Printing apparatus

Abstract

To provide a printing apparatus that improves the workability of maintenance on the liquid supply unit, which involves operating the control panel. [Solution] The printing apparatus 1 comprises a media support section 51 that supports a medium M, a head 61 that discharges a first liquid and a second liquid onto the medium M supported by the media support section 51, a first liquid supply section 110 that supplies the first liquid to the head 61, a second liquid supply section 120 that supplies the second liquid, and an operation panel 80 for performing operations at least related to the first liquid supply section 110. The first liquid supply section 110 and the second liquid supply section 120 are arranged side by side below the media support section 51, and the first liquid supply section 110 is located closer to the operation panel 80 than the second liquid supply section 120.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a printing apparatus for printing on a large-sized medium has been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a recording apparatus as a printing apparatus for large-sized media, which includes holding units for liquid storage portions at two locations on the left and right of the front surface.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that it is difficult to improve the workability of maintenance related to the liquid storage portion. Specifically, although not explicitly stated in the apparatus, many large-sized printing apparatuses have an operation panel. In such large-sized printing apparatuses, generally, the operation panel is disposed closer to either the left or right side of the front surface of the apparatus housing.

[0005] In addition, in large-sized printing apparatuses, in some cases, special inks such as white are used in addition to normal inks such as cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Therefore, in a configuration where the operation panel is disposed on either the left or right side of the front surface of the apparatus and the liquid storage portion for special ink is mounted on the other side of the front surface of the apparatus, the operation panel and the liquid storage portion for special ink are disposed apart from each other. Some special inks require regular maintenance such as stirring, and in the above-described arrangement, it becomes difficult to perform operations such as inserting and removing the liquid storage portion for special ink while operating the operation panel. That is, there has been a demand for an apparatus that improves the workability of maintenance of the liquid storage portion involving operation of the operation panel. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The printing apparatus comprises a platen for supporting a medium, a head for dispensing a first liquid and a second liquid onto the medium supported by the platen, a first liquid supply unit for supplying the first liquid to the head, a second liquid supply unit for supplying the second liquid to the head, and an operation panel for performing operations at least related to the first liquid supply unit, wherein the first liquid supply unit and the second liquid supply unit are arranged side by side below the platen, and the first liquid supply unit is located closer to the operation panel than the second liquid supply unit. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] A schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a printing apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] A schematic front view showing the arrangement of the first liquid supply unit, the second liquid supply unit, and other components. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] In the embodiments described below, a large-format inkjet printer will be used as an example of a printing apparatus, and will be explained with reference to the drawings. The printing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the following configuration.

[0009] In the following figures, mutually orthogonal coordinate axes, the X, Y, and Z axes, are shown, with the direction indicated by each arrow being the + direction and the opposite direction being the - direction. In this embodiment, the printing device is described as being installed on a horizontal surface such as the floor, with the +Z direction also referred to as upward and the -Z direction as downward. In the above state, the -Z direction coincides with the vertical direction. Also, in the following figures, the size of each component is different from the actual size for illustrative purposes.

[0010] In the following explanation, unless otherwise specified, Figure 1 describes the view from the -X direction, and Figure 2 describes the view from the front, which is the +Y direction.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the printing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment comprises a structural member 10, a housing 15, a transport unit 20, a media support unit 51, a printing unit 60, an operation panel 80, a first liquid supply unit 110, and a second liquid supply unit 120. The housing 15 is the exterior member of the printing apparatus 1 and houses the above components inside. The printing apparatus 1 also includes a control unit (not shown).

[0012] The printing device 1 manufactures printed materials by applying a liquid such as ink to a medium M, which is a continuous sheet of paper. In the printing device 1, the medium M is fed out from a roll body R, which is the raw material, printed on, and then discharged from the printing device 1.

[0013] In printing device 1, the +Y direction is the front. The user of printing device 1 performs the main operations and tasks in the +Y direction, which is the front side of printing device 1. In the following description, the user of printing device 1 will also be simply referred to as the user.

[0014] The transport path is defined as the movement path of the medium M from when it is unwound from the roll body R until it is discharged. In the transport path, the side of the medium M that is on the roll body R is called the upstream, and the side that the medium M is moving on is called the downstream. In the transport path, the roll body R, the medium support unit 51 and the printing unit 60, and the medium support unit 52 are arranged in the order described above, from upstream to downstream. In the transport path, the direction in which the medium M moves from upstream to downstream is also called the transport direction.

[0015] The control unit is electrically connected to each component of the printing apparatus 1 and comprehensively controls the operation of each component. The control unit includes hardware such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), and RAM (Random Access Memory). The control unit controls the printing apparatus 1 by executing a predetermined control program using the CPU. ROM is a non-volatile storage device that stores the control program executed by the CPU and the data processed by the control program. RAM constitutes the CPU's work area. The CPU loads the control program read from ROM or other sources into RAM and executes the loaded control program to control the printing apparatus 1.

[0016] The control panel 80 is also electrically connected to the control unit. The user performs at least operations related to the first liquid supply unit 110 via the control panel 80. In addition to the above operations, the control panel 80 displays various information related to the printing device 1 and also accepts operation instructions other than those mentioned above, such as starting and stopping operation, executing prints, and maintenance. Details of the above operations will be described later.

[0017] The control panel 80 is supported by the structural member 10 via a member not shown and is positioned at the upper and +Y end of the housing 15. The user stands in the +Y direction of the printing device 1 and performs various operations while visually viewing the control panel 80. The control panel 80 is, for example, a touch panel type liquid crystal display and, in addition to displaying various information, accepts various operations and settings input from the user. The control panel 80 may also have physical buttons in addition to the liquid crystal display.

[0018] The structural member 10 is a frame that supports each of the above-mentioned components of the printing apparatus 1. The structural member 10 is made up of a plurality of sheet metal members and tubular members assembled together. Casters, mounting members, etc., may be attached to the part of the structural member 10 that comes into contact with the floor below.

[0019] The conveying unit 20 has a roll body holding part 21, a medium support part 52, and a plurality of conveying rollers (not shown). The roll body holding part 21 supports the roll body R so as to be rotatable about an axis along the X axis. The roll body holding part 21 is disposed to protrude above the printing apparatus 1 in the -Y direction. The medium M is drawn by the conveying rollers and fed out downstream from the roll body R for supply. The roll body R is detachable from the printing apparatus 1. The medium M is conveyed substantially downward from the roll body holding part 21 and advances to the medium support part 51.

[0020] The conveying rollers may be disposed at various positions in the conveying path to convey the medium M. Each conveying roller includes, for example, a driving roller rotationally driven by an electric motor and a driven roller driven following the driving roller. The driving roller and the driven roller each rotate about an axis along the X axis. The medium M is conveyed while being sandwiched between the driving roller and the driven roller.

[0021] The medium M is appropriately selected according to the type of liquid such as ink to be attached to the medium M, the use of the printed matter, etc. Examples of the ink include aqueous ink, non-aqueous ink, and electron beam curable ink. Examples of the medium M to which a resin film, a resin sheet, coated paper, etc. are applied. The surface facing upward of the medium M is a printing surface, and it is the surface where ink is attached and printing is performed.

[0022] The medium support part 51 abuts against the lower surface of the surface opposite to the printing surface of the medium M to support the medium M. The medium support part 51 is an example of the platen of the present invention. The upper surface of the medium support part 51 is along the XY plane. In the medium support part 51, the conveying direction of the medium M is the +Y direction. Below the medium support part 51, a first liquid supply part 110 and a second liquid supply part 120 are disposed.

[0023] The medium support part 51 may incorporate a heating heater for heating the medium M. The heating heater heats the medium M to improve the fixing property of ink or the like to the medium M and promote the volatilization of volatile components such as water contained in the ink.

[0024] The printing unit 60 performs printing on the medium M. The printing unit 60 has a head 61 and a carriage 62. The printing unit 60 is disposed above the medium support unit 51. The carriage 62 is supported by the above-described structural member 10 so as to be capable of reciprocating movement along the X-axis. The carriage 62 reciprocates along the X-axis by the drive of a carriage motor (not shown). The carriage 62 supports the head 61 so that the head 61 faces the medium support unit 51.

[0025] The head 61 discharges and adheres a liquid such as ink onto the printing surface of the medium M supported by the medium support unit 51. The liquid discharged by the head 61 includes the first liquid and the second liquid, which will be described later. The head 61, together with the carriage 62, reciprocates along the X-axis within a range including a region vertically facing the medium support unit 51.

[0026] Although not shown in the figure, a nozzle surface is disposed on the surface facing downward of the head 61. A plurality of nozzle rows are provided on the nozzle surface. Each nozzle row is composed of a plurality of nozzles that discharge a liquid such as ink. For each nozzle row, a liquid is supplied individually from the first liquid supply unit 110 and the second liquid supply unit 120 according to the type of the liquid.

[0027] Specifically, the first liquid supply unit 110 supplies the first liquid and the third liquid to the head 61. The first liquid is a so-called special color ink, which is white ink in this embodiment. The third liquid is a liquid that does not contain a coloring material and is a cleaning liquid or a treatment liquid. The first liquid, the third liquid, and the second liquid, which will be described later, are individually stored in a cartridge, which is a storage container.

[0028] In this embodiment, titanium dioxide is used as the colorant in the white ink. Titanium dioxide has a higher specific gravity than pigments used for so-called common colors such as black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. In addition, in white inks, there is a tendency to use relatively high pigment concentrations and large particle sizes in order to improve whiteness and ensure opacity of the underlying surface. Therefore, titanium dioxide contained in white ink is more prone to sedimentation than pigments used for common colors. If sedimentation progresses significantly, there is a concern that it will harden into a cake. In this specification, particle size refers to the 50% particle size.

[0029] In this embodiment, the first liquid, which is a white ink, contains titanium dioxide pigment with larger particle size and specific gravity than the second liquid. As a result, the whiteness and opacity of the substrate are improved in the white ink. On the other hand, the pigment in the first liquid is more prone to settling compared to the second liquid, requiring maintenance at shorter intervals.

[0030] In contrast, the printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment recommends removing the white ink cartridge from the first liquid supply unit 110 and shaking it. It also includes a liquid circulation unit that circulates the white ink in the piping while the white ink cartridge is installed in the first liquid supply unit 110. These features suppress the sedimentation of the white ink in the printing apparatus 1, preventing problems such as hard cake formation. Furthermore, the printing apparatus 1 improves the ease of maintenance of the first liquid supply unit 110, thereby reducing the user's workload. Details of the liquid circulation unit and the aforementioned ease of maintenance will be described later.

[0031] As the first liquid, in addition to white ink, inks containing colorants with a higher specific gravity than organic pigments, such as metallic inks containing silver particles or aluminum flakes as pigments, may be used. The first liquid is not limited to special inks, cleaning solutions, or processing solutions. The first liquid may be any ink applied to the printing apparatus 1 that is expected to be used frequently for tasks such as cartridge insertion and removal.

[0032] The cleaning solution is applied to the components of the printing apparatus 1, such as the print head 61, which is in contact with or flows with ink. The cleaning solution does not necessarily have to be discharged from the print head 61 onto the medium M. The processing solution is applied as a pre-treatment, which is applied to the medium M before the ink is applied, and as a post-treatment, which is applied on top of the ink that has adhered to the medium M.

[0033] The second liquid is supplied to the print head 61 from the second liquid supply unit 120. The second liquid is an ink containing a colorant, exhibiting various colors such as cyan, yellow, magenta, and black. The second liquid may also contain special inks such as red ink, which do not require frequent stirring like white ink.

[0034] The first liquid, the second liquid, and other liquids are supplied from each cartridge to the head 61 via piping (not shown) and discharged from the corresponding nozzle rows toward the printing surface of the medium M.

[0035] In head 61, a piezoelectric element is used as the actuator, which is the driving means. The driving means is not limited to this. For example, an electromechanical conversion element that displaces a diaphragm acting as an actuator by electrostatic attraction, or an electrothermal conversion element that ejects ink as droplets by generating bubbles through heating may be used as the driving means.

[0036] Furthermore, the head 61 is not limited to a serial type that is supported by the carriage 62 and moves back and forth. The head 61 may be arranged in a line along the X-axis and may not move back and forth along the X-axis.

[0037] In the media support unit 51, the head 61 is moved back and forth along the X axis together with the carriage 62 while the media M is transported in the +Y direction. At this time, by applying the first liquid and the second liquid to the printing surface of the media M at any arbitrary timing, images such as pictures, photographs, text, and patterns are printed on the media M. The printed media M is then transported from the media support unit 51 to the media support unit 52.

[0038] The media support section 52 has a curved surface and supports the media M being transported by contacting its lower surface. The media M is transported while sliding in contact with the curved surface of the media support section 52. The transport direction of the media M is changed by the curved surface of the media support section 52 from the +Y direction to the +Y direction and slightly downward.

[0039] The media support section 52 may incorporate an electric heater for heating the media M. This electric heater heats droplets of ink or other liquids coated on the media M, thereby promoting the evaporation of volatile components such as water contained in the droplets.

[0040] The printed medium M is discharged from the printing device 1 in the +Y direction via the medium support section 52. Thus, a printed material is produced. The printing device 1 may also be equipped with a medium cutting section near the medium support section 52 to cut the printed material along the X axis. Furthermore, after being discharged from the printing device 1, the printed material may be cut along the X axis or transported to a post-processing device installed in the +Y direction of the printing device 1. Additionally, the printed material may be subjected to secondary processing such as transfer processing.

[0041] As shown in Figure 2, the control panel 80 is positioned above the printer 1 in the -X direction. The user visually views or operates the control panel 80 from a position near the -X direction on the front of the printer 1. In Figure 2, the roll body R, media M, and housing 15 are omitted from the illustration.

[0042] The media support section 51 is positioned in the printing apparatus 1 from near the end in the +X direction to a position slightly recessed in the +X direction from the end in the -X direction. Although not shown in the figure, the suction mechanism for the head 61 and the like are located in the -X direction of the media support section 51. Therefore, the carriage 62 and the head 61 can move further in the -X direction than the position shown in Figure 2. The media support section 51 is located in the +X direction relative to the operation panel 80 in the direction along the X axis. The end of the media support section 51 in the -X direction and the end of the operation panel 80 in the +X direction may overlap in the direction along the X axis. At least a part of the operation panel 80 may be located in the +Y direction relative to the media support section 52 in the direction along the Y axis.

[0043] The first liquid supply unit 110 and the second liquid supply unit 120 are located below the media support unit 51 and are arranged side by side in the X direction. More specifically, the first liquid supply unit 110 is positioned to protrude in the -X direction from the -X end of the media support unit 51 in the direction along the X axis. In other words, in a plan view from above, a part of the first liquid supply unit 110 is located away from the media support unit 51 in the -X direction. The -X end of the first liquid supply unit 110 and the +X end of the operation panel 80 are at the same position along the X axis. The +Y end of the first liquid supply unit 110 and the +Y end of the second liquid supply unit 120 are located in the -Y direction from the +Y end of the media support unit 52.

[0044] The second liquid supply unit 120 is located in a position that is recessed in the -X direction from the +X end of the media support unit 51 in the direction along the X axis. In other words, the first liquid supply unit 110 is located closer to the operation panel 80 than the second liquid supply unit 120.

[0045] Cartridges 111 and 113 are installed in the first liquid supply unit 110. Cartridges 111 and 113 can be inserted into and removed from the first liquid supply unit 110. Cartridge 111 is filled with the first liquid, which is white ink. Cartridge 113 is filled with the third liquid, which is a cleaning solution or processing solution. The number of cartridges 111 and 113 is not limited to one each.

[0046] Four cartridges 122 are installed in the second liquid supply unit 120. The cartridges 122 can be inserted into and removed from the second liquid supply unit 120. The cartridges 122 are filled with ink, which is the second liquid. The number of cartridges 122 is not limited to four. Cartridges 122 are inserted and removed less frequently than cartridges 111 and 113.

[0047] Cartridges 111, 113, and 122 each have a hard resin casing, a storage compartment within the casing capable of containing liquid, and a supply unit for supplying the liquid. The storage compartment has, for example, a resin sheet with a thin metal film. In the storage compartment, the resin sheet is formed in a bag shape. The supply unit seals the storage compartment and, when installed in the printing device 1, supplies the liquid to be stored to a pipe connected to the head 61.

[0048] In cartridge 111, it is recommended to periodically remove it from the first liquid supply unit 110 and shake it to suppress the sedimentation of titanium dioxide pigment inside. The cleaning solution tends to be used in relatively larger quantities than the ink containing the colorant. Also, the processing solution can adhere to the medium M in a sticky manner, and its usage tends to be relatively large. Therefore, cartridge 113 may need to be replaced relatively frequently.

[0049] The user, for example, visually checks the instructions for shaking cartridge 111 displayed on the control panel 80, removes cartridge 111 from the first liquid supply unit 110, shakes it, and then reinserts it. This process involves operating the control panel 80. For example, the user inputs that cartridge 111 has been removed into the control panel 80, and also inputs that the shaking process has been completed. If cartridge 111 were installed in the second liquid supply unit 120, the workflow for the above series of operations would be longer, and work efficiency would likely deteriorate. Similarly, if cartridge 113 were installed in the second liquid supply unit 120, work efficiency would also tend to deteriorate, just like with cartridge 111.

[0050] In the direction along the X-axis, the width dimension of the media M is shorter than the width dimension of the media support section 51. Even with the widest media M, it is recommended that it be, for example, about 85 mm shorter than the width dimension of the media support section 51. However, since the media M is transported above the second liquid supply section 120 during printing, it is difficult to perform operations related to the second liquid supply section 120 while visually checking or operating the control panel 80.

[0051] In contrast, in the printing device 1, a portion of the upper part of the first liquid supply unit 110 is detached from the -X edge of the medium M. Therefore, the user can lift up the -X edge of the medium M to perform tasks. In other words, even when the printed material is in front of the medium support unit 51 during or immediately after printing with the printing device 1, tasks such as inserting and removing cartridges 111 and 113 can be performed, improving user convenience.

[0052] The printing apparatus 1 includes a liquid supply unit 130. The liquid supply unit 130 is a liquid supply pump that supplies a first liquid, a second liquid, and a third liquid from a first liquid supply unit 110 and a second liquid supply unit 120 to the head 61. The liquid supply unit 130 is located below the media support unit 51 and is positioned between the first liquid supply unit 110 and the second liquid supply unit 120.

[0053] The liquid supply unit 130 is connected to the cartridges 111 and 113 of the first liquid supply unit 110, and to the cartridge 122 of the second liquid supply unit 120, respectively, by piping (not shown). Furthermore, the liquid supply unit 130 is connected to the print head 61 by separate piping (not shown) for each type of liquid, such as ink. A known liquid supply pump can be used for the liquid supply unit 130.

[0054] The liquid circulation unit 140 is located near the first liquid supply unit 110 in the -X direction. The liquid circulation unit 140 is a circulation pump that circulates the white ink in a path such as a pipe through which the white ink flows, thereby suppressing the occurrence of settling and clogging of the titanium dioxide pigment.

[0055] The liquid circulation unit 140 is interposed in the piping from the cartridge 111 attached to the first liquid supply unit 110, through the liquid delivery unit 130, to the head 61. When the liquid circulation unit 140 is in operation, the white ink in the piping circulates. A known circulation pump can be used for the liquid circulation unit 140.

[0056] The liquid circulation unit 140 is located closer to the first liquid supply unit 110 than to the second liquid supply unit 120. As a result, the piping connecting the liquid circulation unit 140 and the first liquid supply unit 110 is shortened, which reduces liquid loss during the circulation of white ink and also reduces the operating load on the liquid circulation unit 140.

[0057] According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0058] The ease of maintenance of the first liquid supply unit 110, which involves operating the control panel 80, can be improved. Specifically, because the first liquid supply unit 110 is located close to the control panel 80, the user of the printing apparatus 1 can easily perform tasks related to the first liquid supply unit 110 while operating or visually checking the control panel 80. Therefore, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus 1 that improves the ease of maintenance of the first liquid supply unit 110, which involves operating the control panel 80. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 1…Printing device, 51…Media support unit as platen, 61…Head, 80…Operation panel, 110…First liquid supply unit, 120…Second liquid supply unit, 140…Liquid circulation unit, M…Media.

Claims

1. The platen that supports the medium, The medium supported by the platen is provided with a head for dispensing the first liquid and the second liquid, The head is provided with a first liquid supply unit for supplying the first liquid and a second liquid supply unit for supplying the second liquid, It comprises an operation panel for performing at least operations related to the first liquid supply unit, The first liquid supply unit and the second liquid supply unit are arranged side by side below the platen. A printing apparatus characterized in that the first liquid supply unit is located closer to the control panel than the second liquid supply unit.

2. The system includes a liquid circulation unit for circulating the first liquid, The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid circulation unit is located closer to the first liquid supply unit than the second liquid supply unit.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first liquid contains a pigment with a larger particle size and specific gravity than the second liquid.

4. The first liquid supply unit supplies a third liquid that does not contain a colorant, The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second liquid contains the colorant.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in a plan view, a portion of the first liquid supply unit is located away from the platen.

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