JP2013216048A - Printer and printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer capable of printing a highly accurate symbol by correcting and removing wrinkles before printing by an inkjet head, and preventing damage to a nozzle of the inkjet head, and to provide a printing method.SOLUTION: A pre-heater 6, a platen heater 7 and an after heater 8 are installed in order from the upstream side along a conveyance face of a water pressure transfer printing film 1. The pre-heater 6 has a guide face 6a serving as a part of the conveyance face to heat the water pressure transfer printing film 1 before printing to correct wrinkles. Temperatures of the pre-heater 6, the platen heater 7 and the after heater 8 are, for example, 30°C, 40°C, 50°C, and increase as they go downstream.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing method particularly suitable for use in printing a hydraulic transfer film.

  Conventionally, as a printing apparatus, there is one described in JP-A-5-104706 (Patent Document 1). This printing apparatus is provided with a low-temperature heater for pre-heating ink and a high-temperature heater for fixing sequentially from the upstream side along the conveyance path on the downstream side of the inkjet head. The low-temperature heater promotes the penetration of ink into the recording paper by maintaining the preheating temperature lower than the fixing temperature so that the ink ejected from the inkjet head onto the recording paper can gradually penetrate the recording paper. Thereafter, the recording paper in which the ink has permeated is heated to a fixing temperature by a high-temperature heater. As described above, the conventional printing apparatus heats the recording paper after printing in two stages to improve the drying and fixing of the ink.

JP-A-5-104706

  However, in the above conventional printing apparatus, the recording paper after printing is heated in two stages downstream from the ink jet head to improve the ink fixing performance on the recording paper, but printing on the hydraulic transfer film There are the following problems.

  The water-soluble film of the above-mentioned hydraulic transfer film is sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity, and the water-soluble film expands and contracts due to changes in temperature and humidity, resulting in wrinkles. There is. In this case, there is a problem in that the ink jet head is damaged due to interference between the ridge of the hydraulic transfer film and the ink jet head, thereby causing ink non-discharge.

  Further, in order to prevent interference between the wrinkles of the water pressure transfer film and the ink jet head, the interval between the ink jet head through which the water pressure transfer film passes and the platen is increased, for example, from the usual 2 mm to about 5 mm. As a result, a problem arises in that a highly accurate pattern cannot be printed.

  The hydraulic transfer film is a film in which a water-soluble or water-swellable water-soluble film made of polyvinyl alcohol resin or the like is provided with a water-resistant ink receiving layer made of acrylic resin or the like ( The film for hydraulic transfer is well known, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-23519.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to correct a wrinkle before printing with an ink jet head, remove the wrinkle, prevent damage to the nozzle of the ink jet head, and print a highly accurate pattern and printing method Is to provide.

In order to solve the above problems, the hydraulic transfer film of the present invention is
A feeding roller for feeding out the hydraulic transfer film;
An inkjet head for forming a pattern layer on the hydraulic transfer film fed from the feeding roller;
A preheater disposed upstream of the inkjet head and having a guide surface that is part of the transport surface of the hydraulic transfer film;
An after heater disposed on the downstream side of the inkjet head and heating the hydraulic transfer film;
The set temperature of the preheater is lower than the set temperature of the after heater.

  According to the above configuration, the water pressure transfer film is heated by the preheater having a guide surface that is a part of the transport surface of the water pressure transfer film on the upstream side of the ink jet head before reaching the ink jet head. . The water pressure transfer film is heated while moving in close contact with the guide surface of the preheater, and is heated to remove the wrinkles so that the wrinkles can be ironed.

  Therefore, when the hydraulic transfer film passes between the inkjet head and the platen, interference between the nozzle of the inkjet head and the hydraulic transfer film is prevented, and damage to the nozzle of the inkjet head is prevented. Further, it is not necessary to widen the interval between the inkjet head and the hydraulic transfer film, and a highly accurate picture can be printed.

  Moreover, since the preset temperature of the preheater is lower than the preset temperature of the after heater, the temperature of the hydraulic transfer film immediately after the ink is ejected is not excessively high. Therefore, there is no possibility that the ink adhering to the nozzles of the ink jet head will solidify immediately. In addition, there is no fear that the ink jetted from the inkjet head onto the hydraulic transfer film will not interfere with the penetration of the hydraulic transfer film, and the quality of the pattern will not deteriorate.

  On the downstream side of the inkjet head, the hydraulic transfer film is heated to a temperature higher than the set temperature of the preheater by an after heater. Therefore, the ink that has already penetrated into the hydraulic transfer film is quickly dried and solidified, and good fixing is performed, thereby improving the productivity.

In one embodiment,
A platen heater disposed between the pre-heater and the after-heater,
The set temperature of the platen heater is equal to or higher than the set temperature of the preheater and is lower than the set temperature of the after heater.

  According to the above-described embodiment, the hydraulic transfer film is set to a temperature that is equal to or higher than the preset temperature of the pre-heater and lower than the preset temperature of the after-heater at the droplet discharge location immediately below the inkjet head by the platen heater. Since the ink is heated to a temperature, there is no fear of solidifying the ink attached to the nozzles of the inkjet head. Further, the ink jetted from the inkjet head onto the hydraulic transfer film does not hinder the penetration of the ink into the hydraulic transfer film, and the quality of the pattern does not deteriorate.

  Further, since the hydraulic transfer film is heated by the platen heater, the temperature of the hydraulic transfer film heated by the preheater does not drop. Therefore, the fixing performance in the latter stage of heating with the after heater is improved.

The printing method of the present invention is
A preheating step of preheating the hydraulic transfer film to remove wrinkles before printing a pattern layer with an inkjet head on the ink receiving layer of the hydraulic transfer film;
An after-heating step of heating the hydraulic transfer film after the pattern layer is formed on the ink receiving layer, in order to fix the ink;
The heating temperature in the preheating step is lower than the heating temperature in the afterheating step.

  According to the above configuration, the hydraulic transfer film is preheated to a heating temperature lower than the heating temperature in the after-heating process in the preheating process before the pattern layer is printed on the ink receiving layer. Is removed.

  Accordingly, when the hydraulic transfer film passes between the inkjet head and the platen, interference between the nozzle of the inkjet head and the hydraulic transfer film is prevented, and damage to the nozzle can be prevented. Further, it is not necessary to widen the interval between the inkjet head and the hydraulic transfer film, and a highly accurate picture can be printed.

  In addition, since the heating temperature in the pre-heating step is lower than the heating temperature in the after-heating step, the temperature of the hydraulic transfer film immediately after the ink is ejected is not excessively high, and therefore adheres to the nozzles of the inkjet head. There is no fear of solidifying the ink, and the ink jetted from the ink jet head to the hydraulic transfer film is not prevented from penetrating into the hydraulic transfer film, and the quality of the pattern is not deteriorated.

  In the after-heating process, the hydraulic transfer film is heated to a temperature higher than the set temperature of the preheating process. Therefore, the ink that has already penetrated into the hydraulic transfer film is quickly dried and solidified, and good fixing is performed, thereby improving the productivity.

  According to the present invention, wrinkles are corrected before printing by the ink jet head, wrinkles are removed, damage to the nozzles of the ink jet head can be prevented, high-precision images can be printed, and productivity is increased. be able to.

1 is a schematic diagram of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus of this embodiment is configured to eject ink onto a feeding roller 2 that feeds out a hydraulic transfer film 1, a take-up roller 3 that winds up the hydraulic transfer film 1, and a hydraulic transfer film 1. And an inkjet head 5 for printing the pattern layer, and the hydraulic transfer film 1 is conveyed from the upstream side to the downstream side as indicated by an arrow X.

  A preheater 6, a platen heater 7, and an afterheater 8 are sequentially provided from the upstream side along the conveyance surface substantially coinciding with the lower surface of the water pressure transfer film 1. The platen heater 7 is located immediately below the inkjet head 5, that is, faces the inkjet head 5 with the hydraulic transfer film 1 interposed therebetween.

  The preheater 6 is located upstream of the inkjet head 5 and the platen heater 7, and has a guide surface 6 a that is a part of the transport surface of the hydraulic transfer film 1. For example, the preheater 6 is set at a set temperature of 30 ° C., and performs the preheating process of the hydraulic transfer film 1.

  On the other hand, the after heater 8 has a guide surface 8 a that is located on the downstream side of the ink jet head 5 and the platen heater 7 and serves as a part of the transport surface of the hydraulic transfer film 1. For example, the set temperature of the after-heater 8 is set to 50 ° C., and the after-heating process of the hydraulic transfer film 1 is performed.

  The platen heater 7 has a guide surface 7 a that is positioned between the preheater 6 and the afterheater 8 and serves as a part of the transport surface of the water pressure transfer film 1. The platen heater 7 is set to a set temperature of 40 ° C., for example. Accordingly, the temperatures of the pre-heater 6, the platen heater 7 and the after-heater 8 are 30 ° C., 40 ° C. and 50 ° C., and become higher toward the downstream side.

  The printing apparatus having the above configuration operates as follows.

  The water pressure transfer film 1 is unwound from the unwinding roller 2 and wound by the winding roller 3 while being given a predetermined tension.

  Before the water pressure transfer film 1 reaches the ink jet head 5, a preheating step by a preheater 6 is performed on the upstream side of the ink jet head 5. That is, the hydraulic transfer film 1 moves downstream while receiving tension along the guide surface 6a of the preheater 6 heated to 30 ° C. At this time, the water pressure transfer film 1 is heated while moving in close contact with the guide surface 6a of the preheater 6, so that the wrinkles can be ironed or removed.

  Thus, since wrinkles are removed or suppressed from the hydraulic transfer film 1 in the preheating step, when the hydraulic transfer film 1 passes between the inkjet head 5 and the platen heater 7, Interference between the nozzle (not shown) of the inkjet head 5 and the hydraulic transfer film 1 can be prevented, the nozzle is not damaged, and the interval between the inkjet head 5 and the hydraulic transfer film 1 needs to be increased. Therefore, it is possible to print an accurate pattern layer (not shown) on the ink receiving layer (not shown) of the hydraulic transfer film 1.

  Next, the hydraulic transfer film 1 moves onto the guide surface 7a of the platen heater 7, and ink is ejected from the nozzles of the inkjet head 5 onto the ink receiving layer of the hydraulic transfer film 1 so that the pattern layer is formed. It is formed.

  At this time, the set temperature of the preheater 6 is 30 ° C., the set temperature of the platen heater 7 is 40 ° C., and is lower than the set temperature of 50 ° C. of the after heater 8. The temperature of the hydraulic transfer film 1 immediately after the ink is ejected is less than 40 ° C. and is not excessively high. Therefore, there is no possibility that the ink attached to the nozzles of the inkjet head 1 is solidified. Moreover, since the temperature of the hydraulic transfer film 1 is less than 40 ° C. and not excessively high, the ink jetted from the inkjet head 1 to the hydraulic transfer film 1 does not dry too quickly, and the hydraulic transfer film 1 The ink does not interfere with the ink, and the quality of the pattern does not deteriorate.

  Next, an after-heating process by the after-heater 8 is performed on the downstream side of the inkjet head 5. That is, the hydraulic transfer film 1 moves along the guide surface 8a of the afterheater 8 at about 50 ° C., and the pattern layer on the ink receiving layer of the hydraulic transfer film 1 is quickly dried and solidified. Fixing is performed.

  Thus, since the heating by the platen heater 7 and the after-heating process by the after-heater 8 are performed after the pre-heating process, the ink can be quickly dried and solidified, and the productivity can be improved.

  In the above embodiment, the platen heater is used. However, the platen heater may be removed, or a simple platen or a platen roller may be used.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the temperature of the preheater 6, the platen heater 7, and the after heater 8 is increasing in steps of 30 ° C., 40 ° C., and 50 ° C., but is not limited to this temperature. If it rises in steps, other temperatures may be used depending on the type of ink. Further, the temperatures of the pre-heater 6, the platen heater 7, and the after-heater 8 are not limited to the stepwise increase as described above, and may be increased with a continuous temperature gradient.

  Further, the set temperature of the preheater may be any temperature as long as the temperature of the preheater can be extended under the condition that it is lower than the temperature of the platen heater and the after heater. In addition, the ink set on the ink jet nozzles is not solidified under the condition that the set temperature of the platen heater is equal to or higher than the set temperature of the preheater and lower than the set temperature of the after heater. Any temperature may be used as long as it does not hinder the penetration of the ink into the ink receiving layer. Further, the temperature of the after heater may be any temperature as long as it promotes ink drying and solidification under the condition that it is higher than the temperatures of the preheater and the platen heater.

  In the above-described embodiment, tension is applied to the hydraulic transfer film 1 by the take-up roll 3. However, tension may be applied by a tension roller, a tension bar, a weight, or the like.

  The pre-heater 6, the platen heater 7 and the after-heater 8 may be any type of heater, regardless of the type of heater, such as a far infrared heater, a nichrome wire heater, a ceramic heater, a halogen heater, or a carbon heater. Good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hydraulic transfer film 2 Feeding roller 3 Take-up roller 5 Inkjet head 6 Preheater 6a, 7a, 8a Guide surface 7 Platen heater 8 After heater

Claims (3)

A feeding roller for feeding out the hydraulic transfer film;
An inkjet head that prints a pattern layer on the hydraulic transfer film fed from the feed roller;
A preheater disposed upstream of the inkjet head and having a guide surface that is part of the transport surface of the hydraulic transfer film;
An after heater disposed on the downstream side of the inkjet head and heating the hydraulic transfer film;
A printing apparatus, wherein a set temperature of the preheater is lower than a set temperature of the after heater. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,
A platen heater disposed between the pre-heater and the after-heater,
A printing apparatus, wherein a set temperature of the platen heater is equal to or higher than a set temperature of the preheater and is lower than a set temperature of the after heater. A preheating step of preheating the hydraulic transfer film to remove wrinkles before printing a pattern layer with an inkjet head on the ink receiving layer of the hydraulic transfer film;
An after-heating step of heating the hydraulic transfer film after the pattern layer is formed on the ink receiving layer, in order to fix the ink;
The printing method according to claim 1, wherein a heating temperature in the preheating step is lower than a heating temperature in the after-heating step.

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