JP2009196111A - Recorder and recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recorder and a recording method capable of surely fixing a recording material without incurring quality deterioration of the material and in a short time. <P>SOLUTION: The recorder includes: a transporting mechanism which transports a resin film 12 from the upstream side to the downstream; a recording head 31 which carries out recording by sticking ink to a recording processing region of the resin film 12 in a mid position of the transporting route of the resin film 12; a heating/drying device 44 which is arranged in a downstream position in the transporting route from the recording head 31 and which heats the ink to fix on the resin film 12; and a controller which controls at least one of the transporting mechanism and the heating/drying device 44. The controller controls heating and temperature such that effect on quality deterioration is suppressed in a non-recording processing region where no ink is struck in the resin film 12 and that heating temperature is higher on the recording processing region of the resin film 12 than on the non-recording processing region of the same. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus such as an ink jet recording apparatus and a recording method in the recording apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as one of fluid ejecting apparatuses, an ink jet recording apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) that prints characters or images on a recording medium by ejecting ink from an ink jet head is widely known. In this printer, as the printing speed is increased, the time required for printing from a recording medium to unloading is shortened, so that the overall throughput of the printing apparatus can be maintained at a high level. It has been desired to shorten the drying time. Therefore, various printers having a drying means for reliably drying ink in a short time have been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

That is, in the printer of Patent Document 1, ink fixing processing is performed by blowing air heated to a predetermined drying temperature by a heater from the back side opposite to the printing surface of the recording medium.
JP-A-5-338126

  However, as shown in Patent Document 1, in the conventional printer, the ink drying temperature is calculated as a value obtained by multiplying the heat shrinkage temperature of the recording medium by the heat of vaporization when the ink solvent evaporates from the recording medium. . For this reason, when this drying temperature is applied, there is a possibility that the non-printing area of the recording medium that does not require drying of the ink causes an overheating abnormality.

  On the other hand, when the drying temperature of the ink is set to be lower than the thermal shrinkage temperature of the recording medium, the required time until the ink is surely dried increases, thereby increasing the throughput of the entire apparatus in the printing process. There was a problem of lowering.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus and a recording method capable of reliably fixing a recording material in a short time without incurring quality deterioration of the recording medium. It is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, a recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a conveying unit that conveys a recording medium from an upstream side to a downstream side, and a recording material in a recording processing area of the recording medium at a midway position in the conveying path of the recording medium. Recording means for attaching the recording material, a fixing means disposed at a position downstream of the recording means in the transport path, and applying energy to the recording material to fix it on the recording medium, and the recording medium When each of the recording processing area and the non-recording processing area to which the recording material is not attached is conveyed to the position where the fixing unit is disposed, the non-recording processing area is suppressed from affecting the quality of the recording medium. Low energy is applied to the recording processing area, and energy higher than energy applied to the non-recording processing area is applied to the recording processing area. And control means for controlling at least one of Chakushudan.

  According to the above configuration, when recording is performed by fixing the recording material to the recording medium, the non-recording processing area where the recording material is not attached to the recording medium has low energy that suppresses the influence on the quality deterioration of the recording medium. Is granted. On the other hand, energy higher than energy applied to the non-recording processing area is applied to the recording processing area of the recording medium. For this reason, the recording material can be reliably fixed in a short time in the recording processing area of the recording medium, and the non-recording processing area of the recording medium passes through the fixing unit arrangement position without being deteriorated in quality. It becomes possible. Therefore, it is possible to reliably fix the recording material in a short time without causing deterioration of the quality of the recording medium. Note that the recording apparatus of the present invention includes a case where the amount of energy applied to the non-recording processing area of the recording medium is zero.

  In the recording apparatus of the present invention, when the control unit controls the fixing unit, the fixing unit gives energy for fixing the recording material to the recording processing area. The fixing unit is controlled so that energy lower than energy applied to the recording processing area is applied to the non-recording processing area.

  According to the above configuration, a high energy amount can be applied only to the recording processing area of the recording medium by controlling the amount of energy applied to the recording medium by the fixing unit. Therefore, it is possible to reliably fix the recording material in a short time without causing deterioration of the quality of the recording medium.

  Further, the recording apparatus of the present invention further includes an energy detection unit that detects energy applied to the recording medium by the fixing unit, and the control unit detects a detection result of the energy detection unit when controlling the transport unit. If the amount of energy applied to the recording medium by the fixing unit is larger than a predetermined amount of energy necessary for fixing the recording material to the recording medium, the recording process of the recording medium is performed. When the area is conveyed to the position where the fixing unit is disposed and the amount of energy applied to the recording medium by the fixing unit is smaller than the predetermined energy amount, the non-recording process of the recording medium is performed. The transport unit is controlled so that the region is transported to the position where the fixing unit is disposed.

  According to the above configuration, the timing at which the recording medium is conveyed to the position where the fixing unit is disposed can be controlled based on the amount of energy applied to the recording medium by the fixing unit. The amount of energy applied from the fixing means when passing can be adjusted as appropriate. Therefore, it is possible to reliably fix the recording material in a short time without causing deterioration of the quality of the recording medium.

  In the recording apparatus of the present invention, the fixing unit is a heating unit that heats the recording material attached to the recording medium to fix the recording material, and the control unit controls the conveying unit when the heating unit is controlled. When the heating temperature in the heating and drying area is the first temperature at which the recording material can be heated and dried, the recording processing area of the recording medium is conveyed to the heating area of the heating means and the heating is performed. When the heating temperature of the means is lower than the first temperature and is equal to or lower than a second temperature at which the influence on the quality deterioration of the recording medium with respect to the non-recording processing area is suppressed, the recording is performed. The transport unit is controlled so that the non-recording processing region of the medium is transported to the heating region of the heating unit.

  According to the above configuration, the recording material of the recording medium can be reliably dried and fixed in a short time in the heat drying area heated to the first temperature. On the other hand, when the non-recording process area of the recording medium passes through the heat-drying area, the heating temperature of the heat-drying area is the second temperature at which the influence of quality deterioration on the non-recording process area of the recording medium is negligible. Since the temperature is set, the non-recording processing area of the recording medium can pass through the heating and drying area without causing deterioration in quality. Therefore, the recording material can be surely dried in a short time without deteriorating the quality of the recording medium.

In the recording apparatus of the present invention, the second temperature is a heat shrinkage temperature of the recording medium.
According to the above configuration, the heating temperature for heating and drying the recording processing area of the recording medium is set to be higher than the heat shrinkage temperature of the recording medium. Therefore, the recording material can be reliably dried in a short time in the recording processing area of the recording medium. On the other hand, the heating temperature at the time when the non-recording processing area in the recording medium is transported to the heating and drying area is set so that the heating temperature of the heating means is lower than the thermal shrinkage temperature of the recording medium. Therefore, the non-recording processing area of the recording medium can pass through the heating and drying area without causing overheating abnormality. Therefore, in the recording apparatus of the present invention, the recording processing area and the non-recording processing area in the recording medium are appropriately conveyed to the heating / drying area of the heating unit according to the heating temperature of the heating unit, thereby causing an overheating abnormality of the recording medium. And the recording material can be reliably dried in a short time.

  In the recording apparatus of the present invention, the control unit starts a decrease in the heating temperature in the heating and drying area of the heating unit before the fixing unit completes adhesion of the recording material to the recording medium.

  According to the above configuration, the heating temperature of the heating unit at the time when the recording unit completes recording on the recording medium and the second temperature at which the influence of the quality deterioration on the non-recording processing area of the recording medium is negligible. And the required time for lowering the heating means until the heating temperature of the heating means reaches the second temperature is shortened by that amount. Therefore, the throughput of the entire apparatus in the recording process can be further improved.

In the recording apparatus of the present invention, the recording medium is a biaxially stretched resin film.
In general, a resin film subjected to a biaxial stretching process increases the mechanical strength of the film while increasing the thermal shrinkage rate. However, since the recording apparatus of the present invention is configured to control the conveyance of the recording medium based on the heating temperature of the heating means, printing can be suitably performed even on such a resin film.

  The recording method in the recording apparatus of the present invention is a recording method in a recording apparatus for performing recording by attaching a recording material to a recording processing area of a recording medium conveyed from the upstream side to the downstream side. The non-recording processing area to which the recording material is not attached is imparted with low energy with suppressed influence on the quality degradation of the recording medium, and the non-recording processing area of the recording medium is not subjected to the non-recording processing area of the recording medium. Energy higher than energy applied to the recording processing area is applied. According to the above configuration, the same effect as the invention of the recording apparatus can be obtained.

  The recording apparatus of the present invention is a recording apparatus that conveys a long recording medium from a recording unit to a heating unit, wherein the heating unit has a first temperature at the first temperature. Another recording process following the one recording processing area at a step of transporting the one recording processing area to the heating unit, and at a timing when the heating unit drops in temperature from the first temperature to the second temperature. Conveying the region to the heating unit, and conveying the non-recording processing region following the other recording processing region to the heating unit at a timing when the heating unit becomes equal to or lower than the second temperature. Execute.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the recording apparatus of the present invention is embodied in an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the terms “vertical direction”, “left / right direction”, and “front / rear direction” refer to the directions indicated by arrows in FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a printer 11 as a recording apparatus includes a feeding unit 13 that feeds out a long resin film 12 as a recording medium, and a main body that sequentially prints on the resin film 12 that is fed out from the feeding unit 13. And a winding unit 15 that winds up the resin film 12 printed on the main body unit 14. That is, the main body portion 14 includes a rectangular parallelepiped main body case 16, the feeding portion 13 is disposed on the left side of the main body case 16 on the upstream side in the transport direction of the resin film 12, and the main body case 16 on the downstream side. The winding part 15 is arrange | positioned on the right side.

  The feeding portion 13 includes a support plate 17 extending leftward from the lower left end portion of the main body case 16, and the front surface of the support plate 17 is a vertical surface. A winding shaft 18 extending toward the front (front side in the direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 1) is rotatably supported with respect to the support plate 17 at the front end portion of the front surface of the support plate 17. Then, the resin film 12 wound in advance in a roll shape is supported on the winding shaft 18 so as to be rotatable integrally with the winding shaft 18. In the present embodiment, the resin film 12 that has been subjected to biaxial stretching is applied.

  Further, the feeding portion 13 includes a flat plate-like feeding stand 19 that extends horizontally from the center of the left surface of the main body case 16 toward the left. Further, a relay roller 20 is rotatably provided around the leading end of the feeding table 19 so as to wind the resin film 12 fed from the winding shaft 18 and guide the resin film 12 to the upper surface of the feeding table 19. It is conveyed toward the right side (main body part 14 side) along the upper surface of 19.

  A flat base 21 that divides the inside of the main body case 16 in the vertical direction is provided at a position slightly above the central portion in the vertical direction in the main body case 16 of the main body portion 14. A region above the table 21 is a printing chamber 22 for printing on the resin film 12.

  On the left wall of the main body case 16, an unillustrated inlet for carrying the resin film 12 into the main body case 16 from the upper surface of the feeding table 19 is provided. Thus, a pull-in driving roller 23 as a conveying means is provided so as to be rotationally driven. The rotational drive of the pull-in drive roller 23 is controlled based on a control signal of a control device 24 as a control means disposed in a control box (not shown) in the main body case 16.

  Further, a relay roller 25 is rotatably provided in the main body case 16 obliquely below and to the right of the pull-in driving roller 23. The resin film 12 drawn into the main body case 16 by the driving of the drawing drive roller 23 is wound around the relay roller 25 so as to go to a position near the left end of the printing chamber 22.

  A relay roller 26 is provided on the upper right side of the relay roller 25 in the printing chamber 22, and the resin film 12 is wound around the relay roller 26 from the lower left side and is conveyed horizontally in the right direction.

  A short plate-like platen 27 supported on the base 21 is provided in a region on the right side of the relay roller 26 in the printing chamber 22. A conversion roller 28 is provided on the right side of the platen 27 so as to face the relay roller 26 with the platen 27 interposed therebetween. In this case, the upper surface of the relay roller 26, the upper surface of the platen 27, and the upper surface of the conversion roller 28 are flush with each other.

  The resin film 12 conveyed in the horizontal right direction along the upper surface of the platen 27 from the relay roller 26 is wound around the conversion roller 28 from the upper left side, and the conveyance direction of the resin film 12 is changed from the horizontal right direction to the vertical downward direction. Has been. Then, the resin film 12 whose conveyance direction is changed vertically downward by the conversion roller 28 is conveyed vertically downward through an insertion hole (not shown) provided in the base 21.

  Guide rails 29 (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1) extending in the left-right direction are provided on both the front and rear sides of the platen 27 in the printing chamber 22 so as to form a pair. It is higher than the top surface. A short plate-like carriage 30 is supported on the upper surfaces of both guide rails 29 so as to be reciprocally movable in the left-right direction along the both guide rails 29. The carriage 30 moves in the left-right direction on both guide rails 29 based on a control signal from the control device 24.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a recording head 31 as recording means is supported on the lower surface of the carriage 30. A plurality of valve units 34 for temporarily storing ink as a recording material are provided on the upper rear wall of the main body case 16 in the printing chamber 22. Each valve unit 34 temporarily stores ink of different colors.

  Each valve unit 34 is connected to the recording head 31 via an ink supply tube (not shown), and supplies each ink to the recording head 31 via each ink supply tube. A plurality of ink ejection nozzles (not shown) are provided on the lower surface of the recording head 31, and the ink supplied from each valve unit is transported from the ink ejection nozzles onto the platen 27 and stopped. Printing is performed by spraying toward the. That is, the moving area of the recording head 31 on the platen 27 functions as a recording unit.

  In the resin film 12, when printing is performed in a state of being supported on the platen 27, a region corresponding to the left end to the right end of the platen 27 is a printing region A, and the resin film 12 is the resin film 12. The 12 transport paths are intermittently transported from the upstream side to the downstream side in units of the printing area A.

  In the main body case 16, a plurality of ink cartridges (not shown) containing inks of different colors are provided in a detachable state. Each of these ink cartridges is connected to each valve unit 34 via an ink supply tube (not shown) in a state where ink can be supplied. Further, a pressurizing pump (not shown) for pressurizing the inside of each ink cartridge is provided in the main body case 16, and the ink in each ink cartridge is moved to the ink supply tube by driving the pressurizing pump. The pressure is supplied to each valve unit 34 via the.

  Heat drying as a heating unit (fixing unit, heating unit) for heating and drying the resin film 12 after printing on the printing area A is performed at a position below the conversion roller 28 in the main body case 16. A device 44 is provided. Then, the resin film 12 that is wound around the conversion roller 28 and conveyed vertically downward passes through the heating and drying device 44 and is placed on the left side of the reversing roller 38 that is rotatably provided below the heating and drying device 44. Wrapped around and conveyed slightly diagonally upward to the right.

  As described above, the region from the upper end to the lower end in the heating / drying device 44 where the resin film 12 is heated and dried (fixed), which is in the middle of the transport path of the resin film 12, is defined as a heating / drying region B. And in the conveyance direction of the resin film 12, the distance of the heat drying area | region B and the distance of the printing area | region A in the resin film 12 are set so that it may become equal.

  The resin film 12 conveyed from the reverse roller 38 obliquely upward to the right is wound around the relay roller 39 rotatably provided to the right of the reverse roller 38 in the main body case 16 from the lower left side. The inside is conveyed upward along the right wall of the main body case 16.

  In addition, an unillustrated unloading port for unloading the resin film 12 to the winding unit 15 side is provided at a position near the base 21 on the right wall of the main body case 16, and in the vicinity of the unloading port in the main body case 16. A feed driving roller 40 as a conveying means is provided so as to be rotationally driven so as to face each other at a position. Then, by driving the delivery drive roller 40 based on the control signal of the control device 24, the resin film 12 is delivered to the winding unit 15 side through the carry-in port.

  The winding unit 15 includes a rectangular parallelepiped winding frame 41, and the height of the winding frame 41 is substantially the same as the height of the feed driving roller 40. A relay roller 42 is rotatably provided at the upper end of the take-up frame 41, and the resin film 12 fed from the carry-in port is wound around the relay roller 42 from the upper left side and obliquely downward to the right. It is conveyed toward.

  A take-up drive shaft 43 as a conveying means extending forward is supported on the take-up frame 41 so as to be capable of being driven to rotate. The resin film 12 conveyed from the relay roller 42 toward the lower right is wound around the take-up drive shaft 43, and the take-up drive shaft 43 is driven to rotate based on a control signal from the control device 24. The resin film 12 is sequentially wound around the take-up drive shaft 43.

Next, the configuration of the heat drying apparatus 44 will be described in detail.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the heating and drying apparatus 44 includes a drying case 45 having a short cross-sectional view. A partition plate 46 for partitioning into two compartments is provided. In the drying case 45, the compartment on the right side of the partition plate 46 is a warm air feed chamber 47 into which warm air is fed, and the resin compartment 12 after printing is dried in the compartment on the left side of the partition plate 46. The drying chamber 48 is used.

  The partition plate 46 is formed with a large number of communication holes 46 a communicating with the hot air feeding chamber 47 and the drying chamber 48, and the communication holes 46 a are regularly arranged in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction over the entire partition plate 46. ing. That is, in the partition plate 46, a large number of communication holes 46 a are uniformly arranged over the partition plate 46.

  Through holes 49 having a short shape in plan view are provided at positions corresponding to the drying chambers 48 on the upper and lower walls of the drying case 45 so as to penetrate the inside and outside of the drying chamber 48. Therefore, the resin film 12 conveyed from the conversion roller 28 is conveyed to the reverse roller 38 side through the upper through hole 49, the drying chamber 48, and the lower through hole 49 of the drying case 45. . In this case, when the resin film 12 is transported through the drying chamber 48, the surface that is the printed surface is opposed to the left surface of the partition plate 46.

  A blower fan 50 is provided on the rear side of the drying case, and a fan motor 51 for driving the blower fan 50 is provided on the upper surface of the blower fan 50. A blower port (not shown) is provided on the right end side of the front surface of the blower fan 50, and the blower port is located at a position corresponding to the hot air feed chamber 47 on the rear wall of the drying case 45. It faces the inlet 52 provided so as to pass through.

  Further, a heater 53 is provided on the rear side of the drying case 45 and on the left front side of the blower fan 50. The heater 53 is provided on a surface between the front face and the left face of the blower fan 50 (not shown). Facing the air intake. Therefore, by driving the blower fan 50, the air warmed by the heater 53 is sucked from the intake port of the blower fan 50 and sent into the hot air feeding chamber 47 as warm air from the blower port of the blower fan 50. It has become so.

  Then, the hot air sent into the hot air feeding chamber 47 is uniformly blown to the surface of the resin film 12 conveyed through the drying chamber 48 from each communication hole 46a provided in the partition plate 46, The resin film 12 is forcibly and uniformly dried. The arrows shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 indicate the warm air blown on the surface of the resin film 12.

  In addition, a temperature sensor 54 as a temperature detection means (energy detection means) for detecting the temperature in the heating and drying region B is provided at the center of the left wall of the drying case 45 in the vertical direction. The detection result by the sensor 54 is output to the control device 24 of the printer 11. Then, when the detection signal from the temperature sensor 54 is input, the control device 24 determines whether or not the temperature in the heating and drying region B is a temperature suitable for performing drying of the resin film 12. Based on the determination result, the drive state of the pull-in drive roller 23 and the like constituting the transport mechanism is controlled as necessary.

Next, the operation of the printer 11 configured as described above will be described.
Now, the printer 11 of this embodiment performs the recording process with respect to the resin film 12 through the several process step shown below. That is, a recording stage in which recording is performed by ejecting ink onto the resin film 12, a heat drying stage in which the recording processing area of the resin film 12 on which the ink has been ejected is heated and dried in the heat drying area B, and a heat drying area B. The recording process is performed on the resin film 12 through a conveyance control stage for controlling the timing at which the non-recording process area of the resin film 12 passes through the heat drying area B based on the internal temperature.

  First, as a recording stage, the recording head 31 reciprocates along the conveying direction of the resin film 12 by ejecting ink onto the resin film 12 that has been conveyed and stopped on the platen 27. A printed image 55a as a recording processing area is formed on the surface of the resin film 12 (FIG. 4A).

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), the control device 24 has a transport mechanism so that the print image 55 a formed on the resin film 12 is transported downstream by the distance of the print region A and temporarily stopped. The driving state of the pull-in driving roller 23 and the like constituting the control is controlled. At this time, the printed image 55a on the resin film 12 is positioned in the heat drying region B. In addition, the preceding printed image 55 b that has stayed in the heat-drying region B of the resin film 12 is also conveyed downstream by the same distance and stays at a predetermined position in the main body case 16. Further, the preceding print image 55c staying at a predetermined position which is the downstream position of the heat drying region B is also transported to the downstream side by the same distance, and is taken up by the take-up drive shaft 43 of the take-up unit 15. It will be. In the printer 11 of the present embodiment, each print image 55a, 55b, 55c constitutes one print job, and ink is ejected to the upstream area of the print image 55a corresponding to the last page of the print job. A non-recording processing area that is not to be formed is formed.

  Subsequently, the control device 24 detects the temperature in the heating and drying region B based on a signal received from the temperature sensor 54 provided in the drying case 45. Then, a heater 53 provided in the heating and drying device 44 so that the heating temperature in the heating and drying area B is maintained in the vicinity of the drying temperature T1 as the first temperature at which the recording processing area of the resin film 12 can be dried. The amount of heating is feedback controlled. In the present embodiment, the drying temperature T1 is set to be higher than the heat shrink temperature T2 of the resin film 12 by the amount multiplied by the heat of vaporization when the ink solvent evaporates from the resin film 12.

  Then, after a predetermined time set in advance as a required time when the printed image 55a is sufficiently dried, the temperature in the heat drying region B is a temperature suitable for passing through the non-recording processing region of the resin film 12. It is determined whether the condition is met. Specifically, whether or not the temperature in the heat drying region B is equal to or lower than the heat shrinkage temperature T2 of the resin film 12 as the second temperature at which the influence on the quality deterioration with respect to the non-recording processing region of the resin film 12 is suppressed. Is determined.

  And when a determination result is affirmation determination, the control apparatus 24 forms in the upstream area | region of the printing image 55a simultaneously with conveying the printing image 55a which stayed in the heat drying area | region B among the resin films 12. FIG. The non-recording processing area thus made is passed through the heating and drying area B (FIG. 4C). That is, this stage functions as a conveyance control stage for controlling the conveyance timing of the resin film 12. The printed image 55b staying at a predetermined position on the downstream side of the heat drying area B in the resin film 12 is also transported to the downstream side at the same time and taken up by the take-up drive shaft 43 of the take-up unit 15. It becomes.

  On the other hand, when the determination result is negative, the control device 24 determines that the temperature in the heat drying region B is not a temperature suitable for passing through the non-recording processing region of the resin film 12, and is at the stage of time t1. Then, the heating of the resin film 12 in the heat drying region B is interrupted by stopping the driving of the fan motor 51. The warm air staying in the heat drying region B is dissipated into the atmosphere, so that the temperature in the heat drying region B is reduced from the drying temperature T1 to the heat shrinkage of the resin film 12 at a time t2 after a predetermined time has elapsed from the time t1. The temperature is lowered until the temperature reaches T2 (see FIG. 5). It is desirable that the temperature drop in the heat-drying region B accompanying the stop of driving of the fan motor 51 is performed during printing of the print image 55a corresponding to the last page of the print job on the resin film 12. In this case, the temperature difference between the temperature in the heat drying area B and the heat shrinkage temperature of the resin film 12 at the time when the printing of the print image 55a is completed decreases, and the temperature in the heat drying area B is reduced by the decrease. The time required for lowering the resin film 12 to the heat shrink temperature can be shortened. However, in this case, the temperature in the heat-drying region B at the time of heat-drying the print image 55a is lower than in the case of the other print images 55b and 55c. Therefore, the control device 24 controls the conveyance timing of the resin film 12 so that the heat drying time of the print image 55a corresponding to the last page of the print job is relatively longer than that of the print images 55b and 55c. The print images 55a, 55b, and 55c are almost uniformly dried.

  Then, after completing the printing of one print job, the control device 24 causes the temperature in the heat drying region B to be lower than the heat shrinkage temperature T2 of the resin film 12 at a time t3 when a predetermined time has elapsed from the time t2. Is maintained in the vicinity of the standby temperature T3 set in advance. In the present embodiment, the temperature in the heating / drying region B is once lowered until reaching the standby temperature T <b> 3, and when the temperature in the heating / drying region B falls below the standby temperature T <b> 3, the fan motor 51 is driven again. The heated warm air is sent into the drying chamber 48. At this time, the control device 24 controls the amount of warm air heated by the heater 53 to balance the temperature of the air in the heat drying region B in the vicinity of the standby temperature T3.

  When starting printing of a new print job, the control device 24 increases the amount of warm air heated by the heater 53 so as to increase the temperature in the heat drying area B to the drying temperature T1. Then, when the temperature in the heat drying region B reaches the heat shrink temperature T2 of the resin film 12, the printing of the first printed portion on the platen 27 is completed, and the first printed portion is printed. It is transported downstream by the distance of region A and temporarily stops. At this time, a portion of the resin film 12 where printing is first completed is arranged in the heat drying region B. Then, after the temperature in the heating and drying area B reaches the drying temperature T1, the resin film 12 is moved to the distance of the printing area A when a predetermined time required for sufficiently drying the portion where the printing has been completed has passed. Only downstream. In this way, printing is sequentially performed on the resin film 12 in units of the distance of the printing area A.

According to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) In the said embodiment, since the timing which conveys the resin film 12 to the heat drying area B can be controlled based on the temperature in the heat drying area B, when the resin film 12 passes the heat drying area B, The temperature in the heat drying region B can be adjusted as appropriate. Therefore, the ink can be reliably dried in a short time without causing overheating abnormality of the resin film 12.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the drying temperature T1 when the recording processing area of the resin film 12 is heated and dried is the heat of vaporization when the ink solvent evaporates from the resin film 12 than the heat shrink temperature T2 of the resin film 12. It is set to become hot as much as it is multiplied. Therefore, in the recording processing region of the resin film 12, the ink can be reliably dried in a short time without accompanying overheating abnormality. On the other hand, when the non-recording processing area in the resin film 12 is conveyed to the heat drying area B, the temperature in the heat drying area B is set to be lower than the heat shrink temperature T2 of the resin film 12. Therefore, the non-recording process area of the resin film 12 can pass through the heat drying area B without being overheated.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the temperature drop in the heat drying area B is executed during printing of the print image 55a corresponding to the last page of the print job on the resin film 12. Therefore, the temperature difference between the temperature in the heat drying region B and the heat shrink temperature T2 of the resin film 12 at the time when the printing on the resin film 12 by the recording head 31 is completed is reduced, and the heat drying region is reduced by that amount. The time required for lowering the temperature in B until reaching the heat shrink temperature T2 of the resin film 12 is shortened. Therefore, the throughput of the entire apparatus in the recording process can be further improved.

  (4) In the above embodiment, the biaxially stretched resin film 12 is applied as the recording medium. Therefore, in general, the film subjected to the biaxial stretching process increases the mechanical strength of the film while increasing the thermal shrinkage rate. However, in the printer 11 of the present embodiment, the film is based on the temperature in the heat drying region B. Thus, the conveyance of the recording medium is controlled, so that printing can be suitably performed even on such a resin film 12.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
In the above embodiment, cooling means for lowering the temperature in the heat drying region B may be provided in the drying case 45. In this case, the temperature in the heat drying area B can be lowered more quickly than in the case where the warm air in the heat drying area B is radiated to the atmosphere.

In the embodiment described above, the heating temperature in the heat drying area B may be started to drop when recording on the resin film 12 is completed.
In the above embodiment, the drying temperature T1 when the recording processing area of the resin film 12 is dried by heating is higher than the temperature obtained by multiplying the heat shrinkage temperature T2 of the resin film 12 by the heat of vaporization when the ink solvent evaporates. You may set so that it may become low temperature. In this case, it is possible to more reliably suppress the occurrence of overheating abnormality in the resin film 12. Further, the reference value when setting the drying temperature T1 is not limited to the heat shrink temperature T2 of the resin film 12. In other words, any parameter relating to quality degradation of the resin film 12 can be applied.

  In the above embodiment, a thermosetting resin may be applied as the recording material. In this case, the amount of thermal energy applied to the recording material is set based on the thermosetting temperature of the thermosetting resin. Further, an ultraviolet curable resin may be applied as the recording material. In this case, the fixing means for fixing the recording material to the recording medium is an ultraviolet irradiation device, and the energy irradiation amount applied to the recording material is set based on the curing rate of the ultraviolet curable resin.

  In the above embodiment, the control device 24 may be configured not to control the heating amount by the heating and drying device 44. In this case, after the operator switches the heating amount of the heating and drying device 44, the control device 24 heats the recording processing region of the resin film 12 based on the detection result of the temperature sensor 54 that detects the heating temperature in the heating and drying region B. It is desirable to control the timing for transporting to the drying area B. In addition, when the recording material is an ultraviolet curable resin, after the operator switches the ultraviolet irradiation amount by the ultraviolet irradiation device, the control device detects the ultraviolet irradiation amount in the ultraviolet irradiation region based on the detection result of the ultraviolet sensor. It is desirable that the recording processing area of the film 12 is controlled to be conveyed to the ultraviolet irradiation area in the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus.

  In the above embodiment, the control device 24 may be configured not to control the timing for conveying the non-recording processing area of the resin film 12 into the heat drying area B. In this case, the operator conveys the recording processing area of the resin film 12 to the heating and drying area B when the heating temperature in the heating and drying area B in the heating and drying apparatus 44 reaches the heating temperature for fixing the recording material. When the temperature in the heating / drying region B in the heating / drying device 44 drops to a temperature at which the quality of the resin film 12 is not affected, the operator performs a non-recording process on the resin film 12. It is necessary to perform a manual operation for transporting the region to the heat drying region B. When the recording material is an ultraviolet curable resin, the operator performs a manual operation for transporting the recording processing area of the resin film 12 to the ultraviolet irradiation area when the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus is executing the ultraviolet irradiation. At the same time, it is necessary for the operator to perform a manual operation for transporting the non-recording processing area of the resin film 12 to the ultraviolet irradiation area when the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus is not executing the ultraviolet irradiation.

  In the above embodiment, a resin film that has been subjected to uniaxial stretching processing and a resin film that has not been subjected to stretching processing may be applied as the recording medium. Further, other materials such as recording paper may be applied as the recording medium. That is, any recording medium having a long shape can be applied.

  In the above embodiment, the recording apparatus is not limited to the ink jet printer 11. For example, the present invention can be applied to printers of other printing styles such as thermal transfer printers and sublimation printers.

1 is a schematic front view of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a front sectional view of a heat drying apparatus in the ink jet printer according to the present embodiment. The top view of the heat drying apparatus in the ink jet type printer of this embodiment. (A) is a schematic front view of the ink jet printer immediately after the recording head prints the last page. (B) is a schematic front view of the ink jet printer in a state in which the resin film is conveyed to the downstream side by the distance of the printing area A from the state of (a). (C) is a schematic front view of the ink jet printer in a state in which the resin film is conveyed to the downstream side by the distance of the printing area A from the state of (b). The figure which shows the temperature change in the heat drying area | region of a heat drying apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... Resin film as a recording medium, 23 ... Pull-in drive roller as a conveyance means, 24 ... Control apparatus as a control means, 31 ... Recording head as a recording means, 40 ... Sending drive roller as a conveyance means, 43 ... Conveyance Winding drive shaft as means 44... Heating and drying device as heating and drying means (fixing means) 54. Temperature sensor as energy detecting means 55 a, 55 b and 55 c. Print image as recording processing area in recording medium, B ... Heat drying region, T1 ... Drying temperature as first temperature, T2 ... Heat shrink temperature of resin film as second temperature.

Claims (9)

Conveying means for conveying the recording medium from the upstream side to the downstream side;
A recording means for performing recording by attaching a recording material to a recording processing area of the recording medium at an intermediate position in the conveyance path of the recording medium;
A fixing unit disposed at a position downstream of the recording unit in the conveyance path, and applying energy to the recording material to fix the recording material on the recording medium;
When each of the recording processing area and the non-recording processing area where the recording material is not attached to the recording medium is transported to the position where the fixing unit is disposed, the non-recording processing area is deteriorated in quality with respect to the recording medium. Of the conveying unit and the fixing unit so that the recording process area is given higher energy than the energy given to the non-recording process area. And a control means for controlling at least one of the recording apparatuses. The recording apparatus according to claim 1,
When the control means controls the fixing means, the fixing means gives energy for fixing the recording material to the recording processing area, and to the non-recording processing area. The recording apparatus, wherein the fixing unit is controlled such that energy lower than energy applied to the recording processing area is applied. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
Energy detecting means for detecting energy applied to the recording medium by the fixing means;
When the control unit controls the transport unit, the amount of energy applied to the recording medium by the fixing unit is based on the detection result of the energy detection unit so that the recording material is fixed to the recording medium. If the required amount of energy is greater than the required amount of energy, the recording processing area of the recording medium is transported to the position where the fixing means is disposed, and the amount of energy applied by the fixing means to the recording medium The recording apparatus, wherein when the energy amount is smaller than the predetermined energy amount, the conveying unit is controlled so that the non-recording processing area of the recording medium is conveyed to a position where the fixing unit is disposed. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The fixing means is a heating means for heating to fix the recording material attached to the recording medium;
When the control means controls the conveying means, and the heating temperature in the heating and drying area of the heating means is a first temperature at which the recording material can be heated and dried, the recording processing area of the recording medium Is transported to the heating and drying area of the heating means, and the heating temperature of the heating means is lower than the first temperature, and the quality of the recording medium is affected by the quality deterioration of the non-recording processing area. When the temperature is equal to or lower than a second temperature to be suppressed, the transport unit is controlled so that the non-recording processing region of the recording medium is transported to the heating and drying region of the heating unit. Recording device. The recording apparatus according to claim 4,
The recording apparatus, wherein the second temperature is a heat shrink temperature of the recording medium. The recording apparatus according to claim 4 or 5,
The recording apparatus, wherein the control unit starts a decrease in the heating temperature in the heating and drying region of the heating unit before the fixing unit completes the adhesion of the recording material to the recording medium. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The recording apparatus, wherein the recording medium is a biaxially stretched resin film. A recording method in a recording apparatus for recording by attaching a recording material to a recording processing area of a recording medium conveyed from the upstream side to the downstream side,
The recording medium in the recording medium to which the recording material is not attached is applied with low energy in which the influence on the quality deterioration of the recording medium is suppressed, and the recording is performed on the recording processing area in the recording medium. A recording method in a recording apparatus, wherein energy higher than energy applied to the non-recording processing area of the medium is applied. A recording apparatus for conveying a long recording medium from a recording unit to a heating unit,
Transporting one recording processing area in the long recording medium to the heating unit at a timing when the heating unit is at the first temperature;
Transporting another recording processing area following the one recording processing area to the heating section at a timing when the heating section drops from a first temperature to a second temperature;
And a step of conveying a non-recording processing area following the other recording processing area to the heating section at a timing when the heating section becomes equal to or lower than the second temperature.

Images