Manufacturing method of design member and three-dimensional transferring tool

• US 9,427,910 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2013
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ando, Sadanori, Ito, Tatsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Mazumdar, Sonya
• Application Number:
  US14/058,519
• Publication Number:
  US 20140130976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 156/381, 156/382, 156/242, 156/247, 156/277
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 63/0073 of non-flat surfaces, e.g. curved, profiled B29C63/042 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2309/12 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2309/60 In a particular environment
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/10 characterised by the pressing technique, e.g. using action of vacuum or fluid pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B44C 1/172 Decalcomanias provided with a layer being specially adapted to facilitate their release from a temporary carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1002 with permanent bending or reshaping or surface deformation of self sustaining lamina
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1028 by bending, drawing or stretch forming sheet to assume shape of configured lamina while in contact therewith

Abstract

Provided is a manufacturing method that is able to manufacture a design member superior in a design property. In a manufacturing method of a design member for transferring a decorative layer onto a design surface of a base body, the manufacturing method provides a recessed parting groove that is formed in at least a part of a border between a general surface and the design surface, arranges the base body in a chamber having a gas pressure adjusting device, places a transfer film on the design surface of the base body, and, with changing a gas pressure in the chamber by the gas pressure adjusting device to crimp the transfer film onto the design surface, presses the transfer film against the design surface under a heated state by a three-dimensional transferring tool made of an elastic body.

Claims

1. A manufacturing method of a design member for transferring a decorative layer, onto a design surface of a base body, the base body having the design surface that is a three-dimensional shape and a general surface that is a surface other than the design surface, and the manufacturing method including:

with using the base body comprising, in the general surface, a recessed parting groove that is formed in the base body in at least a part of a border between the general surface and the design surface,

a preparing step for arranging the base body in a chamber having a gas pressure adjusting device, placing, on the design surface of the base body, a transfer film in which a transfer layer including an adhesion layer and the decorative layer is laminated on a film base material, and changing a gas pressure in the chamber by the gas pressure adjusting device to crimp the transfer film onto the design surface; and

a heat transferring step for, with crimping the transfer film onto the design surface by the gas pressure adjusting device, pressing the transfer film against the design surface up to at least a part of the recessed parting groove under a heated state by a three-dimensional transferring tool comprising an elastic body.

2. The manufacturing method of the design member according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional transferring tool is able to move forward and backward with respect to the design surface of the base body and has a pressing surface facing the design surface,

wherein a peripheral edge of the pressing surface is formed with a pressing complement surface continuing from the pressing surface and extending up to a position facing at least the part of the parting groove, and

wherein the pressing complement surface rises toward a moving direction with respect to the design surface compared to a tangent at an end of the pressing surface.

3. The manufacturing method of the design member according to claim 1, wherein the gas pressure adjusting device includes a decompressing pump adapted to reduce a gas pressure in the chamber below an atmospheric pressure in the heat transferring step.

4. The manufacturing method of the design member according to claim 1, further comprising a pre-heating step for heating the transfer film after the preparing step and before the heat transferring step.

5. The manufacturing method of the design member according to claim 4, wherein a heating temperature in the pre-heating step is lower than a heating temperature in the heat transferring step.

6. The manufacturing method of the design member according to claim 2, wherein the gas pressure adjusting device includes a decompressing pump adapted to reduce a gas pressure in the chamber below an atmospheric pressure in the heat transferring step.

7. The manufacturing method of the design member according to claim 2, further comprising a pre-heating step for heating the transfer film after the preparing step and before the heat transferring step.

8. The manufacturing method of the design member according to claim 3, further comprising a pre-heating step for heating the transfer film after the preparing step and before the heat transferring step.

9. The manufacturing method of the design member according to claim 1, wherein the pressing presses an end of the transfer layer laminated on the film base material into the recessed parting groove.

10. The manufacturing method of the design member according to claim 1, the pressing of the transfer film further presses an end of the transfer layer laminated on the film base material into the recessed parting groove, and then after the pressing the end of the transfer layer laminated on the film base material is disposed in the recessed parting groove.

11. The manufacturing method of the design member according to claim 1, wherein the recessed parting groove has a concave shape.

12. The manufacturing method of the design member according to claim 1, wherein a groove width of the recessed parting groove is in a range between approximately 0.3 mm to 3.0 mm, and a groove depth of the recessed parting groove is in a range between approximately 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm.

13. The manufacturing method of the design member according to claim 1, wherein the decorative layer is made of a metal.

14. The manufacturing method of the design member according to claim 1, wherein the adhesion layer has, as a material, an acrylic adhesive agent.

15. The manufacturing method of the design member according to claim 1, wherein the transfer film placed on the design surface of the base body comprises, in this order, the film base material, the decorative layer, and the adhesion layer adjacent to the design surface of the base body.