JPH0310879A - Thermal transfer ink ribbon - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate re-transfer by a method wherein an adhesive layer is interposed between an ink layer and a release layer and the ink layer constituted on the first support body through the release layer is transferred to the second support body and the transferred ink layer is subsequently re-transferred to an object to be printed from the second support body. CONSTITUTION:A transfer ink ribbon is constituted of the first support 11 composed of a heat-resistant film, for example, a PET film, a polycarbonate film or a polyimide film, a release layer 12 composed of wax, higher resin acid, silicone or fluoride, an ink layer 13 containing a color and an adhesive layer 14 composed of a pressure-sensitive adhesive or a hot melt adhesive. After the ink layer 13 and the adhesive layer 14 are thermally transferred to the second support 15 composed of silicone rubber or fluororubber, the ink layer 13 of the adhesive layer 14 is re-transferred to an object 17 to be printed such as paper, a plastic film or a metal plate by a pressure heating roller 16 and strong fixed matter is obtained as final printed matter.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transfer ink ribbon that can be used in high speed printers.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, printers have been required to have higher speed and color, as well as higher resolution and gradation.

Hereinafter, a conventional transfer ink ribbon will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2(A), FIG. 2(B), and FIG. 2(C) are process schematic diagrams of conventional transfer ink ribbons, where 1 is a first support, 2 is a release layer, and 3 is an ink ribbon. 4 is a second support, 5 is a printing object, 6 is a heating means such as an infrared lamp, and 7 is a transparent to black carrier. In FIG. 2(A), 1 is a polyethylene terephthalate (hereinafter referred to as PET) film, on which a release layer 2 is provided, and 3 is a transfer ink ribbon composed of an ink layer. Figure 2 (B) is 3
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the ink layer of FIG. 4 thermally transferred to the second support of FIG.

FIG. 2(C) is a diagram showing the infrared lamp 6 retransferring the image onto the printing object 5 via the holder 7.

The operation of the transfer ink ribbon configured as described above will be described below.

The transfer ink ribbon obtained in FIG. 2(A) is heated by a thermal head, a current-carrying head, etc., and is separated into a release layer and an ink layer, and is brought into close contact with a second support. Next, Figure 2 (C
), an infrared lamp was applied from the back side of the transparent or black second support 4, and the ink layer 3 was melted and retransferred onto the printing object 5 to obtain the desired printed material.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the above configuration, in order to satisfy the high speed and color printing of the printer, it takes a considerable amount of time to dissolve the ink layer 3 in retransfer as shown in FIG. 2(C). Heat energy is required.

In addition, since the holder 7 on the second support 4 is made of cylindrical glass and an endless belt in consideration of continuous operation, the temperature rises due to the infrared lamps and unnecessary parts of the holder 7 are used. Dissolution of the ink layer is observed. Therefore, consideration must be given to extra cooling, which increases the cost of the device and makes it oversized. In addition, there were various problems in that cylindrical glass processing precision was required. In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is a transfer method that can be applied to lithographic original plates as a method that uses a simple printer device, saves energy, is low in cost, can perform high-speed color printing, and can print even on metal plates with high thermal conductivity. The present invention provides an ink ribbon.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the transfer ink ribbon of the present invention is such that an ink layer formed on a first support is transferred to a second support, and then reprinted onto a printing object. This transfer ink ribbon is characterized by an adhesive layer interposed between the ink layer and the release layer in the transfer printing process to facilitate retransfer, and the adhesive layer is adhesive. The adhesive layer has a pressure-sensitive adhesive that increases its adhesive strength by applying an organic solvent or water, the adhesive layer has a lower melting point than the ink layer, and its adhesive strength increases at low temperatures, and the second support has a The transfer ink ribbon is applied to silicone rubber, fluorosilicone rubber, or fluororubber, and the ink layer is made of silicone resin or rubber and the adhesive layer is made of silicone pressure-sensitive adhesive. This method includes a method for manufacturing a lithographic original plate using an oil-based film, and includes a transfer ink ribbon with an adhesive layer interposed therebetween.

Function The present invention has the above-described structure in which an adhesive layer is formed between the release layer and the ink layer, and the ink layer having the adhesive layer is brought into close contact with the surface of the object to be printed, so that retransfer can be performed at low pressure. , can be activated and bonded by low pressure, low temperature, organic solvents or water. Due to these instantaneous retransfers, the conventional method requires warm-up time due to heating of the infrared lamp to raise the temperature of the holder, making it impossible to operate immediately. The present invention can solve the disadvantages that a cooling device is required because the holder accumulates heat, which increases the size of the device, and that the energy required for the infrared lamp increases. Furthermore, the adhesive layer can be one having a low melting point, and even one having a melting point of 30 to 50 degrees can be used. This is because the ink layer is formed on the adhesive layer, which eliminates the blocking phenomenon of mutual adhesion. Furthermore, it was fixed to bond paper at a low pressure of 55) cg/cd at room temperature and passed the tape peel test. Then, at 50 degrees Celsius, it was fixed on bond paper at a low pressure and low temperature of 6 kg/cd, and it also passed the tape peel test. Furthermore, it can be applied to metal plates with good thermal conductivity, and has the advantage that it can be applied to a wider range of printed materials than conventional paper or plastic films.

Example Below, regarding a transfer ink ribbon according to an example of the present invention,
This will be explained with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic process diagram of a transfer ink ribbon in an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1(A), 11 is a heat-resistant film of the first support, such as PET film, polycarbonate film, polyimide film, 12 is a release layer made of wax, high resin acid, silicone, fluoride, etc.; 14 is composed of an ink layer containing a color, and 14 is an adhesive layer such as a pressure-sensitive adhesive or hot melt adhesive. 13 ink layers and 14 adhesive layers are transferred, and in FIG. 1(C), 14 adhesive layers and 13 The ink layer is retransferred onto the 17 printed objects to obtain a strong fixing material to obtain the final printed material. In FIG. 1(D), in another example, the organic solvent or water 18 is applied to the adhesive layer 14 by the application roller 19, and the moment it becomes sticky, it is tightly attached to the printing object 17 by the pressure roller 20. and obtain the final print.

Example 1 In FIG. 1(A), the first support 11 is a 3.5 micron PET film, and the release layer 12 is made of paraffin wax-EM-018N (Japanese). A coating film of 1 micron was obtained by heating at 90 degrees for 2 minutes. Then, as adhesive layer No. 14, an acrylic copolymer pressure sensitive adhesive, IDMA-8 (manufactured by Sekisui Kasei), was applied for 2 minutes at 70 degrees to obtain a coating film of 3.5 microns.

Ink was prepared as No. 13 ink layer with the following formulation.

Ethylene-vinyl acetate co-M combination NUC3185 (manufactured by Nippon Unicar) ... 12% paint - mono-oil block HBB (manufactured by Orient) 2% solvent - monoethyl acetate ...... ・ ・
・・・・・・・・・・・・86 The obtained ink was applied with a wire bar and dried for 3 minutes at 60° C. to obtain a coating film of 2 microns. The transfer ink ribbon is completed in the above manner, and the next step, as shown in FIG. The release layer 12 and the adhesive layer 14 are separated to expose the surface of the adhesive layer. Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 1 (C), the adhesive surface of <17 to be printed was placed on bond paper and pressed to 6 kg/Cd with a pressure heating roller heated to 16,050 degrees to form the final printed object. Obtained. Adhesive tape, Scotch tape 810, to check the strength of the print.
When a peel test was performed, the printed part was stuck (it did not peel off and was in good condition).

Example 2 As shown in FIG. 1 (D), using the transfer ink ribbon prepared in Example 1, the adhesive surface was moistened and activated with the organic solvent No. 18 and hexane using the application roller No. 19 to create tackiness. A printed matter was obtained on an aluminum plate, which was a printed matter of No. 17, using a pressure roller of No. 20 at a pressure of 55 kg/crA.

As a result of the tape peeling test, the printed matter did not peel off at all, and a good printed matter was obtained.

Example 3 First support - 3.5 micron PET film Release - Silicone KS-770A (manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical) Adhesive layer - 1 Consisted of silicone pressure-sensitive adhesive YR3340 (manufactured by Toshiba Silicone), The ink composition of the ink layer was as follows.

Ink vehicle silicone acrylic KR9706 (manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical)
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・24% dye-
One oil black HBB・・・・・・・・・・・・・
・・2% i agent--) Luene・・・・・・・・・・・・・
An ink consisting of 84% was applied with a wire bar to obtain a transfer ink ribbon with a total thickness of 10 microns. This ink is shown in Figure 1 (B
) as shown in FIG.
A final print was obtained on a 0 micron PET film print object using 16 pressure heating rollers at 74 cg/cd and at 50 degrees.

When this material is made into a lithographic plate by making the PE7 part lipophilic and compatible with ink, and the silicone part being oil-repellent to ink, a lithographic plate with a lifespan of 3,500 sheets of offset printing can be obtained. Ta.

Example 4 The first support, release layer, and ink layer were the same as in Example 1, and the adhesive layer was made of polyamide MPIII (manufactured by Arayo Kagaku).
・5%, Ester gum...60%, Paraffin wax HNP9 (manufactured by Nippon Seiro)...35%
The transfer ink ribbon using a hot melt adhesive made of
It was applied to bond paper as a printing medium at 40 degrees. As a result, a product that satisfactorily passed the tape peel test was obtained.

Example 5 Same structure as Example 1, but the ink composition of the ink layer is as follows: Cohonyl 9503...Methacrylic acid ester (Japan synthetic type) 25%, paint - Oil Red 5
B (manufactured by Orient)...3%, ethyl acetate 72
%, the resulting transfer ink ribbon was fixed at 10 kg/d at 50 degrees.

(Left below) Table 1 Pressure...kg/C1j, Printing strength...
Tape peeling test, printing speed...A4 size sheet/
Minutes.

In the conventional example *, the transfer ink ribbon was heated with an infrared lamp from the back side while being pressed against the transfer ink ribbon having the configuration of Example 1.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the results of Table 1 show that the present invention has the advantage that, compared to the conventional example, which does not have print strength unless it is fixed under high pressure and high temperature,
Re-transfer and fixing are performed at low pressure and low temperature, and the print strength is sufficient to pass the test. This simplifies the printing device, that is, the pressurizing device of the printer, requires less energy from the infrared lamp, and the temperature control circuit is also smaller or unnecessary, reducing costs by omitting the cooling device seen in conventional examples. is measured. Furthermore, the holder can be omitted, and the transfer ink ribbon does not melt in unnecessary areas due to temperature rise.

If costs could be reduced with heating equipment, energy savings would be satisfied at the time, and speeding up would also be solved. Colorization can also be overwritten on the second support, so four full colors can be written on the same surface and retransferred at once.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 (A), Figure 1 (B), Figure 1 (C), Figure 1 (
D) is a simplified process diagram of applying the transfer ink ribbon in the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2(A), FIG. 2(B), FIG.
Figure (C) is a simplified diagram of the process of applying a conventional transfer ink ribbon. ■...First support, 2...Release layer,
3... Ink layer, 4... Second support, 5... Printed object, 6... Infrared lamp, 7... -Holder, 11...First support, 12...Release layer, 13...Ink layer, 14...Adhesive layer, 15... ...Second support, 16...Pressure and heating roller, 17...
... Printed object, 1 day ... Organic solvent or water, 19 ... Application roller, 20 ... Pressure roller.

Claims (7)

[Claims] (1) A transfer ink ribbon used in a printing process in which an ink layer having a release layer on a first support is transferred to a second support and then re-transferred to an object to be printed. A transfer ink ribbon characterized in that an adhesive layer is interposed between the ink layer and the release layer to facilitate retransfer. (2) The transfer ink ribbon according to claim (1), wherein the adhesive layer is a tacky pressure-sensitive adhesive. (3) The transfer ink ribbon according to claim (1), wherein the adhesive layer is coated with an organic solvent or water to increase adhesive strength during retransfer. (4) The transfer ink ribbon according to claim (1), wherein the adhesive layer is a net melt adhesive whose adhesive strength increases at low temperatures, which are lower than the melting point of the ink layer. (5) The transfer ink ribbon according to claim 1, wherein the second support is made of silicone rubber or fluororubber. (6) The transfer ink ribbon according to claim (1), wherein the ink layer is made of silicone resin or rubber, and the adhesive layer is made of silicone pressure-sensitive adhesive. (7) The transfer ink ribbon according to claim (6), wherein the transfer ink ribbon is used for producing a lithographic original plate by printing on a film having lipophilic properties to form an oil-repellent portion.