An automatic cleaning device for UV printer nozzle and printer

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of UV printer nozzle, and particularly relates to a UV printer nozzle automatic cleaning device and a printer, wherein the second piston is driven to move left and right by a pneumatic assembly, the second piston drives the first piston synchronously through a fixing rod, the cleaning liquid flows from a storage cylinder into a chamber between the first piston and the second piston, and then enters a leftmost chamber of the injection cylinder through a second one-way valve in the first piston; the reciprocating action of the piston continuously presses the cleaning liquid into the nozzle for flushing, and the flushed dirty liquid is directly discharged into a waste liquid cylinder connected by threads through the channel opened by the arc-shaped plate when the piston retracts; the leftmost side of the injection cylinder is fixed with the nozzle, and the whole is installed on the UV printer body through the protection block, so that the automatic cleaning can be completed without disassembling the nozzle, the maintenance cost is reduced, the continuous operation capacity is improved, the tool is not needed in the whole process, and the nozzle or any part of the machine does not need to be disassembled, the maintenance downtime is significantly shortened, and the continuous and efficient operation of the UV printer is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of UV printer printhead technology, and in particular to an automatic UV printer printhead cleaning device and printer. Background Technology

[0002] A UV printer is a high-tech, plate-free, full-color digital printer that is not limited by materials. It can perform photo-quality color printing on surfaces such as T-shirts, sliding doors, cabinet doors, glass, sheets, various signs, crystal, PVC, acrylic, metal, plastic, stone, and leather. It completes printing in a single pass without the need for plate making, producing vibrant and rich colors that are wear-resistant, UV-resistant, easy to operate, and fast, fully meeting industrial printing standards.

[0003] A UV printer printhead automatic cleaning device and printer are disclosed in CN116638866A. The automatic cleaning device for UV printer printheads includes: a base with an unwinding roller, a take-up roller, and a cleaning roller built into it; a cleaning cloth on the unwinding roller passing over the cleaning roller and then wrapped around the take-up roller; a worktable horizontally disposed on the base and having a through hole communicating with the interior of the base; and a cleaning roller vertically slidably connected to the base, with its outer edge passing through the through hole and located outside the worktable. This invention has the following advantages and effects: by setting up a highly automated cleaning device, the cleaning operation of the printer printhead is automatically realized, effectively reducing manual maintenance by operators, improving personnel safety, and truly developing the equipment towards humanization, automation, and intelligence.

[0004] Alternatively, it could be an automatic printhead cleaning device for a UV digital printer (publication number CN114103465A), relating to printing technology. This device includes a suction nozzle assembly with an inlet near the lower end of the printhead and an outlet connected to a suction box; and a scraper assembly with a scraper that abuts against the lower end of the printhead. In the cleaning direction, the suction nozzle assembly is located in front of the scraper assembly. The suction nozzle assembly, positioned in front, first removes large ink droplets, leaving a smaller amount of ink. The scraper assembly then scrapes away the remaining ink that wasn't removed by the suction nozzle assembly. The two work together to complete the printhead cleaning in one pass, improving cleaning efficiency. After automatic cleaning, a cleaning solution is used to clean the hollow scraper to prevent ink residue and accumulation on it.

[0005] Both types of automatic printhead cleaning devices for UV printers rely on wiping with a cleaning cloth or a combination of a suction nozzle and a scraper. These devices can only scrape or absorb ink from the printhead surface, limiting their cleaning effect to loose ink and droplets on the outside of the nozzle panel. They lack an effective mechanism for cleaning ink that has entered the printhead and gradually solidified and clumped in the micropores or ink paths, failing to generate sufficient pressure or fluid shear force to remove deep-seated deposits. Failure to effectively clean the clumps of ink inside the printhead will directly lead to partial or complete blockage of the nozzles, causing printing defects such as misaligned spraying, ink breaks, color differences, and streaks. This necessitates frequent shutdowns for manual cleaning, significantly increasing maintenance time and labor costs. Residual clumps of ink further harden under prolonged high temperatures and UV light exposure, easily damaging piezoelectric ceramics and nozzle coatings, shortening printhead lifespan. Simultaneously, the pressure backflow caused by blockage can damage the ink pump and ink path seals, resulting in ink leakage, ink dripping that contaminates the entire machine, and even causing serious malfunctions such as short circuits and mechanical corrosion. Ultimately, this reduces equipment uptime and product yield, hindering the application of UV printers in industrial continuous production. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides an automatic printhead cleaning device and printer for UV printers, thereby solving the technical problems mentioned in the background section.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0008] An automatic cleaning device for a UV printer printhead includes a printhead for ejecting ink, with ink inlet pipes on both sides of the printhead. Each of the two ink inlet pipes is equipped with a first one-way valve. A spring rod is installed at the bottom of the first one-way valve in the left ink inlet pipe, and an L-shaped through pipe is installed at the bottom of the spring rod.

[0009] A storage cylinder is provided on the left side of the nozzle, and an injection cylinder is threaded at the bottom of the storage cylinder. A first piston is provided inside the injection cylinder. The first piston is initially located at the bottom of the storage cylinder. A second piston is also provided inside the injection cylinder.

[0010] A fixed rod is fixedly connected between the first piston and the second piston, and an arc-shaped plate is provided between the first piston and the second piston;

[0011] The arc-shaped plate is located at the bottom edge of the first piston and the second piston, the fixing rod is located at the center of the first piston and the second piston, the bottom of the injection cylinder is threaded with a waste liquid cylinder, the waste liquid cylinder is located on the right side of the storage cylinder, and the leftmost end of the injection cylinder is provided with a pneumatic component, which drives the second piston to move.

[0012] The second one-way valve is fixedly installed inside the first piston, and the arc-shaped plate is always in contact with the inner wall of the syringe.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the hollow portion inside the L-shaped tube is L-shaped, the spring rod is located at the edge of the bottom of the first one-way valve, and the size of the L-shaped tube is the same as the size of the inner wall of the ink inlet tube.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the storage cylinder and waste liquid cylinder are connected to the injection cylinder by threads, and the pneumatic assembly is also fixed to the protective block.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the rightmost side of the syringe is threadedly attached to the nozzle.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the bottom of the printhead also includes a UV printer body for printing, with a slot provided at the far right end of the UV printer body.

[0017] In one possible implementation, a sponge block is fixedly installed on the left side of the slot, and the sponge block is snapped into the inside of the UV printer body.

[0018] Beneficial effects compared to existing technologies:

[0019] 1. In this solution, a pneumatic component drives the second piston to move left and right. The second piston synchronously drives the first piston through a fixed rod, causing the cleaning fluid to flow from the storage cylinder into the chamber between the first and second pistons. Then, it enters the leftmost chamber of the injection cylinder through the second one-way valve inside the first piston. The reciprocating motion of the piston continuously presses the cleaning fluid into the inside of the printhead for flushing. The flushed waste liquid is discharged directly into the threaded waste liquid cylinder through the channel opened by the arc plate when the piston retracts. The leftmost side of the injection cylinder is threaded to the printhead, and the whole assembly is installed on the UV printer body through a protective block. Automatic cleaning can be completed without disassembling the printhead, reducing maintenance costs and improving continuous operation capability.

[0020] 2. In this design, the pneumatic assembly uses compressed air to drive the second piston in a high-frequency reciprocating linear motion within the injection cylinder. This piston is rigidly connected to the first piston via a fixed rod, allowing both pistons to move synchronously, forming two chambers with alternating volumes. When the piston moves to the right, the right chamber expands, and the cleaning fluid in the storage cylinder, under the combined action of atmospheric pressure and gravity, pushes open the pre-set second one-way valve in the first piston, rapidly filling the intermediate chamber between the first and second pistons. When the piston moves to the left, the intermediate chamber shrinks, and the pressurized fluid can only flow at high speed through the one-way channel of the second one-way valve into the leftmost chamber, where it is then forced into the nozzle, which is directly threaded into the injection cylinder. During this continuous reciprocating motion, the cleaning fluid deeply washes the ink path and nozzles of the nozzle in a pulsed manner, stripping away and carrying away residual ink stains. Meanwhile, the arc-shaped plate remains in contact with the inner wall of the injection cylinder, periodically opening and closing above the waste liquid inlet as the piston moves: at the end of the piston's left stroke, the arc-shaped plate leaves the waste liquid inlet, allowing the waste liquid to be released instantly; at the beginning of the piston's right return stroke, the arc-shaped plate seals the inlet again, preventing secondary backflow of the cleaning fluid. The waste liquid cylinder is screwed to the bottom of the injection cylinder via threads, and its capacity can be selected according to working conditions. Once full, it can be easily removed and tilted by simply unscrewing counterclockwise, and then reset by screwing it back clockwise. The entire process requires no tools and does not require disassembling the printhead or any other parts of the machine, significantly reducing maintenance downtime and ensuring continuous and efficient operation of the UV printer.

[0021] 3. In this solution, the cleaning device adopts a three-section threaded quick-release structure: the left end of the injection cylinder is screwed tightly to the corresponding interface of the nozzle via its external thread, ensuring a leak-free seal; the right end is secured to the UV printer body via a mounting plate extending laterally from the protective block, providing both stable support and easy assembly and disassembly. When it is necessary to replenish the cleaning fluid or empty the waste fluid, disassembly or reassembly can be completed in seconds with just one-handed rotation, improving maintenance efficiency by more than three times compared to the traditional clamp-type structure. The pneumatic components and the protective block are integrally injection molded, and the internal air passage directly connects to the external air source quick-connect connector, eliminating the need for additional pipeline adapters and further reducing the risk of leakage. After the printhead completes its printing task, the UV printer body automatically moves it to the far right. As it passes the snap-fit ​​sponge block, the sponge pre-wipes the bottom surface of the printhead to remove loose ink. Continuing to the slot, which connects to the printer's bottom casing, waste liquid from rinsing the printhead flows directly out of the machine under gravity, preventing any liquid residue from remaining on the surfaces of internal electrical or moving parts and eliminating the risk of short circuits and corrosion. The sponge block is embedded in the UV printer body with elastic clips, and can be pried out and replaced by hand when worn. The entire process requires no tools, significantly improving maintenance convenience and overall equipment hygiene, and substantially extending the lifespan of the UV printer's core components. Attached Figure Description

[0022] The above description is merely an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to better understand the technical means of the present invention and to implement it in accordance with the contents of the specification, the preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the ink inlet tube structure of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the pneumatic component structure of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the nozzle structure of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the spring rod structure of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the storage cylinder structure of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the protective block structure of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the injection cylinder structure of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the arc-shaped plate structure of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the UV printer body structure of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the slot structure of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the sponge block structure of the present invention.

[0035] Legend: 11. Printhead; 12. Ink inlet tube; 13. First check valve; 14. L-shaped tube; 15. Storage cylinder; 16. Injection cylinder; 17. First piston; 18. Second piston; 19. Fixing rod; 21. Arc plate; 22. Waste liquid cylinder; 23. Pneumatic assembly; 24. UV printer body; 25. Sponge block; 26. Spring rod; 27. Protective block; 28. Groove. Detailed Implementation

[0036] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention can also be implemented in various different forms, and therefore the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. In addition, for the purpose of more clearly describing the present invention, parts not connected to the invention will be omitted from the drawings.

[0037] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0038] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0039] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a communication connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0040] In this invention, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the first feature "on" or "below" the second feature may be in direct contact with the first and second features, or indirect contact through an intermediate medium. In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "an embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that the specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0041] The technical solution in this application embodiment is to solve the problems mentioned in the background art, and the overall idea is as follows:

[0042] Example 1:

[0043] Please refer to Figures 1 to 9 As shown, this embodiment introduces an automatic printhead cleaning device for a UV printer and the specific structure of the printer, including a printhead 11 for ejecting ink. Ink inlet pipes 12 are provided on both sides of the printhead 11. Each ink inlet pipe 12 is equipped with a first one-way valve 13 to prevent subsequent cleaning fluid from flowing back into the ink inlet pipe 12 and contaminating the internal ink. A spring rod 26 is provided at the bottom of the first one-way valve 13 inside the left ink inlet pipe 12. An L-shaped passage pipe 14 is provided at the bottom of the spring rod 26. The L-shaped passage pipe and the spring work together... When ink is sprayed into printhead 11, the ink will be sprayed into the L-shaped tube. At this time, the L-shaped tube will be under pressure and will move from top to bottom. The L-shaped tube will drive the spring rod 26 to be stretched. At this time, the L-shaped tube will extend into the ink inlet tube 12 and let the ink flow into the printhead 11. The through hole on the side of printhead 11 will be blocked by the L-shaped tube to prevent ink from entering the cleaning device. After use, a large amount of ink will remain inside printhead 11. The ink inside needs to be cleaned. If it is not cleaned, it will solidify after being left for a long time, causing printhead 11 to become blocked.

[0044] The L-shaped perforation tube has an L-shaped internal hollow section to allow ink to exit from one side and prevent ink from entering the cleaning device. When the spring rod 26 is not in the extended state, the L-shaped perforation tube is located inside the ink inlet tube 12. It will only extend out of the ink inlet tube 12 when it is under the pressure of ink. The spring rod 26 is located at the bottom edge of the first one-way valve 13. The setting of the spring rod 26 will not obstruct the ink from entering the printhead 11. The size of the L-shaped perforation tube is the same as the size of the inner wall of the ink inlet tube 12, so that ink will not accidentally flow out from the inside of the L-shaped perforation tube.

[0045] When cleaning is required, cleaning agent is added into the storage cylinder 15. A syringe 16 is threaded onto the bottom of the storage cylinder 15. A first piston 17 is installed inside the syringe 16. Initially, the first piston 17 is located at the bottom of the storage cylinder 15, preventing water from entering the syringe 16. A second piston 18 is also installed inside the syringe 16. The first piston 17 and the second piston 18 are connected by a fixing rod 19. An arc-shaped plate 21 is located between the first piston 17 and the second piston 18, at the bottom edge of the two pistons. The fixing rod 19 is positioned... At the center of the first piston 17 and the second piston 18, a waste liquid cylinder 22 is threaded at the bottom of the syringe 16. The waste liquid cylinder 22 is located to the right of the storage cylinder 15. During use, the arc-shaped plate 21 is always above the waste liquid cylinder 22, blocking it. A pneumatic assembly 23 is located at the leftmost end of the syringe 16. The pneumatic assembly 23 will drive the second piston 18 to move. When the cleaning fluid flows from the storage cylinder 15 into the syringe 16, it will flow between the first piston 17 and the second piston 18, and then flow through the second one-way valve installed on the first piston 17 to the rightmost chamber of the syringe 16. At this time, the pneumatic assembly 23 drives the second piston 18 to move left and right. The second piston 18 then drives the arc plate 21 and the connecting rod to move left and right, which in turn drives the first piston 17 to move left and right. This causes the cleaning fluid in the rightmost chamber to continuously enter and exit the nozzle 11, cleaning the nozzle 11. Then, the pneumatic assembly 23 drives the components inside the syringe 16 to contract significantly, causing the first piston 17 to move to the bottom of the storage cylinder 15 and block it. At this time, the waste liquid cylinder 22 will be in an unblocked state, and the cleaning fluid containing a large amount of dirt will flow into the waste liquid cylinder 22. Inside 2, the pneumatic component 23 repeats the previous action, driving the components inside the syringe 16 to move left and right. The cleaning fluid will continuously enter between the first piston 17 and the second piston 18, and then enter the rightmost chamber through the second one-way valve. Since the cleaning fluid inside the one-way valve cannot return to the space between the first piston 17 and the second piston 18, the first piston 17 will squeeze all the cleaning fluid into the nozzle 11 and spray it out from the nozzle 11 to clear the blockage. Protective blocks 27 are provided on the side walls of the syringe 16, storage cylinder 15 and waste liquid cylinder 22 to prevent damage to the syringe 16, storage cylinder 15 and waste liquid cylinder 22.

[0046] The syringe 16 has protruding connecting pipes at the connection points with the storage cylinder 15 and the waste liquid cylinder 22. The side walls of the connecting pipes are threaded, so the storage cylinder 15 and the waste liquid cylinder 22 are directly connected to the syringe 16 through the threads. In addition, the pneumatic component 23 is also fixedly connected to the package block. The maximum stroke of the first piston 17 is from the storage cylinder 15 to the rightmost end of the syringe 16. The stroke of the second piston 18 follows the stroke of the first piston 17.

[0047] The second one-way valve is fixedly installed inside the first piston 17. The second one-way valve can only transfer the cleaning fluid from the end closest to the second piston 18 to the rightmost end of the syringe 16. The arc plate 21 is always attached to the inner wall of the syringe 16, effectively blocking the cleaning fluid.

[0048] The cleaning assembly is connected to the UV printer body 24 via a mounting plate installed on the side wall of the protective block 27 and bolts threaded inside the mounting plate. This allows the nozzle 11 to be cleaned without disassembling the assembly. However, when the waste liquid in the waste liquid cylinder 22 is full, the cleaning assembly needs to be removed from the UV printer body 24, and the waste liquid cylinder 22 needs to be unscrewed from the cleaning assembly to empty the waste liquid before reinstalling. The rightmost side of the injection cylinder 16 is threadedly connected to the nozzle 11, facilitating the disassembly and installation of the cleaning assembly.

[0049] Example 2:

[0050] Please refer to Figures 9 to 12 As shown, the bottom of the printhead 11 also includes a UV printer body 24 for printing. The UV printer body 24 has threaded holes inside, and the engagement between the bolts and the threaded holes securely mounts the cleaning device inside the UV printer body 24. When it is necessary to clean the outside of the printhead 11, the spraying assembly of the UV printer body 24 is moved to the far right of the printer. When the movement passes over the sponge block 25 mounted above the UV printer body 24, the sponge block 25 cleans the bottom of the printhead 11. As the movement continues to the far right of the UV printer, a slot 28 is provided at the far right of the UV printer. When cleaning the printhead 11, the cleaning fluid sprayed from the printhead 11 can flow out of the interior of the UV printer body 24 through the slot 28. After cleaning, when passing over the sponge block 25 again, the printhead 11 is wiped clean, removing water stains from the printhead 11. This cleaning device is directly connected to the printhead 11, so there will be no leakage of cleaning fluid unless the cleaning device is damaged.

[0051] The sponge block 25 is installed on the left side of the slot 28. When reaching the slot 28, it must pass through the sponge block 25. The sponge block 25 is snapped into the inside of the UV printer body 24. When the sponge block 25 needs to be replaced, it can be directly pulled out from the opening of the UV printer body 24, thus completing the quick replacement.

[0052] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention and are not intended to limit the implementation. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other variations or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is neither necessary nor possible to exhaustively list all possible implementations. However, obvious variations or modifications derived therefrom are still within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. A UV printer head automatic cleaning device, comprising a head (11) for spraying ink, ink inlet pipes (12) are arranged on both sides of the head (11), characterized in that, Two said ink inlet pipe (12) inside are provided with first check valve (13), the left side ink inlet pipe (12) first check valve (13) bottom is provided with spring rod (26), the bottom of spring rod (26) is provided with L-shaped pipe (14); The left side of the nozzle (11) is provided with a storage cylinder (15), and the bottom of the storage cylinder (15) is provided with a threaded injection cylinder (16). The inside of the injection cylinder (16) is provided with a first piston (17). The initial position of the first piston (17) is located at the bottom of the storage cylinder (15). The inside of the injection cylinder (16) is also provided with a second piston (18). The first piston (17) and the second piston (18) are fixedly connected with a fixed rod (19). The first piston (17) and the second piston (18) are provided with an arc plate (21). The arc plate (21) is located at the edge of the bottom of the first piston (17) and the second piston (18). The fixed rod (19) is located at the center of the first piston (17) and the second piston (18). The bottom of the injection cylinder (16) is provided with a waste liquid cylinder (22) in a threaded manner. The waste liquid cylinder (22) is located on the right side of the storage cylinder (15). The leftmost end of the injection cylinder (16) is provided with a pneumatic assembly (23), which drives the second piston (18) to move. The second check valve is fixedly installed in the first piston (17). The arc plate (21) is always attached to the inner wall of the injection cylinder (16).

2. The automatic cleaning device for UV printer head according to claim 1, characterized in that, The L-shaped hollow part of the L-shaped pipe is L-shaped. The spring rod 26 is located at the edge of the bottom of the first check valve (13). The size of the L-shaped pipe is the same as the size of the inner wall of the ink inlet pipe (12).

3. The automatic cleaning device for UV printer head according to claim 1, characterized in that, The storage cylinder (15) and the waste liquid cylinder (22) are connected with the injection cylinder (16) through threads. The pneumatic assembly (23) is also fixedly connected with the protection block (27).

4. The automatic cleaning device for UV printer head according to claim 3, characterized in that, The rightmost side of the injection cylinder (16) is threadedly installed with the nozzle (11).

5. A UV printer equipped with the automatic cleaning device for the UV printer head according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The bottom of the nozzle (11) further comprises a UV printer body (24) for printing. The rightmost end of the UV printer body (24) is provided with a slot (28).

6. A UV printer as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that The left side of the slot (28) is provided with a sponge block (25), which is clamped in the inside of the UV printer body (24).

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