JP7756556B2 - Inkjet printer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an inkjet printer.

Printers that are equipped with a light irradiation device that cures photocurable ink and form images using photocurable ink are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an inkjet printer that includes an ink head and light irradiation device mounted on a carriage that moves in the main scanning direction, a flatbed that moves in the sub-scanning direction and in the vertical direction, a case that houses these components, and a front cover that opens and closes the front opening of the case.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-112823

For example, in a printer equipped with a light irradiation device such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1, there may be cases where printing is required on a long substrate for which the front cover cannot be closed. Opening a door such as the front cover to print on such a substrate undesirably allows a large amount of light emitted from the light irradiation device to leak outside the case. Some printers have an interlock that prevents printing when the door is open.

The present invention was made in consideration of these issues, and its purpose is to provide an inkjet printer that can form images on long substrates using photocurable ink, and that is less likely to leak light that cures the ink to the outside.

The inkjet printer disclosed herein comprises a support base that supports a substrate, a recording head that ejects photocurable ink onto the substrate supported by the support base, a light irradiation device that irradiates light to cure the ink, a case, and a door supported by the case. The case has a storage space that houses the support base, the recording head, and the light irradiation device, and an opening that communicates with the storage space and opens at least in front of the support base. The door is supported by the case so that the opening can be opened and closed. The door comprises a first member and a second member. The first member is opaque to light irradiated from the light irradiation device and is openably connected to the case to close or open a portion of the opening. The second member is opaque to light irradiated from the light irradiation device and is detachably attached to the first member. When attached to the first member, it closes another portion of the opening, and when detached from the first member, it opens the other portion. The other part of the opening is positioned in front of the support base, and is configured so that by separating the second member from the first member, a portion of the elongated printing material supported by the support base can be extended outside the opening.

With the inkjet printer described above, by separating the second member from the first member, another portion of the opening is opened, allowing the long printing material to be taken out of the opening through the opened portion. This makes it possible to print on long printing materials that would otherwise be unable to be closed if supported on a support stand. Furthermore, because the first member, which is opaque to light emitted from the light irradiation device, is connected to the case in an openable and closable manner, the first member can be closed during printing to prevent light from leaking outside the case.

1 is a perspective view of a printer according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a front view of the printer with the front cover open. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printer with the maintenance cover open. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printer with the second member removed. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the joint between the front lower beam and the right beam.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described here are, of course, not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, components and parts that perform the same function will be given the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

Printer Configuration
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inkjet printer (hereinafter referred to as the printer) 10 according to one embodiment. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the side away from the printer 10 and the side toward the printer 10 are referred to as the front and the rear, respectively, when viewed from the front of the printer 10. The front of the printer 10 is the side on which the front cover 30 is provided. Here, the terms left, right, top, and bottom refer to the left, right, top, and bottom of the printer 10 when viewed from the front. Furthermore, the symbols F, Rr, L, R, U, and D in the drawings refer to the front, back, left, right, top, and bottom, respectively. The symbol Y in the drawings indicates the main scanning direction. The main scanning direction Y is the left-right direction. The symbol X indicates the sub-scanning direction. The sub-scanning direction X is the front-to-back direction. The symbol Z indicates the up-down direction. The main scanning direction Y, the sub-scanning direction X, and the up-down direction Z are perpendicular to each other. However, the above directions are merely defined for the convenience of explanation, and do not limit the installation mode of the printer 10 or the present invention in any way.

In this embodiment, the printer 10 is an inkjet printer. In this embodiment, "inkjet" refers to inkjet systems using various conventionally known methods, including various continuous methods such as binary deflection methods or continuous deflection methods, and various on-demand methods such as thermal methods or piezoelectric methods. The ink used in this embodiment is photocurable ink, more specifically ultraviolet-curable ink. There are no particular limitations on the components, characteristics, etc. of the photocurable ink.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 is box-shaped. In this embodiment, the printer 10 includes a case 20 and a front cover 30. FIG. 2 is a front view of the printer 10 with the front cover 30 open. As shown in FIG. 2, the case 20 has a storage space S1 that houses the flatbed 60, recording head 71, light irradiation device 73, etc. The storage space S1 is the internal space of the box-shaped case 20. An opening Op1 is formed in the case 20. The opening Op1 is connected to the storage space S1. Here, the opening Op1 opens to the front and upper sides of the storage space S1. However, it is sufficient that the opening Op1 is open at least in front of the flatbed 60 housed in the storage space S1. The case 20 is primarily made of a metal plate. The case 20 is configured to block light emitted from the light irradiation device 73. The light emitted from the light irradiation device 73 includes ultraviolet light that cures ink. Therefore, the case 20 is configured to block the light emitted from the light irradiation device 73.

The front cover 30 is a door configured to open and close the opening Op1 of the case 20. The front cover 30 is supported by the case 20 so that the opening Op1 can be opened and closed. Here, the case 20 supports the front cover 30 so that it can rotate around a rotation shaft 45 (see Figure 5) provided at the rear end of the front cover 30. The front cover 30 is provided with a window portion 40B. Here, the window portion 40B includes a transparent plate 48 fixed to a window frame (frame body 40A described below). The window portion 40B is configured to allow visibility into the storage space S1. However, the window portion 40B is configured to block ultraviolet light emitted from the light irradiation device 73. For example, the window portion 40B is coated with a transparent or translucent paint that blocks ultraviolet light. As a result, the front cover 30 serves as a door that does not allow light emitted from the light irradiation device 73 to pass through. Details of the front cover 30 will be described later.

The case 20 has maintenance openings 20L and 20R (see also Figure 3) located to the sides of the opening Op1, here on the left and right. The left maintenance opening 20L and the right maintenance opening 20R are connected to the storage space S1. The left and right maintenance openings 20L and 20R are provided with maintenance covers 21L and 21R, respectively, supported by the case 20 so that the maintenance openings 20L and 20R can be opened and closed. The right maintenance cover 21R can rotate back and forth around its right end as an axis. The right maintenance cover 21R opens and closes by rotating around its right end as an axis. The left maintenance cover 21L can rotate back and forth around its left end as an axis. The left maintenance cover 21L opens and closes by rotating around its left end as an axis. Figure 3 is an oblique view of the printer 10 with the right maintenance cover 21R open. As shown in Figure 3, when the right maintenance cover 21R is opened, the right side of the closed front cover 30 is exposed. When the right maintenance cover 21R is closed, the right side of the front cover 30 is hidden by the maintenance cover 21R. Although not shown, the left maintenance cover 21L opens and closes the left maintenance opening 20L in the same way as the right maintenance opening 20R, except that it rotates back and forth around its left end.

A sensor (not shown) is provided inside the case 20 to detect whether the front cover 30 is open or closed. There is no limitation on the type of sensor, but it could be, for example, a mechanical switch that presses a button when the front cover 30 is closed. The printer 10 according to this embodiment is configured so that printing cannot begin unless the sensor detects that the front cover 30 is closed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the storage space S1 of the printer 10 is provided with a flatbed 60, a bed moving device 61, a carriage 70, a recording head 71, a light irradiation device 73, and a carriage moving device 80.

The flatbed 60 is a support platform that supports the printing substrate 5. The printer 10 according to this embodiment is a so-called flatbed-type printer. Here, the flatbed 60 is positioned approximately in the center of the storage space S1 in the main scanning direction Y. The flatbed 60 is a flat-plate-shaped member. The flatbed 60 extends in the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X. The main scanning direction Y is an example of the width direction of the flatbed 60. The sub-scanning direction X is an example of the depth direction of the flatbed 60. A mountable area A1 is defined on the top surface of the flatbed 60 in the width direction (main scanning direction Y) where the printing substrate 5 can be placed. The mountable area A1 in the width direction (main scanning direction Y) of the flatbed 60 may be the entire width direction (main scanning direction Y) of the flatbed 60, or it may be a portion of the width direction (main scanning direction Y) of the flatbed 60. As shown in FIG. 2, the length of the mountable area A1 in the width direction (main scanning direction Y) of the flatbed 60 is represented by L1.

As will be described later, in this embodiment, printing may be performed on a long print substrate 5 whose length in the sub-scanning direction X is longer than the length of the flatbed 60 in the sub-scanning direction X. Therefore, the mountable area A1 of the flatbed 60 in the sub-scanning direction X may be the entire depth direction (sub-scanning direction X) of the flatbed 60. However, a portion of the rear side of the flatbed 60 may be outside the mountable area A1.

A bed moving device 61 is disposed below the flatbed 60. The bed moving device 61 moves the flatbed 60 in the sub-scanning direction X and the up-down direction Z. The flatbed 60 is supported from below by the bed moving device 61. The bed moving device 61 comprises a sub-scanning direction movement mechanism 61X and a vertical direction movement mechanism 61Z. The vertical direction movement mechanism 61Z supports the flatbed 60 and moves it in the up-down direction Z. The vertical direction movement mechanism 61Z is supported from below by the sub-scanning direction movement mechanism 61X. The sub-scanning direction movement mechanism 61X supports the up-down direction movement mechanism 61Z and moves it in the sub-scanning direction X. However, the configuration of the bed moving device 61 is not limited. For example, the vertical positional relationship between the sub-scanning direction movement mechanism 61X and the up-down direction movement mechanism 61Z may be reversed.

The carriage 70 holds the recording head 71. The carriage 70 is located above the flatbed 60. The carriage 70 is moved in the main scanning direction Y by a carriage movement device 80. The carriage movement device 80 includes a guide rail 81, a belt 82, left and right pulleys (not shown), and a carriage motor (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, the guide rail 81 extends in the main scanning direction Y. The carriage 70 is slidably engaged with the guide rail 81. An endless belt 82 is fixed to the carriage 70. The belt 82 is wound around pulleys (not shown) provided on the right and left sides of the guide rail 81. A carriage motor (not shown) is attached to one of the pulleys. When the carriage motor is driven, the pulley rotates and the belt 82 moves. This causes the carriage 70 to move along the guide rail 81 in the main scanning direction Y.

As shown in FIG. 2, the recording head 71 is mounted on the underside of the carriage 70. The recording head 71 faces the flatbed 60. The recording head 71 ejects photocurable ink toward the substrate 5 supported by the flatbed 60. In this example, the photocurable ink is ultraviolet-curable ink. As shown in FIG. 3, the recording head 71 is equipped with multiple ink heads 72. The number of ink heads 72 that the recording head 71 has is not particularly limited. Although not shown, all of the multiple ink heads 72 extend in the sub-scanning direction X. Each of the multiple ink heads 72 is equipped with multiple nozzles (not shown) aligned in the sub-scanning direction X. Ink is ejected from the nozzles when a pressure chamber expands and contracts due to the driving of, for example, a piezoelectric element or the like.

The light irradiation device 73 is mounted on the carriage 70. The light irradiation device 73 emits light that hardens the ink ejected from the recording head 71. The light irradiation device 73 includes a light source 73a and a downward-facing irradiation port 73b. The light source 73a is, for example, an ultraviolet emitting LED. The light generated by the light source 73a passes through the irradiation port 73b and is irradiated onto the ink that has landed on the printing substrate 5 on the flatbed 60. This hardens the ink.

[Front cover configuration]
The front cover 30 will be described in detail below. In the following description of the front cover 30, unless otherwise specified, all directions refer to directions when the front cover 30 is closed. In this embodiment, the front cover 30 includes a first member 40 connected to the case 20 in an openable and closable manner, and a second member 50 configured to be detachable from the first member 40. The first member 40 closes or opens a portion of the opening Op1. The first member 40 is configured to block light emitted from the light irradiation device 73. The second member 50 closes another portion of the opening Op1 when attached to the first member 40, and opens the other portion of the opening Op1 when detached from the first member 40. Here, when attached to the first member 40, the second member 50 closes the portion of the opening Op1 that is not blocked by the first member 40. Furthermore, when detached from the first member 40, the second member 50 opens the portion of the opening Op1 that is not blocked by the first member 40. The second member 50 is also configured so as to be impermeable to light emitted from the light irradiation device 73 .

Figure 4 is an oblique view of the printer 10 with the second member 50 removed. As shown in Figures 4 and 1, the first member 40 forms the upper portion of the front cover 30. The second member 50 is detachably attached to the lower end of the first member 40 and forms the lower portion of the front cover 30 when attached to the first member 40. The lower portion of the front cover 30, formed by the second member 50, also forms the front surface of the front cover 30. As shown in Figure 4, in the printer 10 according to this embodiment, when the second member 50 is detached from the first member 40, another opening Op2 opens in the area where the second member 50 was attached. Hereinafter, the opening formed by detaching the second member 50 from the first member 40 is also referred to as the auxiliary opening Op2. The auxiliary opening Op2 is an opening through which the printing substrate 5 is inserted when printing on a long printing substrate 5 whose length in the sub-scanning direction X is longer than the length of the storage space S1 (the length of the case 20 in the sub-scanning direction X).

As shown in FIG. 4, the auxiliary opening Op2 opens the front side of the storage space S1. The auxiliary opening Op2 is located in front of the flatbed 60. The auxiliary opening Op2 is located so that a portion of the long substrate 5 supported on the flatbed 60 can be moved outside (i.e., forward) of the opening Op1 by detaching the second member 50 from the first member 40. By detaching the second member 50 from the first member 40, the long substrate 5 can be placed on the flatbed 60 with the first member 40 closed. This reduces the amount of light emitted from the light irradiation device 73 that leaks outside the storage space S1 compared to when the entire front cover 30 is open.

However, the shape of the printing substrate 5 is not particularly limited. The printing substrate 5 may be a substrate that is short in length in the sub-scanning direction X and that allows the front cover 30 to be closed with the second member 50 attached. The printing substrate 5 may have a flat plate shape or any of a variety of three-dimensional shapes. The material of the printing substrate 5 is also not particularly limited, and the printing substrate 5 may be, for example, wood, metal, glass, paper, cloth, etc.

As shown in FIG. 2, the length L2 in the main scanning direction Y of the opening Op1 and the length L3 in the main scanning direction Y of the second member 50 are both set longer than the length L1 in the main scanning direction Y of the placeable area A1 on the flatbed 60. Therefore, the length in the main scanning direction Y of the auxiliary opening Op2 formed by separating the second member 50 from the first member 40 is longer than the length L1 in the main scanning direction Y of the placeable area A1. This allows a printing medium 5 that is wider than the width of the placeable area A1 (length in the main scanning direction Y) to be inserted into the auxiliary opening Op2. Here, the length in the main scanning direction Y of the auxiliary opening Op2 is the same as the length L2 in the main scanning direction Y of the opening Op1.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the front cover 30. Figure 6 is a side view of the front cover 30. Figure 7 is a perspective view of the first member 40. Figure 7 shows the front cover 30 with the second member 50 removed from the first member 40. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the front cover 30 is bent at the boundary between the first member 40 and the second member 50. Both the first member 40 and the second member 50 are approximately rectangular, flat members. Because the second member 50 is connected diagonally to the first member 40, the front cover 30 is bent at the center.

The first member 40 and the second member 50 are fixed together with a plurality of screws B1. The screws B1 are an example of a fixing member configured to be detachably attached to the first member 40 and the second member 50. Here, the screws B1 are attached to the left and right sides of the first member 40 and the second member 50. The screws B1 secure the first member 40 and the second member 50 together by being attached to the first member 40 and the second member 50. The screws B1 allow the second member 50 to be separated from the first member 40 by being detached from the first member 40 and the second member 50. Here, the screws B1 are inserted into through holes 55 provided on the side of the second member 50 and engage with threaded holes 47 (see Figure 7) provided on the side of the first member 40, thereby fixing the first member 40 and the second member 50 together. The first member 40 and the second member 50 are configured so that their positional relationship is determined by inserting a screw B1 into the through hole 55 and the screw hole 47.

The axes of the screw hole 47 in the first member 40 and the through-hole 55 in the second member 50 are aligned with the main scanning direction Y. The screw B1 is attached to and detached from the first member 40 and the second member 50 from the sides. The left and right side surfaces of the front cover 30, where the screw B1 is attached, are hidden by the left and right maintenance covers 21L and 20R when the left and right maintenance covers 21L and 20R are closed and the left and right maintenance openings 20L and 20R are blocked. This improves the external appearance of the printer 10. As shown in FIG. 3 , the right side surface of the front cover 30 is exposed by opening the right maintenance cover 21R and opening the right maintenance opening 20R. The maintenance cover 21R conceals the screw B1 when closed and exposes the screw B1 when open. Although not shown in the figures, the left maintenance cover 21L, like the right maintenance cover 21R, exposes or conceals the left side of the front cover 30 when opened or closed. By opening the left and right maintenance covers 21R and 21L, the screw B1 can be attached and detached to the first member 40 and the second member 50 while the front cover 30 is closed (i.e., while the front cover 30 is stably supported by the case 20). This allows the user to easily attach and detach the screw B1.

Next, the detailed configuration of the first member 40 and the second member 50 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the first member 40 includes a frame 40A and a window 40B. The frame 40A forms at least the outer periphery of the first member 40 and maintains the shape of the first member 40. Here, the frame 40A is configured as a substantially rectangular frame in a plan view so as to form the outer periphery of the first member 40. The frame 40A includes multiple frame members (specifically, the front upper beam 41U, front lower beam 41D, right beam 42R, left beam 42L, and rear beam 43, which will be described later) assembled in an annular shape and forms the outer periphery of the first member 40. However, the frame 40A may also include other beams extending in the sub-scanning direction X or the main scanning direction Y, or may have oblique crossbeams. The window 40B is located inside the annular frame 40A. Because the window 40B is provided in the first member 40, it remains in the printer 10 even when the second member 50 is removed. The window 40B is transparent and is configured to block the ultraviolet light emitted by the light irradiation device 73. This blocks the ultraviolet light from the light irradiation device 73 while allowing the storage space S1 of the case 20 to be viewed. In this way, the first member 40 is configured to block the ultraviolet light emitted from the light irradiation device 73, but allows the interior of the storage space S1 to be viewed.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the frame 40A includes a front upper beam 41U, a front lower beam 41D, a right beam 42R, a left beam 42L, a rear beam 43, a right side panel 44R, a left side panel 44L, a pair of pivot shafts 45, and a blind panel 46. The front lower beam 41D, the right beam 42R, the left beam 42L, and the rear beam 43 are each formed from a U-shaped metal plate. The front ends of the right beam 42R and the left beam 42L are connected to the right and left ends of the front lower beam 41D, respectively. The rear beam 43 is connected to the rear ends of the right beam 42R and the left beam 42L. Here, the right beam 42R and the right side panel 44R are joined by welding. The left beam 42L and the left side panel 44L are joined by welding.
Other joints are joined with screws. However, the joining method of the members of the frame body 40A is not limited to the above.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the joint between the front lower beam 41D and the right beam 42R. As shown in Figure 8, the right beam 42R is a U-shaped metal plate and includes an upper plate 42a, a lower plate 42b facing the upper plate 42a, and a side plate 42c connecting the upper plate 42a and the lower plate 42b. The front lower beam 41D similarly includes an upper plate 41a, a lower plate 41b, and a side plate 41c. The frame body 40A includes multiple frame members 41D, 42R, 42L, and 43, each of which includes a first plate-shaped portion (e.g., the upper plate 42a), a second plate-shaped portion (e.g., the lower plate 42b) facing the first plate-shaped portion, and a connecting portion (e.g., the side plate 42c) connecting the first plate-shaped portion and the second plate-shaped portion. This improves the rigidity of the first member 40. The U-shaped frame members extend in the primary scanning direction Y and the secondary scanning direction X, improving the strength of the first member 40, particularly against torsion. Here, each of the frame members 41D, 42R, 42L, and 43 is positioned with its side plates facing outward so that they form the side surfaces of the first member 40. The frame members may also be, for example, pipe-shaped or H-shaped. Even if the frame members are pipe-shaped or H-shaped, they can achieve the same effect as a U-shaped frame because they have a pair of opposing plate-shaped portions and a connecting portion. Alternatively, the frame members may be T-shaped or L-shaped.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the pair of pivot shafts 45 are inserted inside the rear beam 43 (the space between the pair of plate-shaped portions). The pair of pivot shafts 45 protrude outward in the main scanning direction Y beyond the right beam 42R and left beam 42L, respectively, and extend in the main scanning direction Y. As the pair of pivot shafts 45 are rotatably supported by the case 20, the first member 40 can pivot in the front-to-rear direction around the rear end portion as an axis.

The right side plate 44R is welded to the right beam 42R. The right side plate 44R is a flat metal plate. As shown in FIG. 6, the right side plate 44R has a generally triangular shape that widens toward the front in a side view. The right beam 42R extends along the lower edge of the right side plate 44R. As shown in FIG. 7, a pair of upper and lower screw holes 47 are provided at a predetermined distance from the front end of the right side plate 44R. The left side plate 44L is configured in the same manner as the right side plate 44R. A front upper beam 41U spans between the front upper corner of the right side plate 44R and the front upper corner of the left side plate 44L. The front upper beam 41U and the right side plate 44R, and the front upper beam 41U and the left side plate 44L are fastened together with screws. The front upper beam 41U reinforces the strength of the upper portions of the right side plate 44R and the left side plate 44L.

The blindfold plate 46 is a bent, plate-shaped member that is fixed to the right beam 42R, left beam 42L, and rear beam 43. The rear portion of the blindfold plate 46 is fixed to the rear surface of the rear beam 43. The front portion of the blindfold plate 46 bends from the rear portion and extends approximately parallel to the upper edges of the right side plate 44R and left side plate 44L. The left and right sides of the front portion of the blindfold plate 46 are fixed to the left side plate 44L and right side plate 44R, respectively. The blindfold plate 46 is a member that prevents the internal structure of the rear beam 43 from being seen. The blindfold plate 46 also serves to improve the strength of the frame body 40A.

The window portion 40B is equipped with a transparent plate 48 that allows the storage space S1 to be viewed. The transparent plate 48 is supported by the frame body 40A. The transparent plate 48 is placed over the frame body 40A. The portion of the transparent plate 48 that does not overlap with the frame body 40A, i.e., the inner side of the annular frame body 40A, forms the window portion 40B. The transparent plate 48 has the same or approximately the same size as the frame body 40A. The transparent plate 48 is fixed to the frame body 40A with plastic rivets. The transparent plate 48 is formed, for example, from a transparent acrylic plate. However, there are no particular restrictions on the material of the transparent plate 48, as long as it is transparent and does not transmit the ultraviolet light emitted by the light irradiation device 73.

The main portion of the second member 50 is formed by bending a single metal plate. The second member 50 has a front surface 51, a pair of side surfaces 52R, 52L extending rearward from the right and left ends of the front surface 51, and a bottom surface 53 extending rearward from the bottom end of the front surface 51. A handle 54 is provided near the bottom end of the front surface 51 for the user to grasp when opening or closing the front cover 30.

When the second member 50 is attached to the first member 40, the right side surface 52R and left side surface 52L of the second member 50 are located outward (to the right and left, respectively) of the right side plate 44R and left side plate 44L of the first member 40. A pair of upper and lower through holes 55 are provided near the upper end of the right side surface 52R. The pair of through holes 55 correspond to the pair of screw holes 47 of the first member 40. As described above, the first member 40 and the second member 50 are fixed together by inserting screws B1 into the through holes 55 and then fastening them to the screw holes 47. A similar pair of through holes 55 is also provided near the upper end of the left side surface 52L.

When printing on a substrate 5 on the flatbed 60 for which the front cover 30 can be closed, the second member 50 is attached to the first member 40. This is the normal state of the printer 10. When printing on a long substrate 5 on the flatbed 60 for which the front cover 30 cannot be closed, the second member 50 is detached from the first member 40. Specifically, the user opens the maintenance covers 21R and 21L to expose the side of the front cover 30 and remove the screw B1. The user then detaches the second member 50 from the first member 40, which opens the auxiliary opening Op2. The user then inserts the long substrate 5 into the storage space S1 through the auxiliary opening Op2 and places it on the flatbed 60. Alternatively, after placing the long substrate 5 on the flatbed 60, the user closes the first member 40. This makes it possible to print on the long substrate 5.

In this embodiment, the sensor that detects the open/closed state of the front cover 30 is configured to detect the open/closed state of the first member 40. Since the state of the first member 40 does not change even when the second member 50 is removed, the sensor reacts when the first member 40 is closed. Therefore, in this embodiment, closing the first member 40 releases the interlock that prevents printing unless the front cover 30 is closed. The sensor may also be attached to the first member 40 and configured to detect the case 20.

[Effects of the embodiment]
The following describes the effects that can be achieved by the printer 10 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the front cover 30 includes a first member 40 that is opaque to light (ultraviolet rays) emitted from the light irradiation device 73, is openably connected to the case 20, and closes or opens a portion of the opening Op1. The front cover 30 also includes a second member 50 that is opaque to light emitted from the light irradiation device 73, is detachably attached to the first member 40, and closes the auxiliary opening Op2 when attached to the first member 40 and opens the auxiliary opening Op2 when detached from the first member 40. The auxiliary opening Op2 is located in front of the flatbed 60, and is configured such that a portion of the elongated printing material 5 supported on the flatbed 60 can be moved outside the opening Op1 by detaching the second member 50 from the first member 40. With this printer 10, by detaching the second member 50 from the first member 40, it is possible to print on a long printing substrate 5, on which the front cover 30 cannot be closed when supported by the flatbed 60. Furthermore, because the first member 40 is connected to the case 20 in an openable and closable manner, the first member 40 can be closed during printing. Therefore, compared to when the entire front cover 30 is open, it is possible to suppress light leaking outside the case 20 during printing.

The flatbed 60 extends in a predetermined width direction (here, the main scanning direction Y) and depth direction (here, the sub-scanning direction X), and has a mountable area A1 in the width direction where the print substrate 5 can be placed. In this embodiment, the width L2 of the opening Op1 and the width L3 of the second member 50 are longer than the width L1 of the mountable area A1. Therefore, the width length of the auxiliary opening Op2 is the narrower of the length L2 of the opening Op1 and the length L3 of the second member 50. The width length of this auxiliary opening Op2 is longer than the width L1 of the mountable area A1. Therefore, this printer 10 can print on print substrates 5 that are wider than the width (length in the main scanning direction Y) of the mountable area A1.

In this embodiment, the first member 40 is configured to be impermeable to ultraviolet light emitted from the light irradiation device 73, but allows the interior of the storage space S1 to be viewed. This configuration prevents light from the light irradiation device 73 from leaking outside the case 20, while allowing the interior of the storage space S1 to be viewed.

Specifically, the first member 40 includes a frame body 40A, which comprises a plurality of frame members 41U, 41D, 42R, 42L, and 43 assembled in an annular shape and forms the outer periphery of the first member 40, and a transparent plate 48 supported by the frame body 40A and allowing the storage space S1 to be viewed. With this configuration, the frame body 40A is formed from the frame members 41U, 41D, 42R, 42L, and 43, improving the rigidity of the first member 40. The rigidity of the first member 40 is also improved by the blind plate 46 connected to the right beam 42R, left beam 42L, and rear beam 43. Therefore, the shape of the first member 40 can be maintained without connecting it to the second member 50. In other words, in a typical conventional front cover configuration, the frame body is not formed from frame members, and the portion corresponding to the first member does not have the rigidity to maintain its shape independently. Therefore, a roughly triangular reinforcing member is provided between the portion corresponding to the first member and the portion corresponding to the second member to connect them. However, in this embodiment, this point has been reconsidered, and the frame body 40A, which uses frame members 41U, 41D, 42R, 42L, and 43, allows the first member 40 to maintain its shape independently. Therefore, the first member 40 can maintain its shape independently even without a reinforcing member between the first member 40 and the second member 50. Therefore, when printing on a long substrate 5 on which the front cover 30 cannot be closed, the second member 50 can be removed from the first member 40 while the first member 40 remains attached to the case 20. This improves workability when printing on a long substrate 5 compared to when the front cover 30 must be removed.

Furthermore, by attaching a transparent plate 48 to the frame body 40A, the visibility of the first member 40 can be ensured. The first member 40 remains connected to the case 20 even when printing on a long substrate 5. Therefore, as long as the visibility of the first member 40 can be ensured, the printing status can be confirmed even if part of the opening Op1 is blocked by the first member 40. This improves the workability of the printing operation compared to when an invisible plate material is attached to the frame body 40A.

In this embodiment, the case 20 has maintenance openings 20L and 20R located to the sides of the opening Op1. The printer 10 has maintenance covers 21L and 21R supported on the case 20 so that the maintenance openings 20L and 20R can be opened and closed, respectively. Screws B1, which are attached to the first and second members 40 and 50 to secure them together and detached from the first and second members 40 and 50 to allow the second member 50 to separate from the first member 40, are attached and detached to the sides of the first and second members 40 and 50, respectively, in this embodiment. Maintenance covers 21L and 21R conceal screws B1 when closed and expose screws B1 when open. This configuration improves the appearance of the printer 10 because screws B1 are not visible when the front cover 30 and maintenance covers 21R and 21L are closed.

A preferred embodiment has been described above. However, the inkjet printer of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the printer 10 was a flatbed printer, but the printer configuration is not particularly limited. For example, the technology disclosed herein may be applied to a printer that has a fixed support base (e.g., a platen) and transports the printing material on the support base in the sub-scanning direction. In that case, the member corresponding to the case 20 in the above embodiment may be, for example, an enclosure (case) provided above the support base to hide the light irradiation device. The member corresponding to the front cover 30 may be, for example, a movable panel that opens and closes the enclosure.

In the above-described embodiment, the second member 50 constitutes the entire lower portion of the front cover 30. Therefore, when the second member 50 is removed, the entire lower portion disappears from the front cover 30. However, the second member may, for example, be fitted into the first member in a window-like shape. In this case, removing the second member opens a window-like auxiliary opening in the front cover. Alternatively, the second member may, for example, move (e.g., slide vertically) while attached to the first member, and the auxiliary opening may open as a result of this movement of the second member. In other words, in such a configuration, the second member may normally block the auxiliary opening and, when moved, open the auxiliary opening.

The means for fastening the first member and the second member is not particularly limited. The first member and the second member may be fastened by, for example, a hook or a clamp. The structure of the first member and the second member is also not limited to that described above.

In the above-described embodiment, the printer 10 is a shuttle head type printer and is equipped with a carriage movement device 80 that moves the carriage 70 in the main scanning direction Y. However, the technology disclosed herein can also be applied to line head type printers in which the carriage does not move.

Unless otherwise specified, the above-described embodiments do not limit the present invention.

5 Printing material 10 Inkjet printer 20 Case 20L, 20R Maintenance opening 21L, 21R Maintenance cover (maintenance door)
30 Front cover (door)
40 First member 40A Frame body 40B Window portion 50 Second member 60 Flat bed (support base)
71 Recording head 73 Light irradiation device A1 Placeable area Op1 Opening Op2 Auxiliary opening S1 Storage space

Claims (5)

A support table that supports a printing substrate;
a recording head that ejects photocurable ink onto a printing material supported by the support table;
a light irradiation device that irradiates the ink with light to cure it;
a case having an accommodation space for accommodating the support base, the recording head, and the light irradiation device, and an opening communicating with the accommodation space and opening at least in front of the support base;
a door supported on the case so as to be able to open and close the opening,
The door is
a first member that is not transmissive to light irradiated from the light irradiation device, that is openably connected to the case, and that closes or opens a part of the opening;
a second member that is not transmissive to light irradiated from the light irradiation device, that is detachable from the first member, that closes another part of the opening when attached to the first member, and that opens the other part when detached from the first member;
The other part of the opening is arranged in front of the support base, and is configured so that by separating the second member from the first member, a part of the long printing material supported by the support base can be brought out to the outside of the opening.
Inkjet printer. The support base extends in a predetermined width direction and a predetermined depth direction, and a placement area on which a printing substrate can be placed is set in the width direction,
the width of the other portion of the opening is longer than the width of the mountable area;
2. The inkjet printer according to claim 1. the light emitted by the light irradiation device includes ultraviolet light,
The first member is configured to be impermeable to ultraviolet light irradiated from the light irradiation device and to allow the interior of the accommodation space to be viewed.
3. The inkjet printer according to claim 1 or 2. The first member is
a frame body including a plurality of frame members combined in an annular shape and forming an outer periphery of the first member;
a transparent plate supported by the frame body and allowing the storage space to be viewed;
4. The inkjet printer according to claim 3. the case includes a maintenance opening disposed to the side of the opening,
a maintenance door supported on the case so as to be able to open and close the maintenance opening;
a fixing member configured to be detachably attached to a side surface of the first member and the second member, fixing the first member and the second member by being attached to the first member and the second member, and making the second member separable from the first member by being detached from the first member and the second member;
the maintenance door conceals the fixing member when in a closed state and exposes the fixing member when in an open state;
5. The inkjet printer according to claim 1.