Printing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12370812-B2
Application number	US-202118003677-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 22, 2021
Priority date	Jun 30, 2020
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

A printing apparatus includes an ink ejector, a dryer, and a melting device. The ink ejector ejects an ink to an object on which a printed record is to be produced. The ink contains a medium and a fixing polymer. The dryer heats the object to expedite evaporation of the medium. The melting device is configured to irradiate the ink on the object with ultraviolet rays to subject the ink to heat that causes the fixing polymer to melt and to fix the ink to the object accordingly.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A printing apparatus, comprising:
an ink ejector configured to eject an ink to an object on which a printed record is to be produced, the ink containing a medium and a fixing polymer;
a dryer configured to heat the object to expedite evaporation of the medium; and
a melting device configured to irradiate the ink on the object with ultraviolet rays to subject the ink to heat that causes the fixing polymer to melt and to fix the ink to the object accordingly, wherein
the dryer heats the object to a temperature below a glass-transition temperature of the fixing polymer,
the melting device heats the ink on the object to a temperature equal to or higher than the glass-transition temperature of the fixing polymer,
the ink contains a first polymer different from the fixing polymer, and
the dryer heats the object to a temperature equal to or higher than a glass-transition temperature of the first polymer and lower than the glass-transition temperature of the fixing polymer.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the melting device is disposed downstream of the dryer in a direction of conveyance of the object.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the melting device causes the fixing polymer to melt after the dryer causes the medium to evaporate.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
an amount of heat to be applied to the object by the dryer, relative positions of the dryer and the melting device, and a speed of conveyance of the object are set to values at which the medium fully evaporates through the application of heat by the dryer before the melting device causes the fixing polymer to melt.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an auxiliary melting device located opposite the melting device with the object placed between the auxiliary melting device and the melting device, the auxiliary melting device being configured to heat a back surface of the object to aid in melting of the fixing polymer, the back surface being opposite to a surface of the object to which the ink is ejected.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the auxiliary melting device has a heating surface maintained at a predetermined temperature during contact with the back surface of the object, and
the melting device heats the ink on the object to a temperature above the predetermined temperature.

7. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the dryer comprises a first dryer and a second dryer disposed upstream and downstream, respectively, of the ink ejector in a direction of conveyance of the object, and
the melting device is disposed downstream of the second dryer.

8. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a conveyor configured to convey the object, and to bend at least part of the object being conveyed to provide a surface of the object that is curved convexly and to which the ink is ejected, wherein
the melting device emits ultraviolet rays to a region of the object being bent by the conveyor.

9. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the melting device includes a plurality of light, and
the plurality of light sources is configured to emit ultraviolet rays of different wavelengths.

10. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the dryer comprises a first portion and a second portion designed to repeatedly come into contact with the object in an alternating manner to heat the object.

11. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the dryer comprises a first dryer disposed upstream of the ink ejector in a direction of conveyance of the object, and
an amount of heat to be applied by the first dryer, relative positions of the first dryer and the ink ejector, and a speed of conveyance of the object are set to values at which a temperature in a region of the object immediately anterior to a region of the object facing the ink ejector is equal to or higher than the glass-transition temperature of the first polymer and lower than the glass-transition temperature of the fixing polymer.

12. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the dryer is disposed upstream of the melting device in a direction of conveyance of the object, and
an amount of heat to be applied by the dryer, relative positions of the dryer and the melting device, and a speed of conveyance of the object are set to values at which a temperature in a region of the object extending from immediately posterior to the dryer to immediately anterior to a region of the object facing the melting device is equal to or higher than the glass-transition temperature of the first polymer and lower than the glass-transition temperature of the fixing polymer.

13. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first polymer is a dispersant polymer.

14. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the glass-transition temperature of the fixing polymer is higher than a glass-transition temperature of any other polymer contained in the ink.

15. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the ink ejector ejects at least two kinds of the ink containing different coloring agents, and
a percentage content of an ultraviolet-absorbing agent in one ink of the at least two kinds of the ink is not equal to a percentage content of the ultraviolet-absorbing agent in another ink of the at least two kinds of the ink, with the ultraviolet-absorbing agent being different from the different coloring agents.

16. The printing apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein
when the at least two kinds of the ink are irradiated with ultraviolet rays emitted by the melting device, a coloring agent of the different coloring agents contained in the one ink has a lower ultraviolet absorptance than a coloring agent of the different coloring agents contained in the another ink, and
the percentage content of the ultraviolet-absorbing agent in the one ink is higher than the percentage content of the ultraviolet-absorbing agent in the another ink.

17. The printing apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein
when the at least two kinds of the ink are irradiated with ultraviolet rays emitted by the melting device, the one ink has a lower ultraviolet absorptance of the coloring agent than the another ink, and
the percentage content of the ultraviolet-absorbing agent in the one ink is higher than the percentage content of the ultraviolet-absorbing agent in the another ink.

18. A printing method, comprising:
ejecting, through an ink ejector, an ink to an object on which a printed record is to be produced, the ink containing a medium and a fixing polymer;
heating, through a dryer, the object to expedite evaporation of the medium; and
irradiating, through a melting device, the ink on the object with ultraviolet rays to subject the ink to heat that causes the fixing polymer to melt and to fix the ink to the object accordingly, wherein
in the heating of the object, the dryer heats the object to a temperature below a glass-transition temperature of the fixing polymer,
in the irradiating of the ink, the melting device heats the ink on the object to a temperature equal to or higher than the glass-transition temperature of the fixing polymer,
the ink contains a first polymer different from the fixing polymer, and
in the heating of the object, the dryer heats the object to a temperature equal to or higher than a glass-transition temperature of the first polymer and lower than the glass-transition

Assignees

• Kyocera Corp

Inventors

• Fukuoka Shuichi
• Sakai Hisamitsu
• Nishimoto Akihiko
• Ookoda Hitoshi
• Miyahara Takashi
• Ishihara Atsushi
• Takeshita Chihiro

Classifications

• B41J11/007

  Conveyor belts or like feeding devices · CPC title

• B41J2/48

  melting ink on a film or melting ink granules · CPC title

• B41J2/2107

  characterised by the ink properties (supplying ink in a solid state B41J2/17593) · CPC title

• B41J11/00218

  Constructional details of the irradiation means, e.g. radiation source attached to reciprocating print head assembly or shutter means provided on the radiation source · CPC title

• B41J11/00244

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