A nozzle cleaning mechanism

Abstract

The present invention discloses a nozzle cleaning mechanism, comprising: a flexible cleaning table, a Z-axis assembly driving the flexible cleaning table to rise and fall, a Y-axis assembly arranged on the Z-axis assembly driving the flexible cleaning table to move horizontally, and a vacuum buffer tank assembly connected to the pipeline of the flexible cleaning table. The nozzle cleaning mechanism is arranged on the side of the inkjet printing device, which is extremely convenient for the maintenance of the nozzle to be cleaned and the maintenance of the cleaning mechanism itself. Since the nozzle is directly above the cleaning mechanism, the nozzle can be easily maintained by lowering the cleaning mechanism to the lowest position. The flexible cleaning table can perform uniform suction and cleaning on the bottom surface of the nozzle along the Y-axis direction to ensure that every part of the nozzle can be cleaned, and an excellent cleaning effect can be achieved without unnecessary auxiliary actions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of cleaning tools, and in particular to a nozzle cleaning mechanism of a printing device. Background Art

[0002] The print head is the core component of the inkjet printing equipment. The inkjet printing equipment needs to be cleaned before starting to work and during the operation. Especially during the operation of the equipment, the print head needs to be cleaned frequently to keep the print head nozzle unobstructed, the nozzle surface clean, and the quality of the ink inside the print head maintained, so as to ensure the printing effect of the print head and the service life of the print head. Therefore, the working performance of the print head cleaning device directly determines the final printing quality of the inkjet printer, and determines the performance and life of the print head. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a nozzle cleaning mechanism with simple cleaning action, excellent cleaning effect, stable action, convenient maintenance and recyclable ink.

[0004] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows: a nozzle cleaning mechanism is provided, comprising: a flexible cleaning table, a Z-axis assembly driving the flexible cleaning table to move up and down, a Y-axis assembly arranged on the Z-axis assembly driving the flexible cleaning table to move horizontally, and a vacuum buffer tank assembly connected to a pipeline of the flexible cleaning table;

[0005] The Z-axis assembly includes: a Z-axis substrate, a Z-axis slider disposed on the back of the Z-axis substrate, and a Z-axis screw motor assembly for driving the Z-axis substrate to vertically lift;

[0006] The Y-axis assembly includes: a Y-axis guide rail arranged on the Z-axis substrate, a Y-axis slider arranged on the Y-axis guide rail, a left bracket arranged on the Y-axis slider, a right bracket arranged on the Y-axis slider, and a Y-axis screw motor assembly driving the bracket to move on the Y-axis guide rail, and the flexible cleaning table is arranged on the left bracket and the right bracket.

[0007] Furthermore, the flexible cleaning table includes: a cleaning table body, a plurality of ink guide blocks arranged on the cleaning table body, a plurality of flexible suction head assemblies arranged on the cleaning table body, and a suction pipe connecting the flexible suction head assemblies and the vacuum buffer tank assembly, and the ink guide blocks and the flexible suction head assemblies are arranged at intervals.

[0008] Furthermore, the washing table body includes an upper open trough body and a lower closed cavity, the upper open trough body and the lower closed cavity are integrated into one body, the upper open trough body is provided with a first mounting hole and a second mounting hole, the ink guide block is arranged in the first mounting hole, the flexible suction head assembly is arranged in the second mounting hole, and the first mounting hole is communicated with the lower closed cavity.

[0009] Furthermore, the top surface of the ink guide block is provided with an inverted V-shaped slope.

[0010] Furthermore, the Z-axis screw motor assembly includes: a motor mounting base installed and fixed on the side of the inkjet printing device, a Z-axis motor arranged on the motor mounting base, a screw fixing base installed and fixed on the side of the inkjet printing device, a Z-axis transmission screw arranged on the screw fixing base, a driven pulley arranged at one end of the Z-axis transmission screw, a driving pulley arranged on the output shaft of the Z-axis motor, a synchronous belt sleeved on the driving pulley and the driven pulley, and a nut sleeved on the Z-axis transmission screw and connected to the Z-axis substrate.

[0011] Furthermore, the Y-axis lead screw motor assembly includes: a Y-axis motor disposed on the Z-axis substrate and a screw connected to an output shaft of the Y-axis motor, wherein the screw is threadedly connected to the left bracket.

[0012] Furthermore, the vacuum buffer tank assembly includes: a buffer tank, a confluence tube and a support frame, the confluence tube is provided with a number of suction head interfaces equal to the number of the flexible suction head assembly, one end of the suction tube is connected to the suction head interface and the other end is connected to the flexible suction head assembly, the confluence tube is communicated with the buffer tank, a filter element is provided in the buffer tank, an ink discharge port is provided at the bottom of the buffer tank, the support frame fixes the confluence tube to the Y-axis assembly, and an air suction port is provided on the side of the buffer tank.

[0013] Furthermore, an ink outlet is provided on the bottom surface of the flexible cleaning table.

[0014] By adopting the above scheme, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0015] (1) The nozzle cleaning mechanism is arranged on the side of the inkjet printing device, which is extremely convenient for maintenance of both the nozzle to be cleaned and the cleaning mechanism itself. Since the nozzle is located directly above the cleaning mechanism, the nozzle can be easily maintained by lowering the cleaning mechanism to the lowest position;

[0016] (2) The flexible cleaning table can evenly vacuum and clean the bottom surface of the nozzle along the Y-axis direction, ensuring that every part of the nozzle can be cleaned, and an excellent cleaning effect can be achieved without unnecessary auxiliary actions;

[0017] (3) The entire cleaning action is completed through the combined motion of the Y-axis assembly and the Z-axis assembly, without the need for redundant auxiliary mechanisms and auxiliary actions. The control is simple and efficient, the operation is stable, and it is not prone to failure.

[0018] (4) The vacuum buffer tank assembly is used to ensure that the airflow of each suction head is uniform and stable, so that the cleaning effect is stable, and the filter element of the buffer tank is easy to replace;

[0019] (5) It adopts pure vacuum suction cleaning principle without adding additional cleaning liquid. The waste ink generated can be recycled for secondary use, which is energy-saving and environmentally friendly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of the ink guide block of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0023] See also Figure 1 The present invention provides a nozzle cleaning mechanism, comprising: a flexible cleaning platform 1, a Z-axis component 2 for driving the flexible cleaning platform 1 to rise and fall, a Y-axis component 3 arranged on the Z-axis component 2 for driving the flexible cleaning platform 1 to move horizontally, and a vacuum buffer tank component 4 connected to the flexible cleaning platform 1 through a pipeline.

[0024] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 The flexible washing table 1 comprises: a washing table body 11, a plurality of ink guide blocks 12 arranged on the washing table body 11, a plurality of flexible suction head assemblies 13 arranged on the washing table body 11, and a suction pipe 14 connecting the flexible suction head assembly 13 and the vacuum buffer tank assembly 4, wherein the suction pipe 14 is connected to the flexible suction head assembly 13 from the bottom of the washing table body 11. The ink guide blocks 12 and the flexible suction head assembly 13 are arranged at intervals. The washing table body 11 comprises an upper open groove body 111 and a lower closed cavity body 112, wherein the upper open groove body 111 and the lower closed cavity body 112 are integrated from top to bottom, wherein a first mounting hole and a second mounting hole are arranged in the upper open groove body 111, wherein the ink guide block 12 is arranged in the first mounting hole, wherein the flexible suction head assembly 13 is arranged in the second mounting hole, wherein the first mounting hole is communicated with the lower closed cavity body 112. The bottom surface of the flexible cleaning table 1 is provided with an ink discharge port 15 for regularly extracting waste ink accumulated in the lower closed cavity 112 to prevent ink overflow from the cleaning table body 11 and contamination of the equipment.

[0025] The top surface of the ink guide block 12 is provided with an inverted V-shaped slope, which facilitates the ink to flow into the lower closed cavity 112.

[0026] The Z-axis assembly 2 includes: a Z-axis substrate 21 , a Z-axis slider (not shown) disposed on the back of the Z-axis substrate 21 , and a Z-axis screw motor assembly 22 for driving the Z-axis substrate 21 to vertically rise and fall.

[0027] The Z-axis screw motor assembly 22 includes: a motor mounting seat 221 mounted and fixed on the side of the inkjet printing device, a Z-axis motor 222 disposed on the motor mounting seat 221, a screw fixing seat 223 mounted and fixed on the side of the inkjet printing device, a Z-axis transmission screw 224 disposed on the screw fixing seat 223, a driven pulley disposed at one end of the Z-axis transmission screw 224, a driving pulley disposed on the output shaft of the Z-axis motor 222, a synchronous belt 225 sleeved on the driving pulley and the driven pulley, and a nut 226 sleeved on the Z-axis transmission screw 224 and connected to the Z-axis base plate 21. The Z-axis motor 222 drives the driving pulley to rotate, thereby driving the driven pulley and the Z-axis transmission screw 224 to rotate, and then driving the nut 226 to move up and down on the Z-axis transmission screw 224, so that the Z-axis base plate 21 fixed to the nut 226 also moves up and down accordingly. A Z-axis guide rail (not shown) is provided on the back of the Z-axis substrate 21 . The Z-axis guide rail is fixedly mounted on the side of the inkjet printing device. The Z-axis slider is provided on the Z-axis guide rail. The Z-axis substrate 21 moves up and down along the Z-axis guide rail.

[0028] The Y-axis assembly 3 includes: a Y-axis guide rail 31 arranged on the Z-axis substrate 21, a Y-axis slider 32 arranged on the Y-axis guide rail 31, a left bracket 33 arranged on the Y-axis slider 32, a right bracket 34 arranged on the Y-axis slider 32, and a Y-axis screw motor assembly that drives the left bracket 33 and the right bracket 34 to move on the Y-axis guide rail 31, and the flexible cleaning table 1 is arranged on the left bracket 33 and the right bracket 34.

[0029] The Y-axis lead screw motor assembly includes: a Y-axis motor 35 disposed on the Z-axis substrate 21 and a screw 36 connected to the output shaft of the Y-axis motor 35, and the screw 36 is threadedly connected to the left bracket 33. The Y-axis motor 35 drives the screw 36 to rotate, thereby driving the left bracket 33 and the right bracket 34 to move left and right along the Y-axis guide rail 31.

[0030] The vacuum buffer tank assembly 4 includes: a buffer tank 41, a manifold 42 and a support frame 43. The support frame 43 fixes the manifold 42 on the Y-axis assembly 3. The manifold 42 is provided with the same number of suction head interfaces 421 as the flexible suction head assembly 13. One end of the suction tube 14 is connected to the suction head interface 421 and the other end is connected to the flexible suction head assembly 13. The manifold 42 is in communication with the buffer tank 41. The buffer tank 41 is provided with a filter element for filtering ink. The ink and gas sucked by the flexible suction head assembly 13 are filtered out by the filter element. The bottom of the buffer tank 41 is provided with an ink discharge port 411 for discharging ink. The side of the buffer tank 41 is provided with an air suction port 412, which is connected to a vacuum pump.

[0031] The cleaning process of the present invention is:

[0032] The printing unit loaded with several nozzles moves to the top of the nozzle cleaning mechanism, so that each nozzle faces each ink guide block 12 on the flexible cleaning platform 1, and then the Z-axis assembly 2 drives the flexible cleaning platform 1 to rise, so that the ink guide block 12 rises close to the bottom surface of the nozzle. Then the positive pressure ink circuit of the nozzle is started to make the nozzle of the nozzle spray ink outward to purify the ink inside the nozzle, prevent bubbles and old ink deposition from affecting the printing quality and prevent the nozzle hole from being blocked, and the ink guide block 12 guides the ejected ink to the lower closed cavity 112. Then start the vacuum pump to generate suction negative pressure at the suction port of the flexible suction head assembly 13, and at the same time start the Y-axis assembly 3 to make the flexible cleaning platform 1 move at a uniform speed along the bottom surface of the nozzle, and each suction head assembly on the flexible cleaning platform 1 uniformly suctions and cleans the bottom surface of the nozzle of each nozzle. The ink in the lower closed cavity 112 flows into the buffer tank 41 , and the ink filtered by the filter element is discharged from the ink discharge port 411 . The filtered ink in the buffer tank 41 can be regularly pumped into the ink recovery barrel for filtration and secondary utilization.

[0033] In summary, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0034] (1) The nozzle cleaning mechanism is arranged on the side of the inkjet printing device, which is extremely convenient for maintenance of both the nozzle to be cleaned and the cleaning mechanism itself. Since the nozzle is located directly above the cleaning mechanism, the nozzle can be easily maintained by lowering the cleaning mechanism to the lowest position;

[0035] (2) The flexible cleaning table can evenly vacuum and clean the bottom surface of the nozzle along the Y-axis direction, ensuring that every part of the nozzle can be cleaned, and an excellent cleaning effect can be achieved without unnecessary auxiliary actions;

[0036] (3) The entire cleaning action is completed through the combined motion of the Y-axis assembly and the Z-axis assembly, without the need for redundant auxiliary mechanisms and auxiliary actions. The control is simple and efficient, the operation is stable, and it is not prone to failure.

[0037] (4) The vacuum buffer tank assembly is used to ensure that the airflow of each suction head is uniform and stable, so that the cleaning effect is stable, and the filter element of the buffer tank is easy to replace;

[0038] (5) It adopts pure vacuum suction cleaning principle without adding additional cleaning liquid. The waste ink generated can be recycled for secondary use, which is energy-saving and environmentally friendly.

[0039] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A nozzle cleaning mechanism, characterized in that: include: A flexible cleaning table, a Z-axis assembly for driving the flexible cleaning table to move up and down, a Y-axis assembly provided on the Z-axis assembly for driving the flexible cleaning table to move horizontally, and a vacuum buffer tank assembly connected to a pipeline of the flexible cleaning table; The Z-axis assembly includes: a Z-axis substrate, a Z-axis slider disposed on the back of the Z-axis substrate, and a Z-axis screw motor assembly for driving the Z-axis substrate to vertically lift; The Y-axis assembly comprises: a Y-axis guide rail arranged on the Z-axis substrate, a Y-axis slider arranged on the Y-axis guide rail, a left bracket arranged on the Y-axis slider, a right bracket arranged on the Y-axis slider, and a Y-axis lead screw motor assembly driving the bracket to move on the Y-axis guide rail, and the flexible cleaning table is arranged on the left bracket and the right bracket; The flexible cleaning table comprises: a cleaning table body, a plurality of ink guide blocks arranged on the cleaning table body, a plurality of flexible suction head assemblies arranged on the cleaning table body, and a suction pipe connecting the flexible suction head assemblies and a vacuum buffer tank assembly, wherein the ink guide blocks and the flexible suction head assemblies are arranged at intervals; The washing table body comprises an upper open trough body and a lower closed cavity body, wherein the upper open trough body and the lower closed cavity body are integrated into one body, wherein a first mounting hole and a second mounting hole are arranged in the upper open trough body, wherein the ink guide block is arranged in the first mounting hole, and wherein the flexible suction head assembly is arranged in the second mounting hole, wherein the first mounting hole is in communication with the lower closed cavity; The top surface of the ink guide block is provided with an inverted V-shaped slope; The Z-axis lead screw motor assembly comprises: a motor mounting seat fixedly mounted on the side of the inkjet printing device, a Z-axis motor arranged on the motor mounting seat, a lead screw fixing seat fixedly mounted on the side of the inkjet printing device, a Z-axis transmission lead screw arranged on the lead screw fixing seat, a driven pulley arranged at one end of the Z-axis transmission lead screw, a driving pulley arranged on the output shaft of the Z-axis motor, a synchronous belt sleeved on the driving pulley and the driven pulley, and a nut sleeved on the Z-axis transmission lead screw and connected to the Z-axis base plate; The Y-axis lead screw motor assembly comprises: a Y-axis motor disposed on the Z-axis substrate and a screw connected to the output shaft of the Y-axis motor, wherein the screw is threadedly connected to the left bracket; The vacuum buffer tank assembly includes: a buffer tank, a confluence tube and a support frame. The confluence tube is provided with a number of suction head interfaces that is the same as the number of the flexible suction head assembly. One end of the suction tube is connected to the suction head interface and the other end is connected to the flexible suction head assembly. The confluence tube is communicated with the buffer tank. A filter element is provided in the buffer tank. An ink discharge port is provided at the bottom of the buffer tank. The support frame fixes the confluence tube to the Y-axis assembly. An air suction port is provided on the side of the buffer tank.

2. The nozzle cleaning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom surface of the flexible cleaning table is provided with an ink discharge port.

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