Printing apparatus and print method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10787004-B2
Application number	US-201916404761-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 7, 2019
Priority date	May 17, 2018
Publication date	Sep 29, 2020
Grant date	Sep 29, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed is a printing apparatus which performs printing on a medium in an inkjet mode. The printing apparatus includes inkjet heads and an ultraviolet irradiation section that is an energy ray irradiation section. In this printing apparatus, the ink is an ink containing a solvent and generating heat in accordance with ultraviolet rays. The ultraviolet irradiation section applies the ultraviolet ray to the ink on the medium to evaporate at least a portion of the solvent in the ink. When 45% by volume or more of the solvent evaporates from an initial solvent amount, the viscosity of the ink is 50 mPa·sec or more.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing apparatus which performs printing on a medium in an inkjet mode, comprising:
an inkjet head which ejects an ink to the medium; and
an energy ray irradiator which applies an energy ray,
wherein
the ink is an ink containing a solvent and generating heat in accordance with the energy ray,
the energy ray irradiator applies the energy ray to the ink on the medium to evaporate at least a portion of the solvent in the ink, and
the energy ray irradiator applies the energy ray to the ink on the medium, so that a viscosity of the ink is 50 mPa·sec or more, when 45% by volume or more of the solvent evaporates from an initial solvent amount which is an amount of the solvent contained in the ink at a time of ejection from the inkjet head.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the ink contains a thickening substance which is a substance that increases the viscosity of the ink when the amount of the solvent in the ink decreases, and
the thickening substance aggregates when the amount of the solvent in the ink decreases to increase the viscosity of the ink.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the ink is an ink containing latex resin particles.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
when 45% by volume or more of the solvent evaporates from the initial solvent amount, as a distance between the latex resin particles decreases, the viscosity of the ink increases.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the ink contains a polymeric substance or an oligomer dissolved in the solvent.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
when 45% by volume or more of the solvent evaporates from the initial solvent amount, an intermolecular force of the polymeric substance or oligomer increases, and, at the same time, entanglement occurs between molecules, so that the viscosity of the ink increases.

7. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the ink contains a polymerizable substance which is a substance to be polymerized by irradiation with the energy ray.

8. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the ink is a colloidal ink, containing: coloring material-coated resin particles which are particles obtained by coating a coloring material with a resin.

9. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the ink is an ink containing latex resin particles.

10. The printing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
when 45% by volume or more of the solvent evaporates from the initial solvent amount, as a distance between the latex resin particles decreases, the viscosity of the ink increases.

11. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the ink contains a polymeric substance or an oligomer dissolved in the solvent.

12. The printing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein
when 45% by volume or more of the solvent evaporates from the initial solvent amount, an intermolecular force of the polymeric substance or oligomer increases, and, at the same time, entanglement occurs between molecules, so that the viscosity of the ink increases.

13. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the ink contains a polymerizable substance which is a substance to be polymerized by irradiation with the energy ray.

14. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the ink is a colloidal ink, containing: coloring material-coated resin particles which are particles obtained by coating a coloring material with a resin.

15. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the ink comprises a cellulose fiber which is a fiber of cellulose.

16. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the energy ray irradiator applies an ultraviolet ray as the energy ray.

17. A printing apparatus which performs printing on a medium in an inkjet mode, comprising:
an inkjet head which ejects an ink to the medium; and
an energy ray irradiator which applies an energy ray,
wherein
the ink is an ink containing a solvent and generating heat in accordance with the energy ray,
the energy ray irradiator applies the energy ray to the ink on the medium to evaporate at least a portion of the solvent in the ink, and
the ink comprises a cellulose fiber which is a fiber of cellulose;
wherein the energy ray is an ultraviolet ray, and
the ink further comprises an ultraviolet absorber that absorbs the ultraviolet ray and generates heat.

18. A print method which performs printing on a medium in an inkjet mode, comprising:
ejecting an ink to the medium by an inkjet head; and
applying an energy ray by an energy ray irradiator,
wherein
the ink is an ink containing a solvent and generating heat in accordance with the energy ray,
the energy ray irradiator applies the energy ray to the ink on the medium to evaporate at least a portion of the solvent in the ink, and
the ink comprises a cellulose fiber which is a fiber of cellulose;
wherein the energy ray is an ultraviolet ray, and
the ink further comprises an ultraviolet absorber that absorbs the ultraviolet ray and generates heat.

Assignees

• Mimaki Eng Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ohnishi Masaru

Classifications

• B41J11/0021 Primary

  using irradiation · CPC title

• B41J11/00214

  using UV radiation · CPC title

• B41J11/002 Primary

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