JP2019209230A - Coating applicator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a coating applicator that can prevent occurrence of coating unevenness and the like caused by adhesion of coating liquid to a coating roller to suppress deterioration in coating quality, in applying the coating liquid to a material to be coated.SOLUTION: A container 51 reserves pretreatment liquid and stores a coating roller 32 and a replenishing roller 33. The coating roller is formed of materials such as sponge which can be elastically deformed and be impregnated with liquid, which applies the pretreatment liquid reserved in the container to a printing medium 16. The coating roller, in a state in which the roller is not applying the pretreatment liquid, is stored in the container and immersed in the pretreatment liquid.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a coating apparatus that applies a coating liquid to a material to be coated.

  In a printing apparatus, a pretreatment liquid may be applied to a print medium before printing in order to improve ink fixability. As a method of applying the pretreatment liquid to the printing medium, a method of applying by a spray is known. However, in the application by spraying, the pretreatment liquid scatters to the surroundings and causes dirt in the apparatus.

  On the other hand, there is a roll coater method as a method of applying without scattering the pretreatment liquid. The roll coater method is a method in which a coating liquid such as the above-described pretreatment liquid is applied to a material to be coated with a coating roller (see Patent Document 1).

JP 7-124506 A

  However, in the above-described roll coater method, the application roller may dry and the application liquid may adhere to the application roller. When the coating liquid is applied to the material to be coated, if the coating liquid is fixed to the coating roller, uneven coating or the like may occur and the coating quality may deteriorate.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a coating apparatus that can suppress a decrease in the coating quality of a coating liquid on a material to be coated.

  In order to achieve the above object, a coating apparatus of the present invention includes a container that stores a coating liquid and an application member that applies the coating liquid stored in the container to a material to be coated, and does not apply the coating liquid. In the state, at least a part of the application member is immersed in the application liquid in the container.

  According to the coating apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the coating quality of the coating liquid on the material to be coated.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the pre-processing unit of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which has the application | coating unit which a pre-processing unit has in an aperture position. It is a figure which shows the state which has a coating unit in a start position. It is the elements on larger scale of an application unit. FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the printing apparatus.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Throughout the drawings, the same or equivalent parts and components are denoted by the same or equivalent reference numerals.

  The following embodiments exemplify devices for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the technical idea of the present invention is the material, shape, structure, arrangement, etc. of each component. Is not specified as follows. The technical idea of the present invention can be variously modified within the scope of the claims.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a printing apparatus provided with a coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a preprocessing unit of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state where the coating unit included in the pretreatment unit is in the throttle position. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state where the coating unit is at the start position. FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of the coating unit. FIG. 6 is a control block diagram of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. In the following description, the vertical and horizontal directions indicated by the arrows in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a shuttle base unit 2, a flat bed unit 3, a pretreatment unit (corresponding to a coating apparatus) 4, a drying unit 5, A shuttle unit 6 and a control unit 7 are provided.

  The shuttle base unit 2 supports a coating unit holding unit 21, a drying unit 5, and a shuttle unit 6 of the preprocessing unit 4 described later, and moves them in the front-rear direction (sub-scanning direction).

  The shuttle base unit 2 is formed in a rectangular frame shape. The shuttle base unit 2 has a driving mechanism (not shown) for moving the coating unit holding unit 21, the drying unit 5, and the shuttle unit 6 in the front-rear direction. Further, sub-scanning drive guides 11A and 11B extending in the front-rear direction are formed on the left and right frames of the shuttle base unit 2, respectively. The sub-scanning drive guides 11A and 11B guide the coating unit holding unit 21, the drying unit 5, and the shuttle unit 6 that move in the front-rear direction.

  The flat bed unit 3 holds a print medium (corresponding to a material to be coated) 16 made of a building material or the like. The flat bed unit 3 is disposed inside the shuttle base unit 2. The flat bed unit 3 has a medium placement surface 3a that is a horizontal plane, and holds the print medium 16 on the medium placement surface 3a.

  The pretreatment unit 4 applies a pretreatment liquid (corresponding to a coating liquid) to the print medium 16 as pretreatment when printing on the print medium 16. The pretreatment liquid is a liquid that is applied to the print medium 16 before printing in order to improve the fixability of ink during printing. The pretreatment unit 4 includes a coating unit holding unit 21, a coating unit 22, and a container unit 23.

  The coating unit holding unit 21 holds the coating unit 22 so as to be movable up and down. Further, the coating unit holding unit 21 moves the coating unit 22 in the front-rear direction by moving in the front-rear direction on the shuttle base unit 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the coating unit holding portion 21 is provided with a lifting motor 26 and a lifting guide 27. The raising / lowering motor 26 raises / lowers the coating unit 22. The elevating guide 27 guides the application unit 22 to move in the vertical direction.

  The application unit 22 applies the pretreatment liquid to the print medium 16. The application unit 22 is disposed at a standby position, which is the position of the application unit 22 shown in FIG. 2, during standby when the pretreatment liquid is not applied to the print medium 16. In the standby position, a coating roller 32 and a replenishing roller 33, which will be described later, are immersed in a pretreatment liquid in a container 51 of a container unit 23, which will be described later. In addition, the application unit 22 is arranged at the aperture position which is the position of the application unit 22 shown in FIG. 3 when performing the aperture operation described later before starting the application of the pretreatment liquid. The throttle position is a position between a standby position and a start position described later, and is a position where the entire application roller 32 and supply roller 33 are exposed upward from the liquid level of the pretreatment liquid in the container 51. It is a set position. The coating unit 22 is in a state where it does not drip from the coating roller 32 and the replenishing roller 33 described later after the squeezing operation is completed. Further, the coating unit 22 is disposed at the start position which is the position of the coating unit 22 shown in FIG. 4 after the squeezing operation is completed, and starts moving forward to apply the pretreatment liquid from the start position. To do.

  The start position of the application unit 22 is a position above the container unit 23 and a position where the height position of the application roller 32 described later is a height position for applying the pretreatment liquid onto the print medium 16. is there. The throttle position of the coating unit 22 is a position below the start position, and is a position where the coating roller 32 and a replenishing roller 33 described later are lifted from the pretreatment liquid in the container 51 of the container unit 23 described later.

  Since the application unit 22 can be moved up and down, an application roller 32 and a replenishment roller 33 described later can be taken in and out of a container 51 of the container unit 23 described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the application unit 22 includes a casing 31, an application roller (corresponding to an application member) 32, a supply roller (corresponding to a supply member) 33, a roller holding member 34, and an application motor. 35, a replenishing tray 36, a replenishing tray holding member 37, a rotation motor 38, a liquid feeding pipe 39, a liquid feeding pump 40, and a reserve tank 41.

  The housing 31 stores or holds each part of the application unit 22. The bottom plate of the housing 31 is a lid 46 that opens and closes a container 51 and a supply tray storage section 52 of the container unit 23 described later.

  On the periphery of the lid 46, an outer peripheral convex portion 46a is erected downward. The outer peripheral convex part 46a fits into a groove part 23a of the container unit 23 described later. As a result, the container 51 and the replenishment tray storage section 52 of the container unit 23 can be sealed with the lid 46.

  The application roller 32 is a roller for applying the pretreatment liquid to the print medium 16. The application roller 32 is made of a material such as sponge that can be elastically deformed and impregnated with liquid. The application roller 32 is formed in a cylindrical shape that is elongated in the left-right direction. The application roller 32 has a roller shaft 32a extending in the left-right direction, and rotates around the roller shaft 32a.

  The replenishing roller 33 is for replenishing the application roller 32 with the pretreatment liquid from the replenishment tray 36 while moving together with the application roller 32 during application of the pretreatment liquid to the print medium 16. Further, the replenishing roller 33 squeezes each other with the application roller 32 in a later-described squeezing operation performed when the application roller 32 and the replenishing roller 33 are taken out from the container 51 in order to apply the pretreatment liquid. Thus, the pretreatment liquid held by the application roller 32 is reduced. Similar to the application roller 32, the replenishing roller 33 is formed in a cylindrical shape elongated in the left-right direction by a material such as a sponge that can be elastically deformed and impregnated with liquid. The supply roller 33 has a roller shaft 33a extending in the left-right direction, and rotates around the roller shaft 33a. The supply roller 33 and the supply tray 36 constitute supply means. The replenishing roller 33 corresponds to a reducing unit.

  The roller holding member 34 rotatably holds the application roller 32 and the supply roller 33. The roller holding member 34 is erected on the lower surface of the lid 46. The roller holding members 34 are disposed on the left end side and the right end side of the application roller 32 and the supply roller 33, respectively. The roller holding member 34 is formed with an application roller holding hole 34a and a supply roller holding hole 34b.

  The application roller holding hole 34 a is a hole for holding the application roller 32. The roller shaft 32a of the application roller 32 is rotatably inserted into the application roller holding hole 34a.

  The supply roller holding hole 34 b is a hole for holding the supply roller 33. A roller shaft 33a of the supply roller 33 is rotatably inserted into the supply roller holding hole 34b. The replenishment roller holding hole 34b is disposed at a position higher than the application roller holding hole 34a on the rear side of the application roller holding hole 34a so that the supply roller 33 contacts the application roller 32.

  The supply roller holding hole 34b is formed in an oval shape whose longitudinal direction is the major axis direction. Thereby, the position in the front-rear direction of the replenishing roller 33 can be changed between the front side position and the rear side position. The front position of the supply roller 33 is the position of the supply roller 33 when the roller shaft 33a is in contact with the front edge of the supply roller holding hole 34b. The rear position of the supply roller 33 is the position of the supply roller 33 when the roller shaft 33a is in contact with the rear edge of the supply roller holding hole 34b.

  Except for the state where the roller shaft 33a of the replenishing roller 33 is in contact with the upper end 56a of the guide member 56 described later, the roller shaft 33a of the replenishing roller 33 is caused by the elastic force of the coating roller 32 and the replenishing roller 33 that are in contact with each other. Is pressed against the rear edge of the supply roller holding hole 34b. Thereby, except for the state where the roller shaft 33a is in contact with the upper edge 56a of the guide member 56, the replenishing roller 33 is disposed at the rear side position as shown in FIGS.

  When the replenishing roller 33 is in the rear position, the center-to-center distance between the roller shaft 33a of the replenishing roller 33 and the roller shaft 32a of the applying roller 32 is determined based on the sum of the radius of the applying roller 32 and the radius of the supplying roller 33. It is shorter by the distance. For this reason, when the replenishing roller 33 is in the rear position, the application roller 32 and the replenishing roller 33 are crushed and in contact with each other by a predetermined distance.

  In a state where the roller shaft 33a of the replenishing roller 33 is in contact with the upper edge 56a of the guide member 56, the replenishing roller 33 is disposed at the front position as shown in FIG. When the supply roller 33 is in the front position, the distance between the centers of the roller shaft 33a of the supply roller 33 and the roller shaft 32a of the application roller 32 is shorter than when the supply roller 33 is in the rear position. For this reason, when the replenishing roller 33 is in the front position, the degree to which the application roller 32 and the replenishing roller 33 are crushed is greater than when the replenishing roller 33 is in the rear position. Thus, in the squeezing operation, the replenishing roller 33 is disposed at the front side position, and the application roller 32 and the replenishment roller 33 are rotated, whereby the application roller 32 and the replenishment roller 33 can be squeezed together. .

  Since the application roller 32 and the replenishment roller 33 are connected to the lower surface side of the lid 46 via the roller holding member 34, the lid 46 is interlocked with the application roller 32 and the replenishment roller 33 being accommodated in the container 51. It is designed to be closed.

  The application motor 35 rotates the application roller 32 and the supply roller 33. The rotational driving force of the application motor 35 is transmitted to the application roller 32 and the supply roller 33 by a transmission mechanism (not shown), the application roller 32 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIGS. Is designed to rotate in the opposite direction.

  The replenishment tray 36 stores a pretreatment liquid for the replenishment roller 33 to replenish the application roller 32 during application of the pretreatment liquid to the print medium 16. The supply tray 36 is formed in a tray shape elongated in the left-right direction. The supply tray 36 has a rotation shaft 36a extending in the left-right direction. The supply tray 36 is configured to be able to change its position between a replenishable position and a retracted position by rotating about a rotation shaft 36a.

  The replenishable position of the replenishing tray 36 is the position of the replenishing tray 36 in FIGS. 4 and 5, and is below the replenishing roller 33. The replenishable position of the replenishing tray 36 is a position when the pretreatment liquid of the replenishing tray 36 is replenished to the application roller 32. When the replenishing tray 36 is in the replenishable position, the opening of the replenishing tray 36 faces upward, and the pretreatment liquid can be stored.

  The retreat position of the replenishment tray 36 is the position of the replenishment tray 36 in FIGS. 2 and 3 and is a position retracted rearward from the replenishable position. When the supply tray 36 is at the retracted position, the supply tray 36 can be stored in the supply tray storage section 52.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the supply tray 36 is provided with a throttle member (corresponding to the first throttle means) 47. The squeezing member 47 is a member that reduces the pretreatment liquid retained by the replenishing roller 33 by squeezing the replenishing roller 33 in order to prevent excessive supply of the pretreatment liquid to the application roller 32.

  The supply tray holding member 37 holds the supply tray 36 in a rotatable manner. The supply tray holding member 37 is erected on the lower surface of the lid 46 on the rear side of the roller holding member 34. The supply tray holding members 37 are disposed on the left end side and the right end side of the supply tray 36, respectively. A rotation shaft 36 a of the supply tray 36 is rotatably connected to the lower end portion of the supply tray holding member 37.

  The rotation motor 38 rotates the supply tray 36.

  The liquid feeding pipe 39 constitutes a flow path for the pretreatment liquid between the container 51 of the container unit 23 described later and the reserve tank 41. The liquid feeding pipe 39 also serves as a flow path for the pretreatment liquid between the reserve tank 41 and the supply tray 36.

  As shown in FIG. 2, one end of the liquid feeding pipe 39 is disposed in the container 51 of the container unit 23 when the coating unit 22 is in the standby position. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, one end of the liquid supply tube 39 is opposed to the supply tray 36 when the coating unit 22 is at the height of the start position and the supply tray 36 is in the replenishable position. Be placed. The other end of the liquid feeding pipe 39 is disposed in the reserve tank 41.

  The liquid feed pump 40 feeds the pretreatment liquid from the container 51 of the container unit 23 described later to the reserve tank 41 via the liquid feed pipe 39. Further, the liquid feed pump 40 feeds the pretreatment liquid from the reserve tank 41 to the supply tray 36 via the liquid feed pipe 39. Further, the liquid feed pump 40 sucks the pretreatment liquid from the replenishment tray 36 via the liquid feed pipe 39 when the application of the pretreatment liquid to the print medium 16 by the application roller 32 is completed, and supplies the replenishment dish 36. Reduce the pretreatment liquid above. The liquid feed pump 40 is disposed in the middle of the liquid feed pipe 39. The liquid feed pump 40 corresponds to a replenishment coating liquid reducing unit.

  The reserve tank 41 stores the pretreatment liquid pumped up by the liquid feed pump 40 from the container 51 of the container unit 23 to be described later in order to be supplied to the supply tray 36.

  The container unit 23 stores the pretreatment liquid and stores the application roller 32, the supply roller 33, and the supply tray 36. The container unit 23 is disposed adjacent to the rear side of the flat bed unit 3. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the container unit 23 includes a container 51 and a supply tray storage unit 52.

  The container 51 stores a pretreatment liquid. The container 51 is a portion in which the application roller 32 and the replenishment roller 33 are accommodated during the standby of the pretreatment unit 4 that does not apply the pretreatment liquid. A pretreatment liquid is supplied to the container 51 by a pretreatment liquid supply mechanism (not shown). The container 51 is formed in a box shape elongated in the left-right direction, and the upper side is open.

  A guide member 56 is disposed in the container 51. The guide member 56 is a member for disposing the replenishing roller 33 at the front position in the front-rear direction when the application unit 22 is disposed at the throttle position described later. The guide members 56 are disposed on the left end side and the right end side of the application roller 32 and the supply roller 33, respectively.

  The guide member 56 has an upper edge 56a on the front side parallel to the vertical direction that is located in front of the lower edge 56b parallel to the vertical direction, and the edges 56a and 56b are inclined with respect to them. It is formed so as to be connected at the portion 56c. When the coating unit 22 is in the throttle position, the end side 56a of the guide member 56 regulates the position of the roller shaft 33a of the supply roller 33, so that the supply roller 33 is disposed at the front position in the front-rear direction.

  The supply tray storage unit 52 is a portion in which the supply tray 36 is stored while the preprocessing unit 4 is on standby. The supply tray storage unit 52 is provided adjacent to the rear side of the container 51. The supply tray storage unit 52 is formed in a box shape having a length equivalent to that of the container 51 in the left-right direction, and the upper side is open.

  In the container unit 23, a groove 23a is formed so as to go around the upper end. The outer peripheral convex part 46a of the lid | cover 46 fits into the groove part 23a.

  The drying unit 5 dries the print medium 16 on which the pretreatment liquid has been applied. Further, the drying unit 5 dries the print medium 16 after printing. The drying unit 5 dries the print medium 16 while moving on the shuttle base unit 2 in the front-rear direction. The drying unit 5 includes a drying mechanism (not shown) that blows hot air to the print medium 16 to dry it.

  The shuttle unit 6 performs printing on the print medium 16 while moving in the front-rear direction on the shuttle base unit 2. The shuttle unit 6 includes an ink jet head (not shown), and performs printing by discharging ink from the ink jet head to the print medium 16.

  The control unit 7 controls the operation of the entire printing apparatus 1. The control unit 7 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, a hard disk, and the like.

  Specifically, the control unit 7 applies the pretreatment liquid to the print medium 16 by the pretreatment unit 4, dries the print medium 16 coated with the pretreatment liquid by the drying unit 5, and then uses the shuttle unit 6. Control is performed to print on the print medium 16.

  In addition, the control unit 7 places the application unit 22 in the standby position and places the application roller 32 and the replenishment roller 33 in the pre-processing in the container 51 while the application unit 22 is in a state of not applying the pretreatment liquid. Control to soak in liquid.

  Next, the operation of the printing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When performing printing, first, in step S1 of FIG. 7, the control unit 7 moves the application unit 22 of the preprocessing unit 4 from the standby position to the aperture position in order to perform preprocessing. When the coating unit 22 moves from the standby position to the throttle position, the roller shaft 33a of the replenishing roller 33 rises along the lower edge 56b, the inclined portion 56c, and the upper edge 56a of the guide member 56. As a result, the supply roller 33 moves from the rear position to the front position. In a state where the coating unit 22 is disposed at the throttle position, the coating roller 32 and the replenishing roller 33 are entirely above the liquid level of the pretreatment liquid in the container 51 as shown in FIG.

  Here, before the pretreatment is started, the coating unit 22 of the pretreatment unit 4 is arranged at the standby position. Therefore, the lid 46 is closed, and the container 51 and the replenishment tray storage section 52 of the container unit 23 are sealed by the lid 46.

  The application roller 32 and the supply roller 33 are stored in the container 51, and the supply tray 36 is stored in the supply tray storage section 52. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the level of the pretreatment liquid in the container 51 is higher than the highest point of the replenishing roller 33. That is, the entire application roller 32 and replenishment roller 33 are immersed in the application liquid in the container 51 during the standby period when the pretreatment liquid is not applied.

  Further, when the coating unit 22 of the pretreatment unit 4 is in the standby position, the coating unit holding unit 21 is disposed at the home position that is the position of the coating unit holding unit 21 shown in FIG. The home position of the coating unit holding part 21 is in the vicinity of the rear side of the flat bed unit 3 in the front-rear direction.

  Before starting the pretreatment, the drying unit 5 and the shuttle unit 6 are arranged at their home positions. The home positions of the drying unit 5 and the shuttle unit 6 are the positions shown in FIG. That is, the home position of the drying unit 5 is a position in the vicinity of the rear side of the home position of the coating unit holding part 21 of the pretreatment unit 4. The home position of the shuttle unit 6 is a position near the rear side of the home position of the drying unit 5.

  Returning to FIG. 7, in step S <b> 2, the control unit 7 performs an aperture operation. The squeezing operation is an operation of squeezing the application roller 32 and the supply roller 33 in order to reduce the pretreatment liquid impregnated in the application roller 32. Specifically, the control unit 7 rotates the application roller 32 and the supply roller 33 by a predetermined number of rotations (for example, one rotation). Thereby, the application roller 32 and the replenishing roller 33 are squeezed together, and the pretreatment liquid impregnated in both the rollers is reduced. By this squeezing operation, the application roller 32 and the replenishing roller 33 are squeezed by at least one rotation, so that the pretreatment liquid does not drip. As a result, the application roller 32 is prevented from being applied to the print medium 16 in a state where the pretreatment liquid is excessively retained, so that the pretreatment liquid is excessively applied to the print medium 16, Unintentional adhesion of the pretreatment liquid to the print medium 16 and the members in the apparatus due to dripping is suppressed.

  Next, in step S3, the control unit 7 moves the coating unit 22 from the aperture position to the start position. At this time, the controller 7 first raises the application unit 22 from the throttle position to a position higher than the start position, and rotates the supply tray 36 from the retracted position to the replenishable position at that position. Thereafter, the control unit 7 lowers the coating unit 22 to the start position.

  Next, in step S <b> 4, the control unit 7 controls the liquid feed pump 40 to feed the pretreatment liquid from the reserve tank 41 to the supply tray 36. As a result, the pretreatment liquid is stored in the replenishing tray 36, and a part of the lower portion of the replenishing roller 33 and one end of the liquid feeding pipe 39 are immersed in the pretreatment liquid as shown in FIG. Here, the pretreatment liquid pumped from the container 51 in advance is stored in the reserve tank 41.

  Next, in step S <b> 5, the control unit 7 starts applying the pretreatment liquid to the print medium 16 by the application unit 22. Specifically, the control unit 7 starts moving the coating unit holding unit 21 in the forward direction. Thereby, the movement of the coating unit 22 in the forward direction from the start position is started. When the application roller 32 reaches the print medium 16, the control unit 7 starts to rotate the application roller 32 and the supply roller 33. The pretreatment liquid is applied to the print medium 16 by the application roller 32 moving forward on the print medium 16 while rotating.

  Here, during the application of the pretreatment liquid by the application unit 22, the pretreatment liquid moves from the application roller 32 to the print medium 16. In contrast, the pretreatment liquid in the supply tray 36 is supplied to the application roller 32 by the supply roller 33. That is, the replenishing roller 33 rotates while absorbing the pretreatment liquid in the replenishment tray 36, and the pretreatment liquid is replenished from the replenishing roller 33 to the coating roller 32 that rotates while contacting the replenishing roller 33. At this time, the replenishing roller 33 is squeezed by the squeezing member 47 of the replenishing tray 36, thereby preventing excessive supply of the pretreatment liquid from the replenishing roller 33 to the application roller 32.

  Next, in step S <b> 6, the control unit 7 determines whether or not the timing for sucking the pretreatment liquid from the supply tray 36 has come. Here, the suction timing of the pretreatment liquid from the supply tray 36 is the start timing of the last one rotation for the application roller 32 to apply the pretreatment liquid to the print medium 16. The controller 7 can determine the start timing of the last rotation of the application roller 32 based on the number of output pulses of an encoder (not shown) that outputs a pulse signal according to the rotation angle of the application roller 32. When it is determined that the pretreatment liquid suction timing from the replenishing tray 36 has not come (step S6: NO), the control unit 7 repeats step S6.

  When it is determined that the pretreatment liquid suction timing from the replenishing tray 36 has come (step S6: YES), in step S7, the control unit 7 controls the liquid feed pump 40 to remove the pretreatment liquid from the replenishing tray 36. Inhale. Thus, when the application roller 32 finishes applying the pretreatment liquid to the print medium 16, the pretreatment liquid is sucked from the replenishment tray 36, and the pretreatment liquid on the replenishment tray 36 is reduced. The reason why the pretreatment liquid is sucked from the replenishment tray 36 is to prevent the pretreatment liquid from spilling from the replenishment tray 36 due to vibration or the like when the movement of the coating unit 22 is stopped.

  Next, in step S <b> 8, the control unit 7 ends the application of the pretreatment liquid to the print medium 16 by the application unit 22. Specifically, the controller 7 stops the rotation of the application roller 32 and the replenishment roller 33 when the last rotation of the application roller 32 is completed. Thereafter, when the coating unit holding unit 21 reaches a predetermined retracted position on the front end side of the shuttle base unit 2, the control unit 7 stops the coating unit holding unit 21.

  Next, in step S <b> 9, the control unit 7 performs drying of the print medium 16 by the drying unit 5. Specifically, the control unit 7 moves the drying unit 5 forward and drives the drying mechanism included in the drying unit 5. Thereby, the printing medium 16 coated with the pretreatment liquid is dried while the drying unit 5 moves forward. When the drying of the print medium 16 is completed, the control unit 7 arranges the drying unit 5 in the vicinity of the rear side of the coating unit holding unit 21 that is retracted to the front end side of the shuttle base unit 2.

  Note that drying of the print medium 16 by the drying unit 5 may be started before the application of the pretreatment liquid by the coating unit 22 is completed.

  Next, in step S <b> 10, the control unit 7 controls the shuttle unit 6 to perform printing on the print medium 16. Specifically, the control unit 7 causes the inkjet unit to print on the print medium while moving the shuttle unit 6 in the forward direction.

  Next, in step S11, the control unit 7 moves the shuttle unit 6 backward from the position at the end of printing and returns it to the home position.

  Next, in step S12, the control unit 7 moves the drying unit 5 backward and returns it to the home position. At this time, the control unit 7 drives the drying mechanism of the drying unit 5 so as to dry the print medium 16 after printing.

  Next, in step S13, the control unit 7 returns the coating unit 22 to the standby position. Specifically, first, the control unit 7 moves the coating unit holding unit 21 backward to return the coating unit 22 to the start position. Next, the control unit 7 raises the coating unit 22 to a position higher than the start position, and rotates the supply tray 36 from the replenishable position to the retracted position at that position. Thereafter, the control unit 7 lowers the coating unit 22 to the standby position. As a result, the application roller 32 and the supply roller 33 are stored in the container 51 and immersed in the application liquid, the supply tray 36 is stored in the supply tray storage section 52, and the container 51 and the supply tray storage section 52 are covered. 46 is sealed. Thereby, a series of operation | movement is complete | finished.

  As described above, in the printing apparatus 1, the application roller 32 is immersed in the pretreatment liquid in the container 51 when the pretreatment liquid is not applied. Thereby, since drying of the application roller 32 can be suppressed, it is possible to reduce the application of the pretreatment liquid to the print medium 16 by the application roller 32 which is dried and fixed with the pretreatment liquid. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in application quality of the pretreatment liquid onto the print medium 16.

  Further, in the printing apparatus 1, when the application roller 32 is taken out from the container 51 in order to apply the pretreatment liquid to the print medium 16, the pretreatment liquid held by the application roller 32 is reduced by a squeezing operation. As a result, the application roller 32 is prevented from being applied to the print medium 16 in a state where the pretreatment liquid is excessively held, so that the pretreatment liquid is applied to the print medium 16 excessively, Unintentional adhesion of the pretreatment liquid to the print medium 16 and the members in the apparatus due to dripping is suppressed.

  In the printing apparatus 1, the application roller 32 and the replenishing roller 33 squeeze each other in the squeezing operation. That is, the replenishing roller 33 squeezes the application roller 32, so that the pretreatment liquid retained by the application roller 32 can be easily reduced.

  Further, in the printing apparatus 1, when the application roller 32 finishes applying the pretreatment liquid to the print medium 16, the pretreatment liquid is sucked from the replenishing tray 36 by the liquid feed pump 40 through the liquid feed pipe 39. The pretreatment liquid on the replenishing tray 36 is reduced. Thereby, it can reduce that the pretreatment liquid is spilled from the replenishment tray 36 due to vibration or the like when the movement of the coating unit 22 is stopped, and the inside of the apparatus is contaminated. Moreover, solidification of the pretreatment liquid on the replenishing tray 36 can be prevented.

  Further, in the printing apparatus 1, since the supply roller 33 is squeezed by the squeezing member 47 of the supply tray 36, it is possible to prevent excessive supply of the pretreatment liquid from the supply roller 33 to the application roller 32.

  Further, in the printing apparatus 1, the replenishment tray 36 can be moved from the replenishable position to the retracted position. Can be stored.

  In the printing apparatus 1, the lid 46 is closed in conjunction with the application roller 32 being housed in the container 51. Thereby, when the application roller 32 is accommodated in the container 51, the container 51 is hermetically sealed by the lid 46, so that drying of the application roller 32 can be further suppressed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the application to the print medium 16 is performed after reducing the pretreatment liquid held by the application roller 32 by the squeezing operation, but the squeezing operation may be omitted. For example, in the case of using a pretreatment liquid having a relatively high viscosity, it is difficult to apply an excessive pretreatment liquid in a short time, and therefore the squeezing operation can be omitted.

  In the above-described embodiment, the pretreatment liquid is supplied to the application roller 32 using the supply roller 33 and the supply tray 36 during the application of the pretreatment liquid. The method of performing the replenishment is not limited to this. For example, a method of pouring and supplying the pretreatment liquid directly to the application roller 32 may be used. Further, replenishment of the pretreatment liquid to the application roller 32 during application of the pretreatment liquid may be omitted. For example, depending on the size of the print medium 16 (the size of the pretreatment liquid application region), replenishment of the pretreatment liquid during application of the pretreatment liquid can be omitted.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration is shown in which the application roller 32 is connected to the lid 46 via the roller holding member 34 and the lid 46 is closed in conjunction with the application roller 32 being housed in the container 51. However, the application roller 32 and the lid 46 may be independent from each other. Further, the lid of the container may be omitted.

  Further, a configuration may be adopted in which the application roller 32 that rotates during application of the pretreatment liquid is squeezed by the supply plate 36 by the front end of the supply plate 36 in the replenishable position being in contact with the application roller 32. . Thereby, it can suppress that the pretreatment liquid is excessively applied to the printing medium 16 by the application roller 32. In this case, the front end of the replenishment tray 36 that contacts the application roller 32 corresponds to the second squeezing means.

  In the above-described embodiment, the supply tray 36 is rotated to be retracted from the replenishable position to the retracted position. However, for example, the supply tray 36 may be slid backward to be retracted. .

  In the above-described embodiment, the entire application roller 32 and replenishment roller 33 are immersed in the pretreatment liquid in the container 51 in a state where the pretreatment liquid is not applied. A part of the replenishing roller 33 may be immersed in the pretreatment liquid in the container 51. That is, at least a part of the application roller 32 and the supply roller 33 may be immersed in the pretreatment liquid.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the components without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment.

[Appendix]
The present application discloses the following inventions.

(Appendix 1)
A container for storing the coating liquid;
An application member for applying the application liquid stored in the container to the material to be applied;
In a state where the application liquid is not applied, at least a part of the application member is immersed in the application liquid in the container.

(Appendix 2)
The supplementary note 1, further comprising a reducing means for reducing the coating liquid held by the coating member when the coating member is taken out of the container in order to apply the coating liquid to the material to be coated. Coating device.

(Appendix 3)
The coating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the reducing means reduces the coating liquid held by the coating member by narrowing the coating member.

(Appendix 4)
A replenishment means for replenishing the application liquid from the replenishment dish to the application member during application of the application liquid to the material to be coated;
Any one of Supplementary notes 1 to 3, further comprising: a replenishment application liquid reducing unit that reduces the application liquid on the replenishment tray when the application member finishes applying the application liquid to the material to be applied. The coating apparatus as described in.

(Appendix 5)
The replenishing means is
A replenishment member for replenishing the application member with the application liquid of the replenishment dish; and
The coating device according to claim 4, further comprising: a first squeezing unit that reduces the coating liquid held by the replenishing member by squeezing the replenishing member.

(Appendix 6)
The replenishing means is
The coating apparatus according to appendix 4 or 5, further comprising a second squeezing unit that reduces the coating liquid held by the coating member by squeezing the coating member.

(Appendix 7)
The applicator according to any one of appendices 4 to 6, wherein the replenishment tray is movable from a position at which the application liquid is replenished to the application member to a retracted position.

(Appendix 8)
A lid for opening and closing the container;
The applicator according to any one of appendices 1 to 7, wherein the lid is closed in conjunction with the application member being housed in the container.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printing apparatus 2 Shuttle base unit 3 Flat bed unit 4 Pre-processing unit 5 Drying unit 6 Shuttle unit 7 Control part 21 Application | coating unit holding | maintenance part 22 Application | coating unit 23 Container unit 26 Lifting motor 27 Lifting / lowering guide 32 Coating roller 33 Supply roller 34 Roller holding Member 35 Coating motor 36 Supply tray 37 Supply tray holding member 38 Rotating motor 39 Liquid feed pipe 40 Liquid feed pump 41 Spare tank 46 Lid 51 Container 52 Supply tray storage section 56 Guide member

Claims (8)

A container for storing the coating liquid;
An application member for applying the application liquid stored in the container to the material to be applied;
In a state where the application liquid is not applied, at least a part of the application member is immersed in the application liquid in the container.   2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reducing means for reducing the coating liquid held by the coating member when the coating member is taken out of the container in order to apply the coating liquid to the material to be coated. The coating apparatus as described.   The coating device according to claim 2, wherein the reducing unit reduces the coating liquid held by the coating member by squeezing the coating member. A replenishment means for replenishing the application liquid from the replenishment dish to the application member during application of the application liquid to the material to be coated;
The replenishing coating liquid reducing means for reducing the coating liquid on the replenishing tray when the coating member finishes coating the coating liquid on the material to be coated. The coating apparatus of Claim 1. The replenishing means is
A replenishment member for replenishing the application member with the application liquid of the replenishment dish; and
The coating apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a first squeezing unit that reduces the coating liquid held by the replenishing member by squeezing the replenishing member. The replenishing means is
The coating apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a second squeezing unit that reduces a coating liquid held by the coating member by squeezing the coating member.   The coating apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the replenishing tray is movable from a position where the coating liquid is replenished to the coating member to a retracted position. A lid for opening and closing the container;
The coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the lid is closed in conjunction with the coating member being housed in the container.