JP2022018176A - Manufacturing method of photocatalyst-carrying printed matter and printer - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a manufacturing method of a photocatalyst-carrying printed matter which can efficiently and inexpensively manufacture the photocatalyst-carrying printed matter enabling to exhibit an inherent action of a photocatalyst adequately by a simple work process.SOLUTION: A manufacturing method of a photocatalyst-carrying printed matter includes a printing process in which a print layer 2 using ultraviolet curable ink is formed on a desired printed matter 1, a photocatalyst adhering process in which photocatalyst particles 3 are adhered on a surface layer part of the print layer 2 by scattering or spraying in an uncured state of the print layer 2 after the pring process, and a curing process of the print layer in which the print layer 2 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to cure the print layer 2 after the photocatalyst adhering process.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a method for producing a photocatalyst-supported printed matter, and a printing apparatus suitable for carrying out this production method.

Specific examples of the photocatalyst-supported printed matter include those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2.
In the photocatalyst-supported printed matter described in these documents, a print layer for design representing figures and characters is formed on the surface of the object to be printed (base material), and titanium oxide is formed on the surface of the print layer. A photocatalyst-supporting layer that supports photocatalyst particles such as (TiO ₂ ) is laminated and formed.
According to such a configuration, the photocatalytic particles receive light and are photoexcited to obtain an air purifying action, a sterilizing action, and the like. Therefore, by placing the photocatalyst-supported printed matter in a place exposed to light in the room, for example, it is possible to obtain an effect of purifying the room or an effect similar thereto.

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, there is still room for improvement as described below.

That is, the photocatalyst-supporting layer in the above-mentioned photocatalyst-supporting printed matter is a printing layer formed by using transparent ink containing photocatalyst particles, and most of the photocatalyst particles are embedded inside the printing layer made of transparent ink. .. In this case, the degree to which the photocatalyst particles come into direct contact with the outside air is small, and when the photocatalyst particles are irradiated with light, the original ability of the photocatalyst particles cannot be fully exerted, and the efficiency is low.

Conventionally, there is also an antibacterial deodorant sheet described in Patent Document 3. In this antibacterial deodorant sheet, photocatalytic particles are supported on the coating film layer so that a part of the antibacterial particles (photocatalytic particles) is exposed from the coating film layer. According to such a configuration, since a part of the photocatalyst particles is exposed to the outside, it is possible to efficiently exert the original ability of the photocatalyst particles as compared with the configurations of Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above. be.
However, since the photocatalyst particles are fine particles having an average particle diameter of, for example, about several tens of μm or less, the photocatalyst particles should be supported on the coating film layer so that a part of the photocatalyst particles is exposed to the outside. Is difficult. In Patent Document 3, as a method for producing the antibacterial deodorant sheet, a water-soluble resin layer is first formed on a water-soluble substrate, photocatalytic particles are sprayed on the water-soluble resin layer, and then the photocatalyst particles are dried and then dried. A manufacturing method for removing the water-soluble substrate and the water-soluble resin layer after laminating a hydrophobic coating film layer and a support on the surface is adopted. However, such a manufacturing method has a large number of work steps and is expensive in manufacturing cost. It is also difficult to display desired patterns and characters.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-178459 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-179970 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-192673

The present invention has been conceived under the above-mentioned circumstances, and a photocatalyst-supported printed matter capable of appropriately exerting the original action of the photocatalyst can be efficiently and inexpensively manufactured by a simple work process. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a photocatalyst-supported printed matter capable of the present invention, and a printing apparatus suitable for carrying out the method.

In order to solve the above problems, the following technical means are taken in the present invention.

The method for producing a photocatalyst-supported printed matter provided by the first aspect of the present invention includes a printing step of providing a print layer using an ultraviolet curable ink on a desired print target, and the print layer after the print step. In the uncured state, the photocatalyst adhesion step of spraying or spraying the photocatalyst particles on the surface layer portion of the print layer to adhere the photocatalyst particles, and after the photocatalyst adhesion step, the printed layer is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to cure the printed layer. It is characterized by having a curing treatment step of a printed layer.

With such a configuration, the following effects can be obtained.
That is, according to the above-mentioned production method, a photocatalyst-supported printed matter having a structure in which photocatalyst particles are attached to the surface layer portion of the print layer cured by ultraviolet irradiation is produced, but the photocatalyst particles are in an uncured state. At times, it was sprayed or sprayed onto the surface layer of the printed layer. Therefore, the entire photocatalyst particles are not buried in the print layer, and a part of the photocatalyst particles is exposed to the outside of the print layer. When the photocatalyst particles are irradiated with light, the air purifying action and sterilization are performed. It is possible to effectively exert the original action of the photocatalyst such as the action. On the other hand, in the production of the photocatalyst-supported printed matter described above, the total number of work steps is small and the entire manufacturing work can be simplified, so that the productivity of the photocatalyst-supported printed matter is increased and the production cost is reduced. You can also.

The printing apparatus provided by the second aspect of the present invention includes a printing process unit capable of performing a printing process in which a printing layer using an ultraviolet curable ink is provided on a desired print object, and the printing process unit. A printing apparatus provided in a subsequent stage and provided with an ultraviolet light source capable of irradiating the printing layer with ultraviolet rays, which is provided between the printing process unit and the ultraviolet light source and is provided on the printing layer. It is further provided with a photocatalyst discharging means capable of spraying or spraying photocatalyst particles on the surface layer portion to adhere the photocatalyst particles.

A printing apparatus having such a configuration can be used to carry out the method for producing a photocatalyst-supported printed matter provided by the first aspect of the present invention and appropriately produce a photocatalyst-supported printed matter intended by the present invention. The same effect as described for the method for producing a photocatalyst-supported printed matter according to the present invention can be obtained.

In the present invention, preferably, a dustproof cover surrounding a work area where the photocatalyst particles are sprayed or sprayed from the photocatalyst ejection means onto the printing layer is further provided, and the surplus photocatalyst particles ejected from the photocatalyst ejection means are further provided. It is intended to prevent the particles from scattering outside the working area and traveling toward the ultraviolet light source.

According to such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the working environment in and around the installation location of the printing apparatus from being deteriorated due to the surplus photocatalyst particles discharged from the photocatalyst discharging means. In addition, it is necessary to prevent the problem that the usage life of the ultraviolet light source is shortened and the problem that the ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet light source are blocked by the photocatalyst particles due to the adhesion of excess photocatalytic particles to the ultraviolet light source. Can be done.

In the present invention, preferably, a photocatalyst recovery device capable of recovering the surplus photocatalyst particles is further provided.

According to such a configuration, surplus photocatalyst particles can be recovered, so that it is possible to reuse the recovered photocatalyst particles to save resources.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is explanatory drawing which shows a series of schematic process examples of the manufacturing method of the photocatalyst-supported printed matter which concerns on this invention. (A) and (b) are sectional views schematically showing an example of the printing process of FIG. (A) and (b) are sectional views schematically showing an example of the photocatalyst attachment step of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the example of the curing process of the printing layer of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the example of the photocatalyst-supported printed matter manufactured by the manufacturing method of FIG. (A) is a schematic explanatory view showing an example of a printing apparatus used for carrying out the manufacturing method of FIG. 1, and (b) is an enlarged explanatory view of a main part of (a). It is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows the example of the photocatalyst spraying apparatus (photocatalyst ejection means) in the printing apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the other example of the photocatalyst-supported printed matter manufactured by the manufacturing method of this invention schematically.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[Outline of manufacturing method of photocatalyst-supported printed matter]
In the method for producing a photocatalyst-supported printed matter according to the present invention, for example, the printing step S1, the photocatalyst adhesion step S2, and the printing layer curing step S3 shown in FIG. 1 are carried out.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the printing step S1 is a step of providing a printing layer 2 on a desired printing object 1 by using an ultraviolet curable ink. The print layer 2 originally represents a pattern or character such as a desired pattern, but also includes a so-called single-color solid-painted state and a layer in which the whole or a part is transparent. The print object 1 is, for example, printing paper 1 described later, but is not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 3, the photocatalyst adhesion step S2 is a step of spraying or spraying the photocatalyst particles 3 onto the surface layer portion of the print layer 2 to adhere them. The printed layer 2 has not been cured yet and is in a wet state. Most of the photocatalyst particles 3 adhere to the surface layer portion of the print layer 2 in an exposed state, and are not buried in a deep position inside the print layer 2.

As a means for spraying the photocatalyst particles 3, a plurality of spray nozzles 40 (corresponding to an example of the photocatalyst ejection means in the present invention) are used, and the spray nozzles 40 are, for example, a photocatalyst spray device described later with reference to FIG. It is provided in 4.
The photocatalytic particles 3 are, for example, titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) or a compound thereof, and when exposed to ultraviolet rays or visible light and photoexcited, they decompose harmful substances (VOCs) that cause sick house syndrome and purify the air. It also has a deodorizing effect by decomposing odors, and also has a sterilizing effect. The average particle size of the photocatalyst particles 3 is, for example, about several tens of μm or less, but is not limited thereto.
If the amount of the photocatalyst particles 3 adhered to the surface layer portion of the print layer 2 is excessive, the pattern represented by the print layer 2 is covered with many photocatalyst particles 3 and becomes unclear, and the print quality deteriorates. .. Therefore, the amount of adhesion of the photocatalyst particles 3 is adjusted so as not to cause such deterioration of printing quality.

As shown in FIG. 4, the printing layer curing process step S3 is a process of irradiating the printing layer 2 with ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet light source 5 to cure the printing layer 2 made of ultraviolet curable ink. The ultraviolet light source 5 may be any of a lamp light source / LED as long as it emits ultraviolet rays in the wavelength range necessary for curing the print layer 2, and may be of any type of line type or surface type (spot type). May be used more than once).

When the above-mentioned curing treatment step S3 of the print layer is executed and the print layer 2 is cured, as shown in FIG. 5, the photocatalyst-supported printed matter in which the photocatalyst particles 3 are surely adhered to the surface layer portion of the print layer 2 is ensured. A is manufactured. Although a part of the photocatalyst particles 3 is buried in the print layer 2, the other part is exposed to the outside, and the exposed area a1 is relatively large.
Therefore, when the photocatalyst-supported printed matter A is exhibited or installed indoors or the like and the photocatalyst particles 3 are irradiated with light such as ultraviolet rays or visible light, the original functions of the photocatalyst particles 3 can be efficiently and appropriately exhibited. Is possible.

[Specific example of printing device]
The printing apparatus P shown in FIG. 6 is configured to enable the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a photocatalyst-supported printed matter.
This printing device P is an offset printing device (sheet-fed type), and includes a paper feeding unit Sa, a printing process unit Sb, and a paper ejection unit Sc. The paper ejection unit Sc is provided with an ultraviolet light source 5, a photocatalyst spray device 4, and a dustproof cover 6. Further, in connection with this, a photocatalyst recovery device 7 is further provided.

The basic configurations of the paper feed unit Sa, the printing process unit Sb, the paper ejection unit Sc, and the ultraviolet light source 5 are the same as those of the conventionally known ultraviolet curable ink application type offset printing apparatus, and these parts are described. The following is a brief description.
First, the paper feed unit Sa can stack a plurality of sheet-fed type printing papers 1 (an example of an object to be printed) one above the other and set them at a predetermined stock portion Na, and the printing paper 1 can be set from the stock portion Na. Can be separated one by one and supplied to the front stage of the printing process unit Sb via the feeder unit 80.

The printing process unit Sb has a plurality of impression cylinders 81 capable of sequentially feeding the printing paper 1 from the front stage to the rear stage side, a blanket cylinder 82 provided corresponding to the plurality of impression cylinders 81, and a plate cylinder. It is equipped with 83. The plate cylinder 83 can be coated with ink from an ink coating unit (not shown) and water can be supplied from a water supply unit, and printing is performed on the surface of the plate cylinder 83 in the process of passing between the plurality of impression cylinders 81. To. The printing apparatus P is, for example, a four-color compatible type, and is provided with four types of plate cylinders 83 (83a to 83d) as the plate cylinder 83, but the present invention is, of course, not limited to this. The ink used for printing is an ultraviolet curable type.

The paper ejection unit Sc is a portion capable of transporting the printed paper 1 to a predetermined stock position Nb and laminating it vertically, and is attached to the endless chain 85 and the chain 85. It is provided with a plurality of grippers 87 (pinching members). The chain 85 is hung between both of the pair of sprockets 86a and 86b, and can be circulated and moved by a fixed path. Each gripper 87 is an opening / closing member that can hold the tip of the printing paper 1 by sandwiching the tip thereof. After transporting to the upper part of, drop it on this stock position Nb. In the present embodiment, the object to be stocked at the stock position Nb is the photocatalyst-supported printed matter A.

The ultraviolet light source 5 is provided so as to be able to irradiate the print layer 2 on the printing paper 1 on which the paper ejection portion Sc is conveyed with ultraviolet rays. The configuration of the ultraviolet light source 5 is as described with reference to FIG.

The photocatalyst spray device 4 has a configuration similar to that of a powder spray device often used in, for example, an offset printing device of a type using oil-based ink. Specifically, the photocatalyst spray device 4 includes, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, a container 41 for accommodating the photocatalyst particles 3, a hopper 42, a blower 43, and a plurality of spray nozzles 40. Although only one spray nozzle 40 is shown in FIG. 7, in reality, as shown in FIG. 3, an appropriate interval is provided in the direction in which the plurality of spray nozzles 40 intersect the transport direction of the printing paper 1. They are lined up apart.
The hopper 42 is for storing the photocatalyst particles 3, and the photocatalyst particles 3 in the hopper 42 are dropped and supplied into the container 41 via the flow rate adjusting valve V1. As a result of a part of the air discharged from the blower 43 flowing into the container 41 through the first pipe line 44a, the photocatalyst particles 3 in the container 41 pass through the second pipe line 44b together with the air. To reach the spray nozzle 40. As a result, the photocatalyst particles 3 are ejected (discharged) from the spray nozzle 40 toward the surface layer portion of the print layer 2. A third piping line 44c to which the air of the citation is supplied is also connected to the spray nozzle 40.

As shown in FIG. 6, the spray nozzle 40 is provided at a position before the ultraviolet light source 5 in the paper ejection portion Sc, and a photocatalyst is applied to the print layer 2 before the print layer 2 is cured by ultraviolet irradiation. It is possible to spray and adhere the particles 3.
Preferably, the amount of the photocatalyst particles 3 ejected from the spray nozzle 40 (the amount ejected per unit time) can be increased or decreased. Further, the photocatalyst spray device 4 is provided with a sensor (not shown) for detecting the position of the printing paper 1, and the printing paper 1 sprays the photocatalyst particles 3 ejected from the spray nozzle 40. It is performed only during the period located in front of the nozzle 40, and the photocatalyst particles 3 are controlled so as not to be ejected during the other periods. This makes it possible to reduce the ejection loss of the photocatalyst particles 3.

The dustproof cover 6 prevents the excess photocatalyst particles 3 that do not adhere to the printing layer 2 among the photocatalyst particles 3 ejected from the spray nozzle 40 from spreading to the peripheral portion of the spray nozzle 40, and deteriorates the working environment. It is a member for preventing the above. The dustproof cover 6 surrounds the printing paper 1 on which the photocatalyst particles 3 are sprayed from the spray nozzle 40, and has a substantially box shape, for example, so that the photocatalyst particles 3 do not leak to the outside.

The photocatalyst recovery device 7 is a device that recovers the surplus photocatalyst particles 3 contained in the dustproof cover 6, and for example, a cyclone method is adopted. More specifically, the photocatalyst recovery device 7 includes a container 71 connected to an intake port 60 provided in the dustproof cover 6 via a piping portion 70, and a blower 72 connected to the container 71. ing. The surplus photocatalyst particles 3 flow into the container 71 due to the suction negative pressure of the blower 72, but at that time, a swirling flow of air is generated in the container 71, so that the photocatalyst particles 3 are in the lower portion in the container 71. It is configured to fall into and be collected. The photocatalyst particles 3 recovered by using the photocatalyst recovery device 7 can be reused.

Next, the operation of the printing apparatus P described above will be described.

First, the printing paper 1 sent from the paper feeding unit Sa to the printing process unit Sb is provided with a printing layer 2 by an offset printing method (printing process S1 in FIG. 1). The print layer 2 is, for example, four-color printing, but uses ultraviolet curable ink.
Next, the printing paper 1 on which the printing layer 2 is formed is sent to the paper ejection unit Sc, and the gripper 87 is sent.
Is gripped and transported by. During this transfer, the photocatalyst particles 3 were sprayed from the spray nozzle 40 onto the print layer 2 before the print layer 2 was irradiated with ultraviolet rays, and the photocatalyst particles 3 adhered to the surface layer portion of the print layer 2. It is in a state (photocatalyst attachment step S2 in FIG. 1).
After that, when the above-mentioned printing paper 1 is further conveyed to a later stage, the printing layer 2 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet light source 5, and the printing layer 2 is cured (fixed) (curing of the printing layer of FIG. 1). Processing step S3). Along with this, the holding state of the photocatalyst particles 3 on the surface layer portion of the printing layer 2 is stabilized.

According to the series of steps described above, the photocatalyst-supported printed matter A as shown in FIG. 5 can be obtained. As described above, in this photocatalyst-supported printed matter A, although a part of the photocatalyst particles 3 has entered the inside of the print layer 2, the other part is exposed to the outside of the print layer 2 and emits light. When received, it efficiently demonstrates the original function of the photocatalyst. Further, the print layer 2 displays a design such as a desired pattern or character. Therefore, the photocatalyst-supported printed matter A can be used, for example, as wallpaper covering the walls and ceiling of a house, as an interior for posters and paintings, or as a surface material for partition walls used in shelters and offices. It is possible to obtain effects such as purification and sterilization of air around the installation location of the photocatalyst-supported printed matter A.

The present invention can also be applied to the case of producing a photocatalyst-supported printed matter Aa as shown in FIG.
The photocatalyst-supported printed matter Aa has an opaque print layer 2a and a transparent print layer 2b as the print layer 2 provided on the printing paper 1. The transparent print layer 2b is made of, for example, varnish, overlaps the opaque print layer 2a, and covers the entire print layer 2. The ink referred to in the present invention is transparent or opaque, and the varnish is originally used for the purpose of protecting the print layer 2 and improving the glossiness. However, in the present invention, such varnish is also an ink. Included in. The photocatalyst particles 3 are attached to the surface layer portion of the transparent print layer 2b.

In the above-mentioned photocatalyst-supported printed matter Aa, even when the area of the opaque print layer 2a is small, it is possible to increase the area of the transparent print layer 2b and attach a large number of photocatalyst particles 3 to the surface layer portion thereof. Is. Therefore, regardless of the size of the area of the opaque print layer 2a, the total amount of the photocatalytic particles 3 can be set to a certain volume or more, and the photocatalytic action can be made effective.

The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above-described embodiments. The specific configuration of each step of the method for producing a photocatalyst-supported printed matter according to the present invention can be variously changed within the scope of the present invention. Similarly, the specific configuration of each part of the printing apparatus according to the present invention can be variously redesigned within the scope of the present invention.

The "printing process" referred to in the present invention is not limited to offset printing. For example, other printing methods such as flexographic printing, gravure printing, and screen printing can be used, and the type is not limited. The present invention also includes inkjet printing using an inkjet printer.
The "printing object" is not limited to a paper sheet such as printing paper, and may be, for example, a sheet made of resin or a laminated sheet in which a plurality of types of sheets are stacked. In addition, it does not matter whether it is a single leaf (single sheet) or a long leaf, and its specific size.
Therefore, the printing apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the offset printing apparatus.

In the "photocatalyst adhesion step" referred to in the present invention, instead of spraying the photocatalyst particles toward the printing layer by a spray method using air, for example, an appropriate amount of the photocatalyst particles contained in the container is sprayed from the bottom opening of the container. You may adopt a method of spraying it on the print layer by letting it fall naturally one by one.
In the "curing treatment step of the print layer" referred to in the present invention, the print layer using the ultraviolet curable ink may be irradiated with ultraviolet rays to cure the print layer. Not limited.

Typical examples of the photocatalyst include those containing titanium oxide or titanium oxide as a main component, but the photocatalyst is not limited to this. Any substance may be used as long as it is activated by irradiation with light to cause a redox reaction or the like, and has an air purifying action or a sterilizing action. Other than titanium oxide, for example, zinc oxide and the like can be mentioned.
The specific use of the "photocatalyst-supported printed matter" produced by the method for producing a photocatalyst-supported printed matter according to the present invention is also not limited.

A, Aa Photocatalyst-supported printed matter P Printing device S1 Printing step S2 Photocatalyst adhesion step S3 Curing process of printing layer Sa Feeding section Sb Printing process section Sc Paper ejection section 1 Printing paper (printing object)
2 Printing layer 3 Photocatalyst particles 40 Spray nozzle (photocatalyst ejection means)
5 UV light source 6 Dustproof cover 7 Photocatalyst recovery device

Claims (4)

A printing process in which a printing layer using ultraviolet curable ink is provided on a desired printing object, and
In the uncured state of the printed layer after this printing step, a photocatalyst adhering step of spraying or spraying photocatalyst particles on the surface layer portion of the printed layer to adhere them.
After this photocatalyst adhesion step, the printing layer is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to cure the printing layer, and the printing layer is cured.
A method for producing a photocatalyst-supported printed matter, which comprises. A printing process unit capable of performing a printing process in which a printing layer using ultraviolet curable ink is provided on a desired printing object, and a printing process unit.
An ultraviolet light source provided after the printing process unit and capable of irradiating the printing layer with ultraviolet rays,
Is a printing device equipped with
It is further provided with a photocatalyst ejection means provided between the printing process unit and the ultraviolet light source and capable of spraying or spraying photocatalyst particles onto the surface layer portion of the printing layer. , Printing equipment. The printing apparatus according to claim 2.
Further, a dustproof cover surrounding the work area where the photocatalyst particles are sprayed or sprayed from the photocatalyst ejection means onto the print layer is provided.
A printing apparatus for preventing excess photocatalyst particles discharged from the photocatalyst discharging means from scattering outside the working area and traveling toward the ultraviolet light source. The printing apparatus according to claim 3.
A printing device further comprising a photocatalyst recovery device capable of recovering the surplus photocatalyst particles.

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