US 12,076,978 B2
Inkjet printer for both surface printing and back printing
Tatsuo Shigeta, Chiba (JP)
Assigned to THINK LABORATORY CO., LTD., Chiba (JP)
Appl. No. 16/958,030
Filed by THINK LABORATORY CO., LTD., Chiba (JP)
PCT Filed Dec. 14, 2018, PCT No. PCT/JP2018/046049
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 25, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/131204, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 4, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 2017-253390 (JP), filed on Dec. 28, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0060975 A1, Mar. 4, 2021
Int. Cl. B41J 11/00 (2006.01); B41J 2/21 (2006.01); B41J 3/60 (2006.01); B41J 15/04 (2006.01)
CPC B41J 11/0024 (2021.01) [B41J 2/2117 (2013.01); B41J 3/60 (2013.01); B41J 15/04 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An inkjet printer for both surface printing and back printing, which is capable of performing both of surface printing and back printing by discharging aqueous inks on a web-shaped print base material by a single-pass method, the inkjet printer comprising:
a conveyance mechanism configured to perform continuous conveyance of the web-shaped print base material;
a first white inkjet head configured to discharge a white aqueous ink by a single-pass method to a surface of the web-shaped print base material conveyed by the conveyance mechanism in a case of surface printing;
a first drum-type drying unit configured to dry the white aqueous ink discharged by the first white inkjet head in the case of surface printing, wherein the first drum-type drying unit is configured to receive the web-shaped print base material with only the white aqueous ink applied to the web-shaped print base material in case of surface printing, the first drum-type drying unit comprising a first drum-type housing having a first drum-type housing inlet for receiving the web-shaped print base material and a first drum-type housing outlet for the web-shaped print base material, wherein the first drum-type housing inlet and the first drum-type housing outlet are on a same side of the first drum-type housing, the first drum-type housing inlet being located at a spaced location from the first drum-type housing outlet;
a single-pass inkjet head configured to discharge a non-white aqueous ink to a surface of the web-shaped print base material conveyed by the conveyance mechanism in the case of surface printing and in a case of back printing, the non-white aqueous ink having a solid content and a viscosity that is less than a solid content and a viscosity of the white aqueous ink;
a second white inkjet head configured to discharge a white aqueous ink by a single-pass method to a surface of the web-shaped print base material conveyed by the conveyance mechanism in the case of back printing, the second white inkjet head being located downstream of the single-pass inkjet head; and
a second drum-type drying unit configured to dry the white aqueous ink discharged by the second white inkjet head in the case of back printing, wherein, in case of the surface printing, the second white inkjet head is not used and, in case of the back printing, the first white inkjet head is not used.