Seiko Epson Corporation

Yoshiyuki Kurebayashi

Yoichi Yamada

Masaru Kobashi

Takatomo Fukumoto

Masahiro Maeda

Daisuke Matsumoto

A printer includes a fluid ejecting head having a plurality of nozzles, an ink supply channel and a maintenance device. The maintenance device includes a pressure regulating mechanism configured to reduce the pressures in the interiors of the ink supply channels at a position of pressure reduction, and a tight cap being brought into abutment with the fluid ejecting head so that the nozzle openings of the nozzles which receives a supply of ink through flow channels which are subject to relatively small pressure losses first by priority according to the magnitudes of the pressure losses in the respective flow channels extending from the position of pressure reduction to the respective nozzles.

Maintenance device, fluid ejecting apparatus and maintenance method

There is provided a nozzle contact unit capable of realizing a contact state, where a contact surface comes into close contact with a nozzle formation surface to block a plurality of nozzle openings, and a separated state, where the contact surface is separated from the nozzle formation surface. The nozzle contact unit separates the contact surface from the nozzle formation surface to sequentially open the nozzle openings preferentially from the nozzle opening of the nozzle with a shorter flow passage length of ink flowing from a supply port to the nozzle via a common ink chamber among the plurality of nozzle openings in a procedure from the contact state to the separated state.

Ejection liquid dryness suppressing device, liquid ejecting apparatus, and ejection liquid dryness suppressing method

A maintenance apparatus that removes bubbles from a nozzle is provided in a printer that includes a recording head having a nozzle capable of ejecting ink from a nozzle opening formed in a nozzle formation surface. The maintenance apparatus includes: a pressurizing pump that pressurizes the ink in the nozzle in a direction in which the ink is discharged from the nozzle opening; and a contact member having an upper surface that makes contact with the nozzle formation surface so as to cover the nozzle opening, and that has, formed therein, a flow channel whose pressure loss is greater than that of the nozzle and that allows air to pass through from the side of the upper surface. The ink within the nozzle is pressurized by the pressurizing pump in a state in which the contact member is in contact with the nozzle formation surface.

Maintenance apparatus, liquid ejecting apparatus, and maintenance method

A method of manufacturing a developing roller, including: a first rolling process for forming a first inclined groove which is continuous in a helical shape, by rotating a first die having blades inclined with respect to an axial direction and a circumferential direction, and a non-bladed die, and feeding an unprocessed developing roller between the first die and the non-bladed die; and a second rolling process for forming a second inclined groove which is continuous in a helical shape and intersects with the first inclined groove, by rotating a second die having blades inclined with respect to an axial direction and a circumferential direction in the direction opposite to that of the first die, and the non-bladed die in the same direction opposite to that in the first rolling process, and feeding the developing roller between the second die and the non-bladed die.

Developing roller manufacturing method, developing roller, developing device, and image forming apparatus

Provided is a development device including: a development roller in which continuous spiraling inclined grooves having different inclinations with respect to an axial direction are formed so as to cross each other; and a feed roller which is in contact with the development roller and feeds toner to the development roller, wherein transportation force, which is used for transporting the toner on the development roller from one side to the other side of the axial direction of the development roller, is generated by the rotation of the feed roller.

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Chiba, Japan

Yoshiyuki Kurebayashi