Pasting mechanism

Abstract

To provide a pasting mechanism that includes guide means for thermal compression bonding a sheet to a foil material, and then improving detachability between the foil material and the sheet to suppress flapping of the sheet on a pasting mechanism that pastes a foil material to a sheet.SOLUTION: A pasting mechanism includes guide means for suppressing flapping of a sheet when pasting a foil material to the sheet. The guide means includes an opening part to be fitted to a stamp plate when performing thermal compression bonding and having a shape surrounding the stamp plate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a bonding mechanism for thermocompression bonding a foil material to a sheet. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, foil materials (metal foil or foil with an "OVD (Optical Variable Device)" display technology that utilizes light interference, such as holograms or diffraction gratings) have been affixed to valuable printed items that require high security, such as banknotes, securities, and passports. These foil materials are also now affixed to various credit cards, IC cards, gift certificates, and other valuable printed items, making them a wide variety of valuable printed items. The reason foil materials are used in many valuable printed items is that they have the property of changing color and image when viewed from different angles, making them easy for anyone to distinguish from counterfeits and difficult to counterfeit.

[0003] It is known that such valuable printed matter is produced by placing a foil strip consisting of foil material and a foil material support strip between an engraving plate provided in a bonding device and a pressure plate provided below the engraving plate horizontally, and by bonding the foil material of the foil strip to the individual sheets using a bonding mechanism in which the pressure plate moves toward the engraving plate to apply pressure to the individual sheets while transporting the individual sheets one by one between the foil strip and the pressure plate.

[0004] It is also known to use an optical sensor to read positioning marks (also called register marks) provided on a foil material support band, separate from the foil material, and to press the foil material pattern onto a substrate such as paper or card at the same time as the reading, thereby ensuring that the foil material is always attached in a fixed position.

[0005] One of the manufacturing problems is that flapping can occur during foil application due to deformation of the sheet or transport conditions. In this specification, "flapping" refers to irregular displacement, such as undulation, bending, or waving, that occurs in the entire sheet or in part due to displacement or force being applied to the sheet in a direction different from the normal transport direction. This flapping can result in poor quality due to deformation, such as folding or wrinkling of the sheet, or misalignment of the sheet when applied, resulting in reduced productivity.

[0006] In particular, when the sheet has a low basis weight or when the sheet has been subjected to intaglio printing as a pre-processing step, the sheet is not horizontal but has a wavy shape, so the flapping of the sheet in the laminating mechanism is noticeable.

[0007] Therefore, in order to solve this problem when applying foil material, the applicant has proposed providing the application mechanism with a guide means that is arranged to abut against the individual sheets, with the aim of suppressing flapping of the individual sheets in the application mechanism (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0008] 1 is a side view of the configuration of the joining mechanism (S) of the joining device of Patent Document 1. In addition to the joining mechanism (S) shown in the figure, the joining device of Patent Document 1 also has at least (not shown) a paper feed mechanism that feeds individual sheets (22) to the joining mechanism (S) one by one, a paper discharge mechanism that discharges the individual sheets after joining, a conveying mechanism that conveys the individual sheets (22), a foil strip supply mechanism that supplies the foil strip (21), and a recovery mechanism that recovers the foil material support strip after the foil material (21a) has been joined.

[0009] The joining mechanism (S) has an engraving plate (11) and a pressure plate (12) provided below the engraving plate (11) so as to move in a reciprocating vertical motion toward the engraving plate.

[0010] Between the marking plate (11) and the pressure plate (12) are, from above, the foil strip (21) and guide means (31). Below the guide means (31), the sheet (22) is held by the leading end (22a) of the sheet (22) with a gripper (13a) provided in the holding means (13), and is transported to the joining mechanism (S).

[0011] The foil strip (21) is made up of a foil material (21a) to be attached to the individual sheets (22) and a foil material support band (21b) for transporting the foil material (21a), and is supplied by a foil strip supply mechanism, and the foil material (21a) is thermocompressed onto the individual sheets (22) by an engraving plate (11) and a pressure plate (12). After that, the foil material (21a) and foil material support band (21b) that are not thermocompressed onto the individual sheets (22) are collected by a collection mechanism.

[0012] When the pressure plate (12) rises to attach the foil material (21a) to the sheet (22), the sheet (22) flutters. The guide means (31) suppresses this fluttering.

[0013] The guide means (31) has an elastic member (41) at one end, and both ends are fixed by fasteners (51). The guide means (31) is designed to bend under its own weight. When the pressure plate (12) rises, the bending of the guide means (31) causes the sheet (22) to be sandwiched between the guide means (31) and the pressure plate (12), suppressing flapping of the sheet (22). When the pressure plate (12) has reached its full height, the elastic member (41) absorbs the bending, preventing the guide means (31) from breaking. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0014] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-27859 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0015] However, while Patent Document 1 is somewhat more effective at eliminating flapping of the individual sheets (22) during lamination than a laminating device not equipped with a guide means (31), it is unable to completely eliminate flapping. Figure 2 is a top view of the laminating mechanism (S) of the laminating device described in Patent Document 1. The reason why flapping of the individual sheets (22) cannot be completely eliminated will be explained using Figure 2. In Figure 2, the guide means (31) of the laminating mechanism (S) are provided on both sides of the marking plate (11), where the foil material (21a) and the individual sheets (22) are attached. When the pressure plate (12) contacts the individual sheets (22) and applies an upward displacement to the individual sheets (22), flapping occurs. However, the guide means (31) contacts the individual sheets (22) and suppresses this displacement, thereby suppressing flapping. However, while the effect of suppressing the flapping described above is effective at the position where the guide means (31) is provided, the effect is reduced at the position where the guide means (31) does not abut, which is thought to be the reason why flapping of the individual sheets (22) cannot be completely eliminated.

[0016] Furthermore, Patent Document 1 describes that in order to obtain the effect of suppressing flapping of the individual sheets (22), the number and position of the guide means (31) can be adjusted as long as the guide means (31) is positioned so as not to overlap with the foil strip (21), but does not describe the shape of the guide means (31) or the distance from the engraved plate (11) that contributes to suppressing flapping.

[0017] Furthermore, the flapping described above is caused by the upward displacement caused by the pressure plate (12) coming into contact with the individual sheet (22) when the foil material (21a) is being applied, but there was another flapping caused by a different factor: after the foil material (21a) has been applied to the individual sheet (22), the foil material support band (21b) peels away from the foil material (21a), causing a force that lifts the individual sheet (22) diagonally upward, which is generated by the foil material support band (21b).

[0018] After the foil material (21a) on the foil belt (21) is attached to the individual sheets (22), the foil material (21a) and the foil material support (21b) that were integrated as the foil belt (21) are quickly peeled and separated, and the foil material (21a) is integrated with the individual sheets (22) and sent out in the conveyance direction of the individual sheets (22), while the foil material support (21b) that has separated from one of the foil materials (21a) is wound up slightly diagonally upward in the conveyance direction of the individual sheets (22) and collected by a collection mechanism. At this time, if the foil material (21a) and the individual sheets (22) are not quickly separated, the individual sheets (22) are lifted together with the foil material (21a) in a slightly diagonally upward direction in the conveyance direction, which is the direction in which the foil material support (21b) moves, causing the conveyance state of the individual sheets (22) to become unstable and flapping. The flapping that occurs after the foil material (21a) is attached affects the subsequent transport state of the paper, making it difficult to stack the individual sheets (22) in the correct position, leading to machine stoppages due to poor stacking, and is a major problem for manufacturing, just like the flapping that occurs during attachment.

[0019] To solve this problem, after the foil material (21a) is applied, the guide means (31) holds down the individual sheet (22) from above to prevent the foil band (21) from lifting the individual sheet (22) diagonally upward, thereby quickly peeling and separating the foil material (21a) from the foil support (21b), which is called a "separating effect." This separating effect is achieved by holding down the individual sheet (22) with the guide means (31) to cancel the force acting diagonally upward on the foil support (21b). Therefore, this effect is particularly significant when the guide means (31) and the foil band (21) are positioned close to each other. However, the guide means (31) in Patent Document 1 is located far from the foil band (21), which makes it difficult to achieve a sufficient separating effect and thus makes it difficult to suppress flapping that occurs after application.

[0020] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide an application mechanism (S) having a guide means (31) that is highly effective in stably transporting the individual sheets (22) in order to suppress the upward displacement imparted to the individual sheets (22) by the rise of the pressure plate (12), which causes fluttering when the foil material (21a) is applied, and the force that lifts the individual sheets (22) diagonally upward, which is generated by the foil material support band (21b) when the foil material support band (21b) and the foil material (21a) are peeled off, which causes fluttering after the foil material (21a) is applied. [Means for solving the problem]

[0021] The bonding mechanism of the present invention is a bonding device that bonds foil material to individual sheets by thermocompression, and includes at least an engraving plate, a pressure plate provided below the engraving plate that moves in a reciprocating vertical motion toward the engraving plate, and a guide means between the engraving plate and the pressure plate that abuts against the individual sheets during thermocompression, and is characterized in that the guide means has an opening shaped to surround the engraving plate.

[0022] The guide means is characterized by having a recess on the surface that comes into contact with the foil material, the recess being wider than the width of the foil material and deeper than the thickness of the foil material. [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] According to the joining mechanism (S) of the present invention, when the foil material (21a) is thermocompressed to the single sheet (22), the guide means (31) deflects due to its own weight to hold down the periphery of the foil material (21a) thermocompressed to the single sheet (22). This makes it possible to provide a joining mechanism (S) that is more effective than conventional mechanisms in suppressing flapping caused by the pressure plate (12) contacting the single sheet (22) when joining the foil material (21a) to the single sheet (22) and flapping caused by the foil material support band (21b) lifting the single sheet (22) when separating the foil material (21a) from the single sheet (22). As a result, poor conveyance and poor quality associated with the guide means (31) being less effective at suppressing flapping do not occur, thereby improving productivity. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view showing the configuration of the attachment mechanism according to Patent Document 1 and the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of the pasting mechanism of Patent Document 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a guide means of the joining mechanism of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a guide means of the joining mechanism of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a guide means of the joining mechanism of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a guide means of the joining mechanism of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a guide means of the joining mechanism of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a guide means of the joining mechanism of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 shows a guide means having a recess. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] The following description will discuss embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and various other embodiments are also encompassed within the scope of the technical concept set forth in the claims.

[0026] (First embodiment) The configuration of the bonding mechanism (S) of the present invention is similar to the configuration of the bonding mechanism (S) possessed by the bonding device described in Patent Document 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2, and the carrying means (13) transports the individual sheet (22) between the pressure plate (12) and the engraving plate (11), and the pressure plate (12) rises toward the engraving plate (11), causing the guide means (31) to abut against the individual sheet (22), which effectively suppresses flapping of the individual sheet (22), and the foil material (21a) between the pressure plate (12) and the engraving plate (11) and the individual sheet (22) are thermocompressed together, and the foil material (21a) is bonded to the individual sheet (22). In addition, when the foil support band (21b) is separated from the sheet (22) after the foil (21a) has been applied, the sheet (22) is held down to enhance the separation effect and prevent flapping, and the sheet (22) is transported to an appropriate position in the paper stacking section (not shown). In the application mechanism (S) of the present invention described below, the same parts will be described using the names and symbols described in Figures 1 and 2.

[0027] The foil strip 21, the individual sheets 22, and the guide means 31 of the present invention will be described below in this order.

[0028] (Foil belt) The foil strip (21) is made up of a foil material (21a) and a foil material support strip (21b), and the foil material (21a) is in a state of being adhered to the foil material support strip (21b) before being attached.

[0029] The foil material (21a) is, for example, a metal foil or a foil with an "OVD (Optical Variable Device)" display technology that uses light interference such as a hologram or a diffraction grating, and is available in patch or stripe shapes.

[0030] The foil material support belt 21b transports the foil material 21a to the position where the individual sheets 22 are attached. When the foil material 21a is thermally pressed onto the individual sheets 22 by the engraving plate 11 and the pressure plate 12, the foil material 21a separates from the foil material support belt 21b.

[0031] After the thermocompression bonding, the individual sheets (22) with the foil material (21a) attached thereto are transported to a paper discharge mechanism (not shown), and the foil material (21a) and foil material support band (21b) that have not been attached thereto are collected by a collection mechanism (not shown).

[0032] (single-fed sheet) The sheet 22 is a printable material and may be paper or a plastic sheet, or a laminate of paper and a plastic sheet, or paper coated on at least one side. The present invention is particularly suitable for use when the sheet 22 is a low-basis-weight material or when the foil 21a is to be applied to a material that is easily deformed or has been embossed by intaglio printing or the like before application.

[0033] The individual sheets (22) with the foil material (21a) attached thereto may be used as they are, or may be divided into pieces of a predetermined size and used as banknotes, passports, securities, passports, stock certificates, gift certificates, revenue stamps, tickets, banknotes, or certificates.

[0034] (Guide means) 3 is a plan view of the attachment mechanism (S) of the present invention. As in Patent Document 1, the guide means (31) of the present invention has an elastic member (41) present at one end of the guide means (31), and is fixed to the attachment mechanism (S) by fixtures (51) that fix both ends of the guide means (31).

[0035] The material of the guide means 31 can be selected from metals and resin materials, with stainless steel being particularly preferable in terms of strength.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 3, the guide means (31) of the present invention has an opening (32) that surrounds the shape of the engraving plate (11). The opening (32) is fitted to the engraving plate (11) when the foil material (21) is thermocompressed onto the sheet (22) by the engraving plate (11) and the pressure plate (12), and is shaped so as not to interfere with the operation of the engraving plate (11) to punch out the foil material (21a) from the foil strip (21).

[0037] In the present invention, "the shape of the opening (32) of the guide means (31) to fit with the engraving plate (11)" does not mean that they fit together without any gaps, but rather that the opening (32) is larger than the shape of the engraving plate (11) so that the guide means (31) and the engraving plate (11) do not come into contact with each other during thermocompression bonding. For example, in the engraving plate (11) shown in Fig. 3, the length between two sides parallel to the conveying direction of the single sheet (22) is the vertical width (11a) of the engraving plate (11), and the length between two sides perpendicular to the conveying direction of the single sheet (22) is the horizontal width (11b) of the engraving plate. In the opening (32), the length between two sides parallel to the conveying direction of the single sheet (22) is the vertical width (32a) of the opening (32), and the length between two sides perpendicular to the conveying direction of the single sheet (22) is the opening width (32b). If the vertical width (32a) and horizontal width (32b) of the opening (32) are set to be approximately 1 mm to 20 mm larger than the vertical width (11a) and horizontal width (11b) of the engraving plate (11), then even if the guide means (31) moves slightly due to the rise of the pressure plate (12), it will not come into contact with the engraving plate (11), and the guide means (31) can effectively press the periphery of the engraving plate (11).

[0038] For example, when the shape of the engraving plate (11) is rectangular as shown in Fig. 3, it is preferable that the shape of the opening (32) is also rectangular. However, without being limited thereto, the shape of the engraving plate (11) and the shape of the opening (32) may be different. The specific shapes will be described later.

[0039] The number of guide means (31) of the present invention can be set arbitrarily. For example, as shown in Fig. 3, the joining mechanism (S) may have four marking plates (11), but four guide means. Furthermore, if the locations where the individual sheets (22) flutter can be identified in the joining mechanism (S), appropriate guide means (31) may be provided only at the fluttering locations, regardless of the number of marking plates (11) (not shown).

[0040] However, it is preferable that the number of guide means 31 is the same as the number of marking plates 11, since this has a greater effect in suppressing flapping of the individual sheets 22.

[0041] The guide means 31 is basically disposed between the sheet 22 and the engraving plate 11, but it can also be disposed between the pressure plate 12 and the sheet 22. In this case, it is preferable that the guide means 31 is configured to hold the sheet 22 from above and below at the same or approximately the same position through the sheet 22.

[0042] The guide means (31) of the present invention may be combined with the guide means (31) described in the cited document 1. For example, the guide means (31) of the cited document 1 may be disposed between two guide means (31) of the present invention shown in Fig. 3 (not shown).

[0043] 3 has a belt-like shape, but is not limited to this shape, and has an opening 32 that surrounds the shape of the engraving plate 11, and the opening 32 is not limited to any particular shape as long as it fits into the engraving plate 11 when the foil material 21 is thermocompressed onto the sheet 22 by the engraving plate 11 and the pressure plate 12. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the guide means 31 may be a single flat plate having an opening 32 that surrounds the shape of the engraving plate 11.

[0044] 4 is held by four elastic members 41, the number of elastic members is not limited as long as the single flat guide means 31 can bend under its own weight during thermocompression bonding. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the attachment position of the elastic members 41 may be changed to a position that does not hinder the movement of the support means 13.

[0045] In this way, if the guide means (31) is made in the shape of a single flat plate, its weight increases and the deflection of the guide due to its own weight increases, which is expected to further suppress flapping of the sheets (22).

[0046] Furthermore, the shape of the opening 32 of the guide means 31 does not necessarily have to be the same as the shape of the engraving plate 11. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the engraving plate 11 may have a serpentine shape, while the opening 32 of the guide means 31 may have an elliptical shape.

[0047] In this way, even if the shape of the engraved plate (11) and the shape of the opening (32) of the guide means (31) are not the same, it is sufficient that the periphery of the foil material (22) that is thermocompressed to the sheet (22) can be held in place.

[0048] However, it is most preferable that the shape of the engraved plate (11) and the opening (32) of the guide means (31) are the same, since this allows the guide means (31) to better hold the periphery of the foil material (22) attached to the individual sheets (22).

[0049] Figure 7 shows an application mechanism (S) having multiple rectangular engraved plates (11) for one foil strip (21), in which the guide means (31) is shaped like a single flat plate and has multiple openings (32) surrounding the shape of the multiple rectangular engraved plates (11).

[0050] Even if the guide means (31) has a plurality of openings (32) corresponding to the shapes of such a plurality of engraved plates (11), there is no problem because when the foil material (21a) is attached to the individual sheet (22) and the foil material support band (21b) and the individual sheet (22) are separated, the guide means (31) can hold down the periphery of the foil material (21a) present on the individual sheet (22).

[0051] 8 shows a configuration in which a plurality of stamp plates 11 are provided for one foil strip 21. The shape of the opening 32 of the guide means 31 is different from the shape of the stamp plates 11.

[0052] In this way, even if there are not multiple openings (32) in the guide means (31) for multiple engraved plates (11), the periphery of the foil material (22) thermocompressed to the individual sheets (22) can be held down.

[0053] According to this embodiment, the guide means (31) has an opening (32), and after the sheet (22) and the foil material (21a) are thermocompressed together, when the foil material (21a) and the foil material support band (22b) separate, the guide means (31) can effectively hold down the periphery of the foil material (21a) attached to the sheet (22), thereby enhancing the effect of suppressing flapping of the sheet (22).

[0054] As a result, no transport failure occurs, and no quality defects in products due to transport failure occur, thereby improving productivity.

[0055] (Second embodiment) 9(a) is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the guide means 31 and the foil strip 21 in the second embodiment of the present invention. As in the first embodiment, the guide means 31 is positioned so as to overlap at least a portion of the foil strip 21.

[0056] 9(b) is a plan view of only the guide means 31 in the second embodiment, and as shown in FIG. 9(b), a recess 33 is present at a position where a portion of the foil strip 21 overlaps the guide means 31. The recess 33 is present on the surface of the guide means 31 that comes into contact with the foil strip 21 when the foil material 21a is thermocompression-bonded to the individual sheet 22.

[0057] The guide means (31) having this recess (33) suppresses the movement of the foil strip (21) itself during transport and application, and can contribute to improving the accuracy of the application position of the foil material (21a) when the foil material (21a) is thermocompressed onto the sheet (22).

[0058] Next, the relationship between the width (W2) and depth (H2) of the recess (33), the width (W1) and thickness (H1) of the foil strip (21), and the thickness (H3) of the guide means (31) will be described using Fig. 9(c), a cross-sectional view taken along line AA' in Fig. 9(a), and Fig. 9(d), a cross-sectional view taken along line AA' in Fig. 9(b). The width (W1) of the foil strip (21) refers to the length between two sides of the foil strip (21) parallel to the conveying direction. The thickness (H1) of the foil strip (21) is the sum of the thicknesses of the foil material (21a) and the foil material support strip (21b). The width (W2) of the recess (33) refers to the length between two sides of the foil strip (21) parallel to the conveying direction.

[0059] If the depth (H2) of the recess (33) is shallower than the thickness (H1) of the foil strip (21), the foil strip (21) will protrude from the recess (33), and the effect of suppressing movement of the foil strip (21) will not be obtained. Therefore, the depth (H2) of the recess (33) needs to be deeper than the thickness (H1) of the foil strip (21). In consideration of the durability of the guide means (31), it is preferable that the depth (H2) of the recess (33) be 50% or less of the thickness (H3) of the guide means (31). Furthermore, it is preferable that the depth (H2) of the recess (33) be at least twice the thickness (H1) of the foil strip (21), as this has a high effect of suppressing movement of the foil strip (21) during application.

[0060] 9, the width (W2) of the recess (33) may be set appropriately in accordance with the behavior of the foil strip (21) during transportation and application. If the width (W2) of the recess (33) is too larger than the width (W1) of the foil strip (21), the effect of suppressing movement of the foil strip (21) decreases. Therefore, it is preferable to set the width (W2) of the recess (33) to be approximately 1 mm to 3 mm larger than the width (W1) of the foil strip (21).

[0061] According to this embodiment, by providing the guide means 31 having the recess 33, it is possible to suppress flapping of the individual sheets 22 during conveyance and application of the foil strip 21, and also to suppress flapping of the individual sheets 22 that occurs when the foil material support strip 21b and the individual sheets 22 are separated after application. As a result, there is no conveyance failure, no quality defects in products due to conveyance failure, and the accuracy of the application position of the foil material 21a is improved, so that quality defects in products due to improper application position of the foil material 21a do not occur, and productivity can be improved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] S Attachment mechanism 11 Engraved plate 11a Vertical width of the engraved plate 11b Width of the engraved plate 12 Pressure Plate 13 Carrying means 21 Foil belt 21a Foil material 21b Foil support band 22 individual sheets 22a tip 31 Guide 32 Opening 32a Vertical width of opening 32b Opening width 33 Recess 41 First elastic member 51 Fixtures H1 Thickness of foil material W1 Width of foil material H2 Recess depth W2 Recess width H3 Guide means thickness

Claims

1. A bonding device for bonding a foil material to a sheet by thermocompression, comprising: an engraving plate; a pressure plate provided below the engraving plate and moving in a reciprocating vertical motion toward the engraving plate; and a guide means between the engraving plate and the pressure plate that contacts the sheet during thermocompression bonding, The adhering mechanism is characterized in that the guide means has an opening shaped to surround the engraving plate.

2. 2. The bonding mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the guide means has a recess on a surface that comes into contact with the foil material, the recess being wider than the width of the foil material and deeper than the thickness of the foil material.

Images