An autonomous machine for the application of paint to a targeted application area. The autonomous machine operates with complete autonomy to paint a room without guidance or intervention. The autonomous machine includes a propulsion system to generate movement along a surface, a sensor system that generate signals representative of conditions during the painting to a targeted application area, and a control system that is in communication with the propulsion system and applicator system. In operation the autonomous machine automatically moves to and along walls that need to be painted. The autonomous machine detects the boundaries of the walls. A sensor head on the autonomous machine scans the walls, detecting and accommodating for any obstacles such as windows and windows trim present on the walls. Pressurized paint is then moved from a reservoir in the autonomous machine to the applicator and the applicator begins applying paint to the targeted application area.

A printing apparatus includes a liquid absorption unit configured to absorb a liquid component from an ink image formed on a transfer member before transferring the ink image to a print medium. The liquid absorption unit includes a liquid absorbing member configured to absorb the liquid component, a support unit configured to support the liquid absorbing member to be movable cyclically, an applying unit arranged in a moving path of the liquid absorbing member and configured to apply a moisturizing liquid while contacting the liquid absorbing member, and a supply unit configured to supply the moisturizing liquid to the applying unit. The printing apparatus includes a control unit configured to control a supply amount of the moisturizing liquid to the applying unit by the supply unit.

According to an embodiment of this invention, liquid absorption performance of a liquid absorbing member is satisfactorily maintained while suppressing utilization of a moisturizing liquid. More specifically, before an ink image formed on a transfer member by ink discharged from a printhead is transferred, a cyclically movable liquid absorbing member absorbs a liquid component from the ink image formed on the transfer member. On the other hand, a recovery unit arranged on a moving path of the liquid absorbing member recovers absorption performance of the liquid absorbing member by applying the moisturizing liquid to the liquid absorbing member. When applying the moisturizing liquid, a condition on the surface of the liquid absorbing member is estimated and based on a result of the estimation, an application amount of the moisturizing liquid by the recovery unit is controlled.

An embodiment of the present invention prevents a defect from occurring in a joint portion, in a case where a film is produced by processing a film original sheet including the joint portion. A coating device carries out processing in different manners, respectively, for a joint portion of a first porous film original sheet and a second porous film original sheet and for portions other than the joint portion.

A punching oil coater includes a coating device configured to correspond to feed rollers that contact an electrode plate and move the electrode plate and are at different positions from each other, and rotate to contact and coat a pair of uncoated portions of mutually symmetrical surfaces of the electrode plate with punching oil as the feed rollers press the pair of uncoated portions against the coating device and move the electrode plate; a sprayer configured to spray the punching oil onto the coating device; a punching oil supply device configured to uniformly control a flow amount and flow rate of the punching oil supplied to the sprayer; and a coating controller configured to control a punching oil coating operation for the electrode plate.