JP2010201369A - Drawing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drawing device which allows high definition while sufficiently making use of the characteristic of photocurable ink to enable drawing with excellent desired color tone in that of a pattern or the like. <P>SOLUTION: This invention relates to the drawing device for drawing on a substrate P by discharging the photocurable ink on the substrate P and irradiating the discharged photocurable ink with light and curing it. The drawing device includes a droplet discharge head (9K) for discharging the photocurable ink, a carriage 4 provided with a plurality of the droplet discharge heads and a moving device for relatively moving the substrate P and the carriage 4 in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the same. A plurality of the droplet discharge heads are arranged symmetric so that the order of a plurality of kinds of the droplet discharge heads from one side in the second direction is equal to the order from the other side. In the carriage 4, ink curing light irradiation means 12 are adjacently arranged on each of both sides for all droplet discharge heads. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a drawing apparatus that performs drawing by discharging and curing a photocurable ink.

In recent years, as an ink used in an ink jet printer or the like, a photocurable ink (ultraviolet curable type) that is cured by ultraviolet irradiation has attracted attention.
The difference between UV curable inks and ordinary water-based inks and oil-based inks is that they are quickly cured by irradiating them with an appropriate amount of UV after being placed on a substrate (including recording media such as printing paper). .

With such characteristics, the ultraviolet curable ink can obtain a stable print quality without being influenced by the physical properties of the substrate such as ink permeability.
Further, by curing the ink immediately after the ink is disposed, it is possible to prevent the ink from spreading.
Furthermore, even when trying to obtain a desired color tone by arranging different colors of ink, the color tone is disturbed by mixing the different inks after the lower ink is cured. In other words, it is possible to prevent deviation from a desired color tone.

  As an ink jet recording apparatus (drawing apparatus) that uses such UV curable ink, it is discharged around a recording head (droplet discharge head) that discharges UV curable ink as fine ink droplets (droplets). There has been proposed one equipped with an ultraviolet irradiation device that irradiates the ink on the recording medium (substrate) with ultraviolet rays (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this recording apparatus, the ultraviolet irradiation device is provided at both ends of a carriage which is mounted with a recording head and reciprocates in the width direction of the recording medium.

JP 2008-188983 A

  By the way, an ink jet recording apparatus (drawing apparatus) has been widely used for industrial use in recent years. For example, as an ornamental panel, it is also used for drawing letters / numbers or various patterns on a substrate. It is being considered. In drawing such a pattern or the like, there is a demand for improving the color tone and fineness of the obtained pattern or the like, particularly by utilizing the characteristics of the ultraviolet curable ink (photo-curable ink) described above.

  However, in the recording apparatus of Patent Document 1, light sources (ultraviolet irradiation apparatus) for irradiating ultraviolet rays are provided only at both ends in the moving direction of the carriage to which the recording head is attached. In the case of drawing with a plurality of recording heads (droplet discharge heads) attached to the carriage as described above, it is difficult to cure the ink immediately after the ink is arranged on the substrate. There is a problem that the characteristics of the ink) cannot be fully utilized.

  In particular, when it is desired to discharge inks of different colors to give various colors to the pattern or the like, a different droplet discharge head is provided for each color, and the discharge is performed independently. However, when the carriage is reciprocated and ink is ejected in either of the reciprocal directions, the ink ejection order is different between the forward path and the backward path, so that the color tone of the resulting pattern is subtly different from the desired color tone. There is a problem that it shifts. In other words, when different color inks are arranged in a superimposed manner to give a desired color tone, the color tone obtained from the stacked inks will differ slightly if the stacking order of the multiple types of stacked inks is different. Because it ends up.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. When a plurality of droplet discharge heads are attached to a carriage, the high-definition can be particularly improved by fully utilizing the characteristics of the photocurable ink. Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide an excellent drawing apparatus that can draw a desired color tone of a pattern or the like with a desired color tone.

The drawing apparatus of the present invention is a drawing apparatus that discharges photocurable ink onto a substrate, irradiates the discharged photocurable ink with light to cure the photocurable ink, and draws on the substrate. And
A base on which the substrate is placed;
A droplet discharge head for discharging the photocurable ink;
A carriage comprising a plurality of the droplet discharge heads;
A moving device that relatively moves the substrate and the carriage in a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction,
The plurality of droplet discharge heads includes a plurality of types of droplet discharge heads that discharge different photo-curable inks, and the plurality of types of droplet discharge heads are arranged along the second direction. And the arrangement order of the plurality of types of droplet discharge heads is the same as the order from one side in the second direction and the order from the other side. Arranged symmetrically in the second direction,
The carriage has ink curing light irradiation means for curing the photocurable ink on both sides of the droplet ejection head in the second direction with respect to all the droplet ejection heads. It is characterized by being placed next to each other.

  According to this drawing apparatus, the light irradiation means for curing the photocurable ink is adjacent to each of both sides in the second direction of the droplet discharge heads for all of the plurality of droplet discharge heads. When the photocurable ink is ejected from each of the plurality of droplet ejection heads while moving the carriage in the second direction, the movement is performed for all the droplet ejection heads. The light irradiation means is disposed on the rear side in the direction. Therefore, by moving the carriage after ejecting the photocurable ink for all the droplet ejection heads, it is possible to position the light irradiation means immediately above the location where the ejection is immediately performed. Therefore, it is possible to irradiate light from the light irradiating means immediately after the ink is discharged, so that it is possible to cure all the droplet discharge heads immediately after the ink is discharged.

  Further, the order of arrangement of the plurality of types of liquid droplet ejection heads that eject different photocurable inks from the one side in the second direction is the same as the order from the other side. Since they are arranged symmetrically in the second direction, even when different photocurable inks are ejected from a plurality of droplet ejection heads while reciprocating the carriage, different photocurable inks are used in the forward path and the backward path. The discharge order can be made the same. Accordingly, by curing each ink immediately after ejection and laminating, it is possible to perform drawing under the same conditions with the same stacking order (stacking order) in the forward path and the return path. It is possible to draw with a good color tone as desired for the color tone.

In the drawing apparatus, each of the ink curing light irradiating means has a wavelength corresponding to an optimum curing wavelength of the photocurable ink ejected by a corresponding droplet ejection head. preferable.
By doing so, the ink curing light irradiation means irradiates light having a wavelength corresponding to the optimum curing wavelength of the photocurable ink, so that the photocurable ink discharged onto the substrate is cured faster. In addition, since each of the different inks can be cured quickly, the disadvantage that the curing speed varies for each color is avoided.

Further, in the drawing apparatus, the carriage further outside the ink curing light irradiation unit positioned at the outermost position among the droplet discharge heads and the ink curing light irradiation unit arranged along the second direction. In addition, it is preferable that surface treatment means for surface-treating the substrate is disposed.
By doing so, the surface treatment of the substrate can be performed by irradiating the surface treatment light, for example, with the surface treatment means before discharging the photocurable ink from the droplet discharge head while moving the carriage. That is, it is possible to cure the ink by performing surface treatment of the substrate in advance in both reciprocations, ejecting ink immediately after that, and then irradiating light from the light irradiation means immediately thereafter.

The surface treatment means may comprise a light irradiation source for irradiating surface treatment light for surface treating the substrate.
For example, when the substrate surface is liquid repellent, it can be made lyophilic by irradiating it with surface treatment light, improving the wettability of the photocurable ink and improving the drawing quality (printing quality). .

Further, the surface treatment means irradiates a primer ink discharge head for discharging a photocurable primer ink for surface treatment of the substrate, and light for curing the photocurable primer ink, And a light irradiation source arranged adjacent to the inside of the primer ink discharge head in the second direction.
In this way, prior to the discharge of the photocurable ink from the droplet discharge head, it is possible to discharge the photocurable primer ink onto the substrate and further cure the photocurable primer ink. Therefore, by such surface treatment, for example, the wettability of the photocurable ink on the substrate surface can be improved, and the drawing quality (printing quality) can be improved.

In the drawing apparatus, it is preferable that the ink curing light irradiation unit is disposed such that a light emitting surface thereof is positioned higher than a nozzle surface of a corresponding droplet discharge head.
In this way, it is possible to reliably prevent the disadvantage that the light emitted from the light irradiating means irradiates the nozzles of the droplet discharge head and hardens the ink in the nozzles to cause nozzle clogging.

In the drawing apparatus, it is preferable that a cooling unit is provided in the vicinity of the ink curing light irradiation unit.
When, for example, a light emitting diode (LED) is used as the light irradiating means, it deteriorates due to the heat of itself or surroundings, and the life is shortened. Therefore, by providing a cooling means to cool the light emitting diode (light irradiation means), it is possible to prevent deterioration and extend the life.

Further, in the drawing apparatus, a tank for storing photocurable ink is connected to the droplet discharge head via a pipe, and at least one of the droplet discharge head, the pipe, and the tank It is preferable that a heating means for adjusting the viscosity of the photocurable ink is provided.
In this case, the photocurable ink is heated by the heating means and the viscosity thereof is lowered, so that the fluidity can be improved and good discharge properties can be obtained.

In the drawing apparatus, the droplet discharge head includes a plurality of nozzles arranged in a direction intersecting the second direction, and the ink curing light irradiation unit includes a plurality of light sources. Are arranged in a direction crossing the second direction, and the ink curing light irradiation means corresponds to a pair of adjacent light sources in the plurality of light sources between a pair of adjacent nozzles in the plurality of nozzles. Are preferably arranged.
In this way, when there is a nozzle at a position corresponding to between the light sources, the problem that the light from the light source is not sufficiently irradiated to the ink ejected from the nozzle is avoided. In this case, a light emitting diode is suitable as the light source.

In the drawing apparatus, the carriage may be provided with a plurality of droplet discharge heads that discharge the same type of photocurable ink in a state of being arranged along the first direction.
In this way, the area to be ejected and cured in one scan (one scan) can be increased in proportion to the number of liquid droplet ejection heads arranged along the first direction.

In this case, the ink curing light irradiation means includes a plurality of light sources, and the light sources are arranged in a direction intersecting the second direction, and the ink curing light irradiation means includes the plurality of light sources. It is preferable that a pair of adjacent light sources at a predetermined position is disposed corresponding to a pair of adjacent droplet discharge heads in the plurality of droplet discharge heads arranged in the first direction.
In this way, the light sources are arranged correspondingly between the droplet discharge heads where the nozzles are not arranged, so that the light source at this position hardly contributes to ink curing and is prevented from being wasted. . In this case, a light emitting diode is suitable as the light source.

In the drawing apparatus, the ink curing light irradiation unit is preferably made of at least one selected from a light emitting diode, a laser diode, a mercury lamp, a metal halide lamp, a xenon lamp, and an excimer lamp.
By using such means, the photocurable ink can be cured quickly and satisfactorily.

It is a schematic block diagram of one Embodiment of the drawing apparatus of this invention. It is a side view which shows schematic structure of a carriage. It is a bottom view which shows schematic structure of a carriage. (A)-(c) is a schematic block diagram of a droplet discharge head. (A) (b) is a perspective view of a light source, (c) is explanatory drawing of a light irradiation means. (A)-(d) is a figure for demonstrating each process of discharge and hardening of an ink. (A)-(c) is a figure for demonstrating each process of discharge and hardening of an ink. It is a schematic diagram which shows the relative movement of the carriage with respect to a board | substrate. (A)-(d) is a figure for demonstrating each process of discharge and hardening of an ink. (A)-(c) is a figure for demonstrating each process of discharge and hardening of an ink. It is a bottom view which shows schematic structure of the carriage of other embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each drawing used for the following description, the scale of each member is appropriately changed to make each member a recognizable size.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a drawing apparatus according to an embodiment of the drawing apparatus of the present invention, and reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1 denotes the drawing apparatus. The drawing apparatus 1 ejects photocurable ink onto the substrate P, irradiates the ejected photocurable ink with light, and cures the photocurable ink, so that letters, numbers, various patterns, etc. are formed on the substrate P. Is drawn.

  The drawing device 1 includes a base 2 on which the substrate P is placed, a transport device 3 that transports the substrate P on the base 2 in the X direction (first direction) in FIG. 1, and the photocurable ink. A droplet discharge head (not shown) for discharging the ink, a carriage 4 including a plurality of the droplet discharge heads, and a feed for moving the carriage 4 in the Y direction (second direction) orthogonal to the X direction. And a device 5. In the present embodiment, the substrate P and the carriage 4 are moved in the first direction (X direction) and the second direction (Y direction) orthogonal to the first direction by the transport device 3 and the feeding device 5, respectively. The moving device of the present invention is configured to be relatively moved.

  The transfer device 3 includes a work stage 6 and a stage moving device 7 provided on the base 2. The work stage 6 is provided so as to be movable in the X direction on the base 2 by a stage moving device 7, and the substrate P transported from an upstream transport device (not shown) is transferred by, for example, a vacuum suction mechanism. It is held on the XY plane. The stage moving device 7 includes a bearing mechanism such as a ball screw or a linear guide. The stage moving device 7 moves the work stage 6 in the X direction based on a stage position control signal indicating the X coordinate of the work stage 6 input from the control device 8. It is comprised so that it may move to.

The carriage 4 has a rectangular plate shape that is movably attached to the feeding device 5. As shown in the side cross section of FIG. 2 and the bottom view of FIG. 3, the carriage 4 has a plurality of types (four in this embodiment) on the bottom surface 4a side. Type) droplet discharge heads 9 are held in a state of being arranged along the Y direction (second direction).
A plurality of types of droplet discharge heads 9 (9Y, 9C, 9M, 9K) are provided with a large number (a plurality of) nozzles as will be described later. Based on this, droplets of photocurable ink are ejected. The droplet discharge heads 9 (9Y, 9C, 9M, and 9K) discharge photocurable inks corresponding to Y (yellow), C (cyan), M (magenta), and K (black), respectively. Thus, the arrangement order is symmetrically arranged in the Y direction so that the order from one side in the Y direction (second direction) is the same as the order from the other side. In other words, in the present embodiment, they are arranged in the order of “9K, 9M, 9C, 9Y, 9Y, 9C, 9M, 9K” from one side and the other side.

  These droplet discharge heads 9 (9K, 9M, 9C, 9Y...) Are each connected with a tube (piping) 10 via a carriage 4 as shown in FIG. A droplet discharge head 9Y corresponding to Y (yellow) is connected to a first tank 11Y filled and stored with a photocurable ink for Y (yellow) via a tube 10, whereby the liquid is discharged. The droplet discharge head 9Y is supplied with photocurable ink for Y (yellow) from the first tank 11Y.

  Similarly, a second tank 11C filled with photocurable ink for C (cyan) is connected to the droplet discharge head 9C corresponding to C (cyan), and the droplet discharge head 9M corresponding to M (magenta). Is connected to the third tank 11M filled with photocurable ink for M (magenta), and the droplet discharge head 9K corresponding to K (black) is filled with photocurable ink for K (black). A fourth tank 11K is connected. With such a configuration, photocurable ink for C (cyan) is supplied from the second tank 11C to the droplet discharge head 9C, and the third tank 11M is supplied to the droplet discharge head 9M. M (magenta) light curable ink is supplied to the droplet discharge head 9K, and K (black) photo curable ink is supplied from the fourth tank 11K to the droplet discharge head 9K. It has become. In FIG. 1, the tube 10 and each tank 11 are omitted and only four are shown, but in actuality, it is assumed that they are provided corresponding to the droplet discharge heads 9: 1. .

  These droplet discharge heads 9Y, 9C, 9M, and 9K, tubes (piping) 10, tanks 11Y, 11C, 11M, and 11K include heating means such as a heater for each color (Y, C, M, and K) system. (Not shown) is provided. That is, in each color system, at least one of the droplet discharge head 9, the tube 10, and the tank 11 is provided with heating means for reducing the viscosity of the photocurable ink and increasing its fluidity. As a result, the photocurable ink is adjusted so that the ejectability from the droplet ejection head 9 is good.

  Here, the photocurable ink is a type that is cured by receiving light of a predetermined wavelength, such as an ultraviolet curable ink, and contains a monomer, a photopolymerization initiator, and a pigment corresponding to each color, and is further necessary. Depending on the conditions, various additives such as surfactants and thermal radical polymerization inhibitors are blended. In addition, since such a photocurable ink usually has different wavelength ranges of light (ultraviolet rays) to be absorbed depending on its components (formulations), the optimum value of the curing wavelength, that is, the optimum curing wavelength is also different for each ink. Is different.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4A, which is a bottom view of the droplet discharge head 9, the direction in which a plurality (for example, 180) of nozzles N intersects the Y direction (second direction), in this embodiment. The plurality of nozzles N form an array of nozzles NA arranged in the X direction (first direction). Although FIG. 4A shows one row of nozzles, the number of nozzles and the number of nozzle rows provided in the droplet discharge head 9 can be arbitrarily changed. For example, the nozzle row NA arranged in the X direction is changed to Y. Multiple rows may be provided in the direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, which is a partial perspective view, the droplet discharge head 9 is provided with a diaphragm 20 provided with a material supply hole 20 a connected to the tube 10 and a nozzle N. The nozzle plate 21 includes a reservoir (liquid reservoir) 22 provided between the vibration plate 20 and the nozzle plate 21, a plurality of partition walls 23, and a plurality of cavities (liquid chambers) 24. . The surface (bottom surface) of the nozzle plate 21 is a nozzle surface 21 a on which a plurality of nozzles N are formed. On the vibration plate 20, piezoelectric elements (drive elements) PZ are arranged corresponding to the respective nozzles N. The piezoelectric element PZ is made of a piezo element, for example.

  The reservoir 22 is filled with photocurable ink supplied through the material supply hole 20a. The cavities 24 are formed so as to be surrounded by the diaphragm 20, the nozzle plate 21, and the pair of partition walls 23, and are provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the nozzles N. In addition, the photocurable ink is introduced into each cavity 24 from the reservoir 22 through a supply port 24 a provided between the pair of partition walls 23.

  The piezoelectric element PZ is obtained by sandwiching a piezoelectric material 25 between a pair of electrodes 26, as shown in FIG. The piezoelectric material 25 is configured to contract when a drive signal is applied. Therefore, the diaphragm 20 on which such a piezoelectric element PZ is disposed is integrally bent with the piezoelectric element PZ and bends outward (opposite the cavity 24) at the same time. The volume of 24 is increased.

Therefore, the photocurable ink corresponding to the increased volume in the cavity 24 flows from the liquid reservoir 22 through the supply port 24a. Further, when the application of the drive signal to the piezoelectric element PZ is stopped from such a state, both the piezoelectric element PZ and the diaphragm 20 return to the original shape, and the cavity 24 also returns to the original volume. As a result, the pressure of the photocurable ink in the cavity 24 increases, and the photocurable ink droplet L is ejected from the nozzle N toward the substrate P.
Note that the droplet discharge head 9 having such a configuration has a bottom surface of the nozzle plate 21, that is, a formation surface (nozzle surface) NS of the nozzle N below the bottom surface 4 a of the carriage 4 as shown in FIG. 2. In such a manner, it is arranged so as to protrude from the bottom surface 4a.

  2 and 3, the carriage 4 has ink curing light irradiation means 12 (12Y, 12C, 12M, 12K) are arranged next to each other. That is, the ink curing light irradiating means 12 is arranged on both sides of the droplet discharge heads 9 arranged symmetrically in the Y direction. These ink curing light irradiating means 12 are for curing the photocurable ink, and in the present embodiment, are composed of a number of LEDs (light emitting diodes). However, in the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the LED, and other than this, for example, a laser diode (LD), a mercury lamp, a metal halide lamp, a xenon lamp, an excimer lamp, or the like is used as the ink curing light irradiation means 12. Can do.

  In the ink curing light irradiating means 12Y, 12C, 12M, and 12K composed of LEDs of the present embodiment, the wavelength corresponding to the optimum curing wavelength of the light curable ink ejected by the corresponding liquid droplet ejection head 9 is irradiated. have. That is, as described above, the optimum curing wavelength of each photocurable ink differs depending on its component (formulation) and the like, and the ink curing light irradiation means 12Y, 12C, 12M, and 12K correspond to the corresponding photocuring. The light having the optimum curing wavelength of the type ink is irradiated.

  Further, in the ink curing light irradiation means 12, for example, a commercially available LED as shown in FIG. 5A is used as the light source 13a, but as shown in FIG. A light source 13b processed into a polygon such as a square is more preferably used. That is, the light source 13b is aligned vertically and horizontally as shown in FIG. 5C, and is attached to the carriage 4 and used as one large rectangular light irradiation source (ink curing light irradiation means 12). At that time, each light source 13b is formed in a rectangular shape or a square in plan view as shown in FIG. 5B, so that the light sources 13b are arranged at a high density when they are aligned vertically and horizontally. Yes. Accordingly, the light irradiation source (ink curing light irradiation means 12) formed has a sufficient amount of light.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5C, the ink curing light irradiation means 12 corresponds to the length of the nozzle row NA of the corresponding droplet discharge head 9, and has a light source that has substantially the same length as this. 13b is arranged. These light sources 13b are arranged such that the space 15 between the pair of adjacent light sources 13b corresponds to the space 16 between the pair of adjacent nozzles N of the plurality of nozzles N. With such a configuration, the ink curable light irradiation means 12 can reliably irradiate the light curable ink ejected from the nozzle N with the light from the light source 13b. That is, when the nozzle N is located at a position corresponding to the space 15 between the light sources 13b, the problem that the light emitted from the light source 13b is not sufficiently irradiated to the ink ejected from the nozzle N is avoided.

In FIG. 5C, it is described that the nozzle N and the light source 13b are arranged at a ratio of 1: 1. However, the nozzle N is actually much smaller than the light source 13b. One light source 13b corresponds to the nozzle. Also in this case, as described above, the space between the pair of adjacent light sources 13b is configured to correspond to the space between the pair of adjacent nozzles N.
In FIG. 5C, two rows of the light sources 13b along the nozzle row NA are formed, but it is needless to say that one row or three or more rows may be used. Further, although the light irradiation means 12 is shown as a single light source group in FIG. 5C, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a single light irradiation means 12 may be constituted by a plurality of light source groups. Good.

  The ink curing light irradiation means 12 comprising such a light source 13b has the light emitting surface 14 of the light source 13b shown in FIG. 5B substantially flush with the bottom surface 4a of the carriage 4 as shown in FIG. It is attached to the carriage 4 so that. Thereby, the ink curing light irradiation means 12 has a light emitting surface positioned higher than the nozzle surface of the corresponding droplet discharge head 9. Therefore, in the droplet discharge head 9, the inconvenience that the light irradiated from the ink curing light irradiation means 12 is irradiated to the nozzle N and the ink in the nozzle N is cured to cause nozzle clogging is reliably prevented. Yes.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the droplets ejected on the carriage 4 is located outside the row of droplet ejection heads 9, that is, at the extreme ends on both sides in the Y direction (second direction). A primer ink discharge head 17 is disposed outside the head 9 and further outside the ink curing light irradiation means 12 outside the droplet discharge head 9. These primer ink discharge heads 17 have the same configuration as the droplet discharge head 9 shown in FIGS.

  Although not shown in FIG. 1, these primer ink discharge heads 17 are similar to the liquid droplet discharge head 9 in that tanks filled and stored with photocurable primer ink via tubes (not shown) (Not shown). As a result, primer ink is supplied to the primer ink discharge head 17 from the tank.

The primer ink is for treating the surface of the substrate P. In this embodiment, as the primer ink, the surface of the substrate P is lyophilic and the modification treatment for improving the wettability of the photocurable ink is performed. Photo-curable inks are used.
Further, inside the primer ink discharge head 17, surface treatment light irradiation means (light irradiation source) 18 is arranged adjacent to each other. Similar to the ink curing light irradiation means 12, these surface treatment light irradiation means 18 are constituted by arranging a large number of light sources 13b made of LEDs as shown in FIG. This is cured by irradiating the ink with light.

  The surface treatment light irradiating means 18 is also similar to the ink curing light irradiating means 12 between the pair of adjacent light sources 13b between the pair of adjacent nozzles N of the plurality of nozzles N in the primer ink discharge head 17. 16 are arranged so as to correspond to 16. Thereby, the surface treatment light irradiation means 18 can also reliably irradiate the light from the light source 13b to the primer ink ejected from the nozzle N.

  The carriage 4 is provided with a cooling means (not shown) in the vicinity of the ink curing light irradiation means 12 and the surface treatment light irradiation means 18. As the cooling means, known ones such as a system for circulating cooling water and a Peltier element (Peltier element) are used. By disposing such a cooling means in the vicinity of the ink curing light irradiation means 12, the light source 13b (13a) made of the LED is prevented from being deteriorated by the heat of itself or the surroundings and the life is shortened, and the ink is reduced. The lifetime of the curing light irradiation means 12 and the surface treatment light irradiation means 18 can be extended.

  The feeding device 5 that moves the carriage 4 has, for example, a bridge structure straddling the base 2 and is ball screw or linear in the Y direction (second direction) and the Z direction (third direction) orthogonal to the XY plane. A bearing mechanism such as a guide is provided. Based on such a configuration, the feeding device 5 moves the carriage 4 in the Y direction (second direction) based on the carriage position control signal indicating the Y coordinate and Z coordinate of the carriage 4 input from the control device 8. In addition to being moved, it is also moved in the Z direction (third direction).

The control device 8 outputs a stage position control signal to the stage moving device 7, outputs a carriage position control signal to the feeding device 5, and each drive circuit board (see FIG. 5) of the primer ink discharge head 17 and the droplet discharge head 9. (Not shown) for outputting drawing data and drive control signals. Accordingly, the control device 8 positions the substrate P by moving the work stage 6 and positions the primer ink discharge head 17 and the droplet discharge head 9 by moving the carriage 4 in order to move the substrate P and the carriage 4 relative to each other. By performing synchronous control of the operation, and further causing the primer ink discharge head 17 and the droplet discharge head 9 to perform a droplet discharge operation, the primer ink and photocurable ink droplets are arranged at predetermined positions on the substrate P. It is supposed to be.
Further, the control device 8 performs the light irradiation operation on the surface treatment light irradiation means 18 and the ink curing light irradiation means 12 separately from causing the primer ink discharge head 17 and the droplet discharge head 9 to perform the droplet discharge operation. It is also made to do.

  In order to draw a desired pattern or the like on the substrate P by the drawing apparatus 1 having such a configuration, the carriage 4 is normally reciprocated with respect to the substrate P in order to increase the drawing speed and increase the productivity. Ink is discharged in both the return path and the return path. However, in the present invention, the ejection heads 9 and 17 that eject ink in the forward path are different from the ejection heads 9 and 17 that eject ink in the backward path.

In order to perform drawing with the drawing apparatus 1, first, the substrate P is set on the work stage 6. Next, a stage position control signal is output to the stage moving device 7, and a carriage position control signal is output to the feeding device 5, whereby the substrate P and the carriage 4 are moved relative to each other, and the carriage 4 is moved relative to the substrate P. Arrange it at a preset position.
That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the primer ink discharge head 17 disposed outside one of the heads 9 and 17 arranged in the Y direction (second direction) in the carriage 4 is shown in FIG. As shown in (a), the substrate P is positioned immediately above the predetermined region E1. Subsequently, the primer ink IP is ejected from the primer ink ejection head 17, and a desired amount of ink IP is disposed on the predetermined area E1.

  Next, the carriage 4 is moved relative to the substrate P in one direction in the Y direction (second direction), that is, in the direction of the arrow Y1 in FIG. 6A, which is the forward path, and as shown in FIG. The surface treatment light irradiation means 18 disposed on the other side in the Y direction (second direction) of the ink ejection head 17 is positioned immediately above the predetermined area E1. Subsequently, by irradiating light (for example, ultraviolet rays) from the surface treatment light irradiation means 18, the primer ink IP disposed on the predetermined region E1 is cured to form the thin film FP. As a result, the primer ink IP is cured immediately after it is ejected, so that wetting and spreading of the primer ink IP can be suppressed. Further, since the predetermined region E1 is made lyophilic by the treatment film FP, the wettability of the photocurable ink is improved on the thin film FP.

  Next, the carriage 4 is moved relative to the substrate P in the direction of the arrow Y1, and the droplet discharge head 9K positioned next to the primer ink discharge head 17 that has discharged the primer ink IP as shown in FIG. The substrate P is positioned immediately above the predetermined region E1, that is, directly above the thin film FP. Subsequently, a photocurable ink IK corresponding to K (black) is ejected from the droplet ejection head 9K, and a desired amount of ink IK is disposed on the predetermined region E1. Then, since the wettability of the photocurable ink is good on the thin film FP, the ink IK spreads well on the thin film FP and is overlaid.

  Next, the carriage 4 is moved relative to the substrate P in the direction of the arrow Y1, and as shown in FIG. 6D, the ink curing disposed on the other side in the Y direction (second direction) of the droplet discharge head 9K. The light irradiation means 12K is positioned immediately above the predetermined area E1. Subsequently, by irradiating light (for example, ultraviolet rays) from the ink curing light irradiation unit 12K, the ink IK disposed on the predetermined region E1 is cured to form the thin film FK. Then, since the ink IK is cured immediately after it is ejected, the excessive wetting and spreading of the ink IK is suppressed.

  Next, the carriage 4 is moved relative to the substrate P in the direction of the arrow Y1, and the droplet discharge head 9M located next to the droplet discharge head 9K as shown in FIG. It is positioned immediately above E1, that is, directly above the thin film FK. Subsequently, a photocurable ink IM corresponding to M (magenta) is ejected from the droplet ejection head 9M, and a desired amount of ink IM is disposed on the thin film FK on the predetermined region E1. Then, since the thin film FK has already hardened, the ink IK and the ink IM that have become the thin film FK are not mixed, and the ink IM is superimposed on the thin film FK.

  Next, the carriage 4 is moved relative to the substrate P in the direction of the arrow Y1, and the ink curing disposed on the other side of the droplet discharge head 9M in the Y direction (second direction) as shown in FIG. 7B. The light irradiation means 12M is positioned immediately above the predetermined area E1, that is, immediately above the ink IM. Subsequently, the ink IM on the predetermined region E1 is cured by irradiating light (for example, ultraviolet rays) from the ink curing light irradiation unit 12M, and the thin film FM is formed. Then, since the ink IM is cured immediately after it is ejected, the ink IM can be prevented from spreading and flowing down from the thin film FK, for example.

  Thereafter, similarly, the carriage 4 is relatively moved, and after the droplet discharge head 9C located next to the droplet discharge head 9M is positioned on the predetermined area E1 to discharge the ink IC, the carriage 4 is further moved relatively. Then, the adjacent ink curing light irradiation means 12C is positioned on the predetermined region E1, and the thin film FC is superimposed on the thin film FM by light irradiation. Further, the carriage 4 is relatively moved, the droplet discharge head 9Y located adjacent to the droplet discharge head 9C is positioned on the predetermined area E1, and the ink IY is discharged. The adjacent ink curing light irradiation means 12Y is positioned on the predetermined area E1, and the thin film FY is superimposed on the thin film FC by irradiating light.

  Thereby, as shown in FIG.7 (c), the laminated film F1 which overlaps the thin film FP, the thin film FK, the thin film FM, the thin film FC, and the thin film FY in this order on the predetermined area | region E1 can be formed. That is, since ink is sequentially arranged on the thin film cured by light irradiation, the inks corresponding to the respective colors are stacked in a desired order, and further, these are not mixed, and therefore the respective colors are mixed. The laminated film F1 stacked with a desired thickness ratio can be obtained. Prior to discharging the photocurable ink from the droplet discharge head 9, the thin film FP made of the primer ink IP is formed and the predetermined region E1 of the substrate P is made lyophilic. Even in the case of the ink, the wettability of the photocurable ink can be improved.

Further, in order to discharge each ink and make the film thinner in the return path with respect to the forward path indicated by the arrow Y1 in FIG. 6, the substrate P is placed at a predetermined pitch in the X direction with respect to the carriage 4 as shown in FIG. Move relative minutes. In FIG. 8, the carriage 4 is schematically shown, and the description of the surface treatment light irradiation means 18 and the ink curing light irradiation means 12 is omitted.
As shown in FIG. 9A, the primer ink discharge head 17 arranged outside the other of the heads 9 and 17 arranged in the Y direction (second direction) in the carriage 4, that is, A discharge head 17 different from the primer ink discharge head 17 used in the forward path is positioned immediately above the predetermined region E2 of the substrate P. Subsequently, the primer ink IP is ejected from the primer ink ejection head 17, and a desired amount of ink IP is disposed on the predetermined area E2.

  Next, the carriage 4 is moved relative to the substrate P in the other direction in the Y direction (second direction), that is, in the direction of the arrow Y2 in FIG. 9A, which is the return path, and as shown in FIG. The surface treatment light irradiation means 18 disposed on one side in the Y direction (second direction) of the ink ejection head 17 is positioned immediately above the predetermined area E2. Subsequently, by irradiating light (for example, ultraviolet rays) from the surface treatment light irradiating means 18, the primer ink IP disposed on the predetermined region E2 is cured, and the thin film FP is formed. As a result, the primer ink IP is cured immediately after it is ejected, so that wetting and spreading of the primer ink IP can be suppressed. Further, since the predetermined region E2 is made lyophilic by the treatment film FP, the wettability of the photocurable ink is improved on the thin film FP.

  Next, the carriage 4 is moved relative to the substrate P in the direction of the arrow Y2, and as shown in FIG. 9C, the droplet discharge head 9K positioned next to the primer ink discharge head 17 that has discharged the primer ink IP, that is, A discharge head 9K different from the droplet discharge head 9K used in the forward path is positioned immediately above the predetermined area E2 of the substrate P, that is, directly above the thin film FP. Subsequently, a photocurable ink IK corresponding to K (black) is discharged from the droplet discharge head 9K, and a desired amount of ink IK is disposed on the predetermined region E2. Then, since the wettability of the photocurable ink is good on the thin film FP, the ink IK spreads well on the thin film FP and is overlaid.

  Next, the carriage 4 is moved relative to the substrate P in the direction of the arrow Y2, and as shown in FIG. 9D, the ink curing disposed on one side of the droplet discharge head 9K in the Y direction (second direction). The light irradiation means 12K is positioned immediately above the predetermined area E2. Subsequently, by irradiating light (for example, ultraviolet rays) from the ink curing light irradiation means 12K, the ink IK disposed on the predetermined region E2 is cured to form the thin film FK. Then, since the ink IK is cured immediately after it is ejected, the excessive wetting and spreading of the ink IK is suppressed.

  Next, the carriage 4 is moved relative to the substrate P in the direction of the arrow Y2, and the droplet discharge head 9M located next to the droplet discharge head 9K is moved to a predetermined region of the substrate P as shown in FIG. It is positioned directly above E2, that is, directly above the thin film FK. Subsequently, a photocurable ink IM corresponding to M (magenta) is discharged from the droplet discharge head 9M, and a desired amount of ink IM is disposed on the thin film FK on the predetermined region E2. Then, since the thin film FK has already hardened, the ink IK and the ink IM that have become the thin film FK are not mixed, and the ink IM is superimposed on the thin film FK.

  Next, the carriage 4 is moved relative to the substrate P in the direction of the arrow Y1, and as shown in FIG. 10B, the ink curing disposed on one side of the droplet discharge head 9M in the Y direction (second direction). The light irradiation means 12M is positioned immediately above the predetermined area E2, that is, immediately above the ink IM. Subsequently, the ink IM on the predetermined region E2 is cured by irradiating light (for example, ultraviolet rays) from the ink curing light irradiation unit 12M, thereby forming the thin film FM. Then, since the ink IM is cured immediately after it is ejected, the ink IM can be prevented from spreading and flowing down from the thin film FK, for example.

  Thereafter, similarly, the carriage 4 is relatively moved, and after the droplet discharge head 9M positioned next to the droplet discharge head 9M is positioned on the predetermined area E2 to discharge the ink IC, the carriage 4 is further moved relative to the carriage 4. Then, the adjacent ink curing light irradiation means 12C is positioned on the predetermined region E2, and the thin film FC is superimposed on the thin film FM by light irradiation. Further, the carriage 4 is relatively moved, the droplet discharge head 9Y located next to the droplet discharge head 9C is positioned on the predetermined area E2, and the ink IY is discharged. The adjacent ink curing light irradiation means 12Y is positioned on the predetermined region E2, and the thin film FY is superimposed on the thin film FM by irradiating light.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 10C, the laminated film F2 can be formed on the predetermined region E2 by laminating the thin film FP, the thin film FK, the thin film FM, the thin film FC, and the thin film FY in this order. That is, it is possible to obtain a laminated film F2 in which the order of stacking of the thin films is the same as that of the laminated film F1 formed in the outward path. In addition, since the ink is sequentially arranged on the thin film cured by light irradiation, the inks corresponding to the respective colors are stacked in a desired order, and further, these are not mixed, and therefore the respective colors are mixed. In other words, it is possible to obtain the laminated film F2 stacked with a desired thickness ratio. Prior to discharging the photocurable ink from the droplet discharge head 9, the thin film FP made of the primer ink IP is formed and the predetermined region E2 of the substrate P is made lyophilic. Even in the case of the ink, the wettability of the photocurable ink can be improved.

In such a drawing apparatus 1, ink for curing the photocurable ink on each of both sides in the Y direction (second direction) with respect to all of the four droplet discharge heads 9. Since the curing light irradiation means 12 are arranged adjacent to each other, it is possible to irradiate light from the ink curing light irradiation means 12 immediately after the ink is ejected. Therefore, all the droplet ejection heads 9 are immediately after the ink is ejected. This can be cured. Further, even when the ejection from the droplet ejection head 9 is performed in a reciprocating manner in the Y direction, it can be cured immediately after the ink is ejected in any of the reciprocating operations.
Further, prior to discharging the photocurable ink from the droplet discharge head 9, the thin film FP made of the primer ink IP is formed and the predetermined regions E1 and E2 of the substrate P are lyophilic, so that the surface of the substrate P is Even in the case of liquid repellency, the wettability of the photocurable ink can be improved.

  The arrangement order of the plurality of types of droplet discharge heads 9 that discharge different photocurable inks is symmetrically arranged so that the order from one side in the Y direction is the same as the order from the other side. Therefore, the discharge order of different photocurable inks can be made the same in the forward path and the backward path. Accordingly, by curing each ink immediately after ejection and laminating, it is possible to perform drawing under the same conditions with the same stacking order (stacking order) in the forward path and the return path. It is possible to draw with a good color tone as desired for the color tone.

Therefore, according to the drawing apparatus 1, particularly when the carriage 4 is reciprocated, even when ink is ejected in both the forward path and the backward path, the color tone of a pattern or the like is drawn with a desired color tone as desired. Therefore, the drawing quality (printing quality) can be improved.
The drawing quality can also be improved by making the surface of the substrate P lyophilic and improving the wettability of the photocurable ink.
Furthermore, by curing the photocurable ink immediately after it is ejected, wetting and spreading of the ink can be suppressed, and another ink is layered on the cured thin film, so that different inks are mixed. Can also be prevented. Therefore, it is possible to achieve particularly high definition by fully utilizing the characteristics of the photocurable ink, and it is possible to obtain a pattern with a good color tone.

  In the above-described embodiment, in particular, eight droplet discharge heads 9 are arranged so that four on one side and four on the other side are used as separate groups, but two liquids located in the center are used. As for the droplet discharge head 9Y, only one of the droplet discharge heads 9Y may be disposed so as to be used on one side and the other side, that is, both the forward path and the return path.

Further, in the above example, as the movement direction of the carriage 4, ink is ejected using all four types of droplet ejection heads 9 in both the forward path and the backward path. However, the ink is ejected only to the required three or less heads for the portions that do not require four types of ink.
In that case, it is preferable to control the ink curing light irradiation means 12 corresponding to the droplet discharge head 9 that has not discharged ink so as not to emit light. This is because it is possible to prevent the thin film F from being deteriorated by applying excessive light irradiation to the previously formed thin film F by not irradiating the position where the ink is not discharged. .

FIG. 11 is a view showing another embodiment of the drawing apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the carriage 4. This drawing apparatus is different from the drawing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 3 and the like, as shown in FIG. 11, a primer ink discharge head 17 and droplet discharge for discharging the same kind of photocurable ink to the carriage 4. A plurality of heads 9 are provided in a state of being arranged along the X direction (first direction).
If a plurality of primer ink ejection heads 17 and a plurality of droplet ejection heads 9 are arranged in this way, when ink is ejected while moving in the Y direction (second direction), one scan (one scan) is performed. The area to be ejected and cured can be increased in proportion to the number of ejecting heads 9 and 17 arranged, so that the drawing efficiency can be increased and the productivity can be improved.

In this case, the surface treatment light irradiating means 18 and the ink curing light irradiating means 12 are also required to be arranged next to each other with a length corresponding to the length of each of the ejection heads 9 and 17. . At this time, for the surface treatment light irradiation means 18 and the ink curing light irradiation means 12, the plurality of light sources 13b shown in FIGS. 5 (b) and 5 (c) has a space 15 between a pair of adjacent light sources 13b. The plurality of primer ink discharge heads 17 and the droplet discharge heads 9 are disposed so as to correspond to a pair of adjacent heads 9.
With such a configuration, the surface treatment light irradiation means 18 and the ink curing light irradiation means 12 are arranged such that the light source 13b is disposed between the ejection heads 9 and 17 where the nozzle N is not disposed, so that the light source 13b at this position However, it does not contribute to ink curing and is prevented from being wasted.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the embodiment, as the surface treatment means for the substrate P, the primer ink discharge head 17 and the surface treatment light irradiation means 18 for irradiating light for curing the photocurable primer ink discharged therefrom are provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In particular, when the surface of the substrate P can be modified (for example, lyophilic) by simply irradiating light, the primer ink discharge head 17 is not provided. The surface treatment means may be constituted only by the surface treatment light irradiation means 18.
Furthermore, it is also possible to provide only the droplet discharge head 9 and the ink curing light irradiation means 12 without providing such surface treatment light irradiation means 18.

Further, for example, the nozzles N of the droplet discharge head 9 are grouped for each predetermined region, and one or a plurality of light sources 13b in the ink curing light irradiation means 12 are associated with each group, thereby allowing the liquid to be liquidated. Ink ejection and curing by light irradiation may be controlled for each group of nozzles N instead of each droplet ejection head 9. Specifically, when ink is ejected from at least one nozzle N in the corresponding group, light is emitted by the corresponding light source 13b, and all the nozzles N in the corresponding group eject ink. If there is no light, the control device 8 may perform control so that the corresponding light source 13b does not emit light.
In this way, light is not irradiated to a position where ink is not ejected. Therefore, excessive light irradiation is performed on the substrate surface or the previously formed thin film F, thereby altering the substrate surface or reducing the thin film F. Deterioration can be prevented.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the board | substrate P and the carriage 4 are each moved in the 1st direction (X direction) and the 2nd direction (Y direction) orthogonal to this 1st direction, respectively. Although the present invention is configured by the apparatus 3 and the feeding apparatus 5, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the transport apparatus 3 is configured such that the substrate P is placed on the base 2 in the X direction (first direction) and the Y direction (second direction). It is also possible to use an XY stage that can be moved in both directions (directions), and this XY stage may be used as the moving device of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Drawing apparatus, 2 ... Base, 3 ... Conveying device (moving device), 4 ... Carriage, 5 ... Feeding device (moving device), 6 ... Work stage, 7 ... Stage moving device, 8 ... Control device, 9, 9Y, 9C, 9M, 9K ... droplet discharge head, 10 ... tube (piping), 11, 11Y, 11C, 11M, 11K ... tank, 12, 12Y, 12C, 12M, 12K ... ink curing light irradiation means, 13a, 13b ... light source, 17 ... primer ink discharge head, 18 ... surface treatment light irradiation means (light irradiation source), N ... nozzle, NA ... nozzle row, P ... substrate, X direction (first direction), Y direction (second) direction)

Claims (13)

A drawing device that discharges photocurable ink onto a substrate, irradiates the discharged photocurable ink with light to cure the photocurable ink, and draws on the substrate,
A base on which the substrate is placed;
A droplet discharge head for discharging the photocurable ink;
A carriage comprising a plurality of the droplet discharge heads;
A moving device that relatively moves the substrate and the carriage in a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction,
The plurality of droplet discharge heads includes a plurality of types of droplet discharge heads that discharge different photo-curable inks, and the plurality of types of droplet discharge heads are arranged along the second direction. And the arrangement order of the plurality of types of droplet discharge heads is the same as the order from one side in the second direction and the order from the other side. Arranged symmetrically in the second direction,
The carriage has ink curing light irradiation means for curing the photocurable ink on both sides of the droplet ejection head in the second direction with respect to all the droplet ejection heads. A drawing apparatus characterized by being arranged next to each other.   2. The ink curing light irradiating means has a wavelength corresponding to an optimum curing wavelength of the light curable ink ejected by a corresponding droplet ejection head, respectively. Drawing device.   The carriage has a surface on the outside of the outermost ink curing light irradiation unit among the droplet discharge heads and the ink curing light irradiation unit arranged along the second direction. The drawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein surface processing means for processing is provided.   4. The drawing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the surface treatment means comprises a light irradiation source for irradiating surface treatment light for surface treatment of the substrate.   The surface treatment means irradiates a primer ink discharge head for discharging a photocurable primer ink for surface treatment of the substrate, and light for curing the photocurable primer ink, and the primer ink The drawing apparatus according to claim 3, comprising: a light irradiation source disposed adjacent to an inside of the ejection head in the second direction.   6. The ink curing light irradiation unit is arranged such that a light emitting surface thereof is positioned higher than a nozzle surface of a corresponding droplet discharge head. 6. Drawing device.   The drawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cooling unit is provided in the vicinity of the ink curing light irradiation unit.   A tank that stores photocurable ink is connected to the droplet discharge head via a pipe, and at least one of the droplet discharge head, the pipe, and the tank includes the photocurable type. The drawing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a heating unit for adjusting the viscosity of the ink. The droplet discharge head is formed by arranging a plurality of nozzles in a direction intersecting the second direction,
The ink curing light irradiation means includes a plurality of light sources, and the light sources are arranged in a direction intersecting the second direction.
9. The ink curing light irradiation means, wherein a pair of adjacent light sources in the plurality of light sources is arranged correspondingly between a pair of adjacent nozzles in the plurality of nozzles. The drawing apparatus according to any one of the above.   10. The carriage includes a plurality of droplet discharge heads that discharge the same type of photocurable ink in a state of being arranged along the first direction. The drawing device according to one item. The ink curing light irradiation means includes a plurality of light sources, and the light sources are arranged in a direction intersecting the second direction.
The ink curing light irradiating means includes a plurality of droplet discharge heads arranged in the first direction between a pair of adjacent light sources at predetermined positions in the plurality of light sources. The drawing device according to claim 10, wherein the drawing devices are arranged correspondingly.   The said ink curing light irradiation means consists of at least 1 type selected from a light emitting diode, a laser diode, a mercury lamp lamp, a metal halide lamp, a xenon lamp, and an excimer lamp, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. Drawing device.     The drawing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the light source is a light emitting diode.

Images