Printing method, printing device, and printing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10155374-B2
Application number	US-201615549171-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2016
Priority date	Apr 1, 2015
Publication date	Dec 18, 2018
Grant date	Dec 18, 2018

Abstract

A printing method for carrying out printing with respect to various printing target objects through a more appropriate method using an inkjet head, the printing method including a screen preparing step of preparing a mesh-like screen, an ink discharging step of discharging an ink droplet from the inkjet head to one surface of the screen, a viscosity increasing step of enhancing a viscosity of the ink on the screen, an ink push-in step of pushing the ink with enhanced viscosity from the one surface side toward other surface side of the screen, the step including pushing in the ink while a medium, or a target object of printing, and the other surface of the screen are making contact to attach the ink with enhanced viscosity to the medium, and an ink fixing step of fixing the ink attached to the medium to the medium.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A printing method for carrying out printing using an inkjet head, the printing method comprising:
a screen preparing step of preparing a screen in mesh shape;
an ink discharging step of drawing an image on the screen by discharging ink from the inkjet head with respect to one surface of the screen;
a viscosity increasing step of enhancing a viscosity of the ink on the screen;
an ink push-in step of pushing in the ink, whose viscosity is enhanced in the viscosity increasing step, from a side of the one surface toward a side of an other surface of the screen, the ink push-in step including pushing in the ink while a medium, or a target object of printing, and the other surface of the screen are making contact to attach the ink with enhanced viscosity to the medium; and
an ink fixing step of fixing the ink attached to the medium to the medium.

2. The printing method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
the ink push-in step includes: pushing in the ink from the side of the one surface toward the side of the other surface of the screen, while vibrating the screen.

3. The printing method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
the medium is a fabric medium having a gigging on a surface; and
in the ink push-in step, the other surface of the screen is brought into contact with the surface of the medium while holding down the gigging.

4. The printing method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
the screen preparing step causes the medium and the other surface of the screen to be brought into contact; and
operations of at least the ink discharging step, the viscosity increasing step, and the ink push-in step are carried out, while maintaining a contact between the medium and the other surface of the screen.

5. The printing method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
a plurality of layers of ink with enhanced viscosity are formed on the screen by repeating operations of the ink discharging step and operations of the viscosity increasing step over plural times; and
the ink push-in step includes: pushing the plurality of layers of ink toward the medium.

6. The printing method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
the ink push-in step uses a push-in member for pushing in the ink on the one surface of the screen toward the other surface to push in the ink toward the medium.

7. The printing method as set forth in claim 6 , wherein
the push-in member is a slidably moving member that slidably moves on the one surface of the screen; and
the ink push-in step includes: pushing the ink on the one surface of the screen toward the medium by slidably moving the slidably moving member with a hold-down sheet, or a sheet for holding down the ink on the screen, sandwiched between the ink on the one surface of the screen and the slidably moving member.

8. The printing method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
the inkjet head discharges the ink which is an ultraviolet curing ink that cures by irradiation of an ultraviolet ray;
the viscosity increasing step enhances the viscosity of the ink in a range of viscosity with which the ink passes the screen in the ink push-in step by irradiating the ink with an ultraviolet ray of an integrated intensity under which the ink does not completely cure; and
the ink fixing step fixes the ink to the medium by further irradiating the ink on the medium with the ultraviolet ray.

9. The printing method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
the inkjet head discharges the ink that fixes to the medium by evaporating a solvent;
the viscosity increasing step enhances the viscosity of the ink in a range of viscosity with which the ink passes the screen in the ink push-in step by volatilizing and removing one part of the solvent in the ink; and
the ink fixing step fixes the ink to the medium by further volatilizing and removing the solvent in the ink on the medium.

10. The printing method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
the inkjet head discharges the ink that fixes to the medium by being irradiated with an ultraviolet ray after evaporating a solvent;
the viscosity increasing step enhances the viscosity of the ink in a range of viscosity with which the ink passes the screen in the ink push-in step by volatilizing and removing at least one part of the solvent in the ink; and
the ink fixing step fixes the ink to the medium by irradiating the ink on the medium with the ultraviolet ray.

11. A printing system for carrying out printing using an inkjet head, the printing system comprising:
an inkjet head that discharges ink to one surface of a screen in mesh shape to draw an image on the screen;
a screen holder that holds the screen with the one surface of the screen facing the inkjet head;
a viscosity increaser that enhances a viscosity of the ink on the screen;
a push-in member that pushes the ink, whose viscosity is enhanced in a viscosity increasing step, from a side of the one surface toward a side of an other surface of the screen, the push-in member pushing in the ink while a medium, or a target object of printing, and the other surface of the screen are making contact to attach the ink with enhanced viscosity to the medium; and
an ink fixer that fixes the ink attached to the medium to the medium.

Assignees

• Mimaki Eng Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ohnishi Masaru

Classifications

• B41M1/12

  Stencil printing; Silk-screen printing · CPC title

• B41M7/0081

  using electromagnetic radiation or waves, e.g. ultraviolet radiation, electron beams · CPC title

• B05D1/26

  performed by applying the liquid or other fluent material from an outlet device in contact with, or almost in contact with, the surface · CPC title

• B41J11/58

  Supply holders for sheets or fan-folded webs, e.g. shelves, tables, scrolls, pile holders · CPC title

• B41J11/002

  Curing or drying the ink on the copy materials, e.g. by heating or irradiating · CPC title