A printing apparatus includes a head which discharges liquid onto a printing medium; and a light irradiation unit which is aligned with the head in a first direction and which irradiates the liquid on the printing medium with light. The light irradiation unit has light source arrays arranged in the first direction, each of the light source arrays includes light sources aligned in a second direction, and the light source arrays include a first light source array which is disposed most closely to the head in the first direction. The light, which is radiated by each of the light sources included in the first light source array, has an intensity that is smaller than an intensity of the light which is radiated by each of the light sources included in the light source arrays different from the first light source array.

Disclosed are a light irradiation apparatus that prevents or suppresses projection of light on adjoining other portions and can be miniaturized overall, and a photocurable material treatment apparatus that includes this light irradiation apparatus.

The light irradiation apparatus according to the present invention includes, with three mutually orthogonal directions as an x direction, a y direction and a z direction: a long light source unit in which a plurality of light emitting elements are disposed in a state of being arranged in the x direction along a plane extending in the x direction and the y direction; and a cylindrical lens that has an elongated shape extending in the x direction along the light source unit, a longitudinal peripheral surface of the cylindrical lens including a light reception surface for receiving light from the light source unit and a light-exiting surface for allowing the received light to exit therethrough. The light source unit is disposed so that a light source reference plane that includes a center of a light emission surface of each light emitting element and extends in the x direction and the z direction is located on a plane separated in the y direction from a lens reference plane that includes a center axis of the cylindrical lens and extends in the x direction and the z direction. A direction of the light from the light-exiting surface of the cylindrical lens is tilted in a direction away from the light source reference plane with respect to the lens reference plane.

There is provided a three-dimensional object printing apparatus including a first robot supporting a head having a nozzle for discharging a liquid and changing a position and a posture of the head, and a second robot supporting a three-dimensional workpiece and changing a position and a posture of the workpiece.

A light irradiating device includes a plurality of LED elements which is disposed on a substrate along a first direction and irradiatesan ultraviolet ray on an irradiating object; and a plurality of light collecting units which is disposed in an optical path of each LED element and forms the ultraviolet ray emitted from each LED element to have a narrow spread angle, in which the ultraviolet ray which passes through the light collecting unit to be directed to the irradiating object has a first light distribution peak which is inclined to an upstream side of the first direction at a first angle and a second light distribution peak which is inclined to a downstream side of the first direction at a second angle, with respect to a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction.

Provided is a droplet ejection device, including: a droplet ejection head in which a longitudinal direction thereof is aligned with a width direction of a recording medium and that forms an image by ejecting a droplet onto the recording medium to be transported along a transporting path; and three or more movable infrared ray irradiation devices that are movably disposed on a downstream side of the recording medium in a transporting direction in relation to the droplet ejection head and that evaporate moisture in the image formed on the recording medium.

A conveying device includes a restrictor disposed at a predetermined distance from a surface of a sheet material conveyed along a sheet-material conveyance path. The restrictor includes a sheet-material opposing portion that opposes the sheet-material conveyance path. The sheet-material opposing portion is movable to a downstream side in a sheet-material conveyance direction.

A system is disclosed that provides a compact printing system for applying images on the exterior of a clear or semi-transparent 3-dimensional object, such as for example a clear container like a wine bottle. The printing system includes a shuttle system for transporting a grouped parallel series of blank 3D media simultaneously into a printer portion of the system for parallel printing of media. The printer includes a series of printing tunnels that control a novel arrangement of print heads, pinning lamps, and a final cure lamp that minimizes or eliminates the chances for stray UV light to potentially impinge upon and foul inkjet printing heads used to express ink onto the surface of the 3D media. The arrangement allows for a higher degree of throughput of 3D media while avoiding the prior problems of the fouling of printheads during the printing of images on transparent or translucent media.

The present invention relates to a retention apparatus comprising a) a retention body, which delimits an inner region at least on a first side and a further side opposite to the first side, and b) at least one spring element;
wherein the retention body comprises, on the first side, a first receiving portion facing the inner region and, on the further side, a second receiving portion facing the inner region; wherein the retention apparatus is embodied to retain at least one optical module, which has a light input side and an opposing light output side, by means of the first receiving portion, the second receiving portion, and the at least one spring element in a retention state,
in such a way that the at least one optical module in the retention state is retained a. in a first direction extending from the light input side to the light output side by means of an interlock of i. the at least one optical module with the first receiving portion and ii. the at least one optical module with the second receiving portion, and b. in the opposite direction to the first direction by means of a spring force of the at least one spring element directed against the at least one optical module.

Further, the invention relates to a luminaire having the retention apparatus according to the invention; a printing machine having the luminaire according to the invention; a production method using the luminaire according to the invention; and uses of the retention apparatus according to the invention; and of the luminaire.

Disclosed is a carriage for a direct to garment inkjet printing machine. The machine has a frame having a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a pair of opposed lateral edges. A first row of slots is positioned on the leading edge and a second row of slots is positioned on the trailing edge. The second row of slots is spaced from the first row of slots by a gelling gap. A shelf on the frame supports tanks of white ink and tanks of color ink and a first plurality of tubing connects a tank of white ink positioned on the shelf with a print head in the first row of slots. A second plurality of tubing is for connecting a tank of color ink positioned on the shelf with a print head in the second row of slots. A pair of side heaters attached to opposed lateral edges of the first frame.

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.