Ink Circulation Supply System for Industrial Inkjet Printers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial inkjet printers face issues with ink viscosity increase and particle dispersibility due to the use of pumps, which can lead to malfunction and reduced printing efficiency, especially when handling inks with metal particles, flat panel display materials, or OLED materials.
Innovation Solution
An ink circulation supply system that circulates ink between the inkjet head and reservoirs without a pump, utilizing a meniscus reservoir, a circulation reservoir, and an ante reservoir connected through pressure control pipes and valves to maintain a meniscus state and control pressure differences for efficient ink flow, ensuring fluidity and homogeneity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pump is used to circulate ink in industrial inkjet printers, then ink circulation is achieved, but pump malfunction occurs and reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the pump component from the ink circulation system entirely. Instead of using a mechanical pump to circulate ink, the system relies on natural convection currents created by temperature differences and gravity to move ink from the reservoir through the heating chamber and onto the substrate, thereby eliminating pump malfunction risks while maintaining circulation functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The ink circulation system becomes self-regulating through natural convection mechanisms. Temperature variations in the ink automatically drive circulation patterns without external mechanical assistance, allowing the system to maintain itself without pumps or complex control mechanisms, thus improving reliability
2Stability of the object's composition
If a pump is used to circulate ink, then ink flow is controlled, but ink viscosity increases and homogeneity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs periodic heating cycles that create alternating convection currents in the ink. The heating element periodically warms the ink, creating rising warm currents and sinking cool currents, which continuously mixes the ink and maintains homogeneity without requiring mechanical pumping, thus preventing viscosity increase while maintaining productivity
3Stability of the object's composition
If the head supply reservoir is maintained in vacuum to generate negative pressure, then meniscus state is maintained, but solvent evaporation accelerates and ink viscosity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the pressure parameter from vacuum negative pressure to atmospheric pressure operation. By eliminating the vacuum condition in the head supply reservoir, the patent prevents accelerated solvent evaporation while still maintaining the meniscus state through controlled heating and convection mechanisms, thus resolving the contradiction between meniscus maintenance and evaporation prevention
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 system maintains ink fluidity and homogeneity, preventing pump malfunctions and enabling accurate and efficient inkjet printing processes, even with complex ink compositions, by eliminating the need for pumps and ensuring continuous ink circulation.
Implementation Method 1
it is necessary for ink, which is ready to be ejected from the inkjet head, to maintain a meniscus state in which the surface of ink is curved inward with respect to a nozzle inlet by capillary action
Implementation Method 2
a first pressure controller connected to the meniscus reservoir through a first pressure control pipe, and configured to control internal pressure; and a second pressure controller connected to the circulation reservoir through a second pressure control pipe, and configured to control internal pressure
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an ink circulation supply system for an inkjet head. The system is configured to supply ink to the inkjet head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting the ink, and includes: a meniscus reservoir; a circulation reservoir; and an ante reservoir, the reservoirs where a first pressure connection pipe with a first pressure valve, a second pressure connection pipe with a second pressure valve, a first ink connection pipe, and a second ink connection pipe with an ink valve are provided, wherein when the internal pressure of the circulation reservoir is controlled to be lower than that of the meniscus reservoir, the ink stored in the meniscus reservoir is moved to the circulation reservoir without requiring use of a separate pump.