Definitions

• the present invention relates to a transfer printing installation, in particular of gilding, of a pattern taken from a transfer film by a matrix to be affixed on a receiving strip and to form a product, the transfer film and the receiving band being in synchronism at the time of transfer at the place of transfer.
• a gilding iron M is used which carries on its underside the imprint which one wishes to make in the form of a gilding imprint on a strip B, for example of paper.
• a transfer film F is pressed against the strip B, certain parts of which, corresponding to the relief of the browning iron M, detach and remain attached to the strip B.
• the transfer film F was an extremely thin sheet of gold, which was applied hot with a pressing member such as a gilding iron (M) against the paper or leather support (band B).
• a pressing member such as a gilding iron (M) against the paper or leather support (band B).
• M gilding iron
• band B paper or leather support
• This hot gilding process is only used in bookbinding, sheathing and similar activities for luxury work or the restoration of old objects.
• the gold film is replaced by an assembly comprising a carrier film C1 provided with a separation layer C2 adhering to the layer to be transferred C3, C4, metallic and colored.
• the transfer layer C3, C4 can be a coloring layer C3 and a metallic layer C4, with an adhesive layer C5.
• the browning iron M pressed on the transfer film F, is itself in contact with the strip or more generally the support B to be printed.
• the compressed parts of the film F hang on the latter B (FIG. 1B).
• the iron M is lifted and only the imprint formed by the layers C2, C3, C4, C5 adheres to the band B while the parts F, G not compressed by the iron M, tear by shearing and separate from the impression E while remaining attached to the support Cl (Fig. 1C). This compression takes place against a support or pressure member P.
• This known technique is applied discontinuously by a continuous sheet-by-sheet printing process, by passing a receiving strip and a film to be gilded (transfer film) between two cylinders, one of which constitutes a pressure cylinder and the other a heated cylinder carrying one or more dies.
• the two cylinders rotate in opposite directions and, while the strip and the film are running, the matrix prints on the strip.
• the transfer film is wound with the unused part of the transfer product.
• This system has the disadvantage of consuming a lot of transfer film, that is to say a length of transfer film equal to that of the receiving strip while the surface of the transfer film actually used to produce the pattern does not represent only a very small fraction of the total area of the transfer film.
• the present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks and proposes to create means allowing hot stamping operations or more generally operations of the same kind, by a transfer the consumption of transfer film of which is equivalent to that of gilding or sheet-by-sheet transfer while being faster and allowing this process to be applied " to other uses such as holography and anti-theft protection.
• the invention relates to a printing installation by transfer corresponding to the type of that defined above, characterized in that it comprises - a means for driving the transfer film, a means of driving the receiving strip,
• control means for controlling the drive means so that, for each transfer, the film drive means advances the film by the pitch of the pattern to be transferred, the drive means for the receiving strip advances this band of the product pitch as well as the transfer means of the transfer station.
• the installation according to the invention offers the advantage of consuming only the length (or surface) of transfer film just necessary for the production of the pattern on the receiving strip.
• the control of the drive means makes it possible to adapt this installation directly on line to an upstream printing system or to process a pre-printed strip, unwound from a roll.
• the installation makes it possible to achieve with the same efficiency, the same yield and the same economy, printing by transfer of extremely different patterns or of several patterns.
• the transfer member of the transfer station is actuated by a jack, the control means immobilizing the film and the strip during the duration of the transfer.
• the transfer means comprises at least one transfer member carried by a rotary member and the film drive means and that of the receiving strip are controlled to drive the film and the receiving strip at the same speed as the peripheral speed of the transfer member during the duration of the transfer.
• the choice of one or other of the solutions depends, in particular, on the space available and the type of pattern to be transferred.
• a first detector associated with the strip to detect the pitch of the product and provide a signal by means of control managing the advance movement of the strip; and the strip comprises preprinted marks intended to be read by the detection means.
• the mark is preprinted on the receiver strip. It defines the position of the products to be produced (labels, packaging) which will be cut to size, on leaving the installation.
• This preprinted mark can be associated with a preprinted image and, in this case, the pattern produced by transfer must be positioned exactly with respect to the preprinted image; the reference may also simply constitute a reference allowing the pitch of the web to be controlled in the transfer station.
• the transfer comprises a pattern not simply transferred from the blank transfer film but from a pattern produced beforehand on the transfer film, it is necessary to position the transfer film exactly and above all the pre-produced pattern which it carries at the transfer station and, in this case, it is advantageous that the invention comprises a second detector for detecting the pattern of the film and supplying a signal to the control means managing the film drive means.
• the film drive means and that of the receiving strip can both operate step by step; they can also operate step by step for one and continuously for the other, or both can operate continuously, with variable speeds depending on the stage of the operating cycle.
• the installation comprises several means for driving films to transfer several patterns at the same time or successively onto the receiving strip. This may be necessary for the reasons already mentioned above, due to the nature of the grounds to be transferred. It can also be interesting if the patterns to be transferred are distributed at distant points across the receiving band, so to avoid excessively large dimensions, and consequently the excessively large inertia of a single transfer member controlled by a single jack.
• the transfer member is a cylinder which prints the successive patterns with an offset to reduce the overlap of the thicknesses of the wound strip or the stacking of the sheets cut in the strip after the transfer.
• the transfer members of the transfer cylinder are distributed over a cylinder of circular section in an arrangement offset according to a trace corresponding to the intersection of an inclined plane with the cylinder (ellipse).
• FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C show the three successive stages of a hot foil stamping operation according to the known technique, applied to a substitute film for a gold film,
• FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a transfer printing installation according to the invention corresponding to a first embodiment
• FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a transfer printing installation according to the invention corresponding to a second embodiment of the invention
• - Figure 4 is a schematic side view of the installation implementing the principle of Figure 3
• FIG. 5 is a top view of the installation of FIG. 4,
• FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a transfer printing installation similar to that of FIG. 4 but for several transfer films, side by side,
• FIG. 7 is a side view of another embodiment of a transfer printing installation
• FIGS. 8, 9 show three examples of receiver bands with patterns pre-printed with security elements
• FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a transfer cylinder.
• the invention relates to a transfer printing installation, in particular of hot pressing gilding, of a pattern taken from a transfer film 1 to be affixed to a receiving strip 2.
• This installation comprises a means for feeding and driving 3 the film 1 and a means for driving and feeding 5 the receiving strip 2.
• the drive means 3 composed of a supply reel 31 and a receiving reel 32, passes the transfer film 1 through a transfer station 4 constituted by a matrix 41 controlled by a jack 42 and pressing against the transfer station against a support surface (not shown) supporting the receiving strip during the transfer.
• the drive means 3 for the transfer film 1 advances the film transversely to the direction of travel of the strip 2 each time by a length L1 corresponding substantially to the length of the pattern to be transferred.
• This pattern 21 once transferred, leaves a trace 11 on the transfer film 1 as it appears in the part of the film downstream of the station 4; the direction of travel of the transfer film 1 is indicated by the arrow A.
• the supply and drive means 5 of the receiving strip 2 comprises a feeding cylinder, not shown, located in the right part of FIG. 2.
• the strip 2 unwound in the direction of the arrow B, is driven by two call cylinders 51, 52 downstream of the transfer station 4; these cylinders are driven for example by a stepping motor upstream of the station 4 by two cylinders 53, 54 ensuring the continuous supply of the receiving strip 4; these cylinders 53, 54 are followed by another pair of cylinders 55, 56 after which a loop 57 is formed. sant step by step operation at the transfer station 4 with the arrival at constant speed of the product.
• the products 22 are cut by a cutter 6 represented schematically by a blade.
• These products can be labels, packaging or similar products.
• the installation is managed by a control means 7 connected to the drive means 3 of the transfer film 1, to the drive means 5 of the receiving strip 2, to the transfer station 4 and to the cutter 6, by lines not referenced, connected to the different means and motors themselves not shown.
• This control means 7 receives operating information as well as the signal S supplied by a sensor 71 which detects marks 23 carried by the strip 2. These marks 22 define the position of the patterns 21 and of the products 22 on the receiving strip 2.
• control means 7 advances the receiving strip 2 by the interval of the step L2 of the product 22 at the transfer station 4 and immobilizes the part of the strip 2 at this location.
• control means 7 advances the transfer film 1 in the transfer station 1 by one step. The film 1 and the ribbon 2 are then immobilized while the matrix 41 prints the pattern on the strip 2 then gets up.
• the drive means can then advance the transfer film 1 by one step L1 and the receiving strip 2, by one step L2.
• the step L2 of band 2 depends on the products to be produced. These products 22 are joined as it appears at the cutter 6.
• the pitch of the transfer film 1 is limited to the length L1 of the pattern to be transferred.
• the film 1 crosses the strip 2 at right angles, at the level of station 4.
• This arrangement is simple but allows variants. Indeed, to transfer a pattern that fits into an elongated rectangular frame like the pattern 21, it is interesting to choose the arrangement represented to juxtapose as closely as possible the traces 11 on the film; if the pattern is part of a parallelogram, it may be interesting to tilt the arrangement of a corresponding angle always to minimize the interval between the traces 11; in this case, for example, it can be a word in italics.
• the receiving strip 2 is for example a printed paper strip.
• Printing can be done by rotogravure printing groups using an in-line rotary process on the installation in FIG. 3. Therefore, and to make it possible to absorb the running at constant speed of the strip 2, upstream cylinders 53, the loop 57 is generally formed between the last printing unit and the transfer printing assembly.
• This cycle of operations is repeated in synchronism with the printing groups downstream of the transfer printing station and of the cutting of the receiving strip downstream of this station. It should be noted that this installation can be applied in general to the transfer of a pattern from the transfer film 1 to the receiving band 2, according to the pitch chosen for the receiving band 2 and saving as much as possible. mum the material of the transfer film 1 by reducing the pitch L1 to the strict minimum.
• the transfer film has a structure similar to that described with reference to FIG. 1A, that is to say that it comprises a support for example made of polyester, a separation layer, a coloring layer, a metallic layer and finally an adhesive layer.
• This structure taken in this order corresponds to the arrangement of the transfer film in FIG. 2.
• the support film is on the top, on the side of the transfer member 41 while the adhesive layer is located on the side of the strip. receptor.
• the transfer member 41 working by pressure, can be cold or hot. If the member is working hot, it is equipped with an integrated heating means, not shown, for example an electrical resistance, subject to temperature regulation to maintain the transfer member at the appropriate temperature for the transfer without risking damage the transfer motif or the receiving strip 2 by a gilding iron which is too hot.
• an integrated heating means not shown, for example an electrical resistance, subject to temperature regulation to maintain the transfer member at the appropriate temperature for the transfer without risking damage the transfer motif or the receiving strip 2 by a gilding iron which is too hot.
• the receiver strip 2 can be pre-printed as indicated.
• the pattern to be transferred is carried by the transfer member 41 and the transfer film is uniform, without any particular impression.
• the positioning of the pattern on the receiving strip is regulated by the relative positioning of the receiving strip and the transfer member, taking into account the different operations to be performed upstream and downstream of the transfer.
• FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of a transfer printing installation.
• This installation operates in the parallel direction, that is to say that the receiving strip 2 and the transfer film 1 flow in the same direction.
• FIG. 3 schematically shows this installation shown more explicitly in FIGS. 4 and 5.
• the installation comprises a supply roller 31A and a reception roller 32A passing the transfer film 1A through the transfer station 4A.
• This station 4A comprises a cylinder 41A provided with transfer members 411A, 412A cooperating with a pressing cylinder 42A.
• the receiving strip 2A and the film 1A pass in the interval between the cylinders 41A, 42A.
• the two transfer members 411A, 412A are in the form of plates.
• the receiving strip 2A runs continuously (arrows B) while the transfer film 1A runs at the same speed as the strip 2A at the time of transfer, when one of the transfer members 411A, 412A applies during its rotation the film 1A against the receiving strip 2A.
• the transfer film 1 advances only by the pitch corresponding to the length of film to be used to carry out the transfer. This step corresponds substantially to the height of the pattern to be transferred.
• the receiving strip 2A carries markers 23A for locating the strip and the place where it is necessary to transfer the pattern 21A each time.
• the pattern trace 11A appears on the film 1A downstream from station 4A.
• This arrangement with parallel movement of the film 1A and of the strip 2A reduces the size of the transfer station 4A and makes it possible to juxtapose several transfer films of different nature to simultaneously carry out several transfers on the same receiving strip.
• It may for example be a pattern 21A such as that which appears and which will be visible in the clear of a non-visible or coded pattern constituting an anti-theft protection. As the nature of the two patterns is different they are produced and carried by a different support.
• This parallel arrangement also makes it possible to transfer a different number of patterns to the same product, for example a readable pattern 21A such as a mark and several invisible or coded patterns 24A for theft protection, repeated along the edge or both edges of the product ; in this case the film 1A is between two other films not shown in FIG. 3.
• FIGs 4 and 5 show in more detail the installation of Figure 3.
• 1 installation comprises, upstream of the transfer cylinder 41A, a guide cylinder 33A with a pressure pad 34A, controlled to retain the transfer film 1A downstream of the pad 34A once the film has advanced sufficient length health to allow the execution of a transfer by synchronous contact and rotation between the transfer cylinder 41A and the pressure cylinder 42A.
• This advance at variable speed is compensated by a sliding system 37A formed by two cylinders 371A, 372A with, in the meantime, a cylinder 373A loaded by a weight, which forms a loop of variable length. Finally, the receiving cylinder 32A receives the film 1A downstream from the transfer station 4A.
• the pressing cylinder 42A is raised and brought closer to the film 1A in the transfer station 4A, relative to the remainder of the path followed by the strip 2A upstream and downstream of the cylinder 42A; the deflection is carried out by two auxiliary cylinders 421A, 422A.
• the control of the shoe 34A is for example ensured by the central control 7A, shown schematically and limited; the detector 71A of the markers 23A carried by the strip 2A appears in FIG. 5.
• This FIG. 5 also shows the patterns 25A printed on the strip 2A before the latter receives the transfer (s) 21A.
• the top view of FIG. 5 shows that the transfer film 1A occupies only a fraction of the width of the strip 2A. Besides this first transfer film 1A, other transfer films can be provided with different materials allowing other transfers.
• FIG. 5 also shows the drive motor 413A of the cylinder 41A and that 351A of the cylinder 35A.
• FIG. 6 shows the part of the installation limited to the transfer station 4B with the means upstream and downstream.
• the same reference numerals have been used as in the previous figures supplemented with suffix B.
• the two supply cylinders bear the references 31B, 31 ′ B and the receiving cylinders have the references 32B, 32 'B.
• the other parts of the installation are identical or analogous to those shown in the previous figures and will not be detailed.
• FIG. 7 shows another variant of the installation for transferring preprinted patterns onto the transfer film.
• This installation relates to the transfer of “pre-printed” patterns onto the transfer film 1C; it can be simple patterns but especially complicated patterns made or fixed on the transfer film 1C and that it does not It would not be possible to obtain from a uniform film, by simple transfer under hot or cold pressure, such as for example hologram or magnetic witness patterns like the 24A patterns (fig. 3) in addition to the achievable patterns. by simple transfer like the patterns of type 21A.
• the speed differences between the unwinding of the film supply roll 31C (unwinder) and the consumption of IC film in the transfer station are absorbed in the player 9C formed by two cylinders 91C, 92C in a fixed position and a cylinder 93C charged by a mass and ensuring a constant tension of the film IC.
• the installation managed by the command 7C receives the detection signals S1, S2 from the detectors 71C, 72C detecting the marks 14C, 24C carried by the film IC and the strip 2C.
• FIG. 8 shows a 2D receiver strip on which 25D images and 23D markers have been printed.
• the transfer performed on this tape concerned 24D coded patterns, for example holograms.
• FIG. 9 shows a receiving strip 2E provided with printed image 25E and markers 23E and which has received patterns 24E such as electromagnetic detection indicators for theft protection.
• the bands 2D, 2E are wound after the transfer of the coded patterns 24D and the electromagnetic patterns 24E; they will be cut later, for example in a packaging installation.
• the patterns 24D, 24E may have a certain excess thickness on winding, it may be advantageous to transfer them onto the strip 2D, 2E in successive positions not homologous to the wound state of the strip, by shifting them transversely (by with respect to the axis of the winding roller) using a transfer cylinder like the one shown in Figure 10.
• This transfer cylinder 41F carries transfer members 411F, 412F distributed along two peripheral rings inside which the members 411F, 412F are offset transversely. These rings are for example ellipses (intersection of a plane and the cylinder 41F). In the case of the example in FIG. 10, the transfer members 411F, 412F of each assembly are very close together.
• the transfer members 411F and 412F have extremely varied designs depending on the graphics to be transferred, the area to be produced; thus, for example, a preferred form is used to manufacture an antenna (24E) whose effect will be optimized by amplifiers or to transfer printed circuits (24D).
• the 2D and 2E receiving strip comprises, in certain applications, patterns thus constituted of a coating coming from the transfer film (1) not only:
• zones capable of allowing binary recordings and / or of constituting an antenna of various shapes and dimensions comprising for example amplifiers, in order to optimize the effect of a magneto-strictive coating with a thickness of 25 to 900 angstroms, intended to enter into resonance in an alternating electromagnetic field generated at a frequency chosen between 73 and 530 Hz and which, deactivated, does not cause any resonance,
• the transfer band (F) intended to make anti-theft antennas, advantageously consists of a metallic layer (C4) composed of a metallic mixture or of an alloy based on cobalt, iron and boron or any other compound. having magneto-restrictive properties, by vacuum metallization of a polyester film ((Cl) coated with one or more separation layers (C2), then covered with an adhesive (C5).

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• Decoration By Transfer Pictures (AREA)
• Labeling Devices (AREA)

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• 1999
  • 1999-09-07 EP EP99941702A patent/EP1210232A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1999-09-07 JP JP2001521566A patent/JP2003528777A/ja not_active Withdrawn
  • 1999-09-07 AU AU55216/99A patent/AU768048B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1999-09-07 CA CA002384086A patent/CA2384086A1/fr not_active Abandoned

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