Printing apparatus and printing method therefor
AssigneeYamaha Corporation
InventorsKunimasa Muroi, Koji Toda
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a printing apparatus for forming a desired image by coagulating a portion of liquid ink in a predetermined space S formed between a circumferential surface of a rotation drum and a plurality of negative electrodes by electrical energizing, and transferring this to a printing object such as paper, to thereby affect printing, there is provided on a rotation input side of the plurality of negative electrodes a discharge port whereby a fluid can be discharged towards the negative electrode surface and the surroundings thereof. Moreover, there is provided a fluid supply device for supplying a fluid (which may be a liquid or a gas) to the discharge port.
Claims19
A printing apparatus, comprising:
- a rotation drum having a surface acting as a positive electrode and rotating in a rotation direction;
- a plurality of negative electrodes arranged in an axial direction of said rotation drum and spaced from said surface of said rotation drum to form an ink coagulation space there between;
- an injector for injection liquid ink into said ink coagulation space from a position upstream of said ink coagulation space;
- an energizer for energizing selected ones of said negative electrodes as said rotation drum is rotating for coagulating and accreting part of said ink in said ink coagulation space onto said surface of said rotation drum;
- a removal device arranged downstream of said ink coagulation space for removing residual non-coagulated ink from said surface of said rotation drum;
- a transfer device arranged downstream of said removal device for transferring ink which has been coagulated and accreted to said surface of said rotation drum onto an object to be printed;
- and
- a discharge port arranged upstream of said coagulation space and downstream of a point at which said liquid ink is injected by said injector for discharging a fluid towards at least said ink coagulation space.
An electro coagulation printing apparatus comprising:
- a positive electrode;
- a plurality of negative electrodes arranged above said positive electrode;
- a liquid ink injector having an injection port of which faces toward a space located between said positive electrode and said negative electrodes;
- an energizer which is connected to said negative electrodes;
- a non-coagulated ink removal device in operative engagement with said positive electrode;
- a coagulated ink transferring device in operative engagement with said positive electrode;
- and
- an electrolyte discharging device arranged between said negative electrodes and said injecting port of said liquid ink injector, wherein said positive electrode rotates in a direction from said negative electrodes toward said non-coagulated ink removal device and said coagulated ink transferring device in this order.
A printing method using a positive electrode and a negative array consisting a plurality of negative electrodes, wherein said positive electrode and said negative electrode array are spaced apart from each other, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) injecting liquid ink, which is coagulatable by electrical energizing, into a space between said positive electrode and said negative electrode array;
- (b) discharging a fluid onto said negative electrode array;
- (c) forming a laminate consisting of a liquid ink layer comprising said liquid ink and a fluid layer comprising said fluid between said positive electrode and said negative electrode array;
- (d) energizing selected negative electrodes to coagulate part of said liquid ink and to form coagulated ink on said positive electrode according to an image to be printed;
- (e) removing liquid ink which is not coagulated;
- and
- (f) transferring said coagulated ink onto an object to be printed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.