JP5811313B2 - Recording apparatus and method for manufacturing recorded matter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus capable of performing band feeding and band recording corresponding to a nozzle row length of a recording head with respect to a recording surface of a recording material, and a method for manufacturing a recorded matter.

Conventionally, band feeding corresponding to the nozzle array length of the recording head has been performed on the recording surface of the recording material, and recording for the nozzle array length, that is, band recording for performing band recording all at once. A corresponding recording apparatus is provided as shown in Patent Document 1 below.
The band feed recording is often used in large-scale inkjet printers and the like that support high-speed recording that requires a large recording area to be recorded in a short time, such as posters and wallpaper, because the recording speed increases.

In the conventional band feed recording, as shown in Patent Document 1 below, the band feed amount for feeding the recording material in the transport direction is set to the same length as the nozzle row length of the recording head. The ink is not ejected at the boundary between the ink ejected to the recording surface by recording and the ink ejected to the recording surface by the next band feed recording.
Also, with the advent of fast-drying pigment inks and UV inks, two different ink layers are continuously laminated on the same recording surface using two different inks, for example, a base ink and an image forming ink. Recording devices that can be formed in a state have also been developed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-118097

However, in the case of the band feed amount having the same length as the nozzle row length of the recording head described above, there is a problem that the thickness of the ink layer at the band boundary portion is likely to vary. This is due to the fact that the thickness of the ink layer ejected to the band end portion is smaller than the thickness of the ink layer ejected to the band intermediate portion. This tendency is noticeable when UV ink is used in which the cured ink layer is formed with the thickness of the ejected ink layer being small as the ink thickness changes little before and after curing.
The problem is that when a two-layer ink layer is formed by separately ejecting a base ink and an image forming ink onto a transparent film-based recording material, Due to the variation in the thickness of the ink, the image quality is degraded.

  An object of the present invention is to reduce variations in the thickness of an ink layer at a boundary portion of a band when forming a base on a recording material by band recording.

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the recording apparatus of the present invention includes a recording head that discharges the underlying UV ink from each nozzle of the nozzle row aligned in the conveyance direction of the recording material, and band-feeding the recording material. A conveyance device capable of intermittent conveyance by an amount, a carriage mounted with the recording head and reciprocating in a direction crossing the conveyance direction, and arranged side by side on the side of the movement direction of the recording head. An ultraviolet irradiation unit that is mounted on a carriage and is configured by an LED array that is cured by irradiating UV light to the underlying UV ink discharged from the recording head, and intermittent feeding of the band feed amount and the nozzle array A recording apparatus capable of performing band recording by ink ejection from a nozzle, wherein the transport device is formed on the recording material and is adjacent to the band in the transport direction. The recording head includes a first recording head and a second recording head, and the base UV ink is ejected from a nozzle row of the first recording head, and the recording head includes the first recording head and the second recording head. The image forming UV ink is ejected from the nozzle row of the second recording head, and the ink droplets ejected from the first recording head and the second recording head at the boundary portion of the overlapping bands. The quantity is different.
Further, the recording apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a recording head that discharges the underlying UV ink from each nozzle of the nozzle row arranged in the conveyance direction of the recording material, and the recording material intermittently by a band feed amount. A transport apparatus that can be transported in a normal manner, a carriage that mounts the recording head and reciprocates in a direction crossing the transport direction, and is mounted side by side on the side of the recording head in the moving direction side. And an ultraviolet irradiation unit configured by an LED array that cures by irradiating UV light to the underlying UV ink discharged from the recording head, and intermittently transports the band feed amount and ink from the nozzles of the nozzle row A recording apparatus capable of performing band recording by ejection, wherein the transport device is configured such that a boundary portion of the band adjacent to the transport direction formed on the recording material overlaps. And it is characterized in that it is configured to perform a that feed.

Here, in this specification, the “band” refers to a recording execution area or a recording-executed one having a width corresponding to the nozzle row length of the nozzle row arranged along the conveyance direction of the recording material in the conveyance direction. means.
“Band feed amount” means a feed amount for actually transporting the recording material when performing recording for each band, and “band recording” means a recording material based on the band feed amount. Is intermittently sent, and the range of the band is recorded at once by one movement of the recording head.

  According to this aspect, it is possible to increase the thickness of the ink layer at the end by overlapping the band boundary with the decrease in the thickness of the ink layer at the end of the band. Accordingly, when the base is formed on the recording material by band recording, it is possible to reduce variations in the thickness of the ink layer at the boundary between the bands. Thereby, it is possible to prevent a decrease in recording quality at the band boundary.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus according to the first aspect, the recording head includes a first recording head and a second recording head provided side by side in the intersecting direction, The base UV ink is ejected from the nozzle array of the recording head, and the UV ink for image formation is ejected from the nozzle array of the second recording head, and the ultraviolet irradiation unit is the first recording head A first irradiation unit arranged side by side and a second irradiation unit arranged side by side of the second recording head, and the first irradiation unit cures the discharged UV ink for the base. The second irradiation section is configured to cure the discharged image forming UV ink.
Here, “image” in “UV ink for image formation” is used in the present specification in a broad sense such as recording information including pictures and characters.

According to this aspect, since the image ink layer can be formed on the base ink layer with reduced thickness variation, it is possible to prevent the image quality from being deteriorated at the band boundary.
Further, according to this aspect, the ink layer of the base is directly formed on the recording surface of the recording material by one movement of the recording head to the forward path or the backward path, and the recording head is moved to the backward path or the forward path. The ink layer of the image is formed by one movement. Therefore, two ink layers can be continuously provided at a time by one reciprocation of the recording head.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus according to the first aspect or the second aspect, the amount of ink droplets ejected from each nozzle of the nozzle row and each LED (light emission) of the ultraviolet irradiation unit. It is characterized by comprising a control unit for controlling the ultraviolet ray irradiation amount irradiated from a diode (Light Emitting Diode) and the band feed amount of the recording material.
Here, the “ultraviolet ray irradiation amount” is determined by the product of the intensity of the ultraviolet ray emitted from the LED and the irradiation time, and is a physical quantity related to the progress of curing of the UV ink.

  According to this aspect, when the base is formed on the recording material by band recording by the control of each controlled element by the control unit, the variation in the thickness of the ink layer at the band boundary can be further reduced. Thereby, it is possible to further prevent the deterioration of the recording quality at the band boundary portion.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus according to the third aspect, the amount of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle corresponding to a boundary portion of the overlapping bands is a position between the boundary portions. The amount of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle corresponding to the above can be reduced.

  According to this aspect, the total amount of ink droplets ejected twice at the time of the previous band recording and the subsequent subsequent band recording becomes excessive at the boundary portion of the overlapping bands. Can be prevented. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the variation in the thickness of the underlayer due to the increase in the ink at the band boundary, and to increase the uniformity of the thickness over the entire band width.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the amount of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle corresponding to the rear end of one band, and the front end of the band following the one band The sum of the amount of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle corresponding to the same amount as the amount of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle corresponding to the position between the “one band” and the “following band” It is characterized by being able to be made.

  According to this aspect, at the boundary portion of the overlapping bands, the amount of ink droplets ejected twice when the first band recording is performed and when the second band recording is performed is the amount of ink droplets in the middle portion of the band. The amount can be as much as the amount. Therefore, it is possible to form a base layer having a uniform thickness over the entire bandwidth.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus according to the fourth aspect or the fifth aspect, the UV irradiation amount irradiated from the LED corresponding to the boundary portion of the overlapping bands is the boundary portion. It is configured to be able to reduce the amount of ultraviolet irradiation irradiated from the LED corresponding to the position between.

  According to this aspect, the amount of UV light (ultraviolet rays) irradiated twice at the time of ink curing of the previous band and the time of ink curing of the subsequent band is excessive at the boundary portion of the overlapping bands. Can be prevented. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of problems such as shrinkage of the ink layer caused by excessive irradiation of UV light (ultraviolet rays) at the band boundary portion, and to form a base layer having a uniform thickness over the entire band width. It becomes possible.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus according to the sixth aspect, the amount of ultraviolet light irradiated from the LED corresponding to the rear end of one band and the front end of the band following the one band. The sum of the ultraviolet irradiation amount irradiated from the corresponding LED should be the same as the ultraviolet irradiation amount irradiated from the LED corresponding to the position between the “one band” and the “following band”. Is configured to be possible.

  According to this aspect, at the boundary portion of the overlapping bands, the irradiation amount of UV light (ultraviolet rays) irradiated twice at the time of ink curing of the previous band and at the time of ink curing of the subsequent band is the band. The amount of UV light (ultraviolet rays) irradiated at the intermediate portion of the lens can be set to the same amount. Accordingly, since the ink layer shrinks uniformly over the entire bandwidth, it is possible to form a base layer having a more uniform thickness.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus according to the sixth aspect or the seventh aspect, the amount of ultraviolet light irradiated from the LED corresponding to a boundary portion of the overlapping bands is the overlap. It is characterized in that it can be increased in proportion to the amount of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle corresponding to the boundary portion of the band.

  According to this aspect, when the amount of ink droplets ejected to the boundary portion of the overlapping bands is small, the irradiation amount of UV light (ultraviolet light) irradiated to the boundary portion of the overlapping bands is also small. On the other hand, when the amount of ink droplets is large, the irradiation amount of UV light (ultraviolet rays) also increases. Accordingly, since an appropriate UV light (ultraviolet light) corresponding to the amount of ink droplets ejected to the boundary portion of the overlapping bands is irradiated, an excess of the ink layer due to excessive UV light (ultraviolet light) irradiation. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of curing unevenness due to insufficient shrinkage and insufficient irradiation of UV light (ultraviolet light).

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the amount of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle corresponding to the rear end of one band. The amount of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle corresponding to the front end of the band following the one band can be selected by a user from a plurality of preset combinations. It is what.

According to this aspect, for example, when the base ink is first ejected onto the recording material and the base ink is cured, and then the image forming ink is ejected thereon, this is caused by variations in the thickness of the base. When color unevenness or the like is not a concern, a setting for reducing the total amount of ink droplets ejected to the band boundary is selected. On the other hand, when color unevenness is a concern, the ink ejection amount can be adjusted to meet the user's request, such as selecting a setting that increases the total amount of ink droplets ejected to the band boundary. Yes.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recorded matter manufacturing method according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the base UV ink is discharged from all nozzles of the nozzle array of the recording head onto the recording material and the UV ink is cured. The first recording step for performing band recording, and the recording material after the first step in the transport direction with a band feed amount in which the rear end of the first band overlaps the rear end of the second band. And a second band recording is performed by overlapping the front end of the second band with the rear end of the first band of the recording material fed to the band. And 2 recording steps.

  According to this aspect, it is possible to reduce variations in the ink thickness at the band boundary, which is a problem when forming the underlayer in band recording, so it is possible to efficiently produce a recorded matter with good recording quality. Become.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal front view of the recording head during a backward movement in a state in which the recording execution area is viewed from the downstream in the transport direction, showing an outline of the internal structure of the recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the recording head during the backward movement showing the outline of the internal structure of the recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal front view of the recording head when moving in the forward direction in a state where the recording execution area is viewed from the downstream side in the conveyance direction, showing an outline of the internal structure of the recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the outline of the internal structure of the recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the invention when the recording head moves forward. FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically illustrating a nozzle array of a recording head and an LED array of a UV light irradiation device when first band recording is performed by the recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing a nozzle array of a recording head and an LED array of a UV light irradiation device when second band recording is performed by the recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the invention. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the ink ejection amount of the recording head by the recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention and the irradiation amount of UV light (ultraviolet rays) ejected from the UV light irradiation apparatus. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a combination arrangement of ink discharge amounts corresponding to a difference in nozzle row position that can be selected by the recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of manufacture of the recorded matter using the recording device which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. FIG. 10 is a longitudinal front view of the recording head according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention when the recording head moves in the forward direction in a state where the recording execution area is viewed from the downstream side in the conveyance direction. FIG. 10 is a longitudinal front view of the recording head according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention when the recording head moves in the backward direction in a state where the recording execution area is viewed from the downstream in the transport direction. FIG. 9 is a plan view schematically showing a nozzle array of a recording head and an LED array of a UV light irradiation apparatus when first band recording is performed by a recording apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a plan view schematically showing a nozzle array of a recording head and an LED array of a UV light irradiation device when second band recording is performed by a recording apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the recording apparatus 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 9, the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, and the third embodiment shown in FIGS. And the manufacturing method of the recorded matter which concerns on this invention performed by using this recording apparatus 1 is demonstrated concretely.
In the following description, first, the basic configuration of the recording apparatus 1 of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 4, and then the characteristic configurations of the present invention will be described in the first to third embodiments. One embodiment will be described in turn by way of example.

The illustrated recording apparatus 1 is an ink jet printer 1 capable of band recording (using the same reference numeral as “recording apparatus”). The inkjet printer 1 includes a recording head 15 that discharges the underlying UV ink C1 from the nozzles 7 of the nozzle row 5 arranged in the transport direction A of the recording material P (hereinafter also referred to as “paper”) P, and the recording material. The transport device 3 capable of intermittently transporting P by a band feed amount D corresponding to the length of the nozzle row 5 and the recording head 15 are mounted and reciprocated in a direction B intersecting the transport direction A. The base UV ink C1 ejected from the recording head 15 is mounted on the carriage 17 in parallel with the carriage 17 on the side of the recording head 15 in the moving direction B, and is cured by irradiating it with ultraviolet rays E. And an ultraviolet irradiation unit 19 constituted by an LED array 55W, which performs intermittent conveyance of the band feed amount D and recording of the band 47 by ink ejection from the nozzles 7 of the nozzle row 5. To be able to have been constructed.
In this embodiment, as the band feed amount D, the length of a straight line connecting the centers of the nozzles 7 at both ends of the nozzle row 5 is used.
Further, the amount of ink droplets ejected from each nozzle 7 of the nozzle row 5, the amount of ultraviolet irradiation irradiated from each LED 41 of the ultraviolet irradiation unit 19, and the band feed amount D of the recording material P are controlled. The control part 21 which performs is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the conveyance device 3 includes a conveyance roller 25 configured by a pair of nip rollers provided at an upstream position of the recording execution area 23 in the conveyance direction A, and the recording execution area 23. It comprises as an example by providing the discharge | emission roller 27 similarly comprised by a pair of nip roller provided in a downstream position.
A band feed signal 31 for instructing conveyance of the band feed amount D is transmitted from the control unit 21 to the motor 29 that drives the transport roller 25 and the discharge roller 27, and the paper P is transferred to the band feed amount. It is configured to be sent intermittently by D.

The recording head 15 is provided with a first recording head 15A for ejecting the base ink C1 and a second recording head 15B for ejecting the image forming ink C2, as an example in FIGS. The first recording head 15A is disposed on the left side of FIG. 1, and the second recording head 15B is disposed on the right side in FIGS.
Of these, the first recording head 15A is provided with a nozzle row 5W that ejects the base ink C1, such as white (W), gold (G), and silver (S). Further, as an example, four nozzle rows that individually eject four colors of image forming ink C2 of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) are applied to the second recording head 15B. 5C, 5M, 5Y, and 5K are arranged in parallel in the movement direction B with a predetermined interval.

An ink discharge signal 33 for instructing an ink discharge amount corresponding to the position of the nozzle 7 is transmitted from the control unit 21 to each of the nozzle rows 5W, 5C, 5M, 5Y, and 5K, thereby adjusting the ink discharge amount. It can be done.
Further, in the illustrated inkjet printer 1, the ink C ejected from the nozzles 7 of the nozzle rows 5W, 5C, 5M, 5Y, and 5K is irradiated with UV light (ultraviolet rays) E and is cured by “UV ink”. It is configured.

“UV ink” is an ink with excellent fast-curing property that is cured and fixed by irradiating UV light (ultraviolet light) E. It is harder than conventional pigment ink that is dried and fixed by evaporating the solvent by heating the heater. It has the feature that the volume shrinkage afterwards is small.
In addition, “UV ink” is environmentally friendly because it does not contain dissolved components, and is instantly cured by irradiating UV light (ultraviolet light) E. Therefore, “UV ink” is suitable for a film-based recording material P having low ink absorbability. Ink.

The carriage 17 is a reciprocating conveyance device of the recording head 15 that reciprocates in the movement direction B along a carriage guide shaft 37 extending in the movement direction B.
The power for reciprocating the carriage 17 is received from a motor (not shown) capable of forward and reverse rotation and capable of precise feed control for each unit step. The rotation of the motor is applied to the carriage 17 via a toothed belt (not shown). It is to be transmitted.

The ultraviolet irradiation unit 19 is a first ultraviolet irradiation unit disposed on the left side as an example of the first recording head 15A that cures the discharged base ink C1. A first ultraviolet irradiation unit disposed on the right side in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 of the first irradiation unit 19A and the second recording head 15B that cures the discharged image forming ink C2. Two types of second irradiator 19B are provided.
In the illustrated ink jet printer 1, the two first irradiation units 19 </ b> A and the second irradiation unit 19 </ b> B apply a predetermined amount of UV light to the ink (UV ink) C discharged onto the recording surface 9 of the paper P. It is configured by UV light irradiation devices 39A and 39B that are cured and fixed by irradiating (ultraviolet rays) E.

The two UV light irradiation devices 39A and 39B include a plurality of arrays corresponding to the arrangement of the nozzles 5W, the nozzles 5C, 5M, 5Y, and 5K in the two recording heads 15A and 15B. An LED 41 is provided. In the figure, the arrangement of the LEDs 41 and the arrangement of the nozzles 7 are drawn in the same way, but this is to avoid complication of the figure, and in fact, one LED is ultraviolet light from a series of 30 to 50 nozzles 7. Are provided in a positional relationship.
Then, a UV light irradiation signal 35 for instructing the irradiation amount of the UV light (ultraviolet light) E corresponding to the position of the LED 41 is transmitted from the control unit 21 to each of these LEDs 41, and the irradiation amount of the UV light (ultraviolet light) E is determined. Adjustments can be made.

  The control unit 21 also has a selection switching processing unit 43 that can change the combination of the ejection amount value of the ink C and the irradiation amount value of the UV light (ultraviolet light) E based on a command input manually by the user. The selection switching processing unit 43 is configured to receive a selection signal 45 selected by the user.

[Example 1] (See FIGS. 1 to 9)
As shown in FIG. 4, in the ink jet printer 1 </ b> A according to the present embodiment, the transport device 3 includes the band 47 adjacent to the transport direction A formed on the recording material P by the control unit 21. The boundary portion 49 is configured to be able to perform an overlapping feed.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, when the rear end of the first band 47A that has performed recording first starts band recording of the second band 47B that performs recording next, the second band 47A. It is set so that it comes to the front end position of 47B, and the boundary part 49 of the two bands 47A and 47B is made to overlap.

Therefore, the ink C is ejected from the rear end of the first band 47A when the recording of the first band 47A is performed, and the ink C is used as the front end of the second band 47B when the recording of the second band 47B is performed. It is discharged again and hit twice.
In FIG. 6, the recording head 15 originally does not move in the transport direction A, but in order to make the explanation easier to understand, the arrangement of the nozzles 7 and the arrangement of the LEDs 41 at the time of the first execution of the recording of the first band 47 </ b> A is performed. An afterimage is also shown at the position where the band feed amount D has moved.

Further, in this embodiment, the base ink C1 is ejected and dried continuously by one movement of the recording head 15 to the return path side R, and once to the forward path side F of the recording head 15. , The ejection and drying of the image forming ink C2 are continuously executed.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, when the carriage 17 moves to the return path side R, the base recording ink C1 is ejected from the first recording head 15A, and UV light (ultraviolet light) is emitted from the first irradiation unit 39A that tracks this. E is irradiated to cure and fix the base ink C1 to form a base 11 serving as the first ink layer 51A on the recording surface 9 of the paper P.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, when the carriage 17 moves to the forward path side F, the image forming ink C2 is ejected from the second recording head 15B, and UV light (ultraviolet light) E is emitted from the second irradiation unit 39B following this. The image forming ink C2 is irradiated and cured and fixed to form the image 13 to be the second ink layer 51B on the base 11 of the first ink layer 51A.

In this embodiment, the amount of the ink droplet C ejected to the boundary portion 49 between the overlapping first band 47A and second band 47B is intermediate between the first band 47A and the second band 47B. The amount is set to be smaller than the amount of ink droplets C ejected to the portion 53.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the amount of ink droplet C ejected at the rear end of the overlapping first band 47A and the amount of ink droplet C ejected at the front end of the overlapping second band 47B. The amount of the ink droplet C is adjusted so that the sum of the amount of the ink droplet C and the amount of the ink droplet C ejected to the intermediate portion 53 of the first band 47A and the second band 47B is approximately the same.

Specifically, the discharge amount of the ink C is divided into four stages of L, M ⁺ , M, and S as an example, where S is a quarter of L, M is a half of L, and M ^+. Is set to 3/4 of L as an example.
5 and 6, the discharge amount of the base ink C1 from the nozzle 7a located in the front row of the nozzle row 5W of the first recording head 15A is set to S, and the last row of the nozzle row 5W is set to S. The discharge amount of the base ink C1 from the nozzle 7n positioned is set to M ⁺ , and the ink for the base ink C1 from the nozzles 7b, 7c,. The discharge amount is set to L.
Accordingly, the sum of the base ink C1 at the boundary portion 49 between the first band 47A and the second band 47B where the base ink C1 is hit twice is S + M ⁺ = L, and the first band 47A. And the discharge amount L of the base ink C1 in the intermediate portion 53 of the second band 47B.

On the other hand, in the second recording head 15B, the ejection amount of the image forming ink C2 ejected from the nozzle 7a located in the frontmost row of each nozzle row 5C, 5M, 5Y, 5K is set to 0 or the nozzle 7a. By eliminating itself, the image forming ink C2 is not ejected twice at the boundary portion 49 between the first band 47A and the second band 47B even when the paper P is fed by the band feed amount D.
Accordingly, the discharge amounts of the image forming ink C2 of all the remaining nozzles 7b, 7c,..., 7n-1, 7n of the nozzle rows 5C, 5M, 5Y, and 5K of the second recording head 15B are all L. Is set to

Further, in this embodiment, the amount of UV light (ultraviolet light) E applied to the boundary portion 49 between the overlapping first band 47A and second band 47B is set as shown in FIG. The first band 47A and the second band 47B can be adjusted so as to increase in proportion to the amount of ink droplets C ejected to the boundary portion 49 between the first band 47A and the second band 47B.
Accordingly, the irradiation amount of the UV light (ultraviolet light) E applied to the boundary portion 49 between the first band 47A and the second band 47B that overlap is set to the first band 47A to the second band 47B. Is set so as to be smaller than the irradiation amount of UV light (ultraviolet rays) E irradiated to the intermediate portion 49.

  Furthermore, the irradiation amount of the UV light (ultraviolet light) E irradiated at the rear end of the overlapping first band 47A and the UV light (ultraviolet light) E irradiated at the front end of the overlapping second band 47B. UV light (ultraviolet light) E so that the sum of the irradiation amount and the irradiation amount of UV light (ultraviolet light) E irradiating the intermediate portion 49 of the first band 47A or the second band 47B is the same as The amount of irradiation has been adjusted.

Specifically, the irradiation amount of UV light (ultraviolet rays) E is divided into four stages of L, M ⁺ , M, and S, which are the same as the discharge amount of the ink C, as an example. 5 and 6, the irradiation amount of the UV light (ultraviolet light) E from the LED 41a located in the front row of the LED row 55W of the first irradiation unit 39A is set to S, and the position is located in the last row of the LED row 55W. The amount of UV light (ultraviolet light) E from the LED 41n is set to M ⁺ , and the UV light (ultraviolet light) E from the LEDs 41b, 41c,. The irradiation amount is set to L.
Accordingly, the sum of the irradiation amounts of the UV light (ultraviolet light) E at the boundary portion 49 between the first band 47A and the second band 47B irradiated with the UV light (ultraviolet light) E twice is S + M ⁺ = L. Thus, the irradiation amount L of the UV light (ultraviolet light) E in the intermediate portion 57 of the first band 47A or the second band 47B is the same.

On the other hand, in the second irradiation section 39B, the paper P is set by setting the irradiation amount of UV light (ultraviolet light) E emitted from the LED 41a located in the front row of the LED row 55C to 0 or eliminating the LED 41a itself. Even if the band feed amount D is sent, the UV light (ultraviolet light) E is not irradiated twice at the boundary portion 49 between the first band 47A and the second band 47B.
Therefore, the irradiation amounts of the UV light (ultraviolet rays) E of all the remaining LEDs 41b, 41c,..., 41n-1, 41n of the LED array 55C of the second irradiation unit 39B are all set to L.
In addition, the said irradiation amount L of the 2nd irradiation part 39B may differ from the said irradiation amount L of 39 A of 1st irradiation parts.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the amount of ink droplet C ejected at the rear end of the overlapping first band 47A and the amount of ink droplet C ejected at the front end of the overlapping second band 47B. Is configured so that the user can select from a plurality of preset combinations.
Specifically, four types of combinations are prepared as an example shown in FIG. 8, and in the first combination, the discharge amount of the ink C of the nozzle 7a in the front row of the nozzle row 5W of the first recording head 15A is set. S, an arrangement in which the discharge amount of the ink C of the last nozzle 7n of the nozzle row 5W is M ⁺ and the discharge amount of the ink C of the other nozzles 7b, 7c,. Yes.

In the second combination, the ejection amount of the ink C from the nozzle 7a in the front row of the nozzle row 5W of the first recording head 15A is M ⁺ and the ejection amount of the ink C from the nozzle 7n in the last row of the nozzle row 5W. S, an arrangement in which the discharge amount of ink from the other nozzles 7b, 7c,.
In the third combination, the ejection amount of the ink C from the nozzle 7a in the front row of the nozzle row 5W of the first recording head 15A is M, and the ejection amount of the ink C from the nozzle 7n in the last row of the nozzle row 5W is M. , An arrangement in which the discharge amount of the ink C of the other nozzles 7b, 7c,.
In the fourth combination, the discharge amount of the ink C from the nozzle 7a in the front row of the nozzle row 5W of the first recording head 15A is S, the discharge amount of the nozzle 7n in the last row of the nozzle row 5W is S, and so on. An arrangement in which the discharge amount of the ink C of the nozzles 7b, 7c,.

In the first and second combinations, the discharge amount of the ink C at the boundary portion 49 between the overlapping first band 47A and second band 47B is different between the front and rear ends of the band 47. In the third combination, the discharge amount of the ink C at the boundary portion 49 between the overlapping first band 47A and the second band 47B is equal at the front and rear ends of the band 47. It is shown in the figure.
In the fourth combination, a mode in which the discharge amount of the base ink C1 is saved by halving the discharge amount of the ink C of the entire band 47 in the third combination is illustrated.

Next, a method for manufacturing a recorded matter according to the present invention, which is executed by using the inkjet printer 1 having the above-described configuration, will be described.
The method for producing a recorded matter according to the present invention is a first method in which the base UV ink C1 is ejected from all the nozzles 7 of the nozzle row 5 of the recording head 15 onto the recording material P, and the UV ink C1 is cured. The first recording step for recording the band 47A and the recording material P after the first step are overlapped with the rear end of the first band 47A and the front end of the second band 47B. A band feeding step of feeding in the transport direction A by a feeding amount; and a rear end of the first band 47A of the recording material P that is band-fed is overlapped with a front end of the second band 47B. A second recording step for recording the second band 47B.
The printed matter Q is manufactured by repeating the recording of the second band 47B a plurality of times for the size of the base 11 to the image 13 formed on the recording surface 9 of the paper P.

  In the recording of the first band 47A and the recording of the second band 47B, two types of inks C1 and C2 of the base ink C1 and the image forming ink C2 are used respectively, and the return side R is used as an example of the recording head 15. The base ink C1 is discharged and cured continuously with a single movement of the recording head 15, and the image forming ink C2 is discharged and cured with a single movement of the recording head 15 toward the forward path F. It is configured to run continuously.

Hereinafter, the flow of manufacturing the recorded matter Q will be described in detail based on the flowchart shown in FIG.
Based on the command to start recording, the sheet P is transported to a position where the recording of the first band 47A can be performed in step S1. Next, the process proceeds to step S2, where the presence or absence of the selection signal 45 is checked. If there is no selection signal 45, the process proceeds to step S3 and a predetermined combination (for example, the third combination) is selected.
On the other hand, when there is the selection signal 45, the process proceeds to step S4, and one of the first to fourth combinations is selected based on the selection signal 45.

Next, the process proceeds to step S5, in which the ejection amount of ink C from each nozzle 7 and the irradiation amount of UV light (ultraviolet light) E from each LED 41 are determined, and an ink ejection signal 33 is transmitted to the recording head 15 for UV irradiation. A UV light irradiation signal 35 is transmitted to the device 39.
And it transfers to step S6. First band recording is performed. In the first band recording, as an example, the base 11 is formed by discharging and curing the base ink C1 when the return path R moves.

On the other hand, as an example, the image 13 is formed by discharging and curing the image forming ink C2 when the forward path F is moved.
Next, the process proceeds to step S7, where a band feed signal 31 of a predetermined band feed amount at which the boundary portion 49 of the band 47 overlaps is transmitted to the motor 29 of the transport device 3 to feed the paper P by a predetermined band feed amount. To a position where the recording of the second band 47B can be performed.

Then, the process proceeds to step S8, and the second band recording is executed based on the ejection amount of the ink C and the irradiation amount of the UV light (ultraviolet light) E determined in the step S5.
In step S8, as in the case of step S6, as an example, the base 11 is formed when the backward path R is moved, and the image 13 is formed when the forward path F is moved.

Next, the process proceeds to step S9, where the presence or absence of the remaining background 11 or image 13 to be recorded is checked, and when there is the remaining background 11 or image 13 to be recorded, the process returns to step S7 to feed the paper P to a predetermined band. The second band recording is executed again after feeding the amount.
If it is determined in step S9 that there is no remaining base 11 or image 13 to be recorded, printing is finished and the manufactured recorded product Q is output from the inkjet printer 1A.

According to the recording apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment and the method for manufacturing a recorded matter executed by using the recording apparatus 1A, the boundary between the bands 47 in the recording apparatus 1A corresponding to band recording. It is possible to prevent unevenness in the curing of the ink layer 51 by forming the ink layer 51 having a uniform thickness by preventing variations in the thickness of the ink C in the portion 49.
Accordingly, it is possible to manufacture a recorded product Q including the ink layer 51 having a uniform thickness.

[Example 2] (See FIGS. 10 and 11)
The recording apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment has basically the same configuration as the recording apparatus 1A according to the first embodiment, and only the procedure for moving the recording head 15 is different from the first embodiment. Therefore, here, the procedure of moving the recording head 15 and the laminated structure of the ink layer 51 of the manufactured recorded matter Q will be mainly described.

  That is, in Example 1, a surface that becomes the surface of a transparent film-type recording material P in the use state of a recorded material is a recording surface 9, and a base 11 is formed on the recording surface 9. In the order of the image 13, the first ink layer 51A and the second ink layer 51B are formed. On the other hand, in Example 2, the surface to be the back surface of the transparent film-based recording material P in the use state of the recorded material is defined as the recording surface 9, and the first ink layer is first formed on the recording surface 9. The image 13 is formed as 51A, and the base 11 is formed thereon as the second in layer 51B (on the back side of the image 13 in the used state).

Accordingly, the recording data used for executing the recording is supplied with the data reversed upside down, and the image 13 reversed upside down is formed on the surface that becomes the back side in the usage state of the recording material P, and is viewed from the side that becomes the front side. To do.
Accordingly, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, first, the movement of the recording head 15 on the forward path side F is executed to form an image 13 as a first ink layer 51 </ b> A on the recording surface 9 of the recording material P. Next, the movement of the recording head 15 on the return path side R is executed, and the base 11 is formed on the image 13 as the second ink layer 51B.

  The recording apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment also exhibits the same operations and effects as those of the first embodiment. When the base material is formed on the recording material P by band recording, the ink layer at the band boundary 49 is used. Variation in the thickness of the recording medium can be reduced, and deterioration in recording quality at the band boundary can be prevented.

[Example 3] (See FIGS. 12 and 13)
The recording apparatus 1 </ b> C according to the third embodiment is a recording apparatus dedicated to base formation in which only the first recording head 15 </ b> A for base formation is mounted on the carriage 17 without the second recording head 15 </ b> B for image formation. .
Therefore, the second recording head 15B and the second UV light irradiation device 39B, which is the second irradiation unit 19B, are deleted from the recording device 1A according to the first embodiment.

Since other structures are the same as those in the first embodiment, the procedure for moving the recording head 15 in the recording apparatus 1C according to the third embodiment and the ink layer formed on the recording surface 9 of the recording material P are described here. The description will focus on the configuration 51.
That is, in the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the carriage 17 is moved to the forward path side F by the first band 47A to form a single ink layer 51 on the recording surface 9 of the recording material P. A base 11 is formed. Next, the recording material P is fed in the transport direction A by the band feed amount D, and the carriage 17 is moved to the return path side R by the second band 47B as shown in FIG. A base 11 is formed as a single ink layer 51 on the top.

Thereafter, the same operation is repeatedly executed to form the base 11 having a predetermined size on the recording surface 9 of the recording material P.
The recording apparatus 1C according to the third embodiment configured in this manner also exhibits the same operations and effects as those of the first embodiment, and the variation in the thickness of the base ink C1 at the boundary portion 49 of the band 47 is reduced. It is possible to obtain the recorded material Q on which the prevented base 11 is formed.

[Other embodiments]
The recording apparatus 1 according to the present invention and the method of manufacturing a recorded matter executed by using the recording apparatus 1 are basically based on the configuration described above. Of course, it is possible to change or omit the partial configuration within a range not departing from the above.
For example, in the first to third embodiments, the ink C is applied twice only for the base ink C1 to reduce the thickness variation of the ink C at the boundary portion 49 of the band 47, but the image forming ink C2 is used. As for the ink C, it is possible to prevent the variation in the thickness of the ink C at the boundary portion 49 of the band 47 by performing the same ink C twice.

Further, the movement of the recording head 15 is changed between the first to third embodiments by reversing the arrangement of the first recording head 15A and the first irradiation unit 19A and the second recording head 15B and the second irradiation unit 19B. It is also possible to execute the movement in the reverse direction.
In addition, when the pigment ink is fixed by heat drying and solidification instead of the UV ink, it can be realized by using a heater instead of the ultraviolet irradiation unit 19.

The number of nozzles 7 and LEDs 41 located at the rear end of the first band 47A that overlaps and the front end of the second band 47B is one by one as shown in the first to third embodiments. Not limited to this, a plurality of each can be provided.
In that case, the arrangement of the first band 47A and the second band 47B for the plurality of overlapping nozzles 7 and LEDs 41 can be made different to provide a finer arrangement. is there.

1 Inkjet printer (recording device), 3 transport device, 5 nozzle array,
7 nozzles, 9 recording surface, 11 ground, 13 images, 15 recording head,
17 Carriage, 19 Ultraviolet irradiation unit, 21 Control unit, 23 Recording execution area,
25 Roller for transport, 27 Roller for discharge, 29 Motor,
31 Band feed signal, 33 Ink ejection signal, 35 UV light irradiation signal,
37 Carriage guide shaft, 39 UV light irradiation device, 41 LED,
43 selection switching processing section, 45 selection signal, 47 bands, 49 boundary section,
51 ink layer, 53 middle part, 55 LED row, 57 middle part,
P paper (recording material), A transport direction, B movement direction, C ink droplets,
D Band feed amount, EUV light (ultraviolet light), R Return path side, F Forward path side, Q Recorded material

Claims (10)

A recording head that discharges the underlying UV ink from each nozzle of the nozzle row aligned in the conveyance direction of the recording material;
A transport device capable of intermittently transporting the recording material by a band feed amount;
A carriage mounted with the recording head and reciprocating in a direction crossing the transport direction;
An ultraviolet irradiation unit configured by an LED array, which is arranged side by side on the moving direction side of the recording head and mounted on the carriage, and which is cured by irradiating ultraviolet rays to the underlying UV ink discharged from the recording head. With
A recording apparatus capable of performing band recording by intermittent conveyance of the band feed amount and ink ejection from nozzles of the nozzle row,
The transport device is configured to be able to execute a feed in which a boundary portion of the band adjacent to the transport direction formed on the recording material overlaps, and the recording head includes a first recording head and a second recording head. The recording head, the UV ink for the base is ejected from the nozzle array of the first recording head, and the UV ink for image formation is ejected from the nozzle array of the second recording head,
At the boundary of the overlapping band, and characterized in that the amount of ink droplets ejected and the amount of ink droplets ejected from the nozzles of the first recording head, the nozzle of the second recording head is different Recording device. The recording apparatus according to claim 1,
The ultraviolet irradiation unit includes a first irradiation unit arranged side by side with the first recording head and a second irradiation unit arranged side by side with the second recording head, and the first irradiation. The recording apparatus is characterized in that the unit cures the discharged base UV ink, and the second irradiation unit cures the discharged image forming UV ink. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
A control unit that controls the amount of ink droplets ejected from each nozzle of the nozzle row, the ultraviolet irradiation amount irradiated from each LED of the ultraviolet irradiation unit, and the band feed amount of the recording material; A recording apparatus. The recording apparatus according to claim 3,
The amount of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle corresponding to the boundary portion of the overlapping band can be smaller than the amount of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle corresponding to the position between the boundary portions. It is comprised in the recording apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The recording apparatus according to claim 4,
The sum of the amount of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle corresponding to the rear end of one band and the amount of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle corresponding to the front end of the band following the one band is the “ A recording apparatus, characterized in that it can be made to be approximately the same as the amount of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle corresponding to the position between "one band" and "following band". The recording apparatus according to claim 4 or 5,
The ultraviolet irradiation amount irradiated from the LED corresponding to the boundary portion of the overlapping band can be made smaller than the ultraviolet irradiation amount irradiated from the LED corresponding to the position between the boundary portions. A recording apparatus. The recording apparatus according to claim 6,
The sum of the ultraviolet irradiation amount irradiated from the LED corresponding to the rear end of one band and the ultraviolet irradiation amount irradiated from the LED corresponding to the front end of the band following the one band is the “one A recording apparatus, characterized in that it can be made to have the same amount of UV irradiation irradiated from the LED corresponding to a position between "band" and "following band". The recording apparatus according to claim 6 or 7,
The amount of ultraviolet light emitted from the LED corresponding to the boundary portion of the overlapping band is increased in proportion to the amount of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle corresponding to the boundary portion of the overlapping band. A recording apparatus characterized by being configured so as to be able to perform the above. A recording head that discharges the underlying UV ink from each nozzle of the nozzle row aligned in the conveyance direction of the recording material;
A transport device capable of intermittently transporting the recording material by a band feed amount;
A carriage mounted with the recording head and reciprocating in a direction crossing the transport direction;
An ultraviolet irradiation unit configured by an LED array, which is arranged side by side on the moving direction side of the recording head and mounted on the carriage, and which is cured by irradiating ultraviolet rays to the underlying UV ink discharged from the recording head. With
A recording apparatus capable of performing band recording by intermittent conveyance of the band feed amount and ink ejection from nozzles of the nozzle row,
The transport device is configured to be capable of executing a feed in which a boundary portion of the band adjacent to the transport direction formed on the recording material overlaps,
The amount of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle corresponding to the rear end of one band and the amount of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle corresponding to the front end of the band following the one band are preset. A recording apparatus configured to allow a user to select from a plurality of combinations. The base UV ink is ejected from the nozzles of the nozzle row of the first recording head onto the recording material, the image forming UV ink is ejected from the nozzles of the nozzle row of the second recording head, and the base UV ink and A first recording step of performing recording of a first band by curing the UV ink for image formation;
A band feeding step of feeding the recording material after the first recording step in the transport direction with a band feeding amount in which the front end of the second band that overlaps the rear end of the first band;
A second recording step of performing recording of the second band by overlapping the front end of the second band on the rear end of the first band of the recording material fed to the band. A method for producing recorded matter.

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