JP2009113435A - Ink-jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a leakage of ink from a gutter because ink may leak from the gutter due to the degradation of suction force of ink depending on the supply position of solvent steam to an ink recovery passage provided in the gutter when supplying the gutter with the solvent steam discharged from an ink container. <P>SOLUTION: The gutter 11 of an ink-jet recording device which jets ink 8 from a nozzle 6 to perform printing comprises: a first passage for taking in the ink jetted from the nozzle; a second passage 22 communicating with the first passage and recovering the ink into the ink container; and a third passage communicating with a solvent steam passage 23 from the ink container. The third passage is connected to the first passage. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus that ejects ink from nozzles even when printing is not being performed.

  In the conventional ink jet recording apparatus, the ink sucked and collected by the gutter and the air sucked together with the ink due to the negative pressure in the gutter are guided to the ink container. The air introduced into the ink container contains solvent vapor from the sucked ink and solvent vapor in the ink container. Normally, the air containing the solvent vapor in the ink container is exhausted out of the ink container through a gap such as a lid of the ink container.

  As a conventional example in which the solvent vapor discharged from the ink container is supplied to a gutter that collects ink particles that are not used for printing, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1.

  In this conventional example, in order to return the solvent vapor exhausted out of the ink container to the gutter, a pipe line connecting the ink container and the gutter is provided so that the solvent vapor in the ink container is sucked from the gutter. It is to be supplied.

JP 60-11364 A

  In the above-described conventional example, the gutter receives ink particles that are not used for printing, and collects the ink particles by sucking them with a negative pressure. For this reason, the ink that jumps into the gutter must be taken into the ink recovery passage along the gas flow caused by the negative pressure.

  However, when solvent vapor is simply supplied to the ink recovery flow path of the gutter, the ink suction force decreases depending on the connection position between the ink recovery flow path of the gutter and the ejection port of the solvent vapor. The ink once taken in may spill from the gutter due to the pressure of the solvent vapor.

  In the above conventional example, the connection method between the pipe for guiding the solvent vapor generated from the ink container to the gutter and the gutter is not considered, and the above-mentioned problem is not examined.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus that reliably collects ink in a gutter and reduces the evaporation amount of a solvent in the ink.

  In order to solve the above problems, an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention is an ink jet recording apparatus that collects ink that is not used for printing out of ink ejected from a nozzle, an ink container that stores ink, and ink from the ink container to the nozzle. An ink supply channel for receiving ink, a gutter for receiving the ink ejected from the nozzle, an ink recovery channel for recovering the ink received by the gutter into the ink container, and a solvent vapor for communicating the ink container and the gutter. The gutter includes a first flow path through which ink ejected from the nozzle passes, a second flow path that communicates with the first flow path via a curved portion, and a third flow that communicates with the solvent vapor flow path. The third channel is in communication with the first channel.

  The connection position of the first flow path and the third flow path may be closer to the ink intake port side of the first flow path than the point where the ink ejected from the nozzle collides with the gutter.

  In addition, the angle formed by the first channel and the third channel is connected at an angle of 90 degrees or less from the ink intake port of the first channel.

  Further, the gutter may be made of a single member.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably collect ink in the gutter and reduce the evaporation amount of the solvent in the ink.

  FIG. 4 shows an overview of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. This ink jet recording apparatus has a configuration in which a main body 600 and a print head 610 are connected by a cable 620.

  The main body 600 houses a circulation system that circulates ink and solvent between the print head 610 and a control system that controls the circulation system and printing. The main body 600 is provided with a touch panel type liquid crystal display 630 on which a user can input printing contents, printing specifications, etc., and display control contents, apparatus operating conditions, and the like. This touch panel type liquid crystal display 630 may be provided so as to be separable from the main body 600. An openable / closable main body door 670 is provided at the lower portion of the main body 600, and the main body door 670 can be opened to perform maintenance of equipment inside the main body and replenishment of ink and solvent.

  Inside the print head 610 are stored nozzles for ejecting ink, electrodes for charging and deflecting ink particles, and a gutter for collecting ink particles not used for printing, which will be described later. These parts are covered with a stainless steel cover. The front end of the print head 610 has an opening 640 through which ink particles can pass.

  Next, the internal configuration of the main body 600 will be described with reference to FIG. On the upper part of the main body 600, a control circuit 645 and electrical parts (not shown) connected to the control circuit 645 are arranged. Circulating system control components such as an electromagnetic valve 650 and a pump unit 655 are disposed in the lower rear portion 680 of the main body 600. In addition, an ink container 1 and a solvent container (not shown) for storing ink to be supplied to the print head 610 are housed in the front lower portion 660 of the main body 600.

  A front lower portion 660 and a rear lower portion 680 of the main body 600 are partitioned by a manifold 665. The manifold 665 is provided with a pipe line, and in this pipe line, the electromagnetic valve 650 and the pump unit 655 attached to the rear lower part 680 side and the ink container 1 and the solvent container in the front lower part 660 constitute a circulation system. It is provided as follows.

  When the main body door 670 is opened, the ink container 1 and the solvent container are placed on a tray in which the ink container 1 and the solvent container can move back and forth, for example, so that the ink container 1 and the solvent container can be easily pulled out to the door 670 side. This facilitates maintenance such as ink and solvent replenishment and disposal.

  The operation of the ink jet recording apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. First, each configuration will be described.

  The ink supply channel 21 is a channel for supplying ink to the nozzle 6. The ink supply channel 21 includes an ink container for storing ink, a supply pump for pumping ink, an electromagnetic valve 33 for opening and closing the channel, a pressure regulating valve for adjusting ink pressure in the channel, and a print head 610. It consists of a pressure gauge 4 and a filter 5 for displaying the pressure of ink supplied to the printer.

  The charging electrode 7 is connected to a recording signal source (not shown) controlled by a control circuit 645, and by applying a recording signal voltage to the charging electrode 7, ink ejected from the nozzle 6 is charged to the charging electrode 7. Ink particles 8 that regularly drop in between are charged.

  A high voltage source (not shown) is applied to the upper deflection electrode 9, and the lower deflection electrode 10 is grounded. Therefore, an electrostatic field is formed between the upper deflection electrode 9 and the lower deflection electrode 10. The flying direction of the charged ink particles 8 is deflected according to the charge amount. Printing is performed by controlling the charge amount of the ink particles 8.

  The ink collection channel 22 is a channel that guides the ink collected by the gutter 11 to the ink container 1. The ink recovery flow path 22 includes a gutter 11, a filter 12, and a recovery pump 14. A gutter 11 is arranged at the flying destination of ink particles 8 that are not charged by the charging electrode 7, that is, ink particles 8 that are not involved in printing. The ink recovered by the gutter 11 is returned to the ink container 1 by the recovery pump 14. The recovery pump 14 generates a negative pressure in the gutter 11, sucks the ink taken in by the gutter 11 using the recovery pump 14, and pumps the ink to the ink container 1.

  The solvent vapor channel 23 is a pipe that connects the ink container 1 and the gutter 11. The solvent vapor channel 23 supplies the solvent vapor obtained by evaporating the solvent component of the ink collected by the gutter 11 and the solvent vapor evaporated in the ink container 1 to the gutter 11. The ink container 1 is hermetically sealed so that the solvent vapor does not leak outside the solvent vapor channel 23.

  The recovery pump 14 is preferably always in a suction state when the ink jet recording apparatus is in a printable state. As a result, the pressure inside the ink container 1 is increased, and the solvent vapor in the ink container 1 flows through the solvent vapor channel 23, whereby the gutter 11 and the ink container 1 are separated from the ink recovery channel 22 and the solvent vapor channel 23. A circulation path of solvent vapor is formed, and ink contamination (deterioration) due to intake of air, moisture, etc. from outside each component is reduced.

  Next, details of the gutter 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. The gutter 11 includes a first flow path 41 through which the ink particles 8 ejected from the nozzle 6 pass through an opening gutter inlet 40, a second flow path 43 connected to the ink recovery flow path 22, and a first flow A channel curved portion 42 that connects the channel 41 and the second channel 43 substantially at right angles, and a third channel 44 that connects the solvent vapor channel 23 and the first channel 41 are provided.

  The ink particles 8 ejected from the nozzle 6 enter from the gutter inlet 40, pass through the first flow path 41, and collide with the flow path curved portion 42. In the flow path curved portion 42, the ink spreads in the form of a liquid film.

  The wet ink spreads by the ink particles 8 that collide one after another. The ink in the channel curved portion 42 is sucked by the negative pressure generated by the recovery pump 14, passes through the second channel 43, and is sucked into the ink recovery channel 22. The recovery pump 14 used in this example is a diaphragm pump, and by using an air flow rate taken from the gutter 11 of, for example, 200 ml / min, the ink can be recovered in the ink container 1 without spilling from the gutter 11.

  Next, the third flow path 44 opens to the first flow path 41 and supplies solvent vapor discharged from the ink container 1 to the first flow path 41. The solvent vapor supplied to the first flow path 41 is sucked into the ink recovery flow path 22 by the action of the recovery pump 14. The ink particles 8 that have jumped into the first flow path 41 reach the flow path curved portion 42 and collide with the solvent vapor to be sucked. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink that has collided in the channel curved portion 42 from flowing back to the gutter inlet 40 side or entering the third channel 44. Furthermore, no ink spills out from the gutter entrance 40.

  In this embodiment, the gutter 11 uses SUS304, but other materials such as resin may be used as long as the material does not deteriorate due to ink. Further, the third flow path 44 is formed with respect to the first flow path 41 as shown in FIG. 2 in order to allow the solvent vapor supplied from the third flow path 44 to flow toward the flow path curved portion 42 side. In this embodiment, the angle is 90 degrees or less, and the connection is inclined at 45 degrees.

  In the experiment with the recovery pump 14 used in this embodiment, since the suction force is sufficient, there is no problem in the ink recovery even if the angle formed by the first flow path 41 and the third flow path 44 is about 90 degrees. It was. Further, in the configuration in which the third flow path 44 is connected to the second flow path 43, the circulating solvent vapor hinders ink suction, ink spills from the gutter inlet 40, and ink cannot be collected.

  With the above configuration of the present invention, the solvent vapor discharged from the ink container 1 is supplied to the gutter 11 and recovered in the ink container 1 together with the ink, thereby reducing the amount of solvent vapor released outside the ink jet recording apparatus. it can.

  In general, the solvent used in the ink jet recording apparatus as described in this embodiment is an organic solvent, and the reduction of the solvent vapor exhausted to the outside of the apparatus is a load on the environment around the apparatus. Can also be reduced.

  Further, since the ink is sucked together with the saturated solvent vapor in the process of being sucked from the gutter 11 to the ink container 1, the solvent volatilization from the ink at the time of suction can be suppressed, and the solvent consumption can be reduced.

  Further, by supplying solvent vapor to the first flow path 41 of the gutter 11 and sucking ink together with the solvent vapor, in particular, by supplying solvent vapor to the upstream side of the flow path curved portion 42 where the ink particles 8 collide, The gutter 11 can reliably collect ink without spilling.

FIG. 2 is a circulation flow diagram of ink and solvent vapor in the ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the gutter in one Example of this invention. It is a general-view figure of the gutter in one example of the present invention. 1 is an overview of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic view of a main body internal structure of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink container 2 Supply pump 5 Filter 6 Nozzle 7 Charging electrode 8 Ink particle 11 Gutter 14 Recovery pump 21 Ink supply flow path 22 Ink recovery flow path 23 Solvent vapor flow path

Claims (4)

  In an ink jet recording apparatus that collects ink that is not used for printing out of ink ejected from a nozzle, an ink container that stores ink, an ink supply channel that supplies ink from the ink container to the nozzle, and an ejected ink from the nozzle A gutter for receiving the ink, an ink recovery channel for recovering the ink received by the gutter in the ink container, and a solvent vapor channel for communicating the ink container and the gutter, wherein the gutter is ejected from a nozzle A first flow path through which the ink passes, a second flow path communicating with the first flow path via a curved portion, and a third flow path communicating with the solvent vapor flow path. An ink jet recording apparatus communicating with the first flow path.   2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a communication position between the first flow path and the third flow path is greater than a point where ink ejected from the nozzle collides with the gutter. An ink jet recording apparatus on the mouth side.   2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an angle formed by the first flow path and the third flow path is 90 degrees or less from an ink intake port of the first flow path.   2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gutter is a single member.

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