Printing device and printing method

Abstract

To provide a printer and a printing method which can eliminate the labor of positioning a printing object and a masking member placed on a table.SOLUTION: A printer comprises: a table 14 on which a printing object 5 is placed; spray means 31 which can spray a liquid chemical toward the printing object placed on the table; movement mechanisms 50, 60 which relatively move the printing object and the spray means; a masking member 80 which has an image formation part 82 that is cut into the desired shape and three or more marks 84 that are formed so as to surround the image formation part, and which is placed on the printing object; a mark detection unit 40 which detects each mark of the masking member placed on the printing object; and a control unit 70 which controls the movement mechanism such that the liquid chemical is sprayed by the spray means within a range surrounded by each mark detected by the mark detection unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing device and a printing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Inkjet printers that eject ink from an inkjet head onto a substrate are known. Inkjet heads have small nozzle holes to eject ink accurately, and the formulation of ink components is limited to accommodate this. For example, liquids containing pigment components with large particle sizes cannot be ejected from the nozzle holes of inkjet heads.

[0003] A known method for printing using a liquid agent that cannot be applied to an inkjet head is to use a spray means with a larger nozzle hole than an inkjet head. For example, Patent Document 1 describes an apparatus in which a plate-shaped masking member having an opening cut out to cover an area where the liquid agent is to be applied is placed on a substrate placed on a table, and the liquid agent is sprayed from above the masking member using a spray means. This apparatus automates the spraying of the liquid agent onto the substrate placed on the table by moving the table and the spray means relative to each other in accordance with previously created movement control data.

[0004] When a liquid is sprayed using a spray means, there is a problem that the edges of the printed image become blurred, but by using a masking member with an opening so that the liquid is applied only to the printing area, the blurring of the edges can be eliminated. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6682059 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In an apparatus that sprays a liquid agent using a masking member, it is important to set the position of the printing substrate on the table and the position of the masking member placed on the printing substrate so that the liquid agent is sprayed only within the area where the masking member is placed. In the above-mentioned apparatus, the printing substrate and the masking member are each positioned using positioning pins provided on the table so that they are placed in predetermined positions relative to the table.

[0007] However, when changing the area onto which the liquid is sprayed on the table, for example when the shape of the printing substrate changes, it is necessary to recreate the movement control data for the spray means and table and change the positioning pins on the table each time, which is a time-consuming task.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a printing device and printing method that can eliminate the hassle of positioning the printing substrate and masking material placed on the table. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the printing device of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a table on which a substrate to be printed is placed; a spray means capable of spraying a liquid agent toward the substrate to be printed placed on the table; a moving mechanism that moves the substrate to be printed and the spray means relatively; a masking member that has an image forming unit cut out in a desired shape and three or more marks formed surrounding the image forming unit and is placed on the substrate to be printed; a mark detection unit that detects each of the marks on the masking member placed on the substrate to be printed; and a control unit that controls the moving mechanism so that the liquid agent is sprayed by the spray means within the range surrounded by each of the marks detected by the mark detection unit.

[0010] Furthermore, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the printing method of the present invention is a printing method in which a liquid agent is sprayed onto a substrate to be printed by a spray means of a printing device while a masking member is placed on the substrate to be printed, and is characterized by including: a masking member forming step of forming an image forming portion cut out in a desired shape and three or more marks formed so as to surround the image forming portion on the masking member; a placing step of placing the masking member on the substrate to be printed placed on a table; a mark detection step of detecting each of the marks on the masking member by a mark detection unit of the printing device; an area calculation step of calculating an area surrounded by each of the marks by a control unit of the printing device; and a spraying step of spraying the liquid agent into the calculated area by the spray means.

[0011] According to the printing device and printing method described above, when a printing substrate is placed on a table and a masking member is placed at a desired position on the printing substrate, the mark detection unit detects each mark formed on the masking member. Each mark is formed to surround the image forming portion of the masking member (i.e., the portion cut out of the masking member). By controlling the movement mechanism so that the spray means sprays the liquid within the range surrounded by each mark, the liquid can be sprayed within the area masked by the masking member. In this way, by making it possible to detect the spray range of the liquid using the marks, the operator can be saved from the task of positioning the printing substrate and masking member placed on the table, thereby reducing the operator's effort and improving work efficiency. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to eliminate the trouble of positioning the printing material and masking member placed on the table. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system of the printing apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a front view of the head carriage and the spray carriage. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the masking member. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a printing method. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a spraying process. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 shows a substrate printed by a spray unit. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are explanatory views showing another embodiment of the placing step. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the masking member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, one embodiment of a printing device 10 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the printing device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The printing device 10 is an apparatus equipped with a spray unit 30 equipped with spray means that sprays a liquid agent toward a printing substrate 5 on which a masking member 80 is placed. The spray unit 30 is equipped with a spray gun 31 as spray means. The printing device 10 of this embodiment is equipped with the spray unit 30 and an inkjet head 20 that performs inkjet printing on the printing substrate 5.

[0015] In inkjet printing using the inkjet head 20, ink is precisely controlled in the form of tiny droplets and ejected onto the printing substrate 5. In the inkjet head 20, the inner diameter of the nozzle holes from which the ink is ejected is, for example, about 25 to 30 μm. The pigments and other particles contained in the ink ejected from the inkjet head 20 are limited to small particle sizes, for example, an average particle size of 200 nm or less, in order to fit the nozzle holes.

[0016] The spray unit 30 is capable of printing on the substrate 5 using a liquid such as ink that cannot be handled by the inkjet head 20, for example, a liquid containing a pigment with an average particle size exceeding 200 nm. When the liquid is sprayed by the spray unit 30, the outline of the printed image becomes blurred, so a masking member 80 having an image forming portion 82 cut out in a desired shape is used to ensure that the liquid is applied only to the printing area. Note that the liquid sprayed by the spray unit 30 is not limited to colored ink, and may be, for example, a treatment liquid such as a primer ink that performs pre-processing for printing, or a topcoat liquid that forms a topcoat layer on the printed image formed on the substrate 5.

[0017] In FIG. 1, the symbols U and D indicate up and down, the symbols Fr and Rr indicate front and rear, and the symbols L and R indicate left and right. Here, the forward direction Fr and the rear direction Rr refer to the directions toward and away from the operator, respectively, as seen from the operator in front of the printing apparatus 10, and the left direction L and the right direction R refer to the left and right directions, respectively, as seen from the operator in front of the printing apparatus 10. In addition, in this embodiment, the direction in which the spray unit 30 of the printing apparatus 10 moves is referred to as the main scanning direction Y, and the direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction Y in a plan view is referred to as the sub-scanning direction X. In this embodiment, the main scanning direction Y coincides with the left-right direction, and the sub-scanning direction X coincides with the front-to-rear direction.

[0018] 1, the printing device 10 includes a device main body 12, a table 14 on which a printing substrate 5 is placed, an inkjet head 20, a light irradiation device 21, a head carriage 22 that holds the inkjet head 20 and the light irradiation device 21, a spray unit 30, a mark detection device 40, and a spray carriage 48 that holds the spray unit 30 and the mark detection device 40. The printing device 10 further includes a main scanning direction movement mechanism 50 that moves the head carriage 22 and the spray carriage 48 in the main scanning direction Y, a sub-scanning direction movement mechanism 60 that moves the head carriage 22 and the spray carriage 48 in the sub-scanning direction X, and a control device 70 that serves as a control unit.

[0019] The printing substrate 5, which is the printing target, can be, for example, recording paper, a resin sheet, clothing, etc. The material and shape of the printing substrate 5 are not particularly limited, and can be, for example, paper, resin, fabric, metal, wood, glass, etc., and can be a flat or three-dimensional object. The printing device 10 can print on each of the printing substrates 5 while multiple printing substrates 5 are placed on the table 14.

[0020] The device main body 12 is formed in a box shape and directly or indirectly supports the table 14 of the printing device 10, the inkjet head 20, the light irradiation device 21, the head carriage 22, the spray unit 30, the spray carriage 48, the main scanning direction movement mechanism 50, the sub-scanning direction movement mechanism 60, and the control device 70.

[0021] The table 14 supports the printing substrate 5 from below and is exposed above the device body 12. The table 14 is formed in a flat plate shape, and the upper surface of the table 14 forms a planar placement surface 14a on which the printing substrate 5 is placed. The placement surface 14a extends along a horizontal plane, and the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X are directions approximately parallel to the placement surface 14a.

[0022] The main scanning direction movement mechanism 50 includes a guide rail 51, a belt 52, and a carriage motor 53 (see FIG. 2). The guide rail 51 is installed above the table 14 and extends in the main scanning direction Y. The head carriage 22 and the spray carriage 48 are engaged with the guide rail 51 so as to be movable in the main scanning direction Y. FIG. 3 is a front view of the head carriage 22 and the spray carriage 48. In this embodiment, the spray carriage 48 is disposed to the left of the head carriage 22. The spray carriage 48 and the head carriage 22 are configured to be connectable to or disconnectable from each other by a connecting mechanism 56.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 3 , the connecting mechanism 56 includes a first connecting member 58 provided on the left side of the head carriage 22 and a second connecting member 57 provided on the right side of the spray carriage 48. In this embodiment, the connecting mechanism 56 connects the head carriage 22 and the spray carriage 48 using magnetic force. One of the first connecting member 58 and the second connecting member 57 includes a magnet, and the other includes a magnetic material that attracts to the magnet. The first connecting member 58 and the second connecting member 57 are connected by contact. Note that the connecting mechanism 56 is not limited to one that uses magnetic force, and may include other configurations such as an engaging member that can be connected and separated. When the head carriage 22 and the spray carriage 48 are separated, the main scanning direction movement mechanism 50 can move only the spray carriage 48 in the main scanning direction Y.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 1, a belt 52 of a main scanning direction movement mechanism 50 is fixed to the back surface of the spray carriage 48. The belt 52 extends in the main scanning direction Y and is connected to a carriage motor 53 (shown in Fig. 2) built into the printing device 10. When the carriage motor 53 is driven to rotate, the belt 52 of the main scanning direction movement mechanism 50 runs in the main scanning direction Y, causing the spray carriage 48 to move in the main scanning direction Y along the guide rail 51.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1 , the guide rail 51 is supported by a gate-shaped gantry 90. The gantry 90 has a central portion 91 extending in the primary scanning direction Y, a right portion 92 provided at the right end of the central portion 91, and a left portion 93 provided at the left end of the central portion 92. The central portion 91 is placed above the table 14, and the guide rail 51 is fixed to the front surface of the central portion 91. The right portion 92 is formed in a box shape capable of accommodating the head carriage 22. The left portion 93 is formed in a box shape capable of accommodating the head carriage 22 and the spray carriage 48. The gantry 90 engages with a rail (not shown) provided on the top surface of the device main body 12. This rail extends in the secondary scanning direction X.

[0026] The sub-scanning direction movement mechanism 60 moves the gantry 90 in the sub-scanning direction X along the rails. As a result, the guide rails 51 move in the sub-scanning direction X, and the head carriage 22 and spray carriage 48 engaged with the guide rails 51 move in the sub-scanning direction X. The sub-scanning direction movement mechanism 60 includes a gantry motor 61 (see FIG. 2) that moves the gantry 90.

[0027] Do Next, the inkjet head 20 and light irradiation device 21 mounted on the head carriage 22 will be described. As described above, the inkjet head 20 is an inkjet head that ejects ink onto the printing substrate 5 placed on the table 14. Here, the inkjet method refers to inkjet methods using various known techniques, including various continuous methods such as binary deflection methods or continuous deflection methods, and various on-demand methods such as thermal methods or piezoelectric methods. A plurality of ink cartridges (not shown) are connected to the inkjet head 20 via ink flow paths. Each ink cartridge contains ink, and each ink flow path is provided with an ink pump 24 (see FIG. 2) that supplies ink to the inkjet head 20.

[0028] Light irradiation devices 21 are provided on the right and left sides of the head carriage 22. The light irradiation devices 21 irradiate light to harden ink that has been ejected from the inkjet head 20 and landed on the printing substrate 5. If the liquid agent sprayed from the spray unit 30 is photocurable, the liquid agent sprayed on the printing substrate 5 can be hardened by the light irradiated from the light irradiation device 21.

[0029] Next, we will explain the spray unit 30 mounted on the spray carriage 48. The spray unit 30 sprays atomized liquid toward the printing substrate 5 supported on the table 14. As shown in FIG. 3, the spray unit 30 includes a spray gun 31, a liquid tank 32, and a mist catcher 33.

[0030] The spray gun 31 is equipped with a spray nozzle 31a that sprays the liquid, a spray valve 31b, a liquid supply port 31c, and an atomizing air supply port 31d. The liquid tank 32 is a tank that stores the liquid to be sprayed onto the printing substrate 5, and is connected to the liquid supply port 31c of the spray gun 31. The spray valve 31b is a valve that opens and closes the flow path between the liquid supply port 31c and the spray nozzle 31a. The atomizing air supply port 31d is connected to an air compressor 36 shown in FIG. 1 via an air supply path (not shown). The air supply path is provided with an air supply valve 38 (see FIG. 2) that can open and close the path. The air compressor 36 is a compression device that generates compressed air, and in this embodiment, is housed in the housing space 12a of the device main body 12. The spray valve 31b and the air supply valve 38 are controlled to open and close by a control device 70. When the spray valve 31b is opened, the liquid agent is supplied to the spray nozzle 31a from the liquid agent tank 32. The supplied liquid agent is atomized by compressed air supplied to the atomizing air supply port 31d and sprayed from the spray nozzle 31a. The liquid agent tank 32 may be configured to be provided in a location other than the spray carriage 48.

[0031] The mist catcher 33 is attached to the spray carriage 48 so as to surround the periphery of the spray nozzle 31a. The mist in the mist catcher 33 is sucked into the mist collection port 33a and collected via a tube (not shown) connected to the mist collection port 33a.

[0032] The mark detection device 40 constitutes a mark detection unit that detects marks 84-1 to 84-4 on the masking member 80 shown in FIG. 4. The mark detection device 40 is provided on the spray carriage 48 and moves in the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X together with the spray unit 30. In this embodiment, the mark detection device 40 is provided on the side of the spray unit 30, and as shown in FIG. 3, the mark detection device 40 is installed on the side of the box-shaped mist catcher 33. In FIG. 3, the mark detection device 40 is installed on the front side of the mist catcher 33, but it may also be installed on the rear side, left side, or right side of the mist catcher 33. Furthermore, the mark detection device 40 may be installed on a component of the spray carriage 48 other than the mist catcher 33. The mark detection device 40 has a sensor 42 that detects the mark 84. In this embodiment, the sensor 42 is a light-receiving sensor that receives reflected light to detect the mark 84, and is equipped with a light emitter and a light receiver. The sensor 42 emits light from a light emitter toward the masking member 80 and receives the light reflected by the masking member 80 with a light receiver. Note that the sensor 46 is not limited to this, and may have any configuration that can detect the mark 84 on the masking member 80.

[0033] The mark detection device 40 moves together with the spray unit 30. Specifically, as described above, the mark detection device 40 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X relative to the table 14 by the main scanning direction movement mechanism 50 and the sub-scanning direction movement mechanism 60, which are detection unit movement mechanisms. The installation structure of the mark detection device 40 is not limited to this. For example, the mark detection device 40 may be arranged above the table 14 and fixed to the printing device 10, and may detect each mark 84 of the marking member 80 placed on the table 14 using a wide-angle camera or the like provided in the mark detection device 40. Furthermore, the mark detection device 40 may be a device separate from the printing device 10.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 1, the control device 70 is housed in the right portion 92 of the gantry 90. The control device 70 includes, for example, an information processing unit such as a CPU, a memory unit such as a RAM or a ROM, an input / output interface, and the like. As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 70 is electrically connected to and capable of controlling the inkjet head 20, the light irradiation device 21, the spray unit 30, the mark detection device 40, the ink pump 24, the air supply valve 38, the carriage motor 53, and the gantry motor 61. The control device 70 also includes a calculation unit 72 that calculates the area surrounded by each mark 84 based on the position of each mark 84 detected by the mark detection device 40. The positions of the detected marks 84 can be stored in the memory unit 71 of the control device 70.

[0035] Next, the masking member 80 will be described. The masking member 80 is a member that is placed on the printing substrate 5 when performing printing or the like using the spray unit 30. As shown in FIG. 4, the masking member 80 has a masking main body 81, an image forming portion 82 that is formed on the masking main body 81 and cut out in a desired shape, and a plurality of marks 84 that are formed so as to surround the image forming portion 82. As an example, the masking member 80 shown in FIG. 4 has the image forming portion 82 in which the letters "CUT" are cut out. Here, the material of the masking member 80 is not particularly limited.

[0036] In the example shown in FIG. 4, four marks 84-1, 84-2, 84-3, and 84-4 are formed on the masking body 81, but the number of marks 84 formed may be three or more as long as they can surround the image forming unit 82. Furthermore, the shape of the marks 84 is not limited to the circular shape shown in FIG. 4 and can be set appropriately. Each of the marks 84-1 to 84-4 has a direction indicating portion 85 that indicates the direction of the next adjacent mark so as to surround the image forming unit 82. In this embodiment, the direction indicating portion 85 is formed by a line indicating one direction, and the direction indicating portion 85 of the mark 84-1 indicates the direction of the next mark 84-2, and the direction indicating portion 85 of the mark 84-2 indicates the direction of the next mark 84-3.

[0037] The direction indicator 85 may be a line extending in two directions indicating the direction of the next adjacent mark, as shown in Fig. 5. In Fig. 5, the direction indicator 85 of one mark 84-1 indicates the direction of the next adjacent marks, that is, marks 84-2 and 84-4.

[0038] Next, the procedure for printing on the substrate 5 using the spray unit 30, mark detection device 40, and masking member 80 in the printing apparatus 10 will be described using the flowchart shown in Figure 6. As described above, the spray unit 30 and mark detection device 40 are configured to be movable relative to the table 14 by a movement mechanism consisting of the main scanning direction movement mechanism 50 and the sub-scanning direction movement mechanism 60, and the spray unit 30 and mark detection device 40 can be moved in a state separated from the inkjet head 20. Below, the procedure for spray-printing the letters "CUT" in white on the substrate 5, which is gray clothing, will be described using Figures 4, 7, 8, and 9.

[0039] First, in step S11, as shown in FIG. 4, an image forming portion 82 cut out in a desired shape and a plurality of marks 84 formed to surround the image forming portion 82 are formed on a masking member 80 (masking member forming step). The image forming portion 82 has a shape in which the letters "CUT" are cut out. In step S11, the masking member 80 on which the image forming portion 82 is formed may be formed by a cutting machine that processes the desired shape by moving a cutting blade, may be formed by molding using a mold, or may be formed by additive manufacturing using a three-dimensional modeling device or the like. In the next step S12, as shown in FIG. 7, the printing substrate 5 is placed on the table 14 of the printing device 10, and the masking member 80 is placed on the printing substrate 5 (placing step).

[0040] In the next step S13, the control device 70 of the printing device 10 operates the main scanning direction movement mechanism 50 and the sub-scanning direction movement mechanism 60 to move the mark detection device 40 relative to the table 14, and the mark detection device 40 detects each mark 84 on the masking member 80 (mark detection step). When the mark detection device 40 detects one mark 84 on the masking member 80, the control device 70 stores the position of the detected mark 84 in the memory unit 71. Thereafter, the control device 70 moves the mark detection device 40 relative to the table 14 in the direction indicated by the direction indication unit 85 provided on the mark 84. For example, when one mark 84-1 on the masking member 80 shown in FIG. 7 is detected, the control device 70 moves the mark detection device 40 relative to the table 14 in the direction indicated by the direction indication unit 85 of this mark 84-1 (i.e., the direction of mark 84-2). In this way, the direction of the next mark 84-2 is indicated by the direction indicating unit 85, so that the control device 70 can easily move the mark detection device 40 relative to the table 14 in the direction of the next mark 84-2. The control device 70 detects the marks 84 in order, and when it detects a mark 84 that is the same as the first mark 84 detected, it determines that all of the marks 84 have been detected. However, the number of marks 84 to be detected may be stored in the control device 70 in advance, and when the number of marks 84 actually detected by the mark detection device 40 matches the number of marks 84 to be detected, it may be determined that all of the marks 84 have been detected.

[0041] Once the mark detection device 40 has detected the positions of all of the marks 84-1 to 84-4 on the masking member 80, in the next step S14, the control device 70 uses the calculation unit 72 to calculate the area surrounded by each of the marks 84-1 to 84-4 (area calculation step). The calculation unit 72 can calculate the area based on the positions of each of the marks 84-1 to 84-4 on the table 14 stored in the memory unit 71. In this embodiment, a polygonal area is calculated in which the marks 84-1 to 84-4 are used as vertices and lines connect the marks 84. Once the calculation unit 72 has calculated the area surrounded by each of the marks 84 (hereinafter also referred to as the "liquid agent spray range"), in the next step S15, as shown in FIG. 8, the control device 70 moves the spray unit 30 based on the calculated liquid agent spray range and activates the spray gun 31 within this liquid agent spray range to spray the liquid agent 39 toward the printing substrate 5 (spraying step). After the spraying step, the masking member 80 is removed. As a result, the letters "CUT" can be printed in white on the printing substrate 5, as shown in FIG.

[0042] As described above, in the printing apparatus 10 and printing method of this embodiment, the printing substrate 5 is placed on the table 14, and the masking member 80 is placed at a desired position on the printing substrate 5. The mark detection device 40 detects each of the marks 84-1 to 84-4 formed on the masking member 80. The spray unit 30 is moved in the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X relative to the table 14 by the control device 70 so that the spray gun 31 sprays the liquid within the range surrounded by the marks 84-1 to 84-4. The timing of the spraying of the liquid is controlled, and automatic control is possible so that the liquid is sprayed within the range masked by the masking member 80. In this way, the printing apparatus 10 of this embodiment enables automatic detection of the liquid spray range, eliminating the need for an operator to position the printing substrate 5 and masking member 80 placed on the table 14. This reduces the operator's workload and improves work efficiency.

[0043] As such, the printing device 10 of this embodiment does not require positioning work, so even if the printing substrate 5 is placed at an angle relative to the table 14, as shown in Figure 10, by placing the masking member 80 at the position where you want to form the image on the printing substrate 5, the image can be printed in the appropriate position, as shown in Figure 9.

[0044] Furthermore, in this embodiment, each of the marks 84-1 to 84-4 formed on the masking member 80 has a direction indicating portion 85 that indicates the next mark 84 that surrounds the image forming unit 82, so the mark detection device 40 can easily detect the next mark 84 according to the direction indicated by the direction indicating portion 85. This allows the printing device 10 to reduce the time it takes to detect the marks 84 and improve work efficiency.

[0045] In particular, in the masking member 80 of this embodiment, the direction indicating portion 85 provided on the mark 84 indicates one direction that indicates the position of the next mark 84, so that the next mark 84 can be easily detected by moving the mark detection device 40 in this one direction. This reduces the time required to detect the mark 84 and improves work efficiency.

[0046] Next, another embodiment of the masking member 80 will be described with reference to FIG. 11. In the masking member 80 shown in FIG. 11, the image forming section 82 is formed with three cutouts 83a, 83b, and 83c. Two of the cutouts 83a and 83c are triangular, and the cutout 83b formed between them is a square that is smaller than the triangle. Five marks 84 are formed to surround the image forming sections 82, and the polygons with each of the marks 84-1 to 84-5 as vertices are formed as concave polygons with one concave angle. Each of the marks 84-1 to 84-5 has a direction indicator 85 formed thereon that indicates the direction to the position of the next mark 84.

[0047] 11, the masking member 80 can make the polygon formed by each of the marks 84-1 to 84-5 a concave polygon having at least one concave angle to match the external shape of the image forming unit 82. In this way, by making the polygon defined by each of the marks 84-1 to 84-5, i.e., the polygon having each mark 84 as a vertex, a concave polygon having a concave angle rather than a convex polygon with all corners being convex angles, the range into which the liquid agent is sprayed by the spray gun 31 can be made smaller than the range enclosed by a convex polygon with all corners being convex angles, and the amount of liquid agent consumed can be reduced.

[0048] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0049] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the spray unit 30 and the mark detection device 40 are configured to move relative to the table 14 fixed to the device body 12. However, the spray unit 30, the mark detection device 40, and the table 14 may be configured to be movable relative to each other. As an example, the printing device 10 may be configured to include a table movement mechanism for moving the table 14, a main scanning direction movement mechanism 50 for moving the spray unit 30 and the mark detection device 40 in the main scanning direction Y, and a table movement mechanism for moving the table 14 in the sub-scanning direction X. Alternatively, the printing device 10 may not include a table movement mechanism, and may be configured to move the spray unit 30, the mark detection device 40, and the printing substrate 5 placed on the table 14 relative to each other. For example, the printing substrate 5 placed on the table 14 may be transported in the sub-scanning direction X by rollers, and the spray unit 30 and the mark detection device 40 may be moved in the main scanning direction Y by the main scanning direction movement mechanism 50.

[0050] Furthermore, for example, the printing device 10 may be configured to include at least the spray unit 30 and the mark detection device 40, and may not be configured to include the inkjet head 20. Furthermore, the printing device 10 may have a movement mechanism that moves the spray unit 30 and the mark detection device 40 independently relative to the table 14, and the spray unit 30 and the mark detection device 40 may move independently in the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 5 Printing material 10 Printing device 12 Device body 14 tables 20 Inkjet head 30 spray units 31 Spray gun 40 Mark detection device 48 Spray Carriage 50 Main scanning direction movement mechanism 60 Sub-scanning direction movement mechanism 70 Control device 80 Masking material 81 Masking body 82 Image forming unit 84 marks 85 Direction indicator

Claims

1. a table on which the printing material is placed; a spray means capable of spraying a liquid toward the printing substrate placed on the table; a movement mechanism that moves the printing material and the spray means relative to each other; a masking member having an image forming portion cut out in a desired shape and three or more marks formed so as to surround the image forming portion, the masking member being placed on the printing substrate; a mark detection unit that detects each of the marks on the masking member placed on the printing substrate; a control unit that controls the movement mechanism so that the liquid agent is sprayed by the spray means within a range surrounded by each of the marks detected by the mark detection unit; A printing device comprising:

2. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the marks has a direction indicating portion that indicates the direction of the next adjacent mark that surrounds the image forming portion.

3. 3. The printing device according to claim 2, wherein the direction indicating portion of each mark is formed of a line indicating one direction.

4. a detection unit moving mechanism that moves the printing material and the mark detection unit relatively; 4. The printing device according to claim 2, wherein after one mark is detected by the mark detection unit, the control unit causes the detection unit moving mechanism to move the mark detection unit in the direction indicated by the direction indication unit.

5. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the polygon having each of the marks as a vertex in the masking member is a concave polygon having at least one concave angle.

6. A printing method in which a liquid agent is sprayed onto a substrate to be printed by a spray means of a printing device while a masking member is placed on the substrate, a masking member forming step of forming an image forming portion cut out in a desired shape and three or more marks formed so as to surround the image forming portion on the masking member; a placing step of placing the masking member on a printing substrate placed on a table; a mark detection step of detecting each of the marks on the masking member by a mark detection unit of the printing device; an area calculation step of calculating an area surrounded by each of the marks by a control unit of the printing device; a spraying step of spraying the liquid agent into the calculated area by the spray means; A printing method comprising:

7. 7. The printing method according to claim 6, wherein each of the marks has a direction indicating portion that indicates the direction of the next adjacent mark that surrounds the image forming portion.

8. 8. The printing method according to claim 7, wherein the direction indicating portion of each mark is formed of a line indicating one direction.

9. the printing device includes a detection unit moving mechanism that moves the printing substrate and the mark detection unit relatively; 9. The printing method according to claim 7, wherein, in the mark detection step, after one mark is detected by the mark detection unit, the detection unit moving mechanism moves the mark detection unit in the direction indicated by the direction indication unit.

10. 7. The printing method according to claim 6, wherein the polygon having each of the marks as a vertex in the masking member is a concave polygon having at least one concave angle.

Images