Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Patent
1992-03-13
1997-06-24
Simmons, David A.
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
156238, 156286, 156382, 156540, B32B 3100
Patent
active
056413726
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a transferring apparatus and a transferring method for performing a transfer of a transferring member to a three-dimensional molded article.
BACKGROUND ART
Transfer methods are widely utilized to form patterns or characters on the surface of an article such as a household electric appliance, a cosmetic container, ornaments or the like. Fundamentally, a transferring member to be used in transferring method has a construction comprising a in transferring layer such as a pattern layer and an adhesive layer formed on a release sheet. The transferring member may include a surface protecting layer as necessary or may not include the adhesive layer when the pattern layer has an adhesive property. As transfer methods, a roll transfer method and an up-down transfer method are well known and utilized for many articles such as household electric appliances, cosmetic containers, sundry goods or the like. According to these transfer methods, a pressurizing member such as a roller or a member moving vertically presses a heated silicon rubber provided on the transferring member against a material (or article) so that the pattern of the transferring member is transferred to the material. In the roll transfer method, the thickness of the silicon rubber is in the range from 10 mm to 50 mm and the hardness thereof is in the range from 60.degree. to 90.degree.. In the up-down transfer method, the thickness of the silicon rubber is in the range from 2 to 5 mm and the hardness thereof is in the range from 60.degree. to 90.degree..
However, in these transfer methods, since the contact surface of the silicon rubber serving as a heat source is linear or flat, the configuration of the material (or article) to which the pattern of the transferring member is to be transferred is limited to a two-dimensional curved surface or a flat surface. Thus, it is difficult to transfer the pattern of the transferring member to a three-dimensional material.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problem and provide a transferring apparatus and a transferring method for easily and reliably transferring the pattern of a transferring member to a material (or article) in a three-dimensional configuration.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention is so constructed that a flexible sheet is pressed against a material (or article) through a transferring member by applying fluid pressure to the flexible sheet and the transferring member conforms to the surface of the material even though the material has a three-dimensional configuration.
That is, a transferring apparatus of the present invention comprises:
a placing base for placing a material (or article) thereon;
a flexible sheet opposed to a transfer region of the material placed on the base;
in a transferring member mounted between the flexible sheet and the base;
a sheet supporting frame for supporting the sheet on a surface opposed to the material, having a sheet pressurizing chamber on the side of the sheet opposite to the side of the sheet opposed to the material, and a means for heating the sheet;
a fluid supply member for supplying fluid to the pressurizing chamber of the supporting member; and
a driving member for moving one of the sheet and the material placed on the base with respect to the other.
In the above-described construction, after the sheet is pressed against the material through the transferring member, the fluid supply member may supply the fluid to the pressurizing chamber to apply pressure to the sheet.
In the above-described construction, the fluid supply member may supply the fluid to the pressurizing chamber so as to pressurize the sheet before the sheet contacts the transferring member.
In the above-described construction, the driving member may move the supporting member relative to the material placed on the base.
In the above-described construction, the driving member may move the base relative to the supporting member.
In
REFERENCES:
patent: 3818823 (1974-06-01), Bond
patent: 4098184 (1978-07-01), Okada et al.
patent: 4288275 (1981-09-01), Davis
patent: 4944822 (1990-07-01), Ishikawa et al.
patent: 5108532 (1992-04-01), Then et al.
patent: 5152861 (1992-10-01), Hann
Nissha Printing Co. Ltd.
Rivard Paul M.
Simmons David A.
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