Abstract: A printer includes an ink head including a nozzle, a damper connected with the ink head, a pressure sensor to detect a damper pressure in the damper, a cap attachable to the ink head so as to cover the nozzle, an upward/downward moving mechanism to move the cap upward and downward with respect to the ink head, a suction pump connected with the cap, and a controller. The controller is configured or programmed to include a suction controller to execute a suction process to drive the suction pump in a state where the cap is attached to the ink head, a pressure acquisition controller to acquire the damper pressure from the pressure sensor during the suction process, and an upward/downward movement controller to control the cap to move upward toward the ink head when a change amount of the damper pressure is no larger than a reference change amount.

Abstract: A printer includes an ink head including a nozzle surface including nozzles, a cap including an end portion contactable with the nozzle surface, a suction device, a memory, and a controller. The memory stores a suction position, a free suction position, and a minute open position located between the suction position and the free suction position. The controller performs a suction process in which the cap is located at the suction position and ink is sucked from the nozzles, and a minute open position process in which the cap is moved toward a minute open position and movement of the cap is stopped with the cap located at a minute open position, after the suction process.

Abstract: A printer includes an ink head including a nozzle, a damper connected with the ink head, a pressure sensor to detect a damper pressure in the damper, a cap attachable to the ink head so as to cover the nozzle, an upward/downward moving mechanism to move the cap upward and downward with respect to the ink head, a suction pump connected with the cap, and a controller. The controller is configured or programmed to include a suction controller to execute a suction process to drive the suction pump in a state where the cap is attached to the ink head, a pressure acquisition controller to acquire the damper pressure from the pressure sensor during the suction process, and an upward/downward movement controller to control the cap to move upward toward the ink head when a change amount of the damper pressure is no larger than a reference change amount.

Abstract: An inkjet printer includes a first ink head, an ink collector, and an intermittent flushing controller. The first ink head includes a first sub-head that includes a first nozzle to discharge first ink, a second sub-head that includes a second nozzle to discharge second ink different from the first ink, and a nozzle surface provided with the first nozzle and the second nozzle. The ink collector collects the ink discharged from the first ink head. The intermittent flushing controller performs an intermittent flushing operation for at least the first sub-head. The intermittent flushing operation involves repeating a first operation and a second operation for a predetermined number of iterations. The first operation involves discharging the first ink into the ink collector from the first nozzle a predetermined number of times. The second operation involves being on standby for a predetermined time without discharging the first ink from the first nozzle.

Abstract: A printer includes an ink head including a nozzle surface including nozzles, a cap including an end portion contactable with the nozzle surface, a suction device, a memory, and a controller. The memory stores a suction position, a free suction position, and a minute open position located between the suction position and the free suction position. The controller performs a suction process in which the cap is located at the suction position and ink is sucked from the nozzles, and a minute open position process in which the cap is moved toward a minute open position and movement of the cap is stopped with the cap located at a minute open position, after the suction process.

Abstract: An inkjet printer includes a first ink head, an ink collector, and an intermittent flushing controller. The first ink head includes a first sub-head that includes a first nozzle to discharge first ink, a second sub-head that includes a second nozzle to discharge second ink different from the first ink, and a nozzle surface provided with the first nozzle and the second nozzle. The ink collector collects the ink discharged from the first ink head. The intermittent flushing controller performs an intermittent flushing operation for at least the first sub-head. The intermittent flushing operation involves repeating a first operation and a second operation for a predetermined number of iterations. The first operation involves discharging the first ink into the ink collector from the first nozzle a predetermined number of times. The second operation involves being on standby for a predetermined time without discharging the first ink from the first nozzle.

Abstract: A printer includes ink heads, an ink head conveyor, a movable table, cap valves, lifters, a guide device, and a controller. The conveyor moves the ink heads in a main scanning direction. The movable table includes caps and is movable in the main scanning direction by the conveyor. The guide device defines a path along which the movable table is movable between a cap attaching position, a valve opening position, and a retracted position. Movement of the movable table to the valve opening position causes the lifters to abut against the cap valves to bring the cap valves to an open state and expose opening/closing passages to the atmosphere. Movement of the movable table to the cap attaching position from the valve opening position causes the lifters to move away from the cap valves to bring the cap valves to a closed state.

Abstract: A controller includes a second controller that periodically performs a flushing operation of injecting a predetermined amount of ink from a nozzle, a third controller that repeatedly performs the flushing operation until a remaining amount of the ink in a storage chamber after the flushing operation is detected by a detector to be a first amount, a first counter that counts a first operation number of times of the flushing operation, and a fourth controller that performs a first cleaning operation of absorbing a fluid in a sealed space by a suction pump when the first operation number of times counted by the first counter reaches a first threshold value.

Abstract: In an ink supply system, a main ink tank and an ink head are connected together via a main supply channel. A sub-ink tank is connected to the main supply channel via a sub-supply channel. An upstream-side valve is provided on an upstream-side portion of the main supply channel. During standby, a first standby setting processor of a controller sets a first standby state in which a first upstream-side valve is open, and a second standby setting processor sets a second standby state in which the first upstream-side valve is closed. A standby state determination processor determines whether or not the amount of time elapsed from when a setting operation was done by the first standby setting processor or the second standby setting processor is greater than or equal to a first amount of time. The standby state switching processor switches between the first standby state and the second standby state when it is determined that the elapsed time is greater than or equal to the first amount of time.

Abstract: A controller includes a second controller that periodically performs a flushing operation of injecting a predetermined amount of ink from a nozzle, a third controller that repeatedly performs the flushing operation until a remaining amount of the ink in a storage chamber after the flushing operation is detected by a detector to be a first amount, a first counter that counts a first operation number of times of the flushing operation, and a fourth controller that performs a first cleaning operation of absorbing a fluid in a sealed space by a suction pump when the first operation number of times counted by the first counter reaches a first threshold value.

Abstract: In an ink supply system, a main ink tank and an ink head are connected together via a main supply channel. A sub-ink tank is connected to the main supply channel via a sub-supply channel. An upstream-side valve is provided on an upstream-side portion of the main supply channel. During standby, a first standby setting processor of a controller sets a first standby state in which a first upstream-side valve is open, and a second standby setting processor sets a second standby state in which the first upstream-side valve is closed. A standby state determination processor determines whether or not the amount of time elapsed from when a setting operation was done by the first standby setting processor or the second standby setting processor is greater than or equal to a first amount of time. The standby state switching processor switches between the first standby state and the second standby state when it is determined that the elapsed time is greater than or equal to the first amount of time.

Abstract: The present invention provides an inkjet printer capable of allowing fluids, such as ink, cleaning liquid, and air, to suitably flow into an ink path. The inkjet printer includes an ink path (16, 18, 28), valves (22, 26), a suction device, and a controller. The controller includes: a first control section to perform a first operation in which the suction device is driven for a first time period, with the valve (22) closed and the valve (26) opened; and a second control section to perform, after the first operation, a second operation in which the suction device is driven for a second time period, with the valve (22) opened and the valve (26) closed.

Abstract: The present invention provides an inkjet printer capable of allowing fluids, such as ink, cleaning liquid, and air, to suitably flow into an ink path. The inkjet printer includes an ink path (16, 18, 28), valves (22, 26), a suction device, and a controller. The controller includes: a first control section to perform a first operation in which the suction device is driven for a first time period, with the valve (22) closed and the valve (26) opened; and a second control section to perform, after the first operation, a second operation in which the suction device is driven for a second time period, with the valve (22) opened and the valve (26) closed.