JP2013022491A - Drawing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drawing device and an ink supply device, suppressing occurrence of malfunction caused by a low dissolved gas content, by allowing ink with the low dissolved gas content to stay inside of the ink supply device.SOLUTION: This drawing device includes: an ink storage portion storing ink having property to be cured by receiving active energy; a delivery head delivering the ink; a liquid guide passage guiding the ink to the delivery head; a discharge passage branched from the liquid guide passage and discharging the ink in the liquid guide passage; a discharged ink storage portion storing the discharged ink; a switching section provided in the liquid guide passage; and a dissolved gas increasing section increasing the amount of gas dissolved in the ink in the discharged ink storage section.

Description

  The present invention includes an ink supply device that supplies ink to an ejection device that ejects ink, and an ejection device that ejects ink. The ink is ejected from the ejection device toward the drawing medium, and the ink is ejected onto the drawing medium. The present invention relates to a drawing apparatus that arranges and draws.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a drawing apparatus that includes a discharge head that discharges a liquid material and draws an arbitrary image or the like on a drawing medium by landing discharged liquid droplets on an arbitrary position of the drawing medium is known. . For example, a drawing apparatus including an ink jet type ejection head can accurately arrange a predetermined amount of ink at a predetermined position. Many of such ejection heads have a problem that when the dissolved gas dissolved in the ink increases, normal ejection becomes difficult, and the accuracy of the ejection amount and the landing position is likely to be impaired.

  In order to reduce the dissolved gas in the ink, a drawing device has been proposed in which a decompression mechanism is provided to degas the dissolved gas from the ink in the external ink tank of the ink circulation mechanism. Patent Document 1 discloses a degassing hollow fiber membrane module and a degassing device using the same, which can be suitably used as a device mounted on an ink jet printer.

JP 2008-114170 A

  However, some inks used in inkjet printers shorten the life of the ink as the dissolved gas content decreases. For example, there are inks in which the activity of the polymerization initiator is inhibited by dissolved oxygen. Generally, dissolved oxygen is also degassed by degassing the dissolved gas. Therefore, in an ink in which the activity of the polymerization initiator is inhibited by dissolved oxygen, the activity of the polymerization initiator becomes active by degassing the dissolved gas. The curing of the ink is accelerated by the activity of the polymerization initiator. As a result, there is a problem that the time until the function as the ink for ejection is impaired, that is, the life as the ink for ejection is shortened. When the ink is stored in the tank of the drawing device and the polymerization initiator becomes active, the ink may become inappropriate for ejection and may need to be discarded. There was also a problem.

  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 A drawing apparatus according to this application example includes an ink storage unit that stores ink having a property of being cured by receiving active energy, an ejection head that ejects the ink, and the ink to the ejection head. A liquid guide path for guiding, a discharge path branched from the liquid guide path, for discharging the ink in the liquid guide path, a discharge ink storage section for storing the discharged ink, and the liquid guide path. And a dissolved gas increasing unit that increases the dissolved amount of the gas of the ink in the discharged ink storage unit.

  According to the drawing apparatus according to this application example, the switching unit switches the destination for guiding the ink to the ejection head or the ejection ink storage unit. Therefore, when the ejection head is not operating, the destination for guiding the ink is the ejection ink. By switching to the reservoir, the degassed ink can be sent to the discharged ink reservoir. Thereby, it can suppress that the deaerated ink stays in a liquid introduction path. The dissolved gas increasing unit increases the dissolved amount of the ink gas in the discharged ink storing unit. Thereby, the dissolved gas of the deaerated ink can be increased. By increasing the dissolved gas, it is possible to make it harder to harden the ink having the property of being easily cured due to the decrease of the dissolved gas compared to the case where the ink is kept deaerated. An ink having a property of being easily cured due to a decrease in dissolved gas is, for example, an ink whose curing is accelerated by activating the polymerization initiator. For example, the polymerization initiator is dissolved by dissolved oxygen. This is an ink whose activity is suppressed.

  Application Example 2 The drawing apparatus according to the application example further includes a dissolved gas increase unit control unit that operates the dissolved gas increase unit in a state where the switching unit is switched to the ejection head where the ink is guided. It is preferable.

  According to this drawing apparatus, the dissolved gas increasing unit is operated in a state where the destination for guiding the ink is switched to the ejection head. Therefore, the process of increasing the dissolved gas by the dissolved gas increasing portion is performed in a state where the ink is sent to the ejection head. Thereby, the process which increases the dissolved gas by a dissolved gas increase part can be implemented substantially in parallel with implementation of the discharge by a discharge head.

  Application Example 3 In the drawing apparatus according to the application example, it is preferable that the dissolved gas increasing unit sends gas into the discharged ink storage unit.

  According to this drawing apparatus, the gas is sent into the discharged ink storage part by the dissolved gas increasing part. The gas sent to the discharged ink storage part increases the pressure of the gas that contacts the ink in the discharged tank, and the dissolved gas of the ink can be increased by dissolving the gas in the ink.

  Application Example 4 In the drawing apparatus according to the application example described above, it is preferable that a degassing unit for degassing the dissolved gas of the ink is provided in the liquid introduction path.

  According to this drawing apparatus, the dissolved gas deaeration unit degass the ink in the liquid introduction path to reduce the dissolved gas. As a result, the ink that has been degassed and the dissolved gas is reduced can be supplied to the ejection head.

  Application Example 5 In the drawing device according to the application example, it is preferable that the discharged ink storage unit is the ink storage unit.

  According to this drawing apparatus, the discharged ink storage unit is an ink storage unit that stores the ink supplied to the ejection head. As a result, the ink returned from the liquid guiding path can be supplied to the ejection head. The dissolved gas increasing unit increases the dissolved gas of the ink in the ink storing unit. Thereby, it can suppress that the ink in an ink storage part becomes easy to harden | cure due to a decrease in dissolved gas. Further, the ink can be circulated in the flow path that returns from the ink reservoir to the ink reservoir through the liquid introduction path and the discharge path. Ink in which the gas introduced in the discharged ink reservoir is dissolved cannot be guided to the ejection head again. For this reason, it is possible to remove the gas from the ink and provide the ink to the ejection head again by providing a deaeration part in the liquid guide path.

  Application Example 6 It is preferable that the drawing apparatus according to the application example further includes a connection path for returning the ink from the discharged ink storage unit to the ink storage unit.

  According to this drawing apparatus, ink is sent from the discharged ink storage unit to the ink storage unit via the connection path. Thereby, the ink in which the dissolved gas is increased by the dissolved gas increasing portion in the discharged ink storing portion can be returned to the ink storing portion. In other words, ink that is prevented from being hardened easily due to a decrease in dissolved gas can be returned to the ink storage unit, stored, and supplied to the ejection head. Further, the ink can be circulated in the flow path that returns from the ink storage section to the ink storage section through the liquid guide path, the discharge path, the discharged ink storage section, and the connection path. Ink in which the gas introduced in the discharged ink reservoir is dissolved cannot be guided to the ejection head again. For this reason, it is possible to remove the gas from the ink and provide the ink to the ejection head again by providing a deaeration part in the liquid guide path.

  Application Example 7 In the drawing apparatus according to the application example, it is preferable that the ink includes a polymerizable compound and a polymerization initiator.

  According to this drawing apparatus, the ink includes a polymerizable compound and a polymerization initiator. In the ink, when the polymerization initiator is activated, the polymerizable compound is polymerized and cured. For example, since dissolved oxygen can suppress the activity of the polymerization initiator, increasing the dissolved gas by the dissolved gas increasing portion may cause the polymerization initiator to be activated due to a decrease in the dissolved gas. Can be suppressed. Thereby, it can suppress that ink hardens | cures.

  Application Example 8 In the drawing apparatus according to the application example, it is preferable that the ink is a photocurable ink.

  According to this drawing apparatus, the ink is a photocurable ink. The photocurable ink is cured by, for example, activating a polymerization initiator when irradiated with light such as ultraviolet rays. For example, since dissolved oxygen can suppress the activity of the polymerization initiator, it is possible to suppress the curing of the photocurable ink by increasing the dissolved gas containing oxygen by the dissolved gas increasing portion.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the entire droplet discharge device. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an ink supply unit. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an ink supply unit.

  The drawing apparatus will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a droplet discharge device as a drawing device and an ink supply unit included in the droplet discharge device will be described as an example. The droplet discharge apparatus is an apparatus including an inkjet droplet discharge head. In the drawings referred to in the following description, the vertical and horizontal scales of members or portions may be shown differently from actual ones for convenience of illustration.

<Droplet ejection device>
Initially, the whole structure of the droplet discharge apparatus 1 is demonstrated with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the entire droplet discharge device.

As shown in FIG. 1, the droplet discharge device 1 includes a head mechanism unit 2, a work mechanism unit 3, an ink supply unit 4, a maintenance device unit 5, a discharge device control unit 7, a support leg 8, A surface plate 9 is provided. The head mechanism unit 2 includes a droplet discharge head 20 that discharges ink 40 (see FIG. 2) as droplets. The work mechanism unit 3 includes a work mounting table 33 on which a work W that is a discharge target of liquid droplets discharged from the liquid droplet discharge head 20 is mounted.
The ink supply unit 4 includes an ink tank 41, a supply pipe 61 (see FIG. 2), and the like, and ink 40 is supplied from the ink tank 41 to the droplet discharge head 20 via the supply pipe 61 and the like. The maintenance device unit 5 includes each device that performs inspection or maintenance of the droplet discharge head 20. The discharge device control unit 7 comprehensively controls these mechanism units. A plurality of support legs 8 are installed on the floor, and a surface plate 9 is installed on the plurality of support legs 8. The head mechanism 2 and the work mechanism 3 are disposed on the surface plate 9.

  The head mechanism unit 2 includes a head unit 21 having a droplet discharge head 20 and a head carriage 22 that supports the head unit 21, and the droplet discharge head 20 is moved by moving the head carriage 22 in the Y-axis direction. Is freely moved in the Y-axis direction. Moreover, it holds at the moved position. The workpiece mechanism unit 3 moves the workpiece mounting table 33 in the X-axis direction to freely move the workpiece W mounted on the workpiece mounting table 33 in the X-axis direction. Moreover, it holds at the moved position.

  The droplet discharge head 20 is moved to the discharge position in the Y-axis direction and stopped, and the ink 40 is discharged as droplets in synchronization with the movement of the work W below in the X-axis direction. By relatively controlling the workpiece W moved in the X-axis direction and the droplet discharge head 20 moved in the Y-axis direction, droplets are landed at an arbitrary position on the workpiece W, thereby making a desired drawing. Etc. can be performed.

The ink supply unit 4 includes an ink tank 41, a supply pipe 62, a circulation pipe 64, a deaeration unit 71, a pressurization unit 72, a valve holding frame 44, a switching valve 43, and the like. The valve holding frame 44 is fixed to the head carriage 22 of the head mechanism unit 2. The switching valve 43 is fixed to the head carriage 22 via the valve holding frame 44 by being held by the valve holding frame 44. The switching valve 43 fixed to the head carriage 22 moves in the Y-axis direction together with the movement of the droplet discharge head 20 in the Y-axis direction.
The droplet discharge head 20 corresponds to the discharge head. The ink supply unit 4 corresponds to an ink supply device.

<Ink supply unit>
Next, the configuration of the ink supply unit 4 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the ink supply unit.
As shown in FIG. 2, the ink supply unit 4 includes an ink tank 41, a switching valve 43, a deaeration unit 71, a pressure adjustment valve 77, and a pipe connection member 67. Further, between these tanks and the like and the droplet discharge head 20 are communicated, and a supply pipe 61, a supply pipe 62, which constitute a flow path for supplying the ink 40 from the ink tank 41 to the droplet discharge head 20, A supply pipe 63, a circulation pipe 64, and a liquid distribution pipe 66 are provided. The ink supply unit 4 also includes a pressurizing unit 72 and a pump 73. The pump 73 applies pressure to the ink 40 to send the ink 40 from the ink tank 41 to the droplet discharge head 20. The pressurizing unit 72 supplies air to the ink tank 41 to increase the internal pressure of the ink tank 41.
The deaeration unit 71, the pressurization unit 72, the pump 73, and the switching valve 43 are electrically connected to the discharge device control unit 7 as indicated by a broken line in FIG. Controlled by. The droplet discharge head 20 is also electrically connected to the discharge device control unit 7 and controlled by the discharge device control unit 7.

The ink tank 41 and the deaeration unit 71 communicate with each other via a supply pipe 61. A pump 73 is disposed in the middle of the supply pipe 61. The ink 40 is sent from the ink tank 41 to the deaeration unit 71 via the supply pipe 61 by the pump 73. The ink tank 41 is a tank for storing ink to be sent to the droplet discharge head 20.
As described above, the valve holding frame 44 is fixed to the head carriage 22 of the head mechanism unit 2. The switching valve 43 is fixed to the head carriage 22 via the valve holding frame 44 by being held by the valve holding frame 44. The switching valve 43 fixed to the head carriage 22 moves in the Y-axis direction together with the movement of the droplet discharge head 20 in the Y-axis direction.

The deaeration unit 71 and the switching valve 43 communicate with each other via a supply pipe 62. Therefore, the ink tank 41 and the switching valve 43 communicate with each other via the supply pipe 61, the deaeration unit 71, and the supply pipe 62. The ink tank 41 and the switching valve 43 are also communicated via the circulation pipe 64. The ink 40 is sent from the ink tank 41 to the switching valve 43 by the pump 73 via the supply pipe 61, the deaeration unit 71, and the supply pipe 62.
The switching valve 43 is also connected to a supply pipe 63 that is a path for sending ink toward the droplet discharge head 20. The switching valve 43 switches the flow path communicating with the supply pipe 62 to the circulation pipe 64 or the supply pipe 63.

  When the flow path communicating with the supply pipe 62 is connected to the supply pipe 63 by the switching valve 43, the ink 40 supplied to the switching valve 43 is supplied to the droplet discharge head 20. The ink 40 supplied from the ink tank 41 to the switching valve 43 is deaerated when passing through the deaeration unit 71 on the way. For this reason, the ink 40 supplied to the droplet discharge head 20 is obtained by degassing the dissolved gas.

  When the flow path communicating with the supply pipe 62 is connected to the circulation pipe 64 by the switching valve 43, the ink 40 supplied to the switching valve 43 is returned to the ink tank 41 via the circulation pipe 64. It is. A circulation path including an ink tank 41, a supply pipe 61, a deaeration unit 71, a supply pipe 62, a switching valve 43, and a circulation pipe 64 is formed, and the ink 40 is circulated in the circulation path. Can be made. By circulating the ink 40 in the circulation path, it is possible to suppress sedimentation of pigments contained in the ink 40.

  A pressure unit 72 is connected to the ink tank 41, and the pressure unit 72 supplies air to the ink tank 41 as described above. In a state where the flow path communicating with the supply pipe 62 is connected to the circulation pipe 64 by the switching valve 43, air is sent to the ink tank 41 by the pressurizing unit 72, so that the atmospheric pressure in the ink tank 41 becomes high. Become. As the atmospheric pressure in the ink tank 41 increases, oxygen or the like contained in the air becomes dissolved gas of the ink 40 in the ink tank 41. Dissolved gas is also added by the pressurizing unit 72 to the ink 40 deaerated by the deaeration unit 71 and returned to the ink tank 41 via the circulation pipe 64.

  When it is not necessary to supply the ink 40 to the droplet discharge head 20, the ink 40 can be circulated by switching the flow path to the circulation pipe 64 side. When it is necessary to supply the ink 40 to the droplet discharge head 20, the ink 40 is discharged from the droplet discharge head 20, or the ink 40 is sucked from the droplet discharge head 20. It is. In other cases, the ink 40 can be circulated. For example, the ink 40 may be circulated also during a rest period or at startup.

The switching valve 43 and the pressure adjustment valve 77 communicate with each other via the supply pipe 63.
The pressure regulating valve 77 is fixed to and supported by the regulating valve support frame 77a. The adjustment valve support frame 77 a is fixed to the unit plate 23 constituting the head unit 21. Therefore, the pressure regulating valve 77 is fixed to the unit plate 23 via the regulating valve support frame 77a. The pressure adjustment valve 77 adjusts and outputs the fluid pressure of the ink 40 that has flowed into the fluid pressure, for example, using atmospheric pressure. The fluid pressure of the ink 40 supplied to the droplet discharge head 20 is adjusted to a constant fluid pressure by the pressure regulating valve 77.
The pressure adjustment valve 77 and the droplet discharge head 20 communicate with each other via a liquid distribution pipe 66. The liquid distribution pipe 66 has two liquid droplet ejection heads 20 that are branched into two, and pipe connection members 67 are fixed to the branched ends. The pipe connection member 67 is fitted to the connection needle 26 of the droplet discharge head 20, and the inside of the droplet discharge head 20 and the flow path of the liquid distribution pipe 66 are connected via the introduction hole formed in the connection needle 26. It is communicated.

  As described above, the ink 40 is delivered by the pump 73. The ink 40 reaches the deaeration unit 71 from the ink tank 41 via the supply pipe 61, and reaches the switching valve 43 via the supply pipe 62 from the deaeration unit 71. The ink 40 is circulated in a circulation path including an ink tank 41, a supply pipe 61, a deaeration unit 71, a supply pipe 62, a switching valve 43, and a circulation pipe 64, while inside the ink supply unit 4. Is retained.

  When the ink 40 is ejected from the droplet ejection head 20, the switching valve 43 switches the flow path communicating with the supply pipe 62 from the circulation pipe 64 to the supply pipe 63. The ink 40 circulating in the circulation path is supplied from the switching valve 43 to the droplet discharge head 20 via the supply pipe 63 and the liquid distribution pipe 66. The ink 40 is degassed by a degassing unit 71 disposed between the supply pipe 61 and the supply pipe 62, adjusted to an appropriate pressure by a pressure adjustment valve 77, and supplied to the droplet discharge head 20. Is done.

  The ink tank 41 corresponds to an ink storage part and also corresponds to a discharged ink storage part. The supply pipe 61, the deaeration unit 71, the supply pipe 62, the supply pipe 63, and the liquid distribution pipe 66 correspond to the liquid introduction path. The switching valve 43 corresponds to a switching unit. The circulation pipe 64 corresponds to the discharge path. The deaeration unit 71 corresponds to a deaeration unit. The pressurizing unit 72 corresponds to the dissolved gas increasing part.

<Other ink supply units>
Next, the configuration of the ink supply unit 104, which is partially different from the ink supply unit 4, will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the ink supply unit. In FIG. 3, components that are substantially the same as the components of the ink supply unit 4 in the components of the ink supply unit 104 are assigned the same reference numerals. The ink supply unit 104 is an ink supply device in the same device as the droplet discharge device 1.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the ink supply unit 104 includes an ink tank 141, a switching valve 43, a circulation path tank 142, a deaeration unit 71, a pressure adjustment valve 77, and a pipe connection member 67. Yes. Further, between these tanks and the like and the droplet discharge head 20 are communicated, and a supply pipe 61, a supply pipe 62, which constitute a flow path for supplying the ink 40 from the ink tank 141 to the droplet discharge head 20, A supply pipe 63, a liquid distribution pipe 66, a circulation pipe 164, and a tank circulation pipe 165 are provided. The ink supply unit 104 also includes a pressurizing unit 72, a pump 73, and a tank valve 42. The pump 73 applies pressure to the ink 40 to send the ink 40 from the ink tank 141 to the droplet discharge head 20. The pressurizing unit 72 supplies air to the circulation path tank 142.

  The deaeration unit 71, the pressurization unit 72, the pump 73, the switching valve 43, and the tank valve 42 are electrically connected to the discharge device controller 7 as indicated by a broken line in FIG. It is controlled by the discharge device controller 7. The droplet discharge head 20 is also electrically connected to the discharge device control unit 7 and controlled by the discharge device control unit 7.

The ink tank 141 and the deaeration unit 71 communicate with each other via the supply pipe 61. A pump 73 is disposed in the middle of the supply pipe 61. The ink 40 is sent from the ink tank 141 to the deaeration unit 71 via the supply pipe 61 by the pump 73. The ink tank 141 is a tank for storing ink to be sent to the droplet discharge head 20.
Similar to the ink supply unit 4 described above, the valve holding frame 44 of the ink supply unit 104 is fixed to the head carriage 22 of the head mechanism unit 2. The switching valve 43 is fixed to the head carriage 22 via the valve holding frame 44 by being held by the valve holding frame 44. The switching valve 43 fixed to the head carriage 22 moves in the Y-axis direction together with the movement of the droplet discharge head 20 in the Y-axis direction.

The deaeration unit 71 and the switching valve 43 communicate with each other via a supply pipe 62. Therefore, the ink tank 141 and the switching valve 43 communicate with each other via the supply pipe 61, the deaeration unit 71, and the supply pipe 62. The switching valve 43 and the circulation path tank 142 communicate with each other via a circulation pipe 164. The circulation path tank 142 and the ink tank 141 communicate with each other via a tank circulation pipe 165. A tank valve 42 is disposed in the middle of the tank circulation pipe 165. Therefore, the ink tank 141 and the switching valve 43 communicate with each other via the circulation pipe 164, the circulation path tank 142, and the tank circulation pipe 165.
The ink 40 is sent from the ink tank 141 to the switching valve 43 by the pump 73 via the supply pipe 61, the deaeration unit 71, and the supply pipe 62.
A supply pipe 63 that is a path for sending ink to the droplet discharge head 20 is also connected to the switching valve 43. The switching valve 43 switches the flow path communicating with the supply pipe 62 to the circulation pipe 164 or the supply pipe 63.

  When the flow path communicating with the supply pipe 62 is connected to the supply pipe 63 by the switching valve 43, the ink 40 supplied to the switching valve 43 is supplied to the droplet discharge head 20. The ink 40 supplied from the ink tank 141 to the switching valve 43 is deaerated when passing through the deaeration unit 71 on the way. For this reason, the ink 40 supplied to the droplet discharge head 20 is obtained by degassing the dissolved gas.

When the flow path communicating with the supply pipe 62 is connected to the circulation pipe 164 by the switching valve 43, the ink 40 supplied to the switching valve 43 passes through the circulation pipe 164 to the circulation path tank 142. Sent.
The pressurization unit 72 is connected to the circulation path tank 142, and the pressurization unit 72 supplies air to the circulation path tank 142 as described above. The flow path communicating with the supply pipe 62 by the switching valve 43 is connected to the circulation pipe 164, and in the state where the tank valve 42 provided in the tank circulation pipe 165 is closed, the circulation path is provided by the pressurizing unit 72. By sending air into the tank 142, the atmospheric pressure in the circulation path tank 142 increases. As the atmospheric pressure in the circulation path tank 142 increases, oxygen or the like contained in the air becomes dissolved gas of the ink 40 in the circulation path tank 142. Dissolved gas is added by the pressurizing unit 72 to the ink 40 that has been deaerated by the deaeration unit 71 and sent to the circulation path tank 142 via the circulation pipe 164.

  A circulation path including an ink tank 141, a supply pipe 61, a supply pipe 62, a switching valve 43, a circulation pipe 164, a circulation path tank 142, and a tank circulation pipe 165 is formed. A flow path communicating with the supply pipe 62 is connected to the circulation pipe 164, and the ink 40 can be circulated in the circulation path in a state where the tank valve 42 is opened. By circulating the ink 40 in the circulation path, it is possible to suppress sedimentation of pigments contained in the ink 40.

  When it is not necessary to supply the ink 40 to the droplet discharge head 20, the ink 40 can be circulated by switching the flow path to the circulation pipe 164 side. When it is necessary to supply the ink 40 to the droplet discharge head 20, the ink 40 is discharged from the droplet discharge head 20, or the ink 40 is sucked from the droplet discharge head 20. It is. In other cases, the ink 40 can be circulated. For example, the ink 40 may be circulated also during a rest period or at startup.

  As described above, the ink 40 is delivered by the pump 73. The ink 40 reaches the deaeration unit 71 from the ink tank 141 via the supply pipe 61, and reaches the switching valve 43 via the supply pipe 62 from the deaeration unit 71. The ink 40 is provided with an ink tank 141, a supply pipe 61, a deaeration unit 71, a supply pipe 62, a switching valve 43, a circulation pipe 164, a circulation path tank 142, and a tank circulation pipe 165. It is held inside the ink supply unit 104 while circulating through the path.

  When the ink 40 is ejected from the droplet ejection head 20, the switching valve 43 switches the flow path communicating with the supply pipe 62 from the circulation pipe 164 to the supply pipe 63. The configuration from the switching valve 43 to the droplet discharge head 20 is the same as that of the ink supply unit 4. The ink 40 circulating in the circulation path is supplied from the switching valve 43 to the droplet discharge head 20 via the supply pipe 63 and the liquid distribution pipe 66. The ink 40 is degassed by a degassing unit 71 disposed between the supply pipe 61 and the supply pipe 62, adjusted to an appropriate pressure by a pressure adjustment valve 77, and supplied to the droplet discharge head 20. Is done.

  The ink tank 141 corresponds to an ink storage unit. The circulation path tank 142 corresponds to the discharged ink storage unit. The supply pipe 61, the deaeration unit 71, the supply pipe 62, the supply pipe 63, and the liquid distribution pipe 66 correspond to the liquid introduction path. The switching valve 43 corresponds to a switching unit. The circulation pipe 164 corresponds to the discharge path. The deaeration unit 71 corresponds to a dissolved gas deaeration unit. The pressurizing unit 72 corresponds to the dissolved gas increasing part. The tank circulation pipe 165 corresponds to a connection path.

<Ink>
The ink 40 is, for example, an ultraviolet curable ink. The composition of the ink in the present embodiment (hereinafter also referred to as “ink composition”) is not particularly limited. When the ink is an ultraviolet curable ink, it contains at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator. Further, when the ink is a colored ink other than the clear ink, a color material is also included. Hereinafter, each component contained in or included in the ink composition will be described.

(Polymerizable compound)
The polymerizable compound is not particularly limited as long as it is a compound that polymerizes and solidifies upon irradiation with ultraviolet rays by the action of a photopolymerization initiator described later. For example, various monomers and oligomers having a monofunctional group, a bifunctional group, and a polyfunctional group having three or more functional groups can be used.

  Here, the “monomer” in the present specification means a molecule having a weight average molecular weight of 100 to 3,000. The “oligomer” in the present specification means a molecule having a weight average molecular weight of 500 to 20,000.

The monomer is not particularly limited. For example, unsaturated carboxylic acids such as (meth) acrylic acid, itaconic acid, crotonic acid, isocrotonic acid and maleic acid, salts or esters thereof, urethane, amide and anhydrides thereof, Examples include acrylonitrile, styrene, various unsaturated polyesters, unsaturated polyethers, unsaturated polyamides, and unsaturated urethanes.
An N-vinyl compound may be included as another monofunctional monomer or polyfunctional monomer. Examples of the N-vinyl compound include N-vinylformamide, N-vinylcarbazole, N-vinylacetamide, N-vinylpyrrolidone, N-vinylcaprolactam, acryloylmorpholine, and derivatives thereof.

  Examples of the oligomer include oligomers formed from the above monomers such as linear oligomers and hyperbranched oligomers, epoxy (meth) acrylates, aliphatic urethane (meth) acrylates, aromatic urethane (meth) acrylates, poly Examples include ether (meth) acrylate and polyester (meth) acrylate.

Among those listed above, esters of (meth) acrylic acid, that is, (meth) acrylates are preferred. When (meth) acrylate is used as the polymerizable compound, the curability of the ink and the adhesion of the cured film to the adherend can be improved.
In the present specification, “(meth) acrylate” means acrylate and its corresponding methacrylate, and “(meth) acryl” means acryl and its corresponding methacryl.

  Among the above (meth) acrylates, monofunctional (meth) acrylates include, for example, isoamyl (meth) acrylate, stearyl (meth) acrylate, lauryl (meth) acrylate, octyl (meth) acrylate, decyl (meth) acrylate, iso Myristyl (meth) acrylate, isostearyl (meth) acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl-diglycol (meth) acrylate, 2-hydroxybutyl (meth) acrylate, butoxyethyl (meth) acrylate, ethoxydiethylene glycol (meth) acrylate, methoxydiethylene glycol ( (Meth) acrylate, methoxypolyethylene glycol (meth) acrylate, methoxypropylene glycol (meth) acrylate, phenoxyethyl (meth) acrylate , Tetrahydrofurfuryl (meth) acrylate, isobornyl (meth) acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl (meth) acrylate, 2-hydroxypropyl (meth) acrylate, 2-hydroxy-3-phenoxypropyl (meth) acrylate, lactone-modifiable Examples include flexible (meth) acrylate, t-butylcyclohexyl (meth) acrylate, dicyclopentanyl (meth) acrylate, dicyclopentenyloxyethyl (meth) acrylate, and isobornyl (meth) acrylate.

  Among the (meth) acrylates, examples of the bifunctional (meth) acrylate include triethylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, tetraethylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, polyethylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, and dipropylene glycol di ( (Meth) acrylate, tripropylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, polypropylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, 1,4-butanediol di (meth) acrylate, 1,6-hexanediol di (meth) acrylate, 1,9-nonane Di (meth) acrylate, neopentyl glycol di (meth) acrylate, dimethylol-tricyclodecane di (meth) acrylate, EO (ethylene oxide) adduct di (meth) acrylate of bisphenol A DOO, PO bisphenol A (propylene oxide) adduct di (meth) acrylate, hydroxypivalic acid neopentyl glycol di (meth) acrylate, and polytetramethylene glycol di (meth) acrylate.

  Among the above (meth) acrylates, trifunctional or more polyfunctional (meth) acrylates include, for example, trimethylolpropane tri (meth) acrylate, EO-modified trimethylolpropane tri (meth) acrylate, and pentaerythritol tri (meth) acrylate. , Pentaerythritol tetra (meth) acrylate, dipentaerythritol hexa (meth) acrylate, ditrimethylolpropane tetra (meth) acrylate, glycerin propoxytri (meth) acrylate, cowprolactone modified trimethylolpropane tri (meth) acrylate, pentaerythritol Examples include ethoxytetra (meth) acrylate and caprolactam-modified dipentaerythritol hexa (meth) acrylate.

  Among these, as the polymerizable compound, a monofunctional (metafunctional) compound is used from the viewpoint that the coating film (coating layer) at the time of curing has high extensibility and low viscosity, so that injection stability at the time of ink jet recording is easily obtained. ) It is preferable to contain an acrylate. Furthermore, it is more preferable to use a monofunctional (meth) acrylate and a bifunctional (meth) acrylate together from the viewpoint of increasing the hardness of the coating layer.

Among the (meth) acrylates listed above, at least one selected from the group consisting of dipropylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, tripropylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, and 1,6-hexanediol acrylate is preferable. At least one of propylene glycol di (meth) acrylate and tripropylene glycol di (meth) acrylate is more preferable. In this case, since the balance of viscosity, curability, and skin irritation is excellent, it is effective for inkjet inks that are easily affected by viscosity during ejection, and skin irritation is also reduced.
The photopolymerizable compound may further contain a conventionally known (meth) acrylate oligomer in addition to the (meth) acrylate monomer.
Said polymeric compound may be used individually by 1 type, and may use 2 or more types together.

(Photopolymerization initiator)
The polymerization initiator is not particularly limited as long as it generates active species such as radicals and cations by the energy of ultraviolet rays and initiates polymerization of the polymerizable compound. A radical polymerization initiator or a cationic polymerization initiator can be used, and among these, it is preferable to use a radical polymerization initiator. By using the radical polymerization initiator, there is no inhibition of polymerization due to humidity as in the case of cationic polymerization, so that an advantageous effect that the printing environment is not selected can be obtained. Further, the radical polymerization initiator has oxygen inhibition, and the reactivity changes depending on dissolved oxygen in the ink.
In addition, although it does not specifically limit as a cationic polymerization initiator, For example, the chemical amplification type photoresist and the compound utilized for photocationic polymerization are used (Organic Electronics Materials Research Group, "Organic material for imaging", Shin Publishing (1993), pages 187 to 192, Technical Information Association, “Photocuring Technology”, photoacid generator introduced in 2001). As examples of compounds suitable for the present embodiment, first, B (C6F5) 4-, PF6-, AsF6-, SbF6-, CF3SO3- salts of aromatic onium compounds such as diazonium, ammonium, iodonium, sulfonium and the like can be mentioned. . Those having a borate compound as a counter anion are preferred because of their high acid generation ability. Moreover, the sulfonated substance which generate | occur | produces a sulfonic acid, the halide which photogenerates a hydrogen halide, and an iron allene complex are mentioned suitably. Examples of commercially available cationic polymerization initiators include UV1-6992 (triphenylsulfonium salt, manufactured by The Dow Chemical Company).

  Examples of the radical polymerization initiator include aromatic ketones, acylphosphine compounds, aromatic onium salt compounds, organic peroxides, thio compounds, hexaarylbiimidazole compounds, ketoxime ester compounds, borate compounds, and azinium compounds. , Metallocene compounds, active ester compounds, compounds having a carbon halogen bond, and alkylamine compounds.

  Specific examples of the radical polymerization initiator include acetophenone, acetophenone benzyl ketal, 1-hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone, 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone, xanthone, fluorenone, benzaldehyde, fluorene, anthraquinone, triphenylamine, carbazole, 3-methylacetophenone, 4-chlorobenzophenone, 4,4′-dimethoxybenzophenone, 4,4′-diaminobenzophenone, Michler's ketone, benzoin propyl ether, benzoin ethyl ether, benzyldimethyl ketal, 1- (4-isopropylphenyl) -2 -Hydroxy-2-methylpropan-1-one, 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenylpropan-1-one, thioxanthone, diethylthio Xanthone, 2-isopropylthioxanthone, 2-chlorothioxanthone, 2-methyl-1- [4- (methylthio) phenyl] -2-morpholino-propan-1-one, bis (2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl) -phenyl Examples include phosphine oxide, 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl-diphenyl-phosphine oxide, 2,4-diethylthioxanthone and bis- (2,6-dimethoxybenzoyl) -2,4,4-trimethylpentylphosphine oxide. It is done.

Examples of commercially available radical polymerization initiators include IRGACURE 651 (2,2-dimethoxy-1,2-diphenylethane-1-one), IRGACURE 184 (1-hydroxy-cyclohexyl-phenyl-ketone), DAROCUR 1173 ( 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenyl-propan-1-one), IRGACURE 2959 (1- [4- (2-hydroxyethoxy) -phenyl] -2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-propane-1 -One), IRGACURE 127 (2-hydroxy-1- {4- [4- (2-hydroxy-2-methyl-propionyl) -benzyl] phenyl} -2-methyl-propan-1-one), IRGACURE 907 ( 2-Methyl-1- (4-methylthiophenyl) -2-morpholinop Ropan-1-one), IRGACURE 369 (2-benzyl-2-dimethylamino-1- (4-morpholinophenyl) -butanone-1), IRGACURE 379 (2- (dimethylamino) -2-[(4- Methylphenyl) methyl] -1- [4- (4-morpholinyl) phenyl] -1-butanone), DAROCUR TPO (2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl-diphenyl-phosphine oxide), IRGACURE 819 (bis (2, 4,6-trimethylbenzoyl) -phenylphosphine oxide), IRGACURE 784 (bis (η5-2,4-cyclopentadien-1-yl) -bis (2,6-difluoro-3- (1H-pyrrole-1-) Yl) -phenyl) titanium), IRGACURE OXE 01 (1.2- Kutandione, 1- [4- (phenylthio)-, 2- (O-benzoyloxime)]), IRGACURE OXE 02 (ethanone, 1- [9-ethyl-6- (2-methylbenzoyl) -9H-carbazole-3) -Yl]-, 1- (O-acetyloxime)), IRGACURE 754 (oxyphenylacetic acid), 2- [2-oxo-2-phenylacetoxyethoxy] ethyl ester and oxyphenylacetic acid, 2- (2-hydroxyethoxy) ) Mixture of ethyl esters (above, manufactured by Ciba Japan K.K.), KAYACURE DETX-S (2,4-diethylthioxanthone) (Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd.) ), Lucirin TPO, LR8883, LR8970 (above, manufactured by BASF), and Ubekrill P36 (U B Co., Ltd.) and the like.
The said photoinitiator may be used individually by 1 type, and may be used in combination of 2 or more type.

(Color material)
The ink composition in the present embodiment may further include a color material. The color material is at least one of a pigment and a dye. Among these, the ink (ink jet recording ink) is an example of a liquid because the effect of applying the ink jet recording method characterized by performing ultrasonic deaeration while stirring and the ink jet recording apparatus used for the method is very large. ) Is preferably a liquid composition containing a pigment, more preferably a liquid composition containing a metal oxide, and even more preferably a pigment-based white ink.

(1. Pigment)
In this embodiment, the light resistance of the ink composition can be improved by using a pigment as the color material. As the pigment, both inorganic pigments and organic pigments can be used.

  As the inorganic pigment, carbon black (CI pigment black 7) such as furnace black, lamp black, acetylene black and channel black, iron oxide, and titanium oxide can be used. Among these, as described above, when the pigment-based ink is a white ink, it is preferable to use titanium oxide from the viewpoint of maintaining good whiteness.

  Organic pigments include insoluble azo pigments, condensed azo pigments, azo lakes and chelate azo pigments, phthalocyanine pigments, perylene and perinone pigments, anthraquinone pigments, quinacridone pigments, dioxane pigments, thioindigo pigments, isoindolinone pigments, and quinophthalone pigments. Polycyclic pigments, dye chelates (for example, basic dye chelates, acid dye chelates, etc.), dye rakes (basic dye rakes, acid dye rakes), nitro pigments, nitroso pigments, aniline black, daytime A photofluorescent pigment is mentioned.

  The said pigment may be used individually by 1 type, and may use 2 or more types together. Further, any pigment not described in the color index can be used as long as it is insoluble in water.

(2. Dye)
In the present embodiment, a dye can be used as the color material. The dye is not particularly limited, and acid dyes, direct dyes, reactive dyes, and basic dyes can be used. Examples of the dye include C.I. I. Acid Yellow 17, 23, 42, 44, 79, 142, C.I. I. Acid Red 52, 80, 82, 249, 254, 289, C.I. I. Acid Blue 9, 45, 249, C.I. I. Acid Black 1, 2, 24, 94, C.I. I. Food Black 1, 2, C.I. I. Direct Yellow 1, 12, 24, 33, 50, 55, 58, 86, 132, 142, 144, 173, C.I. I. Direct Red 1, 4, 9, 80, 81, 225, 227, C.I. I. Direct Blue 1, 2, 15, 71, 86, 87, 98, 165, 199, 202, C.I. I. Directed Black 19, 38, 51, 71, 154, 168, 171, 195, C.I. I. Reactive Red 14, 32, 55, 79, 249, C.I. I. Reactive black 3, 4, and 35 are mentioned.

  The ink composition can also be applied to clear ink that does not contain a color material. That is, even in clear ink that does not contain a pigment, excellent printing stability can be achieved by a system having an ultrasonic deaeration process that performs ultrasonic deaeration. In addition to this, the deaeration process can be used more effectively by providing a stirring mechanism. In this case, the deaeration process can obtain the effectiveness more remarkably in the ink having a high viscosity.

  Further, the pigment can be used by being dispersed in a dispersant or a surfactant described later.

(Other ingredients)
The ink composition in the present embodiment may contain components other than the components listed above. Although it does not specifically limit as the said component, For example, a dispersing agent is mentioned.

  Although it does not specifically limit as said dispersing agent, For example, the dispersing agent currently used for preparing pigment dispersion liquids, such as a polymer dispersing agent, Ajimoto fine techno Co., Ltd. Ajispar series, Abyssia Co., Ltd. Examples include Solspers series manufactured by BYK Chemie, Dispersic series manufactured by BYK Chemie, and Disparon series manufactured by Enomoto Kasei Co., Ltd. The polymer dispersant is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include polyoxyalkylene polyalkylene polyamines, vinyl polymers and copolymers, acrylic polymers and copolymers, polyesters, polyamides, polyimides, polyurethanes, amino polymers, silicon-containing polymers, and the like. The thing which has 1 or more types as a main component among a sulfur polymer, a fluorine-containing polymer, an epoxy resin, etc. is mentioned.

  Although it does not specifically limit as said surfactant, For example, polyester modified silicone and polyether modified silicone can be used as a silicone type surfactant, Polyether modified polydimethylsiloxane or polyester modified polydimethylsiloxane is used. It is particularly preferred. Specific examples include BYK-347, BYK-348, BYK-UV3500, 3510, 3530, and 3570 (manufactured by BYK Japan KK).

  Furthermore, the ink composition comprises a polymerization accelerator, slip agent, penetration enhancer, wetting agent (humectant), fixing agent, antifungal agent, preservative, surfactant, antioxidant, polymerization inhibitor, UV absorber. , Chelating agents, pH adjusters, and thickeners.

Hereinafter, the effect by embodiment is described. According to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) In the ink supply unit 4, a circulation path including the ink tank 41, the supply pipe 61, the deaeration unit 71, the supply pipe 62, the switching valve 43, and the circulation pipe 64 is formed. The ink 40 can be circulated in the circulation path. In the ink supply unit 104, an ink tank 141, a supply pipe 61, a deaeration unit 71, a supply pipe 62, a switching valve 43, a circulation pipe 164, a circulation path tank 142, a tank circulation pipe 165, Is formed, and the ink 40 can be circulated in the circulation path. Thereby, compared with the case where the ink 40 is stored in a stationary state, it is possible to prevent the ink 40 from being easily solidified by being maintained in a stationary state.

  (2) The ink supply unit 4 and the ink supply unit 104 include a deaeration unit 71. The deaeration unit 71 can degas the ink 40 supplied to the droplet discharge head 20 to reduce the dissolved gas concentration.

  (3) In the ink supply unit 4 and the ink supply unit 104, dissolved gas is added to the ink 40 sent to the ink tank 41 or the circulation path tank 142 by the pressurizing unit 72. Thereby, the dissolved gas which was deaerated by the deaeration unit 71 and decreased can be increased. By increasing the dissolved gas, it is possible to suppress the ink 40 from being easily cured due to the decrease in the dissolved gas.

  (4) In the ink supply unit 104, the circulation path tank 142 is out of the ink supply path from the ink tank 141 to the droplet discharge head 20. With this configuration, the ink supply unit 104 can increase the dissolved gas concentration of the ink 40 in the circulation path tank 142 while the droplet discharge head 20 is operating.

  (5) The ink supply unit 4 and the ink supply unit 104 include a pressure adjustment valve 77. The pressure adjusting valve 77 can adjust the fluid pressure of the ink 40 supplied to the droplet discharge head 20 to a constant fluid pressure regardless of the fluid pressure of the ink 40 in the ink supply path.

  (6) The pressure adjustment valve 77 is disposed downstream of the deaeration unit 71 in the supply path through which the ink 40 is supplied to the droplet discharge head 20. Thereby, the hydraulic pressure of the ink 40 adjusted by the pressure adjusting valve 77 can be substantially prevented from being influenced by the deaeration unit 71.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment was described referring an accompanying drawing, suitable embodiment is not restricted to the said embodiment. The embodiment can of course be modified in various ways without departing from the scope, and can also be implemented as follows.

  (Modification 1) In the above embodiment, the ink 40 is an ultraviolet curable ink, but it is not essential that the ink 40 is an ultraviolet curable ink. For example, ink that is cured by light of another wavelength or thermosetting ink may be used. If the ink supply device or the drawing device handles ink whose progress of curing is affected by dissolved gas, the configuration such as the ink supply unit 4 or the ink supply unit 104 described in the above embodiment is preferably applied. The ink can be prevented from curing in the apparatus. That is, it is possible to suppress deterioration of characteristics while ink is stored in the apparatus.

  (Modification 2) In the embodiment, the pressurizing unit 72 supplies air by sending it into the ink tank 41 or the circulation path tank 142. The dissolved gas increasing portion may be configured to send air directly into the ink. By sending air directly into the ink, the dissolved gas of the ink can be increased efficiently.

  (Modification 3) In the above embodiment, one deaeration unit 71 and one pressurization unit 72 are provided for one droplet discharge head 20. However, it is not essential that one ejection head is supplied with ink from an ink supply device including one dissolved gas deaeration unit and a dissolved gas increase unit. A configuration may be adopted in which ink is supplied to a plurality of ejection heads from an ink supply device including one dissolved gas deaeration unit and a dissolved gas increase unit.

  (Modification 4) In the embodiment, the switching valve 43 corresponding to the switching unit is a device that switches the flow path communicating with the supply pipe 62 to the circulation pipe 64 or the supply pipe 63. However, it is not essential that the switching unit that switches the ink guide destination to the ejection head or the discharged ink storage unit is a device like the switching valve 43. For example, a configuration may be provided in which a valve for opening and closing the liquid introduction path is provided between the branch part and the discharge head, and a valve for opening and closing the discharge path is provided between the branch part and the discharged ink storage part. In this case, the valve for opening and closing the liquid introduction path and the valve for opening and closing the discharge path correspond to the switching unit.

  (Modification 5) In the above embodiment, the operating time of the pressurizing unit 72 as the dissolved gas increasing portion is not particularly defined. However, when the dissolved gas content of the ink is sufficient, the dissolved gas increasing portion. May be stopped. For example, when the ink 40 stays in the circulation path tank 142 for a certain time, the pressurizing unit 72 is operated for a predetermined time, and then the ink 40 is allowed to flow again. The operation of the pressurizing unit 72 may be stopped.

  (Modification 6) In the above-described embodiment, the ink supply unit 4 and the ink supply unit 104 are provided with the pressure adjusting valve 77. However, the device adjusts the hydraulic pressure of the ink supplied to the ejection head to a constant hydraulic pressure. It is not essential that the device is a device such as the pressure regulating valve 77. For example, a liquid reservoir is provided in the middle of the ink supply path, and the water head difference between the liquid level of the ink supplied to the liquid reservoir and the ink liquid level in the discharge head is maintained constant, thereby supplying the liquid to the discharge head. It may be a device that adjusts the fluid pressure of the ink to be a constant fluid pressure.

(Modification 7) In the embodiment described above, the switching valve 43 corresponding to the switching unit is fixed to the head carriage 22 and moves together with the head carriage 22 (droplet ejection head 20). It is not essential that the switching unit moves together with the ejection head. The switching unit may be fixed with respect to the moving ejection head.
When the switching unit is fixed, the switching unit and the ink storage unit can be arranged close to each other, so that the first channel and the circulation channel can be shortened.

  (Modification 8) In the above embodiment, the droplet discharge device 1 includes one head unit 21. However, it is not essential that the drawing apparatus has one head unit. Any number of head units may be provided in the drawing apparatus. When the drawing apparatus includes a plurality of head units, the type of ink to be ejected may be different for each head unit.

  (Modification 9) In the above embodiment, the workpiece W 33 is moved in the X-axis direction by moving the workpiece mounting table 33 in the X-axis direction by the X-axis scanning mechanism, and the droplet discharge head 20 is moved by the Y-axis scanning mechanism. By moving the (head unit 21) in the Y-axis direction, the workpiece W and the droplet discharge head 20 are relatively moved in the plane direction. It is not essential to move both the drawing medium and the ejection head in order to relatively move the drawing medium such as the workpiece W and the ejection head. A configuration may be adopted in which either the drawing medium or the ejection head is moved in the plane direction to move the drawing medium and the ejection head relative to each other.

(Modification 10) In the above embodiment, the type of ink to be ejected by the droplet ejection device 1 is not particularly described, but different types of ink such as different colors may be ejected. Color drawing is also possible by discharging a plurality of types of ink with different colors. The type of ink is different for each droplet discharge head, for example. A different ink may be ejected for each ejection nozzle by using a droplet ejection head that can individually supply ink to each ejection nozzle that is an opening for ejecting ink.
In a drawing device that uses different types of ink, the circulation path may be provided in all of the ink supply devices, or may be provided only in some of the ink supply devices. From the ink supply device provided with the circulation path, it is preferable to supply ink particularly effective to provide the circulation path. Examples of inks that are particularly effective for providing a circulation path include white inks and metallic inks that contain a large amount of pigment.

  (Modification 11) In the above embodiment, the deaeration unit 71 is operating when the ink 40 is sent. However, it is not indispensable that the dissolved gas deaeration unit always operates when the ink passes through the dissolved gas deaeration unit. When the ink is circulating through the circulation path, the dissolved gas deaeration unit may be stopped.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Droplet discharge apparatus, 2 ... Head mechanism part, 3 ... Work mechanism part, 4 ... Ink supply part, 7 ... Discharge apparatus control part, 20 ... Droplet discharge head, 21 ... Head unit, 33 ... Work mounting base, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 40 ... Ink, 41 ... Ink tank, 42 ... Tank valve, 43 ... Switching valve, 61 ... Supply pipe, 62 ... Supply pipe, 63 ... Supply pipe, 64 ... Circulation pipe, 66 ... Liquid distribution pipe, 71 ... Deaeration unit 72 ... Pressurizing unit, 73 ... Pump, 77 ... Pressure adjusting valve, 104 ... Ink supply section, 141 ... Ink tank, 142 ... Circulation path tank, 164 ... Circulation pipe, 165 ... Tank circulation pipe.

Claims (8)

An ink reservoir for storing ink having a property of being cured by receiving active energy;
An ejection head for ejecting the ink;
A liquid guide path for guiding the ink to the ejection head;
A discharge path that branches off from the liquid path and discharges the ink in the liquid path;
A discharged ink storage section for storing the discharged ink;
A switching unit provided in the liquid introduction path;
A drawing apparatus comprising: a dissolved gas increasing unit configured to increase a dissolved amount of the ink gas in the discharged ink storing unit.   2. The drawing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a dissolved gas increase unit control unit that operates the dissolved gas increase unit in a state in which a destination of the ink being switched by the switching unit is switched to the ejection head. .   The drawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dissolved gas increasing unit feeds gas into the discharged ink storage unit.   The drawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a deaeration unit that degass the dissolved gas of the ink is provided in the liquid guide path.   The drawing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the discharged ink storage unit is the ink storage unit.   The drawing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a connection path for returning the ink from the discharged ink storage unit to the ink storage unit.   The drawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink includes a polymerizable compound and a polymerization initiator.   The drawing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the ink is a photocurable ink.

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