JP3142589U - Waste ink absorber for inkjet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a waste ink absorber which is disposed in a waste liquid tank of an ink jet printer and sucks and holds waste ink discharged through a printer head.
An upper layer felt having high water absorption and a lower layer felt having high water retention and having the same or higher weight as the upper layer felt are integrated with a needle punch, and the fibers of the upper layer felt are subjected to hydrophilic processing, The waste ink discharged from the printer head without being used is immediately sucked by the upper layer felt, and the sucked waste ink is held by the lower layer felt.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a waste ink absorber that is disposed in an ink jet printer and sucks and holds waste ink discharged through a printer head.

  Inkjet printers include a flushing operation for ejecting ink in order to prevent drying of the ejection port of the printer head, and a cleaning operation for forcibly ejecting ink from the ejection port when the ejection port of the printer head is clogged. Is often done. Ink discharged from the discharge port without being used for printing is sucked as waste liquid by a flushing and cleaning operation and conveyed to a waste liquid tank installed in the printer, while being discharged outside the recording medium in borderless printing. Ink is also transported to the waste liquid tank via the ink capturing mechanism.

  In general, commercially available inkjet printers include, in addition to the color printing mechanism, a waste ink transport device that discharges ink discharged from the printer head as waste liquid, and a wiping mechanism that is disposed near the end of the recording area side of the capping mechanism. Prepare. An example of this waste ink transport device includes a capping mechanism that closes the discharge port of the printer head, a tube that is connected to the capping mechanism from the discharge port of the printer head as a suction mechanism, and an ink inside the tube that is elastically deformed. And a waste liquid tank for accumulating the ink transported by the pump. If this waste liquid tank is sealed, drying of the waste ink is hindered, making it difficult to hold the desired amount of waste ink. On the other hand, if the upper surface is opened to dry the waste ink, the ink will be absorbed by vibration during recording of the printer. Waste ink will flow out if it is scattered or the printer is tilted. Therefore, an absorber that absorbs waste ink is stored in the waste liquid tank.

  This waste liquid tank has, for example, a waste ink diffusion chamber and a waste ink absorber disposed beside or in front of the waste ink diffusion chamber, and the waste ink conveyed by the tube is temporarily stored in the waste ink diffusion chamber. Then, the ink is sucked from the upper surface of the waste ink absorber (see FIG. 3). The waste ink includes a pigment component, an ink solvent, a humectant, and the like, and the pigment component is less likely to be absorbed by the waste ink absorber as compared with the ink solvent and the humectant. In particular, in a pigment-based ink in which the pigment component of the ink is a pigment, only the ink solvent and the water component penetrate into the waste ink absorber, and the pigment particles in the pigment ink tend to stay on the surface of the waste ink absorber and are discarded. It is difficult to absorb ink quickly and completely.

In order to enhance ink absorption in the waste ink absorber, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-34361 improves the ink flow by inclining the bottom surface of the waste ink diffusion chamber of the waste liquid tank. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-81124 improves the diffusibility and retention of absorbed waste ink, and is a fiber sheet such as rayon fiber or pulp so that the waste ink absorber does not expand when the waste ink is absorbed. A fiber sheet containing fibers having an official moisture content of less than 5%, such as glass fibers and silica alumina fibers, is laminated on one side of the liquid layer. JP-A-2006-272735 uses a nonwoven fabric such as saturated polyester fiber or polyurethane foam as a waste ink absorber, and a penetrating solvent containing 1,2-alkanediol or a modified polysiloxane compound in the waste ink absorber. Impregnated.
JP 2004-34361 A JP-A-11-81124 JP 2006-272735 A

  In an inkjet printer that uses water-based pigment ink, the pigment ink that is waste ink is less likely to be absorbed by the waste ink absorber than the dye ink, and only the solvent and water components in the ink penetrate into the absorber and are dispersed. The particles tend to stay on the surface of the waste ink absorber. If waste ink bubbles when discharged from the waste tube into the waste ink tank, it will not be absorbed by the waste ink absorber, and waste ink will accumulate in the waste tube, allowing flushing and cleaning operations to be performed. Disappear. In this regard, even if the bottom surface of the waste ink diffusion chamber of the waste liquid tank is inclined as in JP-A-2004-34361, it is hardly expected to improve the amount and speed of waste ink absorption.

  On the other hand, as in JP-A-11-81124, fibers having an official moisture content of 5% or more are pulp and polynosic fibers, and if a fiber sheet in which glass fibers are laminated on one side is used, the durability of the waste ink absorber is increased. It tends to be low. In this waste ink absorber, in addition to the nonwoven fabric used as the liquid retention layer and the diffusion layer, a large number of nonwoven fabrics having a larger average particle diameter than the nonwoven fabric of the diffusion layer and three cobweb-like nonwoven fabrics are laminated. Manufacturing costs are very high. In JP-A-2006-272735, if polyurethane foam is used as a waste ink absorber, problems are likely to occur in terms of durability. Since this waste ink absorber is a single-layer body, even if it becomes easier to absorb waste ink when impregnated with a penetrating solvent, the point of holding the waste ink in the absorber has not been improved.

  The present invention has been proposed in order to improve the above-mentioned problems relating to the waste ink absorber installed in the waste liquid tank of an ink jet printer, and it can be disposed of with a relatively thick lower layer felt without using a special non-woven fabric. An object of the present invention is to provide a waste ink absorber having a simple structure and a low unit price because it retains ink. Another object of the present invention is to provide a waste ink absorber that is easy to manufacture because it is only necessary to integrate a relatively thin upper layer felt and lower layer felt.

  The waste ink absorber for an ink jet printer according to the present invention integrates an upper layer felt having high water absorption and a lower layer felt having high water retention and the same or more weight of the upper layer felt with a needle punch. The waste ink absorber performs hydrophilic processing on the fibers of the upper layer felt so that the waste ink discharged from the printer head without being used is immediately sucked by the upper layer felt, and the sucked waste ink is held by the lower layer felt.

  In the waste ink absorber according to the present invention, a dark upper layer felt having high water absorption and a lower layer felt having high water retention and higher density than the upper layer may be integrated with a needle punch. In this waste ink absorber, both the upper and lower felt fibers are subjected to hydrophilic processing, so that the waste ink discharged from the printer head without being used is immediately sucked by the upper felt, and the waste ink that has been sucked is removed by the lower layer. Hold with felt.

In the waste ink absorber according to the present invention, the upper layer felt and the lower layer felt are made of the same or different fibers, and the fibers include polyester fiber, rayon fiber, polynosic fiber, cupra fiber, recycled cellulose fiber, acetate fiber, vinylon fiber. An acrylic fiber, a crosslinked polyacrylate-based fiber, a crosslinked carboxymethylcellulose-based fiber, or a mixed cotton fiber thereof may be used. For example, it is preferable that both the upper layer felt and the lower layer felt are made of polyester fibers, and the fineness of both felts is the same. The waste ink absorber of this invention, the waste ink absorber of this invention is the basis weight of the upper felt is 100 to 300 g / ^{m 2,} the basis weight of the lower felt preferably a 200~2500g / ^{m 2.}

  The present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a waste ink absorber 1 according to the present invention includes a relatively thin upper layer felt 2 and a lower layer felt 3 having a basis weight equal to or higher than that of the upper layer felt. It consists of. As shown in FIG. 2, both felts 2 and 3 are integrated by needle punching like A from the upper layer felt 2 side.

  Both felts 2 and 3 are composed of one or two or more of the same or different fibers, and in particular, the fibers of the upper layer felt 2 are required to have high water absorption during use. Examples of these fibers include polyester fibers, rayon fibers, polynosic fibers, cupra fibers, recycled cellulose fibers, acetate fibers, vinylon fibers, acrylic fibers, crosslinked polyacrylate fibers, crosslinked carboxymethylcellulose fibers, or mixed cotton fibers thereof. It can be illustrated. Polyester fibers are preferred from the viewpoints of durability and cost because of imparting hydrophilicity, and rayon fibers are preferred from the viewpoints of hydrophilicity and cost. If the amount is small, a heat-fusible fiber is added to improve moldability. Is also possible.

  Hydrophilic processing may be performed on the fibers of the upper layer felt 2 and the fibers of the lower layer felt 3 may be subjected to hydrophilic processing as desired. This hydrophilic processing may be performed in the raw yarn modification, that is, in the fiber manufacturing process, or in post-processing modification, that is, after fiberization or after felting.

  As the raw yarn modification, hydrophilicity can be imparted by increasing the fiber surface area and increasing the capillary action. For example, in this hydrophilic processing, there is a method in which colloidal silica is dispersed in a polymer at the time of polyester polymerization, and fine irregularities are formed on the fiber surface by alkali reduction after fiberization. In the manufacturing process of wet or dry spinning, acrylic fibers may form voids in the process of removing the solvent used, or may form a large number of pores by blending or elution of additives. In addition, a fine pore forming agent may be interposed in the polyester fiber, and the continuous fine pores may be formed by alkali weight reduction treatment.

  As another example of hydrophilic processing, in the normal short fiber manufacturing process, chemical treatment such as antistatic is performed before finishing cutting, and at the same time, hydrophilic agents such as surfactants and water-absorbing agents are added. Giving. In this case, it is a preferred method in that it is not necessary to add a new process for imparting hydrophilicity.

  As post-processing modification, a method of covering the surface of the synthetic fiber with a hydrophilic compound is generally used, and further, plasma discharge treatment, photografting, etching treatment with chemicals, and the like are available. Examples of the hydrophilizing agent include polyalkylene oxide having a hydrophilic group in the molecule. A polyether compound that adsorbs an affinity substance to the polyester fiber can be used, and a polyether compound having acrylate groups at both ends may be crosslinked by microwaves. The fiber surface of the polyester fiber is considerably hydrophilized by the alkali weight loss treatment, and if necessary, the hydrophilizing agent may be exhausted in the bath during dyeing to improve the durability.

  Other examples of post-processing modification include water-soluble urethane resins having two or more reactive vinyl groups and polyalkylene-added vinyl-based hydrophilic monomers to impart hydrophilicity to both felts 2 and 3 What is necessary is just to steam-heat at 100-120 degreeC after impregnating a felt with a process liquid. As a result, a durable hydrophilic film can be formed on the surface of the polyester fiber felt. Further, using a dispersion of photocatalytic titanium oxide powder, a felt of polyester fiber is immersed in this dispersion, and in this immersed state, near ultraviolet rays are irradiated by a black light fluorescent lamp, and the felt is subjected to a hydrophilic processing. May be.

As another example of post-processing modification, the fibers constituting both felts 2 and 3 are split type composite fibers that combine radial, bimetallic, or hollow yarn cross-sections. It consists of a plurality of fiber components that are easy to peel off. The fiber components are polyethylene terephthalate, nylon 66, nylon 6, polyethylene, polypropylene, etc., and at least one component is combined with a hydrophilic polymer. This composite fiber is imparted with hydrophilicity by being entangled simultaneously with split fiber by, for example, jetting treatment of a high-pressure water flow at a water pressure of 150 kg / cm ² and ultrafine.

  The fibers of the upper layer felt 2 are colored in a dark color such as black or dark blue, dark brown or dark gray. This coloring treatment may be performed in any step, but the method of spinning by kneading a pigment or the like in the raw material polymer is most preferable. The reason for coloring the fibers of the upper layer felt 2 is to make the stain due to the waste ink inconspicuous when the felt absorbs the waste ink.

In order to produce both felts 2 and 3 from a predetermined fiber, a single fiber or a plurality of fibers are mixed with each other and made into a web by a carding method or an airlaid method, or a web of each fiber alone, and then by card wrapping. Depending on the application, a predetermined number of webs are laminated to form a wrap. Next, this card wrap is felted by needle punching. The number of needles in this needle punch may be about 100 to 250 / cm ² , and high pressure water jet treatment may be performed after needle punching as desired.

  In the waste ink absorber 1, the upper layer felt 2 is made of fibers having a fineness of 0.1 to 15 dtex, for example. If the fineness of the fibers of the upper layer felt 2 is less than 0.1 dtex, carding tends to be difficult, and if the fineness exceeds 15 dtex, the absorbability of the waste ink decreases. On the other hand, the lower layer felt 3 is made of a fiber having a fineness of 0.5 to 20 dtex, for example. When the fineness of the lower layer felt 3 is less than 0.5 dtex, carding tends to be inefficient, and when the fineness exceeds 20 dtex, the retention of waste ink is lowered. The upper layer felt 2 and the lower layer felt 3 are preferably fibers having the same fineness in terms of work efficiency.

Preferably, the basis weight of the upper layer felt 2 is 100 to 300 g / m ² , and if the thickness is too thin or the basis weight is small, the waste ink absorbability is lost, and if it is too thick or the basis weight is too much, the waste tank 7 (FIG. 3). Storage is difficult and uneconomical. On the other hand, the basis weight of the lower layer felt 3 is preferably 200 to 2500 g / m ^{2. If} the thickness is too thin or the basis weight is small, the waste ink retention is lacking, and if too thick or the basis weight is too much, it is uneconomical.

  A single-layer or multiple-layer intermediate felt (not shown) may be interposed between the upper layer felt 2 and the lower layer felt 3. The intermediate felt does not need to be colored, and its basis weight may be determined between the upper layer felt 2 and the lower layer felt 3.

The absorbent sheet shown in FIG. 2 may be manufactured by superimposing the upper layer felt 2 and the lower layer felt 3 and integrating them with a needle punch. The absorbent sheet is cut to an appropriate size and discarded. The ink absorber 1 is manufactured. As shown in FIG. 2, this needle punching is desirably performed as A from the upper layer felt 2 side. The number of needles in this needle punch may be about 200 to 350 / cm ² , and high pressure water jet treatment may be performed after needle punching as desired.

  The obtained waste ink absorber 1 preferably has a thickness of 2 to 25 mm. If the thickness of the waste ink absorber 1 is less than 2 mm, the amount of waste ink retained is reduced and the waste ink is likely to leak. If the thickness exceeds 25 mm, the waste ink absorber 1 is stored in the waste liquid tank 7 (FIG. 3). It is difficult and uneconomical.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the waste ink absorber 1 is disposed in a waste liquid tank 7 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape whose entire upper surface is open. The waste liquid tank 7 includes a waste ink diffusion chamber 8 having an inclined bottom surface through which waste ink flows, and an absorber holding chamber 10 that is provided on the side surface along the waste ink diffusion chamber and that stores the waste ink absorber 1. . The waste ink diffusion chamber 8 is open at the top and is inclined in the direction in which the waste ink flows. The absorber holding chamber 10 has a tray shape with a bottom surface provided below the waste ink diffusion chamber 8 and an open top surface. Waste ink is conveyed from the capping mechanism (not shown) through the tube 12 to the waste liquid tank 7 and flows into the upper layer felt 2 of the waste ink absorber 1 to be absorbed by the upper layer felt. Hold.

  A waste ink absorber according to the present invention is disposed in a waste liquid tank of an ink jet printer, and at least the upper layer felt is hydrophilically processed so that the waste ink is quickly absorbed by the upper layer felt and the waste ink is relatively thick. Hold properly with lower felt. The waste ink absorber of the present invention does not expand even when a large amount of waste ink is absorbed, and the waste ink does not foam when absorbing ink. The waste ink absorber of the present invention can sufficiently absorb and hold waste ink including pigment ink, and even if the printer vibrates during recording, the waste ink does not scatter and the waste ink flows out even if the printer is tilted. There is nothing.

  As for the waste ink absorber of the present invention, the main manufacturing work is only the felting work of each layer and the bonding work of the upper layer felt and the lower layer felt. improves. In addition, when the upper layer felt and the lower layer felt are bonded to each other with a needle punch, the waste ink absorber of the present invention is less likely to impair the waste ink absorbability and can always maintain stable waste ink absorption and holding power. it can.

Next, although this invention is demonstrated based on an Example, this invention is not limited to an Example. In order to produce the upper layer felt 2 of the waste ink absorber 1 shown in FIG. 1, polyester fiber having a fiber diameter of 2.2 dtex colored with a black pigment is used, and the polyester fiber is subjected to hydrophilic processing. Further, an upper layer felt having a thickness of 1.5 mm and a basis weight of 250 g / m ² was produced by carding, cross-wrapping and needle punching.

In order to manufacture the lower layer felt 3, a normal polyester fiber having a fiber diameter of 2.2 decitex is used, and this polyester fiber is also subjected to hydrophilic processing. Furthermore, the lower layer felt 3 having a thickness of 10 mm and a basis weight of 500 g / m ² was produced by carding, cross wrapping and needle punching.

  Next, the upper layer felt 2 and the lower layer felt 3 are laminated and, as shown in FIG. 2, the needle felt punch 5 as shown by A from the upper layer felt 2 side is entangled and integrated to form the absorbent felt sheet 5. Produced. The absorbent felt sheet 5 was cut into an appropriate size according to the waste liquid tank 7 (FIG. 3) to obtain a waste ink absorber 1.

  The obtained waste ink absorber 1 is used by being stored in a waste liquid tank 7 of an ink jet printer. The waste ink absorber 1 is excellent in ink absorbability in that the waste ink discharged from the tube 12 absorbs quickly without spreading, and the upper layer felt 2 is a black layer, so that the stain due to the waste ink is not noticeable.

Comparative Example An upper layer felt and a lower layer felt similar to those in Example 1 were used, but the upper layer felt was not colored, and neither of the felt polyester fibers was subjected to hydrophilic processing. A felt material was produced from the upper layer felt and the lower layer felt in the same manner as in the example. This felt material has poor ink absorption performance as a waste ink absorber, and the waste ink is scattered around.

It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the waste ink absorber which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the needle punch process of the felt sheet | seat for absorbers. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the use condition of a waste ink absorber.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Waste ink absorber 2 Upper layer felt 3 Lower layer felt 5 Felt sheet for absorber 7 Waste liquid tank

Claims (5)

  A waste ink absorber that combines a high-water-absorbing upper felt and a lower-layer felt that has high water retention and the same or higher weight as the upper felt with a needle punch. A waste ink absorber for an ink jet printer that immediately absorbs waste ink discharged from the printer head without being used from an upper layer felt by applying, and holds the sucked waste ink by a lower layer felt.   A waste ink absorber in which a dark upper layer felt having high water absorption and a lower layer felt having high water retention and the same or higher basis weight as the upper layer felt are integrated by a needle punch, the upper layer felt and the lower layer felt Waste ink absorber for inkjet printers that immediately absorbs waste ink discharged from the printer head without being used from the printer head by upper layer felt and retains the sucked waste ink by lower layer felt by applying hydrophilic processing to any of the fibers of .   The upper layer felt and the lower layer felt are made of the same or different fibers, and the fibers include polyester fiber, rayon fiber, polynosic fiber, cupra fiber, recycled cellulose fiber, acetate fiber, vinylon fiber, acrylic fiber, and crosslinked polyacrylate. The waste ink absorber according to claim 1 or 2, wherein fibers, cross-linked carboxymethyl cellulose fibers, or mixed cotton fibers thereof are used.   The waste ink absorber according to claim 1 or 2, wherein both the upper layer felt and the lower layer felt are made of polyester fibers, and the fineness of both felts is the same. Basis weight of the upper felt is 100 to 300 g / ^{m 2,} waste ink absorber having a basis weight of the lower felt according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the 200~2500g / ^{m 2.}

Images