Digital Ceramic Printing Head with Magnetic Clogging Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current digital printing heads for ceramic tiles are not compatible with traditional ceramic glazes due to their density, limiting ink dispensing and resulting in unsatisfactory decorations, and they malfunction at high frequencies and are prone to erosion, leading to frequent maintenance needs.
Innovation Solution
A digital decoration head with a ferroelectric clogging element that uses a combination of electromagnets and permanent magnets to control the outlet port, allowing for precise and high-frequency operation while withstanding aggressive glazes, featuring a tubular channel with inlet and outlet ports and a sliding clogging element that moves between closing and opening positions under magnetic control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a flexible blade is used to control ink outflow through mechanical action, then the outlet port can be kept very small for precise control, but the dense ceramic glazes obstruct the outlet port making the head unusable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical flexible blade system with a magnetic field-based control system. A ferromagnetic clogging element is actuated by electromagnetic coils to open and close the outlet port, eliminating the need for mechanical contact between the control mechanism and the dense ceramic glaze material.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the clogging element as a separate ferromagnetic component that can be independently controlled by magnetic fields. This allows the outlet port to remain small for precise control while the ferromagnetic element responds to magnetic actuation without being obstructed by dense ceramic glazes.
2Device complexity
If a return spring is used to bring the clogging element back to closing position, then the head can operate with simple return mechanism, but the spring undergoes fast erosion and wear from aggressive ceramic glazes causing breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical return spring with a permanent magnet that provides continuous magnetic attraction to hold the ferromagnetic clogging element in the closing position. This eliminates the need for a mechanical spring that would be exposed to and eroded by aggressive ceramic glazes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a permanent magnet as an intermediary that exerts magnetic force on the ferromagnetic clogging element without direct contact with the ceramic glaze material. This magnetic field mediator allows the return force to be applied through the glaze without erosion or wear.
3Device complexity
If a return spring is used for the clogging element, then the head can function with basic return capability, but it cannot work at high frequencies as the spring goes into resonance causing malfunction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical return spring with an electromagnetic system consisting of a permanent magnet for return force and electromagnetic coils for actuation. This electromagnetic system can respond to high-frequency control signals without the resonance limitations that plague mechanical springs at high operating frequencies.
4Measurement precision
If the outlet port is kept very small for precise ink control, then outflow can be controlled, but only a very small amount of ink can be dispensed resulting in unsatisfactory decoration quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the outlet port dynamic by using a ferromagnetic clogging element that can be rapidly opened and closed by electromagnetic actuation. This allows the system to maintain a small outlet port for precision control while dispensing larger quantities of ink through high-frequency opening/closing cycles, thereby satisfying both precision and quantity requirements for quality ceramic decoration.
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
Enables the use of traditional ceramic glazes for high-quality decorations, operates reliably at various frequencies, and reduces maintenance requirements by using magnetic fields to manage the clogging element effectively, ensuring durable and precise ink dispensing.
Implementation Method 1
return means, in particular a permanent magnet, arranged outside the channel (3) and able to draw the clogging element (4) towards the closing position
Implementation Method 2
said clogging element comprising at least one ferroelectric element
Implementation Method 3
opening means (7) which can be controlled between an active configuration, in which they produce a first magnetic field suitable for attracting said clogging element towards the opening position
Implementation Method 4
opening means (7) which can be controlled between an active configuration, in which they produce a first magnetic field
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The head (1) for the digital decoration of ceramic products, comprises: - a body (2) inside which a channel (3) is defined for the transit of at least a ceramic glaze and having an inlet port (3a) and an outlet port (3b) for the glaze; - at least a clogging element (4) fitted inside the transit channel (3) and alternatively moving between a closing position and an opening position of the outlet port (3b), the clogging element (4) comprising at least one ferromagnetic element (6a, 6b); - opening means (7) which can be controlled between an active configuration, wherein they generate a first magnetic field able to attract the clogging element (4) towards the opening position, and an inactive configuration, wherein they interrupt the first magnetic field itself; - return means (8) able to generate a second permanent magnetic field to attract the clogging element (4) towards the closing position with the opening means (7) in an inactive configuration, where the clogging element (4) comprises at least two ferromagnetic elements (6a, 6b) arranged spaced apart from one another, of which at least a first and a second ferromagnetic elements (6a, 6b) arranged, with the clogging element (4) in closing position, in correspondence to the opening means (7) and in the proximity of the return means (8), respectively.