Angled Air Blower for Liquid Discharge Drying
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid discharge devices with air blowers often fail to adequately dry liquids on media surfaces, leading to unsuitable drying conditions.
Innovation Solution
A liquid discharge device equipped with a platen, a head unit for discharging liquid, and an air blower that sends air at an angle to the normal line direction of the medium, along with an air blocking unit to inhibit air flow between the nozzle surface and the medium, ensuring effective drying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If air blower sends air toward the medium in normal line direction, then drying function is provided, but liquid cannot be suitably dried and ink flight curves occur
Solution Approach 1:
The air blower is attached at an angle to the normal line direction of the medium surface, creating asymmetric air flow. This angled attachment causes air to blow across the medium surface rather than perpendicular to it, preventing ink from being blown off the surface while still providing effective drying through horizontal air flow across the liquid layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The air flow direction is changed from the vertical dimension (normal line direction) to the horizontal dimension (angled direction across the surface). This dimensional change transforms the air flow from perpendicular impact to surface-parallel flow, eliminating ink flight curves while maintaining drying effectiveness through horizontal convection.
2Manufacturing precision
If air blower is positioned to dry the liquid effectively, then drying uniformity is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional air blocking unit
Solution Approach 1:
The air blocking unit is integrated with the head unit structure, allowing it to serve multiple functions: blocking air flow between nozzle and medium, and potentially guiding air flow patterns. This integration reduces the need for separate, independent components and simplifies the overall device architecture while maintaining drying uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The air blocking unit acts as an intermediary element that controls and shapes air flow between the nozzle and medium. By strategically positioning this blocking unit, the air flow path is modified to prevent direct vertical flow while maintaining horizontal drying flow, achieving uniform drying without requiring complex multi-component systems.
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
The solution allows for suitable drying of liquids by directing air flow in a manner that prevents ink flight curves and ensures even drying across the medium surface.
Implementation Method 1
The air blower is attached to the liquid discharge device such that the air sent by the air blower toward the medium flows in a direction at an angle to a normal line direction of the medium
Implementation Method 2
air blowers for sending air toward the medium supported by the platen provided on the head unit in order to dry the liquid discharged on the medium
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid discharge device includes a platen, a head unit and an air blower. The platen is configured and arranged to support a medium. The head unit is configured and arranged to discharge liquid on the medium supported by the platen. The air blower is configured and arranged to send air toward the medium supported by the platen. The air blower is attached to the liquid discharge device such that the air sent by the air blower toward the medium flows in a direction at an angle to a normal line direction of the medium.