Thermal transfer machine

Abstract

To provide a thermal transfer machine that brings a transfer body of a transfer ribbon into close contact with a surface of a transferred body, and thereafter, can easily detach the transfer body, which has been thermally transferred to the surface of the transferred body, from a base material of the transfer ribbon.SOLUTION: A thermal transfer machine comprises: a thermal head comprising a head part having a heat source; a conveyance part that has a platen roller which is provided so as to face the head part of the thermal head, and conveys a transferred body between the head part and the platen roller; a feed roller which feeds a transfer ribbon with a transfer body provided on a base material between the transferred body, which is conveyed between the head part and the platen roller, and the thermal head; and a winding roller that is provided at a position facing the surface of the transferred body which is conveyed between the head part and the platen roller, and winds the transfer ribbon. The thermal head can operate so as to separate a downstream side of the head part from the surface of the transferred body along a movement direction of the transfer ribbon.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3B

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a thermal transfer machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Transfer is a technique for forming an image on a receiving material by transferring a transfer material on the substrate of a transfer ribbon to the receiving material.

[0003] When the transfer object and the transfer body of the transfer ribbon are brought into close contact and heat is applied to the base material of the transfer ribbon, only the transfer body to which heat has been applied generates a high degree of adhesion with the transfer object, so only that part of the transfer body is transferred to the transfer object.

[0004] Generally, a color image can be formed by overlapping and transferring red, green, and blue transfer panels. There are several prerequisites for this to work. (1) When heat is applied, the adhesion force between the transfer ribbon substrate and the transfer body is greater than the adhesion force between the transfer body and the transferee body. Therefore, when heat is applied, the transfer body adheres to the transferee body. (2) When heat is not applied, the adhesion force between the substrate and the transfer body of the transfer ribbon is greater than the adhesion force between the transfer body and the transferred body. Therefore, when heat is not applied, the transfer body does not adhere to the transferred body. (3) The transfer object is held so as not to be affected by the adhesive force between the substrate of the transfer ribbon and the transfer object. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-209868 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In order to satisfy the above conditions (1) and (2), a common method is to reduce the peeling angle.

[0007] However, if the peeling angle is small, peeling becomes difficult overall. In the case of a roll-shaped transfer material, tension is applied to the transfer material from upstream and downstream, so even if peeling becomes a little difficult, it does not affect the movement of the transfer material.

[0008] In addition, in the case of sheet-like transfer objects, there is a limit to the amount of tension that can be applied to the transfer object itself. Also, in order to reduce the consumption of transfer ribbon, the panel size of the transfer object of the transfer ribbon is usually made as close as possible to the size of the transferred image on the transfer object.

[0009] In this way, printing is carried out right up to the edge of the transfer body (transfer panel) to form the transfer image, and at that point the head is raised or the printing is terminated. In the case of transfer printing, the image is not formed unless the transfer is followed by peeling, so the end of the transfer body is left in the middle of peeling. If peeling is in the middle, the remaining unpeeled area will not peel under the specified peeling conditions, leaving marks or not peeling properly.

[0010] Thus, if the transfer body of the transfer ribbon is brought into close contact with the surface of the transferee, and the transfer body that has been thermally transferred to the surface of the transferee cannot be peeled off from the base material of the transfer ribbon, an image will not be formed on the surface of the transferee. Therefore, there is a need to be able to easily peel off the transfer body that has been thermally transferred to the surface of the transferee from the base material of the transfer ribbon after the transfer body of the transfer ribbon is brought into close contact with the surface of the transferee.

[0011] The present invention aims to provide a thermal transfer machine that can easily peel off the transfer body that has been thermally transferred to the surface of the transferee from the base material of the transfer ribbon after the transfer body of the transfer ribbon has been brought into close contact with the surface of the transferee. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] A thermal transfer machine according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a thermal head having a head unit with a heat source, a transport unit having a platen roller arranged opposite the head unit of the thermal head and transporting a transfer object between the head unit and the platen roller, a supply roller that supplies a transfer ribbon having a transfer object on a substrate between the transfer object transported between the head unit and the platen roller and the thermal head, and a take-up roller that is arranged in a position opposite the surface of the transfer object transported between the head unit and the platen roller and winds up the transfer ribbon, and the thermal head can operate to separate the downstream side of the head unit from the surface of the transfer object along the movement direction of the transfer ribbon.

[0013] It is preferable that the thermal head includes an actuator that operates the thermal head so that the downstream side of the thermal head is spaced apart from the surface of the transfer medium relative to the upstream side.

[0014] It is preferable that the inclination angle of the transfer ribbon downstream of the thermal head relative to the surface of the transferred material is 45° or more and 90° or less, the thermal head is provided with a pressing section that presses the transfer ribbon downstream of the head section, and the inclination angle of the pressing section is smaller than the inclination angle of the transfer ribbon.

[0015] The thermal head is preferably a flat head in which the head portion and the pressing portion move together.

[0016] The thermal head is preferably an end face head or a corner head in which the head portion and the pressing portion move independently of each other.

[0017] The pressing portion preferably includes an actuator that can move toward and away from the transfer ribbon.

[0018] It is preferable that the device is provided with a control unit that controls the operation of the thermal head, the conveying unit, the supply roller, and the take-up roller, and that the control unit operates to move the downstream side of the head unit away from the surface of the transfer object along the movement direction of the transfer ribbon of the thermal head after transferring the transfer body of the transfer ribbon onto the surface of the transfer object using the heat source. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention, a thermal transfer machine can be provided that can easily peel off the transfer body from the surface of the transferee after the transfer body of the transfer ribbon has been brought into close contact with the surface of the transferee. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a thermal transfer machine according to an embodiment. [Figure 2A] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams showing a part of a series of operations for transferring a transfer material of a transfer ribbon to a transfer receiving material using a thermal transfer machine according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2B] 2B is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the thermal head, transfer ribbon, and transfer target object in FIG. 2A. [Figure 3A] 2B is a schematic diagram showing a part of the sequence of operations following FIG. 2A. [Figure 3B] 3B is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the thermal head, the transfer ribbon, and the transfer target object in FIG. 3A. [Figure 4A] 3B is a schematic diagram showing a part of a series of operations following FIG. 3A. [Figure 4B] 4B is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the thermal head, the transfer ribbon, and the transfer target object in FIG. 4A. [Figure 5] This is a table showing whether burrs occurred on the transfer material or jams occurred on the transfer target material for each peeling angle. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a part of a thermal transfer machine according to a first modified example. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing a part of a series of operations for transferring a transfer body of a transfer ribbon to a transfer receiving body using a thermal transfer machine according to a second modified example. [Figure 8]8 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the transferred object, the platen roller, and the grip roller shown in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing a part of a series of operations for transferring a transfer material of a transfer ribbon to a transfer receiving material using a thermal transfer machine according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a part of a series of operations following FIG. 9. [Figure 11] 11 is a schematic diagram showing a part of a series of operations following FIG. 10. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing a part of a series of operations for transferring a transfer material of a transfer ribbon to a transfer receiving material using a thermal transfer machine according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] A preferred embodiment of a thermal transfer machine 10 as a printing device will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0022] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of the thermal transfer machine 10. FIGS. 2A, 3A, and 4A show schematic diagrams of a series of operations of the thermal transfer machine 10. FIG. 2B is a schematic enlarged view showing the positional relationship between the head unit 32 and pressure unit 34 of the thermal head 30, the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80, and the transfer recipient 70 in FIG. 2A. FIG. 3B is a schematic enlarged view showing the positional relationship between the head unit 32 and pressure unit 34 of the thermal head 30, the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80, and the transfer recipient 70 in FIG. 3A. FIG. 4B is a schematic enlarged view showing the positional relationship between the head unit 32 and pressure unit 34 of the thermal head 30, the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80, and the transfer recipient 70 in FIG. 4A. Note that the transport unit 40 and the transfer recipient 84 are not shown in FIGS. 2B, 3B, and 4B.

[0023] Although Figures 2A to 4B do not show the depth (width) of the thermal head 30 and the conveying section 40 of the thermal transfer machine 10, it is preferable that the depth of the thermal head 30 and the conveying section 40 be the same as or greater than the depth (width) of the transfer object 70.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4B, the thermal transfer machine 10 includes a housing 20, a thermal head 30, a conveying section 40, a supply roller 50, and a take-up roller 60.

[0025] The transfer object 70 is, for example, a sheet made of glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate (PET-G). An example of a sheet is a plastic card. The transfer object 70 in Figures 2A to 4B is viewed in the thickness direction of the sheet.

[0026] The transfer ribbon 80 is formed, for example, by the following configuration: Of the following, the release layer, intermediate layer, and adhesive layer form the transfer body 84, and the remaining layers form the substrate 82.

[0027] Base material 82: 12μm thick PET Backcoat of substrate 82: Toagosei Cymac US352 1μm Release layer: Dainippon Ink and Chemicals MCS5041 0.7μm Middle layer: Dainippon Ink and Chemicals MCA4039 0.7μm Adhesive layer: Toyobo Byron 30SS + Mitsubishi Chemical EP1001 0.7μm

[0028] The thermal head 30 includes a head portion 32 for fixing a heat source 32a, a pressing portion (peeling plate) , a first actuator , and a second actuator .

[0029] The shape of the head portion 32 of the thermal head 30 can be roughly divided into a flat head, an end face head, and a C (corner) shaped head. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the flat head shown in Figures 2A to 4B is used as the head portion 32 of the thermal head 30.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 2A to 4B, the head portion 32 of the thermal head 30, the presser portion 34, or a part of the component supporting the head portion 32 of the thermal head 30 presses the transfer ribbon 80 and the transferred object 70.

[0031] Typically, the thickness of the transfer ribbon 80, including the substrate 82 and the transfer body 84, is approximately several μm to several tens of μm. The thickness of the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 is, for example, approximately 12 μm as described above. Therefore, if the surface roughness of the head portion 32 and the presser portion 34 of the thermal head 30, which come into contact with the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80, is high, there is a possibility that the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 may be scratched. If this happens, there is a possibility that the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 may be torn. For this reason, it is desirable that the surface precision of the polished level of the head portion 32 and the presser portion 34 of the thermal head 30, which come into contact with the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80, specifically the arithmetic mean roughness (Ra), is approximately 1.6a.

[0032] The pressure holding portion 34 of the thermal head 30 is adjacent to the downstream side of the head portion 32. As shown in FIG. 2B, the pressure holding portion 34 is formed so that it is increasingly farther away from the surface of the transferred object 70 as it moves downstream (to the left in FIG. 2B). The pressure holding portion 34 holds down the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 and is configured to form an appropriate peeling angle (inclination angle) α between the surface of the transferred object 70 and the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80. That is, the peeling angle α is defined as the angle between the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 along the surface 34a between the upstream end E1 and the downstream end E2 of the pressure holding portion 34 and the surface of the transferred object 70. Note that the surface 34a is preferably formed as a flat surface or a curved surface that is convex toward the surface of the transferred object 70.

[0033] Furthermore, it is preferable that the take-up roller 60 for the transfer ribbon 80 be positioned opposite the surface of the transferred material 70. This allows the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 to be separated from the surface of the transferred material 70 downstream of the downstream end E2 of the presser section 34. The angle (inclination angle) β at this time is defined as the course change angle of the transfer ribbon 80. This angle β is preferably 45° or greater, and more preferably 60° or greater. The upper limit of angle β is preferably 90° or close to 90°.

[0034] The peeling angle α is preferably, for example, about 10 to 15 degrees. Therefore, the peeling angle (inclination angle) α of the presser portion 34 is smaller than the course change angle (inclination angle) β of the transfer ribbon 80.

[0035] The first actuator 36 and the second actuator 38 move the head portion 32 relative to the housing 20 .

[0036] The first actuator 36 moves the thermal head 30 up and down relative to the transferred object 70. That is, the first actuator 36 moves the head portion 32 of the thermal head 30 closer to or farther away from the transferred object 70. The amount of vertical movement of the thermal head 30 is preferably several millimeters.

[0037] The second actuator 38 is preferably provided in the pressure holding unit 34. The second actuator 38 can move the pressure holding unit 34 toward and away from the transfer ribbon 80. The second actuator 38 preferably lifts the pressure holding unit 34 several millimeters. To this end, the second actuator 38 rotates the head unit 32 of the thermal head 30 relative to the transferred material 70. That is, the second actuator 38 moves the head unit 32 of the thermal head 30 away from the transferred material 70 on the downstream side while maintaining the upstream side position. Therefore, the second actuator 38 changes the contact position (contact area) between the surface of the transferred material 70 and the transfer body 84 of the transfer ribbon 80 before and after moving the second actuator 38.

[0038] The second actuator 38 may be a solenoid including a spring, a motor, or one that operates pneumatically or hydraulically, but is not particularly specified. The series of operations shown in Figures 2A to 4B is performed in a short time, for example, less than one second, so it is preferable to use a system with fast operating speed and response speed.

[0039] 2A to 4B, the transport unit 40 includes a platen roller 42 that faces the head unit 32 of the thermal head 30. The transport unit 40 also includes transport rollers (grip rollers) 44, 46 that transport the transfer target 70 between the head unit 32 of the thermal head 30 and the platen roller 42. The platen roller 42 and the transport rollers 44, 46 are driven by a motor 48. The motor 48 precisely transports the transfer target 70 via the platen roller 42 and the transport rollers 44, 46 so that the movement of the transfer target 70 is synchronized with the movement of the transfer ribbon 80.

[0040] The transport rollers 44 and 46 may be driven by the transfer medium 70 without being driven by the motor 48 .

[0041] The supply roller 50 supplies a transfer ribbon 80, which has a transfer body 84 provided on a substrate 82, between the thermal head 30 and the platen roller 42. For example, the supply roller 50 is provided with a motor 52, which adjusts the amount of transfer ribbon 80 supplied.

[0042] The winding roller 60 is provided at a position facing the surface of the transfer medium 70, and winds up the transfer ribbon 80. For example, the winding roller 60 is provided with a motor 62, and the winding state of the transfer ribbon 80 is adjusted by the motor 62.

[0043] In addition, the motor 52 provided on the supply roller 50 and / or the motor 62 provided on the winding roller 60 are controlled by the control unit 12 to apply appropriate tension to the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80, and it is also preferable that the motors are controlled so that the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 follows the surface 34a of the pressing unit 34 and does not move away from it even when the surface 34a of the pressing unit 34 moves due to the operation of the second actuator 38.

[0044] The heat source 32a, the first actuator 36, the second actuator 38, and the motors 48, 52, and 62 are controlled by a control unit 12 included in the thermal transfer machine 10.

[0045] The control unit 12 is, for example, a computer. The control unit 12 includes a processor or integrated circuit (control circuit) including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like, and a storage medium such as a memory. The control unit 12 may include one or more processors or integrated circuits. The control unit 12 performs processing by executing programs stored in a storage medium, or the like.

[0046] The operation of the thermal transfer machine 10 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2A to 4B.

[0047] 2A and 2B, the control unit 12 appropriately controls the motors 48, 52, and 62 to stop the transfer ribbon 80 relative to the surface of the transfer recipient 70. In this state, the control unit 12 drives the heat source 32a and operates the first actuator 36 to press the head unit 32 of the thermal head 30 against the transfer ribbon 80 and the surface of the transfer recipient 70. As a result, the transfer material 84 of the transfer ribbon 80 is pressed against the surface of the transfer recipient 70 between the head unit 32 of the thermal head 30 and the platen roller 42, and the transfer material 84 of the transfer ribbon 80 is thermally transferred to the surface of the transfer recipient 70 by heat from the substrate 82 side of the transfer ribbon 80. In FIG. 2B, the region where heat is applied from the head unit 32 to the transfer ribbon 80 is indicated by the symbol H. The transfer body 84 of the transfer ribbon 80 is pressed against the surface of the transfer recipient 70, and immediately after the transfer body 84 is thermally transferred onto the surface of the transfer recipient 70, the control unit 12 stops driving the heat source 32a.

[0048] The control unit 12 then operates the second actuator 38 to move the presser portion 34 downstream of the head portion 32 of the thermal head 30 from the position shown in Figures 2A and 2B to the position shown in Figures 3A and 3B. As a result, the presser portion 34 is raised relative to the head portion 32, and the thermal head 30 rotates. That is, the upstream side of the thermal head 30 moves down toward the transferred material 70 and the transfer ribbon 80, and the downstream side moves up relative to the transferred material 70 and the transfer ribbon 80.

[0049] To ensure good contact between the head section 32 of the thermal head 30 and the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80, it is preferable that the portion of the head section 32 that comes into contact with the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 is straight and perpendicular to the direction of travel of the transferred object 70. During transfer, the head section 32 comes into contact with the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 on its surface, and once transfer is complete, the downstream side is lifted up while the upstream side remains in contact.

[0050] The printing pressure of the head portion 32 of the thermal head 30 is preferably set to about 100 gf to 1000 gf per length of the head portion 32.

[0051] As a result, the peeling start point (separation start point) between the transfer body 84 of the transfer ribbon 80 and the surface of the transferred object 70 moves from point P1 shown in FIG. 2B directly below the upstream end E1 of the pressure unit 34 to, for example, point P2 (the upstream end of the head unit 32) shown in FIG. 3B directly below the head unit 32. Furthermore, the peeling angle γ between the surface of the transferred object 70 and the transfer ribbon 80 at point P2 shown in FIG. 3B is increased relative to the peeling angle α between the surface of the transferred object 70 and the transfer ribbon 80 at point P1 shown in FIG. 2B. That is, the peeling start point moves from position P1 shown in FIG. 2B to position P2 shown in FIG. 3B, and the peeling angle changes from angle α to angle γ (>α). The peeling angle can also be considered as angle α + γ in FIG. 3B relative to the surface of the transferred object 70.

[0052] Therefore, of the transfer bodies 84 of the transfer ribbon 80, the transfer bodies 84 that have been thermally transferred onto the surface of the transfer recipient 70 are peeled off from the base material 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 downstream of the peeling start point P2 (left side in FIG. 3B) and are maintained in close contact with the surface of the transfer recipient 70. On the other hand, of the transfer bodies 84 of the transfer ribbon 80, the transfer bodies 84 that have not been thermally transferred onto the surface of the transfer recipient 70 are maintained in close contact with the base material 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 downstream of the peeling start point P2 (left side in FIG. 3B). In this way, the transfer bodies 84 that have been thermally transferred onto the transfer recipient 70 are more reliably peeled off from the base material 82 of the transfer ribbon 80.

[0053] 3A and 3B to the position shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. Therefore, the transfer body 84 of the transfer ribbon 80, which has been thermally transferred onto the surface of the transferee 70, is peeled off from the base material 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 downstream of the peeling starting point P2 (the left side in FIG. 3B), and then the head unit 32 and the transfer ribbon 80 are separated from the surface of the transferee 70. This makes it possible to prevent the transfer body 84 of the transfer ribbon 80 from being in close contact with both the base material 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 and the surface of the transferee 70.

[0054] Furthermore, the control unit 12 controls the motors 52 and 62 to move the region H of the transfer ribbon 80 to which heat has been applied downstream. Therefore, with the transfer ribbon 80 spaced apart from the surface of the transfer recipient 70, the region of the transfer ribbon 80 to which heat has not yet been applied is positioned between the head unit 32 and the transfer recipient 70 or between the head unit 32 and the platen roller 42.

[0055] The control unit 12 controls the motor 48 as necessary to move the transfer object 70 together with the transfer ribbon 80 or relatively thereto.

[0056] The thermal transfer machine 10 repeats the series of operations shown in Figures 2A (, 2B), 3A (, 3B), and 4A (, 4B) to thermally transfer the transfer body 84 of the transfer ribbon 80 to the transfer recipient 70, while peeling the thermally transferred transfer body 84 from the base material 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 and reliably transferring it to the surface of the transfer recipient 70. Thus, the thermal transfer machine 10 forms a desired image on the surface of the transfer recipient 70.

[0057] 2A, the width of the heated region H is, for example, about 0.1 mm, and if the series of operations shown in FIGS. 2A (, 2B), 3A (, 3B), and 4A (, 4B) are performed in about several milliseconds, the average peeling speed of the heated region H is about 20-25 mm / s. The speed at the time of transfer of the transfer body 84 onto the surface of the transferred body 70 is, for example, about 20-25 mm / s, so peeling is performed under almost the same conditions as those at the time of transfer of the transfer body 84.

[0058] There is no particular requirement for the amount by which the head portion 32 is lifted, but a few millimeters is desirable. The tension of the transfer ribbon 80 depends on the force required for peeling, the ribbon width, and the peeling angle, but is preferably about 50 g to 2 kg per width of the transfer ribbon 80, and does not need to be changed between transfer and peeling.

[0059] In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which, after heat is applied to the transfer ribbon 80 from the head unit 32, the second actuator 38 is operated while the heated region H is located directly below the head unit 32. After heat is applied to the transfer ribbon 80 from the head unit 32, for example, the control unit 12 may control the motor 48 to move the transfer recipient 70 downstream and control the motors 52 and 62 to move the transfer ribbon 80 downstream at the same speed. At this time, the heat-applied region H of the transfer ribbon 80 is moved between the downstream end of the head unit 32 and point P1. Therefore, the region of the transfer ribbon 80 that has not yet been heat-applied is positioned between the head unit 32 and the transfer recipient 70 or between the head unit 32 and the platen roller 42. Thereafter, the control unit 12 may operate the second actuator 38 to reliably peel the transfer material 84, which has been thermally transferred onto the surface of the transfer recipient 70, from the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80.

[0060] Therefore, with the thermal transfer machine 10 according to this embodiment, the transfer body 84, which has been thermally transferred to the transfer recipient 70, can be smoothly separated from the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80. Furthermore, the thermal transfer machine 10 according to this embodiment can prevent burrs from forming on the transfer body 84 and can stably separate the transfer body 84 from the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80. While stably achieving this separation, it can also prevent adhesion forces from forming between the transfer body 84, which is not subjected to a thermal load, and the surface of the transfer recipient 70, preventing the transfer recipient 70 from moving integrally with the transfer ribbon 80. Therefore, by using the thermal transfer machine 10 according to this embodiment, it is possible to avoid jams caused by the transfer recipient 70 unintentionally attempting to move in the same direction as the transfer ribbon 80.

[0061] As shown in Fig. 5, experiments have shown that the initial peeling angle α shown in Fig. 2B is preferably 10° to 15°. As mentioned above, the amount of lift of the presser part 34 by the second actuator 38 is set to several millimeters. In this case, no burrs are formed on the transfer body 84, and no jams occur due to the transferred body 70 unintentionally adhering to the transfer ribbon 80 and moving.

[0062] Furthermore, when using the thermal transfer machine 10 according to this embodiment, immediately after thermally transferring the transfer body 84, when the transfer ribbon 80 and the transferee body 70 are stationary, the head unit 32 (part of the heat source 32a) presses down on the surface of the transferee body 70 via the transfer ribbon 80, so that the transferee body 70 can be held without affecting the movement of the transferee body 70. Furthermore, because the transfer ribbon 80 is also fixed by the head unit 32 at the same time, the downstream portion in the opposite direction to the direction in which the transfer ribbon 80 is pressed opens with the head unit 32 as a fulcrum, so that a peeling start point P2 of the thermally transferred transfer body 84 can be formed between the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 and the transfer body 84 directly below or in the vicinity thereof.

[0063] Therefore, according to this embodiment, a thermal transfer machine 10 can be provided in which the transfer body 84 of the transfer ribbon 80 can be closely attached to the surface of the transferee 70, and then the transfer body 84 that has been thermally transferred to the surface of the transferee 70 can be easily peeled off from the base material 82 of the transfer ribbon 80.

[0064] (First Modification) 6 shows a part of a thermal transfer machine 10 according to a first modified example of the first embodiment. In FIG. 6, the conveying section 40 including the platen roller 42 is omitted from the illustration.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 6, it is preferable that the transfer bodies 84 are arranged on the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 so that, for example, red (R), green (G), and blue (B) are repeatedly arranged along the direction in which the substrate 82 moves.

[0066] The shape of the holding portion 34 is formed as appropriate, that is, the shape of the holding portion 34 is not limited to that shown in Fig. 2B.

[0067] When forming a desired image on the surface of the transferee 70 by stacking several types of transfer materials 84 on the transfer ribbon 80, such as for color expression, the transferee 70 is moved back and forth between the head unit 32 and the platen roller 42, upstream and downstream. During this movement of the transferee 70, it is expected that jams may occur due to portions of the transfer material 84 not being completely peeled from the substrate 82. By using the thermal head 30 of the thermal transfer machine 10 according to this embodiment, the transfer material 84 can be reliably peeled from the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80. Therefore, by using the thermal transfer machine 10 according to this embodiment, jams of the transferee 70 can be prevented, even when the transfer materials 84 are sequentially transferred to the surface of the transferee 70 while the transferee 70 is moved back and forth.

[0068] (Second Modification) 7 shows a schematic diagram of a thermal transfer machine 10 according to a second modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 8 shows a transfer-receiving material 70 and a part of the transport unit 40 shown in FIG.

[0069] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the conveying section 40 here uses a grip roller 45 instead of the conveying rollers 44 and 46 that sandwich and convey the transferred object 70.

[0070] 8, the grip roller 45 grips, for example, the rear surface of the transfer target object 70. Therefore, the transport unit 40 does not necessarily need a pair of rollers 44, 46.

[0071] (Second embodiment) A thermal transfer machine 10 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 9 to 11. This embodiment is a modified version of the thermal transfer machine 10 of the first embodiment, including various modifications, and the same components as those described in the first embodiment or components having the same functions are assigned the same reference numerals as much as possible, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0072] In this embodiment, an example in which the thermal head 30 has an end face head shape will be described.

[0073] In this embodiment, the thermal head 30 has a head unit 32 and a presser unit 34 that can move up and down independently. The head unit 32 operates under the control of the control unit 12 via a first actuator 36. The presser unit 34 operates under the control of the control unit 12 via a second actuator 38, allowing the presser unit 34 to move toward and away from the transfer ribbon 80.

[0074] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram corresponding to Figure 2A, Figure 10 is a schematic diagram corresponding to Figure 3A, and Figure 11 is a schematic diagram corresponding to Figure 4A.

[0075] The operation of the thermal transfer machine 10 according to this embodiment will be briefly described below with reference to FIGS.

[0076] 9, the control unit 12 thermally transfers the transfer material 84 onto the surface of the transfer recipient 70 while pressing the transfer material 84 of the transfer ribbon 80 against the surface of the transfer recipient 70 between the head unit 32 of the thermal head 30 and the platen roller 42. Immediately after the transfer material 84 has been thermally transferred onto the surface of the transfer recipient 70, the control unit 12 stops driving the heat source 32a.

[0077] Then, the control unit 12 controls the motor 48 to move the transferred object 70 downstream, and also controls the motors 52 and 62 to move the transfer ribbon 80 downstream at the same speed. At this time, the portion of the transfer ribbon 80 to which heat has been applied is moved between the downstream end of the head unit 32 and point P1. Therefore, the area of ​​the transfer ribbon 80 to which heat has not yet been applied is positioned between the head unit 32 and the transferred object 70, or between the head unit 32 and the platen roller 42.

[0078] Thereafter, the control unit 12 operates the second actuator 38 to move the presser portion 34 downstream of the head portion 32 of the thermal head 30 from the position shown in Fig. 9 to the position shown in Fig. 10. As a result, the presser portion 34 is raised relative to the head portion 32. As the presser portion 34 rises, the transfer ribbon 80 rises following the presser portion 34.

[0079] Since the position of the head portion 32 is maintained, the separation start point (separation start point) P2 between the transfer body 84 of the transfer ribbon 80 and the surface of the transferred body 70 is the downstream end of the head portion 32.

[0080] Therefore, of the transfer bodies 84 of the transfer ribbon 80, the transfer bodies 84 that have been thermally transferred onto the surface of the transfer recipient 70 are peeled off from the base material 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 downstream of the peeling start point P2 (left side in FIG. 10) and are maintained in close contact with the surface of the transfer recipient 70. On the other hand, of the transfer bodies 84 of the transfer ribbon 80, the transfer bodies 84 that have not been thermally transferred onto the surface of the transfer recipient 70 are maintained in close contact with the base material 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 downstream of the peeling start point P2 (left side in FIG. 10). In this way, the transfer bodies 84 that have been thermally transferred onto the transfer recipient 70 are more reliably peeled off from the base material 82 of the transfer ribbon 80.

[0081] 11. Therefore, after the transfer body 84 of the transfer ribbon 80, which has been thermally transferred onto the surface of the transferee 70, is peeled off from the base material 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 downstream of the peeling starting point P2 (left side in FIG. 10), the head unit 32 and the transfer ribbon 80 are separated from the surface of the transferee 70. This makes it possible to prevent the transfer body 84 of the transfer ribbon 80 from being in close contact with both the base material 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 and the surface of the transferee 70.

[0082] 9, 10, and 11, the thermal transfer machine 10 thermally transfers the transfer body 84 of the transfer ribbon 80 onto the transfer recipient 70, while peeling the thermally transferred transfer body 84 from the base material 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 and reliably transferring it onto the surface of the transfer recipient 70. Thus, the thermal transfer machine 10 forms a desired image on the surface of the transfer recipient 70.

[0083] Therefore, according to this embodiment, a thermal transfer machine 10 can be provided in which the transfer body 84 of the transfer ribbon 80 can be closely attached to the surface of the transferee 70, and then the transfer body 84 that has been thermally transferred to the surface of the transferee 70 can be easily peeled off from the base material 82 of the transfer ribbon 80.

[0084] (First Modification) FIG. 12 shows a schematic diagram of a thermal transfer machine 10 according to a first modified example of the second embodiment.

[0085] As shown in Fig. 12, the end face head serving as the head unit 32 shown in Fig. 9 to Fig. 11 may be a corner head. In this case, the transfer body 84 can be peeled off from the substrate 82 of the transfer ribbon 80 in the same manner as in the series of operations shown in Fig. 9 to Fig. 11.

[0086] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made in the implementation stage without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the embodiments may be implemented in appropriate combinations, in which case the combined effects can be obtained. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments include various inventions, and various inventions can be extracted by combining selected elements from the disclosed elements. For example, if the problem can be solved and the desired effect can be obtained even if some elements are deleted from all elements shown in the embodiments, the configuration from which these elements are deleted can be extracted as an invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 10...thermal transfer machine, 12...control unit, 20...housing, 30...thermal head, 32...head unit, 32a...heat source, 34...pressure unit, 34a...surface, 36...first actuator, 38...second actuator, 40...conveyance unit, 42...platen roller, 44, 46...conveyance rollers, 48...motor, 50...supply roller, 52...motor, 60...winding roller, 62...motor, 70...transferred object, 80...transfer ribbon, 82...substrate, 84...transfer body.

Claims

1. a thermal head having a head portion having a heat source; a conveying section having a platen roller disposed opposite the head section of the thermal head and conveying a transfer object between the head section and the platen roller; a supply roller that supplies a transfer ribbon having a transfer body provided on a substrate between the transfer object transported between the head unit and the platen roller and the thermal head; a take-up roller that is provided at a position facing the surface of the transfer medium that is transported between the head unit and the platen roller and that takes up the transfer ribbon; Equipped with The thermal head is operable to separate a downstream side of the head portion from the surface of the transfer medium along the moving direction of the transfer ribbon.

2. the thermal head includes an actuator that operates the thermal head so that the downstream side of the thermal head is spaced apart from the surface of the transfer object relative to the upstream side of the thermal head; 2. The thermal transfer machine according to claim 1.

3. The inclination angle of the transfer ribbon with respect to the surface of the transfer object downstream of the thermal head is 45° or more and 90° or less, the thermal head includes a pressing portion that presses the transfer ribbon and is provided downstream of the head portion, The inclination angle of the pressing portion is smaller than the inclination angle of the transfer ribbon.

3. The thermal transfer machine according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The thermal head is a flat head in which the head portion and the pressing portion move together.

4. The thermal transfer machine according to claim 3.

5. The thermal head is an end face head or a corner head in which the head portion and the pressing portion move independently.

4. The thermal transfer machine according to claim 3.

6. The pressing unit is provided with an actuator that can move the pressing unit toward and away from the transfer ribbon.

6. The thermal transfer machine according to claim 5.

7. a control unit that controls operations of the thermal head, the conveying unit, the supply roller, and the take-up roller; the control unit operates the thermal head in a direction along which the transfer ribbon moves to transfer the transfer body onto the surface of the transferee using the heat source, and then moves the downstream side of the head unit away from the surface of the transferee.

3. The thermal transfer machine according to claim 1 or 2.

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