JP6036384B2 - Pretreatment liquid coating apparatus, image forming system, pretreatment liquid coating method, pretreatment liquid coating method program, and recording medium recording the program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pretreatment liquid coating apparatus, an image forming system, and a pretreatment liquid coating method.

  For recording media on which images are formed with droplets such as ink, feathering (droplet dots are disturbed like a whisker) or color bleed (neighboring droplets are mixed and the color boundary is blurred) In order to prevent this, some images are preprocessed before an image is formed. In the pretreatment, a pretreatment liquid is applied or discharged onto the surface of the recording medium using an application roller or a discharge head, and then the pretreatment liquid on the applied (or discharged) recording medium is dried and fixed.

  In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-260260, the temperature of a fixing device that fixes a developer image on a sheet by heating and pressurizing the fixing device that stops the driving of the heating unit at the timing after the exposure light source is turned on, which is determined based on the measured temperature. A technique relating to a temperature control device is disclosed.

  However, Patent Document 1 describes a case where there is a difference between the time required to supply (store) the pretreatment liquid to the supply pan (application means) and the time required to heat the drying means to the target temperature. There is no description of the technology regarding the relationship between the supply of the pretreatment liquid and the heating of the drying means. Further, when the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used for pretreatment, when there is a difference between the time required for supplying the pretreatment liquid and the time required for heating the drying means, the pretreatment liquid May not be applied to the recording medium and may not be dried. For example, when the conveyance speed of the recording medium increases, it is necessary to increase the storage amount of the pretreatment liquid stored in the supply pan, so that the time required for supply increases and the difference from the time required for heating further increases. .

  Furthermore, when the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used for pretreatment, the drying means is heated to the target temperature when the time required for heating is shorter than the time required for supplying the pretreatment liquid. In order to wait until the pretreatment liquid is stored later, surplus power for maintaining the temperature of the drying means is consumed. Further, when the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used for preprocessing, for example, the recording medium is heated by the heating unit while waiting for the pretreatment liquid to be stored, and moisture of the recording medium is reduced. There is a risk of evaporation and shrinking of the recording medium. In other words, when the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used for preprocessing, the quality of an image formed on a recording medium after that may be deteriorated.

The present invention relates to a pretreatment liquid coating apparatus, an image forming system, or a pretreatment that can reduce the difference between the time required to store the pretreatment liquid and the time required to heat the drying means to the target temperature. An object is to provide a liquid coating method.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pretreatment liquid application apparatus for applying a pretreatment liquid to pretreat a recording medium, the application means for applying the pretreatment liquid to the surface of the recording medium, and a recording A drying unit that heats the medium and dries the pretreatment liquid applied to the surface of the recording medium. The application unit is stored in the storage unit and the storage unit stores the pretreatment liquid. A heating roller that contacts the surface of the recording medium, and a coating unit that applies the pretreatment liquid to the surface of the recording medium; and a detection unit that detects a storage amount of the stored pretreatment liquid. And a heating unit that heats the heating roller to a target temperature, and when the heating roller is heated using the heating unit, the heating roller is heated based on the storage amount detected by the detection unit. Preprocessing characterized by controlling the start timing Coating apparatus is provided.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming system including the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus and an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a recording medium is loaded using a loading step for loading the recording medium, a coating step for applying a pretreatment liquid to the surface of the loaded recording medium, and a heating roller heated to a target temperature. The drying step of drying the pretreatment liquid on the surface of the recording medium, and the unloading step of unloading the recording medium dried with the pretreatment liquid after the pretreatment liquid has been applied. The pretreatment liquid stored in the storage section is used to apply the pretreatment liquid to the surface of the recording medium, and the drying step is performed based on the storage amount of the pretreatment liquid stored in the storage section. There is provided a pretreatment liquid coating method, characterized in that the timing for starting heating a roller to the target temperature is controlled.

According to the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus, the image forming system, or the pretreatment liquid coating method according to the present invention, the time required for storing the pretreatment liquid and the time necessary for heating the drying means to the target temperature The difference can be shortened.

It is a schematic side sectional view showing an example of a pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows an example of the application | coating means of the pre-processing liquid coating device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows an example of the drying means of the pre-processing liquid coating device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram explaining an example of a function of a pretreatment liquid application device concerning an embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining an example of the experimental result of the pre-processing liquid coating device which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the experimental result of the pre-processing liquid coating device which concerns on the comparative example 1. FIG. It is a functional block diagram explaining an example of the function of the pretreatment liquid application device concerning Example 2 of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining an example of the experimental result of the pretreatment liquid application device concerning Example 2 of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the experimental result of the pre-processing liquid coating device which concerns on the comparative example 2. FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic system diagram illustrating an example of an image forming system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

  A non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described using a pretreatment liquid coating apparatus for pretreating a long recording medium (web). The present invention is not limited to the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus described below, but includes a pretreatment apparatus, a medium processing apparatus, a medium supply apparatus, an image forming apparatus, a recording apparatus, a subject machine, a multifunction peripheral, a printer, a scanner, a plotter, As long as it uses a facsimile, a fax, and other recording media (apparatus, equipment, unit, etc.), it can be used for any of them. The recording medium that can be preprocessed by the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to the present invention includes paper, paper, thin paper, cardboard and recording paper, and an OHP sheet, a synthetic resin film, a metal thin film, and other surfaces. Including a medium capable of forming.

  In the following description, the same or corresponding members or parts described in all the attached drawings are denoted by the same or corresponding reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. Also, the drawings are not intended to show the relative ratio between members or parts. Accordingly, specific dimensions can be determined by one skilled in the art in light of the following non-limiting embodiments.

  The present invention will be described in the following order using a pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1. 1. Configuration of pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 2. Operation of pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 3. Pretreatment liquid application method program and recording medium recording the program Examples 1 to 3 (pretreatment liquid coating apparatus, image forming system including pretreatment liquid coating apparatus)
[Configuration of pretreatment liquid coating device]
The configuration of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment applies a pretreatment liquid onto a surface of a recording medium carried in by the carry-in means 10 that carries the supplied recording medium W and the carry-in means 10. And applying means 20 to be applied. In addition, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 includes a drying unit 30 that dries the pretreatment liquid applied to the surface of the recording medium by the coating unit 20 and an unloading unit 40 that unloads the pretreated recording medium. Furthermore, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 can further include an input unit and an output unit (not shown) for inputting and outputting information to / from the outside of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100.

  Here, the pretreatment is a process of applying a pretreatment liquid to the surface of the recording medium and drying (fixing) the applied pretreatment liquid. The pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 is capable of feathering an image to be formed (droplet dots are disturbed in a whisker-like manner) or color bleed (an adjacent color droplet is mixed to make the color boundary unclear). In order to prevent this, the surface of the recording medium W is pretreated before image formation. Further, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 uses the pretreatment liquid to form images on both sides of the recording medium W (front and back surfaces, unless otherwise specified in the following description). The surface (both sides) of the recording medium is pretreated.

  Specifically, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 uses the carry-in means 10 (roller, guide, etc.) to carry the recording medium W before the image is formed into the apparatus. Next, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 applies the pretreatment liquid to the surface of the loaded recording medium W using the coating means 20 (roller, nip roller, etc.). Next, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 dries (fixes) the pretreatment liquid applied to the surface of the recording medium W using a drying unit 30 (such as a heating roller). Thereafter, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 uses the carry-out means 40 (roller, guide, etc.) to carry out the recording medium W having the pretreatment liquid fixed on the surface thereof to the outside of the apparatus. As described above, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 can preprocess the surface of the recording medium before forming an image.

  The carry-in means 10 is means for moving the recording medium W (carry-in, supply, paper feed, movement, nipping, fixing, etc.). In the present embodiment, the carry-in means 10 has a medium carry-in section for carrying the recording medium W into the apparatus, and a tension applying section for applying tension to the carried recording medium W. Note that the recording medium W is transported over a plurality of driven rollers 1 a to 1 i on a transport path inside the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100.

  The carry-in means 10 carries the recording medium W into the apparatus by rotating the carry-in roller 12 of the medium carry-in section. Further, the carry-in means 10 applies tension to the loaded recording medium W using the tension shaft 17 of the tension applying section, the carry-in dancer unit 19 and the like in order to prevent the recording medium W from being wrinkled or loosened.

  More specifically, the medium carry-in unit sandwiches the recording medium W between the carry-in roller 12 and the carry-in nip roller 14 and rotates the carry-in roller 12 while pressing the recording medium W against the carry-in roller 12 by the carry-in nip roller 14. Then, the recording medium W is loaded in the loading direction Win. In addition, the medium carry-in unit enables the recording medium W to be continuously transported (moved) at a desired transport speed and the recording medium W to be transported (moved) in response to a change in the transport speed. Therefore, an extra medium is carried into the apparatus in advance (air loop AL in the figure).

  The tension applying unit passes the recording medium W in an S shape through two pass shafts 15 arranged in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the recording medium W is moved (hereinafter referred to as “conveying direction”). Further, the tension applying unit corrects the position in the width direction of the recording medium W by a pair of plate-like edge guides 16 having an interval approximately equal to the width of the recording medium W. Further, the tension applying unit applies tension to the recording medium W by pressing the tension shaft 17 against the surface of the recording medium W that has passed through the pass shaft 15 and the like.

  Here, on the downstream side of the tension shaft 17, the carry-in dancer unit 19 is suspended from the recording medium W in the present embodiment. The carry-in dancer unit 19 is composed of a weight portion 19a and a rotatable roller portion (buffer roller portion) 19b, and is arranged so as to be movable along the direction of gravity. That is, the recording medium W is given a tension by the upstream tension shaft 17 by being loaded with a tensile stress corresponding to the weight of the downstream weight portion 19a (the carry-in dancer unit 19).

  Note that the pair of plate-shaped edge guides 16 may be fixed to the pass shaft 15 by fixing means (screws or the like), for example. Further, the pair of plate-shaped edge guides 16 may be fixed so that the distance between them can be adjusted according to the width of the recording medium W to be conveyed.

  The carry-in means 10 sandwiches the recording medium W that has passed through the tension shaft 17 between the in-feed roller 18 and the feed nip roller 18a. At this time, the carry-in means 10 conveys the recording medium W in the conveyance direction by rotationally driving the infeed roller 18 using a drive source (not shown). The carry-in means 10 detects the position of the carry-in dancer unit 19 and controls the operation of rotating the infeed roller 18 based on the detected position of the carry-in dancer unit 19.

  A plurality of feed nip rollers 18 a are arranged along the axial direction of the infeed roller 18. The feed nip roller 18a is pressed against the surface of the infeed roller 18 by a spring (not shown).

  The application unit 20 is a unit that applies the pretreatment liquid to the surface of the recording medium W carried in by the carry-in unit 10. The application unit 20 includes a storage unit that stores the pretreatment liquid, an application unit that applies the pretreatment liquid stored in the storage unit to the surface of the recording medium W, and a storage amount of the pretreatment liquid stored in the storage unit. A detecting unit for detecting. The application unit 20 is arranged downstream of the carry-in unit 10 in the conveyance direction. The coating unit 20 will be described in [Coating unit] described later.

  The drying means 30 is means for drying (fixing) the pretreatment liquid applied to the surface of the recording medium W by the applying means 20. The drying unit 30 includes heating rollers 31a to 31j (FIG. 3) that are in contact with the surface of the recording medium W, and heat generating portions 32a to 32j (FIG. 3) that heat the heating roller 31a and the like to a target temperature. The drying unit 30 is disposed downstream of the coating unit 20 in the transport direction. The drying means 30 will be described in [Drying means] described later.

  The unloading means 40 is means for unloading (discharging, discharging, moving, clamping, fixing, etc.) the recording medium W. In the present embodiment, the unloading means 40 includes a medium unloading unit that unloads the recording medium W to the outside of the apparatus, and a tension applying unit that applies tension to the unloaded recording medium W. The carry-out means 40 is disposed downstream of the drying means 30 in the conveyance direction.

  The unloading means 40 conveys the recording medium W sandwiched between the unloading roller 41 and the unloading nip roller 41a in the conveying direction by rotating the unloading roller 41 of the medium unloading unit. Further, the unloading means 40 applies tension to the recording medium W using the unloading dancer unit 42 of the tension applying section in order to prevent or remove wrinkles and slack of the preprocessed recording medium W. Thereafter, the unloading means 40 unloads the preprocessed recording medium W in the unloading direction Wout.

  Specifically, the medium carry-out unit sandwiches the recording medium W between the carry-out roller 41 and the carry-out nip roller 41a, and rotates the carry-out roller 41 while being pressed against the carry-out roller 41 by the carry-out nip roller 41a. W is transported in the transport direction. The carry-out roller 41 is rotationally driven by a drive source (not shown) (such as a motor). A plurality of carry-out nip rollers 41 a are arranged along the axial direction of the carry-out roller 41. Further, the carry-out nip roller 41a is pressed against the surface of the carry-out roller 41 by a spring (not shown).

  The tension applying unit suspends the unloading dancer unit 42 downstream of the medium unloading unit (such as the unloading roller 41). Here, the carry-out dancer unit 42 includes a weight portion 42a and two rotatable roller portions (buffer roller portions) 42b and 42c, and is arranged to be movable in the vertical direction. Further, the carry-out dancer unit 42 winds the recording medium W in a W shape by using two roller portions 42b and 42c. That is, the recording medium W is applied with a tension by being loaded with a tensile stress corresponding to the weight of the weight portion 42a (the carry-out dancer unit 42). In this embodiment, the tension applying unit air-cools the recording medium W heated by the drying unit 40 by conveying the recording medium W to a predetermined distance. Further, the tension applying unit (unloading means 40) detects the position of the unloading dancer unit 42 and controls the operation of rotating the unloading roller 41 based on the detected position of the unloading dancer unit 42.

  The input means is means for inputting information (for example, an electric signal) from the outside of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100. The input means inputs information related to the operation of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 from an external device (such as a PC). In this embodiment, the input means is “information relating to characteristics of the recording medium” and / or “information relating to the conveyance speed of the recording medium” and “information relating to pretreatment conditions (information relating to the operation of the application means 20 or the like)”. Can be entered.

  The output unit is a unit that outputs information (for example, an electrical signal) to the outside of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100. The output means outputs information relating to the operation of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 and / or information relating to the state of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 to an external device (such as a PC). For example, the output unit can output the “pretreatment result” preprocessed by the coating unit 20 or the drying unit 30.

  The input unit and the output unit may include an input unit (for example, a user interface such as an operation panel) for inputting information from outside the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100. The input unit and the output unit may include an output unit (for example, a display unit such as a touch panel) that outputs (displays) information to the outside of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100.

[Coating means]
The coating means 20 of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the application unit 20 includes a surface application unit 21 that applies a pretreatment liquid to one surface (for example, the surface) of the recording medium W, and another surface (for example, the surface of the recording medium W). Back surface application means 22 for applying the pretreatment liquid to the back surface). First, the coating unit 20 transports the recording medium W carried in by the carrying-in unit 10 to the surface coating unit 21, and applies a pretreatment liquid to one surface of the recording medium W. Next, the coating unit 20 transports the recording medium W to which the surface coating unit 21 has applied the pretreatment liquid through a substantially U-shaped conveyance path (the driven rollers 1c and 1d in the drawing), and the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100. In contrast, the relative position of the recording medium W is reversed. Next, the applying unit 20 conveys the inverted recording medium W to the back surface applying unit 22 and applies the pretreatment liquid to the other surface of the recording medium W. Thereafter, the coating unit 20 conveys the recording medium W having the pretreatment liquid coated on both sides to the drying unit 30 (described later).

  Note that the coating means 20 that can use the present invention may be a pretreatment for only one surface of the recording medium W. In the following description, since the structure of the front surface application unit 21 and the back surface application unit 22 is the same, only the front surface application unit 21 will be described, and the description of the back surface application unit 22 will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the surface application unit 21 (application unit 20) according to this embodiment includes a storage unit 21 </ b> A that stores the pretreatment liquid, and the surface of the recording medium W that stores the pretreatment liquid stored in the storage unit 21 </ b> A. And an application portion 21B for applying to the surface. Further, the surface application unit 21 (application unit 20) includes a detection unit 21C that detects a storage amount of the pretreatment liquid stored in the storage unit 21A. Further, the surface application unit 21 (application unit 20) is stored in the storage unit 21A, the supply source 21St of the pretreatment liquid, the supply pump 21Sp that pumps up the pretreatment liquid of the supply source 21St and supplies it to the storage unit 21A. And a drainage part 21D for draining the pretreatment liquid.

  The supply source 21St, the supply pump 21Sp, and the storage unit 21A, and the storage unit 21A, the control valve 21Dv, and the drainage tank 21Dt are connected by a pipe 21Ta and a pipe 21Tb, and a pipe 21Tc and a pipe 21Td. Further, the drainage part 21D drains the pretreatment liquid into the drainage tank 21Dt via the control valve 21Dv (for example, an electromagnetic valve using a solenoid). The drainage unit 21D may drain the pretreatment liquid in the storage unit 21A using, for example, a water head difference.

  The surface application unit 21 (application unit 20) applies the pretreatment liquid stored in the storage unit 21A to the surface of the recording medium W using the application unit 21B. At this time, the application unit 20 detects the storage amount of the stored pretreatment liquid using the detection unit 21C. In addition, the application unit 20 replenishes the pretreatment liquid from the supply source 21St using the supply pump 21Sp as necessary, based on the storage amount detected by the detection unit 21C. Furthermore, the application means 20 drains the pretreatment liquid (for example, pretreatment liquid that has deteriorated over time) stored in the storage section 21A after a predetermined time using the drainage section 21D, and supplies the supply pump 21Sp. A new pretreatment liquid is supplied using Thereby, the application unit 20 can update the pretreatment liquid stored in the storage unit 21A.

  The storage unit 21A temporarily stores the pretreatment liquid. The storage unit 21A can use, for example, a supply pan, a supply tank, and the like. The reservoir 21A is supplied or replenished with the pretreatment liquid from the supply source 21St by the supply pump 21Sp.

  The application unit 21B applies the pretreatment liquid stored in the storage unit 21A to the surface of the recording medium W. The coating unit 21B includes a squeeze roller 21Ba that scoops up the pretreatment liquid stored in the storage unit 21A, and a coating roller 21Bb that transfers the pretreatment liquid scooped up by the squeeze roller 21Ba. The application unit 21B includes a pressing roller 21Bc that presses the recording medium W against the application roller 21Bb. The application unit 21B further transfers the pretreatment liquid transferred from the squeeze roller 21Ba onto the application roller 21Bb onto the recording medium W, and applies the pretreatment liquid onto the surface of the recording medium W.

  The detection unit 21C detects the storage amount of the pretreatment liquid stored in the storage unit 21A. In this embodiment, the detection unit 21C includes a plurality of detection units 21Ca, 21Cb, and 21Cc. Here, the plurality of detection units 21Ca, 21Cb, and 21Cc are arranged side by side in the height direction of the storage unit 21A. 21 C of detection parts detect the height of the liquid level of the pre-processing liquid of 21 A of storage parts as a storage amount of a pre-processing liquid using several detection part 21Ca, 21Cb, and 21Cc. The detection unit 21C uses, as the plurality of detection units 21Ca and the like, sensors that can detect the presence or absence of pretreatment liquid, such as a photo sensor, an optical sensor, a magnetic sensor, an electrostatic sensor, and a linear motion sensor. Also good.

[Drying means]
The drying means 30 of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the drying unit 30 according to the present embodiment is disposed downstream in the transport direction of the coating unit 20. The drying unit 30 dries (fixes) the pretreatment liquid applied to the surface of the recording medium W by the applying unit 20. Further, the drying unit 30 conveys the dried recording medium W to the unloading unit 40 (described later).

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the drying unit 30 according to the present embodiment includes heating rollers 31 a to 31 j that are in contact with the surface of the recording medium W, and a heating unit 32 a that heats the heating roller 31 a and the like to a target temperature (for example, 100 degrees). To 32j. The drying unit 30 includes temperature detection units 33a to 33j that detect the temperature (heating temperature) of the heating roller 31a and the like. That is, the drying unit 30 includes a plurality of heating units including a heating roller, a heat generation unit, and a temperature detection unit.

  In order to increase the contact area between the heating rollers 31a to 31j and the recording medium W, the drying unit 30 can set the contact angle between the heating rollers 31a to 31j and the recording medium W to 100 degrees, for example. Moreover, the drying means 30 can be set as the structure which has arrange | positioned several heating units, for example in zigzag form. Further, since the drying means 30 has a structure that can be opened and closed, when the recording medium W is not dried, the drying means 30 is opened to separate the recording medium W from the drying means 30 and recording by drying (heating) is performed. The shrinkage of the medium W may be prevented.

  In addition, the drying means 30 which can use this invention is not limited to what is shown in FIG. That is, the drying means 30 that can use the present invention can include one or two or more drying units (a heating roller, a heat generating unit, and a temperature detecting unit).

  The heating rollers 31a to 31j heat the recording medium W. The heating rollers 31a to 31j are heated by the heat generating portions 32a to 32j, respectively. Further, the heating rollers 31 a to 31 j heat the recording medium W by contacting the surface of the recording medium W. For example, cylindrical heat rollers can be used as the heating rollers 31a to 31j.

  The heat generating parts 32a to 32j heat the heating roller 31a and the like. The heat generating parts 32a to 32j heat the heating roller 31a and the like to a temperature at which the pretreatment liquid can be dried (hereinafter referred to as “target temperature”). Here, the target temperature is a temperature corresponding to the characteristics and / or coating amount of the pretreatment liquid and the characteristics of the recording medium and / or the conveyance speed of the recording medium. The target temperature is a temperature corresponding to the specification of the drying means 30 (for example, the heat capacity of the heating rollers 31a to 31j). Furthermore, the target temperature can be set to a temperature that is predetermined by experiment or calculation.

  The temperature detectors 33a to 33j detect the temperature (heating temperature) of the heating roller 31a and the like. A known technique can be used for the temperature detectors 33a to 33j.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the drying means 30 according to the present embodiment further includes a controller 30C. The controller 30C is a unit that instructs each component of the drying unit 30 to control the operation of each component.

  The controller 30 </ b> C may be configured by a calculation processing device including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) of a known technology, a memory, and the like. The controller 30C may control the operation of each component of the drying unit 30 (pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100) using, for example, a program (control program, application, etc.) stored in advance. Further, the controller 30C may control the operation of each component of the drying unit 30 (pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100) based on information input from the input unit.

  The controller 30C controls the heat generation amount of the heat generating units 32a to 32j based on the detection result (heating temperature) detected by the temperature detecting units 33a to 33j, for example. Thereby, the controller 30C can control the temperature of the heating rollers 31a to 31j to be maintained at the target temperature.

  Further, in this embodiment, the controller 30C heats the heating rollers 31a to 31j using the heat generating portions 32a to 32j based on the detection result (the pretreatment liquid storage amount) detected by the detecting unit 21C of the application unit 20. Is controlled (hereinafter referred to as “heating start timing”). The controller 30C selects a detection unit corresponding to the heating start timing from the plurality of detection units 21Ca, 21Cb, and 21Cc, and starts heating the heating roller 31a and the like when the selected detection unit detects the liquid level. This is determined as the heating start timing. Furthermore, the controller 30C may control the heating start timing by further using the characteristics of the recording medium W and / or the conveyance speed of the recording medium W. The controller 30C can control the heating start timing by further using, for example, information obtained by combining the characteristics of the recording medium W and the conveyance speed of the recording medium W.

  The operation in which the drying means 30 (controller 30C) controls the heating start timing of the heating rollers 31a to 31j using the heat generating portions 32a to 32j will be described in [Operation of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus] described later.

[Operation of pretreatment liquid coating device]
An example of the operation of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4. Here, FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of functions of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, when the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment starts an operation of preprocessing the recording medium W, first, a storage unit 21A is used using a detection unit 21C of the coating unit 20. , 22A (FIG. 2), the amount of pretreatment liquid stored is detected. In addition, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 detects the temperatures of the heating rollers 31a to 31j (FIG. 3) using the temperature detection units 33a to 33j of the drying unit 30.

  At this time, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 is necessary to preprocess the recording medium W based on the detection result (storage amount) of the detection unit 21C and the detection results (temperature) of the temperature detection units 33a to 33j. It is judged whether it is the storage amount of a process liquid, and the heating temperature of heating 31a-31j. When the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 determines that the storage amount of the pretreatment liquid is not the storage amount of the pretreatment liquid necessary for preprocessing the recording medium W, the pretreatment liquid application apparatus 100 uses the supply pump 21Sp (FIG. 2). The pretreatment liquid is supplied from the supply source 21St to the storage units 21A and 22A. Further, when the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 determines that the temperature of the heating rollers 31a to 31j is not a target temperature necessary for preprocessing the recording medium W, the heat treatment units 32a to 32j (FIG. 3) are used. Then, the heating rollers 31a to 31j are heated. Here, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 controls the heating start timing for starting heating the heating rollers 31a to 31j to the target temperature. Thereby, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 heats the heating rollers 31a to 31j to the target temperature and the time required to store the pretreatment liquid in the storage portions 21A and 22A (hereinafter referred to as “supply time”). Therefore, the difference from the time required for this (hereinafter referred to as “heating time”) can be shortened.

  For example, when the supply time is longer than the heating time, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 uses the control unit 30Ca of the drying unit 30 to set the heating start timing of the heating rollers 31a to 31j based on the storage amount of the pretreatment liquid. Delay. Thereby, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 can shorten the difference between the supply time and the heating time.

  Thereafter, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 carries in as a carry-in step when the storage amount of the pretreatment liquid necessary for preprocessing the recording medium W and the temperature (target temperature) of the heating rollers 31a to 31j are reached. Using the means 10 (FIG. 1), the recording medium W is loaded in the loading direction Win.

  Next, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 applies the pretreatment liquid to the surface of the loaded recording medium W using the coating unit 20 (FIG. 2) as a coating step. Specifically, the application unit 20 applies the pretreatment liquid stored in the storage units 21A and 22A to the surface of the recording medium W using the application units 21B and 22B (FIG. 2). At this time, the application unit 20 detects the storage amount of the pretreatment liquid stored using the detection unit 21C, and uses the supply pump 21Sp as necessary based on the storage amount detected by the detection unit 21C. The pretreatment liquid is replenished from the supply source 21St.

  Next, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 dries the pretreatment liquid on the recording medium W using the drying means 30 as a drying step. Specifically, the drying unit 30 heats the recording medium W using the heating rollers 31a to 31j heated to the target temperature, and dries the pretreatment liquid on the surface of the recording medium W. The drying unit 30 uses the drive unit 30Cb (controller 30C) to maintain the heating rollers 31a to 31j at the target temperature based on the temperatures of the heating rollers 31a to 31j detected by the temperature detection units 33a to 33j. As described above, the heat generating operation of the heat generating units 32a to 32j is controlled.

  After that, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 uses the unloading means 40 as a carry-out step to remove the recording medium W that has been coated with the pretreatment liquid and dried from the pretreatment liquid in the carry-out direction Wout (FIG. 1). ). At this time, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 outputs, as an output step, a pretreatment result obtained by preprocessing the recording medium W and / or a carryout result obtained by carrying out the recording medium W using an output unit (not shown). Also good.

  As described above, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 shortens the difference between the supply time and the heating time when starting the pretreatment operation, and consumes the pretreatment liquid until it is stored in the storage units 21A and 22A. Electric power necessary for maintaining the temperature of the heating rollers 31a to 31j can be reduced. Further, in the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100, for example, the recording medium W is heated by the heating unit 30 while waiting until the pretreatment liquid is stored, the moisture of the recording medium W is evaporated, and the recording medium W is contracted. Can be prevented. That is, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 can prevent wrinkles and the like due to the shrinkage of the recording medium W, so that the quality of an image formed on the recording medium W can be improved. Furthermore, since the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 can delay the heating start timing, for example, even when the conveyance speed of the recording medium W is increased and the storage amount of the pretreatment liquid stored in the storage units 21A and 22A is increased. The difference between the supply time and the heating time can be shortened.

[Pretreatment liquid application method program and recording medium recording the program]
According to the program Pr of the conveying method according to the embodiment of the present invention, a carrying-in step for carrying in a recording medium, a coating step for applying a pretreatment liquid to the surface of the carried-in recording medium, and heating heated to a target temperature A drying step of heating the recording medium using a roller to dry the pretreatment liquid on the surface of the recording medium, and a carrying out step of carrying out the recording medium dried with the pretreatment liquid after the pretreatment liquid is applied. And the application step applies the pretreatment liquid to the surface of the recording medium using the pretreatment liquid stored in the storage unit, and the drying step stores the amount of the pretreatment liquid stored in the storage unit. The pretreatment liquid coating method is executed, wherein a timing at which heating of the heating roller to the target temperature is started is controlled. According to this configuration, an effect equivalent to that of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention can be obtained.

  Further, the present invention may be a recording medium Md that can be read by a computer in which the program Pr is recorded. The recording medium Md on which the program Pr is recorded includes a flexible disk (FD), a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-ROM), a CD-R (CD Recordable), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), and other computer-readable media, and A semiconductor memory such as a flash memory, a RAM, and a ROM, a memory card, an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), and other computer-readable devices can be used.

  As described above, according to the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the time required to store the pretreatment liquid in the coating means 20 (supply time) and the drying means 30 are heated to the target temperature. The difference from the time required for heating (heating time) can be shortened.

  The present invention will be described using an embodiment of an image forming system including a pretreatment liquid coating apparatus and a pretreatment liquid coating apparatus.

[Example 1]
[Configuration of pretreatment liquid coating apparatus] and [Operation of pretreatment liquid coating apparatus]
The configuration and operation of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to this embodiment are shown in FIGS. Here, the configuration and the like of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to the present embodiment are the same as the configuration and the like of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 according to the embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

[Experimental result]
FIG. 5 shows an example of an experimental result of an experiment conducted for confirming the effects and advantages of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5A shows the temperature T (vertical axis) of the heating roller 31a and the like with respect to the elapsed time t (horizontal axis) of the drying means 30 of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus. FIG. 5B shows the storage amount L (vertical axis) with respect to the elapsed time t (horizontal axis) of the coating means 20 of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 5, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to the present embodiment starts supplying the pretreatment liquid to the reservoirs 21 </ b> A and 21 </ b> B (FIG. 2) of the coating unit 20 at the elapsed time t = 0. (FIG. 5B), heating of the heating roller 31a and the like is started at the elapsed time t = t ₁ -t ₂ (FIG. 5A). Here, in the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus, the liquid level of the pretreatment liquid in the reservoirs 21A and 21B has reached a predetermined height L ₂ (for example, 40 mm) based on the detection result of the detection unit 21C of the coating unit 20. The time is set as the heating start timing (t ₁ -t ₂ ) of the heating roller 31a and the like. Thus, reservoir 21A of the coating unit 20, the timing completes that stores the pretreatment liquid (Fig. 5 _{t 1} of (b)) to 21B, etc. to the target temperature _{T 1} of the heating roller 31a of the drying means 30 The timing for completing the heating (t _{1 in} FIG. 5A) could be synchronized. Note that the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus performs preprocessing of the recording medium after Prt shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, and then unloads the preprocessed recording medium.

According to the treatment liquid application device before according to the present embodiment, reservoir 21A of the coating unit 20, and the timing for storing the pre-treatment solution to a height L ₁ of the liquid surface to 21B, the heat roller 31a and the like of the drying means 30 The timing of heating from the normal temperature T ₀ to the target temperature T ₁ can be synchronized. The pretreatment liquid application device, for example, stores the pretreatment liquid in the reservoirs 21A and 21B to a liquid surface height of 45 mm (t _{1 in} FIG. 5B), the heating roller 31a and the like from 25 degrees to the target temperature. The timing of heating to 100 degrees (t _{1 in} FIG. 5A) can be synchronized. That is, according to the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to the present embodiment, the time required for storing the pretreatment liquid in the coating means (supply time) and the time necessary for heating the drying means to the target temperature (heating) The time difference can be shortened. In addition, according to the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to the present embodiment, the difference between the supply time and the heating time can be shortened, so that useless heating time (power required for heating) can be reduced. it can.

  As described above, according to the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to Example 1 of the present invention, the same effects as those of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 according to the embodiment can be obtained.

[Comparative Example 1]
FIG. 6 shows the experimental results of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to Comparative Example 1. FIG. 6A shows the temperature T (vertical axis) of the heating roller with respect to the elapsed time t (horizontal axis) of the drying means of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to this comparative example. FIG. 6B shows the storage amount L (vertical axis) with respect to the elapsed time t (horizontal axis) of the coating means of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to this comparative example.

As shown in FIG. 6, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to this comparative example starts supplying the pretreatment liquid to the reservoir of the coating means at the elapsed time t = 0 (FIG. 6B). Then, at the elapsed time t = 0, heating of the heating roller of the drying means is started (FIG. 6A). As a result, the pretreatment liquid application device according to this comparative example completes the storage (supply) of the pretreatment liquid in the storage unit of the application unit (t _{1 in} FIG. 6B) and the drying unit. The timing for completing heating the heating roller to the target temperature (t _{2 in} FIG. 6A) was different. That is, in the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to this comparative example, the time necessary for storing the pretreatment liquid in the coating means (supply time) and the time necessary for heating the drying means to the target temperature (heating time) Difference (t ₁ -t ₂ ).

In the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to this comparative example, for example, a time (for example, 5 minutes) in which the pretreatment liquid is stored up to the liquid level height L ₁ (for example, 45 mm) in the reservoir of the coating unit, and a heating roller of the drying unit When it is time (for example, 1 minute) to heat from the normal temperature T ₀ to the target temperature T ₁ , a time (4 minutes) for keeping the drying means at the target temperature is generated.

[Example 2]
[Configuration of pretreatment liquid coating apparatus] and [Operation of pretreatment liquid coating apparatus]
The configuration and operation of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to this embodiment are shown in FIGS. Here, the configuration and the like of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to the present embodiment are basically the same as the configuration and the like of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 according to the embodiment, and therefore different parts will be mainly described.

  FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram for explaining an example of functions of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a characteristic input unit 21Ca that inputs the characteristics of the recording medium W and a conveyance speed input unit 21Cb that inputs the conveyance speed of the recording medium W. Also have. The control unit 30Ca (controller 30C) of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to the present embodiment records the characteristics (for example, material and type) of the recording medium W input by the characteristic input unit 21Ca and the recording speed input by the conveyance speed input unit 21Cb. The heating start timing for starting the heating of the heating rollers 31a to 31j (drying means 30) is further controlled using the conveyance speed of the medium W.

  In the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus, the consumption amount of the pretreatment liquid used for the pretreatment varies depending on the type of the recording medium W, the conveyance speed, and the like, so the storage amount of the pretreatment liquid stored in the storage units 21A and 21B (Liquid level) is also changed. In the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus, for example, when the recording medium W easily absorbs the pretreatment liquid or when the conveyance speed is high (for example, 200 m / min), the consumption of the coating amount increases. For this reason, in the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus, in order to prevent the pretreatment liquid from running out during the pretreatment, the characteristic of the recording medium W input by the characteristic input unit 21Ca or the conveyance speed input unit 21Cb is input. Based on the conveyance speed of the recording medium W or the combination of the characteristics of the recording medium W and the conveyance speed of the recording medium W, the pretreatment liquid is preliminarily applied until the liquid level of the storage units 21A and 21B becomes the optimum height. Store it. In the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus, the height of the liquid surfaces of the storage portions 21A and 21B is set to 47 mm, for example.

  The pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to the present embodiment selects a detection unit corresponding to the optimum height from the plurality of detection units 21Ca, 21Cb, and 21Cc (FIG. 2). In addition, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to the present embodiment is configured to start heating of the heating unit 30 when the selected detection unit (21Ca, 21Cb, or 21Cc) detects the pretreatment liquid (liquid level). And

[Experimental result]
FIG. 8 shows an example of an experimental result of an experiment performed for confirming the effects and advantages of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8A shows the temperature T (vertical axis) of the heating roller 31a and the like with respect to the elapsed time t (horizontal axis) of the drying means 30 of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus. FIG. 8B shows the storage amount L (vertical axis) with respect to the elapsed time t (horizontal axis) of the coating means 20 of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 8, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to the present embodiment starts supplying the pretreatment liquid to the reservoirs 21 </ b> A and 21 </ b> B (FIG. 2) of the coating unit 20 at the elapsed time t = 0. At the same time (FIG. 8B), heating of the heating roller 31a and the like is started at the elapsed time t = t ₄ −t ₂ (FIG. 8A). Here, the pretreatment liquid application device, for storing the treatment solution at a characteristic and / or the recording medium W optimal height L ₄ as a storage amount corresponding to the conveying speed of the recording medium W. Therefore, the pretreatment liquid application device, preselected detection unit reservoir 21A, 21B of the pretreatment liquid of the liquid surface height L ₄ a heating start timing such as heating roller 31a when it detects (t ₄ - t ₂ ). Thus, reservoir 21A of the coating unit 20, and completes the timing to store a pre-treatment liquid _{(t 4} in FIG. 8 (b)) to 21B, etc. to the target temperature _{T 1} of the heating roller 31a of the drying means 30 The timing for completing the heating (t _{4 in} FIG. 8A) could be synchronized.

  That is, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to the present embodiment targets the time (supply time) and the drying means necessary for storing in the storage amount corresponding to the characteristics of the recording medium W and / or the conveyance speed of the recording medium W. The difference with the time (heating time) required for heating to temperature can be shortened. Moreover, since the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to the present embodiment can shorten the difference between the supply time and the heating time, it is possible to reduce a wasteful heating time (power required for heating).

  As described above, according to the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to Example 2 of the present invention, the same effects as those of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 according to the embodiment can be obtained.

[Comparative Example 2]
In FIG. 9, the experimental result of the pre-processing liquid coating device which concerns on the comparative example 2 is shown. FIG. 9A shows the temperature T (vertical axis) of the heating roller with respect to the elapsed time t (horizontal axis) of the drying means of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to this comparative example. FIG. 9B shows the storage amount L (vertical axis) with respect to the elapsed time t (horizontal axis) of the coating means of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to this comparative example.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to this comparative example starts supplying the pretreatment liquid to the reservoir at the elapsed time t = 0 (FIG. 9B), the recording medium Heating of the heating roller is started at an elapsed time t = t ₁ −t _{2 in} which the characteristics of W and the conveyance speed are not taken into consideration (FIG. 9A). As a result, the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to this comparative example completes the storage (supply) of the pretreatment liquid in the reservoir of the coating means (t _{4 in} FIG. 9B) and the drying means. The timing for completing the heating of the heating roller to the target temperature (t _{1 in} FIG. 9A) was different. That is, in the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to this comparative example, the time necessary for storing the pretreatment liquid in the coating means (supply time) and the time necessary for heating the drying means to the target temperature (heating time) (T ₄ −t ₁ ).

In the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to this comparative example, for example, a time (for example, 6 minutes) in which the pretreatment liquid is stored up to the liquid level height L ₃ (for example, 47 mm) in the storage unit of the coating unit, and a heating roller of the drying unit Is a time (for example, 5 minutes) for heating from a room temperature T ₀ to a target temperature T ₁ , a time (1 minute) for keeping the drying means at the target temperature is generated.

[Example 3]
The present invention will be described using an image forming system 200 according to Example 3 including the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 of the embodiment. Here, in this embodiment, the image forming system is an apparatus (system, apparatus, device, or the like) that forms an image on the surface of the roll paper Wr using the roll paper Wr as the recording medium W. The image forming system that can use the present invention is not limited to the one described below.

[Configuration of image forming system]
The configuration of the image forming system 200 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Since the image forming system 200 according to the present embodiment includes the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 according to the embodiment, different portions will be mainly described.

  As illustrated in FIG. 10, the image forming system 200 according to the present exemplary embodiment forms an image on the surface of the roll paper Wr, the paper supply device 201 that feeds the roll paper Wr, the preprocessing device 100 according to the embodiment. A surface image forming apparatus 202a. In addition, the image forming system 200 includes a reversing device 203 that reverses the roll paper Wr to form an image on the back surface of the roll paper Wr, a back surface image forming apparatus 202b that forms an image on the back surface of the roll paper Wr, Is provided.

  First, the image forming system 200 rotates the roll tube of the paper feeding device 201 to supply the roll paper Wr held by the roll tube to the pre-processing device 100 (Win in the drawing). Next, the image forming system 200 uses the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 to apply the pretreatment liquid to the surface (both sides) of the supplied roll paper Wr, dry the applied pretreatment liquid, and roll paper. Preprocess Wr. Thereafter, the image forming system 200 carries out the preprocessed roll paper Wr (Wout in the drawing). Here, the operation in which the image forming system 200 preprocesses the surface of the recording medium W is the same as the operation of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 according to the embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  Next, the image forming system 200 forms an image on one surface of the roll paper Wr using the front surface image forming apparatus 202a. Further, the image forming system 200 uses the reversing device 203 to reverse the roll paper Wr. Furthermore, the image forming system 200 forms an image on the other surface of the reversed roll paper Wr using the back surface image forming apparatus 202b.

  Thereafter, the image forming system 200 discharges the roll paper Wr and ends the image formation.

  According to the image forming system 200 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the same effects as those of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 100 according to the embodiment can be obtained.

As described above, the preferred embodiments of the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus, the image forming system, or the pretreatment liquid coating method of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is limited to the above-described embodiments and examples. is not. The present invention can be variously modified or changed in light of the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100: Pretreatment liquid coating apparatus 10: Carry-in means 20: Coating means 21: Surface coating means 21A: Reserving part (supply pan for surface coating means, etc.)
21B: Application part (application roller for surface application means, etc.)
21C, 21Ca-21Cc: Detection part (sensor for surface coating means, etc.)
22: Back coating means 22A: Reserving part (for back coating means)
22B: Application part (for backside application means)
22C: Detection unit (for backside application means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30: Drying means 31a-31j: Heating roller 32a-32j: Heat generating part 33a-33j: Temperature detection part 40: Unloading means 200: Image forming system 202a, 202b: Image forming means W, Wr: Recording medium on which an image is recorded (Web etc.)
Pr: Program Md: Recording medium on which the program Pr is recorded

JP 9-24461 A

Claims (9)

A pretreatment liquid coating apparatus for pretreating a recording medium by applying a pretreatment liquid,
Application means for applying the pretreatment liquid to the surface of the recording medium;
Drying means for heating the recording medium and drying the pretreatment liquid applied to the surface of the recording medium,
The application unit includes a storage unit that stores the pretreatment liquid, an application unit that applies the pretreatment liquid stored in the storage unit to the surface of a recording medium, and a storage amount of the stored pretreatment liquid. A detection unit for detecting,
The drying unit includes a heating roller that contacts the surface of the recording medium, and a heat generating unit that heats the heating roller to a target temperature. When the heating unit is heated using the heat generating unit, the detection unit Controlling the timing of starting heating of the heating roller based on the detected storage amount;
A pretreatment liquid coating apparatus characterized by that.   The pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects a height of a liquid level of the pretreatment liquid in the storage unit as the storage amount. The application unit includes a plurality of the detection units,
The pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of detection units are arranged side by side in a height direction of the storage unit, and each of the pretreatment liquids is detected.   The drying unit selects a detection unit corresponding to the timing from a plurality of the detection units, and determines that the timing of starting heating the heating roller when the selected detection unit detects the liquid level. The pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: The drying means further controls the timing by further using the characteristics of the recording medium and / or the conveyance speed of the recording medium.
The pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein   An image forming system comprising: the pretreatment liquid coating apparatus according to claim 1; and an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium. A carrying-in step for carrying in the recording medium;
An application step of applying a pretreatment liquid to the surface of the recording medium carried in;
A drying step of heating the recording medium using a heating roller heated to a target temperature and drying the pretreatment liquid on the surface of the recording medium;
An unloading step of unloading the recording medium dried with the pretreatment liquid after the pretreatment liquid has been applied;
The application step uses the pretreatment liquid stored in the storage unit to apply the pretreatment liquid to the surface of the recording medium,
The drying step controls the timing to start heating the heating roller to the target temperature based on the storage amount of the pretreatment liquid stored in the storage unit.
And a pretreatment liquid coating method. A program for causing a computer to execute the pretreatment liquid coating method according to claim 7.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 8 is recorded.

Images