Patents Assigned to Mimaki Engineering
  • Publication number: 20200316849
    Abstract: A building apparatus (10) that builds an object in three-dimensional includes: a head (12) serving as a material ejector that ejects a material used for building the object (50); and a controller (20) that controls an operation of the head (12). The head (12) ejects at least a material for coloring. In a case of building the object (50) that is colored, the head (12) forms at least a colored region that is a layer region along a surface shape of the object (50) to be built and is colored with the material for coloring. The controller (20) causes the head (12) to form a colored region so that the colored region in a normal direction of the object (50) that is a direction perpendicular to the surface of the object (50) has a constant thickness set in advance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2017
    Publication date: October 8, 2020
    Applicant: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyoshi Ohi, Kunio Hakkaku
  • Patent number: 10792937
    Abstract: To perform high-quality printing more appropriately, a printing apparatus (10) configured to print on a medium (50) by inkjet includes: an inkjet head (102); and a UV light source (104) as an energy ray emitting unit. The UV light source (104) emits the ultraviolet rays to the ink adhered to the medium (50), causing the ink to generate heat to evaporate at least a part of a solvent in the ink. The ink ejected by the inkjet head (102) includes a polymerizing substance that polymerizes when irradiated with the energy rays, and the solvent. The ink on the medium (50) is in a state in which planarization of the ink progresses with a lapse of time at a time point after 100 ms has elapsed since the UV light source (104) emitted the ultraviolet rays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaru Ohnishi
  • Publication number: 20200307120
    Abstract: A shaping system is provided and includes: a shaping executing part configured to execute shaping of a three-dimensional object and including multiple inkjet heads that respectively discharge ink droplets of colors different from each other; and a shaping controlling part configured to control an operation of the shaping executing part. The shaping controlling part accepts a designation of a shaping color being a color of the three-dimensional object to be shaped based on a shaping data from an user, and causes the shaping executing part to shape the three-dimensional object so that at least an outer appearance of the three-dimensional object is colored in the shaping color which is designated. The shaping executing part shapes the three-dimensional object according to a control by the shaping controlling part, and colors at least an outer appearance of the three-dimensional object in the shaping color designated by the user using multiple inkjet heads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Applicant: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kunio Hakkaku, Hiroyoshi Ohi
  • Publication number: 20200310366
    Abstract: A layer configuration prediction method is provided and includes: a specimen production step of producing multiple specimens by depositing layers of a material in configurations different from each other; a specimen measurement step of performing, on each specimen, measurement to acquire a texture parameter corresponding to a texture; a learning step of causing a computer to perform machine learning of a relation between each of the specimens and the texture parameter; a setting parameter calculation step of calculating a setting parameter corresponding to the texture set to a computer graphics image; and a layer configuration acquisition step of providing the setting parameter as an input to the computer having been caused to perform the machine learning, and acquiring an output representing the layering pattern of layers of the material corresponding to the setting parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Applicants: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD., NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION CHIBA UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Norimichi Tsumura, Junki Yoshii, Keita Hirai, Wataru Arai
  • Patent number: 10787013
    Abstract: Provided is a manufacturing method for a printed matter including a medium and a three-dimensional pattern printed on a surface of the medium. The three-dimensional pattern has a partly-coated resin portion and further has layers including a colored layer and clear layers formed on the colored layer. The three-dimensional pattern is formed by stacking the layers formed of inks at least containing resin on one another. One of the clear layers formed on an outermost surface of the three-dimensional pattern is flattened for a longer duration than at least one of the other one of the clear layers and the colored layer that are formed below the clear layer on the outermost surface, so that the one of the clear layers on the outermost surface is further flattened than at least one of the other one of the clear layers and the colored layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Junki Kasahara
  • Patent number: 10786997
    Abstract: To create a printed matter having favorable image quality that can prevent air bubbles from being trapped at the time when a protective film is attached to a medium. A method of creating printed matter includes: an ink arrangement step of ejecting a photocurable ink on a printing face of a medium by an inkjet method so that an average surface roughness of the printing face is smaller than 15 ?m and irradiating the photocurable ink with a light to be cured; and a laminating step of attaching the protective film to the medium by bonding an adhesive layer of the protective film to the printing face and a surface of the photocurable ink, and the protective film including the adhesive layer having a thickness equal to or larger than 18 ?m and a substrate supporting the adhesive layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hironori Hashizume, Kazuki Bando
  • Patent number: 10787004
    Abstract: Disclosed is a printing apparatus which performs printing on a medium in an inkjet mode. The printing apparatus includes inkjet heads and an ultraviolet irradiation section that is an energy ray irradiation section. In this printing apparatus, the ink is an ink containing a solvent and generating heat in accordance with ultraviolet rays. The ultraviolet irradiation section applies the ultraviolet ray to the ink on the medium to evaporate at least a portion of the solvent in the ink. When 45% by volume or more of the solvent evaporates from an initial solvent amount, the viscosity of the ink is 50 mPa·sec or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaru Ohnishi
  • Publication number: 20200298593
    Abstract: An inkjet printer is provided. The printing unit prints an image on a medium by ejecting an ink onto the medium while moving in the main scanning direction. The printing unit includes a carriage, an inkjet head, a fixing device (drying device), a left air supply part, an intermediate air supply part, a right air supply part, and an intake part. The intake part takes in air by suctioning gas on a lower side. The gas on the lower side includes, in addition to air, a solvent evaporated when drying the ink (also referred to as a solvent vapor), and a misted ink that is mist of the ink ejected from the inkjet head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2020
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Applicant: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaru OHNISHI
  • Publication number: 20200298597
    Abstract: An up-down moving mechanism includes a support member; an up-down moving member that is formed separately from the support member and can be moved up and down with respect to the support member; a screw shaft for moving up and down the up-down moving member; a nut member that is screwed onto the screw shaft; a guide rail that guides the up-down moving member in a vertical direction; a guide block that slidably engages with the guide rail; and a gas spring that includes a cylinder and a piston rod biased in a direction projecting out from the cylinder, and that biases the up-down moving member toward an upper side with respect to the support member. To the support member, the screw shaft is rotatably attached, the guide rail is fixed, and the piston rod is attached.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Applicant: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Sho Koshiba
  • Publication number: 20200298599
    Abstract: A table device and a printing apparatus are provided. The table device includes a X-shaped link member in which two long members are turnably coupled in an X-shape, an expansion/contraction mechanism that expands/contracts with at least a pair of X-shaped link members arranged facing each other, a table that is disposed on one end side of the expansion/contraction mechanism and moves in the expansion/contraction direction of the expansion/contraction mechanism, a support member disposed on the other end side of the expansion/contraction mechanism, a coupling member that couples the opposing long members of the long members forming the expansion/contraction mechanism and moves with the expansion/contraction of the expansion/contraction mechanism, and a regulating member that regulates a fluctuation of the coupling member that moves when the expansion/contraction mechanism expands/contracts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Applicant: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takashi Tsuchiya
  • Publication number: 20200298589
    Abstract: A processing system including an inkjet printer that performs printing on a workpiece according to print data associated with a jig ID that indicates the type of jig, and a jig having a jig ID indicating its type that supports the workpiece and is set in the inkjet printer acquires the jig ID from the jig (S61), and notifies incompatibility between the print data and the jig when the jig ID associated with the print data, and the jig ID acquired from the jig in S61 do not match (NO in S63) (S64).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2020
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Applicant: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuaki Wakabayashi
  • Publication number: 20200298553
    Abstract: A maintenance unit includes a fixed-side cover in which multiple first openings are formed and a movable-side cover in which multiple second openings are formed. A moving mechanism slides the movable-side cover with respect to the fixed-side cover in a Y direction between a closed position where the second opening is disposed between multiple first openings in the Y direction and the movable-side cover closes the first openings, and an open position where the first opening and the second opening adjacent to each other at the closed position are overlapped in the vertical direction and an entire of multiple ink receiving portions are exposed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2020
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Applicant: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takashi Tsuchiya
  • Patent number: 10780627
    Abstract: There is provided a method for forming a three-dimensional object having a desired decoration. The method using an apparatus for forming a three-dimensional object configured to form a three-dimensional object includes: a head for reflective ink configured to form a light reflection layer, a head for decorative ink, a head for transparent ink, a main scanning driving unit and a sub-scanning driving unit. At least the head for decorative ink and the head for transparent ink are arranged to be positionally offset in a sub-scanning direction, the head for reflective ink, the head for decorative ink and the head for transparent ink are configured to form a transparent layer between the light reflection layer and a decorative layer, thereby forming the decorative layer, the transparent layer and the light reflection layer in corresponding order from a surface layer-side of the three-dimensional object towards an inner side of the three-dimensional object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hirofumi Hara, Masaya Nagahari
  • Publication number: 20200291161
    Abstract: A composition for model materials (4a) is used for shaping an optically shaped article by an inkjet optical shaping method, comprises a monofunctional monomer (A) and an oligomer (B) as a photocurable component, further, comprises no polyfunctional monomer (C) as a photocurable component, or comprises a polyfunctional monomer (C) as a photocurable component at 3.0 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of a whole composition for model materials, the oligomer (B) has a hydroxyl group or an amino group, and a total molar fraction of the hydroxyl group and the amino group in a total amount of the photocurable components is less than 5.0%. The composition for model materials (4a) can afford an optically shaped article that has flexibility, and does not crack even when it is bent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Applicants: Maxell Holdings, Ltd., MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD., MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsuyuki KITO, Taeko IZUMO, Masakatsu OKAWA, Kenta HONGO
  • Publication number: 20200262132
    Abstract: The shaping method of the present embodiment is a shaping method for a shaped object configured to include at least a color layer that is colored and that forms the surface of the shaped object, and a reflection layer that forms the lower layer of the color layer, and determines the thickness of the reflection layer with a normal direction with respect to an outer contour of the shaped object as a reference. According to the present configuration, the thickness of the reflection layer is set to a thickness enough to reflect the color of the color layer so that an interior layer can be prevented from affecting the color of the shaped object visually recognized from the outside even if an interior layer formed under the reflection layer is formed of an arbitrary color or material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2020
    Publication date: August 20, 2020
    Applicant: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takeaki Kazaana
  • Publication number: 20200267285
    Abstract: The reproduction of a target color is appropriately performed with high accuracy. A printing system 10 includes a printing device 12 and a host PC 14 that is a control device. The printing device 12 includes a plurality of inkjet heads 202y to 202k and a colorimeter 204. The host PC 14 is capable of performing a color matching process for matching a color printed by the inkjet heads 202y to 202k with a target color, and performs, in the color matching process, a target color acquiring process for acquiring the target color using the colorimeter 204, an initial value setting process for setting an initial value of a color setting value, and a target color corresponding value determination process for selecting a patch having a color close to a target color from among a plurality of patches by causing the inkjet heads 202y to 202k to print the patches.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Publication date: August 20, 2020
    Applicant: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Wataru HIOKI
  • Publication number: 20200262222
    Abstract: A sliding mechanism is provided and includes a linear encoder for detecting a movement distance of a slider in relation to a support member. The sliding mechanism includes a slider that can move in relation to a support member, a slider that can move in relation to the support member as well as the slider, a linear scale fixed to the slider and a sensor fixed to the slider; and a linear encoder for detecting a movement distance of the slider in relation to the support member. In the sliding mechanism, the slider is transferred in relation to the support member and the slider, and subsequently the slider is transferred in relation to the support member and the slider, while the slider is kept in a state of being stopped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2020
    Publication date: August 20, 2020
    Applicant: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Sho Koshiba
  • Patent number: 10744804
    Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus includes a mounting unit where a recording medium is mountable, a head unit that ejects ink droplets to the recording medium, a planar direction driving unit that drives at least one of the head unit ejecting the ink droplets and the mounting unit to move in a planar direction and that changes a relative positions of the head unit and the mounting unit in the planar direction, and a height direction driving unit that changes a relative positions of the head unit and the mounting unit in a height direction perpendicular to the planar direction. The planar direction driving unit has a moving speed changing mechanism that changes a carriage speed between the head unit and the mounting unit in the planar direction. The height direction driving unit has a distance changing mechanism that changes a distance between the head unit and the mounting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaru Ohnishi
  • Publication number: 20200254681
    Abstract: A three-dimensional object shaping method includes: a void portion forming step of forming a void portion surrounded by an ink by layering an ink layer on the work surface or in a range surrounding a predetermined region in an uppermost layer of multiple ink layers formed on the work surface; and an overhang portion forming step of forming upward an overhang portion that bulges out from an outer peripheral side toward an inner side of the void portion and surrounds the void portion in a state where a part of the ink protrudes out toward the inner side of the void portion at a layering angle in a range in which an outer shape of the void portion is not lost, when disposing new ink on the ink facing the void portion in a case where a new ink layer is layered on the ink layer including the void portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Applicant: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kunio Hakkaku
  • Patent number: 10730244
    Abstract: A shaping system configured to shape a three-dimensional object based on shaping data includes: a shaping executing part configured to execute shaping of the three-dimensional object; and a shaping controlling part configured to control an operation of the shaping executing part, where the shaping controlling part is capable of executing: a first shaping control for causing the shaping executing part to shape a first three-dimensional object using the shaping data that expresses the first three-dimensional object, and a second shaping control for causing the shaping executing part to shape a second three-dimensional object using at least a part of the shaping data that expresses the first three-dimensional object, and the second three-dimensional object is a three-dimensional object for checking a shaping quality of the first three-dimensional object, and is a three-dimensional object that can be shaped in a shorter time than time required for shaping the first three-dimensional object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kunio Hakkaku, Hiroyoshi Ohi