Separate Colored Ink Head Units for Compact 3D Shaping Carriages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional 3D printers using multiple inkjet heads for different colors face issues with increased size and weight, and the cost of maintenance due to differential ink consumption, particularly when shaping colored objects.
Innovation Solution
A shaping device with a carriage holding multiple head units, each with nozzle rows for different inks, where colored inks are ejected from one unit and other inks from a second unit, reducing differential consumption and enabling coordinated replacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple individual inkjet heads are used for different colors, then coloring capability is improved, but carriage size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple inkjet heads (first head unit for colored inks, second head unit for other inks) into a single integrated carriage assembly. This merging approach maintains the capability to eject multiple types of inks while avoiding the weight and size penalty of using completely separate inkjet heads for each color, as the shared carriage structure provides common support and control mechanisms.
2Volume of moving object
If a single head unit ejects multiple ink types, then carriage size is reduced, but replacement cost increases when any nozzle fails
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the ink ejection function into two independent head units (first head unit for colored inks, second head unit for other inks) that can be independently replaced. This segmentation allows selective replacement of only the problematic head unit rather than replacing an entire integrated head unit, thereby reducing replacement costs while maintaining a compact carriage structure.
3Device complexity
If colored ink is ejected from the same head unit as other inks, then device complexity is reduced, but maintenance difficulty increases due to differential consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the ejection of colored inks and other inks into different head units (first head unit and second head unit respectively). This segmentation addresses the differential consumption issue by allowing independent monitoring and replacement of each head unit based on its specific usage patterns, simplifying maintenance planning while keeping the overall device structure relatively simple.
Data Source
AI summary
To appropriately realize a configuration suitable for a shaping device that shapes a colored shaped object. A shaping device that shapes a shaped object in which at least a part is colored, includes a plurality of head units and a carriage. Each head unit includes a plurality of nozzle rows each of which ejects ink supplied from an ink container through supply paths of ink different from each other. The carriage holds, as the plurality of head units, a head unit that is a first head unit head including a plurality of nozzle rows each of which ejects colored ink of different colors, and a head unit that is a second head unit including a plurality of nozzle rows each of which ejects ink different from the colored ink ejected by the head unit.