Ink-First Flushing for Liquid Discharge Nozzle Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid discharge apparatuses face nozzle clogging due to pretreatment liquid coagulants, which deteriorate ink discharging performance when maintenance is performed, and existing maintenance methods do not adequately address this issue.
Innovation Solution
A maintenance method and apparatus that includes separate liquid discharge heads for ink and pretreatment liquid, with a controller to discharge ink into a receiver first, followed by pretreatment liquid, minimizing nozzle clogging and maintaining discharge performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If maintenance is performed by discharging pretreatment liquid into the liquid receiver to clean the nozzle, then the nozzle is cleaned, but the coagulant in the pretreatment liquid adheres to and clogs the ink discharging nozzle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the liquid discharge system into separate first liquid discharge heads for ink and second liquid discharge heads for pretreatment liquid. During maintenance, only the ink discharging nozzles are flushed with ink, while the pretreatment liquid discharging nozzles are flushed with pretreatment liquid separately. This segmentation prevents coagulant from the pretreatment liquid from adhering to the ink nozzles, resolving the clogging issue while maintaining cleaning effectiveness.
2Productivity
If pretreatment liquid is discharged by the liquid discharge head, then the print medium receives pretreatment, but clogging occurs in the nozzle due to drying since the pretreatment liquid contains a coagulant
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the discharge functions into first liquid discharge heads for ink and second liquid discharge heads for pretreatment liquid. This allows independent control and maintenance of each discharge system. The pretreatment liquid nozzles can be flushed with pretreatment liquid without affecting the ink nozzles, preventing coagulant buildup and drying-related clogging while maintaining productive pretreatment discharge capability.
3Reliability
If maintenance is performed using the same method as ink, then the ink nozzle is cleaned, but the coagulant in the pretreatment liquid may adhere to and clog the nozzles for discharging the ink
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements separate liquid discharge heads and separate flushing procedures for ink and pretreatment liquid. During maintenance, the ink discharging nozzles are flushed with ink while the pretreatment liquid discharging nozzles are flushed with pretreatment liquid. This segmented approach ensures that coagulant from the pretreatment liquid cannot adhere to the ink nozzles, maintaining maintenance effectiveness while preventing contamination.
Data Source
AI summary
A maintenance method and a liquid discharge apparatus. The maintenance method is performed by a liquid discharge apparatus including a first liquid discharge head to discharge ink, a second liquid discharge head to discharge pretreatment liquid, and a liquid receiver into which the ink and the pretreatment liquid are discharged, and the maintenance method includes flushing the ink and the pretreatment liquid into the liquid receiver, the flushing including discharging the ink into the liquid receiver and then discharging the pretreatment liquid into the liquid receiver. The liquid discharge apparatus includes the first liquid discharge head, the second liquid discharge head, the liquid receiver, and a controller to control the first liquid discharge head and the second liquid discharge head to discharge the pretreatment liquid onto a print medium and then discharge the ink onto the print medium.