Seiko Epson Corporation

Chiyoshi Hayashi

Chieko Iuchi

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.

Suction device, suction system, and liquid droplet ejection apparatus having the device or the system, as well as electro-optical apparatus and manufacturing method thereof

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.

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Okaya, Japan

Chiyoshi Hayashi