JP2010227729A - Filling liquid for liquid discharge apparatus, liquid discharge head, liquid discharge apparatus, and transporting or keeping method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a filling liquid capable of preventing the discharge defects of a liquid discharge apparatus loaded with a liquid discharge head, and a method of filling the filling liquid and transporting or keeping the liquid discharge head and the liquid discharge apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: (1) The filling liquid for the liquid discharge apparatus is the filling liquid to be filled in the liquid discharge head and contains silicone oil. (2) The liquid discharge head is filled with the filling liquid. (3) The liquid discharge apparatus is loaded with the liquid discharge head. (4) The method of transporting or keeping the liquid discharge head filled with the filling liquid is provided. (5) The method of transporting or keeping the liquid discharge apparatus loaded with the liquid discharge head while the filling liquid is filled in the liquid discharge head is provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a filling liquid for a liquid ejection apparatus, a liquid ejection head filled with the filling liquid, a liquid ejection apparatus equipped with the liquid ejection head, and a method of transporting or storing them. As used herein, the liquid ejection device refers to a device that forms an image by ejecting liquid onto a medium such as paper, thread, fiber, fabric, leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood, ceramics, etc. “Formation” means not only giving an image having a meaning such as a character or a figure to a medium but also giving an image having no meaning such as a pattern to the medium. Further, the liquid is not limited to a recording liquid and ink, and is not particularly limited as long as it is a liquid capable of forming an image. Further, the liquid ejection apparatus means an apparatus that ejects liquid from a liquid ejection head, and is not limited to an apparatus that forms an image, but is particularly suitable for application as an ink jet recording apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for the purpose of improving dischargeability of discharged liquid in a liquid discharge apparatus, the liquid discharge head is transported or stored in a state where the liquid is filled, and the main solvent (for example, water) is used as the liquid for filling. , Solutions containing surfactants, humectants, etc. but not solids have been used.
However, even after the discharge liquid is discharged from the head, it is difficult to completely remove the discharge liquid even if the inside of the flow path is washed and filled with the fill liquid. Will be mixed. Therefore, if the discharge liquid contains an adhesive solid content, the remaining solid content (a small amount of residue) in the discharge liquid adheres to the nozzle inner wall, discharge port, etc. Discharge defects such as bending of the liquid will occur. However, the conventional filling liquid cannot sufficiently solve this problem.
As a prior art, Patent Document 1 proposes a filling liquid that assumes agglomeration of dyes and pigments, but it cannot cope with recent pigment inks, particularly inks containing a large amount of solids.
The present inventor has also proposed a filling liquid containing a polyoxyalkylene monoalkyl ether having a specific structure (see Patent Document 2), but this invention improves the refillability of the ink and mixes the filling liquid and the ink during refilling. The purpose of this is to suppress the generation of aggregates, and there is almost no effect on ejection failure caused by a small amount of residue in the filling liquid.
In particular, recently, the discharge liquid has been containing various solids, while high-resolution images and patterning accuracy have been demanded, and the tolerance to the bending of the discharge liquid has been reduced compared to the prior art. Therefore, it is important to prevent the discharge failure.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a filling liquid that can prevent ejection failure of a liquid ejection apparatus equipped with a liquid ejection head, and a method for transporting or storing the liquid ejection head and the liquid ejection apparatus by filling the filling liquid. .

The present inventor has found that the inclusion of the silicone oil as a mold release component in the filling liquid can prevent the trace residue from adhering and can prevent discharge defects such as discharge bending. Further, if the liquid discharge head or the liquid discharge apparatus equipped with the discharge head is transported or stored in a state in which the discharge liquid flow path is filled with the filling liquid of the present invention, the minute amount on the inner wall of the liquid flow path, the discharge port, etc. It has also been found that adhesion of residues can be prevented.
That is, the above problems are solved by the following inventions 1) to 7).
1) A filling liquid for filling a liquid discharge head, which contains silicone oil, and is a filling liquid for a liquid discharge apparatus.
2) The filling liquid for liquid discharge device according to 1), wherein the silicone oil is a polyether-modified silicone oil.
3) The filling liquid for a liquid ejection device according to 2), wherein the amount of the polyether-modified silicone oil added is 0.05 to 1.0% by weight.
4) A liquid discharge head, which is filled with the filling liquid according to any one of 1) to 3).
5) A liquid discharge apparatus comprising the liquid discharge head according to 4).
6) A method for transporting or storing a liquid discharge head, wherein the method is transported or stored in a state in which the filling liquid according to any one of 1) to 3) is filled.
7) A method for transporting or storing a liquid ejection apparatus equipped with a liquid ejection head, wherein the liquid ejection head is transported or stored in a state in which the filling liquid according to any one of 1) to 3) is filled in the liquid ejection head.

  According to the present invention, in a liquid ejection apparatus equipped with a liquid ejection head such as an ink jet recording apparatus, a filling liquid capable of preventing ejection failure such as ejection bending, and a liquid ejection head or a liquid ejection apparatus filled with the filling liquid A method of transporting or storing the product can be provided.

Explanatory drawing of an example of a head manufacturing process and an image forming apparatus manufacturing process. The figure explaining one Embodiment of a liquid discharge apparatus.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
The filling liquid is, for example, filled in the head until the manufactured inkjet head is used by a user (filled with ink), thereby preventing head deterioration and ink filling. The improvement of property etc. is aimed at.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, in the head manufacturing process, after assembling the head, it is confirmed that there is no problem such as scratches by visual inspection, and then a test liquid (equivalent to ink) is put into the head. Fill.
Thereafter, the test liquid is discharged from the head to evaluate the discharge performance. If it is a non-defective product, the test liquid is washed and filled with the filling liquid, and then packed and sent to the next image forming apparatus manufacturing process.
In the image forming apparatus manufacturing process, after assembling the head filled with the filling liquid into the image forming apparatus, the inspection liquid is filled into the head, and the inspection liquid is discharged from the head to confirm the image formation. After cleaning the test solution and filling the filling solution, it is packed and shipped.

The silicone oil used in the present invention is a linear polymer composed of a bifunctional siloxane unit having a relatively low degree of polymerization. Modified silicone oils are those in which a part of the methyl group of dimethyl silicone oil is substituted with an organic group, and are classified into reactive silicone oil and non-reactive silicone oil. Examples of reactive silicone oils include amino-modified, epoxy-modified, carboxy-modified, and methacryl-modified silicone oils. Non-reactive silicone oils include polyether-modified, methylstyryl-modified, long-chain alkyl-modified, fluoro-modified, and phenyl. Examples thereof include modified silicone oil.
The content of silicone oil in the filling liquid is preferably 0.01 to 5.0% by weight, particularly preferably 0.05 to 1.0% by weight. If it is 0.01% by weight or more, the release function of the fixed substance is sufficiently exhibited, and if it is 5.0% by weight or less, there is no influence on the storage stability of the filling liquid.

Among the silicone oils, polyether-modified silicone oils are preferable, and particularly effective when a moisturizing agent is contained or when a polyoxyalkylene monoalkyl ether represented by the general formula (1) described later is contained as a surfactant. .
Polyether-modified silicone oil has moderate dispersibility in the filling liquid compared to dimethyl silicone oil that is not polyether-modified, so that the storage stability of the filling liquid is increased and the anti-sticking effect is also stable. It is thought that it may be obtained.
The polyether-modified silicone oil has a polyoxyalkylene group which is an adduct of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide in dimethylpolysiloxane, and has a balance between hydrophilicity and lipophilicity (HLB) depending on the number of polyoxyalkylene groups. Can be controlled in various ways, and can be selected and used depending on the discharge liquid. Usually, the polyether-modified type silicone oil has an HLB in the range of about 5 to 15, and the unmodified one has an HLB close to 0 (zero).
Commercially available products of these silicone oils can be used. For example, Toray Dow Corning: SH-200, FZ-2123, L-7604, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd .: KF-353, Nihon Unicar Co., Ltd .: SS- 2801, SS-2804, and the like.

Examples of constituents of the filling liquid other than silicone oil include solvents, surfactants, humectants, and other additives. The materials of these constituent components are not particularly limited, but those which are common constituents with the discharge liquid and do not contain solid content are preferable.
The solvent is mainly water, but a water-soluble organic solvent or the like can also be mixed and used. Examples of the water-soluble organic solvent include ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, glycerin, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, 1 Polyhydric alcohols such as 1,2,4-butanetriol, 1,2,3-butanetriol, petriol, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, Polyhydric alcohol alkyl ethers such as tetraethylene glycol monomethyl ether and propylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycol Polyhydric alcohol aryl ethers such as phenyl ether and ethylene glycol monobenzyl ether, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-hydroxyethyl-2-pyrrolidone, 2-pyrrolidone, 1,3-dimethylimidazolidinone, ε-caprolactam Nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds such as formamide, amides such as N-methylformamide, N, N-dimethylformamide, amines such as monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine, monoethylamine, diethylamine, and triethylamine, dimethyl sulfoxide, Examples include sulfur-containing compounds such as sulfolane and thiodiethanol, propylene carbonate, ethylene carbonate, and γ-butyrolactone.

The surfactant is added as necessary to improve the filling property of the filling liquid into the liquid channel, the refilling property of the discharged liquid, and the mixing stability of the filling solution. Any of an anionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant, an amphoteric surfactant, and the like may be used.
As an anionic surfactant, alkyl allyl or alkyl naphthalene sulfonate, alkyl phosphate, alkyl sulfate, alkyl sulfonate, alkyl ether sulfate, alkyl sulfosuccinate, alkyl ester sulfate, alkyl benzene sulfonate, Alkyl diphenyl ether disulfonate, alkyl aryl ether phosphate, alkyl aryl ether sulfate, alkyl aryl ether ester sulfate, olefin sulfonate, alkane olefin sulfonate, polyoxyethylene alkyl ether phosphate, polyoxyethylene alkyl Examples include ether sulfate ester salts, ether carboxylates, sulfosuccinates, α-sulfo fatty acid esters, fatty acid salts, condensates of higher fatty acids and amino acids, and naphthenates. It is.
Examples of the cationic surfactant include alkylamine salts, dialkylamine salts, aliphatic amine salts, benzalkonium salts, quaternary ammonium salts, alkylpyridinium salts, imidazolinium salts, sulfonium salts, phosphonium salts, and the like.

Nonionic surfactants include polyoxyethylene alkyl ether, polyoxyethylene alkyl allyl ether, polyoxyethylene alkyl phenyl ether, polyoxyethylene glycol ester, polyoxyethylene fatty acid amide, polyoxyethylene fatty acid ester, polyoxyethylene polyoxy Propylene glycol, glycerin ester, sorbitan ester, sucrose ester, glycerin ester polyoxyethylene ether, sorbitan ester polyoxyethylene ether, sorbitol ester polyoxyethylene ether, fatty acid alkanolamide, amine oxide, polyoxyethylene alkylamine, Glycerin fatty acid ester, sorbitan fatty acid ester, polyoxyethylene sorbitan fat Esters, polyoxyethylene sorbitol fatty acid esters, alkyl (poly) Gurikokishido like.
Examples of amphoteric surfactants include imidazoline derivatives such as imidazolinium betaine, dimethylalkyl lauryl betaine, alkyl glycine, and alkyldi (aminoethyl) glycine.

上記一般式（１）におけるｍ，ｎ，ｘ，ｙの値を変えることにより、疎水性、親水性の制御ができる。ｍ，ｎを増やすとアルキル部が長くなり疎水性に傾き、ｘ，ｙを増やすとオキシアルキレン部が長くなり親水性に傾く。さらに、ｘ，ｙの比率を変えることによっても特性が変化し、泡性状等が異なるので、使用用途にあったものを選択できる。 In the present invention, a polyoxyalkylene monoalkyl ether represented by the following general formula (1) of a nonionic surfactant is particularly effective. The content in the filling liquid is preferably 0.01 to 10% by weight, more preferably 0.05 to 1.0% by weight. If the content is 0.01% by weight or more, the effect of improving the filling property appears, and if it is 10% by weight or less, problems such as storage stability and foaming property of the filling liquid itself do not occur.

Hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity can be controlled by changing the values of m, n, x, and y in the general formula (1). Increasing m and n makes the alkyl part longer and tends to be hydrophobic, and increasing x and y makes the oxyalkylene part longer and tends to be hydrophilic. Furthermore, since the characteristics are changed and the foam properties are different by changing the ratio of x and y, the one suitable for the intended use can be selected.

The humectant is mainly contained for the purpose of preventing the filling liquid from drying in the flow path and preventing foaming.
Examples of the humectant include water-soluble polyhydric alcohols, nitrogen-containing hydrocarbon solvents, sulfur-containing hydrocarbon solvents and the like, and a plurality of these may be contained.
Among these, water-soluble polyhydric alcohols are preferable, and specific examples include ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 2-ethyl-1, Examples include 3-hexanediol, glycerin, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, 1,3-butanediol, 1,2,4-butanetriol, 1,2,3-butanetriol, and petriol.

Examples of other additives include pH adjusters, antiseptic / antifungal agents, and antifoaming agents.
Examples of pH adjusters include hydroxides of alkali metal elements such as lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide, alkali metal carbonates such as lithium carbonate, sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate, and quaternary ammonium hydroxides. And amines such as diethanolamine and triethanolamine, ammonium hydroxide, and quaternary phosphonium hydroxide.
Examples of antiseptic / antifungal agents include 1,2-benzisothiazolin-3-one, sodium benzoate, sodium dehydroacetate, sodium sorbate, sodium pentachlorophenol, sodium 2-pyridinethiol-1-oxide, and the like.

Examples of antifoaming agents include fats and oils, fatty acids, fatty acid esters, alcohols, ethers, phosphate esters, amines, sulfonate esters, and silicones. As such, a silicone-based antifoaming agent is mainly used.
Many silicone-based antifoaming agents have excellent foam-breaking effects when added in a small amount. There are oil-type, compound-type, self-emulsification-type, emulsion-type, etc., but they are reliable in consideration of use in aqueous systems. It is preferable to use a self-emulsification type or an emulsion type in order to ensure the above.
However, since these also contain a particle component, they have an excellent bubble breaking effect, but the possibility of adhering and remaining in the flow path increases. The filling liquid of the present invention is particularly effective when the ink containing such an antifoaming agent is a discharge liquid. In addition, modified silicone-based antifoaming agents such as amino-modified, carbinol-modified, methacryl-modified, polyether-modified, alkyl-modified, higher fatty acid ester-modified, alkylene oxide-modified, etc. may be used.
Examples of commercially available silicone antifoaming agents include KS508, KS531, KM72, and KM85 manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd., Q2-3183A and SH5510 manufactured by Toray Dow Corning, SAG30 manufactured by Nihon Unicar, Inc. Examples include the Adecanate series manufactured by the company.
The addition amount of the antifoaming agent is preferably in the range of 0.01 to 3% by weight.

Examples of the ejected liquid include ink for ink jet recording (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as ink).
Examples of ink constituents include coloring materials, wetting agents, water-soluble organic solvents, surfactants, resins, and other additives (pH adjusters, antiseptic / antifungal agents, rust preventives, water-soluble UV absorbers, Water-soluble infrared absorbers, etc.). When this ink dries, solid components such as coloring materials and resins remain as sticking residues in the nozzles, which cause discharge defects such as bending.
What is dispersed without dissolving in a solvent, such as a pigment as a color material or a resin emulsion, tends to become a fixed residue. Some pigments have re-dispersibility, but once the resin emulsion is fixed, it does not re-disperse even when it comes into contact with the discharge liquid, and it is often added to give fixing properties and has an adhesive function. Therefore, it easily adheres to the inner wall of the nozzle, and the filling liquid of the present invention is particularly effective for such ink.

As the coloring material, conventionally known various dyes and pigments can be used. As described above, when a pigment is used, a sticking residue tends to occur, and the present invention is particularly useful. In addition, as a pigment (for example, carbon), a self-dispersed pigment which has a functional group such as a sulfone group or a carboxyl group added to the surface thereof and can be dispersed in water, or the pigment is included in a microcapsule, and the pigment is dispersed in water. It may be possible.
The addition amount of the pigment as the coloring material is preferably about 0.5 to 25% by weight, more preferably about 2 to 15% by weight. In general, when the pigment concentration is increased, the image density is increased and the image quality is improved. However, the reliability such as fixing property, ejection stability, and clogging tends to be adversely affected.
The particle diameter of the pigment is not particularly limited, but a pigment ink having a particle diameter of 20 to 150 nm in terms of the maximum frequency in terms of the maximum number is preferable. When the particle diameter exceeds 150 nm, not only the pigment dispersion stability in the ink is deteriorated, but also the ejection stability is deteriorated, and the image quality such as the image density is lowered, which is not preferable. If the particle size is less than 20 nm, the storage stability of the ink and the jetting characteristics in the printer are stable, but the dispersion operation and classification operation for making such a fine particle size become complicated, and the ink is produced economically. It is difficult.
As the dispersant for dispersing the pigment, conventionally known dispersants can be used, and examples thereof include a polymer dispersant and a water-soluble surfactant.

The resin added to the ink is used as necessary for the purpose of improving the image fixing property, improving the image quality, and improving the pigment dispersibility.
As the resin, various known synthetic or natural polymer compounds can be used. Further, instead of a resin that is soluble in a solvent, a resin emulsion dispersed as fine particles in a solvent may be used, and a known or commercially available resin emulsion may be used.
Other components of the ink, such as a wetting agent, a water-soluble organic solvent, a surfactant, a pH adjuster, and an antiseptic / antifungal agent, are the same as those of the filling liquid and are not particularly limited.

Next, an embodiment of the liquid ejection apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. The liquid ejection apparatus according to the present embodiment is an ink jet printer, and forms an image by ejecting, for example, four colors (black, yellow, cyan, magenta) of ink onto a recording medium such as printing paper.
The ink jet printer 1 includes four ink jet heads 11 for ejecting ink of each color, a carriage 12 on which the four ink jet heads 11 are mounted, and a carriage 12 in the main scanning direction (left and right in the figure) by a drive system (not shown). A guide rod 13 that guides the movement and a paper transport mechanism 14 that transports the print paper P in the sub-scanning direction (vertical direction in the figure) are provided. The paper transport mechanism 14 includes a transport roller 15 that is rotated by a drive system (not shown), a tension roller 16, and a transport belt 17 that is stretched between them.
Each inkjet head 11 includes a piezoelectric actuator made of a piezoelectric element. Of course, another actuator for discharging ink, for example, a thermal actuator, a shape memory alloy actuator, or an electrostatic actuator may be provided.
Further, the ink jet printer 1 includes four ink cartridges 18 that store ink of each color, four sub tanks 19 mounted on the carriage 12 and connected to each ink jet head 11, each ink cartridge 18, and each sub tank 19. An ink supply tube (not shown) that communicates is provided, and the ink of each color accommodated in each ink cartridge 18 is supplied to each inkjet head 11 via each sub tank 19. That is, the liquid flow path of the ink jet printer 1 is configured by the ink supply tube, the sub tank 19, and the in-head flow path of the ink jet head 11. The ink supply tube is provided with a supply pump (not shown) for supplying the ink in the ink cartridge 18 to the sub tank 19.
When the liquid repellent layer on the liquid discharge surface side of the discharge liquid flow path inner wall and / or the nozzle plate of the liquid discharge head is formed of a silicone resin that is liable to cause adhesion residue, the filling liquid of the present invention Great effect.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. In the examples, “part” is “part by weight”. Moreover, although the example of the filling liquid for inkjet recording apparatuses was given as an Example, this invention is not limited to this, It is applicable also to liquid discharge apparatuses, such as the above-mentioned patterning apparatus.

Example 1
<Ink>
The materials having the following formulation were mixed and stirred, and then filtered through a 1.0 μm filter to prepare a black ink.
CAB-O-JET 200 (sulfone group addition type) (Cabot) 20.0 parts Surfactant (ECTD3NEX: manufactured by Nikko Chemicals) 1.5 parts Acrylic silicone resin emulsion 8 parts (Nanoacryl SBCX-2821: (Toyo Ink)
・ Glycerin 15.0 parts ・ 1,3-butanediol 7.5 parts ・ Antifoaming agent (KM-72F: manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) 0.1 part ・ Pure water 55.9 parts

<Filling liquid>
The materials having the following formulation were mixed and stirred, and then filtered through a 0.1 μm filter to prepare a filling liquid.
-0.01 part of polyether-modified silicone oil (FZ-2123: manufactured by Toray Dow Corning)
・ Surfactant (Softanol EP-7005: manufactured by Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.) 1.0 part ・ Glycerin 15.0 parts ・ 1,3-Butanediol 7.5 parts ・ Antifoamer (KM-72F: manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) 0 .05 parts ・ Pure water 76.44 parts

On the surface of the Ni electroforming nozzle, a silicone resin (SR-2411 manufactured by Toray Dow Corning Silicone Co., Ltd.) was applied by a spray method to form a silicone layer having a thickness of about 1.0 μm. At that time, the nozzle hole and the back surface of the nozzle plate were masked with a water-soluble resin, a silicone layer was applied and formed, and then the masking resin was peeled off. Next, the ink-repellent layer was cured by heating at 200 ° C. for 1 hour to prepare a nozzle plate made of Ni / silicone resin.
Subsequently, a head was manufactured using this nozzle plate, and mounted on an ink jet printer (Ricoh: IPSiO G707) having the configuration shown in FIG. 2, and the following evaluation was performed.
In advance, the ink was filled and printing was performed, and it was confirmed that ink was ejected from all the nozzles and that there were no streaks, white spots, or ejection disturbance in the solid portion.
Next, after sucking ink from the front of the nozzle with an external pump, pure water was supplied from the supply port using the supply pump of the inkjet printer, and the operation of sucking pure water from the front of the nozzle with the pump was repeated five times. Subsequently, the filling liquid was supplied from the supply port, a moisture retention cap was applied to the nozzle surface, and the printer was stored in a 60 ° C., 50% RH environment for one month.
Thereafter, the ink was refilled, printing was performed, and the presence or absence of streaks in the 5% chart solid portion, white spots, and ejection disturbance was visually evaluated. The evaluation criteria are as follows. The results are shown in Table 1.
In addition, the printing pattern printed each ink at 100% duty in a chart in which each color printing area is 5% in the entire area of the paper. The printing conditions were a recording density of 360 dpi and one-pass printing.
A: There are no white spots, streaks, or jet disturbance in the solid part.
◯: There are no white spots in the solid portion, but some streaks and jet disturbance are observed.
Δ: White spots, streaks, and jet disturbance are partially observed in the solid portion.
X: White spots, streaks, and jet disturbances are observed in the whole area.

In addition to the above evaluation, the storage stability of the filling liquid was measured by measuring the rate of change in viscosity when the filling liquid having the following formulation was put in a sealed container and stored at 70 ° C. for one month, and evaluated according to the following criteria. . The results are shown in Table 1.
% Change in viscosity: (viscosity after storage-initial viscosity) x 100 / initial viscosity
○: Viscosity change rate within ± 5%
Δ: Viscosity change rate exceeds ± 5%, but less than ± 10%
×: Viscosity change rate ± 10% or more

Example 2
Evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the formulation of the filling liquid was changed as follows.
The results are shown in Table 1.
<Filling liquid>
・ 0.05 parts of polyether-modified silicone oil (FZ-2123: manufactured by Toray Dow Corning)
・ Surfactant (Softanol EP-7005: manufactured by Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.) 1.0 part ・ Glycerin 15.0 parts ・ 1,3-butanediol 7.5 parts ・ Antifoamer (KM-72F: manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) 0 .05 parts ・ Pure water 76.4 parts

Example 3
Evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the formulation of the filling liquid was changed as follows.
The results are shown in Table 1.
<Filling liquid>
-Polyether-modified silicone oil 0.1 part (FZ-2123: manufactured by Toray Dow Corning)
・ Surfactant (Softanol EP-7005: manufactured by Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.) 1.0 part ・ Glycerin 15.0 parts ・ 1,3-butanediol 7.5 parts ・ Antifoamer (KM-72F: manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) 0 .05 parts ・ Pure water 76.35 parts

Example 4
Evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the formulation of the filling liquid was changed as follows.
The results are shown in Table 1.
<Filling liquid>
-Polyether-modified silicone oil 1.0 part (FZ-2123: manufactured by Toray Dow Corning)
・ Surfactant (Softanol EP-7005: manufactured by Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.) 1.0 part ・ Glycerin 15.0 parts ・ 1,3-butanediol 7.5 parts ・ Antifoamer (KM-72F: manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) 0 .05 parts ・ Pure water 75.45 parts

Example 5
Evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the formulation of the filling liquid was changed as follows.
The results are shown in Table 1.
<Filling liquid>
・ Polyether-modified silicone oil 2.0 parts (FZ-2123: manufactured by Toray Dow Corning)
・ Surfactant (Softanol EP-7005: manufactured by Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.) 1.0 part ・ Glycerin 15.0 parts ・ 1,3-butanediol 7.5 parts ・ Antifoamer (KM-72F: manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) 0 .05 parts ・ Pure water 74.45 parts

Example 6
Evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the formulation of the ink and the filling liquid was changed as follows. The results are shown in Table 1.
<Ink>
The materials having the following formulation were mixed and stirred, and then filtered through a 1.0 μm filter to prepare a black ink.
CAB-O-JET 200 (sulfone group addition type) (Cabot) 20 parts Surfactant (FS-300: manufactured by Du Pont) 1.5 parts polyurethane resin emulsion (W5661: manufactured by Mitsui Takeda Chemical) 2.5 parts-Glycerin 15.0 parts-1,3-butanediol 7.5 parts-Antifoaming agent (BYK-23: manufactured by BYK Chemie) 0.2 part-Pure water 54.65 parts

<Filling liquid>
The materials having the following formulation were mixed and stirred, and then filtered through a 1.0 μm filter to prepare a filling liquid.
・ Polyether-modified silicone oil (KF-353: manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) 1.0 part ・ Surfactant (Softanol EP-9050: manufactured by Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.) 1.0 part ・ Glycerin 15.0 parts ・ 1,3-butane Diol 7.5 parts ・ Pure water 75.5 parts

Example 7
Evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 6 except that the formulation of the filling liquid was changed as follows.
The results are shown in Table 1.
<Filling liquid>
-Polyether-modified silicone oil 1.0 part (L-7604: manufactured by Toray Dow Corning)
・ Surfactant (Softanol EP-9050: Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.) 1.0 part ・ Pure water 98.0 parts

Example 8
Evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 6 except that the formulation of the filling liquid was changed as follows.
The results are shown in Table 1.
<Filling liquid>
-Polyether-modified silicone oil 4.0 parts (SS-2804: manufactured by Nihon Unicar)
・ Surfactant (ECTD3NEX: Nikko Chemicals) 1.5 parts ・ Glycerin 15.0 parts ・ 1,3-butanediol 7.5 parts ・ Pure water 72.0 parts

Example 9
Evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the formulation of the ink and the filling liquid was changed as follows. The results are shown in Table 1.
<Ink>
The materials having the following formulation were mixed and stirred, and then filtered through a 0.8 μm filter to prepare a cyan ink.
First, C.I. I. Pigment cyan 15: 3 was subjected to low-temperature plasma treatment to prepare a pigment into which a carboxylic acid group was introduced. A dispersion of this in ion-exchanged water was desalted and concentrated with an ultrafiltration membrane to obtain a cyan pigment dispersion having a pigment concentration of 15%.
・ Cyan pigment dispersion 20.0 parts ・ Surfactant (ECTD3NEX: manufactured by Nikko Chemicals) 1.0 part ・ Acrylic silicone resin emulsion (AP4710: manufactured by Showa Polymer Co., Ltd.) 3.0 parts ・ Glycerin 5.2 parts ・ Diethylene glycol 15 .6 parts ・ Pure water 55.2 parts

<Filling liquid>
The materials having the following formulation were mixed and stirred, and then filtered through a 1.0 μm filter to prepare a filling liquid.
・ Polyether-modified silicone oil 3.0 parts (SS-2801: manufactured by Nihon Unicar)
・ Surfactant (Orphine E1010: manufactured by Nissin Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) 1.0 part ・ Glycerin 10.0 parts ・ Diethylene glycol 40.0 parts ・ Potassium hydroxide 0.1 part ・ Pure water 45.9 parts

Example 10
After forming a SiO ₂ layer having a thickness of about 50 nm on the surface of the Ni electroformed nozzle plate and in the nozzle hole, modified perfluoropolyoxetane (manufactured by Daikin Industries: OPTOOL DSX) is used as a fluorine-based silane coupling agent. A thickness of about 100 nm was deposited by vacuum deposition. Subsequently, it heated at 150 degreeC in air | atmosphere for 2 hours, and produced the nozzle plate which consists of a Ni / fluorine-type silane coupling agent layer.
A head is manufactured using this nozzle plate, mounted on an ink jet printer (Ricoh: IPSiO G707) having the configuration shown in FIG. 2, and the same ink as in Example 1 and the following filling liquid are used. Evaluation was performed in the same manner. The results are shown in Table 1.

<Filling liquid>
The materials having the following formulation were mixed and stirred, and then filtered through a 1.0 μm filter to prepare a filling liquid.
・ Silicone oil (SH-200: manufactured by Toray Dow Corning) 1.5 parts ・ Surfactant (Softanol EP-7025: manufactured by Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.) 1.0 part ・ Glycerin 15.0 parts ・ 1,3-butanediol 5 parts ・ Pure water 75.0 parts

Comparative Example 1
Evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the formulation of the filling liquid was changed as follows.
The results are shown in Table 1.
<Filling liquid>
・ Surfactant (Softanol EP-7005: manufactured by Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.) 1.0 part ・ Glycerin 15.0 parts ・ 1,3-butanediol 7.5 parts ・ Antifoamer (KM-72F: manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) 0 .05 parts ・ Pure water 76.45 parts

Comparative Example 2
Evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 6 except that the formulation of the filling liquid was changed as follows.
The results are shown in Table 1.
<Filling liquid>
・ Surfactant (Softanol EP-9050: Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.) 1.0 part ・ Glycerin 15.0 parts ・ 1,3-Butanediol 7.5 parts ・ Pure water 76.5 parts

Comparative Example 3
Evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 7 except that the formulation of the filling liquid was changed as follows.
The results are shown in Table 1.
<Filling liquid>
・ Surfactant (Softanol EP-9050: Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.) 1.0 part ・ Pure water 99.0 parts

Comparative Example 4
Evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 8 except that the formulation of the filling liquid was changed as follows.
The results are shown in Table 1.
<Filling liquid>
・ Surfactant (ECTD3NEX: Nikko Chemicals) 1.0 part ・ Glycerin 15.0 parts ・ 1,3-butanediol 7.5 parts ・ Pure water 76.5 parts

Comparative Example 5
Evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 9 except that the formulation of the filling liquid was changed as follows.
The results are shown in Table 1.
<Filling liquid>
・ Surfactant (Orphine E1010: manufactured by Nissin Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) 1.0 part ・ Glycerin 10.0 parts ・ Diethylene glycol 40.0 parts ・ Potassium hydroxide 0.1 part ・ Pure water 48.9 parts

Comparative Example 6
Evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 10 except that the formulation of the filling liquid was changed as follows. The results are shown in Table 1.
<Filling liquid>
-Surfactant Softanol EP-7005 (Nippon Shokubai) 1.0 part-Glycerol 15.0 parts-1,3-butanediol 7.5 parts-Pure water 76.5 parts

Comparative Example 7
Evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the formulation of the filling liquid was changed as follows.
The results are shown in Table 1.
<Filling liquid>
・ N-methylpyrrolidone 5 parts ・ Surfactant (Softanol EP-7005: manufactured by Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.) 1.0 part ・ Glycerin 10.0 parts ・ 1,3-butanediol 7.5 parts ・ Defoamer KM-72F ( Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) 0.05 parts ・ Pure water 76.45 parts

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer 11 Inkjet head 12 Carriage equipped with inkjet head 11 13 Guide rod 14 Paper transport mechanism 15 Transport roller 16 Tension roller 17 Transport belt 18 Ink cartridge 19 Sub tank P Printing paper

JP 2000-108493 A Japanese Patent No. 4155444

Claims (7)

  A filling liquid for a liquid ejection apparatus, which is a filling liquid to be filled in a liquid ejection head and contains silicone oil.   The filling liquid for a liquid discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the silicone oil is a polyether-modified silicone oil.   The filling liquid for a liquid discharge device according to claim 2, wherein the addition amount of the polyether-modified silicone oil is 0.05 to 1.0% by weight.   A liquid discharge head filled with the filling liquid according to claim 1.   A liquid discharge apparatus, comprising the liquid discharge head according to claim 4.   A method for transporting or storing a liquid discharge head, wherein the liquid ejecting head is transported or stored while being filled with the filling liquid according to claim 1.   A method for transporting or storing a liquid ejection apparatus equipped with a liquid ejection head, comprising transporting or storing the liquid ejection head according to any one of claims 1 to 3 while the liquid ejection head is filled.

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