WO2020045171A1

WO2020045171A1 - Inkjet recording device

Info

Publication number: WO2020045171A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/032489
Authority: WO
Inventors: 翔溝口; 崇博有馬; 翔貴山口; 岡野　守
Original assignee: 株式会社日立産機システム
Priority date: 2018-08-29
Filing date: 2019-08-20
Publication date: 2020-03-05
Also published as: JPWO2020045171A1; JP7066859B2

Abstract

When the interior of a print head of an inkjet recording device is cleaned by spraying a solvent therein, the sprayed solvent remains and drips down onto the surrounding area, thus necessitating strategies for recovering the sprayed solvent. In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides an inkjet recording device comprising a print head having a print head body (710) and a print head cover, wherein the print head body comprises: a nozzle (8) for discharging ink; a static charging electrode (10) for statically charging the ink discharged from the nozzle; deflecting electrodes (11, 12) for deflecting the ink statically charged by the static charging electrode; and a gutter (14) for recovering ink not used for printing. The print head comprises a cleaning nozzle (510) in the interior thereof. Cleaning fluid is sprayed from the cleaning nozzle to clean the interior of the print head, and a pathway (236) is provided for recovering the cleaning fluid after the interior of the print head has been cleaned.

Description

Ink jet recording device

The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that performs printing by ejecting ink from a nozzle.

In the ink jet recording apparatus, the state of the behavior of the ink ejected from the nozzle is unstable at the beginning of the ejection or immediately before the stop. In addition, even during stable jetting, the jet may deviate from the original flight path due to abnormal charging, abnormal deflection, or other factors. These unstable inks and inks that deviate from the original flight path may come into contact with and adhere to electrodes and the like inside the print head.

If the deposited ink accumulates, it may cause printing defects, such as blocking nozzle holes or spilling into the flight path of the ink particles, causing periodic printing to be indispensable. A method of cleaning by applying a solvent has been adopted. In this case, it is necessary to provide a container for receiving the solvent accompanying the cleaning, such as a cleaning bottle, in a state where the solvent after the cleaning is dripped off.

特許 Patent Document 1 discloses a method that does not use a washing bottle. Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique regarding a method of cleaning nozzles in a so-called continuous type inkjet recording apparatus. The disclosed nozzle cleaning method includes a method of ejecting a solvent from a cleaning jet located at a position away from an ink nozzle inside a print head, cleaning the nozzle that ejects the ink, and then attaching the ink to a side wall of a housing on the opposite side. Is described.

JP-A-2002-103636

As described above, conventionally, the solvent after washing after washing from the outside of the ink nozzle is received in another container, or it is necessary to absorb and adhere to other things as in Patent Document 1, and after cleaning, No consideration was given to solvent recovery.

The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of collecting a solvent used for cleaning and reusing the solvent.

The present invention has been made in view of the above background art and problems, and an ink jet recording apparatus having a print head including a print head body and a print head cover, to name one example, a print head body, a nozzle for discharging ink, It has a charging electrode for charging ink discharged from the nozzle, a deflection electrode for deflecting the ink charged by the charging electrode, and a gutter for collecting ink not used for printing, and has a cleaning nozzle inside the print head. And a path for ejecting a cleaning liquid from the cleaning nozzle to clean the inside of the print head and recover the cleaning liquid after cleaning the inside of the print head.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of collecting a solvent used for cleaning and reusing the solvent.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a path configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating a cleaning liquid ejection and cleaning liquid recovery mechanism according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a cleaning liquid according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an ink density adjustment method using a cleaning liquid after collection in the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram illustrating a cleaning liquid ejection and cleaning liquid recovery mechanism according to a second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram illustrating another cleaning liquid ejection and cleaning liquid recovery mechanism according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram illustrating a cleaning liquid ejection and cleaning liquid recovery mechanism according to a third embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a general inkjet recording apparatus and its use. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation principle of a general inkjet recording apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, the appearance and the state of use of a general inkjet recording apparatus, which is the premise of the present embodiment, will be described.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a general inkjet recording apparatus and the state of use thereof. In FIG. 8, an ink jet recording apparatus 400 includes an operation display unit 3 in an ink jet recording apparatus main body 1 and a print head 2 outside, and the ink jet recording apparatus main body 1 and the print head 2 are connected by a conduit 4.

The inkjet recording apparatus 400 is installed on a production line in a factory where foods and beverages are produced, for example, the inkjet recording apparatus main body 1 is installed at a position where a user can operate, and the print head 2 is mounted on a belt conveyor 15. It is installed at a position where it can approach the print target 13 fed on the production line.

In order to print at the same width regardless of the feeding speed on a production line such as a belt conveyor 15, the encoder 16 that outputs a signal corresponding to the feeding speed to the inkjet recording device 400 and the print target 13 are detected. A print sensor 17 for outputting a signal for instructing printing to the ink jet recording apparatus 400 is provided, and each is connected to a control unit (not shown) in the main body 1 of the ink jet recording apparatus.

In accordance with signals from the encoder 16 and the print sensor 17, the control unit controls the amount and timing of charging of the ink particles 7 </ b> C ejected from the nozzles 8 while the printing target 13 passes near the print head 2. The printing is performed by causing the charged and deflected ink particles 7C to adhere to the printing target 13.

Next, the operation principle of the inkjet recording apparatus 400 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 9, 18 is a main ink container, 7A is ink, 24 is a pump (supply) for pressurizing and sending out

ink

7A, 9 is an electrostrictive element that vibrates at a predetermined frequency when a voltage is applied, and 8 discharges ink 7A. The nozzle 7B is an ink column. Reference numeral 10 denotes a charging electrode for charging ink particles, 7C denotes ink particles, 11 and 12 deflector electrodes, 13 denotes a printing target to be printed, and 14 denotes a gutter for collecting non-printing ink particles. Reference numeral 25 denotes a pump (for collection) that sucks the ink collected by the gutter 14 and sends it to the main ink container 18.

(7) The ink 7A in the main ink container 18 is sucked and pressurized by the pump (for supply) 24, becomes the ink column 7B, and is discharged from the nozzle 8. The nozzle 8 is provided with an electrostrictive element 9, and vibrates the ink 7A at a predetermined frequency to form the ink column 7B ejected from the nozzle 8 into particles. The number of the generated ink particles 7C is determined by the frequency of the excitation voltage applied to the electrostrictive element 9, and is equal to the frequency. The ink particles 7 </ b> C are charged by applying a voltage having a magnitude corresponding to print information to the charging electrode 10.

(7) The ink particles 7C charged by the charging electrode 10 fly in the electric field between the

deflection electrodes

11 and 12. The deflection electric field is formed between a high voltage electrode to which a high voltage of 5 to 6 kV is applied and a ground electrode provided, and the charged ink particles 7C deflect by receiving a force proportional to the charge amount. Then, it flies toward the print target 13 and lands. At this time, the landing position of the ink particle 7C in the deflection direction changes in accordance with the amount of charge, and the production line moves the printing object 13 in a direction perpendicular to the deflection direction, so that the ink particle 7C also moves in the direction perpendicular to the deflection direction. Particles can be landed, and a character is composed of a plurality of landed particles and printed. The ink particles 7C not used for printing fly linearly between the

deflecting electrodes

11 and 12, are captured by the gutter 14, are sucked by the pump (for recovery) 25, and are recovered in the main ink container 18. .

Next, the path configuration of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

First, an ink supply path of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. The main body 1 of the ink jet recording apparatus is provided with a main ink container 18 for holding the circulating ink 7A. The main ink container 18 is connected to a viscosity measuring device 33 via a path 200 to grasp the viscosity of the ink 7A in the main ink container 18. The viscosity measuring device 33 is connected to an electromagnetic valve 34 that opens and closes the path via a path 201, and is connected to a pump (for circulation) 23 used for sucking and pumping the ink 7A through

paths

202 and 203. It is connected and returns to the main ink container 18 via the path 207.

The path 210 is connected to the solenoid valve 42 and connected to the pump (for supply) 24 via

paths

211 and 223. The pump (for supply) 24 is connected via a path 204 to a filter (for supply) 28 that removes foreign matter mixed in the ink 7A.

The filter (for supply) 28 is connected to a pressure reducing valve 31 that adjusts the pressure of the ink 5 pumped from the pump (for supply) 24 to an appropriate pressure for printing via a path 205. It passes through the conduit 4 via 206 and is connected to the heater 40 provided in the print head 2.

(4) The heater 40 performs heating control so that the ink 7A has an appropriate ink temperature when used in a low-temperature environment. The heater 40 is connected to a sealing valve 41 that opens and closes the path via a path 208, and the sealing valve 41 is connected to the nozzle 8 via a path 209. The nozzle 8 has a discharge port for discharging the ink 7A. A gutter 14 for catching the ink particles 7A that fly straight without being charged or deflected because they are not used for printing is arranged in the straight traveling direction of the nozzle 8 discharge port. A pressure gauge 32 for measuring the pressure of the ink 5 supplied to the nozzle 8 from a part of the nozzle 8 via a path 216 is provided.

Next, the ink supply path of the ink jet recording apparatus will be described. The ink jet recording apparatus main body 1 is provided with an auxiliary ink container 19 for holding replenishing ink. The auxiliary ink container 19 is connected to a solenoid valve (for replenishment) 36 that opens and closes a path via a path 221. Have been. The solenoid valve (for replenishment) 36 is connected via a path 222 to a merge path 223 connected to the ink supply path 211.

Next, the solvent supply path of the ink jet recording apparatus will be described. The ink jet recording apparatus main body 1 is provided with a solvent container 20 for holding a solvent for replenishing the solvent. The solvent container 20 is a pump (for solvent) used for sucking and pumping the solvent through a path 231. ) 27. The pump (for solvent) 27 is connected to a solenoid valve (for solvent) 38 for opening and closing the flow path via a path 232, and the solenoid valve (for solvent) 38 is connected to the main ink via a path 233. It is connected to the container 18.

Next, the ink collection path of the ink jet recording apparatus will be described. The gutter 14 is connected to a filter (recovery) 30 for removing foreign matter mixed in the ink disposed in the ink jet recording apparatus main body 1 via a path 212 passing through the conduit 4, and The (collection) 30 is connected to a solenoid valve (for collection) 35 that opens and closes the path via the path 213. The solenoid valve (for collection) 35 is connected via a path 214 to a pump (for collection) 25 that sucks the ink particles 7C captured by the gutter 14. The pump (for recovery) 25 is connected to the main ink container 18 via the path 215.

Next, a description will be given of the cleaning solvent ejection path of the ink jet recording apparatus. A pump (for solvent) 27 is connected from a solvent container 20 provided in the inkjet recording apparatus main body 1 via a path 231, and the pump (for solvent) 27 is connected to a solenoid valve (for cleaning) via a path 234. The solenoid valve (for cleaning) 37 is connected to a cleaning nozzle 510 via a path 235. The solvent discharged from the cleaning nozzle 510 cleans the nozzle 8, the charging electrode 10, the deflecting electrode 12, and the gutter 14, and is connected to the pump (for regeneration) 26 from the recovery port 711 via the path 236. A filter (for cleaning) 29 is disposed in the middle of the path 236 to remove foreign matter mixed in the collected solvent. The pump (for regeneration) 26 is connected to the collection container 600 via the path 237.

The post-wash solvent 610 stored in the recovery container 600 is connected to the solenoid valve (for regeneration) 39 via a path 238, connected to the pump (for adjustment) 22 via a path 239, and to the main ink via a path 240. It is connected to the container 18 and can be moved from the collection container 600 to the main ink container 18 as needed for adjusting the concentration of the ink 7A.

The ink 7A in the main ink container 18 is connected to the solenoid valve (for retreat) 620 via the

paths

240 and 241, and is connected to the pump (for retreat) 21 via the path 242, and the path 243. When the ink 7A in the main ink container is likely to overflow, it can be moved to the collection container 600 as needed.

The path 213 from the gutter 14 may be connected to the path 236. Thus, the ink collected from the gutter can be stored in the collection container 600.

{Circle around (5)} An air jet nozzle 530 for drying the solvent after washing is provided inside the print head 2, so that the residual solvent that cannot be completely collected after washing can be dried. The air ejection nozzle 530 is connected to the outside of the inkjet recording apparatus main body 1 via the path 250, and a pump 540 for ejecting air is provided in the middle of the path 250.

Next, the cleaning liquid ejection and cleaning liquid recovery mechanism in this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 2A is a view of the cleaning liquid ejection mechanism and the cleaning liquid recovery mechanism of the print head main body 710 as viewed from above, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. A cleaning nozzle 510 for ejecting a solvent is provided inside the print head 2. The cleaning nozzle 510 has a plurality of nozzles so that the solvent can be jetted out to the nozzle 8, the charging electrode 10, the deflecting

electrodes

11, 12, and the gutter 14, and the washing nozzle 510 can wash out the ink component attached to the aforementioned portion. it can.

The deflection base 520 has a concave shape so that the liquid can be collected in one place, and a collection port 711 for collecting the cleaning waste liquid is provided in the collected part.

The solvent from which the ink has been washed away is collected in the collection port 711 along the shape of the deflection base 520 and accumulated in the collection container 600 via the path 236.

(4) After the ejection of the solvent for cleaning is completed, air is ejected from the air ejection nozzle 530, so that the remaining solvent that cannot be collected and the solvent remaining between the charged electrodes 10 can be blown off or dried. Note that the air ejection nozzle may be configured to also serve as the cleaning nozzle 510. Further, a plurality of cleaning nozzles 510 may have a single nozzle instead of a plurality of nozzles, or a cleaning nozzle having a single nozzle and a cleaning nozzle having a plurality of nozzles. Both nozzles may be present.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a control flow of the solvent ejection and recovery operation. The operation display section 3 displays a button for starting the control flow, "Start Head Cleaning". Pressing this button starts the control flow. Note that the display content of the button is not limited to “head cleaning start”, but may be a different expression.

First, when the "head cleaning start" button is pressed, the cleaning solvent jetting operation starts in step S201, and the pump (for regeneration) 26 is started in step S202. Next, in step S203, the pump (for solvent) 27 is started, and the solvent is ejected from the cleaning nozzle 510.

{Circle around (2)} In step S204, the apparatus stands by while jetting the solvent for a certain time so as to continue jetting the solvent for cleaning. The waiting time can be arbitrarily determined, and the cleaning time can be set according to the length of the jetting time.

Thereafter, it is determined in step S205 whether the designated time has elapsed. If the designated time has elapsed and it is determined to be “Yes”, the pump (for solvent) 27 is stopped in step S206. If it is determined in step S205 that the designated time has not elapsed and “No” is determined, the process returns to step S204 until the designated time elapses again, and the determination is performed again in step S205.

In step S207, the pump (for regeneration) 26 is operated for a certain period of time even after the pump (for solvent) 27 is stopped in order to collect the solvent after jetting. Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the designated time has elapsed in step S208. If “Yes” is determined, the pump (for regeneration) 26 is stopped in step S209. If it is determined in step S208 that the specified time has not elapsed and “No” is determined, the process returns to step S207 until the specified time has elapsed, and the determination is performed again in step S208.

(4) After stopping the pump (for solvent) 27 in step S206, the drying air is spouted in step S210 in parallel. Then, after waiting for a specified time in step S211 and continuing ejection, it is determined in step S212 whether the specified time has elapsed. If the designated time has elapsed and the determination is “Yes”, the drying air is stopped in step S213. If the designated time has not elapsed, and if “No” is determined in step S212, the process returns to step S211 to wait for the designated time, and the determination is performed again in step S212.

(4) After the pump (for regeneration) 26 and the drying air are stopped, the cleaning operation ends in step S214. The waiting time in steps S204, S207, and S211 can be arbitrarily determined. However, in order to secure sufficient time for drying the solvent that has not been recovered and washed, “wait for designated time 3” is changed to “wait for designated time 1”. It is better to set the time sufficiently longer than "specified time wait 2".

(4) FIG. 4 shows a flow chart in the case where the solvent is recovered after cleaning and used for adjusting the ink concentration. In the case of adjusting the ink density using the solvent, the ink density is higher than the reference and the ink density is higher than the reference, and the ink is diluted with the solvent.

In FIG. 4, when an ink density adjustment (solvent) operation instruction is issued in step S301, it is determined in step S302 whether the collection container 600 is empty. If it is determined that the collection container 600 is not empty and “No”, the solvent is supplied from the collection container 600 in step S303.

After that, in step S304, it is determined whether the ink density is within a predetermined range. If the result of the determination is that the ink density is not within the determined range and is determined to be “No”, the solvent is supplied again. At this time, by returning to before step S302, the process moves to step S305 when an empty space is detected while preferentially using the solvent stored in the collection container 600.

回収 If the recovery container is empty in step S302 and the determination is “Yes”, the solvent is replenished from the solvent container 20 in step S305.

After that, it is determined in step S306 whether the ink density is within the reference density range. If the result of the determination is that the ink density is not within the reference range and is determined to be “No”, the solvent is replenished from the solvent container 20 again in step S305.

If the ink density falls within the reference density range in step S304 or S306 and the determination is "Yes," replenishment of the solvent is stopped in step S307, and then the density adjustment processing is stopped in step S308. .

In the case where the ink density is low, the density adjustment processing for adjusting the density using ink is performed. However, since the density adjustment processing is not related to the configuration of the present embodiment, it is not shown in the drawing.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, there is no need to prepare a beaker or the like to receive the solvent ejected when cleaning the print head, and the solvent is automatically collected, so that the cleaning operation can be performed more easily. It can be carried out. Further, by reusing the recovered solvent, the consumption of the solvent can be suppressed. Furthermore, by exchanging the internal ink and solvent between the main ink container and the collection container, there is no need to dispose of the internal ink when the main ink container is full, and the ink and solvent can be used more effectively. Can be.

In the present embodiment, a description will be given of a jet cleaning liquid recovery mechanism having a different shape from the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing the cleaning liquid ejection and cleaning liquid recovery mechanism in this embodiment. In FIG. 5, the print head 2 includes a print head main body 710 and a print head cover 720 therein, and a recovery port 711 extending from the print head main body 710 toward the print head cover 720 is provided. The solvent ejected from the cleaning nozzle 510, after cleaning the nozzle 8, the charging electrode 10, the deflecting

electrodes

11, 12, and the gutter 14, drops along the print head main body 710 to the print head cover 720, and is collected at one place of the cover. . The collected post-cleaning solvent 610 is sucked by the recovery port 711 extending from the print head main body 710. The sucked solvent 610 is accumulated in the collection container 600 provided in the ink jet recording apparatus main body 1 via the path 236.

According to this configuration, the solvent component scattered around can also be collected.

When the print head is oriented such that the gutter is directed downward as shown in FIG. 6, a configuration is provided in which the print opening is covered with a shutter 740, and the collection port 711 is directed downward. Since the solvent can be similarly concentrated in the head, the cleaning operation can be performed even when the solvent is set for printing.

In the present embodiment, a jet cleaning liquid recovery mechanism having a different shape from that of the first embodiment will be further described.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram showing a cleaning liquid ejection and cleaning liquid recovery mechanism in the present embodiment. In FIG. 7, at the time of washing, the print head 2 is washed upside down. The solvent used for cleaning is collected on the surface of the print head cover facing the cleaning nozzle 510, that is, the print head upper cover 730. A recovery port 711 extending from the print head main body 710 toward the print head upper cover 730 is provided to recover the solvent collected in the print head upper cover 730. The collected solvent is accumulated in the collection container 600 provided inside the ink jet recording apparatus main body 1 via the path 236.

According to this configuration, the path of the solvent that travels through the print head main body 710 can be shortened, and the solvent in which the ink component is dissolved can be prevented from spreading over a wide range. In addition, since the print head upper cover 730 can be easily removed, even if the inside becomes heavily soiled, it can be easily removed and washed.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described above. Further, a part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of one embodiment can be added to the configuration of another embodiment. Also, for a part of the configuration of each embodiment, it is possible to add, delete, or replace another configuration.

1: inkjet recording apparatus main body, 2: print head, 3: operation display section, 4: conduit, 7A: ink, 7C: ink particle, 8: nozzle, 10: charging electrode, 11, 12: deflection electrode, 14: gutter , 18: Main ink container, 20: Solvent container, 26: Pump (for regeneration), 27: Pump (for solvent), 37: Solenoid valve (for washing), 38: Solenoid valve (for solvent), 39: Solenoid valve (For reproduction), 200 to 209: path (for ink supply), 212 to 215: path (for ink recovery), 217: exhaust path, 221 to 222: path (for ink supply), 223: merge path, 231 to 233: path (for solvent replenishment), 234 to 237: path (for cleaning solvent), 238 to 243: path (for movement), 250: path (for air) 400: inkjet recording apparatus, 510: cleaning nozzle, 520 :side Base: 530: Air ejection nozzle, 540: Pump (for air) 600: Recovery container, 610: Solvent after cleaning, 620: Solenoid valve (for retraction), 710: Print head body, 711: Recovery port, 720: Print head cover , 730: print head upper cover, 740: shutter

Claims

An ink jet recording apparatus having a print head having a print head body and a print head cover,
The print head body includes a nozzle for discharging ink, a charging electrode for charging the ink discharged from the nozzle, a deflection electrode for deflecting the ink charged by the charging electrode, and collecting ink not used for printing. With gutter,
A cleaning nozzle is provided inside the print head, and a cleaning liquid is ejected from the cleaning nozzle to wash the inside of the print head,
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising a path for collecting a cleaning liquid after cleaning the inside of the print head.
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1,
An ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: a collection container for storing the collected cleaning liquid inside an ink jet recording apparatus main body.
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
The print head body has a deflection base having a concave shape so that the liquid can be collected at one place, and a collection port for collecting the cleaning liquid is provided at the part where the liquid is collected,
The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a path for collecting the cleaning liquid is such that the cleaning liquid is collected in the collection container along the shape of the deflection base and is stored in the collection container.
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
The print head body has a collection port extending toward the print head cover,
An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a path for collecting the cleaning liquid is such that the cleaning liquid is dropped along the print head body into the inside of the print head cover, collected, aspirated from the recovery port, and stored in the recovery container.
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
The print head body has a recovery port extending toward a surface opposite to the cleaning nozzle of the print head cover,
An ink jet recording apparatus wherein the path for collecting the cleaning liquid is such that the cleaning liquid is dropped on the surface of the print head cover opposite to the cleaning nozzle, collected, sucked from the recovery port, and stored in the recovery container. .
The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein
An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the cleaning liquid collected in the collection container is used for adjusting the ink concentration.
The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein
An ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: a path for storing the ink collected from the gutter in the collection container.
The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein a drying air outlet is provided inside the print head.
The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein:
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising a path through which the ink can be transferred from an ink container holding the ink to the collection container.