JP2018192783A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent leaking liquid from reaching a head part and reduce labor of a user during replacement of a head.SOLUTION: A printer 100 includes: a head part 41 which discharges multiple kinds of liquid; multiple liquid passages 70 which supply the liquid to the head part 41; and a manifold 80 which bundles the multiple liquid passages 70 and causes the multiple liquid passages 70 to be connected with the head part 41. The liquid passages 70 are connected with manifold tubes 82 provided in a housing 81, having a bottomed open-top and forming a box shape, of the manifold 80. The manifold 80 is detachably attached to the head part 41.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet printing apparatus that prints an image or the like by discharging a liquid such as ink from a head portion toward a medium is known. In a large-scale printing apparatus that performs printing on a medium conveyed by a roll-to-roll conveyance system, the liquid is supplied by a tube (liquid flow path) that supplies the liquid from a liquid tank that contains the liquid to the head unit. ing. In such a printing apparatus, it is necessary to prevent the head portion from being damaged by the liquid leaked from the tube. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus (printing apparatus) in which a head (head part) is covered with a head cover in which a guide path for guiding liquid to a discharge part is formed.

JP2012-192717A

  Such a large-sized printing apparatus is used while extending the product life by exchanging defective parts. However, the printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which the head portion is covered with a head cover, and a plurality of liquid flow paths are individually attached and detached. For this reason, when it becomes necessary to replace the head unit, the user needs to detach the plurality of liquid flow paths and the head cover individually from the head unit, so that the head unit replacement operation (hereinafter referred to as head replacement) is required. It took a lot of effort.

  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 In a printing apparatus according to this application example, a head unit that discharges a plurality of types of liquid, a plurality of liquid channels that supply the liquid to the head unit, and a plurality of the liquid channels are bundled. A manifold to be connected to the head portion, and the liquid flow path is connected to a manifold pipe provided inside a box-shaped box having a bottomed and uncovered shape of the manifold. It is detachable from the head part.

  According to this application example, the liquid flow path of the printing apparatus is connected to a manifold pipe provided inside a box-shaped casing having a bottomed and uncovered manifold, and a manifold in which a plurality of liquid flow paths are connected. Is detachable from the head portion. That is, the manifold has both a function of storing the liquid leaked from the liquid flow path in the housing and a function of attaching and detaching a plurality of liquid flow paths at a time from the head portion. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the liquid leaking from the liquid flow path from reaching the head portion, and to reduce the labor of the user when performing head replacement.

  Application Example 2 In the printing apparatus according to the application example described above, it is preferable that the housing includes a partition member that is partitioned for each liquid flow path connected to the manifold pipe.

  According to this application example, the casing of the manifold includes the partition member that is partitioned for each liquid flow path, and thus it is easy to specify the liquid flow path where the liquid has leaked.

  Application Example 3 In the printing apparatus according to the application example, it is preferable that the casing includes a rib that is connected to a side wall of the casing and partitions the inside of the casing as the partition member.

  According to this application example, the housing includes the rib that is connected to the side wall of the housing and partitions the inside of the housing. Since the compartment for each liquid flow path is defined by the side wall and the rib of the housing of the manifold, the liquid leaked from the liquid flow path is stored in the compartment. Thereby, the liquid flow path in which the liquid has leaked can be specified.

  Application Example 4 In the printing apparatus according to the application example, it is preferable that the height of the rib is lower than the side wall.

  According to this application example, the liquid leaked from the liquid flow path is stored in a compartment defined by the side wall and the rib of the housing of the manifold. Furthermore, even if the amount of liquid leaking from the liquid flow path increases and the liquid overflows from the compartment, the height of the rib in this application example is lower than the height of the side wall of the casing, so that the liquid Without leaking outside, it is stored in another adjacent compartment. Thereby, even when the amount of leaked liquid increases, it is possible to prevent the liquid from leaking from the housing of the manifold and reaching the head portion.

  Application Example 5 In the printing apparatus according to the application example described above, it is preferable that an absorbing material that absorbs the liquid is provided inside the casing.

  According to this application example, since the absorber that absorbs the liquid is provided inside the housing of the manifold, in the printing apparatus that performs printing by the serial head method, the acceleration / deceleration when the head unit moves is performed. The liquid stored in the housing can be prevented from scattering outside the housing. Moreover, since the absorbing material is dye | stained because the leaked liquid is absorbed by the absorber, the liquid flow path where the liquid leaked can be specified easily.

  Application Example 6 In the printing apparatus according to the application example described above, it is preferable that the casing includes an absorbing material that has a slit and absorbs the liquid as the partition member.

  According to this application example, the housing includes the absorbing material that has the slit and absorbs the liquid. Since the partition for each liquid flow path is defined by the side wall of the housing of the manifold and the slit formed in the absorbent material, the liquid leaked from the liquid flow path is absorbed by the absorbent material partitioned by the slit, The absorbent material inside is dyed. Thereby, the liquid flow path in which the liquid has leaked can be easily identified.

  Application Example 7 In the printing apparatus according to the application example described above, it is preferable that the height of the absorbent material in a portion in contact with the side wall is lower than the height of the side wall.

  According to this application example, the liquid absorbed by the absorbent leaks out of the casing by making the height of the absorbent in the portion of the manifold in contact with the sidewall of the manifold lower than the height of the sidewall. Can be prevented.

  Application Example 8 In the printing apparatus according to the application example described above, it is preferable that the height of the absorber in a portion not in contact with the side wall is higher than the height of the side wall.

  According to this application example, the volume of the liquid that can be absorbed by the absorbent material is increased by making the height of the absorbent material in the portion not contacting the side wall of the casing of the manifold higher than the height of the side wall. Can do.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic overall configuration of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment. Schematic explaining the liquid flow path which supplies a liquid to a head part. The sectional side view which shows the state before connecting a manifold to a head part. The top view cut | disconnected by the AA line in FIG. The sectional side view which shows the state after connecting a manifold to a head part. FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a configuration of a manifold according to Modification Example 1. The top view cut | disconnected by the BB line in FIG. FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a manifold according to Modification Example 2. The top view cut | disconnected by CC line in FIG. FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a manifold according to Modification 3. The top view cut | disconnected by the DD line | wire in FIG. FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a manifold according to Modification Example 4. The top view cut | disconnected by the EE line | wire in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the scale of each layer and each member is different from the actual scale so that each layer and each member can be recognized.
1, 3, and 5, for convenience of explanation, three axes that are orthogonal to each other, that is, the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis, are illustrated. ”, The base end side is the“ − side ”. Hereinafter, a direction parallel to the X axis is referred to as an “X axis direction”, a direction parallel to the Y axis is referred to as a “Y axis direction”, and a direction parallel to the Z axis is referred to as a “Z axis direction”.

(Embodiment)
<Configuration of printing device>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic overall configuration of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment. First, a schematic configuration of the printing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, an ink jet printing apparatus 100 that performs printing on the medium 95 by forming an image or the like on the medium 95 will be described as an example.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus 100 includes a medium transport unit 20, a medium contact unit 60, a printing unit 40, a drying unit 27, a cleaning unit 50, and the like. And it has the control part 1 which controls each of these parts. Each part of the printing apparatus 100 is attached to a frame part 92.

  The medium transport unit 20 transports the medium 95 in the transport direction (+ Y axis direction in the printing unit 40). The medium conveyance unit 20 includes a medium supply unit 10, conveyance rollers 21 and 22, a conveyance belt 23, a belt rotation roller 24, a belt driving roller 25, conveyance rollers 26 and 28, and a medium recovery unit 30. First, the conveyance path of the medium 95 from the medium supply unit 10 to the medium recovery unit 30 will be described. In this embodiment, the direction along the gravity is the Z axis, the direction in which the medium 95 is conveyed in the printing unit 40 is the Y axis, and the width direction of the medium 95 intersecting both the Z axis and the Y axis is the X axis. And

  The medium supply unit 10 supplies a medium 95 for forming an image to the printing unit 40 side. As the medium 95, for example, natural fiber, cotton, silk, hemp, mohair, wool, cashmere, regenerated fiber, synthetic fiber, nylon, polyurethane, polyester, or a woven or non-woven fabric made of a blend of these can be used. . The woven fabric or the nonwoven fabric may be coated with a pretreatment agent for promoting color development and fixing properties. The medium supply unit 10 includes a supply shaft portion 11 and a bearing portion 12. The supply shaft portion 11 is formed in a cylindrical shape or a columnar shape, and is provided to be rotatable in the circumferential direction. A belt-like medium 95 is wound around the supply shaft portion 11 in a roll shape. The supply shaft portion 11 is detachably attached to the bearing portion 12. Thus, the medium 95 that has been wound around the supply shaft portion 11 in advance can be attached to the bearing portion 12 together with the supply shaft portion 11. The winding direction of the medium 95 held on the supply shaft portion 11 is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. The medium 95 may be supplied from a roll having the recording surface wound inside.

  The bearing portion 12 rotatably supports both ends of the supply shaft portion 11 in the axial direction. The medium supply unit 10 includes a rotation drive unit (not shown) that rotates the supply shaft unit 11. The rotation drive unit rotates the supply shaft unit 11 in the direction in which the medium 95 is sent out. The operation of the rotation drive unit is controlled by the control unit 1. The conveyance rollers 21 and 22 relay the medium 95 from the medium supply unit 10 to the conveyance belt 23.

  The transport belt 23 transports the medium 95 in the transport direction (+ Y axis direction). The conveyor belt 23 is formed in an endless shape by connecting both ends of a belt-like belt, and is hung on a belt rotating roller 24 and a belt driving roller 25. The conveyor belt 23 is held in a state where a predetermined tension is applied so that a portion between the belt rotating roller 24 and the belt driving roller 25 is parallel to the floor surface 99. An adhesive layer 29 for adhering the medium 95 is provided on the surface (support surface) 23 a of the transport belt 23. The conveyance belt 23 supports (holds) a medium 95 that is supplied from the conveyance roller 22 and is in close contact with the adhesive layer 29 by a medium contact portion 60 described later. Thereby, a stretchable fabric or the like can be handled as the medium 95.

  The belt rotation roller 24 and the belt drive roller 25 support the inner peripheral surface 23 b of the transport belt 23. A configuration in which a support portion that supports the conveyance belt 23 is provided between the belt rotation roller 24 and the belt driving roller 25 may be adopted.

  The belt drive roller 25 has a motor (not shown) that drives the belt drive roller 25 to rotate. When the belt driving roller 25 is rotationally driven, the conveyor belt 23 rotates with the rotation of the belt driving roller 25, and the belt rotating roller 24 rotates with the rotation of the conveyor belt 23. By the rotation of the conveyance belt 23, the medium 95 supported by the conveyance belt 23 is conveyed in a predetermined conveyance direction (+ Y-axis direction), and an image is formed on the medium 95 by the printing unit 40 described later.

  In the present embodiment, the medium 95 is supported on the side (+ Z axis side) where the surface 23 a of the transport belt 23 faces the printing unit 40, and the medium 95 together with the transport belt 23 from the belt rotation roller 24 side to the belt drive roller 25 side ( + Y axis direction). On the side (−Z axis side) where the surface 23 a of the conveyor belt 23 faces the cleaning unit 50, only the conveyor belt 23 moves from the belt driving roller 25 side to the belt rotation roller 24 side (−Y axis direction). . The transport belt 23 has been described as including the adhesive layer 29 that allows the medium 95 to be in close contact therewith, but is not limited thereto. For example, the conveyance belt may be an electrostatic adsorption type conveyance belt that adsorbs a medium to the belt with static electricity.

  The transport roller 26 peels the medium 95 on which the image is formed from the adhesive layer 29 of the transport belt 23. The transport rollers 26 and 28 relay the medium 95 from the transport belt 23 to the medium recovery unit 30.

  The medium collection unit 30 collects the medium 95 conveyed by the medium conveyance unit 20. The medium recovery unit 30 includes a winding shaft portion 31 and a bearing portion 32. The winding shaft portion 31 is formed in a cylindrical shape or a columnar shape, and is provided to be rotatable in the circumferential direction. A belt-shaped medium 95 is wound around the winding shaft portion 31 in a roll shape. The winding shaft portion 31 is detachably attached to the bearing portion 32. As a result, the medium 95 wound on the winding shaft portion 31 can be removed together with the winding shaft portion 31.

  The bearing portion 32 rotatably supports both ends of the winding shaft portion 31 in the axial direction. The medium recovery unit 30 includes a rotation driving unit (not shown) that drives the winding shaft unit 31 to rotate. The rotation driving unit rotates the winding shaft portion 31 in the direction in which the medium 95 is wound. The operation of the rotation drive unit is controlled by the control unit 1. Note that the winding direction of the medium 95 held in the medium recovery unit 30 shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. The recording surface of the medium 95 may be wound inside.

Next, each unit provided along the medium transport unit 20 will be described.
The medium contact portion 60 is for bringing the medium 95 into close contact with the transport belt 23. The medium contact portion 60 is provided on the upstream side (−Y axis side) from the printing portion 40. The medium contact portion 60 includes a pressing roller 61, a pressing roller driving unit 62, and a roller support unit 63. The pressing roller 61 is formed in a cylindrical shape or a columnar shape, and is provided to be rotatable in the circumferential direction. The pressing roller 61 is disposed so that the axial direction intersects the transport direction so as to rotate in a direction along the transport direction. The roller support part 63 is provided on the inner peripheral surface 23 b side of the conveyor belt 23 that faces the pressing roller 61 with the conveyor belt 23 interposed therebetween.

  The pressing roller driving unit 62 presses the pressing roller 61 in the conveying direction (+ X axis direction) and the direction opposite to the conveying direction (−X axis direction) while pressing the pressing roller 61 downward in the vertical direction (−Z axis side). The roller 61 is moved. The medium 95 superimposed on the conveyance belt 23 is pressed against the conveyance belt 23 between the pressing roller 61 and the roller support portion 63. Thereby, the medium 95 can be reliably adhered to the adhesive layer 29 provided on the surface 23 a of the transport belt 23, and the occurrence of the floating of the medium 95 on the transport belt 23 can be prevented.

  The printing unit 40 is disposed above (+ Z axis side) with respect to the position where the transport belt 23 is disposed, and performs printing on the medium 95 placed on the surface 23 a of the transport belt 23. The printing unit 40 moves a head unit 41 that ejects a plurality of liquids toward the medium 95, a carriage 43 on which the head unit 41 is mounted, and the carriage 43 in the width direction (X-axis direction) of the medium 95 that intersects the transport direction. A carriage transport unit 93 is provided. The head portion 41 of the present embodiment is composed of a plurality of ejection heads 42 that eject liquids such as yellow, cyan, magenta, and black, for example, and each ejection head 42 includes a liquid tank 71 (see FIG. 2) described later. Various liquids are supplied from the liquid channel 70 and the manifold 80.

  The carriage transport unit 93 reciprocates the head unit 41 along with the carriage 43 along the X-axis direction. The carriage transport unit 93 includes a pair of guide rails 93a and 93b that are provided above the transport belt 23 (on the + Z-axis direction side) and extend along the X-axis direction. The guide rails 93a and 93b support the carriage 43. The carriage 43 is guided along the X-axis direction by the guide rails 93a and 93b, and is supported by the guide rails 93a and 93b so as to be reciprocally movable in the X-axis direction.

  The carriage transport unit 93 includes a moving mechanism and a power source (not shown). As the moving mechanism, for example, a mechanism in which a ball screw and a ball nut are combined, a linear guide mechanism, or the like can be employed. Further, the carriage transport unit 93 is provided with a motor (not shown) as a power source for moving the carriage 43 along the X-axis direction. Various motors such as stepping motors, servo motors, and linear motors can be employed as the motor. When the motor is driven by the control of the control unit 1, the head unit 41 reciprocates along the X axis direction together with the carriage 43.

  The control unit 1 controls the carriage transport unit 93 and the head unit 41 to control the main transport for moving the head unit 41 (carriage 43) while ejecting liquid from each ejection head 42, and the medium transport unit 20 to control the medium. An image or the like is formed on the medium 95 by alternately repeating sub-scanning for transporting 95 in the transport direction. In the present embodiment, the head unit 41 is exemplified by a serial head type that is mounted on the carriage 43 that reciprocates and discharges liquid while moving in the width direction (X-axis direction) of the medium 95. It may be a line head type extending in the direction and arranged in a fixed manner.

  The drying unit 27 is provided between the transport roller 26 and the transport roller 28. The drying unit 27 dries the liquid ejected on the medium 95. The drying unit 27 includes, for example, an IR heater, and the liquid ejected on the medium 95 is driven by driving the IR heater. It can be dried in a short time. Thereby, the belt-shaped medium 95 on which an image or the like is formed can be wound around the winding shaft portion 31.

  The cleaning unit 50 is for cleaning the transport belt 23. The cleaning unit 50 includes a cleaning unit 51, a pressing unit 52, and a moving unit 53. The moving unit 53 can move the cleaning unit 50 integrally along the floor surface 99 and fix it at a predetermined position. The cleaning unit 50 is disposed between the belt rotating roller 24 and the belt driving roller 25 in the Y-axis direction.

  The pressing part 52 is, for example, an elevating device composed of an air cylinder 56 and a ball bush 57, and allows the cleaning part 51 provided on the upper part thereof to be moved between a cleaning position and a retracted position. The cleaning position is a position where the cleaning roller 58 and the blade 55 are in contact with the transport belt 23. The retreat position is a position where the cleaning roller 58 and the blade 55 are separated from the transport belt 23. The cleaning unit 51 cleans the surface (support surface) 23a of the transport belt 23 from below (−Z axis direction) at the cleaning position. FIG. 1 shows a case where the cleaning unit 51 is raised and arranged at the cleaning position.

  The cleaning unit 51 includes a cleaning tank 54, a cleaning roller 58, and a blade 55. The cleaning tank 54 is a tank for storing a cleaning liquid used for cleaning the liquid and foreign matter adhering to the surface 23 a of the transport belt 23, and the cleaning roller 58 and the blade 55 are provided inside the cleaning tank 54. As the cleaning liquid, for example, water or a water-soluble solvent (such as an alcohol aqueous solution) can be used, and a surfactant or an antifoaming agent may be added as necessary.

  The lower side (−Z-axis side) of the cleaning roller 58 is immersed in the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning tank 54. When the cleaning roller 58 rotates at the cleaning position, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the surface 23a of the transport belt 23, and the cleaning roller 58 and the transport belt 23 slide. As a result, the liquid adhering to the transport belt 23 and the fabric fibers as the medium 95 are removed by the cleaning roller 58.

  The blade 55 can be formed of a flexible material such as silicon rubber, for example. The blade 55 is provided on the downstream side of the cleaning roller 58 in the moving direction of the transport belt 23. As the conveying belt 23 and the blade 55 slide, the cleaning liquid remaining on the surface 23a of the conveying belt 23 is removed.

<Configuration of liquid flow path>
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a liquid flow path for supplying a liquid to the head unit. Next, the configuration of the liquid channel will be described with reference to FIG.
The liquid channel 70 supplies liquid to the head unit 41. Note that the printing apparatus 100 is provided with the number of liquid channels 70 corresponding to the type of liquid ejected from the head unit 41. Since the liquid flow paths 70 of each system have the same configuration, FIG. 2 shows one system of liquid flow paths 70.

  The liquid flow path 70 is connected between a liquid tank 71 that stores liquid and a manifold 80 that bundles a plurality of systems of liquid flow paths 70 and connects them to the head portion 41, and liquid is supplied from the liquid tank 71 via the manifold 80. To the discharge head 42. The liquid tank 71 may be configured to be able to inject liquid through an injection hole (not shown) while being attached to the printing apparatus 100, or the cartridge-like liquid tank 71 is detachably attached to the printing apparatus 100. It may be a configuration.

  In the liquid channel 70, a pump 72, a filter 73, a deaeration unit 74, an opening / closing valve 75, a sub tank 76, a pump 77, and an opening / closing valve 78 are provided from the liquid tank 71 side toward the manifold 80 side. The liquid tank 71, the manifold 80, and each of the above parts are connected by a tubular liquid pipe 79.

The pumps 72 and 77 have a role of causing the liquid to flow, and the open / close valves 75 and 78 have a role of regulating the flow of the liquid. The liquid flow path 70 is configured such that the liquid can flow from the liquid tank 71 side to the discharge head 42 side by opening the on-off valves 75 and 78 and driving the pumps 72 and 77.
The filter 73 is for capturing foreign matter in the liquid and is configured to be replaceable. Thereby, even when the flow of the liquid in the liquid flow path 70 deteriorates due to a large amount of foreign matter or the like captured by the filter 73, this can be improved by replacing the filter 73.

  The deaeration unit 74 includes, for example, a cylindrical hollow fiber membrane 74a that forms a part of the liquid channel 70, a decompression mechanism that decompresses the liquid in the liquid channel 70 for deaeration, and the like. The decompression mechanism includes a decompression chamber 74b that houses the hollow fiber membrane 74a, a pump (not shown) that can decompress the decompression chamber 74b, and the like. When this pump depressurizes the decompression chamber 74b, the space outside the hollow fiber membrane 74a is decompressed, and the gas dissolved in the liquid inside the hollow fiber membrane 74a is sucked outside the hollow fiber membrane 74a. As a result, the liquid inside the hollow fiber membrane 74a is degassed.

  The sub-tank 76 has a holding bag 76a in the holding chamber 76b. The sub-tank 76 receives liquid supplied from the liquid tank 71 and can hold the liquid and can supply liquid to the discharge head 42 as a liquid holding unit. Have a role. The sub tank 76 includes a pressurizing unit (not shown) that compresses the holding bag 76 a, and the liquid stored in the holding bag 76 a is pressurized by the pressurizing unit and the pump 77, and is supplied to the discharge head 42. Pressurized supply. By closing the open / close valve 75, it is possible to perform operations such as supplying the liquid from the sub tank 76 to the discharge head 42 and supplying the liquid in the liquid tank 71 or replacing the liquid tank 71.

  The discharge head 42 includes a valve unit 110 connected to the liquid flow path 70 via the manifold 80 and a liquid discharge unit 120 that discharges liquid.

The valve unit 110 adjusts the flow pressure of the liquid supplied to the liquid discharge unit 120 so that the liquid is stably discharged from the nozzle 124 of the liquid discharge unit 120.
The valve unit 110 includes a liquid introduction path 111, a liquid supply chamber 112, a filter 113 provided in the liquid supply chamber 112, a valve body 114, a pressure chamber 115, and a liquid outlet path 116. . The liquid pressurized and supplied from the liquid channel 70 is supplied to the liquid ejection unit 120 via the liquid introduction path 111, the liquid supply chamber 112, the valve body 114, the pressure chamber 115, and the liquid outlet path 116.

The liquid is supplied to the liquid supply chamber 112 in a pressurized state from the liquid introduction path 111. The valve body 114 is disposed between the liquid supply chamber 112 and the pressure chamber 115 and opens and closes a flow path between the liquid supply chamber 112 and the pressure chamber 115.
During the printing operation, the pressure in the pressure chamber 115 decreases as the liquid is consumed, so that the valve body 114 is slightly opened, and the liquid is sequentially supplied from the liquid supply chamber 112 to the pressure chamber 115. The pressure fluctuation of the liquid in the liquid supply chamber 112 is limited to be within a certain range by opening and closing the valve body 114, and is separated from the pressure change of the liquid in the pressure chamber 115. Therefore, even if a pressure change occurs on the upstream side of the valve body 114, it is not affected on the downstream side of the valve body 114. Therefore, the pressure acting on the liquid in the pressure chamber 115 in the valve unit 110 is controlled within a certain range, and the flow pressure of the liquid supplied to the liquid discharge unit 120 is adjusted.

  In other words, the valve unit 110 supplies the nozzle 124 so that the liquid does not leak from the nozzle 124 of the liquid ejection unit 120 during non-printing and the liquid is appropriately ejected from the nozzle 124 during printing. The pressure of the liquid supplied to the liquid ejection unit 120 is adjusted so that a negative pressure acts on the liquid to be applied.

The liquid discharge unit 120 includes a liquid introduction path 121, a common liquid chamber 122, a pressure generation chamber 123, a nozzle 124, and the like.
Liquid is supplied to the common liquid chamber 122 from the valve unit 110 via the liquid introduction path 121. The common liquid chamber 122 is provided with a plurality of pressure generating chambers 123 that correspond one-to-one with the plurality of nozzles 124. The common liquid chamber 122 is a liquid chamber common to the plurality of pressure generation chambers 123, and the nozzle 124 communicates with the common liquid chamber 122 through the pressure generation chamber 123. The plurality of nozzles 124 form a nozzle row 125 arranged along the conveyance direction (Y-axis direction) of the medium 95.

  The pressure generation chamber 123 is provided with an actuator (not shown) that expands and contracts the volume of the pressure generation chamber 123. When the pressure generation chamber 123 expands, the liquid is filled from the common liquid chamber 122 into the pressure generation chamber 123. When the pressure generation chamber 123 contracts, the liquid in the pressure generation chamber 123 is discharged from the nozzle 124 that communicates with the pressure generation chamber 123. As the actuator, for example, a piezoelectric actuator using the inverse piezoelectric effect of a piezoelectric body, an electrostatic actuator using an electrostatic force, or the like can be employed. Further, a mechanism for generating bubbles using a heating element and discharging liquid may be used.

Next, the configuration of the manifold will be described.
FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a state before the manifold is connected to the head portion. 4 is a plan view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a state after the manifold is connected to the head portion. The configuration of the manifold 80 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The manifold 80 includes a casing 81 having a bottomed and uncovered box shape, and a manifold pipe 82 that penetrates the bottom wall of the casing and protrudes in both directions (± Z-axis direction) from the bottom wall. The manifold 80 of this embodiment is provided with eight manifold pipes 82 arranged in 2 rows and 4 columns. In other words, the printing apparatus 100 includes eight liquid flow paths 70 corresponding to eight types of liquid, eight valve units 110 corresponding to eight types of liquid, and eight nozzle rows 125 that discharge eight types of liquid. And a head portion 41 composed of eight liquid ejection portions 120 corresponding to the above. The head unit 41 may be integrally formed, or a head unit in which a plurality of ejection heads 42 are combined.

  The liquid flow path 70 is connected to the inside of the housing 81 of the manifold 80. Specifically, the liquid pipe 79 of each liquid flow path 70 is connected to the tip of each manifold pipe 82 protruding in the + Z-axis direction from the bottom wall of the housing 81 by a joint portion 84 that connects the pipes to each other. . In other words, the eight liquid flow paths 70 are connected so as to be bundled inside the casing 81 by eight manifold pipes 82. Even if the liquid leaks from the liquid pipe 79 or the joint 84 of the liquid flow path 70 due to deterioration over time due to long-term use of the printing apparatus 100, the leaked liquid remains in the housing of the manifold 80 as shown in FIG. It is stored inside the body 81. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the leaked liquid from reaching the head portion 41 and damaging the head portion 41.

  Further, the tip end of each manifold pipe 82 protruding from the bottom wall in the −Z-axis direction is connected to the liquid introduction path 111 of each valve unit 110 provided with a bush 119 that receives the manifold pipe 82 so that it can be inserted and removed. As a result, the manifold 80 can attach and detach the eight liquid channels 70 to and from the head portion 41. That is, since the plurality of liquid flow paths 70 are connected to the manifold piping 82 provided in the manifold 80, the plurality of liquid flow paths 70 are connected to the head section 41 by detaching the manifold 80 from the head section 41. Can be plugged in and out at once. Thereby, when the head part 41 (ejection head 42) malfunctions, since it is not necessary to attach and detach the several liquid flow path 70 separately, the effort of the head replacement | exchange which a user performs can be reduced. In addition, you may make it the structure which can be attached or detached by one-touch by adjusting the shape or contact state of the manifold piping 82 and the bush 119. FIG. Here, the one-touch means that the manifold 80 can be attached to and detached from the head portion 41 by a single operation.

In this embodiment, the example in which the present invention is applied to the ink jet printing apparatus 100 that performs printing on the medium 95 has been described. However, in the present embodiment, the liquid is discharged to the head unit 41 (discharge head 42) that discharges the liquid. The present invention can be applied to an ink jet printing apparatus that is supplied by a liquid flow path 70 (tube).
Further, in the present embodiment, the configuration in which the valve unit 110 is included in the discharge head 42 is illustrated, but the configuration in which the valve unit 110 is included in the manifold 80 side may be employed.
Moreover, the number of systems of the liquid flow path 70 and the number and arrangement of the manifold pipes 82 are examples, and are not limited thereto.

As described above, according to the printing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
The printing apparatus 100 includes a manifold 80 that bundles a plurality of liquid flow paths 70 and connects them to the head unit 41. The plurality of liquid flow paths 70 are connected to the inside of a casing 81 having a box shape with a bottom and no lid. Even when liquid leaks from the liquid pipe 79 or the joint portion 84 of the liquid flow path 70, the leaked liquid is stored inside the casing 81 of the manifold 80. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the leaked liquid from reaching the head portion 41 and damaging the head portion 41.
The manifold 80 is configured so that the plurality of liquid flow paths 70 can be attached to and detached from the head portion 41. Thereby, when the head part 41 (ejection head 42) malfunctions, since it is not necessary to attach and detach the several liquid flow path 70 separately, the effort of the head replacement | exchange which a user performs can be reduced.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and improvements can be added to the above-described embodiment. A modification will be described below.

(Modification 1)
FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a manifold according to Modification 1. FIG. 7 is a plan view taken along line BB in FIG. Next, the configuration of the manifold 180 will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, about the component same as embodiment, the same number is attached | subjected and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  An absorbent 185 that absorbs liquid is provided inside the casing 81 of the manifold 180. The liquid leaking from the liquid channel 70 is absorbed by the absorbent 185. As the absorbent material 185, for example, a porous material formed of waste paper or polyurethane can be used. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the liquid stored in the casing 81 of the manifold 180 from being scattered outside the casing 81 due to acceleration / deceleration when the head unit 41 moves by main scanning. Further, since the absorbent 185 is stained by the leaked liquid, the liquid flow path 70 where the liquid has leaked can be specified. The absorbent material 185 can be exchanged for the housing 81 by a notch or the like not shown.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the height of the absorbent material 185b in the portion of the absorbent material 185 that contacts the side wall 81a of the housing 81 is lower than the height of the side wall 81a. Thereby, the liquid absorbed by the absorbent 185 can be prevented from leaking out of the housing 81 through the side wall 81a of the manifold 180.

  In the absorbent material 185, the height of the absorbent material 185a at a portion not in contact with the side wall 81a of the housing 81 is higher than the height of the side wall 81a. As a result, the volume of liquid that can be absorbed by the absorbent 185 can be increased.

(Modification 2)
FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a manifold according to Modification 2. FIG. 9 is a plan view taken along line CC in FIG. Next, the configuration of the manifold 280 will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, about the component same as embodiment, the same number is attached | subjected and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The inside of the housing 81 of the manifold 280 is partitioned for each liquid flow path 70 connected to the manifold 280. In this modification, the section 287 is defined by the side wall 81a of the casing 81 of the manifold 280 and ribs 286 that partition the inside of the casing 81 in a lattice shape. As shown in FIG. 9, the periphery of each of the eight manifold pipes 82 to which the liquid pipe 79 is connected is partitioned and defined by a side wall 81a and ribs 286. Thereby, since the liquid leaked from the liquid flow path 70 is stored in each section 287, even if the liquid leaks from the plurality of liquid flow paths 70, the liquid flow path 70 where the liquid leaked can be specified. it can.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the height of the rib 286 is lower than the height of the side wall 81 a of the housing 81. Even when the amount of liquid leaking from the liquid flow path 70 increases and the liquid overflows from the section 287 defined by the side wall 81a and the rib 286, the height of the rib 286 of the present modification is higher than the height of the side wall 81a. Therefore, the liquid does not leak out of the casing 81 and is stored in another adjacent section 287. Thereby, even when the amount of leaked liquid increases, it is possible to prevent the liquid from leaking from the casing 81 of the manifold 280 and reaching the head portion 41.

  In addition, the absorbent material demonstrated in the modification 1 may be provided in each division 287 partitioned by the side wall 81a and the rib 286.

(Modification 3)
FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a manifold according to Modification 3. FIG. 11 is a plan view taken along line DD in FIG. Next, the configuration of the manifold 380 will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, about the component same as embodiment, the same number is attached | subjected and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The inside of the housing 81 of the manifold 380 is partitioned for each liquid flow path 70 connected to the manifold 380. In this modification, the section 388 is defined by the side wall 81 a of the housing 81 and the slit 387 formed in the absorbent material 385. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, a wall-like absorbent material 385 for partitioning the eight manifold pipes 82 to which the liquid pipe 79 is connected is provided inside the housing 81. The wall-shaped absorbent material 385 is provided with a slit 387 that is a gap that divides the thickness direction of the wall into two, and the periphery of each manifold pipe 82 is partitioned and defined by the slit 387 and the side wall 81a.

  In other words, the periphery of each of the eight manifold pipes 82 to which the liquid pipe 79 is connected is surrounded by the side wall 81 a and the absorbent material 385 provided along the slit 387 that defines the section 388. As a result, the liquid leaked from the liquid flow path 70 is absorbed by the absorbent material 385 in the section 388 and stains the absorbent material 385, so that even if liquid leaks from the plurality of liquid flow paths 70, the liquid leakage It is possible to easily identify the liquid flow path 70 that has been obtained.

  Note that the absorbent material 385 of the present modification is a portion of the porous material whose height in contact with the side wall 81a is lower than the height of the side wall 81a and not in contact with the side wall 81a, similar to the absorbent material described in the first modification. Is formed to be higher than the height of the side wall 81a.

(Modification 4)
FIG. 12 is a side sectional view showing a configuration of a manifold according to Modification 4. FIG. 13 is a plan view taken along line EE in FIG. Next, the configuration of the manifold 480 will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, about the component same as embodiment, the same number is attached | subjected and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  An absorbing material 485 that absorbs liquid is provided inside the casing 81 of the manifold 480. The absorbent 485 is provided with slits 487 that partition the eight manifold pipes 82 to which the liquid pipe 79 is connected. The periphery of each manifold pipe 82 is partitioned and defined by the slit 487 and the side wall 81a of the housing 81. As a result, the liquid leaked from the liquid flow path 70 is absorbed by the absorbent 485 in the section 488 and stains the absorbent 485, so that even if liquid leaks from the plurality of liquid flow paths 70, the liquid leakage It is possible to easily identify the liquid flow path 70 that has been obtained.

  Note that the absorbent material 485 of the present modified example is a porous material that is lower in height than the side wall 81a than the side wall 81a and not in contact with the side wall 81a, similar to the absorbent material described in the first modified example. Is formed to be higher than the height of the side wall 81a.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Control part, 10 ... Medium supply part, 20 ... Medium conveyance part, 23 ... Conveyance belt, 27 ... Drying unit, 30 ... Medium recovery part, 40 ... Printing part, 41 ... Head part, 42 ... Discharge head, 43 ... Carriage, 50 ... cleaning unit, 60 ... medium contact portion, 70 ... liquid flow path, 71 ... liquid tank, 79 ... liquid piping, 80, 180, 280, 380, 480 ... manifold, 81 ... casing, 81a ... side wall, 82 ... Manifold piping, 84 ... Joint part, 95 ... Medium, 100 ... Printing device, 110 ... Valve unit, 111 ... Liquid introduction path, 112 ... Liquid supply chamber, 113 ... Filter, 114 ... Valve body, 115 ... Pressure chamber, 116 ... Liquid outlet passage, 119 ... Bush, 120 ... Liquid discharge section, 121 ... Liquid introduction passage, 122 ... Common liquid chamber, 123 ... Pressure generating chamber, 124 ... Nozzle, 125 ... Nozzle row 185,185a, 185b, 385,485 ... absorbent material, 287,388,488 ... compartment, 286 ... ribs, 387,487 ... slit.

Claims (8)

A head portion for discharging a plurality of types of liquid;
A plurality of liquid flow paths for supplying the liquid to the head portion;
A manifold for bundling a plurality of the liquid flow paths and connecting to the head part;
Have
The liquid flow path is connected to a manifold pipe provided inside a box-shaped box with a bottom and no lid of the manifold,
The manifold is detachable from the head portion;
A printing apparatus characterized by the above.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the casing includes a partition member that is partitioned for each liquid flow path connected to the manifold pipe.   The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the casing includes, as the partition member, a rib that is connected to a side wall of the casing and partitions the inside of the casing.   The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a height of the rib is lower than the side wall.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an absorbing material that absorbs the liquid is provided inside the casing.   The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the casing includes an absorbing material that has a slit and absorbs the liquid as the partition member.   7. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a height of the absorbent in a portion in contact with the side wall is lower than a height of the side wall.   The printing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a height of the absorbent in a portion not in contact with the side wall is higher than a height of the side wall.

Images