Screen Holdings Co., Ltd.

Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.

Ryoichi Naoe

Takaharu Yamamoto

Hiroyuki Fuchioka

Takeshi Katayama

Katsuaki Takeuchi

Hiroshi Iwasa

A wiper cleaner unit moves a wiper-off part to a capping position orthogonally relative to a direction in which inkjet heads are disposed in synchronization with movement of a cap holder, thereby wiping off wiper blades in a standby position orthogonally relative to the direction in which the inkjet heads are disposed. This allows the wiper-off part to clean the wiper blades off ink droplets. Consequently, cleaning unevenness of a print unit due to the wiper blades is avoidable.

Inkjet printing apparatus

Provided is a liquid discharging apparatus for discharging a liquid. The liquid discharging apparatus includes droplet dischargers each discharging droplets onto a substrate, a cap unit provided with recesses covering outlets of the droplet dischargers, and movable between a retracting position away from the outlets of the droplet dischargers and a capping position in which the outlets of the droplet dischargers are closed, and a cleaner provided with absorbers contacting edges of the recesses of the cap unit, and closing the recesses in synchronization with movement of the cap unit to the retracting position.

Liquid discharging apparatus

A controller in the example of this invention operates to perform flushing by ejecting three types in size of ink droplets, i.e., smaller, middle and larger ink droplets, from each of nozzles. Then the controller operates an ink-droplet detector to perform an ejection test to detect ejection conditions. Thereafter, the controller operates an ink supply section to perform cleaning in accordance with results of the test. A combination in size of unejected ink droplets indicates a defective condition of the nozzle. Consequently, varying the degree of cleaning the nozzles in accordance with the size of the unejected ink droplets may achieve cleaning in a shorter time of period. As a result, time for cleaning the nozzle can be suppressed. This leads to a decreased proportion of maintenance to a starting time in an apparatus and increased availability of the apparatus.

Inkjet printing apparatus and nozzle-cleaning method thereof

An inkjet printing apparatusincludes an inkjet head holderholding inkjet heads, and a pair of head cap holdersandholding head caps. When the inkjet head holderis in a raised position, the head cap holdersandare arranged as horizontally juxtaposed in a capping position, where the respective inkjet headsand the respective head capsare opposed to each other, below the inkjet head holder. When the inkjet head holderis in a lowered position, the head cap holdersandare arranged as vertically superposed in a withdrawn position laterally of a vertical movement area of the inkjet head holder

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Kyoto, Japan

Ryoichi Naoe