Adjustable Web Guide Mechanism for Print Medium Temperature Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

In high-speed production printing systems, heated web guides struggle to maintain a set point temperature due to excessive heat transfer, leading to reduced controllability of the drying process, particularly when handling varying web media types and speeds.

Innovation Solution

An adjustable web guide mechanism that dynamically adjusts the wrap angle between the web and the web guide surface, allowing for varying contact areas and normal forces to optimize heat transfer and tension, while maintaining a constant web path length to ensure consistent printing system performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the web guide increases heat transfer to dry the ink faster, then the drying speed improves, but the web guide fails to maintain set point temperature

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedrying speedVSAvoidweb guide temperature

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The web guide system dynamically adjusts the wrap angle between the web and web guide surface, allowing the contact area to vary in response to changing conditions. This enables the system to optimize heat transfer dynamically while maintaining temperature control, resolving the contradiction between drying speed and temperature maintenance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the physical parameter of contact area by adjusting the wrap angle of the web around the web guide. By varying this parameter, the system can control the amount of heat transfer to match the drying requirements without exceeding the web guide's heat generation capacity, thus maintaining set point temperature while achieving adequate drying speed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If the web guide maintains high temperature for effective drying, then the drying performance improves, but the controllability reduces when heat transfer exceeds heat generation capacity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedrying performanceVSAvoidcontrollability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system incorporates feedback control by monitoring the actual temperature of the web guide and adjusting the wrap angle accordingly. When temperature deviation is detected, the system modifies the contact area to restore proper heat transfer balance, ensuring both reliable drying performance and maintainable controllability under varying operating conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Productivity

If the contact area between web and web guide is increased to enhance heat transfer, then the drying efficiency improves, but the web tension and risk of physical damage increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedrying efficiencyVSAvoidweb physical damage

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The dynamic adjustment of wrap angle allows the system to optimize contact area for each specific drying requirement. By making the contact area variable rather than fixed, the system can achieve high drying efficiency when needed while reducing contact area to minimize tension and prevent web damage when maximum heat transfer is not required, thus resolving the contradiction between drying efficiency and web integrity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This solution enhances the controllability of the drying process by adjusting heat transfer and web tension, ensuring consistent ink drying and web handling across different printing conditions without causing physical damage to the web.

Implementation Method 1

Web guides often attain high temperatures, either directly from heaters or indirectly from contact with a heated web. In some instances, one or more heated web guides fail to maintain a set point temperature due to heat transfer exceeding heat generation capacity.

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 2

A mechanism to control a contact area between a web and a web guide surface to adjust heat transfer is desired.

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHeat transfer: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentUS11535045B2Adjustable web handling mechanism

Publication Date: 2022.12.27 RICOH CO LTD

AI summary

A web handling apparatus is disclosed. The web handling apparatus includes a first web guide to engage a print medium, a second web guide to engage the print medium to adjust a contact area between the first web guide and the print medium upon moving between a plurality of points on a guide path and a third web guide to engage the print medium to form a web path with the first web guide.