JP6524690B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus.

  Conventionally, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, an ink jet head for forming an image to be transferred on an image receiving drum by discharging ink droplets of an ultraviolet curable ink to the image receiving drum, and before transfer is performed The light source for semi-curing, which is a light irradiation unit for pre-transfer, which irradiates light to the image to be transferred in this state, and main curing which irradiates ultraviolet rays to the image after transfer formed on the recording medium in the state after transfer. An inkjet printer equipped with a light source has been known.

JP, 2011-140132, A

  However, in the ink jet printer described in Patent Document 1, since the light for semi-curing the ultraviolet curable ink is irradiated from the outside of the intermediate transfer member, the curing of the boundary portion of the ink in contact with the image receiving drum is on the ink surface. The problem is that the transfer efficiency from the image receiving drum to the recording medium is lowered because the comparison is insufficient, or because the surface portion of the ink is in a cured state, the fixing of the ink to the recording medium becomes insufficient. there were.

  The present invention has been made to solve at least a part of the above-described problems, and can be realized as the following modes or application examples.

  Application Example 1 In the recording apparatus according to this application example, there are provided a head for ejecting a chemically curing ink, and an intermediate for receiving the ink ejected by the head and transferring the ink to a recording medium. A transfer body, a temporary curing portion which chemically temporarily cures the ink on the intermediate transfer body from the inside of the intermediate transfer body, and a main curing which chemically cures the ink on the intermediate transfer body which has been temporarily cured And a unit.

  According to this application example, by temporarily curing the ink jetted onto the intermediate transfer member from the inside of the intermediate transfer member, the boundary portion in contact with the intermediate transfer member of the ink is made harder than the ink surface. The transfer efficiency to the recording medium is increased because the ink is easily peeled off from the intermediate transfer member, and the surface of the ink in contact with the recording medium at the time of transfer is relatively hard to cure, so the recording medium is strong. Can be fixed on Accordingly, it is possible to provide a recording apparatus which has high transfer efficiency from the intermediate transfer body to the recording medium and can be fixed firmly to the recording medium.

  Application Example 2 The recording apparatus according to the application example is characterized by including a transfer auxiliary portion that holds the recording medium together with the intermediate transfer member.

  According to this application example, in a state in which the ink on the intermediate transfer body is in contact with the recording medium, the intermediate transfer body and the transfer auxiliary portion sandwich the ink and apply pressure to them, thereby transferring the ink to the recording medium This makes it easy to transfer the ink to the recording medium more efficiently. Therefore, the effect of increasing the transfer efficiency from the intermediate transfer body to the recording medium can be obtained.

  Application Example 3 In the recording apparatus according to the application example described above, the recording apparatus further comprises a cleaning unit for removing the ink applied on the intermediate transfer member.

  According to this application example, for example, when the printing conditions are not optimum, by providing the cleaning unit that removes the ink remaining on the intermediate transfer body after transfer, the surface of the intermediate transfer body at the time of continuous printing can be obtained. It is possible to prevent image deterioration due to contamination. Therefore, the image quality can be maintained even during continuous printing.

  Application Example 4 In the recording apparatus according to the application example, the ink is a UV curing ink, the temporary curing unit, the main curing unit, and the cleaning unit include a UV lamp, and the UV lamp is It is characterized in that it is disposed inside the intermediate transfer member.

  According to this application example, by using a combination of a UV curing ink and a UV lamp in the present invention, it is possible to more easily create a temporary curing state, a main curing state, and the like.

  Application Example 5 In the recording apparatus according to the application example described above, the number of the UV lamp is one, and the UV irradiation is performed from the UV lamp toward the temporary curing unit, the main curing unit, and the cleaning unit. A UV irradiation intensity changing unit for changing the intensity is provided.

  According to this application example, for one UV lamp for which a certain irradiation intensity is set, the temporary curing unit, the main curing unit, and the cleaning unit are each provided with a UV irradiation intensity changing unit that changes the UV irradiation intensity. By installing between the UV lamp and the intermediate transfer member, it is possible to obtain the respective UV irradiation intensity required in each of the temporary curing unit, the main curing unit, and the cleaning unit, and to make the UV lamp common. it can. Therefore, the entire recording apparatus can be miniaturized, and the power consumption of the recording apparatus can be suppressed.

  Application Example 6 In the recording apparatus according to the application example described above, the application surface of the intermediate transfer member to which the ink is applied has a concavo-convex shape.

  According to this application example, for example, by making the surface shape of the ink coated surface of the intermediate transfer body into a shape with micro unevenness, the contact area of the intermediate transfer body and the UV curing ink becomes small, and recording from the intermediate transfer body The releasability at the time of transferring the UV curing ink to the medium can be increased. Therefore, the effect of increasing the transfer efficiency from the intermediate transfer body to the recording medium can be obtained.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a recording apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a recording apparatus according to a second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a recording apparatus according to a third embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each of the following drawings, the scale of each layer or each member is made different from the actual size in order to make each layer or each member recognizable.

First Embodiment
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[Recording device 1]
First, the configuration of the recording apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the recording apparatus 1 includes a head 10, an intermediate transfer member 20, a temporary curing unit 30, a main curing unit 40, a cleaning unit 50, a transfer auxiliary unit 60, a UV lamp 70 and the like.

  The recording apparatus 1 ejects ink from the head 10 to the intermediate transfer member 20 and transfers the ink applied to the intermediate transfer member 20 to the recording medium M. In the present embodiment, the case of using a UV curing ink as a chemically curing ink will be described.

<Ink>
The ink used in the recording apparatus according to the present embodiment is a UV curable ink which is cured by being irradiated with ultraviolet light (UV).

  As the viscosity of the UV curable ink, one having a viscosity according to the purpose may be used, but one having 3 MPa · sec or more and 20 MPa · sec or less at 25 ° C. is preferable. As a result, the ejection from the head 10 can be facilitated, and bleeding of the UV curable ink on the recording medium M can be prevented.

  Examples of the color of the UV curable ink include normal colors of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan) and K (black), specific colors such as light color of these normal colors, white, metallic, clear, etc. Various colors can be mentioned, such as a combination of, and it is not limited.

(Recording medium M)
The recording medium M is a recording medium to which the UV curing ink ejected from the head 10 is attached. The recording medium M can be determined according to the purpose, and examples thereof include a sheet-like member, a web-like member, and a plate-like member, and more specifically, cloth, paper, plastic sheet, etc. .

(Head 10)
The head 10 ejects a UV curing ink which is cured by being irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) light, and an ink jet head may be mentioned, for example. The head 10 is disposed to face the intermediate transfer member 20 and is configured to form an image on the intermediate transfer member 20.

(Intermediate transfer body 20)
The intermediate transfer member 20 receives the UV curing ink ejected by the head 10 and transfers the UV curing ink to the recording medium M. The intermediate transfer member 20 has a configuration in which an annular intermediate transfer member belt 21 is stretched over the intermediate transfer member rollers 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d, and the intermediate transfer member rollers 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d form an annular member. The intermediate transfer belt 21 rotates. At least one of the intermediate transfer roller 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d may be a driving roller, and the remaining one may be a driven roller. Further, the portion of intermediate transfer belt 21 between intermediate transfer rollers 22a and 22d is flat, and head 10 is disposed to face the flat surface, so that head 10 moves onto intermediate transfer belt 21. It is easy to form an image.

(Intermediate transfer belt 21)
The intermediate transfer belt 21 is one of the members constituting the intermediate transfer body 20, and receives UV curing ink jetted from the head 10 and brings the UV curing ink into the recording medium M by bringing it into contact with the recording medium M. Is an annular member responsible for transferring the The head 10 is disposed to face the intermediate transfer belt 21 and jets the UV curing ink onto the intermediate transfer belt 21 while moving in a direction parallel to the surface direction of the intermediate transfer belt 21. An image is formed on the belt 21. In the present embodiment, the intermediate transfer belt 21 is formed of a member that transmits ultraviolet (UV) light.

  Various materials can be used as the material of the intermediate transfer belt 21 according to the recording medium, but it is more preferable that the material be deformable along the printing target surface of the recording medium. For example, the material is not limited as long as it is a material having heat resistance and UV transparency and capable of forming an image with a UV curable ink, and for silicon rubber, a silicone resin-coated flexible film, or a UV curable ink There is a film that does not have strong adhesion. Besides silicone rubber, rubber such as urethane rubber, Teflon (registered trademark) rubber, etc., single substance of elastomer resin or composite material etc. in which the transfer surface is made of the above-mentioned material can be exemplified. do it. If the intermediate transfer belt 21 is made of such a material, the UV curable ink can be transferred by pressing the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 on which the UV curable ink is present directly against the recording medium, thereby bringing the UV curable ink into contact. It can be easily implemented. The thickness of the intermediate transfer belt 21 is preferably 0.1 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less.

  The hardness and thickness of the intermediate transfer belt 21 may be appropriately changed according to the shape of the recording medium. The more complex the shape of the recording medium, the lower the hardness and the thinner the film thickness.

(Intermediate transfer belt surface (coated surface of UV curing ink) 21a)
The intermediate transfer belt surface 21 a is the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21, and it is preferable that the shape thereof has irregularities. With such a shape, transferability can be further improved.

(Transfer assistant 60)
The transfer auxiliary portion 60 sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 21, the UV curing ink on the intermediate transfer belt 21, and the recording medium M together with the intermediate transfer roller 22 b and applies pressure to the UV on the intermediate transfer belt 21 It is an auxiliary part that works to help transfer the cured ink to the recording medium M.

  Next, the temporary curing unit 30, the main curing unit 40, and the cleaning unit 50 will be described. The temporary curing unit 30 chemically temporarily cures the UV curing ink applied on the intermediate transfer body 20 from the inside of the intermediate transfer body 20. The main curing unit 40 is for the main curing of the UV curing ink temporarily cured by the temporary curing unit 30 from the inside of the intermediate transfer body 20. The cleaning unit 50 is for removing the UV curable ink remaining on the intermediate transfer member 20.

  In addition, in this embodiment, UV irradiation intensity change which changes UV irradiation intensity to each of temporary hardening part 30, main hardening part 40, and cleaning part 50 to one UV lamp 70 which set up a certain irradiation intensity. Section (a first UV irradiation intensity changing unit 31, a second UV irradiation intensity changing unit 41, a third UV irradiation intensity changing unit 51), and by installing them between the UV lamp 70 and the intermediate transfer belt 21, temporary The UV irradiation intensity required for each of the curing unit 30, the main curing unit 40, and the cleaning unit 50 is obtained. As a result, since only one UV lamp is used for the recording device 1, the recording device 1 can be miniaturized, and the power consumption of the recording device 1 can be suppressed. At this time, although not described in FIG. 1, a partition or the like is provided so that the ultraviolet ray (UV) of the UV lamp 70 does not reach the UV curing ink on the intermediate transfer belt 21 from other than the UV radiation intensity changing portion. It is good.

(Temporary curing section 30)
First, the temporary curing unit 30 will be described. The temporary curing unit 30 is located upstream of the transfer auxiliary unit 60 in the rotational direction of the intermediate transfer belt 21. The temporary curing unit 30 is disposed between the UV lamp 70 and the intermediate transfer belt 21, and the UV lamp 70 inside the annular intermediate transfer belt 21 and the inside of the same intermediate transfer belt 21. 1 UV irradiation intensity changing portion 31, from the inside of the annular intermediate transfer belt 21, UV curing ink on the intermediate transfer belt 21 passes the first UV irradiation intensity changing portion 31 to UV light (UV light of UV lamp 70 The UV curable ink is cured (provisionally cured) to such an extent that the UV curable ink is not completely cured. At this time, the UV curing ink is in a state in which the surface (inner surface) in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21 is harder than the surface (outside surface) not in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21. . By setting the UV curing ink in such a state, the UV curing ink can be easily peeled off from the intermediate transfer belt 21 when transferred to the recording medium M, and the UV curing ink can be used as the recording medium M. It can be made easy to establish.

  When the UV curing ink is thickened by the temporary curing portion 30 and cured (temporarily cured) to an extent that the UV curing ink is not completely cured, the UV curing ink on the surface (outside surface) not in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21 The viscosity is preferably increased to a viscosity of 1000 MPa · sec or more and 50000 MPa · sec or less, and more preferably to a viscosity of 4000 MPa · sec or more and 5000 MPa · sec or less. When the UV curable ink on the intermediate transfer belt 21 is transferred to the recording medium M by raising the viscosity of the UV curable ink within the above range, the UV curable ink does not blur on the recording medium M Can be transferred well, and as a result, it is possible to obtain a recording medium M to which a high quality image has been transferred. In the present specification, “to cure the UV curable ink to an extent not completely cured” refers to irradiating the UV curable ink on the intermediate transfer member 20 with ultraviolet light (UV) to transfer the intermediate transfer member 20 to the recording medium M. It refers to thickening and curing the UV curable ink to such an extent that the image does not deteriorate when the image is transferred.

(1st UV irradiation intensity change unit 31)
As the first UV irradiation intensity changing unit 31, any unit that can change the UV irradiation intensity can be used, and for example, a UV cut filter can be used.

(Full curing part 40)
The main curing unit 40 is located downstream of the temporary curing unit 30 and the transfer assisting unit 60 in the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt 21. The main curing unit 40 is disposed between the UV lamp 70 and the intermediate transfer belt 21, and the UV lamp 70 inside the annular intermediate transfer belt 21 and the inside of the same intermediate transfer belt 21. 2) UV-curing ink comprising the 2UV irradiation intensity changing part 41 and sandwiched between the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the recording medium M from the inside of the annular intermediate transfer belt 21 and temporarily cured by the temporary curing part 30; By irradiating the ultraviolet light (UV) of the UV lamp 70 which has passed the second UV irradiation intensity changing unit 41, the UV curable ink is cured and fixed on the recording medium M.

(2nd UV irradiation intensity change unit 41)
As the second UV irradiation intensity changing unit 41, any device that can change the UV irradiation intensity can be used, and for example, a UV cut filter can be used. The UV cut filter used at this time is a filter that transmits UV more than the UV cut filter used in the first UV irradiation intensity changing unit 31.

(Cleaning unit 50)
The cleaning unit 50 is located downstream of the temporary curing unit 30, the transfer auxiliary unit 60, and the main curing unit 40 in the rotational direction of the intermediate transfer belt 21. The cleaning unit 50 includes a UV lamp 70 inside the annular intermediate transfer belt 21 and a third UV between the UV lamp 70 and the intermediate transfer belt 21 inside the annular intermediate transfer belt 21. A UV formed of an irradiation intensity changing portion 51 and a cleaning blade 52 provided outside the annular intermediate transfer belt 21 and not transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 21 from the inside of the annular intermediate transfer belt 21 By irradiating the cured ink with the ultraviolet rays (UV) of the UV lamp 70 which has passed the third UV irradiation intensity changing unit 51, the UV cured ink is excessively cured, and the over cure on the intermediate transfer belt 21 is excessively cured. The UV curing ink is scraped off by the cleaning blade 52.

(3rd UV irradiation intensity change unit 51)
As the third UV irradiation intensity changing unit 51, any device that can change the UV irradiation intensity can be used, and for example, a UV cut filter can be used. The UV cut filter used at this time is a filter that transmits UV more than the UV cut filters used in the first UV irradiation intensity changing unit 31 and the second UV irradiation intensity changing unit 41.

  Next, an operation method of the recording apparatus 1 will be described.

  First, an ink (UV curing ink in the case of the present embodiment) that is chemically cured is jetted from the head 10. The intermediate transfer belt 21 constituting the intermediate transfer body 20 receives the UV curing ink jetted from the head 10. The intermediate transfer belt 21 is rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 1 by the intermediate transfer rollers 22a, 22b, 22c and 22d. The UV curing ink on the intermediate transfer belt 21 is conveyed to the temporary curing unit 30, and is chemically temporarily cured by UV irradiation from the inside of the intermediate transfer body 20. At this time, the UV curing ink is in a state in which the surface (inner surface) in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21 is harder than the surface (outside surface) not in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21. . The UV curing ink temporarily cured by the temporary curing unit 30 is conveyed to a point where the transfer auxiliary unit 60 is disposed by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 21 and transferred to the recording medium M. The recording medium M is moved in the direction of the arrow by the synchronized movement of the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the transfer auxiliary unit 60. The UV curing ink transferred onto the recording medium M is conveyed to the main curing unit 40 and chemically main cured by the irradiation of ultraviolet light from the inside of the intermediate transfer member 20. In the case where the printing conditions such as the UV irradiation intensity are not optimal, the UV curing ink which is not transferred to the recording medium M and remains on the intermediate transfer belt 21 is carried to the cleaning unit 50 and the inside of the intermediate transfer 20 is The film is excessively cured by the irradiation of ultraviolet light, and scraped off and removed by the cleaning blade 52. On the intermediate transfer belt 21 from which the remaining UV curing ink has been removed, the ink (UV curing ink in the case of the present embodiment) which is chemically cured is jetted from the head 10, and the above operation is repeated.

  As described above, according to the recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the UV curable ink on the intermediate transfer belt 21 is irradiated with the UV lamp from the inside of the intermediate transfer belt 21 so that the intermediate transfer belt 21 is Can be made harder than the surface (outside surface) which is not in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21 and when it is transferred onto the recording medium M, the UV curing ink In order to obtain a recording apparatus, the transfer efficiency is high because the toner easily peels off the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the UV-curable ink is sufficiently fixed on the recording medium M and the UV-curable ink is sufficiently fixed on the recording medium. Can.

Second Embodiment
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a recording apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Recording device 2]
First, the configuration of the recording apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The recording apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment differs from the recording apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment in that UV lamps used in the main curing unit and the cleaning unit are disposed outside the intermediate transfer member.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the recording apparatus 2 includes a head 10, an intermediate transfer member 20, a temporary curing unit 30a, a main curing unit 40a, a cleaning unit 50a, a transfer auxiliary unit 60, a UV lamp 70a, an external main curing UV lamp 71, An external cleaning UV lamp 72 and the like are provided.

  The recording device 2 ejects the ink from the head 10 to the intermediate transfer member 20 and transfers the ink applied to the intermediate transfer member 20 to the recording medium M. In the present embodiment, the case of using a UV curing ink as a chemically curing ink will be described.

<Ink>
The ink used in the recording apparatus according to the present embodiment is a UV curable ink which is cured by being irradiated with ultraviolet light (UV).

  As the viscosity of the UV curable ink, one having a viscosity according to the purpose may be used, but one having 3 MPa · sec or more and 20 MPa · sec or less at 25 ° C. is preferable. As a result, the ejection from the head 10 can be facilitated, and bleeding of the UV curable ink on the recording medium M can be prevented.

  Examples of the color of the UV curable ink include normal colors of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan) and K (black), specific colors such as light color of these normal colors, white, metallic, clear, etc. Various colors can be mentioned, such as a combination of, and it is not limited.

(Recording medium M)
The recording medium M is a recording medium to which the UV curing ink ejected from the head 10 is attached. The recording medium M can be determined according to the purpose, and examples thereof include a sheet-like member, a web-like member, and a plate-like member, and more specifically, cloth, paper, plastic sheet, etc. .

(Head 10)
The head 10 ejects a UV curing ink which is cured by being irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) light, and an ink jet head may be mentioned, for example. The head 10 is disposed to face the intermediate transfer member 20 and is configured to form an image on the intermediate transfer member 20.

(Intermediate transfer body 20)
The intermediate transfer member 20 receives the UV curing ink ejected by the head 10 and transfers the UV curing ink to the recording medium M. The intermediate transfer member 20 has a configuration in which an annular intermediate transfer member belt 21 is stretched over the intermediate transfer member rollers 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d, and the intermediate transfer member rollers 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d form an annular member. The intermediate transfer belt 21 rotates. At least one of the intermediate transfer roller 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d may be a driving roller, and the remaining one may be a driven roller. Further, the portion of intermediate transfer belt 21 between intermediate transfer rollers 22a and 22d is flat, and head 10 is disposed to face the flat surface, so that head 10 moves onto intermediate transfer belt 21. It is easy to form an image.

(Intermediate transfer belt 21)
The intermediate transfer belt 21 is one of the members constituting the intermediate transfer body 20 and receives the UV curing ink jetted from the head 10 and brings the UV curing ink onto the recording medium M by bringing it into contact with the recording medium M. It is an annular member responsible for transferring ink. The head 10 is disposed to face the intermediate transfer belt 21 and jets the UV curing ink onto the intermediate transfer belt 21 while moving in a direction parallel to the surface direction of the intermediate transfer belt 21. An image is formed on the belt 21. In the present embodiment, the intermediate transfer belt 21 is formed of a member that transmits ultraviolet (UV) light.

  Various materials can be used as the material of the intermediate transfer belt 21 according to the recording medium, but it is more preferable that the material be deformable along the printing target surface of the recording medium. For example, the material is not limited as long as it is a material having heat resistance and UV transparency and capable of forming an image with a UV curable ink, and for silicon rubber, a silicone resin-coated flexible film, or a UV curable ink There is a film that does not have strong adhesion. Besides silicone rubber, rubber such as urethane rubber, Teflon (registered trademark) rubber, etc., single substance of elastomer resin or composite material etc. in which the transfer surface is made of the above-mentioned material can be exemplified. do it. If the intermediate transfer belt 21 is made of such a material, the UV curable ink can be transferred by pressing the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 on which the UV curable ink is present directly against the recording medium, thereby bringing the UV curable ink into contact. It can be easily implemented. The thickness of the intermediate transfer belt 21 is preferably 0.1 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less.

  The hardness and thickness of the intermediate transfer belt 21 may be appropriately changed according to the shape of the recording medium. The more complex the shape of the recording medium, the lower the hardness and the thinner the film thickness.

(Intermediate transfer belt surface 21a)
The intermediate transfer belt surface 21 a is the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21, and it is preferable that the shape thereof has irregularities. With such a shape, transferability can be further improved.

(Transfer assistant 60)
The transfer auxiliary portion 60 sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 21, the UV curing ink on the intermediate transfer belt 21, and the recording medium M together with the intermediate transfer roller 22 b and applies pressure to the UV on the intermediate transfer belt 21. It is an auxiliary part that works to help transfer the cured ink to the recording medium M.

  Next, the temporary curing unit 30a, the main curing unit 40a, and the cleaning unit 50a will be described. The temporary curing unit 30 a chemically temporarily cures the UV curing ink applied on the intermediate transfer body 20 from the inside of the intermediate transfer body 20. The main curing portion 40 a is for main curing the UV curing ink temporarily cured by the temporary curing portion 30 a from the outside of the intermediate transfer body 20. The cleaning unit 50 a is for removing the UV curable ink remaining on the intermediate transfer member 20.

  In the present embodiment, different from the first embodiment, each of the temporary curing unit 30a, the main curing unit 40a, and the cleaning unit 50a is provided with separate UV lamps, and the appropriate UV irradiation intensity is set and used, respectively. Do.

(Temporary curing unit 30a)
First, the temporary curing unit 30a will be described. The temporary curing unit 30 a is located upstream of the transfer auxiliary unit 60 in the rotational direction of the intermediate transfer belt 21. The temporary curing unit 30 a is constituted by an internal temporary curing UV lamp 70 a inside the annular intermediate transfer belt 21, and UV curing ink on the intermediate transfer belt 21 is formed from the inside of the annular intermediate transfer belt 21. By irradiating ultraviolet rays with the internal temporary curing UV lamp 70a, the UV curing ink is cured (temporary curing) to an extent that the UV curing ink is not completely cured. At this time, the UV curing ink is in a state in which the surface (inner surface) in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21 is harder than the surface (outside surface) not in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21. . By setting the UV curing ink in such a state, the UV curing ink can be easily peeled off from the intermediate transfer belt 21 when transferred to the recording medium M, and the UV curing ink is the recording medium M. It is possible to make it easier to

  When the UV curing ink is thickened by the temporary curing portion 30 a and cured (temporarily cured) to an extent that the UV curing ink is not completely cured, the UV curing ink on the surface (outside surface) not in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21. The viscosity is preferably increased to a viscosity of 1000 MPa · sec or more and 50000 MPa · sec or less, and more preferably to a viscosity of 4000 MPa · sec or more and 5000 MPa · sec or less. When the UV curable ink on the intermediate transfer belt 21 is transferred to the recording medium M by raising the viscosity of the UV curable ink within the above range, the UV curable ink does not blur on the recording medium M Can be transferred well, and as a result, it is possible to obtain a recording medium M to which a high quality image has been transferred. In the present specification, “to cure the UV curable ink to an extent not completely cured” refers to irradiating the UV curable ink on the intermediate transfer member 20 with ultraviolet light (UV) to transfer the intermediate transfer member 20 to the recording medium M. It refers to thickening and curing the UV curable ink to such an extent that the image does not deteriorate when the image is transferred.

(Full curing part 40a)
The main curing portion 40 a is configured of an external main curing UV lamp 71 disposed outside the intermediate transfer belt 21, and a recording UV on which the UV curing ink temporarily cured by the temporary curing portion 30 a is transferred by the transfer assisting portion 60. The medium M is subjected to main curing with the external main curing UV lamp 71 to fix the UV curing ink on the recording medium M.

(Cleaning unit 50a)
The cleaning unit 50 a is located downstream of the temporary curing unit 30 a and the transfer auxiliary unit 60 in the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt 21. The cleaning unit 50 a includes an external cleaning UV lamp 72 outside the annular intermediate transfer belt 21 and a cleaning blade 52 outside the annular intermediate transfer belt 21, from the outside of the annular intermediate transfer belt 21. The UV curable ink is excessively cured by irradiating the UV curable ink remaining without being transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 21 with ultraviolet light (UV) using the external cleaning UV lamp 72, and the intermediate transfer belt 21 The above-described excessively cured UV curable ink is scraped off by the cleaning blade 52.

  Next, an operation method of the recording device 2 will be described.

  First, an ink (UV curing ink in the case of the present embodiment) that is chemically cured is jetted from the head 10. The intermediate transfer belt 21 constituting the intermediate transfer body 20 receives the UV curing ink jetted from the head 10. The intermediate transfer belt 21 is rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 1 by the intermediate transfer rollers 22a, 22b, 22c and 22d. The UV curing ink on the intermediate transfer belt 21 is conveyed to the temporary curing unit 30 a and is chemically temporarily cured by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation from the inside of the intermediate transfer body 20. At this time, the UV curing ink is in a state in which the surface (inner surface) in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21 is harder than the surface (outside surface) not in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21. . The UV curing ink temporarily cured by the temporary curing unit 30 a is conveyed to a point where the transfer auxiliary unit 60 is disposed by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 21 and transferred to the recording medium M. The recording medium M is moved in the direction of the arrow by the synchronized movement of the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the transfer auxiliary unit 60. The UV curing ink transferred onto the recording medium M is carried to the main curing unit 40 a, and is chemically main cured by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation from the outside of the intermediate transfer member 20. In the case where the printing conditions such as the UV irradiation intensity are not optimum, the UV curing ink which is not transferred to the recording medium M and remains on the intermediate transfer belt 21 is carried to the cleaning section 50a and the outside of the intermediate transfer 20 The film is excessively cured by the irradiation of ultraviolet light, and scraped off and removed by the cleaning blade 52. On the intermediate transfer belt 21 from which the remaining UV curing ink has been removed, the ink (UV curing ink in the case of the present embodiment) which is chemically cured is jetted from the head 10, and the above operation is repeated.

  As described above, according to the recording apparatus 2 of the present embodiment, the UV curing ink on the intermediate transfer belt 21 is irradiated with the UV lamp from the inside of the intermediate transfer belt 21 in the temporary curing unit 30a. The surface (inside surface) in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21 can be made harder than the surface (outside surface) not in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21 and is transferred to the recording medium M In this case, the UV curable ink easily peels off the intermediate transfer belt 21, so that the transfer efficiency is high. Also, since the UV curable ink is sufficiently fixed on the recording medium M, the UV curable ink is fixed on the recording medium. A sufficient recording device can be obtained. Further, by performing the main curing in the main curing portion 40a and the cleaning portion 50a outside the intermediate transfer member 20, the life of the intermediate transfer belt 21 can be extended. Further, by performing the main curing in the main curing portion 40a outside the intermediate transfer member 20, it is possible to finely adjust the direction of the ultraviolet irradiation and the like according to the material of the recording medium M.

Third Embodiment
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a view schematically showing a recording apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Recording device 3]
First, the configuration of the recording device 3 according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The recording apparatus 3 according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes a head 10, an intermediate transfer member 20, a temporary curing unit 30b, a main curing unit 40b, a cleaning unit 50b, a transfer auxiliary unit 60, and a heat source 32, 42, and 53. There is.

  The recording device 3 ejects the ink from the head 10 to the intermediate transfer member 20 and transfers the ink applied to the intermediate transfer member 20 to the recording medium M. In the present embodiment, a case where a thermosetting ink is used as the chemically curing ink will be described.

<Ink>
The ink used in the recording apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention is a thermosetting ink that is cured by the application of heat.

  The viscosity of the thermosetting ink may be selected according to the purpose, but is preferably 3 MPa · sec or more and 20 MPa · sec or less at 25 ° C. As a result, the ejection from the head 10 can be facilitated, and bleeding of the thermosetting ink on the recording medium M can be prevented.

  Examples of the color of the thermosetting ink include normal colors of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan) and K (black), specific colors such as light color of these normal colors, white, metallic, clear, etc. Various colors can be mentioned, such as a combination of, and it is not limited.

(Recording medium M)
The recording medium M is a recording medium to which the thermosetting ink ejected from the head 10 is attached. The recording medium can be determined according to the purpose, and examples include sheet-like members, web-like members, and plate-like members, and more specifically, cloth, paper, plastic sheets, etc. .

(Head 10)
The head 10 ejects a thermosetting ink that is cured by the application of heat, and examples thereof include an inkjet head. The head 10 is disposed to face the intermediate transfer member 20 and is configured to form an image on the intermediate transfer member 20.

(Intermediate transfer body 20)
The intermediate transfer member 20 receives the thermosetting ink ejected by the head 10 and transfers the thermosetting ink to the recording medium M. The intermediate transfer member 20 has a configuration in which an annular intermediate transfer member belt 21 is stretched over the intermediate transfer member rollers 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d, and the intermediate transfer member rollers 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d form an annular member. The intermediate transfer belt 21 rotates. At least one of the intermediate transfer roller 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d may be a driving roller, and the remaining one may be a driven roller. Further, the portion of intermediate transfer belt 21 between intermediate transfer rollers 22a and 22d is flat, and head 10 is disposed to face the flat surface, so that head 10 moves onto intermediate transfer belt 21. It is easy to form an image.

(Intermediate transfer belt 21)
The intermediate transfer belt 21 is one of the members constituting the intermediate transfer body 20, and receives the thermosetting ink jetted from the head 10 and brings it into contact with the recording medium M, whereby the thermosetting ink is applied to the recording medium M Is an annular member responsible for transferring the The head 10 is disposed to face the intermediate transfer belt 21 and jets the thermosetting ink onto the intermediate transfer belt 21 while moving in a direction parallel to the surface direction of the intermediate transfer belt 21 to An image is formed on the belt 21. In the present embodiment, the intermediate transfer belt 21 is formed of a member that transmits heat.

  Various materials can be used as the material of the intermediate transfer belt 21 according to the recording medium, but it is more preferable that the material be deformable along the printing target surface of the recording medium. For example, the material is not limited as long as it is a material that is heat resistant and capable of forming an image with a thermosetting ink, and has strong adhesion to silicone rubber, a silicone resin-coated flexible film, or a thermosetting ink. The film which does not have is mentioned. If the intermediate transfer belt 21 is made of such a material, transfer can be performed by pressing the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 on which the thermosetting ink is present directly onto the recording medium to bring it into close contact. It can be easily implemented. The thickness of the intermediate transfer belt 21 is preferably 0.1 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less.

  The hardness and thickness of the intermediate transfer belt 21 may be appropriately changed according to the shape of the recording medium. The more complex the shape of the recording medium, the lower the hardness and the thinner the film thickness.

(Intermediate transfer belt surface 21a)
The intermediate transfer belt surface 21 a is the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21, and it is preferable that the shape thereof has irregularities. With such a shape, transferability can be further improved.

(Transfer assistant 60)
The auxiliary transfer portion 60 holds the intermediate transfer belt 21, the thermosetting ink on the intermediate transfer belt 21, and the recording medium M together with the intermediate transfer roller 22 b and applies a pressure to the heat of the intermediate transfer belt 21. It is an auxiliary part that works to help transfer the cured ink to the recording medium M.

  Next, the temporary curing unit 30b, the main curing unit 40b, and the cleaning unit 50b will be described. The temporary curing unit 30 b chemically temporarily cures the thermosetting ink applied on the intermediate transfer member 20 from the inside of the intermediate transfer member 20. The main curing unit 40 b is for the main curing of the thermosetting ink temporarily cured by the temporary curing unit 30 b from the inside of the intermediate transfer body 20. The cleaning unit 50 b is for removing the thermosetting ink remaining on the intermediate transfer member 20.

(Temporary curing section 30b)
First, the temporary curing unit 30b will be described. The temporary curing unit 30 b is located upstream of the transfer auxiliary unit 60 in the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt 21. The temporary curing unit 30 b includes the first heat source 32 inside the annular intermediate transfer belt 21, and the thermosetting ink on the intermediate transfer belt 21 is formed from the inside of the annular intermediate transfer belt 21 which is annular. By applying heat using the first heat source 32, the thermosetting ink is cured (provisionally cured) to an extent that it does not cure completely. At this time, the thermosetting ink is in a state in which the surface (inner surface) in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21 is harder than the surface (outside surface) not in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21. . By setting the thermosetting ink in such a state, the thermosetting ink can be easily separated from the intermediate transfer belt 21 when it is transferred to the recording medium M, and the thermosetting ink can be used as the recording medium M. It can be made easy to establish.

  When the thermosetting ink is thickened by the temporary curing portion 30 b and cured (temporarily cured) to an extent that the thermosetting ink is not completely cured, the surface of the thermosetting ink not in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21 (outside surface) The viscosity is preferably increased to a viscosity of 1000 MPa · sec or more and 50000 MPa · sec or less, and more preferably to a viscosity of 4000 MPa · sec or more and 5000 MPa · sec or less. When the thermosetting ink on the intermediate transfer belt 21 is transferred to the recording medium M by raising the viscosity of the thermosetting ink within the above range, the thermosetting ink does not blur on the recording medium M. Can be transferred well, and as a result, it is possible to obtain a recording medium M to which a high quality image has been transferred. In the present specification, “to cure the thermosetting ink so as not to completely cure” means that heat is applied to the thermosetting ink on the intermediate transfer member 20 to transfer an image from the intermediate transfer member 20 to the recording medium M. It refers to thickening and curing the thermosetting ink to such an extent that the image does not deteriorate.

(Full curing part 40b)
The main curing portion 40 b is located downstream of the temporary curing portion 30 b and the transfer auxiliary portion 60 in the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt 21. Between the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the recording medium M from the inner side of the annular intermediate transfer belt 21 which is composed of the second heat source 42 inside the annular intermediate transfer belt 21 and the main curing portion 40 b is formed. Using the second heat source 42, heat is applied to the thermosetting ink temporarily cured by the temporary curing portion 30b, thereby curing the thermosetting ink and fixing it on the recording medium M. At this time, the temperature of the second heat source 42 is set higher than the temperature of the first heat source 32 used in the temporary curing unit 30 b.

(Cleaning unit 50b)
The cleaning unit 50b is located downstream of the temporary curing unit 30b, the transfer assisting unit 60, and the main curing unit 40b in the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt 21. The cleaning unit 50 b includes a third heat source 53 inside the annular intermediate transfer belt 21 and a cleaning blade 52 outside the annular intermediate transfer belt 21, and from the inside of the annular intermediate transfer belt 21, By using the third heat source 53, heat is applied to the thermosetting ink remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 21 without being transferred, whereby the thermosetting ink is excessively cured. The excessively hardened thermosetting ink is scraped off by the cleaning blade 52.

  Next, an operation method of the recording device 3 will be described.

  First, an ink (a thermosetting ink in the case of this embodiment) which is chemically cured is jetted from the head 10. The intermediate transfer belt 21 constituting the intermediate transfer body 20 receives the thermosetting ink ejected from the head 10. The intermediate transfer belt 21 is rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 1 by the intermediate transfer rollers 22a, 22b, 22c and 22d. The thermosetting ink on the intermediate transfer belt 21 is conveyed to the temporary curing unit 30 b and is chemically temporarily cured by heating from inside the intermediate transfer body 20. At this time, the thermosetting ink is in a state in which the surface (inner surface) in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21 is harder than the surface (outside surface) not in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21. . The thermosetting ink that has been temporarily cured by the temporary curing unit 30 b is conveyed to a point where the transfer auxiliary unit 60 is disposed by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 21, and is transferred to the recording medium M. The recording medium M is moved in the direction of the arrow by the synchronized movement of the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the transfer auxiliary unit 60. The thermosetting ink transferred onto the recording medium M is conveyed to the main curing unit 40 b, and is chemically and fully cured by heating from the inside of the intermediate transfer member 20. In the case where printing conditions such as the heat source temperature are not optimal, the thermosetting ink remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 21 without being transferred to the recording medium M is carried to the cleaning unit 50b, and from inside the intermediate transfer 20 It is excessively cured by heating, and scraped off and removed by the cleaning blade 52. The thermosetting ink is jetted from the head 10 to the intermediate transfer belt 21 from which the remaining thermosetting ink has been removed, and the above operation is repeated.

  As described above, according to the recording apparatus 3 of the present embodiment, heat is applied to the thermosetting ink on the intermediate transfer belt 21 from the inside of the intermediate transfer belt 21 to contact the intermediate transfer belt 21. The surface (inner surface) can be made harder than the surface (outside surface) not in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21, and when transferred to the recording medium M, the thermosetting ink is intermediate It is possible to obtain a recording apparatus in which the transfer efficiency is high since the toner easily peels off from the transfer belt 21 and the heat-curable ink is sufficiently fixed on the recording medium M and the heat-curable ink is sufficiently fixed on the recording medium. .

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and improvements can be added to the above-described embodiment. A modification is described below.

  (Modification 1) In the recording apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the temporary curing unit 30, the main curing unit 40, and the cleaning unit 50 for one UV lamp 70 for which a certain irradiation intensity is set. A UV irradiation intensity changing unit (a first UV irradiation intensity changing unit 31, a second UV irradiation intensity changing unit 41, a third UV irradiation intensity changing unit 51) for changing the UV irradiation intensity is provided. And the UV irradiation intensity required for each of the temporary curing unit 30, the main curing unit 40, and the cleaning unit 50 is obtained by installing between them, but a plurality of UV lamps may be provided, In the case, the irradiation intensity of the UV lamp can be set as convenient, and the UV irradiation intensity changing part can be omitted if not necessary.

  (Modification 2) In FIG. 1 showing the recording apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 showing the recording apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 3 showing the recording apparatus 3 according to the third embodiment Although the transfer auxiliary portion 60 is expressed by a roller, the intermediate transfer member roller 22 b and the ink on the intermediate transfer member belt 21, the intermediate transfer member belt 21, and the recording medium M are held together with the intermediate transfer member roller 22 b to apply pressure. The shape of the roller is not limited as long as the ink on the transfer belt 21 can be transferred to the recording medium M, and may have another shape. For example, it may be plate-like.

  1, 2, 3, recording device, 10: head, 20: intermediate transfer body, 21: intermediate transfer body belt, 21a: intermediate transfer body belt surface, 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d: intermediate transfer body roller, 30, 30a , 30b: temporary curing unit, 31: first UV irradiation intensity changing unit, 32: first heat source, 40, 40a, 40b: main curing unit, 41: second UV irradiation intensity changing unit, 42: second heat source, 50, 50a , 50b: cleaning unit, 51: third UV irradiation intensity changing unit, 52: cleaning blade, 53: third heat source, 60: transfer auxiliary unit, 70: UV lamp, 70a: internal temporary curing UV lamp, 71: external main curing UV lamp, 72 ... external cleaning UV lamp.

Claims (3)

A head for jetting a chemically curing ink;
An intermediate transfer member for receiving the ink jetted by the head and transferring the ink to a recording medium;
A temporary curing unit that chemically temporarily cures the ink on the intermediate transfer member from the inside of the intermediate transfer member;
A main curing unit for chemically main curing the ink on the temporarily cured intermediate transfer member;
A cleaning unit configured to remove the ink applied on the intermediate transfer member;
The ink is a UV curable ink,
The temporary curing unit, the main curing unit, and the cleaning unit include a UV lamp,
The UV lamp is one arranged inside the intermediate transfer member,
A recording apparatus comprising: a UV irradiation intensity changing unit configured to change the UV irradiation intensity irradiated from the UV lamp toward each of the temporary curing unit, the main curing unit, and the cleaning unit . In the recording apparatus according to claim 1,
A recording apparatus comprising: a transfer auxiliary section for holding the recording medium together with the intermediate transfer member. In the recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 ,
A recording apparatus, wherein an application surface of the intermediate transfer member to which the ink is applied has a concavo-convex shape.

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