Printing system and process management device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12122147-B2
Application number	US-202117908240-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2021
Priority date	Mar 2, 2020
Publication date	Oct 22, 2024
Grant date	Oct 22, 2024

Abstract

A printing system 10 configured to generate a product of printing includes: a coater 14 that is a pretreatment machine configured to execute a pretreatment process of performing a predetermined pretreatment on a medium that is a target of the printing; a printer 16 that is a printing device configured to execute a print process of performing the printing by ejecting ink onto the medium after the pretreatment performed by the coater 14; and a controller 12 that is a process management device configured to propose a condition for the pretreatment process based on a condition for the product to be generated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing system configured to generate a product of printing, the printing system comprising:
a pretreatment machine that is a device configured to execute a pretreatment process of performing a predetermined pretreatment on a medium that is a target of the printing;
a printing device configured to execute a print process of performing the printing by ejecting ink onto the medium after the pretreatment performed by the pretreatment machine; and
a process management device configured to propose a condition for the pretreatment process based on a condition for the product to be generated,
wherein
the medium is a fabric medium, and
the pretreatment process is a coating process of coating the medium with a pretreatment agent;
the process management device is configured to set the condition for the coating process based on a result of estimating a time required for executing the coating process.

2. The printing system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the process management device receives a designation of the condition for the product from a user, and determines the condition for the pretreatment process to be proposed, based on the condition for the product received from the user.

3. The printing system as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the process management device receives the designation of the condition for the product from the user by presenting to the user a plurality of parameters for the condition for the product and receiving from the user an instruction to change a value of at least any of the plurality of parameters, and determines the condition for the pretreatment process to be proposed based on the condition for the product received from the user.

4. The printing system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
the pretreatment process is a process of coating the medium with the pretreatment agent including a plurality of types of substances, and
the process management device proposes, as at least part of the condition for the pretreatment process, pretreatment agent blending information that is information indicating a composition of the plurality of types of substances included in the pretreatment agent.

5. The printing system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
the pretreatment process is a process of coating the medium with the pretreatment agent including a plurality of types of substances,
the process management device determines the condition for the pretreatment process to be proposed, based on condition association information that is information in which the condition for the product and the condition for the pretreatment process are associated with each other, and
in the condition association information, as the condition for the pretreatment process, a substance weight ratio is used that indicates an amount of each of the plurality of types of substances included in the pretreatment agent to be provided to the medium with respect to a unit weight of the medium.

6. The printing system as set forth in claim 5 , wherein
based on the substance weight ratio as the condition for the pretreatment process associated with the condition for the product in the condition association information, the process management device proposes a pickup ratio that is a proportion of a weight of the pretreatment agent used for the coating to a weight of the medium, and pretreatment agent blending information that is information indicating a composition of the plurality of types of substances included in the pretreatment agent.

7. The printing system as set forth in claim 5 , wherein the process management device receives a designation of a pickup ratio that is a proportion of a weight of the pretreatment agent used for the coating to a weight of the medium from the user, and based on the substance weight ratio as the condition for the pretreatment process associated with the condition for the product in the condition association information and on the pickup ratio, proposes pretreatment agent blending information that is information indicating a composition of the plurality of types of substances included in the pretreatment agent.

8. The printing system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the process management device proposes pretreatment device condition information that is information designating an operation of the pretreatment machine performing the coating using the pretreatment agent, as at least part of the condition for the pretreatment process.

9. The printing system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein based on condition association information that is information in which the condition for the product and the condition for the pretreatment process are associated with each other, the process management device determines the condition for the pretreatment processes to be proposed.

10. The printing system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a subsequent treatment machine configured to execute a subsequent treatment process of performing a predetermined subsequent treatment on the medium after the print process, wherein
the condition for the product to be generated is a condition indicating a state of the medium after the subsequent treatment process.

11. The printing system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the process management device proposes the condition for the pretreatment process in association with a result of estimating a cost required for executing at least any of the processes executed on the medium.

12. The printing system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
the process management device proposes a plurality of the conditions for the pretreatment process to the user, and
proposes each of the conditions for the pretreatment process, in association with a state of the product achieved when the condition for the pretreatment process is employed.

13. A process management device used in a printing system configured to generate a product of printing, wherein the process management device proposes a condition for a pretreatment process of performing, with a pretreatment machine, a predetermined pretreatment on a medium that is a target of the printing, based on a condition for the product,
wherein
the medium is a fabric medium, and
the pretreatment process is a coating process of coating the medium with a pretreatment agent;
the process management device is configured to set the condition for the coating process based on a result of estimating a time required for executing the coating process.

14. A printing system configured to generate a product of printing, the printing system comprising:
a pretreatment machine that is a device configured to execute a pretreatment process of performing a pretreatment of coating a fabric medium that is a target of the printing with a pretreatment agent including a plurality of types of substances;
a printing device configured to execute a print process of performing the printing by ejecting ink on the medium after the pretreatment has been executed by the pretreatment machine; and
a process management device configured to manage a condition for the pretreatment process, wherein
the process management device manages the condition for the pretreatment process based on a substance weight ratio indicating an amount of each of the plurality of types of substances included in the pretreatment agent to be provided to the medium with respect to a unit weight of the medium,
wherein
the medium is a fabric medium, and
the pretreatment process is a coating process of coating the medium with a pretreatment agent;
the process management device is configured to set the condition for the coating process based on a result of estimating a time required for exe

Assignees

• Mimaki Eng Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takizawa Tomohiko
• Akuta Shunsuke
• Takeda Tsukasa

Classifications

• B41J3/4078

  Printing on textile · CPC title

• G06Q50/04 Primary

  Manufacturing · CPC title

• G05B2219/2646

  Printing · CPC title

• G05B19/042

  using digital processors (G05B19/05 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B05D7/24

  for applying particular liquids or other fluent materials · CPC title