US-12617214-B2 - Processing liquid application device

US12617214B2US 12617214 B2US12617214 B2US 12617214B2US-12617214-B2

Abstract

There is provided a processing liquid application device including: a spray nozzle configured to discharge a processing liquid for forming a lower base layer or an upper layer of an ink discharged onto a printing medium by an ink jet printer; a platen support portion disposed at a position facing the spray nozzle in a discharge direction of the processing liquid from the spray nozzle and configured to support a platen on which the printing medium is placed; and a restriction member disposed between the spray nozzle and the platen and configured to restrict an application range of the processing liquid discharged from the spray nozzle.

Inventors

Yutaka Takagiwa

Assignees

BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20240228
Priority Date: 20230330

Claims (10)

1 . A processing liquid application device, comprising: a spray nozzle configured to discharge a processing liquid for forming a lower base layer or an upper base layer of an ink discharged onto a printing medium by an ink jet printer; a platen support portion disposed at a position facing the spray nozzle in a discharge direction of the processing liquid from the spray nozzle and configured to support a platen on which the printing medium is placed; and a restriction member disposed between the spray nozzle and the platen and configured to restrict an application range of the processing liquid discharged from the spray nozzle, wherein the restriction member is a plate-shaped member that is configured to expand toward an inner side of the platen and to contract toward an outer side of the platen in a width direction of the platen.
2 . The processing liquid application device according to claim 1 , wherein the spray nozzle includes a plurality of spray nozzles being arranged along the width direction of the platen, and wherein the restriction member is configured to expand toward the inner side of the platen from a position facing, in the discharge direction, an outermost spray nozzle of the plurality of spray nozzles in the width direction.
3 . The processing liquid application device according to claim 1 , wherein the platen support portion is configured to support a first platen having a first width and a second platen having a second width different from the first width, and wherein the restriction member is configured to expand in response to each of the first width and the second width.
4 . The processing liquid application device according to claim 1 , wherein the platen includes a first platen having a first width and a second platen having a second width different from the first width, wherein the platen support portion is configured to support the first platen and the second platen, and wherein the processing liquid application device further comprises: a moving mechanism configured to selectively move the restriction member to a first expansion position corresponding to the first width and a second expansion position corresponding to the second width; and a controller, and wherein the controller obtains platen data indicating the type of the platen for identifying one of the first platen or the second platen that is supported by the platen support portion, and controls the moving mechanism such that the restriction member moves to the first expansion position or the second expansion position based on the obtained platen data.
5 . The processing liquid application device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a moving mechanism configured to move the restriction member; and a controller, wherein the controller obtains image range data indicating a range of an image to be printed on the printing medium, and controls the moving mechanism such that the restriction member moves based on the acquired image range data.
6 . The processing liquid application device according to claim 1 , further comprising a sensor configured to perform detection to determine an expansion position of the restriction member.
7 . The processing liquid application device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a sensor configured to perform detection to determine an expansion position of the restriction member; a moving mechanism configured to move the restriction member; and a controller, wherein the controller controls the moving mechanism such that the restriction member moves to the expansion position based on a detection signal from the sensor.
8 . The processing liquid application device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a tank; and a recovery flow path through which the processing liquid received by the restriction member restricting the application range flows to the tank and is recovered.
9 . The processing liquid application device according to claim 1 , wherein the restriction member has a region inclined downward from the inner side toward the outer side of the platen.
10 . A processing liquid application device, comprising: a spray nozzle configured to discharge a processing liquid for forming a lower base layer or an upper base layer of an ink discharged onto a printing medium by an ink jet printer; a platen support portion disposed at a position facing the spray nozzle in a discharge direction of the processing liquid from the spray nozzle and configured to support a platen on which the printing medium is placed; and a restriction member configured to restrict an application range of the processing liquid discharged from the spray nozzle, wherein the platen support portion is located at a position where the restriction member is disposed between the spray nozzle and the platen in the discharge direction, wherein the restriction member is a plate-shaped member that is configured to expand toward an inner side of the platen and to contract toward an outer side of the platen in a width direction of the platen.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-055447 filed on Mar. 30, 2023. The entire content of the priority application is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND ART A related-art textile printing apparatus includes a pretreatment agent application unit for applying, to a textile-printing medium as a printing medium, a pretreatment agent for fixing a printing liquid. The pretreatment agent application unit of the textile printing apparatus is connected to a tank where the pretreatment agent is stored via a flow path, and the pretreatment agent is supplied from the tank. When printing an image on the textile-printing medium, the textile printing apparatus applies the pretreatment agent to the textile-printing medium, which is conveyed by a tray (or a platen) of a conveyance device, by using the pretreatment agent application unit, and then discharges the printing liquid onto a lower base layer formed by using the pretreatment agent. In this manner, the image is printed on the textile-printing medium. SUMMARY The inventor of the present disclosure has considered that a spray nozzle for discharging the processing liquid as the pretreatment agent and applying the processing liquid onto the printing medium is adopted as the pretreatment agent application unit. The processing liquid discharged from the spray nozzle spreads in a fan shape toward a discharge direction from the spray nozzle. Therefore, the processing liquid is likely to flow to the outside of the platen supporting the printing medium or to the outside of the printing medium supported by the platen. As a result, there is a problem that the processing liquid adheres to a device supporting the platen and an installation surface on which the device is installed, and contaminates the device and the installation surface. Accordingly, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a processing liquid application device that is capable of restraining a processing liquid from adhering to a device supporting a platen and an installation surface on which the device is installed, and from contaminating the device and the installation surface. A processing liquid application device according to the present disclosure includes: a spray nozzle configured to discharge a processing liquid for forming a lower base layer or an upper base layer of an ink discharged onto a printing medium by an ink jet printer; a platen support portion disposed at a position facing the spray nozzle in a discharge direction of the processing liquid from the spray nozzle and configured to support a platen on which the printing medium is placed; and a restriction member disposed between the spray nozzle and the platen and configured to restrict an application range of the processing liquid discharged from the spray nozzle. A processing liquid application device according to the present disclosure and having another aspect includes: a spray nozzle configured to discharge a processing liquid for forming a lower base layer or an upper base layer of an ink discharged onto a printing medium by an ink jet printer; a platen support portion disposed at a position facing the spray nozzle in a discharge direction of the processing liquid from the spray nozzle and configured to support a platen on which the printing medium is placed; and a restriction member configured to restrict an application range of the processing liquid discharged from the spray nozzle, wherein the platen support portion is located at a position where the restriction member is disposed between the spray nozzle and the platen in the discharge direction. The processing liquid discharged from the spray nozzle spreads in a fan shape. The discharge direction is any one of all directions in which the processing liquid spreads in the fan shape from the spray nozzle. According to the processing liquid application device of the present disclosure, the application range of the processing liquid can be restricted by the restriction member. Therefore, it is possible to restrain the processing liquid from adhering to a device supporting the platen and an installation surface on which the device is installed, and from contaminating the device and the installation surface. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a printing apparatus including a processing liquid application device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating an internal structure of the printing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a processing liquid discharge unit illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the processing liquid discharge unit illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the processing liquid discharge unit in a state where a front plate of a tubular member illustrated in FIG. 3 is removed. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line VI-VI illustrated in