JP5748136B2 - Inkjet printer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an inkjet printer.

  In an ink jet printer, ink is ejected from nozzles of an ink jet head and printing is performed on a medium to be printed. At this time, so-called ink mist is generated in which the ink ejected from the nozzles is mist-like. Since the ink mist has a very small particle size, it is likely to be scattered and may adhere to the inside of the media, the ink jet head, and the ink jet printer. In particular, when ink mist adheres to a medium to be printed, there is a problem that an image is defective.

  Therefore, conventionally, an inkjet printer has been provided with a mechanism for collecting ink mist. For example, the ink jet printer described in Patent Document 1 is provided with an empty discharge receiving portion including an adsorbent that adsorbs ink and a fan. In this ink jet printer, when ink is ejected into the empty ejection receiving portion in the flushing process, the ejected ink is adsorbed by the adsorbent, and the ink mist that floats when ejected from the nozzle is sucked by the fan to form the paper. The ink mist is prevented from scattering by being attached to the back side of the ink.

JP 2009-101609 A

  However, the ink mist collection mechanism of the conventional ink jet printer corresponds to the ink mist generated during the flushing process, and does not consider the collection of the ink mist generated during printing. Therefore, the conventional ink jet printer cannot solve the problem that the ink mist generated during printing adheres to the medium and the print quality deteriorates. Further, during printing, not only ink mist but also dust and dirt are generated, and there is a problem that the dust and dirt adhere to the printing surface of the media. In particular, when clear ink is used, dust and dirt appear on the printing surface, which may significantly reduce the print quality.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an ink jet printer capable of maintaining print quality.

In order to solve the above-described problems, an ink jet printer according to the present invention is provided so as to be movable in the scanning direction, and the interval between the head unit that ejects ink and the medium is maintained constant during printing. Is installed behind the Y bar that holds the head unit movably in the scanning direction and above the placement unit, and generates airflow between the head unit and the media. An airflow generating mechanism that is attached to the front side of the Y bar so as to be movable along the Y bar, the airflow generating mechanism is fixedly attached to the rear side of the Y bar, and the Y bar, the head unit, and the airflow generating mechanism is disposed so as to overlap in the longitudinal direction, the airflow generating mechanism, through communication with the first ventilation port and the first ventilation port provided in the mounting portion side An air flow generating means for generating an air flow provided with a housing in which a second air vent is formed, and a space between the upper portion of the medium and the medium is larger than the space and a predetermined distance away from the Y bar in the housing. And the airflow generation means is disposed at a position opposite to the position where the airflow generation mechanism is attached to the Y bar with respect to the first ventilation port. The bottom surface of the Y bar with respect to the mounting portion provided between the generating means and disposed at the same height as the bottom surface of the Y bar, with one end abutting against the side of the housing. An inclined surface that is inclined with an upward slope from the top to the top of the housing and a side surface provided with one end abutting on the top of the housing are connected and integrated. A rectifying means for rectifying the airflow by covering the entire corner formed in the Is, the scanning direction of the width of the housing is characterized in that at least the width of the ejection region of ink in the scanning direction of the head unit.

  In this ink jet printer, an airflow generation mechanism is provided that generates an airflow between the head unit and the medium by the first air vent, the second air vent, and the air flow generating means. The air flow generated by this air flow generation mechanism carries ink mist and dust / dust generated during printing, and therefore removes ink mist and the like scattered on the medium, thereby preventing the ink mist and the like from adhering to the medium. Furthermore, a rectifying means for rectifying the airflow is provided in the housing that houses the airflow generating means. For this reason, for example, the stagnation of the airflow generated in the housing can be suppressed, so that the airflow can be effectively generated between the head unit and the medium. Therefore, ink mist, dust, dust and the like can be effectively removed. As described above, since the ink mist and the like can be effectively removed in the ink jet printer of the present invention, the ink mist and the like can be prevented from adhering to the printing surface of the medium, and the print quality can be maintained.

  The airflow generating means is provided at a position spaced a predetermined distance rearward from the Y bar side, and the rectifying means is provided between the Y bar side and the airflow generating means, and is Y with respect to the mounting portion. It is preferable that the inclined portion has an inclined surface inclined from the lower end side of the bar to the upper end side of the airflow generating means. The interval between the head unit and the placement unit is kept constant during printing, and the interval is, for example, about several mm to several hundreds of mm. Therefore, the airflow generation means provided above the placement unit is arranged above the lower end of the Y bar. Therefore, by providing an inclined portion having an inclined surface that is inclined from the lower end side of the Y bar to the upper end side of the airflow generating means with respect to the mounting portion, the airflow is flown along the flow between the Y bar and the airflow generating means. Can be guided. In addition, the distance between the upper part of the housing of the airflow generation mechanism and the medium is much larger than the distance between the head unit and the medium. Therefore, a turbulent flow is generated at a portion where the interval is suddenly widened, that is, an upper corner (corner) on the Y bar side of the housing, and the airflow is retained. On the other hand, by providing an inclined portion having an inclined surface on the Y bar side of the housing, the airflow gradually diffuses toward the airflow generating means side or gradually contracts from the airflow generating means side toward the head unit side. Therefore, generation | occurrence | production of the turbulent flow in a housing can be suppressed.

  Moreover, it is preferable that an airflow generation means generates the airflow which goes to the 2nd ventilation port side from the 1st ventilation port side. As a result, the airflow generating means generates an airflow sucked from the first ventilation port side provided on the mounting portion side in the housing, that is, from the head unit side to the second ventilation port side, so that the space between the head unit and the medium The ink mist scattered from the water can be removed by suction. In particular, it is possible to suck ink mist or the like that scatters in a space behind the head unit (Y bar side), that is, on a printing surface on which ink is ejected onto the medium. Therefore, it is possible to prevent ink mist or the like from adhering to the printed media.

  Moreover, it is preferable that an airflow generation means generates the airflow which goes to the 1st vent side from the 2nd vent side. As a result, the air flow generating means generates an air flow from the second vent side formed in the casing toward the first vent side provided on the mounting portion side in the casing, that is, the head unit side. Airflow can be sent into the space between. In particular, dust and dirt attached to the surface of the media before printing positioned in front of the head unit can be removed by blowing. Therefore, it is possible to maintain a good printing surface on which ink is ejected.

  The width of the housing in the scanning direction is preferably equal to or larger than the width of the ink ejection area in the scanning direction of the head unit. In this case, an air current can be generated over the entire area of the ink ejection region in the scanning direction of the head unit. For this reason, it is possible to cope with various sizes of media printed by the inkjet printer, and it is possible to maintain the print quality of all these media.

  Here, in particular, in a large-sized ink jet printer, the width of the print region in the scanning direction of the head unit is very large as compared with, for example, a home-use ink jet printer. For this reason, for example, in a configuration in which an airflow generation mechanism is provided in the central portion of the print area of the media, there is an area where ink mist or the like cannot be removed. Therefore, by setting the width in the scanning direction of the housing provided with the airflow generation means, that is, the width for generating the airflow to be equal to or larger than the width of the ink discharge area, even in a large-sized ink jet printer, the entire area of the ink discharge area can be obtained. It is possible to remove ink mist and the like.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to maintain print quality in an inkjet printer.

1 is a perspective view showing an ink jet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which looked at the inkjet printer shown in FIG. 1 from back. It is sectional drawing of the inkjet printer shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the air flow generated by an air flow generation mechanism. It is a figure which shows the head surface in the conventional inkjet printer.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an inkjet printer according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an ink jet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view of the ink jet printer shown in FIG. 1 from the rear, and FIG. 3 is an ink jet printer shown in FIG. FIG. As shown in each figure, the inkjet printer 1 is, for example, a flatbed UV curable inkjet printer, and a medium (printing object) is placed while ejecting ink while moving the print head 2 in the scanning direction. The table 3 is configured to move in the sub-scanning direction (direction orthogonal to the scanning direction) according to printing.

  Specifically, the inkjet printer 1 includes a print head (head unit) 2 that ejects ink, a table (mounting unit) 3 on which a medium is placed, and a long roll-type printing paper (hereinafter, roll paper). ) To the table 3, a first tension bar 5 provided on the side of the supply roller 4 for applying tension to the roll paper, a take-up roller 6 for taking up the roll paper from the table 3, and take-up A second tension bar 7 is provided on the roller 6 side and applies tension to the roll paper. With such a configuration, the inkjet printer 1 can print on roll paper in addition to the cut media. In the following description, the left side in FIG. 3 is “front” and the right side is “rear”.

  The ink jet printer 1 is provided with an airflow generation mechanism 10 that generates an airflow between the print head 2 and the medium (table 3). The air flow generation mechanism 10 generates an air flow between the print head 2 and the medium, for example, ink mist generated when nozzles (not shown) of the print head 2 are ejected, dust, and dust. Recover. Specifically, the airflow generation mechanism 10 includes a housing 11 and an intake fan 12 provided in the housing 11.

  The housing 11 is provided at the rear part of the inkjet printer 1. Specifically, the housing 11 is attached to the Y bar 13 with, for example, bolts at a position behind the Y bar 13 that holds the print head 2 movably in the scanning direction and above the table 3. An opening (first vent) 11 </ b> A is formed on the table 11 side of the housing 11. Further, the bottom surface 11 a of the housing 11 is provided at the same height as the bottom surface 13 a of the Y bar 13. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the width of the casing 11 in the scanning direction is substantially equal to the width of the table 3, that is, the width of the printing area in the scanning direction of the print head 2.

  An inclined portion 14 is provided in the housing 11. The inclined portion 14 is provided on the side 11b side of the housing 11 along the Y bar 13, and a bottom surface 14a parallel to the table 3 and an intake fan described later from the lower end side of the Y bar 13 with respect to the table 3. 12 is composed of an inclined surface 14b inclined to the upper end side with an upward gradient and a side surface 14c perpendicular to the table 3. The bottom surface 14a is disposed at a height position equivalent to the bottom surface 13a of the Y bar 13, and is provided in contact with the side portion 11b of the housing. The inclined surface 14b is inclined by, for example, 40 ° with respect to the table 3. The side surface 14 c is provided in contact with the upper portion 11 c of the housing 11. The bottom surface 14a, the inclined surface 14b, and the side surface 14c are connected and integrated, so that the inclined portion 14 is a corner portion formed on the Y bar 13 side and the upper portion 11c side in the housing 11 (see FIG. It covers the entire corner.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of (here, three) exhaust parts (second vent holes) 15 are provided on the side part (rear surface) 11 d of the housing 11 corresponding to the mounting position of the intake fan 12. Is provided. The exhaust part 15 communicates with the opening part 11A. The exhaust unit 15 is provided with a filter (not shown) made of, for example, a nonwoven fabric.

  The intake fan 12 is a part that generates airflow. The intake fan 12 is, for example, a sirocco fan (multi-blade fan), and a plurality (here, three) are provided in the housing 11. Specifically, the intake fan 12 is provided on the exhaust unit 15 side (opposite to the Y bar 13) of the housing 11 at a predetermined distance from the Y bar 13, and has a predetermined distance in the width direction of the housing 11. They are arranged at intervals. Further, a predetermined gap is provided between the intake fan 12 and the side surface 14c of the inclined portion 14. The intake fan 12 is connected to a power source (not shown) and operates in accordance with the power ON / OFF of the inkjet printer 1.

  Next, the generation of airflow in the airflow generation mechanism 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the airflow generated by the airflow generation mechanism. As shown in the figure, when the intake fan 12 is operated, an air flow from the print head 2 side to the intake fan 12 side is generated by the suction force of the intake fan 12 as indicated by an arrow, for example. Due to this air flow, ink mist, dust and dirt generated by the ejection of ink from the print head 2 are sucked by the intake fan 12 and exhausted from the exhaust unit 15. Further, in the airflow generation mechanism 10, the slanted portion 14 suppresses the occurrence of stagnation in the corners on the Y-bar 13 side in the housing 11 to prevent the generation of turbulent flow, and the ink carried to the airflow by the slanted surface 14b. Since mist or the like can be guided to the intake fan 12, ink mist or the like carried by the air current can be effectively sucked by the intake fan 12. Ink mist and dust / dust are collected by a filter provided in the exhaust unit 15.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a head surface of a print head in a conventional ink jet printer. As shown in the figure, in a conventional ink jet printer not provided with the airflow generation mechanism 10, ink mist M generated when ink is ejected from the print head 20 adheres to the nozzle plate surface 21 and the head surface 22. ing. That is, in the conventional ink jet printer, ink mist is scattered in the ink jet printer during printing. Therefore, ink mist adheres to the medium to be printed, and print quality may be deteriorated. In addition, the ink mist M adhering to the nozzle plate surface 21 may be hardened when deposited, which may cause image defects such as missing nozzles.

  On the other hand, in the ink jet printer 1 according to the present embodiment, the air flow generation mechanism 10 that generates an air flow between the print head 2 and the medium by the opening 11A, the exhaust unit 15, and the intake fan 12 is provided. The airflow generated by the airflow generation mechanism 10 carries ink mist and dust / dust generated during printing, and therefore removes ink mist and the like scattered on the media, thereby preventing the ink mist and the like from adhering to the media. . Further, an inclined portion 14 that rectifies the airflow is provided in the housing 11 that houses the intake fan 12. For this reason, since the stagnation of the airflow generated in the housing 11 can be suppressed, the airflow can be effectively generated between the print head 2 and the medium. Therefore, ink mist, dust, dust and the like can be effectively removed. As described above, in the ink jet printer 1 of the present invention, ink mist and the like can be effectively removed, so that the ink mist and the like can be prevented from adhering to the printing surface of the medium, and the print quality can be maintained.

  Further, since dust and dust can be sucked not only by the ink mist but also by the intake fan 12, it is possible to avoid the problem that dust or dust adhering to the printing surface appears in printing using clear ink.

  Further, the inclined portion 14 provided in the housing 11 is disposed between the side portion 11b on the Y bar 13 side and the intake fan 12, and the upper end side of the intake fan 12 from the lower end side of the Y bar 13 with respect to the table 3. It has the inclined surface 14b which inclines to. The interval between the print head 2 and the table 3 is kept constant during printing, and the interval is, for example, about several mm to 150 mm. Therefore, since the intake fan 12 provided above the table 3 is disposed above the bottom surface 13 a of the Y bar 13, the air flow generated by the air flow generation mechanism 10 is sucked from the lower end side of the Y bar 13. It rises toward the fan 12 side (see FIG. 4). Therefore, by providing the inclined portion 14 having the inclined surface 14b inclined from the lower end side of the Y bar 13 to the upper end side of the intake fan 12 with respect to the table 3, airflow flows between the Y bar 13 and the intake fan 12. Can be guided along.

  In addition, the distance between the upper portion 11c of the housing 11 of the airflow generation mechanism 10 and the medium is much larger than the distance between the print head 2 and the medium. For this reason, when the airflow that has passed between the print head 2 and the medium flows into the housing 11 of the airflow generation mechanism 10, the airflow may become a diffusion flow due to pressure fluctuations, and turbulence may occur. Thereby, a stay may occur in a portion where the interval is suddenly widened, that is, in a corner portion (corner portion) of the upper portion 11c of the housing 11 on the Y bar 13 side. On the other hand, since the inclined portion 14 having the inclined surface 14b is provided so as to cover the corner portion on the Y bar 13 side of the casing 11, the air flow gradually diffuses toward the intake fan 12 side. Generation of turbulent flow in the

  Further, since the air flow from the print head 2 side to the exhaust portion 15 side is generated by the intake fan 12, the ink mist scattered in the space between the print head 2 and the medium can be removed by suction. In particular, it is possible to suck ink mist that scatters in a space behind the print head 2 (on the Y bar 13 side), that is, on a printing surface on which ink is ejected onto the medium. Therefore, it is possible to prevent ink mist or the like from adhering to the printed media.

  Further, since the width of the casing 11 in the scanning direction is equal to the width of the ink ejection area in the scanning direction of the print head 2, an air flow is generated over the entire area of the ink ejection area in the scanning direction of the print head 2. Can be made. Therefore, it is possible to deal with various sizes of media printed by the inkjet printer 1, and it is possible to maintain the print quality of all these media.

  Here, in particular, in the large-sized inkjet printer 1 according to the present embodiment, the width of the print region in the scanning direction of the head unit is very large compared to, for example, a household inkjet printer. For this reason, for example, in the configuration in which the airflow generation mechanism is provided in the central portion of the printing region, there is a region where ink mist or the like cannot be removed. Therefore, by setting the width in the scanning direction of the housing 11 provided with the intake fan 12, that is, the width for generating the air flow to be equal to or larger than the width of the ink discharge region, even the large-scale inkjet printer 1 according to the present embodiment It is possible to remove ink mist and the like over the entire area of the ink ejection.

  In the ink jet printer 1 of the present embodiment, the print head 2 moves in the scanning direction, and the table 3 on which the medium is placed moves in the medium transport direction. In such a configuration, as the table 3 moves, scattered ink mist and airborne dust may be dragged in the moving direction of the table 3. Therefore, by providing the airflow generation mechanism 10 above the table 3, ink mist that moves on the medium as the table 3 moves can be sucked and removed by the airflow. Thus, in the inkjet printer 1 configured to move the wide table 3 in the scanning direction in the transport direction, the airflow generation mechanism 10 is provided behind the Y bar 13 that holds the print head 2 and above the table 3. Is particularly effective.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the intake fan 12 generates an air flow from the opening portion 11A side to the exhaust portion 15 side, but the direction of the air flow is a direction from the exhaust portion 15 side to the opening portion 11A side. Also good. In this case, a blower may be provided instead of the intake fan 15, or the intake fan 15 may have a blowing function. With such a configuration, the airflow from the exhaust unit 15 (fan) side to the opening 11A (print head 2) side removes dust, dirt, and the like attached to the media before printing located in front of the print head 2. Remove. Therefore, it is possible to maintain a good printing surface on which ink is ejected.

  In the above embodiment, the width of the casing 11 in the scanning direction is equal to the width of the printing area in the scanning direction of the print head 2, but the width of the casing 11 in the scanning direction is the printing area of the printing head 2 in the scanning direction. It may be larger than the width.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the opening part 11A is formed over the whole lower part of the housing 11, you may provide only in the Y-bar 13 side (a part of lower surface of the housing 11). In short, any structure may be used as long as the airflow is introduced or exhausted in the housing 11.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the exhaust part 15 is provided in the side part (rear surface) 11d, the exhaust part 15 should just communicate with the opening part 11A, and exhaust or flow in the air in the housing | casing 11. The attachment position may be, for example, the upper part 11c.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Inkjet printer, 2 ... Print head (head unit), 3 ... Table (mounting part), 10 ... Airflow generation mechanism, 11 ... Housing, 12 ... Intake fan (airflow generation means), 13 ... Y bar, 14 ... Inclined portion (rectifying means), 14b ... inclined surface.

Claims (3)

A head unit provided so as to be movable in the scanning direction and ejecting ink;
A flat placement unit for placing a medium so that a distance between the medium and the head unit is kept constant during printing;
An airflow generation mechanism provided on the rear side of the Y bar that holds the head unit movably in the scanning direction and above the mounting unit, and generates an airflow between the head unit and the medium; Prepared,
The head unit is attached to the front side of the Y bar so as to be movable along the Y bar, the airflow generation mechanism is fixedly attached to the rear side of the Y bar, and the Y bar and the head unit And the airflow generation mechanism is disposed so as to overlap in the front-rear direction,
The airflow generation mechanism is
A first ventilation port provided on the placement portion side and a second ventilation port communicating with the first ventilation port are formed, and a housing in which an interval between the upper portion and the medium is larger than the interval;
An airflow generating means provided at a position a predetermined distance behind the Y bar in the housing and generating an airflow;
The airflow generation means is disposed at a position opposite to the attachment position of the airflow generation mechanism to the Y bar with respect to the first vent.
In the enclosure,
Provided between the Y bar side and the airflow generating means;
A bottom surface disposed at a height position equivalent to the bottom surface of the Y bar and having one end in contact with a side portion of the housing; and an upper portion of the housing from a lower end side of the Y bar with respect to the mounting portion. An inclined surface that is inclined with an upward slope toward the upper surface and a side surface provided with one end abutting on the upper portion of the housing are integrated and integrated,
Rectifying means for rectifying the airflow by covering the entire corner formed on the Y bar side and on the upper side of the housing in the housing is provided,
The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein a width of the casing in the scanning direction is equal to or greater than a width of an ink ejection region in the scanning direction of the head unit.   2. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the air flow generation unit generates an air flow from the first vent port side toward the second vent port side.   2. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the air flow generating unit generates an air flow from the second vent side toward the first vent side.