JPS63170044A - Image recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform low cost recording and to enhance the selective transfer property of ink at the start time of an apparatus, by making the feed force of the flowable ink on an ink carrier larger than that of the flowable ink on an intermediate transfer medium. CONSTITUTION:Flowable ink 2 is charged in an apparatus system consisting of the ink carrying roll 1 arranged in an ink container 3 and the ink thickness controlling means 9 arranged so as to provide an interval of about 2mm from the surface of the ink carrying roll 1, and the ink carrying roll 1 is rotated to measure torque. When the measured torque value is set to (a) kg.cm and the torque value obtained when an intermediate transfer roll 4 is used in place of the ink carrying roll 1 is set to (b) kg.cm, (a) is made larger than (b) and the difference between (a) and (b) is set to 0.01 kg.cm. This condition is realized by the surface roughening of the ink carrier, the reduction of the surface energy of the intermediate transfer medium 4 or the utilization of magnetic force.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus that enables low-cost recording while maintaining the advantages of conventionally used recording methods.

Background Art In recent years, with the rapid development of the information industry, various information prescription systems have been developed, and recording methods and recording devices have been developed and adopted for each information system. Among these, typical plain paper recording methods include electrophotography and its derivative laser beam printers, as well as inkjet, thermal transfer, and impact printers (
(using wire dots, daisy foil, etc.).

Impact printers make a lot of noise and are difficult to fully print. Electrophotography, laser beam printers, etc. have high resolution image quality, but the equipment is complex and large,
Equipment cost is also a problem. Although inkjet ink jets have low consumable costs, they eject low-viscosity liquid ink from thin nozzles, which causes the ink to solidify and clog easily when not in use. Furthermore, the ink used for inkjet has a low viscosity, so after the ink is transferred to the paper,
Blurring and image blurring are likely to occur. In addition, the thermal transfer method
This is a method of supplying patterned heat to a layer of solid ink provided on a sheet-like support, melting it, and transferring it onto plain paper, etc. This thermal transfer method requires relatively small equipment. It has the characteristics that it is widely used and the equipment cost is low. However, since an ink ribbon comprising a solid ink layer provided on an expensive support is used, and this ribbon is disposable, this thermal transfer method has the disadvantage of increasing the cost of consumables.

The present inventors previously proposed an image recording device capable of low running cost recording that solved the above-mentioned drawbacks (Japanese patent application No. 6
1-175191).

This image recording device includes: an ink carrier that has a surface capable of carrying a layer of fluid ink and is moved along an ink transfer position; and an ink carrier formed on the ink carrier at the ink transfer position. a transfer medium that is moved so as to be able to come into contact with the ink layer on the ink carrier; and an energy application means that makes it possible to apply energy to the ink layer on the ink carrier. This is an image recording device that allows fluid ink to be transferred onto a transfer medium.

However, the recording apparatus having the above configuration still has room for improvement in terms of controlling the selective transferability of the fluid ink when the apparatus is started up after being stopped for a long time.

A main object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus that eliminates the drawbacks of the conventional recording methods described above and enables low-cost recording.

Another object of the present invention is the above-mentioned patent application No. 61-17519.
In the recording apparatus No. 1, the object is to further improve the selective transferability of ink at the time of starting the apparatus.

Fish 8JJ O
When using the image recording apparatus of No. 91, the aforementioned non-selective transfer of fluid ink at the ink transfer position is
It has been found that the entire ink layer on the ink carrier is transferred to the intermediate transfer medium.

The image recording device of the present invention is based on such knowledge, and more specifically, the image recording device of the present invention has a surface that supports a layer of fluid ink and can be transported, and has an ink carrier that is moved along an ink transfer position. an intermediate transfer medium that is moved so as to be able to come into contact with the ink layer formed on the ink carrier at the ink transfer position; and an energy application means that is capable of applying energy to the ink layer on the ink carrier. An image recording device having a fluid ink conveying force of the ink carrier and capable of transferring fluid ink to an intermediate transfer medium in response to selective application of energy; It is characterized by having a larger ink conveying force than the normal ink conveyance force.

In the image recording apparatus of the present invention having the above configuration, by making the ink carrying force of the ink carrier smaller than the ink carrying force of the intermediate transfer medium, a (non-selective) fluid ink layer is formed at the ink transfer position. This effectively suppresses full-layer transfer.

Therefore, if the image forming apparatus of the present invention is used, the selective transferability of the fluid ink is maintained well when the apparatus is started, so there is no need for preliminary operation time to prevent non-selective transfer at the ink transfer position. , it becomes possible to record at low running costs by utilizing the characteristics of fluid ink, with virtually no waiting time.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the drawings as necessary. In the following description, 1% represents the quantitative ratio.
"and 1 part" are based on weight unless otherwise specified.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The basic configuration of the image recording apparatus of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 1, which is a schematic side sectional view seen in the thickness direction of a recording material, showing an embodiment of the image recording apparatus of the present invention. do.

Referring to FIG. 1, an ink carrier roll 1, which is an ink carrier whose surface is made of stainless steel or the like, is placed above the bottom surface of an ink container 3 that stores fluid ink 2 (on the side of the ink container 3 where the ink 2 is stored). It is arranged to be rotatable in the direction of the arrow while supporting and transporting the ink 2.

At the ink transfer position, an iron plate whose surface is plated with hard chrome is placed above the ink support roll 1 (on the surface (ink carrying surface) side of the ink support roll 1), facing the roll 1 with a certain gap. An intermediate transfer roll 4, which is an intermediate transfer medium having a cylindrical shape and rotatable in the direction of arrow B, is disposed. This intermediate transfer roll 4 is arranged so that its surface can come into contact with the layer of fluid ink 2 formed on the surface of the ink carrying roll 1.

On the other hand, at the ink image transfer position, a recording material 5 made of plain paper or the like and fed six times in the direction of arrow C comes into contact with the surface (ink image forming surface) of the intermediate transfer roll 4. Placed. Furthermore, a transfer roll 6, which is a transfer means and rotates in the direction of the arrow, is arranged opposite to the intermediate transfer roll 4 so that the recording material 5 can be sandwiched therebetween. be done.

On the surface (ink carrying surface) side of the ink carrying roll 1 upstream from the ink transfer position where the ink carrying roll 1 and the intermediate transfer roll 4 face each other, there is a surface with a certain gap between the ink carrying roll 1 and the intermediate transfer roll 4.
Recording electrode 7 serving as a means for applying energy according to an image signal
is placed. The tip of the recording electrode 7 (one end where an electrode element is formed) is arranged so as to be able to come into contact with the layer of fluid ink 2 formed on the surface of the ink carrying roll 1.

The basic configuration of the image recording apparatus of the present invention is as described above, but in the present invention, the ink conveying force of the ink carrying roll 1 to the fluid ink 2 (the fluid ink 2
It is necessary to make the ink transporting force of the intermediate transfer roll 4 against the fluid ink 2 larger than the ink transporting force of the intermediate transfer roll 4 with respect to the fluid ink 2.

A more specific relationship between these ink transport forces is as follows. That is, (with reference to FIG. 1) the ink container 3
Fluid ink 2 was put into a device system consisting of an ink carrying roll 1 disposed inside the ink carrying roll 1 and an ink layer thickness regulating means 9 disposed at a distance of about 2 mm from the surface of the ink carrying roll 1, and then the fluid ink 2 was poured into a device system that consisted of an ink carrying roll 1 disposed inside the ink carrying roll 1 and an ink layer thickness regulating means 9 disposed at a distance of about 2 mm from the surface of the ink carrying roll 1. The torque value a (Kg-cm) when the ink carrying roll 1 (connected to a normal torque gauge) is rotated and torque is measured under similar conditions
), and the torque value when the intermediate transfer roll 4 is used instead of the ink supporting roll 1 is b (Kg-cm), then in the present invention, a>b, and the difference between a and b ( a-b) is 0, OIKg-0m or more (especially 0.1K
g-0m or more).

Such a magnitude relationship of the ink transport force only needs to be satisfied at the ink transfer position where the ink carrying roll 1 and the intermediate transfer roll 4 face each other.

There are no particular restrictions on how to achieve the ink transport force as described above, but more specifically, roughening of the ink carrier, lowering the surface energy of the intermediate transfer medium 4 surface, or utilizing magnetic force as described below may be used. It is preferable to realize this by It is preferable to use a combination of two or more of these means from the standpoint of more reliably controlling the ink transport force.

(1) Roughening of the surface of the ink carrier In this case, for example, the surface roughness of the surface of the ink carrier roll 1 is measured in the circumferential direction using the ten-point average roughness R2 (JIS BO
601-1982), 1~l, 000μm, and even 1
It is preferable to set it as 0-500 micrometers.

On the other hand, when the surface of the intermediate transfer roll 4 is made of metal, it is preferable that the R2 is less than 1 μm (more preferably 0.5 μm or less).

(2) Low energy on the surface of the intermediate transfer medium In this case, for example, the surface of the intermediate transfer roll 4 may be made of silicone resin, fluororesin, polyethylene resin, etc. (for example, the surface of the roll 4 may be coated with these resins). .

At this time, the surface energy of the ink carrier surface and the surface energy of the intermediate transfer medium are compared depending on the contact angle of the liquid dispersion medium or vehicle (for example, water) of the fluid ink with these surfaces. It can be suitably defined.

When using a water-based ink as the fluid ink, the contact angle (θ1) between the water and the surface (on the side containing the liquid) when water is dropped onto the surface of the ink carrying roll 1, and the surface of the intermediate transfer roll 4. The contact angle (θ4) when water is dropped is θ
4> It is preferable that θ1, and θ4 is 10° from θ.
It is more preferable that it is larger than that.

(3) Utilization of magnetic force For example, magnetic particles are contained in the fluid ink 2, and as shown in FIG. What is necessary is just to arrange the roll 10. In this case, the strength of the magnetic field on the surface of the ink carrying roll 1 at the ink transfer position is:
It is preferable that it is about 200 to 2000 gauss.

Further, in the image recording apparatus of the present invention, on the intermediate transfer roll 4 downstream of the ink image transfer position where the intermediate transfer roll 4 and the transfer roll 6 face each other, as necessary,
A cleaning means 8 is disposed so as to be able to come into contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer roll 4, and has a blade 8a made of urethane rubber or the like.

Furthermore, the ink carrier roll 1 is further upstream from the energy application position where the recording electrode 7 faces the ink carrier roll 1.
An ink layer thickness regulating means consisting of a blade 9 or the like for regulating the layer thickness of the ink 2 formed on the roll 1 is arranged as necessary at a position with a certain gap from the surface.

Among the above-mentioned members, the ink carrying roll 1, the ink container 3, the intermediate transfer roll 4, the recording electrode 7, the cleaning means 8, and the blade 9 are preferably housed in the outer case 11.

The configuration of the image recording device of the present invention is as described above,
The operation of such a device system will be explained next.

Note that when using the recording apparatus of the present invention, a portion of the fluid ink 2 to which energy has not been applied from the energy application means 7 is selectively injected into the intermediate layer (for example, by applying a pulse in the opposite direction to the energy application means 7). Although it is also possible to transfer the ink to the transfer roll 4, in the following, we will discuss the case (which is a preferred embodiment of the present invention) in which the portion of the fluid ink 2 to which energy has been applied is selectively transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 4. Ru.

Referring to FIG. 1, the fluid ink 2 in the ink container 3 has fluidity, but has tackiness, and can be made tackiness by applying energy (for example, electric energy). Use fluid ink. The tack here refers to selective tackiness, which means that when ink comes into contact with an object such as an intermediate transfer body, a portion of the ink breaks off (selectively separates) from the entire ink and adheres to the object. (In short, it doesn't matter whether the entire ink is sticky or not.) Such an ink 2 can be obtained by holding a liquid dispersion medium made of water or the like in a crosslinked structure made of guar gum or the like.

As the ink carrying roll 1 rotates in the direction of arrow A, the fluid ink 2 is conveyed in the direction of arrow E while being supported on the surface of the roll 1.

The fluid ink 2 fed eight times in this manner is applied with a patterned voltage according to the image signal from the recording electrode 7 at the energy application position where the ink contacts the recording electrode 7 . A current based on the voltage flows from the recording electrode 7 to the ink carrying roll 1 via the fluid ink 2, so that the fluid ink 2 is selected (for example, based on a change in the crosslinked structure due to an electrochemical reaction in the ink 2). It imparts a certain level of tackiness.

The fluid ink 2 imparted with selective tackiness is further transported in the direction of arrow E and reaches the ink transfer position where the intermediate transfer roll 4 comes into contact with the layer consisting of the ink 2, and the above-described selective tackiness is applied. Based on the adhesive property, (at least a part of the ink 2 constituting the ink layer formed on the ink carrying roll 1) is transferred onto the intermediate transfer medium 4 rotated in the direction of arrow B, thereby forming the ink pattern 21. do.

Ink pattern 2 formed on this intermediate transfer roll 4
1 is transferred as the roll rotates in the direction of arrow B, and is transferred to the recording material 5 under pressure from the transfer roll 6 at the ink image transfer position, forming a transferred recorded image 22. If the fixability of the transferred recorded image 22 formed on the recorded material 5 is not sufficient, a known fixing means such as heating or pressure is applied to the downstream side of the ink image transfer position of the recorded material 5. (not shown) may be provided.

On the other hand, at the ink transfer position, the fluid ink 2 that has not been transferred to the intermediate transfer medium 4 is further transferred in the direction of arrow E and is transferred to the intermediate transfer medium 4 due to the action of gravity (based on its non-adhesive property). It is separated and returned to the ink container 3 where it can be used again (based on its fluidity).

The operation of the image recording device of the present invention is as described above.
The mechanism of image formation in this case will be described below with reference to FIG. 2 from the viewpoint of the rheological properties of the fluid ink.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing one aspect of the relationship between various forces applied to the ink and fluidity of the ink in each step of the image forming process.

Referring to FIG. 2, the force applied to the fluid ink 2 during the image forming process using the image recording apparatus of the present invention is as follows:
The main forces are shear force, centrifugal force, and pressure force.

That is, a supply step (2) in which the fluid ink 2 is supplied to the ink carrier roll 1, a layer thickness regulation step (2) in which the layer thickness of the ink 2 on the ink carrier roll 1 is regulated by the blade 9, and an ink carrier. In the signal application step (2) in which energy is applied from the energy application means 7 to the layer of ink 2 on the ink 2 according to the image signal, the fluidity of the fluid ink 2 is mainly due to pseudoplasticity or thixotropy based on the application of shear force. It is preferable that the ink be increased by this, and thereby the ink supply, layer thickness regulation, etc. are performed plastically.

On the other hand, after the intermediate step between the above-mentioned steps ① and ①, the intermediate step between steps ② and ②, and especially the step ②, that is, the energy application step ②, the next ink pattern 21 formation step ③ is started. In the steps up to this point, it is preferable that the layer of fluid ink 2 maintains its shape and is difficult to flow.

In other words, in these steps, the fluid ink (
However, in this image forming process, the force applied to the ink by contact with the energy application means is short-term, so the ink is considered to behave as an elastic body.

Furthermore, in the ink pattern forming step (2), that is, the step in which the ink pattern 21 is formed by selectively transferring the fluid ink 2 to the intermediate transfer roll 4, the aspect of the shearing force applied to the ink layer is somewhat complicated. . The maximum value of this shearing force is located in front (on the energy applying means 7 side) rather than the center of the nip between the ink carrying roll 1 and the intermediate transfer roll 4, and the shearing force is rather negative at the position where the intermediate transfer roll 4 and the ink layer are separated. The value is . Therefore, the intermediate transfer roll 4
The intermediate transfer of the ink layer can be performed by slowing down the circumferential speed of the ink carrier roll 1 (although the circumferential speed of the ink carrier roll 1 may be constant with respect to the circumferential speed of the ink carrying roll 1), and applying a shearing force to the ink layer based on the difference in circumferential speed. This is preferable from the viewpoint of stabilizing peeling from the roll 4.

In this case, as shown in Figure 2, there is a difference in the fluidity of the ink when the image recording device is at rest and when it is in operation, as shown by the "contrast between when it is at rest and when it is in operation," and this difference in fluidity is shown in Figure 2. However, when the device is started up, ink flows onto the intermediate transfer roll 4.
It is presumed that this causes non-selective metastasis.

In the present invention, as described above, the ink carrying force of the ink carrying roll 1 is made larger than the ink carrying force of the intermediate transfer roll 4 at the ink transfer position, thereby solving the problem of non-selective transfer of ink. has been resolved.

The configuration and operation of the image recording apparatus of the present invention have been described above. Next, the fluid ink 2 and energy application means 7 that are preferably used in the image recording apparatus of the present invention will be described.

The fluid ink 2 is an ink having a gel state in a broad sense in which a liquid dispersion medium (or vehicle) is held by a cross-linked structure substance, and in which particles (preferably a particle size of 100 μm) are contained in the liquid dispersion medium. Below, more preferably 1
20 μm) is preferably used.

It is estimated that this fluid ink 2 is not substantially transferred to the intermediate transfer medium 4 (except for a small amount of the liquid dispersion medium) when no energy is applied because the liquid dispersion medium is well retained in the crosslinked structure. be done.

Furthermore, since the fluid ink is a sludge-like ink, the particles are densely arranged at the ink interface, so that when no energy is applied, contact of the dispersion medium to the intermediate transfer medium 4 is suppressed, and the ink is It is considered that there is no substantial transfer to No. 4.

Although a normal thermal head (for thermal transfer) can be used as an energy application means for applying energy according to an image signal to the layer of fluid ink 2 on the ink carrying roll 1, it is preferable to use the recording electrode 7. However, it is preferable from the point of view of energy efficiency.

When a thermal energy signal is used as an image signal, for example, the adhesion characteristics of the fluid ink 2 to the intermediate transfer medium 4 can be changed by converting the fluid ink 2 from a gel state to a sol state by heating.

On the other hand, when using electrical energy (current signal) as an image signal, for example, if a crosslinked structure material of guar gum (as described later) is used as the crosslinked structure material of the fluid ink 2, the crosslinked structure The amount of current required to destroy (at least a part of) the cross-linking agent (for example, the above-mentioned boric acid Only the amount necessary to transfer electrons to (ions) is sufficient.

This amount of current is approximately 1/10 of the amount of current when using a thermal head, so by utilizing this electrochemical change, it is possible to record with lower energy consumption. .

The recording electrode 7 is formed by providing a plurality of electrode elements 72 made of metal such as copper on a base body 71, as shown in a partial schematic diagram in FIG. A recording electrode in which an insulating film 73 made of polyimide or the like is provided on a portion other than the portion that contacts the ink is preferably used. The exposed portion of the electrode element 72 from the insulating coating 73 is preferably plated with gold, platinum, rhodium, or the like. From the viewpoint of durability, platinum plating is more preferable.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, electricity is applied between the recording electrode 7 and the ink carrying roll, but electricity may also be applied between the recording electrode 71 and the intermediate transfer roll 4.
Furthermore, current may be applied between a plurality of electrode elements 72 on the recording electrode 7.

As mentioned above, according to the present invention, there is no need for a high-cost ink ribbon having a solid ink layer (which was conventionally used), thereby making it possible to record images at extremely low running costs. Equipment is provided.

By using the recording apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to record images in a simple manner, at a significantly lower recording cost than the thermal transfer recording method, and which eliminates the drawbacks of the inkjet method, such as nozzle clogging and blurring of recorded images. It becomes possible.

In particular, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention in which the crosslinked structure of the ink is changed by applying electricity, it is possible to record an image with approximately 1/10 the amount of current required for conventional thermal transfer methods (thermal head drive), and moreover, the device can be started up. Since the selective transferability of the ink is also good, it is possible to significantly reduce costs in terms of energy consumption.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to Examples.

Fire'1 Raw Process After heating the above ingredients to 90°C and mixing them uniformly, and then leaving them at room temperature, the gel-like ink of the present invention with high water retention and an amorphous shape (having fluidity) can be obtained. Obtained. At this time, it was preferable to adjust the pH to 7 to 11 using an acid or an alkali.

In this gel ink, the C2 and C3 cis-OH groups of the mannose main chain of guar gum and/or the C3 and C4 ci5-OH groups of the galactose side chain are
It is presumed to be crosslinked by borate ions.

Acid such as hydrochloric acid or acetic acid is added to this gel-like ink to adjust the pH to 7 or less to form a viscous liquid sol, and then magnetite is uniformly dispersed in a styrene-acrylic resin to obtain particles. Toner particles with a diameter of 10 μm (Canon P
After uniformly mixing 50 parts of C-10/20 black toner for multi-purpose machines (without external addition of fluidity improver), adjust the pH again.
As No. 8, a gel-like ink in the form of sludge was obtained.

Referring to Figure 1, a stainless steel cylindrical roll of 20 mmφ (surface roughness R by sandblasting or thermal spraying)
The ink carrying roll 1 consists of an ink carrying roll 1 (2=100 μm), and the iron cylindrical roll whose surface is plated with hard chrome (2=100 μm).
An image recording apparatus (FIG. 1) of the present invention is used, in which an intermediate transfer roll 4 consisting of a diameter of 20 mm is opposed to the intermediate transfer roll 4 with a gap of 2 mm at the ink transfer position, and the ink container 3 of this apparatus is
The sludge-like ink 2 obtained above was charged into the container.

The ink carrying roll 1 is rotated in the direction of arrow A at a rotational speed of about 36 rpm to form a layer of fluid ink 2 on the roll 1, and the intermediate transfer roll 4 is rotated in the direction of arrow B in contact with this layer. It was rotated at a rotation speed of approximately 30'rpm. At this time, when electrical energy was not supplied from the recording electrode 7 to the layer of ink 2, a very small amount of moisture was transferred onto the intermediate transfer roll 4, but the ink 2 was substantially transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 4. It was not transferred onto the top.

On the other hand, the area of the recording electrode 7 of 1 peJ2 (gold-plated copper electrode element 72 exposed from the polyimide insulating film 73) having the shape shown in FIG.
0 μm x 500 μm) as an anode, and the ink compatible roll 1
When a pulse was applied through the layer of ink 2 using the electrode as a cathode, a current of approximately 1.6 to 2.4 mA flowed per electrode element, and the ink 2 was selectively transferred onto the intermediate transfer roll 4. An ink pattern 21 was formed.

At the ink image transfer position, a pressure roll 6 (which rotates at the same speed as the intermediate transfer roll 4 in the direction of the arrow C) is attached to the intermediate transfer roll 4 via a recording material 5 made of plain paper that is transported in the direction of the arrow C. When a 12 mmφ iron cylindrical roll with a 4 mm thick silicone rubber layer was placed facing each other and a slight pressure was applied from the pressure roll 6, the recording material 5 was coated with (
Image samples as shown in FIGS. 5(a), (b), and (c) were obtained for the pulses shown in FIGS. 4(a), (b), and (c), respectively. The pulses in Figure 4 show the pulses corresponding to the "continuous dot part" of each image sample, and the image samples in Figure 5 are shown as approximately 1.2x enlarged copies. be.

This image is transferred to the recording material 5 downstream from the ink image transfer position.
When fixing was performed using a 180° C. heated roll fixing device (not shown) provided above, sufficient fixing properties were obtained.

Note that the intermediate transfer roll 4 downstream from the ink image transfer position
The ink that remains slightly on the surface is formed by using the cleaner 8 with the urethane rubber blade 8a because electrons are taken away from the borate ions (BO4-) crosslinking the guar gum by an anodic reaction. This is presumed to be because the crosslinked structure (at least a part of it) was destroyed and selective tackiness was imparted to the ink.

Note that in this example, instead of the above recording electrode 7,
Even when a normal thermal head was used and the viscosity of the fluid ink 2 was selectively lowered, images similar to those described above could be obtained.

Note that when image recording was performed in the same manner as described above with the surface roughness of the ink roll 1 being less than R2-1 μm, in some cases, the entire ink layer was transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 4 when the apparatus was started. Development was sometimes visible.

On the other hand, when the surface of the ink-carrying roll 1 is provided with irregularities of R2=1 mm or more, it sometimes takes a relatively long time until the layer of ink 2 applied to the ink-carrying roll 1 becomes uniform.

On the other hand, as mentioned above, the surface roughness is R2=1μ
m or more and less than 1 mm (especially when Rz=10 as in this example)
0 μm), the above-mentioned problems of non-selective transfer of ink at startup or delay in uniformization of the ink layer did not occur.

Example 2 The ink carrying roll 1 of Example 1 was formed as a hollow roll, and the fixed magnet roll 10 was arranged inside the hollow roll as shown in FIG. 1. When image formation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1,
Almost the same results were obtained.

The magnet 10 is a sintered magnet of barium ferrite/strontium ferrite, and its surface magnetic flux density was measured on the surface of the ink carrying roll 1 shown in FIG. ) was 800 Gauss.

As fluid ink 2, the same one as in Example 1 was used, but since the toner particles in the ink contained about 50 parts of magnetite per 100 parts of resin, due to the binding force of the magnetic field, When the apparatus was started up, the ink layer was not non-selectively transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 4. In this case, it is desirable to use non-magnetic stainless steel or the like as the intermediate transfer roll 4.

Example 3 As the ink roll 1 of Example 1, surface roughness R2 = 0
, Using a 1 μm stainless steel roll, as the intermediate transfer roll 4, 10 mm was placed on the stainless steel roll (20 mmφ).
Image formation was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a silicone varnish of about μm diameter was coated with a cord.

At this time, the contact angle of the 0.05% sodium borate aqueous solution as the ink vehicle on the ink carrying roll 1 was 10° or less, and the contact angle on the intermediate transfer roll 4 was about 100'.

When carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 with the above configuration,
Almost the same effects as in Example 1 were obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side sectional view showing an embodiment of the image recording apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the rheological behavior of fluid ink in an image forming process using the apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the recording electrode used in the image recording device of the present invention, FIG. 4 is the pulse applied to the recording electrode in the example, and FIG. 5 is the pulse formed by this pulse application. It is a figure showing an image sample (copy of an image sample). 1... Ink carrying roll 2... Fluid ink 3... Ink container 4... Intermediate transfer roll 5... Recording material 6... Transfer roll 7... Energy application means 8...・Cleaner 9...Ink layer thickness regulating means 10...Magnet 11...Exterior case representative diagram: Fig. 1 Fig. 1 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 - Figure 6 Komatsu 8

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An ink carrier having a surface capable of transporting a layer of fluid ink and being moved along an ink transfer position; an intermediate transfer medium that is moved so as to be able to come into contact with an ink layer formed on the ink carrier; and an energy application means that is capable of applying energy to the ink layer on the ink carrier; , an image recording apparatus capable of transferring fluid ink to an intermediate transfer medium, characterized in that: the fluid ink transporting force of the ink carrier is greater than the fluid ink transporting power of the intermediate transfer medium. Image recording device. 2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the ink carrier is rougher than the surface of the intermediate transfer medium. 3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a magnetic field generating means is provided inside the ink carrier. 4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the intermediate transfer medium is a lower energy surface than the surface of the ink carrier.