Exhaust device for inkjet coating, inkjet ejection device, inkjet coating method, and method for manufacturing member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11052674-B2
Application number	US-202016786262-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2020
Priority date	Feb 12, 2019
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

To reduce an influence of a flow of ambient atmosphere and the like on flying of a droplet ejected from a nozzle of an inkjet head. To exhaust vapor of a solvent contained in a coated film while reducing an influence on flying of the droplet. An exhaust device for inkjet coating includes: a cover that covers at least a target range on an object to be coated, the target range being a range in which a droplet lands that is ejected from an ejection nozzle of an inkjet head to a surface of the object to be coated; a closing member that closes a gap between the cover and the object to be coated around the target range; an external communication portion through which a compartment surrounded by the cover, the object to be coated, and the closing member communicates with an outside; and an exhaust mechanism configured to exhaust air from the compartment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An exhaust device for inkjet coating comprising:
a cover that covers at least a target range on an object to be coated, the target range being a range in which a droplet lands that is ejected from an ejection nozzle of an inkjet head to a surface of the object to be coated;
a closing member that closes a gap between the cover and the object to be coated around the target range;
an external communication portion through which a compartment surrounded by the cover, the object to be coated, and the closing member communicates with an outside; and
an exhaust mechanism configured to exhaust air from the compartment, wherein
the closing member comprises:
a side wall rising from an edge of the cover toward the object to be coated; and
a seal member disposed on the side wall and in contact with the object to be coated.

2. The exhaust device for inkjet coating according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an air blow mechanism configured to supply an air jet around the target range and within a region of the cover projected onto the object to be coated; and
a compartment surrounded by the cover, the object to be coated, and the jet.

3. The exhaust device for inkjet coating according to claim 2 , wherein the air blow mechanism supplies the jet from outside to inside the target range.

4. The exhaust device for inkjet coating according to claim 2 , wherein
the air blow mechanism supplies the jet around and also into the target range to form a plurality of the compartments surrounded by the cover, the object to be coated, and the jet, and
the plurality of compartments each communicate with the outside of the compartments through external communication portions.

5. The exhaust device for inkjet coating according to claim 2 , wherein the air blow mechanism includes
a supply duct into which air pressurized with respect to atmospheric pressure is introduced, and
a plurality of jet nozzles configured to discharge air in the supply duct to form the jet.

6. The exhaust device for inkjet coating according to claim 5 , wherein the cover and the supply duct arranged at a peripheral edge on one surface of the cover constitute a box-like enclosure.

7. The exhaust device for inkjet coating according to claim 1 , wherein the external communication portion is an opening extending through the cover.

8. The exhaust device for inkjet coating according to claim 1 , wherein
the exhaust mechanism includes
an exhaust duct connected to the external communication portion, and
an exhauster configured to exhaust air from the compartment through the exhaust duct.

9. An inkjet ejection device comprising:
an inkjet head including an ejection nozzle configured to eject a droplet to an object to be coated, and
an airflow supply mechanism configured to supply an airflow along a traveling direction of the droplet from near the ejection nozzle toward the object to be coated, wherein
a supply nozzle included in the airflow supply mechanism is integrally formed with the inkjet head to follow movement of the inkjet head.

10. The inkjet ejection device according to claim 9 , wherein the airflow supply mechanism supplies a pair of the airflows with a path of the droplet therebetween.

11. The inkjet ejection device according to claim 9 , wherein the following equation is satisfied:

θ
=

tan

-
1

⁡

(

u
x

u
z

)

[

Formula
⁢

⁢
1

]

where
u z is an initial speed of the droplet immediately after being ejected from the ejection nozzle in a first direction,
u x is a speed of movement of the inkjet head in a second direction relative to the object to be coated, and
θ is an angle formed between a vector of a speed of movement of the droplet ejected from the ejection nozzle of the inkjet head moving in the second direction and a vector of the initial speed in the first direction, and

the airflow supply mechanism is configured to be able to change the direction of the airflow based on m and u z .

12. The inkjet ejection device according to claim 10 , wherein
the following equation is satisfied:

θ
=

tan

-
1

⁡

(

u
x

u
z

)

[

Formula
⁢

⁢
1

]

where u z is an initial speed of the droplet immediately after being ejected from the ejection nozzle in a first direction,
u x is a speed of movement of the inkjet head in a second direction relative to the object to be coated, and
θ is an angle formed between a vector of a speed of movement of the droplet ejected from the ejection nozzle of the inkjet head moving in the second direction and a vector of the initial speed in the first direction, and

the airflow supply mechanism is configured to be able to change the direction of the airflow based on u x and u z .

13. An inkjet coating method comprising the steps of:
covering at least a target range on an object to be coated with a cover, the target range being a range in which a droplet lands that is ejected from an ejection nozzle of an inkjet head to a surface of the object to be coated;
closing a gap between the cover and the object to be coated around the target range with a seal member disposed on a side wall rising on an end of a closing member toward the object to be coated;
exhausting air from a compartment surrounded by th

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Nohara Toshikatsu
• Kimura Masaki
• Ikeda Kosuke
• Komatsu Yoshinao

Classifications

• B41J29/377

  Cooling or ventilating arrangements · CPC title

• B05B1/3046

  the valve element, e.g. a needle, co-operating with a valve seat located downstream of the valve element and its actuating means, generally in the proximity of the outlet orifice (B05B1/308 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B05B14/49

  specially adapted for solvents · CPC title

• B05B13/005

  mounted on vehicles or designed to apply a liquid on a very large surface, e.g. on the road, on the surface of large containers · CPC title

• B05B12/18

  using fluids, e.g. gas streams · CPC title