A thread-coating system includes: a thread-coating module having a droplet ejector assembly; a thread gatherer positioned upstream of the thread-coating module and configured for arranging a plurality of threads in a thread wall; a thread expander positioned downstream of the thread-coating module for receiving a coated thread wall and expanding the coated thread wall into individual threads. The thread gatherer is configured for adjusting a spacing of threads in the thread wall and an overall height of the thread wall via a pivoting motion.

A maintenance device includes a wiper, a wiper carriage, a supporting frame, a wiper moving mechanism, and a unit ascending/descending mechanism. The wiper moving mechanism includes a rack supported to the wiper carriage so as to be movable in an up-down direction, a wiper driving motor provided in the supporting frame, a rack driving gear that transmits a driving force of the wiper driving motor to the rack, a sliding member that is rotatably supported to the wiper carriage and comes into contact with the supporting frame, and a gear pitch retention member that maintains constant a positional relationship in the up-down direction between the rack and the rack driving gear during reciprocation of the wiper carriage.

A printer includes a line head, a transport unit, a head moving unit, a cap unit, and a wiper unit. The head moving unit moves the line head to a recording position and a retracted position along a B direction. The cap unit is configured to move back and forth in an A direction between the line head and the transport unit. The wiper unit is configured to move back and forth in a Y direction intersecting both the B direction and the A direction between the line head and the transport unit. At least a portion of a first movement area in which the cap unit moves and at least a portion of a second movement area in which the wiper unit moves are disposed at an identical position in the B direction.

For printing to a recording medium in the form of a web that is moved in a horizontal direction to the printing position by a web carriage. There, the recording medium is raised up to the print heads. To clean the print heads, a maintenance carriage is used that is moved horizontally into a maintenance position below the print bars. There, a cleaning unit with covering caps is then driven upward to the print heads in order to either place a covering cap onto the print heads or clean the print heads. The web carriage and the maintenance unit are moved only in a horizontal direction while the printing unit remains stationary.

Since a head part is arranged in an inclined posture, the ink ejected from a nozzle surface of the head part may drip to a first lower surface peripheral edge portion along the nozzle surface, and then drops from a first long side of a lower surface of the head part toward a first side wall of a cover member being arranged below the head part. The first side wall having an upper end portion is located away from the first long side. Thus, the dropped ink is collected by the cover member without being attached to the upper end portion of the first side wall. Therefore, the ink can be prevented from being solidified at the first lower surface peripheral edge portion and the reattachment of the ink to the nozzle surface can be effectively prevented.

A switching mechanism includes a first rotating body that performs forward rotation and reverse rotation by receiving a driving force transmitted from a driving source; and a second rotating body having convex portions provided on an outer circumference at intervals. The first rotating body has an engagement portion configured to move along the outer circumference of the second rotating body. When the first rotating body rotates in a forward direction, engagement of the engagement portion with the convex portion causes rotation of the second rotating body in the forward direction together with the first rotating body. When the first rotating body rotates in a reverse direction, the engagement portion moves along the outer circumference of the second rotating body so that the second rotating body does not rotate in the reverse direction. A first interval, which is at least one of the intervals, is larger than other intervals.

A liquid-consuming apparatus includes: a tank including a liquid storage chamber which stores a liquid, an inlet formed in a surface of the tank, and an outlet through which the liquid from the liquid storage chamber flows; a cap which is movable between a first position and a second position; a cover which is movable relative to the tank between a closed position and an open position; and a holding member which is connected to the cap and which holds the cap at the second position. The cap at the second position or the holding member is configured to obstruct a movement of the cover from the open position to the closed position.

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head that has an ejection surface including a first nozzle row configured to eject a first ink and a second nozzle row configured to eject a second ink. The liquid ejecting head is configured to be held in a first posture in which the ejection surface is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane. The dynamic surface tension of the first ink is higher than the dynamic surface tension of the second ink. In the first posture, the first nozzle row is positioned above the second nozzle row with respect to a gravity direction.

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.

Disclosed herein is a print head maintenance cartridge, a printing device and a method of cleaning a print head. The print head maintenance assembly comprises a maintenance cartridge that is movable along a first direction and a wiper assembly comprising a wiper element for wiping a print head. The wiper element extends along the first direction. The maintenance cartridge comprises a guide rail extending along the first direction. The guide rail is to engage with the wiper assembly to adjust a position of the wiper element depending on a relative position between the maintenance cartridge and the wiper assembly in the first direction.