JP5146833B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and in particular, a liquid or gel that can be in a foam state having a function as a set agent that suppresses bleeding such as feathering and bleeding and enables image formation with high density and high saturation, or The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of uniformly applying liquid and gel to a recording medium in the form of fine bubbles.

  As an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile machine, a copying machine, and a composite machine of these, for example, a recording head composed of a liquid ejection head that ejects liquid droplets of recording liquid is used, and paper, thread, fiber, fabric, leather, There is a type in which an image is formed by adhering droplets to a medium while conveying a medium such as metal, plastic, glass, wood, and ceramics. Note that the image forming apparatus is an apparatus that forms an image by causing droplets to land on a medium. Image formation is not only the application of an image having a meaning such as characters or figures to a medium, but also a pattern. It also means that an image having no meaning is given to the medium. The recording liquid is not limited to ink, and any recording liquid can be used as long as it can form the image and form liquid droplets upon ejection.

  In such a liquid ejection type image forming apparatus, since a recording liquid (hereinafter referred to as ink) containing a coloring material is formed into droplets to form an image, the dots formed by the droplets are disturbed in a whisker shape. Rings, color bleed that causes colors to blur when the ink droplets of different colors are struck on the paper adjacent to each other, lack of color (density), show-through, glossiness, fixability, etc. In addition to the initial quality problem that it takes time for the droplets on the paper after printing to dry, there are problems related to fastness such as water resistance, light resistance, scratch resistance, and ozone resistance. ing.

Therefore, as described in Patent Document 1, a pretreatment liquid that reacts with ink to prevent bleeding is applied by an application roller as described in the prior art, or the pretreatment liquid is ejected as described in Patent Document 2. It is performed by discharging from the head in the form of a mist. Further, Patent Document 3 describes that the treatment liquid for improving the fixing property of ink is applied before or after ink printing, and is not limited to the pretreatment, and there is a case where a posttreatment is performed.
JP 2002-137378 A Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-138502 JP 2003-205673 A

  As described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, when the pretreatment liquid or the posttreatment liquid is spouted by the application roller or the liquid discharge head, the application unevenness occurs, and the liquid is excessively applied. There is a problem with the quick-drying property of the sheet, and in particular, there is a problem that jamming is likely to occur because the sheet is likely to be wrinkled or curled or bend easily.

  Therefore, the present applicant has proposed to apply the treatment liquid to the recording medium in a bubble state as a means for solving these problems.

  However, in the foam application device for applying the foamed treatment liquid, a storage part for stabilizing the coating amount is provided, but the foam remaining in this storage part becomes excess foam, and it is left as it is. In the coating apparatus, the excess bubbles are liquefied and mixed with the foamy processing agent at the time of applying the next treatment liquid, and there is a problem that bubbles having a desired bulk density cannot be obtained.

  The present invention is for solving this problem. In an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium, a processing agent containing a liquid or gel processing agent or a mixture of both is formed on the recording medium. The foam treatment agent is removed from the foam application device, and when the next treatment liquid is applied, the old foam and new foam from the previous treatment application are mixed, and bubbles with the desired bulk density cannot be obtained. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of preventing the above-described problem.

  In order to solve the above problems, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is a foam in which a liquid or gel treatment agent or a treatment agent in which liquid and gel are mixed is foamed and applied via a coating member to a recording medium. It is provided with an application means, a storage part provided on the application member for storing the foam treatment agent, and a foam removal means for removing the foam treatment agent stored in the storage part. Thereby, it is possible to prevent old bubbles and new bubbles from the previous treatment application from being mixed at the time of the next treatment liquid application, and bubbles having a desired bulk density from being obtained.

  The bubble removing means has a blade that approaches or abuts the surface of the application member. Then, the blade surface of the blade approaches or abuts in parallel with the rotation axis of the coating member constituted by a roller, and the blade relatively moves in the rotation direction of the coating member, so that the foam treatment agent on the coating member is removed. Remove. In addition, the blade surface of the blade approaches or abuts the rotation axis of the coating member composed of rollers in the orthogonal direction, and the blade moves relatively in the rotation axis direction of the coating member, so that the foam processing on the coating member is performed. Remove the agent. Furthermore, the application member is composed of two rollers, and the foam processing agent is collected in a nip formed by each roller as a storage portion, and a bubble removing means is provided by a blade that approaches or contacts the surface of each roller near the nip. The blade is moved in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the application member, and the blade moves relatively in the direction of the rotation axis of the application member to remove the foam treatment agent on the application member. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the old bubbles and the new bubbles from the previous treatment application from being mixed at the time of the next treatment liquid application, and the bubbles having the desired bulk density cannot be obtained.

  Further, the application member is composed of two rollers, and both rollers are rotated in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the roller for applying the foam treatment agent to the recording medium, so that the nip formed by the two rollers is formed. The foamy processing agent remaining in the formed reservoir is attached to each roller and transported to the position where the foam removing means is installed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the old bubbles and the new bubbles from the previous treatment application from being mixed at the time of the next treatment liquid application and the bubbles having a desired bulk density from being obtained.

  In addition, the application member is composed of two rollers, and one roller is rotated in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the roller for applying the foam treatment agent to the recording medium by weakening the pressure applied to each roller. The foam-like processing agent remaining in the storage portion formed in the nip formed by the roller is attached to one of the rollers and transported to the position where the foam removing means is installed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a foam having a desired bulk density from being obtained by mixing only one blade with old bubbles and new bubbles from the previous treatment application at the time of the next treatment liquid application.

  In addition, a storage device for temporarily storing the foam treatment agent removed from the application member by the foam removing means is provided, and the foam treatment agent collected by the removal is collected in the storage device, and the foam collected in the storage device is collected. The processing agent is conveyed along the wall surface of the storage device by an elastic body provided on the rotating body, compressed and collected at a predetermined position, and the foamy processing agent is collected and conveyed. Therefore, the removed bubbles can be efficiently recovered with only a simple rotating mechanism.

  In addition, a storage device is provided for temporarily storing the foam treatment agent removed from the coating member by the foam removal means, and the foam treatment agent collected by the removal is collected in a closed space storage device and stored by the suction means. The foam treatment agent is recovered and conveyed by lowering the internal pressure of the vessel and reducing the volume. Therefore, the removed bubbles can be efficiently collected and conveyed to a long distance.

  Furthermore, it comprises a heating means for directly or indirectly heating the foam treatment agent removed from the application member, and the foam treatment agent removed from the application member by the foam removal means is heated by the heating means to defoam. Thus, the processing agent is collected and conveyed. Therefore, the removed foam can be efficiently recovered without a special mechanism.

  The processing agent is a fixing agent, and a foam processing agent of the fixing agent is applied to the recording medium after image formation by a foam applying means. Alternatively, the processing agent is an image quality improvement processing agent, and a foam processing agent of the image quality improvement processing agent is applied to a recording medium before or after image formation by a foam application unit. Therefore, since the foam-like fixing agent or image quality improving treatment agent contains a large amount of air, it can be applied in a small amount of liquid and is close to a solid, so the coating film thickness can be easily adjusted by scraping after application. In addition, since the releasability from the applying means is good when applying from the applying means to the recording medium, uniform application is possible. Furthermore, since the foam-like fixing solution or the image quality improving treatment agent does not easily allow moisture to penetrate into the fibers of the paper that is the recording medium, wrinkles and curls are unlikely to occur on the paper.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the liquid applying agent or the processing agent mixed with the liquid and the gel is applied to the recording medium in the form of a foam and applied via the applying member, and the application member on the applying member. The foam removal means for removing the foam-like treatment agent is used, so that when the next treatment liquid is applied, the old foam and the new foam at the time of the previous treatment application are mixed, and a foam with a desired bulk density cannot be obtained. Can be prevented.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus of the present invention. An image forming apparatus 100 according to the present invention shown in FIG. 1 includes a recording head unit 101 as an image forming unit that discharges droplets onto a sheet 300 that is a recording medium and forms an image, and a conveyance belt 102 that conveys the sheet 300. A paper feed tray 103 that accommodates the paper 300, a paper discharge tray 104 that discharges the paper 300 on which an image is formed, and a paper 100 that is a member to be coated on the upstream side of the recording head unit 101 in the paper transport direction. And a foam application device 200 for applying a foam liquid. The recording head unit 101 is composed of a line type liquid discharge head having a nozzle row in which a plurality of nozzles for discharging liquid droplets are arranged in a length corresponding to the paper width, and yellow (Y) and magenta (M), respectively. , Cyan (C), and black (K) ink droplets are provided in recording heads 101y, 101m, 101c, and 101k. Note that the recording head can be mounted on the carriage as a serial type image forming apparatus.

  Further, the conveyance belt 102 is an endless belt, and is configured to be looped around the conveyance roller 105 and the tension roller 106. The sheet 300 can be held on the conveyance belt 102 by, for example, a configuration that performs electrostatic adsorption, adsorption by air suction, or other known conveyance means. The paper 300 stored in the paper feed tray 103 is separated one by one by the pickup roller 107, fed by the pair of transport rollers 108, and further transported through the transport path 111 by the pair of transport rollers 109 and 110, and the foam coating device After the foam application by 200, it is fed onto the conveyor belt 102 and held. Then, droplets of each color are ejected from the head unit 101 while being transported by the transport belt 102 to form an image on the paper 300 on which bubbles are applied, and then the paper 300 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 104.

  On the other hand, the foam application apparatus 200 includes a container 202 containing a liquid or gel or a liquid and gel treatment agent 201 that can be made into a foam state, a pump 203 that pumps the treatment agent 201 from the container 202, and a pump 203. The first foam generation unit 206 that generates the foam processing agent 205 having a large bubble from the processing agent 201 supplied via the supply path 204 and the route that sends the foam processing agent 205 from the first foam generation unit 206. A foam supply path 207, a second foam generation unit 209 that shears the foam treatment agent 205 conveyed in the foam supply path 207 a plurality of times to generate a foam treatment agent 208 having a small foam, and a foam treatment An extending member 210 that extends the agent 208 in the paper width direction and a foam application unit 211 that applies the foam treatment agent 208 to the paper 300 are provided.

  Here, the processing agent 201 that can be in a foam state is a modifying material that modifies the surface of the paper 300 by being applied to the surface of the paper 300. For example, the processing agent 201 is applied to the paper 300 in a uniform manner so that the moisture of the ink can quickly penetrate the paper 300, the viscosity of the color component is increased, and the drying is also accelerated, thereby fading and bleeding. It is a set agent that prevents bleeding and show-through and the like, and can increase productivity (number of images output per unit time).

  In terms of composition, this treatment agent 201 is, for example, cellulose that promotes moisture permeation with respect to a surfactant (any one of anionic, cationic, nonionic, or a mixture of two or more thereof). And the like (hydroxypropylcellulose and the like) and a base added with a base such as talc fine powder. Furthermore, fine particles can be contained.

  The first foam generation unit 206 supplies the high-pressure air 214 from the high-pressure air supply unit 213 to the processing agent 201 in the foam generation container 212 via the high-pressure air supply path 215, thereby generating a large foam shape. A processing agent 205 is generated. When the foam treatment agent 205 is generated and filled in the foam generation container 212, the foam processing agent 205 is supplied toward the foam application unit 211 via the foam transport path 207 by the pressure. Note that the pump 203 closes the supply path 204 so that the bubbles 205 and the processing agent 201 do not flow back through the supply path 204 for supplying the processing agent 201 during the generation of bubbles.

Here, the bubble state refers to a state where a large amount of bubbles are dispersed in the liquid and the liquid is compressible. That is, the “bubble” is a liquid in which a gas such as air is rounded and formed by the surface tension of the liquid enclosing the gas, and can maintain a three-dimensional shape for a certain period of time. The foam having such shape-retaining properties preferably has a bulk density of 0.05 g / cm ³ or less, a foam diameter distribution range of 10 μm to 1 mm, and an average foam diameter of 100 μm or less. In addition, although a bubble is formed in a round shape by itself, when a plurality of bubbles are combined, the shape of each bubble takes a polyhedral shape due to surface tension. Such a foam is not a liquid but a semi-solid, and exhibits physical properties close to a solid in terms of fluidity.

  As described above, the use of a foam-like treatment agent for the recording medium has a special effect during recording and processing at a high speed, as compared with a liquid or mist-like treatment liquid. For example, when printing on continuous paper at a high speed like a continuous book machine, it is necessary to rotate the roller or the like at high speed in order to catch up with the recording operation. When such a recording speed exceeds about 100 m / min, the centrifugal force generated by the high-speed rotation of the roller becomes extremely large, and the liquid processing agent is separated from the roller surface and scattered, which is applied to the recording medium. There is a problem that the amount to be reduced is significantly reduced. In order to solve such problems with a liquid processing agent, it may be possible to increase the viscosity of the liquid and make it difficult to scatter from the roller surface. However, it is difficult to apply such a high viscosity liquid as a thin film. In addition, the load of the liquid supply / drainage operation is large, leading to an increase in the size of the transport pump and the complexity of the apparatus.

  On the other hand, the foam-like treatment agent has a normal low viscosity during transportation, has a small transportation load, and exhibits a semi-solid property in a foamed state on the roller. Will not follow and scatter. It is also advantageous for applying a thin film to a recording medium. Further, residual foam after application can be easily recovered as a low-viscosity treatment agent by defoaming by heating with a heater or the like, and all the problems associated with high-speed application of the liquid treatment agent can be solved.

Next, the configuration of the foam coating apparatus included in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 showing the configuration of the foam coating apparatus.
The foam treatment agent 208 supplied from the outlet of the foam spreading member 210 is stored in the foam storage unit 218 between the application roller 216 and the foam transport roller 217. The amount of foam stored is detected by sensor 219. When the amount of foam reaches a certain amount, the foam supply is stopped. When the application roller 216 and the bubble transport roller 217 are rotated in the rotation direction shown in FIG. 2, the stored foam processing agent 208 is always in a stirred state, so that it becomes a bubble having a constant cell diameter. A small amount of foam processing agent 208 passing between the application roller 216 and the bubble conveying roller 217 and applied on the bubble application roller 216 is applied to the paper 300 passing between the bubble application roller 216 and the pressure roller 220. . The foam removing means 221 of the present invention corresponds to a collection blade 229 and a collection foam storage device 224 shown in FIG. 10 described later, and is retracted to a position where it does not come into contact with the application roller 216 during the application operation.

Next, the configuration of the bubble removal unit and the bubble removal processing operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3 showing the configuration of the bubble removal unit and FIG. 4 showing the bubble removal operation flow.
When a predetermined time elapses after the previous printing operation is completed, the collection blade 222 in FIG. 3 slides to contact the application roller 216, and the collection blade 223 slides to contact the bubble transport roller 217 (step S101; YES) Step S102). Thereafter, by rotating the application roller 216 and the foam transport roller 217 in reverse, the surplus foam in the foam reservoir 218 adheres to the surfaces of the application roller 216 and the foam transport roller 217 and is transported (step S103). The application roller 216 and the bubble conveyance roller 217 are rotated in reverse until there is no excess bubble in the bubble storage unit 218, and the bubbles on the conveyed application roller 216 are removed by the collection blade 222 and collected by the collection bubble storage unit 224. The foam on the transported foam transport roller 217 is removed by the recovery blade 223 and recovered by the recovery foam storage device 225 (step S104; NO). When there is no excess foam in the foam reservoir 218, the reverse rotation of the application roller 216 and the foam transport roller 217 is stopped, the recovery blade 222 is slid away from the application roller 216, and the recovery blade 223 is slid to transport the foam. Separated from the roller 217 (step S104; YES, step S105).

Next, the configuration of the bubble removal unit and the bubble removal processing operation of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 5 showing the configuration of the bubble removal unit and FIG. 6 showing the bubble removal operation flow.
When a predetermined time elapses after the previous printing operation is finished, the pressure applied by the bubble transport roller 217 to the application roller 216 is weakened (step S201; YES, step S202). Then, the recovery blade 222 in FIG. 5 slides and contacts the application roller 216 (step S203), reversely rotates the application roller 216, and rotates the bubble transport roller 217 in the forward direction, thereby removing excess bubbles in the bubble storage unit 218. All are attached to the surface of the application roller 216 and conveyed (step S204). The application roller 216 is rotated in the reverse direction until there is no excess bubble in the bubble storage unit 218, and the bubble conveyance roller 217 is rotated in the forward direction. NO). Thereafter, when there is no excess foam in the foam storage unit 218, the rotation of the application roller 216 and the foam transport roller 217 is stopped, and the recovery blade 222 is slid to be separated from the application roller 216 (step S205; YES, step S206). Then, the pressure applied by the bubble conveying roller 217 to the application roller 216 is returned to the initial value (step S207). In the bubble removal processing operation, the application roller 216 is rotated in the reverse direction and the bubble transport roller 217 is rotated in the forward direction. However, the reverse configuration may be used. In that case, the collection blade 223 is disposed on the foam conveyance roller 217 side, and the collection blade 223 removes the foam and collects it.

Next, regarding the configuration of the bubble removing unit and the bubble removal processing operation of the third embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 showing the configuration of the bubble removing unit and FIG. 9 showing the flow of the bubble removing operation are used. I will explain.
According to the foam removing means of the third embodiment of the present invention, the foam removal means is retracted outside the application roller 216 and the foam transport roller 217 and is sandwiched between the two Rs in contact with the two rollers of the foam reservoir. The wedge-shaped blade 226 including the foam reservoir is moved in the axial direction of the foam reservoir by rotating the feed screw 227 so as to be in contact with the application roller 216 and the foam transport roller 217. The excess foam is scraped off and recovered and removed by a foam recovery unit 228 provided outside the roller width. Note that the position of the blade 226 may be fixed, and the application roller 216 and the bubble transport roller 217 may be moved in the roller axial direction. In other words, the application roller 216, the bubble transport roller 217, and the blade 226 may be moved relatively in the roller axial direction with the blade 226 in contact with the application roller 216 and the bubble transport roller 217. Any one of the bubble conveying roller 217 and the blade 226 may move in the roller axial direction.

  More specifically, the wedge-shaped blade 226 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is rotated at the home position by rotating the feed screw 227 when a predetermined time has elapsed after the end of the previous printing operation, and the application roller 216 and the bubble conveyance. While being in contact with the roller 217, it is moved relatively in the roller axis direction (step S301; YES, step S302). When the wedge-shaped blade 226 reaches the bubble collecting unit 228 provided outside the width of the roller, the rotation of the feed screw 227 is stopped for a predetermined time, and excess bubbles collected by the wedge-shaped blade 226 are accumulated in the bubble collecting unit 228. (Step S303; YES, Step S304). Thereafter, the feed screw 227 is reversely rotated after a predetermined time has elapsed, and the wedge-shaped blade 226 is moved in the reverse direction until returning to the home position (step S305, step S306; NO). When the wedge-shaped blade 226 reaches the home position, the rotation of the feed screw 227 is stopped (step S306; YES, step S307).

Next, the configuration of the foam recovery means and the foam recovery processing operation of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 10 showing the configuration of the foam recovery means and FIG. 11 showing the flow of the foam recovery operation.
When a predetermined time elapses after the previous printing operation is finished, the pressure applied by the bubble transport roller 217 to the application roller 216 is weakened (step S401; YES, step S402). Then, the recovery blade 222 in FIG. 10 slides and contacts the application roller 216 (step S403), the application roller 216 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the bubble transport roller 217 is rotated in the forward direction. All are attached to the surface of the application roller 216 and conveyed (step S404). Then, the foam processing agent 208 recovered by rotating and removing the blade 229 of the elastic member, which is a rotating body of the recovery means, is sent to the discharge port and discharged (step S405). The application roller 216 is rotated in the reverse direction until there is no excess bubble in the bubble storage unit 218, and the bubble conveyance roller 217 is rotated in the forward direction. NO). Thereafter, when there is no excess foam in the foam reservoir 218, the rotation of the blade 229, which is the rotating body of the recovery means, is stopped (step S406; YES, step S407). Thereafter, the rotation of the application roller 216 and the bubble conveyance roller 217 is stopped, and the collection blade 222 is slid to be separated from the application roller 216 (step S408). Then, the pressure applied by the bubble conveyance roller 217 to the application roller 216 is returned to the initial value (step S409). The foam processing agent 208 accumulated in the recovered foam storage device 224 is transported along the wall surface of the recovered foam storage device 224 by the blade 229, and the blade 229 is projected by a protrusion (not shown) of the recovered foam storage device 224. Wipe off the foam treatment agent 208 adhering to the surface. As described above, the rotating blade 229 is continuously rotated, so that the above operation can be repeated again, and the foam treatment agent 208 can be compressed and collected at a predetermined position.

Next, the configuration of the foam recovery means and the foam recovery processing operation of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 12 showing the configuration of the foam recovery means and FIG. 13 showing the flow of the foam recovery operation.
After the foam recovery processing operation is completed using the foam removing means as described above (step S501; YES), the foam processing agent 208 accumulated in the recovered foam storage device 224 is connected to a pump (not shown). The recovery bubble lid 230 is lowered (step S502). Therefore, a closed space is created between the recovery bubble storage device 224 and the recovery bubble lid 230 (step S503; YES), and the internal pressure of the closed space is lowered by the pump (step S504), and the recovery bubble lid 230 is further lowered. While reducing the volume of the closed space (step S505), the foam processing agent 208 is recovered and transported by the pump through the recovery foam transport pipe 231 (step S505; YES, steps S506 to S508).

Next, the configuration of the bubble recovery means and the bubble recovery processing operation of the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 14 showing the configuration of the bubble recovery means.
According to the foam recovery means of the present embodiment, the recovery foam storage device 224 is heated by the heater 232 disposed on the lower surface. The foam treatment agent 208 accumulated in the recovered foam storage device 224 is defoamed and liquefied by coming into contact with the wall surface of the recovered foam storage device 224 heated to several tens of degrees Celsius. The liquefied processing liquid is discharged downward from the discharge port by gravity and collected.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications, substitutions, and applications are possible as long as they are described within the scope of the claims. For example, without disturbing fine particles containing resin such as toner on a medium such as paper, and after applying a foamy fixing solution to the medium to which the fine resin particles are attached, the fine resin particles are quickly fixed to the medium, Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to a fixing method and a fixing device, and an image forming method and an image forming apparatus that use a fixing solution of resin fine particles that can be applied in a minute amount that does not cause a residual oil feeling on the medium.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the structure of the foam coating apparatus which the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1 has. It is a figure which shows the structure of the foam removal means of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the bubble removal operation | movement by the bubble removal means of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the bubble removal means of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the bubble removal operation | movement by the bubble removal means of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the bubble removal means of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a partial enlarged front view which shows the mode of the bubble removal operation | movement by the bubble removal means of 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the bubble removal operation | movement by the bubble removal means of 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the foam collection | recovery means of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the bubble collection | recovery operation | movement flow by 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the foam collection | recovery means of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the bubble collection | recovery operation | movement flow by 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the foam collection | recovery means of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

100; Image forming apparatus, 200; Foam coating apparatus, 201; Treatment agent,
202; container, 203; pump, 204; supply path,
205, 208; foam treatment agent, 206; first foam generation unit,
207; foam supply path, 209; second foam generation unit,
210; spreading member; 211; foam application unit; 212; foam generation container;
213; high-pressure air supply unit; 214; high-pressure air;
215; high-pressure air supply path, 216; application roller,
217; Foam transport roller, 218; Foam reservoir, 219; Sensor,
220; pressure roller, 221; bubble removing means,
222, 223, 229; collection blade,
224, 225; recovery bubble storage, 226; blade,
227; feed screw, 228; foam recovery unit, 230; recovery foam lid,
231; recovery bubble transport pipe, 232; heater, 300; paper.

Claims (12)

In an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium,
A foam application means for applying a liquid or gel treatment agent on a recording medium or a treatment agent in which a liquid and a gel are mixed together in the form of a foam and applying it through an application member;
A reservoir that is provided on the application member and stores a foam treatment agent;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a foam removing unit that removes the foam processing agent stored in the storage unit.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bubble removing unit includes a blade that approaches or contacts the surface of the application member.   The blade surface of the blade approaches or abuts in parallel with the rotation axis of the application member constituted by a roller, and the blade moves relative to the rotation direction of the application member, so that a bubble shape on the application member is formed. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processing agent is removed.   The blade surface of the blade approaches or abuts in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the application member formed by a roller, and the blade moves relative to the rotation axis direction of the application member, thereby The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the foam processing agent is removed.   The coating member is composed of two rollers, and foam processing is collected in a nip formed by each roller to serve as the reservoir, and the foam is removed by a blade that approaches or abuts the surface of each roller near the nip. Constituting means, approaching or abutting in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the application member, and the blade moves relatively in the rotation axis direction of the application member to remove the foam treatment agent on the application member The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.   The application member is composed of two rollers, and the storage formed in the nip formed by the two rollers is rotated in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the roller for applying the foam treatment agent to the recording medium. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the foamy processing agent remaining in the part is transported while being attached to each roller at a position where the foam removing unit is installed.   The application member is composed of two rollers, and one roller is rotated in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the roller for applying the foam treatment agent to the recording medium by weakening the pressure applied to each roller. 2. The foam treatment agent remaining in the storage portion formed in a nip formed by a roller is conveyed while being attached to one roller at a position where the foam removing means is installed. Image forming apparatus.   A storage device for temporarily storing the foam treatment agent removed from the application member by the foam removal means is provided, and the foam treatment agent collected by removal is collected in the storage device and collected in the storage device. The foamed processing agent is transported along the wall surface of the storage device by an elastic body provided on a rotating body, compressed and collected at a predetermined position, and the foamed processing agent is collected and transported. The image forming apparatus according to 1.   A storage device for temporarily storing the foam treatment agent removed from the application member by the foam removal means is provided, and the foam treatment agent collected by the removal is collected in the storage device in a closed space, and the suction means is used. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the foam processing agent is collected and conveyed by lowering the internal pressure of the storage unit and reducing the volume.   A heating means for directly or indirectly heating the foam treatment agent removed from the application member is provided, and the foam treatment agent removed from the application member by the foam removal means is heated by the heating means and turned off. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing agent is collected and conveyed by foaming.   11. The processing agent according to claim 1, wherein the processing agent is a fixing agent, and the foam processing agent of the fixing agent is applied to the recording medium after image formation by the foam applying unit. Image forming apparatus.   12. The processing agent is an image quality improvement processing agent, and a foam processing agent of an image quality improvement processing agent is applied to a recording medium before or after image formation by the bubble applying means. The image forming apparatus according to any one of the above.

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