A building apparatus configured to build an object includes inkjet heads serving as a plurality of ejection heads, a scanning driver, and a maintenance unit configured to perform a maintenance of the inkjet head. The scanning driver allows a plurality of inkjet heads to perform at least a main scanning operation and allows the inkjet head to perform the main scanning operation multiple times until building of the object is completed. The maintenance unit performs the maintenance of the inkjet head in an interval between two successive main scanning operations and performs the predetermined maintenance for only part of a plurality of inkjet heads in each maintenance. Hence, building with high accuracy is performed more appropriately.

A liquid ejection apparatus includes: a liquid ejection head having nozzles; a signal output device; a recovery device configured to perform a first recovery operation or a second recovery operation, to discharge liquid from the nozzles; and a controller configured to: in response to receiving a second signal, activate the signal output device, and drive the liquid ejection head in a check mode for ejecting liquid from the nozzles, the second signal instructing to record a check pattern on a recording medium; in response to receiving a first signal indicating that a first nozzle being one of the nozzles is in failure in liquid ejection when the liquid ejection head in driven in the check mode, activate the recovery device to perform the first recovery operation; and subsequent to the first recovery operation, drive the liquid ejection head to record the check pattern on the recording medium.

The printing apparatus includes a printing head that includes a plurality of nozzles including a first nozzle, a discharging controller that is capable of controlling discharging of liquid from the plurality of nozzles, a transportation section that relatively moves a recording medium and the printing head by transporting at least either or both of the recording medium and the printing head, and a suction section that includes a suction port which is positioned at an upstream side or a downstream side of the printing head in a relative moving direction of the printing head and the recording medium. The discharging controller controls the first nozzle to discharge mist type ink droplets at a timing of not discharging ink droplets for forming image from the first nozzle, and the suction section suctions the mist type ink droplets discharged from the first nozzle through the suction port.

A spittoon system for a printing mechanism includes a reservoir elongated in a longitudinal direction and having a bottom part. The reservoir receives printing fluid residue spit from a print-head onto a first zone of the reservoir. The spittoon system further includes a cleaning element arranged inside the reservoir to transfer, by sliding along the longitudinal direction of the reservoir, the received printing fluid residue from the first zone to a second zone. The second zone includes a drain outlet to drain the printing fluid residue from the reservoir.

An inkjet recording apparatus includes an ink ejection surface, a washing liquid storage portion, a washing liquid nozzle, a mesh sheet, and a sponge member. The washing liquid storage portion includes a supply surface adjacent to the ink ejection surface. The washing liquid nozzle includes a communicating hole that is communicated from a supply port formed in the supply surface to an inside of the washing liquid storage portion, and forms a concave meniscus by a surface of the washing liquid in the communicating hole. The mesh sheet is provided in close contact with an opposite rear surface of the supply surface, and has an opening that is smaller in size than an inner diameter of the communicating hole. The sponge member is provided in a compressed state in the inside of the washing liquid storage portion, presses the mesh sheet toward the opposite rear surface of the supply surface.

The negative pressure in the ink chamber of a nozzle of a print head is reduced in a printing interruption phase, in particular upon transport of the print head from a cleaning position into a printing position, relative to the negative pressure in a printing phase. The leaking of ink during the printing interruption phase may thus be reliably avoided, and the print quality may be increased.

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head having nozzles for ejecting a liquid, and an attachment section to which a maintenance unit to be used for maintenance of the liquid ejecting head is to be detachably attached. If the maintenance unit having a maintenance mechanism for performing the maintenance by driving force transmitted from the attachment section is a first unit and the maintenance unit having no maintenance mechanism is a second unit, one of a plurality of the maintenance units including the first unit and the second unit and having different structure is interchangeably attached to the attachment section, and the attachment section includes an identification section configured to identify the structure of the attached maintenance unit and a driving-force transmission section configured to transmit the driving force to the attached first unit.

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head that prints an image on a medium, by ejecting a liquid through nozzles, a transport belt that transports the medium, at a position opposite the liquid ejecting head, a moving mechanism that moves the transport belt in a width direction, and a control unit that controls the moving mechanism. The liquid ejecting head includes a first nozzle group and a second nozzle group. The control unit controls the moving mechanism such that a nozzle group performing the preliminary ejection which is an ejection of the liquid not uninvolved in printing among the first nozzle group and the second nozzle group is located at a position not facing the transport belt, and a nozzle group that does not perform the preliminary ejection is located at a position facing the transport belt.

A system includes a processor that executes computer executable components stored in a memory. The system includes a first component to receive data generated by at least one sensor. The system further includes a second component to generate an array that determines between activating one of a purge routine and a diagnostic routine on a printhead based on the array. The array is a function of the data. The system further includes a control component operable to selectively activate the purge routine on the printhead based on the determination.

A printer includes a printhead assembly, a service station assembly, and a controller. The printhead assembly includes nozzles to eject fluid drops. The nozzles are divided into a least two groups with each group assigned a burst drop count, a post-burst delay, and a burst order. The service station assembly is to receive fluid ejected from the nozzles during spits. The controller is to control a spit of the printhead assembly by ejecting fluid from the nozzles of each group based on the burst drop count, the post-burst delay, and the burst order of each group until a target drop count for the spit is reached.