JP2023021543A - Ink jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an ink jet printer capable of easily performing test printing.SOLUTION: An ink jet printer 10 includes a supporting base 20 which supports an object to be printed, a printing head 35 which is provided on the upper side than the supporting base 20 and can discharge ink to a printable area A1 on the supporting base 20 and a test printing stage 60 capable of supporting a workpiece 7 for test print. The test printing stage 60 is constituted so as to be movable between a first position P1 which is on the upper side than the supporting base 20 and at least is partially allowed to be overlapped with the printable area A1, and a second position P2 of the outer side in the printable area A1 in the plan view.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to inkjet printers.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a so-called flatbed type inkjet printer has been known that has a support table on which a printed material is placed. 2. Description of the Related Art Various three-dimensional objects to be printed can be placed on a support base of a flatbed type inkjet printer. Moreover, it is also possible to support a plurality of printed materials on such a support table. For this reason, flatbed type inkjet printers often use a jig for holding the printed material and determining the position of the printed material with respect to the support table. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an inkjet printer that includes a table on which a printing jig that holds an object to be printed is placed, and a print head. A printing jig disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a position detection mark. The inkjet printer disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a detector that detects a position detection mark, and a print data creation unit that changes print data based on the actual position information of the position detection mark detected by the detector. I have.

JP 2017-177578 A

In an inkjet printer, it is sometimes desired to perform test printing on a work for test printing (for example, a sheet-like medium for test printing). Test printing is performed on the work for test printing placed on the support base in the same manner as printing on the material to be printed. Therefore, when performing test printing in a situation where the printing material has already been set up, the jig set up on the support table and the material to be printed must be removed from the support table. Such removal work and return work after test printing require time and labor of the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printer that can easily perform test printing.

An ink jet printer disclosed herein includes a support base for supporting a material to be printed, a recording head provided above the support base and capable of ejecting ink onto a printable area on the support base, and a workpiece for test printing. a test print stage capable of supporting the The test printing stage has a first position above the support table and at least partially overlapping the printable area in plan view, and a second position outside the printable area in plan view. configured to be movable between

According to the inkjet printer described above, when the test printing stage is moved to the first position, it is located above the support base and at least partially overlaps the printable area in plan view. Therefore, when the test printing stage is moved to the first position, test printing can be performed on the work for test printing supported by the test printing stage. At this time, the object on the support does not have to be removed from the support, as long as it is configured to have a height lower than the test printing stage at the first position. Therefore, according to the inkjet printer, test printing can be easily performed.

1 is a perspective view of a printer according to one embodiment; FIG. 4 is a front view showing the printer with the cover opened; FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the printer with the upper members of the test printing stage removed; 3 is a perspective view schematically showing a test printing stage and a rotating mechanism; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning kit according to one embodiment; FIG. 4 is a front view schematically showing the test printing stage, cleaning kit, and recording head with the cleaning kit attached to the test printing stage; FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing the printer in which the retracted position of the test printing stage is set on the flatbed; FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of a test printing stage that slides in the main scanning direction; FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of a test printing stage that slides in the sub-scanning direction; FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing an example of a test printing stage that can be attached to and detached from a support mechanism;

Several embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described herein are, of course, not intended to limit the invention in particular. Further, members and portions having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are appropriately omitted or simplified.

[Configuration of inkjet printer]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an inkjet printer (hereinafter referred to as printer) 10 according to one embodiment. In the following description, when the printer 10 is viewed from the front, the side away from the printer 10 is the front side, and the side closer to the printer 10 is the rear side, unless otherwise specified. Left, right, top, and bottom mean left, right, top, and bottom, respectively, when the printer 10 is viewed from the front. Symbols F, Rr, L, R, U, and D in the drawings mean front, rear, left, right, up, and down, respectively. In addition, the horizontal direction is also referred to as the main scanning direction Y hereinafter. The front-rear direction is also called a sub-scanning direction X. The vertical direction is also indicated by the symbol Z. The main scanning direction Y, the sub-scanning direction X, and the vertical direction Z are orthogonal to each other here. However, the above directions are merely directions for convenience of explanation, and do not limit the installation mode of the printer 10 in any way, and do not limit the present invention in any way.

In this embodiment, the printer 10 is an inkjet printer. In the present embodiment, the “inkjet method” refers to various conventionally known methods including various continuous methods such as a binary deflection method and a continuous deflection method, and various on-demand methods such as a thermal method and a piezoelectric element method. It refers to the inkjet type by

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 has a box-shaped case 11 . An opening 11 a is provided on the front side of the case 11 . The opening 11a is provided with a cover 12 that opens and closes in the vertical direction. The cover 12 has a window portion 12a. The window portion 12a is made of a transparent material such as a transparent acrylic plate. The user can see the inside of the case 11 through the window 12a. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the printer 10 with the cover 12 opened. As shown in FIG. 2, the internal space of the case 11 includes a flat bed 20, a bed moving device 25, a carriage 30, a recording head 35, a light irradiation device 40, a carriage moving device 50, a test printing stage, and a test printing stage. 60 and are accommodated.

The flatbed 20 is an example of a support table that supports the printed material 5 . The printer 10 according to this embodiment is a so-called flatbed printer. The flatbed 20 is arranged substantially in the center in the left-right direction in the internal space of the case 11 . The flatbed 20 is a flat member. The flatbed 20 is installed substantially horizontally. Although not shown, the flat bed 20 may have a plurality of through holes used to fix the printed material 5 or the like.

The shape of the object to be printed 5 is not particularly limited, and may have various three-dimensional shapes other than a flat plate shape. Further, the material of the printing material 5 is not particularly limited, and the printing material 5 may be, for example, wood, metal, glass, paper, cloth, or the like. Here, a jig 6 for holding a plurality of printed materials 5 is placed on the flatbed 20 . The jig 6 may be positioned with respect to the flatbed 20 and fixed to the flatbed 20 . The jig 6 may be fixed to the flatbed 20 by, for example, a bolt inserted through a through hole of the flatbed 20 and a nut fastened to the bolt. The top surface of the jig 6 and the top surface of the material to be printed 5 are located above the top surface of the flatbed 20 .

The bed moving device 25 is a device that moves the flat bed 20 in the vertical direction Z and the sub-scanning direction X. As shown in FIG. The bed moving device 25 is arranged below the flatbed 20 . The flatbed 20 is supported from below by a bed moving device 25 . The bed moving device 25 includes a vertical moving device 25Z and a sub-scanning direction moving device 25X. The vertical movement device 25Z supports the flatbed 20 and moves it upward and downward. The vertical direction Z here is a direction substantially perpendicular to the flat bed 20 which is substantially horizontally provided. The flatbed 20 indicated by a solid line in FIG. 2 indicates the flatbed 20 positioned at the lower end position E1 in the movable range of the vertical movement device 25Z. The flatbed 20 indicated by a chain double-dashed line in FIG. 2 indicates the flatbed 20 positioned at the end position E2 on the upper side of the movable range of the vertical movement device 25Z.

The sub-scanning direction moving device 25X supports the vertical moving device 25Z and moves it in the sub-scanning direction X. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the printer 10. FIG. However, in FIG. 3, the printer 10 is illustrated with the members above the test printing stage 60 (described in detail later) removed. The flatbed 20 indicated by a solid line in FIG. 3 indicates the flatbed 20 positioned at the front end position E3 of the movable range of the sub-scanning direction moving device 25X (see FIG. 2). The flatbed 20 indicated by a chain double-dashed line in FIG. 3 indicates the flatbed 20 positioned at the end position E4 on the rear side of the movable range of the sub-scanning direction moving device 25X. The front end of the movable range of the flatbed 20 in the sub-scanning direction X (that is, the front end of the flatbed 20 at the front end position E3) and the rear end (that is, the rear end of the flatbed 20 at the rear end position E4) A partition plate 13 is provided near the center of the. The partition plate 13 extends in the main scanning direction Y and the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG. The partition plate 13 is formed with a notch 13a through which the flatbed 20 can pass.

The configuration of the bed moving device 25 is not particularly limited. The vertical movement device 25Z may include, for example, a ball screw mechanism and a drive motor. The sub-scanning direction moving device 25X may include, for example, a guide rail, a belt, and a drive motor. However, the configuration of the bed moving device 25 is not limited to this. For example, the vertical moving device 25Z and the sub-scanning direction moving device 25X may both include a ball screw mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 30 is provided above the flatbed 20 . A recording head 35 and a light irradiation device 40 are mounted on the carriage 30 . The recording head 35 and the light irradiation device 40 are provided above the flatbed 20 . The recording head 35 ejects ink toward the printing material 5 on the flatbed 20 . The recording head 35 is provided on the bottom surface of the carriage 30 . The recording head 35 ejects ink downward. As a result, the ink can land on the printing material 5 placed on the flatbed 20 or the test printing work 7 (described later) placed on the test printing stage 60 . The recording head 35 has a plurality of ink heads 36 . The plurality of ink heads 36 extend in the sub-scanning direction X, respectively. A plurality of ink heads 36 are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. A lower surface of each ink head 36 constitutes a nozzle surface in which a large number of nozzles (not shown) are formed. Ink is ejected downward from each nozzle.

A plurality of ink cartridges 45 are connected to the recording head 35 . A plurality of ink cartridges 45 are mounted in the cartridge housing portion 46 . As shown in FIG. 3, the cartridge housing section 46 is provided here on the left side of the flatbed 20 and behind the carriage 30 . The recording head 35 and the ink cartridge 45 are connected by an ink channel (not shown). All of the inks ejected from the recording head 35 are photocurable inks here. The photocurable ink is an ultraviolet curable ink that cures when irradiated with ultraviolet light. The components, properties, etc. of the photocurable ink are not particularly limited. The inks ejected from the recording head 35 are, for example, CMYK process color inks and special color inks such as clear ink and white ink. However, the color of the ink ejected from the recording head 35 is also not particularly limited.

The light irradiation device 40 downwardly irradiates light for curing the ink ejected from the recording head 35 . As a result, the ink that has landed on the printing material 5 on the flat bed 20 or the ink that has landed on the test printing work 7 on the test printing stage 60 can be cured. The light irradiation device 40 includes, for example, a UVLED that generates ultraviolet rays for curing the ultraviolet curing ink. The light irradiation device 40 is arranged on the left side of the carriage 30 here. However, the light irradiation device 40 may be arranged on the right side or both left and right sides of the carriage 30 .

The carriage moving device 50 is configured to move the carriage 30 in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. The carriage moving device 50 thereby moves in the main scanning direction Y the recording head 35 and the light irradiation device 40 mounted on the carriage 30 . As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage moving device 50 includes a guide rail 51, a belt 52, a pair of left and right pulleys (not shown), and a carriage motor (not shown). The guide rail 51 is fixed to the front surface of the partition plate 13 and extends in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. The carriage 30 is slidably engaged with the guide rails 51 . An endless belt 52 is fixed to the carriage 30 . The belt 52 is wound around left and right pulleys (not shown). A carriage motor is attached to one of the pulleys. When the carriage motor is driven, the pulley rotates and the belt 52 runs. Thereby, the carriage 30 moves in the main scanning direction Y along the guide rails 51 . However, the configuration of the carriage moving device 50 is not limited to the above.

As shown in FIG. 3, a printable area A1 is set on the flatbed 20 in which the recording head 35 can eject ink. As shown in FIG. 3, the printable area A1 is an area where the moving path of the recording head 35 by the carriage moving device 50 and the flatbed 20 overlap in plan view. As the flatbed 20 moves in the sub-scanning direction X, the position of the printable area A1 on the flatbed 20 moves. The printable area A1 is a fixed area with respect to the case 11 of the printer 10 and the like. The printable area A1 here means an area where the moving path of the recording head 35 and the flatbed 20 overlap. It may also refer to an area excluding a portion (an area excluding a substantially unprintable area).

As shown in FIG. 3, an area on the left side of the flatbed 20 and in front of the cartridge housing portion 46 is a maintenance area A2 for performing maintenance of the recording head 35 and the like. The guide rail 51 extends to the left of the flatbed 20 so that the carriage 30 can move to the maintenance area A2. The guide rail 51 also extends to the right of the flatbed 20 so that the carriage 30 can move over substantially the entire width of the flatbed 20 in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. The carriage moving device 50 is configured to be able to move the carriage 30 along the guide rails 51 over substantially the entire width of the flatbed 20 in the main scanning direction Y and the maintenance area A2.

The test printing stage 60 is a stage for performing test printing for checking the state of the recording head 35 . The test printing stage 60 is configured to be able to support the work 7 for test printing. The test printing work 7 is, for example, a sheet-like print medium. The work for test printing 7 is preferably a medium made of the same material as the material to be printed 5 . However, the shape, material, etc. of the work for test printing 7 are not particularly limited. The test printing stage 60 is rotatably supported along the horizontal plane by a rotating mechanism 70 . When test printing is not performed, the test printing stage 60 is retracted to the retracted position P2 (indicated by a two-dot chain line) shown in FIG. Before performing test printing, the test printing stage 60 is rotated along the horizontal plane and pulled out to the test printing position P1 (indicated by the solid line) in FIG. Details of the test printing stage 60 and the rotation mechanism 70 will be described later.

The control device 80 (see FIG. 2) is connected to the vertical direction moving device 25Z and the sub-scanning direction moving device 25X of the bed moving device 25, the recording head 35, the light irradiation device 40, and the carriage moving device 50, controlling their actions. The control device 80 is, for example, a microcomputer. The hardware configuration of the microcomputer is not particularly limited. processing unit), ROM (read only memory) that stores programs executed by the CPU, RAM (random access memory) that is used as a working area for developing programs, and memory that stores the above programs and various data a storage device; Note that the control device 80 does not necessarily have to be provided inside the printer 10. For example, the control device 80 may be a computer or the like installed outside the printer 10 and connected to the printer 10 via a wire or wirelessly so as to be communicable. good too. The configuration of the control device 80 is not particularly limited.

In this embodiment, the control device 80 includes a processing unit configured to allow the user to select a test printing mode (hereinafter referred to as test printing mode), and a processing unit controlling each unit to perform test printing. , is equipped with In test printing, the printer 10 prints a predetermined test chart on the test printing work 7 on the test printing stage 60 pulled out to the test printing position P1. Although the image of the test chart is not particularly limited, it may be configured so that the presence or absence of ejection of ink from each nozzle of the recording head 35 can be checked individually. In the test chart, the ink dots of the ink from each nozzle may be arranged side by side in the main scanning direction Y so that the presence or absence of ejection of ink from each nozzle can be easily confirmed. In this case, the recording head 35 ejects ink while being moved in the main scanning direction Y. FIG.

The control device 80 further controls a processing unit configured so that the user can select a mode (hereinafter referred to as a cleaning mode) for cleaning the recording head 35 using a cleaning kit 90 (see FIG. 5), which will be described later, and each unit. and a processing unit that performs cleaning of the recording head 35. The details of cleaning the cleaning kit 90 and the recording head 35 will be described later.

[Test print stage configuration]
Below, the test printing stage 60 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail. FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing the test printing stage 60 and the rotating mechanism 70. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 4 , illustration of some members around the test printing stage 60 and the rotation mechanism 70 is omitted. As shown in FIG. 4, the test printing stage 60 is a plate-like member and is provided substantially horizontally. The upper surface of the test printing stage 60 is a mounting surface 61 on which the test printing work 7 is mounted. A mechanism for fixing the work 7 for test printing may be provided on the placement surface 61 . The mounting surface 61 is preferably larger than the recording head 35 in plan view. However, the shape, size, etc. of the test printing stage 60 are not particularly limited.

The rotating mechanism 70 supports the test printing stage 60 so as to be rotatable along the horizontal plane. In this embodiment, the rotation mechanism 70 has a rotation shaft 71 and a fixing member 72 . The rotating shaft 71 extends in the up-down direction Z. As shown in FIG. The rotating mechanism 70 is configured to rotate the test printing stage 60 around a rotating shaft 71 . The rotating mechanism 70 can rotate the test printing stage 60 between the front test printing position P1 and the retracted position P2 behind the test printing position P1. However, the retraction position P2 is not limited to the rear of the test printing position P1. As shown in FIG. 3 , the pivot shaft 71 is provided in front of the partition plate 13 and to the left of the flatbed 20 . The rotating mechanism 70 supports the test printing stage 60 so as to be rotatable around a rotating shaft 71 . As shown in FIG. 4, near one corner of the test printing stage 60, an insertion hole 62 through which the rotary shaft 71 is inserted is formed. The test printing stage 60 can rotate between the test printing position P1 and the retracted position P2 shown in FIG. The notch 13 a may be omitted depending on the shape, size, or rotation direction of the test printing stage 60 . For example, if the retraction position P2 is set forward of the test printing position P1 in order to improve the operability of the rotation operation of the test printing stage 60, the test printing stage 60 does not interfere with the partition plate 13. In that case, the notch 13a is unnecessary. The insertion hole 62 penetrates the test printing stage 60 in the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG. The test printing stage 60 can be moved in the vertical direction Z along the rotation shaft 71 by the through hole 62 .

The fixing member 72 is a member that fixes the rotatable and vertically movable test printing stage 60 to the rotating shaft 71 . By loosening the fixing member 72, the test printing stage 60 can rotate about the rotation shaft 71 and slide in the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG. By tightening the fixing member 72 , the test printing stage 60 is fixed to the rotating shaft 71 . The fixing member 72 preferably positions the test printing stage 60 at any one of three positions: a test printing position P1, a retracted position P2, and a cleaning position P3 (described later, see FIG. 4) below the test printing position P1. It is preferable that the test printing stage 60 can be fixed after being properly positioned. However, the fixing member 72 may fix the test printing stage 60 at any position including the test printing position P1, the retracted position P2, and the cleaning position P3. The configuration of the fixing member 72 is not particularly limited. The fixing member 72 may have, for example, a screw that engages with a screw hole provided in the test printing stage 60 . In that case, the rotating shaft 71 may be formed with a surface against which the screw is applied. The fixing member 72 has, for example, a plunger (for example, a ball that protrudes outside the case by means of a spring and retracts inside the case when the spring is compressed when pushed), and is attached to the test printing stage 60. good. In that case, the rotary shaft 71 may be formed with a recess into which the tip of the ball is inserted.

[Test print stage position]
In this embodiment, the test printing stage 60 is configured to be movable between at least three positions: the test printing position P1, the retracted position P2, and the cleaning position P3. As shown in FIG. 3, the test printing position P1 is a position of the test printing stage 60 such that at least a part of the test printing stage 60 overlaps the moving path of the recording head 35 by the carriage moving device 50 in plan view. Moreover, the test printing position P1 is a position where at least a portion of the test printing stage 60 overlaps the flatbed 20 in plan view. At the test printing position P1, the test printing stage 60 overlaps the portion of the movement path of the recording head 35 above the flatbed 20, that is, the printable area A1 of the printer 10 in plan view. Here, when it is said that "at least a part of the test printing stage 60 overlaps with the flatbed 20 in plan view", the position of the flatbed 20 is such that printing can be performed on the substrate 5 placed thereon. It means the position of the flatbed 20 . The position of the flatbed 20 in the above sense does not have to include positions where printing cannot be performed on the printed substrate 5 placed thereon.

As shown in FIG. 2, the test printing position P1 is set below the recording head 35 and above the flatbed 20 . In this specification, "the test printing stage 60 is located above the flatbed 20" means that the test printing stage 60 is located above the flatbed 20 at least in some of the possible vertical Z positions of the flatbed 20. It means that it is located above 20. The test printing position P1 is set at least above the end position E1 on the lower side of the flatbed 20 . Therefore, when the flatbed 20 is positioned at the lower end position E1, the test printing stage 60 can be moved to the test printing position P1. At the test printing position P<b>1 , the test printing stage 60 is positioned between the flatbed 20 and the travel path of the recording head 35 . By setting the test printing position P<b>1 as described above, the ink ejected from the recording head 35 can land on the test printing work 7 supported by the test printing stage 60 . The distance in the vertical direction Z between the test printing stage 60 and the recording head 35 at the test printing position P1 is set to a distance suitable for test printing, for example, 0.5 mm or more and 2 mm or less. However, the distance in the vertical direction Z between the test printing stage 60 and the recording head 35 at the test printing position P1 is not particularly limited.

In this embodiment, the test printing position P1 is a rotational position of the test printing stage 60 such that the corner of the test printing stage 60 where the insertion hole 62 is formed is the left front corner. As shown in FIG. 3, this causes most of the test printing stage 60 to overlap the flatbed 20 in plan view at the test printing position P1.

The retracted position P2 is a position where the test printing stage 60 is positioned outside the flatbed 20 in plan view. Here, the retracted position P2 is a rotational position of the test printing stage 60 such that the corner of the test printing stage 60 where the insertion hole 62 is formed is the right front corner. The retracted position P2 and the test printing position P1 are shifted by 90 degrees around the rotary shaft 71. As shown in FIG. At the retracted position P2, the entire test printing stage 60 is located outside the flatbed 20 in plan view. Here, the position of the retracted position P2 in the vertical direction Z is the same as the test printing position P1, but may be different.

The cleaning position P3 is the same position as the test printing position P1 in plan view, and is a position lower than the test printing position P1. However, the cleaning position P3 does not have to be the same position as the test printing position P1 in plan view. The cleaning position P3 may be a position where at least a portion of the test printing stage 60 overlaps the moving path of the recording head 35 in plan view. The cleaning position P3 is preferably a position that at least partially overlaps with the test printing position P1 in plan view. As shown in FIG. 2, even at the cleaning position P3, the test printing stage 60 is positioned above the end position E1 below the flatbed 20. As shown in FIG. That is, the test printing stage 60 is positioned between the recording head 35 and the flatbed 20 even at the cleaning position P3. The cleaning position P3 is the position of the test printing stage 60 for cleaning the recording head 35 with the cleaning kit 90 (see FIG. 5) placed on the test printing stage 60. FIG. At the cleaning position P<b>3 , the wiping portion 94 (see FIG. 5 ) of the cleaning kit 90 attached to the test printing stage 60 contacts the recording head 35 . The vertical Z position of the test printing stage 60 at the cleaning position P3 is set such that the wiping portion 94 of the cleaning kit 90 placed on the test printing stage 60 just contacts the recording head 35 .

[Cleaning kit composition]
An example of the cleaning kit 90 will be briefly described below. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cleaning kit 90 according to one embodiment. In the description of FIG. 5, the orientation when the cleaning kit 90 is placed on the test printing stage 60 is appropriately used. As shown in FIG. 5 , the cleaning kit 90 according to this embodiment includes a plate 91 , a plurality of legs 92 , an elastic portion 93 , a wiping portion 94 and a pressing member 95 . The plate 91 is configured in a flat plate shape. A plurality of legs 92 support plate 91 . A plurality of legs 92 each extend downward from the plate 91 . The elastic portion 93 and the pressing member 95 are provided on the upper surface of the plate 91 . As shown in FIG. 5, the elastic portion 93 includes a plurality of elastic convex portions 93a that protrude upward. The plurality of convex portions 93a are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG.

A non-woven fabric 94a is placed over the elastic portion 93 . The nonwoven fabric 94 a forms a wiping portion 94 that can wipe the recording head 35 . The nonwoven fabric 94a is made of a material that absorbs ink. The nonwoven fabric 94a is a consumable item that is replaced with a new one at appropriate times. The pressing member 95 presses the nonwoven fabric 94 a and fixes it on the elastic portion 93 . Here, the pressing member 95 is configured to be vertically rotatable with the left end as an axis. By lowering the pressing member 95, the nonwoven fabric 94a is fixed. By raising the pressing member 95, the nonwoven fabric 94a is released. The pressing member 95 has a through hole 95a through which the elastic portion 93 can pass. The elastic portion 93 covered with the nonwoven fabric 94a protrudes above the pressing member 95 through the through hole 95a.

However, the configuration of the cleaning kit 90 described above is merely an example, and is not limited to this. The cleaning kit is not particularly limited as long as it has a wiping part capable of wiping the recording head 35 and is detachable from the test printing stage 60 . Note that "mounting" the cleaning kit on the test printing stage 60 includes simply placing it on the test printing stage 60 as well as immovably fixing it.

[Test print process]
An example of the test printing process is described below. When test printing is not performed, the user retracts the test printing stage 60 to the retraction position P2 (see FIG. 3). At this time, the test printing stage 60 is positioned outside the flatbed 20 including the movable range of the sub-scanning direction moving device 25X. As such, test print stage 60 does not interfere with printing or other work performed on flatbed 20 . In this state, the user can mount the jig 6 for the printing material 5 on the flatbed 20 in order to print on the printing material 5 .

When performing test printing, the user first moves the flatbed 20 downward to the end position E1. This enables the test printing stage 60 to be pulled out to the test printing position P1. If the flatbed 20 is not moved to the lower end position E1, there is a possibility that the test printing stage 60 and the flatbed 20 or the test printing stage 60 and the jig 6 will interfere when the test printing stage 60 is pulled out. . The jig 6 is configured to have a height such that it is positioned below the test printing stage 60 at the test printing position P1 when the flatbed 20 is positioned at the lower end position E1. However, depending on the height of the jig 6, the test printing stage 60 may be pulled out to the test printing position P1 while the flat bed 20 is above the lower end position E1. The height of the jig 6 in the vertical direction Z is such that the jig 6 is positioned below the test printing stage 60 at the cleaning position P3 when the flatbed 20 is positioned at the lower end position E1. It is also set to a similar height.

The user then rotates the test printing stage 60 around the rotation shaft 71 to move it to the test printing position P1. Thereby, the test printing stage 60 is positioned between the flatbed 20 and the moving path of the recording head 35 . After that, the work 7 for test printing is placed on the test printing stage 60 . Subsequently, when test printing is started, a test chart is printed on the test printing work 7 on the test printing stage 60 .

After printing the test chart, the user collects the work 7 for test printing. Furthermore, the test printing stage 60 is rotated around the rotation shaft 71 and returned to the retracted position P2.

The printer 10 may include, for example, a sensor that detects that the test printing stage 60 is at the test printing position P1, or a sensor that detects that the test printing stage 60 is at the retracted position P2. For example, the control device 80 may be set so that test printing cannot be started unless it is detected that the test printing stage 60 is at the test printing position P1. The control device 80 may also be set so that the flatbed 20 cannot be moved in the vertical direction Z unless it is detected that the test printing stage 60 is at the retracted position P2.

[Recording head cleaning process]
For example, when the user decides to clean the recording head 35 based on a test chart obtained as a result of test printing, cleaning of the recording head 35 may be performed subsequently. In that case, first, the recording head 35 is moved to a position that does not overlap the cleaning position P3 (same as the test printing position P1 in this embodiment) in plan view. As a result, the area above the test printing stage 60 at the cleaning position P3 becomes empty, and the cleaning kit 90 can be mounted on the test printing stage 60 . The user then moves the test printing stage 60 to the cleaning position P3. The operation of moving the test printing stage 60 to the cleaning position P3 may be performed before the operation of retracting the recording head 35 . After that, the cleaning kit 90 is mounted on the test printing stage 60 .

FIG. 6 is a front view schematically showing the test printing stage 60, the cleaning kit 90, and the recording head 35 with the cleaning kit 90 attached to the test printing stage 60. FIG. As shown in FIG. 6 , when the cleaning kit 90 is attached to the test printing stage 60 , the wiping portion 94 of the cleaning kit 90 contacts the recording head 35 . The distance in the vertical direction Z between the recording head 35 and the test printing stage 60 at the cleaning position P3 is set slightly smaller than the height of the wiping section 94 from the test printing stage 60 .

In the subsequent cleaning of the recording head 35, the recording head 35 is moved in the main scanning direction Y by moving the carriage 30 in the main scanning direction Y. FIG. As a result, the recording head 35 and the cleaning kit 90 move relative to each other, and the wiping portion 94 wipes the recording head 35 .

The timing of cleaning the recording head 35 is not particularly limited. Cleaning of the recording head 35 may be performed periodically, for example. Printer 10 may, for example, include a sensor that detects when test print stage 60 is at cleaning position P3. For example, the control device 80 may be set so that cleaning of the recording head 35 cannot be started until it is detected that the test printing stage 60 is at the cleaning position P3.

[Action and effect of the embodiment]
As described above, the printer 10 according to the present embodiment includes the test printing stage 60 capable of supporting the test printing work 7. The test printing stage 60 is above the flatbed 20 and is It is configured to be movable between a test printing position P1 at least partially overlapping the flatbed 20 and a retracted position P2 outside the flatbed 20 in plan view. According to this configuration, test printing can be performed on the test printing work 7 supported by the test printing stage 60, and the jig 6 on the flatbed 20 can be removed before test printing. No need. The jig 6 is configured to be positioned below the test printing stage 60 at the test printing position P1.

In conventional inkjet printers, test printing is performed on a test printing workpiece supported by a support base (for example, a flat bed) for the printing material. Therefore, before the test printing, the member placed on the support base, such as the object to be printed and the holding jig for the object to be printed, had to be removed from the support base. Such removal work and return work after test printing required time and effort on the part of the user. On the other hand, according to the printer 10 according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to remove the member supported by the flatbed 20, such as the jig 6, from the flatbed 20, so test printing can be easily performed. be able to.

The printer 10 according to this embodiment includes a rotation mechanism 70 as a mechanism for moving the test printing stage 60 between the test printing position P1 and the retracted position P2. The rotating mechanism 70 has a rotating shaft 71 extending in the vertical direction Z, and can rotate the test printing stage 60 around the rotating shaft 71 . The rotating mechanism 70 can rotate the test printing stage 60 around the rotating shaft 71 between the test printing position P<b>1 and the retracted position P<b>2 . With such a configuration, it is possible to easily move the test printing stage 60 between the test printing position P1 and the retracted position P2.

In this embodiment, the test printing stage 60 is rotated about the rotation axis 71 manually by the user. may be provided. The driving device may be, for example, an electric motor or a rotary actuator, but is not particularly limited. The control device 80 may be configured to automatically rotate the test printing stage 60 by controlling the driving device during test printing or at the end of test printing.

In the present embodiment, the test printing stage 60 overlaps at least a portion of the test printing position P1 in a plan view and is located at a different position in the vertical direction Z from the test printing position P1. The wiping part 94 is configured to be movable to the cleaning position P3 so that the wiping part 94 contacts the recording head 35 in the attached state. According to this configuration, the recording head 35 can be wiped by the wiping portion 94 of the cleaning kit 90 by mounting the cleaning kit 90 on the test printing stage 60 moved to the cleaning position P3. Moreover, at that time, there is no need to remove the members on the flatbed 20 (for example, the object to be printed 5 and the jig 6) from the flatbed 20. FIG.

[Other embodiments]
A preferred embodiment has been described above. However, the above embodiments are merely examples, and the technology disclosed herein can be implemented in various other forms. For example, in the embodiment described above, the retracted position P2 of the test printing stage 60 is set outside the flatbed 20 in plan view. However, the retracted position P2 may be set inside the flatbed 20 in plan view. FIG. 7 is a plan view schematically showing the printer 10 in which the retracted position P2 of the test printing stage 60 is set on the flatbed 20. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, in this embodiment, the pivot shaft 71 supports near the left rear corner of the test printing stage 60 at the test printing position P1. In this manner, the retracted position P2 may be set at a position outside the printable area A1 of the printer 10 and at least a portion of the test printing stage 60 overlaps the flatbed 20 in plan view. According to this embodiment, the rotational track of the test printing stage 60 in plan view overlaps with the flatbed 20 . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7 (see also FIG. 3), the size of the printer 10 (here, the length in the main scanning direction Y) can be made compact.

In the above-described embodiment, the test printing stage 60 moved between the test printing position P1 and the retracted position P2 by being rotated along the horizontal plane. However, the method of moving the test printing stage 60 is not limited to the rotating method. The test printing stage 60 may move between the test printing position P1 and the retracted position P2, for example, by being slid in the horizontal direction. 8 and 9 are plan views schematically showing the configuration of the slide-type test printing stage 60. FIG. Among them, FIG. 8 shows a system in which the test printing stage 60 slides in the main scanning direction Y. FIG. FIG. 9 shows how the test printing stage 60 slides in the sub-scanning direction X. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, in this embodiment, the slide mechanism 75 has a guide member 76 extending in one direction along the horizontal plane, here in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. The slide mechanism 75 can move the test printing stage 60 along the guide member 76 between the test printing position P1 and the retracted position P2. As shown in FIG. 8, here, the test printing stage 60 is retracted to the left of the flatbed 20 at the retracted position P2. However, the sliding direction of the test printing stage 60 is not limited to the main scanning direction Y as long as it intersects the vertical direction Z. The sliding direction of the test printing stage 60 may be, for example, the sub-scanning direction X as shown in FIG. The sliding direction of the test printing stage 60 may be, for example, a direction other than the direction along the horizontal plane. In the case of FIG. 9, the retracted position P2 is set at a position outside the printable area A1 of the printer 10 and at least a portion of the test printing stage 60 overlaps the flatbed 20 in plan view. 9, the size of the printer 10 (here, the length in the main scanning direction Y) can be made compact as in FIG.

The test printing stage 60 may be slid manually by the user or by a driving device such as an electric motor. The control device 80 may be configured to automatically slide the test printing stage 60 by controlling the driving device during test printing or at the end of test printing. The drive may, for example, comprise a belt fixed to the test printing stage 60 and run by a drive motor. The drive may, for example, comprise a nut fixed to the test printing stage 60 and a ball screw that engages the nut and is rotated by the drive motor.

Also, the test printing stage 60 may be detachably attached to a support mechanism that supports the test printing stage 60 . The test printing stage 60 may be arranged at the test printing position P1 by being attached to the support mechanism, and moved to the retracted position P2 by being removed from the support mechanism. FIG. 10 is a plan view schematically showing an example of a test printing stage 60 that can be attached to and detached from a support mechanism. As shown in FIG. 10, in this embodiment the test printing stage 60 comprises a hook 63 that engages the support mechanism 13b. The support mechanism 13b is here an engaging hole for a hook 63 formed in the partition plate 13 . The user can move the test printing stage 60 to the test printing position P1 by hooking the hook 63 to the engagement hole of the support mechanism 13b. The user can withdraw the test printing stage 60 to a location other than the test printing position P1, for example, outside the printer 10, by removing the hook 63 from the engagement hole of the support mechanism 13b. However, the configuration of the support mechanism is not particularly limited. As shown in FIG. 10, the test printing position P1 of the test printing stage 60 is positioned such that at least a portion of the test printing stage 60 overlaps the movement path of the recording head 35 and is below the recording head 35 in plan view. may be set. The test printing position P1 may be a position that does not overlap the flatbed 20 in plan view. In this case, the position of the test printing position P<b>1 in the vertical direction Z may be below the flatbed 20 .

In the above-described embodiment, the test printing stage 60 is configured to move between the test printing position P1 overlapping the flatbed 20 in plan view and the retracted position P2 outside the flatbed 20 . However, the test printing stage 60 may be immovable. The test printing stage 60 may be arranged in advance at a position outside the flatbed 20 in a plan view, at least partially overlapping the moving path of the recording head 35 and below the recording head 35 . . The test printing stage 60 may be fixedly provided in the maintenance area A2 in FIG. 3, for example. Even if the test printing position is provided outside the flatbed 20 in plan view, the test printing stage 60 may be configured to move between the test printing position and other positions. good.

The configuration of the printer 10 described above is merely an example, and the configuration of the inkjet printer is not limited unless otherwise specified.

5 Printed material 6 Jig 7 Work for test printing 10 Inkjet printer 20 Flat bed (support base)
35 recording head 60 test printing stage 70 rotation mechanism 71 rotation shaft 75 slide mechanism 76 guide member 90 cleaning kit (cleaning member)
A1 printable area P1 test print position (first position)
P2 retracted position (second position)
P3 cleaning position (third position)

Claims (4)

a support base for supporting the printed material;
a recording head provided above the support and capable of ejecting ink onto a printable area on the support;
a test printing stage capable of supporting a work for test printing,
The test printing stage has a first position above the support table and at least partially overlapping the printable area in plan view, and a second position outside the printable area in plan view. configured to be movable between
inkjet printer. a rotation mechanism having a rotation shaft extending in a vertical direction and capable of rotating the test printing stage between the first position and the second position around the rotation shaft;
The inkjet printer according to claim 1. further comprising a slide mechanism having a guide member extending in one direction along a horizontal plane and capable of moving the test printing stage between the first position and the second position along the guide member;
The inkjet printer according to claim 1. a cleaning member having a wiping portion capable of wiping the recording head and configured to be detachable from the test printing stage;
The test printing stage overlaps at least a part of the first position in a plan view and is vertically different from the first position, and the cleaning member is attached to the test printing stage. The wiping part is configured to be movable to a third position such that it abuts against the recording head.
The inkjet printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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