JP2001246303A - Liquid coating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid coating device capable of efficiently coating various kinds of media even in a small quantity and being installed and used in a ordinary environment such as an office. SOLUTION: The liquid coating device has a nozzle for discharging a liquid coating material, a pressurizing means for controlling the discharge of the liquid coating material and a head block for moving the nozzle to a sheet medium and is structured to apply the coating material on the sheet like medium by discharging the liquid coating material from the nozzle while moving the head block.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid coating apparatus for protecting a medium surface by applying and curing a liquid coating material on a sheet-like medium surface.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a print medium recorded by an ink jet recording method or the like is used indoors or outdoors as it is, the print medium is exposed to the outside air, moisture, sunlight, or the like, causing a problem of discoloration or fading. Sometimes. In order to prevent this, there are various methods for forming a protective layer excellent in water resistance and light resistance on the surface of a recorded medium, thereby protecting the recording surface.

For example, in the apparatus shown in FIG. 7, a protective film is formed by pressing a laminated film made of plastic or the like heated by a heating roller on a sheet as a recorded medium, thereby forming a protective layer. It is configured to protect against strategic factors.

[0004]

In the case of the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, the apparatus becomes very large and it is difficult to cope with sheets of various sizes.
Good for laminating a single type of media in large quantities,
When laminating on a small amount of medium, there has been a problem that efficiency is deteriorated. In addition, when a hard film is laminated, it is difficult to cope with a curved surface, especially when used outdoors.In addition, when processing such as cutting after lamination, the film and sheet are peeled off from the edge portion, and the gap is formed. However, problems such as deterioration of the image portion due to water and air being mixed in from the air have occurred. In order to solve these problems of the laminated film, there has been a device that uses a liquid coating material instead of the film and sprays the coating material onto the surface of the sheet-like medium by spraying or the like. The liquid coating material that is fixed on the surface of the liquid medium is about 20 to 30% of the total amount sprayed, and the others are scattered around the apparatus, resulting in increased waste of the coating material and poor efficiency. In addition to the problem, in view of the scattering of the coating material, a problem has arisen that the device must be installed in a dedicated environment such as a factory.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and is capable of coating various kinds of media even in a small amount without waste, and can be installed and used in a general environment such as an office. It is intended to provide a device.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in a liquid coating apparatus of the present invention, a nozzle for discharging a liquid coating material, a pressurizing means for controlling the discharge of a liquid coating material, A head block for moving the nozzle with respect to the sheet-shaped medium, wherein a liquid coating material is discharged from the nozzle while moving the head block, and the coating material is applied onto the sheet-shaped medium. Also, before the coating liquid coated on the sheet-like medium is cured,
Fluidization means for promoting the flow of the coating liquid on the sheet medium was provided. Further, the fluidizing means is a means for transferring the sheet-like medium in a curved manner, and the coated sheet-like medium is configured to be curvedly transferred before the coating liquid is cured. Further, the apparatus has a capping mechanism which holds a liquid coating liquid or a solvent thereof and is provided at a standby position of the head block and opposed to the nozzle. When the apparatus is in standby, the head block is engaged with the capping mechanism and the nozzle is engaged. The tip of
It was configured to be immersed in the held coating liquid or solvent.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A liquid coating apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a configuration of a liquid coating apparatus according to the present invention. The liquid coating apparatus main body 1, a Y bar 2, a head block 3,
It comprises a nozzle 4, a sheet-like medium 5, and a coating material 6.

The liquid coating apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a sheet medium 5 such as a printed matter on which ink-jet recording has been performed, on an apparatus body 1 formed in a flat plate shape.
Is mounted and fixed with the surface on which the recording is performed facing up, and is provided so as to extend in the Y-axis direction with respect to the apparatus main body 1.
The Y-bar 2 configured to be movable in the axial direction is moved in the X-axis direction, and the head block 3 configured to be slidable on the Y-bar 2 is appropriately moved in the Y-axis direction. The liquid coating material 6 is applied to the sheet medium 5 by moving the nozzle 4 mounted on the sheet medium 5 relatively to the sheet medium 5 and simultaneously discharging the liquid coating material 6 from the nozzle 4. It is configured as follows. Liquid coating material 6
Is made of a liquid in which a resin such as acryl or vinyl chloride is dispersed and uses water or the like as a solvent. The water is evaporated and solidified to form a protective layer on the surface of the sheet-like medium 5. The nozzle 4 mounted on the head block 3 is connected to the tank 60 and the pressurizing means 7 shown in FIG. The liquid coating material 6 is stored and held in the tank 60. The pressurizing means 7 includes a regulator 71 and a compressor 72, and controls the discharge of the coating material 6 from the nozzle 4 by selectively pressurizing the tank 60.

Next, the operation of applying the liquid coating material by the liquid coating apparatus of the present invention will be described. When performing coating in the liquid coating apparatus of the present embodiment, the operator places and fixes the sheet-like medium 5 to be coated on the apparatus main body 1. At this time, the surface to be coated (the surface on which printing or the like has been applied) is placed on the upper side,
Fix so as to face.

In the coating operation, first, the Y bar 2 and the head block 3 are moved to position the nozzle 4 at the coating start position. This application start position is
An end point on the XY coordinate axis of the sheet medium 5 placed on the apparatus main body 1 or a point near the end point. After the nozzle 4 is positioned on this start position, the head block 3 is moved to the Y bar 2. The nozzle 4 is moved at a constant speed in the main scanning direction (Y-axis direction in the figure) by sliding
The inside of the tank 60 is pressurized by the pressurizing means 7 shown in FIG. 2 and the liquid coating material 6 is sent out to the nozzle 4 via the supply tube 41 and discharged. Thus, a linear coating having a line width w parallel to the Y axis is formed on the sheet-like medium 5. When the coating from the application start position to the other end point in the main scanning direction is completed and the coating for one line is completed, the pressurizing unit 7 suspends the pressurization to the tank 60 and stops the discharge from the nozzle 4. The Y-bar 2 is moved in the sub-scanning direction (X-axis direction in the figure) by a distance p smaller than the linear coating width w by a control device (not shown). Subsequently, the head block 3 is moved in the main scanning direction (Y-axis direction) by sliding the head block 3 on the Y-bar 2, and the coating material 6 is discharged from the nozzle 4 by operating the pressurizing means 7. Coating. Or later,
One line of coating by moving the head block 3 in the main scanning direction and discharging the coating material 6, moving the Y bar 2 by p (<w) in the sub-scanning direction, moving the head block 3 in the main scanning direction and coating material The nozzle 4 is moved in a trajectory in the main scanning direction by sequentially performing the coating for the next one line by the discharge of No. 6 and the entire surface of the sheet-like medium 5 is sequentially coated in the main scanning direction. Coating.

According to the present invention, since the liquid coating material 6 is directly applied to the surface of the sheet medium 5, the coating material 6 does not scatter around the apparatus. Further, the moving amount p of the Y bar 2 in the sub-scanning direction is smaller than the width w of the coating for one line formed by discharging the coating material from the nozzle 4, so that the respective linear coatings overlap. As a result, the entire surface of the sheet-like medium 5 can be coated without any gap.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the structure of a second embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment is that the Y bar 2 is fixed to the apparatus main body 1 and the sheet medium 5 is This is a point provided so as to be movable in the scanning direction. The apparatus of the second embodiment has a medium driving unit 8 including a driving roller 81 and a pinch roller 82. The driving roller 81 is rotatably provided by engaging with driving means such as a motor (not shown). The pinch roller 82 is provided so as to be in pressure contact with the drive roller 81 across both end portions of the sheet-shaped medium 5 in the main scanning direction. Therefore, by rotating the driving roller 81,
The sheet-like medium 5 is configured to be conveyed in the sub-scanning direction.

In the case of performing coating in the liquid coating apparatus of the second embodiment, first, the sandwiching of the driving roller 81 and the pinch roller 82 is released, and both end portions of the sheet medium 5 are inserted therein. Is pressed against the drive roller 81 to pinch the sheet-like medium 5,
The sheet medium 5 is set on the apparatus main body 1. In the coating operation, the head block 3 is slid with respect to the Y-bar 2 to discharge the liquid coating material 6 from the nozzle 4 as in the first embodiment described above. A linear coating having a line width w parallel to the Y axis is formed. When the coating for one line is completed, the controller (not shown) rotates the drive roller 81 by a predetermined amount, thereby moving the sheet-like medium 5 in the sub-scanning direction by a distance p smaller than the line-like coating width w. Subsequently, the head block 3 is moved in the main scanning direction, and at the same time, the liquid coating material 6 is discharged from the nozzles 4 to perform coating for one subsequent line. Thereafter, movement of the head block 3 in the main scanning direction and coating of one line by discharging the coating material 6, movement of the sheet medium 5 by p (<w) in the sub-scanning direction, and movement of the head block 3 in the main scanning direction The nozzle 4 is moved so as to form a trajectory relative to the sheet-like medium 5 by sequentially performing the coating for the next one line by discharging the coating material 6, and the line is sequentially formed in the main scanning direction. Is applied over the entire surface of the sheet medium 5.

In the present invention, when a line-shaped coating is formed in the main scanning direction and the coating of the subsequent line is formed to overlap, for example, when the viscosity of the liquid coating material is high, the movement of the liquid after the coating is performed. If (leveling) is not performed sufficiently, the thickness of the coating formed at the joint portion overlapping with the coating of the immediately preceding line is thicker than other portions, and the coating film may be non-uniform. . The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 has been made to solve this problem. In the apparatus of the second embodiment, on the transport path of the sheet-like medium and on the downstream side of the transport path from the portion where the coating is performed. And a convex portion having a curved shape in a sectional view provided so as to extend in the main scanning direction.
This figure is a view showing a cross section near a nozzle portion where coating is performed in a medium transport type apparatus. In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes an upper panel member of the apparatus main body 1 to which a sheet-like medium 5 is transported, and 11 denotes this panel member. 10, drive roller 81
A base member having a U-shape in cross section, which is fixed to the apparatus main body 1 while supporting the like, is formed as a fluidizing means formed to have a curved shape in cross section and to extend on the panel member 10 in the main scanning direction. Is a support member for supporting the driving roller 81, and 14 is a fan as a medium suction means.
The protrusion 12 is provided on the downstream side of the nozzle 4 in the transport path of the sheet-like medium 5. The fan 14 applies a negative pressure to a space formed by the base member 11 and the panel member 10 and constantly sucks air from a plurality of suction holes 15 provided in the panel member 10 so that the fan 14 The conveyed sheet medium 5 is adsorbed to the panel member 10. As a result, the sheet medium 5 to which the coating is applied and conveyed is conveyed so as to follow the projection 12.

When the coating operation is performed by the liquid coating apparatus, the coating for one line is completed, and the drive roller 81 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG.
Is transported, the liquid coating material 6 applied on the sheet-like medium 5 receives a force in the direction of the arrow at each of the A portion and the B portion as shown in FIG. Becomes Thereby, the movement of the liquid coating material 6 on the sheet medium 5 is promoted, and a uniform coating film is obtained.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, an example has been described in which a medium-conveying type liquid coating apparatus is provided with a convex portion having a curved cross section as a fluidizing means. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention is also applicable to a liquid coating apparatus for fixing a sheet-like medium to an apparatus main body. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, in a liquid coating apparatus of a type in which a sheet-like medium to be coated is stretched and fixed,
A convex portion 12 is provided which presses the sheet-like medium 5 to the side where the nozzle 4 is provided while moving low in synchronization with the Y bar 2 which moves on the medium 5. The liquid coating material 6 may be configured to be deformed to promote the movement of the liquid coating material 6.

That is, in this medium fixing type liquid coating apparatus, as shown in the sectional view of FIG.
A roller 21 acting on the medium 5 is provided as a convex portion on a slider 21 movably supporting the bar 2 with respect to the apparatus main body 1, and the medium 5 is deformed so as to follow the roller 12 according to the outer shape of the roller 12. To this end, a pinch roller 22 is provided which presses against and supports both ends of the medium 5. In this liquid coating apparatus, the portion of the medium 5 to which the liquid coating material 6 has been applied is sequentially deformed into a curved shape in a sectional view by sandwiching the roller 12 and the pinch roller 22 each time the Y bar 2 moves in the sub-scanning direction. Therefore, the liquid coating material 6 applied by this
Is promoted on the sheet medium 5 when passing over the roller 12, so that a uniform coating film is obtained.

In the liquid coating apparatus of the present invention, when a dry-curable liquid coating material is used, the coating liquid at the discharge portion of the nozzle 4 is exposed to the outside air if left unused for a long time. Drying,
There is a problem that the nozzle 4 is hardened and the nozzle 4 is clogged. FIG. 6 shows a capping mechanism 9 provided so as not to cause clogging of the nozzle 4 when the apparatus is not used. In the figure, 90 is a solvent receiving portion, and 91 is a solvent made of a liquid such as water. . The capping mechanism 9 is provided at a position within the movement range of the nozzle 4 (head block 3) on the apparatus main body 1 and outside the application range, and when the liquid coating apparatus is not used or when the liquid coating apparatus is in a standby state. , Head block 3
Is positioned on the standby position where the capping mechanism 9 is provided, and the tip of the nozzle 4, ie, the liquid coating material 6
Is immersed in the solvent 91. Thus, clogging of the nozzle 4 during standby and non-use of the apparatus can be prevented.

[0019]

As described in detail above, according to the liquid coating apparatus of the present invention, a liquid coating material can be directly and uniformly applied to a sheet-like medium, and the coating material can be efficiently applied without being scattered. And can be used in general environments such as offices. Further, by controlling the moving amount of the head block, it is possible to correspond to media of various sizes. Further, by sequentially deforming the coated medium so as to follow the convex portion having a curved shape in cross section, the movement of the coating material on the medium is promoted, and a uniform coating film is obtained. Furthermore, since the tip of the nozzle is immersed in the solvent when the apparatus is on standby, there is an effect that the nozzle discharge section is not dried and clogged when the apparatus is not used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a liquid coating apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a pressurizing unit in the liquid coating apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a capping mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a conventional device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Liquid coating apparatus main body 2 Y bar 3 Head block 4 Nozzle 5 Sheet medium 6 Liquid coating material 7 Pressurizing means 8 Medium drive unit 9 Capping mechanism

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A nozzle for discharging a liquid coating material, a pressurizing means for controlling the discharge of the liquid coating material, and a head block for moving the nozzle with respect to a sheet-like medium. A liquid coating apparatus wherein a coating material in a liquid state is discharged from a nozzle while being moved with respect to a sheet-like medium, and the coating material is applied on the sheet-like medium. 2. The liquid according to claim 1, further comprising a fluidizing means for promoting the flow of the coating liquid on the sheet medium before the coating liquid coated on the sheet medium is cured. Coating equipment. 3. The fluidizing means is a means for transporting the sheet-like medium in a curved state, wherein the coated sheet-like medium is curvedly transported until the coating liquid is cured. The liquid coating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: 4. A capping mechanism which holds the liquid coating liquid or a solvent thereof and is provided at a standby position of the head block and opposed to a nozzle, and when the apparatus is on standby, the head block is moved by the capping mechanism. 2. A liquid coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said nozzle is engaged with said nozzle so that a tip of said nozzle is immersed in a held coating liquid or solvent.