Printing apparatus, printing method, powdering apparatus, and powdering method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11584141-B2
Application number	US-201917284475-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2019
Priority date	Oct 18, 2018
Publication date	Feb 21, 2023
Grant date	Feb 21, 2023

Abstract

Powdering on a front surface of a printed matter or the like is appropriately performed. A printing apparatus configured to perform printing on a medium includes: an ink ejection portion configured to eject an ink to the medium; and a powdering portion configured to perform powdering that applies powder to the medium. The powdering portion includes: a liquid applying device configured to apply, to the medium, a powder containing liquid that is a liquid including the powder and a solvent and an energy ray emitting portion configured to irradiate the powder containing liquid applied to the medium with energy rays. The powder containing liquid is a liquid that generates heat when irradiated with energy rays. The energy ray emitting portion irradiates the powder containing liquid applied to the medium with energy rays to evaporate the solvent of the powder containing liquid, so that the powder adheres to the medium.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing apparatus configured to perform printing on a medium, the printing apparatus comprising:
an ink ejection portion, configured to eject an ink to the medium; and
a powdering portion, configured to perform powdering that applies powder to the medium,
wherein the powdering portion comprises:
a liquid applying device, configured to apply a powder containing liquid to the medium, wherein the powder containing liquid is a liquid including the powder and a solvent, and
an energy ray emitting portion, configured to irradiate the powder containing liquid applied to the medium with energy rays,

wherein the powder containing liquid is a liquid that generates heat when being irradiated with the energy rays,
the energy ray emitting portion is configured to irradiate the powder containing liquid applied to the medium with the energy rays to evaporate the solvent of the powder containing liquid, so that the powder is exposed and adhered to a surface of the medium, and
the powder containing liquid does not include a binder resin being a resin that remains on the medium after evaporation of the solvent, or includes an amount of the binder resin so that the powder does not scatter after the powder containing liquid is dried.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the powder containing liquid includes an energy absorber as a material that generates heat by absorbing the energy rays.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the powder containing liquid includes, as the powder, a powder of a material that generates heat by absorbing the energy rays.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the energy ray emitting portion is configured to emit ultraviolet rays as the energy rays, and
the powder containing liquid includes a powder of zinc oxide as the powder.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the powder containing liquid includes the binder resin in a weight ratio of 15 weight % or lower relative to an entire of the powder containing liquid.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the energy ray emitting portion is configured to emit the energy rays to the powder containing liquid applied to the medium, so that the powder containing liquid boils on the medium.

7. The printing apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising:
an ink fixing device, configured to fix the ink to the medium, wherein the ink is ejected onto the medium by the ink ejection portion,
wherein the ink ejection portion is configured to eject the ink that generates heat when being irradiated with the energy rays, and
wherein the ink fixing device is configured to:
irradiate the ink on the medium with the energy rays, so that the ink is fixed to the medium, and
heat the ink without boiling the ink on the medium.

8. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the liquid applying device is an inkjet head configured to eject the powder containing liquid by an inkjet method.

9. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the medium is a medium that is taken up after printing.

10. A printing method of performing printing on a medium, the printing method comprising:
causing an ink ejection portion to eject an ink to the medium;
causing a powdering portion to perform powdering that applies a powder to the medium, wherein the powdering portion comprises:
a liquid applying device, configured to apply a powder containing liquid to the medium, wherein the powder containing liquid is a liquid including the powder and a solvent, and
an energy ray emitting portion, configured to irradiate the powder containing liquid applied to the medium with energy rays, and
the powder containing liquid is a liquid that generates heat when being irradiated with the energy rays, and the powder containing liquid does not include a binder resin being a resin that remains on the medium after evaporation of the solvent, or includes an amount of the binder resin so that the powder does not scatter after the powder containing liquid is dried; and
causing the energy ray emitting portion to irradiate the powder containing liquid applied to the medium with the energy rays to evaporate the solvent of the powder containing liquid, so that the powder is exposed and adhered adheres to a surface of the medium.

11. A powdering apparatus configured to perform powdering that applies powder to an object, the powdering apparatus comprising:
a liquid applying device, configured to apply a powder containing liquid to the object, wherein the powder containing liquid is a liquid including the powder and a solvent; and
an energy ray emitting portion, configured to irradiate the powder containing liquid applied to the object with energy rays,
wherein the powder containing liquid is a liquid that generates heat when being irradiated with the energy rays, and
the energy ray emitting portion is configured to irradiate the powder containing liquid applied to the object with the energy rays to evaporate the solvent of the powder containing liquid, so that the powder is exposed and adhered to a surface of the object, and
the powder containing liquid does not include a binder resin being a resin that remains on the object after evaporation of the solvent, or includes an amount of the binder resin so that the powder does not scatter after the powder containing liquid is dried.

Assignees

• Mimaki Eng Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ohnishi Masaru

Classifications

• B41M7/0045

  using protective coatings or film forming compositions cured by mechanical wave energy, e.g. ultrasonics, cured by electromagnetic radiation or waves, e.g. ultraviolet radiation, electron beams, or cured by magnetic or electric fields, e.g. electric discharge, plasma · CPC title

• C09D11/38

  characterised by non-macromolecular additives other than solvents, pigments or dyes · CPC title

• B41J11/0021 Primary

  using irradiation · CPC title

• B41J11/00244

  Means for heating the copy materials before or during printing · CPC title

• B41J11/00214 Primary

  using UV radiation · CPC title