JP2013052578A - Printing device and printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing device preventing unevenness of finishing of printing corresponding to a place on a recording medium and preventing deterioration of image quality.SOLUTION: The printing device includes: a supply roller 21 supplying the recording medium; a first platen 53 warming the recording medium supplied from the supply roller 21; a second platen 51 constituted by a material with PTC characteristics and warming the recording medium warmed by the first platen 53 by application of predetermined constant voltage; an ink jet head 31 injecting liquid to the recording medium on the upper side of the second platen 51; and a third platen 55 warming the recording medium to which the liquid is injected by the second platen 51.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus such as an ink jet printer and a printing method in such a printing apparatus.

  2. Related Art Inkjet printers are known as one of printing apparatuses that draw and record information such as characters, figures, patterns, and images by ejecting liquid onto a recording medium. In such an ink jet printer, temperature management in the recording medium is important in order to perform high-definition drawing by ejecting liquid ink particles onto the recording medium. In order to ensure high productivity, it is required to fix and dry the ink discharged on the recording medium as quickly as possible.

  For this reason, in an ink jet printer, a heater for heating the platen to raise the temperature of the recording medium is provided, and these are set to a predetermined temperature according to the recording medium to be used, the type of ink, and the like. It is supposed to hold on.

For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-66864) includes a platen that holds a print medium, and a printer head that ejects ink onto the print medium held on the platen. Disclosed is an inkjet printer having inkjet drawing means for drawing by moving the head relative to each other, heater means for heating the platen to raise the temperature of the printing medium, and temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the platen. ing.
JP 2009-68664 A

  In conventional ink jet printers, when the amount of ink ejected varies depending on the position of the recording medium, the temperature distribution is generated in the platen holding the recording medium, resulting in uneven printing. was there.

  In the invention described in Patent Document 1, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of each platen is provided, the set temperature is compared with the temperature of each platen detected by the temperature sensor, and the detected platen temperature is set. Control is performed to turn on / off the power to each heater so that the temperature is reached.

  However, even with such a configuration, it is impossible to suppress the local temperature distribution generated on the platen, and the image quality deteriorates due to uneven printing finish according to the location on the recording medium. There was a problem that.

  The present invention is to solve the above problems, and a printing apparatus according to the present invention includes a supply roller for supplying a recording medium, a first platen for heating the recording medium supplied from the supply roller, and a PTC. A second platen configured to heat the recording medium heated by the first platen by applying a predetermined constant current, and the recording medium above the second platen. And a third platen for heating the recording medium on which the liquid is ejected by the second platen.

In the printing apparatus according to the present invention, the first platen is made of a material having PTC characteristics, and the first platen is connected in parallel to the second platen and is energized.

  In the printing apparatus according to the present invention, the third platen is made of a material having PTC characteristics, and the third platen is connected in parallel to the second platen and energized.

  The printing apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that all of the first platen, the second platen, and the third platen are connected in parallel and energized.

  Further, the printing method according to the present invention is configured by supplying a recording medium with a supply roller, heating the recording medium supplied from the supply roller with a first platen, and being made of a material having PTC characteristics, and having a predetermined constant value. The recording medium heated by the first platen is further heated by the second platen to which electricity is applied, and recording is performed by ejecting liquid onto the recording medium above the second platen by the recording head. It is characterized by.

  As described above, in the printing apparatus and printing method of the present invention, the second platen on which the liquid is jetted onto the recording medium is made of a material having PTC characteristics, and the recording medium is heated by applying a predetermined constant voltage. Therefore, the self-temperature control of the material having PTC characteristics makes it difficult for the second platen to generate a temperature distribution. According to the printing apparatus and the printing method of the present invention, it is possible to place the temperature distribution on the recording medium. Accordingly, uneven printing finish does not occur, and deterioration of image quality can be prevented.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which extracts and shows the platen in the printing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the circuit structure of the heating part in the printing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the effect of the platen comprised with the material which has a PTC characteristic. It is a figure explaining the 1st platen 53 in the printer concerning other embodiments of the present invention. It is a figure explaining the circuit structure of the heating part in the printing apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the printing apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which extracts and shows the platen in the printing apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a printing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing used for the following description, the scale of each member is appropriately changed to make each member a recognizable size. In the present embodiment, an ink jet printer (hereinafter simply referred to as a printer) is illustrated as a printing apparatus according to the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a printer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The printer 1 is a large format printer (LFP) that handles a relatively large recording medium (recording medium) M. The recording medium M of this embodiment is formed of a vinyl chloride film having a width of about 64 inches (Inch), for example.

  Other recording media M that can be used in the printing apparatus 1 include various papers such as plain paper, recycled paper, and glossy paper, various fabrics, various non-woven fabrics, resins, metals, glass, resin films, and other recording media. There is M. In addition, as the resin of the resin film, PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PS (polyester), PP (polypropylene) and the like are also preferably used.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 records images, characters, and the like by ejecting ink (liquid) to the recording medium M and a conveying unit 2 that conveys the recording medium M by a roll-to-roll method. The recording unit 3 and the heating unit 4 that heats the recording medium M are included. Each of these components is supported by the main body frame 5. Further, the printer 1 includes a control unit that controls driving of each of the above members.

  The transport unit 2 includes a supply roller 21 that feeds the roll-shaped recording medium M from the roll body R, and a take-up roller 22 that winds the fed recording medium M. The transport unit 2 includes transport roller pairs 23 and 24 that transport the recording medium M in a transport path between the supply roller 21 and the take-up roller 22. Further, the transport unit 2 includes a tension roller 25 that applies tension to the recording medium M in the transport path between the transport roller pair 24 and the take-up roller 22.

  Further, the transport unit 2 in the printing apparatus 1 is controlled by a recording medium transport unit 130 (see FIG. 2) for feeding the recording medium M in the sub-scanning direction (second direction). The recording medium conveyance unit 130 intermittently conveys the recording medium M by repeating conveyance and stopping of the recording medium M in accordance with the operation of the carriage 32 during image recording.

  The tension roller 25 is supported by the swing frame 26 and is configured to contact the back surface of the recording medium M in the width direction (in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 1). The tension roller 25 is formed longer in the width direction than the width of the recording medium M. The tension roller 25 is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the after heater portion of the heating unit 4 described later.

  The recording unit 3 includes an ink jet head (recording head) 31 that ejects ink (liquid) to the recording medium M in the transport path between the transport roller pairs 23 and 24, and the ink jet head 31 to reciprocate in the width direction. And a free carriage 32. The ink jet head 31 includes a plurality of nozzles, and is configured to be able to eject ink that is selected in relation to the recording medium M and that requires permeation drying or evaporation drying.

  The ink jet head 31 is connected to the controller 110, and a signal for controlling ink ejection is sent from the controller 110 to the ink jet head 31.

  The printing apparatus 1 has a guide rail (not shown), and a carriage 32 is supported on the guide rail. The carriage 32 reciprocates in the main scanning direction (first direction) along the guide rail by a carriage drive unit 140 (see FIG. 2).

In the central portion of the carriage 32, an ink jet head 31 formed by forming nozzles for ejecting color inks such as yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) to the recording medium M is formed. It is installed. Of the ink ejected by the inkjet head 31, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) inks are received mainly from the computer 10 or the like, which is a host device, as ink for image recording. This is used for drawing a predetermined image based on the image data.

  The direction in which the carriage 32 moves (direction perpendicular to the paper surface) is the main scanning direction (first direction), and the direction in which the recording medium M is conveyed perpendicular to the main scanning direction is the sub-scanning direction (second direction). Direction).

  The computer 10 sends image data corresponding to an image to be printed to the printing apparatus 1 via a printer driver. The image data includes pixel data indicating whether or not ink is ejected for each ink color for each pixel of the medium.

  The casing (not shown) of the printing apparatus 1 includes, for example, a touch panel, displays a recording mode that can be selected by the user, and an input operation unit 120 that allows the user to select and input the displayed recording mode. Is provided. The input operation unit 120 is connected to the controller 110, and outputs a signal related to the recording mode selected based on a predetermined operation to the controller 110.

  From such an input operation unit 120, information related to the type of the recording medium M used in the printing apparatus 1, information related to the type of ink, and the like can be input. Further, the computer 10 can also input such information to the controller 110 on the printing apparatus 1 side.

  The controller 110 in the control block of FIG. 2 includes, for example, a CPU 111, a ROM 112, and a RAM 113. The processing program recorded in the ROM 112 is expanded on the RAM 113 and is executed by the CPU 111. The interface 105 is an interface provided for connecting the controller 110 of the printing apparatus 1 and the computer 10.

  The ROM 112 stores a table of optimum set temperatures in the heating unit 4 corresponding to the type of the recording medium M and the type of ink, and the controller 110 records from the input operation unit 120 and the computer 10 to be used in the printing apparatus 1. When information related to the type of medium M or information related to the type of ink is input, the temperature setting in the heating unit 4 is performed with reference to this table.

  In accordance with the processing program, the controller 110 includes a recording medium transport unit 130 that controls transport of the recording medium M, a carriage drive unit 140 that controls movement of the carriage 32, a head unit 150 that controls ink ejection of the inkjet head 31, and a heating unit. The operation of each member is controlled based on the status such as the operation status of the heater control unit 160 responsible for the temperature control of No. 4. The carriage position detector 180 includes a position detection sensor (not shown) that detects the origin position of the carriage 32, and the detection information is input to the controller 110. The carriage drive unit 140 is used for the driving process.

  The heating unit 4 is configured to heat the recording medium M to quickly dry and fix the ink on the recording medium M, to prevent bleeding and blurring and to improve image quality. The heating unit 4 has a support surface that constitutes a part of the conveyance path of the recording medium M, and supports the recording medium M so that the recording medium M is curved upward and convex between the supply roller 21 and the take-up roller 22. At the same time, the recording medium M on the support surface is heated.

The heating part 4 has a box-shaped part 4A, and the box-shaped part 4A forms an outer shape. The box-shaped portion 4A has a second platen 51 from which ink is ejected from an ink jet head (recording head) 31 above, a first platen 53 arranged on the upstream side of the second platen 51, and a downstream side of the second platen 51. The third platen 55 and the main body 60 are disposed. The second platen 51, the first platen 53, and the third platen 55 are detachable from the main body 60, respectively.

  In the printer 1 according to the present embodiment, each of the first platen 53, the second platen 51, and the third platen 55 is made of a material having PTC characteristics, and each of these platens itself functions as the heating unit 4. It has become.

  The heating unit 4 heats the recording medium M at a position facing the recording unit 3 and a first platen 53 (preheater) that preheats the recording medium M upstream of the position where the recording unit 3 is provided. A second platen 51 (recording part heater) and a third platen 55 (afterheater) for heating the recording medium M on the downstream side in the transport direction from the position where the recording part 3 is provided.

  In the present embodiment, the heating temperature in the first platen 53 (preheater) is set to 40 ° C. In the present embodiment, the heating temperature in the second platen 51 (recording section heater) is also set to 40 ° C. (target temperature). In the present embodiment, the heating temperature in the third platen 55 (afterheater) is set to 50 ° C., which is higher than that of the first platen 53 and the second platen 51.

  The first platen 53 (preheater) is configured to promptly dry the ink when it has landed by gradually raising the temperature of the recording medium M from the normal temperature toward the target temperature (the temperature in the platen heater section 42). It has become. Further, the second platen 51 (recording section heater) is configured to cause the recording medium M to receive ink landing while maintaining the target temperature, and to promptly dry the ink from landing.

  The third platen 55 (afterheater) raises the temperature of the recording medium M to a temperature higher than the target temperature, and promptly dries ink that has landed on the recording medium M yet to be dried. Before the take-up roller 22 takes up, the landed ink is completely dried and fixed on the recording medium M.

  In the third platen 55 (after-heater), the heating temperature is set higher than that of the other heater portions as described above, so that the thermal expansion of the recording medium M is relatively easier to occur than the other heater portions. ing. In the third platen 55 (after heater), since tension is applied to the recording medium M by the tension roller 25, the thermal elongation of the recording medium M appears at the center in the width direction and becomes wrinkled. It is easy. The printer 1 applies tension to the recording medium M heated in the after heater unit by driving the tension roller 25, and the thermal elongation of the recording medium M appears in the central portion in the width direction and becomes wrinkled. Can be prevented.

  Next, a more detailed configuration of the first platen 53 (preheater), the second platen 51 (recording unit heater), and the third platen 55 (afterheater) will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a platen extracted from the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of the heating unit 4 in the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  In the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the first platen 53, the second platen 51, and the third platen 55 are made of a material having PTC characteristics, and support the recording medium M to be conveyed. It comes to heat.

  A material having a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) characteristic has a characteristic that when the temperature rises above a predetermined temperature, which is a Curie point, the electric resistance suddenly increases and a self-temperature control function is exhibited. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the platen from being overheated, and when the temperature at which the ink lands on the recording medium M decreases, the electrical resistance decreases rapidly, and the current is quickly supplied and the temperature is recovered accordingly. .

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the effect of a platen made of a material having PTC characteristics. FIG. 5A schematically shows a state in which the recording medium M is conveyed on the second platen 51 that is energized and maintained at To, which is the Curie point. On the other hand, in FIG. 5B, the ink ejected by the ink jet head 31 lands on the recording medium M, and the temperature of the portion indicated by the oblique lines in the recording medium M and the second platen 51 is lowered by this ink. This is schematically shown. In the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, since the second platen 51 is made of a material having PTC characteristics, when the temperature of the second platen 51 is locally reduced by ΔT in this way, the electrical resistance of the shaded portion Decreases, the power is supplied quickly, and the temperature To is recovered and maintained.

  As described above, the second platen 51 on which the ink (liquid) is ejected onto the recording medium M is made of a material having PTC characteristics, and thus has a structure for heating the recording medium M. Due to the self-temperature control of the material having the temperature, temperature distribution is unlikely to occur in the second platen 51, and according to such a printing apparatus and printing method of the present invention, there is no occurrence of uneven printing in accordance with the location on the recording medium. Therefore, it is possible to prevent deterioration of image quality.

  As a material having PTC characteristics used for the first platen 53 (preheater), the second platen 51 (recording section heater), and the third platen 55 (afterheater), for example, a thermoplastic resin to which conductive particles are added is used. Can be used.

  The thermoplastic resin is preferably a crystalline thermoplastic resin, specifically, a polyolefin resin and a copolymer resin thereof, a polyamide resin, a polyacetal resin, a thermoplastic polyester resin, a polyphenylene oxide and a nonyl resin, a polysulfone, and the like. Can be mentioned. The various crystalline thermoplastic resins can be used as a composition with other polymers and additives as required.

Examples of the conductive particles include granular materials such as carbon black particles and graphite particles, iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), platinum (Pt), copper (Cu), silver (Ag), and gold (Au). ) And the like, powders such as metal powder and metal oxide powder, fibers such as carbon fibers, conductive inorganic materials (ITO, etc.), barium titanate (BaTiO ₃ ), strontium titanate (SrTiO ₃ ) ₃ ) and other inorganic materials having a positive temperature coefficient characteristic. Among these, granular materials such as carbon black particles and graphite particles, particularly carbon black particles are preferable. The various conductive particles may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  Electrodes are formed on the first platen 53, the second platen 51, and the third platen 55 made of the PTC characteristic material as described above for the purpose of energization. For example, a metal such as copper, copper alloy, gold, silver, nickel, or aluminum is suitably used, and a coating material such as plating with copper, silver, nickel, or tin is formed on the surface as necessary.

The upper electrode (53a in FIG. 3) and the lower surface (53b in FIG. 3) of the first platen 53, the upper surface (51a in FIG. 3) and the lower surface (51b in FIG. 3) of the second platen 51, the third electrode The platen 55 may be provided on the upper surface (55a in FIG. 3) and the lower surface (55b in FIG. 3), and a current may flow in the thickness direction of each platen. 3c (53c, 53d in FIG. 3), side portions of the second platen 51 (51c, 51d in FIG. 3), and side portions of the third platen 55 (55c, 55d in FIG. 3). A current may flow through the.

  After the energization electrode is formed on the PTC characteristic material as described above, an outer surface coating layer may be provided as necessary. Such an outer surface coating layer is preferably heat resistant and has a low friction coefficient. Examples of the material having heat resistance and a low friction coefficient include fluororesins such as PFA (a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether) and PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene). These fluororesins May be used alone or in combination of two or more. If such an outer surface coating layer is provided, it becomes possible to prevent the PTC characteristic material constituting each platen and the contamination of the electrode by ink.

  In addition to the PTC characteristic material in which conductive particles are added to the organic thermoplastic resin material as described above, ceramic materials and inorganic materials such as alumina, barium titanate, titanium oxide, mica are used as Y, La, Sb, Ta. Those added with rare earth elements such as can also be used.

  FIG. 4 schematically shows a circuit configuration for energizing the first platen 53, the second platen 51, and the third platen 55. Here, although R1 is shown as an equivalent circuit of the first platen 53, R2 is the second platen 51, and R3 is an equivalent circuit of the third platen 55, each platen is not a simple resistance component in reality. It is a circuit element whose resistance becomes infinite when the Curie temperature of the material is reached. Here, for the sake of simplicity, the resistance is shown as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first platen 53, the second platen 51, and the third platen 55 are all connected in parallel to each other. The heater control unit 160 instructs the output target value to output a predetermined voltage to the constant voltage source in the circuit diagram of FIG. The heater control unit 160 controls whether to apply a constant voltage source to each platen by performing on / off control of the switch SW in the circuit diagram of FIG.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the voltage V is equally applied to all the first platen 53, the second platen 51, and the third platen 55. For example, by adjusting the amount of conductive particles added to the thermoplastic resin as a base material with each platen, the Curie point temperature in each platen is adjusted, and even if V is applied as a common voltage, The platen is set to a desired temperature.

  As described above, in the printing apparatus and the printing method of the present invention, the second platen 51 on which the ink (liquid) is ejected onto the recording medium M is made of a material having PTC characteristics, and a predetermined constant voltage is applied. Since the recording medium M is heated, the temperature distribution is unlikely to occur in the second platen 51 due to the self-temperature control of the material having PTC characteristics. According to such a printing apparatus and printing method of the present invention, Therefore, unevenness in the printing finish according to the location on the recording medium does not occur, and deterioration of the image quality can be prevented.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the previous embodiment, the heating temperature in the first platen 53 (preheater) was set to 40 ° C. On the other hand, the recording medium M supplied from the supply roller 21 is at room temperature, and it is not always preferable that the temperature is rapidly raised to 40 ° C. Therefore, in another embodiment, the first platen 53 (preheater) employs a configuration in which the recording medium M conveyed from the supply roller 21 to the second platen 51 is gradually heated.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the first platen 53 in the printing apparatus 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a view of the first platen 53 extracted and viewed from the side of the apparatus.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6A, the first platen 53 is divided into three regions, and the heat generation temperatures are different in each region, so that a temperature distribution is given to the first platen 53. It has become.

  Specifically, as shown in the figure, the first platen 53 is divided into three regions 53p, 53q, and 53r as it advances from the supply roller 21 to the second platen 51, and (room temperature) <(53p Set temperature) <(set temperature of 53q) <(set temperature of 53r) = 40 ° C. This can be realized by adjusting the amount of conductive particles added to the thermoplastic resin as a base material in each region of the first platen 53 with each platen.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6B, the first platen 53 (preheater) gradually heats the recording medium M conveyed from the supply roller 21 to the second platen 51 in the embodiment shown in FIG. A notch recess 53s extending in the direction is provided, and the density of the notch recess 53s is provided so as to be dense on the supply roller 21 side and sparse on the second platen 51 side.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6B, the first platen 53 is made of a uniform PTC characteristic material.

  The notch recess 53s is a slit-like recess extending in the first direction. In FIG. 6B, the notch recess 53s is closely provided on the supply roller 21 side, so that the first platen 53 and the recording medium are provided. The contact area with M is limited, and the temperature rise of the recording medium M on the supply roller 21 side is suppressed. On the other hand, the notch recess 53s is sparsely provided on the second platen 51 side, so that the contact area between the first platen 53 and the recording medium M is increased from the supply roller 21 side, whereby the recording medium M on the supply roller 21 side. Is raised to the same level as the second platen 51.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6C, the first platen 53 (preheater) gradually heats the recording medium M conveyed from the supply roller 21 to the second platen 51 in the embodiment shown in FIG. A notch recess 53t extending in the direction is provided, and the width of the notch recess 53t is wide on the supply roller 21 side and narrow on the second platen 51 side.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6C, the first platen 53 is made of a uniform PTC characteristic material. Further, the width of the notch recess 53t is defined as the length of the recording medium M in the traveling direction.

  The notch recess 53t is a slit-like recess extending in the first direction. In FIG. 6C, the notch recess 53t is provided wide on the supply roller 21 side, so that the first platen 53 and the recording medium are provided. The contact area with M is limited, and the temperature rise of the recording medium M on the supply roller 21 side is suppressed. On the other hand, the notch recess 53t is provided narrower on the second platen 51 side than on the supply roller 21 side, thereby increasing the contact area between the first platen 53 and the recording medium M from the supply roller 21 side. The temperature of the recording medium M on the supply roller 21 side is increased to the same level as the second platen 51.

Also according to the other embodiments as described above, it is possible to enjoy the same operational effects as the previous embodiment, and the first platen 53 gradually raises the temperature of the recording medium M supplied at room temperature. As a result, the influence of heating on the recording medium M can be suppressed.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the first platen 53, the second platen 51, and the third platen 55 are all connected in parallel to each other. In contrast, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the second platen 51 is connected in parallel to the series connection of the first platen 53 and the third platen 55, and the constant voltage V is applied. It has become so.

  Since the temperature drop when the ink lands on the recording medium M only occurs in the second platen 51, a constant voltage V needs to be applied to the second platen 51. On the other hand, V1 and V3 applied to the first platen 53 and the third platen 55 may vary somewhat. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the first platen 53 and the third platen 55 are connected in series to simplify the circuit configuration.

  In other words, in the present embodiment, the second platen 51 on which ink is landed on the recording medium M conveyed above has a configuration in which both the first platen 53 and the third platen 55 have a parallel connection relationship. The platen is energized.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the embodiments so far, the first platen 53, the second platen 51, and the third platen 55 are all made of a material having PTC characteristics. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the temperature drop when the ink lands on the recording medium M only occurs in the second platen 51, only in the second platen 51 (recording unit heater), A material having PTC characteristics is used.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an outline of a printing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. The preheater unit according to the present embodiment includes a first platen 53 that constitutes a support surface 52 that first supports the recording medium M fed from the take-up roller 22. It is formed from a metal material such as SUS material. A heater 41a is wired on the surface 52a opposite to the support surface 52 as shown in FIG. The heater 41a is composed of a tube heater, and is attached to a surface 52a opposite to the support surface 52 of the first platen 53 via an aluminum tape (not shown).

  In addition, the after heater unit according to the present embodiment includes a third platen 55 that constitutes a support surface 54 that supports the recording medium M that has passed through the second platen 51. The third platen 55 is made of an Al material or SUS. It is formed from a metal material such as a material. A heater 43a is wired on the surface 54a opposite to the support surface 54 as shown in FIG. The heater 43a is composed of a tube heater, and is attached to a surface 54a opposite to the support surface 54 of the third platen 55 via an aluminum tape (not shown).

  The embodiment shown in FIG. 8 as described above can also enjoy the same effects as those of the embodiments described so far, and the conventional configuration is used for the first platen 53 and the third platen 55. This makes it possible to reduce design costs and the like.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 9 is a view showing a platen extracted from the printing apparatus 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In the first embodiment, the front surfaces of the first platen 53, the second platen 51, and the third platen 55 are configured to uniformly heat, whereas in the present embodiment, the first platen 53 and The second platen 51 and the third platen 55 are provided with regions where heat generation or non-heat generation can be selected.

  There are a plurality of standards for the width of the recording medium M used in the printing apparatus 1. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, there are a recording medium M having a width A1, a recording medium M having a width A2, and the like. When printing the recording medium M having a width of A2, there is a problem that if the entire surface of each platen is heated, energy utilization efficiency is not good.

  Therefore, in the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the area indicated by P1 in the first platen 53, the area indicated by Q1 in the second platen 51, and R1 in the third platen 55. The region shown in FIG. 6 is configured to be capable of selectively generating heat or not generating heat.

  Accordingly, when printing the recording medium M having the width A2, only the area indicated by P2 in the first platen 53, only the area indicated by Q2 in the second platen 51, and the third In the platen 55, it is possible to suppress energy consumption by heating only the region indicated by R2.

  According to the embodiment as described above, it is possible to enjoy the same effect as that of the first embodiment, and it is possible to improve the energy utilization efficiency.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer (printing apparatus), 2 ... Conveyance part, 3 ... Recording part, 4 ... Heating part, 4A ... Box-shaped part, 5 ... Main body frame, 10 ... Computer, 21 ... Supply roller, 22 ... Take-up roller, 23, 24 ... Conveying roller pair, 25 ... Tension roller, 26 ... Oscillating frame, 31 ... Inkjet head, 32 ... Carriage, 41a ... Heater, 43a ... Heater, 51 ... Second platen, 52 ... Support surface, 53 ... First platen, 53s ... Notch recess, 53t ... notch recess, 54 ... support surface, 55 ... third platen, 60 ... main body, 110 ... controller, 111 ... CPU, 112 ... ROM, 113 ...・ RAM, 120 ... ON Operation unit, 130 ... recording medium conveying unit, 140 ... carriage driving unit, 150 ... head unit 160 ... heater control unit, M ... recording medium

Claims (5)

A supply roller for supplying a recording medium;
A first platen for heating the recording medium supplied from the supply roller;
A second platen that is made of a material having PTC characteristics and that heats the recording medium heated by the first platen by applying a predetermined constant voltage;
A recording head that ejects liquid onto the recording medium above the second platen;
A third platen for heating the recording medium sprayed with the liquid by the second platen;
A printing apparatus comprising: The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first platen is made of a material having PTC characteristics, and the first platen is connected in parallel to the second platen and energized. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third platen is made of a material having PTC characteristics, and the third platen is connected in parallel to the second platen and energized. The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein all of the first platen, the second platen, and the third platen are connected in parallel and energized. The recording medium is supplied by a supply roller,
The recording medium supplied from the supply roller is heated by a first platen,
The recording medium heated by the first platen is further heated by a second platen made of a material having PTC characteristics and applied with a predetermined constant voltage,
A printing method comprising performing recording by ejecting liquid onto the recording medium by a recording head above the second platen.

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