Seiko Epson Corporation

Keigo Sugai

Shinichi Nakamura

Takahiro Katakura

Hirofumi Sakai

Junichi Sano

Koki Hirata

Yuki Ishii

Yoshikazu Hama

Masahisa Otake

Eiji Okamoto

Akihiko Tsunoya

Masaru Kumagai

Tomonaga Hasegawa

Seigo Momose

Kenju Mochizuki

Yuichiro Matsuura

Yuta Abe

A three-dimensional-object printing apparatus includes: a base; an arm supported by the base; a liquid ejecting head that is fixed to a tip end of the arm and ejects a liquid onto a work piece; a liquid accumulation section that accumulates the liquid; a supply channel which enables the liquid accumulation section and the liquid ejecting head to communicate with each other and along which the liquid is supplied from the liquid accumulation section to the liquid ejecting head; and a pressure control valve that is provided halfway in the supply channel and controls a pressure of the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head, in which the arm includes N movable sections that three-dimensionally change a position and an orientation of the liquid ejecting head, N being 1 or more, and the pressure control valve is fixed to the arm.

Three-dimensional-object printing apparatus

A three-dimensional printing device includes a first head having a first nozzle array that ejects liquid, a second head having a second nozzle array that ejects liquid, and a moving mechanism having a linear motion mechanism that changes relative positions of the heads with respect to a three-dimensional workpiece. The first region of the workpiece is more inclined with respect to the first axis than the second region of the workpiece. A time period when the first nozzle array faces the first region and the second nozzle array faces the second region is a first time period. In the first time period, the first nozzle array ejects the liquid onto the first region in a first ejection cycle. In the first time period, the second nozzle array ejects the liquid onto the second region in a second ejection cycle. The first ejection cycle is shorter than the second ejection cycle.

Three-dimensional printing device

A three-dimensional object printer includes a head having a plurality of nozzles that discharge a liquid, a movement mechanism having an arm section that supports the head and having a plurality of joint sections provided on the arm section, a drive circuit that generates a drive signal to drive the head, a control circuit that generates a control signal to control supply of the drive signal to the head, a first cable for transmitting the drive signal from the drive circuit to the head, and a second cable for transmitting the control signal from the control circuit to the head. At least a part of the second cable is arranged along the arm section. The control signal is transmitted as a differential signal to the second cable.

Three-dimensional object printer

A three-dimensional object printing method includes a first test printing step of printing a first test pattern in a first region of a workpiece by a head unit while a position of the head unit being changed by a robot, a first detection step of detecting the first test pattern, and a first printing step of printing a first pattern in the first region by the head unit based on a result detected in the first detection step while the position of the head unit being changed by the robot.

Three-dimensional object printing method and three-dimensional object printer

A three-dimensional object printing apparatus includes: a head having a nozzle surface; and a robot that has a base portion and an arm portion that supports the head, and changes a position of the head with respect to the base portion, in which the three-dimensional object printing apparatus is configured to execute: a first printing operation of causing the head to print an image to a three-dimensional first medium, and a second printing operation of causing the head to print a test pattern while causing the robot to change a position of the head with respect to the second medium, and a yaw angle of the head during the execution of the first printing operation and a yaw angle of the head during the execution of the second printing operation are different from each other.

Three-dimensional object printing apparatus and three-dimensional object printing method

A three-dimensional object printing apparatus includes a first head, an energy emitter, and a moving mechanism. The first head has a first nozzle face in which a nozzle for ejecting liquid is provided. The energy emitter has an emission face from which energy for curing the liquid ejected from the first head is emitted. The moving mechanism changes relative position of the first head and the energy emitter in relation to a three-dimensional workpiece. The moving mechanism includes a linear motion mechanism that changes the relative position of the first head and the energy emitter in relation to the workpiece along a first axis, a first up-and-down mechanism that moves the first nozzle face along a second axis intersecting with the first axis, and a second up-and-down mechanism that moves the emission face along the second axis.

Three-dimensional object printing apparatus

A drug solution administration method using an inkjet device including an inkjet head that ejects a drug solution, and a controller that controls the ejection of the drug solution from the inkjet head, wherein the drug solution is made to pierce a target site and is administered to the target site by ejecting the drug solution from the inkjet head so that a diameter of the drug solution when it is ejected from the inkjet head is 20 &#x3bc;m or more and 200 &#x3bc;m or less and an ejection rate of the drug solution when it is ejected from the inkjet head is 30 m/s or more under control of the controller.

Drug solution administration method

A supply device that supplies a liquid to a liquid ejecting head, includes one or more tanks that house the liquid; a liquid flow path coupled to the one or more tanks and the liquid ejecting head; and a pressure-adjusting portion that adjusts a pressure in the one or more tanks. The one or more tanks are provided between the pressure-adjusting portion and the liquid flow path. The pressure-adjusting portion includes a communication path that communicates with the one or more tanks, a pressure chamber provided with a diaphragm and coupled to the communication path, and an urging portion that urges the diaphragm in a direction in which the pressure chamber expands.

Supply device and liquid ejecting apparatus

A liquid-discharging-head includes a nozzle having a first-nozzle-portion having a first-sectional-area and a second-nozzle-portion having a second-sectional-area larger than the first-sectional-area, a liquid chamber which communicates with the nozzle, and a piezoelectric-element which changes a pressure inside the liquid chamber, in which the piezoelectric-element is driven from the control section, and the liquid-discharging-head executes a first control in which an apex of a liquid surface is drawn into the second-nozzle-portion in a state in which an inner wall surface of the first-nozzle-portion is covered by a liquid film by decreasing the pressure inside the liquid chamber, and a second control in which a shape of the apex of the liquid surface is inverted to a protruding shape towed the opening and the droplet is discharged from the nozzle by increasing the pressure inside the liquid chamber in a state in which the inner wall surface is covered by the liquid film.

Liquid discharging head and liquid discharging apparatus

A droplet discharge head includes a plurality of nozzles, first liquid chambers communicating with the nozzles, a first inflow path for supplying a liquid to the first liquid chambers, a first actuator that individually changes pressures of the first liquid chambers, and a second actuator that changes pressures of a plurality of first liquid chambers in common, in which an expansion/contraction amount of the second actuator is larger than that of the first actuator.

Droplet discharge head

A droplet discharge head each includes a first liquid chamber formed on a flow path forming substrate, a nozzle communicating with the first liquid chamber, and a first inflow path for supplying a liquid to the first liquid chamber, and a first actuator that individually changes a pressure in the first liquid chamber, a second actuator that changes pressures in a plurality of first liquid chambers in common, in which an amount of expansion/contraction of the second actuator is larger than that of the first actuator.

A liquid-ejecting-apparatus includes a nozzle that ejects liquid with a viscosity of 50 mPa&#xb7;s or higher; a pressure-chamber communicating with the nozzle; a pressure-change-portion that changes a pressure of the liquid in the pressure-chamber; and a controller that controls the pressure-change-portion. The controller executes first control of decreasing the pressure of the liquid in the pressure-chamber, hence pulling a center portion of a meniscus toward the pressure-chamber, and forming a liquid-membrane with the liquid at an inner-wall-surface of the nozzle; and second control of, in a state in which the liquid-membrane is formed at the inner-wall-surface of the nozzle, increasing the pressure of the liquid in the pressure-chamber, hence inverting a shape of the center portion of the meniscus to a protruding shape protruding toward an opening of the nozzle and forming a liquid-column, and further, ejecting the liquid-column so as not to contact the liquid membrane.

Liquid ejecting apparatus and liquid ejecting method

A liquid-ejecting-apparatus includes a nozzle that ejects liquid; a pressure-chamber-communicating with the nozzle; a pressure-change-portion that changes a pressure of the liquid in the pressure-chamber; and a controller that controls the pressure-change-portion. The controller executes first control of decreasing the pressure of the liquid in the pressure-chamber, hence pulling a center portion of a meniscus of the liquid in the nozzle toward the pressure-chamber, and forming a liquid-membrane with the liquid at an inner-wall-surface of the nozzle; and second control of, in a state in which the liquid-membrane is formed at the inner-wall-surface of the nozzle, increasing the pressure of the liquid in the pressure-chamber, hence inverting a shape of the center portion of the meniscus to a protruding shape protruding toward an opening of the nozzle and forming a liquid-column, and further, ejecting the liquid-column so as not to contact the liquid-membrane.

An displacement amplifying mechanism that enlarges an amount of displacement of an actuator includes an accommodation chamber in which a liquid is sealed, a first wall portion that forms a wall surface of the accommodation chamber and applies a pressure to the liquid in accordance with displacement of the actuator, and a second wall portion that forms the wall surface of the accommodation chamber and is displaced in a first direction which is a direction away from the accommodation chamber in a state where an elastic force acting in a second direction approaching the accommodation chamber is generated by a pressure of the liquid when the first wall portion applies the pressure to the liquid, in which an area of the second wall portion in contact with the liquid is smaller than an area of the first wall portion in contact with the liquid.

Displacement amplifying mechanism and liquid ejecting apparatus using the same

In a droplet discharge head, in an initial state in which a tip of the actuator has contact with the vibrating plate, and the actuator pushes the vibrating plate toward the first direction, based on a drive signal from the control section, the tip of the actuator displaces the vibrating plate toward the second direction in a state of having contact with the vibrating plate to thereby pull in a meniscus in the nozzle toward the liquid chamber, then, the tip of the actuator is separated from the vibrating plate to further displace the vibrating plate toward the second direction, and then, the tip of the actuator collides with the vibrating plate to thereby displace the vibrating plate toward the first direction to discharge the liquid from the nozzle.

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Chino, Japan

Keigo Sugai