A universal non-destructive repair tooling and process for single-sheet PI film of Konica, Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba printheads.

Abstract

This invention discloses a universal, non-destructive repair and positioning fixture and process for single-piece PI film of printheads from Konica, Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba, belonging to the field of industrial inkjet printer printhead repair technology. All printheads from these four brands use only a single-piece PI film, which lacks ear-like or positioning ear structures, and the printhead body lacks original positioning holes and pins. Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba printheads also suffer from irregular shapes and uneven edges, making precise alignment impossible using only the shape and ordinary positioning film. This invention uses a dedicated mold fixture to fix and limit the overall position of the printhead. A pre-drilling fixture is used to pre-drill holes in the PI film, and a self-made positioning pin is used to establish an independent alignment reference. A glue thickness control fixture is used to precisely control the glue layer thickness to 0.03–0.10 mm, compatible with both roller application and transfer bonding processes. A matching positioning armor fixture completes the precise alignment and bonding of the film. Old PI films can be disassembled, cleaned, and reused, or new films can be directly replaced. This solution does not rely on the original nozzle positioning structure and shape edge. One process is compatible with all series of nozzles from four major brands, completely solving the problems of misalignment and uncontrolled glue overflow and hole blockage caused by the absence of positioning holes and uneven edges. It also prevents others from imitating and registering patents for a single brand. The repair is highly accurate and low-cost, making it suitable for standardized batch repair.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of industrial inkjet printer printhead repair technology, and in particular to a universal non-destructive repair tooling and process for single-piece PI film of all Konica, Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba printheads. Background Technology

[0002] Konica, Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba industrial inkjet printheads are core components of equipment used in digital printing, advertising inkjet printing, and industrial digital printing, and have a very large market share. These four brands share a common structural characteristic: all use a single-piece PI film design with a minimalist structure lacking ear-like features or positioning tabs. Furthermore, none of the printheads have original factory positioning holes or pins, lacking a natural alignment reference. Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba printheads also have unique structural drawbacks: irregular shapes and uneven edges make it impossible to position them using the printhead's outline. Ordinary positioning films cannot effectively fix and align them, and manual film application easily leads to misalignment, warping, ink leakage, and broken print lines, resulting in an extremely low repair yield.

[0003] The printhead's single-layer PI membrane comes into direct contact with the ink. With prolonged use, ink buildup and impurity deposits can easily occur, leading to nozzle clogging, wear and tear, and damage. These issues necessitate disassembly, cleaning, reuse, or replacement of the membrane. However, existing repair techniques have several fatal flaws:

[0004] 1. There are no dedicated universal tools and fixtures, and it can only be used for manual repair of a single brand. It cannot be adapted to batch operations of the four major brands.

[0005] 2. Without precise glue control methods, the thickness of the glue applied manually is uncontrollable; if the glue layer is too thick, it overflows and clogs the holes; if it is too thin, the adhesion is not strong.

[0006] 3. Lacking an independent positioning system, it relies on manual experience for alignment, resulting in unreliable accuracy;

[0007] 4. Single-brand repair solutions are easily copied by others, who preemptively register patents for single models of Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba, thus infringing on technological achievements.

[0008] In response to the common problems and patent squatting risks in the industry mentioned above, this invention has developed a universal maintenance solution that covers all series of printheads from four major brands, completely blocking the loopholes for counterfeiting and patent squatting. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the defects of existing technology and solve the industry problem that Konica, Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba printheads lack original positioning holes and positioning pins, and that Kyocera and other brands have uneven edges that make positioning impossible. At the same time, it aims to prevent others from imitating and registering patents for a single brand, and to provide a non-destructive repair tooling and process for single-piece PI film that is applicable to all four major brands.

[0010] This solution does not rely on the original nozzle positioning structure and outer edge. Instead, it uses mold fixing, tooling pre-drilling, and self-made positioning pins to build an independent positioning system. It precisely controls the adhesive layer thickness, is compatible with dual construction processes, and covers the entire range of Konica, Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba nozzles in one solution. This enables low-cost, high-precision, standardized, and non-destructive repair, firmly securing core technology patent rights.

[0011] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a universal non-destructive repair tooling for single-piece PI film of Konica, Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba printheads, including a printhead body, a single-piece PI film without ear, a mold fixing tooling, a film punching tooling, a self-made positioning pin, a glue scraping and thickness control tooling, a positioning armor tooling, a glue coating roller, transfer auxiliary materials, and a pressing tooling.

[0012] The single-piece PI diaphragm without ears is a universal repair component for printheads from the four major brands. It has no ears or positioning ears, and only the single piece needs to be replaced to repair printhead malfunctions. The mold fixing fixture has a universal structure that can limit and fix all series of Konica, Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba printheads as a whole, completely solving the problem of uneven edges and inability to position Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba printheads. The diaphragm punching fixture is used to pre-drill holes in the PI membrane with precision, eliminating the dependence on the original positioning structure of the printhead. The self-made positioning pin matches the pre-drilled holes in the PI membrane to form a unique and independent alignment benchmark, without relying on any original structure of the printhead.

[0013] The adhesive scraping and thickness control fixture is the core adhesive control component. After applying the adhesive, the adhesive layer is scraped and trimmed to strictly control the thickness of the adhesive layer within the range of 0.03 to 0.10 mm. This ensures that the PI film is firmly bonded to the nozzle base surface, preventing it from falling off or lifting, while also preventing excessive adhesive overflow that could clog the nozzle, thus ensuring the normal use of the nozzle.

[0014] This invention is compatible with both roller coating and transfer bonding processes, allowing for flexible selection based on on-site maintenance conditions and offering high operational flexibility. The positioning armor fixture, in conjunction with self-made positioning pins, provides overall positioning and precise centering of the PI film, ensuring complete alignment between the film and the nozzle orifice, eliminating positioning deviations.

[0015] During maintenance, only the original PI membrane of the printhead needs to be removed. The old membrane can be reused after ultrasonic cleaning and solvent soaking to remove blockages, or a new PI membrane of the same specification can be directly replaced. There is no need to replace other parts of the printhead, which greatly reduces the cost of maintenance consumables.

[0016] The general repair process steps of this invention are as follows:

[0017] 1. Membrane removal and substrate cleaning: Remove the original single PI membrane from the printhead, clean and unclogging the old membrane or replace it with a new one, and clean the substrate surface where the printhead is bonded to remove old adhesive, ink residue, and impurities to ensure that the substrate surface is flat and clean.

[0018] 2. Mold fixing and diaphragm pre-drilling: A universal mold fixing fixture is used to limit the entire nozzle, and a diaphragm pre-drilling fixture is used to accurately pre-drill holes in the PI membrane in advance;

[0019] 3. Positioning pin assembly: Install self-made positioning pins at the pre-drilled positions of the PI film to establish an independent alignment reference;

[0020] 4. Glue application and thickness control: Apply glue by roller coating or transfer printing, and fix the glue layer by scraping glue to accurately control the thickness within 0.03 to 0.10 mm;

[0021] 5. Armor positioning and bonding: Assemble the positioning armor tooling, and use the self-made positioning pin to accurately limit the PI membrane, so as to complete the alignment and bonding of the membrane and the nozzle;

[0022] 6. Pressing and curing: Pressing and maintaining pressure on the diaphragm using a pressing fixture until the adhesive is completely cured. Then, the fixture is removed, thus completing the non-destructive repair of a single PI film for the printheads of the four major brands.

[0023] This invention provides a single tooling and process, fully compatible with all industrial inkjet printheads from Konica, Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba. It eliminates the need for separate designs for any single brand, completely preventing others from imitating a single model and preemptively registering patents. The core positioning and adhesive control technologies have been patented, creating a high technological barrier. The entire process does not damage the printhead itself, significantly improving maintenance efficiency and yield. It is suitable for large-scale, standardized maintenance and promotion in the industry, while also providing a solid guarantee for patent layout and commercial rights protection. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of Konica, Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba printheads and single-piece PI diaphragm without ear loops;

[0025] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the glue control operation using the glue scraping and thickness control tool;

[0026] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of mold fixing fixture, diaphragm pre-drilling, and self-made positioning pin assembly;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the overall positioning and alignment of the armored tooling. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0029] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The structures and processes not described in detail in this embodiment are all conventional technologies in the art.

[0030] The tooling described in this invention is applicable to all industrial inkjet printheads from Konica, Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba. It is designed specifically for the structural characteristics of these four brands, such as single-piece PI diaphragms without earpieces, lack of original positioning holes, and uneven edges in some brands.

[0031] During actual maintenance work, there is no need to distinguish between the brand and model of the spray head; the following procedures should be followed uniformly:

[0032] 1. First, disassemble the individual PI film of the nozzle. Clean and unclogging the old film that can be reused. If it cannot be reused, replace it with a new PI film. Thoroughly clean the bonding surface of the nozzle.

[0033] 2. Then, the nozzle is placed into the universal mold fixing fixture for overall positioning, and the PI film is precisely pre-drilled using the diaphragm punching fixture, and the self-made positioning pin is installed.

[0034] 3. Next, apply the adhesive directly to the nozzle base surface using a rubber roller, or apply the adhesive to the transfer auxiliary material. Control the adhesive layer thickness to 0.03-0.10mm using a scraper adhesive thickness control tool.

[0035] 4. Next, assemble the PI film with the self-made positioning pin and use the positioning armor tooling to achieve precise alignment;

[0036] 5. Finally, place the tooling into the press and pressurize it to solidify. Remove the tooling to complete the repair.

[0037] In this embodiment, both the mold fixing fixture and the positioning armor fixture adopt standardized and universal structures, which can be adapted to different models of nozzles from four major brands; the adhesive scraping and thickness control fixture adopts a high-precision limit design to ensure that the adhesive layer thickness is always within the standard range; the self-made positioning pin matches the pre-drilled hole size of the diaphragm to ensure that the alignment accuracy error is controlled within the industry standard. The entire solution is easy to operate, has extremely strong technical versatility, completely blocks the space for others to preemptively register patents, and achieves comprehensive protection of core technologies.

[0038] The above description of the embodiments is provided to enable those skilled in the art to understand and use the invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to these embodiments, and the general principles described herein can be applied to other embodiments without inventive effort. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and any improvements and modifications made by those skilled in the art based on the disclosure of the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention should be within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A universal non-destructive repair tooling for single-piece PI film of all Konica, Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba printheads, characterized in that: Includes nozzle body, single-piece PI diaphragm without ear, mold fixing fixture, diaphragm punching fixture, self-made positioning pin, glue scraping and thickness control fixture, positioning armor fixture, glue coating roller, transfer printing auxiliary materials, and pressing fixture; All Konica, Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba printheads are equipped with only a single PI film. The PI film has no ears or positioning ears. The printhead body has no original positioning holes or positioning pins. The Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba printheads have irregular shapes on all four sides. The nozzle is fixed by a mold, and the PI film is pre-drilled by a diaphragm punching fixture. Together with a self-made positioning pin, an independent alignment reference is formed.

2. The universal non-destructive repair tooling for single-piece PI film of all Konica, Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba printheads according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adhesive scraping and thickness control tool is used to scrape the adhesive evenly after application, controlling the adhesive layer thickness to be between 0.03 and 0.10 mm.

3. The universal non-destructive repair tooling for single-piece PI films of all Konica, Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba printheads according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tooling is compatible with both direct glue application using rollers and transfer bonding processes.

4. The universal non-destructive repair tooling for single-piece PI films of all Konica, Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba printheads according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning armor tooling is used in conjunction with the self-made positioning pin to achieve limited positioning and alignment of the earless single-piece PI film.

5. A universal non-destructive repair process for single-piece PI films of all Konica, Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba printheads, employing the universal non-destructive repair tooling for single-piece PI films of all Konica, Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba printheads as described in any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that... Includes the following steps: The first step is to remove the original single PI film from the nozzle. It can be cleaned and unclogging and then reused or replaced with a new PI film. Clean the bonding surface of the nozzle. The second step is to use a mold fixing fixture to limit the overall position of the nozzle, and to use a film punching fixture to pre-punch holes in the PI film. The third step is to assemble self-made positioning pins at the pre-drilled positions of the PI film to establish an independent alignment reference. The fourth step is to apply the adhesive using a roller or transfer method, and control the thickness of the adhesive layer to 0.03-0.10 mm using a scraper adhesive thickness control tool. The fifth step is to assemble the positioning armor tooling and use the self-made positioning pins to limit and align the single PI film. The sixth step involves applying pressure and curing the diaphragm after it is bonded together using a pressing fixture, thus completing the non-destructive repair assembly.

6. The universal non-destructive repair process for single-piece PI film of all Konica, Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba printheads according to claim 5, characterized in that: The entire process is applicable to all industrial inkjet printheads from Konica, Kyocera, Seiko, and Toshiba.

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