JP2011136270A - Recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the following problem: that it is difficult for conventional recording methods to improve image quality. <P>SOLUTION: A recording method includes a coating process S22 for applying a light transmissive coating material, which is a coating material having optical transparency, onto an image coating material, which is a coating material composing an image drawn on a recording medium, and a heating and humidifying process S24 for heating and humidifying the light transmissive coating material after the coating process S22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording method and the like.

An ink jet device is known as one of droplet discharge devices that can discharge a liquid material as droplets. In an ink jet apparatus, a liquid material such as ink can be ejected as droplets from an ejection head. By using such an ink jet device, various images can be recorded.
Conventionally, a recording method in which clear ink is superimposed on an image recorded using a droplet discharge device such as an ink jet device is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-263049 A

According to the recording method described in Patent Document 1, the glossiness of the image is enhanced.
By the way, in the droplet discharge device, the recording medium that is the target of recording is not limited to paper. As the recording medium, various materials and forms such as fiber sheets such as cloth and non-woven fabric, substrates such as plastic, resin, and glass can be used as long as an image can be formed by adhering a liquid ejected as droplets. Can be applied.

  Depending on the combination of the composition of the liquid and the material and form of the recording medium, the liquid may not easily penetrate the recording medium. In such a case, the liquid adhering to the recording medium is solidified while protruding from the surface of the recording medium. When expressing gradation and color, a plurality of liquid materials may be superimposed. Due to these reasons, when the liquid does not easily penetrate into the recording medium, the image may be uneven. The unevenness generated in the image may be visually recognized as an unintended streak pattern. For this reason, the unevenness | corrugation which generate | occur | produces in an image tends to reduce the quality of an image.

If the clear ink is superimposed on the image in a state where the image is uneven, the image unevenness is easily reflected in the clear ink. For this reason, even when clear ink is superimposed on an image, a streaky pattern may be visually recognized.
That is, the conventional recording method has a problem that it is difficult to improve image quality.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

  [Application Example 1] An application process in which a light-transmitting paint, which is a light-transmitting paint, is applied to an image paint, which is a paint constituting an image drawn on a recording medium, and after the application process, A heating and humidifying step of heating and humidifying the light paint.

The recording method of this application example includes an application process and a heating and humidification process.
In the applying step, the light-transmitting paint is applied to the image paint. The image paint is a paint constituting an image drawn on a recording medium. The translucent paint is a paint having light permeability.
After the coating process, in the heating and humidifying process, the translucent paint is heated and humidified.
As described above, for example, even if unevenness is generated on the surface of the image paint, the unevenness of the image paint can be easily reduced by the light-transmitting paint. Thereby, it is possible to easily suppress the deterioration of the image quality due to the unevenness of the image paint. As a result, it is possible to easily improve the image quality.

  Application Example 2 In the recording method described above, in the heating and humidifying step, heating is performed to a temperature that is equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the translucent paint and lower than the glass transition temperature of the image paint. Recording method.

  In this application example, in the heating and humidifying step, heating is performed to a temperature that is equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the light-transmitting paint and lower than the glass transition temperature of the image paint, so that the state of the image paint can be easily maintained. Thereby, it is possible to further improve the image quality.

  Application Example 3 In the recording method described above, the light-transmitting paint has light-curing property that promotes curing upon receiving light irradiation, and the light-transmitting paint is applied before the heating and humidifying step. And a light irradiation step of irradiating the light.

  In this application example, the light-transmitting paint has a photo-curing property that accelerates curing upon receiving light irradiation. And this recording method has a light irradiation process before a heating humidification process. For this reason, in this recording method, it is possible to heat the applied light-transmitting paint after it has been accelerated. Thereby, it can be made easy to suppress the applied translucent paint from flowing out. As a result, it is possible to further suppress the deterioration of image quality.

  Application Example 4 In the recording method described above, in the heating and humidifying step, heating and humidification are performed by applying heated steam to the light-transmitting paint.

  In this application example, in the heating and humidifying step, heating and humidification are performed by applying the heated steam to the light-transmitting coating material. Therefore, heating and humidification can be easily performed together.

  Application Example 5 In the recording method described above, in the coating step, the light-transmitting paint is applied by an ink jet method.

  In this application example, the light-transmitting paint is applied by an ink jet method, so that an arbitrary amount of light-transmitting paint can be easily applied to an arbitrary portion of the recording medium. Thereby, the quantity of translucent coating material can be made easy to reduce.

  Application Example 6 In the recording method described above, the recording method includes an image forming step of forming the image on the recording medium with the image paint by an ink jet method before the coating step.

  In this application example, since there is an image forming process in which an image is formed on the recording medium by an ink jet method before the coating process, the drawing data used in the image forming process can be easily used in the coating process. .

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a droplet discharge device according to the present embodiment. The front view when the carriage in this embodiment is seen in the A viewing direction in FIG. The bottom view of the head unit in this embodiment. Sectional drawing in the BB line in FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a droplet discharge device according to the present embodiment. The figure which shows the flow of the drawing process in this embodiment. The figure which shows the flow of the recording method in this embodiment.

  Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each drawing, in order to make each structure the size which can be recognized, the structure and the scale of a member may differ.

As shown in FIG. 1, which is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration, a droplet discharge device 1 in the embodiment includes a work transfer device 3, a carriage 7, a carriage transfer device 9, and a maintenance device 11. is doing.
The carriage 7 is provided with a head unit 13 and two irradiation devices 15.
In the droplet discharge device 1, the liquid material is discharged from the head unit 13 as droplets while changing the relative position of the head unit 13 and the workpiece W such as a substrate in a plan view. A desired pattern can be drawn. In the figure, the Y direction indicates the moving direction of the workpiece W, and the X direction indicates a direction orthogonal to the Y direction in plan view. A direction orthogonal to the XY plane defined by the X direction and the Y direction is defined as the Z direction.

Such a droplet discharge device 1 can be applied to, for example, the manufacture of a color filter used for a liquid crystal display panel or the like, or the manufacture of an organic EL device.
In the case of a color filter having three color filter elements of red, green, and blue, the droplet discharge device 1 can be suitably used, for example, in a process of forming red, green, and blue colored layers on a substrate. In this case, each liquid material corresponding to each colored layer is ejected from the head unit 13 as droplets onto the work W, whereby the patterns of the red, green, and blue filter elements are drawn on the work W.
Further, in the manufacture of an organic EL device, for example, it can be suitably used in a step of forming a functional layer (organic layer) corresponding to each color for each of red, green and blue pixels. In this case, each liquid material corresponding to the functional layer of each color is ejected from the head unit 13 as droplets onto the work W, whereby the patterns of the red, green, and blue functional layers are drawn on the work W.

Here, the details of each component of the droplet discharge device 1 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the work transfer device 3 includes a surface plate 21, a guide rail 23 a, a guide rail 23 b, a work table 25, and a table position detection device 27.
The surface plate 21 is made of a material having a small coefficient of thermal expansion, such as stone, and is placed so as to extend along the Y direction. The guide rail 23 a and the guide rail 23 b are disposed on the upper surface 21 a of the surface plate 21. Each of the guide rail 23a and the guide rail 23b extends along the Y direction. The guide rail 23a and the guide rail 23b are arranged in a state where there is a gap in the X direction.

The work table 25 is provided in a state facing the upper surface 21a of the surface plate 21 with the guide rail 23a and the guide rail 23b interposed therebetween. The work table 25 is placed on the guide rail 23a and the guide rail 23b in a state of floating from the surface plate 21. The work table 25 has a placement surface 25a that is a surface on which the workpiece W is placed. The placement surface 25a is directed to the side (upper side) opposite to the surface plate 21 side. The work table 25 is guided along the Y direction by the guide rail 23a and the guide rail 23b, and is configured to be able to reciprocate on the surface plate 21 along the Y direction.
The table position detector 27 is provided on the upper surface 21a of the surface plate 21, and extends in the Y direction. The table position detection device 27 is provided between the guide rail 23a and the guide rail 23b. The table position detector 27 detects the position of the work table 25 in the Y direction.

The work table 25 is configured to reciprocate in the Y direction by a moving mechanism and a power source (not shown). As the moving mechanism, for example, a mechanism combining a ball screw and a ball nut, a linear guide mechanism, or the like may be employed. In the present embodiment, a work transfer motor described later is employed as a power source for moving the work table 25 along the Y direction. As the work transfer motor, various motors such as a stepping motor, a servo motor, and a linear motor can be adopted.
The power from the work transport motor is transmitted to the work table 25 through the moving mechanism. Thereby, the work table 25 can reciprocate along the guide rail 23a and the guide rail 23b, that is, along the Y direction. That is, the workpiece transfer device 3 can reciprocate the workpiece W placed on the placement surface 25a of the workpiece table 25 along the Y direction.

The head unit 13 includes a head plate 31 and two ejection heads 33 as shown in FIG. 2 which is a front view when the carriage 7 is viewed in the A viewing direction in FIG. The two ejection heads 33 are arranged in the X direction. Note that the number of ejection heads 33 is not limited to two, and an arbitrary number of one or more may be employed. Further, in the following, when identifying each of the two ejection heads 33, the notation of ejection head 33a and ejection head 33b is used.
As shown in FIG. 3 which is a bottom view, the discharge head 33 has a nozzle surface 35. A plurality of nozzles 37 are formed on the nozzle surface 35. In FIG. 3, the nozzles 37 are exaggerated and the number of the nozzles 37 is reduced in order to easily show the nozzles 37.

In each ejection head 33, the plurality of nozzles 37 constitute two nozzle rows 39 arranged along the Y direction. The two nozzle rows 39 are lined up with a gap in the X direction. In each nozzle row 39, the plurality of nozzles 37 are formed at a predetermined nozzle interval P along the Y direction. In each ejection head 33, the two nozzle rows 39 are shifted from each other by a distance of P / 2 in the Y direction.
In the head unit 13, the nozzle row 39 in one of the two ejection heads 33 and the nozzle row 39 in the other ejection head 33 are shifted from each other by a distance of P / 4 in the Y direction. Thereby, in the present embodiment, the density of the nozzles 37 in the Y direction is increased.

As shown in FIG. 2, the two irradiation devices 15 are provided at positions facing each other with the head unit 13 interposed therebetween in the X direction. Hereinafter, when identifying each of the two irradiation devices 15, the notation of the irradiation device 15a and the irradiation device 15b is used.
The irradiation device 15a is located on the opposite side of the ejection head 33a from the ejection head 33b side in the X direction. Further, the irradiation device 15b is located on the opposite side of the ejection head 33b from the ejection head 33a side in the X direction.
Each of the irradiation device 15 a and the irradiation device 15 b includes a light source 43 that emits ultraviolet light 41. The ultraviolet light 41 from the light source 43 promotes curing of the liquid material 45 ejected from the ejection head 33. When the liquid 45 is irradiated with the ultraviolet light 41, curing is accelerated.
As the light source 43, various light sources 43, such as LED, LD, a mercury lamp, a metal halide lamp, a xenon lamp, an excimer lamp, can be employ | adopted, for example.

The ejection head 33 includes a nozzle plate 46, a cavity plate 47, a diaphragm 48, and a plurality of piezoelectric elements 49, as shown in FIG. 4 which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. is doing.
The nozzle plate 46 has a nozzle surface 35. The plurality of nozzles 37 are provided on the nozzle plate 46.
The cavity plate 47 is provided on the surface opposite to the nozzle surface 35 of the nozzle plate 46. A plurality of cavities 51 are formed in the cavity plate 47. Each cavity 51 is provided corresponding to each nozzle 37 and communicates with each corresponding nozzle 37. The functional liquid 53 is supplied to each cavity 51 from a tank (not shown).

The diaphragm 48 is provided on the surface of the cavity plate 47 opposite to the nozzle plate 46 side. The vibration plate 48 vibrates in the Z direction (longitudinal vibration), thereby enlarging or reducing the volume in the cavity 51.
The plurality of piezoelectric elements 49 are respectively provided on the surface of the diaphragm 48 opposite to the cavity plate 47 side. Each piezoelectric element 49 is provided corresponding to each cavity 51 and faces each cavity 51 with the diaphragm 48 interposed therebetween. Each piezoelectric element 49 expands based on the drive signal. Thereby, the diaphragm 48 reduces the volume in the cavity 51. At this time, pressure is applied to the functional liquid 53 in the cavity 51. As a result, the functional liquid 53 is discharged as droplets 55 from the nozzle 37. The method of discharging the droplet 55 by the discharge head 33 is one of ink jet methods. The ink jet method is one of coating methods.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ejection head 33 having the above configuration is supported by the head plate 31 with the nozzle surface 35 protruding from the head plate 31.
As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 7 supports the head unit 13. Here, the head unit 13 is supported by the carriage 7 with the nozzle surface 35 facing downward in the Z direction.
In the present embodiment, the longitudinal vibration type piezoelectric element 49 is adopted, but the pressurizing means for applying pressure to the functional liquid 53 is not limited to this, and for example, the lower electrode and the piezoelectric layer A flexural deformation type piezoelectric element in which an electrode and an upper electrode are laminated may be employed. Further, as the pressurizing means, a so-called electrostatic actuator that generates static electricity between the diaphragm and the electrode, deforms the diaphragm by electrostatic force, and ejects droplets from the nozzles can be employed. Furthermore, the structure which generate | occur | produces a bubble in a nozzle using a heat generating body, and gives a pressure to a functional liquid with the bubble may be employ | adopted.

In the present embodiment, a liquid 45 that is cured by being irradiated with light is used as the functional liquid 53. In the present embodiment, ultraviolet light 41 (FIG. 2) is adopted as light that accelerates the curing of the liquid material 45.
The liquid body 45 contains a resin material, a photopolymerization initiator, and a solvent as components. By adding functional materials such as pigments and dyes such as pigments and surface modifying materials such as lyophilic and liquid repellent properties to these components, a liquid 45 having a specific function can be generated. . The liquid 45 containing a pigment such as a pigment or a dye can be employed as the functional liquid 53 for forming an image drawn on the workpiece W, for example. Hereinafter, the liquid 45 as the functional liquid 53 for forming an image to be drawn on the workpiece W is referred to as image paint.

Further, by adopting a resin material having optical transparency such as an acrylic resin material as the resin material as a component of the liquid material 45, the functional liquid 53 having optical transparency can be configured. Such a light-transmitting functional liquid 53 may be used as a clear ink, for example. Hereinafter, the functional liquid 53 having light transmittance is referred to as a light-transmitting paint.
The resin material in the liquid body 45 is a material that forms a resin film. Such a resin material is not particularly limited as long as it is a liquid material at room temperature and becomes a polymer by being polymerized. The resin material preferably has a low viscosity, and is preferably in the form of an oligomer. Furthermore, the resin material is more preferably in the form of a monomer.
The photopolymerization initiator is an additive that acts on the crosslinkable group of the polymer to advance the crosslinking reaction. As the photopolymerization initiator, for example, benzyldimethyl ketal can be employed.
The solvent is for adjusting the viscosity of the resin material.

As shown in FIG. 1, the carriage conveyance device 9 includes a gantry 61, a guide rail 63, and a carriage position detection device 65.
The gantry 61 extends in the X direction, and straddles the workpiece transfer device 3 and the maintenance device 11 in the X direction. The gantry 61 is opposite to the surface plate 21 side of the work table 25, and faces the work transfer device 3 and the maintenance device 11. The gantry 61 is supported by a column 67a and a column 67b. The column 67a and the column 67b are provided at positions facing each other in the X direction across the surface plate 21. Each of the support columns 67a and the support columns 67b protrudes above the work table 25 in the Z direction. Thereby, the clearance gap is maintained between the mount frame 61 and the work table 25, and between the mount frame 61 and the maintenance apparatus 11, respectively.

The guide rail 63 is provided on the surface plate 21 side of the gantry 61. The guide rail 63 extends along the X direction, and is provided across the width of the gantry 61 in the X direction.
The carriage 7 described above is supported by the guide rail 63. In a state where the carriage 7 is supported by the guide rail 63, the nozzle surface 35 of the discharge head 33 faces the work table 25 side in the Z direction. The carriage 7 is guided along the X direction by the guide rail 63, and is supported by the guide rail 63 so as to be able to reciprocate in the X direction. In a plan view, in a state where the carriage 7 overlaps the work table 25, the nozzle surface 35 and the mounting surface 25a of the work table 25 face each other with a gap therebetween.
The carriage position detection device 65 is provided between the gantry 61 and the carriage 7 and extends in the X direction. The carriage position detection device 65 detects the position of the carriage 7 in the X direction.

The carriage 7 is configured to reciprocate in the X direction by a moving mechanism and a power source (not shown). As the moving mechanism, for example, a mechanism combining a ball screw and a ball nut, a linear guide mechanism, or the like may be employed. In the present embodiment, a carriage transport motor, which will be described later, is employed as a power source for moving the carriage 7 along the X direction. As the carriage conveyance motor, various motors such as a stepping motor, a servo motor, and a linear motor can be employed.
The power from the carriage transport motor is transmitted to the carriage 7 through the moving mechanism. Thus, the carriage 7 can reciprocate along the guide rail 63, that is, along the X direction. That is, the carriage conveyance device 9 can reciprocate the head unit 13 supported by the carriage 7 along the X direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the maintenance device 11 includes a surface plate 71, a guide rail 73a, a guide rail 73b, a maintenance table 75, a capping unit 76, a flushing unit 77, and a wiping unit 79. ing.
The surface plate 71 is made of a material having a small coefficient of thermal expansion, such as stone, and is provided at a position facing the surface plate 21 across the support 67a in the X direction.
The guide rail 73 a and the guide rail 73 b are disposed on the upper surface 71 a of the surface plate 71. Each of the guide rail 73a and the guide rail 73b extends along the Y direction. The guide rail 73a and the guide rail 73b are lined up with a gap in the X direction.
The maintenance table 75 is provided in a state facing the upper surface 71a of the surface plate 71 with the guide rail 73a and the guide rail 73b interposed therebetween. The maintenance table 75 is placed on the guide rail 73a and the guide rail 73b in a state of floating from the surface plate 71.

On the maintenance table 75, maintenance units such as a capping unit 76, a flushing unit 77, and a wiping unit 79 are placed. In the present embodiment, the maintenance unit includes a capping unit 76, a flushing unit 77, and a wiping unit 79.
The maintenance table 75 is guided along the Y direction by the guide rail 73a and the guide rail 73b, and is configured to reciprocate on the surface plate 71 along the Y direction.
The flushing unit 77 is provided on the side of the maintenance table 75 opposite to the surface plate 71 side.
Here, regardless of the pattern drawing on the workpiece W, the operation of discharging the liquid material from the discharge head 33 is called a flushing operation. For example, the flushing operation has an effect of preventing the liquid material staying in the nozzle 37 from solidifying in the nozzle 37. The flushing unit 77 is a device that receives the liquid material ejected from the ejection head 33 during the flushing operation.

  The capping unit 76 is a device that covers the ejection head 33. In the liquid discharged from the discharge head 33, the liquid component may evaporate. Generally, when the liquid component in the liquid material evaporates, the viscosity of the liquid material increases. When the viscosity of the liquid in the ejection head 33 increases, the performance of ejecting the droplets 55 in the nozzle 37 (hereinafter referred to as ejection performance) may decrease. Examples of the drop in the discharge performance include a case where the traveling direction of the droplet 55 discharged from the nozzle 37 is bent (flight bend), or the droplet 55 is not discharged from the nozzle 37 (non-discharge). Can be mentioned. The operation of covering the ejection head 33 with the capping unit 76 is called a capping operation.

The capping unit 76 covers the ejection head 33 to keep the liquid component in the liquid material from evaporating from the nozzles low. Thereby, the discharge performance in the discharge head 33 can be easily maintained.
The wiping unit 79 is a device that wipes the nozzle surface 35 of the ejection head 33. In the droplet discharge device 1, a liquid material may adhere to the nozzle surface 35. If the liquid material adheres to the nozzle surface 35, the ejection performance of the ejection head 33 may be degraded. The wiping unit 79 wipes the liquid material adhering to the nozzle surface 35 by wiping the nozzle surface 35. Thereby, the discharge performance in the discharge head 33 can be easily maintained. The operation of wiping the nozzle surface 35 with the wiping unit 79 is called a wiping operation.

The maintenance table 75 is configured to reciprocate in the Y direction by a moving mechanism and a power source (not shown). As the moving mechanism, for example, a mechanism combining a ball screw and a ball nut, a linear guide mechanism, or the like may be employed. In the present embodiment, a table transport motor, which will be described later, is adopted as a power source for moving the maintenance table 75 along the Y direction. Various motors such as a stepping motor, a servo motor, and a linear motor can be adopted as the table transport motor.
The power from the table transport motor is transmitted to the maintenance table 75 via the moving mechanism. Thereby, the maintenance table 75 can reciprocate along the guide rail 73a and the guide rail 73b, that is, along the Y direction.
That is, the maintenance device 11 can reciprocate maintenance units such as the capping unit 76, the flushing unit 77, and the wiping unit 79 along the Y direction. Thereby, the ejection head 33 can be made to face the capping unit 76, the flushing unit 77, and the wiping unit 79 in a state where the ejection head 33 overlaps the maintenance device 11 in plan view.

As shown in FIG. 5, the droplet discharge device 1 includes a control unit 111 that controls the operation of each of the above-described configurations. The control unit 111 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 113, a drive control unit 115, and a memory unit 117. The drive control unit 115 and the memory unit 117 are connected to the CPU 113 via the bus 119.
The droplet discharge device 1 includes a carriage transport motor 121, a work transport motor 123, a table transport motor 125, an input device 129, and a display device 131.
The carriage transport motor 121, the work transport motor 123, and the table transport motor 125 are connected to the control unit 111 via the input / output interface 133 and the bus 119, respectively. The input device 129 and the display device 131 are also connected to the control unit 111 via the input / output interface 133 and the bus 119, respectively.

The carriage transport motor 121 generates power for driving the carriage 7. The work conveyance motor 123 generates power for driving the work table 25. The table transport motor 125 generates power for driving the maintenance table 75. The input device 129 is a device for inputting various processing conditions. The display device 131 is a device that displays processing conditions and work status. An operator who operates the droplet discharge device 1 can input various information via the input device 129 while confirming information displayed on the display device 131.
The carriage position detection device 65, the table position detection device 27, and the two ejection heads 33 are also connected to the control unit 111 via the input / output interface 133 and the bus 119, respectively. The two irradiation devices 15 and the maintenance device 11 are also connected to the control unit 111 via the input / output interface 133 and the bus 119, respectively.

The CPU 113 performs various arithmetic processes as a processor. The drive control unit 115 controls driving of each component. The memory unit 117 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read-Only Memory), and the like. In the memory unit 117, an area for storing the program software 135 in which the operation control procedure in the droplet discharge device 1 is described, a data development unit 137 that is an area for temporarily developing various data, and the like are set. Yes. Examples of data developed in the data development unit 137 include drawing data indicating a pattern to be drawn, program data such as drawing processing, and the like.
The drive control unit 115 includes a motor control unit 141, a position detection control unit 143, a discharge control unit 145, an irradiation control unit 147, a maintenance control unit 149, and a display control unit 151.

The motor control unit 141 individually controls the drive of the carriage transport motor 121, the drive of the work transport motor 123, and the drive of the table transport motor 125 based on a command from the CPU 113.
The position detection control unit 143 individually controls the carriage position detection device 65 and the table position detection device 27 based on a command from the CPU 113.
The position detection control unit 143 causes the carriage position detection device 65 to detect the position of the carriage 7 in the X direction based on a command from the CPU 113 and outputs the detection result to the CPU 113.
Further, the position detection control unit 143 causes the table position detection device 27 to detect the position of the work table 25 in the Y direction based on a command from the CPU 113 and outputs the detection result to the CPU 113.

The discharge control unit 145 individually controls driving of the two discharge heads 33 based on a command from the CPU 113.
The irradiation control unit 147 individually controls the light emission state of the light source 43 in each of the irradiation device 15a and the irradiation device 15b based on a command from the CPU 113.
The maintenance control unit 149 individually controls driving of maintenance units such as the capping unit 76, the flushing unit 77, and the wiping unit 79 in the maintenance device 11 based on a command from the CPU 113.
The display control unit 151 controls driving of the display device 131 based on a command from the CPU 113.

Here, the drawing process in the droplet discharge device 1 will be described.
In the droplet discharge device 1, when the control unit 111 receives drawing data from the input device 129 via the input / output interface 133 and the bus 119, the drawing process shown in FIG. 6 is started by the CPU 113.
Here, the drawing data indicates a pattern to be drawn on the workpiece W with the functional liquid 53 (liquid material), and the pattern to be drawn is expressed in a bitmap shape. The pattern is drawn on the workpiece W while the ejection head 33 is opposed to the workpiece W, while the ejection head 33 and the workpiece W are relatively reciprocated, the droplet 55 is ejected from the ejection head 33 at a predetermined cycle. Is done by letting

In the drawing process, the CPU 113 first outputs a carriage conveyance command to the motor control unit 141 (FIG. 5) in step S1. At this time, the motor control unit 141 controls the drive of the carriage transport motor 121 to move the carriage 7 to the forward path start position of the drawing area. Here, the drawing area is an area where the locus drawn along the Y direction by the work table 25 shown in FIG. 1 and the locus drawn along the X direction by the two ejection heads 33 overlap. The forward path start position is a position where the forward path when the carriage 7 is reciprocated is started. In the present embodiment, the forward path start position is located between the maintenance device 11 and the work table 25 in the X direction. The forward path start position is located outside the work table 25 in plan view.
Next, in step S2, the CPU 113 outputs a workpiece conveyance command to the motor control unit 141 (FIG. 5). At this time, the motor control unit 141 controls the drive of the work transport motor 123 to move the work W to the drawing area.

Next, in step S3, the CPU 113 outputs a carriage scanning command to the motor control unit 141 (FIG. 5). At this time, the motor control unit 141 controls the drive of the carriage transport motor 121 to start the reciprocation of the carriage 7.
Here, in the reciprocating movement of the carriage 7, the carriage 7 reciprocates between the forward path start position and the backward path start position described above. That is, the path that returns from the forward path start position to the forward path start position and returns to the forward path start position is one round trip of the carriage 7. For this reason, in this embodiment, the path from the forward path start position to the return path start position is the forward path of the carriage 7. On the other hand, the path from the return path start position to the forward path start position is the return path of the carriage 7.
The return path start position is a position facing the forward path start position with the work table 25 (FIG. 1) sandwiched in the X direction. The return path start position is located outside the work table 25 in plan view. For this reason, the forward path start position and the backward path start position are opposed to each other with the work table 25 sandwiched in the X direction in plan view.
Next, in step S4, the CPU 113 outputs an irradiation command for the irradiation device 15a to the irradiation controller 147 (FIG. 5). At this time, the irradiation control unit 147 controls the driving of the light source 43 of the irradiation device 15a to turn on the light source 43 of the irradiation device 15a.

Next, in step S5, the CPU 113 outputs a discharge command to the discharge control unit 145 (FIG. 5). At this time, the discharge controller 145 controls the drive of the discharge head 33 and discharges the droplet 55 from each nozzle 37 based on the drawing data. As a result, the forward drawing is performed.
Next, in step S6, the CPU 113 determines whether or not the position of the carriage 7 has reached the return path start position. At this time, if it is determined that the position of the carriage 7 has reached the return path start position (Yes), the process proceeds to step S7. On the other hand, if it is determined that the position of the carriage 7 has not reached the return path start position (No), the process waits until the position of the carriage 7 reaches the return path start position.

In step S7, the CPU 113 outputs a stop command for the irradiation device 15a to the irradiation control unit 147 (FIG. 5). At this time, the irradiation control unit 147 controls the driving of the light source 43 of the irradiation device 15a to turn off the light source 43 of the irradiation device 15a.
Next, in step S8, the CPU 113 outputs a line feed command to the motor control unit 141 (FIG. 5). At this time, the motor control unit 141 controls the drive of the work transport motor 123 to move the work W in the Y direction (new line), and move a new area in the work W where a pattern is to be drawn to the drawing area.
Next, in step S9, the CPU 113 outputs an irradiation command for the irradiation device 15b to the irradiation control unit 147 (FIG. 5). At this time, the irradiation control unit 147 controls the driving of the light source 43 of the irradiation device 15b to turn on the light source 43 of the irradiation device 15b.

Next, in step S10, the CPU 113 outputs a discharge command to the discharge control unit 145 (FIG. 5). At this time, the discharge controller 145 controls the drive of the discharge head 33 and discharges the droplet 55 from each nozzle 37 based on the drawing data. As a result, drawing on the return path is performed.
Next, in step S11, the CPU 113 determines whether or not the position of the carriage 7 has reached the forward path start position. At this time, if it is determined that the position of the carriage 7 has reached the forward path start position (Yes), the process proceeds to step S12. On the other hand, if it is determined that the position of the carriage 7 has not reached the forward path start position (No), the process waits until the position of the carriage 7 reaches the forward path start position.

In step S12, the CPU 113 outputs a stop command for the irradiation device 15b to the irradiation control unit 147 (FIG. 5). At this time, the irradiation control unit 147 controls the driving of the light source 43 of the irradiation device 15b to turn off the light source 43 of the irradiation device 15b.
Next, in step S13, the CPU 113 determines whether or not the drawing data has been completed. At this time, if it is determined that the drawing data has ended (Yes), the processing ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the drawing data has not ended (No), the process proceeds to step S14.
In step S14, the CPU 113 outputs a line feed command to the motor control unit 141 (FIG. 5), and then shifts the process to step S4. At this time, the motor control unit 141 controls the drive of the work transport motor 123 to move the work W in the Y direction (new line), and move a new area in the work W where a pattern is to be drawn to the drawing area.

The result of creating an image with an image paint and a light-transmitting paint using the above-described droplet discharge device 1 will be described.
First, an image based on the same drawing data was drawn on each of the ten workpieces W using image paint. In order to express the shade (gradation) in the image, the image paint is drawn over multiple layers in dark places (places with high gradation) compared to light places (places with low gradation). did. For this reason, in the image drawn on each workpiece W, unevenness of the image paint is generated according to the density of the image. In each work W, the image paint is irradiated with ultraviolet light 41. That is, in each workpiece W, the curing of the image paint is promoted.

Seven of the ten workpieces W were coated with an image with a translucent paint using the droplet discharge device 1. In each of these seven workpieces W, the light transmitting paint is irradiated with ultraviolet light 41. That is, in each of the seven workpieces W, curing of the translucent paint is promoted.
In the following, the numbers from Sample 1 to Sample 7 are assigned to each of the seven workpieces W coated with images with a light-transmitting paint. Thereby, each of these seven works W is identified.

The remaining three workpieces W out of the ten workpieces W were each given humidity to the image, and then the droplet discharge device 1 was used to coat the image with a translucent paint. In each of these three workpieces W, the light transmitting paint is irradiated with ultraviolet light 41. That is, in each of the three workpieces W, curing of the translucent paint is promoted. In these three workpieces W, a method of applying humidity to the image was adopted by rubbing the image with a nonwoven fabric soaked with water in an environment of room temperature (23 ° C.).
In the following, the numbers from Sample 8 to Sample 10 are assigned to each of the three workpieces W that have been provided with humidity and then coated with the light-transmitting paint. Thereby, each of these three workpiece | work W is identified.

Here, the glass transition temperature of the used image paint was 80 ° C to 100 ° C. The glass transition temperature was measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC method). The glass transition temperature was measured after the image paint was cured by irradiating the image paint with ultraviolet light 41.
Similarly, as a result of measuring the glass transition temperature of the translucent paint, the glass transition temperature of the translucent paint was 45 ° C.

(Example 1)
Sample 1 was heated in a humidity environment with a relative humidity of 85%. The heating temperature was kept at 45 ° C. Then, the glossiness of the image was evaluated when 5 seconds passed after heating, 10 seconds passed, 60 seconds passed, and 300 seconds passed, respectively.

(Example 2)
Sample 2 was heated in a humidity environment with a relative humidity of 85%. The heating temperature was kept at 50 ° C. Then, the glossiness of the image was evaluated when 5 seconds passed after heating, 10 seconds passed, 60 seconds passed, and 300 seconds passed, respectively.

(Example 3)
Sample 3 was heated in a humidity environment with a relative humidity of 85%. The heating temperature was kept at 55 ° C. Then, the glossiness of the image was evaluated when 5 seconds passed after heating, 10 seconds passed, 60 seconds passed, and 300 seconds passed, respectively.

(Comparative Example 1)
Sample 4 was left in an environment where the relative humidity was 85% and the temperature was 25 ° C. Then, the glossiness of the image is increased when 5 seconds have elapsed since the image is left, when 10 seconds have elapsed, when 60 seconds have elapsed, when 300 seconds have elapsed, and when 600 seconds have elapsed. evaluated.

(Comparative Example 2)
Sample 5 was heated in a humidity environment with a relative humidity of 30%. The heating temperature was kept at 45 ° C. Then, when 5 seconds have passed since heating, when 10 seconds have passed, when 60 seconds have passed, when 300 seconds have passed, and when 600 seconds have passed, the glossiness of the image is improved. evaluated.

(Comparative Example 3)
Sample 6 was heated in a humidity environment with a relative humidity of 30%. The heating temperature was kept at 50 ° C. Then, when 5 seconds have passed since heating, when 10 seconds have passed, when 60 seconds have passed, when 300 seconds have passed, and when 600 seconds have passed, the glossiness of the image is improved. evaluated.

(Comparative Example 4)
Sample 7 was heated in a humidity environment with a relative humidity of 30%. The heating temperature was kept at 55 ° C. Then, when 5 seconds have passed since heating, when 10 seconds have passed, when 60 seconds have passed, when 300 seconds have passed, and when 600 seconds have passed, the glossiness of the image is improved. evaluated.

(Comparative Example 5)
Sample 8 was heated in a humidity environment with a relative humidity of 30%. The heating temperature was kept at 45 ° C. Then, when 5 seconds have passed since heating, when 10 seconds have passed, when 60 seconds have passed, when 300 seconds have passed, and when 600 seconds have passed, the glossiness of the image is improved. evaluated.

(Comparative Example 6)
Sample 9 was heated in a humidity environment with a relative humidity of 30%. The heating temperature was kept at 50 ° C. Then, when 5 seconds have passed since heating, when 10 seconds have passed, when 60 seconds have passed, when 300 seconds have passed, and when 600 seconds have passed, the glossiness of the image is improved. evaluated.

(Comparative Example 7)
Sample 10 was heated in a humidity environment with a relative humidity of 30%. The heating temperature was kept at 55 ° C. Then, when 5 seconds have passed since heating, when 10 seconds have passed, when 60 seconds have passed, when 300 seconds have passed, and when 600 seconds have passed, the glossiness of the image is improved. evaluated.

  The results of Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 1 to 7 are shown in Table 1 below.

In the evaluation results of Table 1, “◯” indicates that a uniform and high glossiness was obtained.
“Δ” indicates that glossiness is low in a part of the image.
“X” indicates that glossiness is low in most of the image.
From the results shown in Table 1, it is understood that high glossiness can be obtained by heating the translucent paint to a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the translucent paint in an environment where the relative humidity is 85%. This is considered to be because the unevenness of the image paint is alleviated by the translucent paint even if the unevenness is generated on the surface of the image paint. In other words, in the image forming method (recording method), the image quality is improved by heating and humidifying the light-transmitting paint (heating humidifying process) after applying the light-transmitting paint on the image paint (application process). It can be made easier.

As shown in FIG. 7, the recording method capable of easily improving the image quality includes an image forming step S21, a coating step S22, a light irradiation step S23, and a heating and humidifying step S24.
In the image forming step S21, an image is formed on a recording medium such as a workpiece W with image paint.
In the coating step S22, the light-transmitting paint is applied on the image paint.
In the light irradiation step S23, curing of the light-transmitting paint is promoted by irradiating the light-transmitting paint with the ultraviolet light 41.
In the heating and humidifying step S24, the translucent paint is heated and humidified.
By this recording method, it is possible to easily improve the image quality in the recording medium.

In this recording method, it is preferable to heat to a temperature lower than the glass transition temperature of the image paint in the heating and humidifying step S24. This is because the state of the image paint can be easily maintained. Thereby, it is possible to further improve the image quality.
Moreover, it is preferable that a translucent coating material has photocurability. This is because curing of the light-transmitting paint can be promoted by irradiating the light-transmitting paint with the ultraviolet light 41 (light irradiation process S23) before the heating and humidifying step S24. As a result, it is possible to easily prevent the light-transmitting paint applied on the image paint from flowing out. As a result, it is possible to easily suppress a decrease in image quality.
Further, in this recording method, in the heating and humidifying step S24, it is preferable to heat and humidify the heated steam by applying it to the light-transmitting paint. This is because heating and humidification can be easily performed together. Thereby, it is possible to easily shorten the time required for the heating and humidifying step S24.

In the present embodiment, an inkjet method, which is one of the application methods, is employed as a method for applying the light-transmitting paint in the application step. However, the coating method is not limited to the ink jet method, and a spin coating method, a printing method, or the like may be employed. However, it is preferable to employ the ink jet method because an arbitrary amount of translucent paint can be easily applied to an arbitrary portion of the recording medium.
If the ink jet method is employed, for example, it is easy to apply a light-transmitting paint according to the unevenness on the surface of the image paint. In this embodiment, a recording method in which an image is coated with a translucent paint is employed. On the other hand, if the method of applying a translucent paint according to the unevenness on the surface of the image paint is adopted, the amount of the translucent paint can be easily reduced.

As a method of applying the light-transmitting paint according to the unevenness on the surface of the image paint, a method of applying the light-transmitting paint to the concave portion of the unevenness on the surface of the image paint can be adopted. That is, it is a method of filling the concave portion of the unevenness on the surface of the image paint with the light-transmitting paint. Thereby, the unevenness | corrugation of an image paint can be relieved with a translucent paint. Also in this method, the same effect as the above-described embodiment can be obtained.
In the present embodiment, image formation is also performed by the droplet discharge device 1. The drawing data used for image formation at this time can be used in the coating process. The drawing data used for image formation shows the shading (gradation) in the image, that is, the unevenness of the image paint according to the shading of the image. That is, it is possible to grasp the concave portion of the unevenness in the image paint from the drawing data used for image formation. Thereby, it is possible to fill the concave portion of the unevenness on the surface of the image paint with the light-transmitting paint.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Droplet discharge apparatus, 3 ... Work conveying apparatus, 7 ... Carriage, 9 ... Carriage conveyance apparatus, 13 ... Head unit, 15 ... Irradiation apparatus, 15a, 15b ... Irradiation apparatus, 25 ... Work table, 33 ... Discharge head, 33a, 33b ... discharge head, 35 ... nozzle surface, 37 ... nozzle, 39 ... nozzle row, 41 ... ultraviolet light, 43 ... light source, 45 ... liquid, 53 ... functional liquid, 55 ... droplet.

Claims (6)

An application step of applying a light-transmitting paint, which is a light-transmitting paint, on the image paint, which is a paint constituting an image drawn on a recording medium,
A heating and humidifying step of heating and humidifying the translucent paint after the coating step,
And a recording method. In the heating and humidifying step, the glass transition temperature of the light-transmitting paint is higher than the glass transition temperature, and the glass paint is heated to a temperature lower than the glass transition temperature of the image paint.
The recording method according to claim 1, wherein: The translucent paint has a photo-curing property that accelerates curing upon receiving light irradiation,
Before the heating and humidifying step, the light-transmitting coating material has a light irradiation step of irradiating the light,
The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the recording method is a recording method. In the heating and humidifying step, heating and humidifying are performed by applying heated steam to the light-transmitting paint.
The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the recording method is a recording medium. In the application step, the translucent paint is applied by an inkjet method.
The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the recording method is a recording medium. Before the coating step, it has an image forming step of forming the image with the image paint on the recording medium by an ink jet method.
The recording method according to claim 5.

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