The present invention relates to a method for circulating a liquid in a printer to prevent settling of dispersed particles in the liquid anywhere in said printer by controlling the recirculation of liquid for each printhead in said printer.

A print head of a continuous ink jet printer comprising: a cavity for the circulation of jets, delimited laterally by a 1.sup.st side wall and a 2.sup.nd side wall, both at least partially parallel to a direction of flow of the jets in the cavity, at least one nozzle for producing at least one ink jet in the cavity, at least one electrode for sorting drops or segments of one or several of the jets intended for printing from drops or segments that are not used for printing; an outlet slot, open onto the exterior of the cavity and allowing the exiting of the drops or segment of ink intended for printing, at least one gutter for recovering drops or segments not intended for printing, at least one spraying nozzle, arranged in the cavity, for projecting at least one cleaning fluid towards at least one inner portion of the cavity and a motor driving the at least one spraying nozzle in rotation about an axis (x), for example perpendicular to a direction of flow of the jets in the cavity; a supply circuit supplying at least the spraying nozzle with cleaning fluid.

A liquid supply device includes a first conduit, a second conduit, one or more pumps, a heater, a filter, and a bypass conduit. The first conduit is connected to an upstream side of a liquid discharge head. The second conduit is connected to a downstream side of the liquid discharge head. The liquid is supplied through the first conduit to the liquid discharge head and recovered from the liquid discharge head through the second conduit. The heater is provided along the first conduit. The filter is provided in the first conduit on a downstream side of the heater. The bypass conduit is connected between a portion of the first conduit upstream with respect to the filter and a portion of the second conduit.

A modular print bar may include at least one first print head module and at least one second print head module. Each print head module may include a base plate with which at least one print head can be connected. At least one first ink supply line for supplying ink to the respective print head may respectively run in the base plates. The print head modules may be firmly connected to a print bar such that a connection can be established between the first ink supply line of the first print head module and the first ink supply line of the second print head module.

A printing device includes a printing portion, a maintenance portion, and a controller. The printing portion includes an ejection head and prints using ink. The maintenance portion performs maintenance on the ejection head. The maintenance involves consumption of ink. The controller has a manual maintenance mode and an automated maintenance mode. In the manual maintenance mode, the controller executes a maintenance using the maintenance portion in response to a maintenance command signal based on a manual operation. In the automated maintenance mode, the controller automatically executes a maintenance using the maintenance portion in response to a maintenance execution condition being met. Based on control information acquired, the controller switches an operating mode of the printing device from a first operating mode of selectively executing the manual maintenance mode and the automated maintenance mode to a second operation mode of executing the automated maintenance mode without executing the manual maintenance mode.

An ink supply device includes a plurality of ink containers, a plurality of heater units, a frame, a lower fixing member and an upper fixing member. In the ink container, ink is stored. The heater units are arranged in a horizontal arrangement direction. The heater unit includes a tube in which the ink fed from the ink container is passed, a hearer heating the ink passing through the tube and a casing by which the tube and the heater are supported. In the frame, the ink containers and the heater units are stored. The lower fixing member is fixedly mounted to the frame and holds all lower portions of the heater units. The upper fixing member is detachably mounted to the frame and holds all upper portions of the heater units.

A flow passage member includes: a supply flow passage through which liquid flows; a filter provided on a path of the supply flow passage, the liquid being configured to pass through the filter; a fixing member which constitutes a part of the supply flow passage and to which the filter is fixed; and a first member which constitutes a part of the supply flow passage and to which the fixing member is fixed; wherein the fixing member is made of thermoplastic resin, and the first member is made of any of thermosetting resin, metal, and ceramic.

An inkjet printer includes a first light applicator disposed in a second scanning direction relative to a recording head. The first light applicator includes a first upstream light source group at a location corresponding to a location of the recording head in a movement direction of a recording medium, and a first downstream light source group on a downstream side in the movement direction of the recording medium relative to the recording head. The inkjet printer turns off the first upstream light source group and turns on the first downstream light source group during movement of a carriage in a first scanning direction and discharge of first ink from the recording head, and turns on the first upstream light source group and the first downstream light source group during movement of the carriage in the second scanning direction after discharge of the first ink.

A liquid discharging apparatus has: a liquid storing chamber storing a liquid to be discharged from a discharge opening; a supply flow path supplying the liquid to the liquid storing chamber; a discharge flow path discharging the liquid from the liquid storing chamber; a circulation controller controlling a circulation operation to circulate, to the supply flow path, the liquid discharged through the discharge flow path; and a discharge controller controlling a discharge operation to discharge the liquid from the discharge opening. The circulation controller lowers the flow velocity of the liquid in the circulation operation below the flow velocity of the liquid in the circulation operation with the discharge operation being in progress, after which the circulation controller stops the circulation operation.

A continuous inkjet printer includes an ink circuit. A first part of the ink circuit includes hydraulic components for providing a print head of the CIJ printer with ink and solvent. A second part of the ink circuit includes a first single-block assembly including at least part of at least a first pump and a second single-block assembly including at least one filter. Each of the assemblies further includes: a housing having at least one fluid inlet and at least one fluid outlet; fluid connections to allow fluids to flow from the at least one fluid inlet, to the at least part of a first pump or said filter and then to the at least one fluid outlet; and a structure for mounting and disassembling the first single-block assembly and the second single-block assembly to and from the first part of the ink circuit, independently from each other.