JPH08118678A - Ink jet unit and waste liquid absorbing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To efficiently hold waste liquid by providing the discharge side of first waste liquid transfer means at one end of a waste liquid absorber, and providing the discharged of second waste liquid transfer means at the other end of the absorber. CONSTITUTION: A treating solution recovery unit 17 provided for special purpose cartridge containing treating solution is arranged at the left side. A pump unit similar to a recovery unit 13 is also provided in the unit 17, and if the discharge of the solution is failed, suction recovery process is conducted. The liquid discharged from the discharge head by such recovering process is absorbed to waste liquid absorber 16 via a tube 18 of waste liquid transfer means. The unit 17 is independently provided in the unit 13 to avoid the suction failure of the pump unit due to thickening or fixing of the ink and the liquid in the pump.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet apparatus and a waste liquid absorbing method capable of obtaining a high-quality image on a print medium, and more particularly, to an ink on the print medium prior to ink ejection. A liquid that insolubilizes the color material therein is ejected.

The present invention can be applied to all devices using a print medium such as paper, cloth, non-woven fabric, and OHP paper. Specific applicable devices include office equipment such as printers, copying machines, and facsimiles, and mass production. Examples include equipment.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Inkjet printing methods are used in printers, copiers, facsimiles, etc. because of their low noise, low running cost, easy downsizing of equipment, and easy colorization.

However, the ink jet printing system has the following unique problems.

(1) Since ink droplets are ejected from an ink jet head onto a print medium such as paper or OHP film for printing, fine ink mist other than the ejected main ink droplets is ejected onto the print medium. When ink mist bounces, ink adheres to the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head, and a large amount of this collects around the ink ejection opening.If foreign matter such as paper dust adheres to this, ink ejection is hindered. As a result, adverse effects such as occurrence of twisting that ejects in an unexpected direction and non-ejection of ink droplets are caused.

(2) When the ink jet head is not printing, if it is not ejected for a long period of time, the ink in the nozzle evaporates and dries, and the thickened and solidified ink is clogged in the nozzle. It causes ejection failure such as twisting and non-ejection.

The ink jet apparatus is generally provided with the following recovery means as means for solving the problems (1) and (2) described above. That is, the cap of the inkjet head is capped during non-printing to prevent the ink in the nozzle of the inkjet head from evaporating and drying to increase the viscosity and adhere. Also, in the unlikely event that viscosity increases or sticks to cause ejection failure, or foreign matter that could not be removed by the blade adheres to the ink ejection port surface, the suction pump connected to the cap removes the thickened ink in the nozzle. A recovery process is performed to discharge and recover normal discharge. The ink discharged here is absorbed by the waste ink absorber provided in the apparatus main body through a pipe or the like provided on the downstream side of the suction pump.

Here, the waste ink absorber depends on the number of defective prints, the number of recovery operations, and the amount of ink or the amount of ejected ink mist when pushed or sucked in one recovery operation. Although the capacity is determined, from the viewpoint of the overall configuration of the apparatus, it can be expected that the capacity of the waste ink absorber is reduced to be compact so that the location is not restricted and the cost can be reduced. But,
If the capacity of the waste ink absorber is made smaller than the required amount, maintenance complexity such as periodically replacing the waste ink absorber will occur, and if the required capacity is set up, The waste ink absorber becomes large, resulting in cost increase, and the apparatus main body also becomes large. On the other hand, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57-22065 discloses a technique of utilizing the evaporation of ink to minimize the volume of the waste ink absorber.

On the other hand, when an image is obtained on a print medium called a plain paper by these apparatuses to which the ink jet printing method is applied, the water resistance of the image is insufficient, or when a color image is obtained. Cannot achieve compatibility between a high-density image in which feathering does not occur and an image in which no intercolor bleeding occurs, and the color image quality is significantly deteriorated.

As a method for improving the water resistance of an image, an ink in which a coloring material contained in the ink has water resistance has been put into practical use in recent years. However, its water resistance is still insufficient, and since it is an ink that is difficult to dissolve in water after drying in principle, there are drawbacks such that the above-mentioned non-ejection of the ink easily occurs.

Therefore, in the technique disclosed in JP-A-64-63185, a colorless or light-colored treatment liquid that insolubilizes a coloring material in a solvent is attached onto a print medium by an ink inkjet head immediately before printing. Techniques for doing so are disclosed. However, in this technique, the problem peculiar to the inkjet apparatus also applies to the head of the processing liquid, and when the nozzle of the processing liquid causes ejection failure, the water resistance and the image quality of the formed image are remarkably increased only in that portion. May be damaged. For this reason, it is necessary to provide the head of the treatment liquid with the same recovery means as the inkjet head.

FIG. 9 schematically shows an example of a conventional ink jet apparatus provided with a means for recovering the head of the processing liquid as well as a means for recovering the ink jet head.

Here, the ink jet cartridge 1
Includes an ink tank unit. The carriage 3 positions and mounts a plurality of inkjet cartridges 1 respectively containing color inks for printing operation and treatment liquids for insolubilizing color materials. The carriage 3 has a guide shaft 4 extending in the main scanning direction.
The drive belt 5 is slidably supported by the drive belt 5, and is provided to transmit the drive force of the drive motor 6 that reciprocates the carriage 3. Further, the print medium 11 is conveyed while being pressed against the platen 12 that regulates the print surface flat. At this time, the ink jet head portion 2 of the ink jet cartridge 1 mounted on the carriage 3 projects downward from the carriage 3 and is located between two sets of transport rollers (not shown) of the print medium 11, and the ink of the ink jet head portion 2 is ejected. The ejection port forming surface opposes the print medium 11 pressed against the guide surface of the platen 12 in parallel. Further, the recovery system unit 100 is arranged on the home position side defined on the right side of FIG. In the recovery system unit 100, cap units 101 are provided corresponding to the inkjet heads 2 of the inkjet cartridges 1, respectively.
Can be moved up and down. When the carriage 3 is located at the home position, the cap unit 101 joins the inkjet head unit 2 and caps the same, and the ink in the ink ejection port of the inkjet head evaporates and thickens and sticks to cause ejection failure. It prevents you from becoming. A pump unit (not shown) is provided in the recovery system unit 100. This pump unit generates a negative pressure in the suction recovery process or the like performed by joining the cap unit 101 and the inkjet head unit 2 in the unlikely event that the inkjet head has a defective discharge. Then, in the suction recovery processing, the sucked ink and processing liquid in the inkjet head are absorbed by the waste liquid absorber 103 from the pump unit via the tube 102.

[0014]

Therefore, in the above-described ink jet device, when the suction recovery process is performed, the waste liquid absorbed in the waste liquid absorber 103 is treated with the treatment liquid and the ink.
There will be types. However, these two
Since the types of waste liquids have the property of thickening when mixed, the following problems occur.

(1) When both liquids are absorbed in one waste liquid absorber to save space, thickening or sticking occurs, making it difficult to absorb the waste liquid over the entire waste liquid absorber, resulting in efficient absorption. It is impossible.

(2) In order to avoid thickening of the waste liquid, if each of the ink and the treatment liquid has an absorber, the cost is increased and the apparatus is also enlarged. Furthermore, the frequency of replacement of the absorber when the absorber is saturated is also doubled.

[0017]

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to improve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art and to efficiently retain the waste liquid even when the ink and the treatment liquid which are fixed / thickened after the reaction are absorbed by one waste liquid absorber. An object of the present invention is to realize an inkjet device having a waste liquid absorber that can be used and a waste liquid absorbing method thereof.

[0018]

The first form of the present invention uses a treatment liquid having a function of fixing ink.
In an inkjet device in which a print medium is pre-processed by the inkjet head and the ink is printed on the print medium by a second inkjet head, an ink ejection port of the first inkjet head is recovered. First recovery means, second recovery means for recovering the ink ejection openings of the second inkjet head, the first recovery means and the second
Waste liquid absorber for absorbing the waste liquid discharged from the recovery means, first waste liquid transfer means for transferring the waste liquid discharged from the first recovery means to the waste liquid absorber, and the second recovery Second waste liquid transfer means for transferring the waste liquid discharged from the means to the waste liquid absorber, and the discharge end of the first waste liquid transfer means is arranged near one end of the waste liquid absorber. The discharge end of the second waste liquid transfer means is disposed near the other end of the waste liquid absorber.

Here, the waste liquid absorber is formed in a U-shape, and the discharge end of the first waste liquid transfer means is arranged near one end of the U-shape of the waste liquid absorber to absorb the waste liquid. The discharge end of the second waste liquid transfer means may be arranged near the other end of the body. Further, the treatment liquid may contain a low molecular component and a high molecular component cationic substance, and the ink may contain an anionic dye. Similarly, whether the treatment liquid contains a low molecular component and a high molecular component cationic substance, and the ink contains an anionic dye,
Alternatively, it may contain at least an anionic compound and a pigment. Further, the inkjet head may employ an energy generating element having an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy that causes film boiling in the ink.

On the other hand, the second aspect of the present invention is an apparatus having a waste liquid absorber that performs printing by using a treatment liquid having a function of fixing the ink and the ink and absorbs the treatment liquid and the ink as waste liquid. The method for absorbing waste liquid according to claim 1, wherein the treatment liquid and the ink are absorbed in the vicinity of both ends of the waste liquid absorber.

Here, the waste liquid absorber is formed in a U shape, and the treatment liquid and the ink are transferred to the U of the waste liquid absorber.
You may make it each absorb in the vicinity of both ends of a character shape.

According to the present invention, in an ink jet device using an ink and a treatment liquid containing a compound that insolubilizes a coloring material in the ink, the droplets of both liquids are separated from each other in one waste liquid absorber. Since the liquid is prevented from being mixed and fixed in the waste liquid absorber, the absorption efficiency of the waste liquid is increased, and the volume of the waste liquid absorber is minimized to be compact. Further, the size and cost of the device can be reduced. Furthermore, it is not necessary to replace the waste liquid absorber, or the number of replacements is reduced.

[0023]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of an ink jet device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1 which is a schematic front view and FIG. 2 which is a schematic side view of a first embodiment of an inkjet apparatus according to the present invention, the inkjet cartridge 1 is
It has an upper ink tank section and a lower inkjet head section 2, and further comprises a connector (not shown) that receives signals for driving the inkjet head. The carriage 3 positions and mounts a plurality of inkjet cartridges 1, and further includes a connector holder (not shown) for transmitting a signal for driving the inkjet head, so that the carriage 3 is electrically connected to the inkjet head. It has become.

In this embodiment, the carriage 3 is loaded with a cartridge containing yellow, magenta, cyan, and black ink in that order from the right, and a cartridge containing a treatment liquid for insolubilizing the color material at the left end. Has been done.

The carriage 3 is slidably supported by a guide shaft 4 extending in the main scanning direction, and a driving belt 5 transmits a driving force of a driving motor 6 that reciprocates the carriage 3. It is provided for. Further, before and after the printing position of the inkjet head unit 2, a pair of transport rollers 7, 8 and 9, 10 for sandwiching and transporting the print medium 11 such as paper is disposed. Further, the print medium 11 is conveyed in a state of being pressed against the platen 12 that regulates the print surface to be flat. At this time, the inkjet head unit 2 of the inkjet cartridge 1 mounted on the carriage 3
Are projected downward from the carriage 3 and the print medium 1
The ink ejection port forming surface of the inkjet head portion 2 is located between the first conveying rollers 7 and 9 and faces the print medium 11 pressed against the guide surface of the platen 12 in parallel.

In the ink jet apparatus of this embodiment, the recovery system unit 13 is arranged on the home position side defined on the right side of FIG. In the recovery system unit 13, a cap unit 14 is provided corresponding to each inkjet head portion 2 of the plurality of inkjet cartridges 1, and the cap unit 14 can be vertically moved up and down. And the cap unit 1
When the carriage 3 is located at the home position, the reference numeral 4 prevents the ink from being ejected from the ink jet port of the ink jet head by adhering to and capping the ink jet head section 2 to evaporate and thicken and stick. I'm out.

A pump unit (not shown) is provided in the recovery system unit 13. This pump unit has a cap unit 14 and an inkjet head unit 2 in the event that the inkjet head has a defective discharge.
Negative pressure is generated in the suction recovery process performed by joining and. In the suction recovery process, the sucked ink in the inkjet head is absorbed by the waste liquid absorber 16 from the pump unit via the tube 15 of the waste liquid transfer means. Here, recovery system unit 1
Only the processing liquid head cap provided at the left end of 3
Not connected to pump unit.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, on the left side of FIG. 1, a processing liquid recovery system unit 17, which is provided exclusively for the cartridge containing the processing liquid, is arranged. A pump unit (not shown) similar to the recovery system unit 13 is also provided in the processing liquid recovery system unit 17 so that the suction recovery process can be performed if the processing liquid ejection head becomes defective in ejection. Has become. The processing liquid discharged from the processing liquid discharge head by the recovery processing is absorbed by the waste liquid absorber 16 via the tube 18 of the waste liquid transfer means.
The recovery system unit 17 dedicated to the processing liquid is provided independently of the above-described recovery system unit 13 because the ink and the processing liquid are mixed in the pump to increase the viscosity or adhere to the suction unit of the pump unit. This is to avoid malfunction.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the tubes 15 for discharging the waste liquids from the recovery units 13 and 17 are provided at the left and right ends of the waste liquid absorber 16 which is linearly extended in the horizontal direction in the figure. Eighteen discharge ends are arranged. Therefore, the manner in which the waste liquid is absorbed by the waste liquid absorber is as follows.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show how the waste liquid is absorbed in the present embodiment. In particular, FIG. 3 shows that when the waste liquid absorber has a sufficient capacity, FIG. 4 shows that the waste liquid absorber is almost saturated. It shows the state when it is.

In the state shown in FIG. 3, the ink waste liquid 21 and the treatment liquid waste liquid 22 which have passed through the tubes 15 and 18 and have been absorbed by the waste liquid absorber 16 are respectively the waste liquid absorber 16.
Are separated and stored in the regions at both ends of. Therefore, it can be considered that the two kinds of waste liquids are practically absorbed by different waste liquid absorbers. In this case, since the two waste liquids do not interfere at all, there is no risk of thickening or sticking, and there is no hindrance to the absorption of the waste liquid.

On the other hand, in the state shown in FIG. 4, the waste liquid absorber 16 is almost saturated with the two types of waste liquids 21 and 22, and the two types of waste liquids react near the center of the waste liquid absorber 16 to cause jelly. A reaction product 23 having a shape is formed.
However, since the waste liquid absorber 16 is almost saturated,
The jelly-like reaction product 23 does not hinder the waste liquid absorption.

Although the balance between the treatment liquid and the waste liquid amount of the ink changes depending on various factors such as humidity, temperature, and printing frequency, even when the balance of the waste liquid amount is largely deviated, the position where the two liquids are mixed is still large. It will be adjusted automatically,
Absorption can be performed using the entire volume of the waste liquid absorber 16. Therefore, the volume of the waste liquid absorber 16 can be suppressed to the necessary minimum, and the cost can be reduced. Further, since the efficiency of absorbing the waste liquid is increased, it is possible to obtain a device in which the waste liquid absorber 16 does not need to be replaced or the replacement frequency is low.

With the configuration described above, in the ink jet device using the above-mentioned treatment liquid,
The volume of the waste liquid absorber can be effectively used with a simple structure and at low cost, and a high-quality image can be obtained while avoiding unnecessary cost increase.

In the present embodiment, the waste liquid absorber 16
Was long in the horizontal direction, and the waste liquid was absorbed at both left and right ends, but the waste liquid absorber was made longer in the vertical direction to absorb the waste liquid at the upper and lower ends, and the waste liquid absorber had a shape close to a cube. Alternatively, the waste liquid may be absorbed in the diagonal position.

Here, the above-mentioned colorless treatment liquid which makes the ink dye insoluble can be obtained as follows, for example.

That is, after mixing and dissolving the following components,
Further, after pressure filtration with a membrane filter having a pore size of 0.22 μm (trade name: Fluoropore filter, manufactured by Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.), the pH was adjusted to 4.8 with sodium hydroxide, and colorless liquid Al was added. Obtainable.

[Component of Al] Low molecular weight component of cationic compound Stearyl trimethyl ammonium chloride 2.0% (trade name: Electrostopper QE, manufactured by Kao Corporation) High molecular component of cationic compound Polyamine sulfone (average molecular weight: 5000) ) 3.0% (trade name: PAS-92, manufactured by Nitto Boseki Co., Ltd.) Thiodiglycol 10% water remaining In addition, the following are preferred examples of inks that are insolubilized by mixing with the colorless liquid. it can.

That is, the following components were mixed, and the mixture was filtered under pressure with a membrane filter (trade name: Chloropore filter, manufactured by Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.) having a pore size of 0.22 μm, followed by yellow, magenta, cyan and black. Inks Y1, M1, C1, and K1 can be obtained.

Y1 C. I. Direct Yellow 142 2% Thiodiglycol 10% Acetylenol EH (manufactured by Kawaken Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd.) 0.05% Water Remaining M1 dye was replaced with C. I. Acid Red 289: 2.5%. Same as Y1 except that C1 dye was replaced with C.I. Acid Blue 9: 2.5%, except that the same composition as Y1 was used, except that K1 dye was replaced with C.I. Food Black 2: 3%. Is the same composition as Y1. In the case of mixing the colorless liquid and the ink shown above, in the present invention, as a result of mixing the above-mentioned colorless liquid and the ink on the printed material or at the position where the ink has penetrated, the reaction Among the cationic substances contained in the colorless liquid as the first step of, the low molecular weight component and the water-soluble dye having an anionic group used in the ink have an ionic phase. The interaction causes association and instantaneously causes separation from the solution phase.

Next, in the second step of the reaction, the above-mentioned dye-low molecular weight cationic substance associate is adsorbed by the polymer component contained in the colorless liquid. The size of the agglomerates becomes even larger, making it difficult for the aggregates to enter the gaps between the fibers of the material to be printed, and as a result, only the liquid portion that has undergone solid-liquid separation permeates into the printing paper, achieving both print quality and fixability. Is achieved. At the same time, since the aggregate formed by the low molecular weight component of the cationic substance, the anionic dye and the cationic substance generated by the mechanism as described above has a high viscosity and does not move with the movement of the liquid medium, Even if adjacent ink dots are formed of different color inks as in image formation, they do not mix with each other and bleeding does not occur. Further, the above-mentioned aggregates are essentially water-insoluble, and the water resistance of the formed image is perfect. Further, it also has the effect of improving the light fastness of the image formed by the shielding effect of the polymer.

In carrying out the present invention, it is not necessary to use a cationic polymer substance having a large molecular weight or a polyvalent metal salt as in the prior art, or even if it is necessary to use the present invention, Since it is only necessary to supplementarily use it to further improve the effect, the amount used can be minimized. As a result, the reduction of the color developability of the dye, which is a problem when trying to obtain the water resistance effect using the conventional cationic polymer substance or polyvalent metal salt, is eliminated. Can be listed as the effect of.

The material to be printed used in carrying out the present invention is not particularly limited, and so-called plain paper such as conventionally used copy paper and bond paper can be preferably used. Of course, a coated paper specially prepared for inkjet printing and a transparent film for OHP can also be suitably used, and general high-quality paper and glossy paper can also be suitably used.

In carrying out the present invention, the ink to be used is not particularly limited to the dye ink, and a pigment ink in which a pigment is dispersed may be used, and the treatment liquid to be used is one that causes the pigment to aggregate. Can be used. The following may be mentioned as an example of the pigment ink that causes aggregation by mixing with the above-mentioned colorless liquid A1. That is, as described below, yellow containing a pigment and an anionic compound, magenta,
It is possible to obtain cyan, black inks Y2, M2, C2 and K2.

[Black Ink K2] Anionic polymer P-1 (styrene acid ethyl acrylate having an acid value of 400 and a weight average molecular weight of 6,000 has a solid content of 20%).
Aqueous solution, neutralizing agent: potassium hydroxide) as a dispersant, the following materials were charged into a batch type vertical sand mill (made by AIMEX Co., Ltd.), glass beads having a diameter of 1 mm were filled as a medium, and water-cooled to 3 Time-dispersed processing was performed. After dispersion, the viscosity was 9 cps and the pH was 10.0. This dispersion was centrifuged to remove coarse particles, to prepare a carbon black dispersion having a weight average particle diameter of 100 nm.

(Composition of carbon black dispersion) -P-1 aqueous solution (solid content 20%) 40 parts-Carbon black Mogul L (manufactured by Cablack Co., Ltd.) 24 parts-Glycerin 15 parts-Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether 0.5 parts -Isopropyl alcohol 3 parts-Water 135 parts Next, the black ink K for inkjet printing containing a pigment by sufficiently dispersing the dispersion obtained above.
2 was obtained. The solid content of the final preparation was about 10%.

[Yellow Ink Y2] Anionic polymer P-2 (Styrene methyl methacrylate having an acid value of 280 and a weight average molecular weight of 11,000 has 2 solid parts.
A 0% aqueous solution, a neutralizing agent: diethanolamine) was used as a dispersant, and the following materials were used to carry out a dispersion treatment in the same manner as in the production of the black ink K2. Was produced.

(Composition of yellow dispersion) -P-2 aqueous solution (solid content 20%) 35 parts-CI Pigment Yellow 180 24 parts (trade name: Nova Palm Yellow PH-G, manufactured by Hoechst) -Tri Ethylene glycol 10 parts Diethylene glycol 10 parts Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether 1.0 parts Isopropyl alcohol 0.5 parts Water 135 parts Inkjet print containing pigment sufficiently dispersed in the yellow dispersion obtained above. Yellow ink Y2 for ink was obtained. The solid content of the final preparation was about 10%.

[Cyan ink C2] Black ink K2
Using the anionic polymer P-1 used in the preparation of the above as a dispersant, the following materials were used to perform the same dispersion treatment as in the case of the carbon black dispersion described above, and a weight average particle diameter of 120 nm was obtained. A cyan color dispersion was prepared.

(Composition of cyan color dispersion) -P-1 aqueous solution (solid content 20%) 30 parts-CI Pigment Blue 15: 3 24 parts (Brand name: Fastgen Blue FGF, Dainippon Ink and Chemicals) Kogyo Co., Ltd.)-Glycerin 15 parts-Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether 0.5 parts-Isopropyl alcohol 3 parts-Water 135 parts The cyan color dispersion obtained above is thoroughly agitated for inkjet printing containing a pigment. Cyan ink C2 was obtained. The solids content of the final preparation was about 9.6%.

[Magenta ink M2] Black ink K
Using the anionic polymer P-1 used in the preparation of 2 as a dispersant, the following materials were used to carry out the same dispersion treatment as in the case of the carbon black dispersion described above, and the weight average particle diameter was 115 nm. A magenta color dispersion of was prepared.

(Composition of magenta color dispersion) -P-1 aqueous solution (solid content 20%) 20 parts-CI Pigment Red 122 24 parts (manufactured by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc.)-Glycerin 15 parts-Isopropyl Alcohol 3 parts / Water 135 parts The magenta color dispersion obtained above was sufficiently dispersed to obtain a magenta ink M2 for ink jet printing containing a pigment. The solid content of the final preparation was about 9.2%.

Next, a second embodiment of the ink jet device according to the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 5 showing the schematic front shape of the second embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 6 showing the schematic top view thereof, the configuration around the carriage on which the ink jet cartridge is mounted, the ink jet head, and the paper carrying system are the same as those in the first embodiment. The overlapping description will be omitted. In addition, in the schematic top view of FIG.
The members around the carriage and the paper transport system are not shown.

In the ink jet apparatus of this embodiment, the recovery system unit 13 is arranged on the home position side defined on the right side of FIG. In the recovery system unit 13, a cap unit 14 is provided corresponding to each inkjet head portion 2 of the plurality of inkjet cartridges 1, and the cap unit 14 can be vertically moved up and down. And the cap unit 1
When the carriage 3 is located at the home position, the reference numeral 4 joins the inkjet head unit 2 and caps it, and the ink in the ink ejection port of the inkjet head evaporates, thickens and sticks, and ejection failure occurs. It is preventing.

A pump unit (not shown) is provided in the recovery system unit 13. This pump unit has a cap unit 14 and an inkjet head unit 2 in the event that the inkjet head has a defective discharge.
Negative pressure is generated in the suction recovery process performed by joining and. Then, in the suction recovery process, the sucked ink in the inkjet head is transferred from the pump unit through the tube 15 to the waste liquid absorber 16A.
Is absorbed by

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, between the recovery system unit 13 and the waste liquid absorber 16A on the left side of FIG. 5, a recovery system unit 17 for the processing liquid is provided exclusively for the cartridge containing the processing liquid. Are arranged. A pump unit (not shown) similar to the recovery system unit 13 is also provided in the processing liquid recovery system unit 17 so that the suction recovery process is performed when the processing liquid ejection head has a defective ejection. Has become. The treatment liquid discharged from the head by the recovery treatment is absorbed by the waste liquid absorber 16A via the tube 18. In addition, the recovery system unit 17 dedicated to the processing liquid is provided together with the pump unit so as to prevent the ink and the processing liquid from being mixed in the pump and thickening or sticking to cause a suction operation failure of the pump unit. This is because.

The feature of this embodiment is that the waste liquid absorber 16A is arranged in a U-shape as shown in the top view of FIG. Both ends of the U-shaped waste liquid absorber 16A are
Located on the right side of the figure, the discharge end of the ink tube 15 is inserted into one end thereof, and the processing liquid tube 1 is inserted into the other end thereof.
Eight discharge ends are inserted. In addition, 16 of waste liquid absorber
A boundary rib member 19 is provided in the U-shaped hollow portion of A, and the ink absorbed in one end portion of the U-shape penetrates the other end portion beyond the rib member 19. It is a structure that does not do.

Next, the manner of permeation into the waste liquid absorber 16A in the second embodiment will be described.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show the state of absorption of the waste liquid in this embodiment, and particularly FIG. 7 shows the waste liquid absorber 1.
When the capacity of 6 A is still available, FIG.
6A shows a state when 6A is almost saturated.

In the state of FIG. 7, the ink waste liquid 21 and the treatment liquid waste liquid 22 which have passed through the tubes 15 and 18 and are absorbed by the waste liquid absorber 16A are separated at both ends of the U-shaped waste liquid absorber 16A. Have been stored. Therefore, it can be considered that two kinds of waste liquids are actually absorbed by different waste liquid absorbers, and since the two waste liquids do not interfere at all, there is no risk of thickening or sticking, which is an obstacle to waste liquid absorption. There is no factor.

On the other hand, in FIG. 8, two kinds of waste liquid are almost saturated in the waste liquid absorber 16A, and the waste liquid absorber 16 is
In the vicinity of the central portion of the U-shape of A, a reaction product 23 in the form of jelly is formed by the reaction of the two kinds of waste liquid. However, since the waste liquid absorber 16A is almost saturated, the jelly-like reaction product 23 does not hinder the waste liquid absorption.

Although the balance of the waste liquid amount of the treatment liquid and the ink changes depending on various factors such as humidity, temperature, and printing frequency, even when the waste liquid amount balance is largely deviated, the place where both liquids are mixed is automatically set. Therefore, the absorption can be performed using the entire volume of the waste liquid absorber 16A. Therefore, the volume of the waste liquid absorber 16A can be suppressed to the necessary minimum, and the cost can be reduced. Furthermore, since the efficiency of absorbing the waste liquid is increased, it is possible to obtain a device that does not require replacement of the waste liquid absorber or has a low replacement frequency.

Further, in the present embodiment, it is possible to store two pump units for ink and pretreatment liquid in one recovery system unit, further cost reduction is possible, and the apparatus is wide. Directional downsizing is possible. Also,
The gap between the U-shaped portions of the waste liquid absorber 16A can be easily formed by press molding, and the rib member 19 can be easily provided by molding or the like in an outer case that also serves as a storage case of the waste liquid absorber 16A. There are few factors that increase costs.

As described above, in this embodiment, in addition to the advantages shown in the first embodiment, it is possible to further reduce the size of the device and further reduce the cost.

In this embodiment, the waste liquid absorber 1
The U-shape of 6A was formed in a horizontal plane and the waste liquid was absorbed at both U-shaped tips, but the U-shape of the waste liquid absorber was formed in the vertical plane and the waste liquid was absorbed at both U-shaped tips. It may be allowed to.

[0068]

According to the present invention, in an ink jet device for forming an image by ejecting ink and a treatment liquid onto a print medium, the same absorber absorbs waste liquid of the ink and the treatment liquid. The volume can be minimized. Further, with such a configuration, the cost can be reduced, the size of the recording device can be minimized, and it is possible to provide an inkjet device that does not require replacement of the waste liquid absorber or has a low replacement frequency.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of an inkjet device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic side view of the inkjet device shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an unsaturated state of the waste liquid absorber in the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a saturated state of the waste liquid absorber according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of an ink jet device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic top view of the inkjet device shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an unsaturated state of a waste liquid absorber according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a saturated state of a waste liquid absorber according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic front view of a conventional inkjet device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Inkjet Cartridge 2 Inkjet Head Part 3 Carriage 4 Guide Shaft 5 Carriage Drive Belt 6 Carriage Drive Motor 7, 8, 9, 10 Conveyor Roller Pair 11 Printed Medium 12 Platen 13 Recovery System Unit 14 Cap Unit 15 Tube 16, 16A Waste Liquid Absorption Body 17 Treatment liquid recovery system unit 18 Tube 19 Rib member

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A pretreatment is performed on a print medium by a first inkjet head using a treatment liquid having a function of fixing ink, and a second ink jet head is used to print on the print medium by a second inkjet head. In an inkjet device, a first recovery unit for recovering an ink ejection port of the first inkjet head, a second recovery unit for recovering an ink ejection port of the second inkjet head, and the second recovery unit. Waste liquid absorber for absorbing waste liquid discharged from the first recovery means and the second recovery means, and first waste liquid transfer for transferring the waste liquid discharged from the first recovery means to the waste liquid absorber Means and second waste liquid transfer means for transferring the waste liquid discharged from the second recovery means to the waste liquid absorber, The discharge end of the first waste liquid transfer means is arranged near one end of the one end, and the discharge end of the second waste liquid transfer means is arranged near the other end of the waste liquid absorber. Inkjet device. 2. The waste liquid absorber is formed in a U shape, and the discharge end of the first waste liquid transfer means is arranged near one end of the U shape of the waste liquid absorber. The ink jet apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a discharge end of the second waste liquid transfer means is arranged near the other end of the absorber. 3. The ink jet apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the treatment liquid contains a low molecular component and a high molecular component of a cationic substance, and the ink contains an anionic dye. 4. The treatment liquid contains a low molecular component and a high molecular component of a cationic substance, and the ink contains an anionic dye or at least an anionic compound and a pigment. The inkjet device according to claim 1 or 2, which is characterized in that. 5. The ink jet head according to claim 1, further comprising, as an energy generating element, an electrothermal converter that generates heat energy that causes film boiling of the ink. Inkjet device. 6. A waste liquid absorption method in an apparatus having a waste liquid absorber that performs printing by using a treatment liquid having an action of fixing ink and the ink, and absorbs the treatment liquid and the ink as waste liquid. A waste liquid absorbing method characterized in that the treatment liquid and the ink are absorbed in the vicinity of both ends of the waste liquid absorber. 7. The waste liquid absorber is formed in a U-shape, and the treatment liquid and the ink are separated from each other by U of the waste liquid absorber.
The method for absorbing waste liquid according to claim 6, wherein the absorption is performed in the vicinity of both ends of the character shape.