Inkjet recording apparatus, printer, and method for manufacturing cured product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10538099-B2
Application number	US-201715823733-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 28, 2017
Priority date	Dec 2, 2016
Publication date	Jan 21, 2020
Grant date	Jan 21, 2020

Abstract

An inkjet recording apparatus is provided. The inkjet recording apparatus includes a curable ink and a discharge head. The curable ink comprises a polymer having a polyester structural unit. The discharge head includes an individual liquid chamber including a circulation channel in which the curable ink is circulatable, and a nozzle from which the curable ink is dischargeable.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An inkjet recording apparatus, comprising:
a curable ink comprising a polymer having a polyester structural unit; and
a discharge head including:
an individual liquid chamber including a circulation channel in which the curable ink is circulatable; and
a nozzle from which the curable ink is dischargeable,

wherein:
the circulation channel includes a fluid resistance part that separates a circulation liquid chamber from a circulation common liquid chamber;
the circulation channel includes a nozzle channel through which the curable ink circulates in a direction parallel to a flow of the curable ink through the nozzle;
the nozzle channel is adjacent to the circulation liquid chamber through which the curable ink circulates in a direction perpendicular to the flow of the curable ink through the nozzle; and
the nozzle is located at a boundary of the nozzle channel and the circulation liquid chamber.

2. The inkjet recording apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a mechanism configured to perform a micro drive operation at a level that the curable ink is not discharged at a time when an image forming discharging operation is not performed.

3. The inkjet recording apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the discharge head further includes:
a nozzle plate having the nozzle,
wherein a distance between the circulation channel and a surface of the nozzle plate is 70 μm or less.

4. The inkjet recording apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the nozzle is disposed on a side closer to the circulation channel than the center of a part of the nozzle plate which faces the individual liquid chamber.

5. The inkjet recording apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the discharge head further includes:
a temperature sensor.

6. The inkjet recording apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the curable ink has a stimulation index less than 3.

7. The inkjet recording apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the curable ink comprises at least one white pigment selected from the group consisting of titanium oxide, silica, and zinc oxide; and
the white pigment accounts for 5% to 15% by mass of the curable ink.

8. The inkjet recording apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the curable ink has a viscosity of from 2 to 150 mPa·s at 25° C.

9. The inkjet recording apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a composition storage container storing the curable ink.

10. A printer, comprising:
an ink film forming device configured to form an ink film, the ink film forming device including the inkjet recording apparatus of claim 1 ; and
a photo-curing device configured to cure the ink film with light.

11. A method for manufacturing cured product, the method comprising:
circulating a curable ink comprising a polymer having a polyester structural unit within a circulation channel in an individual liquid chamber disposed in a discharge head;
discharging the curable ink from a nozzle disposed in the discharge head to form an ink film; and
curing the ink film,
wherein:
the circulation channel includes a fluid resistance part that separates a circulation liquid chamber from a circulation common liquid chamber;
the circulation channel includes a nozzle channel through which the curable ink circulates in a direction parallel to a flow of the curable ink through the nozzle;
the nozzle channel is adjacent to the circulation liquid chamber through which the curable ink circulates in a direction perpendicular to the flow of the curable ink through the nozzle; and
the nozzle is located at a boundary of the nozzle channel and the circulation liquid chamber.

Assignees

• Iio Masato
• Yoshida Takahiro
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Iio Masato
• Yoshida Takahiro

Classifications

• B41J2002/17516

  comprising a collapsible ink holder, e.g. a flexible bag · CPC title

• C09D11/322

  Pigment inks · CPC title

• C09D4/06

  {Organic non-macromolecular compounds having at least one polymerisable carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bond} in combination with a macromolecular compound other than an unsaturated polymer of groups C09D159/00 - C09D187/00 · CPC title

• B41J2/17513

  Inner structure · CPC title

• B41J29/38

  Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism · CPC title