JP2014000702A - Liquid jet apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid jet apparatus that can suppress a decrease in quality of an image formed on a recording medium and also quicken drying of ink at low cost while saving space.SOLUTION: A liquid jet apparatus includes a recording medium supply part which supplies a recording medium in a predetermined conveyance direction; a conveyance sheet supply part which supplies a conveyance sheet for conveying the recording medium in the conveyance direction while sticking the recording medium supplied by the recording medium supply part on a support surface; a suction holding part which holds the conveyance sheet on a reverse surface side on the opposite side from the support surface where the recording medium is stuck; and a jet head which jets a liquid toward the recording medium stuck on the support surface of the conveyance sheet held by the suction holding part.

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus.

  Conventionally, screen printing equipment using a dyeing die has been used for printing on cotton, silk, wool, chemical fiber, blended fabric, etc. In recent years, due to improvements in the technology of inkjet printers, printing by the inkjet method has been used. Inkjet textile printing apparatuses that perform printing have attracted attention. In inkjet printing, ink is ejected onto the surface of a fabric using a head having a nozzle row in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged in one direction.

  Ink-jet printing does not require the dye used in screen printing, and a digitized design can be used. Therefore, it is possible to quickly respond to a fine design change according to the customer's request, and to greatly reduce the production time. In addition, there is an advantage that the degree of freedom in design is large, such as being able to express color gradation.

  In an inkjet printing apparatus, when transporting a cloth as a recording medium to an ejection head that performs inkjet printing, in order to increase the transport accuracy, the cloth is affixed to a transport belt having adhesiveness on the surface, The cloth is conveyed by driving the conveyor belt by a conveyor roller or the like.

JP 2009-173443 A

  In the configuration in which the cloth is attached to the transport belt as in Patent Document 1, warpage (curl) may occur on both side edges of the cloth due to the properties of the cloth or the adhesive force of the transport belt. In order to avoid contact between the jet head and both sides of the cloth, both sides of the cloth that has jumped up may come into contact with the jet head and become dirty. ) (Platen gap: PG) had to be increased.

  However, by widening the platen gap, the ink landing position spreads in the nozzle row direction rather than the design value of the head, and the ink landing accuracy with respect to the cloth deteriorates. As a result, color unevenness, streak unevenness, wind ripples, and the like occur, and there is a problem in that image quality deteriorates.

In addition, when drying the printed surface of the fabric on which ink is ejected from the ejection head with a heater, the capacity of the drying unit can be used to keep the size of the heater compact and prevent the ink from adhering to other locations. However, such a heater is expensive.
Furthermore, when using a low-spec heater, it is necessary to ensure a sufficient drying time and also to ensure a drying space.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and can suppress a decrease in image quality formed on a recording medium, and promotes drying of ink at a low cost with a small space. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus that can be made to operate.

  The liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention includes a recording medium supply unit that supplies a recording medium in a predetermined conveyance direction, and the recording medium supplied by the recording medium supply unit adheres to a support surface so as to adhere the recording medium in the conveyance direction. A conveyance sheet supply unit for supplying a conveyance sheet for conveying the sheet, an adsorption holding unit for holding the conveyance sheet on the adsorption surface on the back side opposite to the support surface to which the recording medium is adhered, and the adsorption holding And an ejection head that ejects liquid toward the recording medium that adheres onto the support surface of the transport sheet held by a section.

  According to the present invention, the conveyance sheet having the recording medium adhered to the support surface is sucked and held by the suction holding unit, so that the recording area of the recording medium is in a flat state following the suction surface of the suction holding unit during recording. The shape can be maintained. Thereby, it is possible to perform recording by ejecting the liquid from the ejection head toward the recording area of the recording medium held flat by the suction holding unit. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in image quality due to the floating of the recording medium.

  A recording medium recovery unit that is disposed downstream of the suction holding unit in the transport direction and collects the recording medium separated from the transport sheet; and further downstream of the suction holding unit in the transport direction. It is good also as a structure provided with the conveyance sheet collection | recovery part which arrange | positions and collects the said conveyance sheet isolate | separated from the said recording medium.

  According to this, after the recording on the recording medium is performed, the conveying sheet separated from the recording medium attached to the support surface having adhesiveness is collected downstream of the suction holding unit in the conveying direction. Collect in the department. In this way, the recording medium can be adhered to a new support surface at all times by collecting the transport sheet once the recording medium has been adhered and peeled off the adhesive support surface without being reused. Moreover, the maintenance part which repairs the adhesiveness of the support surface of a conveyance sheet becomes unnecessary.

  Further, a drying unit that dries the liquid ejected on the recording medium may be provided, and the drying unit and the suction holding unit may be arranged so that at least a part thereof overlaps in the vertical direction.

  According to this, since the drying unit and the suction holding unit are arranged so that at least a part thereof overlaps in plan view, these installation spaces are shared in the horizontal direction. Thereby, space saving of an installation space can be aimed at and the enlargement of the horizontal direction of the whole apparatus can be suppressed as a result. In addition, as described above, since the conveyance sheet having adhesiveness on the support surface is wound without being reused, a maintenance unit for repairing the adhesion of the support surface becomes unnecessary, and a drying unit is provided in the vacant space. Can be arranged.

  Further, a folding unit that is disposed downstream of the suction holding unit in the transport direction and that folds back the transport direction of the recording medium from which the liquid has been ejected, and is folded at the folding unit and separated from the transport sheet. A recording medium recovery unit that recovers the recording medium, and the recording medium recovery unit may be disposed on the same side as the recording medium supply unit with respect to the suction holding unit.

  In this way, the recording medium transport direction in which recording is performed is folded back downstream of the suction holding unit, and the recording medium recovery unit disposed on the same side as the recording medium recovery unit with respect to the suction holding unit is wound up. With this configuration, the operator can check the recording state of the recording medium from the supply side without moving. As a result, it is possible to work alone, and the entire apparatus can be downsized.

  Moreover, it is good also as a structure provided with the scanning part which scans the said adsorption holding part in the said conveyance direction.

  According to this, the recording medium held in a flat state by the suction holding unit without causing the ejection head to move in the transporting direction of the recording medium in the transport direction by causing the scanning unit to scan the suction holding unit in the transport direction. Recording can be performed on the recording area.

The top view which shows the whole structure of the textile printing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The side view which shows the whole structure of the textile printing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the recording process which records on a recording medium with a textile printing apparatus. The figure which shows schematic structure of the textile printing apparatus of 2nd Embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing used for the following description, the scale of each member is appropriately changed to make each member a recognizable size.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of the textile printing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the overall configuration of the textile printing apparatus according to the second embodiment.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a textile printing apparatus (liquid ejecting apparatus) 100 includes a recording medium supply unit (recording medium supply unit) 10, a conveyance sheet supply unit (conveyance sheet supply unit) 29, a conveyance unit 20, and a recording medium. Collection unit (recording medium collection unit) 30, conveyance sheet collection unit (conveyance sheet collection unit) 33, suction holding unit (suction holding unit) 34, separation unit 35, ink jet unit 40, drying unit (drying unit) 27, and control unit CONT. Each part of the textile printing apparatus 100 is attached to the frame part FR.

  The textile printing apparatus 100 prints the recording medium M by forming an image on the recording medium M. As the recording medium M, for example, a cloth such as cotton, wool, chemical fiber, and mixed spinning is used. In the present embodiment, a configuration in which an image is formed on a strip-shaped recording medium M by a roll method will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other methods (eg, a single wafer type) are performed. It may be a method.

The recording medium supply unit 10 supplies the recording medium M on which no image is formed.
The conveyance sheet supply unit 29 supplies the conveyance sheet 23 having adhesiveness to the surface (support surface 23 a) that supports the recording medium M. An adhesive layer 90 that adheres the recording medium M is provided on the support surface 23 a of the transport sheet 23. The conveyance sheet 23 is in close contact with the back surface of the recording medium M opposite to the recording surface Ma, and is formed in a sheet shape using a non-stretchable material such as polyethylene terephthalate. The conveyance sheet 23 has a width equal to or greater than the maximum recording width of the recording medium M.

  The recording medium supply unit 10 and the conveyance sheet supply unit 29 have shaft portions 11A and 11B and a bearing portion 12, respectively. In FIG. 1, the bearing of the recording medium supply unit 10 is not shown, but is the same as the bearing 12 of the transport sheet supply unit 29.

  The shaft portions 11A and 11B are formed in a cylindrical shape or a columnar shape, and are provided to be rotatable in the circumferential direction. A belt-like recording medium M before recording is wound around the shaft portion 11A in a roll shape. The above-described transport sheet 23 is wound around the shaft portion 11B in a roll shape. These shaft portions 11 </ b> A and 11 </ b> B are detachably attached to the bearing portion 12. For this reason, for example, the shaft portions 11A and 11B around which the recording medium M and the conveyance sheet 23 are wound can be attached to the corresponding bearing portions 12 respectively.

  The bearing portion 12 rotatably supports both axial ends of the shaft portions 11A and 11B. The bearing portion 12 includes a rotation drive unit (not shown) that rotates the shaft portions 11A and 11B. The rotation drive unit rotates the shaft portions 11A and 11B in the direction in which the recording medium M and the conveyance sheet 23 are sent out. The operation of the rotation drive unit is controlled by, for example, the control unit CONT.

  The conveyance unit 20 conveys the recording sheet M between the recording medium supply unit 10 and the recording medium collection unit 30 and simultaneously conveys the conveyance sheet 23 between the conveyance sheet supply unit 29 and the conveyance sheet collection unit 33. The conveyance unit 20 includes conveyance rollers 13, 14, 15 on the feeding side and conveyance rollers 16, 17, 19 on the winding side. Each transport roller is rotatable around a rotation axis, and the rotation axes are parallel to each other. The direction in which the recording medium M is transported is a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotation shaft of each transport roller that is substantially parallel to each other.

  The conveyance roller 13 relays the conveyance sheet 23 between the conveyance sheet supply unit 29 and the conveyance roller 14. The conveyance roller 14 and the conveyance roller 15 are arranged to face each other, and each of the conveyance rollers 14 that is spring-biased is in pressure contact with the conveyance roller 15 so that the conveyance roller 14 and the conveyance roller 15 are rotated. The conveying sheet 23 is bonded together. At this time, the transport roller 14 rotates as the transport roller 15 rotates. The conveyance roller 14 and the conveyance roller 15 sandwich the recording medium M and the conveyance sheet 23 between each other and convey them onto the suction unit 34.

The conveyance rollers 16 and 17 hold the conveyance sheet 23 and the recorded recording medium M that is bonded onto the conveyance sheet 23. The conveyance roller 16 is spring-biased with respect to the conveyance roller 17 and rotates with the rotation of the conveyance roller 17 in pressure contact.
The recording medium M and the conveyance sheet 23 supported by these conveyance rollers 14, 15, 16, and 17 are conveyed in a predetermined conveyance direction. In this embodiment, the direction from the transport rollers 14 and 15 toward the transport rollers 16 and 17 is the transport direction.

  The drying unit 27 is provided between the suction unit 34 disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the transport rollers 14 and 15 and the transport rollers 16 and 17, and is applied onto the recording surface Ma in the recording area. The recording medium M is guided together with the conveyance sheet 23 while drying the ink (liquid).

  The conveyance roller 19 is disposed below the conveyance roller 17 and at a position where the recording medium M is peeled from the conveyance sheet 23 in the separation unit 35. The conveyance roller 19 guides the conveyance sheet 23 in a direction different from the conveyance direction of the recording medium M, and relays only the conveyance sheet 23 to the conveyance sheet collection unit 33. Thereby, only the conveyance sheet 23 from which the recording medium M has been peeled off from the support surface 23 a is guided to the conveyance sheet collection unit 33 side by the conveyance roller 19.

  The recording medium collection unit 30 and the conveyance sheet collection unit 33 include shaft portions 31A and 31B and a bearing portion 32, respectively. In FIG. 1, the bearing portion of the recording medium collection unit 30 is not shown, but is the same as the bearing unit 32 of the transport sheet collection unit 33.

  The shaft portions 31A and 31B are formed in a cylindrical shape or a columnar shape, and are provided to be rotatable in the circumferential direction. A belt-like recording medium M is wound around the shaft portion 31A in a roll shape. The shaft portion 31B is detachably attached to the bearing portion 32. For this reason, for example, in a state where the recording medium M and the transport sheet 23 that have been recorded on the shaft portions 31A and 31B are wound, the shaft portions 31A and 31B are removed from the bearing portion 32, whereby the shaft portions 31A and 31B are recorded together. M and the conveyance sheet 23 can be removed.

  The bearing portion 32 rotatably supports both axial ends of the shaft portions 31A and 31B. The bearing portion 32 has a rotation drive unit (not shown) that rotates the shaft portions 31A and 31B. The rotation driving unit rotates the shaft portions 31A and 31B in the direction in which the recording medium M and the conveyance sheet 23 are wound. The operation of the rotation drive unit is controlled by, for example, the control unit CONT.

  The suction unit 34 includes a suction table 36, a table base 37, a table lifting mechanism 45, a Y-axis scanning mechanism (scanning unit) 42, and two pairs of a feed roller 39 and a driven roller 39a. Here, a direction parallel to the axial direction of the rotation axis of each transport roller is expressed as an X-axis direction, and a transport direction of the recording medium M is expressed as a Y-axis direction.

The suction table 36 is for keeping the recording medium M flat, and sucks and holds the transport sheet 23 integrated with the recording medium M on the suction surface 36 a parallel to the ejection surface Ha of the inkjet unit 40. As an adsorption method, there can be used a method of providing an atmospheric suction device and adsorbing by negative pressure (suction holding method), a method of providing a charging and static eliminating device and adsorbing by static electricity (electrostatic adsorption method), and the like.
By such a suction method, the recording area 101 (FIG. 3) of the recording medium M can be maintained in a stable plane state on the suction surface 36a.

  The Y-axis scanning mechanism 42 includes a pair of Y-axis guide rails 42a and a Y-axis slider 42b. One Y-axis guide rail 42a of the Y-axis scanning mechanism 42 is disposed on each side in the X-axis direction with the suction table 36 interposed therebetween, and extends in the Y-axis direction. One Y-axis slider 42b is disposed on each side in the X-axis direction with the suction table 36 interposed therebetween, and extends in the Y-axis direction. The Y-axis slider 42b is supported by the Y-axis guide rail 42a via the Y-axis drive motor so that it can slide in the Y-axis direction and can be held at an arbitrary position.

  One end of the table base 37 of the suction unit 34 is fixed to the Y-axis slider 42b supported on each of the two Y-axis guide rails 42a. The table 37 having both ends fixed to the Y-axis slider 42b is supported by the Y-axis slider 42b and passed between the two Y-axis guide rails 42a. The table base 37 is slidable in the Y-axis direction along the Y-axis guide rail 42a by the Y-axis drive motor, and can be held at an arbitrary position in the Y-axis direction.

  The suction table 36 of the suction unit 34 is fixed to a table lifting mechanism 45 fixed to a table base 37. The table elevating mechanism 45 can move the suction table 36 up and down with respect to the table base 37 in the Z-axis direction, which is a direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and the position of the suction surface of the suction table 36 is It is supported so that it can be held at a suction position that is a predetermined position in the Z-axis direction and at a retracted position that is closer to the table base 37 than the suction position. The predetermined position in the Z-axis direction of the suction surface of the suction table 36 located at the suction position is the position of the surface in contact with the outer periphery of a later-described feed roller 39 and the outer periphery of the driven roller 39a located downstream of the suction table 36. It is a substantially coincident position.

  The two sets of the feed roller 39 and the driven roller 39a are respectively fixed to the table base 37 via a support member (not shown). One set of the feed roller 39 and the driven roller 39a is disposed on both sides of the suction table 36 in the Y-axis direction.

  The table base 37 is slidable in the Y-axis direction by the Y-axis scanning mechanism 42 and is supported so as to be held at an arbitrary position in the Y-axis direction. The suction table 36 and the two sets of the feed roller 39 and the driven roller 39a are slidable in the Y-axis direction by the Y-axis scanning mechanism 42 and can be held at arbitrary positions in the Y-axis direction.

  The ink jet unit 40 ejects ink onto the recording medium M. The inkjet unit 40 includes an ejection head H and a head moving unit 41. The ejection head H has an ejection surface Ha that ejects ink. A plurality of nozzles NZ that eject ink are formed on the ejection surface Ha. The ejection surface Ha is directed to the recording medium M that is conveyed by the conveyance sheet 23.

  The head moving unit 41 moves the ejection head H in the X-axis direction (eg, the width direction of the recording medium M) that intersects the transport direction. The head moving unit 41 includes a pair of X-axis guide rails 44a, X-axis sliders 44b, and support column bases 44d, and further includes four guide rail support columns 44c. One end of the bridge plate 43 is fixed to the X-axis slider 44b supported on each of the two X-axis guide rails 44a. An ejection head H is suspended from the approximate center of the bridge plate 43.

  The textile printing apparatus 100 having such a configuration can cause the suction table 36 of the suction unit 34 to scan in the Y-axis direction by moving the suction unit 34 in the Y-axis direction by the Y-axis scanning mechanism 42. That is, the portion of the recording medium M held by the suction table 36 can be scanned in the Y-axis direction. The jet head H can be scanned in the X-axis direction by moving the bridge plate 43 in the X-axis direction by the X-axis scanning mechanism 44.

  The ejection head H is scanned in the X-axis direction by the X-axis scanning mechanism 44, and the portion of the recording medium M held by suction on the suction table 36 is scanned in the Y-axis direction by the Y-axis scanning mechanism 42. As a result, the nozzle NZ of the ejection head H can face the substantially entire surface of the portion of the recording medium M that is sucked and held by the suction table 36.

  The recording area of the recording medium M sucked and held on the suction table 36 is moved to the discharge position in the Y-axis direction and stopped, and the functional liquid for printing is liquidated in synchronization with the movement of the ejection head H in the X-axis direction. It is discharged as a drop. The suction surface of the suction table 36 is controlled by controlling the main scanning for moving the ejection head H in the X-axis direction and the line feed (sub-scanning) for moving the recording medium M sucked and held by the suction table 36 in the Y-axis direction. The ejection head H is made to face an arbitrary position on the recording medium M adsorbed on the recording medium M. At the same time, it is possible to perform desired printing or the like by landing droplets of the functional liquid discharged from the ejection head H.

Next, the operation of the textile printing apparatus 100 configured as described above will be described in detail.
3A to 3D are flowcharts showing a recording process for recording on a recording medium by a textile printing apparatus. 3A to 3D show the position of the printing area of the recording medium and the position of the suction table with respect to the position of the ejection head in the recording process, and the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis shown in FIG. The axes coincide with the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are also referred to as appropriate.

  When image data is input from the outside to the textile printing apparatus 100, the control unit CONT causes the recording medium M to form an image corresponding to the input image data. First, an operation flow for forming an image on the recording medium M will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the control unit CONT rotates the shafts 11A and 11B at the same time, so that the recording medium M and the conveyance sheet 23 are transferred from the recording medium supply unit 10 and the conveyance sheet supply unit 29 in a predetermined conveyance direction. To send. The conveyance sheet 23 sent out from the conveyance sheet supply unit 29 is supplied between the conveyance roller 14 and the conveyance roller 15 that make a pair via the conveyance roller 13. On the other hand, the recording medium M sent out from the recording medium supply unit 10 is supplied between the conveyance roller 14 and the conveyance roller 15 and merges with the conveyance sheet 23 here. The recording medium M and the conveyance sheet 23 are bonded by the conveyance rollers 14 and 15 via the adhesive layer 90 and conveyed while being in close contact with each other.

  The controller CONT rotates the transport roller 14 to move the integrated recording medium M and the transport sheet 23 in the transport direction. At this time, the recording medium M is conveyed to the suction unit 34 in a state where the entire width direction of the recording medium M is attached to the support surface 23 a by the adhesive layer 90 of the conveyance sheet 23.

  Here, the control part CONT moves (lowers) the table elevating mechanism 45 to the retracted position by moving it in the Z-axis direction. The suction surface of the suction table 36 located at the retracted position is separated from the back surface of the transport sheet 23 that is stretched between the two sets of the feeding roller 39 and the driven roller 39a and to which the recording medium M is stuck.

  Next, the control unit CONT moves the recording medium M in the transport direction (Y-axis direction), and moves the recording area 101 of the recording medium M to the suction surface 36a of the suction table 36 as shown in FIG. Position it at the position where it faces. The movement of the recording medium M in the Y-axis direction is performed by rotating the feed roller 39 and the driven roller 39a described above. The recording area 101 is an area of the recording medium M that can be printed without releasing the state in which the recording medium M is attracted to the suction table 36.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, the control unit CONT moves the suction table 36 in the Z-axis direction by the table lifting mechanism 45 and moves (lifts) it to the suction position. The suction surface 36a of the suction table 36 located at the suction position in the Z-axis direction is substantially in contact with the back surface of the transport sheet 23 stretched between the two sets of the feed roller 39 and the driven roller 39a.

  Next, the control unit CONT sucks the transport sheet 23 by the suction table 36. The substantially entire surface of the conveying sheet 23 that overlaps the suction table 36 is sucked by the suction table 36. As shown in FIG. 3B, the recording area 101 of the recording medium M is located via the conveyance sheet 23 at a position facing the suction surface 36a of the suction table 36, and the recording area 101 is on the suction surface. It is adsorbed in a planar state to be copied.

  Next, the control part CONT performs a recording scan on the recording area 101 of the recording medium M held by suction on the suction surface 36 a of the suction table 36. The control unit CONT scans the ejection head H in the X-axis direction (main scanning direction) by the X-axis scanning mechanism 44, and in the recording area 101 of the recording medium M located at the recording start position shown in FIG. On the other hand, recording is performed by ejecting ink from the nozzles NZ of the ejection head H. During recording scanning, the Y-axis scanning mechanism 42 moves the suction table 36 that sucks the recording medium M (conveyance sheet 23) in the Y-axis direction to perform line feed (sub-scanning) as needed. In this way, a predetermined image is formed on the recording area 101.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the control unit CONT stops the suction of the transport sheet 23 (recording medium M) by the suction table 36 when the recording on the recording area 101 of the recording medium M is finished, and performs Y-axis scanning. The suction table 36 is returned to the recording start position (position shown in FIG. 3A) by the mechanism 42, and the conveyance sheet 23 is moved by a predetermined distance (for the recording area) in the conveyance direction. The controller CONT rotates the transport rollers 14 and 17 and the feed roller 39 by a predetermined angle in one movement. As described above, the control unit CONT intermittently moves the recording medium M in the transport direction, and repeats printing on the recording area 101 of the recording medium M sucked and held by the suction unit 34, so that the recording medium is a continuous paper. Record for M.

  The control unit CONT moves the recording medium M on which the image is formed to the downstream side of the suction unit 34 and passes between the transport rollers 16 and 17 via the drying unit 27. Then, the recording medium M and the conveyance sheet 23 that have passed between the conveyance rollers 16 and 17 are separated using, for example, the separation unit 35 (FIG. 2), and only the conveyance sheet 23 is the conveyance direction of the recording medium M. Move in different directions. In addition, when both can be easily separated without using the separation unit 35, the separation unit 35 may not be provided.

  The controller CONT rotates the shaft portions 31A and 31B to wind the recording medium M and the transport sheet 23 around the shaft portions 31A and 31B. In this way, the recording medium M on which the image is formed is collected by the recording medium collection unit 30, and the conveyance sheet 23 peeled from the recording medium M is collected by the conveyance sheet collection unit 33.

  In the above operation, the recording area of the recording medium M is held in a stable plane state by adsorbing the conveyance sheet 23 supporting the recording medium M to the adsorption surface 36a of the adsorption table 36 by the adsorption unit 34. Can do.

  As described above, in the printing apparatus 100, the recording area 101 of the recording medium M is recorded at the time of recording by adsorbing the conveyance sheet 23 supporting the recording medium M to the adsorption surface 36 a of the adsorption table 36 by the adsorption unit 34. The shape can be maintained in a flat state following the suction surface 36a. Accordingly, the suction unit 34 can perform recording by ejecting ink from the ejection head H toward the recording area 101 of the recording medium M held flat. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in image quality due to the floating of the recording medium M.

  In the present embodiment, the recording medium recovery unit 30 and the conveyance sheet recovery unit 33 are provided, and the recording medium M and the conveyance sheet 23 that have undergone the recording process are separately collected. After the recording on the recording medium M is performed, the conveying sheet 23 and the recording medium M adhered on the support surface 23a are separated from the suction unit 34 in the conveying direction, and only the conveying sheet 23 is separated. to recover. Thus, the recording medium M is once adhered to the support surface 23a having adhesiveness and recovered without being reused, so that the recording medium is always recorded on the new support surface 23a (adhesion layer 90). M can be adhered. In addition, a maintenance unit for repairing the adhesiveness of the support surface 23a of the transport sheet 23 is not necessary.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the recording medium collection unit 30 is disposed above the conveyance sheet collection unit 33 in the vertical direction. In this way, even if the ink remaining on the conveyance sheet 23 is peeled off after the recording medium M and the conveyance sheet 23 are separated, there is little possibility that the ink is accidentally wound around the recording medium M side. Therefore, the recording medium M can be prevented from being contaminated as compared with the case where the recording medium recovery unit 30 is disposed below the conveyance sheet recovery unit 33 in the vertical direction.

  Further, in the present embodiment, by performing the recording process while the suction unit 34 is scanned in the conveyance direction (Y-axis direction) of the recording medium M, the ejection head H is not moved in the Y-axis direction in the conveyance direction. Recording can be performed on the recording area 101 of the recording medium M held flat by the suction unit 34.

  In the present embodiment, the drying unit 27 is disposed upstream of the separation point (conveyance rollers 16 and 17) between the recording medium M and the conveyance sheet 23 in the conveyance direction. When the conveyance sheet 23 and the recording medium M that are in close contact with each other pass through the drying unit 27 and the conveyance sheet 23 is heated simultaneously with the recording medium M, the adhesion of the adhesive layer 90 that adheres the recording medium M is performed. The force is weakened, and the recording medium M and the conveyance sheet 23 are easily separated. Accordingly, there is no problem that a part of the adhesive layer 90 is stuck to the back side of the recording medium M or the recording medium M is partially stretched, and each can be reliably separated and recovered. Become.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a textile printing apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the textile printing apparatus according to the second embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 4, the textile printing apparatus (liquid ejecting apparatus) 200 according to the present embodiment includes a drying processing unit 50 and a folding unit 51. Further, the recording medium collection unit 30 and the conveyance sheet collection unit 33 are arranged on the same side with respect to the recording medium supply unit 10 and the conveyance sheet supply unit 29 and the suction unit 34 arranged on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording medium M. Thus, the conveyance direction of the recording medium M is reversed in the folding portion 51.

  The recording medium supply unit 10 and the conveyance sheet supply unit 29, and the recording medium collection unit 30 and the conveyance sheet collection unit 33 are arranged so as to be lined up and down in the vertical direction outside the carry-out side surface FRb of the frame unit FR. Depending on the configuration of the apparatus, the recording medium supply unit 10 and the conveyance sheet supply unit 29, and the recording medium collection unit 30 and the conveyance sheet collection unit 33 may be arranged in a horizontal direction.

  The drying processing unit 50 includes one or a plurality of drying units 27 for drying the ink ejected onto the recording medium M, and is superposed and disposed so as to overlap the suction unit 34 in the vertical direction (plan view). In the present embodiment, a plurality of drying units 27 are arranged side by side along the conveyance path of the recording medium M so as to face the recording surface Ma of the recording medium M, and drying processing is performed stepwise on the conveyance path. Dry regions 54A and 54B are configured.

  The folding unit 51 has a function of folding the recording direction of the recorded recording medium M downstream from the suction unit 34, and includes a guide roller 52 and a plurality of reverse rollers 53a, 53b, and 53c. The guide roller 52 is disposed so as to be in contact with the conveyance sheet 23 on the downstream side of the suction unit 34, and feeds the recording medium M toward the lower side of the frame part FR. A reverse roller 53 a that reverses the feeding direction of the recording medium M together with the guide roller 52 is disposed below the guide roller 52. The reversing roller 53a is disposed outside the carry-in entrance side surface FRa of the frame part FR, and guides the recording medium M having the feeding direction reversed into the frame part FR. The reversing rollers 53b and 53c are disposed on the side of the carry-in entrance side FRa or the carry-out exit side FRb facing each other in the frame portion FR so as to be different from each other in the vertical direction, and sequentially convey the recording medium M.

  With such a configuration, the recording medium M on which recording has been performed is sent to the drying processing unit 50 provided below the suction unit 34 by the folding unit 51. The recording medium M guided into the frame portion FR by the guide roller 52 and the reverse roller 53a passes through the frame portion FR in a zigzag manner while being sequentially folded by the reverse rollers 53b and 53c. The recorded recording medium M passes through the first drying area 54A and the second drying area 54B in the course of being conveyed between the reversing rollers 53a, 53b, and 53c, and is recorded by heating from each drying unit 27. The ink on the surface Ma is dried.

  After passing through the second drying area 54B, the recording medium M is unloaded from the unloading side surface FRb side of the frame portion FR and supplied between the conveying rollers 16 and 17. After passing between the conveyance rollers 16 and 17, the recording medium M and the conveyance sheet 23 are separated and collected by the recording medium collection unit 30 or the conveyance sheet collection unit 33, respectively.

  In the textile printing apparatus 200 having such a configuration, the folding unit 51 reverses the conveyance direction of the recording medium M on which the recording process has been performed, and conveys the recording medium M to the drying processing unit 50 in the frame unit FR. In the present embodiment, the drying processing unit 50 and the adsorption unit 34 are superposed in the vertical direction. By arranging the drying processing unit 50 and the suction unit 34 so that at least a part thereof is overlapped in a plan view, these installation spaces are shared in the horizontal direction, and the installation space can be saved. As a result, an increase in the size of the entire apparatus in the horizontal direction can be suppressed.

  Further, in the textile printing apparatus using the conveyance sheet 23, in order to dry the recording medium M so that the winding transfer of the ink does not occur when the recording medium M is collected while the drying unit 27 is kept in a compact size. However, it is necessary to increase the drying capacity of the drying unit, but a high-spec drying unit is expensive. On the other hand, in a low-spec drying unit, it is necessary to ensure sufficient drying time and drying space. For small-scale printing companies, the factory is small and it is desirable to save the space of the device. However, when the conventional printing device using the endless conveyor belt method is adopted, the adhesiveness of the conveyor belt is placed under the conveyor unit. Since it is necessary to provide a repair unit for repairing, it was necessary to secure an arrangement space for the drying unit separately from the transport unit and the repair unit. For this reason, when trying to use a low-spec drying unit for cost reduction, there is a problem that a sufficient drying space cannot be secured because the apparatus is increased in size.

  On the other hand, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the drying processing unit 50 is arranged at the lower part of the suction unit 34 and a plurality of drying regions can be set by overlapping in the vertical direction. Even in the drying unit 27, it is possible to ensure a long drying time and perform sufficient drying. Thereby, even when the recording medium M is wound up in the recording medium recovery unit 30, it is possible to prevent the ink from being transferred to the back surface of the recording medium M wound up earlier.

  Also, in this embodiment, since only the conveyance sheet 23 is collected separately from the recording medium M, a maintenance unit for repairing the adhesiveness of the support surface 23a becomes unnecessary, and it is conventionally installed in the frame unit FR. The drying processing unit 50 can be disposed in the installation space of the maintenance unit that may have occurred.

  In the present embodiment, the recording medium M that has already been recorded is folded back in the downstream direction from the suction unit 34 and collected by the recording medium collecting unit 30 that is disposed on the same side as the recording medium supply unit 10. Thus, the recording state on the recording surface Ma can be confirmed from the supply side of the recording medium M without the operator moving. This makes it possible to work alone. Further, in this way, the recording medium supply unit 10 and the conveyance sheet supply unit 29, and the recording medium collection unit 30 and the conveyance sheet collection unit 33 are collectively arranged on one side of the apparatus, so that the horizontal direction of the entire apparatus can be improved. An increase in size can be suppressed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the recording medium collection unit 30 is disposed above the conveyance sheet collection unit 33 in the vertical direction. In this way, even if the ink remaining on the conveyance sheet 23 is peeled off after the recording medium M and the conveyance sheet 23 are separated, there is little possibility that the ink is accidentally wound around the recording medium M side. Therefore, the recording medium M can be prevented from being contaminated as compared with the case where the recording medium recovery unit 30 is disposed below the conveyance sheet recovery unit 33 in the vertical direction.

  The number of drying regions and the number of drying units are not limited to those described above, and can be changed as appropriate.

  As described above, the preferred embodiments according to the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the examples. It is obvious for those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. It is understood that it belongs to.

  For example, in the previous embodiment, the present invention is applied to a serial type printing apparatus in which the ejection head H is operated in the X-axis direction by the X-axis scanning mechanism 44, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the length of the ejection head H is not limited thereto. A line head type whose length is equal to or greater than the length in the width direction of the recording area 101 of the recording medium M may be employed. Alternatively, the suction table 36 may be fixed and the line head type ejection head H may be scanned in the Y-axis direction.

In the previous embodiment, the drying unit 27 is provided so as to face the recording medium M. However, for example, a configuration in which the recording medium M is indirectly heated by heating the conveyance sheet 23 may be employed. Good.
In the previous embodiment, the drying unit 27 is provided on the upstream side in the transport direction from the separation point between the recording medium M and the transport sheet 23, but may be provided on the downstream side in the transport direction from the separation point.

  In the previous embodiment, the case where the present invention is mainly applied to a liquid ejecting apparatus for industrial use has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a printer for consumer use.

  H: Ejection head, M: Recording medium, 10: Recording medium supply unit (recording medium supply unit), 23 ... Conveyance sheet, 23a ... Support surface, 27 ... Drying unit (drying unit), 29 ... Conveyance sheet supply unit (conveyance) Sheet supply unit), 30, 31 ... recording medium collection unit, 34 ... adsorption holding unit (adsorption holding unit), 36a ... adsorption surface, 42 ... Y-axis scanning mechanism (scanning unit), 51 ... folding unit, Ma ... recorded Surface, 100, 200 ... printing apparatus (liquid ejecting apparatus), 101 ... recording area

Claims (5)

A recording medium supply unit for supplying the recording medium in a predetermined conveyance direction;
A conveyance sheet supply unit for supplying a conveyance sheet for adhering the recording medium supplied by the recording medium supply unit to a support surface and conveying the recording medium in the conveyance direction;
A suction holding unit that holds the transport sheet on the suction surface on the back side opposite to the support surface to which the recording medium is adhered;
An ejection head that ejects liquid toward the recording medium that adheres onto the support surface of the transport sheet held by the suction holding unit;
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: A recording medium collecting unit that is disposed downstream of the suction holding unit in the conveying direction and collects the recording medium separated from the conveying sheet;
A transport sheet collecting unit that is disposed downstream of the suction holding unit in the transport direction and collects the transport sheet separated from the recording medium;
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: A drying unit for drying the liquid discharged on the recording medium;
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drying unit and the suction holding unit are arranged so that at least a part thereof overlaps in the vertical direction. A folding unit that is arranged downstream of the suction holding unit in the transport direction and folds back the transport direction of the recording medium on which the liquid is discharged;
A recording medium recovery unit that recovers the recording medium that is folded back and separated from the transport sheet in the folding unit;
4. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium recovery unit is disposed on the same side as the recording medium supply unit with respect to the suction holding unit. 5. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a scanning unit that scans the suction holding unit in the transport direction.

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