JP2019137040A - Liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a liquid discharge device which can recover mist efficiently.SOLUTION: A mist recovery mechanism part 500 includes: an exhaust duct 501; a filter 502 which collects mist; and an exhaust fan 503 which is disposed at the downstream side of the filter 502 and generates airflow. Suction ports 511 of the exhaust duct 501 are disposed at both side parts as seen in an X direction and at substantially the same height as a cassette 200. A partition member 550 which partitions a space in a device body 100 into a first space A including the suction ports 511 of the exhaust duct 501 and a second space B which does not include the suction ports 511 of the exhaust duct 501 is disposed in the mist recovery mechanism part 500.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for discharging a liquid.

  In an apparatus for ejecting liquid, such as a printing apparatus having a liquid ejection head for ejecting liquid, mist generated along with liquid ejection is collected by a filter or the like.

Conventionally, for example, a vent that communicates between the inside and outside of a reversing conveyance device that is connected to the image forming apparatus main body and reverses the recording surface of the recording medium, and a communication port that communicates between the image forming apparatus main body and the reversing conveyance device; A device including an air flow path formed between the vent and the communication port through which air flows and an air flow forming means for forming an air flow is known (Patent Document 1).
(Patent Document 1).

JP 2013-237172 A

  By the way, when air currents are generated using a fan and mist is collected by a filter, there is a problem that air currents are reliably generated from the mist generation site toward the fan to efficiently recover the mist.

  This invention is made | formed in view of said subject, and it aims at enabling it to collect | recover mist efficiently.

In order to solve the above problems, an apparatus for ejecting a liquid according to claim 1 of the present invention provides:
A stage that holds a holding member that holds a member to be coated and reciprocates;
An exhaust fan that generates airflow;
An airflow inlet by the exhaust fan disposed on the side of the holding member;
A partition member for partitioning the inside of the apparatus main body into a space including the suction port and a space not including the suction port;
An air flow path toward the suction port is formed between the partition member and the holding member.

  According to the present invention, mist can be efficiently recovered.

It is front explanatory drawing of the printing apparatus as an apparatus which discharges the liquid which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a side explanatory view similarly. It is a plane explanatory drawing similarly. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of an example of a cassette used in the printing apparatus. It is a perspective explanatory view in the state where the outer periphery cover member of the cassette was opened. It is a schematic sectional explanatory drawing along the transversal direction of the cassette. FIG. 3 is an explanatory front view for explaining a portion related to mist collection in the printing apparatus. It is side surface explanatory drawing used for description of the collection | recovery of the mist by a mist collection | recovery mechanism part. It is front explanatory drawing similarly. It is side surface explanatory drawing of the carriage part used for description of the arrangement position of the partition member which is a gap formation member. It is explanatory drawing of a discharge unit similarly. It is side explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of generation | occurrence | production of the mist pool in the state without a partition member. It is front explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of an effect | action of the structure which has arrange | positioned an exhaust fan and a filter above an inlet. It is side surface explanatory drawing which uses for description of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is side explanatory drawing similarly used for description of the effect of the same embodiment. It is front explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a side explanatory view similarly.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. A printing apparatus as an apparatus for ejecting liquid according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an explanatory front view of the printing apparatus, FIG. 2 is an explanatory side view, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory plan view.

  The printing apparatus 1 includes a stage 111 in which the cassette 200 is detachably held in the apparatus main body 100 and moves forward and backward, and a printing unit 112 that prints on a printing target member held by the cassette 200 held by the stage 111. It has. The cassette 200 is a holding member having a platen member 300 that holds a fabric 400 (see FIG. 6) as a member to be printed as a member to be coated.

  The stage 111 is attached to a slider member 113, and the slider member 113 is held by guide members 114 and 114 so as to be capable of reciprocating in the arrow Y direction (feed direction). The stage 111 reciprocates as the slider member 113 reciprocates in the feed direction.

  As a result, the cassette 200 which is a holding member detachably attached to the stage 111 and the fabric 400 held by the platen member 300 of the cassette 200 also reciprocate in the Y direction.

  The printing unit 112 includes a carriage 121 that moves in the arrow X direction (main scanning direction) with respect to the stage 111, and the carriage 121 includes a liquid discharge head 122 that is a liquid discharge unit that discharges liquid.

  A maintenance unit 130 that performs maintenance of the liquid discharge head 122 is disposed below one end of the arrow X direction. The maintenance unit 130 includes a cap 131 that caps the nozzle surface of the liquid discharge head 122.

  In the printing apparatus 1, the cassette 200 is mounted and held on the stage 111 in the apparatus main body 100 in a state where the printing target member is set on the platen member 300 of the cassette 200. Then, by repeating the movement of the stage 111 in the arrow Y direction and the reciprocating movement of the printing unit 112 (carriage 121) in the arrow X direction, a required image is printed on the fabric 400 that is a printing member.

  Next, an example of a cassette used in this printing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the cassette, FIG. 5 is a perspective explanatory view of the cassette with an outer peripheral cover member opened, and FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional explanatory view along the short direction of the cassette.

  The cassette 200 includes a base member 201, a platen member 300 that holds a portion of the fabric 400 to be printed in a flat state, and an outer peripheral cover member 202 that sandwiches the fabric 400 between the platen member 300. .

  The platen member 300 includes a platen main body 301 made of a heat insulating member that constitutes a holding surface that holds the fabric 400 in a flat state, and a platen structure 302. The platen main body 301 has heat resistance against heating. The platen structure 302 is integrated with the platen main body 301, and protrudes from the outer peripheral side of the platen main body 301 to form a flange portion 300 b serving as a peripheral portion of the platen member 300.

  The outer peripheral cover member 202 has a frame portion 202b that forms an opening 202a through which the platen member 300 is exposed. The outer peripheral cover member 202 is provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to the base member 201 by a hinge 203 or the like. The outer peripheral cover member 202 presses the cloth 400 with the flange 400 b at the peripheral edge of the platen member 300.

  The platen member 300 is supported by the support member 311 with respect to the base member 201, and an accommodation space 312 that can accommodate the surplus portion 400 a of the fabric 400 is formed between the platen member 300 and the base member 201. For example, when printing is performed on the front surface of a T-shirt, the surplus portion 400a corresponds to both sleeves, a collar, a skirt, and the like.

  When printing with the fabric 400 held in the cassette 200, first, the outer peripheral cover member 202 is opened, and the portion of the fabric 400 to be printed is placed on the platen member 300. Thereafter, the excess portion (surplus portion) 400 a of the fabric 400 is pushed into the accommodation space 312, and the excess portion 400 a is accommodated in the accommodation space 312. Then, the outer peripheral cover member 202 is closed.

  Accordingly, the printing portion of the fabric 400 is held in a flat state by the platen member 300, and the excess portion 400a is accommodated in the cassette 200 without protruding outside.

  Then, the cassette 200 in which the fabric 400 is set is mounted (set) on the stage 111 of the apparatus main body 100 of the printing apparatus 1.

  Next, the configuration of a portion related to mist collection in the printing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a front view for explaining the same.

  Here, the attachment / detachment side of the cassette 200 with respect to the apparatus main body 100 is the front side of the apparatus main body 100, and the opposite side of the front side in the arrow Y direction is the rear side of the apparatus main body 100.

  And the mist collection | recovery mechanism parts 500 and 500 are arrange | positioned in the both sides of the apparatus main body 100, and the back side of the apparatus main body 100. FIG.

  The mist collecting mechanism unit 500 includes an exhaust duct 501, a filter 502 that collects mist, and an exhaust fan 503 that is disposed on the downstream side of the filter 502 and generates an airflow.

  The exhaust duct 501 has an intake port 511, and an intake duct unit 501 a that guides the air sucked from the intake port 511 upward, and an exhaust fan 503 that sucks air from the intake duct unit 501 a through the filter 502. And a discharge duct portion 501c for guiding the air sent from the exhaust fan 503 toward the rear exhaust port 515.

  In this case, the filter 502 and the exhaust fan 503 are disposed above the suction port 511.

  The suction port 511 of the exhaust duct 501 is disposed at both sides in the X direction and at substantially the same height as the cassette 200. Thereby, mist can be sucked from both sides of the cassette 200 without hindering the movement of the cassette 200.

  A partition member (partition plate) 550 that partitions the space inside the apparatus main body 100 into a first space A that includes the suction port 511 of the exhaust duct 501 and a second space B that does not include the suction port 511 of the exhaust duct 501. It is arranged.

  The partition member 550 is disposed at a height that does not interfere with the reciprocating cassette 200.

  The partition member 550 is a gap forming member that forms a spatial gap 551 (see FIG. 7) with the cassette 200 that is a holding member that reciprocates.

  Next, mist collection by the mist collection mechanism 500 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is an explanatory side view for explaining the same, and FIG. 9 is an explanatory front view.

  By driving the exhaust fan 503 of the mist collecting mechanism 500, air is sucked from the suction port 511 and discharged from the exhaust port 515, whereby an air flow 600 is generated. Due to the airflow 600, the mist generated when the liquid ejection from the liquid ejection head 122 is ejected during printing on the fabric 400 and the mist generated during the maintenance of the liquid ejection head 122 by the maintenance unit 130 ride on the airflow 600 and are sucked into the exhaust duct 501. Inhaled through mouth 511.

  The sucked mist is collected and collected by the filter 502 on the upstream side of the exhaust fan 503. Note that the filter 502 may not be provided or may be disposed on the downstream side of the exhaust fan 503 as long as mist does not adhere to the exhaust fan 503.

  Here, the suction port 511 is disposed on the side of the cassette 200, and a partition member 550 is provided so as to partition the space A including the suction port 511 and the space B not including the suction port 511. .

  As a result, an air flow path of the air flow 600 is formed between the partition member 550 and the upper surface of the cassette 200 through the side surface of the cassette 200 and toward the suction port 511. At this time, the partition member 550 can efficiently guide the airflow 600 from the printing unit 112 serving as a mist generating portion toward the suction port 511, and can efficiently collect the mist.

  Further, by arranging the suction port 511 on the side of the moving range of the cassette 200, dirt near the suction port 511 where airflow is likely to stagnate can be separated from the printed member.

  In addition, since the partition member 550 is disposed at a position corresponding to the upper portion of the suction port 511, the air flow 600 is easily guided to the suction port 511 even if the air flow 600 is disturbed by the operation of the cassette 200. At this time, since there is always a flow of the air current 600, it is difficult for mist to adhere to the partition member 550 itself.

  As a result, even when the airflow 600 inside the apparatus main body 100 is disturbed by the reciprocating movement of the carriage 121, the stage 111, and the cassette 200, mist is less likely to adhere to the partition member 550 positioned directly above the fabric 400. Even if it is used for a long time, it is possible to prevent dirt due to mist from dripping and adhering to the printing member.

  Next, the arrangement position of the partition member which is a gap formation member is demonstrated with reference to FIG.10 and FIG.11. FIG. 10 is an explanatory side view of the carriage portion, and FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of the discharge unit.

  In the present embodiment, a discharge unit 120 in which a liquid discharge head 122 and a sub tank 123 that temporarily stores liquid to be supplied to the liquid discharge head 122 are integrated is mounted on the carriage 121.

  The sub-tank 123 includes a tank main body 123a that constitutes a storage unit that stores the liquid 10, a supply port portion 123b that supplies the liquid into the tank main body 123a, an air release mechanism 123c that opens the tank main body 123a to the atmosphere, and a tank main body 123a. An electrode pin pair 123d for detecting the liquid level is provided.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 10, the height of the nozzle surface 122a of the liquid ejection head 122 is h1, the height of the upper surface 122b of the liquid ejection head 122 is h2, and the height of the upper surface 121a of the carriage 121 is h3 ( h1 <h2 <h3).

  Referring to FIG. 8 described above, the partition member 550 is located at a position where the lower surface 550a of the partition member 550 (the surface facing the cassette 200 as a holding member) is higher than the height h1 of the nozzle surface 122a of the head 122. Is arranged.

  On the other hand, the partition member 550 is preferably disposed at a position where the lower surface 550a of the partition member 550 is below the height h3 of the upper surface 121a of the carriage 121. More preferably, the partition member 550 is disposed at a position where the lower surface 550a is below the height h2 of the upper surface 122b of the head 122.

  Next, the operation of the partition member will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is an explanatory side view for explaining the occurrence of mist accumulation in the state where there is no partition member for the same explanation.

  As described above, mist is generated along with the liquid discharge from the liquid discharge head 122 during printing on the printing member or with the maintenance of the liquid discharge head 122 by the maintenance unit 130.

  Therefore, when the mist collection mechanism unit 500 is configured, the suction port 511 needs to be disposed in the vicinity of the maintenance unit 130 and the carriage 121, but it is necessary to avoid the movement area of the carriage 121, the stage 111, and the cassette 200.

  Further, since the carriage 121, the stage 111, and the cassette 200 are moved, the airflow in the apparatus main body 100 is disturbed, and mist adheres to various parts in the apparatus main body 100. In particular, when used for a long period of time, mist adheres to the inside of the apparatus main body 100, and the mist on the upper surface may become a mist pool like a tsura and fall downward.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 12, even if the exhaust duct 501 and the fan 503 are arranged, the air behind the cassette 200 is pushed out by moving the cassette 200 to the rear side, and an air flow toward the top surface is generated. . The air flow toward the top surface stagnates on the top surface side of the apparatus main body 100, and as a result, a mist reservoir 603 is generated and grows.

  When a liquid material, which is a collection of mists, falls from the mist reservoir 603, it may adhere to a printing member such as the fabric 400 held by the cassette 200 that moves downward, and may contaminate the printing member.

  Therefore, as in the present embodiment, the inlet 511 is arranged on the side of the cassette 200, and the partition member 550 divides the space A including the inlet 511 into the space B not including the inlet 511, thereby forming the cassette of the partition member 550. The airflow 600 always flows on the surface on the 200 side.

  As a result, mist accumulation is less likely to occur in the partition member 550, and thus the liquid material in which the mist has gathered can be prevented from dripping down into the cassette 200.

  Next, the operation of the configuration in which the exhaust fan 503 and the filter 502 are arranged above the suction port 511 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a front view for explaining the same.

  When the member to be printed is the fabric 400, unnecessary fiber pieces such as fiber fragments may be attached. When such a fiber piece is sucked into the mist collecting mechanism 500, the mist is adsorbed on the fiber piece to be solidified, causing malfunction of the exhaust fan 503 and clogging of the filter 502.

  Therefore, by arranging the exhaust fan 503 and the filter 502 above the suction port 511, the light mist 605 is sucked upward by the exhaust fan 503 as shown in FIG. 13, but the heavy fiber piece 606 is sucked by the suction port 511. Even if the air is sucked in, it falls down and does not reach the exhaust fan 503 or the filter 502.

  Thereby, malfunction of the exhaust fan 503 and clogging of the filter 502 can be prevented.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 14 is an explanatory side view for explaining the embodiment, and FIG. 15 is an explanatory side view for explaining the function and effect of the embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the exhaust fan 503 is disposed in a posture inclined so as to face obliquely downward toward the upstream side.

  That is, since mist is generated during printing and maintenance, the mist collection efficiency is higher when the suction port 511 is disposed near the liquid discharge head 122 (near the carriage 121). However, as shown in FIG. 15, when the liquid discharge head 122 moves to the home position (the right side in the X direction), the maintenance unit 130 is disposed directly below, so that the suction port is formed on the side surface side of the cassette 200. 511 cannot be placed.

  Therefore, it is necessary to arrange the suction port 511 at a position avoiding the maintenance unit 130. In this embodiment, the suction port 511 is disposed on the rear side of the apparatus main body 100.

  Accordingly, the exhaust fan 503 is disposed so as to be inclined downward toward the upstream side and inclined toward the liquid discharge head 122 side. Thereby, it becomes easy to suck air from below by the exhaust fan 503, and mist can be sucked more. In addition, even when the exhaust fan 503 is disposed above the suction port 511, a sufficient air flow can be generated.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 16 is a front explanatory view for explaining the embodiment, and FIG. 17 is a side explanatory view.

  In the present embodiment, a part of the falling ceiling 561 of the housing 560 of the mist collecting mechanism 500 serves also as a gap forming member. The falling ceiling portion 561 is lowered to the position of the lower surface 550 a of the partition member 550 of the above-described embodiment, and forms a spatial gap 551 with the cassette 200.

  In this case, the lower surface 561 a of the falling ceiling portion 561 is disposed above the nozzle surface 122 a of the head 122. On the other hand, the lower surface 561 a of the descending ceiling portion 561 is preferably disposed below the upper surface 121 a of the carriage 121, and more preferably, the lower surface 561 a of the descending ceiling portion 561 is disposed below the upper surface 122 b of the head 122.

  Even if comprised in this way, the effect similar to the said embodiment can be acquired.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printing apparatus 111 Stage 112 Printing means 200 Cassette 300 Platen member 400 Cloth (coating member)
500 Mist Collection Mechanism 501 Exhaust Duct 502 Filter 503 Exhaust Fan 511 Suction Port 515 Exhaust Port 550 Partition Member 551 Gap 560 Housing 561 Lower Ceiling

Claims (8)

A stage that holds a holding member that holds a member to be coated and reciprocates;
An exhaust fan that generates airflow;
An airflow inlet by the exhaust fan disposed on the side of the holding member;
A partition member for partitioning the inside of the apparatus main body into a space including the suction port and a space not including the suction port;
An apparatus for discharging liquid, wherein an air flow path toward the suction port is formed between the partition member and the holding member. A stage that reciprocates while holding a holding member that holds a member to be coated;
An exhaust fan that generates airflow;
An airflow inlet by the exhaust fan disposed on the side of the holding member;
A liquid ejection head for ejecting liquid onto a member to be coated;
A carriage for holding the liquid discharge head;
A gap forming member that forms a spatial gap with the holding member,
An apparatus for ejecting liquid, wherein a lower surface of the gap forming member is disposed above a nozzle surface of the liquid ejection head. The apparatus for ejecting liquid according to claim 2, wherein a lower surface of the gap forming member is disposed below an upper surface of the carriage. The apparatus for discharging a liquid according to claim 2, wherein a lower surface of the gap forming member is disposed below an upper surface of the liquid discharge head. The apparatus for discharging a liquid according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust fan is disposed at a position higher than the suction port. 6. The apparatus for ejecting liquid according to claim 1, wherein a filter for collecting mist is disposed upstream of the exhaust fan. The apparatus for discharging a liquid according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the exhaust fan is disposed so as to face obliquely downward toward the upstream side. 8. The apparatus for ejecting liquid according to claim 1, wherein the member to be coated is a fabric.

Images