Dryer apparatus, dry control method, and dry control program

Abstract

To provide a dryer apparatus, a dry control method, and a dry control program which contributes adjustment of a heating state of a medium.SOLUTION: A dryer apparatus according to the present invention has an inner space for housing a platen on which a medium coated with ink or process liquid is mounted, a housing connected to the inner space and provided with an opening which is large enough for the platen to be inserted, a heater for heating air, a fan for transferring heated air as air heated by the heater to the inner space, and a control unit. The control unit controls at least one of the heater and the fan in a housed state in which the platen is housed in the inner space, to switch a ventilation state of the heated air transferred by the fan from a first ventilation state to a second ventilation state different from the first ventilation state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drying device, a drying control method, and a drying control program. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to improve the fixation of the ink applied to the medium by the printer, a drying device that dries the medium on which ink or a treatment liquid has been applied is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a heating device that is placed on a tray and heats the medium on which ink has been applied in a non-contact manner. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-34984 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the heating device, for example, it is conceivable that the medium is dried by sending heated air to an internal space for accommodating a tray on which the medium is placed using a fan. In this case, the heating device is provided with an opening large enough to accommodate not only the medium but also the tray from the outside of the heating device to the internal space. Therefore, the heated air is likely to escape from the internal space to the outside of the heating device through an opening of that size. Therefore, it is difficult to adjust the temperature of the air in the internal space, the air volume of the fan, and other airflow conditions in the heating device, and it is difficult to adjust the heating condition of the medium.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a drying device, a drying control method, and a drying control program that contribute to adjusting the heating state of a medium. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A drying device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises an internal space that accommodates a platen on which a medium having ink or a treatment liquid is placed, a housing connected to the internal space and provided with an opening large enough for the platen to pass through, a heater that heats air, a fan that sends heated air, which is the air heated by the heater, into the internal space, and a control unit, wherein the control unit controls at least one of the heater and the fan when the platen is accommodated in the internal space, and switches the blowing state of the heated air blown by the fan from a first blowing state to a second blowing state different from the first blowing state.

[0007] According to the first aspect, the control unit switches the blowing state of the heated air from the first blowing state to the second blowing state, so that the blowing state of the heated air is adjusted in the storage state. Thus, the drying device contributes to adjusting the heating state of the medium.

[0008] In the drying device, the control unit may control the fan to switch the air volume of the fan from a first air volume to a second air volume different from the first air volume, thereby switching the air blowing state from the first air blowing state to the second air blowing state. The drying device contributes to adjusting the heating state of the medium in accordance with, for example, a progress of evaporation of ink or water in the treatment liquid on the medium.

[0009] In the drying device, the control unit may switch the air volume from the first air volume to the second air volume, which is greater than the first air volume. For example, when the amount of moisture in the ink or treatment liquid on the medium is large, the ink or treatment liquid on the medium has a higher fluidity than when the amount of moisture in the ink or treatment liquid on the medium is small. In the drying device, when the ink or treatment liquid on the medium has a high fluidity, the heated air of the second air volume, i.e., a relatively strong wind, is prevented from hitting the ink or treatment liquid on the medium. Thus, the drying device contributes to preventing the ink or treatment liquid on the medium from being blown away by the wind.

[0010] In the drying device, the control unit may control the heater to switch the heating temperature by the heater from a first temperature to a second temperature different from the first temperature, thereby switching the air blowing state from the first air blowing state to the second air blowing state. The drying device contributes to adjusting the heating state of the medium in accordance with, for example, a progress of evaporation of ink on the medium or moisture in the treatment liquid.

[0011] In the drying device, the control unit may switch the heating temperature from the first temperature to the second temperature lower than the first temperature. For example, if the air is heated at the second temperature, i.e., a relatively low temperature, from the beginning, the drying time may be long. The control unit heats the air at the first temperature, i.e., a relatively high temperature, before heating it at the second temperature. Thus, the drying device contributes to suppressing the drying time from being long.

[0012] In the drying device, the control unit may acquire the amount of the ink or the treatment liquid applied to the medium, and switch the air blowing state from the first air blowing state to the second air blowing state based on the acquired amount of application. For example, if the amount of ink or treatment liquid applied to the medium is large, the rate of evaporation of the water in the ink or treatment liquid on the medium slows. Therefore, the drying device contributes to adjusting the heating state of the medium according to the rate of evaporation of the water in the ink or treatment liquid on the medium, for example.

[0013] In the drying device, the control unit may control the fan when a first switching timing is reached, and switch the airflow rate of the fan from a first airflow rate to a second airflow rate different from the first airflow rate, thereby switching the airflow state from the first airflow state to the second airflow state, and when a second switching timing is reached that is later than the first switching timing, control the heater, and switch the heating temperature of the heater from a first temperature to a second temperature different from the first temperature, thereby switching the airflow state from the second airflow state to a third airflow state different from the second airflow state. The control unit switches the airflow rate from the first airflow rate to the second airflow rate earlier than when the second switching timing is reached before the first switching timing. Thus, the drying device contributes to adjusting the airflow rate before evaporation of ink on a medium or moisture in a treatment liquid progresses relatively.

[0014] The drying device may include a pipe connecting the fan to an outlet that opens toward the internal space and blows the heated air sent by the fan into the internal space, and a louver that is swingably provided at the outlet, and the control unit may swing the louver in the stored state. Since the blowing direction of the heated air from the outlet changes depending on the louver, the temperature distribution of the air in the internal space tends to become uniform. Thus, the drying device contributes to suppressing unevenness in the progress of evaporation of the ink on the medium or the moisture in the treatment liquid.

[0015] In the drying device, the pipe may be connected to each of the plurality of air outlets arranged in a specific direction, the louvers may be provided at each of the plurality of air outlets, and the control unit may swing the plurality of louvers in the specific direction. In the specific direction, the temperature distribution of the air in the internal space tends to be uniform. Thus, the drying device contributes to suppressing unevenness in the progress of evaporation of the ink on the medium or the moisture in the treatment liquid in the specific direction.

[0016] In the drying device, in the stored state, the control unit may control a transport unit that transports the platen in the internal space to transport the platen back and forth within the internal space. Even if there is unevenness in the temperature distribution of the air in the internal space or unevenness in the wind strength at each position in the internal space, the platen is transported back and forth, so unevenness in the heating state of the medium is unlikely to occur. Thus, the drying device contributes to suppressing unevenness in the progress of evaporation of the ink or moisture in the treatment liquid on the medium.

[0017] The drying device may include a pipe connecting the fan and each of a plurality of blowing ports that open toward the internal space and blow out the heated air sent by the fan into the internal space, the plurality of blowing ports being aligned in a transport direction by a transport unit that transports the platen in the internal space, and the control unit may control the transport unit in the stored state to transport the platen in the transport direction a distance greater than the interval between a pair of adjacent blowing ports among the plurality of blowing ports. For example, the strength of the wind is different between a position between a pair of adjacent blowing ports in the transport direction and the position of the blowing port. By transporting the platen in the transport direction a distance greater than the interval between a pair of adjacent blowing ports, a predetermined position of the medium on the platen is likely to pass both the position between the pair of blowing ports and the position of the blowing port in the transport direction. Thus, the drying device contributes to suppressing unevenness in the progress of evaporation of the ink or moisture in the processing liquid on the medium in the transport direction.

[0018] In the drying device, a branch path branching off from a main path along which the platen is transported may extend to the internal space, the platen on which the medium is placed before or after the ink is ejected by an inkjet printer may be transported from the main path via the branch path in the housing, and the control unit may control the transport unit in the housed state to transport the platen back and forth on the branch path. Even if the platen is transported back and forth in the transport direction on the branch path, the platen on the branch path is unlikely to interfere with the transport of other platens on the main path. Thus, the drying device contributes to preventing unevenness in the progress of evaporation of the ink or water in the treatment liquid on the medium in the transport direction while suppressing interference with the transport of other platens on the main path.

[0019] A drying control method according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a switching process for controlling at least one of a heater that heats air and a fan that sends heated air, which is the air heated by the heater, into the internal space in an accommodation state in which the platen is accommodated in an internal space that is connected to an opening large enough for the platen to pass through, and switching the blowing state of the heated air blown by the fan from a first blowing state to a second blowing state different from the first blowing state. The second aspect contributes to adjusting the heating state of the medium in the same way as the first aspect.

[0020] A drying control program according to a third aspect of the present invention causes a computer to execute a switching process for controlling at least one of a heater that heats air and a fan that sends heated air, which is the air heated by the heater, into the internal space in an accommodation state in which the platen is accommodated in the internal space that is connected to an opening large enough for the platen to pass through, and for switching the blowing state of the heated air blown by the fan from a first blowing state to a second blowing state different from the first blowing state. The third aspect contributes to adjustment of the heating state of the medium, similarly to the first aspect. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a printing system 1. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the inside of a first drying device 4A as viewed from the front. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a first drying device 4A. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart of a first drying control process. [Figure 6] 6 is a flowchart illustrating the first drying control process, which is a continuation of FIG. 5 . [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a first setting table 145. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the relationship between the elapsed time and the target air volume and the target temperature in the case of full area coating. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a second setting table 146. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the relationship between the elapsed time and the target air volume and the target temperature in the case of partial coating. [Figure 11] 13 is a diagram of an outlet chamber 438 in which a louver 47 is provided. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] A printing system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The printing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a system that conveys a plurality of platens 10 and sequentially performs pre-processing, printing processing, and post-processing on a medium M placed on each of the plurality of platens 10 in the order of pre-processing, printing processing, and post-processing. In the pre-processing of this embodiment, a coating process, a first drying process, and a heat press process are performed in the order of coating process, first drying process, and heat press process. In the post-processing of this embodiment, a second drying process is performed. Details of each process will be described later.

[0023] The configuration of the printing system 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. In Figure 1, the upper, lower, left, right, back of the page, and front of the page refer to the rear, front, left, right, lower, and upper, respectively, of the printing system 1. As shown in Figure 1, the printing system 1 includes multiple printers 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D, a coating device 3A, multiple first drying devices 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D, multiple heat press devices 5A and 5B, multiple second drying devices 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, and 6F, a conveying device 7, and a platen 10.

[0024] Each of the multiple printers 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D is a device that performs a printing process. The printing process is a process of applying liquid ink to a medium M and printing an image. In this embodiment, the printers 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D are each an inkjet printer, and perform printing on the medium M, such as cloth or paper.

[0025] Printer 2A is positioned to the right of the main path 71, which will be described later. For example, the surface where the entrance for the platen 10 to each of printers 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D is provided is defined as the front. In this case, the left side of printer 2A is the front of printer 2A. Printer 2B is lined up to the left of printer 2A. The front of printer 2B faces the front of printer 2A across the main path 71. Printer 2C is lined up behind printer 2A. The front of printer 2C faces the same direction as the front of printer 2A. Printer 2D is lined up to the left of printer 2C. The front of printer 2D faces the front of printer 2C across the main path 71.

[0026] Printers 2B, 2C, and 2D have the same structure as printer 2A. Therefore, the following describes the structure of printer 2A, and omits descriptions of the structures of printers 2B, 2C, and 2D. Printer 2A includes an inkjet head 21, a main scanning transport mechanism 22, and a sub-scanning transport mechanism 23. Inkjet head 21 includes nozzles (not shown). Inkjet head 21 ejects ink from the nozzles when driven by a head drive element (not shown). The ink colors are, for example, white (W), black (K), yellow (Y), cyan (C), and magenta (M).

[0027] The main scanning transport mechanism 22 transports the inkjet head 21 in the main scanning direction by driving a main scanning motor (not shown). In the printer 2A, the main scanning direction is the front-to-back direction. The sub-scanning transport mechanism 23 transports the platen 10 in the sub-scanning direction by driving a sub-scanning motor (not shown). In the printer 2A, the sub-scanning direction is the left-to-right direction.

[0028] The printer 2A controls the main scanning transport mechanism 22 and the sub-scanning transport mechanism 23 to move the medium M relative to the inkjet head 21 in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. While moving the medium M relative to the inkjet head 21, the printer 2A controls the inkjet head 21 to eject ink from the nozzles. This performs a printing process in which ink is applied to the medium M, and an image is printed on the medium M.

[0029] The coating device 3A is a device that performs a coating process. The coating process is performed before the printing process. The coating process is a process in which a treatment liquid is applied to the medium M. The treatment liquid is a base coat agent, and is, for example, an aqueous solution containing a cationic polymer or a polyvalent metal salt. The polyvalent metal salt is, for example, calcium chloride or calcium nitrite. The treatment liquid improves the fixation of the ink to the medium M and the color development of the ink.

[0030] The coating device 3A is disposed in front of the printer 2A and to the right of the main path 71. For example, the surface where the entrance of the platen 10 into the coating device 3A is provided is defined as the front surface. In this case, the left surface of the coating device 3A is the front surface of the coating device 3A. The coating device 3A includes a coating unit 31 and a transport path 32. In this embodiment, the coating unit 31 is a spray, which sprays the treatment liquid. The coating unit 31 may be a discharge head, a coating spatula, or the like.

[0031] The transport path 32 branches off to the right from a main path 71, which will be described later, and extends to the coating device 3A. The transport path 32 transports the platen 10 in the left-right direction by driving a transport motor (not shown) of the transport path 32. The transport path 32 has a structure similar to that of a transport path 49, which will be described later. Therefore, a description of the structure of the transport path 32 will be omitted. In the coating device 3A, the coating unit 31 sprays treatment liquid onto the medium M on the platen 10, with the platen 10 being positioned directly below the coating unit 31 by the transport path 32. This performs a coating process in which the treatment liquid is applied to the medium M.

[0032] Each of the multiple first drying devices 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D is a device that performs a first drying process. The first drying process is performed after the coating process and before the printing process. The first drying process is a process in which the medium M is dried in a high-temperature atmosphere to evaporate the water in the treatment liquid that has been applied to the medium M by the coating process. This improves the fixation of the solute in the treatment liquid to the medium M.

[0033] The first drying devices 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D are disposed between the printers 2A and 2B and the coating device 3A in the front-rear direction. The relative positions of the first drying devices 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D are the same as the relative positions of the printers 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D.

[0034] The first drying devices 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D have the same structure. Therefore, the structure of the first drying device 4A will be described as an example, and descriptions of the structures of the first drying devices 4B, 4C, and 4D will be omitted. The first drying device 4A has a conveying path 49. The conveying path 49 branches off to the right from a main path 71 described below and extends to the first drying device 4A. The conveying path 49 conveys the platen 10 in the left-right direction by being driven by a conveying motor 494 shown in FIG. 4. Therefore, the conveying direction in the conveying path 49 is the left-right direction.

[0035] In this embodiment, the conveying path 49 is composed of a pair of belt conveyors 491, 492. The belt conveyor 491 is disposed at the front end of the conveying path 49. The belt conveyor 492 is disposed at the rear end of the conveying path 49. The pair of belt conveyors 491, 492 extend in the left-right direction parallel to each other. The rotation axes of the pair of belt conveyors 491, 492 each extend in the front-rear direction. The detailed structure of the first drying device 4A will be described later.

[0036] Each of the multiple heat press devices 5A, 5B is a device that performs a heat press process. The heat press process is performed after the first drying process and before the printing process. The heat press process is a process in which the medium M is pressurized at high temperature to evaporate the moisture in the processing liquid remaining on the medium M in the first drying process. This improves the fixation of the solute in the processing liquid to the medium M. Furthermore, the heat press process is a process in which the fuzz on the printing surface of the medium M is flattened to make the printing surface of the medium M flat and even. This improves the quality of printing on the medium M by the printers 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2C.

[0037] The heat press devices 5A and 5B are disposed between the printers 2A and 2B and the first drying devices 4C and 4D in the front-rear direction. The relative positioning of the heat press devices 5A and 5B is the same as the relative positioning of the printers 2A and 2B.

[0038] The heat press device 5B has a similar structure to the heat press device 5A. Therefore, the structure of the heat press device 5A will be described below, and a description of the structure of the heat press device 5B will be omitted. The heat press device 5A includes a press section 51, a heating section 52, and a conveying path 53. The press section 51 moves in the vertical direction by being driven by a press motor (not shown). The press section 51 moves downward to press the medium M against a mounting plate 13 (see FIG. 2), which will be described later. The heating section 52 heats the press section 51.

[0039] The transport path 53 branches off to the right from a main path 71 described below and extends to the heat press device 5A. The transport path 53 transports the platen 10 in the left-right direction by driving a transport motor (not shown) of the transport path 53. The transport path 32 has a structure similar to that of the transport path 49. Therefore, a description of the structure of the transport path 32 will be omitted. In the heat press device 5A, the press part 51 heated by the heating part 52 presses the medium M while the platen 10 is positioned directly below the press part 51 by the transport path 53. This performs a heat press process in which the medium M is pressurized at a high temperature.

[0040] Each of the multiple second drying devices 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, and 6F is a device that performs a second drying process. The second drying process is performed after the printing process. The second drying process is a process in which the medium M is dried in a high-temperature atmosphere to evaporate the moisture in the ink applied to the medium M by the printing process. This improves the fixation of the pigment or dye in the ink to the medium M.

[0041] The second drying devices 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, and 6F are disposed behind the printers 2C and 2D. The relative positions of the second drying devices 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D are the same as those of the printers 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D. Furthermore, the second drying devices 6E and 6F are arranged in the left-right direction with the main path 71 between them, and are disposed behind the second drying devices 6C and 6D. The second drying devices 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D each have the same structure as the first drying device 4A. Therefore, the structure of the second drying devices 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, and 6F will not be described.

[0042] The conveying device 7 conveys the platen 10 so that the coating process, the first drying process, the heat press process, the printing process, and the second drying process are performed in sequence. The conveying device 7 includes a main path 71 and delivery mechanisms 81-89. The main path 71 has a two-story structure and includes an outgoing path 72, a returning path (not shown), and elevator mechanisms 74, 75. The outgoing path 72 extends in the front-rear direction on the second floor from forward of the coating device 3A to rear of the second drying devices 6E, 6F. The returning path extends in the front-rear direction on the first floor from forward of the coating device 3A to rear of the second drying devices 6E, 6F. That is, the returning path is disposed directly below the outgoing path 72 and extends parallel to the outgoing path 72.

[0043] The outgoing path 72 transports the platen 10 from the front to the rear by driving a transport motor (not shown) of the outgoing path 72. In this embodiment, the outgoing path 72 is composed of a pair of belt conveyors 721, 722. The belt conveyor 721 is disposed at the left end of the outgoing path 72. The belt conveyor 722 is disposed at the right end of the outgoing path 72. The pair of belt conveyors 721, 722 extend in the front-rear direction parallel to each other. The rotation axes of the pair of belt conveyors 721, 722 extend in the left-right direction. The return path has a similar structure to the outgoing path 72, and transports the platen 10 from the rear to the front by driving a transport motor (not shown) of the return path.

[0044] The elevator mechanism 74 is disposed at the front end of the main path 71. The elevator mechanism 75 is disposed at the rear end of the main path 71. Therefore, the outbound path 72 and the return path are located between the elevator mechanisms 74 and 75 in the front-to-rear direction. The elevator mechanisms 74 and 75 are raised and lowered to a position at the same height as the outbound path 72 (second floor) and a position at the same height as the return path (first floor) by driving their respective lifting motors (not shown). Furthermore, the elevator mechanisms 74 and 75 transport the platen 10 in the front-to-rear direction by driving their respective transport motors (not shown).

[0045] In this embodiment, the elevator mechanism 74 is composed of a pair of belt conveyors 741, 742. The belt conveyor 741 is disposed at the left end of the elevator mechanism 74. The belt conveyor 742 is disposed at the right end of the elevator mechanism 74. The pair of belt conveyors 741, 742 extend parallel to each other in the front-rear direction. The rotation axes of the pair of belt conveyors 741, 742 each extend in the left-right direction. The elevator mechanism 75 has a similar structure to the elevator mechanism 74. Therefore, a description of the structure of the elevator mechanism 75 will be omitted.

[0046] The delivery mechanisms 81 to 89 are disposed between the pair of belt conveyors 721 and 722 in the left-right direction. The delivery mechanisms 81 to 89 are arranged on the outgoing path 72 from the front to the rear in the order of delivery mechanisms 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, and 89. The delivery mechanisms 81 to 89 transport the platen 10 in the left-right direction, and deliver the platen 10 between the outgoing path 72 and the transport mechanism of the adjacent device. For example, the delivery mechanism 81 delivers the platen 10 between the outgoing path 72 and the transport path 32 of the coating device 3A. The delivery mechanism 82 delivers the platen 10 between the outgoing path 72 and the transport path 49 of the first drying device 4A. Furthermore, the delivery mechanism 82 delivers the platen 10 between the outgoing path 72 and the transport path (not shown) of the first drying device 4B.

[0047] The delivery mechanism 84 delivers the platen 10 between the outgoing path 72 and the transport path 53 of the heat press device 5A. Furthermore, the delivery mechanism 84 delivers the platen 10 between the outgoing path 72 and the transport path (not shown) of the heat press device 5B. The delivery mechanism 85 delivers the platen 10 between the outgoing path 72 and the sub-scanning transport mechanism 23 of the printer 2A via a connecting transport path 85A. Furthermore, the delivery mechanism 85 delivers the platen 10 between the outgoing path 72 and the sub-scanning transport mechanism (not shown) of the printer 2B via a connecting transport path 85B. The delivery mechanism 86 delivers the platen 10 between the outgoing path 72 and the sub-scanning transport mechanism (not shown) of the printer 2C via a connecting transport path 86A. Furthermore, the delivery mechanism 85 delivers the platen 10 between the outgoing path 72 and a sub-scanning transport mechanism (not shown) of the printer 2D via a connecting transport path 86B.

[0048] The delivery mechanisms 81, 83 to 89 each have the same structure as the delivery mechanism 82. Therefore, the structure of the delivery mechanism 82 will be described below, and the description of the structures of the delivery mechanisms 81, 83 to 89 will be omitted. In this embodiment, the delivery mechanism 82 is raised and lowered between a position below the outgoing path 72 and a position above the outgoing path 72 by driving an elevation motor (not shown) of the delivery mechanism 82. Furthermore, the delivery mechanism 82 rotates the platen 10 on the delivery mechanism 82 in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction in a plan view by driving a rotation motor (not shown). When the medium M is, for example, a T-shirt, the delivery mechanism 82 switches the orientation of the platen 10 so that the neck of the T-shirt faces the traveling direction of the platen 10.

[0049] In this embodiment, the delivery mechanism 82 is composed of a pair of belt conveyors 821, 822. The belt conveyor 821 is disposed at the front end of the delivery mechanism 82. The belt conveyor 822 is disposed at the rear end of the delivery mechanism 82. The pair of belt conveyors 821, 822 extend in the left-right direction in parallel to each other. The rotation axes of the pair of belt conveyors 821, 822 extend in the front-rear direction.

[0050] 2, the upper, lower, upper left, lower right, lower left, and upper right in FIG. 2 are respectively the upper, lower, left, right, front, and rear of the platen 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the platen 10 includes a tray 11, a support base 12, and a mounting plate 13. The tray 11 has a rectangular shape in a plan view, and receives, for example, a drooping portion of the medium M attached to the mounting plate 13. The support base 12 extends upward from the upper surface of the tray 11.

[0051] The mounting plate 13 is attached to the support base 12 and has a rectangular shape in a plan view. The medium M is placed on the mounting plate 13. In this embodiment, the medium M placed on the mounting plate 13 is also expressed as "the medium M on the platen 10." The size of the mounting plate 13 is not limited to a particular size, but is, for example, about 40 cm in the left-right direction and about 40 cm in the front-back direction. The height of the entire platen 10 in the up-down direction is not limited to a particular size, but is, for example, about 30 cm.

[0052] A printing area R1 and a non-printing area R2 are defined. The printing area R1 is an area of ​​the medium M that is surrounded by the outline of the image to be printed by the printing process in a planar view. If the outline of the image is, for example, rectangular, the printing area R1 has a rectangular shape. The non-printing area R2 is an area of ​​the medium M outside the printing area R1 in a planar view.

[0053] 1, the flow of operations performed by the printing system 1 will be described. For the sake of convenience, it is assumed below that when the printing system 1 starts its operations, the delivery mechanisms 81-89 are each located below the outgoing path 72, and the elevator mechanisms 74 and 75 are each located at the same height as the outgoing path 72.

[0054] With the platen 10 placed on the elevator mechanism 74, the rear of the platen 10 shown in FIG. 2 faces the rear of the printing system 1 shown in FIG. 1. With the platen 10 placed on the elevator mechanism 74, the user attaches the medium M to the platen 10. If the medium M is, for example, a T-shirt, the medium M is attached to the platen 10 so that the neck of the T-shirt faces the rear of the platen 10. The elevator mechanism 74 transports the platen 10 rearward and hands it over to the outbound path 72.

[0055] The outgoing path 72 transports the platen 10 backward to the delivery mechanism 81. The delivery mechanism 81 rises to a position higher than the outgoing path 72. As a result, the platen 10 is delivered from the outgoing path 72 to the delivery mechanism 81. The delivery mechanism 81 rotates the platen 10 by 90° clockwise in a plan view, and transports the platen 10 to the right. As a result, the platen 10 is delivered from the delivery mechanism 81 to the transport path 32. The coating device 3A performs a coating process.

[0056] When the coating process by coating device 3A is completed, the transport path 32 transports the platen 10 to the left and delivers it to the delivery mechanism 81. The delivery mechanism 81 rotates the platen 10 by 90° counterclockwise in a plan view and lowers it to a position below the outgoing path 72. As a result, the platen 10 is delivered from the delivery mechanism 81 to the outgoing path 72.

[0057] The manner in which the platen 10 is delivered by each of the delivery mechanisms 82 to 89 is the same as the manner in which the platen 10 is delivered by the delivery mechanism 81. For this reason, in the following, a description of the delivery of the platen 10 by each of the delivery mechanisms 82 to 89 will be omitted or simplified.

[0058] The outgoing path 72 transports the platen 10 backward to the delivery mechanism 82 or the delivery mechanism 83. Whether the platen 10 is transported to the delivery mechanism 82 or 83 is determined depending on which of the first drying devices 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D performs the first drying process. For example, a case where the first drying process is performed by the first drying device 4A will be described. In this case, the platen 10 is transported to the delivery mechanism 82 and is delivered from the outgoing path 72 to the delivery mechanism 82. The delivery mechanism 82 transports the platen 10 to the right and delivers it to the transport path 49. The first drying device 4A performs the first drying process. When the first drying process by the first drying device 4A is completed, the transport path 49 transports the platen 10 to the left and delivers it to the delivery mechanism 82. The delivery mechanism 82 delivers the platen 10 to the outgoing path 72.

[0059] The outgoing path 72 transports the platen 10 rearward and hands it over to the delivery mechanism 84. For example, a case will be described in which a heat press process is performed by the heat press device 5A. In this case, the delivery mechanism 84 transports the platen 10 to the right and hands it over to the transport path 53. The heat press device 5A performs the heat press process. When the heat press process by the heat press device 5A is completed, the transport path 53 transports the platen 10 to the left and hands it over to the delivery mechanism 84. The delivery mechanism 84 hands the platen 10 over to the outgoing path 72.

[0060] The outgoing path 72 transports the platen 10 backward to the delivery mechanism 85 or the delivery mechanism 86. Whether the platen 10 is transported to the delivery mechanism 85 or P17 is determined depending on which of the printers 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D is performing the printing process. For example, a case where the printing process is performed by the printer 2A will be described. In this case, the platen 10 is transported to the delivery mechanism 85 and is delivered from the outgoing path 72 to the delivery mechanism 85. The delivery mechanism 85 transports the platen 10 to the right and delivers it to the sub-scanning transport mechanism 23 via the connecting transport path 85A. The printer 2A performs the printing process. When the printing process by the printer 2A is completed, the sub-scanning transport mechanism 23 transports the platen 10 to the left and delivers it to the delivery mechanism 85 via the connecting transport path 85A. The delivery mechanism 85 delivers the platen 10 to the outgoing path 72.

[0061] The outgoing path 72 transports the platen 10 backward to the delivery mechanism 87, the delivery mechanism 88, or the delivery mechanism 89. Whether the platen 10 is transported to the delivery mechanism 87, P19, or P20 is determined by which of the second drying devices 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, and 6F performs the second drying process. For example, a case where the printing process is performed by the second drying device 6A will be described. In this case, the platen 10 is transported to the delivery mechanism 87 and is delivered from the outgoing path 72 to the delivery mechanism 87. The delivery mechanism 87 transports the platen 10 to the right and delivers it to a transport path (not shown) of the second drying device 6A. The second drying device 6A performs the second drying process. When the second drying process by the second drying device 6A is completed, the transport path (not shown) of the second drying device 6A transports the platen 10 to the left and delivers it to the delivery mechanism 87. The delivery mechanism 87 delivers the platen 10 to the outgoing path 72.

[0062] The outward path 72 transports the platen 10 backward and hands it over to the elevator mechanism 75. The elevator mechanism 75 descends to the same height as the return path (not shown). The elevator mechanism 75 transports the platen 10 forward and hands it over to the return path. In the return path, the platen 10 is transported forward and handed over to the elevator mechanism 74 with the elevator mechanism 74 positioned at the same height as in the return path. While the platen 10 is being transported from the elevator mechanism 75 to the elevator mechanism 74 via the return path, the user removes the medium M on which an image is printed from the platen 10. For example, the user removes the medium M on which an image is printed from the platen 10 with the platen 10 positioned on the elevator mechanism 75. After that, the user attaches the next medium M to the platen 10 with the platen 10 positioned on the elevator mechanism 74. Thereafter, the printing system 1 repeats the same operations.

[0063] The detailed structure of the first drying device 4A will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The first drying device 4A includes a housing 41, a shutter 42, a conveying path 49, an air blowing path 43, a heater 44, a fan 45, a temperature sensor 46, a first position sensor 481, and a second position sensor 482. The housing 41 is a rectangular parallelepiped and has a box shape. A space 40 is provided inside the housing 41. The space 40 is an area surrounded by the inner wall of the housing 41. Hereinafter, the space 40 is also expressed as "inside the housing 41". An exhaust port 413 is provided in the upper left of the housing 41. The exhaust port 413 is an opening and is connected to the space 40. The exhaust port 413 exhausts the air inside the housing 41 to the outside of the housing 41.

[0064] A passage opening 412 is provided on the left surface 411 of the housing 41. The passage opening 412 is an opening that penetrates the left surface 411 in the left-right direction. The passage opening 412 is an area defined by an opening edge provided on the left surface 411. The passage opening 412 is connected to the space 40. The passage opening 412 is rectangular in left side view and has a size that allows the platen 10 to pass through. That is, the length of the passage opening 412 in the left-right direction is larger than the length of the entire platen 10 in the left-right direction. The length of the passage opening 412 in the up-down direction is larger than the length of the entire platen 10 in the up-down direction. The size of the passage opening 412 is not limited to a specific size, but for example, the length in the front-rear direction is about 50 cm and the length in the up-down direction is about 40 cm. Therefore, the platen 10 can pass through the passage opening 412 and move inside and outside the housing 41.

[0065] The shutter 42 is supported by the left surface 411 of the housing 41 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The shutter 42 is a plate and has a rectangular shape when viewed from the left side. The shutter 42 opens the passage opening 412 by moving upward, and covers the passage opening 412 by moving downward. By covering the passage opening 412, the shutter 42 suppresses the movement of air between the inside and outside of the housing 41 through the passage opening 412.

[0066] The transport path 49 is disposed in the lower part of the space 40, and extends in the left-right direction. The left end of the transport path 49 is disposed near the left surface 411 of the housing 41. The transport path 49 is disposed at a height when the delivery mechanism 82 is elevated above the outgoing path 72 in the vertical direction.

[0067] The air passage 43 is a pipe and constitutes an air flow path. In this embodiment, the air passage 43 includes an outside air introduction passage 431, connection passages 432 and 433, a heating chamber 434, a connection passage 435, an air blowing chamber 436, a connection passage 437, and a blowing chamber 438. The right end of the outside air introduction passage 431 is open to the outside air. The left end of the outside air introduction passage 431 is connected to the right end of the connection passage 432 and the lower end of the connection passage 433. The outside air introduction passage 431 is provided with a valve 430. The valve 430 is normally open. The valve 430 is closed when the first drying device 4A is not used for a long period of time, etc. In this way, the valve 430 suppresses the intrusion of foreign matter such as dust into the housing 41 through the outside air introduction passage 431.

[0068] The left end of connection path 432 connects to the inside of housing 41. Heating chamber 434 connects to the upper end of connection path 433. The lower end of connection path 435 connects to heating chamber 434. Air blowing chamber 436 connects to the upper end of connection path 435. The right end of connection path 437 connects to air blowing chamber 436. Blow-out chamber 438 connects to the left end of connection path 437. Blow-out chamber 438 is located at the top of space 40. The lower surface of blow-out chamber 438 is located above transport path 49 and faces transport path 49 in the vertical direction.

[0069] A plurality of air outlets 439 are provided on the lower surface of the air outlet chamber 438. The plurality of air outlets 439 are aligned in the left-right direction and open downward toward the space 40. The interval S between a pair of air outlets 439 adjacent to each other in the left-right direction among the plurality of air outlets 439 is constant.

[0070] The heater 44 is housed in the heating chamber 434. The heater 44 is a heat source and heats the air in the heating chamber 434. Hereinafter, the air heated by the heater 44 will be referred to as "heated air". The fan 45 is housed in the air blowing chamber 436. The fan 45 is a blower and blows air toward the heating chamber 434.

[0071] The temperature sensor 46 is disposed in the blowing chamber 438 and detects the temperature of the air in the blowing chamber 438. The temperature sensor 46 is a thermistor in this embodiment, but may be a thermocouple, an infrared sensor, or the like. The first position sensor 481 is provided at a first housing position P31, which will be described later, and detects the platen 10 positioned at the first housing position P31. The second position sensor 482 is provided at a second housing position P32, which will be described later, and detects the platen 10 positioned at the second housing position P32. The first position sensor 481 and the second position sensor 482 are each a proximity switch in this embodiment, but may be a limit switch, an infrared sensor, or the like.

[0072] For example, a detection plate is provided at the center of the attachment plate 13 in the front-rear direction of the platen 10 (left-right direction in FIG. 3). The first position sensor 481 detects the detection plate when it passes through the first housing position P31, thereby detecting the platen 10 located at the first housing position P31. The second position sensor 482 detects the detection plate when it passes through the second housing position P32, thereby detecting the platen 10 located at the second housing position P32.

[0073] The drying operation by the first drying device 4A will be described. The platen 10 on which the medium M coated with the treatment liquid is placed, that is, the platen 10 on which the medium M on which the coating process has been performed is placed, is accommodated in the space 40. The state in which the platen 10 is accommodated in the space 40 is called the "accommodated state". The drying operation is performed in the accommodated state. In the drying operation, the heater 44 heats the air in the heating chamber 434. The fan 45 sends the air toward the heating chamber 434. As a result, the heated air flows from the heating chamber 434 to the connection path 435, the blowing chamber 436, and the connection path 437 in this order. The heated air that flows from the connection path 437 to the blowing chamber 438 is blown out from the blowing chamber 438 downward through the multiple blowing ports 439 into the space 40. The heated air blown out from the multiple blowing ports 439 hits the medium M on the platen 10 in the space 40. As a result, moisture in the treatment liquid evaporates on the medium M on the platen 10.

[0074] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in the drying operation, the conveying path 49 conveys the platen 10 back and forth in the left-right direction between the first accommodation position P31 and the second accommodation position P32. The first accommodation position P31 and the second accommodation position P32 are positions on the conveying path 49. The second accommodation position P32 is a position to the right of the first accommodation position P31. In the left-right direction, the distance D between the first accommodation position P31 and the second accommodation position P32 is greater than the interval S. In this embodiment, the position of the platen 10 is determined by the center of the attachment plate 13 in the front-rear direction of the platen 10 (the left-right direction in FIG. 3). In this embodiment, the position of the platen 10 is determined by the position of the platen 10 where the detection plate is provided. Regardless of whether the platen 10 is located at the first accommodation position P31 or the second accommodation position P32, the entire platen 10 is disposed in the space 40.

[0075] The air blowing state in the first drying device 4A will be described. The air blowing state is the state of the heated air blown into the space 40 by the fan 45. For example, when at least one of the air volume by the fan 45 and the heating temperature by the heater 44 is different, the air blowing state is different.

[0076] For example, in the first drying process, different airflow conditions change the heating condition of the medium M on the platen 10. Specifically, if the heating temperature is too high, the medium M may burn and discolor. If the airflow is too large, the treatment liquid on the medium M may flow outside the intended application area.

[0077] If the heating temperature is too low or the air volume is too small, the drying of the medium M may progress slowly. This may result in a longer processing time for the first drying process or insufficient drying of the medium M. For example, if insufficient drying of the medium M occurs, the treatment liquid may not be fixed sufficiently to the medium M, which may deteriorate the fixation of the ink to the medium M and the color development of the ink by the printing process. Furthermore, bleeding of the treatment liquid applied to the medium M by the application process and the ink applied to the medium M by the printing process may become more noticeable. The first drying device 4A contributes to adjusting the heating state of the medium M by executing a first drying control process described below.

[0078] In this embodiment, the air blowing state does not include a state in which the rotation of the fan 45 and the heat generation of the heater 44 are stopped. Therefore, starting the rotation of the fan 45 and the heat generation of the heater 44 from a state in which the rotation of the fan 45 and the heat generation of the heater 44 are stopped does not mean that the air blowing state is switched. Similarly, stopping the rotation of the fan 45 and the heat generation of the heater 44 from a state in which the rotation of the fan 45 and the heat generation of the heater 44 are being performed does not mean that the air blowing state is switched.

[0079] The electrical configuration of the first drying device 4A will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The first drying device 4A includes a CPU 141, a ROM 142, a RAM 143, and a flash memory 144. The CPU 141 controls the first drying device 4A and functions as a processor. The CPU 141 controls, for example, a first drying process. The CPU 141 is electrically connected to the ROM 142, the RAM 143, and the flash memory 144.

[0080] The ROM 142 stores a control program for the CPU 141 to control the operation of the first drying device 4A, information required by the CPU 141 when executing various programs, etc. The control program includes a first drying control program for executing a first drying control process (see FIGS. 5 and 6) described below. The RAM 143 temporarily stores various data used in the control program, etc. The flash memory 144 is non-volatile and stores a set temperature, a set air volume, etc. The set temperature is the heating temperature of the heater 44 set by the user via the operation unit 483. The set air volume is the air volume by the fan 45 set by the user via the operation unit 483.

[0081] A conveying motor 494 is electrically connected to the CPU 141 via a drive circuit 493. The conveying motor 494 drives the conveying path 49. The drive circuit 493 controls the conveying motor 494 based on a control signal from the CPU 141. An opening / closing motor 422 is electrically connected to the CPU 141 via a drive circuit 421. The opening / closing motor 422 opens and closes the shutter 42. The drive circuit 421 controls the opening / closing motor 422 based on a control signal from the CPU 141.

[0082] Fan motor 452 is electrically connected to CPU 141 via drive circuit 451. Fan motor 452 rotates when energized, and blows air using fan 45. Drive circuit 451 controls the rotation speed of fan motor 452 based on a control signal from CPU 141. For example, the higher the rotation speed of fan motor 452, the greater the amount of air blown by fan 45.

[0083] A heating resistor 442 is electrically connected to the CPU 141 via a drive circuit 441. The heating resistor 442 generates heat when energized, and heats the air with the heater 44. The drive circuit 441 controls the heating temperature of the heating resistor 442 based on a control signal from the CPU 141. For example, the greater the voltage applied to the heating resistor 442, the higher the heating temperature of the heating resistor 442.

[0084] The CPU 141 is electrically connected to a temperature sensor 46, a first position sensor 481, a second position sensor 482, an operation unit 483, and a communication unit 484. The temperature sensor 46 outputs a signal indicating the detected temperature to the CPU 141. Based on the signal from the temperature sensor 46, the CPU 141 controls the heater 44 so that the temperature of the heated air becomes a target temperature, which will be described later. The first position sensor 481 outputs a signal indicating whether or not the platen 10 is located at the first housing position P31 to the CPU 141. The second position sensor 482 outputs a signal indicating whether or not the platen 10 is located at the second housing position P32 to the CPU 141.

[0085] Operation unit 483 is a touch panel display or the like, which displays various information and outputs information according to user operations to CPU 141. The user operates operation unit 483 to set a set temperature and a set airflow in advance.

[0086] The communication unit 484 is a controller for communicating with other devices via a wired or wireless connection. The CPU 141 communicates with, for example, each of the other devices in the printing system 1 via the communication unit 484. The other devices in the printing system 1 are the printers 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D, the coating device 3A, the first drying devices 4B, 4C, and 4D, the heat press devices 5A and 5B, the second drying devices 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, and 6F, and the conveying device 7. Each of the other devices in the printing system 1 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, a communication unit, and the like.

[0087] In particular, the first drying devices 4B, 4C, and 4D each have the same electrical configuration as the first drying device 4A. Furthermore, the second drying devices 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, and 6F each have the same electrical configuration as the first drying device 4A. The ROMs of the second drying devices 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, and 6F each store a second drying control program for executing a second drying control process (not shown) described below, instead of the first drying control program.

[0088] The first drying control process will be described with reference to Figs. 5 to 10. The following describes a case where the CPU 141 executes the first drying control process in the first drying device 4A. In the first drying devices 4B, 4C, and 4D, the respective CPUs execute the first drying control process, similar to the first drying device 4A. When the first drying device 4A is powered on, the CPU 141 executes the first drying control process by reading out a first drying control program from the ROM 142 and operating it. In the first drying control process, the CPU 141 controls the first drying process, i.e., the drying operation by the first drying device 4A.

[0089] 5, when the first drying control process is started, the CPU 141 determines whether the platen 10 has been delivered from the delivery mechanism 82 to the transport path 49 (see FIG. 3) (S21). For example, when the control unit (not shown) of the transport device 7 delivers the platen 10 from the delivery mechanism 82 to the transport path 49, the control unit transmits a delivery notification to the first drying device 4A. When the CPU 141 does not receive a delivery notification from the transport device 7, the CPU 141 determines that the platen 10 has not been delivered from the delivery mechanism 82 to the transport path 49 (S21: NO). In this case, the CPU 141 repeats the determination of S21 until a delivery notification is received.

[0090] When the CPU 141 receives a delivery notification from the transport device 7 via the communication unit 484, it determines that the platen 10 has been delivered from the delivery mechanism 82 to the transport path 49 (S21: YES). In this case, the CPU 141 controls the transport motor 494 based on the detection signal from the first position sensor 481 to transport the platen 10 to the first storage position P31 (see FIG. 3) (S22). This results in a storage state. The CPU 141 controls the opening / closing motor 422 to close the shutter 42 (see FIG. 3) (S23).

[0091] As described below, the CPU 141 sets a first switching timing T1, a second switching timing T2, and an end timing T3, which will be described later, based on at least one of the application pattern of the application process and the amount of treatment liquid applied to the medium M by the application process (both in this embodiment). There are two types of application ranges in the application pattern: partial application and full area application. Partial application is an application pattern in which there is an area where the treatment liquid is not applied to the medium M in a planar view. In other words, partial application is an application pattern in which the treatment liquid is applied only to a part of the medium M in a planar view. In this embodiment, partial application is an application pattern in which the treatment liquid is applied to the print area R1 (see FIG. 2) of the medium M, and the treatment liquid is not applied to the non-print area R2 (see FIG. 2) of the medium M. Full area application is an application pattern in which there is no area where the treatment liquid is not applied to the medium M in a planar view. In other words, full area application is an application pattern in which the treatment liquid is applied to both the print area R1 and the non-print area R2 of the medium M, that is, the entire area of ​​the medium M in a planar view. In this embodiment, a user can operate an operation unit (not shown) of the printing system 1 to set a coating pattern for the coating process.

[0092] The application amount of the treatment liquid includes "light", "medium", and "heavy" (see FIG. 7 and FIG. 9). "Light", "medium", and "heavy" indicate the relative application amount of the treatment liquid in each application pattern. For example, "light" partial application indicates the smallest application amount of the treatment liquid among "light", "medium", and "heavy" partial applications. "Heavy" partial application indicates the largest application amount of the treatment liquid among "light", "medium", and "heavy" partial applications. "Medium" partial application indicates an application amount of the treatment liquid between "light" and "heavy" partial applications. For example, "light" full-area application is not necessarily the same amount as "light" partial application, and may be greater than "medium" partial application. In this embodiment, the user can operate the operation unit (not shown) of the printing system 1 to set the application amount of the treatment liquid to the medium M, i.e., the amount of the treatment liquid sprayed from the application unit 31.

[0093] The CPU 141 acquires the coating pattern of the coating process and the amount of treatment liquid applied to the medium M by the coating process (S24). In the process of S24, for example, the CPU 141 transmits a request for information indicating the coating pattern and the amount of treatment liquid applied (hereinafter referred to as "coating process information") to the coating device 3A via the communication unit 484. When the control unit of the coating device 3A receives the request for the coating process information, it transmits the coating process information to the first drying device 4A. The CPU 141 receives the coating process information from the coating device 3A via the communication unit 484 and stores the received coating process information in the RAM 143.

[0094] The CPU 141 determines whether the acquired application pattern is full-area application (S25). If the application pattern is full-area application (S25: YES), the CPU 141 proceeds to S31 shown in Fig. 6. If the application pattern is partial application (S25: NO), the CPU 141 proceeds to S51 shown in Fig. 6.

[0095] The process for coating the entire area will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the CPU 141 sets the adjustment temperature to the target temperature (see FIG. 8) (S31). FIG. 8 shows the target temperature with a dashed line (similar to FIG. 10). The target temperature is the target heating temperature by the heater 44 (see FIG. 3) and is stored in the RAM 143. The adjustment temperature is the heating temperature of the heater 44 that is higher than the set temperature. The adjustment temperature may be higher than the upper limit of the set temperature that can be set, may be a temperature higher than the set temperature by a predetermined percentage, may be a temperature higher than the set temperature by a predetermined temperature, or may be calculated based on the set temperature.

[0096] CPU 141 sets the adjusted airflow to the target airflow (see FIG. 8) (S32). FIG. 8 shows the target airflow with a solid line (similar to FIG. 10). The target airflow is a target airflow by fan 45 (see FIG. 3) and is stored in RAM 143. The adjusted airflow is an airflow by fan 45 that is smaller than the set airflow. The adjusted airflow may be smaller than the lower limit of the set airflow, may be an airflow that is a predetermined percentage smaller than the set airflow, may be an airflow that is a predetermined amount smaller than the set airflow, or may be calculated based on the set airflow.

[0097] The CPU 141 refers to the first setting table 145 (see FIG. 7) and sets a first switching timing T1, a second switching timing T2, and an end timing T3 based on the application amount of the treatment liquid acquired in the process of S24 (S33). The first switching timing T1 is the timing to switch the target air volume. The second switching timing T2 is the timing to switch the target temperature. The end timing T3 is the timing to stop the drying operation by the first drying device 4A.

[0098] The first setting table 145 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. The first setting table 145 is stored in the flash memory 144. Hereinafter, the timing at which the drying operation starts is referred to as a "start timing T0" (see Fig. 8), and the time from the start timing T0 to an arbitrary timing is referred to as an "arrival time."

[0099] The first setting table 145 determines the arrival times of the first switching timing T1, the second switching timing T2, and the end timing T3 according to the application amount of the treatment liquid. In this embodiment, the arrival times of the first switching timing T1 are determined as "2 minutes," "3 minutes," and "4 minutes" for the application amounts of the treatment liquid that are "low," "medium," and "high," respectively. For example, when the medium M is exposed to a set amount of air, the treatment liquid on the medium M may flow. In the first setting table 145, the first switching timing T1 is determined based on the time required for the treatment liquid on the medium M to evaporate to such an extent that the treatment liquid on the medium M does not flow even when the medium M is exposed to the set amount of air. The second setting table 146 (see FIG. 9), which will be described later, also determines the first switching timing T1 based on the same time.

[0100] "3 minutes", "4 minutes", and "5 minutes" are determined as the time required for the second switching timing T2 to arrive. For example, if the medium M contains a sufficient amount of processing liquid, the temperature of the medium M will not exceed a predetermined temperature even if air of the adjusted temperature is blown onto the medium M. The predetermined temperature is, for example, 100°C. In the first setting table 145, the second switching timing T2 is determined based on the time required for the processing liquid on the medium M to evaporate to such an extent that the temperature of the medium M exceeds the predetermined temperature when air of the adjusted temperature is blown onto the medium M. For example, the second switching timing T2 is the timing at which the amount of evaporation of the moisture in the processing liquid applied to the medium M becomes 80% to 90% of the moisture in the processing liquid applied to the medium M. "4 minutes", "5 minutes", and "6 minutes" are determined as the time required for the end timing T3 to arrive.

[0101] According to the configuration of the first setting table 145, for example, as the application amount of the treatment liquid increases, the time to reach the first switching timing T1 increases. As the application amount of the treatment liquid increases, the time to reach the second switching timing T2 increases. As the application amount of the treatment liquid increases, the time to reach the end timing T3 increases.

[0102] When the application amount of the treatment liquid is "small", the arrival time of the second switching timing T2 is "3 minutes" longer than the arrival time of the first switching timing T1, "2 minutes", and the arrival time of the end timing T3 is "4 minutes" longer than the arrival time of the second switching timing T2, "3 minutes". Similarly, when the application amount of the treatment liquid is "medium" or "large", the arrival time of the second switching timing T2 is longer than the arrival time of the first switching timing T1, and the arrival time of the end timing T3 is longer than the arrival time of the second switching timing T2. Therefore, among the first switching timing T1, the second switching timing T2, and the end timing T3, the first switching timing T1 arrives first. The second switching timing T2 arrives after the first switching timing T1 arrives. The end timing T3 arrives after the second switching timing T2 arrives.

[0103] As an example, a case where the application amount of the treatment liquid is "medium" will be described. In this case, in the process of S33 shown in Fig. 6, the CPU 141 refers to the first setting table 145 and specifies "3 minutes", "4 minutes", and "5 minutes" corresponding to the application amount of the treatment liquid "medium" as the arrival times of the first switching timing T1, the second switching timing T2, and the end timing T3, respectively. The CPU 141 sets the first switching timing T1 based on the specified "3 minutes", sets the second switching timing T2 based on the specified "4 minutes", and sets the end timing T3 based on the specified "5 minutes".

[0104] As shown in FIG. 6, CPU 141 starts the drying operation in the storage state (S34). The execution time of the process of S34 corresponds to the start timing T0 shown in FIG. 8. In the process of S34, CPU 141 controls heating resistor 442 to drive heater 44 (see FIG. 3) at the target temperature set as the adjusted temperature in the process of S31. As a result, the air in heating chamber 434 (see FIG. 3) is heated to the adjusted temperature. CPU 141 controls fan motor 452 to drive fan 45 (see FIG. 3) at the target air volume set as the adjusted air volume in the process of S32. As a result, heated air is sent to space 40 (see FIG. 3) at the adjusted air volume.

[0105] Furthermore, the CPU 141 controls the transport motor 494 based on detection signals from the first position sensor 481 and the second position sensor 482 to transport the platen 10 back and forth in the left and right direction between the first accommodation position P31 and the second accommodation position P32 on the transport path 49 (see FIG. 3). The drying operation causes moisture in the treatment liquid to evaporate on the medium M on the platen 10.

[0106] The CPU 141 judges whether the first switching timing T1 (see FIG. 8) set in the process of S33 has been reached (S41). If the first switching timing T1 has not been reached (S41: NO), the CPU 141 repeats the judgment of S41 until the first switching timing T1 is reached. If the first switching timing T1 has been reached (S41: YES), the CPU 141 switches the target air volume from the adjusted air volume to the set air volume (S42). As a result, the CPU 141 controls the fan motor 452 to drive the fan 45 (see FIG. 3) at the target air volume set to the set air volume in the process of S42. Thus, the heated air is sent to the space 40 (see FIG. 3) at the set air volume, which is larger than the adjusted air volume. In the accommodated state, the target air volume is switched from the adjusted air volume to the set air volume, thereby switching the air blowing state.

[0107] The CPU 141 judges whether the second switching timing T2 (see FIG. 8) set in the process of S33 has been reached (S43). If the second switching timing T2 has not been reached (S43: NO), the CPU 141 repeats the judgment of S43 until the second switching timing T2 is reached. If the second switching timing T2 has been reached (S43: YES), the CPU 141 switches the target temperature from the adjustment temperature to the set temperature (S44). As a result, the CPU 141 controls the heating resistor 442 to drive the heater 44 (see FIG. 3) at the target temperature set as the set temperature in the process of S44. Thus, the air in the heating chamber 434 (see FIG. 3) is heated at a set temperature lower than the adjustment temperature. In the accommodation state, the target temperature is switched from the adjustment temperature to the set temperature, and the air blowing state is switched.

[0108] The CPU 141 judges whether the end timing T3 (see FIG. 8) set in the process of S33 has been reached (S45). If the end timing T3 has not been reached (S45: NO), the CPU 141 repeats the judgment of S45 until the end timing T3 is reached.

[0109] If the end timing T3 has been reached (S45: YES), the CPU 141 stops the drying operation (S46). Specifically, the CPU 141 stops the supply of electricity to the heating resistor 442, and stops heating by the heater 44 (see FIG. 3). The CPU 141 stops the drive of the fan motor 452, and stops the rotation of the fan 45 (see FIG. 3). The CPU 141 stops the drive of the transport motor 494, and stops the transport of the platen 10 by the transport path 49. The CPU 141 transitions the process to the process of S71.

[0110] The process for partial application will be described. The CPU 141 sets the set temperature to the target temperature (see FIG. 10) (S51). The CPU 141 sets the adjusted air volume to the target air volume (see FIG. 10) (S52). The CPU 141 refers to the second setting table 146 (see FIG. 9) shown in FIG. 9, and sets the first switching timing T1 and the end timing T3 based on the application amount of the treatment liquid acquired in the process of S24 (S53).

[0111] The second setting table 146 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. The second setting table 146 is stored in the flash memory 144. The second setting table 146 determines the arrival times of the first switching timing T1 and the end timing T3 according to the application amount of the treatment liquid.

[0112] In this embodiment, for the application amounts of treatment liquid that are "light," "medium," and "heavy," the arrival times of the first switching timing T1 are set to "1 minute," "2 minutes," and "3 minutes," respectively. The arrival times of the end timing T3 are set to "2 minutes," "3 minutes," and "4 minutes."

[0113] According to the configuration of the second setting table 146, for example, as the application amount of the treatment liquid increases, the time to reach the first switching timing T1 increases. As the application amount of the treatment liquid increases, the time to reach the second switching timing T2 increases. As the application amount of the treatment liquid increases, the time to reach the end timing T3 increases.

[0114] When the application amount of treatment liquid is "small," the arrival time of the end timing T3 is "2 minutes" longer than the arrival time of the first switching timing T1, which is "1 minute." Similarly, when the application amount of treatment liquid is "medium" and "large," the arrival time of the end timing T3 is longer than the arrival time of the first switching timing T1. Therefore, the end timing T3 arrives after the first switching timing T1.

[0115] As an example, a case where the application amount of treatment liquid is "medium" will be described. In this case, in the process of S53 shown in Fig. 6, the CPU 141 refers to the second setting table 146 and specifies "2 minutes" and "3 minutes" as the arrival times of the first switching timing T1 and the end timing T3, respectively, which correspond to the application amount of treatment liquid of "medium". The CPU 141 sets the first switching timing T1 based on the specified "2 minutes" and sets the end timing T3 based on the specified "3 minutes".

[0116] As shown in FIG. 6, the CPU 141 starts the drying operation in the accommodated state (S54). The execution time of the process of S54 is the start timing T0 shown in FIG. 10. In the process of S54, the CPU 141 controls the heating resistor 442 to drive the heater 44 (see FIG. 3) at the target temperature set as the set temperature in the process of S51. As a result, the air in the heating chamber 434 (see FIG. 3) is heated to the set temperature. The CPU 141 controls the fan motor 452 to drive the fan 45 (see FIG. 3) at the target air volume set as the adjusted air volume in the process of S52. As a result, the heated air is sent to the space 40 (see FIG. 3) at the adjusted air volume. The CPU 141 controls the transport motor 494 based on the detection signals from the first position sensor 481 and the second position sensor 482 to transport the platen 10 back and forth in the left-right direction between the first accommodation position P31 and the second accommodation position P32 (see FIG. 3). As a result of the drying operation, moisture in the treatment liquid evaporates on the medium M on the platen 10.

[0117] The CPU 141 judges whether the first switching timing T1 (see FIG. 10) set in the process of S53 has been reached (S61). If the first switching timing T1 has not been reached (S61: NO), the CPU 141 repeats the judgment of S61 until the first switching timing T1 is reached. If the first switching timing T1 has been reached (S61: YES), the CPU 141 switches the target air volume from the adjusted air volume to the set air volume (S62). As a result, the CPU 141 controls the fan motor 452 to drive the fan 45 (see FIG. 3) at the target air volume set to the set air volume in the process of S62. Thus, the heated air is sent to the space 40 (see FIG. 3) at the set air volume, which is larger than the adjusted air volume. In the accommodated state, the target air volume is switched from the adjusted air volume to the set air volume, thereby switching the air blowing state.

[0118] The CPU 141 judges whether the end timing T3 (see FIG. 10) set in the process of S53 has been reached (S63). If the end timing T3 has not been reached (S63: NO), the CPU 141 repeats the judgment of S63 until the end timing T3 is reached.

[0119] If the end timing T3 has been reached (S63: YES), the CPU 141 stops the drying operation (S64). Specifically, the CPU 141 stops the supply of electricity to the heating resistor 442, and stops heating by the heater 44 (see FIG. 3). The CPU 141 stops the drive of the fan motor 452, and stops the rotation of the fan 45 (see FIG. 3). The CPU 141 stops the drive of the transport motor 494, and stops the transport of the platen 10 by the transport path 49 (see FIG. 3). The CPU 141 transitions the process to the process of S71.

[0120] If the drying operation is stopped in the process of S46 or S64, the CPU 141 controls the open / close motor 422 to open the shutter 42 (see FIG. 3) (S71). The CPU 141 controls the transport motor 494 to transport the platen 10 to the left on the transport path 49 (see FIG. 3) (S72). As a result, the platen 10 is delivered to the delivery mechanism 82 (see FIG. 1). The CPU 141 returns the process to the determination of S21 shown in FIG. 5.

[0121] The second drying control process will be described. In the following, a case where the CPU of the second drying device 6A executes the second drying control process will be described. In the second drying device 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, and 6F, the CPU executes the second drying control process in the same manner as the second drying device 6A. When the power supply to the second drying device 6A is turned on, the CPU of the second drying device 6A executes the second drying control process by reading and operating a second drying control program from the ROM of the second drying device 6A. In the second drying control process, the CPU of the second drying device 6A controls the second drying process, i.e., the drying operation by the second drying device 6A.

[0122] In the second drying control process, similarly to the first drying control process, each process from S21 shown in Fig. 5 to S72 shown in Fig. 6 is repeated. The following mainly describes the points among the processes in the second drying control process that differ from the contents of each process in the first drying control process.

[0123] In the process of S21 shown in Fig. 5, the CPU of the second drying apparatus 6A determines whether the platen 10 has been delivered from the delivery mechanism 87 (see Fig. 1) to the transport path of the second drying apparatus 6A (S21). If the platen 10 has not been delivered from the delivery mechanism 87 to the transport path of the second drying apparatus 6A (S21: NO), the CPU of the second drying apparatus 6A repeats the determination of S21.

[0124] When the platen 10 has been delivered from the delivery mechanism 87 to the transport path of the second drying device 6A (S21: YES), the CPU of the second drying device 6A transitions to processing of S22 shown in Fig. 5. By processing of S22, the platen 10 on which the medium M to which ink has been applied is placed, i.e., the platen 10 on which the medium M on which the printing process has been performed is placed, is accommodated in the space (inside the housing) of the second drying device 6A.

[0125] In the process of S24 shown in FIG. 5, the CPU of the second drying device 6A acquires the printing pattern by the printing process and the amount of ink applied to the medium M by the printing process, i.e., the amount of ink ejected from the inkjet head 21. In this embodiment, the user can operate the operation unit (not shown) of the printing system 1 to set the printing pattern by the printing process. Specifically, there are two types of printing patterns: partial printing and full area printing. Partial printing is a printing pattern in which there is an area where ink is not applied to the medium M in a planar view. In other words, partial printing is a printing pattern in which ink is applied only to a part of the medium M in a planar view. Full area printing is a printing pattern in which there is no area where ink is not applied to the medium M in a planar view. In other words, full area printing is a printing pattern in which ink is applied to the entire area of ​​the medium M in a planar view.

[0126] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the user can operate an operation unit (not shown) of the printing system 1 to set the amount of ink applied to the medium M, i.e., the amount of ink ejected from the inkjet head 21. For example, a larger amount of ink applied results in better image quality.

[0127] The CPU of the second drying device 6A determines whether the printing pattern is full-area printing in the process of S25 shown in Fig. 5. If the printing pattern is full-area printing (S25: YES), the CPU of the second drying device 6A proceeds to S31 shown in Fig. 6. If the printing pattern is partial printing (S25: NO), the CPU of the second drying device 6A proceeds to S51 shown in Fig. 6.

[0128] In the process of S33 shown in FIG. 6, the CPU of the second drying device 6A refers to a third setting table (not shown) and sets the first switching timing T1, the second switching timing T2, and the end timing T3 based on the amount of ink applied.

[0129] The third setting table is stored in the flash memory of the second drying device 6A. The basic configuration of the third setting table is the same as that of the first setting table 145 (see FIG. 7). The first setting table 145 determines the arrival times of the first switching timing T1, the second switching timing T2, and the end timing T3 according to the application amount of the treatment liquid. In contrast, the third setting table determines the arrival times of the first switching timing T1, the second switching timing T2, and the end timing T3 according to the application amount of the ink. Each arrival time determined by the third setting table may be the same as or different from each arrival time determined by the first setting table 145. In this embodiment, each arrival time determined by the third setting table is longer than each arrival time determined by the first setting table 145.

[0130] In the process of S53 shown in FIG. 6, the CPU of the second drying device 6A refers to a fourth setting table (not shown) and sets the first switching timing T1 and the end timing T3 based on the amount of ink applied.

[0131] The fourth setting table is stored in the flash memory of the second drying device 6A. The basic configuration of the fourth setting table is the same as that of the second setting table 146 (see FIG. 9). The second setting table 146 determines the arrival times of the first switching timing T1 and the end timing T3 according to the application amount of the treatment liquid. In contrast, the fourth setting table determines the arrival times of the first switching timing T1 and the end timing T3 according to the application amount of the ink. Each arrival time determined by the fourth setting table may be the same as each arrival time determined by the second setting table 146, or may be different. In this embodiment, each arrival time determined by the fourth setting table is longer than each arrival time determined by the second setting table 146.

[0132] The drying operation in the process of S34 or S54 shown in Fig. 6 causes moisture in the ink to evaporate from the medium M on the platen 10. In the process of S72 shown in Fig. 6, the CPU of the second drying device 6A controls the transport motor of the second drying device 6A to transport the platen 10 to the left on the transport path of the second drying device 6A. As a result, the platen 10 is delivered to the delivery mechanism 87 (see Fig. 1).

[0133] The main effects of the embodiment described above will be described. In the following, a certain air blowing state is referred to as a "first air blowing state", and an air blowing state different from the first air blowing state is referred to as a "second air blowing state". Furthermore, an air blowing state different from the second air blowing state is referred to as a "third air blowing state". The third air blowing state may be the same as the first air blowing state, or may be different.

[0134] In the first drying device 4A, the CPU 141 controls at least one of the heater 44 and the fan 45 in the storage state, and switches the blowing state of the heated air sent by the fan 45 from the first blowing state to the second blowing state. This adjusts the blowing state of the heated air in the storage state. Thus, the first drying device 4A contributes to adjusting the heating state of the medium M.

[0135] The CPU 141 controls the fan 45 and switches the air volume of the fan 45 from the adjusted air volume to the set air volume, thereby switching the air blowing state from the first air blowing state to the second air blowing state. This allows the first drying device 4A to contribute to adjusting the heating state of the medium M in accordance with, for example, the progress of evaporation of moisture in the treatment liquid on the medium M.

[0136] For example, when the moisture content of the treatment liquid on the medium M is high, the fluidity of the treatment liquid on the medium M is high compared to when the moisture content of the treatment liquid on the medium M is low. The CPU 141 switches the target air volume from the adjusted air volume to a set air volume that is larger than the adjusted air volume. This prevents the heated air of the set air volume, i.e., a relatively strong wind, from hitting the treatment liquid on the medium M when the fluidity of the treatment liquid on the medium M is high. Thus, the first drying device 4A contributes to preventing the treatment liquid on the medium M from being blown away by the wind.

[0137] The CPU 141 controls the heater 44 to switch the target temperature of the heater 44 from the adjustment temperature to the set temperature, thereby switching the air blowing state from the first air blowing state to the second air blowing state. This allows the first drying device 4A to contribute to adjusting the heating state of the medium M in accordance with, for example, the progress of evaporation of water in the treatment liquid on the medium M.

[0138] For example, if the air is heated at the set temperature, i.e., a relatively low temperature, from the beginning, the drying time may be long. The CPU 141 switches the target temperature from the adjustment temperature to a set temperature lower than the adjustment temperature. That is, the CPU 141 heats the air at the adjustment temperature, i.e., a relatively high temperature, before heating the air at the set temperature. Thus, the first drying device 4A contributes to suppressing the drying time from being long.

[0139] For example, if a large amount of treatment liquid is applied to the medium M, the progress of evaporation of the moisture in the treatment liquid on the medium M will be slow. The CPU 141 acquires the amount of treatment liquid applied to the medium M, and switches the air blowing state from the first air blowing state to the second air blowing state based on the acquired application amount. Thus, the first drying device 4A contributes to adjusting the heating state of the medium M in accordance with, for example, the progress of evaporation of the moisture in the treatment liquid on the medium M.

[0140] When the first switching timing T1 is reached, the CPU 141 controls the fan 45 to switch the air volume of the fan 45 from the adjusted air volume to a set air volume different from the adjusted air volume, thereby switching the airflow state from the first airflow state to the second airflow state. When the second switching timing T2, which is later than the first switching timing T1, is reached, the CPU 141 controls the heater 44 to switch the target temperature of the heater 44 from the adjusted temperature to a set temperature different from the adjusted temperature, thereby switching the airflow state from the second airflow state to a third airflow state different from the second airflow state. According to this, the CPU 141 switches the target air volume from the adjusted air volume to the set air volume earlier than when the second switching timing T2 is before the first switching timing T1. Therefore, the first drying device 4A contributes to adjusting the air volume before the evaporation of the moisture in the treatment liquid on the medium M progresses relatively. In the above embodiment, the CPU 141 switches the target air volume from the adjusted air volume to the set air volume, which is also larger than the adjusted air volume, before the evaporation of the moisture in the treatment liquid on the medium M progresses relatively. Thereby, the first drying device 4A contributes to suppressing a long drying time.

[0141] In the housed state, the CPU 141 controls the transport motor 494 to transport the platen 10 back and forth within the space 40. With this, even if there is unevenness in the temperature distribution of the air in the space 40 or unevenness in the wind strength at various positions in the space 40, the platen 10 is transported back and forth, so unevenness in the heating state of the medium M is unlikely to occur. Therefore, the first drying device 4A contributes to suppressing unevenness in the progress of evaporation of water in the treatment liquid on the medium M.

[0142] The multiple air outlets 439 are aligned in the transport direction. Therefore, for example, the strength of the wind differs between a position between a pair of adjacent air outlets 439 in the transport direction and the position of the air outlet 439. In the stored state, the CPU 141 controls the transport motor 494 to transport the platen 10 in the transport direction by a distance D that is greater than the interval S between a pair of adjacent air outlets 439 among the multiple air outlets 439. As a result, a predetermined position of the medium M on the platen 10 is likely to pass both the position between the pair of air outlets 439 and the position of the air outlet 439 in the transport direction. Therefore, the first drying device 4A contributes to suppressing unevenness in the progress of evaporation of moisture in the treatment liquid on the medium M in the transport direction.

[0143] The transport path 49 branches off from the main path 71 and extends to the space 40. The platen 10 on which the medium M is placed before ink is ejected by the printers 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D is transported from the main path 71 to the housing 41 via the transport path 49. In the housed state, the CPU 141 controls the transport motor 494 to transport the platen 10 back and forth on the transport path 49. With this, since the transport path 49 branches off from the main path 71, even if the platen 10 is transported back and forth in the transport direction on the transport path 49, the platen 10 on the transport path 49 is less likely to interfere with the transport of other platens 10 on the main path 71. Therefore, the first drying device 4A contributes to preventing unevenness in the progress of evaporation of moisture in the treatment liquid on the medium M in the transport direction while preventing interference with the transport of other platens 10 on the main path 71.

[0144] The above has described the main effects and advantages of the first drying device 4A. The first drying device 4A dries the treatment liquid on the medium M. In contrast, the second drying device 6A differs from the first drying device 4A in that it dries the ink on the medium M. The second drying device 6A provides the same effects and advantages with respect to drying the ink as the first drying device 4A provides with respect to the treatment liquid.

[0145] In the above embodiment, each of the first drying devices 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and the second drying devices 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, 6F corresponds to the "drying device" of the present invention. The platen 10 corresponds to the "platen" of the present invention. The space 40 corresponds to the "internal space" of the present invention. The passage opening 412 corresponds to the "opening" of the present invention. The housing 41 corresponds to the "housing" of the present invention. The heater 44 corresponds to the "heater" of the present invention. The fan 45 corresponds to the "fan" of the present invention. The CPU 141 corresponds to the "control unit" and "computer" of the present invention. Each of the processes of S42, S44, and S62 corresponds to the "switching process" of the present invention.

[0146] The target air volume corresponds to the "air volume" of the present invention. The adjusted air volume corresponds to the "first air volume" of the present invention. The set air volume corresponds to the "second air volume" of the present invention. The target temperature corresponds to the "heating temperature" of the present invention. The adjusted temperature corresponds to the "first temperature" of the present invention. The set temperature corresponds to the "second temperature" of the present invention. The air outlet 439 corresponds to the "air outlet" of the present invention. The air passage 43 corresponds to the "pipe" of the present invention. The transport motor 494 corresponds to the "transport section" of the present invention. The main path 71 corresponds to the "main path" of the present invention. The transport path 49 corresponds to the "branch path" of the present invention. Each of the printers 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D corresponds to an "inkjet printer" of the present invention.

[0147] The present invention may be modified from the above embodiment. The above embodiment and various modifications may be combined with each other as long as no contradiction occurs. The modifications to the first drying device 4A may also be applied to the first drying devices 4B, 4C, and 4D, and may also be applied to the second drying devices 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, and 6F as long as no contradiction occurs.

[0148] As shown in FIG. 11, the plurality of air outlets 439 may each be provided with a louver 47. The louver 47 is formed of a pair of blades. The louver 47 is supported by a pair of shafts 471 so as to be able to swing. The pair of shafts 471 are located at the left and right ends of the air outlet 439, respectively, and extend in the front-rear direction. The plurality of louvers 47 are each connected to a louver motor 470 via a transmission mechanism. The louver motor 470 swings the plurality of louvers 47 in the left-right direction via the transmission mechanism. In this case, in the drying operation by the processes of S34 and S54, the CPU 141 may control the louver motor 470 to swing the plurality of louvers 47 in the left-right direction. The CPU 141 may stop the platen 10 or may transport it back and forth in the left-right direction while the plurality of louvers 47 are swinging.

[0149] According to the above-described configuration of the plurality of louvers 47, the blowing direction of the heated air from the plurality of air outlets 439 is changed by the plurality of louvers 47, so that the air temperature distribution in the space 40 tends to become uniform. Therefore, the first drying device 4A contributes to suppressing unevenness in the progress of evaporation of the moisture in the treatment liquid on the medium M.

[0150] Furthermore, the direction in which the multiple louvers 47 swing is the left-right direction, which coincides with the direction in which the multiple air outlets 439 are arranged. For this reason, the air temperature distribution in the space 40 tends to be uniform in the left-right direction. Therefore, the first drying device 4A contributes to suppressing unevenness in the progress of evaporation of the ink or moisture in the treatment liquid on the medium M in the left-right direction.

[0151] When the above modification is applied to the second drying device 6A, the second drying device 6A contributes to suppressing unevenness in the left-right direction in the progress of evaporation of water in the ink on the medium M. The direction in which the multiple louvers 47 swing may intersect with the direction in which the multiple air outlets 439 are arranged. For example, the louvers 47 may swing in the front-rear direction.

[0152] Other modified examples will be described. The types of the multiple printers 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D are not limited to a specific type. For example, the printers 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D may be UV (Ultra-Violet) printers that perform printing while irradiating the medium M with ultraviolet light, or screen printers that perform screen printing. For example, when the printers 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D are UV printers or screen printers, the medium M may be glass, ceramic, plastic, or the like, or may have a shape including a curved surface. The types of the multiple printers 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D may be different from each other. The first drying devices 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D may have different configurations from each other. The second drying devices 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, and 6F may have different configurations from each other, or may have different configurations from the first drying devices 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D.

[0153] The number of the printers 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, the number of the coating devices 3A, the number of the first drying devices 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, the number of the heat press devices 5A, 5B, and the number of the second drying devices 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, 6F are not limited to those in the above embodiment. For example, the printing system 1 may include only the first drying device 4A among the first drying devices 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D. The number of the first drying devices 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D may be different from the number of the printers 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D. Furthermore, the printing system 1 may omit all of the heat press devices 5A, 5B. The printing system 1 may omit one of the first drying devices 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and the second drying devices 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, 6F. The printing system 1 may omit either the pre-processing or the post-processing.

[0154] In the above embodiment, the transport path 49 branching off from the main path 71 extends to the space 40. In contrast, the first drying device 4A may be disposed on the main path 71 without the transport path 49. For example, the first drying device 4A may be disposed on the outgoing path 72 with the left surface 411 facing the front of the printing system 1. In this case, since the passage opening 412 serves as an entrance for the platen 10 into the housing 41, it is preferable that an exit for the platen 10 from the housing 41 is provided on the surface opposite the left surface 411 of the housing 41, for example. The main path 71 may have a one-story structure, or may not circulate.

[0155] In the above embodiment, the multiple air outlets 439 may be arranged in the front-rear direction, or may be arranged in a lattice or staggered pattern. A single air outlet 439 may be provided in the air outlet chamber 438. In the left-right direction, the distance D between the first accommodation position P31 and the second accommodation position P32 may be the same as the interval S, or may be smaller than the interval S. The CPU 141 may transport the platen 10 one-way from one of the first accommodation position P31 and the second accommodation position P32 to the other during the period from when the drying operation is started to when it is stopped. The CPU 141 may stop the platen 10 during the drying operation, or may rotate the platen 10 in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction in a plan view.

[0156] In the above embodiment, the second switching timing T2 is reached after the first switching timing T1 is reached. In contrast, the second switching timing T2 may be reached before the first switching timing T1 is reached. That is, the CPU 141 may switch the target temperature from the adjusted temperature to the set temperature before switching the target airflow from the adjusted airflow to the set airflow.

[0157] In the above embodiment, the first switching timing T1, the second switching timing T2, and the end timing T3 are set based on the application amount of the treatment liquid. In contrast, some or all of the first switching timing T1, the second switching timing T2, and the end timing T3 may be set based on other parameters instead of or in addition to the application amount of the treatment liquid. The other parameters are, for example, the type of treatment liquid, the type of ink, the type of medium M, etc. Some or all of the first switching timing T1, the second switching timing T2, and the end timing T3 may be determined in advance regardless of the application amount of the treatment liquid, etc.

[0158] In the above embodiment, the adjusted temperature is higher than the set temperature. Alternatively, the adjusted temperature may be lower than the set temperature. In the above embodiment, the adjusted air volume is smaller than the set air volume. Alternatively, the adjusted air volume may be larger than the set air volume.

[0159] In the above embodiment, the set air volume and the set temperature are each set by the user. In contrast, one or both of the set air volume and the set temperature may not be set by the user. That is, for example, both the set air volume and the adjusted air volume may be fixed values ​​different from each other.

[0160] In the above embodiment, the CPU 141 may omit the determination of S25. That is, the CPU 141 may execute either one of the processes of S31 to S46 and the processes of S51 to S64, regardless of the application pattern.

[0161] In the above embodiment, in the case of full-area coating, CPU 141 controls both heater 44 and fan 45 in the housed state, and switches both the target air volume and the target airflow. In the case of partial coating, CPU 141 does not switch the target temperature in the housed state, but controls fan 45 and switches the target air volume. In contrast, CPU 141 may control heater 44 in the housed state, and switch the target temperature, without switching the target air volume. For example, in each of the processes of S31 to S46, CPU 141 may omit the judgment of S41 and the process of S42.

[0162] The number of times the airflow state is switched is not limited to once or twice as in the above embodiment, but may be three or more times. For example, in the above embodiment, the CPU 141 may switch the target temperature from the set temperature to the adjustment temperature of the above embodiment, or to another adjustment temperature, after the second switching timing T2 and before the end timing T3. The other adjustment temperature is a temperature different from the adjustment temperature of the above embodiment. The other adjustment temperature may be higher or lower than the set temperature. For example, the CPU 141 may switch the target temperature from the adjustment temperature of the above embodiment to another adjustment temperature after the start timing T0 and before the second switching timing T2. The target air volume may also be changed in the same way as the target temperature.

[0163] In the above embodiment, the CPU 141 sets the first switching timing T1, the second switching timing T2, and the end timing T3, for example, based on the first setting table 145. Alternatively, the CPU 141 may calculate the first switching timing T1, the second switching timing T2, and the end timing T3, for example, based on the application amount of the treatment liquid, and set the calculated values.

[0164] In the above embodiment, an encoder may be provided on the transport motor 494 instead of the first position sensor 481 and the second position sensor 482. The CPU 141 may identify the position of the platen 10 based on a detection signal from the encoder.

[0165] In the above embodiment, in the determination in S21, the CPU 141 determines whether the platen 10 has been handed over from the delivery mechanism 82 to the transport path 49 based on whether a delivery notification has been received from the transport device 7. Alternatively, a sensor may be provided at a position where the platen 10 is handed over from the delivery mechanism 82 to the transport path 49, and the CPU 141 may determine whether the platen 10 has been handed over from the delivery mechanism 82 to the transport path 49 based on a detection signal from the sensor.

[0166] In the above embodiment, the CPU 141 may control not only the first drying device 4A but also some or all of the other devices in the printing system 1. The CPU 141 may be located at a position separate from the first drying device 4A. The control unit of the transport device 7 may control the transport motor 494.

[0167] The shape of the housing 41 is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the exhaust port 413 does not have to be provided in the housing 41. The shape of the air passage 43 is also not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the positional relationship between the heating chamber 434 and the air passage 436 may be reversed. For example, the air passage 43 may omit one or both of the outside air introduction passage 431 and the connection passage 432. The first drying device 4A may omit the air passage 43. In this case, the heater 44 and the fan 45 may be disposed in the space 40, respectively.

[0168] In the above embodiment, the platen 10 on which the medium M coated with the treatment liquid is placed is transported to the first drying device 4A, and the platen 10 on which the medium M coated with the ink is placed is transported to the second drying device 6A. In contrast, both the platen 10 on which the medium M coated with the treatment liquid is placed and the platen 10 on which the medium M coated with the ink is placed may be transported to, for example, the first drying device 4A.

[0169] Instead of the CPU 141, a microcomputer, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like may be used as a processor. The drying control process may be distributed among a plurality of processors. The non-transitory storage medium, such as the ROM 142 and the flash memory 144, may be a storage medium capable of retaining information regardless of the period for which the information is stored. The non-transitory storage medium may not include a temporary storage medium (e.g., a transmitted signal). For example, the control program may be downloaded (i.e., transmitted as a transmission signal) from a server connected to a network not shown, and stored in the ROM 142 or the flash memory 144. In this case, the control program may be stored in a non-transitory storage medium, such as an HDD, provided in the server. [Explanation of symbols]

[0170] 1 Printing System 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D Printers 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D First drying device 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, 6F Second drying device 10 Platen 40 space 41 Case 43 Air duct 44 Heater 45 Fans 49 Transport Path 71 Main Route 141 CPU 412 Passage gate 439 Air outlet 494 Transport motor

Claims

1. a housing including an internal space for accommodating a platen on which a medium having ink or treatment liquid applied thereto is placed, and an opening connected to the internal space and large enough for the platen to pass through; A heater for heating the air; A fan that sends heated air, which is the air heated by the heater, into the internal space; Control unit and Equipped with The control unit is In a storage state in which the platen is stored in the internal space, at least one of the heater and the fan is controlled, and a blowing state of the heated air blown by the fan is switched from a first blowing state to a second blowing state different from the first blowing state. A drying device characterized by:

2. The control unit is The fan is controlled to switch the air volume of the fan from a first air volume to a second air volume different from the first air volume, thereby switching the air blowing state from the first air blowing state to the second air blowing state.

2. The drying device according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit is The air volume is switched from the first air volume to the second air volume that is larger than the first air volume.

3. The drying device according to claim 2.

4. The control unit is The heater is controlled to switch the heating temperature by the heater from a first temperature to a second temperature different from the first temperature, thereby switching the air blowing state from the first air blowing state to the second air blowing state.

4. The drying device according to claim 1, wherein the drying device is a heater.

5. The control unit is The heating temperature is switched from the first temperature to the second temperature which is lower than the first temperature.

5. The drying device according to claim 4.

6. The control unit is acquiring an application amount of the ink or the treatment liquid on the medium; The air blowing state is switched from the first air blowing state to the second air blowing state based on the acquired application amount.

4. The drying device according to claim 1, wherein the drying device is a heater.

7. The control unit is When a first switching timing is reached, the fan is controlled to switch the air volume of the fan from a first air volume to a second air volume different from the first air volume, thereby switching the air blowing state from the first air blowing state to the second air blowing state; When a second switching timing that is later than the first switching timing is reached, the heater is controlled to switch the heating temperature by the heater from a first temperature to a second temperature different from the first temperature, thereby switching the air blowing state from the second air blowing state to a third air blowing state different from the second air blowing state.

2. The drying device according to claim 1 .

8. a pipe connecting the fan to an outlet that opens toward the internal space and blows out the heated air sent by the fan into the internal space; A louver provided to the air outlet so as to be swingable; Equipped with The control unit is In the stored state, the louver is swung.

4. The drying device according to claim 1, wherein the drying device is a heater.

9. The pipes are connected to the plurality of air outlets arranged in a specific direction, The louvers are provided at the respective plurality of air outlets, The control unit is The plurality of louvers are swung in the specific direction.

9. The drying device according to claim 8.

10. The control unit is In the stored state, a conveying unit that conveys the platen in the internal space is controlled to convey the platen back and forth in the internal space.

4. The drying device according to claim 1, wherein the drying device is a heater.

11. a pipe connecting the fan to each of a plurality of air outlets that open toward the internal space and blow out the heated air sent by the fan into the internal space; the plurality of air outlets are aligned in a conveyance direction of a conveyance unit that conveys the platen in the internal space, The control unit is In the stored state, the conveying unit is controlled to convey the platen in the conveying direction by a distance greater than a distance between a pair of adjacent air outlets among the plurality of air outlets.

4. The drying device according to claim 1, wherein the drying device is a heater.

12. a branch path branched from a main path along which the platen is transported extends to the internal space; the platen, on which the medium is placed before or after the ink is ejected by the inkjet printer, is transported from the main path through the branch path to the housing; The control unit is In the stored state, the conveying unit is controlled to convey the platen back and forth along the branch path.

11. The drying device according to claim 10.

13. The device includes a switching process for controlling at least one of a heater for heating air and a fan for blowing heated air, which is the air heated by the heater, into the internal space in a state in which the platen is housed in the internal space connected to an opening large enough for the platen to pass through, and for switching the blowing state of the heated air blown by the fan from a first blowing state to a second blowing state different from the first blowing state, in a state in which the platen is housed in the internal space connected to an opening large enough for the platen to pass through, the switching process being configured to switch the blowing state of the heated air blown by the fan from a first blowing state to a second blowing state different from the first blowing state. A drying control method comprising:

14. On the computer, In a state where a platen is accommodated in an internal space that is connected to an opening of a size through which the platen, on which a medium having ink or a treatment liquid is applied, passes, the apparatus controls at least one of a heater that heats air and a fan that sends heated air, which is the air heated by the heater, into the internal space, and executes a switching process for switching the blowing state of the heated air sent by the fan from a first blowing state to a second blowing state different from the first blowing state. A drying control program featuring:

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