Plasma processing device, printing apparatus, printing system, computer program product, and method for manufacturing printed material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9449798-B2
Application number	US-201514639052-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2015
Priority date	Mar 7, 2014
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

A plasma processing device includes a plasma processing unit that performs plasma processing on a predetermined area on a target recording medium at least two times; and a control unit that sets a plasma energy amount used by the plasma processing unit to perform a first plasma processing on the predetermined area of the target recording medium as a first energy amount and sets a plasma energy amount used by the plasma processing unit to perform a second plasma processing on the predetermined area as a second energy amount smaller than the first energy amount.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing apparatus comprising:
a plasma processing unit that performs plasma processing on a predetermined area on a target recording medium at least two times;
a control unit that sets a plasma energy amount used by the plasma processing unit to perform a first plasma processing on the predetermined area of the target recording medium as a first energy amount and sets a plasma energy amount used by the plasma processing unit to perform a second plasma processing on the predetermined area as a second energy amount smaller than the first energy amount; and
a recording unit that includes an inkjet head that performs inkjet recording on the predetermined area while reciprocating in a scanning direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the target recording medium;
wherein the plasma processing unit includes a first electrode that is supplied with the first energy amount while the recording unit moves in a first scan; and
wherein the plasma processing unit includes a second electrode that is adjacent to the first electrode in the conveying direction and that is supplied with the second energy amount while the recording unit moves in a second scan that is subsequent to the first scan.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the plasma processing unit acidifies a surface of the target recording medium.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the plasma processing unit causes atmospheric non-equilibrium plasma to come into contact with the target recording medium.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the plasma processing unit increases permeability of at least a surface of the target recording medium.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first electrode and the second electrode are disposed close to the inkjet head in the scanning direction.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the inkjet head includes a plurality of inkjet heads arranged in the conveying direction of the target recording medium.

7. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit adjusts the plasma energy amount of the plasma processing unit on the basis of at least one of a type of the target recording medium and a printing mode.

8. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit adjusts the plasma energy amount of the plasma processing unit in accordance with an ink used by the recording unit.

9. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit adjusts the plasma energy amount of the plasma processing unit in accordance with a size of an ink droplet ejected by the recording unit.

10. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
an ink applied by the recording unit to a surface of the target recording medium includes pigments that are charged negatively and dispersed in a liquid.

11. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein an ink applied by the recording unit to a surface of the target recording medium is an aqueous pigment ink.

12. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the target recording medium has an organic polymer on a surface of the target recording medium and is a non-permeable medium or a slow-permeable medium with respect to water.

13. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the target recording medium is coat paper having a coat layer on a surface of the coat paper.

14. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the plasma processing unit acidifies at least a surface of the target recording medium to have acidity that causes a viscosity of an ink applied by the recording unit to the surface of the target recording medium to be equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

15. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the plasma processing unit increases a hydrogen ion density of at least a surface of the target recording medium in accordance with a characteristic of an ink applied by the recording medium to the surface of the target recording medium.

16. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium that stores a program that operates a computer mounted on a printing apparatus including a plasma processing unit performing plasma processing on a predetermined area of a target recording medium at least two times and a recording unit performing inkjet recording on the predetermined area on which the plasma processing unit has performed the plasma processing, and causes the computer to execute:
setting a plasma energy amount used by the plasma processing unit to perform a first plasma processing on the predetermined area of the target recording medium as a first energy amount; and
setting, as a second energy amount smaller than the first energy amount, a plasma energy amount used by the plasma processing unit to perform a second plasma processing on the predetermined area after the recording unit performs the inkjet recording on the predetermined area
wherein the plasma processing unit includes a first electrode that is supplied with the first energy amount while the recording unit moves in a first scan; and
wherein the plasma processing unit includes a second electrode that is adjacent to the first electrode in a conveying direction of the target recording medium and that is supplied with the second energy amount while the recording unit moves in a second scan that is subsequent to the first scan.

17. A method for manufacturing a printed material on which an image is formed by an inkjet recording technique on a target recording medium, the method comprising:
performing plasma processing with a plasma processing unit on a predetermined area of the target recording medium with a first plasma energy amount;
performing inkjet recording with a recording unit on the predetermined area on which the plasma processing has been performed with the first plasma energy amount; and
performing the plasma processing on the predetermined area with a second plasma energy amount smaller than the first plasma energy amount when a second plasma processing is performed on the predetermined area on which the inkjet recording has been performed,
wherein the plasma processing unit includes a first electrode that is supplied with the first energy amount while the recording unit moves in a first scan; and
wherein the plasma processing unit includes a second electrode that is adjacent to the first electrode in a conveying direction of the target recording medium and that is supplied with the second energy amount while the recording unit moves in a second scan that is subsequent to the first scan.

Assignees

• Nakai Junji
• Matsumoto Hiroyoshi
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nakai Junji
• Matsumoto Hiroyoshi

Classifications

• H01J37/32935

  Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge · CPC title

• B41M5/0064

  on plastics, horn, rubber, or other organic polymers · CPC title

• H01J37/3299

  Feedback systems · CPC title

• B41J11/0015

  for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing (selective coating B41J2/2114) · CPC title

• H01J37/32825 Primary

  Working under atmospheric pressure or higher · CPC title