image to be transferred to a transfer medium described later.

  The image layer 2 is formed on the surface 3a of the transfer film 1 using a gravure printing apparatus, an inkjet printing apparatus, a laser printing apparatus, or the like. The color material is not limited as long as the image layer 2 of the transfer film 1 is brought into close contact with the transfer target, and the transfer material can be transferred to the transfer target. A pigment toner or the like is preferable.

  Next, an adhesive film is formed of an adhesive material on the image layer surface 2a of the transfer film 1 or at least one of the transfer objects (adhesive film forming step: S101). That is, an adhesive film is formed on the image layer surface 2a of the transfer film 1 or the transfer target, or the image layer surface 2a of the transfer film 1 and the transfer target. Thereby, it becomes possible to adhere | attach the transfer film 1 and a to-be-transferred body.

  As an adhesive material, for the purpose of firmly bonding to a wide variety of materials of a transfer object, for example, an organic solvent containing an organic / inorganic hybrid composition that can obtain a silica hybrid cured film after drying and curing is preferable. Further, the organic solvent preferably has a silica concentration of 5 wt% to 80 wt% and a single particle diameter in the range of 1 to 100 nm. If a material suitable for each material constituting the transfer object is selected, various general paints can be used as the adhesive material.

  Examples of the method for forming the adhesive film include, but are not limited to, a method of forming the adhesive film on the transfer film 1 by printing with an ink jet printer using the organic solvent as an adhesive ink. . As a method for forming the adhesive film, for example, a spray coating method, a roller coating method, a brush coating method, or the like may be used. Further, an adhesive film may be formed on the transfer object. Moreover, you may form an adhesive film in both the transfer film 1 and a to-be-transferred body.

  Next, the transfer film 1 is softened (softening step: S102). Thereby, the transfer film 1 is softened and easily deformed, and is easily adhered along the shape of the transfer target. In the softening process of S102, if the transfer is performed manually, only one end of the transfer film 1 on the image side is attached to the transfer object via an adhesive film, and the transfer film 1 is not attached to the transfer object. The remaining portion is pulled up into the air by an operator, and water particles are sprayed on the remaining portion by an ultrasonic humidifier. Further, in the softening step of S102 using the apparatus, the transfer film 1 is left for a certain time in a space where the sprayed water particles are present.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), the transfer film 1 having a top plate, a hole 4b provided in the bottom plate 4a, and a box 4 provided with holes 4d in the side plate 4c is sandwiched by a frame 4e. Set instead of the top board. Further, an ultrasonic water particle spraying device 5 having a water particle discharge port 5a is disposed immediately below the bottom plate 4a of the box 4. An example of the ultrasonic water particle spray device 5 is an ultrasonic humidifier. The ultrasonic water particle spray device 5 discharges water particles from the water particle discharge port 5a. And the water particle discharge port 5a is arrange | positioned so that a water particle may flow in into the box 4 from the hole 4b.

  When the ultrasonic water particle spraying device 5 is operated, water particles are sprayed in a space 4 f surrounded by the box 4 and the transfer film 1. At this time, since some of the water particles are discharged from the holes 4d of the side plate 4c, the density of the water particles in the space 4f is kept constant. Thereby, water particles adhere to and permeate the back surface 3b of the transfer film 1, and the transfer film 1 is softened.

  The sprayed water particles may be attached to both sides of the transfer film 1 or may be attached to one side of the transfer film 1. In particular, the sprayed water particles are preferably attached only to the back surface 3 b of the transfer film 1. If the sprayed water particles adhere to the image layer surface 2a which is the surface of the image layer 2 (hereinafter, the surface of the image layer is referred to as the image layer surface), depending on the colorant used, image bleeding may occur. is there.

  Further, when water particles having a large diameter adhere to the back surface 3b of the transfer film 1, the water particles are connected and aggregated. Eventually, it becomes large water droplets, and the transfer film 1 melts and many holes are opened. Thereby, the transfer film 1 is cut and the image formed on the transfer film 1 is destroyed. In order to prevent the above, the ultrasonic water particle spraying device 5 that sprays fine water particles is used as described above. If it is fine water particles, even if it adheres to the transfer film 1, aggregation hardly occurs. As a result, since fine water particles penetrate into the transfer film 1 while being dispersed, the entire transfer film 1 becomes soft at a uniform softening level. Further, if the water particles are fine, it is not necessary to soften the transfer film 1 excessively, so that even if the transfer film 1 is pulled and stretched, it cannot be broken. Further, when the transfer film 1 that is moderately softened is pressed against the uneven surface of the transfer object with a finger, the image can be transferred to a three-dimensional solid object by being deformed following the surface shape.

  When the diameter of the water particles is about 100 μm or more, the water particles become so large that they begin to fall down against the air resistance / updraft. As a result, when water particles adhere to the transfer film 1, aggregation tends to occur. For this reason, it is preferable that the diameter of a water particle is about 100 micrometers or less, for example.

  Moreover, the softening process may leave the transfer film 1 in the vaporization type or steam type constant temperature and humidity chamber 6 for a certain period of time as shown in FIG. 3B, for example. Note that the transfer film 1 is arranged so that the water particles adhere only to the back surface 3 b of the transfer film 1 when the constant temperature and humidity chamber 6 is used as in the case where the ultrasonic water particle spray device 5 is used. The use of the constant temperature and humidity chamber 6 is more useful than the case of using the ultrasonic water particle spraying device 5 because the water particles can be controlled more finely and aggregation due to adhesion of water particles can be less likely to occur.

  Even if it is necessary in the process, it is not always necessary to incorporate the ultrasonic water particle spraying device 5 and the constant temperature and humidity device 6 in the image transfer device, and it may be installed outside. In addition, the above softening process is performed as needed and is not an essential process. For example, when the transfer film 1 having a stretchability by adding a plasticizer is used, the above softening step may not be performed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the transfer film 1 and the transfer target 10 are brought into close contact with each other by the action of pressure or negative pressure (contact step: S103). When the transfer film 1 and the transfer target 10 are brought into close contact with each other, the image layer 2 formed on the transfer film 1 is bonded to the transfer target 10 by an adhesive force of an adhesive film (not shown). In FIG. 4, the adhesive film is formed on the image layer surface 2 a of the transfer film 1 although not shown.

  In the adhesion process, for example, as shown in FIG. 4A, first, the transfer film 1 and the transfer target 1 are first arranged so that the image layer surface 2 a of the transfer film 1 and the image transfer surface 11 of the transfer target 10 face each other. The body 10 is arranged. In the following description, the direction in which the image layer surface 2a and the image transfer surface 11 of the transfer target 10 face each other is referred to as a surface facing direction (arrow F direction).

  In order to do the above, for example, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), a housing 17 formed of a hollow column member, a first member holding portion 12, a second member holding portion 13, An image transfer device 15 composed of a first pump 18a and a second pump 18b is used. The second member holding portion 13 has a placement surface 13a on which a member such as the transfer target 10 can be placed. Further, the first member holding portion 12 has a structure capable of holding a member such as the transfer film 1 so as to face the mounting surface 13a substantially directly in parallel with each other. Examples of such a first member holding portion 12 include frame bodies 12 a and 12 b that sandwich the outer edge of the transfer film 1 from the direction perpendicular to the surface of the transfer film 1 in a state substantially parallel to the placement surface 13 a. The frame bodies 12a and 12b are arranged so as to be able to perform the sandwiching operation along the inner wall surface of the housing 17, for example.

  Further, the second member holding unit 13 is configured to be movable in the length direction (surface facing direction) of the housing 17 by a relative movement mechanism (not shown). Further, the first member holding unit 12 is configured integrally with the casing 17 so as to be movable in the length direction (surface facing direction) of the casing 17 by a relative movement mechanism (not shown). That is, the housing 17, the first member holding portion 12, and the second member holding portion 13 are configured to be able to move relative to each other in a relationship such as a cylinder and a piston.

  When the transfer film is set on the first member holding portion 12 having the above-described configuration, the internal space of the housing 17 is divided into two with the transfer film as a boundary. Among them, one internal space A is a sealed space formed on the upper side in the length direction of the housing 17 (on the first member holding portion 12 side) than the first member holding portion 12 (transfer film). The other internal space B is a sealed space formed on the lower side in the length direction of the housing 17 (on the second member holding portion 13 side) than the first member holding portion 12 (transfer film).

  The first pump 18a and the second pump 18b apply negative pressure to the internal spaces A and B, respectively. Although not shown, the housing 17 may be provided with an intake port for taking in compressed air from the compressor. If compressed air is introduced into the housing 17 at an appropriate timing through the intake port, the transfer film 1 is pressurized to one or more atmospheric pressures toward the transfer target by the compressed air, and the transfer film 1 at the time of transfer is transferred. Speed of movement can be increased.

  The flow of the contact process using the image transfer apparatus 15 as described above will be described below. FIG. 4A is a diagram in which the transfer target 10 is set at a position away from the transfer film 1 by a predetermined distance L1.

  When the transfer film 1 comes into contact with the transfer body 10 so that the air between the transfer film 1 and the transfer body 10 can easily be expelled, such as the shape of the transfer body 10 is a hemisphere, the internal space of the housing 17 A negative pressure may be applied to the internal space B while A is kept at atmospheric pressure. On the other hand, when the transfer target 10 has a shape that can easily trap air, it is preferable that negative pressure is applied to both the internal spaces A and B before the transfer film 1 contacts the transfer target 10. By doing so, since the internal space B can be brought close to a vacuum, the risk that air is trapped and bubbles are formed between the transfer film 1 and the transfer target 10 can be reduced.

  Next, in order to bring the transfer film 1 into contact with the transfer target 10, the path of negative pressure application by the first pump 18 a is cut and the internal space A is opened to atmospheric pressure, or compressed air from the compressor is taken in. FIG. 4B shows a state in the process of closely attaching the transfer film 1 to the transfer target 10 in a state where the outer edge region of the first member holding portion 12 is held. In the adhesion process, only the transfer film 1 may be lowered to the lower side in the length direction of the housing 17 by a suction force. Furthermore, in the contact process, the transfer target 10 on the second member holding unit 13 may be simultaneously moved upward in the longitudinal direction of the housing 17 (transfer film 1 side). In this case, the transfer film 1 is pushed upward in the length direction of the housing 17 by the transfer target 10 in a state where the outer edge region of the transfer film 1 is held by the first member holding portion 12.

  The softened transfer film 1 extends toward the transfer target 10 by suction or pressing. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 4B, the second member holding portion 13 continues to move, and moves, for example, from the initial position P1 to the intermediate position P2.

  When the application of the pressure and the movement of the members are continued and the second member holding portion 13 moves to the final position P3, the transfer film 1 further extends, and as shown in FIG. Cover the surface. Thereby, the transfer film 1 adheres to the transfer target 10 via the adhesive film.

  Further, although the description has been made centering on the mode in which the contact process in step S103 is performed by the image transfer device 15, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be realized by using other devices. Further, the application timing of the negative pressure of the first pump 18a or the second pump 18b performed in the contact process may be determined by the operator, or may be determined by the control unit of the image transfer device 15 using various sensors. Also good.

  Next, the transfer film 1 is removed (transfer film removal step: S104). When the transfer film 1 is removed, only the image layer 2 remains on the transfer target 10 in a bonded state. In order to remove the transfer film 1, for example, there are a method of removing the transfer film 1 by external force and a method of removing the transfer film 1 by dissolving it with a liquid.

  An example of a method of removing the transfer film 1 by peeling off with an external force includes an aspect in which an operator holds the transfer film 1 in a state of being adhered to the transfer target 10 by hand. Note that the timing at which the transfer film 1 is peeled off from the transferred object 10 is such that the first adhesive force between the image layer 2 and the transferred object 10 exceeds the second adhesive force between the transfer film 1 and the image layer 2. After that. This is because the image layer 2 is peeled off from the transfer target 10 before this. In order to shorten the time, without waiting for the improvement of the first adhesive force, the transfer film may be cut into a large size with the transfer film covered, and the film may be removed outside the apparatus.

  The determination as to whether or not the first adhesive force exceeds the second adhesive force may be performed based on the hand feeling at that time when the transfer film 1 is actually gripped by the operator's hand, For example, the time when the first adhesive force exceeds the second adhesive force is examined in advance, and the determination may be performed based on the time. When the above determination is made based on the above time, the timing at which the transfer film 1 is peeled from the transfer target 10 is after the lapse of the above time.

  Moreover, the method of melt | dissolving and removing the transfer film 1 with a liquid applies a liquid to the transfer film 1 in the state adhere | attached on the to-be-transferred material 10 using the liquid supply apparatus, for example. Thereby, the transfer film 1 is melted, and the image layer 2 remains on the transfer target 10.

  As described above, according to the image transfer method of the present embodiment, the transfer film 1 is not excessively swollen and dissolved by the liquid before transfer. That is, it is handled as a solid film, firmly positioned, and held by the first member holding portion 12. Further, the transfer film 1 at the time of transfer sufficiently expands and contracts to follow the three-dimensional solid shape. In addition, according to the image transfer method of the present embodiment, an image composed of pigment is transferred via an adhesive film, not an image is transferred due to dye penetration into a material constituting the transfer target. It is possible to transfer an image having high light resistance.

<2. Second Embodiment>
The image transfer method according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the specific example of FIG. 6 focusing on the flowchart of FIG. In the image transfer method according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the transfer film on which the transfer image is formed is preliminarily deformed according to the shape of the image transfer surface of the transfer object, and then brought into close contact with the transfer object. Thus, the image layer is transferred to the transfer target. The transfer film used in the image transfer method in the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as the transfer film used in the image transfer method in the first embodiment, and has already been described above. Description is omitted.

  In the image transfer method according to the second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, first, an image forming step (S200), an adhesive layer forming step (S201), and a softening step (S202) are performed. The image forming step (S200), the adhesive layer forming step (S201), and the softening step (S202) are the image forming step (S100), the adhesive layer forming step (S101) of the image transfer method according to the first embodiment of the present invention, Since it is the same as the softening step (S102) and has already been described above, the description thereof is omitted.

  When the softening step (S202) is completed, the transfer film is then deformed so that the transfer film is recessed toward the back side of the transfer film to form a concave deformation region (transfer film deformation step: S203). Advantages obtained by preliminarily deforming the transfer film as described above before contact with the transfer target are as follows: the degree of image deformation is reduced, image displacement is prevented, and air is transferred between the transfer film and the transfer target. For example, it is possible to reduce defects that are trapped.

  A preferred embodiment of the above preliminary deformation will be described below. It is preferable that the transfer film is preliminarily deformed so that a large concave region capable of covering the transfer target is formed. For example, when the image is transferred with the central part of the transfer film with the image in close contact with the bottom surface of the rectangular parallelepiped member, the transfer film that is not preliminarily deformed is in close contact with the bottom surface of the rectangular parallelepiped member. The transfer film is pulled at the side surface of the rectangular parallelepiped member. As a result, the central image is pulled and greatly deformed. If the transfer film is preliminarily deformed into a large rectangular parallelepiped shape, the portion of the transfer film away from the central image can be stretched. When the preliminarily deformed transfer film is adsorbed to the rectangular parallelepiped member, the side surface is brought into close contact so that the degree of deformation of the image is reduced. Therefore, the preliminary deformation of the transfer film is an effective method for reducing the degree of image deformation.

  In addition, if the transfer target has a shape that is less likely to cause air trapping between the transfer film and the transfer target, the transfer film slides on the transfer target by preliminarily deforming the transfer target. Thus, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of image shift. Further, it is preferable that the transfer film is in close contact with the transfer target in a state where the center of the transfer film hangs in a convex shape. If the part that hangs down in the central convex shape comes into contact with the transfer target first, the periphery of the convex part will contact the transfer target in order to expel air, so the transfer film and the transfer target The risk of trapping air bubbles between the bodies is reduced.

  A specific transfer film deformation step for expelling air between the transfer film and the transfer target is performed by using the female member 20 having the concave region 2b as shown in FIG. 6A, for example. To do. The concave region 2b is preferably in a shape that can cover at least the periphery of the image transfer surface 19a of the transfer body 19, but is not limited thereto. Further, as shown in FIG. 6A, the concave surface 21 forming the concave region 2b has a central portion 21a on the lower side in the length direction (surface facing direction) of the housing 17 (on the second member holding portion 13 side). It is preferably convex toward the side.

  In the transfer film deformation step, the transfer film 1 is deformed so that the transfer film 1 is along the concave surface 21 constituting the concave region 2b. In addition, as shown to Fig.6 (a), in this embodiment, the to-be-transcribed body 19 is a rectangular parallelepiped member.

  First, as shown in FIG. 6A, the transfer film 1 is set on the first member holding portion 12 by an operator (not shown), and the housing 17 is positioned above the first member holding portion 12 in the height direction. The female member 20 is set on the third member holding portion 14 provided.

  The female member 20 is set on the third member holding portion 14 so that the concave surface 21 faces the lower side (second member holding portion 13 side) in the height direction (surface facing direction) of the housing 17. The third member holding portion 14 is provided in a space corresponding to the internal space A when described in the first embodiment. The female member 20 is disposed so that the concave surface 21 faces the back surface 3 b of the transfer film 1. At this time, the transfer film 1 and the female member 20 are arranged so that the distance of the closest part between the back surface 3b and the concave surface 21 is a predetermined distance. Note that the direction in which the concave surface 21 and the back surface 3b face each other is also the surface facing direction.

  After the transfer film 1 and the female mold member 20 are set as described above, negative pressure is applied to the internal space A of the housing 17 by the first pump 18a. As a result, the transfer film 1 is sucked toward the concave surface 21 constituting the concave region 2 b of the female member 20 in a state where the outer edge region of the transfer film 1 is held by the first member holding portion 12.

  Since the transfer film 1 is softened in the softening process, it is easily stretched when a force is applied. When the transfer film 1 continues to be sucked toward the concave surface 21 by the first pump 18a or the second pump 18b, the transfer film 1 gradually expands to increase the surface area and approaches the concave surface 21. Finally, the transfer film 1 covers the concave surface 21 as shown in FIG. As a result, the transfer film 1 comes into close contact with the female member 20 and is deformed.

  Note that the female member 20 is mainly formed of, for example, a porous material having a continuous air hole or a mesh material having a mesh so that the negative pressure applied by the first pump 18a reaches the transfer film 1. Accordingly, the transfer film 1 can be sucked toward the female member 20 by the first pump 18a.

  In parallel with the operation in which the transfer film 1 is attracted to the concave surface 21 as described above, the second member holding portion 13 is relatively moved by a relative movement mechanism (not shown), and as shown in FIG. The transfer target 19 may approach the transfer film 1 (relative movement step: S204).

  When the adsorption of the transfer film 1 to the concave surface 21 is completed, next, as shown in FIGS. 6 (c) and 6 (d), the preliminarily deformed transfer film 1 and the transfer object are applied by the action of pressure or negative pressure. 19 (contact process: S205).

  In order to expel air between the transfer film 1 and the transfer target, it is preferable that the suction to the female member 20 is not released before the negative pressure is applied by the second pump 18b. When the transfer film 1 and the transfer target 19 are in contact with each other, or when the distance between the transfer film 1 and the transfer target 19 reaches a predetermined distance, the adsorption of the transfer film 1 to the female member 20 is released. Is done. Thus, the transfer film 1 is sucked toward the transfer target 19 by the second pump 18b.

  If the adsorption release in the regions 25 and 26 is delayed, the transfer film 1 can be easily brought into contact with the transfer body 19 from the convex central portion 1c of the transfer film 1 as shown in FIG. Then, the periphery of the convex central portion 1c sequentially contacts the transfer body 19 so as to expel air. Thereby, the risk of trapping air bubbles between the transfer film 1 and the transfer target 19 is reduced. In order to delay the suction release of the regions 25 and 26 from other places, it is possible to provide a partition inside the female member 20 and to divide a path for applying a negative pressure to be connected.

  The softened transfer film 1 extends toward the transfer target 10 by suction or pressing. At the same time, as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C, the second member holding portion 13 may continue to move, for example, from the initial position P4 to the intermediate positions P5 and P6. . When the intermediate position 1P is reached, the central portion 1c of the transfer film 1 is located on the upper side in the length direction of the housing 17 (on the first member holding portion 12 side) by the transfer body 19 held by the second member holding portion 13. It begins to be pushed to.

  When the application of the above pressure and the movement of the member are continued and the second member holding portion 13 moves to the final position P7, the transfer film 1 further expands, as shown in FIG. Cover the surface of the body 19. As a result, the transfer film 1 is in close contact with the transfer target 19 via the adhesive film.

  Next, a transfer film removing step is performed (S206). The transfer film removal step (S206) is the same as the transfer film removal step (S104) of the image transfer method in the first embodiment of the present invention, and since it has already been described above, its description is omitted. .

  Further, although the description has been made centering on the mode performed by the image transfer apparatus 15 from the transfer film deformation process in step S203 to the adhesion process in step S205, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be realized using other apparatuses. Also good. The timing at which each step is performed may be determined by the operator, or may be determined by the control unit of the image transfer apparatus 15 using various sensors.

  As described above, in the image transfer method of the present embodiment, the transfer film 1 is preliminarily deformed in accordance with the shape of the image transfer surface 19a of the transfer object 19, so that the transfer formed on the transfer film 1 is performed. The transferred image can be transferred to the transfer object 19 without giving a large stress to the image. In particular, in the image transfer method of the present embodiment, an image can be transferred to a transfer target such as a three-dimensional solid object with high positional accuracy.

<3. Third Embodiment>
Next, an image transfer apparatus 30 capable of realizing the above image transfer method will be described with reference to FIG. The image transfer device 30 includes a first member holding unit 12, a second member holding unit 13, a third member holding unit 14, a contact mechanism unit 31, an operation unit 32, a control unit 33, and the above-described units. A housing 37 for housing and a swing mechanism 34 are provided.

  The housing 37 includes a main body portion 37a and a lid portion 37b. The swing mechanism 34 includes a swing shaft 34a and a swing arm 34b. The swing shaft 34a is disposed on the main body base 34c. One end of the swing arm 34b is pivotally attached to the swing shaft 34a. A rotating shaft 35 is disposed on the swing arm 34b. The lid portion 37b is rotatably attached to the rotation shaft 35. When the swing arm 34b is turned about the swing shaft 34a, the lid portion 37b opens and closes the ceiling surface 37c of the main body portion 37a as shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b). To move. When the ceiling surface 37c of the main body portion 37a is closed by the lid portion 37b, the inside of the housing 37 is sealed.

  For example, the first member holding portion 12, the second member holding portion 13, the close contact mechanism portion 31, and the control portion 33 are accommodated in the main body portion 37a in order from the ceiling surface 37c side. Further, the third member holding portion 14 is accommodated in the lid portion 37b. The transfer film and the transfer target are respectively held by the first member holding unit 12 and the second member holding unit 13 so that the image layer surface of the transfer film and the image transfer surface of the transfer target face each other. For this reason, the 1st member holding part 12 and the 2nd member holding part 13 are arrange | positioned along the length direction (up-down direction) of the housing | casing 37, as shown to Fig.7 (a).

  The first member holding unit 12 holds a member such as a transfer film. As an example of a holding mode of the transfer film or the like in the first member holding unit 12, for example, a mode in which the outer edge of the transfer film 1 is sandwiched from the front side and the back side of the transfer film 1 with a pair of frames having a square shape. Although it is mentioned, it is not limited to this, Other holding | maintenance aspects may be sufficient.

  The second member holding unit 13 has a mounting surface 13a, and holds the transferred object by placing the transferred object on the mounting surface 13a. As a holding mode of the transferred body in the second member holding unit 13, a mode in which the transferred body is simply mounted on the mounting surface 13a, and a mode in which the transferred body is fixed on the mounting surface 13a by a fixing mechanism that the second member holding unit 13 has. Although an example is mentioned, it is not limited to this, The other holding | maintenance aspect may be sufficient. The second member holding unit 13 is configured to be movable in the inner space of the housing 37 in the length direction (vertical direction) of the housing 37.

  The relative movement mechanism 36 moves the second member holding portion 13 relative to the first member holding portion 12 along the length direction (vertical direction) of the casing 37. The relative movement mechanism 36 is composed of, for example, a piston and a cylinder. The piston tip is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the second member holding portion 13, and the second member holding portion 13 is moved by an operation along the length direction (vertical direction) of the casing 37 of the piston. In addition, the structure of the piston and cylinder of the relative movement mechanism 36 is an example, Comprising: It is not limited to this, Other structures may be sufficient.

  The third member holding portion 14 holds members such as the female member 20. The female member 20 is held by the third member holding portion 14 so that the concave region 2b of the female member 20 faces the first member holding portion 12 side. As a holding mode of the female member 20 in the third member holding portion 14, for example, the female member 20 is installed on the installation surface 14a provided in the lid portion 37b shown in FIG. Although the aspect which fixes and hold | maintains the female-type member 20 to the installation surface 14a with a mechanism (for example, screwing) is mentioned as an example, it is not limited to this, Other holding | maintenance aspects may be sufficient.

  The contact mechanism unit 31 brings the image layer surface of the transfer film and the image transfer surface of the transfer target into close contact with each other by the action of pressure or negative pressure. The close contact mechanism unit 31 includes, for example, a first pump 38a, a second pump 38b, and a relative movement mechanism 36. When the internal volume of the housing 37 is sufficiently small, one of the first pump 38a and the second pump 38b may be used. When only the first pump 38a (or the second pump 38b) is used, the pressure passage extending from the first pump 38a (or the second pump 38b) is branched to the main body portion 37a side and the lid portion 37b side.

  The first pump 38 a applies negative pressure to the inside of the housing 37 from the upper side in the length direction of the housing 37 (the lid portion 37 b) than the first member holding portion 12. Specifically, the first pump 38 a is disposed so that the transfer film can be adsorbed to the concave region 2 b of the female member 20 held by the third member holding portion 14.

  The second pump 38 b applies a negative pressure to the inside of the housing 37 from the lower side in the length direction of the housing 37 (main body portion 37 a) than the first member holding portion 12. Specifically, the second pump 38 b is disposed so as to be able to suck air from the lower side in the length direction of the housing 37 (the body portion 37 a) than the second member holding portion 13. The first pump 38a and the second pump 38b as described above are configured by, for example, a vacuum pump.

  Further, an intake port (not shown) capable of taking in compressed air from an external compressor may be provided in any of the casings 37. If the transfer film is pressed toward the transfer target by compressed air supplied from an external compressor through an intake port (not shown), the transfer speed of the transfer film can be increased.

  For example, the operation unit 32 receives an operation on each of the above-described units (for example, the relative movement mechanism 36, the first pump 38a, and the second pump 38b) and transmits an operation signal corresponding to the operation to the control unit 33. The control unit 33 receives the operation signal and gives a command corresponding to the operation signal to each unit.

  Further, the image transfer device 30 may be separately provided with a water particle spraying unit (not shown) having a structure capable of spraying water particles on at least one surface of the transfer film. As the spray mode of the water particles, for example, those that can be used in the softening step (S102, S202) in the image transfer method in the first and second embodiments of the present invention are preferable.

  Further, the image transfer apparatus 30 may be separately provided with a liquid supply unit (not shown) for supplying a liquid. Examples of the liquid supply mode include a liquid supply mode that can be used in the transfer film removal step (S104, S206).

  The image transfer device 30 includes a transfer film deformation unit that deforms the transfer film so that the transfer film is recessed toward the back side of the transfer film. In the image transfer device 30, the transfer film deforming portion includes the female member 20 held by the third member holding portion 14, at least one of the first pump 38 a and the second pump 38 b, and the housing 37. I can see.

  The female member in the transfer film deforming portion is the same as the female member 20 described in the image transfer method in the second embodiment, and since it has already been described, the description thereof is omitted. Moreover, as a deformation | transformation aspect of the transfer film in a transfer film deformation | transformation part, as demonstrated with the image transfer method (refer FIG. 6) of 2nd Embodiment, a pressure is made to act on the concave surface 21 of the female-type member 20, for example. The thing which deform | transforms by making the transfer film 1 contact | adhere is mentioned.

  In addition, the image transfer apparatus of the other aspect provided with the contact | adherence mechanism part 31 and at least one of the water particle spray part or the transfer film deformation | transformation part is also contained in this invention. Further, the first member holding portion 12 and the second member holding portion 13 are member holding portions that hold the transfer film and the transfer target so that the image layer formed on the surface of the transfer film and the transfer target face each other. You may catch together. Moreover, the 3rd member holding | maintenance part 14 may be added to a member holding | maintenance part.

<4. Fourth Embodiment>
In FIG. 8A, reference numeral 51 denotes a transfer sheet base, on which a water-soluble layer or a release layer 52 is applied. The adhesive ink layer 54 covering the image 53 formed on the water-soluble layer or release layer 52 is formed by printing slightly larger than the image 53 by inkjet. FIG. 8B shows the substrate 55 after image transfer. Since it is after transfer, the vertical relationship between the water-soluble layer or release layer 52 and the image 53 is opposite to that shown in FIG. Common products used in the examples are as follows. The laser printer used was C-841dn (trademark, Oki Data), and the inkjet printer used was PX-1004 (trademark, Seiko Epson). As the water transfer sheet, 110 μm-thick “water transfer paper B” (trademark, sold by Sanryu Co., Ltd.), in which a dextrin water-soluble layer 52 was applied to one side of the transfer sheet base 51, was used. It is a common water transfer paper used for transferring inorganic pigment images to earthenware. As the release sheet, a 120 μm-thick transfer paper TP for laser printer (trademark, sold by Sanryu Co., Ltd.) having a silicon-impregnated release layer 52 formed on one side of the transfer sheet base 51 was used. It is a general transfer paper that transfers toner images to earthenware or metal hard materials other than cloth. There is no hot melt coating layer that transfers together with the images, and it is a type of transfer paper on which only the toner images are transferred. As the tackifier, alcohol-soluble YS Polyster T100 (trademark, sold by Yasuhara Chemical Co., Ltd.) was used.

  Juliano U201 (trademark, Arakawa Chemical Industries, Ltd.), which is a combination of a polyurethane-based resin in which a silica fine particle of several nm is dispersed and formed in a cured film by 21% by weight and inorganic fine particles, is selected as an organic-inorganic hybrid composition 2-Ethoxyethanol and 2-propanol were added at a ratio of 40 cc to 20 cc to produce a total of 100 cc of adhesive ink. This ink was mounted on the PX-1004, and an image (adhesive layer 54) that was 1 mm larger than the image was printed on the image 53 printed with C-841dn on the water transfer sheet water-soluble layer 52. After leaving this for 3 minutes, the image side was pressed against a glass plate (printed material 55), wiped with a sponge soaked with water from the back side, and left for another 3 minutes. When the base sheet 51 of the water transfer paper B was slowly turned, the image was transferred cleanly. In order to obtain the final strength, after performing the heat curing treatment at 130 ° C. for 1 hour, it passed a scratch test with a nail and a peel test with an adhesive tape. Furthermore, the image that was transferred to a flexible polyurethane resin plate and heat-cured was adhered to the image without causing cracks because the image flexibly followed the deformation of the substrate.

  In the case of Example 1, what was left for 10 minutes after printing the adhesive layer 54 was too dry to transfer. The adhesive layer 54 printed by adding 7% by weight of YS polystar T100 to the ink prepared in Example 1 maintains the adhesive strength even after being left for 10 minutes. The adhesive strength of the adhesive layer 54 was higher than that of the adhesive layer 54. If you want to leave it for a longer time, you can add a high-boiling point alcohol that slows evaporation. There was no effect on the ink ejection stability during ink jet printing, and it was effective in enhancing the initial adhesive strength. The final adhesion was the same as in Example 1.

  Solvent-based Glasca HPC7506A (trademark, JSR), which is a combination of an inorganic resin and an acrylic resin in which 70 to 80% by weight of silica fine particles of several nm to several tens of nm are dispersedly formed, is selected as an organic / inorganic hybrid composition. In addition, isopropyl alcohol and 2-ethoxyethanol were added in a ratio of 33 cc to 33 cc of Grasca to produce a total of 99 cc of adhesive ink. In order to obtain the final strength by performing printing and transfer in the same manner as in Example 1, a heat curing treatment was performed at 120 ° C. for 30 minutes. Similar good results were obtained.

Comparative example

  Instead of the organic / inorganic hybrid composition, a super glass barrier (trademark, sketch company) stock solution in which 100% of inorganic fine particles in which 90% by weight or more of silica is formed in the cured layer is dispersed in an organic solvent is used as an adhesive ink. An attempt was made to perform printing and transfer in the same manner as in Example 1, but transfer was not possible. If an organic polymer is present, a certain amount of adhesive strength is obtained by solvent evaporation, but the initial adhesive strength cannot be obtained with only inorganic fine particles and a solvent. In order to confirm the final adhesive strength, printing and transfer were performed by adding 15% by weight of a tackifier. Even after natural drying and after heat curing at 200 ° C. for 1 hour, it adhered to the glass substrate, but what was transferred to the flexible polyurethane resin plate was easily broken and easily dropped off by scratching the nails. It was judged that it did not meet the purpose of the present invention to finally obtain a sufficient adhesive force for a wide range of printed materials.

  With the spread of digital printing in the world, design expressions have become diversified and individualized, and printing has been performed from mass production to single-use items. The present invention is a low-priced technology that eliminates the need for expensive transfer equipment, and can be used by a general store in the town to exchange various gifts from package printing to exchange of gifts between individuals. In addition, if a system capable of printing by transferring an ink jet printer to the site, it can be used for on-site transfer of wall materials of existing buildings.

  The embodiment of the present invention shows an example for embodying the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this. Various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Transfer film 2 Image layer 2a Image layer surface 2b Concave area 3a Transfer film surface 3b Transfer film back surface 5 Ultrasonic water particle spraying device 6 Constant temperature and humidity chamber 10, 19 Transfer object 11 Image transfer surface 12 First member holding Portions 12a, 12b, 14a, 14b, 14f Frame 13 Second member holding portion 13a Placement surface 14 Third member holding portion 16 Liquid supply device 17, 37 Housing 18a, 38a First pump 18b, 38b Second pump 19a Image transfer surface 20, 20a, 24, 24a, 40, 70, 74, 76 Female member 21, 25, 25a, 41, 71, 75 Concave surface 22 Open surface 30 Image transfer device 31 Adhesion mechanism unit 32 Operation unit 33 Control unit 34 Oscillation mechanism 36 Relative movement mechanism 51 Transfer sheet base sheet 52 Water-soluble layer or release layer 53 Image 54 Adhesive ink layer 55 Printed matter

Claims (16)

An image layer forming step of forming an image layer constituting a transfer image with a colorant on the surface of a film body formed into a film shape with a water-soluble material;
An adhesive film forming step of forming an adhesive film with an adhesive material on at least one of the surface of the image layer or the transfer target; and
A softening step of softening the film body by attaching water particles to at least one surface of the film body, or a film body deformation step of deforming the film body so that the film body is recessed toward the back side of the film body. At least one of the steps,
An adhesion step in which the film body that has undergone the at least one step and the transferred object are brought into close contact with each other by the action of pressure or negative pressure;
With
The transfer image is transferred to the transfer object by the image layer being bonded to the image transfer surface of the transfer object via the adhesive film by the contact in the contact process.
Image transfer method. In the case where the film body deformation step is performed, in the contact step, the transferred objects are brought into close contact with each other by approaching into a concave deformation region of the film body,
The image transfer method according to claim 1. In the film body deformation step, at least a part of the back surface of the film body is brought into close contact with at least a part of the concave surface constituting the concave region of the female member having a concave region by the action of pressure or negative pressure. The film body is deformed so that the film body is recessed,
The image transfer method according to claim 1 or 2. The diameter of the water particles in the softening step is approximately 100 μm or less,
The image transfer method according to claim 1. The water-soluble material is composed of any one of polyvinyl alcohol, dextrin, water-soluble urethane, a composite thereof, or a mixture thereof.
The image transfer method according to claim 1. The adhesive film is formed of an organic solvent containing an organic / inorganic hybrid composition from which a silica hybrid cured film is obtained after drying and curing,
The image transfer method according to claim 1. The adhesive film is formed by printing with a printer using the organic solvent as an adhesive ink,
The image transfer method according to claim 6. The organic solvent is characterized in that the concentration of silica dispersed in the silica hybrid cured film is 5 wt% to 80 wt%, and the single particle diameter is in the range of 1 to 100 nm.
The image transfer method according to claim 6 or 7. An image transfer apparatus for transferring an image layer formed on the surface of a film body formed into a film shape from a water-soluble material to an object to be transferred via an adhesive film,
Of a water particle spraying part having a structure capable of spraying water particles on at least one surface of the film body, or a film body deforming part for deforming the film body so that the film body is recessed toward the back side of the film body At least one,
An adhesion mechanism unit that closely contacts the film body treated with at least one of the water particle spraying part or the film body deforming part and the transferred object by the action of pressure or negative pressure;
Characterized by comprising
Image transfer device. The film body deforming portion is
A female member having a concave region;
A pump that applies at least a part of the back surface of the film body to at least a part of the concave surface constituting the concave region by applying the positive pressure or the negative pressure;
With
The film body is deformed by the close contact,
The image transfer apparatus according to claim 9. The water particle spraying part is constituted by an ultrasonic humidifier capable of spraying the water particles having a diameter of approximately 100 μm or less,
The image transfer apparatus according to claim 9 or 10.   Using an organic solvent containing an organic / inorganic hybrid composition that yields a silica hybrid cured film after drying and curing as an adhesive ink, an adhesive film layer was printed on an image formed on a water transfer sheet by an inkjet printer. The adhesion is performed on the printed material, including a step of applying the adhesive film layer to the printed material without heating or adhering to the printed material, and a step of peeling off the base sheet by applying moisture to the water transfer sheet. A transfer printing method, comprising forming a transfer image through a film layer.   An organic solvent containing an organic / inorganic hybrid composition that yields a silica hybrid cured film after drying and curing is used as an adhesive ink, and an adhesive film layer is printed on an image formed on a release sheet by an inkjet printer. A transfer image is formed on the printed material via the adhesive film layer, the method comprising a step of heating and pressing the adhesive film layer to the printed material, and a step of peeling and removing the base sheet of the release sheet. And transfer printing method.   The inkjet used for transfer printing according to claims 12 and 13, wherein the concentration of silica dispersed in the silica hybrid cured film is 5 wt% to 80 wt%, and the single particle diameter is in the range of 1 to 100 nm. Adhesive ink for printing.   15. The adhesive ink for inkjet printing according to claim 14, further comprising a tackifier and / or a plasticizer.   Silica having a single particle size in the range of 1 to 100 nm is dispersed at a concentration of 5 to 80% by weight, and an organic / inorganic hybrid cured film having affinity for both organic and inorganic substances is used as an adhesive layer. An image transfer product, wherein a toner image is held on a substrate.

Images