JP2007069954A - Transfer printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to transfer a pattern without partial discoloration relative to an item M for printing having three-dimensional unevenness. <P>SOLUTION: A vacuum suction mechanism 10 for tightly adhering a transfer sheet S to an item M for printing is arranged reciprocally movable between a position covering a cooling plate 30 and a position covering a hot plate 35. The mechanism 10 is structured by combining two metal sheets working as top and bottom tray panels 11d, 11u having a sufficient heat conducting characteristic, and the top tray panel 11u has a built-in vacuum suction channel with a plurality of suction holes 13. After a transfer sheet S is closely adhered to the item M at a work preparation position P<SB>0</SB>, it is moved to a printing work position P<SB>1</SB>for transfer printing the item M by heating the hot plate 35. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a transfer printing apparatus capable of imparting a transfer printing pattern evenly even to a dyed article having three-dimensional unevenness.

  When a transfer sheet coated with a sublimation dye in a predetermined pattern is in close contact with the resin-coated substrate, the dye sublimated from the transfer sheet penetrates into the surface resin layer of the substrate, and the thickness direction of the resin layer A dye-dyed layer extending to Since the dye dyeing layer is formed following the pattern of the sublimable dye applied to the transfer sheet, a predetermined transfer pattern is imparted to the article to be dyed. As long as a resin layer that is receptive to sublimation dyes is provided on the surface, the object to be dyed is a painted metal plate, painted tile, woven / nonwoven fabric, painted glass plate, painted ceramic board, resin molded body. Various materials can be used.

In order to impart a transfer pattern without unevenness to the object to be dyed, it is necessary to uniformly adhere the transfer sheet to the object to be dyed. A relatively small transfer device can adopt a method in which a hot plate is attached to an upper lid that opens and closes in a hinged manner. However, when the printing area is increased, the hinged opening and closing mechanism hinders work. In view of this, the present inventors have introduced an apparatus that incorporates a drawer-type work table in place of opening and closing the upper lid on which a hot plate is mounted, and enables transfer printing on a large object to be dyed (Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-137239 A

  In this transfer apparatus, upper and lower two work platforms 1d and 1u are incorporated into the machine frame 2 by a pull-out method (FIG. 1). Work efficiency is achieved by simultaneously carrying out the work on the work table 1d or 1u for superimposing the object to be dyed and the transfer sheet on the heat-resistant sheet 3 and the work on the work table 1u or 1d for sublimation transfer to the object to be dyed. Is improved. The work tables 1d and 1u are reinforced by frame bodies 7d and 7u on the periphery, move forward and backward in the depth direction along the guide rail 6, and are finely adjusted by an operation while grasping the handles 8d and 8u.

When the hot plate 4 is moved up and down by the air cylinders 5a to 5d arranged in the vicinity of the four corners of the machine frame 2 and the transfer sheet is evenly adhered to the transfer object at the transfer position, the transfer object is dyed with the dye sublimated from the transfer sheet. Worn. A method in which the object to be dyed and the transfer sheet are superimposed on the heat-resistant sheet 3 on the work tables 1d and 1u, and the hot plate 4 is lowered and pressed and heated is suitable for transfer printing of a flat object to be dyed. In a dyed article having three-dimensional unevenness, uneven color tends to occur in the transferred pattern.
Color unevenness is caused by the fact that the three-dimensional unevenness of the object to be dyed adversely affects the adhesion state of the object to be dyed / transfer sheet, and a sufficient amount of sublimation dye does not migrate from the transfer sheet to the object to be dyed at the poor adhesion part. There is a cause. The fact that three-dimensional unevenness tends to cause wrinkles on the transfer sheet is also a cause of printing defects.

If the contact state of the dyed article / transfer sheet can be confirmed before pressurization and heating, printing errors caused by imperfect transfer sheet adhesion and wrinkle generation can be prevented even when transferring a three-dimensional uneven dyed article. it can. The present inventors examined various pressurization / heating methods in order to enable prior confirmation of the close contact state. As a result, instead of hot pressing, a method in which the transfer sheet is adhered to the object to be dyed by vacuum suction is adopted, and the adhesion state of the object to be dyed / transfer sheet is changed prior to heating by separating the adhesion means and the heating means. It turned out that it can confirm.
In the present invention, even when a three-dimensional uneven surface is adhered, the transfer sheet is brought into close contact with a good positional relationship, and then heated and sublimated to cause color unevenness due to poor contact. The object is to provide a clear transfer pattern with good yield.

In the transfer printing apparatus of the present invention, a transfer sheet is superposed on an object to be dyed mounted on a vacuum suction mechanism, and the transfer sheet is brought into close contact with the object to be dyed by a vacuum suction force. The vacuum suction mechanism has a structure in which two metal plates with good thermal conductivity are combined as upper and lower tray plates, and the upper tray plate on which the object to be dyed is set with a plurality of suction holes in the internal vacuum suction path Is open.
The vacuum suction mechanism moves back and forth along a rail that communicates between a position straddling the cooling plate and a position straddling the hot plate. When the rail is configured to be able to be raised and lowered, a force for pressing the vacuum suction mechanism at each position against the cooling plate or the hot plate is generated by the lowering operation of the rail.

Embodiment

The transfer printing apparatus of the present invention employs a vacuum suction mechanism as means for bringing the transfer sheet into close contact with the article to be dyed, and combines the vacuum suction mechanism and the hot plate in a separable manner.
The vacuum suction mechanism 10 has a structure in which upper and lower tray plates 11u and 11d are stacked and hermetically sealed between the upper and lower tray plates 11u and 11d with packings 12 and 12 (FIG. 2). A plurality of suction holes 13, 13 are formed in the upper tray plate 11u, and the suction holes 13, 13 communicate with the suction pipes 14, 14 through a gap between the upper and lower tray plates 11u, 11d. When the upper and lower tray plates 11u and 11d are connected by the fasteners 15 such as screws and bolts with the packings 12 and 12 sandwiched between them, a vacuum suction source (not shown) passes through the gap between the suction tube 14 and the upper and lower tray plates 11u and 11d. A vacuum suction path reaching the suction hole 13 and opening on the upper tray plate 11u is formed.

  The suction hole 13 is opened, for example, on the entire surface of the upper tray plate 11u. In the case of transferring and printing an object to be dyed such as a woven fabric or a non-woven fabric having air permeability, the entire surface of the object to be dyed is vacuum-adsorbed on the upper tray plate 11u. When the printing object M (FIG. 3) such as a coated steel plate or ceramic board having no air permeability is transferred and printed, the transfer sheet S is formed by vacuum suction through the suction hole 13 opened at a position protruding from the printing object M. It adheres to the object to be dyed M. In the vacuum suction mechanism 10 dedicated to transfer printing of the non-breathable article M, the suction hole 13 can be omitted from the central portion of the upper tray plate 11u.

  A vacuum suction mechanism 10 is disposed between the object to be dyed M, the transfer sheet S and the hot plate 35, and heat necessary for transfer printing is transferred from the hot plate 35 through the vacuum suction mechanism 10 to the object to be dyed M. , Transferred to the transfer sheet S. Since the vacuum suction mechanism 10 becomes a part of the heat transfer path, a metal plate with good thermal conductivity is used for the upper and lower tray plates 11u and 11d, and the suction holes 13, 13 and the upper and lower tray plates 11u, It is preferable to form a suction path between 11d.

The vacuum suction mechanism 10 includes pulleys 16 and 16 that roll on the rail 21 so that the vacuum suction mechanism 10 can advance and retract in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 2 (FIG. 4).
A preparatory work position P ₀ is set on the front side of the transfer printing apparatus, a print work position P ₁ is set on the back side, and a rail 21 supported by a support 22 is passed to positions P _{0 to} P ₁ . The rail 21 can be lifted and lowered, and the posture of lifting is finely adjusted by the front and rear air cylinders 26 and 26. The level of the rail 21 in the ascending / descending process is maintained by a thrust shaft 25 fitted into the machine frame 24.

At the preparatory work position P ₀ , a cooling plate 30 supported by the columns 31, 31 is arranged for cooling the dyed article M that has been heated during transfer printing. The vacuum suction mechanism 10 on which the object to be dyed M and the transfer sheet S are placed stops traveling when it reaches the position across the cooling plate 30 from the printing work position P ₁ to the preparation work position P ₀ . When the vacuum suction mechanism 10 is stopped and the rail 21 is lowered, the vacuum suction mechanism 10 is pressed against the cooling plate 30, and the time required for the substrate M and the transfer sheet S to cool to near room temperature together with the vacuum suction mechanism 10 is shortened. Is done. As a result, removal of the used transfer sheet S and removal of the dyed article M (product) with the transfer pattern are completed in a short time.

Next, the object to be dyed M in the next step is placed on the vacuum suction mechanism 10 at the preparatory work position P ₀ , and the transfer sheet S coated with the sublimable dye D in a predetermined pattern is overlaid on the object to be dyed M (FIG. 2a). When the vacuum system is activated, the object to be dyed M and the transfer sheet S are adsorbed to the vacuum suction mechanism 10 through the suction holes 13 opened in the upper tray plate 11u. The adhesion state of the transfer sheet S to the object to be dyed M can be confirmed by visual observation, and the adhesion failure can be corrected easily.
After confirming the contact state, the cloth C and the rubber sheet G are superposed on the object to be dyed M and the transfer sheet S, and the vacuum suction mechanism 10 is transferred along the rail 21 from the preparation work position P ₀ to the printing work position P _1. To do.

When the transfer sheet S is vacuum-adsorbed on the object to be dyed M, the cloth C ensures air permeability between the transfer sheet S and the rubber sheet G. Therefore, no air remains on a part of the transfer surface, and the transfer sheet S adheres to the object to be dyed M with a uniform vacuum suction force. In addition, when the to-be-dyed material M itself has air permeability, the cloth C is not particularly required.
After confirming the close contact state, in order to prevent the pressing force of the pressing plate 41 from concentrating on the convex portion of the object to be dyed M, the heat-resistant cushion material B cut to an appropriate size may be superimposed on the rubber sheet G. . As the heat-resistant cushion material B, a heat-resistant felt, a rubber elastic body, a rubber porous elastic body, or the like can be used. A heat resistant felt includes an aromatic polyamide fiber. Examples of the rubber elastic body and the rubber porous elastic body include fluorine rubber, silicone rubber, fluorine rubber sponge, silicone rubber sponge, and the like.

At the printing work position P ₁ , the vacuum suction mechanism 10 is set at a position across the hot plate 35. A pressurizing mechanism 40 faces above the vacuum suction mechanism 10. As the pressurizing mechanism 40, for example, a mechanism in which a push plate 41 is supported by springs 42 and 42 and connected to an air cylinder 43 is employed. Since the pressing force of the pressing plate 41 is transmitted via the rubber sheet G to the substrate M and the transfer sheet S mounted on the vacuum suction mechanism 10, the transfer sheet S is pressed against the substrate M with an even pressure. This prevents the transfer sheet S from being misaligned and wrinkled.
In this state, the object to be dyed M and the transfer sheet S are heated from below by the hot plate 35, the sublimation dye D of the transfer sheet S moves to the object to be dyed M, and the object to be dyed M is transferred and printed.

In the transfer printing according to the present invention, the transfer sheet S is brought into close contact with the object to be dyed M with negative pressure by the vacuum suction mechanism 10, and heat necessary for the transfer printing is transferred from the hot plate 35 through the vacuum suction mechanism 10. , To the transfer sheet S. The vacuum suction mechanism 10 and the hot plate 35 can be separated from each other, the transfer sheet S is brought into close contact with the object to be dyed M at the preparatory work position P ₀ , and transfer printing is performed at the print work position P ₁ .

Since the hot plate 35 is separated from the vacuum suction mechanism 10, in preparation position P ₀ can check the contact state of the transfer sheet S with respect to the dyed clothes M, you can correct the poor adhesion depending on the confirmation result. It is possible to confirm the close contact state in advance because the left and right ends R (FIG. 3) are bent for reinforcement so that a three-dimensional unevenness is generated and a three-dimensional shape close to the product form. Even for the dyed product M, the uniform adhesion of the transfer sheet S is ensured, and the objects that can be transferred and printed without color unevenness are greatly expanded.

  As described above, since the transfer printing process can be started after confirming the adhesion state of the transfer sheet S to the object to be dyed M, the transfer sheet can also be applied to the object to be dyed M having three-dimensional unevenness. S can be evenly adhered, and there is no color unevenness caused by wrinkles or poor adhesion of the transfer sheet S, and a clear transfer pattern can be imparted to the object to be dyed M. In addition, since the dyed object M and the transfer sheet S that have been heated in the transfer printing are removed by the cooling plate 30 through the vacuum suction mechanism 10, the product with the transferred pattern is taken out, and the preparation for the next process is also available. Can be implemented efficiently.

Schematic showing a transfer printing apparatus equipped with a two-stage work table that the inventors previously proposed Explanatory drawing which shows transfer printing according to this invention in process order Dye, transfer sheet, cloth on the vacuum suction mechanism. Perspective view of rubber sheets stacked one after another Side view of the transfer printing apparatus of the present invention

Explanation of symbols

M: the dyed clothes S: transfer sheet R: reinforcing portion D is formed on the right and left ends of the dyed clothes: sublimable dye C: Cloth G: Rubber Sheet B: heat cushioning material P _0: Prepare a working position P _1: printing work position
10: Vacuum suction mechanism 11u, 11d: Upper and lower tray plate 12: Packing 13: Suction hole 14: Suction tube 15: Fastening tool (screw) 16: Pulley
21: Rail 22: Prop 26: Air cylinder 24: Machine frame 25: Thrust shaft
30: Cooling plate 31: Prop 35: Hot plate
40: Pressurization mechanism 41: Push plate 42: Spring 43: Air cylinder

Claims (2)

An object to be dyed M on which the transfer sheet S is superimposed is mounted, and a vacuum suction mechanism 10 for bringing the transfer sheet S into close contact with the object to be dyed M communicates between a position straddling the cooling plate 30 and a position straddling the hot plate 35. A rail 21 for moving the vacuum suction mechanism 10 forward and backward,
The vacuum suction mechanism 10 has a structure in which two metal plates having good thermal conductivity are combined as upper and lower tray plates 11d and 11u, and a vacuum suction path having a plurality of suction holes 13 opened in the upper tray plate 11u. A transfer printing apparatus characterized by being formed inside.   The transfer printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rail 21 is configured to be movable up and down, and a force for pressing the vacuum suction mechanism 10 against the cooling plate 30 or the hot plate 35 is generated by the lowering operation of the rail 21 at each position.

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