Production method and production device of film having fine irregular pattern on surface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9840039-B2
Application number	US-201414539431-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2014
Priority date	Mar 14, 2008
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

A method for producing a film having a fine irregular pattern intermittently includes feeding a film to be processed intermittently from upstream side to the vicinity of the surface of a die having a fine irregular pattern, transferring the pattern to the surface of the film by pressing the film against the surface of a die, stripping the processed film on which a pattern is formed from the surface of a die, and then feeding a new film to be processed to the die, wherein the processed film is stripped from the surface of a die by gripping and moving the processed film to the upstream side, and then the processed film is fed by a length of intermittent feed to the surface of a die while preventing the processed film from creasing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A production apparatus for a film having a fine asperity pattern on a surface thereof, comprising:
(1-a) a mold having a mold surface on which a fine asperity pattern is provided,
(1-b) a film take-out apparatus to take out a processing film from a long film strip supply source,
(1-c) a film pressing apparatus to press said processing film against said mold surface,
(1-d) a film peeling apparatus to peel off from said mold surface a processed film having a fine asperity pattern produced by taking out the processing film from said film take-out apparatus, intermittently supplying it onto said mold surface, and pressing it against said mold surface in said film pressing apparatus to transfer said fine asperity pattern from said mold surface to a surface of said processing film, and
(1-e) a film take-up apparatus in which said processed film delivered to the downstream side after being peeled off from said mold surface in said film peeling apparatus is taken up on a long film strip storage source located on the downstream side,
thus processing a film in said film pressing apparatus to produce said processed film, peeling it off from said mold surface in said film peeling apparatus, and then delivering said processed film to said film take-up apparatus while another predetermined length of said processing film taken out from said film take-out apparatus is supplied intermittently onto said mold surface, in order to perform repeated production of said processed film by a predetermined length at a time, wherein
(1-f) said film peeling apparatus includes a film holding apparatus that holds said processed film while moving from the downstream side to the upstream side in the length direction of said processed film, and
(1-g) said film holding apparatus includes a crease formation prevention apparatus to prevent creases from being formed in said processing film supplied onto said mold surface, and the supply of said processing film is performed in coordination with the movement of said crease formation prevention apparatus from the upstream side toward the downstream side in the length direction of said processing film.

2. The film production apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
(2-a) said film holding apparatus comprises a combination of a main roll that can come in contact with the opposite surface of said film to the surface on which said pattern is formed and an auxiliary roll that can come in contact with the surface of said film on which said pattern is formed,
(2-b) both the roll axis of said main roll and that of said auxiliary roll are arranged respectively in the width direction of said film, and said main roll and said auxiliary roll are in parallel to each other with a space for said film to pass between them,
(2-c) said main roll is supported on a main roll support arm in such a manner that it can rotate around its roll axis,
(2-d) said auxiliary roll is supported on an auxiliary roll support arm in such a manner that it can rotate around its roll axis,
(2-e) said main roll support arm and said auxiliary roll support arm are fixed to a pedestal,
(2-f) said pedestal is supported on a pedestal travelling guide provided in the length direction of said film, in such a manner that it can move in the length direction of said film,
(2-g) said film holding apparatus is connected to a film holding apparatus moving means to move said film holding apparatus along said pedestal travelling guide,
(2-h) in said film holding apparatus, a processed film is suspended on said main roll and said auxiliary roll through an S-shaped path to allow said main roll and said auxiliary roll to hold said processed film, and in this state, said film holding apparatus is moved by said film holding apparatus moving means from the downstream side to the upstream side, in order to peel off said processed film from said mold surface,
(2-i) said main roll and said auxiliary roll rotate while said film holding apparatus stays at a position that it has reached after moving to the upstream side, in order to cause a new predetermined length of the processing film to be supplied to the downstream side via said main roll and said auxiliary roll,
(2-j) said main roll is used as said crease formation prevention apparatus, and
(2-k) while said film holding apparatus is moved by said film holding apparatus moving means along said mold surface from the upstream side toward the downstream side, said main roll rotates as it moves, so that said new predetermined length of the processing film is supplied onto said mold surface while preventing creases from being formed in said processing film which has already been supplied to the downstream side via said main roll and said auxiliary roll.

3. The film production apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said film holding apparatus moving means comprises either or both of the following:
a combination of said main roll and a main roll rotation driving means that positively drives the rotation of said main roll, and
a combination of said pedestal and a pedestal driving means that positively moves said pedestal along said pedestal travelling guide.

4. The film production apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
(4-a) said film holding apparatus comprises a combination of a main roll that can come in contact with the opposite surface of said film to the surface on which said pattern is formed and an auxiliary roll that can come in contact with the surface of said film on which said pattern is formed,
(4-b) both the roll axis of said main roll and that of said auxiliary roll are arranged in the width direction of said film, and said main roll and said auxiliary roll are respectively in parallel to each other with a space for said film to pass between them,
(4-c) said main roll is supported on a main roll support arm in such a manner that it can rotate around its roll axis,
(4-d) said auxiliary roll is supported on an auxiliary roll support arm in such a manner that it can rotate around its roll axis,
(4-e) said main roll support arm and said auxiliary roll support arm are fixed to a pedestal,
(4-f) said pedestal is supported on a pedestal travelling guide provided in the length direction of said film, in such a manner that it can move in the length direction of said film,
(4-g) said film holding apparatus is connected to a film holding apparatus moving means to move said film holding apparatus along said pedestal travelling guide,
(4-h) in said film holding apparatus, a processed film is suspended on said main roll and said auxiliary roll through an S-shaped path to allow said main roll and said auxiliary roll to hold said processed film, and in this state, said film holding apparatus is moved by said film holding apparatus moving means from the downstream side toward the upstream side, in order to peel off said processed film from said mold surface,
(4-i) said main roll and said auxiliary roll rotate while said film holding apparatus stays at the position that it has reached after moving to the upstream side, so that a new predetermined length of the processing film is supplied to the downstream side via said main roll and said auxiliary roll,
(4-j) a crease-smoothing roll that is located on the upstream side of said main roll, with a space from, and in parallel to, said main roll, and in contact with the opposite surface of said film to the side on which said pattern is formed, is used as said crease formation prevention apparatus,
(4-k) said crease-smoothing roll is supported on a crease-smoothing roll support arm in such a manner that it can rotate around its roll axis, and said crease-smoothing roll support arm is fixed to said pedestal, and
(4-l) while said film holding apparatus is moved by said film holding apparatus moving means over said mold surface from the upstrea

Assignees

• Toray Industries

Inventors

• Minoura Kiyoshi
• Hirai Yuma
• Nomura Fumiyasu

Classifications

• B29C59/04 Primary

  using rollers or endless belts · CPC title

• B29K2105/256

  Sheets, plates, blanks or films · CPC title

• B29C2043/3602

  with means for positioning, fastening or clamping the material to be formed or preforms inside the mould · CPC title

• B29L2011/00

  Optical elements, e.g. lenses, prisms · CPC title

• B29C31/08

  of preforms {to be moulded, e.g. tablets, fibre reinforced preforms, extruded ribbons, tubes or profiles; Manipulating means specially adapted for feeding preforms, e.g. supports conveyors (B29C31/066, B29C37/001, B29C43/085 take precedence)} · CPC title