Abstract: A cross-sectional image generating apparatus includes a mask placer to place a mask on a first cross-sectional image such that a target pixel of the first cross-sectional image corresponds in position to a center pixel of the mask, a calculator to calculate a final value of a random variable for each of the pixels of the first cross-sectional image to be regarded as the target pixel corresponding in position to the center pixel, a colored pixel setter to set a printed pixel to be a colored pixel in accordance with the final value of the random variable calculated, a non-colored pixel setter to set the printed pixel or non-printed pixel to be a non-colored pixel in accordance with the final value of the random variable calculated, and a cross-sectional image generator to add color information to the colored pixel, and generates a second cross-sectional image representing the colored and non-colored pixels.

Abstract: An inkjet printer includes an m number of data setters ranging from a first data setter to an m-th data setter, and an m number of print controllers ranging from a first print controller to an m-th print controller, where m is a natural number greater than or equal to 2. Upon receiving data for ink dots, an n-th data setter sets an n-th dot group including some or all of the ink dots, where n is a natural number in a range of from 2 to m. An n-th print controller causes the n-th dot group to be formed over an (n?1) dot group. The first to the m-th data setters set the first to the m-th dot groups so that at least some of ink dots belonging to the first to the m-th dot groups overlap each other.

Abstract: In a method for forming braille text on a recording medium, the braille text includes a plurality of cells with one or more dots included in each cell, and at least one of the cells includes a plurality of dots. The method includes discharging a photocurable ink onto the recording medium and curing with light the discharged photocurable ink, to form a print layer on the recording medium, and discharging a photocurable ink onto the print layer and curing with light the discharged photocurable ink, to form at least one additional print layer on the print layer. Resultant braille text is formed by the print layer and the at least one additional print layer, and the resultant braille text has an intra-cell dot-to-dot spacing of about 0.38 mm or more and about 1.32 mm or less.

Abstract: An air trap unit includes an air trap container that stores ink, a flow inlet provided in the air trap container and allowing the ink to flow into the air trap container, a flow outlet provided in the air trap container and allowing the ink in the air trap container to flow out, and an inclination mechanism that inclines the air trap container such that the air trap container is put into one of a first state and a second state, the first state being a state where the air trap container is inclined such that the flow inlet is at a level higher than, or equal to, that of the flow outlet, and the second state being a state where the air trap container is inclined such that the flow outlet is at a level higher than that of the flow inlet.

Abstract: In an inkjet printer capable of performing an overprint process by feeding only in a first direction while reducing clogging of nozzles, a controller includes first, second and third controllers. The third controller instructs the first controller to perform a first image-printing scan, a first minute feed and a second image-printing scan without discharging an image ink from a first nozzle at an end portion of a first nozzle row in a first direction along a secondary scan direction; then performs a second minute feed of feeding a recording medium in the first direction along the secondary scan direction relative to a discharge head; and then instructs the second controller to perform a first base-printing scan, a first minute feed and a second base-printing scan without discharging a base ink from a second nozzle at an end portion of a second nozzle row in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, along the secondary scan direction.

Abstract: A controller of a cutting device includes a first reference point detection processor detecting an actual position of a first reference point on a top surface of a first protrusion of a magazine, a second reference point detection processor detecting an actual position of a second reference point on a top surface of the second protrusion of the magazine, a sensor offset calculation processor calculating an offset of an actual position of a tool sensor of the magazine with respect to a designed position of the tool sensor based on the first reference point and the second reference point, a stocker offset calculation processor calculating an offset of an actual position of the stocker of the magazine with respect to a designed position of the stocker based on the first reference point and the second reference point, and a movement control processor controlling a movement mechanism based on the offset of the tool sensor and the offset of the stocker.

Abstract: In a printer, when a pressed member that is movable together with a movable table pressed by an ink head causes a movement mechanism to move the movable table and the pressed member slides on the ink head, caps are moved from a separate position to a cap position by changing relative positions of nozzle surfaces and the caps in a vertical direction without changing the relative positions of the nozzle surfaces and the caps in a main scanning direction.

Abstract: A damper device includes an upstream damper provided upstream of an ink head and a downstream damper provided downstream of the ink head. The upstream damper includes an upstream ink chamber communicating with an upstream inflow port and an upstream outflow port and storing ink, and an upstream detector that detects an amount of ink stored in the upstream ink chamber. The downstream damper includes a downstream ink chamber communicating with a downstream inflow port and a downstream outflow port and storing ink, and a downstream detector that detects an amount of ink stored in the downstream ink chamber.

Abstract: An inkjet printer system that records images in a shorter time while taking ink drying time into account includes an output data generator including an ink information acquirer, a hard-to-dry index acquirer, a first image setter, a first area setter, and a layout arranger. The ink information acquirer acquires, for two or more images, ink information including an amount of ink required to record the images. The hard-to-dry index acquirer acquires, for each of the two or more images, a hard-to-dry index calculated from the ink information and indicating how difficult the ink is to dry. The first image setter sets an image having a highest hard-to-dry index to be a first image. The first area setter sets a first area in a recording area of a recording medium that is upstream in a conveying direction. The layout arranger arranges the first image in the first area earlier than other images.

Abstract: A three-dimensional printing apparatus includes a projector to project a first image onto a tank and a controller to control the projector. The controller includes an acquirer, an inclination calculator, a vertical and horizontal correction value calculator, a memory, and a corrector. The acquirer projectively transforms the first image, thus acquiring a second image obtained by correction of the first image. The second image includes a projection sub-image. The inclination calculator calculates horizontal and vertical inclinations of the projection sub-image in the second image. The vertical and horizontal correction value calculator calculates a first correction value based on the horizontal inclination, and calculates a second correction value based on the vertical inclination. The memory stores a third correction value. The corrector corrects the brightness distribution of the second image using a fourth correction value calculated based on the first to third correction values.

Abstract: A cutting apparatus includes a magazine including a holder to hold a machining tool. The holder includes a container, a magnetic body, and an intermediate member. The container holds a flange of the machining tool. The container includes in its bottom surface a first insertion hole through which a tool body of the machining tool is to be inserted. The magnetic body is disposed under the container. The magnetic body includes a second insertion hole through which the tool body is to be inserted. The intermediate member is disposed inside the second insertion hole. The intermediate member includes a third insertion hole through which the tool body is to be inserted. A length of the intermediate member in a height direction is equal to or longer than a length of the magnetic body in the height direction. The intermediate member is made of a non-magnetic material.

Abstract: An arrangement determining apparatus includes a center-of-gravity calculating processor that calculates a center of gravity of a three-dimensional model, a placement surface determining processor that determines a placement surface to attach and arranging supports thereon, a reference point setting processor that draws a perpendicular line from the center of gravity toward the placement surface and sets a reference point, a region dividing processor that divides the placement surface into a first region and a second region excluding the first region, and an arranging processor that attaches and arranges the supports on the placement surface so that the contact area per unit area between the first region and the supports in the first region is larger than the contact area per unit area between the second region and the supports in the second region.

Abstract: An inkjet printer includes an ejection head that ejects an ink onto a recording medium, a passage in which an ink mist generated by the ejection head flows, a gas-liquid separator that is located in a portion of the passage and separates ink and air from the ink mist, and a blower that is located in the passage and causes the ink mist to be moved away from the ejection head to the gas-liquid separator. A downstream side of the gas-liquid separator is above an upstream side of the gas-liquid separator in a gravitational direction.

Abstract: To highly accurately predict remaining machining time required for cutting, a controller of a machining time prediction device includes a storage in which a machining program is stored, a simulator that performs a simulation in which a cutting machine cuts a workpiece in accordance with the machining program to generate a control pattern in which control information of a spindle and a holder is recorded, a machining time calculator that generates, based on the control pattern, a machining time table in which remaining machining time for each step of the machining program, a machining time acquirer that acquires a step of the machining program cutting of which is performed by the cutting machine at a current time point and acquires the remaining machining time for the step of the machining program, which has been acquired, from the machining time table, and a display controller that displays the remaining machining time that has been acquired by the machining time acquirer on a display screen.

Abstract: A driving signal generating circuit generates, for each driving period, a main driving signal including a first sub driving signal including a first driving pulse, a second sub driving signal including a second driving pulse, and a third sub driving signal including a third driving pulse. The third sub driving signal follows the second sub driving signal. A driving signal supplying circuit includes a second dot former to supply the second sub driving signal and the third sub driving signal to an actuator coupled to a defining plate defining a portion of a pressure chamber, without supplying the first sub driving signal to the actuator. The third driving pulse starts after a lapse of a preset time from the start of the second driving pulse. The preset time is equal to a value of about p×Tc, where p is greater than 2.

Abstract: An inkjet recording device allows a recording medium to be set easily, and prevents the recording medium from being warped so that printing quality is not lowered. An inkjet printer includes a bed including a surface that supports a recording medium, and a pivoting device that pivots the bed around a horizontal axis to locate the bed horizontally or vertically or pivots the bed around the horizontal axis to incline the bed with respect to a horizontal plane. The inkjet printer also includes a pair of guide rails provided on the bed and extending in an X direction and a movable member extending in a Y direction, engaged with the pair of guide rails and slidable on the pair of guide rails to move in the X direction.

Abstract: A printer includes a platen on which a recording medium is placed, an ink head movable in a main scanning direction and able to eject ink onto the recording medium, a cover disposed above and to at least a side of the platen and including an opening located downstream of the ink head in a subscanning direction, a front cover attached to the cover and able to open and close the opening, and an air blower disposed on the front cover.

Abstract: A diaphragm pump includes an inflow chamber and an outflow chamber. The inflow chamber is provided with an inflow valve seat. An inflow valve that prevents backflow of a liquid is disposed against the inflow valve seat. The outflow chamber is provided with an outflow valve seat. An outflow valve that prevents backflow of a liquid is disposed against the outflow valve seat. The diaphragm pump also includes an inflow-valve presser that presses the inflow valve against the inflow valve seat, and an outflow-valve presser that presses the outflow valve against the outflow valve seat. Each of the inflow valve and the outflow valve is defined by an elastically deformable member. Each of the inflow valve seat and the outflow valve seat includes a surface at least a portion of which is a curved surface.

Abstract: A correcting apparatus includes: a detecting pin; a microcomputer configured or programmed to acquire a first coordinate value indicative of a first coordinate of a detection point, and a first height, and to acquire a second coordinate value indicative of a second coordinate of the detection point, and a second height; to rotate the detecting pin by 180 degrees, and to acquire, with the detecting pin rotated by 180 degrees, a third coordinate value indicative of a third coordinate of the detection point, and a fourth coordinate value indicative of a fourth coordinate of the detection point; to generate, in accordance with the values acquired, a first linear equation including a third height as a variable; and to correct a fifth coordinate value indicative of a coordinate of a measurement point using the first linear equation.

Abstract: A support arrangement determining apparatus includes a reference processor that shifts and rotates a target object model, a candidate generating processor that generates inclination angles that are candidates for the orientation of the target object to be formed, a support calculating processor that calculates a number of supports to be attached and arranged on the target object, and an inclination angle determining processor that determines, among a plurality of inclination angles generated by the candidate generating processor, an inclination angle that enables the supports to support the load of the target object and that reduces or minimizes the number of the supports calculated by the support calculating processor, and with the inclination angle the target object is inclined from the predetermined reference orientation.