Ink Delivery System Thermal Management via Outer Wall Conduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ink delivery systems in printing systems face challenges in maintaining ink temperature efficiency, requiring multiple heaters and components, which increases complexity, cost, and energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
An ink delivery system with a sump tank, header tank, and an ink flow channel heated by a heater on the outer casing, allowing efficient heating of both new and circulating ink without additional in-line heaters, reducing component count and maintaining target ink temperature.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a high power in-line heater is used to quickly heat new ink from ambient room temperature to target ink temperature, then the ink heating speed is improved, but the energy consumption and component cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the functions of heating new ink and maintaining circulating ink temperature into a single heater located in the sump tank. This merged heating system eliminates the need for separate in-line heaters, reducing energy consumption while maintaining effective heating performance through the thermal mass of the sump tank and strategic heater placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The heater in the sump tank performs preliminary heating of new ink before it enters the circulating system. By pre-heating the ink in the sump tank, the system reduces the additional heating power required downstream, thereby lowering overall energy consumption while maintaining heating effectiveness.
2Reliability
If multiple heaters and components are used to maintain ink temperature and heat new ink, then the temperature control reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple heating functions into a single heater located in the sump tank, reducing the number of components while maintaining temperature control reliability. The sump tank acts as a thermal reservoir that distributes heat evenly, eliminating the need for multiple distributed heaters and simplifying the overall system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The single heater in the sump tank performs multiple functions: heating new ink, maintaining circulating ink temperature, and pre-heating ink before it enters the print head. This multi-functional approach reduces component count while maintaining comprehensive temperature control across the entire ink delivery system.
3Volume of moving object
If a compact ink delivery system is designed, then the system size is reduced, but the accessibility for maintenance of critical components decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the ink delivery system into distinct functional modules (sump tank, header tank, circulation system) with the heater centrally located in the sump tank. This segmentation allows for modular maintenance where the sump tank can be accessed independently, maintaining ease of repair while achieving a compact overall system configuration.
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 system effectively maintains ink temperature within a narrow range, reducing energy consumption and costs while being compact and easy to maintain, ensuring consistent print quality.
Implementation Method 1
The outer casing comprises an outer wall configured to transmit heat to ink in the ink flow channel. The ink delivery system further comprises a heater configured to heat the outer wall of the outer casing.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure concerns an ink delivery system for supplying ink to a print head. The ink delivery system comprises a sump tank, a header tank, an ink flow channel between the sump tank and the header tank, and a pump configured to pump ink from the sump tank, through the ink flow channel, to the header tank. The ink delivery system further comprises an outer casing and a heater. The outer casing houses the sump tank, the header tank and the ink flow channel. The outer casing comprises an outer wall configured to transmit heat from the heater to ink in the ink flow channel.