JPS63230392A - Resin-type thermal transfer recording material - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable color visible data to be printed on a base body and enhance stability of recorded images, by providing a transfer recording layer comprising a coloring agent, a specified thermoplastic resin and a lubricant as main constituents on a heat-resistant base body. CONSTITUTION:A thermal transfer recording material comprises a transfer recording layer comprising a thermoplastic resin, a coloring agent and a lubricant as main constituents on a base body formed of a plastic or the like, and the transfer recording layer comprises 40-80 pts.wt. of the resin, 10-30 pts.wt. of the coloring agent and 5-30 pts.wt. of the lubricant per 100 pts.wt. of the total weight of solid components of the recording layer. When the glass transition point of the thermoplastic resin is set to be at least 50 deg.C, stability of thermal transfer recorded images is ensured so that blurring is not generated when the images are rubbed. Thus, the glass transition point of the thermoplastic resin is set to be at least 50 deg.C, and when a polyester resin, a polyvinyl chloride resin, an acrylic resin and a vinyl resin are selected from thermoplastic resins having a glass transition point of 50-110 deg.C, chemical resistant can be imparted to images which are thermally transfer recorded on a transfer recording material.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a thermal transfer material that can be transferred onto a substrate such as plastic, and in particular, the number of transferred strokes has excellent chemical resistance and 1. This invention relates to a thermal transfer recording material with excellent mechanical strength.

<Conventional technology and problems> The thermal recording method has a simple mechanism, is dry, and...

Because it has advantages such as being maintenance-free, it is widely used in the facsimile and various printer fields.

Recently, there has been an increase in the use of printing visible information on substrates other than paper, such as plastic. There are two methods for this: direct thermal recording and thermal transfer recording. As for direct heat-sensitive recording, a heat-sensitive medium using leuco dye has been proposed (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 199285/1983) and has been put into practical use. However, since leuco dyes are used, there are problems with the reliability of each image after recording, such as recoloring due to heating, discoloration and fading due to light, and lack of long-term storage stability. As a method for solving this problem, a heat-sensitive recording medium using a metal vapor-deposited film has been proposed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 199284/1984). Certainly, the above drawbacks have been improved, but the printing energy is high and it takes a long time to print. Further, since the recording layer is a metal vapor deposited film, there is no contrast between the first image area and the first image area.

It has drawbacks such as a metallic background and lack of whiteness. Therefore, its field of use is limited to special applications. As described above, the direct thermal recording type has drawbacks in the recording material itself, so its uses are limited.

Furthermore, only monochrome visible information can be obtained from the recording method. On the other hand, the thermal transfer recording type is composed of a porous ink absorbing layer provided on a plastic substrate and can print full-color visible information by changing the coloring agent of the ink layer to be transferred. However, if each image area of each image is rubbed with one's hand, a trail will be drawn and dirt will be generated, resulting in a lack of reliability in each image area after recording. If the stability of images after recording is improved, it would be desirable to expand the field of use without being limited to specific uses.

<Objective of the Invention> Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer method that can print color visible information on a substrate such as plastic using a thermal medium such as a thermal head, and that has excellent stability of the image after recording. The goal is to provide recording materials.

<Means for Solving the Problems> The present invention provides coloring agents and the following (a) on a heat-resistant support.
A transfer recording layer mainly composed of a thermoplastic resin and a lubricant having a glass transition point of at least one selected from the compounds of (-) in the range of 50°C to 110°C is provided, and the total solid content of the transfer recording layer is provided. 1 colorant per 100 parts by weight
The problem was solved by adjusting the amount of the thermoplastic resin to be 0 to 60 parts by weight, the thermoplastic resin to be 40 to 80 parts by weight, and the lubricant to be 5 to 60 parts by weight.

<Compound> (a) Polyester type 1i48 effect (b) Vinyl chloride type (tlI fat → acrylic type on the four sides) Vinyl type side 1 effect <Detailed description of the invention> The thermal transfer recording material of the present invention will be explained in detail below. .

The thermal transfer recording material of the present invention is formed by providing a transfer recording layer mainly containing the following thermoplastic resin colorant and lubricant on a support such as plastic.

The thermoplastic resin used as a constituent of the transfer recording layer has a glass transition point in the range of 50 to 110°C, and has a sensitivity that allows thermal transfer recording with a thermal medium such as a thermal head.

The thermal transfer mechanism when this thermoplastic resin is used as a heat-melting substance will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the change in shape (ET curve) of a thermoplastic resin having a glass transition point of 75 DEG C. due to heating, and FIG. 2 shows d).

It shows. First, it can be seen from Figure 2 that the minimum temperature for thermal transfer recording is about 100°C.
As is clear from FIG. 1, the temperature at °C is a rubber-like fluid state during the transition from a rubber state to a liquid fluid state. That is, thermal transfer recording of a thermal transfer material onto a breakable transfer material is carried out when the temperature is higher than the rubber-like fluid state, and thermal transfer recording is not performed when the temperature is lower than that.

As a result of intensive research based on the above knowledge, in the thermal transfer recording material having the above-mentioned structure, the glass transition point of the thermoplastic resin constituting the transfer recording layer is in the range of 50 to 110°C, and It was discovered that by identifying a certain resin among them, the desired purpose could be achieved. That is, if Tg is 110° C. or higher, thermal transfer recording cannot be easily performed under normal printing conditions (a range of printing energy that does not significantly shorten the life of the thermal head), and the printing energy must be increased. Temporarily printing A.
Even if thermal transfer recording is performed by increasing the energy, the thermal transfer material (g) deterioration of the support, which is the base, will occur, and adhesion and sticking of the support to the thermal transfer material (σ) will occur, which is undesirable.

Furthermore, the reason why the glass transition point of the thermoplastic resin used in the thermal transfer recording material of the present invention was set at 50°C or higher was to emphasize the stability of the image thermally transferred to the transfer material, which is the objective of the present invention. It is for this purpose.

The stability of an image recorded by thermal transfer means that 1) it does not cause trailing even when rubbed with one hand under the normal usage environment. The heat-melting substances used in conventional thermal transfer recording materials include, for example, wax or low-melting thermoplastic resins, and these materials do not cause tailings when thermally transferred onto plastic and are rubbed by hand. Generates a pull. In the present invention, as a thermoplastic resin that can eliminate the occurrence of this tailing, the thermoplastic resin has a glass transition point of 50'C or higher, and further has a glass transition point of 50'C to 11'C.
Among thermoplastic resins at 0°C, polyester resins,
By selecting a vinyl chloride resin, an acrylic resin, and a vinyl resin, it was also possible to impart chemical resistance to the image thermally transferred and recorded onto the transfer material.

fat, polysalt vinyl acetate resin, acrylic resin such as polyethyl acrylate, polychloromethyl acrylate, polymethyl methacrylate, polymethacrylate nitronyl, and acrylic resin)
Acrylonitrile, ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, acrylic-styrene copolymer, and vinyl resins include polystyrene, polydivinylbenzene, polyvinyltoluene, styrene-butadiene copolymer, and the like. Here, adhesion is imparted to the transfer material such as plastic. Compatibility between polymers can be predicted by solubility parameters.

For example, when performing thermal transfer recording on an acrylic film or sheet as the transfer material, acrylic mq= or PVC resin may be used as the heat bath melting substance of the thermal transfer recording material, or polyester film or In the case of thermal transfer recording on a sheet, by selecting a polyester resin, a vinyl chloride resin, or the like as the melting substance, it is possible to improve the adhesion between the transfer material and the thermal transfer recorded image.

The lubricant, which is a component of the transfer recording layer of the thermal transfer recording material of the present invention, is a necessary component for improving transferability during thermal transfer and abrasion resistance of an image recorded by thermal transfer. When thermal transfer recording is performed on a transfer material using a thermal medium such as a thermal head, the immature transfer portion peels off and is aligned to the transfer material.
In other words, there is a problem of cutting.

By adding a lubricant to the thermal transfer recording layer, cutting is improved during thermal transfer recording, resulting in a transfer image with excellent strength. Furthermore, the wear resistance of each recorded image is further improved. The improved abrasion resistance prevents the image from being damaged by scratches such as suffrags, and provides durability against erasers and the like.

Specific examples of the lubricant used in the present invention will be given below.

For example, Teflon powder, polyethylene powder, animal-based, vegetable-based, mineral-based, and petroleum-based natural waxes, synthetic hydrocarbon-based, modified wax-based, aliphatic alcohol and acid-based, fatty acid ester and glyceride-based, hydrogenated wax-based 1 Examples include synthetic waxes such as synthetic ketones, amines and amide types, chlorinated hydrocarbons, synthetic animal waxes, alpha-olefin waxes, and metal salts of higher fatty acids such as zinc stearate.

The colorant, which is a component of the transfer recording layer of the thermal transfer recording material of the present invention, is necessary for visualization, and by changing the type of colorant, a colored visible image can be obtained. Colorants such as dyes and pigments that have been described can be used.

Considering the weather resistance of the transferred and recorded image, inorganic and organic pigments are preferred. Specifically, the following can be mentioned. Namely, titanium oxide, calcium carbonate, Hansa Yellow, Oil Yellow 2G, carbon black, oil black, pyrazolone orange, oil red, red red, anthraquinone; iored, phthalocyanine blue,
Fuclocyanin clean, aluminum powder, bronze powder, nokuru essence, etc. are used.

The composition ratio of the transfer recording layer of the present invention is 40 to 80 parts by weight of thermoplastic resin and 10 to 30 parts by weight of colorant per 100 parts by weight of the total solid content of the transfer recording layer.

The lubricant is 5 to 60 parts by weight.

Even if the transfer recording layer of the present invention contains various additives in addition to the above-mentioned components, the characteristics of the present invention will not be impaired in any way.

However, the amount added is 0 per 100 parts by weight of the above components.
~10 parts by weight.

The support used in the thermal transfer recording material of the present invention may be any support as long as it has heat resistance strength, 1-dimensional stability, and surface smoothness, but preferably 2-dimensional support is used.
A polyester film having a thickness of ~10 μm and having a layer on the back side thereof to prevent sticking to the thermal head is used.

The method for producing a thermal transfer recording material according to the present invention uses thermoplastic resin 1.
A coating liquid is produced by uniformly dispersing/or dissolving a thermal transfer recording composition mainly consisting of a colorant and a lubricant in a suitable bath agent. It can be manufactured by coating the coating solution on a support such as a polyester film by a coating method such as bar coating, blade coating, air knife coating, gravure coating, or roll coating and drying to form a thermal transfer recording layer. .

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, the thermal transfer recording material of the present invention can print on a substrate such as plastic using a heat medium such as a thermal head. Also.

In addition to having basic characteristics such as color display and monochrome display, it is also possible to impart durability to the image slag recorded by thermal transfer onto the transfer material, making it suitable for fields where thermal transfer recording materials have not been able to advance until now, such as plastics, etc. It can be used in an extremely wide range of applications, such as recording variable information on cards that require counterfeit prevention, stickerless commuter passes, etc., and as a balance display medium for prepaid cards.

<Examples> Examples of the present invention will be shown below. In each example, "part" means part by weight.

<Example 1> Composition of transfer recording layer coating liquid A coating liquid having the above composition was pulverized and dispersed in a sand mill for 2 hours to obtain a transfer recording layer coating liquid, and the dry weight was 39/m''.
A thermal transfer recording material was obtained by coating and drying using a wire bar onto a 6 μm polyester film on which a sticking prevention layer had been previously provided on the back surface so as to have the following properties.

<Example 2> Composition of transfer recording layer coating liquid A coating liquid having the above composition was pulverized and dispersed for 60 minutes in a paint conditioner to obtain a transfer recording layer coating liquid, and the dry weight was 4.! A thermal transfer recording material was obtained by coating with a wire bar onto a 6 μm polyester film having a sticking prevention layer provided on the back surface in advance so as to have a ratio of i'/m and drying.

<Example 6> Composition of transfer recording layer coating liquid A coating liquid having the above composition was ground and dispersed in a sand mill for 1 hour to obtain a transfer recording coating liquid, and a stick was applied to the back side in advance so that the dry weight was 6 g/-. A thermal transfer recording material was obtained by applying the mixture onto a 6 μm polyester film provided with an anti-friction layer using a wire bar and drying it.

Comparative Example 1 Polyester (Tg = 65°C) and polystyrene (Tg = 11
A low melting point polyester (Tg=5°C'O) material was obtained.

Comparative Example 2 A thermal transfer recording material was obtained in the same manner as in Example 3 except for the polyethylene powder that was the composition of the transfer recording layer in Example 3. Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 1 to 2 Evaluation〉The obtained thermal transfer recording material was subjected to a Toshiba thermal simulator (printing conditions,
Applied power 0.45'W/dot.

When thermal transfer was performed on a plastic sheet (transfer material) using a pulse width of 2.5 ms (0N10FF), the results shown in Table 1 were obtained.

Table 1 *1 Degree of transfer of the untransferred area to the transferred material during thermal transfer recording Degree of tailing ○ mark indicates no tailing X mark indicates tailing *3 20 degrees with normal force using a plastic eraser
Discoloration of image 1 after rubbing twice. Circle mark shows image 1 remaining. X marks shows part of image 15 disappearing.

*Plastic eraser pressure bonding at 420℃ and 60% RH (200g/cri) Condition of the image area after being left for 2 days ○ indicates no change, X indicates decrease in scratches *5 Image after immersion in water or ethanol for 3 minutes Condition of the part: ○ indicates no change, X indicates fading and strong plastin)
It is possible to print on top, and the durability of the recorded image (durability), which could not be obtained in the comparative example, was achieved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing state changes due to heating of a thermoplastic resin, and FIG. 2 shows a thermal transfer sensitivity curve of a thermal transfer recording material using this thermoplastic resin as a heat-melting substance. ;i! (”C)

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A thermoplastic resin having a glass transition point in the range of 50°C to 110°C, containing a coloring agent and at least one compound selected from the following compounds (a) to (d), on a heat-resistant support. and a transfer recording layer mainly containing a lubricant, and a coloring agent of 10 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the total solid content of the transfer recording layer.
30 parts by weight of a thermoplastic resin, 40 to 80 parts by weight of a thermoplastic resin, and 5 to 30 parts by weight of a lubricant. (a) Polyester resin (b) PVC resin (c) Acrylic resin (d) Vinyl resin