JP2720198B2 - Thermocompression bonding method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a method of heating and bonding heat-bonded paper to form
The present invention relates to a thermocompression bonding method and numerical values for forming a sealed postcard such as a folded sheet or a folded sheet.

[Problems to be solved by conventional technology and invention]

Conventionally, when mailing a confidential document, a method of putting the document in an envelope and sending it as an envelope, and a method of printing the contents of the document on a postcard, pasting a seal on it to hide it, and sending it as a postcard are available is there.

In the case of the former letter, the postage is 60 yen and it costs 20 yen more than in the case of a postcard. In the case of the latter, the postcard itself costs 40 yen and an extra seal fee.
Regardless of whether it is a sealed letter or a postcard with a sticker, as the number of sheets increases, the difference in unit price is reflected in the mailing cost, so that the cost is not negligible.

Therefore, a required document is printed on a paper coated with an adhesive which is fused by heating and pressing or a paper manufactured by incorporating the adhesive (hereinafter referred to as a heat bonding paper).
If it is folded into sheets or folded into three sheets, and the whole surface is heated and adhered to form a sealed postcard, it can be mailed for the same 40 yen as one postcard. In this case, if you want to see the document inside,
What is necessary is just to peel off the said adhesion part.

In order to make a sealed postcard of the type described above, the heat-bonded paper must be heated to a high temperature and then passed between pressure rollers so that the paper is bonded without gaps. This is because, if an air layer is interposed between the sheets, the sealed postcard of such a style is not applied as a "postcard" and is regarded as a "sealed postcard".

A machine for forming a sealed postcard of the above-mentioned type by using a heat-bonded paper and passing it between rollers after heating and pressing the paper is known. For example, a high-speed processing of about 10,000 to 20,000 sheets per hour is known. Some can do this.

However, in such a machine, the paper that is heated by an electric heating member or a far-infrared heater and then pressed and discharged through a pressing roller tends to curl due to the action of heat and pressure and bend into a cylindrical shape. is there. Therefore, even if an attempt is made to move the sealed paper as a product deposited on the stacker to another place, it cannot be executed immediately due to the high temperature of the paper. There was a problem that we had to proceed.

Further, as described above, since the above-mentioned sealed paper takes a concave shape upward after being discharged, it warps in a cylindrical shape, which is not only a problem in depositing on the stacker, but also the individual sealed postcards are not flat. However, there is also a problem that it is not comfortable to use because it is warped upward.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the prior art, and has as its object the purpose of heating and bonding heat-bonded paper to bond the papers to form a multi-fold sealed postcard. In doing so, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for allowing paper to be ejected as a sealed postcard close to room temperature and deposited on a stacker in a flat shape without curving. Here, the thermal adhesive paper is a sheet in which a sheet is impregnated or coated with a thermal adhesive, a sheet in which a polyethylene film is attached, a sheet of polyethylene, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, or the like.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the thermocompression bonding method of the present invention includes a step of heating the heat bonding paper by an electric heating member and a far-infrared heater, a step of thermally bonding the paper by pressing with a roller, and a step of bending from the roller. And cooling the conveyed and thermally bonded sheet through the nipping guide means to flatten and correct the curvature.

Further, the thermocompression bonding apparatus in the present invention arranges an electric heating member, a far-infrared heater, and a pressing roller along the conveying path of the heat bonding paper, and the heat bonding which is discharged from the pressing roller following the pressing roller is performed. And a cooling device for applying a cool air to the guided paper from below.

Further, the guide means includes a plurality of endless transport belts for placing and moving the thermally bonded paper, and a plurality of endless transport belts respectively provided opposite to the belt, and for pressing the thermally bonded paper from above. And a flexible holding member.

(Operation)

The flexible holding member of the guide means has a correcting action of flattening the upper surface of the heat-bonded sheet curved upward and concave, assuming its shape, while the cooling device blows cool air on the lower surface. Spraying has the effect of flattening the curved surface and lowering the temperature of the paper itself.

〔Example〕

 Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, the heating and pressing device includes a first pressing roller 10.
0, 100 ′, a second pressing roller 102, 102 ′, a third pressing roller 104, 104 ′, an electric heating member 110 composed of electric heating blocks 106, 108, and a far-infrared heater 114 with a reflector 112. Further, the thermocompression bonding apparatus includes an inlet 116 for the folded thermal adhesive paper, an outlet 118 for the thermal adhesive paper bonded to form a sealed postcard, the first pressing rollers 100 and 100 ′,
Second pressing roller 102, 102 'and third pressing roller 10
4, a motor 120 for frictionally moving the heat-bonded paper by the rotation of 104 ', drive wheels 122 and 124 for rotating each of the pressing rollers (a drive belt is not shown), and a conveyance path for the heat-bonded paper. Including.

The transport path includes the sheet introduction unit 126 and the first pressing roller 1
The gap formed by 00 and 100 ', electric heating block 106 and
The gap formed by 108, the second pressing rollers 102 and 10
The gap formed by 2 ′, the gap formed by the upper guide plate 128 provided so as to cover the reflection plate 112 and the lower guide plate 130 disposed opposite thereto, the third pressing roller 104 Stacker for receiving the gap formed by 104 'and the bonded thermal seal paper
Consists of 132.

FIG. 3 shows a conventional aluminum cast heater block. The aluminum cast heater block 200 inserts the heating wire 202 into the sheath tube 204 and further connects the sheath tube 204 to the U-shaped protection tube 20.
6, and the protective tube 206 was cast as an aluminum heater block 200. Since aluminum has high thermal conductivity, the heat generated by the heating wire 202 is immediately transmitted to every corner of the block 200, and the block 200 itself forms a surface heating element having a uniform heat release capability. Therefore, the object arranged close to the block 200 is heated uniformly. The electric heating blocks 106 and 108 are formed of such an aluminum cast heater block 200.

Further, referring to FIG. 2 in addition to FIG. 1, the thermocompression bonding apparatus of the present invention includes a guide means 300 disposed between the discharge port 118 and the stacker 132 for guiding the thermally bonded sheet. A cooling device 400 arranged below the guiding means 300 is still included thereon.

The guide means 300 includes a plurality of endless transport belts that support the paper at the same level as the discharge port 118 horizontally and parallelly and discretely at appropriate intervals over the entire width of the thermally bonded paper.
310a (one is typically shown in FIG. 1);
Drive wheels 312a and 314a for moving the drive wheels 0a (a prime mover for rotating the drive wheels is not shown), and the transport belt
A flexible press fitting 316a (each of which is representatively shown in FIG. 1), which is provided to face each of the transfer belts 310a and presses the paper placed on the transport belt 310a or the like and moving from above. FIG. 2 shows similar press fittings 316b and 316c).

Although not shown in detail, the cooling device 400 may be composed of, for example, a sirocco fan and a duct, that is, a hot-bonded sheet that is heated at a high temperature by supplying air at a uniform flow rate over the entire width of the sheet. Any one may be used as long as it can uniformly lower the temperature. As shown by the arrow in FIG.
Lowers the temperature by blowing cold air from below onto the thermally bonded sheet supported and moved by the plurality of transport belts 310a and the like.

Next, the operation of the thermocompression bonding apparatus will be described. First,
For example, the heat-bonded paper folded in two sheets is inserted from the inlet 116 and then through the inlet 126 to the first pressing roller 1.
Insert between 00 and 100 '. With the rotation of the rollers 100 and 100 ′, the heat bonding paper is driven by friction and enters the electric heating member 110.

The electric heating member 110 is composed of electric heating blocks 106 and 108 arranged so as to form a gap of 0.5 mm, and the heat bonding paper moves while being heated in the gap. This electric heating block 106
And 108 are formed of an aluminum cast heater block 200 as described above, which preheats the heat-bonded paper at a temperature lower than the melting temperature of the adhesive, 180 ° C.

The heat-bonded paper leaving the electric heating member 110 is applied to the second pressing roller 102.
And 102 'while being pressed, travels between an upper guide plate 128 and a lower guide plate 130 arranged so as to form a gap of 1 mm. A far-infrared heater 114 is provided above the upper guide plate 128, and a reflecting plate 112 is provided behind the upper guide plate 128, so that the thermal adhesive paper traveling between the upper guide plate 128 and the lower guide plate 130 is a far-infrared heater 114. Is heated by the radiant heat of the reflection plate and the reflection heat from the reflection plate.

The far-infrared heater 114 emits an electromagnetic wave of 5.6 μm to 1,000 μm. Electromagnetic waves in this wavelength range have a thermal effect,
Also called hot wire. When a heat ray is applied to the heat-bonded paper, the heat ray has a property that it penetrates the paper well and is absorbed by the adhesive applied to the paper. for that reason,
The absorption of heat rays induces the thermal motion of the material particles that make up the adhesive, and the resulting thermal friction heats the adhesive to 180 ° C, the temperature required for melting prior to bonding. At a temperature lower than the above temperature of 180 ° C. Therefore, even if the adhesive is in a molten state, the ink printed on the paper does not generate smoke and burn.

The heat-bonded paper supporting the heated and molten adhesive is pressed by the third pressing rollers 104 and 104 ′,
This results in uniform adhesion without an air layer between the sheets. The glued paper is output as a sealed postcard
Exit 118 and enter the guide means 300.

The heat-bonded paper entering the guide means 300 is placed on the endless transport belt 310a while being pressed from above by the flexible holding member 316a, and advances as the drive wheels 312a and 314a rotate, and finally, Deposit on the stacker 132. In the meantime, the temperature of the lower surface of the heat-bonded sheet shrinks because the cooling device 400 constantly blows a cool airflow from below.

On the other hand, since the upper surface continues to be subjected to the correcting action of being flattened so as to assume its shape by the flexible press fitting 316a, the upper surface passes between the third pressing rollers 104 and 104 'and passes through the discharge port 118. Immediately after exiting, even a heat-bonded sheet that is high in temperature and curved is gradually weakened by the effect of both the above-mentioned shrinking action and straightening action as it advances, and its own temperature drops. , Stacker 132
When it is deposited on top, it has a substantially flat shape, and its temperature has fallen to such a degree that it can be touched by hand.

Adhesive paper size and pressing rollers 100, 100 ', 10
By appropriately adjusting the intervals between 2, 102 'and 104, 104', a thick postcard with two, three, or several folds can be created. About 3,000 sealed envelopes could be made per hour using the thermocompression bonding apparatus shown in this example.

Further, by using an aluminum cast heater block as the electric heating member 110, the heat bonding paper close to the electric heating member could be heated uniformly and quickly over the entire surface thereof.

Furthermore, the preheating by the electric heating member 110 formed by the cast aluminum heater block mainly raises the surface temperature of the paper, and the main heating by the far-infrared heater 114 raises the adhesive sandwiched between the paper to the melting temperature. By increasing the temperature to the maximum, the adhesive could be heated uniformly even in the depth direction.

〔The invention's effect〕

Since the present invention is configured as detailed above,
By heating and pressing the heat-bonded paper, the paper can be glued together to form a multi-fold sealed postcard, and the sealed postcard deposited on the stacker has a flattened curvature and is comfortable to use. In addition, the temperature of the deposited postcard is low enough to be touched by hand, so that the completed postcard from the stacker can be efficiently moved to another place without considering the cooling period as in the past. It has the effect of being able to

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 is a schematic side view of a thermocompression bonding apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an aluminum cast heater used as an electric heating member of the present invention. 104, 104 'Roller 110 Electric heating member 114 Far infrared heater 300 Guide means 310a Endless conveyor belt 316a Holder 400 Cooling device

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] A step of heating the heat-bonded paper by an electric heating member and a far-infrared heater; a step of heat-bonding the paper by pressing with a roller; A step of flattening and correcting the curvature by cooling while being conveyed through the nipping guide means; 2. An electric heating member, a far-infrared heater, and a pressing roller are arranged along a conveying path of the heat-bonded paper, and the heat-bonded paper discharged from the pressing roller is held after the pressing roller. Guide means to guide while
And a cooling device for applying a cool air to the guided paper from below. 3. The endless conveyor belt, wherein the guide means is provided with a plurality of endless transport belts on which the thermally bonded paper is placed and moved, and each of the guide means is provided opposite to the belt. 3. The thermocompression bonding apparatus according to claim 2, comprising a plurality of flexible press fittings for pressing.