JP2004155047A - Ink jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet printer in which disposal of waste ink can be facilitated. <P>SOLUTION: The ink jet printer comprises a rectangular prism container 31 in which a bottle 33 for collecting waste ink is disposed and an ink absorber 35 is provided in the waste ink bottle 33. On the inside of the front/rear and left/right side faces of the container 31, light sources 32 for irradiating the waste ink bottle 33 with UV rays are disposed, respectively, and the waste ink bottle 33 is composed of a transparent or an opaque member transmitting UV rays. When each UV light source 32 is lighted, waste ink in the waste ink bottle 33 can be stiffened while being absorbed into the absorber 35. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an inkjet printer, and more particularly, to an inkjet printer having a configuration for treating waste ink.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Various printers such as a dot impact printer, an ink jet printer, a laser printer, a thermal transfer printer, and a thermal sublimation printer have been developed as recording terminals connected to a word processor, a personal computer, and the like. Above all, inkjet printers have become mainstream in the printer industry because they have advantages such as quieter recording sound and easy and inexpensive colorful recording compared to other types of printers. .
[0003]
Such an ink jet printer is provided with a recording head having a large number of orifices (nozzles), and the ink jet printer directs ink from each nozzle of the recording head as minute droplets toward a recording medium based on an image signal. To record the ejected image.
[0004]
However, in an ink jet printer, during non-recording such as recording in a high-temperature, low-humidity environment or low-frequency recording or during recording standby, the ink dries and solidifies inside and at the tip of the nozzles of the recording head, and the ink is discharged Poor or non-ejection (clogging) may occur. Therefore, in order to prevent clogging and smoothly discharge ink, the ink jet printer performs a process of sucking ink from each nozzle by a suction pump during recording or non-recording, or periodically empties from each nozzle. Or performing a process of causing ejection. The ink generated by these processes is treated as waste ink, and is collected in a waste ink bottle provided in the inkjet printer.
[0005]
By the way, the waste ink collected in the waste ink bottle accumulates in the waste ink bottle sequentially each time the above-described processing is performed, and an absorber for absorbing ink is provided in the waste ink bottle. The body absorbs the ink to prevent the waste ink from leaking from the waste ink bottle. In recent years, waste ink absorbers such as hard resin foams having excellent absorbency have been developed, and the amount of ink that can be collected in a waste ink bottle is increasing more and more (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-11-268301
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, no matter how high the absorption capacity is developed, the absorption capacity of the absorber is limited, and if a large amount of waste ink is absorbed by the absorber, the absorber can be replaced with another new absorber. When replacement is performed, waste ink may drip from the absorber and adhere to indoor walls and floors, user clothes, and the like. For this reason, the more waste ink is absorbed by the absorber, the more time is required for waste ink disposal processing (absorber replacement processing).
[0008]
An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet printer that can easily treat waste ink.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 1 is
An ink jet printer having a waste ink bottle that collects ink that cures by irradiation with light as waste ink, and an absorber that absorbs the ink is disposed inside the waste ink bottle,
A light irradiation member that irradiates the light to the waste ink bottle,
The waste ink bottle is formed of a member that transmits the light.
[0010]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, on the other hand, the ink is collected as waste ink in the waste ink bottle. However, since the absorber is disposed inside the waste ink bottle, the waste ink is absorbed by the absorber. Is collected in the waste ink bottle in a state where it is absorbed into the waste ink bottle. On the other hand, light is irradiated from the light irradiating member to the waste ink bottle, but since the waste ink bottle is formed of a member that transmits light, light emitted from the light irradiating member enters the inside of the waste ink bottle. I do. Therefore, light enters the waste ink inside the waste ink bottle, and the waste ink can be cured while being absorbed by the absorber.
[0011]
In this case, during the replacement process of the absorber, the waste ink collected in the waste ink bottle can be treated as a cured absorber and discarded as it is. Therefore, the waste ink can be easily processed without having to worry that the waste ink drips from the absorber and adheres to the indoor wall and floor, the user's clothes, and the like as in the related art.
[0012]
The invention according to claim 2 is the ink jet printer according to claim 1,
A storage container for storing the waste ink bottle,
The storage container is configured by a member that blocks transmission of the light.
[0013]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the storage container is formed of a member that blocks light transmission, natural light outside the storage container does not enter the inside of the waste ink bottle, and the waste ink is irradiated with light. Curing at random by light other than light by the member can be prevented.
[0014]
The invention according to claim 3 is the inkjet printer according to claim 1 or 2,
The light is ultraviolet light.
[0015]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the waste ink collected in the waste ink bottle is cured by being irradiated with ultraviolet rays.
[0016]
The invention according to claim 4 is the inkjet printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The ink is a cationically polymerizable ink containing a cationically polymerizable compound as a main component.
[0017]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the ink is a cationic polymerization type ink, an image can be recorded on a highly versatile recording medium such as a shrink film used for flexible packaging such as food packaging.
[0018]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the ink jet printer of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example.
[0019]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the ink jet printer 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet printer 1 is provided with an image recording unit 2 on which various members for recording an image are mounted. The image recording unit 2 is formed by a long casing 3 having a polygonal cross section and extending in the left-right direction, and a part of the front side of the casing 3 is open. A slit-like carry-in port (not shown) for feeding a recording medium into the housing 3 is provided on the rear side of the housing 3.
[0020]
A long and flat platen 4 extending in the left-right direction is provided inside the housing 3. The platen 4 supports the recording medium in a flat shape from the non-recording surface (the surface opposite to the recording surface).
[0021]
Although a recording medium on which an image is to be recorded is omitted in FIG. 1, the recording medium is sent from a carry-in port provided on the rear side of the housing 3 and disposed inside the housing 3. With the non-recording surface supported by the platen 4 by a transport mechanism (not shown), the paper passes through the inside of the housing 3 from the rear to the front and is carried out of the housing 3. That is, the recording medium is transported along the transport direction A so as to pass through the inside of the housing 3 by the transport mechanism provided inside the housing 3.
[0022]
Above the platen 4, a guide member 5 extending in the left-right direction inside the housing 3 is provided. A carriage 6 is supported by the guide member 5. The carriage 6 is movable along a scanning direction B extending in the left-right direction while being guided by the guide member 5.
[0023]
On the carriage 6, two recording head groups 7, 8 are mounted. Each of the recording head groups 7 and 8 is composed of four recording heads that discharge ink of each process color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C) and black (K) downward. I have. The recording head group 7 and the recording head group 8 are arranged at positions shifted from each other back and forth. A plurality of nozzles (not shown) are arranged on the lower surface of each of the recording heads of the two recording head groups 7 and 8, and each of the recording heads can discharge ink as minute droplets from each of the nozzles. it can.
[0024]
Further, ultraviolet light sources 9 and 10 for irradiating ultraviolet rays downward are mounted on both left and right sides of the recording head groups 7 and 8 of the carriage 6, respectively. Specifically, examples of the ultraviolet light sources 9 and 10 include a low-pressure mercury lamp, an ultraviolet laser, a xenon flash lamp, an insect trap, a black light, a germicidal lamp, a cold cathode tube, an LED high-pressure mercury lamp, a metal halide lamp, and an electrodeless ultraviolet lamp. Light sources other than these may be applied.
[0025]
On the left side of the platen 4, an ink tank group 11 for storing ink to be supplied to the two recording head groups 7, 8 is provided. The ink tank group 11 includes four ink tanks for storing inks of respective process colors of Y, M, C, and K. Each of the ink tanks of the ink tank group 11 is connected to a recording head that discharges the color of each of Y, M, C, and K via a supply member (not shown). , 8 are supplied with ink corresponding to the color to be ejected from an ink tank storing the color.
[0026]
On the right side of the platen 4, a maintenance mechanism 12 for performing maintenance of each recording head of the two recording head groups 7 and 8 is provided. The maintenance mechanism 12 is provided with two cap member groups 13 and 14. Each of the cap member groups 13 and 14 is constituted by four cap members corresponding to the number of recording heads of each of the recording head groups 7 and 8, respectively.
[0027]
The carriage 6 can be moved to a position on the right side in FIG. 1 (hereinafter, referred to as a “home position”) covered by the housing 3, and when the carriage 6 is moved to the home position, the two recording head groups 7 are moved. , 8 are respectively covered by the cap members of the two cap members 13, 14. Since the cap member covers the lower surface of the recording head, it is possible to prevent the ink from drying in the recording head, the inside of the nozzle, and the tip of the nozzle.
[0028]
Further, the maintenance mechanism 12 is provided with a suction pump (not shown) and a plurality of suction tubes (not shown) via the suction pump. One end of each suction tube is respectively connected to the cap members of the two cap member groups 13 and 14, and the other end of each suction tube is guided as a single collection tube 15 to a waste ink collection unit 30 described later. (See FIG. 2).
[0029]
The image recording section 2 having the above configuration is supported by two inverted T-shaped legs 20,20. Two reinforcing members 21 and 21 for firmly supporting the own weight of the image recording unit 2 are bridged between the legs 20, and two casters 22 and 22 are arranged below each leg 20. Are arranged respectively. With such a configuration, the inkjet printer 1 including the image recording unit 2 is movable in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction.
[0030]
On the right side surface of the leg portion 20 arranged on the right side in FIG. 1 of the two leg portions 20, 20, ink intended to be discarded without recording an image is collected as waste ink. A waste ink recovery unit 30 is provided.
[0031]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a specific configuration of the waste ink collecting unit 30.
As shown in FIG. 2, a storage container 31 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape is disposed in the waste ink recovery unit 30. Each side surface of the storage container 31 is configured by a member that blocks transmission of ultraviolet light. A linear ultraviolet light source 32 as a light irradiation member extending in the up-down direction is fixed inside each of the front, rear, left and right side surfaces of the storage container 31. Specifically, as the ultraviolet light source 32, similarly to the ultraviolet light sources 9 and 10 of the image recording unit 2, a low-pressure mercury lamp, an ultraviolet laser, a xenon flash lamp, a trap light, a black light, a germicidal lamp, a cold cathode tube, and an LED A high-pressure mercury lamp, a metal halide lamp, an electrodeless ultraviolet lamp, or the like is applicable, and a light source other than these may be applied.
[0032]
Inside the storage container 31, a cylindrical waste ink bottle 33 is stored. The waste ink bottle 33 is detachable from the storage container 31. A bottle cap 34 is detachably mounted on the upper part of the waste ink bottle 33, and an absorber 35 is filled in the waste ink bottle 33. Specifically, a nonwoven fabric, felt, or the like can be used as the absorber 35, and other absorbers may be used.
[0033]
The waste ink bottle 33 is formed of a transparent or translucent member that transmits ultraviolet light, while the bottle cap 34 is formed of a member that blocks transmission of ultraviolet light.
[0034]
On the upper surfaces of the storage container 31 and the bottle cap 34, through holes 31a and 34a each formed of a circular small hole are formed, respectively. The distal end of the collection tube 15 of the maintenance mechanism 12 is connected to each of the through holes 31a and 34a. It is led to the inside of the bottle cap 34 through 34a.
[0035]
The collection tube 15 can be freely inserted into and removed from each of the through holes 31a and 34a, and the right side surface of the storage container 31 can be opened and closed. Therefore, the waste ink bottle 33 can be taken out of the storage container 31 by opening the right side surface of the storage container 31 and pulling out the collection tube 15 from the bottle cap 34. Further, as described above, since the bottle cap 34 is detachable from the waste ink bottle 33, the absorber 35 can be removed from the waste ink bottle 33 by removing the bottle cap 34 from the waste ink bottle 33. .
[0036]
Next, “ink” used in the present embodiment will be described.
As the ink used in the present embodiment, in particular, the “photocuring system (4th information of technical association)” described in “photocuring technology—selection of resin and initiator, blending conditions and measurement / evaluation of curing degree” (Technical Association information) Chapter), "Curing system using photoacid / base generator (Section 1)", "Light-induced alternating copolymerization (Section 2)" It may be cured by polymerization.
[0037]
Specifically, the ink used in the present embodiment is a photocurable ink having a property of being cured by being irradiated with ultraviolet rays as light, and as a main component, a polymerizable compound (including a known polymerizable compound. ), A photoinitiator and a coloring material. However, when an ink that conforms to the “light-induced alternating copolymerization (section 2)” is used as the ink used in the present embodiment, the photoinitiator may be omitted.
[0038]
The photocurable inks are roughly classified into radical polymerizable inks containing a radical polymerizable compound and cationic polymerizable inks containing a cationic polymerizable compound as polymerizable compounds. And a hybrid type ink in which a radical polymerization type ink and a cationic polymerization type ink are combined may be used as the ink used in the present embodiment.
[0039]
However, cationic polymerization inks having less or no inhibition of the polymerization reaction by oxygen are more excellent in functionality and versatility. Therefore, in the present embodiment, cationic polymerization inks are particularly used.
[0040]
The cationic polymerization ink used in the present embodiment is, specifically, a mixture containing at least a cationic polymerizable compound such as an oxetane compound, an epoxy compound, and a vinyl ether compound, a photocationic initiator, and a coloring material. Naturally, it has the property of being cured by being irradiated with ultraviolet rays.
[0041]
By the way, the ink (including radical polymerization type ink, cationic polymerization type ink and hybrid type ink) used in the present embodiment is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays as described above, but is not necessarily limited to this. Instead, it may be cured by irradiation with light other than ultraviolet light. The “light” here is light in a broad sense, and includes electromagnetic waves such as ultraviolet rays, electron beams, X-rays, visible rays, and infrared rays. That is, the ink used in the present embodiment is applied with a polymerizable compound that is polymerized and cured by light other than ultraviolet light, and a photoinitiator that starts a polymerization reaction between the polymerizable compounds with light other than ultraviolet light. Is also good. When a photocurable ink that is cured by light other than ultraviolet light is used as the ink used in the present embodiment, a light source that irradiates the light must be used instead of the ultraviolet light sources 9 and 10 shown in FIG. Similarly, instead of the ultraviolet light source 32 shown in FIG. 2, a light source for irradiating the light must be applied as the “light irradiation member” according to the present invention.
[0042]
In the present embodiment, ultraviolet light is exemplified as light to be applied to the ink, and the ultraviolet light sources 9, 10, and 32 are exemplified as light sources for applying ultraviolet light.
[0043]
Next, the “recording medium” used in the present embodiment will be described.
As the recording medium used in the present embodiment, various types of paper such as plain paper, recycled paper, glossy paper, etc., various fabrics, various nonwoven fabrics, resins, metals, glass, etc., which are applied to ordinary inkjet printers, are used. Is applicable. As a form of the recording medium, a roll shape, a cut sheet shape, a plate shape, or the like can be applied.
[0044]
In particular, as the recording medium used in the present embodiment, a transparent or opaque non-absorbable resin film used for so-called soft packaging can be applied. Specific types of resin for the resin film include polyethylene terephthalate, polyester, polyolefin, polyamide, polyesteramide, polyether, polyimide, polyamideimide, polystyrene, polycarbonate, poly-ρ-phenylene sulfide, polyetherester, and polyvinyl chloride. , Poly (meth) acrylate, polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon and the like are applicable, and furthermore, copolymers of these resins, mixtures of these resins, and those obtained by crosslinking these resins are also applicable. Among them, the choice of stretched polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, polypropylene, or nylon as the type of resin for the resin film depends on the transparency, dimensional stability, rigidity, environmental load, cost, etc. of the resin film. It is preferable to use a resin film having a thickness of 2 to 100 μm (preferably 6 to 50 μm). Further, the surface of the resin film support may be subjected to a surface treatment such as a corona discharge treatment and an easy adhesion treatment.
[0045]
Further, as the recording medium used in the present embodiment, known opaque recording media such as various types of paper coated on the surface with a resin, a film containing a pigment, and a foamed film can be applied.
[0046]
Next, the operation of the inkjet printer 1 will be described.
During the operation of the inkjet printer 1, on the one hand, the transport mechanism operates while the recording medium is fed into the entrance of the housing 3, and the non-recording surface is supported by the platen 4 inside the housing 3. In this state, the sheet passes from the rear to the front and is transported in the transport direction A. On the other hand, the carriage 6 operates to reciprocate just above the recording medium in the scanning direction B, and the two recording head groups 7, 8 and the two ultraviolet light sources 9, 10 mounted on the carriage 6 also move. Follow the reciprocation of.
[0047]
In this state, each recording head of the two recording head groups 7 and 8 discharges ink toward the recording surface of the recording medium, and the two ultraviolet light sources 9 and 10 emit ultraviolet light toward the recording surface of the recording medium. I do. In particular, while the carriage 6 is moving from left to right in FIG. 1, the ultraviolet light source 9 is turned on, and while the carriage 6 is moving from right to left in FIG. 10 lights up. That is, the ultraviolet light source 9 (or 10) behind the recording head groups 7 and 8 in the moving direction of the carriage 6 emits light and emits ultraviolet light. As a result, the ink that has just been ejected from each recording head and lands on the recording medium is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, and the ink is cured and fixed on the recording surface of the recording medium.
[0048]
Thereafter, the inkjet printer 1 repeats each of the above operations, and a desired image including a plurality of dots of each process color is sequentially recorded on the recording surface of the recording medium.
[0049]
In addition to performing such operations, in the inkjet printer 1, the carriage 6 moves to the home position every time a predetermined number of images have been printed, and then the maintenance mechanism 12 controls the two print head groups 7, 8 Maintenance processing of each recording head is performed. In addition, each ultraviolet light source 32 of the waste ink recovery unit 30 is turned on in synchronization with the maintenance process.
[0050]
Specifically, when the carriage 6 is located at the home position, the lower surface of each recording head is covered with the cap members of the two cap member groups 13 and 14, respectively, and in this state, each recording head idles from its own nozzle. Alternatively, the suction pump of the maintenance mechanism 12 operates to suction ink from the nozzles of each recording head, or these operations are performed simultaneously. By this maintenance process, the ink remaining inside the nozzles and at the tips of the print heads is discharged and discarded, thereby preventing clogging in each print head.
[0051]
The ink discharged from each nozzle of the recording head flows through each suction tube of the maintenance mechanism 12, reaches the collection tube 15, and flows into the waste ink bottle 33 from the tip of the collection tube 15 (drops). The inflowing ink gradually penetrates into the absorber 35 and is stored in the waste ink bottle 33 as waste ink.
[0052]
At this time, since each ultraviolet light source 32 has already been turned on, ultraviolet light is emitted from each ultraviolet light source 32 in a radial manner, and the emitted ultraviolet light passes through the waste ink bottle 33 and penetrates into the ink penetrating the absorber 35. Then, the waste ink is cured while being absorbed by the absorber 35. However, as described above, since the bottle cap 34 is formed of a member that blocks transmission of ultraviolet light, no ultraviolet light enters the tip of the collection tube 15 disposed inside the bottle cap 34, and the collection tube 15 The ink does not harden and clog at the tip of the ink. Further, as described above, since the storage container 31 is also formed of a member that blocks transmission of ultraviolet light, the waste ink in the waste ink bottle 33 is not randomly cured by external natural light including ultraviolet light.
[0053]
When the maintenance process of each recording head by the maintenance mechanism 12 is completed, after a predetermined time has elapsed, each ultraviolet light source 32 is turned off, and each recording head of the carriage 6 and each of the recording head groups 7 and 8 performs the above-described image recording operation. To resume.
[0054]
In the present embodiment described above, since the ultraviolet light is irradiated from the ultraviolet light sources 32 to the ink collected in the waste ink bottle 33, the waste ink can be cured while being absorbed by the absorber 35. Therefore, when replacing the absorber 35 with another new absorber, the ink collected in the waste ink bottle 33 can be treated as the cured absorber 35 and discarded as it is. In this case, the waste ink can be easily processed without having to worry about the waste ink dripping from the absorber and adhering to the indoor walls and floors, the clothes of the user, and the like as in the related art.
[0055]
Further, in the present embodiment, since the four ultraviolet light sources 32, 32,... Of the waste ink recovery unit 30 are disposed inside the storage container 31 so as to surround the waste ink bottle 33, the four ultraviolet light sources 32, 32,. The ink is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from four front, rear, left and right sides, so that the waste ink can be surely cured.
[0056]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various improvements and design changes may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.
[0057]
For example, in the present embodiment, the ultraviolet light sources 32 of the waste ink recovery unit 30 are disposed one inside each of the front, rear, left, and right sides of the storage container 31, but inside the storage container 31 and the waste ink bottle 33. The ultraviolet light source 32 may be disposed at any position as long as the position can be irradiated with ultraviolet light. In this case, the number of the ultraviolet light sources 32 may be one or more.
[0058]
Further, in order to efficiently irradiate the ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light source 32 to the waste ink inside the waste ink bottle 33, a metal such as aluminum or aluminum having a high reflectance with respect to the ultraviolet light is mainly contained inside the storage container 31. A reflecting member made of an alloy may be provided. Alternatively, a cold mirror in which a thin film of a metal compound containing aluminum as a main component is deposited on a glass molded plate may be used as the reflection member.
[0059]
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the ultraviolet light source 32 is turned on in synchronization with the maintenance process by the maintenance mechanism 12, but the ultraviolet light source 32 may be kept turned on while the power of the inkjet printer 1 is turned on. The ultraviolet light source 32 may be turned on only when the replacement process of the absorber 35 is performed.
[0060]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, during the replacement process of the absorber, the waste ink collected in the waste ink bottle can be treated as a cured absorber and discarded as it is. At this time, the waste ink can be easily processed without having to worry about the waste ink dripping from the absorber and adhering to the indoor walls and floors, the clothes of the user, and the like as in the related art.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an overall configuration of an ink jet printer.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an entire configuration of a waste ink recovery unit.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink-jet printer 2 Image recording part 3 Case 4 Platen 5 Guide member 6 Carriage 7, 8 Recording head group 9, 10 Ultraviolet light source 11 Ink tank group 12 Maintenance mechanism 13, 14 Cap member group 15 Collection tube 20 Leg 21 Reinforcement member 22 caster 30 waste ink recovery unit 31 storage container 32 ultraviolet light source (light irradiation member)
33 Waste ink bottle 34 Bottle cap 35 Absorber A Transport direction B Scanning direction

Claims (4)

An ink jet printer having a waste ink bottle that collects ink that cures by irradiation with light as waste ink, and an absorber that absorbs the ink is disposed inside the waste ink bottle,
A light irradiation member that irradiates the light to the waste ink bottle,
An ink jet printer, wherein the waste ink bottle is constituted by a member transmitting the light. The inkjet printer according to claim 1,
A storage container for storing the waste ink bottle,
An ink jet printer, wherein the storage container is formed of a member that blocks transmission of the light. The inkjet printer according to claim 1 or 2,
The ink jet printer, wherein the light is ultraviolet light. The inkjet printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the ink is a cationic polymerization ink containing a cationic polymerizable compound as a main component.

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