Method for manufacturing recycled ink pack and device for manufacturing recycled ink pack

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack and a device for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, which can easily manufacture a regenerated ink pack containing high-quality ink from a used ink pack. The method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack regenerates a used ink pack having a supply portion having a supply port at an end thereof for supplying ink to a printing device. The manufacturing method includes the following (a) to (e). (a) Injecting a first amount of ink into the used ink pack (S12). (b) Discharging ink from the ink pack through the supply port (S13). (c) Injecting a second amount of ink, which is larger than the first amount, into the ink pack through the supply port (S15). (d) Discharging ink from the ink pack through the supply port (S17). (e) Filling the ink pack with ink by injecting a third amount of ink into the ink pack through the supply port (S19, S20).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, which regenerates a used ink pack having a supply portion at an end thereof capable of supplying ink to a printing device by injecting ink. Background Art

[0002] For example, a printing device has a mounting portion for mounting an ink container such as an ink cartridge as an ink supply source. When a user uses the printing device for the first time or replaces an existing ink container with a new one due to the ink running out, the user mounts the new ink container on the mounting portion of the printing device.

[0003] Ink filling methods for filling an ink pack with ink are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2. Patent Document 1 discloses an ink filling method including the steps of injecting printing ink into the ink pack and then pressing the ink pack from the outside to expel air bubbles inside.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a liquid filling method including the step of injecting ink into an ink pack in an amount less than the capacity of the ink pack and discharging dust and air inside the pack together with the liquid.

[0005] [Prior art literature]

[0006] [Patent Document]

[0007] [Patent Document 1]: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-154291

[0008] [Patent Document 2]: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-186343

[0009] However, the filling methods described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 cannot fully remove foreign matter such as bubbles. Therefore, the rate of remaining foreign matter such as bubbles cannot be sufficiently reduced compared to non-regenerated ink packs. Consequently, there is a problem in producing high-quality regenerated ink packs with a sufficiently low content of foreign matter such as bubbles. Therefore, it is desirable to produce high-quality regenerated ink packs with a sufficiently low content of foreign matter such as bubbles. Summary of the Invention

[0010] A method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack that solves the above-mentioned problem is to regenerate a used ink pack by reinjecting ink into the ink pack from a supply port, wherein the used ink pack has a supply portion at an end portion, and the supply portion has the supply port capable of supplying ink to a printing device. The method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack includes: (a) injecting a first amount of ink into the used ink pack; (b) discharging the ink from the ink pack through the supply port; (c) injecting a second amount of ink, which is larger than the first amount, into the ink pack from the supply port; (d) discharging the ink from the ink pack through the supply port; and (e) filling the ink pack with ink by injecting a third amount of ink into the ink pack from the supply port.

[0011] The manufacturing device of the regenerated ink pack that solves the above-mentioned problem regenerates the ink pack by re-injecting ink into the used ink pack from the supply port, the used ink pack having a supply portion at the end, the supply portion having the supply port capable of supplying ink to the printing device, the manufacturing device of the regenerated ink pack comprising: an injection portion capable of injecting ink in three or more different amounts into a used ink pack; a discharge portion capable of discharging the ink injected by the injection portion from the ink pack; and a tilting mechanism capable of adjusting the posture of the ink pack into a plurality of postures, the plurality of postures including a first tilted posture in which the supply portion of the ink pack is located above a rear end portion which is an end portion opposite to the supply portion and a second tilted posture in which the supply portion is located below the rear end portion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing a printing device according to an embodiment.

[0013] Figure 2 It is a schematic front cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the printing device.

[0014] Figure 3 It is a perspective view showing an ink pack.

[0015] Figure 4 It is a perspective view showing a flow path component.

[0016] Figure 5 Indicates ink pack Figure 3 A side sectional view of the section 5-5 in FIG.

[0017] Figure 6 It is a rear view showing the spacer member.

[0018] Figure 7 This is a schematic front sectional view showing an apparatus for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack.

[0019] Figure 8It is a schematic side sectional view showing an apparatus for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack.

[0020] Figure 9 This is a circuit diagram showing the ink injection / discharge circuit.

[0021] Figure 10 This is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a device for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack.

[0022] Figure 11 This is a flowchart showing the ink pack regeneration process.

[0023] Figure 12 It is a schematic side sectional view illustrating placement of the ink pack.

[0024] Figure 13 It is a schematic side sectional view showing the ink pack undergoing the first filling process.

[0025] Figure 14 It is a schematic side sectional view showing the ink pack undergoing the second filling process.

[0026] Figure 15 This is a schematic side sectional view showing an ink pack undergoing a second filling process and a second discharge process.

[0027] Figure 16 It is a schematic side sectional view showing the ink pack performing the second discharge process.

[0028] Figure 17 It is a schematic side sectional view explaining the weighing process performed by the electronic balance.

[0029] Figure 18 This is a schematic side sectional view showing an ink pack ready for a main filling process.

[0030] Figure 19 This is a schematic side sectional view showing a regenerated ink pack in a manufactured state after the regeneration process is completed.

[0031] [Description of labels]

[0032] 11: Printing device; 12: Device body; 12A: Printing mechanism; 13: Mounting section; 14: Front cover; 15: Container receiving tray; 15A: Mounting port; 16: Container; 17: Ink pack (regenerated ink pack); 17A: Bag portion; 17B: Rear end portion; 17C: Central portion as an example of a pushed portion; 18: Medium receiving portion; 20: Printing section; 21: Print head; 21N: Nozzle; 22: Bracket; 23: Discharge tray; 24: Operation panel; 24A: Display section; 25: Supply section; 25A: Supply port; 25B: Delivering member; 26: Supply needle; 27: Mounting mechanism; 28: Motor; 29: Supply pipe; 30: Connector member; 31: Hose; 33: Medium supporting section; 35: Adapter; 36: Terminal portion; 37: Identification portion; 38: Gripping portion; 40: Flow path component; 41: Derivative flow path; 42: Spacer component; 43: Shaft portion; 44: Spacer portion; 45: Connecting tube portion; 46: First outlet; 47: Second outlet; 50: Regeneration ink pack manufacturing device; 51: Housing; 52: Frame; 53: Beam component; 54: Door; 55: Regeneration unit; 56: Operation panel; 57: Operation portion; 58: Display portion; 59: Locking mechanism; 60: Tilting mechanism; 61: Support component; 62: Bearing; 63: Rotating shaft; 64: Support plate; 65: Rotation drive portion; 66: Loading plate; 67: Supply and discharge mechanism; 67A: Ink tube; 68: Nozzle; 68A: Connecting needle; 69: Actuator; 70: Pushing mechanism; 71: First pushing mechanism; 72: Second pushing mechanism; 73: First cylinder; 74: Second cylinder; 75: First pushing portion; 76: Second pushing portion; 80: Balance mechanism; 81: Electronic balance; 82: Lifting mechanism; 83: Cylinder; 84: Lifting cylinder; 85: Support plate; 86: Guide rod; 90: Control unit; 91: Power supply unit; 92: Control unit; 93: Wiring; 95: Computer; 96: Storage unit; 100: Injection and discharge unit; 101: Injection unit as an example of an injection unit; 102: Discharge unit as an example of a discharge unit; 103: Main tank; 104: Sub-tank; 105: Degassing module; 111: First pump; 112: Second pump; 1 13: Third pump; 114: Plunger pump; 121: First on / off valve; 122: Second on / off valve; 123: Third on / off valve; 124: Fourth on / off valve; 125: Fifth on / off valve; 126: Sixth on / off valve; 127: Seventh on / off valve; 128: Eighth on / off valve; 131: First supply flow path; 131A: Circulation flow path; 132 and 133: Flow paths; 134: Second supply flow path; 135: Third supply flow path; 136: Injection flow path; 137: Discharge flow path; 140: Liquid level sensor; 141: First filter; 142: Throttle valve; 143: Drive source; 144: Negative pressure pump; 145: Second filter; 146: Injection selector valve; 147: Atmosphere release valve; 151: Common flow path;152: Nozzle switch valve; 153: Discharge selector valve; 154: Ninth switch valve; 155: Tenth switch valve; 156: Waste liquid tank; PR: Program; CX: Centerline; AB: Bubble; X: Nozzle movement direction; Y: Width direction; Z: Vertical direction; D: Length direction; W: Width direction; T: Thickness direction; Q3: Third quantity. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0034] <Structure of Printing Device 11>

[0035] First, refer to Figure 1 、 Figure 2 Next, a printing device using an ink pack will be described.

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown, the printing device 11 includes a rectangular parallelepiped main body 12 . The main body 12 includes a mounting portion 13 , a medium storage portion 18 , a printing portion 20 , a discharge tray 23 , and an operation panel 24 .

[0037] The mounting portion 13 is a portion for mounting the ink pack 17. The mounting portion 13 can mount one or more (in the present embodiment, four) containers 16. The mounting portion 13 includes an openable and closable front cover 14 and a container accommodating tray 15 covered by the closed front cover 14. A plurality of containers 16 are mounted on the container accommodating tray 15 so as to be freely loaded and unloaded in a state where the plurality of containers 16 are placed thereon. An ink pack 17 that contains ink used when the printing device 11 prints on the medium M is detachably mounted on the container 16. That is, the ink pack 17 is mounted relative to the mounting portion 13 in a state where it is accommodated in the container 16. In addition, the method of mounting the ink pack 17 is not limited to the method of being accommodated in the container 16, and the ink pack 17 can also be directly mounted on the mounting portion 13.

[0038] The ink packs 17 each contain different types of ink. For example, the ink packs 17 contain different colors of ink, such as black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. Alternatively, the ink packs 17 may be placed in the container 16 by the user, or may be sold as ink cartridges with the ink packs 17 pre-placed in the container 16.

[0039] The medium storage unit 18 can store media M such as paper in a stacked state (see Figure 2The discharge tray 23 holds the printed media M discharged from the discharge port 12A. The operation panel 24 is configured to be operable by the user to issue instructions to the printing device 11. The operation panel 24 includes a display unit 24A capable of displaying menus, etc. The display unit 24A is configured, for example, as a touch panel and also functions as an operation unit operated by the user to issue instructions to the printing device 11.

[0040] The printing device 11 includes a printing unit 20 that prints on a medium M by ejecting ink supplied from an ink pack 17. The printing unit 20 includes a printing head 21 having nozzles 21N that can eject ink (see Figure 2 ).exist Figure 1 In the example shown, the printing unit 20 includes a carriage 22 that is movable in a width direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the medium M, and a print head 21 mounted on the carriage 22. Furthermore, the printing unit 20 is not limited to a serial printing method including the carriage 22; the print head 21 may also be a line print head having a plurality of nozzles 21N capable of ejecting ink across the entire width of the medium M. Thus, the printing device 11 using the ink pack 17 can be either a serial printer or a line printer.

[0041] like Figure 2 As shown, the mounting portion 13 has multiple mounting ports 15A that are exposed when the front cover 14 is opened. Multiple ink packs 17 are mounted on the mounting portion 13 via their corresponding mounting ports 15A. Specifically, the multiple ink packs 17 are stored on the container storage tray 15 via their corresponding mounting ports 15A, thereby being mounted on the mounting portion 13.

[0042] The container storage tray 15 has a space into which the ink packs 17 stored in the containers 16 are slidably inserted through the mounting opening 15A by opening the front cover 14. A mounting mechanism 27 having a supply needle 26 that can connect to the supply portion 25 of the mounted ink pack 17 is mounted on the mounting portion 13, located inward in the mounting direction of the container 16. The mounting mechanisms 27 are mounted at positions facing the ink packs 17 in the depth direction. The supply needles 26 of the mounting mechanisms 27 are inserted into the supply portions 25 of the ink packs 17, connecting the supply needles 26 to the supply portions 25.

[0043] like Figure 2 As shown, the printing device 11 includes a motor 28 as a driving source for supplying ink in the ink pack 17 to the print head 21. When the motor 28 is driven, the same number of pumps (not shown in the figure) as the number of ink packs 17 are selectively driven. When the pumps are driven, the ink in the ink pack 17 is supplied to the print head 21 via the pumps, supply tubes 29, joint components 30, and hoses 31. The print head 21 has a plurality of nozzles 21N that can eject ink. In the example of a serial printer, Figure 2 The carriage 22 is guided in the width direction of the medium M along the guide member 32 and is configured to be reciprocating in the width direction of the medium M by a driving force transmitted via a carriage motor and a power transmission mechanism (not shown).

[0044] A medium support portion 33 capable of supporting the medium M is disposed in an area facing the nozzle surface where the nozzles 21N of the print head 21 open. The medium M supplied from the medium storage portion 18 is conveyed by a conveying mechanism (not shown) along a conveying path that passes through the top surface (medium supporting surface) of the medium support portion 33. The printing unit 20 prints text, images, etc. on the medium M by ejecting ink from the nozzles 21N of the print head 21 toward the medium M placed on the medium support portion 33.

[0045] When the printing device 11 configured in this manner detects that the ink in the plurality of ink packs 17 has been consumed and the ink remaining amount has reached an ink pack 17 that has run out of ink, the printing device 11 notifies the user of the information indicating that the ink pack 17 has run out of ink, along with information identifying the ink pack 17. For example, the printing device 11 displays the information identifying the ink pack 17 that has run out of ink and the information indicating that the ink pack 17 has run out of ink on the display unit 24A (see FIG. 24A). Figure 1 ), or a display of a host device (not shown) communicatively connected to the printing device 11. The user removes the empty (empty) ink pack 17 from the mounting portion 13 and then replaces the old ink pack 17 with a new one by installing a new one. The used ink pack 17 is collected by a recycling company or the like. Furthermore, if the ink pack 17 is a cartridge type, it may be collected together with the container 16.

[0046] The collected ink pack 17 is transported to a recycling plant. In the recycling plant, a recycled ink pack manufacturing apparatus 50 is used to manufacture recycled ink packs from used ink packs using a recycled ink pack manufacturing method.

[0047] <Structure of ink pack 17>

[0048] Next, refer to Figure 3 Next, the structure of the ink pack 17 will be described.

[0049] like Figure 3As shown, the ink pack 17 has a bag portion 17A formed into a bag shape by heat-melting a film made of synthetic resin, and a supply portion 25 fixed to one end of the bag portion 17A. The bag portion 17A has a rectangular shape when viewed from above, and its length direction dimension is L1. An adapter 35 is assembled at one end of the bag portion 17A so that the supply portion 25 is partially exposed. The adapter 35 has a terminal portion 36 and an identification portion 37. The terminal portion 36 is electrically connected to the terminal portion (not shown) of the mounting mechanism 27 when the supply needle 26 is connected to the supply portion 25 of the ink pack 17. The identification portion 37 has a function of preventing incorrect connection due to an incorrect combination between the supply portion 25 and the supply needle 26 of the ink pack 17. The identification portion 37 has a structure such that it can be mated with the object side when it is correctly connected, and cannot be mated with the object side when it is incorrectly connected. In addition, the adapter 35 has a grip portion 38 that the user grips when replacing the ink pack 17.

[0050] <Structure of Flow Path Member 40>

[0051] Next, refer to Figure 4 Next, the structure of the flow path member 40 built into the ink pack 17 will be described. Figure 3 The ink bag 17 shown has a built-in Figure 4 The flow path member 40 is shown. The supply portion 25 has a discharge member 25B at its base end. The discharge member 25B is attached to one end of the bag portion 17A. The flow path member 40 is connected to the discharge member 25B. The flow path member 40 includes a discharge flow path 41 and a spacer member 42 as components built into the bag portion 17A. The discharge flow path 41 is, for example, an elastic tube made of synthetic rubber.

[0052] The spacer 42 is formed of a synthetic resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene and includes a shaft 43 extending longitudinally of the bag 17A with one end connected to the outlet member 25B, and a spacer 44 supported by the other end of the shaft 43 .

[0053] exist Figure 4 In the example shown, a plurality of (e.g., two) outlet flow paths 41 are provided. The outlet flow path 41 is connected to the outlet member 25B at one end and to the partition 44 at the other end. The length dimension of the portion of the flow path member 40 accommodated in the bag portion 17A in the longitudinal direction is L2. This dimension L2 is Figure 3 The flow path member 40 is approximately half the length L1 of the bag portion 17A shown in the figure. Therefore, the flow path member 40 extends from the supply portion 25 of the ink pack 17 to approximately the center of the bag portion 17A in the length direction. In other words, the flow path member 40 built into the bag portion 17A of the ink pack 17 has a spacer 44 at its rear end in the length direction located near the center of the bag portion 17A in the length direction.

[0054] In this example, if the lengthwise dimension (y-direction) of the bag portion 17A is L1, the lengthwise dimension L2 of the flow path member 40 connected to the bag support portion of the supply portion 25, which is the portion inserted into the front end of the bag portion 17A, is approximately 1 / 3 to 2 / 3 of the dimension L1. Figure 5 In the example shown, the longitudinal dimension L2 of the flow path member 40 is approximately 1 / 2 of the dimension L1. Therefore, there is no partition 44 at the rear end portion 17B of the bag portion 17A in the longitudinal direction D, and there is a partition 44 approximately in the center of the bag portion 17A in the longitudinal direction D (see also FIG. Figure 5 ).

[0055] <Inner structure of ink pack>

[0056] Next, refer to Figure 5 、 Figure 6 The structure of the ink pack 17 will be described. Figure 5 、 Figure 6 In the figure, the D direction parallel to the length direction of the ink pack 17 is also referred to as the "length direction D", the W direction perpendicular to the length direction D is also referred to as the "width direction W", and the T direction perpendicular to both the length direction D and the width direction W is also referred to as the "thickness direction T".

[0057] Figure 5 Therefore Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the ink pack 17 taken along line 5-5. Figure 5 The center line CX of the cylindrical supply portion 25 is shown in FIG. An adapter 35 of a predetermined shape is attached to the end of the ink pack 17 on the supply portion 25 side. The supply portion 25 fixed to one end of the bag portion 17A is connected from the front of the adapter 35 (at the Figure 5 When the ink pack 17 is mounted on the mounting portion 13 of the printing device 11, the supply needle 26 (see FIG. 1 ) is exposed by moving the ink pack 17 in the longitudinal direction D. Figure 2 ) is inserted into the supply port 25A of the supply unit 25 and connected. In the supply unit 25, a valve unit 39 is built in the inner side of the supply port 25A. If the supply needle 26 (refer to Figure 2 ) is inserted into the supply port 25A, the valve portion 39 is pushed by the supply needle 26 and opened. If the supply needle 26 is pulled out from the supply port 25A, the valve portion 39 is closed due to the force of the spring.

[0058] The bag portion 17A of the ink pack 17 includes a flow path component 40. The flow path component 40 includes two outlet flow paths 41 and a spacer component 42. The outlet flow path 41 is, for example, an elastic tube formed of synthetic rubber. The spacer component 42 includes a shaft portion 43 having one end connected to the supply portion 25 and a spacer portion 44 fixed to the other end of the shaft portion 43. The outlet flow path 41 connects the supply portion 25 and the spacer portion 44. One end of one of the two outlet flow paths 41 is connected to the base end of the supply portion 25, and the other end thereof is connected to a connecting pipe portion 45 located above the center line CX of the spacer portion 44. The other of the two outlet flow paths 41 is connected to the base end of the supply portion 25, and the other end thereof is connected to a connecting pipe portion 45 located below the center line CX of the spacer portion 44.

[0059] The first inner diameter of the upper connecting pipe portion 45 is smaller than the second inner diameter of the lower connecting pipe portion 45. Therefore, the opening size of the first outflow port 46 communicating with the upper connecting pipe portion 45 is smaller than the opening size of the second outflow port 47 communicating with the lower connecting pipe portion 45.

[0060] The spacer 42 functions as a spacer that maintains a vertical spacing within the bag 17A by arranging the spacer 44 approximately in the center of the bag 17A in the longitudinal direction D. When the pigment of the ink in the ink pack 17 settles, the ink is separated into an upper layer having a relatively low pigment concentration and a lower layer having a relatively high pigment concentration near the spacer 44.

[0061] The ink of the upper layer with a light pigment concentration is discharged from the upper first outlet 46, and the ink of the lower layer with a high pigment concentration is discharged from the lower second outlet 47. The ink of the light pigment concentration and the ink of the high pigment concentration are mixed through the two outlet flow paths 41, and the ink of the appropriate pigment concentration is supplied from the supply unit 25.

[0062] like Figure 6 As shown, the spacer portion 44 of the spacer member 42 has a rhombus shape extending vertically and horizontally when viewed from the -D direction toward the +D direction. The spacer member 42 has upper and lower end surfaces that are flat surfaces parallel to the W direction. The spacer portion 44 can contact the inner peripheral surface of the bag portion 17A at these upper and lower flat surface portions.

[0063] like Figure 6 As shown, the partition member 42 has a first outlet 46 above the center in the T direction and a second outlet 47 below the center when viewed from the +D direction side toward the -D direction side.

[0064] <Recycled ink pack manufacturing equipment>

[0065] Next, refer to Figure 7 、 Figure 8 Next, the manufacturing apparatus 50 for the regenerated ink pack will be described.

[0066] In the accompanying drawings, the manufacturing apparatus 50 is configured to be placed on a horizontal installation surface. The axis perpendicular to the installation surface of the manufacturing apparatus 50 is designated as the Z axis, and the two axes perpendicular to the Z axis are designated as the X axis and the Y axis, respectively. Furthermore, directions parallel to the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis are referred to as the X axis direction, the Y axis direction, and the Z axis direction, respectively. The X axis direction refers to two directions including the +X direction and the -X direction. The Y axis direction refers to two directions including the +Y direction and the -Y direction. The Z axis direction is also a vertical direction and is therefore also referred to as the vertical direction Z. The X axis direction is a direction parallel to the direction of movement of the nozzle 68 (discussed later) that injects ink into the ink pack 17 when it is attached to and detached from the supply portion 25 of the ink pack 17. Therefore, it is also referred to as the nozzle movement direction X. The Y axis direction is also the width direction of the ink pack 17 when it is placed on the loading plate 66 to be regenerated and is therefore also referred to as the width direction Y.

[0067] like Figure 7 、 Figure 8 As shown, the regenerated ink pack manufacturing apparatus 50 includes a tilting mechanism 60, a supply and discharge mechanism 67, a pressing mechanism 70, and a balance mechanism 80. The tilting mechanism 60 tilts the ink pack 17. The tilting mechanism 60 is configured to adjust the ink pack 17 to a plurality of positions, including a first tilted position in which the supply portion 25 of the ink pack 17 is positioned above the rear end portion 17B, which is the end opposite the supply portion 25, and a second tilted position in which the supply portion 25 is positioned below the rear end portion 17B. The supply and discharge mechanism 67 is a mechanism that enables the supply and discharge (supply / discharge) of ink relative to the ink pack 17. The pressing mechanism 70 presses the ink pack 17. The balance mechanism 80 weighs the ink pack 17.

[0068] Hereinafter, the structure of the manufacturing apparatus 50 will be described in detail.

[0069] like Figure 7 、 Figure 8 As shown, the manufacturing device 50 has a box body 51 in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. The box body 51 has a frame 52, and the frame 52 has a column-beam structure. Figure 7The housing 51 includes a regeneration unit 55. The regeneration unit 55 includes the aforementioned tilting mechanism 60, the supply and discharge mechanism 67, the pressing mechanism 70, and the balance mechanism 80. Furthermore, a control unit 90 is disposed near the lower portion of the regeneration unit 55 within the housing 51. The control unit 90 includes a power supply unit 91 and a control unit 92. The power supply unit 91 converts the power supplied from the power line in the wiring 93 of the power system into a predetermined voltage and supplies the required power to each part of the manufacturing device 50. The control unit 92 controls the manufacturing device 50.

[0070] The manufacturing device 50 includes an operation panel 56 that can be operated by an operator to issue instructions to the manufacturing device 50. The operation panel 56 is provided on the side of the housing 51 so that the operator can operate it even when the door 54 is closed. The operation panel 56 includes an operation unit 57 and a display unit 58. The operation unit 57 includes operation buttons that are operated to instruct the start / stop of the operation of the manufacturing device 50. The display unit 58 is composed of, for example, a touch panel type display device. The display unit 58 is configured so that the operator can select menus, select operating conditions, and input information such as the product number of the ink pack 17 to be regenerated by touching the screen. In addition, the manufacturing device 50 includes a locking mechanism 59 that locks the door 54 in a closed state during operation.

[0071] Next, the regeneration unit 55 will be described in detail.

[0072] The tilting mechanism 60 includes a pair of support members 61 arranged upright to extend in the vertical direction Z relative to the beam member 53 constituting the frame 52. The pair of support members 61 rotatably support a rotating shaft 63 via bearings 62. The tilting mechanism 60 includes a rotation drive unit 65 as a drive source that drives the rotating shaft 63 to rotate. The rotation drive unit 65 is, for example, a motor. Furthermore, the rotation drive unit 65 may be an actuator capable of generating a rotational output other than a motor, as long as it can rotate the rotating shaft 63.

[0073] like Figure 7 、 Figure 8 As shown, a support plate 64 is fixed to the rotating shaft 63. Therefore, the support plate 64 is configured to be able to tilt within a predetermined angle range by rotating the rotating shaft 63 within a predetermined angle range. The supporting plate 66 is placed on the supporting plate 64. In addition, the ink pack 17 to be regenerated is placed on the supporting plate 66. Therefore, the ink pack 17 on the supporting plate 66 can tilt its posture. In addition to taking Figure 8 In addition to the horizontal posture shown in the figure, it is also possible to take Figure 13 、 Figure 14 The tilted posture shown in the figure.

[0074] like Figure 7 、 Figure 8 As shown, the pressing mechanism 70 is a mechanism for pressing the ink pack 17 on the placement plate 66. The pressing mechanism 70 includes a first pressing mechanism 71 configured to press the rear end portion 17B of the ink pack 17 on the placement plate 66, and a second pressing mechanism 72 configured to press the center portion 17C of the ink pack 17 on the placement plate 66.

[0075] The first pressing mechanism 71 includes a first cylinder 73 as a driving source and a first pressing portion 75 driven by the first cylinder 73. The first pressing portion 75 is arranged at a position opposite to the rear end portion 17B of the ink pack 17 on the mounting plate 66. The first pressing portion 75 can be reciprocated in a direction perpendicular to the top surface of the mounting plate 66 by the driving of the first cylinder 73. Figure 8 The standby position shown in FIG. 1 is lowered, thereby pressing the rear end portion 17B of the ink pack 17 on the mounting plate 66, which is located on the opposite side of the supply portion 25 in the longitudinal direction. The first pressing portion 75 is formed of, for example, a synthetic resin material having cushioning properties. In addition, a cushioning member 66A is arranged on the top surface of the mounting plate 66 in the area opposite to the first pressing portion 75 (see FIG. 1 ). Figure 12 ) The cushioning member 66A is also formed of a synthetic resin material having cushioning properties, similarly to the first pressing portion 75 .

[0076] The second pushing mechanism 72 has a second cylinder 74 as its driving source and a second pushing portion 76 driven by the second cylinder 74. The second pushing portion 76 is arranged at a position opposite to the central portion 17C of the ink pack 17 on the mounting plate 66 as an example of a pushed portion. The second pushing portion 76 can be reciprocated along a direction perpendicular to the top surface of the mounting plate 66 by the drive of the second cylinder 74. In addition, the central portion 17C of the ink pack 17 pushed by the second pushing portion 76 refers to the portion between the front end portion and the rear end portion 17B on the supply portion 25 side. In this example, the central portion of the ink pack 17 is also provided with a spacer 44 (see Figure 5 ) location.

[0077] The first pressing portion 75 is used to push the ink out of the ink pack 17. The second pressing portion 76, in addition to pushing the ink out of the ink pack 17, also performs a rocking action to guide bubbles in the ink within the ink pack 17. Thus, the first pressing portion 75 and the second pressing portion 76 have different shapes due to differences in their pressing positions and purposes. The differences in the shapes of the two pressing portions 75 and 76 will be discussed below.

[0078] The supply and discharge mechanism 67 includes a nozzle 68 that is removable from the supply unit 25 for injecting and discharging ink into and out of the ink pack 17 on the placement plate 66. The nozzle 68 is slidably mounted relative to the support plate 64 along a nozzle movement direction X that is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the ink pack 17 on the placement plate 66. The nozzle 68 is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the supply unit 25 of the ink pack 17 placed on the placement plate 66 by sliding on the support plate 64.

[0079] The supply and discharge mechanism 67 includes an actuator 69 as a driving source for sliding the nozzle 68. The actuator 69 is fixed to a position that does not hinder the movement of the nozzle 68 on the support plate 64. By driving the actuator 69, the nozzle 68 can be moved when the coupling needle 68A is separated from the supply port 25A of the supply unit 25. Figure 8 The retreat position shown is the connection position where the coupling needle 68A is inserted into the supply port 25A of the supply portion 25 (see Figure 13 etc.)

[0080] like Figure 8 As shown, the manufacturing apparatus 50 includes an injection / discharge unit 100 disposed outside the housing 51. The nozzle 68 is connected to the injection / discharge unit 100 via the ink tube 67A. The injection / discharge unit 100 includes a main tank 103 and a sub-tank 104 storing ink injected into the ink pack 17 via the nozzle 68, and a waste liquid tank 156 capable of storing waste ink discharged from the ink pack 17 via the nozzle 68 (all refer to Figure 9 The injection / discharge unit 100 includes an ink circuit including a pump and a solenoid valve controlled by the control unit 92. The details of the injection / discharge unit 100 will be discussed later.

[0081] The balance mechanism 80 includes an electronic balance 81, a lifting mechanism 82 that supports the electronic balance 81 so that it can be raised and lowered, and a support portion 83 that can support the mounting plate 66 when the electronic balance 81 is raised. The lifting mechanism 82 includes a lifting cylinder 84 whose piston rod is connected to a support member 85 that supports the electronic balance 81, and a plurality of guide rods 86 that guide the support member 85 so that it can be raised and lowered. When the balance mechanism 80 is not weighing the ink pack 17, the electronic balance 81 is placed in a Figure 7 、 Figure 8The balance mechanism 80 lifts the loading plate 66 by penetrating the through hole of the support plate 64 via the support portion 83 when weighing the ink pack 17, thereby raising the electronic balance 81 to a weighing position (not shown) where the electronic balance 81 can perform weighing. At the weighing position, the electronic balance 81 can weigh the total weight of the loading plate 66 and the ink pack 17. Since the weight of the loading plate 66 is known, the control unit 92 obtains the weight of the ink pack 17 by subtracting the known weight of the loading plate 66 from the total weight of the weighing result of the electronic balance 81. In addition, the weighing of the ink pack 17 by the electronic balance 81 is performed in a state where the nozzle 68 is retracted from the inserted position to the retracted position and removed from the supply unit 25.

[0082] <Circuit Configuration of Injection / Discharge Unit 100>

[0083] Next, refer to Figure 9 Next, the circuit configuration of the injection / discharge unit 100 will be described.

[0084] like Figure 9 As shown, the injection / discharge unit 100 includes an injection unit 101, which constitutes an example of an injection section, and a discharge unit 102, which constitutes an example of a discharge section. The injection unit 101 is configured to be able to inject three or more different amounts of ink into a used ink pack 17. The discharge unit 102 discharges the ink injected by the injection unit 101 from the ink pack 17.

[0085] The injection unit 101 includes a main tank 103 and a sub-tank 104 as ink supply sources. Furthermore, the injection unit 101 includes a degassing module 105, a first pump 111, a second pump 112, and a plunger pump 114. The second pump 112 and the plunger pump 114 are supply pumps of the injection system that inject ink into the ink pack 17. During ink injection, either the second pump 112 or the plunger pump 114 is selected.

[0086] The second pump 112 can deliver ink at a first flow rate. The plunger pump 114 can deliver ink at a second flow rate, which is lower than the first flow rate. That is, the second pump 112 is a high-flow-rate pump capable of delivering ink at the first high flow rate, while the plunger pump 114 is a low-flow-rate pump capable of delivering ink at the second flow rate, which is lower than the first flow rate. As a high-flow-rate pump, the second pump 112 can deliver more ink per unit time than the plunger pump 114, which is a low-flow-rate pump. Furthermore, as a low-flow-rate pump, the plunger pump 114 can deliver a smaller amount of ink per unit time than the second pump 112, which is a high-flow-rate pump. Therefore, the amount of ink that can be delivered can be controlled with high precision. Furthermore, if at least one of the second pump 112 and the plunger pump 114 is a variable-flow pump, the maximum flow rate of the plunger pump 114 can also be higher than the minimum flow rate of the second pump 112.

[0087] The main tank 103 may be, for example, an ink storage tank such as a detachable tank.

[0088] The first pump 111 supplies ink from the main tank 103 to the sub-tank 104 .

[0089] The second pump 112 supplies ink from the sub-tank 104 to the degassing module 105 .

[0090] The plunger pump 114 may also be replaced with another type of low-flow pump.

[0091] The first pump 111 and the second pump 112 are similarly high-flow pumps capable of delivering ink at a high flow rate. The first pump 111 and the second pump 112 are, for example, diaphragm pumps. A diaphragm pump is a unidirectional pump that can deliver ink in only one direction. Furthermore, the first pump 111 and the second pump 112 can also be unidirectional pumps of other types besides diaphragm pumps. Furthermore, the first pump 111 and the second pump 112 can also be bidirectional pumps.

[0092] <Configuration of the Injection System of the Main Tank 103 to the Sub-Tank 104>

[0093] The main tank 103 and the sub-tank 104 are connected via a first supply flow path 131, to which a first pump 111 is connected midway. A circulation flow path 131A branches off from the first supply flow path 131 at a branching point between the first pump 111 and the sub-tank 104 and is connected to the main tank 103. A first on-off valve 121 is provided midway in the first supply flow path 131, upstream of the first pump 111. A second on-off valve 122 is provided midway in the circulation flow path 131A. Furthermore, a third on-off valve 123 is provided midway between the branching point between the first supply flow path 131 and the circulation flow path 131A and the sub-tank 104.

[0094] A fourth on-off valve 124 is provided midway along a flow path 133 connecting the first supply flow path 131 to a flow path 132 extending from the bottom of the sub-tank 104. Flow path 133 is connected to the first supply flow path 131 at a position between the first on-off valve 121 and the first pump 111. Flow path 132 is a flow path for discharging ink from the sub-tank 104, and a manual valve 129 is provided midway along the flow path. The user opens manual valve 129 to discharge the ink, etc., from the sub-tank 104.

[0095] To circulate the ink in the main tank 103, the first pump 111 is driven with the first on / off valve 121 open, the second on / off valve 122 open, the third on / off valve 123 closed, and the fourth on / off valve 124 closed. The ink in the main tank 103 circulates through a portion of the first supply flow path 131 and the circulation flow path 131A due to the driving of the first pump 111. This circulation of the ink agitates the ink in the main tank 103, dispersing any settled pigment in the ink.

[0096] Furthermore, when the first on-off valve 121 is open, the second on-off valve 122 is closed, the third on-off valve 123 is open, and the fourth on-off valve 124 is closed, the first pump 111 is driven, thereby supplying ink from the main tank 103 to the sub-tank 104. The sub-tank 104 is equipped with a liquid level sensor 140 for detecting the liquid level. If the liquid level detected by the liquid level sensor 140 falls below a predetermined threshold, the first pump 111 is driven. The driving of the first pump 111 supplies ink from the main tank 103 to the sub-tank 104. In this way, as long as the ink in the main tank 103 is not exhausted, the required predetermined amount of ink is stored in the sub-tank 104. Furthermore, the sub-tank 104 is configured to store ink in a closed system chamber that is connected to the atmosphere via an atmospheric release valve 147.

[0097] Furthermore, when the first on / off valve 121 is closed, the second on / off valve 122 is open, the third on / off valve 123 is closed, and the fourth on / off valve 124 is open, the first pump 111 is driven to return the ink in the sub-tank 104 to the main tank 103. For example, when the manufacturing apparatus 50 is stopped for an extended period, the ink in the sub-tank 104 can be returned to the main tank 103 to prevent degradation. In this way, the ink in the sub-tank 104 used for injection into the ink pack 17 is managed so that the pigment is dispersed and degradation is suppressed.

[0098] <Configuration of the Injection System between the Sub-tank 104 and the Nozzle 68>

[0099] Next, a circuit configuration of the injection unit 101 that supplies ink from the sub-tank 104 to the nozzle 68 via the degassing module 105 will be described.

[0100] like Figure 9 As shown, in the second supply flow path 134 , a first filter 141 , a fifth on-off valve 125 , a second pump 112 , a throttle valve 142 and a sixth on-off valve 126 are provided in sequence from the sub-tank 104 side midway between the sub-tank 104 and the degassing module 105 .

[0101] The third supply flow path 135 is connected in parallel with the second supply flow path 134. In detail, one end of the upstream side of the third supply flow path 135 is connected to the second supply flow path 134 between the first filter 141 and the fifth switch valve 125, and the other end of the downstream side is connected to the second supply flow path 134 between the sixth switch valve 126 and the degassing module 105. The seventh switch valve 127 and the eighth switch valve 128 are provided midway in the third supply flow path 135. In the third supply flow path 135, between the seventh switch valve 127 and the eighth switch valve 128, the output flow path of the plunger pump 114 is connected. The plunger pump 114 is driven by an electric drive source 143. The output shaft of the drive source 143 is connected to the piston rod of the plunger pump 114. The electric drive source 143 is composed of an electric actuator that can be telescopically driven, such as an electric cylinder.

[0102] Two methods are provided for injecting ink from the sub-tank 104 via the degassing module 105 into the ink pack 17. One method involves injecting ink into the ink pack 17 at a first flow rate by driving the second pump 112. The other method involves injecting ink into the ink pack 17 at a second flow rate, which is lower than the first flow rate, by driving the plunger pump 114. The control unit 92 is capable of switching between the first method of injecting ink at the first flow rate by driving the second pump 112 and the second method of injecting ink at the second flow rate by driving the plunger pump 114. The control unit 92 can switch the flow rate of ink injected into the ink pack 17 by switching between the two methods.

[0103] The manufacturing apparatus 50 includes pre-cleaning injection, preliminary injection, and main injection as types of ink injection. The pre-cleaning injection is an injection for injecting a small amount (first amount) of ink for cleaning purposes to clean the inside of the ink pack 17 with ink.

[0104] Pre-filling is the process of flushing the ink pack 17 by injecting a larger amount (a second amount) of ink after pre-cleaning and before the main filling. This flushing process dilutes any remaining air bubbles and foreign matter that were not completely expelled during the pre-cleaning process with fresh ink, which is then expelled along with the diluted ink (pre-filling). Therefore, any remaining air bubbles or foreign matter in the ink pack 17 after the pre-filling process is extremely small.

[0105] The main injection process involves injecting ink into the pre-emptied ink pack 17 until the ink reaches its full weight. During the main injection process, the weight of the injected ink, i.e., the amount of ink injected, must be controlled. In this embodiment, the main injection process switches from a first method of injecting ink at a first flow rate driven by the second pump 112 to a second method of injecting ink at a second flow rate driven by the plunger pump 114. This allows for highly accurate control of the weight of the ink injected into the ink pack 17.

[0106] exist Figure 9 The degassing module 105 is connected to a negative pressure pump 144. The negative pressure pump 144 is driven to reduce the pressure in the hollow system of the degassing module 105, degassing the ink passing through the hollow system. This degassing removes bubbles and bubble nuclei composed of oxygen and nitrogen in the ink.

[0107] A nozzle switching valve 152 is provided in the middle of the common flow path 151 connected to the nozzle 68. The common flow path 151 is divided into an injection flow path 136 and a discharge flow path 137 in the middle. A filter 145 and an injection selection valve 146 are provided in the middle of the injection flow path 136. The upstream end of the injection flow path 136 is connected to the degassing module 105. In addition, the ink tube 67A (see Figure 8 ) constitutes a part of the common flow path 151.

[0108] When the nozzle switching valve 152 and the injection selection valve 146 are in the open state, the ink degassed by the degassing module 105 is injected from the nozzle 68 into the ink pack 17 via the injection flow path 136 and the common flow path 151 .

[0109] <Discharge Unit 102>

[0110] On the other hand, the discharge unit 102 includes a third pump 113, a discharge selection valve 153, a ninth on-off valve 154, a tenth on-off valve 155, a waste liquid tank 156, and a sub-tank 104. The third pump 113 is disposed midway along the discharge flow path 137. The discharge flow path 137 branches into a waste liquid flow path 138 and a recovery flow path 139 at a branching point downstream of the third pump 113 in the discharge direction. The downstream end of the waste liquid flow path 138 is connected to the waste liquid tank 156. The downstream end of the recovery flow path 139 is connected to the sub-tank 104. The ninth on-off valve 154 is disposed midway along the waste liquid flow path 138. Furthermore, the tenth on-off valve 155 is disposed midway along the recovery flow path 139.

[0111] The third pump 113 is a discharge pump configured to deliver ink from the nozzle 68 in the direction in which the ink is drawn (discharge direction). The waste ink discharged from the ink pack 17 through the nozzle 68 is delivered to the waste liquid tank 156 by the suction force generated on the upstream side of the third pump 113 when the third pump 113 is driven. The third pump 113 is, for example, a diaphragm pump, but other unidirectional or bidirectional pumps may also be used.

[0112] <Electrical Configuration of Manufacturing Apparatus 50>

[0113] Next, refer to Figure 10 The electrical structure of manufacturing device 50 will now be described. Manufacturing device 50 includes a control unit 92. Operation unit 57 and various sensors (not shown) are connected to control unit 92 via an input interface (not shown). Display unit 58 is also connected to control unit 92.

[0114] The control unit 92 is electrically connected to a drive source and the like of the mechanism of the manufacturing apparatus 50 , and a drive source, a solenoid valve, and the like constituting the injection / discharge unit 100 .

[0115] The electrical configuration of the output system will be described in detail below.

[0116] like Figure 10 As shown, the control unit 92 is electrically connected to the actuator 69 constituting the supply and discharge mechanism 67, the rotation drive unit 65 constituting the tilting mechanism 60, the first cylinder 73 and the second cylinder 74 constituting the pushing mechanism 70, and the electronic balance 81 and the lifting cylinder 84 constituting the balance mechanism 80.

[0117] Furthermore, the injection selection valve 146 , the first to eighth on-off valves 121 to 128 , the first pump 111 , the second pump 112 , the plunger pump 114 , and the degassing module 105 constituting the injection unit 101 are electrically connected to the control unit 92 .

[0118] Furthermore, the third pump 113 , the discharge selection valve 153 , the ninth on-off valve 154 , and the tenth on-off valve 155 constituting the discharge unit 102 are electrically connected to the control unit 92 .

[0119] The control unit 92 includes a computer 95. The computer 95 includes a storage unit 96. The storage unit 96 stores a program PR. The program PR includes Figure 11 The procedure for manufacturing the ink pack is shown.

[0120] The computer 95 of the control unit 92 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and storage, which are not shown. The control unit 92 is not limited to a control unit that performs software processing on all the processes it performs. For example, the control unit 92 can also have a dedicated hardware circuit (such as an application-specific integrated circuit: ASIC) that performs hardware processing on at least a part of the processes it performs. That is, the control unit 92 can be configured as a circuit (circuitry) including one or more processors that operate according to a computer program (software), one or more dedicated hardware circuits that perform at least a part of various processes, or a combination thereof. The processor includes a CPU and a storage unit 96 such as RAM and ROM. The storage unit 96 stores program codes or instructions configured to enable the CPU to perform processes. The storage unit 96, i.e., a computer-readable medium, includes all available media that can be accessed by a general-purpose or dedicated computer 95.

[0121] <Effects of implementation methods>

[0122] Next, refer to Figure 11 The flowchart shown and Figures 12 to 19 Next, the operation of the method for manufacturing the regenerated ink pack will be described.

[0123] The operator operates the operation unit 57 of the manufacturing apparatus 50 and inputs necessary information including the attribute information of the product number of the ink pack 17. When a start instruction signal based on the start operation is input, the control unit 92 executes the computer 95 to start the operation. Figure 11 The procedure shown is performed to execute the regenerated ink pack manufacturing process.

[0124] Executed by computer 95 Figure 11 In the ink pack regeneration program PR shown, the manufacturing apparatus 50 implements a method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack in which ink is injected into a used ink pack 17 to regenerate the ink pack 17 .

[0125] Here, a summary of a method for manufacturing a recycled ink pack will be described.

[0126] This method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack regenerates the ink pack 17 by refilling ink from the supply port 25A into the used ink pack 17. The used ink pack 17 has a supply portion 25 at its end. The supply portion 25 has the supply port 25A capable of supplying ink to the printing device 11. This manufacturing method includes the following processes (a) to (e).

[0127] (a) A first amount of ink is injected into the used ink pack 17 .

[0128] (b) The ink is discharged from the ink pack 17 through the supply port 25A.

[0129] (c) A second amount of ink, which is larger than the first amount, is injected into the ink pack 17 from the supply port 25A.

[0130] (d) The ink is discharged from the ink pack 17 through the supply port 25A.

[0131] (e) The ink pack 17 is filled with ink by injecting the third amount of ink into the ink pack 17 from the supply port 25A.

[0132] Figure 11 The procedure PR for the regenerated ink pack manufacturing process shown is also a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing the regenerated ink pack 17, and includes the processes (a) to (e) described above. Figure 11In the example of step S12, the process is equivalent to "pre-cleaning injection," an example of the process in (a) above. The process in step S13 is equivalent to "pre-cleaning discharge," an example of the process in (b) above. The processes in steps S14 and S15 are equivalent to "pre-injection," an example of the process in (c) above. Furthermore, the ink pack pressing process in step S14 is a process that can be performed before the start of pre-injection, for example, to enhance the effectiveness of the pre-discharge performed after pre-injection. The ink pack pressing process in step S14 can also be omitted.

[0133] Moreover, the processing of step S16 and step S17 is an example of "pre-discharge" equivalent to the processing of (d) above. The bubble collection action of step S16 is the following processing: it can also be performed before or during the pre-discharge in order to improve the effect of the pre-discharge. The bubble collection processing of step S16 can also be omitted. In addition, the processing of step S19 and step S20 is an example of "formal injection" equivalent to the processing of (e) above. Steps S19 and S20 divide the formal injection into the first injection and the second injection in order to represent an example of switching the flow rate of the ink in the middle, but the formal injection can also be performed at one flow rate without switching the flow rate.

[0134] Below, refer to Figure 11 The method for manufacturing the regenerated ink pack is described below. Figures 12 to 19 In the embodiment, the adapter 35 of the ink pack 17 is omitted, and the adapter 35 can be installed or removed. Furthermore, even after a used ink pack 17 is used until the ink is exhausted, a small amount of old residual ink remains. Furthermore, a used ink pack 17 may also contain old ink that has exceeded its expiration date. The remaining ink in the old, expired ink pack 17 may contain bubbles that have grown over a long period of time since its manufacture, bubble nuclei that have formed in the ink, and foreign matter. Examples of foreign matter include foreign matter at the gas-liquid interface caused by deterioration of the ink or at least a portion of its components at the gas-liquid interface.

[0135] First, in step S11, the ink pack 17 is placed. For example, the operator may place the used ink pack 17 on the placement plate 66. After placing the ink pack 17, the operator may manually connect the nozzle 68 to the supply unit 25 of the ink pack 17. For example, the operator manually slides the nozzle 68 and inserts the coupling needle 68A of the nozzle 68 into the supply port 25A of the supply unit 25 of the ink pack 17. This connects the nozzle 68 and the supply unit 25. Alternatively, the process of placing (loading) the used ink pack 17 on the placement plate 66 in step S11 may be performed by a robot controlled by the computer 95.

[0136] In step S12, the computer 95 performs pre-rinsing. Pre-rinsing refers to the process of injecting the ink used in the pre-rinsing process into the ink pack 17. Pre-rinsing involves adding a first amount of ink having the same composition as the remaining ink in the used ink pack 17, and then rinsing the ink pack using the ink having the same composition as the remaining ink. The computer 95 injects the first amount of new ink into the used ink pack 17.

[0137] like Figure 13 As shown, the computer 95 drives the rotation drive unit 65 in a forward direction, thereby moving the tilting mechanism 60 in a first direction (from Figures 12 to 13 As a result, the ink pack 17 is moved from the horizontal position when placed to the first inclined position in which the front end portion on the supply portion 25 side is located above the rear end portion 17B.

[0138] A first amount of new ink is injected into the ink pack 17, which has assumed the first tilted position. As a result, the first amount of new ink is added to the remaining ink in the ink pack 17. This pre-cleans the interior of the ink pack 17. Pre-cleaning utilizes the momentum of the flow of the new first amount of ink when it is injected into the ink pack 17. Furthermore, during pre-cleaning, at least one of the first pressing portion 75 and the second pressing portion 76 may be used to agitate the ink in the ink pack 17 to enhance the cleaning effect. The processing in step S12 corresponds to an example of the processing described in (a) above.

[0139] In the next step S13, the computer 95 performs pre-cleaning and discharge. The computer 95 drives the discharge unit 102. Specifically, the computer 95 opens the nozzle switch valve 152, closes the injection selection valve 146, opens the discharge selection valve 153, opens the ninth switch valve 154, and closes the tenth switch valve 155. Furthermore, the computer 95 drives the third pump 113. As a result, ink is discharged from the ink pack 17 in the second tilted position. At this time, the discharged ink is a mixture of the remaining ink and the first amount of new ink. In other words, the waste ink after pre-cleaning, in which the remaining ink is diluted by the first amount of new ink, is discharged from the ink pack 17. After discharge, the remaining amount of ink that was not completely discharged is the remaining ink. This remaining ink is the ink that has been diluted by the pre-cleaning compared to the original remaining ink.

[0140] During the pre-wash discharge, ink discharged from the nozzle 68 by the driving of the third pump 113 is discharged from the third pump 113 via the ninth on / off valve 154 to the waste liquid tank 156. The waste ink after the pre-wash, mixed with the remaining ink originally present in the used ink pack 17, is discharged to the waste liquid tank 156. In other words, the ink used in the pre-wash contains a relatively high concentration of the old ink. Therefore, during the pre-wash discharge, the ink discharged from the ink pack 17 is discarded. Therefore, the waste ink discharged from the ink pack 17 during the pre-wash discharge is discarded in the waste liquid tank 156. The processing in step S13 corresponds to an example of the processing in (b) above.

[0141] In the next step S14, the computer 95 performs ink pack pressing. That is, the computer 95 drives the first cylinder 73 to cause the first pressing portion 75 to press the rear end portion 17B of the ink pack 17. In this way, when the pre-wash discharge is completed, before the next pre-filling, the computer 95 drives the first cylinder 73 to move the first pressing portion 75 from the retreat position to the pressing position ( Figure 13 The ink pack 17 moves to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line. As a result, the rear end portion 17B of the ink pack 17 is pressed by the first pressing portion 75. Because the rear end portion 17B of the ink pack 17 is pressed, even when ink is injected into the ink pack 17 during the preliminary injection in the next step S15, bubbles in the ink within the ink pack 17 do not reach the rear end portion 17B pressed by the first pressing portion 75. This pressing of the rear end portion 17B of the ink pack 17 by the first pressing portion 75 serves as a preparatory operation for the next preliminary injection.

[0142] In the next step S15, the computer 95 performs a preliminary injection. This preliminary injection is performed with the ink pack 17 in the second tilted position. Therefore, after the computer 95 completes the pre-washing and discharging (step S13), if the rear end portion 17B is pushed in step S14, the computer 95 maintains the pushing state and then drives the rotation drive unit 65 in the reverse direction. As a result, the tilting mechanism 60 rotates the support plate 64 on which the ink pack 17 is placed. Figure 13 The first tilted posture shown is toward the second direction ( Figure 13 counterclockwise) to configure Figure 14 The ink pack 17 on the mounting plate 66 is arranged in the second tilted position so that the rear end portion 17B is located above the front end portion on the supply portion 25 side. In this way, before the pre-injection, the rear end portion 17B of the ink pack 17 is maintained in the pressed state, and the ink pack 17 is tilted from the first tilted position to the second tilted position. At this time, the rear end portion 17B of the ink pack 17 in the second tilted position is maintained in the pressed state by the first pressing portion 75. If the ink pack 17 takes Figure 14In the second tilted position shown, the bubbles AB in the ink tend to move toward the rear end portion 17B due to buoyancy. However, the rear end portion 17B is squeezed and flattened by the first pressing portion 75. Therefore, even when the ink pack 17 adopts the second tilted position, most of the bubbles in the ink within the ink pack 17 accumulate in the area immediately in front of the rear end portion 17B. In other words, the bubbles in the ink within the ink pack 17 tend to accumulate near the center of the ink pack 17 in the longitudinal direction. The area near the center where the bubbles accumulate within the ink pack 17 is located opposite the second pressing portion 76, which is now in the retracted position.

[0143] Then, the computer 95 opens the nozzle on-off valve 152, opens the injection selector valve 146, closes the discharge selector valve 153, opens the fifth on-off valve 125, and closes both the seventh on-off valve 127 and the eighth on-off valve 128. The computer 95 then drives the second pump 112 to perform preliminary injection. As a result, Figure 15 As shown, a second amount of ink, which is greater than the first amount, is injected from the supply port 25A into the ink pack 17 in the second tilted position. The second amount may also be less than the third amount in the "main injection" step (e) described above, which is the amount of ink injected into the ink pack 17 for full filling, as discussed later. The processing in step S15 corresponds to an example of the processing in step (c) above.

[0144] In this embodiment, pre-wash injection ((a) above) is performed with the supply portion 25 of the ink pack 17 positioned at a first tilt, with the supply portion 25 higher than the rear end portion 17B, the end opposite the supply portion. Separately, pre-injection ((c) above) is performed with the supply portion 25 positioned at a second tilt, with the supply portion 25 lower than the rear end portion 17B. By performing pre-wash injection and pre-injection by varying the tilt between the first and second tilts, the ink pack 17 is shaken, thereby guiding bubbles and other foreign matter contained in the ink within the ink pack 17 to a location where they can be easily removed.

[0145] In the next step S16, the computer 95 performs the bubble collecting operation. The computer 95 drives the second cylinder 74 to cause the second pressing portion 76 to press the central portion 17C of the ink pack 17. Figure 16 As shown, the second pushing portion 76 is reciprocated at least once between the pushing position indicated by the solid line in the same figure and the retreat position indicated by the two-dot chain line in the same figure. The computer 95 performs a bubble collection action by causing the second pushing portion 76 to push the central portion 17C at least once. In this bubble collection action, the second pushing portion 76 may be pushed against the central portion 17C multiple times. In other words, the computer 95 may cause the second pushing portion 76 to push against the central portion 17C of the ink pack 17 multiple times. In addition, as Figure 15As shown, the bubble collecting operation may be performed while the first pressing portion 75 is maintaining the pressing state of the rear end portion 17B of the ink pack 17 .

[0146] The period for performing the bubble gathering action may be at least one of the pre-injection (above (c)), the period between pre-injection and pre-discharge (above (c) and above (d)), and the pre-discharge (above (d)). For example, (i) the central portion 17C may be pushed at least once during the pre-injection period. (ii) the central portion 17C may be pushed at least once during the period between pre-injection and pre-discharge. (iii) the central portion 17C may be pushed at least once during the pre-discharge period. Moreover, the second pushing portion 76 may be pushed against the central portion 17C at least once in at least one combination of (i) and (ii), (i) and (iii), (ii) and (iii), and all of (i) to (iii). In addition, the one push on the central portion 17C may be performed during at least two of the above three periods.

[0147] An example of a pressed portion, which is the portion of the ink pack 17 located between the rear end portion 17B and the supply portion 25, does not necessarily need to be the central portion 17C. Depending on the longitudinal dimensions of the ink pack 17, the placement of the spacer 44 in the longitudinal direction of the ink pack 17, and other factors, an example of a pressed portion may be a location other than the central portion 17C. For example, an example of a pressed portion may be a portion located between the central portion 17C and the supply portion 25 in the longitudinal direction of the ink pack 17. Furthermore, an example of a pressed portion may be a portion located between the central portion 17C and the rear end portion 17B in the longitudinal direction of the ink pack 17.

[0148] The second pressing portion 76 may be pressed into the center portion 17C of the ink pack 17 at a position where the ink pack 17 is completely squeezed and flattened. However, the second pressing portion 76 may be pressed into the center portion 17C of the ink pack 17 at a position where the ink pack 17 is completely squeezed and flattened. Alternatively, the second pressing portion 76 may be pressed into the center portion 17C of the ink pack 17 at a position where the ink pack 17 is completely squeezed and flattened. Figure 16 Pressed-in position shown.

[0149] Here, the bubble collecting operation refers to an operation of shaking the ink pack 17 by reciprocating the second pressing portion 76, thereby collecting the bubbles in the ink and the separated bubbles in the substantially closed space surrounding the partition 44. The substantially closed space surrounding the partition 44 is the space surrounding the partition 44 by the recessed portion 76A when the second pressing portion 76 having an inverted U-shaped cross section presses the ink pack 17. The bubbles AB (see FIG. 1 ) adhering to the inner surface of the ink pack 17 and the wall surface of the partition 44 are collected by the second pressing portion 76. Figure 16 ) is separated from the surface to which it is attached, and the bubbles AB in the ink are moved upward by buoyancy, thereby gathering near the upper part of the partition 44.

[0150] like Figure 16 As shown, the direction of the ink pack 17 during regeneration is reversed from that during use. Figure 6 The flow path member 40 shown has two outlets 46 and 47 at different positions in the thickness direction of the ink pack 17. The partition 44 has a first outlet 46 having a first opening size and a second outlet 47 having a second opening size larger than the first opening size.

[0151] The ink pack 17 is mounted on the printing device 11 in an orientation such that the first outlet 46 having a smaller first opening size is located at the top and the second outlet 47 having a larger second opening size is located at the bottom during use.

[0152] On the other hand, during regeneration, the ink pack 17 is placed (set) on the placement plate 66 of the manufacturing apparatus 50 in the opposite direction to that during use. Figure 16 As shown, the ink pack 17 is placed on the placement plate 66 in a direction such that the second outflow port 47 having a second opening size larger than the first opening size is located above the first outflow port 46 having the first opening size.

[0153] In the next step S17, the computer 95 performs a preliminary discharge. The computer 95 opens the nozzle on-off valve 152, closes the injection selection valve 146, opens the discharge selection valve 153, closes the ninth on-off valve 154, and opens the tenth on-off valve 155. Then, the computer 95 drives the third pump 113. As a result, Figure 15 As shown, the ink is discharged from the ink pack 17 in the second inclined posture through the supply port 25A. The process of step S17 corresponds to an example of the process of (d) above.

[0154] In this example, at least in the pre-discharge process, Figure 16 Therefore, the bubbles AB are collected near the upper portion of the partition 44 by the bubble collection action of the ink pack 17 by the second pressing portion 76 , and the collected bubbles AB are discharged from the two outflow ports 46 , 47 .

[0155] Among them, Figure 5 As shown, the ink pack 17 has a built-in flow path member 40 that communicates with the supply unit 25. The flow path member 40 has a lead-out flow path 41 that communicates with the supply unit 25 and outflow ports 46 and 47 (see FIG. 1 ) that allow the ink in the ink pack 17 to flow out of the lead-out flow path 41. Figure 6 ). In this pre-discharge, Figure 16As shown, the central portion 17C of the ink pack 17 as an example of a pressed portion is pressed while avoiding the flow path member 40 .

[0156] Furthermore, because the second outflow port 47, which has the larger opening size of the two outflow ports 46 and 47, is located above the first outflow port 46, the bubbles AB guided toward the upper portion of the partition 44 by the bubble collection operation quickly flow out from the second outflow port 47, which has the larger opening size. Therefore, according to the manufacturing method of this embodiment, compared with a method in which the ink pack 17 is placed in an orientation such that the first outflow port 46 is located above the second outflow port 47, more bubbles AB collected near the upper portion of the partition 44 can be caused to flow out from the second outflow port 47, which has the larger opening size.

[0157] Furthermore, by continuing the bubble-collecting action of the second pressing portion 76 against the ink pack 17 even during preliminary discharge, the pressing force of the second pressing portion 76, which is responsible for the bubble-collecting action, can be utilized as a pressing force (discharge pressure) to cause the ink to flow toward the outflow ports 46 and 47. During preliminary discharge, the driving of the third pump 113 causes a suction force to act, sucking ink into the two outflow ports 46 and 47 via the supply portion 25 connected to the nozzle 68. This suction force easily acts on bubbles AB near the outflow ports 46 and 47, but has a difficult effect on bubbles AB far from the outflow ports 46 and 47. In addition to this suction force, the extrusion force generated by the second pressing portion 76 can also guide bubbles AB far from the outflow ports 46 and 47 toward the outflow ports 46 and 47. Consequently, bubbles AB collected near the spacer 44 can be efficiently discharged from the outflow ports 46 and 47.

[0158] like Figure 9 As shown, during the pre-discharge, the ink discharged from the ink pack 17 is recovered from the nozzle 68 via the third pump 113 and the recovery flow path 139 and then returned to the sub-tank 104. The amount of ink discharged during the pre-discharge corresponds to a second amount, which is greater than the first amount during the pre-cleaning discharge. Furthermore, the pre-discharged ink is the result of diluting the remaining ink in the ink pack 17 after the pre-cleaning process with the larger amount (the second amount) of ink. Therefore, the pre-discharged ink contains significantly less contamination. Therefore, in this embodiment, the ink discharged from the ink pack 17 during the pre-discharge is reused as ink for injection. Thus, the ink discharged from the ink pack 17 during the pre-discharge is recovered in the sub-tank 104.

[0159] The ink recovered in the sub-tank 104 during the pre-ejection is further diluted by the ink within the sub-tank. This diluted ink is filtered by the first filter 141 and the second filter 145 while being transported from the sub-tank 104 to the nozzle 68. Even if extremely minute foreign matter is mixed into the ink within the sub-tank 104 due to the reuse of the ink recovered during the pre-ejection, such foreign matter is removed by the filters 141 and 145. Furthermore, the ink transported from the sub-tank 104 to the nozzle 68 is degassed by the degassing module 105 during the process. Even if extremely minute bubbles AB or bubble nuclei are mixed into the ink due to the reuse of the ink recovered during the pre-ejection, such bubbles AB are removed by the first filter 141. Furthermore, even bubbles AB and bubble nuclei that are not completely removed are removed by the degassing module 105.

[0160] In the next step S18, the computer 95 determines whether the weight of the ink pack 17 is the empty weight. The computer 95 drives the rotation drive unit 65 in the forward direction, and the tilting mechanism 60 moves the support plate 64 from Figure 15 The second tilted posture shown in FIG is rotated clockwise, thereby arranging the ink pack 17 to Figure 17 Next, the computer 95 drives the actuator 69 of the supply and discharge mechanism 67 to slide the nozzle 68 from the connected position to the retracted position. As a result, the nozzle 68 is separated from the supply unit 25. This puts the ink pack 17 in a state where it can be weighed.

[0161] Next, the computer 95 drives the balance mechanism 80 to weigh the ink pack 17. Specifically, the computer 95 extends and drives the lifting cylinder 84. The electronic balance 81 and the support portion 83 rise, and the rising support portion 83 lifts the placement plate 66. The electronic balance 81 measures the total weight of the ink pack 17 and the placement plate 66. The computer 95 calculates the weight of the ink pack 17 by subtracting the known weight of the placement plate 66 from the total weight measured by the electronic balance 81. Furthermore, the computer 95 subtracts the known weight of only the ink pack 17 from the calculated weight of the ink pack 17 to calculate the weight of the remaining ink in the ink pack 17. In this way, the manufacturing method of this embodiment includes the process (f) of measuring the amount of remaining ink in the ink pack 17 after the above-mentioned (d) "preliminary discharge" and before the above-mentioned (e) "main injection".

[0162] The computer 95 then determines whether the weight of the ink pack 17 is the empty weight. Here, the empty weight refers to the weight of the ink pack 17 in its empty state, with a small amount of ink remaining in the pack. In other words, the empty weight is the total weight of the ink pack 17 itself and the weight of the remaining ink. The empty weight is the weight of the ink pack 17 considered empty, and its value has a range. If the measured weight is within the range considered empty, the computer 95 determines it is the empty weight. If it is outside the range considered empty, the computer 95 determines it is not the empty weight. If the weight of the ink pack 17 is the empty weight, the computer 95 proceeds to step S19. On the other hand, if the weight of the ink pack 17 is not the empty weight, preliminary discharge and weighing are performed again until the empty weight is reached. Once the weight of the ink pack 17 reaches the empty weight, the computer 95 proceeds to step S19.

[0163] In the following steps S19 and S20, the computer 95 performs a final injection. This final injection injects a third amount of ink from the supply port 25A into the ink pack 17. This final injection fills the ink pack 17 with ink. In this embodiment, the computer 95 determines the third amount to be injected in the "final injection" step (e) based on the measurement results of the weighing step (f). For example, the amount of ink that fills the ink pack 17 is defined as the full filling amount F, and the amount of remaining ink measured in step S18 is defined as the remaining ink amount R. The computer 95 determines the third amount Q3 by subtracting the remaining ink amount R from the full filling amount F (Q3 = FR).

[0164] The main injection process may also be performed by injecting ink into the ink pack 17 at a constant flow rate, but the flow rate of the main injection process may be switched midway as described below. Specifically, the above-described "main injection" (e) of injecting the third amount Q3 of ink into the ink pack 17 may be performed in two stages by switching between the following two processes (e1) and (e2).

[0165] (e1) Ink is injected into the ink pack at a first flow rate.

[0166] (e2) Ink is injected into the ink pack at a second flow rate that is lower than the first flow rate.

[0167] exist Figure 11 In the example of FIG, in step S19, as the process of (e1), the first formal injection of ink at the first flow rate is performed. In the next step S20, as the process of (e2), the second formal injection of ink at a second flow rate lower than the first flow rate is performed.

[0168] Specifically, in step S19, the computer 95 performs the first formal injection. First, the computer 95 drives the actuator 69 of the supply and discharge mechanism 67 to slide the nozzle 68 from the retracted position to the connected position. As a result, the nozzle 68 is connected to the supply unit 25. Next, the computer 95 drives the rotation drive unit 65 of the tilting mechanism 60 in the forward direction. As a result, the tilting mechanism 60 moves the support plate 64 on which the ink pack 17 is placed from the retracted position to the connected position. Figure 17 The horizontal posture shown is rotated clockwise in the same figure to form Figure 18 As a result, the ink pack 17 is arranged in the first tilted position shown. Figure 18 The first tilted posture is shown. Furthermore, the computer 95 opens the nozzle on / off valve 152, opens the injection selector valve 146, closes the discharge selector valve 153, opens both the fifth on / off valve 125 and the sixth on / off valve 126, and closes both the seventh on / off valve 127 and the eighth on / off valve 128. Furthermore, the computer 95 drives the second pump 112 at a constant drive speed. The computer 95 measures the amount of ink injected into the ink pack 17 by timing the drive time of the second pump 112. When the drive time of the second pump 112 reaches a predetermined first time, and the amount of ink injected into the ink pack 17 reaches a first final injection amount, the computer 95 stops driving the second pump 112.

[0169] In the next step S20, the computer 95 performs the second main injection. The computer 95 injects ink into the ink pack 17 at a second flow rate, which is lower than the first flow rate. First, while the nozzle on / off valve 152 is open, the injection selector valve 146 is open, and the discharge selector valve 153 is closed, the computer 95 switches the fifth and sixth on / off valves 125 and 126 from open to closed, and switches the seventh and eighth on / off valves 127 and 128 from closed to open. The computer 95 then drives the plunger pump 114. This switches the pump used for the main injection from the second pump 112 to the plunger pump 114. At this time, the computer 95 drives the plunger pump 114 at a constant drive speed. The second flow rate, which is the flow rate at which the plunger pump 114 can inject ink, is lower than the first flow rate. Therefore, the driving of the plunger pump 114 causes ink to be injected into the ink pack 17 at the second flow rate, which is lower than the first flow rate. That is, during the actual injection of the third amount Q3 of ink into the ink pack 17, the flow rate of the injected ink switches from the first flow rate to the second flow rate. The computer 95 measures the amount of ink injected into the ink pack 17 by driving the plunger pump 114 at a constant drive speed and timing the driving time. When the driving time of the plunger pump 114 reaches a predetermined second time, the computer 95 determines that the amount of ink injected into the ink pack 17 has reached the second actual injection amount. Then, the computer 95 stops driving the plunger pump 114.

[0170] Thus, during the main injection, ink is first injected into the ink pack 17 at a high speed at a first flow rate to a first injection volume. When the amount of ink injected at a high speed reaches the first main injection volume, which is less than the third amount Q3, the flow rate of the injected ink is switched from the first flow rate to a second flow rate, which is even lower than the first flow rate. As a result, the remaining second main injection volume of ink is injected into the ink pack 17 at a low speed until the ink reaches the third amount Q3. Furthermore, when the total main injection volume of ink injected during the low-speed injection process reaches the third amount Q3, the plunger pump 114 is stopped, thereby terminating the main injection.

[0171] Here, if the main injection is stopped by stopping the second pump 112 during high-speed injection, it is difficult to accurately control the amount of ink to be injected during the main injection to the third amount Q3. In contrast, in this embodiment, the main injection is stopped by stopping the plunger pump 114 during low-speed injection. Therefore, the amount of ink to be injected during the main injection can be accurately controlled to the third amount Q3.

[0172] <Effects of implementation>

[0173] As described above in detail, according to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0174] (1) Method for Manufacturing a Recycled Ink Pack: A used ink pack 17 is recycled by refilling ink from the supply port 25A into the used ink pack 17. The used ink pack 17 has a supply portion 25 at its end. The supply portion 25 has the supply port 25A capable of supplying ink to the printing device 11. The method for manufacturing a recycle ink pack includes the following (a) to (e).

[0175] (a) A first amount of ink is injected into the used ink pack 17 .

[0176] (b) The ink is discharged from the ink pack 17 through the supply port 25A.

[0177] (c) A second amount of ink, which is larger than the first amount, is injected into the ink pack 17 from the supply port 25A.

[0178] (d) The ink is discharged from the ink pack 17 through the supply port 25A.

[0179] (e) The ink pack 17 is filled with ink by injecting the third amount Q3 of ink from the supply port 25A into the ink pack 17 .

[0180] According to this manufacturing method, a used ink pack 17 can be cleaned by injecting a first amount of ink. After draining the cleaned ink and before refilling, a second amount of ink, which is larger than the first amount, can be injected to dilute the old ink remaining in the cleaned ink pack 17 with the new ink. Furthermore, after draining the diluted ink from the ink pack 17, the used ink pack 17 can be refilled with new ink by injecting a third amount Q3 of ink from the supply port 25A. Thus, a regenerated ink pack containing high-quality ink can be easily manufactured from a used ink pack 17.

[0181] (2) A method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack is provided in which the ink pack 17 is positioned in one of the above (a) and (c) with the supply portion 25 being higher than the rear end portion 17B, which is the end opposite to the supply portion 25, and the other of the above (a) and (c) with the supply portion 25 being lower than the rear end portion 17B. According to this manufacturing method, the tilt of the ink pack 17 is changed between the first tilt and the second tilt when a first amount of ink is injected into the ink pack 17 and when a second amount of ink is injected into the ink pack 17. Foreign matter such as bubbles in the ink within the ink pack 17 can be guided to a position where they can be easily discharged. Foreign matter such as bubbles can be easily discharged when the injected ink is discharged from the ink pack 17.

[0182] (3) The method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack is performed in the first tilted position (a). According to this manufacturing method, by adopting the first tilted position when injecting the first amount of ink into the ink pack 17, bubbles and other foreign matter are suppressed from moving toward the rear end portion 17B within the ink pack 17, and bubbles and other foreign matter are easily guided to positions other than the rear end portion 17B. Subsequently, bubbles and other foreign matter are easily discharged when the ink is discharged from the ink pack 17.

[0183] (4) The method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack is performed in the second inclined posture (c). According to this manufacturing method, by adopting the second inclined posture when injecting the second amount of ink into the ink pack 17, foreign matter such as bubbles is prevented from accumulating at the front end portion of the ink pack 17 on the supply portion 25 side, and bubbles and other foreign matter are easily guided to positions other than the front end portion. Subsequently, bubbles and other foreign matter are easily discharged when the ink is discharged from the ink pack 17.

[0184] (5) Method for Manufacturing a Recycled Ink Pack Prior to step (c) above, the rear end portion 17B of the ink pack 17 is pressed, and while maintaining the pressed state, the ink pack 17 is tilted from the first tilted position to the second tilted position. According to this manufacturing method, before injecting the second amount of ink into the ink pack 17, the rear end portion 17B is pressed, while maintaining the pressed state, and the ink pack 17 is tilted from the first tilted position to the second tilted position. Foreign matter such as air bubbles, which has a smaller specific gravity than the ink, can be contained within the ink pack 17 at a position closer to the supply portion 25 than the rear end portion 17B in the pressed state.

[0185] (6) In the method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, during at least one of step (c), between step (c) and step (d), or step (d), the rear end portion 17B of the ink pack 17 is maintained in a pressed state, and the portion of the ink pack 17 located between the rear end portion 17B and the supply portion 25, i.e., the central portion 17C as an example of a pressed portion, is pressed. This method allows foreign matter such as bubbles in the ink pack 17 to be guided to a position where it can be easily discharged.

[0186] (7) Method for manufacturing recycled ink pack

[0187] The number of times of pressing the central portion 17C, which is an example of the pressed portion of the ink pack 17, is multiple times. According to this manufacturing method, foreign matter such as bubbles in the ink pack 17 can be effectively guided to a position where it can be easily discharged.

[0188] (8) In the method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, in step (b), the ink discharged from the ink pack 17 is discarded. In step (d), the ink discharged from the ink pack 17 is reused as ink for injection. According to this manufacturing method, the contaminated ink discharged from the first injection can be discarded, and the ink discharged from the second injection, which has less contamination than the first injection, can be reused as ink for re-injection. Thus, it is possible to manufacture a regenerated ink pack 17 that has less ink waste generated during the manufacturing process and is filled with high-quality ink with fewer foreign matter such as bubbles and dirt.

[0189] (9) In the method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, the step (e) includes (e1) injecting ink into the ink pack 17 at a first flow rate, and (e2) injecting ink into the ink pack 17 at a second flow rate lower than the first flow rate. This manufacturing method allows the ink pack 17 to be filled with an accurate amount of ink at high speed.

[0190] (10) In the method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, the second amount in (c) is smaller than the third amount Q3 in (e). This method can shorten the time required for ink injection and discharge, which is required for cleaning the ink pack 17 and removing bubbles before ink filling.

[0191] (11) The method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack further includes (f) measuring the amount of ink remaining in the ink pack 17 after (d) and before (e), and determining the third amount Q3 to be injected in (e) based on the measurement result in (f). This manufacturing method can suppress variations in the ink filling amount of each ink pack 17.

[0192] (12) In the manufacturing method of a regenerated ink pack, the ink pack 17 is built with a flow path member 40 that is connected to the supply unit 25. The flow path member 40 has an outlet flow path 41 that is connected to the supply unit 25 and outlets 46 and 47 that allow the ink in the ink pack 17 to flow out of the outlet flow path 41. In the above-mentioned (d), the central portion 17C of the ink pack 17, which is an example of a pressed portion, is pushed while avoiding the flow path member 40. According to this manufacturing method, the central portion 17C of the ink pack 17 is pushed while avoiding the flow path member 40. Therefore, the central portion 17C of the ink pack 17 can be changed in position and shaken by the pushing without being obstructed by the flow path member 40. This shaking action can guide foreign matter such as bubbles to the outlet of the flow path member 40. Therefore, foreign matter such as bubbles in the ink pack 17 can be effectively discharged.

[0193] (13) In the method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, the flow path member 40 includes two flow outlets 46 and 47 at different positions in the thickness direction of the ink pack 17. The ink pack 17 is placed in an orientation such that the second flow outlet 47, which has a second opening size larger than the first opening size, is located above the first flow outlet 46, which has the first opening size. According to this manufacturing method, since the ink pack 17 is placed in an orientation such that the larger of the first and second flow outlets 46, 47 included in the flow path member 40 of the ink pack 17 is positioned upward, foreign matter such as bubbles having a smaller specific gravity than the ink can be effectively discharged during ink discharge.

[0194] (14) The manufacturing device 50 for regenerating an ink pack regenerates the ink pack 17 by refilling the ink from the supply port 25A into the used ink pack 17. The used ink pack 17 has a supply portion 25 at its end. The supply portion 25 has the supply port 25A capable of supplying ink to the printing device 11. The manufacturing device 50 includes an injection unit 101 as an example of an injection portion, a discharge unit 102 as an example of a discharge portion, and a tilting mechanism 60. The injection unit 101 is configured to inject three or more different amounts of ink into a used ink pack 17. The discharge unit 102 discharges the ink injected by the injection unit 101 from the ink pack 17. The tilting mechanism 60 is configured to adjust the posture of the ink pack 17 to multiple postures, including a first tilted posture in which the supply portion 25 of the ink pack 17 is located above the rear end portion 17B, which is the end on the side opposite to the supply portion 25, and a second tilted posture in which the supply portion 25 is located below the rear end portion 17B. This configuration allows for the injection and discharge of a first amount of ink for cleaning, the injection and discharge of a second amount of ink, different from the first amount, after cleaning and before filling, and the injection of a third amount of ink, Q3, for filling. Furthermore, the ink pack 17 can be adjusted to the first tilted position during at least one of multiple ink injections and multiple ink discharges, and the second tilted position during at least another of these multiple ink injections and discharges. This makes it easy to manufacture a regenerated ink pack containing higher-quality ink from a used ink pack 17.

[0195] <Change Example>

[0196] The above embodiment can also be modified into the following modified examples. Furthermore, examples formed by appropriately combining the above embodiment and the following modified examples can be further modified examples, and examples formed by appropriately combining the following modified examples can be further modified examples.

[0197] The ink pack 17 without the built-in flow path member 40 can also be used in this manufacturing method.

[0198] In the above (a), when injecting the first amount of ink, the ink pack 17 may be placed in the second inclined posture.

[0199] In the above (c), when injecting the second amount of ink, the ink pack 17 may be placed in the first inclined posture.

[0200] In the above (a) and (c), the tilted posture of the ink pack 17 may be the same. In this case, the tilted posture of the ink pack 17 may be the first tilted posture or the second tilted posture.

[0201] The manufacturing apparatus 50 may be configured without the pressing mechanism 70. In other words, a manufacturing method may be employed in which the ink pack is not pressed. Furthermore, the manufacturing apparatus 50 may be configured with only one of the first pressing portion 75 and the second pressing portion 76. For example, the manufacturing apparatus 50 may be configured with only the first pressing portion 75, and the first pressing portion 75 may be configured to press the rear end portion 17B of the ink pack 17. Alternatively, the manufacturing apparatus 50 may be configured with only the second pressing portion 76, and the second pressing portion 76 may be configured to press the central portion 17C of the ink pack 17 at least once.

[0202] The method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack may be realized by using a manufacturing apparatus 50 that does not include the tilting mechanism 60. That is, a manufacturing method may be used in which the ink pack 17 is not placed in an inclined posture.

[0203] A configuration without the electronic balance 81 is also possible. Specifically, the third amount Q3 can be considered to be the amount of ink remaining when the ink pack is empty or when it is empty, and can be set to a predetermined amount. In the above embodiment, since the ink pack 17 includes the spacer member 42 constituting the flow path member 40, even if the ink is drained from the ink pack 17 until it is empty, a small amount of residual ink is inevitably left. Since the amount of this residual ink can be roughly estimated, the amount obtained by subtracting the amount of residual ink from the filling amount (content) can be set as the third amount Q3.

[0204] The tilted position when the rear end portion 17B of the ink pack 17 is pushed after the pre-cleaning and discharge in step (b) above is completed and before the pre-filling in step (c) above is started may be the second tilted position, not the first tilted position. In other words, as long as the rear end portion 17B of the ink pack 17 can be pushed until the pre-filling in step (c) above is started, the rear end portion of the ink pack 17 may be pushed at any time after the pre-cleaning and discharge in step (b) above.

[0205] The manufacturing apparatus 50 may also be configured to include one tank corresponding to the sub-tank 104 .

[0206] The injection pump may be only one of the second pump 112 and the plunger pump 114 .

[0207] The ink discharged from the ink pack 17 by the preliminary discharge may be discarded.

[0208] Multiple pre-cleaning (injection / discharge) is also possible.

[0209] The ink pack 17 may be a component housed in a housing for use. In this case, it may be an ink cartridge. Specifically, the ink cartridge may be regenerated by removing the used ink pack 17 from its housing and housing a regenerated ink pack 17 in the housing. In this case, the housing of the ink cartridge may be either a regenerated or new one.

[0210] The control unit 92 may be configured by cooperation between software including a computer 95 such as a CPU that executes a program and hardware including an electronic circuit such as an ASIC.

[0211] The printing device 11 is not limited to a printer or a multifunction device that prints on a medium M such as paper, but may also be an inkjet printing device.

[0212] The medium M is not limited to paper, and may be a synthetic resin film, cloth, nonwoven fabric, laminated material, or the like.

[0213] The printing device 11 that uses the ink pack 17 may also be an industrial printing device in which the medium M is a substrate or the like. The printing device 11 may also be a printing device that ejects liquids other than the ink used when printing on paper. It may also be a liquid ejecting device that ejects liquids or liquid bodies that disperse or dissolve functional materials such as electrode materials, color materials (pixel materials) used in the manufacture of liquid crystal displays, EL (electroluminescent) displays, and surface-emitting displays. In addition, the printing device 11 may also be a 3D printer that ejects ink composed of a photocurable resin liquid in an inkjet manner to form a three-dimensional object. In this way, the printing device 11 is not limited to a device that prints on a medium M such as paper, but may also be a printing device that prints wiring and circuits on a medium M such as a substrate using ink containing these materials.

[0214] Hereinafter, technical ideas that can be grasped from the above-described embodiment and modified examples will be described together with the effects.

[0215] (A) A method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, which regenerates a used ink pack by reinjecting ink into the ink pack from a supply port, wherein the used ink pack has a supply portion at an end portion, the supply portion having the supply port capable of supplying ink to a printing device, the method for manufacturing the regenerated ink pack comprising: (a) injecting a first amount of ink into the used ink pack; (b) discharging the ink from the ink pack through the supply port; (c) injecting a second amount of ink, which is larger than the first amount, into the ink pack from the supply port; (d) discharging the ink from the ink pack through the supply port; and (e) filling the ink pack with ink by injecting a third amount of ink into the ink pack from the supply port.

[0216] According to this manufacturing method, a used ink pack can be cleaned by injecting a first amount of ink. After draining the cleaned ink and before refilling, a second amount of ink, larger than the first amount, can be injected to dilute the old ink remaining in the cleaned ink pack with the new ink. Furthermore, after draining the diluted ink from the ink pack, a third amount of ink can be injected from the supply port to refill the used ink pack with new ink. This makes it easy to manufacture a recycled ink pack containing high-quality ink from a used ink pack.

[0217] (B) In the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, the ink pack may perform one of (a) and (c) with the supply portion being higher than the rear end portion which is the end portion opposite to the supply portion in a first inclined posture, and perform the other of (a) and (c) with the supply portion being lower than the rear end portion in a second inclined posture.

[0218] According to this manufacturing method, by changing the tilt of the ink pack between a first tilt and a second tilt when a first amount of ink is injected into the ink pack and when a second amount of ink is injected into the ink pack, foreign matter such as bubbles in the ink within the ink pack can be guided to a position where they can be easily discharged. This facilitates the discharge of foreign matter such as bubbles when the injected ink is discharged from the ink pack.

[0219] (C) In the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, the step (a) may be performed in the first inclined posture.

[0220] According to this manufacturing method, by adopting the first tilted posture when injecting the first amount of ink into the ink pack, bubbles and other foreign matter are suppressed from moving toward the rear end portion within the ink pack, and bubbles and other foreign matter are easily guided to locations other than the rear end portion. Subsequently, bubbles and other foreign matter are easily discharged when the ink is discharged from the ink pack.

[0221] (D) In the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, the step (c) may be performed in the second inclined posture.

[0222] According to this manufacturing method, by adopting the second tilted posture when injecting the second amount of ink into the ink pack, foreign matter such as bubbles is prevented from accumulating at the front end portion on the supply side within the ink pack, and bubbles and other foreign matter are easily guided to locations other than the front end portion. Subsequently, bubbles and other foreign matter are easily discharged when the ink is discharged from the ink pack.

[0223] (E) In the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, before the step (c), the rear end portion of the ink pack may be pressed, and the ink pack may be tilted from the first inclined posture to the second inclined posture while maintaining the pressed state.

[0224] According to this manufacturing method, before injecting the second amount of ink into the ink pack, the rear end portion is pressed, and while maintaining the pressed state, the ink pack is tilted from the first inclined position to the second inclined position. This allows foreign matter such as air bubbles, which have a lower specific gravity than the ink, to be contained within the ink pack at a position closer to the supply portion than the rear end portion in the pressed state.

[0225] (F) In the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, it is also possible that, during at least one of the periods (c), between (c) and (d), or in (d), the pushing state of the rear end portion of the ink pack is maintained, and the pushed portion, which is the portion of the ink pack located between the rear end portion and the supply portion, is pushed.

[0226] According to this manufacturing method, foreign matter such as bubbles in the ink pack can be guided to a position where it can be easily discharged.

[0227] (G) In the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, the number of times of pressing the pressed portion of the ink pack may be a plurality of times.

[0228] According to this manufacturing method, foreign matter such as bubbles in the ink pack can be effectively guided to a position where it can be easily discharged.

[0229] (H) In the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, in (b), the ink discharged from the ink pack may be discarded, and in (d), the ink discharged from the ink pack may be reused as ink for injection.

[0230] According to this manufacturing method, contaminated ink discharged from the first injection can be discarded, and the ink discharged from the second injection, which has less contamination than the first injection, can be reused as ink for re-injection. Thus, it is possible to manufacture a recycled ink pack that reduces ink waste during the manufacturing process and is filled with high-quality ink with less foreign matter such as bubbles and dirt.

[0231] (I) In the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, the (e) may include: (e1) injecting ink into the ink pack at a first flow rate; and (e2) injecting ink into the ink pack at a second flow rate lower than the first flow rate.

[0232] According to this manufacturing method, the ink pack can be filled with an accurate amount of ink at high speed.

[0233] (J) In the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, the second amount in (c) may be smaller than the third amount in (e).

[0234] According to this manufacturing method, it is sufficient to shorten the time required for ink injection and discharge for cleaning of the ink pack and removal of air bubbles, which should be performed before ink filling.

[0235] (K) In the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, the method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack may also include: (f) measuring the amount of remaining ink in the ink pack after (d) and before (e), and determining the third amount to be injected into (e) based on the measurement result in (f).

[0236] According to this manufacturing method, it is possible to suppress variations in the ink filling amount of each ink pack.

[0237] (L) In the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, the ink pack may have a built-in flow path component connected to the supply portion, the flow path component having an outlet flow path connected to the supply portion and an outlet for allowing the ink in the ink pack to flow out to the outlet flow path, and in (d), the pushed portion of the ink pack may be pushed in a manner that avoids the flow path component.

[0238] According to this manufacturing method, the pressed portion of the ink pack is pressed in a manner that avoids the flow path member. Therefore, the pressed portion of the ink pack can be moved and shaken by the pressure without being obstructed by the flow path member. This shaking action guides foreign matter such as bubbles toward the flow outlet of the flow path member. Thus, bubbles and other foreign matter within the ink pack can be effectively expelled.

[0239] (M) A device for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, which regenerates a used ink pack by reinjecting ink into the ink pack from a supply port, wherein the used ink pack has a supply portion at an end portion, and the supply portion has the supply port capable of supplying ink to a printing device, and the device for manufacturing the regenerated ink pack comprises: an injection portion capable of injecting ink in three or more different amounts into a used ink pack; a discharge portion capable of discharging the ink injected by the injection portion from the ink pack; and a tilting mechanism capable of adjusting the posture of the ink pack into a plurality of postures, the plurality of postures including a first tilted posture in which the supply portion of the ink pack is located above a rear end portion which is an end portion opposite to the supply portion, and a second tilted posture in which the supply portion is located below the rear end portion.

[0240] This structure allows for the injection and discharge of a first amount of ink for cleaning, the injection and discharge of a second amount of ink, different from the first amount, after cleaning and before filling, and the injection of a third amount of ink for filling. Furthermore, the ink pack can be adjusted to a first tilted position during at least one of multiple ink injections and multiple ink discharges, and a second tilted position during at least another of these multiple ink injections and discharges. This makes it easy to manufacture recycled ink packs containing higher-quality ink from used ink packs.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, wherein the method comprises regenerating a used ink pack by refilling ink from a supply port into the used ink pack, wherein the used ink pack has a supply portion at an end thereof, the supply portion having the supply port capable of supplying ink to a printing device, The method for manufacturing the regenerated ink pack is characterized by comprising: (a) injecting a first amount of ink into the used ink bag; (b) discharging the ink from the ink pack through the supply port; (c) injecting a second amount of ink, which is larger than the first amount, into the ink pack from the supply port; (d) discharging the ink from the ink pack through the supply port; as well as (e) filling the ink pack with ink by injecting a third amount of ink into the ink pack from the supply port, During (c), between (c) and (d), and during at least one of (d), the pushing state of the rear end portion of the ink pack, which is the end portion opposite to the supply portion, is maintained, and the pushed portion, which is the portion of the ink pack located between the rear end portion and the supply portion, is pushed.

2. The method for manufacturing a recycled ink pack according to claim 1, wherein: The ink pack performs one of (a) and (c) in a first inclined posture where the supply portion is higher than the rear end portion, and performs the other of (a) and (c) in a second inclined posture where the supply portion is lower than the rear end portion.

3. The method for manufacturing a recycled ink pack according to claim 2, wherein: The step (a) is performed in the first tilted posture.

4. The method for manufacturing a recycled ink pack according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The step (c) is performed in the second inclined posture.

5. The method for manufacturing a recycled ink pack according to claim 4, wherein: Prior to step (c), the rear end portion of the ink pack is pressed, and while the pressed state is maintained, the ink pack is tilted from the first inclined posture to the second inclined posture.

6. The method for manufacturing a recycled ink pack according to claim 1, wherein: The number of times of pressing the pressed portion of the ink pack is multiple.

7. The method for producing a recycled ink pack according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: In the above (b), the ink discharged from the ink pack is discarded, In the above-mentioned (d), the ink discharged from the ink pack is reused as ink for injection.

8. The method for producing a regenerated ink pack according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The (e) includes: (e1) injecting ink into the ink pack at a first flow rate; and (e2) Ink is injected into the ink pack at a second flow rate lower than the first flow rate.

9. The method for producing a regenerated ink pack according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The second amount in (c) is smaller than the third amount in (e).

10. The method for producing a recycled ink pack according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The manufacturing method of the recycled ink bag further comprises: (f) measuring the amount of remaining ink in the ink pack after (d) and before (e), The third amount to be injected in (e) is determined based on the measurement result in (f).

11. The method for manufacturing a recycled ink pack according to claim 1, wherein: The ink pack has a built-in flow path member communicating with the supply unit. The flow path member includes a lead-out flow path communicating with the supply portion and an outflow port for allowing the ink in the ink pack to flow out to the lead-out flow path. In the above-mentioned (d), the pressed portion of the ink pack is pressed so as to avoid the flow path member.

12. A device for manufacturing a regenerated ink pack, wherein the device regenerates a used ink pack by refilling ink into the used ink pack through a supply port, wherein the used ink pack has a supply portion at an end thereof, the supply portion having the supply port capable of supplying ink to a printing device. The device for manufacturing a recycled ink pack is characterized by comprising: an injection unit capable of injecting ink into a used ink pack in three or more different amounts; a discharge portion that discharges the ink injected by the injection portion from the ink pack; a tilting mechanism capable of adjusting the ink pack to a plurality of positions, the plurality of positions including a first tilting position in which the supply portion of the ink pack is located above a rear end portion, which is an end portion opposite to the supply portion, and a second tilting position in which the supply portion is located below the rear end portion; as well as The pressing structure includes a first pressing mechanism configured to press the rear end portion of the ink pack and a second pressing mechanism configured to press a pressed portion of the ink pack located between the rear end portion and the supply portion.

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