SUCTION CAP, SUCTION UNIT HAVING THE SAME, HEAD CLEANING DEVICE, LIQUID DROPLET EJECTION APPARATUS, METHOD FOR CLEANING FUNCTIONAL LIQUID DROPLET EJECTION HEAD, AND METHOD FOR MAINTAINING FUNCTIONAL LIQUID DROPLET EJECTION HEAD

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a suction cap capable of eliminating defective ejection without damaging a functional liquid droplet ejection head. SOLUTION: This suction cap 62 is adapted to perform a sucking operation with respect to an ejection nozzle 445 formed at a nozzle face 443 such that the suction cap 62 detachably, intimately contacts the nozzle face 443 of the inkjet type functional liquid droplet ejection head 27. The suction cap 62 comprises a cap body 625 communicating with a vacuum suction mechanism, and an intimate contact seal 621 that is installed in the cap body 625 and intimately contacts the nozzle face 443 such that sucking can be carried out with respect to only the plurality of ejection nozzles 445 which are a part of all the ejection nozzles 445 formed on the nozzle face 443. The intimate contact seal 621 has a suction opening section 622 corresponding to the plurality of ejection nozzles 445 to be targets of the sucking and an intimate seal section 623 that seals all the other ejection nozzles 445 that are not the targets of the sucking. COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT