Frosted Glass Decorative Sheet Inkjet Printing Banding Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing frosted glass-like decorative sheets using inkjet printers face challenges with banding and productivity, particularly in controlling the amount of liquid droplets, curing timing, and liquid droplet density.
Innovation Solution
The method involves using an inkjet printer with a head unit and ultraviolet irradiation unit to form dots on a transparent base material by controlling the amount of liquid droplets (1-50 pl), waiting time (10 ms-5 s), and liquid droplet density (0.1-1.0 μl/in2) in a multi-pass manner, optimizing the printing conditions to suppress banding and enhance productivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the amount of liquid droplets and liquid droplet density are increased to improve productivity, then the manufacturing speed increases, but banding occurs due to uneven curing and droplet distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by allowing liquid droplets to land on the base material and undergo preliminary spreading and positioning before UV irradiation curing. The waiting time of 10ms-5s enables the droplets to naturally distribute and merge into uniform patterns before being cured, preventing banding while maintaining productivity. This preliminary spreading action ensures even droplet distribution across the print region.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs periodic action through multi-pass inkjet printing with controlled waiting times between passes and between droplet ejection and curing. The cyclic process of ejecting droplets, waiting for them to spread, and then curing them in controlled intervals creates uniform patterns. The periodic ejection and curing cycles ensure consistent droplet distribution and prevent banding artifacts.
2Manufacturing precision
If the waiting time between droplet ejection and UV irradiation is extended to improve droplet distribution, then banding is reduced, but productivity decreases due to longer cycle times
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by optimizing the waiting time parameter to a specific range of 10ms-5s between droplet ejection and UV irradiation. This parameter optimization balances droplet distribution uniformity with manufacturing efficiency. Additionally, the liquid droplet density is controlled within 0.1-1.0μl/in2 and droplet amount within 1-50pl, creating optimal conditions that reduce banding while maintaining productivity through parameter tuning.
3Manufacturing precision
If multi-pass printing is used to improve droplet density control and reduce banding, then manufacturing precision increases, but the number of processing steps increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies continuity of useful action by maintaining the base material in a continuous state throughout multi-pass printing without intermediate handling or interruptions. The material remains on the conveyor belt or fixture, allowing multiple passes of the inkjet head to deposit droplets continuously. This continuous processing approach achieves precise droplet density control through accumulated passes while minimizing additional complexity by avoiding discrete handling steps.
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 suppresses banding and improves productivity while achieving a frosted glass-like appearance with appropriate diffusion and visibility effects, suitable for various applications.
Implementation Method 1
an ultraviolet curable ink and an ultraviolet irradiation unit that moves together with the head unit in a main scanning direction of the head unit and irradiates the liquid droplets jetted from the nozzles and landed on a main surface of a transparent base material with ultraviolet rays
Data Source
AI summary
A decorative sheet manufacturing method of the present invention is for manufacturing a frosted glass-like decorative sheet using an inkjet printer including a head unit provided with a plurality of nozzles for jetting liquid droplets of an ultraviolet curable ink and an ultraviolet irradiation unit that moves together with the head unit in a main scanning direction of the head unit and irradiates the liquid droplets jetted from the nozzles and landed on a main surface of a transparent base material with ultraviolet rays, the frosted glass-like decorative sheet having the transparent base material and a plurality of dots formed in a print region on the main surface of the transparent base material and formed of a cured product of the ultraviolet curable ink by carrying out inkjet printing having predetermined printing conditions in a multi-pass manner.