Image forming apparatus and image forming method

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• an ejection head which ejects droplets having electro rheological effects onto a recording medium;
• a holding device which holds the recording medium, the holding device being disposed at a position facing an ejection side surface of the ejection head, the recording medium interposing between the ejection head and the holding device;
• a pair of electrodes which is disposed on the holding device, the pair of electrodes comprising a first electrode and a second electrode;
• and
• a voltage application device which applies a voltage to the pair of electrodes, wherein:
• when a specific voltage is applied to the pair of electrodes by the voltage application device, an electric field strength on the recording medium takes a value at which the droplets deposited on the recording medium do not cause interference with each other while an electric field strength in the ejection side surface of the ejection head is not large enough to affect a droplet ejection of the ejection head.

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• an ejection head which ejects droplets having electro rheological effects onto a recording medium;
• a holding device which holds the recording medium, the holding device being disposed at a position facing an ejection side surface of the ejection head, the recording medium interposing between the ejection head and the holding device;
• a pair of electrodes which is disposed on the holding device, the pair of electrodes comprising a first electrode and a second electrode;
• and
• a voltage application device which applies a voltage to the pair of electrodes, wherein:
• when a specific voltage is applied to the pair of electrodes by the voltage application device, the electric field strength on the recording medium takes a value at which a permeation speed of the deposited droplets into the recording medium is a specific value or less while an electric field strength in the ejection side surface of the ejection head is not large enough to affect a droplet ejection of the ejection head.

An image forming method for an image forming apparatus, comprising the steps of:

• holding a recording medium by a holding device which is disposed at a position facing an ejection side surface of an ejection head, the recording medium interposing between the ejection head and the holding device;
• applying a voltage from a voltage application device to a pair of electrodes which is disposed on the holding device, the pair of electrodes comprising a first electrode and a second electrode;
• ejecting droplets having electro theological effects onto the recording medium from the ejection head;
• and
• setting a distance between the first electrode and the second electrode at a specific distance, wherein:
• the specific distance is a distance at which an electric field strength on the recording medium takes a value at which the droplets deposited on the recording medium do not cause interference with each other while an electric field strength in the ejection side surface of the ejection head is not large enough to affect a droplet ejection of the ejection head, when a specific voltage is applied to the pair of electrodes by the voltage application device.

An image forming method for an image forming apparatus, comprising the steps of:

• holding a recording medium by a holding device which is disposed at a position facing an ejection side surface of an ejection head, the recording medium interposing between the ejection head and the holding device;
• applying a voltage from a voltage application device to a pair of electrodes which is disposed on the holding device, the pair of electrodes comprising a first electrode and a second electrode;
• ejecting droplets having electro rheological effects onto the recording medium from the ejection head;
• and
• setting a distance between the first electrode and the second electrode at a specific distance, wherein:
• the specific distance is a distance at which an electric field strength on the recording medium takes a value at which a permeation speed of the deposited droplets into the recording medium is a specific value or less while an electric field strength in the ejection side surface of the ejection head is not large enough to affect a droplet ejection of the ejection head, when a specific voltage is applied to the pair of electrodes by the voltage application device.