Method for producing anti-glare film

1. A method for producing an anti-glare film, comprising:

applying a coating composition to a substrate, the coating composition including at least a resin, a solvent, and fine particles;

drying the coating composition applied to the substrate to form a Benard cell structure in a surface of the coating layer by convection caused during volatilization of the solvent; and

curing the resin contained in the coating composition including the formed Benard cell structure to form an anti-glare layer having fine irregularities with a moderate surface waviness,

wherein the anti-glare layer has a dried average coating thickness in the range of from an average particle diameter of the fine particles to three times the average particle diameter of the fine particles, and

wherein the anti-glare layer has a degree of white muddiness of 1.7 or less, as measured by quantitatively determining a diffuse reflection component of the diffused light incident upon the surface of the anti-glare layer.

2. The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the fine particles are composed mainly of an acryl-styrene copolymer.

3. The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein, in the coating composition drying step, the fine particles are agglomerated mainly in the in-plane direction by the convection caused during volatilization of the solvent.

4. The method according to claim 3 ,

wherein the agglomerated fine particles are covered with the resin in the surface of the anti-glare layer.

5. The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the resin is an ionizing radiation-curable resin, a thermosetting resin, or a mixed resin thereof and contains at least one of a monomer, an oligomer, and a polymer, which remains in the liquid state after drying the coating composition.

6. The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein, in the resin curing step, the resin is cured by ionizing radiation or heating in such a state that a Benard cell structure is formed in the surface.

7. The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the fine particles are covered with the resin and do not protrude from a surface of the anti-glare layer.

8. A method for producing an anti-glare film, comprising:

applying a coating composition to a substrate, the coating composition including at least a resin, a solvent, and fine particles;

drying the coating composition applied to the substrate to fond a Benard cell structure in a surface of the coating layer by convection caused during volatilization of the solvent; and

curing the resin contained in the coating composition including the formed Benard cell structure to form an anti-glare layer having fine irregularities with a moderate surface waviness,

wherein the anti-glare layer has a dried average coating thickness in the range of from an average particle diameter of the fine particles to three times the average article diameter of the fine particles,

wherein the fine particles are organic fine particles, and

wherein a difference between a surface energy of the organic fine particles and a surface tension of the solvent is 8 mN/m to 13 mN/m.

9. A method for producing an anti-glare film, comprising:

applying a coating composition to a substrate, the coating composition including at least a resin, a solvent, and fine particles;

drying the coating composition applied to the substrate to form a Benard cell structure in a surface of the coating layer by convection caused during volatilization of the solvent; and

curing the resin contained in the coating composition including the formed Benard cell structure to form an anti-glare layer having fine irregularities with a moderate surface waviness,

wherein the anti-glare layer has a dried average coating thickness in the range of from an average particle diameter of the fine particles to three times the average particle diameter of the fine particles,

wherein the fine particles are composed mainly of styrene, and the solvent has a surface tension of 23 mN/m or less.

10. A method for producing an anti-glare film, comprising:

applying a coating composition to a substrate, the coating composition including at least a resin, a solvent, and fine particles;

drying the coating composition applied to the substrate to form a Benard cell structure in a surface of the coating layer by convection caused during volatilization of the solvent; and

curing the resin contained in the coating composition including the formed Benard cell structure to form an anti-glare layer having fine irregularities with a moderate surface waviness,

wherein the anti-glare layer has a dried average coating thickness in the range of from an average particle diameter of the fine particles to three times the average particle diameter of the fine particles,

wherein the acryl-styrene copolymer includes 60 mass percent to 90 mass percent of a styrene component and 10 mass percent to 40 mass percent of an acryl component, and

wherein the fine particles are composed mainly of an acryl-styrene copolymer.

11. A method for producing an anti-glare film, comprising:

applying a coating composition to a substrate, the coating composition including at least a resin, a solvent, and fine particles;

drying the coating composition applied to the substrate to form a Benard cell structure in a surface of the coating layer by convection caused during volatilization of the solvent; and

curing the resin contained in the coating composition including the formed Benard cell structure to form an anti-glare layer having fine irregularities with a moderate surface waviness,

wherein the anti-glare layer has a dried average coating thickness in the range of from an average particle diameter of the fine particles to three times the average particle diameter of the fine particles,

wherein the anti-glare layer has a packing ratio for the fine particles of 4 to 10%.

12. A method for producing an anti-glare film, comprising:

applying a coating composition to a substrate, the coating composition including at least a resin, a solvent, and fine particles;

drying the coating composition applied to the substrate to form a Benard cell structure in a surface of the coating layer by convection caused during volatilization of the solvent; and

curing the resin contained in the coating composition including the formed Benard cell structure to form an anti-glare layer having fine irregularities with a moderate surface waviness,

wherein the anti-glare layer has a dried average coating thickness in the range of from an average particle diameter of the fine particles to three times the average particle diameter of the fine particles,

wherein the anti-glare layer has a surface having a root mean square slope RΔq of 0.003 to 0.05.

13. A method for producing an anti-glare film, comprising:

applying a coating composition to a substrate, the coating composition including at least a resin, a solvent, and fine particles;

drying the coating composition applied to the substrate to form a Benard cell structure in a surface of the coating layer by convection caused during volatilization of the solvent; and

curing the resin contained in the coating composition including the formed Benard cell structure to form an anti-glare layer having fine irregularities with a moderate surface waviness,

wherein the anti-glare layer has a dried average coating thickness in the range of from an average particle diameter of the fine particles to three times the average particle diameter of the fine particles,

after the resin curing step, applying a coating composition to the anti-glare layer, the coating composition including at least a resin and a solvent; and

drying and curing the coating composition applied to the anti-glare layer to form a transparent resin layer on the anti-glare layer.

14. The method according to claim 13 ,

wherein the coating composition applied to the anti-glare layer covers protruding portions in the surface of the anti-glare layer to reduce the slope near the particles.

15. The method according to claim 13 ,

wherein the resin contained in the coating composition applied to the anti-glare layer includes a dry curing resin which is changed to be in a solid state after being dried.