printer

Abstract

This invention addresses the problem of suitably removing thickened ink adhering to a nozzle surface. A printer 10 comprises an ink head 22 having a nozzle surface 23, a wiper 71 that wipes the nozzle surface 23 at a first position P1, a removing member 72 that comes into contact with the wiper 71 at a second position P2 to remove deposits, a coating mechanism 73 that coats the wiper 71 with a cleaning liquid 85 at a third position P3, a movement mechanism 74 that moves the wiper 71 to the first through third positions P1–P3, and a control device 110. The control device 110 has a first pre-removal control unit 121 that brings the wiper 71 into contact with the removal member 72 at the second position P2, a coating control unit 123 that causes the coating mechanism 73 to coat the wiper 71 with the cleaning liquid 85 at the third position P1 after the control performed by the first pre-removal control unit 121, and a first wiping control unit 125 that uses the wiper 71 to wipe the nozzle surface 23 at the first position P1 after the control performed by the coating control unit 123.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printer. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an inkjet printer equipped with an ink head. The ink head has a nozzle surface on which nozzles for ejecting ink are formed. Ink can adhere to the nozzle surface. To clean the nozzle surface, the inkjet printer is equipped with a wiper that wipes the nozzle surface, a cleaning mechanism that applies cleaning liquid to the wiper, and a removal member that removes a predetermined amount of cleaning liquid from the wiper.

[0003] When cleaning the nozzle surface, first, cleaning fluid is applied to the wiper by the cleaning mechanism. After the cleaning fluid has been applied to the wiper, the wiper is brought into contact with a removal member. This causes the cleaning fluid on the wiper to be removed by the removal member. At this time, any ink or other adhering matter on the wiper is also removed along with the cleaning fluid, and the wiper is cleaned. The nozzle surface is then wiped with the wiper from which the cleaning fluid has been removed, and the ink adhering to the nozzle surface is removed by being wiped with the wiper. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-043052 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, ink adhering to the nozzle surface may harden. For example, ink thickens when semi-cured. Here, semi-cured and thickened ink is also referred to as thickened ink. In this case, the nozzle surface may be cleaned to remove the thickened ink adhering to the nozzle surface. As described above, when cleaning liquid is applied to a wiper, the cleaning liquid on the wiper is removed with a removal member, and then the nozzle surface is wiped with the wiper, the thickened ink may not be removed from the nozzle surface, and some thickened ink may remain on the nozzle surface. Although printing is possible even if some thickened ink remains on the nozzle surface, it is preferable that the thickened ink is less likely to remain on the nozzle surface.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and its object is to provide a printer that can suitably remove thickened ink that has adhered to the nozzle surface. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The inventors of the present application have conducted various studies on a configuration that can effectively remove thickened ink adhering to the nozzle surface, and as a result of their studies, they have found that applying a cleaning liquid to the thickened ink is effective in effectively removing thickened ink adhering to the nozzle surface.

[0008] The printer according to the present invention includes an ink head, a wiper, a removal member, an application mechanism, a movement mechanism, and a control device. The ink head has a nozzle surface on which nozzles for ejecting ink are formed. The wiper wipes the nozzle surface at a first position. The removal member contacts the wiper at a second position to remove deposits adhering to the wiper. The application mechanism applies cleaning liquid to the wiper at a third position. The movement mechanism moves the wiper, the ink head, the removal member, or the application mechanism relatively between the first position, the second position, and the third position. The control device includes a first cleaning execution unit that executes a first cleaning process. The first cleaning execution unit includes a first pre-removal control unit, a application control unit, and a first wiping control unit. The first pre-removal control unit contacts the wiper with the removal member at the second position. The application control unit, after control by the first preliminary removal control unit, causes the application mechanism to apply cleaning liquid to the wiper at the third position, and the first wiping control unit, after control by the application control unit, wipes the nozzle surface with the wiper at the first position.

[0009] According to the printer, the application mechanism applies cleaning liquid to the wiper from which the removal member has removed any deposits. Then, the nozzle surface is wiped with the wiper with the cleaning liquid applied, so that the cleaning liquid applied to the wiper adheres to, for example, thickened ink adhering to the nozzle surface. This makes it easier for the cleaning liquid to remove the thickened ink from the nozzle surface. Therefore, the cleaning liquid applied to the wiper adheres to the thickened ink, thereby effectively removing the thickened ink adhering to the nozzle surface.

[0010] Another printer according to the present invention includes an ink head, a wiper, a removal member, an application mechanism, a movement mechanism, and a control device. The ink head has a nozzle surface on which nozzles for ejecting ink are formed. The wiper wipes the nozzle surface at a first position. The removal member contacts the wiper at a second position to remove deposits adhering to the wiper. The application mechanism applies cleaning liquid to the wiper at a third position. The movement mechanism moves the wiper, the ink head, the removal member, or the application mechanism relatively between the first position, the second position, and the third position. The control device includes a first cleaning execution unit that executes a first cleaning process. The first cleaning execution unit includes an application control unit, a first wiping control unit, and a first removal control unit. The application control unit causes the application mechanism to apply cleaning liquid to the wiper at the third position. The first wiping control unit wipes the nozzle surface with the wiper at the first position after control by the application control unit. The first removal control unit brings the wiper into contact with the removal member at the second position after control by the first wiping control unit.

[0011] According to the other printer described above, the nozzle surface is wiped with a wiper coated with cleaning fluid, so the cleaning fluid coated on the wiper is applied to, for example, thickened ink adhering to the nozzle surface. This makes it easier for the cleaning fluid to remove the thickened ink from the nozzle surface. Therefore, the cleaning fluid coated on the wiper adheres to the thickened ink, making it possible to effectively remove the thickened ink adhering to the nozzle surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printer that can effectively remove thickened ink that has adhered to the nozzle surface. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a printer according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the printer with the cover open. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram of a printer according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing the carriage, the ink head, and the light irradiation device. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a carriage and a capping device. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a carriage and a capping device. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing a carriage and a wiping device. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a right side view schematically showing the carriage and the wiping device. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a right side view schematically showing the carriage and the wiping device, illustrating the wiper at the wiping position. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a right side view schematically showing the carriage and the wiping device, showing the wiper at the removing position. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a right side view schematically showing the carriage and the wiping device, illustrating the wiper at the application position. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for a normal cleaning process. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for a thickening cleaning process. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a bottom view showing the carriage, ink head, and light irradiation device of the printer according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a printer according to a second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a plan view schematically showing a carriage and a wiping device in a second embodiment. [Figure 17]FIG. 10 is a right side view schematically showing the carriage and the wiping device in the second embodiment, showing the wiper at the removal position. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a right side view schematically showing the carriage and the wiping device in the second embodiment, showing the wiper at the wiping position. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a right side view schematically showing the carriage and the wiping device in the second embodiment, showing the wiper at the application position. [Figure 20] 10 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for a first normal cleaning process. [Figure 21] 10 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for a second normal cleaning process. [Figure 22] 10 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for a first thickening cleaning process. [Figure 23] 10 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for a second thickening cleaning process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a printer according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiment described here is not intended to limit the present invention in any particular way. Furthermore, the same reference numerals are used to designate components and parts that perform the same functions, and redundant descriptions will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0015] First Embodiment A printer 10 according to a first embodiment will now be described. FIGS. 1 and 2 are a perspective view and a front view, respectively, of the printer 10 according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the printer 10 according to this embodiment. In the following, the symbols F, Rr, L, R, U, and D in the drawings indicate the front, rear, left, right, top, and bottom of the printer 10, respectively. The symbols Y and X indicate the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, respectively. For example, the main scanning direction Y is the left-right direction. The sub-scanning direction X intersects with the main scanning direction Y in a plan view and is perpendicular here. The sub-scanning direction X is, for example, the front-to-rear direction. However, these directions are merely defined for the sake of convenience and do not limit the installation manner of the printer 10.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 10 ejects ink onto a printing substrate 5 to print on the printing substrate 5. The printing substrate 5 is, for example, recording paper. However, the type of printing substrate 5 is not particularly limited. For example, the printing substrate 5 includes relatively thick objects such as sheets made of resin materials such as PVC and polyester, metal plates, glass plates, and wooden plates. The printing substrate 5 may also be a three-dimensional object such as a smartphone case.

[0017] The printer 10 is an inkjet printer. In this embodiment, the printer 10 is a so-called flatbed type printer, and as a support base 40 (see FIG. 2 ), which will be described later, moves in the sub-scanning direction X, the printing substrate 5 also moves in the sub-scanning direction X. However, the printer 10 may also be a so-called roll-to-roll type printer, in which only the roll-shaped printing substrate 5 moves in the sub-scanning direction X.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 1, the printer 10 includes a case 11 and a cover 12. The case 11 is, for example, rectangular parallelepiped in shape and has an internal space. Printing is performed on a printing substrate 5 in the internal space. As shown in Fig. 2, an opening 15 is formed in the front of the case 11.

[0019] The cover 12 is supported by the case 11 so that the opening 15 can be freely opened and closed. The cover 12 is configured to be rotatable around an axis at its rear end. As shown in FIG. 1 , windows 16 are provided in the front and top of the cover 12. The windows 16 are made of a transparent or translucent material, such as an acrylic plate. The user can view the interior space of the case 11 through the windows 16.

[0020] Next, a description will be given of the internal configuration of the printer 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the printer 10 includes a guide rail 18, a carriage 20, an ink head 22, a light irradiation device 30, and a support base 40.

[0021] The guide rail 18 is fixed to the case 11 in the internal space of the case 11. The guide rail 18 extends in the main scanning direction Y. The carriage 20 is slidably engaged with the guide rail 18. The carriage 20 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction Y along the guide rail 18.

[0022] The ink heads 22 eject ink onto the printing substrate 5 supported by the support base 40. The ink heads 22 are provided on the carriage 20. The ink heads 22 are configured to be movable together with the carriage 20 in the main scanning direction Y. The number of ink heads 22 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the number of ink heads 22 is four. The four ink heads 22 are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction Y.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing the carriage 20, the ink head 22, and the light irradiation device 30. As shown in FIG. 4, the ink head 22 has a nozzle surface 23. The nozzle surface 23 forms the bottom surface of the ink head 22. The nozzle surface 23 is exposed downward from the carriage 20. A plurality of nozzles 24 are formed in one nozzle surface 23. In this embodiment, the plurality of nozzles 24 in one nozzle surface 23 are arranged side by side in the sub-scanning direction X. Here, a row of the plurality of nozzles 24 arranged side by side in the sub-scanning direction X is referred to as a nozzle row 25. In this embodiment, the number of nozzle rows 25 in one nozzle surface 23 is two. However, the number of nozzle rows 25 in one nozzle surface 23 may be one, or three or more.

[0024] In this embodiment, different color inks are ejected from the nozzles 24 of each nozzle row 25 of the ink head 22. The inks ejected from the nozzles 24 are, for example, process color inks or special color inks. Process color inks include, for example, cyan ink, magenta ink, yellow ink, and black ink. Special color inks are inks of colors other than the process color inks. Special color inks include, for example, white ink, clear ink, gloss ink, primer ink, fluorescent ink, metallic ink, orange ink, red ink, violet ink, blue ink, and green ink.

[0025] The ink ejected from the nozzles 24 of the ink head 22 is a photocurable ink that dries when irradiated with light. The light may be, for example, ultraviolet light, and the ink here is an ultraviolet-curable ink that dries when irradiated with ultraviolet light. However, the ink may also be, for example, a water-based ink.

[0026] In this embodiment, the ink ejected from the ink head 22 is stored in an ink cartridge 26 shown in FIG. 2. The ink cartridge 26 is disposed, for example, in the internal space of the case 11. For example, one ink cartridge 26 is connected to one ink head 22. However, one ink cartridge 26 may also be connected to one nozzle row 25. The ink cartridge 26 is connected to the ink head 22, for example, via a tube (not shown). The ink stored in the ink cartridge 26 is supplied to the ink head 22 via the tube.

[0027] The light irradiation device 30 is a device that irradiates light onto the ink ejected from the nozzles 24 of the ink head 22. Here, the light irradiation device 30 is configured to be able to irradiate light onto the ink ejected onto the printing substrate 5 supported by the support table 40. In this embodiment, as described above, the ink ejected from the nozzles 24 is ultraviolet-curable ink, and therefore the light irradiation device 30 is an ultraviolet irradiation device that irradiates ultraviolet light onto the ink ejected from the nozzles 24. However, the light irradiation device 30 may also be an infrared irradiation device that irradiates infrared light. In this case, the ink ejected from the nozzles 24 of the ink head 22 may be what is known as aqueous ink.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 4, the light irradiation device 30 is provided on the carriage 20 and is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction Y together with the carriage 20 and the ink head 22. In this embodiment, the light irradiation device 30 is provided on one side of the carriage 20 in the main scanning direction Y (here, the left side), and on one side of the ink head 22 in the main scanning direction Y. However, the light irradiation device 30 may be provided on the other side of the carriage 20 in the main scanning direction Y (here, the right side), and on the other side of the ink head 22 in the main scanning direction Y. Although FIG. 4 shows one light irradiation device 30, there may be multiple light irradiation devices 30 (for example, two). The light irradiation devices 30 may be provided on both the left and right sides of the carriage 20.

[0029] The configuration of the light irradiation device 30 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the light irradiation device 30 has an irradiation main body 31 (see FIG. 4) and a light source 32 (see FIG. 3). As shown in FIG. 4, the irradiation main body 31 is, for example, rectangular and hollow. An irradiation port 33 is formed on the bottom surface of the irradiation main body 31. The shape of the irradiation port 33 is rectangular, but is not particularly limited. The light source 32 emits light (ultraviolet light in this case) and is arranged inside the irradiation main body 31. The light emitted from the light source 32 passes through the irradiation port 33 and is irradiated onto the ink ejected on the printing substrate 5.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 2, the support table 40 supports the printing substrate 5. Here, the printing substrate 5 is placed on the upper surface of the support table 40. Printing is performed on the printing substrate 5 on the support table 40. The upper surface of the support table 40 extends in the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X.

[0031] 1, the printer 10 includes a head moving mechanism 51 that moves the ink head 22 in the main scanning direction Y relative to the support base 40, and a printing substrate moving mechanism 52 that moves the printing substrate 5 supported by the support base 40 in the sub-scanning direction X relative to the ink head 22. In addition, although a detailed configuration is omitted, the printer 10 also includes an elevating mechanism 53 that raises and lowers the support base 40.

[0032] The head moving mechanism 51 moves the carriage 20, the ink head 22, and the light irradiation device 30 in the main scanning direction Y along the guide rail 18. The configuration of the head moving mechanism 51 is not particularly limited. Although not shown, the head moving mechanism 51 may include, for example, left and right pulleys, a belt, and a scan motor. The left pulley is provided around the left end of the guide rail 18, and the right pulley is provided around the right end of the guide rail 18. The belt is, for example, an endless belt that is wound around the left and right pulleys. The carriage 20 is fixedly attached to the belt. The scan motor is connected to one of the left and right pulleys. The pulley rotates when the scan motor is driven, causing the belt to run between the left and right pulleys. This causes the carriage 20, the ink head 22, and the light irradiation device 30 to move in the main scanning direction Y along the guide rail 18.

[0033] The printing substrate movement mechanism 52 is a mechanism that moves the support table 40 in the sub-scanning direction X, thereby moving the printing substrate 5 supported on the support table 40 in the sub-scanning direction X. The configuration of the printing substrate movement mechanism 52 is not particularly limited. Although not shown, the printing substrate movement mechanism 52 includes a support table carriage that supports the support table 40 and a pair of left and right slide rails that slidably support the support table carriage and extend in the sub-scanning direction X. Although not shown, the printing substrate movement mechanism 52 further includes a pair of front and rear slide pulleys provided in front and behind the slide rails, and a slide belt wound around the pair of front and rear slide pulleys. The support table carriage is fixed to this slide belt. A feed motor is connected to one of the pair of front and rear slide pulleys. Here, the feed motor is driven to run the slide belt, and the support table 40 moves in the sub-scanning direction X together with the support table carriage.

[0034] 5 and 6 are front views showing the carriage 20 and the capping device 60 of the cleaning unit 55. FIGS. 7 and 8 are plan and right side views, respectively, that schematically show the carriage 20 and the wiping device 70 of the cleaning unit 55. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the printer 10 is equipped with a cleaning unit 55. The cleaning unit 55 is a unit for cleaning the ink head 22. Here, the cleaning unit 55 has a capping device 60 (see FIG. 5) and a wiping device 70 (see FIG. 7).

[0035] The capping device 60 shown in FIG. 5 is disposed to the left or right of the support base 40. In this embodiment, a home position is set where the ink head 22 waits when not printing. This home position is disposed, for example, around the right end of the guide rail 18. The capping device 60 is disposed at the home position. As shown in FIG. 5, the capping device 60 includes a cap 61, a capping mechanism 62, and a suction pump 63.

[0036] The cap 61 is configured to be attachable to the ink head 22 so as to cover the multiple nozzles 24 (see FIG. 4) of the ink head 22. One cap 61 is attached to one ink head 22. Therefore, the number of caps 61 is four, the same as the number of ink heads 22. However, one cap 61 may be attached to multiple ink heads 22 (for example, all four).

[0037] The capping mechanism 62 is a mechanism that raises and lowers the cap 61 to attach and detach the cap 61 to and from the ink head 22. For example, as shown in Fig. 6, the capping mechanism 62 is configured to attach the cap 61 to the ink head 22 by raising the cap 61, and to detach the cap 61 from the ink head 22 by lowering the cap 61, as shown in Fig. 5.

[0038] The configuration of the capping mechanism 62 is not particularly limited. Here, the capping mechanism 62 has a support member 65 and an elevation motor 67. The support member 65 is, for example, a plate-like member that extends in the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X, and supports the four caps 61. The elevation motor 67 is connected to the support member 65. Here, the support member 65 is raised and lowered by driving the elevation motor 67. As the support member 65 is raised and lowered, the four caps 61 are raised and lowered simultaneously.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 5, the suction pumps 63 are connected to the caps 61. Here, one suction pump 63 is connected to one cap 61. Therefore, the number of suction pumps 63 is four, which is the same as the number of caps 61. The suction pumps 63 suck ink from the connected caps 61 and ink from the ink heads 22 attached to the connected caps 61.

[0040] The suction pump 63 is provided midway along the tube 64. One end of the tube 64 is connected to the cap 61, and the other end of the tube 64 is connected to a waste liquid tank (not shown). There is, for example, one waste liquid tank, which is connected to four caps 61 via four tubes 64. For example, when the suction pump 63 is driven with the cap 61 attached to the ink head 22, ink is sucked out of the nozzles 24 (see FIG. 4) and discharged into the cap 61. The ink and other matter in the cap 61 that has been sucked into the suction pump 63 is discharged into the waste liquid tank via the tube 64.

[0041] The wiping device 70 shown in Figures 7 and 8 is a device for wiping the nozzle surface 23 of the ink head 22. The wiping device 70 is disposed near the capping device 60, with at least a portion of it located below the ink head 22. In this example, the wiping device 70 is disposed at a home position where the ink head 22 waits when not printing. As shown in Figure 8, the wiping device 70 is disposed, for example, around the right end of the guide rail 18. The wiping device 70 includes a wiper 71, a removal member 72, an application mechanism 73, and a movement mechanism 74.

[0042] 9 is a right side view schematically showing the carriage 20 and the wiping device 70, illustrating the wiper 71 at wiping position P1. As shown in FIG. 9, the wiper 71 is a member that wipes the nozzle surface 23 of the ink head 22. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the wiper 71 is a flat member that extends in the main scanning direction Y and in the up-down direction.

[0043] The material from which the wiper 71 is made is not particularly limited. Here, the wiper 71 is made of an elastic body, for example, rubber. In this embodiment, there is one wiper 71, and one wiper 71 is configured to be able to wipe the nozzle surfaces 23 of all of the ink heads 22 in turn. The length of the wiper 71 in the main scanning direction Y is equal to or greater than the length of the nozzle surfaces 23 in the main scanning direction Y. Note that, for example, multiple wipers 71 (four in this example) may be provided, and one wiper 71 may be configured to wipe the nozzle surfaces 23 of one ink head 22. Alternatively, one wiper 71 may be configured to wipe the nozzle surfaces 23 of all of the ink heads 22 at once.

[0044] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 8, the wiper 71 is arranged so that the tip (here, the upper end) of the wiper 71 is positioned slightly higher than the nozzle surface 23. In this state, the wiper 71 is configured to move relative to the ink head 22 in a predetermined movement direction D1. At this time, as shown in Fig. 9, the tip of the wiper 71 bends and comes into contact with the nozzle surface 23, and the wiper 71 moves in the movement direction D1 with the tip of the wiper 71 in contact with the nozzle surface 23, thereby wiping the nozzle surface 23 with the wiper 71. In this embodiment, the movement direction D1 is the same front-to-rear direction as the sub-scanning direction X. However, the movement direction D1 is not limited to the front-to-rear direction.

[0045] For example, ink may adhere to the nozzle surface 23 of the ink head 22. Furthermore, dirt, dust, etc. may adhere to the nozzle surface 23 along with the ink. The ink, dirt, dust, etc. adhering to the nozzle surface 23 are collectively referred to as deposits. When the nozzle surface 23 is wiped with a wiper 71, the deposits adhering to the nozzle surface 23 may adhere to the wiper 71. The removal member 72 is a member that removes the deposits adhering to the wiper 71. Here, by bringing the wiper 71 into contact with the removal member 72, the deposits adhering to the part of the wiper 71 that is in contact with the removal member 72 are removed.

[0046] In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the removal member 72 is a flat plate-shaped member extending in the main scanning direction Y and the up-down direction. The length of the removal member 72 in the main scanning direction Y is equal to or greater than the length of the wiper 71 in the main scanning direction Y. The shape of the removal member 72 is not particularly limited. The material from which the removal member 72 is formed is also not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the removal member 72 is formed of a porous material. The removal member 72 is, for example, an absorbent material, and is configured to come into contact with the wiper 71 and absorb ink adhering to the wiper 71, thereby removing the adhering matter. The removal member 72 is, for example, formed of a material harder than the wiper 71.

[0047] FIG. 10 is a right side view schematically showing the carriage 20 and the wiping device 70, illustrating the wiper 71 at the removal position P2. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the removal member 72 is disposed at a height such that the lower end of the removal member 72 overlaps the tip of the wiper 71 in the vertical direction. Although not shown, the removal member 72 is fixed to the case 11 (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 10, the wiper 71 moves in the movement direction D1 with the lower end of the removal member 72 in contact with the tip of the wiper 71. At this time, the tip of the wiper 71 bends, and any deposits adhering to the tip of the wiper 71 adhere to the removal member 72 and are removed.

[0048] FIG. 11 is a right side view schematically illustrating the carriage 20 and the wiping device 70, showing the wiper 71 at the application position P3. As shown in FIG. 11, the application mechanism 73 applies a cleaning liquid 85 to the wiper 71. In this example, the cleaning liquid 85 contains a surfactant. Furthermore, when the cleaning liquid 85 is used for ultraviolet-curable ink or solvent ink, the cleaning liquid 85 may contain an organic solvent such as dialkylene glycol dialkyl ether or diethylene diethyl ether. In this embodiment, the wiper 71 is configured to be movable below the application mechanism 73, and the cleaning liquid 85 is applied to the wiper 71 by dripping it onto the wiper 71 from above.

[0049] The configuration of the application mechanism 73 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the application mechanism 73 has a container 81, an opening / closing valve 82, and an application nozzle 83. The container 81 contains a cleaning liquid 85. The container 81 is, for example, pouch-shaped, but its shape is not particularly limited. The opening / closing valve 82 is openable and closable, and adjusts the amount of cleaning liquid 85 applied to the wiper 71. Here, the opening / closing valve 82 is a so-called electromagnetic valve, and is electrically controlled to open and close.

[0050] The application nozzle 83 is disposed above the wiper 71 and applies the cleaning liquid 85 toward the wiper 71. The shape of the application nozzle 83 is not particularly limited. Here, the application nozzle 83 is rod-shaped and extends in the vertical direction. However, the application nozzle 83 may be hemispherical in shape with a curved surface that protrudes downward, or semi-cylindrical in shape with a spherical surface that protrudes downward. Although not shown, the application nozzle 83 is fixed to the case 11 (see FIG. 2).

[0051] In this embodiment, the application nozzle 83 is connected to the container 81 via an on-off valve 82. Here, the application mechanism 73 has a supply path 84 through which a cleaning liquid 85 flows. The supply path 84 is formed, for example, from a flexible member, and in this case, is formed by a tube. One end of the supply path 84 is connected to the container 81, and the other end of the supply path 84 is connected to the application nozzle 83. The on-off valve 82 is provided in a portion midway along the supply path 84.

[0052] In this embodiment, when the cleaning liquid 85 is not being applied to the wiper 71, the on-off valve 82 is closed and the supply path 84 is therefore closed. Therefore, the cleaning liquid 85 contained in the container 81 is not supplied to the application nozzle 83. On the other hand, when the cleaning liquid 85 is being applied to the wiper 71, the on-off valve 82 is opened and the supply path 84 is opened. Therefore, the cleaning liquid 85 contained in the container 81 is supplied to the application nozzle 83 through the supply path 84. The cleaning liquid 85 supplied to the application nozzle 83 is applied from the application nozzle 83 towards the wiper 71. Here, the cleaning liquid 85 is discharged downward from the application nozzle 83.

[0053] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 9, the position where the wiper 71 wipes the nozzle surface 23 of the ink head 22 is called a wiping position P1. As shown in Figure 10, the position where the removal member 72 removes deposits attached to the wiper 71 is called a removal position P2. The removal member 72 is located at the removal position P2. Also, as shown in Figure 11, the position where the application mechanism 73 applies cleaning liquid 85 to the wiper 71 is called an application position P3. At least the application nozzle 83, which is one of the components that make up the application mechanism 73, is located at the application position P3. In this embodiment, the wiping position P1 corresponds to the first position. The removal position P2 corresponds to the second position. The application position P3 corresponds to the third position.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 7, the wiping position P1, the removal position P2, and the application position P3 are aligned linearly in the movement direction D1 in a plan view. That is, the wiping position P1, the removal position P2, and the application position P3 are aligned in the sub-scanning direction X in a plan view. Specifically, they are aligned in the order of the removal position P2, the application position P3, and the wiping position P1 from back to front. Here, the wiping position P1 is located at its home position at the right end of the guide rail 18. The removal position P2 is located behind the wiping position P1. The application position P3 is located behind the wiping position P1 and in front of the removal position P2. Here, the application mechanism 73 is located in front of the removal member 72.

[0055] 8 to 11, the movement mechanism 74 is a mechanism that moves the wiper 71 relatively to the ink head 22, the removal member 72, and the application mechanism 73. In this embodiment, the movement mechanism 74 moves the wiper 71, the ink head 22, the removal member 72, or the application mechanism 73 relatively to a wiping position P1, a removal position P2, and an application position P3. The movement mechanism 74 moves the wiper 71 in a movement direction D1, i.e., the sub-scanning direction X. The configuration of the movement mechanism 74 is not particularly limited.

[0056] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 8, the movement mechanism 74 has a slide rail 91, a wiper carriage 92, and a slide motor 93. The slide rail 91 extends in the movement direction D1, i.e., the sub-scanning direction X. The slide rail 91 is disposed across the wiping position P1, the removal position P2, and the application position P3. The slide rail 91 is disposed below the removal member 72 and the application mechanism 73 (more specifically, the application nozzle 83). The slide rail 91 is disposed below the ink head 22 in a side view.

[0057] The wiper carriage 92 is slidably engaged with the slide rail 91. The wiper carriage 92 is configured to be movable along the slide rail 91 in the movement direction D1. The wiper 71 is provided and supported on the wiper carriage 92. Here, the wiper 71 protrudes upward from the wiper carriage 92 and extends upward from the wiper carriage 92.

[0058] The slide motor 93 is connected to the wiper carriage 92. Here, when the slide motor 93 is driven, the wiper carriage 92 moves in a movement direction D1 along the slide rail 91. As the wiper carriage 92 moves in the movement direction D1, the wiper 71 moves in the movement direction D1. In this way, when the wiper 71 moves in the movement direction D1, the wiper 71 can be moved to any one of the wiping position P1, the removal position P2, and the application position P3.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 10 includes a control device 110. The control device 110 executes processes related to printing and processes related to a cleaning process PR1 (see FIG. 12) for the ink head 22. The configuration of the control device 110 is not particularly limited. The control device 110 is, for example, a microcomputer. The control device 110 includes, for example, an I / F, a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The control device 110 is provided inside the case 11. However, the control device 110 may also be realized by a computer or the like installed outside the case 11. In this case, the control device 110 is connected to a control board (not shown) of the printer 10 via a wired or wireless connection so as to be able to communicate with the control board.

[0060] 3, the control device 110 is communicatively connected to the ink head 22, the light irradiation device 30 (specifically, the light source 32), the head moving mechanism 51, the printing substrate moving mechanism 52, the lifting mechanism 53, the capping device 60 (specifically, the capping mechanism 62 and the suction pump 63), the application mechanism 73 of the wiping device 70 (specifically, the on-off valve 82 and the application nozzle 83), and the movement mechanism 74 of the wiping device 70 (specifically, the slide motor 93). The control device 110 controls the ink head 22, the light irradiation device 30, the head moving mechanism 51, the printing substrate moving mechanism 52, the lifting mechanism 53, the capping mechanism 62, the suction pump 63, the application mechanism 73, and the movement mechanism 74.

[0061] In this embodiment, in order to suppress the occurrence of ejection abnormalities in the nozzles 24 of the ink head 22, a cleaning process PR1 (see FIG. 12) is executed on the ink head 22. Here, ejection abnormalities in the nozzles 24 refer to abnormalities such as distortion of ink ejected from the nozzles 24 or nozzle clogs where ink is not ejected, which degrades print quality.

[0062] There may be multiple types of cleaning process PR1 for the ink head 22. FIGS. 12 and 13 are flowcharts showing control procedures for the normal cleaning process PR12 and the thickening cleaning process PR11, respectively. Here, examples of the cleaning process PR1 include the normal cleaning process PR12 (see FIG. 12) and the thickening cleaning process PR11 (see FIG. 13). The normal cleaning process PR12 shown in FIG. 12 is a process performed on the ink head 22 after printing is completed. The normal cleaning process PR12 is an example of a second cleaning process. Here, "after printing is completed" refers to after one print job is completed, for example, after printing based on one image data is completed. The image data is stored, for example, in the storage unit 111 (see FIG. 3), which will be described later.

[0063] In this embodiment, ink may adhere to the nozzle surface 23 of the ink head 22. The ink adhered to the nozzle surface 23 thickens over time. Furthermore, the ink adhered to the nozzle surface 23 is irradiated with light emitted from the light irradiation device 30 and reflected from the printing substrate 5 supported on the support table 40, which promotes curing. As the ink hardens, it becomes more viscous and reaches a semi-cured state. Ink that has become highly viscous and is in a semi-cured state is called "thickened ink." When this thickened ink remains adhered to the nozzle surface 23, ejection abnormalities from the nozzles 24 are likely to occur. For example, if the nozzle surface 23 is wiped while thickened ink is adhered to it, the thickened ink moves to the nozzles 24 or near the nozzles 24. As a result, ejection abnormalities from the nozzles 24 may occur.

[0064] Specifically, if printing is performed with thickened ink adhering to the nozzle surface 23, the thickened ink will become even more viscous. As a result, the thickened ink begins to adhere to the nozzle surface 23, making it difficult to remove the thickened ink by wiping. At this time, new ink is likely to adhere to the adhered thickened ink. This new ink also cannot be removed and remains adhered to the nozzle surface 23, causing it to thicken over time. As a result, the new thickened ink also begins to adhere, and thickened ink accumulates, making it more likely that ejection abnormalities will occur in the nozzles 24. Note that if thickened ink enters the nozzles 24 and cannot be expelled from the nozzles 24 by cleaning process PR1 or the like, the ink head 22 will need to be replaced. For this reason, it is preferable to remove ink adhering to the nozzle surface 23.

[0065] 13 is a process performed on the ink head 22 to remove thickened ink adhering to the nozzle surface 23. In this embodiment, the thickened cleaning process PR11 is an example of a first cleaning process.

[0066] In this embodiment, the thickening cleaning process PR11 is a process that is executed when the cumulative printing time is equal to or exceeds a predetermined reference time during printing standby. Here, the cumulative printing time is the total printing time since the previous thickening cleaning process PR11 was executed. Here, the cumulative printing time is reset when the thickening cleaning process PR11 is executed. Note that the specific value of the reference time is not particularly limited and is set appropriately depending on the type of printer 10. The reference time is 6 to 10 hours, preferably 7 to 9 hours, for example 8 hours. The reference time is stored in advance, for example, in the memory unit 111 (see FIG. 3).

[0067] In this embodiment, to execute the cleaning process PR1, the control device 110 includes a memory unit 111, a first cleaning execution unit 120, and a second cleaning execution unit 130, as shown in Fig. 3. Here, the memory unit 111, the first cleaning execution unit 120, and the second cleaning execution unit 130 may be configured by software or by hardware. For example, the memory unit 111, the first cleaning execution unit 120, and the second cleaning execution unit 130 may be realized by one or more processors, or may be incorporated into a circuit.

[0068] The first cleaning execution unit 120 is configured to execute a thickening cleaning process PR11 shown in Fig. 13. Here, the first cleaning execution unit 120 has a first pre-removal control unit 121, an application control unit 123, a first wiping control unit 125, and a first post-removal control unit 127. The thickening cleaning process PR11 is executed by sequential control by the first pre-removal control unit 121, the application control unit 123, the first wiping control unit 125, and the first post-removal control unit 127. Specific control of the thickening cleaning process PR11 will be described later.

[0069] The second cleaning execution unit 130 in Fig. 3 is configured to execute a normal cleaning process PR12 shown in Fig. 12. Here, the second cleaning execution unit 130 has a suction control unit 131, a second pre-removal control unit 133, a second wiping control unit 135, and a second post-removal control unit 137. The normal cleaning process PR12 is executed by sequential control by the suction control unit 131, the second pre-removal control unit 133, the second wiping control unit 135, and the second post-removal control unit 137.

[0070] Next, the control procedure for the normal cleaning process PR12 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0071] Here, first, in step S101, the suction control unit 131 in Fig. 3 executes the suction process PR21. To execute the suction process PR21, the suction control unit 131 attaches a cap 61 to the ink head 22 and drives the suction pump 63, as shown in Fig. 6. More specifically, the suction control unit 131 controls the capping mechanism 62 to attach the cap 61 to the ink head 22 so that the cap 61 covers the nozzles 24 (see Fig. 4). After the cap 61 is attached to the ink head 22, the suction pump 63 is driven.

[0072] This causes the ink in the ink head 22 to be ejected (in other words, sucked) from the nozzle 24. The ink ejected from the nozzle 24 is discharged into the cap 61. When the suction pump 63 is driven, the ink in the cap 61 is discharged through the tube 64 into the waste liquid tank.

[0073] Next, in step S103 of Fig. 12, the second pre-removal control unit 133 of Fig. 3 executes the removal process PR22 after the suction control unit 131 has performed control related to the suction process PR21. Here, as the removal process PR22, the second pre-removal control unit 133 performs control to bring the removal member 72 into contact with the wiper 71 at the removal position P2, as shown in Fig. 10. More specifically, the second pre-removal control unit 133 controls the movement mechanism 74 to move the wiper 71 to the removal position P2.

[0074] For example, as shown in FIG. 8 , the second pre-removal control unit 133 moves the wiper 71 so that the wiper 71 is positioned behind the removal member 72. Thereafter, the second pre-removal control unit 133 moves the wiper 71 forward in the movement direction D1 at the removal position P2. As a result, the tip of the wiper 71 comes into contact with the lower part of the removal member 72, as shown in FIG. 10 . Then, when the wiper 71 moves further forward while the tip of the wiper 71 is in contact with the removal member 72, the wiper 71 bends. As a result, ink or other deposits adhering to the tip of the wiper 71 adhere to the removal member 72, and the deposits are removed from the wiper 71. Here, "removed" includes not only the case where all of the deposits adhering to the wiper 71 are removed, but also the case where a predetermined amount of the deposits are removed.

[0075] 12, the second wiping control unit 135 of Fig. 3 executes the wiping process PR23 after the control related to the removal process PR22 by the second pre-removal control unit 133. Here, as the wiping process PR23, the second wiping control unit 135 controls the wiping of the nozzle surface 23 with the wiper 71 at the wiping position P1, as shown in Fig. 9.

[0076] 7, the second pre-removal control unit 133 controls the head moving mechanism 51 to move the ink head 22 to be wiped by the wiper 71 (the ink head 22 located at the rightmost position in FIG. 7) out of the multiple ink heads 22 to the wiping position P1. As a result, the nozzle surface 23 of the ink head 22 to be wiped by the wiper 71 is positioned directly above the slide rail 91 of the moving mechanism 74.

[0077] Thereafter, the second wiping control unit 135 controls the movement mechanism 74 to move the wiper 71, which is at the removal position P2 in FIG. 10, to the wiping position P1 in FIG. 9. Here, the wiper 71 passes through the application position P3 as it moves forward in the movement direction D1 from the removal position P2 to the wiping position P1. However, in the normal cleaning process PR12, the application mechanism 73 does not apply the cleaning liquid 85 at the application position P3, and the wiper 71 is left free of the cleaning liquid 85. In other words, the wiper 71 that has reached the wiping position P1 is free of the cleaning liquid 85, and the wiping process PR23 by the second wiping control unit 135 is performed with the wiper 71 free of the cleaning liquid 85.

[0078] 9, the second wiping control unit 135 moves the wiper 71 further forward after it reaches the wiping position P1. As a result, the tip of the wiper 71 bends and comes into contact with the nozzle surface 23 of the ink head 22. As the wiper 71 moves forward while in contact with the nozzle surface 23, the wiper 71 wipes away ink and other deposits that have adhered to the nozzle surface 23. Note that the number of times the wiper 71 moves in the movement direction D1 in the wiping process PR23 is not limited to one, and may be multiple times.

[0079] Next, in step S107 of FIG. 12, the second post-removal control unit 137 of FIG. 3 executes the removal process PR22. Here, after the second wiping control unit 135 controls the wiping process PR23, the second post-removal control unit 137 brings the wiper 71 into contact with the removal member 72 at the removal position P2, as shown in FIG. 10. Here, the second post-removal control unit 137 controls the movement mechanism 74 to move the wiper 71, which is at the wiping position P1 of FIG. 9, to the removal position P2 of FIG. 10. Then, at the removal position P2, the tip of the wiper 71 comes into contact with the lower part of the removal member 72, similar to the removal process PR22 by the second pre-removal control unit 133 described above (see step S103). Then, when the wiper 71 further moves in the movement direction D1 while the tip of the wiper 71 is in contact with the removal member 72, the wiper 71 bends. Here, the wiper 71 is bent in the direction opposite to the bending direction in Fig. 10. As a result, ink or other deposits adhering to the tip of the wiper 71 are adhered to the removal member 72, and the deposits are removed from the wiper 71.

[0080] After the removal process PR22 in step S107 in FIG. 12 is performed in this manner, the wiping process PR23 in step S105 and the removal process PR22 in step S107 are performed on the remaining ink heads 22, i.e., the ink heads 22 that have not been wiped.

[0081] Next, the control procedure of the thickening cleaning process PR11 by the first cleaning execution unit 120 in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0082] 3 executes the removal process PR22. As the removal process PR22, the first pre-removal control unit 121 controls the wiper 71 to contact the removal member 72 at the removal position P2, as shown in FIG. 10. Note that the control of the removal process PR22 by the first pre-removal control unit 121 is the same as the control of the removal process PR22 by the second pre-removal control unit 133 (see step S103 in FIG. 12), and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. Here, the first pre-removal control unit 121 moves the wiper 71 in the movement direction D1 and brings the tip of the wiper 71 into contact with the removal member 72, thereby removing ink and other deposits adhering to the wiper 71.

[0083] Next, in step S203 of Fig. 13, the application control unit 123 of Fig. 3 executes the application process PR24. After the first pre-removal control unit 121 controls the removal process PR22, the application control unit 123 causes the application mechanism 73 to apply cleaning liquid 85 to the wiper 71 at the application position P3, as shown in Fig. 11, as the application process PR24. More specifically, the application control unit 123 controls the movement mechanism 74 to move the wiper 71, which is located at the removal position P2 of Fig. 10, to the application position P3 of Fig. 11. At the application position P3, the wiper 71 moves to a position directly below the application nozzle 83 of the application mechanism 73.

[0084] Next, the application control unit 123 opens the on-off valve 82 of the application mechanism 73 and supplies the cleaning liquid 85 contained in the container 81 to the application nozzle 83 through the supply path 84. Then, the application control unit 123 causes the application nozzle 83 to eject the cleaning liquid 85 toward the wiper 71. This results in the cleaning liquid 85 being applied to the wiper 71, particularly to the tip of the wiper 71. Note that when the application mechanism 73 applies the cleaning liquid 85 to the wiper 71, the wiper 71 may be moving in the movement direction D1 or may be stationary.

[0085] Next, in step S205 of FIG. 13, the first wiping control unit 125 of FIG. 3 executes the wiping process PR23 after the application control unit 123 has controlled the application process PR24. Here, as the wiping process PR23, the first wiping control unit 125 controls the wiper 71 to wipe the nozzle surface 23 at wiping position P1, as shown in FIG. 9. Here, similar to the wiping process PR23 by the second wiping control unit 135 (see step S105 of FIG. 12), the first wiping control unit 125 controls the head moving mechanism 51 to move the ink head 22 to be wiped by the wiper 71, out of the multiple ink heads 22, to wiping position P1, as shown in FIG. 7. As a result, the nozzle surface 23 of the ink head 22 to be wiped by the wiper 71 is positioned directly above the slide rail 91 of the moving mechanism 74.

[0086] In the wiping process PR23 by the first wiping control unit 125, unlike the wiping process PR23 by the second wiping control unit 135 (see step S105 in FIG. 12), the wiping process PR23 is performed by the wiper 71 with the cleaning liquid 85 on it.

[0087] The first wiping control unit 125 controls the movement mechanism 74 to move the wiper 71, which is at application position P3 in FIG. 11, to wiping position P1 in FIG. 9. The first wiping control unit 125 then moves the wiper 71, which has reached wiping position P1, further forward. This causes the tip of the wiper 71 to come into contact with the nozzle surface 23 of the ink head 22. As the wiper 71 moves forward while in contact with the nozzle surface 23, the wiper 71 wipes away any deposits, such as thickened ink, that have adhered to the nozzle surface 23. Note that the number of times the wiper 71 moves in the movement direction D1 in the wiping process PR23 by the first wiping control unit 125 is not limited to one, and may be multiple times.

[0088] Next, in step S207 of FIG. 13, the first post-removal control unit 127 of FIG. 3 executes the removal process PR22. Here, after the first wiping control unit 125 controls the wiping process PR23, the first post-removal control unit 127 brings the wiper 71 into contact with the removal member 72 at the removal position P2, as shown in FIG. 10. Note that the control of the removal process PR22 by the first post-removal control unit 127 is the same as the control of the removal process PR22 by the second post-removal control unit 137 (see step S107 of FIG. 12), so a detailed description will be omitted. Here, the first post-removal control unit 127 moves the wiper 71 in the movement direction D1 and brings the tip of the wiper 71 into contact with the removal member 72, thereby removing any adhered matter, such as thickened ink, adhering to the wiper 71.

[0089] 13, the wiping process PR23 in step S205 and the removal process PR22 in step S207 are performed on the remaining ink heads 22, i.e., the ink heads 22 that have not been wiped. In this manner, the thickening cleaning process PR11 is performed.

[0090] In this embodiment, after the removal process PR22 in step S207 is performed on all ink heads 22, a normal cleaning process PR12 is performed as shown in FIG. 13. That is, in step S209 in FIG. 13, the suction control unit 131 in FIG. 3 controls the suction process PR21, similar to step S101 in FIG. 12. Next, in step S211 in FIG. 13, the second pre-removal control unit 133 in FIG. 3 performs the removal process PR22, similar to step S103 in FIG. 12. Next, in step S213 in FIG. 13, the second wiping control unit 135 in FIG. 3 performs the wiping process PR23, similar to step S105 in FIG. 12. Next, in step S215 in FIG. 13, the second post-removal control unit 137 in FIG. 3 performs the removal process PR22, similar to step S107 in FIG. 12.

[0091] As described above, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the printer 10 includes the ink head 22, the wiper 71, the removal member 72, the application mechanism 73, the moving mechanism 74, and the control device 110 (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 4, the ink head 22 has a nozzle surface 23 on which nozzles 24 for ejecting ink are formed. As shown in FIG. 9, the wiper 71 wipes the nozzle surface 23 of the ink head 22 at a wiping position P1. As shown in FIG. 10, the removal member 72 contacts the wiper 71 at a removal position P2 to remove deposits adhering to the wiper 71. As shown in FIG. 11, the application mechanism 73 applies cleaning liquid 85 to the wiper 71 at an application position P3. As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the moving mechanism 74 moves the wiper 71, the ink head 22, the removal member 72, or the application mechanism 73 relatively between the wiping position P1, the removal position P2, and the application position P3. Here, the movement mechanism 74 moves the wiper 71 and the ink head 22 relatively to each other, and positions the wiper 71 and the ink head 22 at a wiping position P1. The movement mechanism 74 moves the wiper 71 and the removal member 72 relatively to each other, and positions the wiper 71 and the removal member 72 at a removal position P2. The movement mechanism 74 also moves the wiper 71 and the application mechanism 73 relatively to each other, and positions the wiper 71 and the application mechanism 73 at an application position P3.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 110 includes a first cleaning execution unit 120 that executes a thickening cleaning process PR11 (see FIG. 13). The first cleaning execution unit 120 includes a first pre-removal control unit 121, an application control unit 123, and a first wiping control unit 125. As shown in FIG. 10, the first pre-removal control unit 121 brings the wiper 71 into contact with the removal member 72 at a removal position P2. After control by the first pre-removal control unit 121, the application control unit 123 causes the wiper 71 to apply cleaning liquid 85 using the application mechanism 73 at an application position P3, as shown in FIG. 11. After control by the application control unit 123, the first wiping control unit 125 causes the wiper 71 to wipe the nozzle surface 23 at a wiping position P1, as shown in FIG. 9.

[0093] 13 , in the thickened ink cleaning process PR11, the application mechanism 73 applies cleaning liquid 85 to the wiper 71 from which deposits have been removed by the removal member 72. Then, the wiper 71 with the cleaning liquid 85 applied thereto wipes the nozzle surface 23 of the ink head 22, and the cleaning liquid 85 applied to the wiper 71 is applied to, for example, thickened ink adhering to the nozzle surface 23. This makes it easier for the cleaning liquid 85 to remove the thickened ink from the nozzle surface 23. Therefore, the cleaning liquid 85 applied to the wiper 71 adheres to the thickened ink, and the thickened ink adhering to the nozzle surface 23 can be suitably removed.

[0094] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7, the wiping position P1, the removal position P2, and the application position P3 are aligned along a predetermined movement direction D1. The movement mechanism 74 is configured to move the wiper 71 along the movement direction D1. In this way, since the wiping position P1, the removal position P2, and the application position P3 are aligned along the movement direction D1, the wiper 71 can be controlled to move in a straight line. This makes it possible to prevent the control of the movement of the wiper 71 from becoming complicated.

[0095] In this embodiment, the removal position P2, the application position P3, and the wiping position P1 are arranged in this order along the movement direction D1. Here, the movement order of the wiper 71 in the thickening cleaning process PR11 shown in FIG. 13 is the removal position P2, the application position P3, and the wiping position P1. Therefore, by making the order of the wiping position P1, the removal position P2, and the application position P3 the same as the movement order of the wiper 71 in the thickening cleaning process PR11, it is possible to shorten the movement distance of the wiper 71 when performing the thickening cleaning process PR11. As a result, it is possible to shorten the time required to perform the thickening cleaning process PR11.

[0096] 8, the movement mechanism 74 has a slide rail 91 extending in the movement direction D1, a wiper carriage 92 slidably engaged with the slide rail 91 and provided with the wiper 71, and a slide motor 93 connected to the wiper carriage 92 and moving the wiper carriage 92 in the movement direction D1. This makes it possible to realize a configuration in which the wiper 71 is moved in the movement direction D1 with a simple configuration in which the wiper carriage 92 is moved along the slide rail 91.

[0097] 11 , the application mechanism 73 includes a container 81 that contains a cleaning liquid 85, a supply path 84 that has one end connected to the container 81, an open / close valve 82 that is provided midway along the supply path 84 and can be opened and closed, and an application nozzle 83 that is connected to the other end of the supply path 84 and discharges the cleaning liquid 85 toward the wiper 71. As a result, by opening and closing the open / close valve 82, it is possible to adjust whether or not the cleaning liquid 85 is applied from the application nozzle 83. Therefore, the cleaning liquid 85 can be applied toward the wiper 71 only when necessary.

[0098] In this embodiment, the first cleaning execution unit 120 has a first post-removal control unit 127 (see FIG. 3) that brings the wiper 71 into contact with the removal member 72 at the removal position P2 after the first wiping control unit 125 controls the wiping process PR23 (see step S205 in FIG. 13). By executing the wiping process PR23 by the first wiping control unit 125 in this manner, ink is left adhering to the wiper 71. Because the ink adhering to the wiper 71 hardens over time, it is preferable to remove it as quickly as possible. Therefore, in this embodiment, after the wiping process PR23, the first post-removal control unit 127 executes the removal process PR22 (see step S207 in FIG. 13). This makes it easier to remove ink adhering to the wiper 71.

[0099] 5 and 6, the printer 10 is equipped with a capping device 60. The capping device 60 has a cap 61 that can be attached to the ink head 22 so as to cover the nozzles 24, a capping mechanism 62 that attaches and detaches the cap 61 to and from the ink head 22, and a suction pump 63 connected to the cap 61.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 110 includes a second cleaning execution unit 130 that executes a normal cleaning process PR12 (see FIG. 12). The second cleaning execution unit 130 includes a suction control unit 131, a second pre-removal control unit 133, a second wiping control unit 135, and a second post-removal control unit 137. As shown in FIG. 6, the suction control unit 131 attaches the cap 61 to the ink head 22 and drives the suction pump 63. After control by the suction control unit 131, the second pre-removal control unit 133 brings the wiper 71 into contact with the removal member 72 at a removal position P2, as shown in FIG. 10. After control by the second pre-removal control unit 133, the second wiping control unit 135 wipes the nozzle surface 23 with the wiper 71 at a wiping position P1, as shown in FIG. 9. 10, after control by the second wiping control unit 135, the second post-removal control unit 137 brings the wiper 71 into contact with the removal member 72 at the removal position P2. The second wiping control unit 135 controls the wiper 71 to wipe the nozzle surface 23 without the cleaning liquid 85 being applied to the wiper 71.

[0101] As a result, for example, when thickened ink adheres to the nozzle surface 23, the thickened ink cleaning process PR11 shown in Fig. 13 is executed. On the other hand, when ink that is less cured than the thickened ink adheres to the nozzle surface 23, the ink can be wiped away with the wiper 71 without applying cleaning liquid 85 to the nozzle surface 23. Therefore, when ink that is less cured than the thickened ink adheres to the nozzle surface 23, the amount of cleaning liquid 85 consumed can be reduced by executing the normal cleaning process PR12 as shown in Fig. 12.

[0102] In this embodiment, the second cleaning execution unit 130 is configured to execute a normal cleaning process PR12 after printing is completed, as shown in Figure 12. The ink remaining on the nozzle surface 23 after printing is completed is, for example, ink that was deposited during printing and is less hardened than thickened ink. Therefore, by executing the normal cleaning process PR12 after printing is completed, the ink that has adhered to the nozzle surface 23 can be removed without applying cleaning liquid 85 to the wiper 71.

[0103] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13 , the second cleaning execution unit 130 is configured to execute a normal cleaning process PR12 after the first cleaning execution unit 120 executes a thickening cleaning process PR11. Here, in the thickening cleaning process PR11, the nozzle surface 23 is wiped with the wiper 71 to which cleaning liquid 85 has been applied. As a result, cleaning liquid 85 may adhere to the nozzle surface 23. The cleaning liquid 85 that has adhered to the nozzle surface 23 may enter the nozzles 24. Therefore, by executing the normal cleaning process PR12 after the thickening cleaning process PR11, even if cleaning liquid 85 enters the nozzles 24, the cleaning liquid 85 can be discharged from the nozzles 24 by a suction process PR21 in step S209 in FIG. 13 . Furthermore, the wiping process PR23 in the normal cleaning process PR12 (see step S213 in FIG. 13 ) can remove the cleaning liquid 85 that has adhered to the nozzle surface 23.

[0104] In this embodiment, the first cleaning execution unit 130 is configured to execute the thickening cleaning process PR11 when the cumulative printing time since the previous thickening cleaning process PR11 is equal to or longer than a predetermined reference time. For example, ink adhering to the nozzle surface 23 semi-cures and becomes thickened ink after a certain amount of time (e.g., the above-mentioned reference time) has elapsed since printing. When the cumulative printing time is equal to or longer than the reference time, there is a possibility that the ink adhering to the nozzle surface 23 has become thickened ink. In this way, by executing the thickening cleaning process PR11 at a timing when the ink may become thickened ink, the thickening cleaning process PR11 can be executed efficiently.

[0105] The thickening cleaning process PR11 may be executed at a time other than when the cumulative printing time reaches or exceeds the reference time. For example, the thickening cleaning process PR11 may be executed during a time period (e.g., at night) when the user is not printing with the printer 10. The thickening cleaning process PR11 may be executed, for example, once a day during a time period when the printer 10 is not printing.

[0106] In this embodiment, the movement direction D1 is the sub-scanning direction X. However, the specific direction of the movement direction D1 is not particularly limited. The movement direction D1 may be the main scanning direction Y, for example.

[0107] In this embodiment, the removal position P2, the application position P3, and the wiping position P1 are arranged in this order from back to front along the movement direction D1. However, the order of the wiping position P1, the removal position P2, and the application position P3 is not particularly limited. For example, the removal position P2, the application position P3, and the wiping position P1 may be arranged in this order from front to back. For example, the wiping position P1 may be arranged between the removal position P2 and the application position P3.

[0108] In this embodiment, the wiping position P1, the removal position P2, and the application position P3 are all fixed, and the movement mechanism 74 moves the wiper 71 to the wiping position P1, the removal position P2, and the application position P3. However, the position of the wiper 71 may be fixed, and the position of the wiper 71 after the movement mechanism 74 moves the ink head 22 toward the wiper 71 may be the wiping position P1. Similarly, the position of the wiper 71 after the movement mechanism 74 moves the removal member 72 toward the wiper 71 may be the removal position P2. The position of the wiper 71 after the movement mechanism 74 moves the application mechanism 73 toward the wiper 71 may be the application position P3. In this case, the wiping position P1, the removal position P2, and the application position P3 are the same, and are fixed positions of the wiper 71.

[0109] As described above, the case where the wiper 71 is moved toward the ink head 22, the removal member 72, and the application mechanism 73, and the case where the ink head 22, the removal member 72, and the application mechanism 73 are moved toward the wiper 71 have been described. However, when moving to wiping position P1, either the wiper 71 or the ink head 22 may move, or both may move. Similarly, when moving to removal position P2, either the wiper 71 or the removal member 72 may move, or both may move. When moving to application position P3, either the wiper 71 or the application mechanism 73 may move, or both may move. Furthermore, which of the wiper 71, the ink head 22, the removal member 72, and the application mechanism 73 moves may be different between wiping position P1, removal position P2, and application position P3. Furthermore, the wiping position P1, the removing position P2, and the applying position P3 may all be the same position, some may be the same position, or all may be different positions.

[0110] In this embodiment, in the wiping process PR23, the wiper 71 is moved in the movement direction D1 by the movement mechanism 74, so that the nozzle surface 23 is wiped by the wiper 71 at the wiping position P1. However, instead of moving the wiper 71 at the wiping position P1, the wiper 71 may be wiped by, for example, moving the ink head 22 in the main scanning direction Y by the head movement mechanism 51, or the nozzle surface 23 may be wiped by the wiper 71 by moving both the wiper 71 and the ink head 22.

[0111] In the present embodiment, in the removal process PR22, the wiper 71 is moved by the movement mechanism 74, and the wiper 71 and the removal member 72 are brought into contact with each other at the removal position P2, thereby removing the deposits adhering to the wiper 71. However, the removal member 72 may be configured to move relative to the wiper 71. At the removal position P2, the wiper 71 and the removal member 72 may be brought into contact with each other by moving the removal member 72 without moving the wiper 71. Furthermore, at the removal position P2, the wiper 71 and the removal member 72 may be brought into contact with each other by moving both the wiper 71 and the removal member 72.

[0112] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, in coating process PR24, the wiper 71 is moved by the movement mechanism 74 to a position immediately below the coating nozzle 83 at coating position P3, where cleaning liquid 85 is applied to the wiper 71. However, a configuration may be adopted in which the coating nozzle 83 of the coating mechanism 73 moves relative to the wiper 71. At coating position P3, the wiper 71 may be moved to a position immediately below the coating nozzle 83 by moving the coating nozzle 83 of the coating mechanism 73 without moving the wiper 71. Furthermore, at coating position P3, both the wiper 71 and the coating mechanism 73 may be moved to a position immediately below the coating nozzle 83, where cleaning liquid 85 is applied to the wiper 71.

[0113] In this embodiment, the removal member 72 is an absorbent material that absorbs liquid such as ink. However, the removal member 72 may also be a so-called scraper. A scraper is a plate-shaped member made of a material harder than the wiper 71, such as plastic. Even if it is a scraper, ink or other deposits adhering to the wiper 71 are removed by the wiper 71 coming into contact with the scraper.

[0114] Second Embodiment Next, a printer 10A according to a second embodiment will be described. Note that, in the printer 10A according to the second embodiment below, the same components as those in the printer 10 according to the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted where appropriate. Also, in cases where the functions are the same as those in the printer 10 according to the first embodiment but the configuration is different, the same names will be used and the reference numerals will be changed where appropriate.

[0115] FIG. 14 is a bottom view showing the carriage 20, ink head 22A, and light irradiation device 30 of a printer 10A according to this embodiment. FIG. 15 is a block diagram of the printer 10A. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the printer 10A includes a carriage 20, an ink head 22A, and a light irradiation device 30. The ink head 22A ejects ink onto a printing substrate 5 (see FIG. 2) supported on a support base 40 (see FIG. 2). The ink head 22A is provided on the carriage 20. The ink head 22A is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction Y together with the carriage 20.

[0116] In this embodiment, there are two ink heads 22A. The two ink heads 22A are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction Y, but at different positions in the sub-scanning direction X. The two ink heads 22A are arranged in a so-called staggered arrangement. Here, the left ink head 22A protrudes further forward than the right ink head 22A. In this embodiment, the two ink heads 22A partially overlap in the sub-scanning direction X, and one ink head 22A partially protrudes in the sub-scanning direction X further than the other ink head 22A. However, the two ink heads 22A may not overlap in the sub-scanning direction X, and one ink head 22A may entirely protrude in the sub-scanning direction X further than the other ink head 22A. Each ink head 22A has a nozzle surface 23 in which a plurality of nozzles 24 are formed. In this embodiment, each ink head 22A has four nozzle rows 25 in which a plurality of nozzles 24 are arranged in the sub-scanning direction X.

[0117] FIG. 16 is a plan view schematically showing the carriage 20 and the wiping device 70A. FIGS. 17 to 19 are right side views schematically showing the carriage 20 and the wiping device 70A. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, the printer 10A is provided with a cleaning unit 55A. The cleaning unit 55A has a capping device 60 (see FIG. 15) and a wiping device 70A. Note that in this embodiment, the capping device 60 has the same configuration as the capping device 60 according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 5), except that the number of caps 61 is two, which is the same as the number of ink heads 22A.

[0118] 18, the wiping device 70A is a device that wipes the nozzle surface 23 of the ink head 22A. The wiping device 70A is disposed around the home position where the ink head 22A waits when not printing. The wiping device 70A includes a wiper 71A, a removal member 72A, an application mechanism 73A, and a movement mechanism 74.

[0119] The wiper 71A is a member that wipes the nozzle surface 23 of the ink head 22A. In this embodiment, the wiper 71A is a plate-shaped member that extends in the sub-scanning direction X and in the vertical direction. The length of the wiper 71A in the sub-scanning direction X is equal to or greater than the length of the nozzle surface 23 in the sub-scanning direction X. There is one wiper 71A, and it is configured so that one wiper 71A can sequentially wipe the nozzle surfaces 23 of two ink heads 22A.

[0120] In this embodiment, the wiper 71A is positioned so that the tip end (here, the upper end) of the wiper 71A is at the same height as the nozzle surface 23 or slightly higher than the nozzle surface 23. In this state, the ink head 22A is moved in the main scanning direction Y. As a result, the ink head 22A moves to a position directly above the wiper 71A, and the ink head 22A moves in the main scanning direction Y with the nozzle surface 23 in contact with the wiper 71A, thereby wiping the nozzle surface 23 with the wiper 71A.

[0121] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17, the wiping device 70A includes a wiper lifting mechanism 75. The wiper lifting mechanism 75 is a mechanism that raises and lowers the wiper 71A. FIG. 17 shows the wiper 71A in a raised state. The configuration of the wiper lifting mechanism 75 is not particularly limited. Although not shown here, the wiper lifting mechanism 75 has a gear mechanism that includes, for example, multiple gears and a drive motor that rotates the gears. For example, when the drive motor is driven, the wiper 71A is raised and lowered via the multiple gears.

[0122] In this embodiment, the removal member 72A is a member extending in the sub-scanning direction X. The length of the removal member 72A in the sub-scanning direction X is equal to or greater than the length of the wiper 71A in the sub-scanning direction X. The removal member 72A is formed of a porous material, such as an absorbent material. An example of an absorbent material is a sponge. In this example, with the wiper 71A positioned directly below the removal member 72A, the wiper lifting mechanism 75 is driven to lift the wiper 71A and move it toward the removal member 72A. As a result, the tip of the wiper 71A comes into contact with the removal member 72A, and any ink or other deposits adhering to the tip of the wiper 71A are removed by adhering to the removal member 72A. After the tip of the wiper 71A comes into contact with the removal member 72A, the wiper 71A is lowered by the wiper lifting mechanism 75 and moves away from the removal member 72A.

[0123] As shown in FIG. 19 , the coating mechanism 73A includes a container 81, an on-off valve 82, a coating nozzle 83, and a supply path 84, similar to the coating mechanism 73 of the first embodiment (see FIG. 11 ). The coating mechanism 73A further includes a liquid feed pump 86. When the liquid feed pump 86 is driven, the cleaning liquid 85 contained in the container 81 flows toward the coating nozzle 83. The liquid feed pump 86 is a pump for promoting the supply of the cleaning liquid 85 contained in the container 81 to the coating nozzle 83. The liquid feed pump 86 is provided in the supply path 84. In this embodiment, the liquid feed pump 86 is provided in a portion of the supply path 84 closer to the container 81 than the on-off valve 82. The type of the liquid feed pump 86 is not particularly limited, and it may be, for example, a tube pump.

[0124] In this embodiment, when the cleaning liquid 85 is not being applied to the wiper 71A, the on-off valve 82 is closed and the liquid feed pump 86 is stopped. Therefore, the cleaning liquid 85 contained in the container 81 is not supplied to the application nozzle 83. On the other hand, when the cleaning liquid 85 is being applied to the wiper 71A, the on-off valve 82 is opened and the liquid feed pump 86 is driven. Therefore, the cleaning liquid 85 contained in the container 81 is supplied to the application nozzle 83 through the supply path 84. As described above, by providing the liquid feed pump 86, when the cleaning liquid 85 is to be discharged from the application nozzle 83, the liquid feed pump 86 is driven, which makes it easier for the cleaning liquid 85 contained in the container 81 to flow toward the application nozzle 83. Therefore, the cleaning liquid 85 can be more reliably discharged from the application nozzle 83. Furthermore, even when the amount of cleaning liquid 85 contained in the pouch-shaped container 81 becomes small, the liquid feed pump 86 can be driven to cause the cleaning liquid 85 to flow to the application nozzle 83. Therefore, the amount of unused cleaning liquid 85 in the container 81 can be reduced.

[0125] In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, a wiping position P1A (see FIG. 18) where the wiper 71A wipes the nozzle surface 23 of the ink head 22A, a removal position P2A (see FIG. 17) where the removal member 72A removes deposits from the wiper 71A, and an application position P3A (see FIG. 19) where the application mechanism 73A applies cleaning liquid 85 to the wiper 71A are set. The wiping position P1A is an example of a first position, the removal position P2A is an example of a second position, and the application position P3A is an example of a third position. Here, as shown in FIG. 16, the wiping position P1A, the removal position P2A, and the application position P3A are aligned linearly in the movement direction D1 in a plan view. The wiping position P1A, the removal position P2A, and the application position P3A are aligned in the sub-scanning direction X. In this embodiment, the wiping position P1A, the application position P3A, and the removal position P2A are aligned in this order from back to front. The application position P3A is located in front of the wiping position P1 A. The removal position P2A is located in front of the application position P3A.

[0126] 15, the printer 10A includes a control device 110A. The control device 110A is communicatively connected to the ink head 22A, the light irradiation device 30 (specifically, the light source 32), the head moving mechanism 51, the printing substrate moving mechanism 52, the lifting mechanism 53, the capping device 60 (specifically, the capping mechanism 62 and the suction pump 63), the application mechanism 73A of the wiping device 70A (specifically, the on-off valve 82, the application nozzle 83, and the liquid pump 86), the movement mechanism 74 of the wiping device 70A (specifically, the slide motor 93), and the wiper lifting mechanism 75 of the wiping device 70A. The control device 110A controls the ink head 22A, the light irradiation device 30, the head moving mechanism 51, the printing substrate moving mechanism 52, the lifting mechanism 53, the capping mechanism 62, the suction pump 63, the application mechanism 73A, the movement mechanism 74, and the wiper lifting mechanism 75.

[0127] The control device 110A includes a storage unit 111, a first cleaning execution unit 120A, and a second cleaning execution unit 130A. The first cleaning execution unit 120A includes a first removal control unit 121A, an application control unit 123A, and a first wiping control unit 125A. The second cleaning execution unit 130A includes a suction control unit 131A, a second removal control unit 133A, and a second wiping control unit 135A. Each unit of the control device 110A may be configured by software or by hardware. Each unit of the control device 110A may be realized by one or more processors, or may be incorporated into a circuit.

[0128] Figures 20 to 23 are flowcharts showing the control procedures for the cleaning process PR3 in this embodiment. Figures 20, 21, 22, and 23 are flowcharts showing the control procedures for the first normal cleaning process PR33, the second normal cleaning process PR34, the first thickening cleaning process PR31, and the second thickening cleaning process PR32, respectively. In this embodiment, the cleaning process PR3 is performed on the ink head 22A to suppress the occurrence of ejection abnormalities in the nozzles 24 of the ink head 22A.

[0129] Here, the cleaning process PR3 includes a first thickening cleaning process PR31 (see FIG. 22), a second thickening cleaning process PR32 (see FIG. 23), a first normal cleaning process PR33 (see FIG. 20), and a second normal cleaning process PR34 (see FIG. 21). Here, the first normal cleaning process PR33 and the second normal cleaning process PR34 are examples of the second cleaning process. The second cleaning execution unit 130A in FIG. 15 is configured or programmed to be able to execute the first normal cleaning process PR33 and the second normal cleaning process PR34. The second cleaning execution unit 130A is configured to execute either the first normal cleaning process PR33 or the second normal cleaning process PR34 after printing ends.

[0130] The first thickening cleaning process PR31 and the second thickening cleaning process PR32 are examples of first cleaning processes. The first cleaning execution unit 120A in Fig. 15 is configured or programmed to be able to execute the first thickening cleaning process PR31 and the second thickening cleaning process PR32. The first cleaning execution unit 120A is configured to execute either the first thickening cleaning process PR31 or the second thickening cleaning process PR32 when the cumulative printing time is equal to or longer than a predetermined reference time during printing standby.

[0131] Next, the first normal cleaning process PR33 and the second normal cleaning process PR 34 will be described. As will be described in detail later, the timing at which the removal process PR22A is performed differs between the first normal cleaning process PR33 and the second normal cleaning process PR 34.

[0132] In the first normal cleaning process PR33, first, in step S301 of FIG. 20, the suction control unit 131A of FIG. 15 executes the suction process PR21A. The suction process PR21A is the same as the suction process PR21 (see FIG. 12) of the first embodiment. Here, the suction control unit 131A controls the capping mechanism 62 to attach the cap 61 (see FIG. 6) to the ink head 22A. Then, with the cap 61 attached to the ink head 22A, the suction control unit 131A drives the suction pump 63 (see FIG. 6) to discharge ink from the ink head 22A into the cap 61.

[0133] Next, in step S303 of Fig. 20, the second removal control unit 133A of Fig. 15 executes the removal process PR22A. As the removal process PR22A, the second removal control unit 133A brings the wiper 71A into contact with the removal member 72A at the removal position P2A after control by the suction control unit 131A, as shown in Fig. 17.

[0134] Here, the second removal control unit 133A controls the movement mechanism 74 to move the wiper 71A to the removal position P2A. For example, as shown in Fig. 17 , the second removal control unit 133A moves the wiper 71A so that the wiper 71A is positioned directly below the removal member 72A, that is, so that the wiper 71A overlaps with the removal member 72A in a plan view.

[0135] With wiper 71A positioned at removal position P2A, second removal control unit 133A controls wiper lifting mechanism 75 to lift wiper 71A toward removal member 72A. When wiper 71A lifts, the tip of wiper 71A comes into contact with the bottom surface of removal member 72A. As a result, deposits adhering to the tip of wiper 71A adhere to removal member 72A, and the deposits are removed from wiper 71A. After the tip of wiper 71A comes into contact with removal member 72A, second removal control unit 133A controls wiper lifting mechanism 75 to move wiper 71A away from removal member 72A (in other words, to lower wiper 71A).

[0136] Next, in step S305 of FIG. 20, the second wiping control unit 135A of FIG. 15 executes the wiping process PR23A after the second removal control unit 133A has controlled the removal process PR22A. As the wiping process PR23A, the second wiping control unit 135A controls the wiper 71A to wipe the nozzle surface 23 at the wiping position P1A, as shown in FIG. 18. The second wiping control unit 135A wipes the nozzle surface 23 with the wiper 71A in a state where cleaning liquid 85 is not applied to the wiper 71A. Here, the second wiping control unit 135A controls the movement mechanism 74 to move the wiper 71A to the wiping position P1A. Here, the wiper 71A moves backward toward the wiping position P1A. In this manner, with the wiper 71A positioned at the wiping position P1A, the second wiping control unit 135A controls the head movement mechanism 51 (see FIG. 15) to move the ink head 22A in the main scanning direction Y toward the wiper 71A. As a result, when the ink head 22A is positioned at the wiping position P1A, the tip of the wiper 71A comes into contact with the nozzle surface 23 of the ink head 22A. With the wiper 71A in contact with the nozzle surface 23, the ink head 22A moves further in the main scanning direction Y, causing the wiper 71A to wipe away ink and other deposits adhering to the nozzle surface 23. In this manner, the first normal cleaning process PR33 is executed.

[0137] Next, the second normal cleaning process PR34 will be described. In the second normal cleaning process PR34, first, as in step S401 of FIG. 21, the suction control unit 131A of FIG. 15 executes a suction process PR21A that is similar to the suction process PR21A in the first normal cleaning process PR33. Next, in the second normal cleaning process PR34, before the removal process PR22A is executed, as in step S403 of FIG. 21, the second wiping control unit 135A of FIG. 15 executes a wiping process PR23A. Here, after the suction control unit 131A controls the suction process PR21A, the second wiping control unit 135A controls the wiper 71A to wipe the nozzle surface 23 at the wiping position P1A, as shown in FIG. 18.

[0138] After the wiping process PR23A, in step S405 of Fig. 21, the second removal control unit 133A of Fig. 15 executes the removal process PR22A. Here, after the second wiping control unit 135A controls the wiping process PR23A, the second removal control unit 133A controls the wiper 71A to contact the removal member 72A at the removal position P2A, as shown in Fig. 17. Thus, the second normal cleaning process PR34 differs from the first normal cleaning process PR33 in that the removal process PR22A is executed after the wiping process PR23A.

[0139] Next, the first thickening cleaning process PR31 and the second thickening cleaning process PR32 will be described. As will be described in detail later, the timing at which the removal process PR22A is performed differs between the first thickening cleaning process PR31 and the second thickening cleaning process PR32.

[0140] In the first thickening cleaning process PR31, first, in step S501 of Fig. 22, the first removal control unit 121A of Fig. 15 executes the removal process PR22A. As the removal process PR22A, the first removal control unit 121A performs control to bring the wiper 71A and the removal member 72A into contact at the removal position P2A, as shown in Fig. 17. Note that the control of the removal process PR22A by the first removal control unit 121A is the same as the control of the removal process PR22A by the second removal control unit 133A of Fig. 15.

[0141] Next, in step S503 of FIG. 22, the coating control unit 123A of FIG. 15 executes the coating process PR24A. As the coating process PR24A, the coating control unit 123A controls the coating mechanism 73A to apply cleaning liquid 85 to the wiper 71A at the coating position P3A, as shown in FIG. 19. Here, the coating control unit 123A controls the movement mechanism 74 to move the wiper 71A to the coating position P3A. Thereafter, the coating control unit 123A opens the opening / closing valve 82 of the coating mechanism 73A and drives the liquid supply pump 86. This allows the cleaning liquid 85 contained in the container 81 to be supplied to the coating nozzle 83 through the supply path 84. The coating control unit 123A then ejects the cleaning liquid 85 from the coating nozzle 83 toward the wiper 71A. This results in the cleaning liquid 85 being applied to the wiper 71A, particularly to the tip of the wiper 71A.

[0142] Next, in step S505 of FIG. 22, the first wiping control unit 125A of FIG. 15 executes the wiping process PR23A. Here, as the wiping process PR23A, the first wiping control unit 125A controls the wiper 71A to wipe the nozzle surface 23 at the wiping position P1A, as shown in FIG. 18. Here, similar to the wiping process PR23A by the second wiping control unit 135A of FIG. 15 (see step S305 of FIG. 20), the first wiping control unit 125A controls the head moving mechanism 51 to move the ink head 22A to the wiping position P1A. Unlike the wiping process PR23A by the second wiping control unit 135A (see step S305 of FIG. 20), the wiping process PR23A by the first wiping control unit 125A is performed with the wiper 71A that has cleaning liquid 85 on it.

[0143] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 22, the second cleaning execution unit 130A of Fig. 15 is configured to execute the first normal cleaning process PR33 after the first thickening cleaning process PR31 is executed. That is, in step S507 of Fig. 22, control of the suction process PR21A by the suction control unit 131A of Fig. 15 is performed, similar to step S301 of Fig. 20. Next, in step S509 of Fig. 22, control of the removal process PR22A by the second removal control unit 133A of Fig. 15 is performed, similar to step S303 of Fig. 20. Next, in step S511 of Fig. 22, control of the wiping process PR23A by the second wiping control unit 135A of Fig. 15 is performed, similar to step S305 of Fig. 20.

[0144] Next, the second thickening cleaning process PR32 will be described. In the second thickening cleaning process PR32, first, in step S601 of Fig. 23, the application control unit 123A of Fig. 15 executes the application process PR24A. As shown in Fig. 19, the application control unit 123A performs control to apply cleaning liquid 85 to the wiper 71A at the application position P3A. Note that the application process PR24A of step S601 is executed by the same control as the application process PR24A of step S503 of Fig. 22.

[0145] Thereafter, in step S603 of Fig. 23, the first wiping control unit 125A of Fig. 15 executes the wiping process PR23A. After the application control unit 123A controls the application process PR24A, the first wiping control unit 125A controls the wiper 71A to wipe the nozzle surface 23 at the wiping position P1A, as shown in Fig. 18. Note that the wiping process PR23A of step S603 is executed by the same control as the wiping process PR23A of step S505 of Fig. 22.

[0146] Next, in step S605 of Fig. 23, first removal control unit 121A of Fig. 15 executes removal process PR22A. After first wiping control unit 125A controls wiping process PR23A, first removal control unit 121A controls wiper 71A to contact removal member 72A at removal position P2A, as shown in Fig. 17. Note that removal process PR22A of step S605 is executed by the same control as removal process PR22A of step S501 of Fig. 22.

[0147] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 23, the second cleaning execution unit 130A of Fig. 15 is configured to execute the second normal cleaning process PR34 after the second thickening cleaning process PR32 is executed. That is, in step S607 of Fig. 23, the suction control unit 131A of Fig. 15 controls the suction process PR21A, similar to step S401 of Fig. 21. Next, in step S609 of Fig. 23, the second wiping control unit 135A controls the wiping process PR23A, similar to step S403 of Fig. 21. Next, in step S611 of Fig. 23, the second removal control unit 133A of Fig. 15 controls the removal process PR22A, similar to step S405 of Fig. 21.

[0148] In this embodiment, unlike the first thickening cleaning process PR31, the second thickening cleaning process PR32 does not execute the removal process PR22A immediately before the application process PR24A in step S601. However, in the second thickening cleaning process PR32, the series of cleaning processes ends with the execution of the removal process PR22A, as in step S611. Therefore, when the second thickening cleaning process PR32 is started, the removal process PR22A has already been executed. In other words, when the second thickening cleaning process PR32 is started, the wiper 71A is in a state after the removal process PR22A has been executed, and any ink or other adhering matter has been suitably removed from the wiper 71A. Therefore, when the second thickening cleaning process PR32 is started, the removal process PR22A is not executed, and the application process PR24A begins.

[0149] Even in this embodiment, in the second thickening cleaning process PR32 of FIG. 23, cleaning liquid 85 is applied to the wiper 71A by the application mechanism 73A. Then, the wiper 71A with the cleaning liquid 85 applied thereto wipes the nozzle surface 23 of the ink head 22A, so that the cleaning liquid 85 applied to the wiper 71A is applied to, for example, thickened ink adhering to the nozzle surface 23. This makes it easier for the cleaning liquid 85 to remove the thickened ink from the nozzle surface 23. Therefore, the cleaning liquid 85 applied to the wiper 71A adheres to the thickened ink, thereby making it possible to effectively remove the thickened ink adhering to the nozzle surface 23. Therefore, even in the second thickening cleaning process PR32 of this embodiment, the same effect as the thickening cleaning process PR11 of the first embodiment (see FIG. 13) can be obtained. [Explanation of symbols]

[0150] 10, 10A printer 22, 22A ink head 23 Nozzle surface 24 nozzles 60 Capping device 71, 71A wiper 72, 72A Removal member 73, 73A Application mechanism 74 Moving mechanism 110, 110A control device 120, 120A First cleaning execution unit 121 First pre-removal control section 121A First removal control section 123, 123A Coating control unit 125, 125A First wiping control section 127 First post-removal control section 130, 130A Second cleaning execution unit 131, 131A Suction control section 133 Second pre-removal control section 133A Second removal control section 135, 135A Second wiping control section 137 Second post-removal control section P1, P1A Wiping position (first position) P2, P2A Removal position (second position) P3, P3A application position (third position) PR11 Thickening cleaning treatment (first cleaning treatment) PR12 Normal cleaning process (second cleaning process) PR31 First thickening cleaning treatment (first cleaning treatment) PR32 Second thickening cleaning treatment (first cleaning treatment) PR33 1st normal cleaning process (2nd cleaning process) PR34 Second normal cleaning process (second cleaning process)

Claims

1. an ink head having a nozzle surface on which nozzles for ejecting ink are formed; a wiper that wipes the nozzle face at a first position; a removal member that contacts the wiper at a second position to remove deposits attached to the wiper; an application mechanism that applies a cleaning fluid to the wiper at a third position; a moving mechanism that moves the wiper, the ink head, the removing member, or the applying mechanism relatively linearly to the first position, the second position, and the third position that are aligned in a predetermined moving direction; a control device; Equipped with the control device includes a first cleaning execution unit that executes a first cleaning process, The first cleaning execution unit is a first pre-removal control unit that brings the wiper into contact with the removing member at the second position; an application control unit that causes the application mechanism to apply cleaning liquid to the wiper at the third position after control by the first pre-removal control unit; a first wiping control unit that wipes the nozzle surface with the wiper at the first position after control by the application control unit; and The first position, the second position, and the third position are arranged in the movement direction so as to approach the ink head in the order of the second position, the third position, and the first position.

2. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the first cleaning execution unit includes a first post-removal control unit that causes the wiper to contact the removing member at the second position after control by the first wiping control unit.

3. an ink head having a nozzle surface on which nozzles for ejecting ink are formed; a wiper that wipes the nozzle face at a first position; a removal member that contacts the wiper at a second position to remove deposits attached to the wiper; an application mechanism that applies a cleaning fluid to the wiper at a third position; a moving mechanism that moves the wiper, the ink head, the removing member, or the applying mechanism relatively to the first position, the second position, and the third position; a capping device including a cap that can be attached to the ink head so as to cover the nozzles, a capping mechanism that attaches the cap to and detaches the cap from the ink head, and a suction pump connected to the cap; a control device; Equipped with The control device a first cleaning execution unit that executes a first cleaning process; a second cleaning execution unit that executes a second cleaning process after the first cleaning process has been executed; Equipped with The first cleaning execution unit is a first pre-removal control unit that brings the wiper into contact with the removing member at the second position; an application control unit that causes the application mechanism to apply cleaning liquid to the wiper at the third position after control by the first pre-removal control unit; a first wiping control unit that wipes the nozzle surface with the wiper at the first position after control by the application control unit; and The second cleaning execution unit is a suction control unit that attaches the cap to the ink head and drives the suction pump; a second pre-removal control unit that brings the wiper into contact with the removal member at the second position after control by the suction control unit; a second wiping control unit that, after control by the second pre-removal control unit, wipes the nozzle surface with the wiper in a state where no cleaning liquid is applied to the wiper at the first position; A printer having

4. an ink head having a nozzle surface on which nozzles for ejecting ink are formed; a wiper that wipes the nozzle face at a first position; a removal member that contacts the wiper at a second position to remove deposits attached to the wiper; an application mechanism that applies a cleaning fluid to the wiper at a third position; a moving mechanism that moves the wiper, the ink head, the removing member, or the applying mechanism relatively to the first position, the second position, and the third position; a capping device including a cap that can be attached to the ink head so as to cover the nozzles, a capping mechanism that attaches the cap to and detaches the cap from the ink head, and a suction pump connected to the cap; a control device; Equipped with The control device a first cleaning execution unit that executes a first cleaning process; a second cleaning execution unit that executes a second cleaning process after the first cleaning process has been executed; Equipped with The first cleaning execution unit is an application control unit that applies cleaning liquid to the wiper by the application mechanism at the third position; a first wiping control unit that wipes the nozzle surface with the wiper at the first position after control by the application control unit; a first removal control unit that brings the wiper into contact with the removing member at the second position after control by the first wiping control unit; and The second cleaning execution unit is a suction control unit that attaches the cap to the ink head and drives the suction pump; a second wiping control unit that, after control by the suction control unit, wipes the nozzle surface with the wiper in a state where no cleaning liquid is applied to the wiper at the first position; a second removal control unit that brings the wiper into contact with the removing member at the second position after control by the second wiping control unit; A printer having

5. an ink head having a nozzle surface on which nozzles for ejecting ink are formed; a wiper that wipes the nozzle face at a first position; a removal member that contacts the wiper at a second position to remove deposits attached to the wiper; an application mechanism that applies a cleaning fluid to the wiper at a third position; a moving mechanism that moves the wiper, the ink head, the removing member, or the applying mechanism relatively to the first position, the second position, and the third position; a capping device including a cap that can be attached to the ink head so as to cover the nozzles, a capping mechanism that attaches the cap to and detaches the cap from the ink head, and a suction pump connected to the cap; a control device; Equipped with The control device a first cleaning execution unit that executes a first cleaning process; a second cleaning execution unit that executes a second cleaning process; Equipped with The first cleaning execution unit is a first pre-removal control unit that brings the wiper into contact with the removing member at the second position; an application control unit that causes the application mechanism to apply cleaning liquid to the wiper at the third position after control by the first pre-removal control unit; a first wiping control unit that wipes the nozzle surface with the wiper at the first position after control by the application control unit; and The second cleaning execution unit is a suction control unit that attaches the cap to the ink head and drives the suction pump; a second pre-removal control unit that brings the wiper into contact with the removal member at the second position after control by the suction control unit; a second wiping control unit that wipes the nozzle surface with the wiper at the first position after control by the second pre-removal control unit; and the second cleaning execution unit is configured to execute the second cleaning process after printing is completed, The printer is configured such that the first cleaning execution unit executes the first cleaning process when a cumulative printing time since the previous execution of the first cleaning process is equal to or longer than a predetermined reference time.

6. an ink head having a nozzle surface on which nozzles for ejecting ink are formed; a wiper that wipes the nozzle face at a first position; a removal member that contacts the wiper at a second position to remove deposits attached to the wiper; an application mechanism that applies a cleaning fluid to the wiper at a third position; a moving mechanism that moves the wiper, the ink head, the removing member, or the applying mechanism relatively to the first position, the second position, and the third position; a capping device including a cap that can be attached to the ink head so as to cover the nozzles, a capping mechanism that attaches the cap to and detaches the cap from the ink head, and a suction pump connected to the cap; a control device; Equipped with The control device a first cleaning execution unit that executes a first cleaning process; a second cleaning execution unit that executes a second cleaning process; Equipped with The first cleaning execution unit is an application control unit that applies cleaning liquid to the wiper by the application mechanism at the third position; a first wiping control unit that wipes the nozzle surface with the wiper at the first position after control by the application control unit; a first removal control unit that brings the wiper into contact with the removing member at the second position after control by the first wiping control unit; and The second cleaning execution unit is a suction control unit that attaches the cap to the ink head and drives the suction pump; a second wiping control unit that wipes the nozzle surface with the wiper at the first position after control by the suction control unit; a second removal control unit that brings the wiper into contact with the removing member at the second position after control by the second wiping control unit; and the second cleaning execution unit is configured to execute the second cleaning process after printing is completed, The printer is configured such that the first cleaning execution unit executes the first cleaning process when a cumulative printing time since the previous execution of the first cleaning process is equal to or longer than a predetermined reference time.

7. The printer according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the second cleaning execution unit is configured to execute the second cleaning process after the first cleaning process has been executed by the first cleaning execution unit.

8. 5. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the first cleaning execution unit is configured to execute the first cleaning process when a cumulative printing time since the previous execution of the first cleaning process is equal to or longer than a predetermined reference time.

9. the first position, the second position, and the third position are aligned along a predetermined movement direction; 7. The printer according to claim 3, wherein the movement mechanism is configured to move the wiper along the movement direction.

10. The printer according to claim 9 , wherein the second position, the third position, and the first position are arranged in this order along the movement direction.

11. The moving mechanism includes: a slide rail extending in the movement direction; a wiper carriage slidably engaged with the slide rail and provided with the wiper; a slide motor connected to the wiper carriage and configured to move the wiper carriage in the movement direction; 10. The printer of claim 9, comprising:

12. The coating mechanism includes: a container containing a cleaning liquid; a supply channel having one end connected to the container; an open / close valve provided in the middle of the supply path and capable of being opened and closed; an application nozzle connected to the other end of the supply path and configured to eject the cleaning liquid toward the wiper; 7. A printer according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising:

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