Printer, ink supply device and printing method
AssigneeMimaki Engineering Co., Ltd.
InventorTOHRU NAKAMURA
Life of this patent
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Abstract
To properly perform deaeration of ink in an ink-jet printer. An ink supply portion includes an ink tank, a deaeration portion, an upstream-side ink flow path and a downstream side ink flow path, in which the deaeration portion includes an ink branching portion, plural deaeration modules arranged in parallel in an ink flow path, plural pumps, and an ink converging portion. Respective plural deaeration modules are arranged between the ink branching portion and the ink converging portion in corresponding branch flow paths, and respective pumps are arranged in series to corresponding deaeration modules in the branch flow paths, allowing ink to flow in corresponding deaeration modules.
Claims12
A printer, performing a printing in an inkjet system, the printer comprising:
- an inkjet head, for discharging ink drops;
- and
- an ink supply portion, for supplying ink to the inkjet head,
- wherein the ink supply portion includes:
- an ink tank, for storing ink;
- a deaeration portion, for deaerating gas dissolved in ink which is in an ink flow path from the ink tank to the ink jet head;
- an upstream-side ink flow path, which is an ink flow path on the upstream side of the deaeration portion, the upstream-side ink flow path sending ink supplied from the ink tank to the deaeration portion;
- and
- a downstream-side ink flow path, which is an ink flow path on the downstream side of the deaeration portion, the downstream-side ink flow path sending ink after passing through the deaeration portion to the inkjet head;
- the deaeration portion includes:
- an ink branching portion, for splitting ink supplied from the upstream-side ink flow path between plural branch flow paths;
- plural deaeration modules, which are modules for deaerating gas dissolved in ink, in which one or more modules are arranged in respective plural branch flow paths, thereby being arranged in parallel in the ink flow path;
- plural pumps, arranged so as to correspond to plural deaeration modules;
- and
- an ink converging portion, for converging the plural branch flow paths to send ink to the downstream-side ink flow path;
- each of the plural deaeration modules is arranged between the ink branching portion and the ink converging portion in a corresponding branch flow path, and
- each of the plural pumps is arranged in series to a corresponding deaeration module in each of the branch flow paths, allowing ink to flow into the corresponding deaeration module.
A printer, performing a printing in an inkjet system, the printer comprising:
- an inkjet head, for discharging ink drops;
- and
- an ink supply portion, for supplying ink to the inkjet head,
- wherein the ink supply portion includes:
- an ink tank for storing ink;
- and
- a deaeration portion, for deaerating gas dissolved in ink which is in an ink flow path from the ink tank to the ink jet head;
- the deaeration portion includes:
- deaeration modules, for deaerating gas dissolved in ink;
- and
- pumps, for allowing ink to flow into the deaeration modules;
- the pumps are arranged on the downstream side of the deaeration modules in the ink flow path.
An ink supply device, supplying ink to an inkjet head which discharges ink drops in a printer, the printer performing a printing in an ink jet system, the ink supply device comprising:
- an ink tank, for storing ink;
- a deaeration portion, for deaerating gas dissolved in ink which is in an ink flow path from the ink tank to the ink jet head;
- an upstream-side ink flow path, which is an ink flow path on the upstream side of the deaeration portion, the upstream-side ink flow path sending ink supplied from the ink tank to the deaeration portion;
- and
- a downstream-side ink flow path, which is an ink flow path on the downstream side of the deaeration portion, the downstream-side ink flow path sending ink after passing through the deaeration portion to the inkjet head,
- wherein the deaeration portion includes:
- an ink branching portion, for splitting ink supplied from the upstream-side ink flow path between plural branch flow paths;
- plural deaeration modules, which are modules for deaerating gas dissolved in ink, in which one or more modules are arranged in respective plural branch flow paths, thereby being arranged in parallel in the ink flow path;
- plural pumps, arranged so as to correspond to plural deaeration modules;
- and
- an ink converging portion, for converging the plural branch flow paths to send ink to the downstream-side ink flow path;
- each of the plural deaeration modules is arranged between the ink branching portion and the ink converging portion in a corresponding branch flow path, and
- each of the plural pumps is arranged in series to a corresponding deaeration module in each of the branch flow paths, allowing ink to flow into the corresponding deaeration module.
A printing method, performing a printing in an ink jet system, the printing method is performed by using an ink supply device which supplies ink to an inkjet head for discharging ink drops, the printing method comprising:
- storing ink by an ink tank;
- deaerating gas dissolved in ink which is in an ink flow path from the ink tank to the ink jet head by a deaeration portion;
- sending ink supplied from the ink tank to the deaeration portion by an upstream-side ink flow path which is an ink flow path on the upstream side of the deaeration portion;
- and
- sending ink after passing through the deaeration portion to the inkjet head by a downstream-side ink flow path which is an ink flow path on the downstream side of the deaeration portion,
- wherein the deaeration portion includes:
- an ink branching portion, for splitting ink supplied from the upstream-side ink flow path between plural branch flow paths;
- plural deaeration modules, which are modules for deaerating gas dissolved in ink, in which one or more modules are arranged in respective plural branch flow paths, thereby being arranged in parallel in the ink flow path;
- plural pumps, arranged so as to correspond to plural deaeration modules;
- and
- an ink converging portion, for converging the plural branch flow paths to send ink to the downstream-side ink flow path;
- each of the plural deaeration modules is arranged between the ink branching portion and the ink converging portion in a corresponding branch flow path, and
- each of the plural pumps is arranged in series to a corresponding deaeration module in each of the branch flow paths, allowing ink to flow into the corresponding deaeration module.
An ink supply device, supplying ink to an inkjet head which discharges ink drops in a printer, the printer performing a printing in an ink jet system, the ink supply device comprising:
- an ink tank, for storing ink;
- and
- a deaeration portion, for deaerating gas dissolved in ink which is in an ink flow path from the ink tank to the ink jet head,
- wherein the deaeration portion includes:
- deaeration modules, for deaerating gas dissolved in ink;
- and
- pumps, for allowing ink to flow into the deaeration modules,
- the pumps are arranged on the downstream side of the deaeration modules in the ink flow path.
A printing method, performing a printing in an ink jet system, the printing method is performed by using an ink supply device which supplies ink to an inkjet head for discharging ink drops, the printing method comprising:
- storing ink by an ink tank;
- and
- deaerating gas dissolved in ink which is in an ink flow path from the ink tank to the ink jet head by a deaeration portion,
- wherein the deaeration portion includes:
- deaeration modules, for deaerating gas dissolved in ink;
- and
- pumps, for allowing ink to flow into the deaeration modules,
- the pumps are arranged on the downstream side of the deaeration modules in the ink flow path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.