JP2016182785A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer capable of reducing a size of an external housing at the time of carrying-in, transportation and the like.SOLUTION: A printer comprises: a process unit performing printing processing with respect to a printing medium; and an external housing 6 accommodating the process unit. The external housing 6 is variable to a first shape and a second shape having a volume smaller than that of the first shape. The external housing 6 includes: a housing main body 33; and an overhang portion 60 variable to a first state where projecting with respect to the housing main body 33 and a second state where having an overhang quantity A smaller than that of the first state with respect to the housing main body 33. It is preferable that the external housing 6 be the first shape by the overhang portion 60 having the first state and be the second shape by the overhang portion 60 having the second state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus including an exterior housing.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image recording apparatus including a head unit that performs printing processing on a sheet and an exterior member that houses the head unit is known. The head unit is movable to a first position where printing processing is performed, a second position facing the maintenance unit, and a third position where maintenance is performed by an operator. The exterior member has an openable / closable member. When the head unit is moved to the third position with the opening / closing member open, a part of the head unit protrudes outside the position of the opening / closing member in the closed state. As a result, in the image recording apparatus, the exterior member is reduced in size as compared with the case where the head unit at the third position is accommodated inside the position of the open / close member in the closed state (Patent Document). 1).

JP 2014-113765 A

The inventor has found the following problems.
In a printing apparatus such as a conventional image recording apparatus, if the printing width is increased or a sufficient space is provided for maintenance, the outer casing becomes large. If both the width and depth of the exterior casing exceed a predetermined length (for example, 2.0 m), it will often exceed the door opening, and when the printer is loaded, the door may be removed or the wall may be broken. Large work will occur. In addition, if the width and depth of the outer casing exceed a predetermined length (for example, 2.0 m), they cannot be loaded on a general size truck or cannot enter a container. Will be limited. On the other hand, it is conceivable to divide the printing apparatus and carry it in and transport it. In that case, highly accurate alignment is required when installing the printing apparatus. Further, in the case of a printing apparatus using ultraviolet curable ink, when the printing apparatus is divided and carried in and transported, a cover for shielding light must be newly prepared.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus that can reduce the size of the exterior housing during loading and transportation.

  The printing apparatus of the present invention includes a process unit that performs a printing process on a print medium, and an exterior housing that houses the process unit, and the exterior housing has a first shape and a volume larger than that of the first shape. It is variable to a small second shape.

  According to this configuration, when the outer casing takes the second shape, the size of the outer casing becomes smaller than when the outer casing takes the first shape. Therefore, the printing apparatus can reduce the size of the exterior casing by forming the exterior casing in the second shape at the time of carry-in and transportation.

  In this case, the exterior housing is variable to a housing body, a first state that projects from the housing body, and a second state in which the amount of projecting to the housing body is smaller than the first state. It is preferable that the exterior casing has the first shape when the overhanging portion takes the first state, and the second shape when the overhanging portion takes the second state.

  According to this configuration, when the overhanging portion takes the second state, the size of the exterior housing becomes smaller than when the overhanging portion takes the first state. Therefore, the printing apparatus can reduce the size of the outer casing by setting the overhanging portion to the second state at the time of carry-in and transportation.

  In this case, a housing opening portion that is opened outward is provided on one surface of the housing body, and the overhanging portion is pivotally supported by an edge of the housing body that constitutes the housing opening portion. A first plate-like portion rotatable to a first rotation position protruding outward from the housing opening portion, and a second rotation position closer to the housing opening portion than the first rotation position, and a first plate The second plate shape rotatably connected to the first plate-like portion so as to be able to face the housing opening portion when the shape-like portion is located at either the first rotation position or the second rotation position. A first closing portion that closes the housing opening portion, a first movement position that protrudes outward from the housing opening portion, and a second closer to the housing opening portion than the first movement position. And a second closing portion that closes the casing opening portion, and the overhanging portion has the first plate-like portion located at the first rotation position and the second closing portion. The first state is taken by the part being located at the first movement position, the first plate-like part is located at the second rotational position, and the second closing part is located at the second movement position, thereby It is preferable to take two states.

  According to this configuration, when the first plate-like portion is located at the second rotation position and the second closing portion is located at the second movement position, the first plate-like portion is located at the first rotation position. And compared with the case where a 2nd obstruction | occlusion part is located in a 1st movement position, the size of an exterior housing | casing becomes small. Therefore, the printing apparatus is arranged such that the size of the outer casing is set by positioning the first plate-like portion at the second rotation position and the second closing portion at the second movement position at the time of carry-in and transportation. Can be reduced.

  In this case, in the state where the first plate-like portion is located at the first rotation position, an overhang opening portion opened outward is formed on the housing opening portion side of the second plate-like portion, and the second obstruction is formed. The part preferably closes the overhang opening part in the state where the part is located at the first movement position.

  According to this configuration, when the overhang portion takes the first state, the overhang opening portion formed by the first plate-like portion being positioned at the first rotation position is the second position where the overhang opening portion is positioned at the first movement position. It is blocked by the blocking part. Thereby, it is suppressed that light penetrate | invades in an exterior housing | casing from an overhang | projection open | release part.

  In this case, the overhanging portion includes two first closing portions individually provided at two mutually opposing edges of the casing main body constituting the casing opening portion, and the second closing portion of each first closing portion. The plate-like portion is detachably connected to the first plate material so that the first plate material is sandwiched between the first plate material detachably connected to the first plate-like portion and the first plate-like portion, Alternatively, in place of the first plate member, the second plate member is detachably connected to the first plate member, and the first plate member is in a state where the first plate member is located at the first rotation position. When the second plate member is connected to the first plate member and the second plate member is connected to the first plate member, the free end portions of the second plate members of the two first closing portions abut each other. Is located at the second rotational position, the second plate member is connected to the first plate-like portion, so that the free end portions of the second plate members of the two first closing portions protrude. I monkey it is preferable.

  According to this configuration, in a state where the first plate-like portion is located at the first rotation position, the first plate member is connected to the first plate-like portion, and the second plate member is connected to the first plate member so that two The free end portions of the second plate members of the first closing portion face each other. Accordingly, when the printing apparatus is installed, when the overhanging portion is in the first state in which the first plate-like portion is located at the first rotation position, the free ends of the second plate members of the two first closing portions It is possible to prevent light from entering the exterior casing from between. Further, in the state where the first plate-like portion is located at the second rotational position, the second plate member is connected to the first plate-like portion in place of the first plate member, so that each of the two first closing portions is second. The free ends of the second plate members abut each other without overlapping the free ends of the plate members. Thus, even when the overhanging portion is set to the second state in which the first plate-like portion is located at the second rotation position when the printing apparatus is carried in and transported, the free end portions of the two first closing portions In the meantime, it is possible to prevent light from entering the exterior housing and to prevent damage to the free ends of the two first closed portions.

  In this case, a work space in which an operator can enter is provided inside the housing opening portion, the exterior housing is provided above the work space, and the second closing portion is connected to the first movement position and the first movement position. A support part that is movably supported between the two movement positions, and the support part is movable to a first support position and a second support position located above the first support position. It is preferable.

  According to this configuration, when the support portion is located at the second support position, the work space is expanded upward as compared with the case where the support portion is located at the first support position. Thereby, workability in the work space can be improved.

  In this case, a housing opening portion that is opened outward is provided on one surface of the housing main body, and the overhanging portion is provided inside the housing opening portion when taking the first state. It is preferable that a work space that can be entered by an operator can be secured, and when the second state is taken, it is not possible to secure a work space that can be entered by the worker inside the housing opening.

  According to this configuration, if the overhanging portion takes the second state during loading / transporting of the printing apparatus, it becomes difficult for the worker to enter the working space, but the worker enters the working space during loading / transporting. There is no need to do this, so there is no particular problem. Further, after the installation of the printing apparatus, when the overhanging portion takes the first state, the worker can enter the work space, so that the worker can enter the work space and perform work such as maintenance.

  In this case, the process unit is movable to a first process unit position and a second process unit position located closer to the overhanging part than the first process unit position. The process unit is located at the first process unit position. It is preferable to perform a printing process and receive maintenance at the position of the second process section.

  In this case, it is preferable that the process unit performs a printing process using ultraviolet curable ink.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining movement of a carriage in an exterior housing of the printing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. It is the figure which looked at the exterior housing | casing of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 from the -Y side. FIG. 2 is a view of the exterior housing of the printing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 as viewed from the + X side. FIG. 3 is a view of the exterior housing of the printing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 as viewed from the + Z side. It is the figure which looked at the 1st door part of the exterior case from the + Z side.

  Hereinafter, a printing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following drawings, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is displayed as necessary in order to clarify the arrangement relationship of each part of the apparatus.

  The overall configuration of the printing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The printing apparatus 1 performs printing by discharging ultraviolet curable ink (hereinafter referred to as “UV ink”) onto the set print medium 100. The print medium 100 is a strip-shaped continuous paper. The material of the print medium 100 is not particularly limited, and various materials such as paper and film are used.

  The printing apparatus 1 includes a feeding unit 2, a winding unit 3, a printing unit 4, a control unit 5, an exterior housing 6, and a holder unit 30. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus 1 includes a maintenance unit 29 (see FIG. 2).

  The feeding unit 2 and the winding unit 3 feed the printing medium 100 in a roll-to-roll manner with the printing unit 4 interposed therebetween. The feeding unit 2 includes a feeding shaft 7 and a feeding-side guide roller 8. A print medium 100 wound in a roll shape is set on the feeding shaft 7. The printing medium 100 fed from the feeding shaft 7 is sent to the printing unit 4 via the feeding-side guide roller 8. The winding unit 3 includes a winding shaft 11 and a winding side guide roller 12. The printing medium 100 sent from the printing unit 4 via the winding-side guide roller 12 is wound on the winding shaft 11.

  The printing unit 4 prints an image on the print medium 100. The printing unit 4 includes an upstream feed roller pair 13, an upstream guide roller 14, a rotating drum 15, a downstream guide roller 16, a downstream feed roller pair 17, a process unit 18, a carriage 21, and a guide. Rail 22.

  The upstream feed roller pair 13 feeds the printing medium 100 fed from the feeding unit 2 toward the upstream guide roller 14. The upstream guide roller 14 guides the feeding of the printing medium 100 so that the printing medium 100 is folded between the upstream feeding roller pair 13 and the rotary drum 15. The rotating drum 15 is a cylindrical drum that can rotate around a rotating shaft 19 extending in the Y direction. When the print medium 100 is fed along the peripheral surface of the rotary drum 15, the rotary drum 15 is driven to rotate by the frictional force between the peripheral surface and the print medium 100. The rotary drum 15 functions as a platen for an ink discharge head (not shown) described later. The downstream guide roller 16 guides the feeding of the printing medium 100 between the rotating drum 15 and the downstream feeding roller pair 17 so that the printing medium 100 is folded back. The downstream feed roller pair 17 feeds the print medium 100 sent from the downstream guide roller 16 toward the winding unit 3.

The process unit 18 includes six head units 23a to 23f, six UV irradiators 24a to 24f, and two ink supply systems 25a to 25b. Of course, these numbers are merely examples, and the same applies to the numbers described later.
In addition, when it is not necessary to distinguish the six head units 23a to 23f, they are referred to as “head unit 23”. Similarly, when it is not necessary to distinguish the six UV irradiators 24a to 24f, they are referred to as “UV irradiators 24”. When it is not necessary to distinguish between the two ink supply systems 25a to 25b, they are referred to as “ink supply system 25”.

  The carriage 21 includes, among the process units 18, head units 23a to 23f, UV irradiators 24a to 24e, and ink supply systems 25a to 25b. Note that the UV irradiator 24 f is not mounted on the carriage 21. The carriage 21 and the process unit 18 mounted thereon can reciprocate in the Y direction as will be described later. Guide rails 22 are provided at both ends of the carriage 21 in the X direction. The guide rail 22 supports the carriage 21 so as to be slidable in the Y direction. In the present embodiment, the X direction coincides with the transport direction of the print medium 100, and the Y direction intersects with the X direction and coincides with the width direction of the print medium 100.

  The six head units 23 are arranged side by side along the feed path of the print medium 100 so as to face the peripheral surface of the rotary drum 15. The six head units 23 correspond to, for example, white, yellow, cyan, magenta, black, and clear (transparent) UV inks in order from the upstream side of the print medium 100. Each head unit 23 includes a plurality of ink ejection heads that eject UV ink by an inkjet method. The head unit 23 discharges UV ink to the print medium 100 supported on the peripheral surface of the rotary drum 15. Thereby, a color image is formed on the print medium 100.

  The head unit 23 a that discharges white UV ink is used to form a white background on the print medium 100 when an image is printed on the transparent print medium 100. The head unit 23b that discharges yellow UV ink, the head unit 23c that discharges cyan UV ink, the head unit 23d that discharges magenta UV ink, and the head unit 23e that discharges black UV ink are arranged on the print medium 100. Directly or overlaid on a white background formed by white UV ink, it is used to form a color image. The head unit 23f that discharges the clear UV ink is used to cover the color image with the clear UV ink.

  The six UV irradiators 24 include those for temporary curing and those for main curing. The UV irradiators 24b to 24d are for temporary curing. The UV irradiator 24b is provided between the head unit 23b and the head unit 23c, the UV irradiator 24c is provided between the head unit 23c and the head unit 23d, and the UV irradiator 24d is connected to the head unit 23d. It is provided between the head unit 23e. The pre-curing UV irradiators 24b to 24d irradiate the printing medium 100 on which the UV ink has been ejected with ultraviolet rays with an integrated light amount that slows the wetting and spreading of the UV ink. As a result, the occurrence of color mixing due to mixing of the UV ink ejected from each of the head units 23b to 23e is suppressed.

  On the other hand, the UV irradiators 24a, 24e, and 24f are for main curing. The UV irradiator 24a is provided between the head unit 23a and the head unit 23b, the UV irradiator 24e is provided between the head unit 23e and the head unit 23f, and the UV irradiator 24f is provided by the head unit 23f. Is also provided on the downstream side. The main curing UV irradiator 24 irradiates the print medium 100 on which the UV ink has been ejected with ultraviolet light with an integrated light amount that stops the wetting and spreading of the UV ink. As a result, the UV ink that has landed on the print medium 100 is completely cured and fixed on the print medium 100.

  The two ink supply systems 25 are arranged side by side in the X direction. Each ink supply system 25 includes three ink supply units (not shown) and a storage unit 28 that stores them. The three ink supply units provided in the ink supply system 25a on the -X side supply UV ink of each color to the head units 23a to 23c. The three ink supply units provided in the + X side ink supply system 25b supply UV ink of each color to the head units 23d to 23f. Note that the ink supply unit includes a sub-tank or the like in which UV ink sent from the ink cartridge is temporarily stored.

  The control unit 5 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and various memories. The control unit 5 controls each unit of the printing apparatus 1. The exterior housing 6 houses the feeding unit 2, the winding unit 3, the printing unit 4, and the control unit 5. The holder part 30 is provided on the outer surface of the exterior housing 6 on the −X side. Although not shown, the holder unit 30 includes a container holder in which an ink cartridge is mounted.

  With reference to FIG. 2, the movement of the carriage 21 in the Y direction in the exterior housing 6 will be described. In the exterior housing 6, a printing area R1, an automatic maintenance area R2, and a manual maintenance area R3 are provided in this order from the + Y side. In the printing region R1, a feeding unit 2, a winding unit 3, a rotating drum 15 and the like are provided. A maintenance unit 29 is provided in the automatic maintenance region R2. The manual work maintenance area R3 is provided with a work space 40 into which an operator can enter.

  The carriage 21 includes two support frames 31 and a base frame 32. The two support frames 31 are provided side by side in the Y direction. The support frame 31 is formed in a substantially semicircular arc shape when viewed from the Y direction (see FIG. 1). The base frame 32 connects the lower ends of the two support frames 31. The above-described process unit 18 (excluding the UV irradiator 24f) is sandwiched between two support frames 31 in the Y direction. The ink supply system 25 is attached to the −Y side surface of the −Y side support frame 31 (in FIG. 2, only the ink supply system 25 is described with the accommodating portion 28 omitted).

  The carriage 21 and the process unit 18 mounted on the carriage 21 can be sequentially moved from the + Y side to a printing position P1, an automatic maintenance position P2, and a manual maintenance position P3 by a moving mechanism (not shown). The printing position P1 is provided in the printing area R1, the automatic maintenance position P2 is provided in the automatic maintenance area R2, and the manual maintenance position P3 is provided in the manual maintenance area R3.

When the process unit 18 is located at the printing position P1, the process unit 18 faces the rotating drum 15. In this state, the printing process is performed on the print medium 100 supported by the rotary drum 15 by the process unit 18. When the process unit 18 is positioned at the automatic maintenance position P2, the maintenance unit 29 performs various maintenance operations such as capping, cleaning, and wiping on the ink discharge heads of the head unit 23. When the process unit 18 is positioned at the manual maintenance position P3, the -Z side of the process unit 18 is opened, and a manual work space is secured. Therefore, manual maintenance such as wiping off UV ink is performed on the process unit 18 by an operator who has entered the work space 40.
In addition, the overhang | projection part 60 provided in the edge part by the side of -Y of the exterior housing | casing 6 is mentioned later.

  The exterior casing 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. The exterior housing 6 includes a housing body 33, a first door portion 34, and a second door portion 35.

  The housing body 33 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape. A first opening portion 36 opened to the −Y side is provided on substantially the entire surface of the housing body 33 on the −Y side. A second open portion 37 opened to the + Z side is provided in a substantially half portion on the −Y side of the + Z side surface of the housing body 33. A third open portion 38 that is open to the + X side is provided in a substantially half portion on the −Y side of the + X side surface of the housing body 33. Furthermore, a substantially open half of the housing body 33 on the −Y side on the −X side is provided with a fourth open portion (not shown) opened to the −X side. The first opening portion 36, the second opening portion 37, the third opening portion 38, and the fourth opening portion continuously form one opening portion. Note that support legs 41 with adjustment bolts are provided at four corners of the surface (lower surface) on the −Z side of the housing body 33.

  The 1st door part 34 opens and closes the area of about 2/3 of the -Z side of the 1st opening part 36 in a door-opening type. The first door portion 34 is opened and closed when an operator enters and exits the work space 40 in the exterior housing 6.

  The 1st door part 34 is provided with two 1st obstruction | occlusion parts 42a-42b. When it is not necessary to distinguish between the two first closing portions 42a to 42b, they are referred to as “first closing portion 42”. The two first closing portions 42 are provided side by side in the X direction. As for the first closing portion 42a provided on the −X side, the −X side is referred to as “X direction outside”, and the + X side is referred to as “X direction inside”. On the other hand, regarding the first closing portion 42b provided on the + X side, the + X side is referred to as “X direction outside” and the −X side is referred to as “X direction inside”. The first closing portion 42 includes a first plate-like portion 43 and a second plate-like portion 44.

  The first plate portion 43 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape that is long in the Z direction. The first plate-like portion 43 is pivotally supported by the edge 46 of the housing main body 33 constituting the first opening portion 36 via hinges 45 provided at both ends of one long side in the Z direction. . The first plate-like portion 43 has a first rotation position 43a (FIGS. 3, 4A, and 5) protruding outward (−Y side) from the first opening portion 36 with the hinge 45 as the center of rotation. (See (a) and FIG. 6 (a)), and a second rotation position 43b (FIG. 4 (b), FIG. 5 (b) and FIG. 5) closer to the first opening 36 (+ Y side) than the first rotation position 43a. 6 (b)). That is, when the first plate-like portion 43 is located at the first rotation position 43a, the first plate-like portion 43 protrudes toward the −Y side from the edge portion 46 of the housing body 33 constituting the first opening portion 36. Further, when the first plate-like portion 43 is located at the second rotation position 43 b, the first plate-like portion 43 has a posture protruding inward in the X direction from the edge 46 of the housing body 33 constituting the first opening portion 36. In addition, the 1st plate-shaped part 43 is fixed to the 1st rotation position 43a or the 2nd rotation position 43b by a fixing member (illustration omitted).

  Female hinges 47a are attached to both ends in the Z direction of the other long side of the first plate-like portion 43 (the long side inside the X direction at the second rotational position 43b). The female hinge 47a constitutes an insertion / extraction hinge 47 together with a male hinge 47b described later. The shaft portion of the male hinge 47b is inserted into the cylindrical portion of the female hinge 47a so as to be removable.

  The second plate-shaped portion 44 includes a first plate material 48 and a second plate material 49. The first plate member 48 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape that is long in the Z direction. The first plate member 48 is substantially the same shape and size as the first plate portion 43. Male hinges 47b are attached to both ends in the Z direction of the long side outside the X direction of the first plate member 48, respectively. By inserting the male hinge 47b from the + Z side into the female hinge 47a of the first plate-like portion 43, the first plate member 48 is rotatably connected to the first plate-like portion 43. Thereby, even if the 1st plate-shaped part 43 is located in any of the 1st rotation position 43a and the 2nd rotation position 43b, the 1st board | plate material 48 and the 2nd board | plate material 49 connected with this are the 1st open part. 36 can be opposed, that is, can be substantially parallel to the surface of the housing body 33 on the −Y side. On the other hand, female hinges 47a are attached to both ends in the Z direction of the long side inside the first plate 48 in the X direction.

  The second plate 49 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape that is wider than the first plate 43 and the first plate 48 and is long in the Z direction. That is, the second plate material 49 is substantially equal to the first plate portion 43 and the first plate material 48 in the dimension in the Z direction, and is larger than the first plate portion 43 and the first plate material 48 in the X direction. large. Male hinges 47b are attached to both ends in the Z direction on the long side outside the X direction of the second plate 49, respectively. By inserting the male hinge 47b from the + Z side into the female hinge 47a of the first plate member 48, the second plate member 49 is rotatably connected to the first plate member 48. By rotating the second plate 49 with respect to the first plate 48, the first opening 36 is opened and closed. A handle portion 52 is provided at a substantially central portion in the Z direction of the long side inside the X direction of the second plate member 49. The handle 52 is used as a clue when opening and closing the second plate 49.

  Here, each male hinge 47b is provided on the + Z side with respect to the corresponding female hinge 47a. For this reason, the second plate member 49 can be detached from the first plate member 48 by moving (pulling out) the second plate member 49 to the + Z side. Similarly, the first plate member 48 can be removed from the first plate-like portion 43 by moving the first plate member 48 to the + Z side. In this state, the second plate 49 can be rotated with respect to the first plate 43 by inserting the male hinge 47b of the second plate 49 from the + Z side into the female hinge 47a of the first plate 43. Connected. As described above, the second plate member 49 is detachably connected to the first plate member 48 so as to sandwich the first plate member 48 between the first plate member 43 or the first plate member 48 instead of the first plate member 48. The first plate portion 43 is detachably connected.

  In a state where the first plate-like portion 43 is located at the first rotation position 43 a, the first plate member 48 is connected to the first plate-like portion 43 and the second plate member 49 is connected to the first plate member 48. The free end portions 51 of the second plate members 49 of the two first closing portions 42 face each other (see FIG. 6A). In this state, an overhang opening 53 that is open to the + Z side is formed on the + Y side of the first plate 48 and the second plate 49, that is, on the first opening 36 side (see FIG. 6A). . Further, in a state where the first plate-like portion 43 is located at the second rotation position 43b, the second plate member 49 is connected to the first plate-like portion 43, whereby the second plate members of the two first closing portions 42 are connected. The 49 free end portions 51 face each other (see FIG. 6B).

  The second door portion 35 is rotatably supported with respect to the housing body 33 via a hinge (not shown) provided at the end portion on the + Y side. Thereby, the 2nd door part 35 opens and closes the area | region of about 1/3 at the side of + Z of the 1st open part 36 in a flip-up door type. Similarly to the first door part 34, the second door part 35 is opened and closed when an operator enters and exits the work space 40 in the exterior housing 6. The second door part 35 includes a support part 54 and a second closing part 55.

  The support portion 54 supports the second closing portion 55 so as to be slidable in the Y direction. The support portion 54 is formed in a plate shape bent in a substantially inverted “U” shape when viewed from the Y direction, and is provided to close the second opening portion 37, the third opening portion 38, and the fourth opening portion. It has been. That is, the support portion 54 is provided on the + Z side (upper side) of the work space 40. When the second door portion 35 is closed, the support portion 54 is positioned at the first support position 54a (see FIG. 4A), and when the second door portion 35 is opened, the support portion 54 is It is located in the 2nd support position 54b (refer FIG.4 (c)) above 1 support position 54a.

  When the support part 54 is located at the second support position 54b, the work space 40 expands upward compared to when the support part 54 is located at the first support position 54a. More specifically, when the support part 54 is located at the first support position 54a, the support part 54 comes to a position where it hits the head of the worker who has entered the work space 40, so that the worker is bent. Maintenance work must be done. On the other hand, when the support portion 54 is located at the second support position 54b, the support portion 54 comes above the worker who has entered the work space 40, so that the worker can perform maintenance work without bending.

  Note that assist mechanisms 56 that assist the opening and closing operation of the second door portion 35 are provided at both ends in the X direction of the support portion 54. The assist mechanism 56 can be extended and contracted. One end of the assist mechanism 56 is attached to the support portion 54, and the other end of the assist mechanism 56 is attached to the housing body 33. As the assist mechanism 56, for example, a gas spring can be used.

  The second closing portion 55 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape with the + Y side and the −Z side open, and is provided so as to cover the + Z side of the support portion 54. The second closing portion 55 is slidable in the Y direction with respect to the support portion 54. That is, the second closing portion 55 includes a first movement position 55a (see FIGS. 4A and 5A) that protrudes outward (−Y side) from the first opening portion 36, and a first movement. It can move to a second movement position 55b (see FIGS. 4B and 5B) closer to the first opening 36 (+ Y side) than the position 55a.

  When the second blocking portion 55 is positioned at the first movement position 55a in a state where the first plate-shaped portion 43 is positioned at the first rotation position 43a, the surface on the −Y side of the second blocking portion 55 is the first It becomes substantially flush with the first plate member 48 and the second plate member 49 connected to the plate-like portion 43. Further, in this state, the above-described overhanging portion 53 is closed by the second closing portion 55. In addition, when the second blocking portion 55 is positioned at the second movement position 55b in a state where the first plate-shaped portion 43 is positioned at the second rotation position 43b, the surface on the −Y side of the second blocking portion 55 is the second It becomes substantially flush with the second plate member 49 connected to the first plate-like portion 43 located at the rotation position 43b.

  A handle 57 is provided on the surface of the second closing portion 55 on the −Y side. The handle 57 is a part to be gripped when the second door part 35 is opened and closed, and when the second closing part 55 is slid in the Y direction.

By the way, the two first closing portions 42 and the second closing portion 55 constitute an overhanging portion 60 that protrudes in the −Y direction with respect to the housing body 33. The overhang portion 60 is variable between a first state and a second state in which the overhang amount A with respect to the housing body 33 is smaller than in the first state. The overhang portion 60 is in the first state in which the overhang amount A is large because the first plate-like portion 43 is located at the first rotation position 43a and the second closing portion 55 is located at the first movement position 55a. Further, the overhanging portion 60 has a v second state in which the overhang amount A is small because the first plate-like portion 43 is located at the second rotation position 43b and the second closing portion 55 is located at the second movement position 55b. Become.
Regarding the second state of the overhang portion 60, “the overhang amount A is small” means not only a configuration in which the overhang portion 60 projects with a smaller overhang amount A than in the first state, but also the overhang amount A. This is a concept including zero, that is, a configuration in which the projecting portion 60 does not project from the housing body 33.

  Here, the shape of the exterior housing 6 when the overhanging portion 60 takes the first state is referred to as a first shape, and the shape of the exterior housing 6 when the overhanging portion 60 takes the second shape is referred to as the first shape. Two shapes. That is, since the first plate-like portion 43 is located at the first rotation position 43a and the second closing portion 55 is located at the first movement position 55a, the overhang portion 60 is in the first state where the overhang amount A is large. take. And when the overhang | projection part 60 takes a 1st state, the exterior housing | casing 6 takes a 1st shape with a large volume and a large depth D. FIG. On the contrary, when the first plate-like portion 43 is located at the second rotation position 43b and the second closing portion 55 is located at the second movement position 55b, the overhang portion 60 has a small overhang amount A. Take the second state. And when the overhang | projection part 60 takes a 2nd state, the exterior housing | casing 6 takes a 2nd shape with a small volume and the small depth D. FIG.

  When the exterior housing 6 takes the second shape (see FIGS. 4B and 5B), the exterior housing 6 takes the first shape (FIGS. 4A and 5A). Compared to the reference), the amount of the overhang A of the overhang portion 60 is reduced, so that the volume of the outer housing 6 is reduced and the depth D (dimension in the Y direction) of the outer housing 6 is reduced. Specifically, the depth D of the outer casing 6 is, for example, 2.2 m when the outer casing 6 takes the first shape, whereas the depth D of the outer casing 6 takes the second shape. Is, for example, 1.9 mm. Note that the width W (dimension in the X direction) of the exterior housing 6 is, for example, 3.0 m.

  Here, when both the width W and the depth D of the outer casing 6 exceed 2.0 m, it often exceeds the door opening, and when the printing apparatus 1 is carried in, the door is removed or the wall is broken. Large work will occur. Moreover, since the width W and the depth D of the exterior casing 6 cannot exceed a general size truck that exceeds 2.0 m or cannot enter the container, the transportation means is limited. On the other hand, it is conceivable to disassemble the printing apparatus 1 and carry it in and transport it. In that case, highly accurate alignment is required when the printing apparatus 1 is installed. Further, when the printing apparatus 1 is disassembled and carried in and transported, a cover for shielding light must be newly prepared in order to prevent the UV ink from being cured at the nozzle of the ink discharge head of the head unit 23.

Therefore, in the printing apparatus 1, when carrying in / transporting, the exterior casing 6 is formed in the second shape, and the depth D of the exterior casing 6 is set to 1.9 m, so that the printing apparatus 1 is smoothly carried in and transported. To be able to.
The operation of changing the exterior housing 6 from the first shape to the second shape is performed as follows. First, the second plate 49 is pulled out to the + Z side and removed from the first plate 48. Subsequently, the first plate member 48 is pulled out to + Z and removed from the first plate-like portion 43. Subsequently, after the first plate-like portion 43 fixed to the first rotation position 43a by the fixing member is released and the first plate-like portion 43 is rotated to the second rotation position 43b, the first plate-like portion 43 is rotated by the fixing member. The plate-like portion 43 is fixed at the second rotation position 43b. Then, the second plate material 49 is connected to the first plate-like portion 43.

  Here, if the exterior casing 6 remains in the second shape, that is, if the overhanging portion 60 remains in the second state, the work space is moved when the process unit 18 moves to the manual maintenance position P3. 40 becomes narrow, and it becomes impossible to secure a space in which an operator can enter the exterior housing 6 (see FIG. 2). On the other hand, when the exterior casing 6 takes the first shape, that is, when the overhanging portion 60 takes the first state, when the process unit 18 moves to the manual maintenance position P3, the work space 40 is widened, and a space in which an operator can enter the exterior housing 6 can be secured. In FIG. 2, the surface on the −Y side of the overhang portion 60 when the overhang portion 60 is in the first state is indicated by a solid line, and −− of the overhang portion 60 when the overhang portion 60 is in the second state. The surface on the Y side is indicated by a virtual line.

Therefore, in the printing apparatus 1, during installation after carrying in and after transportation, the exterior casing 6 is returned to the first shape, so that the process unit 18 is moved into the manual maintenance position P3 so that it is placed in the exterior casing 6. A space is available for workers to enter.
The operation of changing the exterior housing 6 from the second shape to the first shape is performed as follows. First, the second plate member 49 is pulled out to the + Z side and removed from the first plate-like portion 43. Subsequently, the first plate-like portion 43 fixed at the second rotation position 43b is released by a fixing member (not shown), and the first plate-like portion 43 is rotated to the first rotation position 43a and then fixed. The first plate-like portion 43 is fixed to the first rotation position 43a by the member. Then, the first plate member 48 is connected to the first plate-like portion 43, and the second plate member 49 is connected to the first plate member 48.

  According to the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above, the printing apparatus 1 reduces the size of the exterior casing 6 by forming the exterior casing 6 in the second shape at the time of carry-in and transportation. Can be small. As a result, the printing apparatus 1 can be carried in and transported smoothly.

  According to the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the overhang portion 60 takes the first state, the overhang opening portion 53 formed by the first plate-like portion 43 positioned at the first rotation position 43a is It is closed by the second closing portion 55 located at the moving position 55a. This suppresses light from entering the exterior housing 6 from the overhang opening 53 and suppresses the UV ink from being cured at the nozzles of the ink discharge head of the head unit 23.

  According to the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, in a state where the first plate-like portion 43 is located at the first rotation position 43a, the first plate member 48 is connected to the first plate-like portion 43, and the second plate member 49 is connected to the first plate-like portion 43. By connecting to the one plate material 48, the free end portions of the second plate materials 49 of the two first closing portions 42 abut each other. Accordingly, when the printing apparatus 1 is installed, when the overhanging portion 60 is set to the first state in which the first plate-like portion 43 is located at the first rotation position 43a, the second plate members of the two first closing portions 42 are provided. Intrusion of light into the exterior casing 6 from between the 49 free ends is suppressed. Further, in the state where the first plate-like portion 43 is located at the second rotation position 43 b, two first obstructions are obtained by connecting the second plate material 49 to the first plate-like portion 43 instead of the first plate member 48. The free ends 51 of the second plate members 49 abut each other without overlapping the free ends of the second plate members 49 of the portion 42. Thereby, when the printing apparatus 1 is carried in and transported, even when the overhanging portion 60 is set to the second state in which the first plate-like portion 43 is located at the second rotation position 43b, the two first closing portions 42 are Intrusion of light into the exterior housing 6 from between the free end portions 51 of the respective second plate members 49 is suppressed, and the free end portions 51 of the respective second plate members 49 of the two first closing portions 42. Is prevented from being damaged.

  According to the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the second door portion 35 is located at the open position 35c, the work space 40 expands upward compared to the case where the second door portion 35 is located at the closed position 35a. Thereby, workability | operativity in the work space 40 can be improved.

  According to the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the overhanging portion 60 takes the second state, the working space 40 is narrowed when the overhanging portion 60 moves to the manual maintenance position P3, and the worker is placed in the outer casing 6. Unable to secure a space for entry. For this reason, when the overhanging portion 60 is in the first state, the overhanging portion 60 is second in comparison with a configuration that can secure a space in which the worker can enter the exterior housing 6 when the manual maintenance position P3 is moved. The depth D of the outer casing 6 when the state is taken is reduced.

The process unit 18 is an example of a “process unit”. The first opening part 36 is an example of a “housing opening part”. The print position P1 is an example of a “first process part position”. The manual maintenance position P3 is an example of a “second process part position”.
Moreover, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various configurations can be employed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1: Printing device 6: Exterior casing 18: Process unit 100: Print medium

Claims (9)

A process unit that performs print processing on a print medium;
An exterior housing that houses the process section,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outer casing is variable in a first shape and a second shape having a volume smaller than that of the first shape. The outer casing is
A housing body;
A projecting portion that is variable between a first state projecting with respect to the housing body and a second state in which the amount of projecting with respect to the housing body is less than the first state;
The outer casing has the first shape when the overhanging portion takes the first state, and the second shape when the overhanging portion takes the second state. Item 4. The printing apparatus according to Item 1. One surface of the housing body is provided with a housing opening portion that is open to the outside.
The overhang portion is
A first rotational position pivotally supported by an edge of the casing main body constituting the casing opening section and projecting outward from the casing opening section, and the casing opening section from the first rotation position The first plate-like portion that can rotate to the second rotation position that is closer to the first rotation, and the first plate-like portion is located at either the first rotation position or the second rotation position. A first closing part that has a second plate-like part rotatably connected to the first plate-like part so as to be able to face the part, and closes the casing opening part,
It is possible to move between a first movement position that protrudes outward from the housing opening and a second movement position that is closer to the housing opening than the first movement position, and the housing opening is A second occlusion portion that occludes,
The overhanging portion takes the first state when the first plate-like portion is located at the first rotation position and the second closing portion is located at the first movement position, and the first 3. The printing according to claim 2, wherein the plate-like portion is positioned at the second rotation position and the second blocking portion is positioned at the second movement position, thereby taking the second state. apparatus. In the state where the first plate-like portion is located at the first rotation position, an overhang opening portion opened outward is formed on the housing opening portion side of the second plate-like portion,
The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the second closing portion closes the overhang opening portion in a state where the second closing portion is located at the first movement position. The overhanging portion includes two first closing portions provided individually at two mutually opposing edges of the housing body constituting the housing opening portion,
The second plate-like portion of each first closing portion is
A first plate member detachably coupled to the first plate-like portion;
The first plate member is detachably connected to the first plate member so that the first plate member is sandwiched between the first plate member, or the first plate member can be attached to and detached from the first plate member instead of the first plate member. A second plate connected to
In a state where the first plate-like portion is located at the first rotation position, the first plate member is connected to the first plate-like portion, and the second plate member is connected to the first plate member. The free ends of the second plate members of the two first closing portions abut each other,
In the state where the first plate-like portion is located at the second rotation position, the second plate member is connected to the first plate-like portion, whereby each of the second plate members of the two first closing portions is free. The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the end portions abut each other. Inside the housing opening, a work space is provided for an operator to enter,
The exterior casing further includes a support portion that is provided above the work space and supports the second closing portion so as to be movable between the first movement position and the second movement position,
The said support part is movable to the 1st support position and the 2nd support position located above the said 1st support position, It is any one of Claim 3 thru | or 5 characterized by the above-mentioned. Printing device. One surface of the housing body is provided with a housing opening portion that is open to the outside.
When the overhanging portion takes the first state, a working space in which an operator can enter can be secured inside the opening of the housing, and when the second state is taken, the housing is opened. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a work space in which an operator can enter cannot be secured inside the unit. The process part is movable to a first process part position and a second process part position located closer to the overhanging part than the first process part position,
8. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the process unit performs the printing process at the position of the first process unit and receives maintenance at the position of the second process unit. .   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the process unit performs the printing process using an ultraviolet curable ink.

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