Direct Printing Machine Vacuum Chamber for High-Speed Container Inkjet
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Solution Overview
Problem
Direct printing machines face challenges such as ink droplets being blown away by wind, reduced print quality due to humidity and dust contamination, and safety concerns for operating personnel from UV radiation and ink particles.
Innovation Solution
The direct printing machine operates within a vacuum treatment chamber, preventing airflow and dust, and protecting personnel from radiation and particles, allowing high-speed printing independent of environmental conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If direct printing is performed in atmospheric conditions with airflow, then printing can be done at standard environmental conditions, but ink droplets are blown away by wind reducing print quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a vacuum environment (inert atmosphere principle) within the printing chamber to eliminate air molecules that cause wind and blow ink droplets away. By removing the atmospheric gas environment, the printing process achieves high precision without the harmful effects of air flow, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and manufacturing precision.
2Productivity
If printing speed is increased to achieve higher throughput, then productivity improves, but ink droplets are more easily blown away by wind
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum environment eliminates air resistance and wind effects that normally increase with higher printing speeds. This allows the system to achieve high throughput rates without the penalty of degraded print quality from wind-blown ink droplets, resolving the contradiction between productivity and manufacturing precision.
3Device complexity
If printing is performed in atmospheric conditions, then no special chamber is needed, but dust particles settle on containers degrading print image
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum chamber creates an environment with minimal particles and dust by removing atmospheric gases. This protects the print image quality from dust contamination while the chamber structure, though added complexity, enables the vacuum environment necessary for high-quality printing.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum environment, which requires additional chamber structure, converts the potential harm of dust particles into a benefit by eliminating the medium (atmosphere) through which dust could contaminate the printing process. The structural complexity enables particle-free printing.
4Manufacturing precision
If UV curing is used to cure printing ink, then printing quality improves, but operating personnel are exposed to UV radiation and ozone
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum chamber serves as a protective barrier that contains UV radiation and ozone generation within the printing environment. This allows UV curing to be performed for high-quality printing while protecting operating personnel from harmful radiation exposure by conducting the curing process in a sealed vacuum environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum chamber acts as an intermediary barrier between the UV curing process and the operating personnel. It contains the harmful UV radiation and ozone within the chamber while allowing the curing process to proceed effectively, thus protecting personnel without compromising printing quality.
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 ensures high-quality printing at high throughput speeds while safeguarding operators, maintaining print quality and reducing environmental dependencies.
Implementation Method 1
the treatment chamber (5) with vacuum, in particular with a rough vacuum, is connected to a vacuum pump for sucking off the air
Implementation Method 2
such a direct print head is, for example, an ink jet print head which has a large number of print nozzles
Implementation Method 3
the printing ink being cured in a subsequent curing station via UV or other energy beams, such as electron beams, by crosslinking
Implementation Method 4
the printing ink being cured in a subsequent curing station via UV or other energy beams, such as electron beams, by crosslinking
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
A direct printing machine (1) for printing containers (2), having a conveying device (3) for conveying the containers (2) and having direct print heads (4a) with printing nozzles for applying a direct print onto the containers (2), characterized in that at least the printing nozzles of the direct printing heads (4a) are situated in a treatment chamber (5) under vacuum which is provided with double door systems (6, 7) for inserting and removing the containers.