Inkjet printing apparatus, inkjet printing method
11173726 · 2021-11-16
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
C09D11/38
CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
B41J11/002
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B41M7/0081
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B41M7/0027
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B41J3/407
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B41J2/04501
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B41J11/0024
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B41M7/009
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B41M5/0064
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B41M5/5254
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
International classification
B41J11/00
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B32B38/00
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B41J2/045
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
Abstract
To provide an inkjet printing apparatus that improves the smoothness of an ink surface and improves image quality. Provided is an inkjet printing apparatus for printing a UV curable ink onto a print medium. The inkjet printing apparatus including: an ejection unit configured to eject the UV curable ink; and a UV light source configured to irradiate, with ultraviolet light, the UV curable ink landed on the print medium, the print medium being formed from vinyl chloride. The inkjet printing apparatus further includes a heating unit configured to heat the print medium. The heating unit either heats the print medium to a temperature at which a solvent contained in the UV curable ink landed on the print medium does not volatilize or heats the print medium in a state in which the UV curable ink that lands on the print medium contains substantially no solvent.
Claims
1. An inkjet printing apparatus for printing a UV curable ink onto a print medium, the inkjet printing apparatus comprising: an ejection unit configured to eject the UV curable ink; and a UV light source configured to irradiate an ultraviolet light to the UV curable ink landed on the print medium, wherein the UV light source irradiates the ultraviolet light to the UV curable ink landed on the print medium, so as to maintain a state in which a curing rate of the UV curable ink is no greater than 10% within 10 seconds of landing on the print medium, wherein the print medium is formed from vinyl chloride, wherein the inkjet printing apparatus further comprises: a heating unit configured to heat the print medium, and the heating unit either heats the print medium to a temperature at which a solvent contained in the UV curable ink landed on the print medium does not volatilize or heats the print medium in a state in which the UV curable ink that lands on the print medium contains substantially no solvent.
2. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the UV curable ink contains substantially no solvent and contains at least 30 wt % of a monomer with a molecular weight of 300 or less.
3. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the monomer is a monofunctional monomer.
4. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the monomer contains 13 wt % to 22 wt % of N-vinyl-ε-caprolactam as a component in the UV curable ink.
5. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the monomer contains 13 wt % to 22 wt % of N-vinyl-ε-caprolactam as a component in the UV curable ink.
6. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a provisional curing is carried out in which the UV curable ink lands on the print medium and is provisionally cured with the ultraviolet light emitted by the UV light source and then, after a prescribed time has elapsed, a permanent curing is carried out by emitting the ultraviolet light again to complete the curing.
7. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a provisional curing is carried out in which the UV curable ink lands on the print medium and is provisionally cured with the ultraviolet light emitted by the UV light source and then, after a prescribed time has elapsed, a permanent curing is carried out by emitting the ultraviolet light again to complete the curing.
8. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a provisional curing is carried out in which the UV curable ink lands on the print medium and is provisionally cured with the ultraviolet light emitted by the UV light source and then, after a prescribed time has elapsed, a permanent curing is carried out by emitting the ultraviolet light again to complete the curing.
9. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a provisional curing is carried out in which the UV curable ink lands on the print medium and is provisionally cured with the ultraviolet light emitted by the UV light source and then, after a prescribed time has elapsed, a permanent curing is carried out by emitting the ultraviolet light again to complete the curing.
10. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a provisional curing is carried out in which the UV curable ink lands on the print medium and is provisionally cured with the ultraviolet light emitted by the UV light source and then, after a prescribed time has elapsed, a permanent curing is carried out by emitting the ultraviolet light again to complete the curing.
11. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a lamination unit configured to paste a laminate film on the UV curable ink after printing.
12. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a lamination unit configured to paste a laminate film on the UV curable ink after printing.
13. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: a lamination unit configured to paste a laminate film on the UV curable ink after printing.
14. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a lamination unit configured to paste a laminate film on the UV curable ink after printing.
15. An inkjet printing method for printing a UV curable ink onto a print medium, the inkjet printing method comprising: an ejection step for ejecting the UV curable ink; a curing step for curing the UV curable ink landed on the print medium through an ultraviolet light irradiated by a UV light source, wherein the UV light source irradiates the ultraviolet light to the UV curable ink landed on the print medium, so as to maintain a state in which a curing rate of the UV curable ink is no greater than 10% within 10 seconds of landing on the print medium; and a heating step for heating the print medium, wherein the print medium formed from vinyl chloride is used as the print medium, and the print medium is heated.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
(19) Embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the drawings.
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(22) Specifically, the inkjet printing apparatus 1 in the embodiment of the present disclosure uses vinyl chloride as the print medium 50 and heats the surface thereof to promote the penetration of the UV curable ink into the print medium 50.
(23) The UV light source 20 is an LED capable of emitting ultraviolet light having a center wavelength of, for example, 365 nm to 410 nm.
(24) The print medium heating unit 30 includes a heater for heating, a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the print medium 50, and the like, and a detailed description is omitted as such details are known technology. Of course, the temperature measurement may be done using a non-contact technique, and the print medium 50 may be heated with infrared light irradiation or the like instead of a heater.
(25) The control unit 15 is configured from a CPU, a RAM, a ROM and the like, and executes various controls. A CPU is what is called a central processing unit that executes various programs to achieve various functions. A RAM is used as a CPU work region and a storage region, and a ROM stores an operation system and programs executed by the CPU.
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(28) The UV curable ink 65 penetrates into the print medium 50 and therefore a height H2 of the highest location of the ink layer surface S2 is lower than H1 and the ink layer surface S2 is smoothed. Because the fluidity of the UV curable ink 65 is adjusted, it is possible to prevent the mixing of ink colors, which occurs when the UV curable ink 65 has excessive fluidity, and contribute to improving the image quality.
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(30) The UV curable ink 65 used in the inkjet printing apparatus 1 is described in detail.
(31) In general, the UV curable ink 65 contains a polymerizable compound, a diluent monomer, a photopolymerization initiator, an additive, and a coloring matter. In order to carry out inkjet printing, a low viscosity is needed such that appropriate ejection from the ejection unit 10 is possible.
(32) In further detail, the UV curable ink 65 includes at least 30 wt % of a monomer with a molecular weight of 300 or less and desirably a monomer with a molecular weight of 250 or less as the polymerizable compound. More specifically, the monomer is a monofunctional monomer and contains, as a component, 13 to 22 wt % of a N-vinyl compound, specifically, N-vinyl-ε-caprolactam.
(33) Examples of the monofunctional monomer that can be favorably used in the present disclosure include known acrylate monomers. Examples include monofunctional monomers such as hexyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, tert-octyl acrylate, isoamyl acrylate, decyl acrylate, isodecyl acrylate, cyclohexyl acrylate, 4-n-butyl cyclohexyl acrylate, bornyl acrylate, isobornyl acrylate, benzyl acrylate, lauryl acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, 2-hydroxypropyl acrylate, 2-acryloyloxy ethyl succinate, tetrahydrofurfuryl acrylate, and phenoxyethyl acrylate.
(34) Specific examples of the N-vinyl compound favorably used in the present disclosure include, in addition to the N-vinyl-ε-caprolactam mentioned above, N-vinylformamide, N-vinylcarbazole, N-vinylindole, N-vinylpyrrole, N-vinylacetamide, N-vinylpyrrolidone, N-vinylcaprolactam, and derivatives thereof.
(35) Specific examples of the photopolymerization initiator favorably used in the present disclosure include acetophenone, 2,2-diethoxyacetophenone, p-dimethylaminoacetophenone, benzophenone, 2-chlorobenzophenone, p,p′-dichlorobenzophenone, p,p′-bis diethylamino benzophenone, Michler's ketone, benzyl, benzoin, benzoin methyl ether, benzoin ethyl ether, benzoin isopropyl ether, benzoin-n-propyl ether, benzoin isobutyl ether, benzoin-n-butyl ether, benzyl methyl ketal, 2,2-dimethoxy-1,2-diphenylethane-1-one, 1-hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone, 2-hydroxy-1-{4-[4-(2-hydroxy-2-methyl propionyl)benzyl]phenyl}2-methylpropane-1-one, 2-benzyl-2-dimethylamino-1-(4-morpholinophenyl)butanone-1, 2-dimethylamino-2-(4-methylbenzyl)-1-(4-morpholine-4-yl-phenyl)butane-1-one, 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide, bis(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phenylphosphine oxide, bis(2,6-dimethoxybenzoyl)-2,4,4-trimethylpentyl phosphine oxide, 2-methyl-1-[4-(methylthio)phenyl]2-morpholinopropane-1-one, thioxanthone, 2-chlorothioxanthone, 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenyl-1-one, 1-(4-isopropylphenyl)-2-hydroxy-2-methylpropane-1-one, methylbenzo fill formate, azobisisobutyronitrile, benzoyl peroxide, and di-tert-butyl peroxide.
(36) Examples of coloring matters that may be favorably used in the present disclosure include dyes and pigments, and an organic or inorganic pigment may be used as the pigment.
(37) Examples of red and magenta pigments that may be used include Pigment Reds 3, 5, 19, 22, 31, 38, 43, 48:1, 48:2, 48:3, 48:4, 48:5, 49:1, 53:1, 57:1, 57:2, 58:4, 63:1, 81, 81:1, 81:2, 81:3, 81:4, 88, 104, 108, 112, 122, 123, 144, 146, 149, 166, 168, 169, 170, 177, 178, 179, 184, 185, 208, 216, 226, and 257, Pigment Violets 3, 19, 23, 29, 30, 37, 50, and 88, and Pigment Oranges 13, 16, 20, and 36.
(38) Examples of blue and cyan pigments that may be used include Pigment Blues 1, 15, 15:1, 15:2, 15:3, 15:4, 15:6, 16, 17-1, 22, 27, 28, 29, 36, and 60.
(39) Examples of green pigments that may be used include Pigment Greens 7, 26, 36, and 50.
(40) Examples of yellow pigments that may be used include Pigment Yellows 1, 3, 12, 13, 14, 17, 34, 35, 37, 55, 74, 81, 83, 93, 94, 95, 97, 108, 109, 110, 137, 138, 139, 153, 154, 155, 157, 166, 167, 168, 180, 185, and 193.
(41) Examples of black pigments that may be used, according to the purpose, include Pigment Blacks 7, 28, and 26.
Example 1
(42) An example is described below in detail, but the modes of the present disclosure are not limited to this embodiment.
(43) Polymerizable compound: 30 wt % of tetrahydrofurfuryl acrylate, 30 wt % of phenoxyethyl acrylate, and 15 wt % of isobornyl acrylate
(44) Vinyl compound: 18 wt % of N-vinyl-ε-caprolactam
(45) Photopolymerization initiator: 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide
(46) Vinyl chloride (Hakuenbi G-137-50 SPC0706 manufactured by MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.) was used as the print medium.
(47) The 100% cyan, 100% magenta, and 100% yellow print density portions were measured with a laser microscope.
(48) The ultraviolet light irradiation for the permanent curing was set so that the integrated amount of light at 1600 mW/cm.sup.2 was 1000 mJ/cm.sup.2. The center wavelength of the emitted ultraviolet light was 365 nm. The ultraviolet light irradiation curing rate was calculated such that the integrated amount of light was 100% when the peak derived from an acryloyl group completely disappeared in FTIR.
(49) An experiment was carried out to confirm the effect of heating the print medium.
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(60) In contrast,
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(62) The inkjet printing apparatus 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a heating unit 30 for heating the print medium 50, so when vinyl chloride is used as the print medium 50, an excellent effect is exhibited in which penetration of the UV curable ink 65 into the print medium 50 is promoted, the smoothness of the ink layer surface improves and a favorable image quality is obtained.
(63) The inkjet printing apparatus 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure uses the UV curable ink 65, which includes a low-molecular-weight monomer with a molecular weight of 250 or less as a monomer for carrying out photopolymerization, so an excellent effect is exhibited in which the penetration into the print medium is enhanced, the UV curable ink 65 ejected from the ejection unit 10 and landing on the print medium 50 easily penetrates therein even if the heating temperature of the print medium is low, e.g., 40° C., the smoothness of the ink layer surface is improved, and a favorable image quality is obtained.
(64) The inkjet printing apparatus 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure uses the UV curable ink 65, which includes a monofunctional monomer as a monomer for carrying out a photopolymer reaction, so an excellent effect is exhibited in which the UV curable ink 65 ejected from the ejection unit 10 and landing on the print medium 50 easily penetrates therein, the smoothness of the ink layer surface is improved, and a favorable image quality is obtained.
(65) In the inkjet printing apparatus 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the UV curable ink contains N-vinyl-ε-caprolactam, which is an N-vinyl compound, so that when the UV curable ink 65 contains an acrylate compound, photopolymerization occurs more easily, and therefore an excellent effect is exhibited in which photopolymerization occurs quickly after the ultraviolet light irradiation so that the ink colors do not mix easily.
(66) In the inkjet printing apparatus 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the UV light source 20 irradiates the print medium 50 with the ultraviolet light 70 on the surface of the print medium 50 so as to maintain a state in which the curing rate of the UV curable ink 65 is no greater than 10% within 10 seconds of the landing, and therefore an excellent effect is exhibited in which the penetration of the UV curable ink 65 into the print medium 50 is promoted, improving the smoothness, and excessive fluidity is suppressed so that the ink colors do not mix easily.
(67) In the inkjet printing apparatus 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the UV curable ink 65 lands on the surface of the print medium 50, the ultraviolet light 70 is emitted from the UV light source 20, and, after a prescribed time has elapsed, the ultraviolet light 70 is emitted again to carry out the permanent curing in which the UV curing is completed, and therefore an excellent effect is exhibited in which the UV curable ink 65 penetrates into the print medium 50, improving the smoothness, and the UV curable ink 65 does not flow excessively so that the ink colors do not mix easily, for a favorable image quality.
(68) If the smoothness of the ink layer surface is poor, when the transparent laminate film is pasted on the surface of the printed matter for protection, fine bubbles are caught along the unevenness of the ink surface layer, and visible defects called silver rings occur. In the inkjet printing apparatus 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the smoothness of the ink layer surface is improved, so an excellent effect is exhibited in which silver rings are suppressed.
(69) In the inkjet printing apparatus 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the heating of the vinyl chloride, which is the print medium 50, and the timing of the UV curing by the ultraviolet light 70 are controlled, i.e., the irradiation time and the amount of the ultraviolet light 70 are adjusted so as to maintain the curing rate of the UV curable ink 65 at no greater than 10% within 10 seconds of the UV curable ink droplets 60 landing on the surface of the print medium, so that an effect is exhibited in which the penetration of the UV curable ink 65 into the print medium 50 is promoted and both smoothness improvement and high image quality are achieved. An effect is exhibited in which stickiness and film function reduction due to curing defects in the low-print density portions are prevented. An effect is exhibited in which visual defects (silver rings) when the laminate film 100 is pasted in order to protect the printing face are reduced.
(70) The inkjet printing apparatus and the inkjet printing method of the present disclosure are not limited to the embodiment described above and may, of course, be variously modified within a scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure.
(71) For example, a modified example may be considered in which the amount of the photopolymerization initiator is decreased in order to maintain a state in which the curing rate of the UV curable ink is no greater than 10% within 10 seconds of the UV curable ink landing on the surface of the print medium.
(72) Another modified example may be considered of a method in which a print medium is irradiated with infrared rays or the like instead of providing a heating unit in the inkjet printing apparatus as a method for heating the print medium.