Filtering Printing Fluid to Mitigate Solid Degradation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Printers using printing fluid with solids suspended in imaging oil often experience degradation during storage, leading to reduced printing quality and increased downtime, as existing methods require full fluid replacement, resulting in waste and prolonged downtime.
Innovation Solution
A method involving partial drainage and filtration of the printing fluid, where the remaining fluid is mixed with recycled imaging oil and replenished with solids to maintain a predetermined concentration, reducing waste and downtime by allowing continuous printing without external fluid supply.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If printing fluid is stored in a tank for later use, then printing can be performed on demand, but the printing fluid degrades over time and becomes unsuitable for printing
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary filtration of the printing fluid before it degrades completely. A filter is positioned in the tank to continuously or periodically filter the printing fluid while it is stored, removing degraded particles and maintaining print quality without requiring complete fluid replacement
Solution Approach 2:
The printing fluid filters itself while remaining in the tank. The filter system is integrated into the tank structure, allowing the fluid to be cleaned in situ without removal, enabling the fluid to serve its printing function while simultaneously being purified of degradation products
2Reliability
If printing fluid is replaced when degradation occurs, then printing quality is maintained, but printer downtime increases
Solution Approach 1:
The filtration system operates continuously or periodically while the printer is in use, maintaining fluid quality without interrupting the printing process. This eliminates the need to stop printing for fluid replacement, as the fluid is cleaned in situ during normal operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary filtration before degradation significantly impacts print quality. By continuously removing particles during storage, the system prevents quality deterioration rather than responding after degradation occurs, eliminating the need for corrective fluid replacement
3Reliability
If printing fluid is fully replaced to maintain quality, then print quality is ensured, but waste increases and downtime prolongs
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of discarding the entire printing fluid when quality deteriorates, the system recovers the usable fluid by filtering out degraded particles. The filtered fluid remains in the tank and continues to be used, while only the removed particles are discarded, significantly reducing fluid waste
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial filtration rather than complete fluid replacement. By filtering only the degraded portions of the fluid while maintaining the bulk usable fluid in the tank, the system achieves quality maintenance with minimal waste and no downtime
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 approach effectively mitigates fluid degradation by reusing imaging oil and maintaining solid concentrations, minimizing downtime and waste while ensuring consistent print quality without external fluid sources.
Implementation Method 1
A filter is positioned in the tank to filter the printing fluid
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a method to mitigate deterioration of printing fluid in a tank of a printer. The method comprises: draining printing fluid from a tank of a printer, and stopping the draining before the tank is empty, wherein the printing fluid comprises solids suspended in imaging oil, filtering the printing fluid drained from the tank, to separate at least some of the solids from the imaging oil, passing the filtered imaging oil to a reservoir; and then passing imaging oil from the reservoir to the tank. Also disclosed is a printer and a system to perform the method.