Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are directed to a deposition printing system which includes two or more print units capable of moving with respect to each other during printing, each of the print units having one or more print heads together forming a head arrangement; and a controller to control movement of the print units to dynamically change the head arrangement during the printing.

Abstract: A printhead maintenance station comprises a base including a spitting zone, a maintenance sled movable relative to the base, a wiper assembly for cleaning a printhead orifice plate, a capping assembly for capping a printhead orifice plate, a pick motor operating a paper picking assembly and the maintenance sled and the capping assembly, and, wherein the maintenance station provides for spitting, wiping, and capping of a printhead orifice plate.

Abstract: Provided herein is a suction device having a plurality of head caps capable of closely contacting with and moving away from corresponding nozzle surfaces of a plurality of inkjet functional liquid droplet ejection heads. The suction device includes: a plurality of cap units having one or more of the head caps, a contacting/separating mechanism which makes the head caps contact and move away, a plurality of suction units which suck functional liquid from the head caps, a plurality of sets of suction channels each of which having a main channel and individual channels, and a plurality of channel switching units which selectively switch the suction channels to any one of the suction units.

Abstract: Wiping is performed every time when a predetermined period elapses. With the wiping performed step by step, a density of ink in liquid remaining on a discharge port surface is diluted, and becomes a predetermined density or lower. Accordingly, a condition can be maintained, in which the ink can be reliably discharged from a recording head when a recording operation is newly started, although the wiping is not additionally performed after the above wiping. In this case, even when the recording operation is started again or the recording operation is newly started after the several wiping operations, an amount of cleaning liquid used in the several times of wiping is proper to an intermission period. Thus, the cleaning liquid can be prevented from being wastefully consumed.

Abstract: A droplet ejecting device includes a droplet ejecting head, a channel member, a suction section, and a flow adjusting member. The droplet ejecting head has nozzles that eject droplets. The channel member is formed with a liquid supplying channel that supplies the droplet ejecting head with liquid. The suction section sucks liquid and an air bubble in the liquid supplying channel through the nozzles. The flow adjusting member is provided in the liquid supplying channel and is formed with a low-resistance channel and a high-resistance channel. The high-resistance channel is formed integrally with the low-resistance channel and has a higher flow resistance than the low-resistance channel.

Abstract: A printhead assembly for an inkjet printer includes an ink distribution molding having a laminated stack of ink distribution sheets, and a nozzle guard. The assembly also includes at least one printhead integrated circuit arranged in fluid contact with the molding such that a cavity is defined between the integrated circuit and the nozzle guard. The assembly has an air duct having a base defining a series of air passages. An air valve molding is formed as a channel with a series of apertures defined in a base thereof. A spacing of the apertures corresponds to the air passages. The air valve molding is movable longitudinally within the air duct to facilitate alignment of the apertures with the passages to allow pressurized air through the laminated stack to the cavity, or moved out of alignment to close off a supply of pressurized air to the cavity.

Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus including a liquid ejecting head, a liquid supply passage, a gas discharge passage, a gas-permeable film, a switching device, and a differential pressure valve. The gas-permeable film allows only gases to pass therethrough and provides a partition separating the gas discharge passage and the liquid supply passage. The switching device selectively connects a sucking device with one of the gas discharge passage and a liquid suction cap. The differential pressure valve is disposed in a portion of the gas discharge passage between the gas permeable film and the switching device and opens by a suction pressure from the sucking device to communicate the gas permeable film with the switching device when the sucking device is operating, and prevents communication between the gas permeable film and the switching device when the sucking device is not operating.

Abstract: Provided herein is a suction device that is provided in an inkjet liquid droplet ejection apparatus and sucks functional liquid while contacting with nozzle surfaces of the functional liquid droplet ejection heads. The suction device has a plurality of head caps, a suction channel having a plurality of individual channels, a plurality of channel opening/closing unit that is disposed on the individual channels and opens and closes the respective individual channels, a waste liquid tank, an ejector, a pressure adjustment unit that adjusts pressure of the compressed air at the primary side of the ejector, and a control unit that controls the pressure adjustment unit. The control unit controls the pressure adjustment unit according to the number of open-channel opening/closing units opened out of the plurality of channel opening/closing units such that a suction pressure is constant in the plurality of head caps.

Abstract: A fluid ejection apparatus includes a fluid ejection head comprising a nozzle through which fluid is ejected, a fluid supply passage through which fluid is supplied to the fluid ejection head, a suction device configured to draw fluid from the nozzle, and a movable member positioned within a predetermined portion of the fluid supply passage. The movable member has openings formed therethrough, and is configured to hold air bubbles therein. The movable member is further configured to move between a first position and a second position downstream of the first position in a fluid flowing direction. When the movable member is in the second position, the movable member partitions the predetermined portion of the fluid supply passage into a first space upstream of the movable member and a second space downstream of the movable member.

Abstract: A fluid deposition device including a platen and a cartridge mount assembly is described. The platen is configured to support a substrate upon which a fluid will be deposited. The cartridge mount assembly includes a receptacle configured to receive a print cartridge and multiple electrical contacts configured to mate with corresponding electrical contacts on the print cartridge. In one implementation, the cartridge mount assembly further includes a vacuum connector configured to mate with a vacuum inlet included on the print cartridge. When the print cartridge is received in the receptacle, the print cartridge can form connections with the electrical contacts and with the vacuum connector of the receptacle at substantially the same time.

Abstract: An inkjet type printer having a recording head is disclosed. The printer includes a cap and a raising and lowering unit. The raising and lowering unit moves the cap between a sealing position at which the cap contacts the recording head and a retreat position at which the cap is separated from the recording head. The raising and lowering unit includes a selection cam, a cleaning mechanism, and a lift lever. The cleaning mechanism supports the cap and the selection cam, and is movable along the moving direction of the cap. The distal end of the lift lever is engaged with the selection cam at a position near the outer circumference of the selection cam, and the proximal end of the lift lever is coupled to a pressure adjustment shaft. The selection cam is raised or lowered while being rotated about the distal end of the lift lever, so that the cap is moved between the sealing position and the retreat position.

Abstract: A reciprocating apparatus includes a pair of guide members which extend in parallel with each other and in a first direction; a carriage which is reciprocateable in the first direction, supported and guided by the pair of guide members; and a carriage movement detector including (a) a sensor which is fixed to the carriage and (b) an encoder strip which extends in the first direction and which has sensible portions arranged in a lengthwise direction thereof and sensible by the sensor, such that a reciprocating movement of the carriage is detected based on sensing of the sensible portions by the sensor. The encoder strip is located between the pair of guide members in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The pair of the guide members are located on one of opposite sides of the carriage in a third direction perpendicular to the first and the second directions. The encoder strip is located on the other of said opposite sides of the carriage in the third direction.

Abstract: A liquid ejection device includes: a conveyance mechanism which conveys a recording medium in one direction; a plurality of liquid ejection heads each having an ejection face which has a plurality of ejection openings for ejecting liquid and faces the conveyance mechanism, the liquid ejection heads being arranged along the one direction; a plurality of wipers which respectively wipe the ejection faces; a holder which holds the wipers; a support which supports the holder; and a movement mechanism which moves the holder in a direction perpendicular to the one direction. The holder is displaceable in the one direction relative to the support. The holder has an intruder which intrudes into a gap between two liquid ejection heads adjacent to each other.

Abstract: A printhead assembly is provided for an inkjet printer. The printhead assembly includes an elongate ink distribution structure defining a plurality of parallel ink ducts extending along the ink distribution structure. A laminated stack is received within the ink distribution structure and defines a plurality of ink passages in fluid communication with respective ink ducts. One or more printhead integrated circuits (ICs) are received within the laminated stack, and are in fluid communication with the ink passages so that the printhead ICs can print ink provided from the ink distribution structure and laminated stack.

Abstract: A printer comprising a carriage, a guide rail and a print surface, the carriage being movable along the guide rail and carrying a printhead that faces the print surface and is movable in a direction normal to the plane of the print surface, wherein a stop or brake mechanism responsive to a movement of the printhead in said direction normal to the plane of the print surface is provided and adapted to stop the movement of the carriage.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus comprises a carriage carrying a recording head for recording an image on a recording medium transported in a predetermined direction, first and second support members, disposed on an upstream side and a downstream side, respectively, in a transport direction of the recording medium, for supporting said carriage slidably by support surfaces thereof facing said recording head and an endless belt for moving said carriage reciprocally in a direction substantially orthogonal to the transport direction wherein said carriage comprises a first contact section that comes into contact with the support surface of said first support member, and a second contact section that comes into contact with the support surface of said second support member, and a height position of a joint section of said endless belt and said carriage is at substantially the same height as a position of center of gravity of said carriage.

Abstract: A liquid jetting apparatus includes: a first liquid jetting head having a nozzle which jets a first liquid supplied from a first liquid supply source; a second liquid jetting head having a nozzle which jets a second liquid supplied from a second liquid supply source; a liquid shortage detecting section detecting shortage of the first liquid in the first liquid supply source; a state detecting section which detects a state of the first liquid jetting head since a time at which the shortage of the first liquid has been detected by the liquid shortage detecting section up to a time at which the shortage of the first liquid is solved; a recovery mechanism which performs a recovery operation of the first liquid jetting head and the second liquid jetting head; and a controller which controls the first liquid jetting head, the second liquid jetting head, and the recovery mechanism.

Abstract: A method of purging ink from an inkjet printhead is provided. The printhead is in fluid communication with an ink reservoir via an ink conduit having a valve. The method comprises the steps of: (i) closing the valve; (ii) positively pressurizing the ink reservoir using a pressure device; and (iii) opening the valve for a predetermined period, thereby purging ink from the printhead and flooding an ink ejection face thereof.

Abstract: A carriage driving unit comprises a carriage, an timing belt, an timing belt, which is jointed to the carriage, looped around between a driving pulley attached to a driving shaft of a motor and a driven pulley attached to a driven shaft, a frame for rotatably supporting said driving shaft in a cantilever manner and a regulating projection for regulating the timing belt from displacing in a direction closer to said frame with respect to said driving pulley.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes a rubber member in an ink flow passage. The rubber member is made of a rubber composition including a rubber base polymer selected from ethylene-propylene diene rubber polymer and isobutylene-isoprene rubber polymer, and at least one trapping agent selected from calcium carbonate, silicon dioxide, talc, and clay. The trapping agent is effective for absorb-trapping various types of additives that may be present in the rubber member. The additives in the rubber are thereby held in the rubber structure and prevented from being eluted into the water-based ink or the preservative solution, which can lead to clogging of ink nozzles and the like.