JP6796098B2 - Printing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that discharges a liquid onto a printing medium to perform printing.

Patent Document 1 describes in an inkjet printer that prints by ejecting ink from a nozzle onto a printing medium, two inkjet heads arranged in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction are set as one set, and four sets of inkjet heads are arranged side by side in the scanning direction. Disclose what you have done. In addition, one inkjet head ejects one kind of ink, for example. The above-mentioned inkjet printer includes a guide member (guide shaft) which is a shaft body extending in the scanning direction. The set of inkjet heads is mounted on the carriage in a state where four sets are arranged in the scanning direction. The carriage is provided with a guide engaging portion that engages with the guide shaft on one end side in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction. The carriage is supported with respect to the guide shaft with the guide shaft inserted through the guide engaging portion. The carriage supported by the guide shaft at the guide engaging portion reciprocates in the scanning direction by driving the carriage motor.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-22771

When the carriage reciprocates in the scanning direction, acceleration in the scanning direction is applied to the carriage. The acceleration in the scanning direction applied to the carriage puts a load on the carriage. The load on the carriage causes the carriage to tilt in the scanning direction. Since the carriage is equipped with the above-mentioned set of inkjet heads, the length of the carriage is orthogonal to the scanning direction as compared with the carriage having only one inkjet head in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction. It may be longer in the direction. In the case of a carriage that is relatively long in the sub-scanning direction, if the inclination of the carriage is different between the one end side supported by the guide shaft side and the other end side opposite to the one end, one set. The landing position of the ink in each scanning direction ejected from the two inkjet heads may not match the expected landing position. In addition, design tolerances are provided for the dimensions of the guide shaft and the guide engaging portion. Therefore, when the guide rail is inserted through the guide engaging portion, the carriage may have a slight rattling. Therefore, there is a problem that the landing position of the ink with respect to the print medium at the time of printing by the inkjet printer deviates from the expected landing position and the print quality is deteriorated.

An object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus capable of reducing the inclination of the carriage and the rattling of the carriage with respect to the guide shaft during movement of the carriage and preventing deterioration of print quality.

The printing apparatus according to the present invention is a printing apparatus capable of transporting a printing medium in the first direction, and includes a plurality of printing head units having a ejection unit capable of ejecting a liquid toward the printing medium, and the plurality of printings. A carriage that arranges head units in the first direction and reciprocates in a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction, and a first guide having an axial portion having a central axis extending in the second direction. the provided at one end of the first direction in the carriage, and the supporting lifting unit you slidably supporting said carriage along said first guide, disposed to face the first guide, the second A second guide extending in two directions and a portion of the carriage provided at the other end of the carriage opposite to the one end and pressing the first end of the second guide on the side facing the first guide. there are a first abutment member abuts on the first end portion, prior Symbol first urging the first contact member urging said first abutment member to abut direction to the first end A first pressing portion including a member is provided.

According to the present invention, the first pressing portion provided on the other end side of the carriage presses the first contact member in the direction of contacting the first end portion of the rail member. In this case, the reaction force of the pressing force by the first pressing portion is applied to the carriage. The reaction force applied to the carriage acts in the direction of pressing the carriage in the first direction toward the first guide . Therefore, the printing apparatus according to the present invention can reduce the inclination of the carriage when the carriage is moved and the rattling of the carriage with respect to the first guide . That is, the printing apparatus according to the present invention can prevent deterioration of print quality due to the displacement of the landing position of the liquid discharged from the ejection portion due to the inclination of the carriage and the rattling of the carriage.

The first guide may be centered between the end on the third direction side of the first contact member and the end on the fourth direction side. In this case, the reaction force of the pressing force by the first pressing portion is easily transmitted in the first direction toward the center of the first guide . Therefore, the first pressing portion can reliably support the carriage in the first direction.

The plurality of print head units include a pretreatment head unit including the ejection unit that ejects the pretreatment liquid to the print medium, and the pretreatment liquid after being ejected by the pretreatment head unit. A post-processing head unit including the ejection unit that ejects the post-processing liquid to the print medium may be included. In the carriage, the post-processing head unit may be arranged on the one end side with respect to the pre-processing head unit.

At one end side of the carriage, supporting lifting part is provided you support the carriage in the first guide. Therefore, the one end side of the carriage is less affected by the inclination of the carriage and the rattling of the carriage than the other end side. The post-treatment head unit that discharges the post-treatment liquid to the print medium after the pre-treatment liquid is discharged is required to discharge the liquid with higher accuracy than the pretreatment head unit. The post-processing head unit is arranged on the one end side of the carriage, which is not easily affected by the inclination of the carriage and the rattling of the carriage. Therefore, the printing apparatus can ensure the print quality.

The carriage is pre-Symbol comprises the first pressing portion to each of the second opposite end of the other end, at least one second, which is arranged between two said first pressing portion at the other end The pressing portion and the second pressing portion are arranged to face each other on the fourth direction side, and abut on the second end portion of the rail member on the fourth direction side to restrict the movement of the carriage in the third direction. It may be provided with a regulatory department. The second pressing portion, the said a second abutment member that abuts the third end part of the opposite second end, before Symbol second direction abutting member abuts on the third end the (Ii) A second urging member that urges the abutting member may be provided.

One end of the carriage is supported by the supporting lifting unit. In addition to the weight of the carriage itself, a load due to the weight of a plurality of print heads is applied to the carriage. Therefore, the other end of the carriage tends to swing in the third direction with the first guide as a fulcrum. The second pressing portion can press the carriage toward the third end of the second guide at the other end of the carriage. The force of the second pressing portion pressing the carriage against the third end acts in a direction of canceling the force of the other end of the carriage swaying from the fourth direction side to the third direction side. Further, the regulating portion abuts on the second end portion of the second guide from the fourth direction side. Therefore, the second guide is sandwiched by the second contact member and the regulating portion from both the third direction and the fourth direction. Therefore, the printing apparatus can reliably support the carriage by providing the second pressing portion and the regulating portion.

The end portion of the regulation portion on the third direction side may be arranged on the fourth direction side of the center of the first guide . In this case, the first end portion formed between the second end portion and the third end portion is likely to be arranged at the same position as the central axis. Therefore, the first pressing portion can reliably press the carriage in the first direction toward the first guide . Further, the regulating unit abuts on the second end portion from the fourth direction side to restrict the movement of the carriage in the third direction. Therefore, the second pressing portion can reliably press the carriage in the fourth direction.

It is a perspective view of the printer 1. It is a top view of the printer 1. It is a perspective view of the frame body 10. It is an enlarged plan view of the carriage 20 part in the frame body 10 of FIG. It is a perspective view of the carriage 20 seen from the right rear. It is an enlarged perspective view of the carriage 20 seen from the right rear view. It is a perspective view of the carriage 20 seen from the right rear. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the rear portion of the frame body 10 in FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, a schematic configuration of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The upper, lower, lower right, upper left, upper right, and lower left of FIG. 1 are the upper, lower, front, rear, right, and left of the printer 1, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 is an inkjet printer that prints by ejecting liquid ink onto a cloth (not shown) such as a T-shirt which is a printing medium. The printer 1 may use paper or the like as a printing medium. In the present embodiment, the printer 1 ejects five different types of inks (white (W), black (K), yellow (Y), cyan (C), and magenta (M)) downward. This makes it possible to print a color image on a print medium. In the following description, among the five types of ink, white ink is referred to as white ink, and when the four color inks of black, cyan, yellow, and magenta are collectively referred to as color ink. In the following description, the transport direction (front-back direction, sub-scanning direction) in which the printer 1 conveys the print medium is also referred to as a first direction, and the direction orthogonal to the first direction (horizontal direction, scanning direction) is also referred to as a second direction. ..

The printer 1 includes a housing 2, a platen drive mechanism 6, a pair of guide rails 3, 3, platen 5, tray 4, frame 10, clearance sensor 8, guide shaft 9, rail 7, carriage 20, support portion 21L, 21R. , Head units 100, 200, drive belt 101, drive motor 19, substrate 15, and two fans 18, 18 are mainly provided.

The housing 2 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with the left-right direction as the longitudinal direction. An operation unit (not shown) for operating the printer 1 is provided at a position in front of the right side of the housing 2. The operation unit includes a display and operation buttons. The display displays various information. The operation buttons are operated when the user inputs instructions regarding various operations of the printer 1.

The platen drive mechanism 6 includes a pair of guide rails 3, 3 (see FIG. 2). The pair of guide rails 3 and 3 support the platen 5 and the tray 4 so as to be transportable in the front-rear direction. The platen drive mechanism 6 moves the platen 5 and the tray 4 in the front-rear direction of the housing 2 along the pair of guide rails 3 and 3 by using a motor (not shown) provided at the rear end as a drive source. The platen 5 has a substantially rectangular plate shape in a plan view with the front-rear direction of the housing 2 as the longitudinal direction. The platen 5 is provided below the frame body 10 described later. A printing medium made of a cloth such as a T-shirt is placed on the upper surface of the platen 5. The tray 4 has a rectangular shape in a plan view and is provided below the platen 5. When the user places the T-shirt or the like on the platen 5, the tray 4 receives the sleeve or the like of the T-shirt to protect the sleeve or the like from falling inside the housing 2.

The frame body 10 has a substantially rectangular frame shape in a plan view. The frame body 10 is installed on the upper part of the housing 2. The clearance sensor 8 is provided at a position in front of the frame body 10 in the left-right direction of the frame body 10. The clearance sensor 8 has wrinkles and dust such as cloth placed on the platen 5 when the platen 5 moves in the front-rear direction in the housing 2 along the pair of guide rails 3 and 3 when printing is executed by the printer 1. Detect obstacles such as.

The frame body 10 supports the guide shaft 9 and the rail 7 on the inside, respectively. The guide shaft 9 is a shaft member including a shaft-shaped portion having a central axis extending in the second direction inside the frame body 10. The rail 7 is a rod-shaped member that is arranged so as to face the guide shaft 9 and extends in the second direction. The guide shaft 9 and the rail 7 are separated from each other in the front-rear direction.

The carriage 20 is supported with respect to the guide shaft 9 so as to be able to be conveyed in the left-right direction along the guide shaft 9. The support portions 21L and 21R are provided on the first end portion 28, which is one end portion in the first direction of the carriage 20. The support portions 21L and 21R insert the guide shaft 9 and slidably support the carriage 20 along the guide shaft 9. In other words, the support portions 21L and 21R have a tubular shape that engages with the guide shaft 9. Although not shown, a bearing mechanism is provided inside each of the support portions 21L and 21R. Therefore, the carriage 20 is smoothly slid along the guide shaft 9. The head units 100 and 200 are mounted on the carriage 20. Head units 105 and 205 capable of ejecting ink toward the print medium are provided on the bottom surfaces of the head units 100 and 200 (see FIG. 8).

Although not shown, the insides of the head portions 105 and 205 are divided into four along the left-right direction corresponding to each of the color inks. A flat discharge surface parallel to the horizontal plane is formed on the bottom surfaces of the head portions 105 and 205. The ejection surface is provided with a plurality of fine ejection ports capable of ejecting any of the color inks in the first direction. The plurality of discharge ports are arranged in a row from the front side of the discharge surface to the rear along the front-rear direction and in a plurality of rows along the left-right direction. The plurality of discharge ports correspond to a plurality of discharge channels (not shown) provided inside the head portions 105 and 205. The plurality of ejection channels are driven by a plurality of piezoelectric elements (not shown) provided inside the head portions 105 and 205, so that ink can be ejected downward from the corresponding ejection ports. That is, the head portion 105 has a discharge port group having a plurality of discharge ports for discharging black ink, a discharge port group having a plurality of discharge ports for discharging cyan ink, and a discharge port having a plurality of discharge ports for discharging yellow ink. It has a group and a group of ejection ports having a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting magenta ink. Further, the head portion 205 ejects white ink. Like the head portion 105, the head portion 205 is divided into four parts, and white ink is ejected from all the ejection ports. In the following description, the downward direction in which the head portions 105 and 205 of the head units 100 and 200 respectively eject ink is referred to as the third direction, and the upward direction opposite to the third direction is the fourth direction. Also called.

The drive belt 101 has a strip shape that is bridged along the left-right direction inside the frame body 10. The drive belt 101 is made of a flexible resin. The drive motor 19 is provided on the front right side inside the frame body 10. The drive motor 19 is provided between the guide shaft 9 and the rail 7 in the front-rear direction. The drive motor 19 can rotate in the forward and reverse directions, and is connected to the carriage 20 via a drive belt 101. When the drive motor 19 drives the drive belt 101, the carriage 20 is reciprocated in the second direction. The carriage 20 reciprocates the head portions 105 and 205 of the head units 100 and 200 in the second direction, which is a direction orthogonal to the first direction.

The substrate 15 is a substrate provided with an optical sensor (not shown) for detecting the position of the carriage 20 in the second direction on the lower surface. The substrate 15 is fixed to the first end 28 of the carriage 20 by screwing. The substrate 15 moves in the second direction along with the reciprocating movement of the carriage 20 in the second direction. The optical sensor is electrically connected to the substrate 15. On the outside of the front side of the frame body 10, an encoder strip (not shown) extending in a band shape in the second direction and forming a pattern indicating the position of the carriage 20 in the second direction is arranged. The encoder strip is marked with a pattern in which light-transmitting portions that transmit light and light-shielding portions that block light are alternately arranged at equal pitches in the longitudinal direction. The signal based on the pattern detected by the optical sensor is output to the substrate 15. The control unit composed of various electronic elements mounted on the substrate 15 acquires the position of the carriage 20 in the second direction based on the signal. The board 15 outputs the position information of the carriage 20 in the second direction to the main board (not shown) that controls the main control of the printer 1. The main board controls the drive of the drive motor 19 and the drive of a plurality of piezoelectric elements inside the head portions 105 and 205 based on the position information output from the board 15.

The two fans 18, 18 are provided at the rear ends of the frame body 10, respectively. The two fans 18, 18 may be general-purpose fans. The two fans 18 and 18 discharge air from the front side to the rear side. In the present embodiment, the carriage 20 is arranged inside the frame body 10. That is, in the area inside the frame body 10, printing on the printing medium by the printer 1 is performed. Further, the platen 5 conveys the print medium inside the housing 2 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, at the time of printing, in the printing area inside the frame body 10 which is the inside of the housing 2, the mist of the ink particles in which the ink ejected from the head portions 105 and 205 of the head units 100 and 200 becomes minute droplets is generated. It may occur. When mist is generated, the generated mist may be diffused inside the housing 2. The two fans 18 and 18 discharge the mist generated in the print area inside the frame 10 together with the air inside the frame 10 from the print area inside the frame 10 and the inside of the housing 2 toward the rear side. it can.

The frame body 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The frame body 10 supports the guide shaft 9 on the front side and the rail 7 on the rear side on the inside. The carriage 20 is erected between the guide shaft 9 and the rail 7 in the front-rear direction. A left side pressing portion 22, a right side pressing portion 23, and a regulating portion 24 are provided at a second end portion 29 on the side opposite to the first end portion 28 (rear side) of the carriage 20. The left side pressing portion 22 and the right side pressing portion 23 press the front end portion 73 of the rail 7 on the side (front side) facing the guide shaft 9 to the horizontal rear side. The regulating portion 24 abuts on the upper end portion 71, which is the end portion on the fourth direction side of the rail 7, and restricts the movement of the carriage 20 toward the third direction side. In other words, the second end 29 of the carriage 20 is in contact with the rail 7 at the left pressing portion 22, the right pressing portion 23, and the regulating portion 24.

Assembling the head portions 105 and 205 to the carriage 20 needs to be positioned with very high accuracy because it affects the print quality. For example, when the head portion is assembled to the carriage 20, each head portion that ejects one type of ink may be individually positioned and assembled to the carriage 20. Assembling a plurality of head portions to the carriage 20 one by one in a narrow work area is complicated. In a conventional printer, in order to secure a user's work space for accurate assembly work, parts corresponding to the rail 7 are arranged on the front side, which is the front side of the user, and parts corresponding to the guide shaft 9 are placed on the rear side. It is arranged. In the present embodiment, the insides of the head portions 105 and 205 of the head units 100 and 200 are divided into four. In other words, one head unit can eject four types of ink. Therefore, the work of assembling the head portions 105 and 205 to the carriage 20 can be performed relatively easily as compared with the conventional case. Therefore, the printer 1 does not need to secure an extra large work space for the user, and arranges the guide shaft 9 on the front side of the frame body 10 and the rail 7 on the rear side.

The head units 100 and 200 are arranged in the first direction on the carriage 20. The head unit 100 is located in front of the head unit 200. The head units 100 and 200 can reciprocate in the left-right direction inside the frame 10 along the guide shaft 9. The head unit 100 is capable of ejecting color ink, and the head unit 200 is capable of ejecting white ink.

In the present embodiment, the white ink is ejected to the entire or a part of the printing area as a base in printing, such as when the color of the printing medium is dark, before the color ink is ejected. That is, the white ink is an ink for pretreatment. The color ink is used to print a pattern or the like on the entire or a part of the area to be printed after the white ink is ejected. That is, the color ink is an ink for post-treatment. In other words, the head unit 200 is a head unit for pretreatment, and the head unit 100 is a head unit for post-processing. The white ink is also used as an ink for post-processing for printing a pattern or the like. In this way, the printer 1 can perform various printing regardless of the color of the printing medium.

For example, when the head units 100 and 200 are arranged in the second direction, it is usual to perform post-processing printing again after performing all necessary pre-processing printing on the print medium. In this case, after all the pre-processing printing in the printing area is completed, the platen is moved to the printing start position again, and the post-processing printing is performed on the printing area. Therefore, it is difficult for the user to improve the production efficiency. In the present embodiment, the printer 1 arranges the head units 100 and 200 in the first direction for printing. In this case, the positions of the head units 100 and 200 in the left-right direction are the same. Therefore, the head unit 100 ejects the color ink immediately after the head unit 200 ejects the white ink, so that the printer 1 can perform the printing for the preprocessing and the printing for the postprocessing almost at the same time. .. That is, when the head units 100 and 200 are arranged side by side in the first direction, printing for pre-processing and printing for post-processing can be performed in the same process. As a result, the printer 1 can improve the production efficiency without lowering the printing accuracy.

Regarding the pretreatment ink and the posttreatment ink, depending on the color of the print medium and the printed image, the posttreatment color ink may not necessarily be ejected after the pretreatment white ink is ejected. More specifically, there may be a region in which only the white ink for pretreatment is discharged, or a region in which only the color ink for posttreatment is discharged. Further, in the present embodiment, white ink is used as the pretreatment ink and color ink is used as the posttreatment ink, but the combination of the pretreatment ink and the posttreatment ink, the type of ink, and the like are different. It can be changed as appropriate, and is not limited to the case of this embodiment.

The printer 1 of this embodiment may be provided with at least two head units 100 and 200. The number of head units is not limited to the example of FIG. 3, and the carriage 20 may have three or more head units arranged in the first direction. Further, the mode of the discharge port group provided in the head units 100 and 200 is not limited to the above-mentioned example. For example, the head unit may be provided with one discharge group that discharges one type of liquid. A discharge port group for discharging white ink and a discharge port group for discharging color ink may be provided in the same head unit. Further, the head unit may be provided with not only a discharge port group for ejecting ink but also a discharge port group for ejecting a treatment agent for discharge printing, ink for discharge printing and the like.

When the head units 100 and 200 are arranged side by side in the first direction on the carriage 20, the length of the carriage 20 in the front-rear direction becomes relatively long. When the carriage 20 is conveyed in the left-right direction along the guide shaft 9, acceleration in the left-right direction is applied to the carriage 20. The left-right acceleration applied to the carriage 20 applies a left-right load to the carriage 20. The load applied to the carriage 20 causes the carriage 20 to bend in the left-right direction and causes an inclination in the left-right direction (horizontal direction) from the center of the carriage 20. Since the first end portion 28 of the carriage 20 is supported by the guide shaft 9 by the support portions 21L and 21R, the influence of the inclination in the left-right direction generated on the carriage 20 is the second end portion rather than the first end portion 28 side. It tends to occur on the 29 side. If the influence of the inclination in the left-right direction is different between the first end 28 side and the second end 29 side, the positions of the first end 28 and the second end 29 in the left-right direction may be displaced. .. In this case, due to the influence of the left-right acceleration applied to the carriage 20, the positions of the head units 100 and 200 in the left-right direction may deviate from the positions initially arranged by the carriage 20. As a result, the position where the ink ejected from the head units 100 and 200 lands on the print medium may deviate from the expected landing position in the left-right direction, and the print quality of the printer 1 may deteriorate.

In the present embodiment, the carriage 20 has a head unit 100 that ejects color ink (ink for post-treatment) on the 28 side of the first end portion with respect to the head unit 200 that ejects white ink (ink for pre-treatment). Place in. The first end 28 of the carriage 20 is supported by the guide shaft 9 by the support portions 21L and 21R. Therefore, the first end portion 28 is less susceptible to the influence of the lateral inclination generated on the carriage 20 than the second end portion 29. The head unit 100 that ejects the post-processing ink, which is required to be ejected with higher accuracy than the pre-processing ink, is arranged on the first end portion 28 side that is less susceptible to the influence of the inclination in the left-right direction. Thereby, the printer 1 can ensure the print quality.

The configuration of the second end 29 of the carriage 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7. As shown in FIG. 5, the carriage 20 includes a left side pressing portion 22 and a right side pressing portion 23 at both ends of the second end portion 29 in the second direction. In other words, the left side pressing portion 22 is arranged on the left side of the second end portion 29, and the right side pressing portion 23 is arranged on the right side. The left side pressing portion 22 presses the rail 7 rearward on the left side of the second end portion 29. The right side pressing portion 23 presses the rail 7 rearward on the right side of the second end portion 29. A left side pressing portion 22 and a right side pressing portion 23 are provided on the second end portion 29 in order to reduce the inclination in the left-right direction on the second end portion 29 side to ensure print quality.

The carriage 20 has a lower pressing portion 25 arranged between the left pressing portion 22 and the right pressing portion 23 at the second end portion 29, and a regulating portion 24 arranged to face the fourth direction side of the lower pressing portion 25. To be equipped with. The lower pressing portion 25 presses the rail 7 upward. In addition to the weight of the carriage 20 itself, a load due to the weight of the head units 100 and 200 is applied to the carriage 20. Since the first end portion 28 of the carriage 20 is supported by the guide shafts 9 by the support portions 21L and 21R, the second end portion 29 tends to swing in the third direction (downward direction) with the guide shaft 9 as a fulcrum. A lower pressing portion 25 and a regulating portion 24 are provided on the second end portion 29 in order to prevent the second end portion 29 from swaying in the third direction and to ensure print quality.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the right side pressing portion 23 mainly includes a support shaft 232, an arm portion 233, an abutting portion 231 and a coil spring 234. The support shaft 232 has a shaft shape extending in the fourth direction at the right end of the second end portion 29. The support shaft 232 fixes the arm portion 233 and the coil spring 234. The arm portion 233 is provided so as to be able to swing around the support shaft 232. The arm portion 233 supports the contact portion 231 at an end portion opposite to the support shaft 232. The contact portion 231 has a cylindrical shape and is rotatably supported at the tip of the arm portion 233. The contact portion 231 contacts the front end portion 73 of the rail 7 (see FIGS. 3 and 7). The coil spring 234 is wound around the support shaft 232. The upper end of the coil spring 234 is fixed to the fixing portion 235 at the center in the longitudinal direction of the arm portion 233. The lower end of the coil spring 234 is fixed to the fixing portion 236 provided on the second end 29. The coil spring 234 is an urging member that urges the arm portion 233 in the direction in which the contact portion 231 abuts on the front end portion 73.

The left side pressing portion 22 mainly includes a support shaft 222, an arm portion 223, an abutting portion 221 and a coil spring 224. The support shaft 222 has a shaft shape that is erected in the fourth direction at the left end of the second end portion 29. The support shaft 222 fixes the arm portion 223 and the coil spring 224. The arm portion 223 is provided so as to be able to swing around the support shaft 222. The arm portion 223 supports the contact portion 221 at an end portion opposite to the support shaft 222. The contact portion 221 has a cylindrical shape and is rotatably supported at the tip of the arm portion 223. The contact portion 221 abuts on the front end portion 73 of the rail 7 (see FIGS. 3 and 7). The coil spring 224 is wound around a support shaft 222. The upper end of the coil spring 224 is fixed to the fixing portion 225 at the center in the longitudinal direction of the arm portion 223. The lower end of the coil spring 234 is fixed to a fixing portion (not shown) provided on the second end 29. The coil spring 224 is an urging member that urges the arm portion 223 in the direction in which the contact portion 221 abuts on the front end portion 73. The left pressing portion 22 has the same configuration as the right pressing portion 23, but the support shaft 222, the arm portion 223, the contact portion 221 and the coil spring 224 have the support shaft 232 and the arm portion 233 of the right pressing portion 23. It is arranged symmetrically with respect to the contact portion 231 and the coil spring 234.

The lower pressing portion 25 mainly includes a support shaft 252, an arm portion 253, an abutting portion 251 and a coil spring 254. The support shaft 252 has a shaft shape that stands rearward at the rear end of the second end portion 29 of the carriage 20. The support shaft 252 fixes the arm portion 253 and the coil spring 254. The arm portion 253 is provided so as to be able to swing around the support shaft 252. The arm portion 253 supports the abutting portion 251 at an end portion opposite to the support shaft 252. The contact portion 251 has a cylindrical shape and is rotatably supported at the tip of the arm portion 253. The contact portion 251 abuts on the lower end portion 72 on the opposite side of the upper end portion 71 of the rail 7 (see FIGS. 3 and 7). The coil spring 254 is wound around a support shaft 252. The upper end of the coil spring 254 is fixed to the fixing portion 255 at the center of the arm portion 253 in the longitudinal direction. The lower end of the coil spring 254 is fixed to the fixing portion 256 provided on the second end 29. The coil spring 254 is an urging member that urges the arm portion 253 in the direction in which the contact portion 251 abuts on the lower end portion 72.

The regulating portion 24 mainly includes a fixing portion 242 and a contact portion 241. The regulating portion 24 is arranged to face the fourth direction side of the lower pressing portion 25. The contact portion 241 has a cylindrical shape and is rotatably supported by a fixing portion 242 erected upward at the second end portion 29. The contact portion 241 contacts the upper end portion 71 of the rail 7 from above (see FIGS. 3 and 7).

As shown in FIG. 4, the pressing force (arrow D) in which the contact portion 221 of the left pressing portion 22 presses the front end portion 73 (see FIG. 7) backward is such that the front end portion 73 presses the contact portion 221 forward. Generates a reaction force. When the abutting portion 221 presses the front end portion 73 rearward, the arm portion 223 directs the end portion on the side provided with the abutting portion 221 to the rear with the support shaft 222 as the center. When the abutting portion 221 presses the front end portion 73 rearward, a reaction force is generated in which the front end portion 73 presses the abutting portion 221 forward. The reaction force generated in the contact portion 221 is transmitted to the arm portion 223 connected to the contact portion 221. The arm portion 223 is supported by the second end portion 29 of the carriage 20 with the support shaft 222 as a fulcrum. Therefore, the reaction force transmitted to the arm portion 223 acts in the direction of pushing the carriage 20 forward at the position of the support shaft 222 (arrow E).

Similarly to the left side pressing portion 22, the pressing force (arrow F) in which the contact portion 231 presses the front end portion 73 rearward in the right side pressing portion 23 is a reaction force in which the front end portion 73 presses the contact portion 231 forward. To generate. When the abutting portion 231 presses the front end portion 73 rearward, the arm portion 233 directs the end portion on the side provided with the abutting portion 231 to the rear with the support shaft 232 as the center. When the contact portion 231 presses the front end portion 73 rearward, a reaction force is generated in which the front end portion 73 presses the contact portion 231 forward. The reaction force generated in the contact portion 231 is transmitted to the arm portion 233 connected to the contact portion 231. The arm portion 233 is supported by the second end portion 29 of the carriage 20 with the support shaft 232 as a fulcrum. Therefore, the reaction force transmitted to the arm portion 233 acts in the direction of pushing the carriage 20 forward at the position of the support shaft 232 (arrow G).

In FIG. 4, the straight line B is a straight line extending in the front-rear direction along the left end of the support portion 21L. The straight line C is a straight line extending in the front-rear direction along the right end of the support portion 21R. In other words, the straight line B indicates a position facing the support portion 21L on the second end portion 29 side. The straight line C indicates a position facing the support portion 21R on the second end portion 29 side. The support shaft 222 of the left side pressing portion 22 and the support shaft 232 of the right side pressing portion 23 are arranged inside the straight line B and the straight line C. In other words, the support shaft 222 and the support shaft 232 are arranged at the second end portion 29 between the positions facing the two support portions 21L and 21R, respectively.

The reaction force generated by the pressing force (arrows D and F) that the abutting portions 221, 231 press the front end portion 73 rearward is transmitted to the carriage 20. When the support shaft 222 and the support shaft 232 are arranged at the second end portion 29 between the positions facing the two support portions 21L and 21R, the reaction force transmitted to the carriage 20 is a straight line B and a straight line C. Inside, it acts in the direction of pushing the first end 28 forward (arrows E, G). The force acting in the direction of pressing the first end portion 28 forward is transmitted along the directions of arrows E and G toward the position where the support portions 21L and 21R are provided in the first end portion 28, and thus is transmitted in the left-right direction. It is easily transmitted to the support portions 21L and 21R along the front-rear direction without being shaken. That is, the support portions 21L and 21R are likely to be pressed in the direction perpendicular to the guide shaft 9 extending in the left-right direction by the reaction force transmitted toward the front where the support portions 21L and 21R are provided.

For example, when the support shaft 222 and the support shaft 232 are arranged outside the straight line B and the straight line C, the positions of the support portion 21L and the support shaft 222, and the support portion 21R and the support shaft 232 in the left-right direction do not match. .. In this case, the reaction force transmitted in the carriage 20 toward the position where the support portions 21L and 21R are provided is transmitted to the support portions 21L and 21R while being displaced in the left-right direction with respect to the direction along the front-rear direction. Therefore, the reaction force acting on the support portions 21L and 21R may press the support portions 21L and 21R in a direction deviated from the vertical direction with respect to the guide shaft 9. In this case, the left side pressing portion 22 and the right side pressing portion 23 cannot sufficiently reduce the inclination in the left-right direction on the second end portion 29 side, and the inclination in the left-right direction remains between the guide shaft 9 and the support portions 21L and 21R. there's a possibility that. Therefore, the printer 1 arranges the support shaft 222 and the support shaft 232 inside the straight line B and the straight line C. As a result, the printer 1 can effectively reduce the inclination in the left-right direction generated between the guide shaft 9 and the support portions 21L and 21R, and prevent deterioration of print quality. Further, by arranging the support shaft 222 and the support shaft 232 inside the straight line B and the straight line C, the printer 1 can reduce the size of the carriage 20 in the left-right direction.

The arrangement relationship of the right side pressing portion 23, the regulating portion 24, and the lower pressing portion 25 in the second end portion 29 of the carriage 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. As shown in FIG. 8, the straight line M is a straight line extending in the horizontal direction through the center of the guide shaft 9. In other words, the straight line M indicates the position of the center of the guide shaft 9 in the vertical direction.

A design tolerance is provided between the guide shaft 9 and the support portions 21L and 21R. Therefore, when the guide shaft 9 is inserted through the support portions 21L and 21R, the carriage 20 may have a slight rattling. The reaction force from the front end portion 73 acting in the direction of pressing the first end portion 28 toward the guide shaft 9 presses the support portions 21L and 21R toward the guide shaft 9. When the support portions 21L and 21R are pressed forward toward the guide shaft 9, a minute gap between the rear side of the guide shaft 9 and the support portions 21L and 21R is eliminated. Therefore, the printer 1 can reduce the minute rattling that occurs in the carriage 20. Further, by pressing the support portions 21L and 21R against the guide shaft 9, the printer 1 can also reduce the inclination in the left-right direction that occurs when the carriage 20 is moved. The reaction force from the front end portion 73 also acts on the contact portion 221 of the left side pressing portion 22 that presses the front end portion 73 toward the rear side.

As shown in FIG. 9, the straight line M extends in the horizontal direction between the end portion 238, which is the end portion on the third direction side of the contact portion 231 and the end portion 239, which is the end portion on the fourth direction side. .. In other words, the guide shaft 9 is centered between the end 238 and the end 239 in the vertical direction. In this case, the reaction force from the front end portion 73 acting in the direction of pressing the support portions 21L and 21R toward the guide shaft 9 is likely to be transmitted horizontally along the front-rear direction toward the center of the guide shaft 9. That is, the force that the reaction force from the front end portion 73 presses the support portions 21L and 21R toward the guide shaft 9 is at the same height as the guide shaft 9 in the vertical direction and efficiently acts on the center of the guide shaft 9. In this case, the support portions 21L and 21R are pressed toward the center of the guide shaft 9, and the minute rattling that occurs in the carriage 20 and the inclination in the left-right direction that occurs when the carriage 20 moves are reduced. That is, by arranging the center of the guide shaft 9 between the end portion 238 and the end portion 239, the printer 1 causes a slight rattling caused in the carriage 20 and an inclination in the left-right direction generated when the carriage 20 is moved. , Can be reduced more effectively. The right side pressing portion 23 and the left side pressing portion 22 can reliably support the carriage 20 in the front-rear direction.

As shown in FIG. 9, the regulating portion 24 is arranged to face the fourth direction side of the lower pressing portion 25 at the second end portion 29. The end portion 249 on the third direction side (lower side) of the contact portion 241 abuts on the upper end portion 71 from above. The end portion 249 is arranged on the fourth direction side (upper side) of the straight line M. In this case, the front end portion 73 formed between the upper end portion 71 and the lower end portion 72 is likely to be arranged at the same position in the vertical direction as the straight line M. When the front end portion 73 is arranged at the same position in the vertical direction as the straight line M, the contact portion 231 that presses the front end portion 73 is also likely to be arranged at the same position in the vertical direction as the straight line M. Therefore, the force that the reaction force from the front end portion 73 presses the support portions 21L and 21R toward the guide shaft 9 is more reliably transmitted to the center of the guide shaft 9.

Here, as described above, the first end 28 side of the carriage 20 engages with the guide shaft 9 at the support portions 21L and 21R. Since the head units 100 and 200 are arranged on the carriage 20, in addition to the load due to the weight of the carriage 20 itself, the load due to the weight of the head units 100 and 200 is applied downward to the carriage 20. The first end portion 28 is supported by the guide shaft 9 by the support portions 21L and 21R. Therefore, the second end portion 29 tends to swing downward with the center of the guide shaft 9 as a fulcrum.

In the present embodiment, the end portion 249 abuts on the upper end portion 71 from the upper side to restrict the downward movement of the carriage 20. In other words, the contact portion 241 positions the end portion 249 above the straight line M. The contact portion 251 of the lower pressing portion 25 contacts the upper end portion 259 with the lower end portion 72. That is, the rail 7 is sandwiched in the vertical direction by the contact portion 241 and the contact portion 251. The contact portion 251 is urged by the arm portion 253 in the direction of contacting the lower end portion 72. The urged contact portion 251 presses the carriage 20 toward the lower end portion 72 at the second end portion 29. Since the position of the second end portion 29 in the vertical direction is positioned by the end portion 249 of the abutting portion 241, the abutting portion 251 reliably presses the carriage 20 toward the lower end portion 72 in the upward direction. Can be done. The force of the contact portion 251 pressing the lower end portion 72 upward acts in a direction of canceling the downward sway of the second end portion 29 with the center of the guide shaft 9 as a fulcrum. That is, the printer 1 can reliably support the carriage 20 in the vertical direction by the regulating portion 24 and the lower pressing portion 25.

As described above, the left side pressing portion 22 and the right side pressing portion 23 provided on the second end portion 29 of the carriage 20 have arm portions 223, 233 in the direction in which the contact portions 221, 231 abut the front end portions 73. Encourage. The abutting portions 221, 231 press the front end portion 73 rearward. In this case, the reaction force of the pressing force by the left pressing portion 22 and the right pressing portion 23 is applied to the carriage 20. The reaction force applied to the carriage 20 acts in the direction of pushing the carriage 20 forward toward the guide shaft 9. Therefore, the printer 1 can reduce the inclination of the carriage 20 during transportation of the carriage 20 in the left-right direction and the rattling of the carriage 20 with respect to the guide shaft 9. That is, the printer 1 deteriorates the print quality due to the deviation of the landing position of the ink ejected from the head portions 105 and 205 of the head units 100 and 200 with respect to the print medium due to the inclination of the carriage 20 and the rattling of the carriage 20. Can be prevented.

The guide shaft 9 is centered between the end 238 and the end 239. In this case, the reaction force of the pressing force that the left side pressing portion 22 and the right side pressing portion 23 press the front end portion 73 is likely to be transmitted horizontally along the front-rear direction toward the center of the guide shaft 9. Therefore, the left side pressing portion 22 and the right side pressing portion 23 can reliably support the carriage 20 in the front-rear direction.

The first end 28 of the carriage 20 is provided with two support portions 21L and 21R for supporting the carriage 20 on the guide shaft 9. Therefore, the first end 28 side of the carriage 20 is less affected by the inclination of the carriage 20 and the rattling of the carriage 20 than the second end 29 side. After the head unit 200 ejects white ink for pretreatment, the head unit 100 that ejects color ink for post-processing to draw a pattern or the like may eject ink with higher accuracy than the head unit 200. Required. The carriage 20 has a head unit 200 arranged on the side of the first end portion 28, which is not easily affected by the inclination of the carriage 20 and the rattling of the carriage 20. Therefore, the printer 1 can ensure the print quality.

The first end 28 of the carriage 20 is supported by the support portions 21L and 21R through which the guide shaft 9 is inserted. In addition to the weight of the carriage 20 itself, a load due to the weight of the head units 100 and 200 is applied to the carriage 20. Therefore, the second end portion 29 of the carriage 20 is likely to swing downward with the guide shaft 9 as a fulcrum. The lower pressing portion 25 can press the carriage 20 toward the lower end portion 72 at the second end portion 29. The force that the lower pressing portion 25 presses the carriage 20 toward the lower end portion 72 acts in a direction that cancels the force that the second end portion 29 swings downward. Further, the regulating portion 24 comes into contact with the upper end portion 71 from above. Therefore, the rail 7 is sandwiched by the contact portion 241 and the contact portion 251 from both in the vertical direction. Therefore, the printer 1 can reliably support the carriage 20 in the vertical direction by providing the regulating portion 24 and the lower pressing portion 25.

The end portion 249 of the regulation portion 24 is arranged above the center of the guide shaft 9. In this case, the front end portion 73 formed between the upper end portion 71 and the lower end portion 72 is likely to be arranged at the same position in the vertical direction of the center of the guide shaft 9. Therefore, the left side pressing portion 22 and the right side pressing portion 23 can reliably press the carriage 20 in the forward direction toward the center of the guide shaft 9. Further, the restricting portion 24 abuts on the upper end portion 71 from the upper side to restrict the downward movement of the carriage 20. Therefore, the lower pressing portion 25 can reliably press the carriage 20 with respect to the lower end portion 72 in the upward direction.

The head units 100 and 200 in the present embodiment correspond to the "printing head unit" of the present invention. The carriage 20 corresponds to the "carriage" of the present invention. The guide shaft 9 corresponds to the "guide shaft" of the present invention. The support portions 21L and 21R correspond to the "support portion" of the present invention. The rail 7 corresponds to the "rail member" of the present invention. The contact portions 221,231 correspond to the "first contact member" of the present invention. The support shafts 222 and 232 correspond to the "first support shaft" of the present invention. The arm portions 223 and 233 correspond to the "first arm member" of the present invention. The coil springs 224 and 234 correspond to the "first urging member" of the present invention. The left side pressing portion 22 and the right side pressing portion 23 correspond to the "first pressing portion" of the present invention.

The head unit 200 corresponds to the "pretreatment head unit" of the present invention. The head unit 100 corresponds to the "post-processing head unit" of the present invention. The lower pressing portion 25 corresponds to the "second pressing portion" of the present invention. The contact portion 251 corresponds to the "second contact member" of the present invention. The support shaft 252 corresponds to the "second support shaft" of the present invention. The arm portion 253 corresponds to the "second arm member" of the present invention. The coil spring 254 corresponds to the "second urging member" of the present invention. The regulation unit 24 corresponds to the "regulation unit" of the present invention.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, the head unit 100 and the head unit 200 may be arranged side by side in the front-rear direction. The printer 1 does not have to completely connect the two head units 100 and 200 in the front-rear direction. For example, in the printer 1, the positions of the head unit 100 and the head unit 200 are displaced from each other in the left-right direction within a range in which printing for preprocessing and printing for postprocessing can be performed in the same process. It may be in a staggered arrangement. Further, the inside of the head portions 105 and 205 is divided into four along the left-right direction corresponding to each of the color inks, but the number of divisions may be changed as appropriate.

The liquid supplied to the head units 100 and 200 may be inks of other colors such as gold and silver in addition to the inks exemplified above. Further, the liquid supplied to the head units 100 and 200 is not limited to the ink of the embodiment. For example, instead of the ink for pretreatment, a treatment agent for improving ink fixation and a color as a liquid for posttreatment. Ink may be used. For example, in discharge printing, a discharge printing treatment agent may be used instead of the pretreatment ink, and a discharge printing ink may be used instead of the post-treatment ink. That is, the liquid that can be discharged by the head units 100 and 200 may be any liquid having properties such as viscosity that can be discharged from the head units 100 and 200. Therefore, the liquid is not limited to ink, and may be, for example, a chemical agent such as a decolorizing agent. Further, in another example, the liquid for pretreatment and the liquid for posttreatment may be the same type of liquid.

In the above embodiment, the number of lower pressing portions 25 is one. The number of lower pressing portions 25 is preferably one. When two or more lower pressing portions 25 are provided, a part of the two or more lower pressing portions 25 is attached to the lower end portion 72 due to the influence of the lower design tolerance or the like. It may not come into contact. In this case, rattling may occur between the two or more lower pressing portions 25, and the second end portion 29 may not be supported horizontally. However, if all of the two or more lower pressing portions 25 can uniformly contact the lower end portion 72, two or more lower pressing portions 25 may be provided.

1 Printer 7 Rail 9 Guide shaft 20 Carriage 22 Left side pressing part 23 Right side pressing part 24 Restricting part 25 Lower pressing part 100,200 Head unit 221,231,251 Abutment part 222,223,252 Support shaft 223,233,253 Arms 224,234,254 Coil springs

Claims (5)

A printing device capable of transporting a printing medium in the first direction.
A plurality of print head units having a discharge unit capable of ejecting a liquid toward the print medium, and
A carriage in which the plurality of print head units are arranged in the first direction and reciprocated in a second direction which is a direction orthogonal to the first direction.
A first guide shaft having a shaft-shaped portion having a central axis extending in the second direction,
A plurality of support portions provided at one end of the carriage in the first direction and slidably supporting the carriage along the first guide shaft .
A second guide arranged to face the first guide shaft and extending in the second direction,
A portion of the carriage that is provided at the other end of the carriage on the side opposite to the one end and presses the first end of the second guide on the side facing the first guide shaft .
The first contact member that comes into contact with the first end portion,
A first pressing portion including a first urging member that urges the first contact member in a direction in which the first contact member abuts on the first end portion.
With
The plurality of print head units include a pretreatment head unit including the ejection unit that ejects the pretreatment liquid to the print medium, and the pretreatment liquid after being ejected by the pretreatment head unit. A post-processing head unit including the ejection unit that ejects the post-processing liquid to the print medium is included.
The carriage has the post-processing head unit provided with the discharging portion for discharging the post-processing liquid, which is required to be discharged with higher accuracy than the pre-treatment liquid, with respect to the pre-processing head unit. A printing apparatus characterized in that the pretreatment head unit is arranged on one end side and the pretreatment head unit is arranged on the other end side of the post-processing head unit. The first guide shaft includes an end portion on the third direction side in which the discharge portion of the first contact member discharges the liquid, and an end portion on the fourth direction side in a direction opposite to the third direction. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a center is arranged between the two. The carriage is provided with the first pressing portion at both ends of the second end in the second direction.
At least one second pressing portion arranged between the two first pressing portions at the other end, and the direction opposite to the third direction in which the discharging portion of the second pressing portion discharges the liquid. It is provided with a regulating portion which is arranged to face the fourth direction side, abuts on the second end portion of the second guide on the fourth direction side, and regulates the movement of the carriage in the third direction.
The second pressing portion includes a second contact member that abuts on the third end portion on the opposite side of the second end portion, and the second contact member in a direction in which the second contact member abuts on the third end portion. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a second urging member that urges the abutting member. The end portion of the restricting portion on the third direction side is arranged on the fourth direction side of the center of the cross section when the first guide shaft is cut on a plane orthogonal to the second direction. The printing apparatus according to claim 3. The pretreatment head unit includes the ejection unit that ejects white ink as the pretreatment liquid, and the posttreatment head unit includes the ejection portion that ejects color ink as the posttreatment liquid. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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