JPH04241945A - Plate making method and plate making device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a plate making method of simple constitution generating no wasteful matter even after a plate consisting of an insulating part and a conductive part used in recording due to a current supply recording system is formed. CONSTITUTION:A plate material 1 formed by superposing a hot-melt insulating material 2b and a porous conductive material 1a one upon another is supported on a platen roller 3 to be fed in the direction shown by an arrow A. A plurality of the heating elements 2a of a thermal head 2 come into contact with a plate surface 1c to generate heat corresponding to an image signal. The respective regions of the insulating material 1b heated by the heating elements 2a through the conductive material 1a are melted to pass through the porous conductive material 1a by a capillary phenomenon to reach the plate surface 1c and respectively coagulated to form insulating parts 4. The surface other than the insulating parts 4 of the plate surface 1c is exposed as it is to become a conductive part.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a plate-making method for making a plate for use in recording by an electric current recording method using a recording material whose adhesion changes depending on the polarity of an applied voltage, and the implementation of the plate-making method. This relates to a plate-making device used for.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Recording using a current recording method using a recording material whose adhesion changes depending on the polarity of an applied voltage will be described with reference to FIGS. 6(a) to 6(f).

In FIG. 6A, a recording material 96 is in contact with both of a pair of electrodes 91 and 92, and is also in contact with an insulating portion 93 formed on the surface of the lower electrode 92 in the figure. ing. The adhesion of the recording material 96 changes depending on the polarity of the applied voltage, and here, an example will be explained in which it does not adhere to the negative electrode. As shown in FIG. 6(b), the upper electrode 91 in the figure is the positive electrode, and the lower electrode 9 in the figure is the positive electrode.
2 as a negative electrode, and when both electrodes 91 and 92 are separated while applying the voltage, as shown in FIG. remains attached to the insulating portion 93, and other recording materials 96a
is attached to the electrode 91 on the upper side in the figure, but not on the electrode 92 on the lower side in the figure.

As shown in FIG. 6(d), a voltage is applied to the upper electrode 91 in the figure as a negative electrode and the lower electrode 92 in the figure as a positive electrode, and while the voltage is being applied, both electrodes 91
, 92 are separated, as shown in FIG. 6E, the recording material 96 adheres to the electrode 92 and the insulating portion 93 on the lower side of the figure, but does not adhere to the electrode 91 on the upper side of the figure. Also, Figure 6 (
f) As shown in FIG.
It attaches to 1,92.

[0005] Therefore, a plate for recording an image is formed by a conductive part that becomes one electrode and an insulating part, and a voltage is applied while a recording material having the above properties is sandwiched between the plate and the other electrode. By separating the plate and the other electrode while applying a voltage, the recording material can be selectively attached to the insulating portion of the plate to form an image.

[0006] Conventional plate-making methods for use in recording by the current recording method include the following.

As shown in FIG. 7(a), an intermediate layer 87 made of ultraviolet curable resin is provided on the surface of a conductive substrate 88 made of aluminum, copper, etc. An upper layer 85 made of terephthalate or the like is provided to constitute the plate material. Next, the upper layer 85 is masked according to the shape of the image, and ultraviolet rays are irradiated to photopolymerize the portion of the intermediate layer 87 that corresponds to the shape of the image, thereby forming the insulating section 86. Then, as shown in FIG. 7(b), when the upper layer 85 is peeled off, the portion of the intermediate layer 87 that has not been photopolymerized is peeled off together with the upper layer 85.
In this method, the insulating portion 86 remains attached to the substrate 88 and the plate is made.

In addition, there is a plate-making method in which fine powder such as toner is adhered to the surface of a conductive substrate using a complicated electrophotographic apparatus to form an insulating part. .

[0009]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention The above-mentioned conventional plate-making methods have problems in that the number of plate-making steps is large and time-consuming, and the plate-making apparatus is complicated. Further, there is a problem in that post-processing such as processing of the upper layer after peeling off from the substrate and processing of unnecessary waste toner is required.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional technology, and has a simple structure that eliminates the need for post-processing and eliminates the waste of waste even after plate making is completed. The object of the present invention is to provide a plate-making method and a plate-making apparatus used to carry out the plate-making method.

[0011]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The plate making method of the present invention for achieving the above object is for use in recording using a recording material whose adhesion changes depending on the polarity of the applied voltage.
In a plate making method for making a plate formed of an insulating part and a conductive part, a plate material is formed by overlapping a heat-fusible insulating material and a porous conductive material, and one of the insulating materials of the plate material is The feature is that heat is applied to areas according to the image.

[0012] Furthermore, there are methods that apply heat to the insulating material of the plate material via the conductive material of the plate material, and methods that apply heat directly to the surface of the insulating material of the plate material that is opposite to the conductive material. In some cases, the conductive material of the plate material is mesh-like instead of porous.

Next, the plate making apparatus of the present invention makes a plate formed of an insulating part and a conductive part for use in recording using a recording material whose adhesion changes depending on the polarity of an applied voltage. The plate-making apparatus is characterized by having a heating means for applying heat to a portion of the insulating material of the plate material, which is formed by overlapping a heat-fusible insulating material and a porous conductive material, in accordance with an image. That is.

[0014] The heating means is a thermal head that is disposed at a position in contact with the plate material and moves relative to the plate material, and the heating means is a thermal head that moves relative to the plate material, and heats a portion of the insulating material of the plate material that corresponds to the image. In some cases, the heat applied to the plate is generated in response to an image signal, and in some cases, the conductive material of the plate material is mesh-like instead of porous.

[0015]

[Operation] In the plate-making method and plate-making apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, the insulating material of the plate material is composed of a heat-fusible insulating material and a porous or mesh-like conductive material stacked on top of each other. Heat is applied by a heating means to a portion of the image corresponding to the image. Each part of the insulating material to which the heat has been applied melts and passes through the conductive material due to capillary action and reaches the surface of the conductive material opposite to the insulating material (hereinafter referred to as the "plate"). Each solidifies to form an insulating part. The surface of the printing plate of the conductive material other than the insulating portion is exposed as it is and becomes a conductive portion.

[0016]

[Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be explained based on the drawings.

First, a first embodiment will be explained.

In FIG. 1, a plate material 1 used in the plate-making method of this embodiment is a plate-like material in which a conductive material 1a forming a conductive layer and an insulating material 1b forming an insulating layer are stacked on top of each other. The conductive material 1a is made of metal such as aluminum or copper,
It has a porous structure in which a large number of bubble-like micropores are uniformly dispersed. The inner diameter of each micropore is approximately 1-30
.mu.m, and adjacent fine holes communicate with each other to form a continuous space from the contact surface of the conductive material 1a with the insulating material 1b to the plate surface 1c on the opposite side through each fine hole. Further, the thickness of the conductive material 1a (conductive layer) is within a range of about 5 to 100 μm. The insulating material 1b is a heat-melting material such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride), and its thickness (thickness of the insulating layer) is within a range of about 50 to 100 μm.

Next, the plate-making apparatus used to carry out the plate-making method of this embodiment will be explained.

In FIG. 2, a platen roller 3 whose circumferential surface is coated with rubber such as chloroprene rubber or silicone rubber having a rubber hardness of 40 to 80 degrees is rotatably supported by the main body of a plate-making device (not shown). , which supports the plate material 1 while being rotated in contact with the insulating material 1b of the plate material 1, which is transported in the direction of the arrow A by a transport means (not shown). A known thermal head 2, which is a heating means, is arranged at a position where the plate material 1 is sandwiched between the platen roller 3, and a plurality of heating elements 2a provided at the tip are in contact with the plate surface 1c of the conductive material 1a. . A plurality of heating elements 2a are arranged in a line in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing at a density of, for example, 100 to 500 dpi, corresponding to a desired recording density, and each heating element 2a transmits data to the thermal head 2. The configuration is such that each generates heat in accordance with an image signal that is information about a captured image.

Next, the plate-making method of this embodiment using the plate-making apparatus described above will be explained (see FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b)).
) reference).

The plate material 1 is conveyed at a constant speed in the direction of arrow A by the conveying means, and each heating element 2a of the thermal head 2 generates heat in accordance with the image signal while in contact with the plate surface 1c of the plate material 1. Then, the heat of each heating element 2a is conducted through the conductive material 1a and applied to a portion of the insulating material 1b corresponding to the image. Insulating material 1b to which the heat has been applied
The temperature rises to 150 to 300° C. and each portion melts, passes through the porous conductive material 1a due to capillary action and reaches the plate surface 1c, and then solidifies to form the insulating portion 4. The conductive material 1a is exposed as it is on the surface other than the insulating part 4 of the plate surface 1c to form a conductive part, and a plate formed by the conductive part and the insulating part is made.

In this embodiment, the steps of the plate-making method are very simple, and the plate-making apparatus is also very simple. Moreover, even after the plate making process is completed, nothing is disposed of or wasted, and resources are not wasted.

The conductive material 1a of this example has a large number of bubble-like micropores, but instead of this, a large number of mesh-like micropores are formed, The molten insulating material 1b may be able to pass through each micropore within a specific range by capillary action and reach the plate surface 1c.

Although the platen roller 3 is rotated by frictional force with the plate material 1, it may be forcibly rotated by a known drive means to convey the plate material 1 in the direction of arrow A.

The plate making apparatus of this embodiment has a thermal head 2
Although the plate material 1 is moved relative to the plate material 1, the thermal head may be moved relative to the plate material that is appropriately fixed.

Next, a second embodiment will be explained.

The plate material 1 shown in the first embodiment is a conductive material 1a.
The plate material 21 of this embodiment is made of a conductive material 21a and an insulating material 21b superimposed, as shown in FIG. Further, a base material 21d is bonded to the surface of the insulating material 21b opposite to the conductive material 21a using an adhesive or the like, thereby forming a three-layer plate-like structure. The base material 21d is made of polyimide, P
It is made of resin such as ET or metal such as aluminum or copper, and has appropriate rigidity. In this embodiment, since the base material 21d having appropriate rigidity is bonded to the insulating material 21b, the mechanical strength against bending, distortion, etc. of the plate material 21 can be increased. The other points are the same as those in the first embodiment, so the explanation thereof will be omitted.

Next, a third embodiment will be explained.

In the plate making apparatus of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the platen roller 33 comes into contact with the plate surface 31c of the plate material 31 being conveyed in the direction of arrow B, and each heating element 32a of the thermal head 32 touches the plate surface 31c. It is configured to be in contact with the surface of the insulating material 31b of the material 31 on the side opposite to the conductive material 31a. Since the other points are the same as those of the first embodiment, the explanation thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the heat generated by each heating element 32a is applied directly to the insulating material 31b, so that the insulating material 31b can be heated efficiently. In other respects, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0032]

[Effects of the Invention] Since the present invention is constructed as described above, it produces the following effects.

[0033] A simple method of forming a plate material by overlapping a heat-melting insulating material and a porous or mesh-like conductive material, and applying heat to a portion of the insulating material of the plate material according to the image. Depending on the configuration, a plate formed of an insulating part and a conductive part can be made.

[0034] Also, unlike in the past, there is no generation of anything that must be disposed of or wasted even after plate making is completed, no post-processing is required, and no resources are wasted.

In addition to the above-mentioned effects, the plate-making apparatus according to claim 6 can make the plate while the thermal head and the plate material move relative to each other only once. It's easy to do.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a plate material according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the plate making apparatus of the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the same embodiment,
(a) is a diagram showing the state in which the plate material is heated, (b)
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which an insulating portion is formed on a plate material.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a plate material according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a plate making apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining recording by the current recording method, in which (a) is a cross-sectional view of a portion where an image is formed;
(b) shows the voltage applied between the pair of electrodes in (a), (c) shows the pair of electrodes separated in (b), and (d) shows the polarity of the voltage applied in (b). A reversed view, (e) is a view in which the pair of electrodes in (d) is separated, and (f) is a view in which the pair of electrodes in (a) is separated without applying a voltage.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a conventional plate-making method,
(a) is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a conventional plate material, (b)
is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the upper layer of a conventional plate material is peeled off.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 21, 31 Plate material 1a, 21a, 31a Conductive material 1b, 21b, 31b Insulating material 1c, 21c, 31c　　Print surface 2, 32 Thermal head 2a, 32a Heating element 3, 33 Platen roller 4 Insulation section

Claims (7)

[Claims] Claim 1. A plate making method for making a plate formed of an insulating part and a conductive part for use in recording using a recording material whose adhesion changes depending on the polarity of an applied voltage, comprising: A plate-making method comprising forming a plate material by overlapping an insulating material and a porous conductive material, and applying heat to a portion of the insulating material of the plate material corresponding to an image. 2. The plate making method according to claim 1, wherein heat is applied to an insulating material of the plate material via a conductive material of the plate material. 3. The plate making method according to claim 1, wherein heat is applied directly to the surface of the insulating material of the plate material on the side opposite to the conductive material. 4. The plate-making method according to claim 1, wherein the conductive material of the plate material has a mesh shape instead of being porous. 5. In a plate-making device for making a plate formed of an insulating part and a conductive part for use in recording using a recording material whose adhesion changes depending on the polarity of an applied voltage, a thermofusible plate is used. What is claimed is: 1. A plate making apparatus comprising a heating means for applying heat to a portion of the insulating material in accordance with an image in a plate material formed by overlapping an insulating material and a porous conductive material. 6. The heating means is a thermal head that is disposed at a position in contact with the plate material and moves relative to the plate material, and the heating means is a thermal head that moves relative to the plate material, and heats a portion of the insulating material of the plate material that corresponds to the image. 6. The plate making apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the heat applied to the plate is generated in accordance with an image signal. 7. The plate-making apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the conductive material of the plate material is mesh-like instead of porous.