Patent Publication Number: US-2022227145-A1

Title: Recording apparatus

Description:
The present application is based on, and claims priority from JP Application Serial Number 2021-008266, filed Jan. 21, 2021, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a recording apparatus including a carriage in which a recording head that performs recording on a medium such as a sheet is mounted. 
     2. Related Art 
     As an example of a recording apparatus, a serial-type recording apparatus including a carriage in which a recording head that performs recording on a recording medium such as a sheet is mounted, and a guide member that supports the carriage such that the carriage is movable in the scanning direction that intersects the conveyance direction of the recording medium is known (for example, JP-A-2015-13451 and JP-A-2016-124232). 
     For example, JP-A-2015-13451 discloses a recording apparatus with a configuration in which a guide member is a guide rail, and a sliding part of a slide member and a carriage slide on the guide rail to which lubricant is applied. The load of the sliding resistance of the carriage guided by the guide rail to move in the scanning direction is reduced by the lubricant. 
     In addition, JP-A-2016-124232 discloses a recording apparatus with a configuration in which a guide member is a guide shaft, and a lubricant supply part that supplies lubricant to the guide shaft is provided. The lubricant supply part supplies lubricant by making contact with the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft. A member such as a felt impregnated with lubricant is used for the lubricant supply part. Note that JP-A-2016-124232 also discloses a configuration in which the guide member is a guide plate, but does not disclose a specific configuration of the lubricant supply part for the guide plate. 
     However, in the case where the configuration disclosed in JP-A-2016-124232 including a lubricant supply part for supplying lubricant is applied in the configuration disclosed in JP-A-2015-13451, the intensity of the contact of the impregnated member such as a felt that makes up the lubricant supply part with the guide rail may vary depending on the variation of the orientation of the carriage with respect to the guide rail. When the contact intensity varies on the weak side, the impregnated member may be separated from the sliding surface (rail surface) of the guide rail, and the contacting pressure against the sliding surface may be excessively reduced, which may result in stagnation of the supply of the lubricant between the sliding part and the sliding surface. In this case, the carriage movement speed may be varied by a large sliding resistance due to the shortage of the lubricant, and this results in disadvantages such as reduction in the recording accuracy of the recording apparatus, and reduction in the lifetime of the recording apparatus  11  due to the sliding part of the carriage prematurely worn out. 
     SUMMARY 
     A recording apparatus that solves the above-described problems includes a recording head configured to perform recording on a recording medium being conveyed in a conveyance direction, a carriage in which the recording head is mounted, the carriage being configured to perform scanning in a scanning direction that intersects the conveyance direction, and a guide member including a flat surface configured to guide the carriage in the scanning direction. The carriage includes a sliding part configured to slide in contact with the guide member, an impregnated member impregnated with lubricant on at least one side of the sliding part in the scanning direction, and a pressure member configured to press the impregnated member to the guide member side from a surface on a side opposite to the guide member with respect to the impregnated member. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front view illustrating a recording apparatus of an embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic side sectional view illustrating the recording apparatus. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view illustrating a recording part and a guide member. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view illustrating a carriage guide structure. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the recording part as viewed from a bottom side. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating a plurality of sliding portions in a carriage. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view illustrating sliding portions of two types in the carriage. 
         FIG. 8  is a back sectional view illustrating a cross section of a sliding unit mounted to the carriage. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the sliding unit as viewed from a sliding surface side. 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the sliding unit as viewed from a surface on the side opposite to the sliding surface. 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a slider of the sliding unit as viewed from a sliding surface side. 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the slider of the sliding unit as viewed from the surface on the side opposite to the sliding surface side. 
         FIG. 13  is a sectional view illustrating an operation of a sliding part. 
         FIG. 14  is a sectional view illustrating an operation of sway of the sliding part. 
         FIG. 15  is a partial sectional view of the sliding unit, illustrating a state where lubricant is supplied from a storage part to an impregnated member. 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view for describing a procedure of attaching/detaching the sliding unit to the carriage. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     An embodiment of a recording apparatus is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the recording apparatus of this embodiment is an ink-jet printer that performs printing (recording) of letters, images and the like on a medium such as a sheet by discharging liquid such as ink to the medium. 
     The recording apparatus rotatably holds a roll body of a recording medium wound around a core member, and records an image and the like on the recording medium by discharging liquid to the surface of the recording medium pulled out from the roll body. 
     Configuration of Recording Apparatus 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a recording apparatus  11  includes a housing  12 , and a leg part  13  that supports the housing  12 . The housing  12  has a substantially cuboid shape. The housing  12  includes a front wall  121 , a rear wall  122 , a first side wall  123 , a second side wall  124 , an upper wall  125  and a base frame  14  supported by the leg part  13 . 
     In the following description, a vertical direction Z is defined based on the assumption that the recording apparatus  11  is placed on a horizontal plane. A direction that is a direction along a plane orthogonal to the vertical direction Z and is the movement direction of a carriage  31  is referred to as a scanning direction X, and a direction that is the direction along a plane orthogonal to the vertical direction Z and intersects the scanning direction X is a conveyance direction Y, because this is the conveyance direction of the medium at the recording position where a recording head  32  mounted to the carriage  31  performs recording on the recording medium. Note that the scanning direction X includes a +X direction, which is the outward direction of one direction of the back-and-forth movement of the carriage  31 , and a −X direction, which is the direction opposite to the outward direction. In addition, a conveyance direction D (see  FIG. 2 ) in which the medium is conveyed changes depending on the position on the conveyance path of the recording medium. The conveyance direction Y is equal to the conveyance direction D at the recording position. In addition, in this embodiment, the scanning direction X is referred to also as a width direction X, because this is equal to the width direction, which intersects the conveyance direction of the recording medium. Further, the vertical direction Z includes a lower direction +Z, which is one direction of the vertical direction, and an upward direction −Z, which is the direction opposite to the lower direction +Z. Note that in this embodiment, the scanning direction X, the conveyance direction Y and the vertical direction Z are orthogonal to each other. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the housing  12  includes a housing part  15  that houses two cylindrical roll bodies  25 . The housing part  15  includes an opening  16  at a lower portion in the front wall  121  of the housing  12 , and the roll body  25  can be attached and detached from the front surface side through the opening  16 . 
     Conveyance Part 
     The recording apparatus  11  includes a conveyance part  20  that conveys a recording medium  23  from the roll body  25 . The conveyance part  20  includes a feeding part  21  that unwinds and feeds the recording medium  23  from the roll body  25 , and a plurality of conveyance roller pairs  22  that conveys the fed recording medium  23  in a sandwiching manner (see  FIG. 2 ). The recording apparatus  11  includes a support base  28  that supports the recording medium  23  being conveyed. The support base  28  extends along a region that faces the recording head  32  when the carriage  31  moves in the scanning direction X. The upward side of the support base  28  is a scanning region where the carriage  31  moves when a recording part  30  performs recording on the recording medium  23  supported by the support base  28 . In addition, the region on the support base  28  is a recording region where the recording head  32  performs recording on the recording medium  23 . 
     The support base  28  is a member with a rectangular plate shape that extends in the width direction X in the housing  12 . The recording medium  23  unwound and output from the roll body  25  is conveyed in the housing  12  to the support base  28 , and then conveyed on the support base  28  toward the conveyance direction Y. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the recording apparatus  11  can house the two roll bodies  25  aligned in the vertical direction Z in the housing part  15 . The roll body  25  is composed of the recording medium  23  as the recording object wound around a core member  24 . 
     End portions of the two roll bodies  25  are held by a first holding part  26  that holds one end of the roll body  25 , and a second holding part  27  that holds the other end of the roll body  25 . The roll body  25  is configured such that it can be dismounted from the housing  12  through the opening  16  in the state where it is held by the first holding part  26  and the second holding part  27 . 
     The first holding part  26  and the second holding part  27  are mounted such that they are rotatable with respect to the housing  12  around the axis line extending in the width direction X. In this manner, the roll body  25  is held such that it is rotatable with respect to the housing  12 . 
     The roll body  25  is driven into rotation by a driving part not illustrated in the drawing. Through forward rotation driving of a drive motor not illustrated in the drawing, the driving part not illustrated in the drawing rotates the first holding part  26  and the second holding part  27  in the output direction of the recording medium  23  wound around the roll body  25 . Note that in an actual recording, the recording medium  23  is output from only one of the two roll bodies  25 . When the recording medium  23  of one of the two roll bodies  25  is used up, the recording medium  23  pulled out from the other roll body  25  prepared in advance is set, and thus the printing can be restarted with a short interruption time. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the recording medium  23  fed from the roll body  25  is sent to the conveyance roller pair  22  along the path indicated by the chain double-dashed line in  FIG. 2 . Then, the plurality of conveyance roller pairs  22  conveys the recording medium  23  on the path that passes over the support base  28 . The recording part  30  performs recording on the recording medium  23  supported by the support base  28 , and the recorded recording medium  23  is cut as necessary and then ejected from an ejection port  19 . In addition, the recording apparatus  11  includes an operation part  18  in the upper wall  125  of the housing  12 . The operation part  18  is operated by the user when providing a request to the recording apparatus  11 . The operation part  18  includes at least one of an operation button and a touch-screen display part. 
     Recording Part 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the recording apparatus  11  includes the recording part  30  at a position on the upper side of the housing part  15  in the housing  12 . The recording part  30  includes the recording head  32  that performs recording on the recording medium  23  being conveyed in the conveyance direction Y, the carriage  31  that moves (scans) in the scanning direction X that intersects the conveyance direction Y with the recording head  32  mounted therein, a guide member  50  that guides the carriage  31  such that the carriage  31  is movable along the scanning direction X. The guide member  50  includes a flat surface. 
     The carriage  31  is guided along the guide member  50 . In addition, the carriage  31  is fixed to a part of an endless synchronous belt  34  stretched and extended along the guide member  50 . The both end portions of the synchronous belt  34  in the scanning direction X are wound around a pair of pulleys  33 . One of the pair of pulleys  33  is a drive pulley coupled with an output shaft of a carriage motor  35  (see  FIG. 3 ), and the other of the pair of pulleys  33  is a driven pulley. When the carriage motor  35  is forward/reverse driven, the carriage  31  moves back and forth in the scanning direction X. When the carriage motor  35  is forward/reverse driven, the carriage  31  moves back and forth in the scanning direction X. 
     The guide member  50  supports the carriage  31  at a position upward of the support base  28 . The guide member  50  is a member extending along the scanning direction X. The guide member  50  supports the carriage  31  such that the carriage  31  is movable along the scanning direction X. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , in the carriage  31 , the recording head  32  is mounted at a lower portion that can face the support base  28 . When the carriage motor  35  is driven, the carriage  31  moves along the guide member  50  and thus moves the recording head  32  back and forth in the scanning direction X. The recording head  32  performs recording by discharging liquid to a recording surface of the recording medium  23 , which is a surface parallel to the XY plane, while performing scanning in the width direction X that intersects the conveyance direction Y of the recording medium  23 . 
     The recorded recording medium  23  is guided to the ejection port  19 . The portion recorded by the recording medium  23  is cut by a cutting part not illustrated in the drawing. In this case, the cut recording medium  23  is ejected from the ejection port  19 . 
     Next, specific configurations of the recording part  30  and the guide member  50  are described with reference to  FIG. 3 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the recording part  30  includes the carriage  31 , and the recording head  32  mounted in the carriage  31 . The carriage  31  includes a carriage main body  36  that is a portion for supporting the recording head  32 , and a carriage supporting part  37  disposed on the rear side of the carriage main body  36  and interposed between the carriage main body  36  and the guide member  50 . The carriage supporting part  37  engages, to the guide member  50 , the carriage  31  in a movable state in the scanning direction X. The guide member  50  may be composed of a part of a main frame provided in the housing  12 , for example. In this case, the guide member  50  includes a frame main body  51  and a rail part  52  that guides the carriage  31 . Note that the guide member  50  need not have the configuration that serves also as a main frame, and may be provided across the inside of the housing  12  as a member separated from a main frame. 
     Configuration of Recording Part 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the recording part  30  includes the carriage  31  supported in such a manner that it can move along the guide member  50  in the scanning direction X, and the recording head  32  mounted in the carriage  31 . 
     The carriage supporting part  37  includes an upright part  37 A extending in the vertical direction Z, and a protruding portion  37 B protruding rearward (−Y direction) from the upper end portion of the upright part  37 A. 
     The synchronous belt  34  is fixed to the carriage supporting part  37  through a belt fixing part  37 C. In addition, a sensor of a linear encoder  38  is fixed to the carriage supporting part  37 . Further, a gear  39  is attached to the carriage supporting part  37  of this example. For example, when the carriage  31  moves to a predetermined position on the path in the scanning direction X, the gear  39  is engaged with a drive gear, and the rotational force of the drive gear is input into the carriage  31  through the gear  39 . A predetermined driving mechanism of the carriage  31  is driven. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the carriage  31  includes a sliding part  61  that slides in contact with rail surfaces  53  to  55  as an example of the flat surface of the guide member  50 . In this embodiment, the sliding part  61  is provided as a unit as a sliding unit  60 . A plurality of the sliding units  60  is detachably mounted to the carriage  31 . 
     The plurality of sliding units  60  includes a first sliding unit  60  that presses the sliding part  61  against the rail surface in the +Z direction, a second sliding unit  60  that presses the sliding part  61  against the rail surface in the −Y direction, and a third sliding unit  60  that presses the sliding part  61  against the rail surface in the +Y direction. 
     The rail part  52  includes the rail surfaces  53  to  55  composed of flat surfaces serving as sliding surfaces on which the sliding part  61  on the carriage  31  side slides when the carriage  31  moves in the scanning direction X. The rail part  52  of this example includes the rail surface  53  orthogonal to the vertical direction Z, and the rail surfaces  54  and  55  orthogonal to the conveyance direction Y. Specifically, in the example illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the rail part  52  includes the first rail surface  53  composed of a flat surface that is orthogonal to the vertical direction Z and faces the +Z direction, the second rail surface  54  composed of a flat surface that is orthogonal to the conveyance direction Y and faces the +Y direction, and the third rail surface  55  composed of a flat surface that is orthogonal to the conveyance direction Y and faces the −Y direction. 
     In the side view illustrated in  FIG. 3 , when the sliding part  61  strongly pushes the first rail surface  53  in the +Z direction, the carriage  31  acts to turn and displace counterclockwise, and consequently the other sliding part  61  tends to float from the rail surfaces  54  and  55 . In addition, when the sliding part  61  strongly pushes the second rail surface  54  in the −Y direction, the carriage  31  acts to turn and displace clockwise, and accordingly the other sliding part  61  tends to float from the rail surfaces  53  and  55 . Further, when the sliding part  61  strongly pushes the third rail surface  55  in the +Y direction, the carriage  31  acts to turn and displace clockwise, and consequently the other sliding part  61  tends to hit the rail surface  53  with an excessive strength and to float from the rail surface  54 . 
     The positional variation of the carriage  31  in the conveyance direction Y is suppressed by pressing the sliding part  61  toward the −Y direction against the second rail surface  54  and pressing the sliding part  61  toward the +Y direction against the third rail surface  55 . That is, the moving carriage  31  guided by the guide member  50  is positioned in the conveyance direction Y. In addition, the positional variation of the carriage  31  in the vertical direction Z is suppressed by pressing the sliding part  61  toward the vertical direction Z (the +Z direction) against the first rail surface  53 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the recording head  32  includes a nozzle surface  32 A that is parallel to the XY plane composed of the width direction X and the conveyance direction Y. Specifically, the recording head  32  includes the nozzle surface  32 A that is parallel to the recording surface of the recording medium  23  conveyed in the conveyance direction Y on the support base  28 . 
     Configuration of Recording Part 
       FIG. 4  illustrates the carriage supporting part  37  in the state where the guide member  50  is dismounted. As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the carriage  31  includes a plurality of the sliding parts  61 . Specifically, the carriage  31  includes the sliding parts  61  of a plurality of types with different orientations of orientations, including a sliding part  61  that faces the vertical direction Z, a sliding part  61  that faces the −Y direction, and a sliding part  61  that faces the +Y direction. The sliding parts  61  of the plurality of types with different orientations are mounted to the carriage  31  as a part of a sliding mechanism GS. The sliding mechanism GS includes the sliding unit  60  mounted to the carriage  31  in a slidable manner. By mounting the sliding unit  60  to the carriage  31 , the sliding part  61  is mounted in a predetermined direction at a predetermined position of the carriage  31 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the carriage supporting part  37  is provided with mounting parts  41  to  43 . When the sliding unit  60  provided with the sliding part  61  is mounted to the mounting parts  41  to  43 , each sliding part  61  is mounted in a predetermined direction with respect to the carriage supporting part  37 . 
     The sliding unit  60  includes the sliding part  61  and a slider  62  (casing) that is mounted in the state where the sliding part  61  is exposed. The sliding unit  60  is fit to the mounting parts  41  to  43  in a sliding manner and is thus positioned at a predetermined position. Then the positioned sliding unit  60  is fixed to the mounting parts  41  to  43  with a screw  80 , and is thus held at the predetermined position where it is positioned. 
     The carriage  31  includes a plurality of springs  81  and  82  that biases the plurality of sliding parts  61  with different pressing directions such that the plurality of sliding parts  61  can be pressed against the corresponding rail surfaces  53  to  55 . Specifically, in the carriage supporting part  37 , the first spring  81  for applying a bias in the conveyance direction Y, and the second spring  82  for applying a bias in an oblique direction having components in both the scanning direction X and the vertical direction Z, are provided in a stretched manner. Note that one or more springs for applying a bias that allows for pressing the sliding part  61  against the corresponding rail surfaces  53  to  55  may be provided for each type of the sliding parts  61  disposed in the same direction. 
     In addition, as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , a sensor  38 B that optically reads a linear scale  38 A making up the linear encoder  38  is attached to a rear part of the carriage supporting part  37 . The sensor  38 B outputs a detection signal including a number of pulses proportional to the movement length of the carriage  31  in the scanning direction X. In addition, the belt fixing part  37 C that fixes the synchronous belt  34  is provided at a rear part of the carriage supporting part  37 . When the synchronous belt  34  fixed to the belt fixing part  37 C is rotated in forward and reverse directions by the forward/reverse drive of the carriage motor  35 , the carriage  31  can move back and forth in the scanning direction X. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the recording head  32  is provided at a center in the bottom portion of the carriage  31 . In the recording head  32 , the bottom surface that faces the support base  28  (see  FIG. 2 ) is the nozzle surface  32 A where a plurality of nozzles (not illustrated) is open. In the nozzle surface  32 A, a plurality of nozzles (not illustrated) that performs recording on the recording medium  23  by discharging liquid is disposed. At the nozzle surface  32 A, a large number of nozzles are open at an even interval in one direction. The plurality of nozzles makes up nozzle rows NA. The openings of the nozzles are arranged in the conveyance direction Y of the recording medium  23 , and make up the plurality of nozzle rows NA. The nozzles that make up one nozzle row NA discharge the liquid of the same type. In the nozzles that make up one nozzle row NA, the nozzle located on the upstream side in the conveyance direction Y and the nozzle located on the downstream side in the conveyance direction Y are formed at positions shifted in the width direction X. The plurality of nozzle rows NA is arranged in the width direction X in a unit of two rows close to each other. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the carriage supporting part  37  includes the three mounting parts  41  to  43 . The three mounting parts  41  to  43  include mounting surfaces  41 A to  43 A to which the sliding unit  60  is mounted. The three mounting surfaces  41 A to  43 A are different from each other in the direction perpendicular to the surfaces. Specifically, the first mounting surface  41 A is a surface oriented such that the direction perpendicular to the first mounting surface  41 A is the +Z direction. The second mounting surface  42 A is a surface oriented such that the direction perpendicular to the second mounting surface  42 A is the −Y direction. The third mounting surface  43 A is a surface oriented such that the direction perpendicular to the third mounting surface  43 A is the +Y direction. The first mounting surface  41 A and the second mounting surface  42 A are formed in a lower portion of the carriage supporting part  37 , and the third mounting surface  43 A is formed in an upper portion of the carriage supporting part  37 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the sliding unit  60  is detachably provided for each of the mounting surfaces  41 A to  43 A of three types with different orientations. The sliding unit  60  of this embodiment is detachably attached to the carriage  31 . More specifically, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the sliding unit  60  is mounted in the state where it is slidable along a slide part  44  formed in the carriage  31 . In this example, the sliding unit  60  can be attached and detached by sliding it in the scanning direction X to the slide part  44 . The sliding unit  60  is fixed to the carriage  31  with the screw  80  in the state where the sliding unit  60  is mounted to the slide part  44 , and the sliding unit  60  is thus retained so as to prevent the removal due to the movement in the scanning direction X. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8 , the sliding unit  60  includes the slider  62  in which the sliding part  61 , an impregnated member  63  and a pressure member  64  are mounted. The slider  62  is detachably provided to the carriage  31 . When the sliding part  61  is worn out, it suffices to replace the entire slider  62  for the sliding unit  60 , which makes it easier to perform replenishment of the lubricant GR and replacement of the impregnated member  63 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8 , the slider  62  is inserted to the slide part  44  in the scanning direction X, and fixed with the screw  80  from the scanning direction X. The slider  62  includes a holding part  62 B. The holding part  62 B includes a hole  621  (see  FIG. 9 ). The hole  621  is used to dismount the slider  62  by hooking a jig or the like, for example. In addition, the holding part  62 B includes an anti-slip part  622  (see  FIG. 9 ). 
     The plurality of sliding units  60  is mounted to the carriage  31 . The carriage  31  is provided with a plurality of the sliders  62 , and the sliders  62  have the same shape. The sliding parts  61  that are different from each other in the directions in which they are pressed against the rail surfaces  53  to  55  may use the common slider  62 . In this case, the manufacturing cost of the carriage  31  is suppressed by using the common parts of the slider  62 . In addition, the same sliding parts  61  may use the common sliding unit  60 . In this case, by using the common parts of the sliding unit  60 , the manufacturing cost of the carriage  31  is further suppressed. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8 , the carriage  31  includes the sliding part  61 , and the impregnated member  63  impregnated with the lubricant GR. The lubricant GR includes grease. Further, the carriage  31  includes a storage part  65  that stores the lubricant GR that is supplied to the impregnated member  63 . In this embodiment, the sliding part  61 , the impregnated member  63  and the storage part  65  are configured as the sliding unit  60  such that they are collectively disposed in one member. The sliding part  61  can be replaced for each sliding unit  60 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8 , the carriage  31  includes, at least on one side of the sliding part  61  in the scanning direction X, the impregnated member  63  impregnated with the lubricant GR, and the pressure member  64  that presses the impregnated member  63  to the guide member  50  side from the surface on the side opposite to the guide member  50  with respect to the impregnated member  63 . In this embodiment, the carriage  31  includes the impregnated member  63  impregnated with the lubricant GR on both sides of the sliding part  61  in the scanning direction X. The impregnated members  63  on both sides are pressed by the pressure member  64  to the guide member  50  side from the surface on the side opposite to the guide member  50 . The impregnated member  63  impregnated with the lubricant GR is, for example, a felt member impregnated with the lubricant GR. The lubricant GR is, for example, grease. The grease is oil that is semifluid at normal temperature. The lubricant GR may be oil that is liquid at normal temperature, or may include a mixture of grease and oil. Note that regarding the position and number of the impregnated member  63 , it may be disposed on one side, not both sides, of the sliding part  61  in the scanning direction X. In this example, the impregnated member  63  may be composed of a felt member impregnated with the lubricant GR. 
     The pressure force of the pressure member  64  is smaller than the pressure force of carriage  31  against the guide member  50 . Here, the pressure force of carriage  31  against the guide member  50  is referred to as a first pressure force F, and the pressure force of the pressure member  64  is referred to as a second pressure force f. The first pressure force F of the carriage  31  pressing the rail surfaces  53  to  55  is a pressure force based on the own weight of the recording part  30 , the biasing force of the springs  81  and  82  and the like, and the moment of the own weights and biasing forces. The pressure member  64  is, for example, a spring. In the case where the pressure member  64  is a spring, it may be the leaf spring illustrated in  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8 , or a coil spring that can bias the impregnated member  63 , for example. 
     The pressure force of the pressure member  64  may be smaller than half the pressure force of carriage  31  against the guide member  50 . For example, the second pressure force f of the pressure member  64  may be smaller than 1/20 to ½ of the first pressure force F of the carriage  31  against the guide member  50 . The second pressure force f of the pressure member  64  is far smaller than the first pressure force F, and may be smaller than 1/20 to ⅕ of the first pressure force F, for example. The second pressure force f of the pressure member  64  may be approximately 1/10 of the first pressure force F, for example. 
     By setting the second pressure force f of the pressure member  64  to a value smaller than the first pressure force F, the destabilization of the orientation due to the carriage  31  floated from the guide member  50  and the like is easily prevented. In addition, a situation where the impregnated member  63  is excessively strongly pressed and the lubricant GR is excessively ejected is easily prevented. 
     In this embodiment, the sliding units  60  are disposed at a plurality of locations in the carriage  31 . In the case where the pressure members  64  are the common parts among the plurality of sliding units  60 , the biasing force of the pressure member  64  is smaller than the minimum load of the carriage  31  against the rail surfaces  53  to  55 . On the other hand, in the case where the biasing force of the pressure member  64  is changed to different pressure forces among the plurality of sliding units  60 , the pressure force f of each pressure member  64  is set to a value smaller than the load against each carriage  31 . Even when the loads of the carriage  31  received at the sliding mechanism GS are different from each other, it suffices that the pressure force of each pressure members  64  is smaller than the minimum load of the carriage  31 . 
     Here, when the pressure member  64  presses the impregnated member  63  against the rail surfaces  53  to  55  with an excessive force, the carriage  31  pressed by the rail surfaces  53  to  55  with the excessive force turns such that its orientation is deviated from the proper orientation, and the other sliding part  61  loses the contact with the rail surfaces  53  to  55  due to the floating from the rail surfaces  53  to  55  and the like. In addition, when the pressure member  64  strongly presses the impregnated member  63  against the rail surfaces  53  to  55  with an excessive force, the lubricant GR impregnated in the impregnated member  63  is excessively exuded. This results in premature lubricant exhaustion and the increase in the load of the slide movement of the sliding part  61  on the rail surfaces  53  to  55 , and the durability of the carriage  31  is impaired. On the other hand, in the case where the sliding part  61  does not make contact with the rail surfaces  53  to  55 , the lubricant GR cannot be supplied to the sliding part  61 . Also in this case, the load of the slide movement of the sliding part  61  on the rail surfaces  53  to  55  is increased and the durability of the carriage  31  is impaired. 
     Especially in the case where the impregnated member  63  is composed of a material that easily absorbs the liquid lubricant GR such as cloth and fiber, it is easily affected by humidity, and it is therefore difficult to manage the contact pressure between the sliding part  61  and the rail surfaces  53  to  55 . Note that the pressure member  64  is not limited as long as the pressure member  64  can press the impregnated member  63  to the guide member  50  side from the surface on the side opposite to the guide member  50  with respect to the impregnated member  63 , and the pressure member  64  may be a spring such as a leaf spring, or an elastic synthetic resin sheet or film. 
     The pressure member  64  presses substantially the entire impregnated member  63  in the direction that intersects the scanning direction X. In this example in which the impregnated member  63  is composed of a flexible felt member, the impregnated member  63  may be pressed from the back surface by a portion (end portion), linearly extending in the direction that intersects the scanning direction X, of the pressure member  64  composed of a leaf spring. In this manner, substantially the entire width of the impregnated member  63  in the direction that intersects the scanning direction X is brought into contact with the guide member  50 . 
     As described above, the sliding unit  60  may include a structure that pushes out the impregnated member  63  composed of a felt member at a predetermined force. The impregnated member  63  that supplies the lubricant GR is disposed near the front and rear of the sliding part  61  of the carriage  31  in the scanning direction X, and the impregnated member  63  is configured to be pressed against the rail surfaces  53  to  55  of the guide member  50 . Specifically, the pressure member  64  with a weak elastic force is brought into contact with a center portion of the impregnated member  63  composed of a felt member on the side opposite to the side that faces the rail surfaces  53  to  55 , and the impregnated member  63  is pressed with the weak elastic force of the pressure member  64 . 
     For example, in the case where the guide member  50  is a columnar guide shaft, when the sliding part provided to surround the periphery of the guide shaft inserted to an insertion portion on the carriage side strongly makes contact in one direction, the contact on the opposite side becomes weak, and therefore the positions of the carriage and the guide shaft are adjusted to make an appropriate contact. On the other hand, in the configuration of this embodiment in which the guide member  50  is a guide rail, when the sliding part  61  is displaced from the rail surfaces  53  to  55  in the orthogonal direction, an excessively strong contact or a poor contact results. Thus, it is important to manage the contact pressure between the sliding part  61  and the rail surfaces  53  to  55 . 
     In this embodiment, the impregnated member  63  is biased by the pressure member  64  in the same direction as the load of the carriage  31  against the rail surfaces  53  to  55  such as the own weight of the carriage  31 , the biasing force of the spring, and the moment of the biasing force of the spring. In this manner, the excessively strong contact or the poor contact on the sliding surface (rail surface) among the plurality of sliding parts  61  is avoided. The biasing force of the pressure member  64  biasing the impregnated member  63  may be set to a strength smaller than the load of the carriage  31  against the rail surfaces  53  to  55 . 
     In this embodiment, the felt member that makes up the impregnated member  63  is pushed out from the back side by the pressure member  64 . Since the biasing force (spring force) of the pressure member  64  can be managed, the impregnated member  63  composed of a felt member can be reliably brought into contact with the rail surfaces  53  to  55 , and a turning deviation in which the impregnated member  63  (for example, a felt member) is pressed against at least one of the rail surfaces  53  to  55  with an excessive force and the carriage  31  is turned from the normal orientation is not caused. Thus, the sliding part  61  of the carriage  31  does not float from the rail surfaces  53  to  55 . 
     The sliding unit  60  includes a dropping prevention structure for the impregnated member  63 . In the surface of the slider  62  opposite to the surface that faces the guide member  50 , a holding part  78  that holds the impregnated member  63 , and an opening  72 A formed at a position facing the guide member  50  in the holding part  78 . Two opposite sides at the outer periphery part of the impregnated member  63  in the scanning direction X are supported by the outer edge of the opening  72 A. The center portion of the impregnated member  63  in the scanning direction X is pressed by the pressure member  64  to make contact with the guide member  50 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 8 , the impregnated member  63  is held at the slider  62  by covering the peripheral portion of the impregnated member  63  with the holding part  78  from the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ) side. The center portion of the impregnated member  63  is pressed by the pressure member  64  from the back surface, and thus the impregnated member  63  is protruded and exposed from the opening  72 A to the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ) side. In this embodiment, the peripheral portion of the impregnated member  63  is covered with the holding part  78  formed in the slider  62  from the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ) side. In this manner, the dropping of the impregnated member  63  from the slider  62  is prevented. 
     Since sliding of the sliding part  61  on the rail surfaces  53  to  55  alone results in a large sliding resistance, the impregnated member  63  that supplies the lubricant GR is disposed. The impregnated member  63  is, for example, a felt member impregnated with grease as the lubricant GR, and when the impregnated member  63  is pressed against the rail surfaces  53  to  55  by the pressure member  64  with a predetermined pressure force, the lubricant GR is exuded and the exuded lubricant GR is supplied to the rail surfaces  53  to  55 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 8 , the carriage  31  may include the storage part  65 . In this embodiment, the sliding unit  60  includes the storage part  65 . The reason for this is that the lubricant GR impregnated in the felt member alone results in shortage of the lubricant GR for the lifetime of the recording apparatus  11 . The storage part  65  is located next to the impregnated member  63  in the scanning direction X. The storage part  65  includes a housing recess  73  provided in a recessed manner such that the lubricant GR can be stored in the slider  62  (see  FIG. 9 ), the lubricant GR housed in the housing recess  73 , and a groove part  75  that communicates between the housing recess  73  and a housing space in which the impregnated member  63  is housed (see  FIG. 9 ). When the lubricant GR in the felt member is consumed, the lubricant GR in the liquid form is supplied to the impregnated member  63  from the storage part  65  through the groove part  75 , by capillary action or the like. In this manner, the lubricant GR of the storage part  65  is supplied to the impregnated member  63 , and the lubricant GR is further supplied from the impregnated member  63  to the rail surfaces  53  to  55 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 8 , the sliding mechanism GS includes an aligning mechanism AS in which even when the rail surfaces  53  to  55  (sliding surface) have a curvature such as undulation, a contact part  61 A thereof can follow the rail surfaces  53  to  55 . The sliding unit  60  and the sliding part  61  are separate members, and are provided to be swayable around the axis line that is parallel to the direction that intersects at least the scanning direction X with respect to the slider. 
     The sliding part  61  includes the contact part  61 A that makes contact with the guide member  50  over a predetermined length in the direction along the scanning direction X, and a protrusion part  61 B that makes contact with the carriage  31  at the rear surface at the intermediate position of the contact part  61 A in the scanning direction X. 
     Since the back surface part of sliding part  61  has a convex surface shape, the protrusion part  61 B formed on the back surface of the sliding part  61  makes point contact or line contact with a frame surface  44 A of the carriage  31 . The protrusion part  61 B of the sliding part  61  may be formed in a convex spherical shape (see  FIG. 10 ), for example. With a convex spherical shape, it can be swayed around the axis line parallel to the scanning direction X with respect to the slider  62 . 
     Thus, the sliding part  61  is swayable with the point contact portion or the contact portion of the protrusion part  61 B as a fulcrum C (see  FIG. 13  and  FIG. 14 ). Thus, the sliding part  61  can follow the rail surfaces  53  to  55  in the state where a wide contact area between the contact part  61 A and the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ) is maintained even when the rail surfaces  53  to  55  (sliding surfaces) are curved. Thus, the orientation of the carriage is stabilized by reliably bringing the contact part of the sliding part  61  into contact with the rail surfaces  53  to  55 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9 , the sliding part  61  includes a recess  61 C that does not make contact with the guide member  50  at a center portion in the scanning direction X. That is, the contact part  61 A is separated into two parts with the recess  61 C therebetween in the scanning direction X. The sliding resistance of the carriage  31  can be reduced by reducing the contact area while stabilizing the orientation by increasing the length of the contact part  61 A in the scanning direction X. 
     Next, a specific configuration of the sliding unit  60  is described with reference to  FIG. 9  and  FIG. 10 . Note that in  FIG. 9  to  FIG. 12 , Dx is the longitudinal direction, Dy is the short direction, and Dz is the thickness direction of the sliding unit  60 . For example, in the sliding unit  60  mounted along the rail surface  53 , the longitudinal direction Dx coincides with the scanning direction X, the short direction Dy coincides with the conveyance direction Y, and the thickness direction Dz coincides with the vertical direction Z. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 9 , in a first surface, which is on the sliding surface side, of the sliding unit  60 , the sliding part  61  is mounted at a center portion in the longitudinal direction Dx. The contact part  61 A of the sliding part  61  is separated into two parts on both sides with the recess  61 C formed at a center portion in the longitudinal direction Dx therebetween. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the center portion of the back surface of the impregnated member  63  is pressed by the end portion of the pressure member  64  in the state where the peripheral portions on both sides in the scanning direction X are held at the holding part  78 . The sliding unit  60  includes the storage part  65  that stores the lubricant GR at a position arranged side by side with the holding part  78  in the scanning direction X. The groove part  75  that guides the lubricant GR from the storage part  65  to the impregnated member  63  held in the holding part  78  is provided between the storage part  65  and the holding part  78 . 
     The sliding unit  60  includes the holding part  62 B protruding in the scanning direction X at one end portion in the longitudinal direction Dx. In the holding part  62 B, the hole  621  and the anti-slip part  622  are formed. 
     In addition, in the sliding unit  60 , a lock part  62 C protrudes at an end portion on the side opposite to the holding part  62 B in the scanning direction X. When the sliding unit  60  is slid by the slide part  44  and inserted to the terminal end position, the lock part  62 C is inserted to a hole  45  (see  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8 ) on the carriage  31  side, and thus the end side is positioned. In addition, the sliding unit  60  includes a supporting part  62 D that protrudes to the second surface, which is the surface on the side opposite to the first surface in the thickness direction Dz that intersects the protruding direction of the holding part  62 B. In the supporting part  62 D, a screw insertion hole  623  through which the shaft part of the screw  80  can be inserted is formed. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 10 , the protrusion part  61 B with a convex spherical surface is formed on the back side of a center portion of the sliding part  61  in the scanning direction X. At the convex spherical surface, the protrusion part  61 B makes contact with the frame surface  44 A (see  FIG. 8 ), which is the bottom surface of the slide part  44 , in the state where the sliding unit  60  is fit to the slide part  44 . The frame surface  44 A is a flat surface. The protrusion part  61 B makes point contact with the frame surface  44 A at the convex spherical surface, and thus the sway of the sliding part  61  with the point contact position as the fulcrum is achieved. In the slider  62 , a recess  74  is provided in a recessed manner at a position next to a housing hole  72  in the longitudinal direction Dx. The recess  74  functions as an attaching portion for attaching a base part  64 A of the pressure member  64 . In the state where the base part  64 A is attached to the recess  74 , an end portion  64 B of the pressure member  64  presses the impregnated member  63  from the back side. Note that the recess  74  of this example is provided at a position opposite to the housing recess  73  in the surface on the side opposite to the surface in which the housing recess  73  is provided in a recessed manner in the slider  62 . 
     Next, a specific configuration of the slider  62  is described with reference to  FIG. 11  and  FIG. 12 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the slider  62  includes, in its slider main body  62 A, a housing hole  71  that houses the sliding part  61 , the housing hole  72  including the opening  72 A that exposes the impregnated member  63 , and the housing recess  73  that serves as the storage part  65  that stores the lubricant GR. The slider  62  includes a plurality of restriction parts  76  and a plurality of protrusions  77  at the inner wall surface of the housing hole  71  that houses the sliding part  61 . In the state where the sliding part  61  (see  FIG. 9 ) is mounted to the housing hole  71  of the slider  62 , the plurality of restriction parts  76  restricts the displaceable range, to the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ) (see  FIG. 14 ) side in the thickness direction Dz, of the both end portions of the sliding part  61  in the longitudinal direction Dx. In addition, the plurality of protrusions  77  functions as a retainer of the sliding part  61  mounted to the housing hole  71  of the slider  62 . Then, with the plurality of restriction parts  76  and the plurality of protrusions  77 , the sway allowance of the sliding part  61  with the point contact portion of the protrusion part  61 B as the fulcrum C (see  FIG. 14 ) is defined. In addition, as illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the groove part  75  that communicates between the housing hole  72  and the housing recess  73  is formed between the housing hole  72  and the housing recess  73 . The slider  62  includes the above-described holding part  62 B and lock part  62 C at the both end portions in the longitudinal direction Dx. In addition, the slider  62  includes above-described supporting part  62 D that protrudes from the base part of the holding part  62 B in the direction that intersects the protrusion direction of the holding part  62 B. The screw insertion hole  623  is formed in supporting part  62 D. 
     Next, an operation of the recording apparatus  11  is described. 
     Since the impregnated member  63  is provided on the both sides of the sliding part  61  in the scanning direction X, the lubricant GR is supplied to the rail surfaces  53  to  55 . For example, in  FIG. 8 , in the outward movement in which the carriage  31  moves in the +X direction, the lubricant GR is supplied to the rail surface  53  from the impregnated member  63  located on the downstream side (in  FIG. 8 , the left side) in the travelling direction. Then, when the sliding part  61  slides on the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ) on which the lubricant GR has been supplied, the lubricant GR is supplied between the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ) and the sliding part  61 . 
     In addition, in  FIG. 8 , in the homeward movement in which the carriage  31  moves to the −X direction, the lubricant GR is supplied to the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ) from the impregnated member  63  located on the downstream side in the travelling direction (in  FIG. 8 , the right side). Then, when the sliding part  61  slides on the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ) on which the lubricant GR has been supplied, the lubricant GR is supplied between the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ) and the sliding part  61 . In this manner, in this embodiment, the impregnated member  63  is disposed on both sides of the sliding part  61  in the scanning direction X, and thus the lubricant GR can be reliably supplied to the rail surface  53  both in the outward movement and in the homeward movement of the carriage  31 . This also applies to the case where the sliding part  61  of the sliding mechanism GS slides on other rail surfaces  54  and  55 . 
     In addition, the impregnated member  63  is pressed by the pressure member  64  to the guide member  50  side from the side opposite to the side that faces the guide member  50 . Therefore, even when the orientation of the carriage  31  is deviated from the proper orientation, the impregnated member  63  is pressed by the pressure member  64 , and thus the impregnated member  63  is less floated from the rail surface  53  composed of the flat surface of the guide member  50 . Thus, the impregnated member  63  can reliably slide on the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ), and the lubricant GR is reliably supplied to the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ). 
     In addition, the load of the recording part  30 , due to the moment generated by the turning movement of the carriage  31  by the own weight of the recording part  30 , the biasing force of the springs  81  and  82  for pressing the sliding part  61  against the rail surfaces  53  to  55 , and the own weights and biasing forces, is exerted on the rail surfaces  53  to  55  through the sliding part  61 . In the case where the pressure force of the pressure member  64  is set to a value smaller than the load of recording part  30 , or more specifically a value smaller than half the load of the recording part  30 , it is possible to avoid a situation where the load of the recording part  30  against the rail surfaces  53  to  55  is excessively increased due to the pressure force of the pressure member  64 , the orientation is deviated by a turning movement of the carriage  31 , and the other sliding part  61  floats from the rail surfaces  53  to  55 . That is, each sliding part  61  makes contact with the rail surfaces  53  to  55  with an appropriate contacting pressure. As a result, the orientation of the carriage  31  is stabilized when the carriage  31  moves back and forth in the scanning direction X during the recording. In addition, since the lubricant GR is reliably supplied, it is possible to avoid a situation where the sliding resistance between the sliding part  61  and the rail surfaces  53  to  55  is increased due to shortage of the lubricant GR, and the load of the movement of the carriage  31  along the guide member  50  in the scanning direction X is increased, for example. Thus, for example, the carriage  31  can move in a stable orientation and at a stable speed. As a result, the recording on the recording medium  23  can be performed with a high recording accuracy. 
     Further, the sliding unit  60  includes the aligning mechanism AS that allows the sliding part  61  to follow the curved rail surfaces  53  to  55  even when the rail surfaces  53  to  55  have a curvature such as undulation. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 13 , when the carriage  31  moves along a flat rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ), the sliding part  61  slides with the contact part  61 A held in a stationary orientation parallel to the rail surface, and both two contact parts  61 A making contact with the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ). 
     In addition, as illustrated in  FIG. 14 , in the case where the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ) has a curvature such as undulation, the sliding part  61  sways to follow around the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ) as the fulcrum C. Specifically, as indicated with the solid line in  FIG. 14 , the sliding part  61  turns clockwise around the fulcrum C, and thus follows the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ). In addition, as indicated with the chain double-dashed line in  FIG. 14 , the sliding part  61  turns counterclockwise around the fulcrum C, and thus follows the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ). Even when the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ) has a curvature such as undulation, the orientation of the moving carriage  31  is stabilized. 
     In addition, the sliding part  61  ensures the sway allowance that allows the sliding part  61  to sway around the fulcrum C until it is engaged with the plurality of protrusions  77  protruded at a position at a small distance relative to its back surface when it is in a stationary orientation illustrated in  FIG. 13 . In addition, when the sliding unit  60  is dismounted from the carriage  31 , the sliding part  61  has a retainer function that prevents the removal from the slider  62  through the engagement with the plurality of protrusions  77 . As a result, it can support the sliding part  61  in a swayable manner, and serve as a retainer for dismounting the sliding unit  60 . 
     In addition, as illustrated in  FIG. 15 , the impregnated member  63  is replenished with the lubricant GR stored in the storage part  65  through the groove part  75 . Thus, the shortage of the lubricant GR impregnated in the impregnated member  63  less occurs. In addition, the number of times of replacement of the sliding unit  60  in the lifetime of the recording apparatus  11  can be reduced. 
     In addition, the impregnated member  63  is pressed to the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ) side by the pressure member  64 . The base part  64 A of the pressure member  64  is attached to the recess  74 , and the end portion  64 B of the pressure member  64  presses an approximate center portion of the impregnated member  63  in the scanning direction X. When the impregnated member  63  and the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ) move away from each other, the protruding amount of the impregnated member  63  from the opening  72 A is increased by the pressure force of the pressure member  64 , and thus it can follow while maintaining the state where it is pressed against the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ). Thus, even if the other sliding part  61  floats at other rail surfaces  54  and  55  due to the turning movement of the carriage  31  due to the curvature of the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ) and/or an excessive load of the recording part  30  against the rail surface  53 , the state where the impregnated member  63  makes contact with the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ) can be maintained. 
     In addition, the peripheral portion of the opposite two sides of the impregnated member  63  in the scanning direction X is held by the holding part  78  that is tilted in the direction that approaches the rail surface  53  ( 54 ,  55 ) side as it comes closer to the opening  72 A. Thus, the impregnated member  63  whose center portion of the back surface is pressed by the pressure member  64  can be bulged with a curve from the opening  72 A. For example, in the case where the holding part  78  has a rectangular cross-sectional shape, the impregnated member  63  may be bent at the corner of the rectangular cross section of the holding part  78 , and the fibers of the felt member may become dense in a region around the bent portion, making the impregnation of the lubricant GR difficult, for example. 
     In addition, even the opening  72 A with the same opening size, it is possible to ensure a relatively large projection area, which is projected on the opposite rail surfaces  53  to  55 , of the portion of the impregnated member  63  bulged from the opening  72 A. That is, even with the same opening size of the opening  72 A, it is possible to ensure a relatively large contact area of the impregnated member  63  with the rail surfaces  53  to  55 . 
     The maintenance such as the replenishment of the lubricant GR to the storage part  65  and the replacement of the sliding part  61  is performed by dismounting the sliding unit  60  from the carriage  31 . Since the sliding part  61 , the impregnated member  63  and the pressure member  64  are mounted in the sliding unit  60 , the sliding part  61 , the impregnated member  63  and the pressure member  64  can be collectively dismounted at once by dismounting the sliding unit  60  from the carriage  31 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 16 , first, the screw  80  is loosened and removed, and then the sliding unit  60  is slid in a dismounting direction in the scanning direction X by holding the holding part  62 B to dismount it from the carriage  31 . In addition, it can be pulled out by hooking a tool, a wire or the like to the hole  621  formed in the holding part  62 B. For example, even in a narrow space where the worker&#39;s hand cannot reach, the sliding unit  60  can be dismounted from the carriage  31  by using a tool or a wire. Then, in the maintenance, the maintenance of the impregnated member and/or the sliding part  61  of the sliding unit  60  is performed, and the storage part  65  is replenished with the lubricant GR. In addition, when replacing the sliding unit  60 , a new sliding unit  60  is prepared. 
     Then, the sliding unit  60  after the replacement is mounted to the carriage  31  by sliding it along the slide part  44  in the scanning direction X. After the carriage  31  is mounted, the screw  80  is fastened to a screw hole  46  on the carriage  31  side by using a tool such as a driver (see  FIG. 7 ). 
     According to the embodiment, the following effects are achieved. 
     (1) The recording apparatus  11  includes the recording head  32  that performs recording on the recording medium  23  being conveyed in the conveyance direction D, the carriage  31  that performs scanning in the scanning direction X that intersects the conveyance direction D with the recording head  32  mounted therein, and the guide member  50  including the rail surfaces  53  to  55  as an example of a flat surface that guides the carriage  31  in the scanning direction X. The carriage  31  includes the sliding part  61  that slides in contact with the guide member  50 , the impregnated member  63  impregnated with the lubricant GR at least on one side of the sliding part  61  in the scanning direction X, and the pressure member  64  that presses the impregnated member  63  to the guide member  50  side from the surface on the side opposite to the guide member  50  with respect to the impregnated member  63 . With this configuration, the impregnated member  63  is pressed by the pressure member  64  to the guide member  50  side, and thus separation of the impregnated member  63  from the guide member  50  is suppressed. Thus, in comparison with a configuration including no pressure member  64 , the lubricant GR can be more reliably supplied from the impregnated member  63  to the rail surfaces  53  to  55  of the guide member  50  on which the sliding part  61  slides. It is possible to suppress the increase in the sliding resistance of the carriage  31  due to the stagnation of the supply of the lubricant GR to the guide member  50 . 
     (2) The pressure force of the pressure member  64  is smaller than the pressure force of carriage  31  against the guide member  50 . Thus, it is possible to suppress the deviation of the carriage  31  from the proper orientation due to the pressure force of the pressure member  64 . 
     (3) The pressure force of the pressure member  64  is smaller than half the pressure force of carriage  31  against the guide member  50 . Thus, it is possible to prevent the orientation from being destabilized due to the floating of the carriage  31  and the like. In addition, it is possible to prevent a situation where the sliding part  61  and the impregnated member  63  strongly make contact with the guide member  50  and the lubricant GR is excessively ejected from the impregnated member  63 . 
     (4) The recording apparatus  11  includes the slider  62  in which the sliding part  61 , the impregnated member  63  and the pressure member  64  are mounted. The slider  62  is detachably provided to the carriage  31 . In this manner, when the sliding part  61  is worn out, it suffices to replace only the slider  62 . In addition, it is easy to perform the replenishment of the lubricant GR and the replacement of the impregnated member  63 . 
     (5) The carriage  31  is provided with the plurality of sliders  62  with the same shape. Thus, by using the common parts of the plurality of sliders  62 , the manufacturing cost of the recording apparatus  11  can be reduced. 
     (6) The slider  62  and the sliding part  61  are separate members. The sliding part  61  is provided to be swayable around the axis line parallel to the direction that intersects at least the scanning direction X with respect to the slider  62 . With this configuration, even when the sliding surface of the guide member  50  is curved, the sliding part  61  can change the orientation of the sliding part  61  by following the curved sliding surface, and thus the contact part  61 A of the sliding part  61  can be reliably brought into contact with the guide member  50  when the carriage  31  moves in the scanning direction X. Thus, the carriage  31  can be held in a stable orientation. 
     (7) The sliding part  61  includes the contact part  61 A that makes contact with the guide member  50  over a predetermined length in the direction along the scanning direction X, and the protrusion part  61 B including a convex surface that makes contact with the carriage  31  at the rear surface at the intermediate position of the contact part  61 A in the scanning direction X. With this configuration, the sliding part  61  can be supported in a swayable manner with a simple configuration. Thus, it is possible to achieve the guide structure that guides the carriage  31  with the guide member  50  such that the carriage  31  is movable in the scanning direction X, with a simple configuration. 
     (8) The contact part  61 A of the sliding part  61  includes the recess  61 C that does not make contact with the guide member  50  in a center portion in the scanning direction X. With this configuration, the contact part  61 A of the sliding part  61  is separated into a plurality of regions with a recess therebetween in the scanning direction X. Thus, the sliding resistance of the carriage  31  can be reduced by reducing the contact area, while stabilizing the orientation by increasing the length of the contact part  61 A of the sliding part  61  in the scanning direction X. 
     (9) The impregnated member  63  is disposed on both sides in the scanning direction X with respect to the sliding part  61 . With this configuration, in both the back-and-forth movement and the homeward movement of the carriage  31 , the lubricant GR can be supplied between the sliding part  61  and the guide member  50  from the impregnated member  63 . 
     (10) The slider  62  includes the holding part  78  provided at the surface opposite to the surface that faces the guide member  50  and configured to hold the impregnated member  63 , and the opening  72 A formed at a position that faces the guide member  50  in the holding part  78 . The two opposite sides of the outer periphery part of the impregnated member  63  in the scanning direction X are supported by the outer edge of the opening  72 A, and a center portion of the impregnated member  63  in the scanning direction X is pressed by the pressure member  64  to make contact with the guide member  50 . Thus, the dropping of the impregnated member  63  from the slider  62  can be prevented. 
     (11) The pressure member  64  presses the impregnated member  63  at a portion linearly extending in the direction that intersects the scanning direction X. In this manner, the entire width or substantially the entire width of the impregnated member  63  in the direction that intersects the scanning direction X can be brought into contact with the guide member  50 . 
     (12) The storage part  65  that stores the lubricant GR at a position arranged side by side with the holding part  78  in the scanning direction X is provided, and the groove part  75  that guides the lubricant GR from the storage part  65  to the impregnated member  63  held by the holding part  78  is provided between the storage part  65  and the holding part  78 . Thus, the lubricant GR can be supplied the storage part  65  that stores the lubricant GR to the impregnated member  63 . In comparison with the configuration including no storage part  65 , the carriage  31  can be stably moved for a long period of time without a large load, even without performing the replenishment of the lubricant GR. 
     Note that the above-described embodiments may be modified as the following modifications. Further, the above-described embodiments and the following modifications may be further appropriately modified, and the following modifications may be appropriately combined as another modification.
         The pressure force (second pressure force) of the pressure member  64  may be greater than half the second pressure force as long as it is smaller than the pressure force (first pressure force) of the carriage  31  against the guide member  50 .   The storage part  65  may be disposed on the upper side of the impregnated member  63 . In addition, the storage part  65  may be on the upper side of the sliding part  61 .   The storage part  65  need not be provided.   The convex surface as the surface shape of the protrusion part  61 B of the sliding part  61  need not be a spherical surface, and may be a half columnar shape. In this case, the arc surface (convex surface) of the half columnar shape is brought into contact with the frame surface  44 A on the carriage  31  side.   The sliding part  61  may be fixed to the slider  62  in a non-swayable manner.   The slide direction may be the conveyance direction Y instead of the scanning direction X.   The sliding unit  60  may be configured to be detachable in the direction orthogonal to the surface on the carriage  31  side instead of the slidable configuration.   While the sliding unit  60  is mounted to the carriage  31  with the plurality of sliding parts  61  facing three directions in the above description, the facing directions of the plurality of sliding parts  61  may be two directions. For example, the plurality of sliding parts  61  facing two directions, the +Z direction and the −Y direction, may be provided in the carriage  31 . In addition, the plurality of sliding parts  61  facing the two directions, the +Z direction and the +Y direction, may be provided in the carriage  31 . In addition, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which only a sliding part facing one direction slides on the guide member  50 .   All of the plurality of sliders  62  need not be a common component. Only some of the plurality of sliders  62  may be a common component.   The guide member  50  may be a member separated from the main frame.   A spring that biases the sliding part  61  in the vertical direction Z with respect to the rail surface  53  may be provided.   A configuration in which only two of the sliding part  61 , the impregnated member  63  and the storage part are integrally mounted to the carriage  31  may be adopted. For example, a configuration in which the impregnated member  63  and the storage part  65  are integrally configured and they are members separated from the sliding part  61  may be adopted.   A configuration in which the sliding part  61 , the impregnated member  63  and the storage part are separately mounted to the carriage  31  may be adopted.       

     The technical ideas and effects derived from the above-described embodiments and modifications are described below. 
     (A) A recording apparatus includes a recording head configured to perform recording on a recording medium being conveyed in a conveyance direction, a carriage in which the recording head is mounted, the carriage being configured to perform scanning in a scanning direction that intersects the conveyance direction, and a guide member including a flat surface configured to guide the carriage in the scanning direction. The carriage includes a sliding part configured to slide in contact with the guide member, an impregnated member impregnated with lubricant on at least one side of the sliding part in the scanning direction, and a pressure member configured to press the impregnated member to the guide member side from a surface on a side opposite to the guide member with respect to the impregnated member. 
     With this configuration, since the impregnated member is pressed by the pressure member to the guide member side, the separation of the impregnated member from the guide member is suppressed. Thus, the lubricant can be more reliably supplied from the impregnated member to the surface of the guide member where the sliding part slides. The increase in the sliding resistance of the carriage due to the stagnation the supply of the lubricant to the guide member can be suppressed. 
     (B) In the recording apparatus, a pressure force of the pressure member may be smaller than a pressure force of the carriage against the guide member. 
     With this configuration, since the pressure force of the pressure member is smaller than the pressure force of the carriage against the guide member, the deviation of the carriage from the proper orientation due to the pressure force of the pressure member can be suppressed. 
     (C) In the recording apparatus, the pressure force of the pressure member may be smaller than half the pressure force of the carriage against the guide member. 
     With this configuration, the destabilization of the orientation due to the float of the carriage and the like can be prevented. In addition, a situation where the sliding part and the impregnated member strongly make contact with the guide member and the lubricant of the impregnated member is excessively ejected can be prevented. 
     (D) The recording apparatus may further include a slider in which the sliding part, the impregnated member and the pressure member are mounted. The slider may be detachably provided to the carriage. 
     With this configuration, when the sliding part is worn out, it suffices to replace only the slider. It is easy to perform the replenishment of the lubricant and the replacement of the impregnated member. 
     (E) In the recording apparatus, the carriage may be provided with a plurality of sliders, and the plurality of sliders may have a same shape. 
     With this configuration, by using the common parts of the plurality of sliders, the manufacturing cost of the recording apparatus can be reduced. 
     (F) In the recording apparatus, the slider and the sliding part may be separate members, and the sliding part may be provided to be swayable around an axis line parallel to a direction that intersects at least the scanning direction with respect to the slider. 
     With this configuration, even when the sliding surface of the guide member is curved, the sliding part can follow the curved sliding surface and change the orientation of the sliding part, and thus the contact part of the sliding part can be reliably brought into contact with the guide member when the carriage moves in the scanning direction. Thus, the carriage can be held in a stable orientation. 
     (G) In the recording apparatus, the sliding part may include a contact part configured to make contact with the guide member over a predetermined length in a direction along the scanning direction, and a protrusion part including a convex surface configured to make contact with the carriage at a rear surface at an intermediate position of the contact part in the scanning direction. 
     With this configuration, the sliding part can be supported in a swayable manner with a simple configuration. Thus, the guide structure that guides the carriage such that the carriage is movable in the scanning direction using the guide member can be achieved with a simple configuration. 
     (H) In the recording apparatus, the contact part of the sliding part may include a recess that does not make contact with the guide member at a center portion in the scanning direction. 
     With this configuration, the contact part of the sliding part is separated into a plurality of regions with a recess therebetween in the scanning direction. In this manner, the sliding resistance of the carriage can be reduced by reducing the contact area while stabilizing the orientation by increasing the length of the contact part of the sliding part in the scanning direction. 
     (I) In the recording apparatus, the impregnated member may be disposed on both sides of the sliding part in the scanning direction. 
     With this configuration, the lubricant can be supplied between the sliding member and the guide member from the impregnated member in both the outward movement and the homeward movement of carriage. 
     (J) The recording apparatus may further include a holding part provided at a surface opposite to a surface that faces the guide member in the slider, and configured to hold the impregnated member, and an opening formed at a position that faces the guide member in the holding part. Two sides opposite each other in the scanning direction at an outer periphery part of the impregnated member may be supported by an outer edge of the opening, and a center portion of the impregnated member in the scanning direction may be pressed by the pressure member to make contact with the guide member. 
     With this configuration, the dropping of the slider from the impregnated member can be prevented. 
     (K) In the recording apparatus, the pressure member may press the impregnated member at a portion linearly extending in a direction that intersects the scanning direction. 
     With this configuration, since the pressure member presses the impregnated member at a portion extending in the direction that intersects the scanning direction, the entire width or substantially the entire width of the impregnated member in the direction that intersects the scanning direction can be brought into contact with the guide member. 
     (L) The recording apparatus may further include a storage part configured to store the lubricant at a position arranged side by side with the holding part in the scanning direction. A groove part configured to guide the lubricant from the storage part to the impregnated member held by the holding part may be provided between the storage part and the holding part. 
     With this configuration, the lubricant can be supplied to the impregnated member from the storage part that stores the lubricant. In comparison with the configuration including no storage part, the carriage can be stably moved for a long period of time without a large load, even without performing the replenishment of the lubricant.