Inkjet recording apparatus

Abstract

An inkjet recording apparatus includes a treatment liquid head that ejects a treatment liquid, an ink liquid head that ejects an ink liquid, a treatment liquid wiper that wipes the treatment liquid head, an ink liquid wiper that wipes the ink liquid head, and an ink liquid container that includes a first opening that receives the ink liquid. A range of movement of the treatment liquid wiper when wiping is set at a position that avoids directly above the first opening.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an inkjet recording apparatus having a processing head that ejects processing fluid and an ink head that ejects ink. Background Technology

[0002] Inkjet printers and other inkjet recording devices include: an ink head that ejects image-forming ink toward a recording medium; and a processing head that ejects a prescribed processing liquid. For example, when the recording medium is a sheet of fabric, woven material, or plastic, it is sometimes necessary to apply a pre-treatment liquid / post-treatment liquid to the recording medium before / after ejecting the ink toward it. The pre-treatment liquid is, for example, a processing liquid used to improve the fixing properties of the ink on the recording medium and the aggregation properties of the ink pigments on the recording medium. The post-treatment liquid is, for example, a processing liquid used to improve the durability of the printed image. In this case, the inkjet recording device includes, in addition to the ink head, a processing head that ejects both the pre-treatment liquid and the post-treatment liquid.

[0003] Typically, inkjet recording devices, in addition to the printing area where printing is performed, also have a maintenance area for maintaining the ink head and the processing fluid head (e.g., Patent Document 1). In the maintenance area, processes are performed to remove blockages from the nozzles that eject ink or processing fluid, and to remove dirt from the nozzle arrangement surfaces of the head. To perform this process, a purging action is performed by ejecting pressurized liquid from the nozzles, and a wiping action is performed by wiping the nozzle arrangement surfaces with a wiper equipped with a scraper or similar wiping component.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-262561 Summary of the Invention

[0007] One aspect of the inkjet recording apparatus disclosed herein includes: a processing liquid head that ejects processing liquid; an ink head that ejects ink; a processing liquid wiper that wipes the processing liquid head; an ink wiper that wipes the ink head; and an ink container having a first opening for receiving the ink. The movement range of the processing liquid wiper during wiping is set to a position directly above the first opening. It should be noted that "directly above" includes not only a position offset from the space above the first opening, but also a position where other components are sandwiched between a portion of the first opening and the processing liquid wiper. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing the overall structure of an inkjet printer according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0009] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of line II-II.

[0010] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 An enlarged perspective view of the carriage and maintenance unit shown.

[0011] Figure 4 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the carriage and maintenance unit.

[0012] Figure 5 This is a block diagram showing the control structure of an inkjet printer.

[0013] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional view of the maintenance unit.

[0014] Figure 7 From Figure 6 The maintenance unit shown is a 3D view excluding the state of the cleaning unit.

[0015] Figure 8A From Figure 7 The state further removes the stereoscopic view of the state of the wiping unit.

[0016] Figure 8B yes Figure 8A A magnified view of the area near the processing liquid container.

[0017] Figure 9 The image above is a top view of the wiping unit. Figure 9 The image below is a top view showing the configuration of the ink head mounted on the carriage.

[0018] Figure 10 This is a three-dimensional view of one of the wipers included in the wiping unit.

[0019] Figure 11A It is to make the direction of strabismus consistent with Figure 7 3D view of different maintenance units.

[0020] Figure 11B This is an enlarged view of the drive system portion of the wiping unit.

[0021] Figure 12 This is a three-dimensional diagram used to illustrate the direction of movement of the wiping unit.

[0022] Figure 13 This is a top view of the maintenance unit showing the movement path of the wiping unit.

[0023] Figure 14A This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a configuration of a processing liquid container that avoids the opening of the ink container directly above it, and is a cross-sectional view of the processing liquid container in the left-right direction.

[0024] Figure 14B This is a cross-sectional view in the left-right direction showing an example of the configuration of the processing liquid container.

[0025] Figure 14C This is a cross-sectional view in the left-right direction showing an example of the configuration of the processing liquid container.

[0026] Figure 14D This is a top view showing an example configuration of the processing liquid container.

[0027] Figure 15A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the range of movement of the treatment fluid wiper during wiping.

[0028] Figure 15B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the range of movement of the treatment fluid wiper during wiping.

[0029] Figure 15C This is a schematic diagram illustrating the range of movement of the treatment fluid wiper during wiping.

[0030] Figure 16A This is a schematic side view showing the ink wiper and its cleaning components.

[0031] Figure 16B This is a perspective view of the main parts of the maintenance unit showing the configuration of the cleaning components.

[0032] Figure 17 This is a top view showing the tilt configuration of the ink scraper and the processing liquid scraper.

[0033] Figure 18A This diagram shows the wiping condition of a scraper head without any tilt.

[0034] Figure 18B This diagram shows the wiping conditions of the inclined processing liquid scraper and ink scraper heads.

[0035] Figure 18C This diagram shows the wiping conditions of the inclined processing liquid scraper and ink scraper heads.

[0036] Figure 19 This is a top view showing another example of the tilt configuration of the wiper. Detailed Implementation

[0037] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, as a specific example of an inkjet recording apparatus, an inkjet printer equipped with an inkjet head that ejects ink for image formation onto a wide and elongated recording medium is illustrated. The inkjet printer of this embodiment is suitable for digital printing of images such as text and patterns by inkjet printing on recording media made of fabrics, woven fabrics, or other raw materials. Of course, the inkjet recording apparatus of the present disclosure can also be used for printing various inkjet images on recording media such as paper and resin sheets.

[0038] [Overall structure of an inkjet printer]

[0039] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing the overall structure of an inkjet printer 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view along line II-II. The inkjet printer 1 is a printer that prints images on a wide and elongated workpiece W using inkjet technology, including a device frame 10 and a workpiece transport section 20 and a carriage 3 assembled on the device frame 10. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the left-right direction is the main scanning direction when printing on the workpiece W, and the direction from rear to front is the secondary scanning direction and the transport direction F of the workpiece W.

[0040] The device frame 10 forms a skeleton for mounting the various components of the inkjet printer 1. The workpiece transport unit 20 is a mechanism that intermittently transports the workpiece W so that the workpiece W travels from the rear to the front transport direction F in the printing area where inkjet printing is performed. The carriage 3 carries the ink head 4, the pre-processing head 5, the post-processing head 6, and the auxiliary canister (not shown), and moves back and forth in the left-right direction during the inkjet printing process.

[0041] The device frame 10 includes a central frame 111, a right frame 112, and a left frame 113. The central frame 111 forms a skeleton for mounting various components of the inkjet printer 1 and has a left-right width corresponding to the workpiece transport section 20. The right frame 112 is erected on the right side of the central frame 111, and the left frame 113 is erected on the left side of the central frame 111. Between the right frame 112 and the left frame 113 is the printing area 12 for printing the workpiece W.

[0042] The right frame 112 forms a maintenance area 13. Maintenance area 13 is the area where the carriage 3 retracts when the printing process is not being performed. A maintenance unit 7 is disposed in maintenance area 13. Maintenance unit 7 is located below the retracted carriage 3. Maintenance unit 7 is used for wiping the lower surfaces (nozzle arrangement surfaces) of the ink head 4, pretreatment head 5, and posttreatment head 6, and for purging the nozzles. Maintenance unit 7 also functions as a cover to prevent drying when the heads 4, 5, and 6 are at rest. The left frame 113 forms a reversal area 14 for the carriage 3. Reversal area 14 is the area where the carriage 3, after scanning the printing area 12 from right to left during the printing process, temporarily enters before scanning in the opposite direction.

[0043] A carriage guide 15 for reciprocating movement of the carriage 3 in the left-right direction is assembled on the upper side of the device frame 10. The carriage guide 15 is a flat plate-shaped member that is longer in the left-right direction and is disposed above the workpiece transport section 20. A timing belt 16 is assembled on the carriage guide 15 so that it can move around in the left-right direction (main scanning direction). The timing belt 16 is an annular belt and is driven by a drive source (not shown) to move around in the left or right direction.

[0044] A pair of upper and lower guide rails 17 are mounted on the carriage guide 15 in a parallel manner along the left and right direction. The carriage 3 has a locking portion relative to the guide rails 17. The carriage 3 is fixed to the timing belt 16. As the timing belt 16 moves around in the left or right direction, the carriage 3 moves to the left or right along the carriage guide 15 while being guided by the guide rails 17.

[0045] Main reference Figure 2 The workpiece transport unit 20 includes a feed roller 21 for conveying the workpiece W before printing and a winding roller 22 for winding the workpiece W after printing. The feed roller 21 is located at the lower rear of the device frame 10 and serves as the winding shaft of the feed roll WA for the workpiece W before printing. The winding roller 22 is located at the lower front of the device frame 10 and serves as the winding shaft of the winding roll WB for the workpiece W after printing. A first motor M1 is attached to the winding roller 22, which drives the winding roller 22 to rotate around its shaft, performing the winding action of the workpiece W.

[0046] The path through the printing area 12 between the feed roller 21 and the winding roller 22 forms the transport path for the workpiece W. Along this transport path, from the upstream side, are arranged a first tension roller 23, a workpiece guide 24, a transport roller 25, a pinch roller 26, a return roller 27, and a second tension roller 28. The first tension roller 23 applies a predetermined tension to the workpiece W upstream of the transport roller 25. The workpiece guide 24 changes the transport direction of the workpiece W from upward to forward, moving the workpiece W into the printing area 12.

[0047] The transport roller 25 generates an intermittent transport force for the workpiece W in the printing area 12. The transport roller 25 is driven to rotate around its axis by a second motor M2. The transport roller 25 intermittently transports the workpiece W forward (transport direction F) so that the workpiece W passes through the printing area 12 opposite to the carriage 3. The pinch roller 26 is arranged opposite the transport roller 25 from above, forming a transport clamping portion with the transport roller 25. The return roller 27 changes the transport direction of the workpiece W, which has passed through the printing area 12, from the forward direction to the downward direction, guiding the printed workpiece W towards the winding roller 22. The second tension roller 28 applies a predetermined tension to the workpiece W on the downstream side of the transport roller 25. A pressure plate 29 is arranged below the transport path of the workpiece W in the printing area 12.

[0048] The carriage 3, cantilevered and supported by the guide rail 17, reciprocates in the main scanning direction (left-right direction) intersecting the transport direction F. The carriage 3 includes a carriage frame 30, an ink head 4 mounted on the carriage frame 30, a pre-processing head 5, a post-processing head 6, and a sub-canister (not shown). The carriage frame 30 includes a head support frame 31 and a rear frame 32. The head support frame 31 is a horizontal plate that holds the heads 4 to 6 horizontally. The rear frame 32 is a vertical plate extending upward from the rear end edge of the head support frame 31. The timing belt 16 is fixed relative to the rear frame 32, and the guide rail 17 engages with the rear frame 32.

[0049] [Details about the carriage]

[0050] The carriage 3 will be further explained. Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The enlarged perspective view of the carriage 3 shown also includes the maintenance unit 7. Figure 3 The diagram shows the transport direction F (secondary scanning direction) of workpiece W and the main scanning direction S, which is the moving direction of carriage 3. Figure 3 The image shows an example of a carriage 3 equipped with multiple ink heads 4 for ejecting ink for image formation onto a workpiece W, and pre-processing heads 5 and post-processing heads 6 for ejecting a non-color-developing processing liquid. In a real carriage 3, multiple auxiliary tanks are also mounted to supply the ink and processing liquid to these heads 4, 5, and 6.

[0051] Each ink head 4 has multiple nozzles that eject ink droplets using, for example, a piezoelectric method using a piezoelectric element or a thermal method using a heating element, and an ink passage that guides the ink to the nozzles. As the ink, for example, an aqueous pigment ink containing a water-based solvent, pigment, and binder resin can be used. In this embodiment, the multiple ink heads 4 include a first ink head to an eighth ink head 4A to 4H that eject eight different colors of ink.

[0052] Each color ink head 4A to 4H is mounted on the head support frame 31 of the carriage 3 in a manner arranged in the main scanning direction S. Each color ink head 4A to 4H has two heads. For example, the first ink head 4A consists of an upstream side head 4A1 located upstream in the transport direction F, and a downstream side head 4A2 located downstream of the upstream side head 4A1 and offset to the left in the main scanning direction S. The other color ink heads 4B to 4H are arranged similarly. The upstream side heads of these ink heads 4B to 4H are arranged in a row in the main scanning direction S at the same position as the upstream side head 4A1 in the transport direction F, and the downstream side heads are arranged in a row in the main scanning direction S at the same position as the downstream side head 4A2 in the transport direction F.

[0053] The pre-processing head 5 (processing fluid head) and the post-processing head 6 are positioned differently from the ink head 4 in the transport direction F. The pre-processing head 5 is located upstream of the ink head 4 in the transport direction F. Figure 3 The image shows an example where a pre-processing head 5 is positioned near the left end of the arrangement of ink heads 4. In contrast, a post-processing head 6 is positioned downstream of the ink head 4 in the transport direction F. Figure 3 The image shows an example of two post-processing heads 6A and 6B arranged along the main scanning direction S near the right end of the arrangement of ink heads 4.

[0054] The pretreatment head 5 ejects a pretreatment liquid for performing a prescribed pretreatment on the workpiece W. The pretreatment liquid is ejected from the pretreatment head 5 to a position on the workpiece W before ink is ejected from the ink head 4. The pretreatment liquid is a non-color-developing treatment liquid that does not develop color even when adhering to the workpiece W; for example, it is a treatment liquid that improves the fixing properties of the ink on the workpiece W and the aggregation properties of the ink pigment on the workpiece W. Such a pretreatment liquid can be a treatment liquid containing a binding resin in a solvent, or a treatment liquid containing a positively charged cationic resin in a solvent.

[0055] The post-processing head 6 ejects a post-processing liquid for performing a prescribed post-processing on the workpiece W to which ink has adhered. The post-processing liquid is ejected from the post-processing head 6 to the position on the workpiece W after ink has been ejected from the ink head 4. The post-processing liquid is also a non-color-developing liquid that does not develop color even when adhered to the workpiece W, and it is designed to improve the fixing and adhesion of the ink image imprinted on the workpiece W by the ink head 4. The adhesion refers to resistance to friction and cutting. Silicone-based liquids, etc., can be used as such a post-processing liquid.

[0056] Here, "non-color-developing processing liquid" refers to a processing liquid that, when printed alone on a recording medium, is not perceived as color-developing by the naked eye. This includes colors with a chromaticity of 0, such as black, white, and gray. Although non-color-developing processing liquids are generally transparent liquids, for example, when observing 1 liter of processing liquid in its liquid state, it may not be completely transparent and may appear slightly white. Such a color is very light, and therefore, when printed alone on a recording medium, it cannot be perceived as color-developing by the naked eye. It should be noted that, depending on the type of processing liquid, when printed alone on a recording medium, it may sometimes produce changes such as gloss on the recording medium, but this is not considered color development.

[0057] An opening 31H is provided at the head mounting position of the head support frame 31. The ink heads 4A to 4F, the pre-processing head 5, and the post-processing head 6 are assembled on the head support frame 31 to fit into each opening 31H. The nozzles disposed on the lower end face of each head 4, 5, and 6 protrude from each opening 31H.

[0058] As described above, the inkjet printer 1 of this embodiment is an integrated printer in which the inkjet head 4, the pretreatment head 5, and the posttreatment head 6 are mounted on a single carriage 3. According to this printer 1, for example, in the inkjet printing process of fabric in digital printing, the pretreatment liquid ejection process and the posttreatment liquid ejection process can be performed simultaneously. Therefore, the printing process can be simplified, and the printing apparatus can be made more compact.

[0059] [Overall Structure of the Maintenance Unit]

[0060] Figure 4 This is a schematic cross-sectional view along the front and rear of the carriage 3 and maintenance unit 7. Maintenance unit 7 includes a container unit 70, a wiping unit 8, and a cleaning unit 9. Maintenance area 13 ( Figure 1 This area is for clearing blockages in the nozzles of heads 4, 5, and 6, and removing dirt from the nozzle arrangement surface NA of heads 4, 5, and 6. To perform this treatment, purging, wiping, and cleaning actions are performed in maintenance area 13.

[0061] The purging action is an action that forces pressurized ink, pretreatment solution, and posttreatment solution to be ejected from ink head 4, pretreatment head 5, and posttreatment head 6, respectively. The container unit 70 recovers the ink, pretreatment solution, and posttreatment solution ejected from heads 4, 5, and 6 during the purging action. The wiping action is an action that wipes the nozzle arrangement surface NA with a wiper equipped with a wiping component such as a scraper. The wiping unit 8 is the unit that performs the wiping action. The cleaning action is an action that cleans the soiled wiping unit 8 by performing the wiping action. The cleaning unit 9 is the unit that performs the cleaning action. It should be noted that the container unit 70 also recovers the cleaning solution used in the cleaning action.

[0062] The container unit 70 has a structure for separately recovering the pretreatment liquid, ink, and posttreatment liquid. In this embodiment, as described above, a pretreatment liquid that improves the fixing properties and pigment aggregation of the ink is used. Therefore, when the pretreatment liquid and ink are mixed, the mixture aggregates, which can sometimes hinder recovery to the waste tank. On the other hand, the posttreatment liquid used in this embodiment does not aggregate even when mixed with ink. This is the reason for the separate recovery described above in the container unit 70.

[0063] The container unit 70 includes an ink container 71, a pretreatment liquid container 72 (treatment liquid container), and a cleaning liquid tray 73. The ink container 71 is used to collect the ink and posttreatment liquid ejected from the ink head 4 and the posttreatment head 6, respectively, during the purging operation. The ink container 71 has a first opening 71H on its upper surface for receiving the ink and posttreatment liquid. The first opening 71H opens upwards at a position opposite in the vertical direction to at least the nozzle arrangement surface NA of the ink head 4 and the posttreatment head 6. The ink container 71 also collects the ink and posttreatment liquid wiped away from the nozzle arrangement surface NA during the wiping operation.

[0064] The pretreatment fluid container 72 is positioned to cover a portion of the area above the first opening 71H. The pretreatment fluid container 72 is used to collect the pretreatment fluid ejected from the pretreatment head 5 during the purging operation. The pretreatment fluid container 72 has a second opening 72H on its upper surface for receiving the pretreatment fluid. The second opening 72H opens upwards at a position opposite to at least the nozzle arrangement surface NA of the pretreatment head 5 in the vertical direction. The pretreatment fluid container 72 also collects the pretreatment fluid wiped away from the nozzle arrangement surface NA during the wiping operation. The cleaning fluid tray 73 is used to collect the cleaning fluid 9A ejected from the cleaning fluid cleaning unit 9 during the cleaning operation.

[0065] The container unit 70 includes an overflow path 741, a processing liquid passage 742, and a relay path 743 for the flow of recovered liquid. The overflow path 741 has a starting opening on the bottom surface of the ink container 71 and is a passage with its end facing a waste liquid container (not shown). The processing liquid passage 742 has a starting opening near the bottom surface of the pre-processing liquid container 72 and is a passage with its end facing the waste liquid container. The relay path 743 has a starting opening on the bottom surface of the cleaning liquid tray 73 and is a passage with an end opening near the bottom surface of the ink container 71. That is, the cleaning liquid 9A recovered from the cleaning liquid tray 73 is temporarily introduced into the ink container 71 and then recovered to the waste liquid container via the overflow path 741.

[0066] It should be noted that, here, "receiving" liquid refers to receiving liquid falling from above. Liquid flows from the cleaning fluid tray 73 to the ink container 71 via the relay passage 743, but this is not included in the aforementioned "receiving". The liquid flowing from the cleaning fluid tray 73 contains, in addition to the cleaning fluid, a small amount of ink, pretreatment fluid, and posttreatment fluid. However, due to the low concentration of the pretreatment fluid, it will not substantially solidify even if it enters the ink container 71. It should also be noted that a separator can be provided on the cleaning fluid tray 73 to allow only liquid without pretreatment fluid to flow into the ink container 71.

[0067] A cap rubber 75 is mounted on the upper surface 70A of the container unit 70. The cap rubber 75 is configured to surround the periphery of the first opening 71H of the ink container 71. The carriage 3, as shown by arrow A1 in the figure, is capable of moving in the vertical direction. When the carriage 3 is in standby mode in the maintenance area 13, or when the printer 1 is stopped, the carriage 3 descends, and the lower surface 311 of the head support frame 31 contacts the cap rubber 75. As a result, the nozzle arrangement surface NA of the heads 4, 5, and 6 is sealed.

[0068] The wiping unit 8 includes a wiper support plate 81 (support plate), an ink wiper 82 supported by the wiper support plate 81, a pretreatment liquid wiper 83 (treatment liquid wiper), and a posttreatment liquid wiper 84. As shown by arrow A2 in the figure, the wiping unit 8 is movable in the front-rear direction. The wiper support plate 81 is a flat plate that moves in the front-rear direction between the carriage 3, the cleaning unit 9, and the container unit 70. The ink wiper 82 moves rearward while in contact with the nozzle arrangement surface NA of the ink head 4, thereby wiping the nozzle arrangement surface NA. Similarly, the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 and the posttreatment liquid wiper 84 wipe the nozzle arrangement surfaces NA of the pretreatment head 5 and the posttreatment head 6, respectively.

[0069] The cleaning unit 9 includes a nozzle holding plate 91 and a plurality of cleaning nozzles 92 held by the nozzle holding plate 91. The nozzle holding plate 91 is a flat plate and is fixedly arranged opposite to the cleaning fluid tray 73 of the container unit 70. The plurality of cleaning nozzles 92 are arranged at positions corresponding to the ink wiper 82, the pretreatment fluid wiper 83, and the posttreatment fluid wiper 84 mounted on the wiper support plate 81, respectively. That is, when the wiping unit 8 moves to a predetermined position directly below the cleaning unit 9, the plurality of cleaning nozzles 92 are held by the nozzle holding plate 91 at positions opposite to the wipers 82, 83, and 84 from above. The cleaning nozzles 92 spray the cleaning fluid 9A in a fan-shaped spray pattern. The cleaning fluid 9A is supplied to the cleaning nozzles 92 from a cleaning fluid tank (not shown) via a cleaning fluid hose 93.

[0070] [Control Structure]

[0071] Figure 5 This is a block diagram showing a portion of the control structure of printer 1. Printer 1 includes a controller 33, a carriage drive motor 34 whose operation is controlled by the controller 33, a carriage lifting motor 35, a wiper moving motor 36, a cleaning water supply pump 37, and a head drive unit 38.

[0072] Carriage drive motor 34 is located in the folding area 14, printing area 12, and maintenance area 13. Figure 1 Within the range of ), a driving force is generated that causes the carriage 3 to move in the left and right directions. The carriage drive motor 34 is paired with the synchronous belt 16 ( Figures 1-3 The carriage lifting motor 35 generates a driving force within the maintenance area 13 to move the carriage 3 vertically. The wiper moving motor 36 generates a driving force to move the wiping unit 8 forward and backward. The cleaning water supply pump 37 is connected to the cleaning fluid hose 93 and supplies cleaning fluid 9A to the cleaning nozzle 92 at a specified pressure. The head drive unit 38 performs the ejection action of ink, pretreatment fluid, and posttreatment fluid from each of the heads 4, 5, and 6.

[0073] During the purging action, the controller 33 controls the wiping motor 36 to move the wiping unit 8 rearward to a retracted position below the cleaning unit 9. Next, the controller 33 controls the head drive unit 38 to spray ink, pretreatment solution, and posttreatment solution from each of the heads 4, 5, and 6 at high pressure, thereby cleaning the nozzles. The ink and posttreatment solution sprayed during the purging action are recovered in the ink container 71, and the pretreatment solution is recovered in the pretreatment solution container 72.

[0074] During the wiping action, the controller 33 controls the wiping motor 36 to move the wiping unit 8 to the foremost wiping start position. Next, the controller 33 controls the carriage lifting motor 35 to lower the nozzle arrangement surfaces NA of each of the heads 4, 5, and 6 to a height position where they contact the wipers 82, 83, and 84 of the wiping unit 8. Then, the controller 33 moves the wiping unit 8 rearward. The ink and post-processing liquid wiped from the nozzle arrangement surfaces NA by the ink wiper 82 and the post-processing liquid wiper 84 are recovered in the ink container 71. Additionally, the pre-processing liquid wiped from the nozzle arrangement surfaces NA by the pre-processing liquid wiper 83 is recovered in the pre-processing liquid container 72.

[0075] During the cleaning operation, the controller 33 controls the wiper movement motor 36, causing the wiping unit 8 to move rearward to a retracted position below the cleaning unit 9. Next, the controller 33 controls the cleaning water supply pump 37 to supply cleaning fluid 9A to the cleaning nozzle 92 via the cleaning fluid hose 93. This blows the cleaning fluid 9A into the wipers 82, 83, and 84 of the wiping unit 8, removing foreign matter adhering to the wiper. The cleaning fluid 9A is then recovered in the cleaning fluid tray 73.

[0076] [Detailed structure of the maintenance unit]

[0077] Next, a specific embodiment of the maintenance unit 7 described above will be illustrated, and its detailed structure will be explained. Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional view of the entire maintenance unit 7. Figure 7 From Figure 6 The 3D view of the state of cleaning unit 9 has been removed. Figure 8A From Figure 7 The state further removed the stereoscopic view of the state of wiping unit 8. Figure 8B yes Figure 8A A magnified view of the area near the pretreatment liquid container 72. Figure 6 and Figure 7 The image shows a standby state awaiting a wiping command or a state in which the cleaning action is being performed, with the wiping unit 8 moved to its rearmost position.

[0078] As described above, the maintenance unit 7 includes a container unit 70, a wiping unit 8, and a cleaning unit 9. The container unit 70 is mounted on the device frame 10. Figure 1 The wiping unit 8 is assembled to be able to be pulled forward within the maintenance area 13. The wiping unit 8 is assembled to be movable in the front-to-back direction relative to the container unit 70. The cleaning unit 9 is fixedly assembled to the device frame 10.

[0079] <Container Unit>

[0080] The container unit 70 includes a frame structure 700 having a slightly elongated cuboid shape in the front-rear direction, an ink container 71 and a pretreatment liquid container 72 disposed on the front side of the frame structure 700, and a cleaning liquid tray 73 disposed on the rear side of the frame structure 700. The frame structure 700 includes a pair of left and right side frames 701 extending in the front-rear direction and a front frame 702 connecting the front ends of these side frames 701 to each other.

[0081] A handle 703 for pulling forward toward the container unit 70 is installed on the front frame 702. Multiple waste liquid hoses 704 extend from below the front frame 702. The waste liquid hoses 704 connect an overflow passage 741 communicating with the cavity of the ink container 71, a processing liquid passage 742 communicating with the cavity of the pretreatment liquid container 72, and a waste liquid tank (not shown). Sliding members 705 are mounted on the outer surfaces of a pair of side frames 701. The sliding members 705 engage with guide rails (not shown) fixed to the device frame 10, allowing them to be pulled forward from the device frame 10 toward the container unit 70. A chain protector 706 for accommodating cables and hoses is installed below the frame structure 700. The chain protector 706 deforms as the container unit 70 is pulled out.

[0082] The ink container 71 is a receiving dish-type container with a first rectangular opening 71H that is longer in the left-right direction on its upper surface. The ink container 71 includes a rectangular base 711 that is longer in the left-right direction, four conical surfaces 712 extending upwards from the four ends of the base 711, and an upper flange 708 formed around the periphery of the first opening 71H. The ink container 71 is separate from the frame structure 700 and is embedded in the frame structure 700. The upper flange 708 of the ink container 71 is supported by the side frame 701 and the front frame 702. The initial opening of the overflow path 741 protrudes upwards from the base 711 by a predetermined length. The final opening of the relay path 743 protrudes from near the lower end of the left-side conical surface 712.

[0083] The left-right dimension of the first opening 71H is approximately equal to the distance between the pair of side frames 701. The front-back dimension of the first opening 71H is slightly larger than half the front-back width of the container unit 70. A cover rubber 75 is mounted on the upper surface of the upper flange 708, arranged to surround the first opening 71H. It should be noted that the upper flange 708 is... Figure 4 The portion corresponding to the upper surface 70A shown in the schematic diagram. The head support frame 31 of the carriage 3 has a larger dimension than the area surrounded by the cover rubber 75. On the other hand, the arrangement area of ​​the heads 4, 5, and 6 held in the head support frame 31 is a slightly smaller dimension than the size of the first opening 71H. The cover rubber 75 abuts against the lower surface 311 of the head support frame 31 at the outer periphery of the arrangement area of ​​the heads 4, 5, and 6, sealing the nozzle arrangement surface NA of the heads 4, 5, and 6.

[0084] Reference Figure 8A and Figure 8B The pretreatment liquid container 72 is positioned to the left rear of the ink container 71, covering a portion of the first opening 71H. This pretreatment liquid container 72 is positioned so that it is directly opposite the pretreatment head 5 of the carriage 3 during wiping. For example, if the pretreatment head 5 is positioned near the center or right end of the head support frame 31, the pretreatment liquid container 72 is also positioned accordingly. The pretreatment liquid container 72 has a second rectangular opening 72H on its upper surface, which is longer in the front-rear direction, corresponding to the shape of the nozzle arrangement surface NA of the pretreatment head 5. In this embodiment, the second opening 72H is at the same height as the first opening 71H. In other words, the second opening 72H occupies a portion of the area originally occupied by the first opening 71H.

[0085] The pretreatment liquid container 72 is formed by a front wall 721, a rear wall 722, a right wall 723, and a left wall 724. The rear wall 722 utilizes the portion near the upper end of the rear conical surface 712 of the ink container 71, and the left wall 724 utilizes the portion near the upper end of the left conical surface 712. The front wall 721 is a wall that protrudes to the right from near the upper end of the left conical surface 712 and from near its center in the front-rear direction. The right wall 723 is a wall that connects the right edges of the front wall 721 and the rear wall 722 to each other. The right wall 723 is erected vertically from the left conical surface 712, which slopes downwards to the right, in a generally vertical direction.

[0086] The cleaning fluid tray 73 has a rectangular opening on its upper surface that is longer in the left-right direction, and is a container shallower than the ink container 71. The bottom surface of the cleaning fluid tray 73 includes an inclined surface 731 and a collection surface 732. The inclined surface 731 slopes gently from the right end of the cleaning fluid tray 73 towards the left end. The collection surface 732 is located near the left end of the cleaning fluid tray 73, forming the deepest part of the bottom surface. The left edge of the inclined surface 731 connects to the right edge of the collection surface 732. The beginning of the relay path 743 opens into the collection surface 732.

[0087] <Wiping Unit>

[0088] like Figure 7 As shown, the wiping unit 8 includes a wiper support plate 81, an ink wiper 82, a pretreatment liquid wiper 83, a posttreatment liquid wiper 84, and a wiper drive unit 85. Figure 9 The image above is a top view of the wiper support plate 81 that holds the wipers 82, 83, and 84. Figure 9 The following figure is a top view showing the configuration of the ink head 4, pre-processing head 5 and post-processing head 6 mounted on the carriage 3, and is a diagram showing the correspondence with the wipers 82, 83 and 84. Figure 9 The configuration of headers 4, 5, and 6 shown in the image below is different from the previous one. Figure 3 The examples are in the same manner.

[0089] The wiper support plate 81 is formed by punching a thin-walled flat plate component and has multiple rectangular protrusions 811. The protrusions 811 protrude in the rearward direction, which is the direction of movement during wiping. Recesses 812 are formed between adjacent protrusions 811, recessed on the front side. Ink wipers 82 for wiping the nozzle arrangement surface NA of the ink head 4 are mounted on the end edges (rear ends) of the protrusions 811 and the end edges of the recesses 812. The ink wipers 82 disposed on the end edges of the protrusions 811 are used to wipe the upstream ends of the ink heads 4 of each color, such as ink wipers 82A1 configured for the upstream end 4A1 of the first ink head 4A. On the other hand, the ink wipers 82 disposed on the end edges of the recesses 812 are used to wipe the downstream ends of the ink heads 4 of each color, such as ink wipers 82A2 configured for the downstream end 4A2.

[0090] In the wiper support plate 81, the support area for the pretreatment liquid wiper 83, which wipes the nozzle arrangement surface NA of the pretreatment head 5, is positioned to protrude rearward in the wiping direction compared to other areas of the wiper support plate 81. Specifically, the protrusion 814 extends further rearward from the rear end of the leftmost protrusion 811. The pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is mounted on the end edge (rear end) of the protrusion 814. A window 815 corresponding to the recess 812 is provided on the front side of the protrusion 814. In this way, by configuring the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 to be supported at the part of the wiper support plate 81 that protrudes most in the wiping direction, the pretreatment liquid wiped by the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is less likely to adhere to other parts of the wiper support plate 81 during wiping.

[0091] like Figure 9 As shown in the figure below, in this embodiment, in the wiping movement direction (rear direction), the pretreatment head 5 and the downstream head 4A2 of the first ink head 4A are arranged in a position that completely overlaps with each other. That is, the pretreatment head 5 and the downstream head 4A2 are arranged at the same position in the left-right direction of the head support frame 31, and are arranged upstream and downstream in the transport direction F. If this is arranged, the path of the ink wiper 82A2 from the wiping area toward the cleaning unit 9 overlaps with the path wiped by the pretreatment liquid wiper 83. Therefore, the risk of pretreatment liquid dripping onto the ink wiper 82A2 and causing aggregation can be reduced. It should be noted that the pretreatment head 5 and the downstream head 4A2 are preferably arranged in a positional relationship that completely overlaps in the wiping movement direction, but they can also be arranged slightly offset in the left-right direction.

[0092] The right end of the wiper support plate 81 is the support area for the post-processing liquid wiper 84, which supports the nozzle arrangement surface NA of the post-processing head 6. Near the right end of the head support frame 31, two post-processing heads 6A and 6B are arranged in the main scanning direction. The post-processing head 6A on the left and the upstream head 4G1 of the seventh ink head 4G, and the post-processing head 6B on the right and the upstream head 4H1 of the eighth ink head 4H are arranged on the upstream and downstream sides of the transport direction F, respectively.

[0093] Corresponding to this head configuration, the wiper support plate 81 has a pair of retaining plates 816 and a window 817 near its right end. The retaining plates 816 support ink wipers 82G1 and 82H1 for wiping the upstream heads 4G1 and 4H1 at their rear end edges. Ink wipers 82G2 and 82H2 for wiping the downstream heads 4G2 and 4H2 are supported at the end edges of the recesses 812 adjacent to the left side of each retaining plate 816. The window 817 is an opening located in front of the retaining plates 816. Post-processing liquid wipers 84 (84A and 84B) for wiping the post-processing heads 6A and 6B are supported at the opening edges on the front side of the window 817.

[0094] The wiper support plate 81 has a plurality of protrusions 813 respectively configured in correspondence with the wipers 82, 83, and 84. The protrusions 813 are respectively connected to the rear end of the protrusion 811, the base edge of the recess 812, the rear end of the protrusion 814, and the base edge of the window 817. These protrusions 813 are small protrusions that project in the direction of movement during wiping in a top view. The wipers 82, 83, and 84 are respectively disposed on the corresponding protrusions 813. With this configuration, ink or processing liquid adhering to the wipers 82, 83, and 84 is less likely to adhere to the wiper support plate 81.

[0095] Figure 10 This is a perspective view showing the detailed structure of the ink wiper 82. The pretreatment liquid wiper 83 and the posttreatment liquid wiper 84 also have the same structure as the ink wiper 82 shown here. The ink wiper 82 includes a wiper blade 821 (ink blade or treatment liquid blade), a first retainer 822, and a second retainer 823.

[0096] The wiper blade 821 is a plate material that actually abuts against the nozzle arrangement surface NA to perform the wiping action. The upper end of the wiper blade 821 is located at a position that protrudes upward from the upper surface of the wiper support plate 81. The first retainer 822 and the second retainer 823 are components that clamp and retain the wiper blade 821. The first retainer 822 is fitted into the recess provided in the protrusion 813 and is threaded and fixed, supporting the lower part of the back side of the wiper blade 821. The second retainer 823 is added to the lower part of the front side of the wiper blade 821.

[0097] The second retainer 823 has a pair of openings 824, and the wiper blade 821 also has a through hole at the same position as the openings 824. On the other hand, the first retainer 822 has a pair of claws 825. The claws 825 pass through the through hole and the openings 824, and engage the second retainer 823 at the periphery of the openings 824. Through this engaging force, the wiper blade 821 is held by the first retainer 822 and the second retainer 823. The wiper blade 821 is held in a position that protrudes further than the protruding end face of the protrusion 813.

[0098] The pretreatment fluid wiper 83 and the posttreatment fluid wiper 84 can be made by means of... Figure 10 The ink wipers 82 shown have the same structure, shape, and material, but they can also be different. For example, the shape, material, and support structure of the wiper blade 821 can be varied according to the properties of the ink and the treatment liquid, making the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 and / or posttreatment liquid wiper 84 different from the ink wiper 82. The wiper blade 821 is made of a rubber or resin material with a specified rigidity. For example, assuming the pretreatment liquid dries faster than the ink, making it more difficult to wipe, in this case, the wiper blade 821 of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 preferably uses a blade with higher rigidity than the ink wiper 82, or the protrusion height of the wiper blade 821 is increased to improve its wiping force.

[0099] Figure 11A It is to make the direction of strabismus consistent with Figure 7 The perspective view of the different maintenance units 7 is used to illustrate the wiper drive unit 85. Figure 11B Is Figure 11A The enlarged view shows the XIB portion enclosed by the dashed line. The wiper drive unit 85 is a mechanism that moves the wiper support plate 81, which holds the wipers 82, 83, and 84, in the back-and-forth direction. The wiper drive unit 85 includes a servo motor 851, a ball screw 852, and a slider 853. It should be noted that the servo motor 851 is connected to... Figure 5 The motor corresponding to the wiper moving motor 36 shown.

[0100] A servo motor 851 generates a driving force that moves the wiper support plate 81. The servo motor 851 is mounted on the right end of the rear plate 707 of the container unit 70. A ball screw 852 is driven by the servo motor 851 to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise around its axis. The ball screw 852 extends in the front-rear direction along the right-side side frame 701. Note that a guide rod (not shown) extending in the front-rear direction is added to the left-side side frame 701. A slider 853 encloses a nut member that engages with the ball screw 852. If the ball screw 852 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise, the slider 853 moves back and forth along the ball screw 852 in the front-rear direction.

[0101] The slider 853 is connected to the wiper support plate 81. A connecting plate 818, consisting of an elongated flat plate member, is mounted on the upper part of the slider 853. The right end 81E of the wiper support plate 81 is placed on the connecting plate 818, and the two are fastened together by a fixing screw 819. Although not shown in the figure, the left end of the wiper support plate 81 is also supported by a member of the same type as the connecting plate 818 and the slider 853, and is guided along the guide rod.

[0102] The wiping support plate 81 moves between the front end (wiping area) and the rear end (cleaning area) of the container unit 70. For example, if the servo motor 851 is driven to rotate forward by the controller 33, the slider 853 is conveyed forward, and the wiping support plate 81 fixed to the slider 853 also moves forward. On the other hand, if the servo motor 851 is driven to rotate in reverse, the wiping support plate 81 moves backward.

[0103] <Cleaning Unit>

[0104] Reference Figure 6 The cleaning unit 9 includes a nozzle holding plate 91 and multiple cleaning nozzles 92. The nozzle holding plate 91 is a U-shaped frame including a top plate 911 and a pair of left and right side plates 912. The top plate 911 is a flat plate with a width slightly larger than the left and right width of the container unit 70. The pair of side plates 912 are flat plates hanging from the left and right ends of the top plate 911, respectively, and are opposite to the left and right side frames 701.

[0105] Nozzle retaining plate 91 is fixed to device frame 10. Figure 1 The nozzle holding plate 91 is positioned appropriately within the container unit 70. With the container unit 70 installed in the designated location on the device frame 10, the nozzle holding plate 91 is positioned to be inserted from above relative to the rear region of the container unit 70. The portion of the container unit 70 covered by the nozzle holding plate 91 forms the cleaning area for cleaning the ink wiper 82, the pretreatment liquid wiper 83, and the posttreatment liquid wiper 84. The top plate 911 is positioned vertically opposite the cleaning liquid tray 73 of the container unit 70, separated by a predetermined gap. This gap has a vertical width that allows the wiping unit 8 to enter between the top plate 911 and the cleaning liquid tray 73.

[0106] Multiple cleaning nozzles 92 are disposed at appropriate locations on the top plate 911 in a manner consistent with the arrangement of wipers 82, 83, and 84 toward the wiper support plate 81. The multiple cleaning nozzles 92 include nozzles 92A for the cleaning ink wiper 82, nozzles 92B for the cleaning pretreatment solution wiper 83, and nozzles 92C for the cleaning posttreatment solution wiper 84. These nozzles 92A, 92B, and 92C spray cleaning fluid 9A in a fan-shaped spray pattern from their respective lower end faces (see reference). Figure 4 Clean the wipers 82, 83, and 84.

[0107] [Movement path during wiping]

[0108] Next, the movement path during wiping, including the positional relationship of the wiping unit 8 relative to the surrounding components, will be explained. Figure 12 This is a perspective view showing the initial position of the wiping unit 8 during wiping. During wiping, the wiping unit 8 moves rearward from the initial position toward the cleaning area where the cleaning unit 9 is located. The area above the first opening 71H of the ink container 71 and the second opening 72H of the pretreatment liquid container 72 becomes the wiping area for the heads 4, 5, and 6 of the wiping devices 82, 83, and 84 to wipe.

[0109] On the left side of the maintenance unit 7, there is a printing area 12 that causes the ink head 4 to eject ink to form an image. Figure 1 Therefore, when carriage 3 is being repaired in maintenance area 13, it is entered from the left side of maintenance unit 7. For example... Figure 9 As shown, the pretreatment head 5 and the downstream head 4A2 of the first ink head 4A are supported by the carriage 3 at the leftmost position. At the same time, the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is also positioned at the leftmost position on the wiper support plate 81.

[0110] That is, in the direction of movement of the carriage 3 from the printing area 12 to the wiping area, the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is positioned closer to the printing area 12 than the other ink wipers 82 except for the ink wiper 82A2 used for the downstream side head 4A2. According to this configuration, the pretreatment liquid container 72 is naturally positioned near the left end of the ink container 71. In this case, during the maintenance, it is possible to achieve a configuration where the pretreatment head 5 does not pass through the first opening 71H of the ink container 71. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the pretreatment liquid adhering to the pretreatment head 5 from dripping into the ink container 71.

[0111] Furthermore, in the direction of movement from the wiping area to the cleaning area, the position of the pretreatment solution wiper 83 closest to the cleaning area among wipers 82, 83, and 84 is supported by the wiper support plate 81. That is, as... Figure 9 As shown in the figure above, the pretreatment fluid wiper 83 is positioned at the end edge of the protrusion 814 that protrudes furthest rearward when viewed from above in the wiper support plate 81. Therefore, the pretreatment fluid wiper 83 can be introduced into the cleaning area and cleaning treatment can be performed at the earliest possible time. For example, if the pretreatment fluid has quick-drying properties, if the nozzle 92B of the pretreatment fluid wiper 83 is used for cleaning... Figure 6 If the nozzle is positioned at the frontmost side of the nozzle holding plate 91, the pretreatment fluid wiper 83 can be cleaned immediately.

[0112] Figure 13This is a top view of the maintenance unit 7 showing the movement path MW of the wiping unit 8 during wiping. The position indicated by the dashed line in the figure is the initial position of the wiping unit 8 and the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 during wiping. Figure 13 In the diagram, the positions of the wiping unit 8, indicated by solid lines, represent the wiping completion position, the positions of the cleaning wipers 82, 83, and 84, and the standby position awaiting the execution instruction for the wiping action.

[0113] In this embodiment, the movement path MW (movement range) of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 during wiping is set at a position directly above the first opening 71H of the ink container 71. Specifically, in the wiping area, the movement range of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 during wiping is set directly above the second opening 72H of the pretreatment liquid container 72. In other words, there is essentially no first opening 71H directly below the area where the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 wipes the nozzle arrangement surface NA of the pretreatment head 5, and most or even all of the area is configured to be vertically opposed to the second opening 72H. To further describe it another way, viewed from above, the first opening 71H of the ink container 71 is located outside the area where the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 wipes the nozzle arrangement surface NA. With this configuration, the phenomenon of pretreatment liquid wiped by the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 mixing into the ink container 71 through the first opening 71H during wiping can be reduced. Therefore, the generation of chemical reactions such as ink aggregation can be suppressed.

[0114] When viewing the ink container 71 and the pretreatment liquid container 72 along the direction of the movement path MW (front-back direction), it can be said that a portion of the first opening 71H (the front left end) and the second opening 72H are configured in series (see reference). Figure 13 That is, a portion of the first opening 71H is on the front side, and the second opening 72H is on the rear side. Furthermore, the direction of the moving path MW, that is, the moving direction of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83, is from the front side to the rear side. In other words, the moving direction of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is away from the first opening 71H. Moreover, as... Figure 8B As shown, the rear end edge (rear wall 722) of the pretreatment liquid container 72 is coplanar with the rear end edge (rear conical surface 712) of the ink container 71. That is, in the movement path MW, the first opening 71H is not sandwiched between the rear end edge of the pretreatment liquid container 72 and the cleaning area. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of pretreatment liquid that splashes into the ink container 71 when the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 leaves the nozzle arrangement surface NA after finishing wiping the pretreatment head 5.

[0115] Furthermore, the direction of the movement path MW is the direction in which the cleaning area where the cleaning unit 9 is located is situated. This configuration also contributes to the countermeasures against pretreatment fluid scattering. That is, when the pretreatment fluid wiper 83 separates from the nozzle arrangement surface NA of the pretreatment head 5, even if the pretreatment fluid adhering to the pretreatment fluid wiper 83 scatters, its destination becomes the cleaning area. In the cleaning area, the scattered pretreatment fluid is diluted by a larger amount of cleaning fluid and collected by the cleaning fluid tray 73. Therefore, it is possible to achieve an operation where pretreatment fluid droplets are unlikely to enter the ink container 71.

[0116] <Regarding avoiding the position directly above the first opening>

[0117] Regarding the aforementioned "avoiding the position directly above the first opening 71H", its variation will be explained. Figures 14A to 14D This is a schematic diagram showing various configuration examples of the pretreatment liquid container 72 that avoids the first opening 71H of the ink container 71 directly above it. Figures 14A to 14C This is a schematic cross-sectional view of maintenance unit 7 in the left-right direction. Figure 14D This is a top view. The phrase "avoiding the position directly above" includes not only the case where the position is located in the space above the first opening 71H, but also the case where other components are sandwiched between a portion of the first opening 71H and the pretreatment liquid wiper 83.

[0118] Figure 14A An example is shown in which the range of motion of the pretreatment fluid wiper 83 is set to avoid being directly above the first opening 71H by positioning the pretreatment fluid container 72 in a position that covers a portion of the first opening 71H. Figure 14A Examples similar to those above Figure 8A The example shown is the same. In this example, by setting the movement range of the pretreatment fluid wiper 83 above the first opening 71H, and also arranging the second opening 72H of the pretreatment fluid container 72 below the movement range, the position "avoiding the position directly above the first opening 71H" is achieved.

[0119] Figure 14B A simple example is shown where the range of motion of the pretreatment fluid wiper 83 is set at a position offset from the space above the first opening 71H. In this example, the pretreatment fluid container 72 is naturally configured in a position that does not overlap with the first opening 71H in the vertical direction. Figure 14CThis is an example where other components are sandwiched between the first opening 71H and the pretreatment liquid wiper 83. The pretreatment liquid container 72 is arranged adjacent to the ink container 71. On the other hand, the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is located above the first opening 71H to wipe the pretreatment head 5 arranged above the first opening 71H. Moreover, below the pretreatment liquid wiper 83, the guide plate 76 is arranged in a downwardly inclined manner toward the second opening 72H. The pretreatment liquid wiped from the pretreatment head 5 by the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is guided to the second opening 72H through the guide plate 76.

[0120] Figure 14D An example is shown where the shape of the ink container 71 is designed to "avoid being directly above the first opening 71H". The ink container 71 has a cutout 713 at a position corresponding to the area below the pretreatment head 5. Therefore, the range of movement of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is offset from the first opening 71H. The pretreatment liquid container 72 is disposed in the cutout 713.

[0121] <Regarding the relationship between the range of movement and the position of the second opening>

[0122] Next, the relationship between the moving range of the pretreatment fluid wiper 83 and the position of the second opening 72H of the pretreatment fluid container 72 will be explained. Figures 15A-15C This is a schematic diagram illustrating the range of movement of the pretreatment fluid wiper 83 during the wiping action. Figure 15A The actual wiping range d1 during which the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 performs its wiping action is shown. The actual wiping range d1 corresponds to the width of the nozzle arrangement 51 in the pretreatment head 5, where multiple nozzles that spray pretreatment liquid are arranged. In other words, d1 is the length from the upstream end (front end) to the downstream end (rear end) of the nozzle arrangement 51 in the direction of movement of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83. The nozzle arrangement 51 becomes the portion currently covered with pretreatment liquid. Therefore, the distance traveled within this actual wiping range d1 constitutes the area within which the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 (wiper blade 821) substantially wipes away the pretreatment liquid. During wiping, the wiped pretreatment liquid travels from the wiper blade 821 along the second retainer 823 (see reference 823). Figure 10 The pretreatment solution is added dropwise. The pretreatment solution is received by the pretreatment solution container 72.

[0123] exist Figure 15A The diagram shows an example where a pretreatment liquid container 72 with a front-to-back width of a second opening 72H, having a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 covering the actual wiping area d1 and the area before and after it, is disposed below the pretreatment head 5. If the second opening 72H is disposed within such a range, at least the area where pretreatment liquid is most easily added can be covered, thus significantly reducing the possibility of pretreatment liquid mixing into the ink container 71. It should be noted that alternatively... Figure 15A For example, let's say a second opening 72H has the same or slightly larger size as the actual wiping area d1.

[0124] Figure 15B The diagram shows the container area d2 from the starting position of the actual wiping by the pretreatment fluid wiper 83 to the point where it passes through the wiping area. The starting position of the actual wiping is... Figure 15A Similarly, it is the upstream end of the nozzle arrangement 51. In this embodiment, the wiping area is the area covered by the first opening 71H of the ink container 71, therefore the position passing through the wiping area becomes the rear end edge of the first opening 71H. Figure 15B The image shows an example of a pretreatment liquid container 72A with a second opening 72H covering such a container area d2, disposed below the pretreatment head 5. If the second opening 72H is disposed corresponding to the container area d2, the pretreatment liquid dripped from the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 during the period from the completion of the actual wiping toward the cleaning area can be recovered using the pretreatment liquid container 72A.

[0125] Figure 15C The predetermined movement path MW of the pretreatment fluid wiper 83 during wiping is shown. Figure 13 The overall range d3 of the movement path MW. The rear end of the movement path MW is the standby position and the completed position of the pretreatment fluid wiper 83. The front end of the movement path MW is the position where the pretreatment fluid wiper 83 moves forward the most during a series of wiping actions. That is, during the wiping action, the pretreatment fluid wiper 83 moves forward from the rear end of the movement path MW to the front end, and after the carriage 3 descends and the nozzle arrangement surface NA reaches the predetermined wiping height, it returns from the front end of the movement path MW to the rear end. Here, an example is shown where the front end of the movement path MW is further forward than the pretreatment head 5, but the front edge of the pretreatment head 5 and the upstream end of the nozzle arrangement 51 can also be considered as the front end of the movement path MW.

[0126] exist Figure 15C The diagram shows an example where a pretreatment liquid container 72B with a second opening 72H covering the entire area d3 is positioned below the pretreatment head 5. In this case, the entire movement path MW is configured to avoid a position directly above the first opening 71H. If the second opening 72H is configured corresponding to such an area d3, the pretreatment liquid can be recovered more reliably using the pretreatment liquid container 72B. The pretreatment liquid container 72B has a separator 725 at the boundary between the wiping area and the cleaning area. The rear portion of the pretreatment liquid container 72B enters the cleaning area. By providing the separator 725, the pretreatment liquid recovered in the wiping area can be isolated and recovered via a separate path.

[0127] <Ink removal section>

[0128] The ink wiper 82 among the multiple ink wipers 82 provided in the wiping unit 8 is configured as the ink wiper 82A2 for the downstream side head 4A2 located on the far left. Figure 9 When the wiping unit 8 faces the cleaning area, it passes through the air above the second opening 72H of the pretreatment liquid container 72. During this passage, ink adhering to the ink wiper 82A2 may drip into the pretreatment liquid container 72, causing aggregation, etc. An example of dealing with this adverse situation is shown below. Figure 16A and Figure 16B middle.

[0129] Figure 16A This is a schematic side view showing the periphery of the ink wiper 82A2. The wiper blade 821 of the ink wiper 82A2, held by the first holder 822 and the second holder 823, is supported by the protrusion 813 of the wiper support plate 81. When the ink wiper 82A2 wipes the downstream side head 4A2 of the first ink head 4A, the wiped ink, etc., sometimes remains as residue T as adhering material if it does not completely fall from the lower end of the ink wiper 82A2. To reduce this residue T near the second opening 72H of the pretreatment liquid container 72, a sponge 77 (removal section) is preferably provided.

[0130] Figure 16B This is a perspective view of the main part of the container unit 70 showing the configuration of the sponge 77. In this embodiment, the second opening 72H is disposed downstream of the first opening 71H in the direction of movement of the ink wiper 82A2 toward the cleaning area. The sponge 77 is located at a height that contacts the lower end face of the ink wiper 82A2 and is disposed upstream of the second opening 72H. A support plate 78 is provided near the upper end of the left conical surface 712 of the ink container 71 and protrudes upstream of the second opening 72H. The lower end of the sponge 77 is fixed to the upper surface of the support plate 78. The ink-containing deposits T are removed by the sponge 77 before the ink wiper 82A2 reaches the second opening 72H. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the mixing of ink into the forward processing liquid container 72.

[0131] [Regarding the tilt setting of the wiper]

[0132] Next, a preferred configuration example of the ink wiper 82 and the pretreatment solution wiper 83 is shown. Figure 17 This is a top view showing the tilt configuration of the ink wiper 82 and the pretreatment liquid wiper 83. (As shown) Figure 10 As shown, the ink wiper 82 has a wiper blade 821A (ink wiper blade) extending in a direction that intersects the wiping movement direction (front-back direction) in the left-right direction. Similarly, the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 also has a wiper blade 821B (treatment liquid wiper blade) extending in the left-right direction.

[0133] The wiper blade 821A of the ink wiper 82 is tilted so that its left end protrudes more than its right end in the direction of movement during wiping. Focus is placed on the ink wiper 82A1 wiping the ink head 4A1 upstream of the first ink head 4A located on the right side of the pretreatment head 5. Also as... Figure 18C As shown, the wiper blade 821A of the ink wiper 82A1 is inclined such that the left end 82L (first end) on the side where the processing liquid container 72 is located protrudes more in the direction of movement than the right end 82R (second end) on the opposite side. The post-processing liquid wipers 84A and 84B of the post-processing heads 6A and 6B are also inclined such that the left end protrudes more in the direction of movement than the right end.

[0134] In contrast, the wiper blade 821B of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is inclined in such a way that its right end protrudes more than its left end in the direction of movement of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83. See also Figure 18B The wiping blade 821B of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is tilted in such a way that the right end 83R (third end) on the right side of the ink container 71, where the first opening 71H exists, protrudes more in the direction of movement than the left end 83L (fourth end) on the opposite side.

[0135] Figure 18A This diagram illustrates the wiping action of a wiper blade 8210 without tilt on the head 40. Liquid L adheres to the head 40. The wiper blade 8210 is arranged to extend in a direction orthogonal to the wiping direction. When wiping with such a wiper blade 8210, the liquid L wiped from the head 40 is dripped from the left and right sides of the head 40, as indicated by the arrows in the diagram. For example, when this wiper blade 8210 is applied to the pretreatment liquid wiper 83, the pretreatment liquid dripped from the right side of the pretreatment head 5 may mix into the ink container 71. Furthermore, when this wiper blade 8210 is applied to the upstream side head 4A11 of the first ink head 4A, the ink dripped from the left side of the upstream side head 4A11 may mix into the pretreatment liquid container 72.

[0136] Figure 18B This diagram illustrates the wiping action of a pretreatment liquid wiper 83 with an inclined wiper blade 821B on the pretreatment head 5. The wiper blade 821B has an inclined angle with its right end 83R protruding in the wiping direction. Therefore, the pretreatment liquid L1 wiped from the pretreatment head 5 by the wiper blade 821B is specifically dripped from the left side of the pretreatment head 5. This reduces the likelihood of the pretreatment liquid L1 dripping into the first opening 71H of the ink container 71, which is adjacent to the right side of the second opening 72H of the pretreatment liquid container 72.

[0137] Figure 18CThis diagram illustrates the wiping action of an ink wiper 82 with an angled wiper blade 821A on the ink head 4 (upstream head 4A1). The wiper blade 821A has an angle where its left end 82L protrudes in the wiping direction. Therefore, the ink L2 wiped from the upstream head 4A1 by the wiper blade 821A is specifically dripped from the right side of the upstream head 4A1. This reduces the likelihood of ink L2 dripping into the second opening 72H during wiping.

[0138] according to Figure 17 , Figure 18B ,and Figure 18C In the illustrated embodiment, the tilting configuration of the wiper blades 821A and 821B allows for control over the destination of the pretreatment liquid L1 and ink L2 being wiped. Therefore, the possibility of the pretreatment liquid L1 and ink L2 mixing in the ink container 71 or the pretreatment liquid container 72 can be reduced. It should be noted that, when suppressing the mixing of pretreatment liquid L1 and ink L2 through the tilting configuration of the wiper blades 821A and 821B, a portion or all of the movement range of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 during wiping can be positioned directly above the first opening 71H.

[0139] Figure 19 This is a top view illustrating another example of the tilt configuration of the wiper. Figure 19 In the assembly, the ink head 4 comprises six ink heads 4F11, 4F12, 4F13, 4F14, 4F15, and 4F16 disposed on the front side and six ink heads 4R11, 4R12, 4R13, 4R14, 4R15, and 4R16 disposed on the rear side. Additionally, a pre-treatment head 5 is disposed upstream of the ink head 4 assembly, and two post-treatment heads 6A and 6B are disposed downstream. Furthermore, the container unit 70G is exemplified by having mutually separated ink container 71A, pre-treatment liquid container 72A, and post-treatment liquid container 72B. Each separation includes a waste liquid discharge port 74A.

[0140] Each of the front ink heads 4F11 to 4F16 is equipped with an ink wiper 82F1, 82F2, 82F3, 82F4, 82F5, and 82F6, respectively. Similarly, each of the rear ink heads 4R11 to 4R16 is equipped with an ink wiper 82R1, 82R2, 82R3, 82R4, 82R5, and 82R6, respectively. A pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is provided relative to the pretreatment head 5, and posttreatment liquid wipers 84A and 84B are provided relative to the posttreatment heads 6A and 6B.

[0141] Figure 19The first feature of the illustrated embodiment is that, at the boundaries between the ink container 71 and the pretreatment liquid container 72A, and between the ink container 71A and the posttreatment liquid container 72B, the liquid wiped off by each wiper is inclined in an direction that moves away from each other. Specifically, in the direction of movement (rearward direction) during wiping, at the boundary between the ink container 71 and the pretreatment liquid container 72A, the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is inclined with its right end side protruding more than its left end side. Conversely, the ink wipers 82F1 and 82R1 of the ink heads 4F11 and 4R11 are inclined with their left ends protruding more than their right ends. This arrangement is consistent with... Figure 17 Similar to the example, the pretreatment solution and ink can be easily separated and recycled. That is, the pretreatment solution can be released to the left so that it can be reliably recycled using the pretreatment solution container 72A, and the ink can be released to the right so that it is difficult to mix into the pretreatment solution container 72A.

[0142] At the boundary between the ink container 71A and the post-processing liquid container 72B, the post-processing liquid wiper 84A is inclined such that its left end protrudes more in the direction of movement than its right end. Conversely, the ink wipers 82F6 and 82R6 of the ink wiping heads 4F16 and 4R16 are also inclined such that their right ends protrude more in the direction of movement than their left ends. This configuration facilitates the separation and recovery of the post-processing liquid and the ink. Specifically, the post-processing liquid can be directed to the right for reliable recovery in the post-processing liquid container 72B, while the ink is released to the left to prevent contamination within the post-processing liquid container 72B. This configuration is effective in situations where the post-processing liquid reacts with the ink and aggregates.

[0143] Figure 19 A second feature of the illustrated embodiment is that, in the ink wipers 82F1-F6 and 82R1-R6, the pairing of adjacent wipers includes pairs where the wiped-off liquid is inclined in a direction away from each other, and pairs where the wiped-off liquid is inclined in a direction closer to each other. For example, in the front row of wipers, if we are interested in the pairing of ink wipers 82F2 and 82F3 and the pairing of ink wipers 82F4 and 82F5, the wiped-off liquid is inclined in a direction away from each other. In the rear row of wipers, the pairing of ink wipers 82R2 and 82R3 and the pairing of ink wipers 82R4 and 82R5 are pairs where the wiped-off liquid is inclined in a direction away from each other. By adopting such a configuration, in the case of inks that do not want to mix with each other, such as inks that aggregate when mixed, the two inks can be separated and recovered. For example, at a position corresponding to the pairing of ink wipers 82F2 and 82F3, by configuring a separator plate or the like in the ink container 71A, the ink that has been wiped off can be separated from and recovered from the ink heads 4F12 and 4F13 respectively.

[0144] On the other hand, in the front row of wipers, if we focus on the pairing of ink wipers 82F1 and 82F2, ink wipers 82F3 and 82F4, and ink wipers 82F5 and 82F6, the wiped-off liquid is inclined in a direction that brings them closer together. In the rear row of wipers, the pairing of ink wipers 82R1 and 82R2, ink wipers 82R3 and 82R4, and ink wipers 82R5 and 82R6 are pairs where the wiped-off liquid is inclined in a direction that keeps them further apart. With this configuration, ink that is unaffected by color mixing can be recovered in a shared container. Ink that is unaffected by color mixing includes, for example, cyan and light cyan, blue and cyan, green and cyan, magenta and light magenta, etc. In this way, ink recovery can be performed efficiently by using the following configuration separately: for ink wipers that wipe ink heads that spray inks that allow color mixing, the wiped liquid is tilted in a direction that brings them closer together; for ink wipers that wipe inks that do not allow color mixing, the wiped liquid is tilted in a direction that moves them further apart.

[0145] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0146] 1. Inkjet printer (inkjet recording device)

[0147] 4 ink heads

[0148] 5. Pretreatment head (treatment fluid head)

[0149] 6 post-processing heads

[0150] 7 maintenance units

[0151] 70 container units

[0152] 71 Ink Container

[0153] 71H First Opening

[0154] 72 Pretreatment liquid container (treatment liquid container)

[0155] 72H Second Opening

[0156] 77 Sponge (Removal Section)

[0157] 8 wiping units

[0158] 81 Wiper Support Plate (Support Plate)

[0159] 812 concave area

[0160] 813 convex part

[0161] 82 Ink Wipe

[0162] 821A wiper blade (ink wiper blade)

[0163] 821B wiper blade (treatment fluid wiper blade)

[0164] Left and right ends (first and second ends) of 82L and 82R

[0165] 83 Pretreatment Fluid Wiper (Treatment Fluid Wiper)

[0166] The right and left ends (third and fourth ends) of 83R and 83L

[0167] 9 Cleaning Units (Cleaning Areas)

[0168] MW movement path.

Claims

1. An inkjet recording device, wherein, The inkjet recording device includes: The treatment fluid head sprays out the treatment fluid; Inkjet head, which ejects ink; A treatment fluid wiper that wipes the treatment fluid head; An ink wiper that wipes the ink head; as well as An ink container having a first opening for receiving the ink. The movement range of the treatment liquid wiper during wiping is set to avoid being directly above the first opening. The inkjet recording device also includes a processing liquid container, which has a second opening for receiving the processing liquid. The processing liquid container is positioned to cover a portion of the area above the first opening. The range of motion of the treatment fluid wiper during wiping is set directly above the second opening.

2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, When the first opening and the second opening are arranged in series along the direction of movement during wiping by the treatment liquid wiper, The direction of movement of the treatment liquid wiper during wiping is set to be away from the first opening.

3. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, The inkjet recording device also includes: A cleaning area for cleaning the ink wiper; and The removal section removes ink adhering to the ink wiper or its support member. In the direction of movement of the ink wiper toward the cleaning area, the second opening is located downstream of the first opening. The removal section is positioned upstream of the second opening.

4. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The ink wiper is composed of an ink scraper that extends in a direction intersecting the direction of movement during wiping. The ink scraper is tilted such that a first end on the side where the processing liquid container is located protrudes further in the direction of movement during wiping than a second end on the opposite side.

5. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The inkjet recording device also includes a cleaning area for cleaning the processing fluid wiper. The direction of movement of the treatment fluid wiper during wiping is set to the direction of the cleaning area.

6. An inkjet recording device, wherein, The inkjet recording device includes: The treatment fluid head sprays out the treatment fluid; Inkjet head, which ejects ink; A treatment fluid wiper that wipes the treatment fluid head; An ink wiper that wipes the ink head; as well as An ink container having a first opening for receiving the ink. The movement range of the treatment liquid wiper during wiping is set to avoid being directly above the first opening. The inkjet recording device also includes a cleaning area for cleaning the processing fluid wiper and the ink wiper. In the direction of movement from the wiping area to the cleaning area, the processing liquid wiper is positioned closer to the cleaning area than the ink wiper.

7. An inkjet recording device, wherein, The inkjet recording device includes: The treatment fluid head sprays out the treatment fluid; Inkjet head, which ejects ink; A treatment fluid wiper that wipes the treatment fluid head; An ink wiper that wipes the ink head; as well as An ink container having a first opening for receiving the ink. The movement range of the treatment liquid wiper during wiping is set to avoid being directly above the first opening. The inkjet recording device also includes a support plate that supports the processing liquid wiper and the ink wiper. In the top view of the support plate, the support area of ​​the support plate that supports the treatment liquid wiper protrudes further in the direction of movement during wiping than other areas of the support plate.

8. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, The inkjet recording device also includes a cleaning area for cleaning the processing fluid wiper. The direction of movement of the treatment fluid wiper during wiping is set to the direction of the cleaning area.

9. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, The inkjet recording device also includes a support plate that supports the processing liquid wiper and the ink wiper. In its top view, the support plate has multiple protrusions that correspond to the processing liquid wiper and the ink wiper, respectively. The processing liquid wiper and the ink wiper are respectively disposed on the corresponding protrusions.

10. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, The inkjet recording device also includes a support plate that supports the processing liquid wiper and the ink wiper. In its top view, the support plate has a plurality of protrusions extending in the direction of movement during wiping and recesses between these protrusions. The processing liquid wiper and the ink wiper are respectively disposed on the end edge of the convex plate or the end edge of the concave plate.

11. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, The treatment fluid wiper is composed of a treatment fluid scraper extending in a direction intersecting the direction of movement during wiping. The processing fluid scraper is tilted such that the third end on the side where the ink container is located protrudes further in the direction of movement during wiping than the fourth end on the opposite side.

12. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, The treatment fluid wiper moves along a predetermined path during the wiping process. The entire movement path is positioned to avoid being directly above the first opening.

13. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, The inkjet recording device also includes a printing area in which the inkjet head ejects ink to form an image. In the direction of movement from the printing area to the area where the wiping is performed, the processing liquid wiper is positioned closer to the printing area than the ink wiper.

14. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, The processing liquid wiper and the ink wiper may be made of different shapes or materials.

15. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, In the direction of movement during wiping, the processing liquid head and the ink head are positioned to overlap each other entirely.

Images