Printing apparatus and printed material manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10279604-B2
Application number	US-201715838063-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2017
Priority date	Sep 18, 2012
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

A printing apparatus includes a plasma treatment unit that performs plasma treatment on a surface of a treatment object to acidify at least the surface of the treatment object; and a recording unit that performs inkjet recording on the surface of the plasma treatment subjected to the plasma treatment by the plasma treatment unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing apparatus comprising:
an electrode that performs plasma treatment on a surface of a treatment object;
an inkjet head that performs inkjet recording on the surface of the treatment object subjected to the plasma treatment by the electrode; and
a controller that controls plasma energy based on a print mode.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a reading unit configured to read an image that is formed on the treatment object through the inkjet recording;
an analyzing unit configured to analyze at least one of dot circularity, a dot diameter, and a deviation of pigment density in the image read by the reading unit; and
a control unit configured to adjust plasma energy of the electrode based on an analysis result obtained by the analyzing unit.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a storage unit that stores therein the plasma energy for the plasma treatment, a type of the treatment object, and a print mode in an associated manner, wherein
the control unit adjusts the plasma energy of the electrode based on the analysis result, the type of the treatment object, and the print mode.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a storage unit that stores therein the plasma energy for the plasma treatment and a size of an ink droplet for a dot in an associated manner, wherein
the control unit adjusts the plasma energy of the electrode based on the analysis result and the size of the ink droplet.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit adjusts the plasma energy of the electrode based on the analysis result obtained by the analyzing unit, to thereby control the dot diameter in the image formed by the inkjet head.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a storage unit that stores therein the plasma energy for the plasma treatment, a type of the treatment object, and a print mode in an associated manner, wherein
the control unit adjusts the plasma energy of the electrode based on the analysis result, the type of the treatment object, and the print mode.

7. The printing apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising
a storage unit that stores therein the plasma energy for the plasma treatment and a size of an ink droplet for a dot in an associated manner, wherein
the control unit adjusts the plasma energy of the electrode based on the analysis result and the size of the ink droplet.

8. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the inkjet head forms a test pattern that is prepared in advance on the treatment object subjected to the plasma treatment, and
the analyzing unit analyzes at least one of the dot circularity, the dot diameter, and the deviation of the pigment density in the test pattern read by the reading unit.

9. The printing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the control unit optimizes the plasma energy for the plasma treatment based on an analysis result of the dot circularity and the deviation of the pigment density obtained by the analyzing unit.

10. The printing apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising:
a storage unit that stores therein an optimal value of the plasma energy for the plasma treatment in association with a type of the treatment object, a size of an ink droplet, and a print mode, wherein
the control unit optimizes the plasma energy for the plasma treatment based on the optimal value stored in the storage unit.

11. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a detector configured to detect a pH value of the surface of the treatment object subjected to acidification by the electrode; and
a control unit configured to adjust plasma energy of the electrode so that the pH value of the surface of the treatment object reaches a predetermined value or lower based on a detection result obtained by the detector.

12. The printing apparatus according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a plurality of discharge electrodes, and
the control unit adjusts the plasma energy by adjusting a number of the discharge electrodes to be used for the plasma treatment among all of the discharge electrodes based on the detection result obtained by the detector.

13. The printing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein
the electrode includes a high-frequency high-voltage power supply and a discharge electrode, and
the control unit adjusts the plasma energy by adjusting a frequency and a voltage value of a pulse voltage to be supplied by the high-frequency high-voltage power supply to the discharge electrode based on a detection result obtained by the detector.

14. The printing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the plasma treatment is atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasma treatment.

15. The printing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the detector is a non-contact pH detector that detects a pH of a solid in a non-contact manner.

16. The printing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein when the pH value of the surface of the treatment object is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, the inkjet head performs the inkjet recording.

17. The printing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein when the pH value of the surface of the treatment object is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, the inkjet head performs the inkjet recording with an ejection voltage lower than an ejection voltage that is used when the pH value of the surface of the treatment object is greater than the predetermined value.

18. A printed material manufacturing method of manufacturing a printed material with an image formed through inkjet recording, the method comprising:
performing plasma treatment on a surface of a treatment object to acidify at least the surface of the treatment object; and
performing the inkjet recording on the surface of the treatment object subjected to the plasma treatment.

19. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a storage unit that stores therein plasma energy for the plasma treatment and the print mode in an associated manner.

20. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the print mode includes monochrome printing or color printing.

21. A printing system comprising:
an electrode that performs plasma treatment on a surface of a treatment object;
an inkjet head that performs inkjet recording on the surface of the treatment object subjected to the plasma treatment by the electrode; and
a controller that controls plasma energy based on a print mode.

Assignees

• Nakai Junji
• Matsumoto Hiroyoshi
• Yoshida Masakazu
• Nakazawa Souichi
• Watanabe Tatsuro
• Hiratsuka Hiroyuki
• Nagai Koji
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nakai Junji
• Matsumoto Hiroyoshi
• Yoshida Masakazu
• Nakazawa Souichi
• Watanabe Tatsuro
• Hiratsuka Hiroyuki
• Nagai Koji

Classifications

• B41J11/0015

  for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing (selective coating B41J2/2114) · CPC title

• B41J2/07

  characterised by jet control (B41J2/205 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B41M5/0011 Primary

  Pre-treatment or treatment during printing of the recording material, e.g. heating, irradiating (after-treatment of prints B41M7/00; printers for treating or overcoating copy materials before, during or after printing B41J11/0015) · CPC title

• B41M5/0047

  by ink-jet printing · CPC title

• B41J2/01

  Ink jet · CPC title