EP4613495A1

EP4613495A1 - Printing device, printing system, and printing method

Info

Publication number: EP4613495A1
Application number: EP24779085.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Yuki Tamura
Original assignee: Kyocera Corp
Current assignee: Kyocera Corp
Priority date: 2023-03-29
Filing date: 2024-03-01
Publication date: 2025-09-10
Also published as: JPWO2024202947A1; WO2024202947A1; EP4613495A4; CN120379842A

Abstract

A printing apparatus includes a feeder, an ink head, a separator, a feeder drive, and a separator drive. The feeder feeds a medium on a surface of the feeder in a feed direction. The ink head applies ink to the medium. The separator is located downstream from the feeder in the feed direction and separates the medium M from the feeder. The feeder drive drives the feeder. The separator drive is controllable independently of the feeder drive and drives the separator.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a printing apparatus, a printing system, and a printing method.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Patent Literature 1 describes an inkjet printing apparatus used in a textile printing system. The printing apparatus includes a feed belt as a feeder for feeding a print medium such as fabric, and an inkjet head for ejecting ink from above to the print medium on the feed belt. The printing apparatus feeds the print medium as the feed belt rotates. In the textile printing system, the print medium that has undergone printing in the printing apparatus is introduced into a dryer through a roller in a drying unit to dry the ink. The roller in the drying unit separates the print medium pressed against the feed belt in the printing apparatus from the feed belt to introduce the print medium into the dryer.

CITATION LIST

PATENT LITERATURE

Patent Literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-226081

SUMMARY

In one aspect of the present invention, a printing apparatus includes a feeder, an ink unit, a separator, a feeder drive, and a separator drive. The feeder feeds a print medium on a surface of the feeder in a feed direction. The ink unit applies ink to the print medium. The separator is located downstream from the feeder in the feed direction and separates the print medium from the feeder. The feeder drive drives the feeder. The separator drive is controllable independently of the feeder drive and drives the separator. In the above aspect of the present invention, the printing apparatus reduces the likelihood that the print medium is transported downstream when the print medium is under a tension resulting from separation from the feeder and can adjust a separation start position of the print medium at which the print medium starts being separated from the feeder.
In another aspect of the present invention, a printing system includes the printing apparatus according to the above aspect and a dryer device. The dryer device dries the print medium separated from the feeder by the separator in the printing apparatus and introduced into the dryer device. In the above aspect of the present invention, the printing system reduces the likelihood that the print medium is transported downstream when the print medium is under a tension resulting from separation from the feeder and can adjust the separation start position of the print medium at which the print medium starts being separated from the feeder.
In another aspect of the present invention, a printing method includes feeding a print medium in a feed direction with a feeder, applying ink to the print medium, and separating, with a separator located downstream in the feed direction from the feeder, the print medium from the feeder independently of the feeding of the print medium with the feeder. In the above aspects of the present invention, the printing method and the printing apparatus reduce the likelihood that the print medium is transported downstream when the print medium is under a tension resulting from separation from the feeder and can adjust the separation start position of the print medium at which the print medium starts being separated from the feeder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a printing system including a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the printing apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a diagram describing the relationship between a feeder and a separator in the printing apparatus.
FIG. 4 is a timing chart describing the operation of the printing apparatus.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a printing method.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In a known textile printing system, as described above, a print medium separated from a feed belt by a roller in a drying unit may be transported to a dryer located downstream in a feed direction with the print medium under a tension resulting from separation from the feed belt. When the print medium is fabric, the print medium may be dried while being stretched. This may deform an image on the print medium, possibly lowering the print quality. For the print medium to be separated from the feed belt by the roller in the drying unit, a separation start position at which the print medium starts being separated from the feed belt is difficult to adjust. When the separation start position of the print medium is displaced toward an inkjet head in an area of the feed belt facing upward, a portion of the print medium to which the inkjet head is to eject ink may be separated from the feed belt. When the separation start position at which the print medium starts being separated from the feed belt is within an area of the feed belt facing downward, the print medium cannot be separated from the feed belt, possibly causing a failure in separating the print medium from the feed belt.
A printing apparatus, a printing system, and a printing method are awaited to reduce the likelihood that a print medium is transported downstream when the print medium is under a tension resulting from separation from a feeder and to adjust a separation start position at which the print medium starts being separated from the feeder.
A printing apparatus, a printing system, and a printing method according to one or more embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the directional relationship will be hereafter described using orthogonal XY coordinates orthogonal to each other on a horizontal plane. A vertical direction orthogonal to an X-direction and a Y-direction is referred to as a Z-direction.
A printing system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a printing apparatus 1 and a dryer device 10. The printing apparatus 1 includes an ink unit that can apply ink to a medium M that is a wide and elongated print medium. The printing apparatus 1 uses the ink unit to apply ink to the medium M to print an image. The dryer device 10 is located downstream from the printing apparatus 1. The dryer device 10 can dry the medium M on which the image is printed in the printing apparatus 1.
The printing apparatus 1 may be a screen printing apparatus or an inkjet printing apparatus. For the printing apparatus 1 that is a screen printing apparatus, the ink unit includes a screen mask with multiple openings, and a squeegee. In this case, the ink unit causes ink to move along the screen mask as the squeegee moves, and thus applies the ink to the medium M through the openings in the screen mask. For the printing apparatus 1 that is an inkjet printing apparatus, the ink unit ejects ink to the medium M to apply the ink to the medium M. The printing apparatus 1 that is an inkjet printing apparatus will be described in detail below.
The printing apparatus 1 that is an inkjet printing apparatus may be used for digital textile printing to print images such as letters and patterns on the medium M that is a fabric member made of fabric such as woven fabric or knitted fabric. The medium M is an elongated fabric member extending across the printing apparatus 1 and the dryer device 10. The fabric member includes multiple types of fabric each having different stretchability. The printing apparatus 1 can also be used to print various images on a print medium such as a paper sheet or a resin sheet.
As illustrated in FIG. 2 as well as in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus 1 includes a feeder unit 3, a printer unit 4, a separator 5, a separator drive 50, a detector 6, and a controller 7.
The feeder unit 3 feeds the medium M in the Y-direction. The feeder unit 3 includes a feeder 31, a first feed roller 32, a second feed roller 33, and a feeder drive 34.
The feeder 31 can feed the medium M placed on its surface. In the present embodiment, the feeder 31 is an endless belt having a width in the X-direction and elongated in the Y-direction. The feeder 31 that is an endless belt can rotate. The feeder 31 rotating in the Y-direction can feed the medium M in contact with the surface of the feeder 31 in a feed direction H1, which is from one position to another position in the Y-direction. To hold the medium M in contact with the surface of the feeder 31, the feeder 31 includes, on its surface, a layer of an adhesive to which the medium M adheres.
The first feed roller 32 is a cylindrical roller extending in the X-direction. The first feed roller 32 is located most downstream in the feed direction H1 of the medium M, and the feeder 31 is wound on the first feed roller 32. The first feed roller 32 is rotated as the feeder 31 rotates. The second feed roller 33 is a cylindrical roller extending in the X-direction. The second feed roller 33 is located most upstream in the feed direction H1 of the medium M, and the feeder 31 is wound on the second feed roller 33. The feeder 31 is stretched and hung by the first feed roller 32 and the second feed roller 33 to cause a portion of its surface between the first feed roller 32 and the second feed roller 33 to expand in the X- and Y-directions and to be horizontal.
The feeder drive 34 is a drive motor that generates a driving force to rotate the second feed roller 33. The feeder drive 34 can drive the feeder 31 by driving the second feed roller 33 to rotate. In other words, the feeder 31 rotates as the second feed roller 33 is driven to rotate by the feeder drive 34, and can thus feed the medium M in the feed direction H1 along the Y-direction.
The printer unit 4 prints an image on the medium M in contact with the surface of the feeder 31. The printer unit 4 includes an inkjet head 42 mounted on a carriage 41. The inkjet head 42 includes an ink head 421, a pretreatment liquid head 422, and a post-treatment liquid head 423. The printer unit 4 is located above the feeder 31 in the Z-direction. The printing apparatus 1 is a serial printer that performs a printing process on the medium M by serial printing. In the printing apparatus 1 for serial printing, an ejection operation and a feed operation are repeatedly performed. In the ejection operation, the inkjet head 42 ejects different types of liquid while the carriage 41 is reciprocating in the X-direction, which is orthogonal to the Y-direction being the feed direction H1 of the medium M on a horizontal plane. In the feed operation, the medium M is fed by the feeder 31.
The carriage 41 is fixed to a timing belt 212 assembled in a carriage guide 21 that is a flat plate including guide rails 211 extending in the X-direction. The timing belt 212 is an endless belt assembled in a manner rotatable in the X-direction about the carriage guide 21. As the timing belt 212 rotates in the X-direction, the carriage 41 can reciprocate in the X-direction along the carriage guide 21 while being guided by the guide rails 211.
Each of the ink head 421, the pretreatment liquid head 422, and the post-treatment liquid head 423 included in the inkjet head 42 mounted on the carriage 41 moves relative to the medium M in the X-direction and in the Y-direction when the carriage 41 reciprocates in the X-direction with the medium M being fed by the feeder 31 in the Y-direction. In this case, the X-direction indicating the direction in which the carriage 41 moves is a main scanning direction, and the Y-direction indicating the feed direction H1 of the medium M is a subscanning direction.
Multiple ink heads 421 are mounted on the carriage 41. Each of the multiple ink heads 421 is an ink unit that ejects ink containing a color material to apply the ink to the medium M on the feeder 31. Each of the multiple ink heads 421 includes many nozzles, ink channels that guide ink into the nozzles, and a wiring board that controls the ejection operation of ink. The nozzles eject ink droplets by, for example, piezoelectric ejection using piezoelectric elements or thermal ejection using heating elements. The multiple ink heads 421 are mounted on the carriage 41 in two arrays in the X-direction. Two of the ink heads 421 that eject the same color of ink are arranged on the carriage 41 in a manner displaced from each other in the X-direction and in the Y-direction. In another embodiment, a single ink head 421 may be mounted on the carriage 41.
The pretreatment liquid head 422 is located upstream from the ink heads 421 on the carriage 41 in the feed direction H1 in which the feeder 31 feeds the medium M. The pretreatment liquid head 422 is a pretreatment liquid unit that ejects a pretreatment liquid to apply the pretreatment liquid to the medium M on the feeder 31 before ink is applied. The pretreatment liquid head 422 includes many nozzles, pretreatment liquid channels that guide the pretreatment liquid into the nozzles, and a wiring board that controls an ejection operation of the pretreatment liquid. The nozzles eject the pretreatment liquid by, for example, piezoelectric ejection using piezoelectric elements or thermal ejection using heating elements. The pretreatment liquid is a noncolor-developing treatment liquid that comes in contact with undried ink on the medium M and develops no color on the medium M. Note that the pretreatment liquid unit that applies the pretreatment liquid to the medium M on the feeder 31 is not limited to a head such as the pretreatment liquid head 422, and may be a spray that sprays the pretreatment liquid.
The post-treatment liquid head 423 is located downstream from the ink heads 421 on the carriage 41 in the feed direction H1 in which the feeder 31 feeds the medium M. The post-treatment liquid head 423 is a post-treatment liquid unit that ejects a post-treatment liquid to apply the post-treatment liquid to the medium M on the feeder 31 after ink is applied. The post-treatment liquid head 423 includes many nozzles, post-treatment liquid channels that guide the post-treatment liquid into the nozzles, and a wiring board that controls an ejection operation of the post-treatment liquid. The nozzles eject the post-treatment liquid by, for example, piezoelectric ejection using piezoelectric elements or thermal ejection using heating elements. The post-treatment liquid is a noncolor-developing treatment liquid that comes in contact with undried ink on the medium M and develops no color on the medium M. The post-treatment liquid can improve fixation of ink on the medium M. Examples of the post-treatment liquid includes a treatment liquid containing silicone oil. Note that the post-treatment liquid unit that applies the post-treatment liquid to the medium M on the feeder 31 is not limited to a head such as the post-treatment liquid head 423, and may be a spray that sprays the post-treatment liquid.
The printer unit 4 performs, on the medium M in contact with the surface of the feeder 31, the liquid ejection operations of ejecting the pretreatment liquid from the pretreatment liquid head 422, ejecting ink from the ink heads 421, and ejecting, as appropriate, the post-treatment liquid from the post-treatment liquid head 423. Through these operations, an image is printed on the medium M. More specifically, the medium M on the feeder 31 receives the pretreatment liquid ejected from the pretreatment liquid head 422, receives ink ejected from the ink heads 421, and receives, as appropriate, the post-treatment liquid ejected from the post-treatment liquid head 423.
The pretreatment liquid ejected from the pretreatment liquid head 422 contains an aqueous solvent mainly containing water and a positively charged cationic resin. Ink ejected from the ink heads 421 is pigment ink containing a pigment as a color material. Pigment ink contains an aqueous medium mainly containing water, a pigment, and a binding resin. The pigment may be an anionic pigment. An anionic pigment electrically reacts and agglomerates, on the medium M, with the cationic resin contained in the pretreatment liquid ejected from the pretreatment liquid head 422, thus reducing the likelihood that the binding resin contained in the pigment ink penetrates into the medium M. For the medium M that is a fabric member, this reduces the likelihood that the binding resin penetrates in spaces between fibers, causing the fibers to bind to each other. This can improve the texture of the fabric member, such as smoothness to the touch.
The separator 5 is located downstream from the feeder 31 in the feed direction H1. More specifically, the separator 5 is located above and apart downstream in the feed direction H1 from a downstream end portion 311 located at a downstream end of the feeder 31 in the feed direction H1. The downstream end portion 311 is a portion of the feeder 31 wound on the first feed roller 32. The separator 5 is located to partially overlap the downstream end portion 311 as viewed in the Y-direction and in the Z-direction. The separator 5 is located above an extension of the medium M on the feeder 31 in the feed direction H1. The separator 5 can separate the medium M in contact with the surface of the feeder 31 from the feeder 31. In the present embodiment, the separator 5 is a cylindrical roller extending in the X-direction. The separator 5 that is a roller is rotatable about an axis extending in the X-direction.
The separator 5 includes an outer circumferential surface 5A, around which a predetermined area MM of the medium M extending across the printing apparatus 1 and the dryer device 10 in the feed direction H1 is wound from above in the Z-direction. The medium M, which is in contact with the surface of the feeder 31 with its predetermined area MM wound on the separator 5, is separated upward from the feeder 31 with a separation start position MPP being as a boundary for a contact portion M1 in contact with the surface of the feeder 31. The separator 5 rotates with the predetermined area MM of the medium M attaching to the outer circumferential surface 5A from above. The separator 5 can thus separate, from the feeder 31, a portion of the medium M in contact with the surface of the feeder 31 upstream from the predetermined area MM in the feed direction H1. The separator 5 separating the medium M from the feeder 31 rotates in the same direction as the rotation direction of the first feed roller 32 feeding the medium M in the feed direction H1 as the feeder 31 rotates.
With the medium M wound on the outer circumferential surface 5A of the separator 5, a frictional force is generated between a wound portion M21 of the medium M wound on the outer circumferential surface 5A and the outer circumferential surface 5A. The separator 5 rotates to separate the medium M from the feeder 31 with the frictional force between the wound portion M21 and the outer circumferential surface 5A and also to transport the medium M toward the dryer device 10 located downstream. In this case, in a separated portion M2 of the medium M separated from the feeder 31 by the separator 5, an area between the downstream end portion 311 of the feeder 31 and the outer circumferential surface 5A of the separator 5 receives a tension resulting from the separation from the feeder 31, but an area downstream from the separator 5 receives no tension. The medium M is thus less likely to be transported downstream while receiving a tension resulting from the separation from the feeder 31. This reduces the likelihood that the medium M introduced into the dryer device 10 located downstream from the separator 5 is dried while being stretched, thus reducing deterioration in the print quality resulting from, for example, deformation of the images formed on the medium M.
The medium M separated from the feeder 31 by the separator 5 bends downward in the Z-direction between the separator 5 and the dryer device 10 before being introduced into the dryer device 10. This can more reliably reduce the likelihood that the medium M introduced into the dryer device 10 is dried while being stretched.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the separator 5 includes a base 51 and a surface layer 52 on the base 51 forming the outer circumferential surface 5A. The surface layer 52 is made of a rubber material. With the surface layer 52 forming the outer circumferential surface 5A of the separator 5 made of a rubber material, a greater frictional force is generated between the wound portion M21 of the medium M wound on the outer circumferential surface 5A and the outer circumferential surface 5A. The separator 5 can thus more reliably separate the medium M from the feeder 31 with the frictional force.
The rubber material for forming the surface layer 52 of the separator 5 may be a foam rubber material. The surface layer 52 made of a foam rubber material includes multiple vacancies. In this case, when the ink on the medium M is transferred to the outer circumferential surface 5A with the medium M wound on the outer circumferential surface SA of the separator 5, the transferred ink can be trapped in the vacancies in the surface layer 52. This reduces the likelihood that ink transferred to the outer circumferential surface 5A of the separator 5 causes the outer circumferential surface 5A to be slippery.
The surface layer 52 of the separator 5 may be a member including an abrasive surface. For the surface layer 52 that is a member including an abrasive surface, the medium M is likely to be caught on, for example, abrasive grains and is less likely to slip, and can thus be separated more reliably. The abrasive surface may be a sandpaper of #40 to #240, or specifically, #100 to # 150. Examples of the member including an abrasive surface include an adhesive abrasive paper. Examples of the abrasive grains include silicon carbide abrasive grains.
When the separation start position MPP, at which the medium M in contact with the surface of the feeder 31 starts being separated from the feeder 31, is displaced toward the printer unit 4 in an area of the feeder 31 facing upward, a portion of the medium M to be printed by the printer unit 4 may be separated from the feeder 31. When the separation start position MPP, at which the medium M starts being separated from the feeder 31, is in an area of the feeder 31 facing downward, the medium M cannot be separated from the feeder 31, possibly causing a failure in separating the medium M from the feeder 31. The separation start position MPP, at which the medium M starts being separated from the feeder 31, is thus to be adjusted.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the separation start position MPP, at which the medium M starts being separated from the feeder 31, changes as the feeder 31 rotates and as the separator 5 rotates. As described above, when the separator 5 is located to partially overlap the downstream end portion 311 of the feeder 31 as viewed in the Y-direction and in the Z-direction, the separation start position MPP of the medium M changes within the range of the downstream end portion 311 of the feeder 31 wound on the first feed roller 32. The separation start position MPP of the medium M changes downstream in the rotation direction of the first feed roller 32 within the range of the downstream end portion 311 based on the rotation of the feeder 31, and changes upstream in the rotation direction of the first feed roller 32 within the range of the downstream end portion 311 based on the rotation of the separator 5.
Under such circumstances, the separation start position MPP at which the medium M starts being separated from the feeder 31 can be adjusted by controlling the rotation of the feeder 31 and the rotation of the separator 5. In this case, the separation start position MPP of the medium M is less likely to be adjusted accurately when the separator 5 is rotated in synchronization with the rotation of the feeder 31.
In the present embodiment, the printing apparatus 1 includes the separator drive 50 that is controllable independently of the feeder drive 34, which rotates the feeder 31, and that can drive the separator 5. The separator drive 50 is a drive motor that can generate a driving force to rotate the separator 5. The separator drive 50 can rotate the separator 5 independently of the rotation of the feeder 31 driven by the feeder drive 34. Thus, the separation start position MPP at which the medium M starts being separated from the feeder 31 can be accurately adjusted.
When the separation start position MPP at which the medium M starts being separated from the feeder 31 changes, a separation angle α for the medium M changes, and a wound angle β for the wound portion M21 of the medium M wound on the separator 5 also changes. The separation angle α is an angle between the separated portion M2 of the medium M, which is separated from the feeder 31 and located in an area between the feeder 31 and the separator 5, and the contact portion M1 of the medium M in contact with the surface of the feeder 31. The wound angle β is a central angle of an arc of the wound portion M21 along the outer circumferential surface 5A of the separator 5. When the separation start position MPP of the medium M changes downstream in the rotation direction of the first feed roller 32 based on the rotation of the feeder 31, the separation angle α is smaller and the wound angle β is greater. When the separation start position MPP of the medium M changes upstream in the rotation direction of the first feed roller 32 as the separator 5 rotates, the separation angle α is greater and the wound angle β is smaller.
In the present embodiment, the printing apparatus 1 includes the detector 6 below the separator 5. The detector 6 is a sensor that can detect the separated portion M2 of the medium M separated from the feeder 31 and located in the area between the feeder 31 and the separator 5. The separated portion M2 of the medium M that is a detection target of the detector 6 is a portion of the medium M that is separated from the feeder 31 and located between a portion of the feeder 31 corresponding to, in the feed direction H1, a downstream end of the carriage 41, on which the inkjet head 42 is mounted, and the outer circumferential surface 5A of the separator 5. In the present embodiment, the separated portion M2 of the medium M that is the detection target of the detector 6 is a portion of the medium M that is separated from the feeder 31 and located between the downstream end portion 311 of the feeder 31 wound on the first feed roller 32 and the outer circumferential surface 5A of the separator 5. The detector 6 is, for example, a photoelectric sensor that can adjust a detection range 61. The detector 6 that is a photoelectric sensor emits detection light from a light emitter and receives light reflected from the separated portion M2 of the medium M with a light receiver to detect the separated portion M2. The detector 6 can adjust the detection range 61 on an optical path of the detection light.
The detector 6 has, within the area between the downstream end portion 311 of the feeder 31 and the outer circumferential surface 5A of the separator 5, a predetermined range set as the detection range 61. The predetermined range is on the optical path perpendicular to a plane VP including a center 32S of the first feed roller 32 and a center 5S of the separator 5 and extending in the X-direction. The detector 6 is in an on state when the separated portion M2 of the medium M is within the detection range 61, and is in an off state when the separated portion M2 of the medium M is outside the detection range 61. Detection results from the detector 6 are referred to by the controller 7 (described later).
The controller 7 is a personal computer including a central processing unit (CPU), a storage area that stores a processing program, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a flash memory, and a random-access memory (RAM) used as a work area for the CPU. The controller 7 executes the processing program stored in the HDD or the flash memory with the CPU to perform processing in processes included in a printing method using the printing apparatus 1. The processing in the processes included in the printing method performed by the controller 7 will now be described with reference to FIGs. 3, 4, and 5.
The controller 7 performs the processing in each of the processes including a printing process including a pretreatment liquid applying step S1, an ink applying step S2, and a post-treatment liquid applying step S3, a feed step S4, and a separation step S5.
In the pretreatment liquid applying step S1, the controller 7 causes the pretreatment liquid head 422 to eject the pretreatment liquid to perform a pretreatment liquid applying process of applying the pretreatment liquid to the medium M in contact with the surface of the feeder 31. In the ink applying step S2, the controller 7 causes the ink heads 421 to eject ink to perform an ink applying process of applying ink to the medium M in contact with the surface of the feeder 31. In the post-treatment liquid applying step S3, the controller 7 causes the post-treatment liquid head 423 to eject the post-treatment liquid to perform a post-treatment liquid applying process of applying the post-treatment liquid to the medium M in contact with the surface of the feeder 31. Note that the controller 7 may not perform the pretreatment liquid applying process, the ink applying process, and the post-treatment liquid applying process. For example, the pretreatment liquid head 422 may perform the pretreatment liquid applying process, the ink heads 421 may perform the ink applying process, and the post-treatment liquid head 423 may perform the post-treatment liquid applying process.
In the feed step S4, the controller 7 performs a feeder driving process of driving the feeder drive 34 to correspond to each of the pretreatment liquid applying process, the ink applying process, and the post-treatment liquid applying process. The controller 7 causes the feeder 31 to rotate based on driving of the feeder drive 34 in the feeder driving process to feed the medium M in contact with the surface of the feeder 31 in the feed direction H1. Note that the controller 7 may not perform the feeder driving process. For example, the feeder drive 34 may perform the feeder driving process.
In the separation step S5, the controller 7 performs a separator driving process of driving the separator drive 50. The controller 7 causes the separator 5 to rotate based on driving of the separator drive 50 in the separator driving process to separate the medium M in contact with the surface of the feeder 31 from the feeder 31. More specifically, the controller 7 causes the separator 5 to rotate based on the driving of the separator drive 50 independently of the rotation of the feeder 31 driven by the feeder drive 34. Thus, the separation start position MPP, at which the medium M separates from the feeder 31, can be more accurately adjusted compared with when the separator 5 is rotated in synchronization with the rotation of the feeder 31.
The pretreatment liquid applying process in the pretreatment liquid applying step S1, the ink applying process in the ink applying step S2, the post-treatment liquid applying process in the post-treatment liquid applying step S3, the feeder driving process in the feed step S4, and the separator driving process in the separation step S5 performed by the controller 7 will now be described in more detail with reference to FIGs. 3 and 4. Note that, hereafter, the ink heads 421, the pretreatment liquid head 422, and the post-treatment liquid head 423 are collectively referred to as the inkjet head 42, ink, the pretreatment liquid, and the post-treatment liquid are collectively referred to as a liquid, and the ink applying process, the pretreatment liquid applying process, and the post-treatment liquid applying process are collectively referred to as a liquid applying process.
The controller 7 repeatedly performs the liquid applying process and the feeder driving process. In the liquid applying process, the inkjet head 42 ejects the liquid while the carriage 41 on which the inkjet head 42 is mounted is moving in the X-direction in a predetermined head scanning cycle HSC. In the feeder driving process, the feeder drive 34 is driven to correspond to the liquid applying process. When the liquid applying process is in an on state in which the liquid is ejected from the inkjet head 42, the controller 7 sets the feeder driving process to an off state to cause the feeder drive 34 to stop driving. When the liquid applying process is in an off state in which ejection of the liquid from the inkjet head 42 is stopped, the controller 7 sets the feeder driving process to an on state to drive the feeder drive 34. More specifically, the controller 7 switches the feeder drive 34 between driving and non-driving in the feeder driving process based on switching of ejection and non-ejection of the liquid from the inkjet head 42 in the liquid applying process. The controller 7 repeatedly performs the liquid applying process and the feeder driving process to print an image on the medium M in contact with the surface of the feeder 31.
In the feeder driving process, the controller 7 drives the feeder drive 34 to cause the feeder 31 rotating based on the driving of the feeder drive 34 to move at a predetermined feeder movement speed VB and by a predetermined feeder movement distance DB. This allows the medium M in contact with the surface of the feeder 31 to be fed in the feed direction H1 at a feed speed corresponding to the feeder movement speed VB of the feeder 31 and by a feed length corresponding to the feeder movement distance DB of the feeder 31 when the controller 7 performs a single cycle of feeder driving process.
With the predetermined area MM of the medium M located downstream from the feeder 31 in the feed direction H1 being wound on the outer circumferential surface 5A of the separator 5 from above, the separation start position MPP at which the medium M starts being separated from the feeder 31 changes, within the range of the downstream end portion 311 of the feeder 31 wound on the first feed roller 32, downstream in the rotation direction of the first feed roller 32 based on the rotation of the feeder 31. When the separation start position MPP of the medium M changes downstream in the rotation direction of the first feed roller 32, the separation angle α for the medium M changes to be smaller, and the wound angle β for the wound portion M21 of the medium M wound on the separator 5 changes to be greater.
The detector 6 is in the on state when the separated portion M2 is within the detection range 61 with the separation angle α between the contact portion M1 and the separated portion M2 of the medium M being less than 90 degrees. In this case, the detector 6 enters the on state when the separation start position MPP of the medium M changes downstream in the rotation direction of the first feed roller 32 based on the rotation of the feeder 31 and the separation angle α decreases to less than 90 degrees. In other words, a first sensor switching timing TS1 indicating the timing of the detector 6 switching from the off state to the on state corresponds to the timing at which the separation angle α for the medium M becomes less than 90 degrees. When the separation angle α for the medium M is less than 90 degrees, the wound angle β for the wound portion M21 of the medium M on the separator 5 is large enough to separate the medium M from the feeder 31 with a frictional force between the outer circumferential surface 5A of the separator 5 and the wound portion M21.
The controller 7 performs, for a single cycle of feeder driving process, the separator driving process of driving the separator drive 50 based on detection performed by the detector 6. When the detector 6 is in the on state, the controller 7 sets the separation driving process to an on state in which the separator drive 50 performs driving. In this case, the controller 7 drives the separator drive 50 to cause the separator 5 to rotate at a predetermined circumferential speed VR based on the driving of the separator drive 50 and to cause a movement distance of the outer circumferential surface 5A of the separator 5 moving in the rotation direction based on the driving of the separator drive 50 to be a predetermined rotational movement distance DR. The medium M in contact with the surface of the feeder 31 is thus separated at a separation speed corresponding to the circumferential speed VR of the separator 5 and by a separation length corresponding to the rotational movement distance DR of the separator 5.
The separation start position MPP at which the medium M starts being separated from the feeder 31 changes, within the range of the downstream end portion 311 of the feeder 31 wound on the first feed roller 32, upstream in the rotation direction of the first feed roller 32 based on the rotation of the separator 5. When the separation start position MPP of the medium M changes upstream in the rotation direction of the first feed roller 32, the separation angle α for the medium M changes to be greater, and the wound angle β for the wound portion M21 of the medium M wound on the separator 5 changes to be smaller.
When the separation start position MPP of the medium M changes upstream in the rotation direction of the first feed roller 32 based on the rotation of the separator 5 and the separation angle α increases greater than or equal to 90 degrees, the separated portion M2 of the medium M is outside the detection range 61, and the detector 6 thus enters the off state. In other words, a second sensor switching timing TS2 indicating the timing of the detector 6 switching from the on state to the off state corresponds to the timing at which the separation angle α for the medium M that has been less than 90 degrees becomes greater than or equal to 90 degrees. When the detector 6 is in the off state, the controller 7 sets the separator driving process to an off state in which the driving of the separator drive 50 is stopped.
As described above, the controller 7 drives the separator drive 50 based on the detection performed by the detector 6 to rotate the separator 5 independently of the rotation of the feeder 31 driven by the feeder drive 34. Thus, when the medium M is separated from the feeder 31 based on the rotation of the separator 5, the medium M is less likely to be transported downstream while receiving a tension resulting from the separation from the feeder 31, and also the separation start position MPP at which the medium M starts being separated from the feeder 31 can be more accurately adjusted. This reduces the likelihood that the medium M introduced into the dryer device 10 located downstream from the separator 5 is dried while being stretched. This also reduces the likelihood that a portion of the medium M to which the liquid is applied by the inkjet head 42 is separated from the feeder 31, thus reducing a failure in separating the medium M from the feeder 31.
In the separator driving process, the controller 7 switches the separator drive 50 from a non-driving state to a driving state when a predetermined first delay time DT1 has elapsed from the first sensor switching timing TS1, at which the detector 6 switches from the off state to the on state. More specifically, the controller 7 switches the separator drive 50 from the non-driving state to the driving state at a first drive switching timing TM1 at which the first delay time DT1 has elapsed from the first sensor switching timing TS1. In the separator driving process, the controller 7 switches the separator drive 50 from the driving state to the non-driving state when a predetermined second delay time DT2 has elapsed from the second sensor switching timing TS2, at which the detector 6 switches from the on state to the off state. More specifically, the controller 7 switches the separator drive 50 from the driving state to the non-driving state at a second drive switching timing TM2 at which the second delay time DT2 has elapsed from the second sensor switching timing TS2. The timing at which the first delay time DT1 has elapsed from the first sensor switching timing TS1 is set as the first drive switching timing TM1, and the timing at which second delay time DT2 has elapsed from the second sensor switching timing TS2 is set as the second drive switching timing TM2. This reduces chattering, in which the on state and the off state of the detector 6 are repeatedly switched at a high speed. This reduces the likelihood that the separator drive 50 is repeatedly switched between a driving state and a non-driving state abnormally in response to chattering of the detector 6.
In the separator driving process, the controller 7 drives the separator drive 50 to cause the rotational movement distance DR of the separator 5 to fall within a predetermined allowable range defined using the feeder movement distance DB of the feeder 31 as a reference. For example, the lower limit of the allowable range is set to the same value as the feeder movement distance DB, and the upper limit of the allowable range is set to a value twice the feeder movement distance DB. More specifically, in response to the detector 6 being in the on state, the controller 7 drives the separator drive 50 to cause the rotational movement distance DR of the separator 5 to be greater than or equal to the feeder movement distance DB and less than or equal to twice the feeder movement distance DB (DB ≤ DR ≤ 2DB). In separating the medium M from the feeder 31 based on the rotation of the separator 5 driven by the separator drive 50, the separator drive 50 is driven to cause the rotational movement distance DR of the separator 5 to be greater than or equal to the feeder movement distance DB. This can reduce the likelihood that the separation start position MPP at which the medium M starts being separated from the feeder 3 1 is too downstream in the rotation direction of the first feed roller 32. Thus, printed surfaces of the contact portion M1 and the separated portion M2 of the medium M can avoid coming in contact with each other between the downstream end portion 311 of the feeder 31 and the outer circumferential surface 5A of the separator 5. In separating the medium M from the feeder 31 based on the rotation of the separator 5 driven by the separator drive 50, the separator drive 50 is driven to cause the rotational movement distance DR of the separator 5 to be less than or equal to twice the feeder movement distance DB. This can reduce the likelihood that the separation start position MPP at which the medium M starts being separated from the feeder 31 is too upstream in the rotation direction of the first feed roller 32. This reduces the likelihood that the portion of the medium M to which the liquid is applied by the inkjet head 42 is separated from the feeder 31.
In the separator driving process, the controller 7 drives the separator drive 50 to cause the circumferential speed VR of the separator 5 rotating based on the driving of the separator drive 50 to be less than or equal to the feeder movement speed VB of the feeder 31 rotating based on the driving of the feeder drive 34 (VR ≤ VB). Thus, when the medium M is separated from the feeder 31 based on the rotation of the separator 5 driven by the separator drive 50, the separation start position MPP at which the medium M starts being separated from the feeder 31 is less likely to be too upstream in the rotation direction of the first feed roller 32. This more reliably reduces the likelihood that the portion of the medium M to which the ink is applied by the inkjet head 42 is separated from the feeder 31.
In the separator driving process, the controller 7 outputs error information when a time corresponding to the head scanning cycle HSC has elapsed after the start of the driving of the separator drive 50 corresponding to the first sensor switching timing TS1, at which the detector 6 switches from the off state to the on state, and the detector 6 remains in the on state. The detector 6 remaining in the on state although the separator 5 is rotating based on the driving of the separator drive 50 may indicate that the medium M cannot be separated from the feeder 31, possibly causing a failure in separating the medium M from the feeder 31. The controller 7 thus outputs the error information. When outputting the error information, the controller 7 may display the error information on a display unit such as a display or stop the printing apparatus 1. Thus, an operator of the printing apparatus 1 can perform actions to reduce the failure in separating the medium M from the feeder 31.

REFERENCE SIGNS

1: printing apparatus
3: feeder unit
31: feeder
34: feeder drive
4: printer unit
42: inkjet head
421: ink head (ink unit)
5: separator
50: separator drive
51: base
52: surface layer
6: detector
61: detection range
7: controller
10: dryer device
100: printing system
M: medium (print medium)

Claims

A printing apparatus, comprising:
a feeder configured to feed a print medium on a surface of the feeder in a feed direction;

an ink unit configured to apply ink to the print medium;

a separator located downstream from the feeder in the feed direction, the separator being configured to separate the print medium from the feeder;

a feeder drive configured to drive the feeder; and

a separator drive controllable independently of the feeder drive, the separator drive being configured to drive the separator.
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the separator is rotatable with a predetermined area of the print medium in the feed direction attaching to the separator, and the separator is rotatable to separate, from the feeder, a portion of the print medium upstream from the predetermined area in the feed direction.
The printing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:
a detector configured to detect a separated portion of the print medium separated from the feeder and located in an area between the feeder and the separator; and

a controller configured to perform an ink applying process of causing the ink unit to apply the ink to the print medium, a feeder driving process of driving the feeder drive based on the ink application process, and a separator driving process of driving the separator drive based on detection performed by the detector.
The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein
the detector is in an on state when the separated portion is within a detection range set in the area between the feeder and the separator, and is in an off state when the separated portion is outside the detection range, and

in the separator driving process, the controller is configured to drive the separator drive in the on state of the detector and stop driving of the separator drive in the off state of the detector.
The printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein
the detector is in the on state when the separated portion is within the detection range with a contact portion of the print medium in contact with the surface of the feeder and the separated portion forming an angle less than 90 degrees.
The printing apparatus according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein
in the separator driving process, the controller is configured to switch the separator drive between driving and non-driving when a predetermined time has elapsed from a timing at which the detector switches between the on state and the off state.
The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein
in the separator driving process, the controller is configured to drive the separator drive to cause a rotational movement distance of an outer circumferential surface of the separator rotating based on driving of the separator drive to fall within a predetermined allowable range defined using, as a reference, a feeder movement distance of the feeder moving based on driving of the feeder drive in the feeder driving process.
The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein
in the separator driving process, the controller is configured to drive the separator drive to cause a circumferential speed of the separator rotating based on driving of the separator drive to be less than or equal to a feeder movement speed of the feeder moving based on driving of the feeder drive in the feeder driving process.
The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein
the separator includes a base and a surface layer comprising a rubber material on the base.
The printing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein
the surface layer includes a plurality of vacancies.
The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein
the print medium is a fabric member comprising fabric.
A printing system, comprising:
the printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11; and

a dryer device configured to dry the print medium separated from the feeder by the separator in the printing apparatus.
A printing method, comprising:
feeding a print medium in a feed direction with a feeder;

applying ink to the print medium; and

separating, with a separator located downstream in the feed direction from the feeder, the print medium from the feeder independently of the feeding of the print medium with the feeder.