Ejection Device Noncontact Drying for Inkjet Wrinkle Suppression
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printing technologies face challenges in suppressing wrinkles on recording media due to uneven drying, where the second drying portion's contact with both surfaces of the recording medium can cause shrinkage differences between image and non-image areas, leading to wrinkles.
Innovation Solution
An ejection device with a first noncontact drying portion that applies light energy to one surface of the recording medium and a second drying portion that only contacts the opposite surface, reducing moisture differences and preventing wrinkles by controlled evaporation and heating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the second drying portion holds the recording medium from both one surface and the other surface to perform drying treatment, then the drying efficiency is improved, but wrinkles are generated in the recording medium
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the drying process into two separate stages: a first drying portion that dries the printed surface without contact, and a second drying portion that dries the back surface with contact. This segmentation allows each drying portion to perform its function independently, preventing the wrinkle generation that occurs when both surfaces are dried simultaneously with contact pressure.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of drying both surfaces simultaneously with contact (conventional approach), the patent inverts the sequence by first drying the printed surface in a noncontact manner, then drying the back surface with contact. This reversal of the drying sequence prevents wrinkles while maintaining drying efficiency.
2Manufacturing precision
If the second drying portion contacts both surfaces of the recording medium during drying, then uniform drying is achieved, but shrinkage differences between image and non-image areas cause wrinkles
Solution Approach 1:
The drying process is segmented into two distinct phases: first, noncontact drying of the printed surface to remove moisture uniformly without pressure; second, contact drying of the back surface to prevent curling. This segmentation achieves drying uniformity while avoiding the shrinkage differences that cause wrinkles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical contact-based drying method with a noncontact drying method (such as infrared or microwave heating) for the first drying portion. This substitution eliminates the mechanical pressure that causes differential shrinkage and wrinkle formation while maintaining effective moisture removal.
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 effectively suppresses wrinkle generation by ensuring uniform drying, maintaining the integrity of the recording medium and preventing image distortion.
Implementation Method 1
a first drying portion that applies light energy to one surface of a recording medium in a noncontact manner to thereby dry liquid droplets
Implementation Method 2
a second drying portion that comes in contact with only the other surface of the recording medium in which the liquid droplets have been dried by the first drying portion, and heats the recording medium to thereby dry the recording medium
Data Source
AI summary
An ejection device includes: an ejection portion that ejects liquid droplets onto one surface of a recording medium that is fed; a first drying portion that applies light energy to the one surface in a noncontact manner to thereby dry the liquid droplets; and a second drying portion that comes in contact with only other surface of the recording medium in which the liquid droplets have been dried toy the first drying portion, and heats the recording medium to thereby dry the recording medium.