Ink Jet Recording Using Thermal Thickening for Fast, Sharp Printing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ink jet recording methods face challenges in achieving a sufficient recording rate while maintaining excellent image quality, particularly when printing on non-porous recording media.
Innovation Solution
A recording method involving a water-based ink composition with specific thermal properties, including a pigment, resin, and organic solvent, and a heating mechanism to control ink adhesion and drying, combined with controlled scanning patterns to enhance image quality and recording efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional ink jet recording methods are used, then image quality can be maintained, but recording rate is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by optimizing the ink composition formulation (resin type, organic solvent selection, pigment concentration) and controlling thermal parameters during recording. The ink is designed with specific viscosity characteristics and drying properties that enable faster ejection and drying rates while maintaining image quality, directly resolving the contradiction between productivity and manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic action through the heating mechanism that applies thermal energy in cycles during the recording process. The heating unit periodically heats the recording medium to control ink drying and fixation, enabling faster processing speeds while preventing image defects, thus improving recording rate without sacrificing image quality.
2Productivity
If ink is ejected at higher speeds to improve recording rate, then productivity increases, but ink blurring or bleeding occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the ink composition, specifically optimizing viscosity, surface tension, and drying characteristics. The ink formulation includes specific resins and organic solvents that control ink flow behavior, preventing blurring and bleeding even at high ejection speeds, thereby enabling faster recording while maintaining image sharpness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-heating the recording medium before ink ejection. This preliminary thermal treatment prepares the substrate to rapidly absorb and fix the ink droplets, preventing spread and blurring. This allows the ink jet to operate at higher speeds without compromising image sharpness, resolving the contradiction between productivity and manufacturing precision.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple main scannings are performed to improve image quality, then manufacturing precision increases, but recording rate decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the ink composition parameters to enable superior image quality in fewer passes. The optimized formulation with specific resins, pigments, and solvents provides better adhesion, color saturation, and drying characteristics, allowing high-quality images to be achieved with 1-2 main scannings instead of multiple passes, thus improving recording rate while maintaining manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by reducing the number of main scanning passes required for satisfactory image quality. Through optimized ink formulation and heating control, the system achieves adequate image quality with fewer scans (1-2 passes), sacrificing some excessive detail refinement in exchange for significantly improved recording rate, effectively resolving the contradiction between manufacturing precision and productivity.
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 method improves recording rate and image quality by controlling ink flow and preventing blurring or bleeding, resulting in enhanced image stability and fastness on various recording media.
Implementation Method 1
a primary heating step of heating the adhered ink composition
Implementation Method 2
in a chart of logarithmic attenuation with temperature obtained by measurement of the ink composition using a rigid-body pendulum characteristics test, the ink composition has a temperature of a first thickening peak of 30° C. to 65° C.
Data Source
AI summary
A recording method includes an adhesion step of ejecting an ink composition from an ink jet head to be adhered to a recording medium; and a primary heating step of heating the adhered ink composition, and the adhesion step includes at least one main scanning in which while a relative position of the ink jet head and the recording medium is changed in a main scanning direction, the ink composition is adhered to the recording medium and at least one sub-scanning in which the relative position of the ink jet head and the recording medium is changed in a sub-scanning direction. In the recording method described above, the number of the main scannings performed on the same recording region of the recording medium is 5 or less, the ink composition is a water-based ink containing a pigment, a resin, and an organic solvent, and in a chart of logarithmic attenuation with temperature obtained by measurement of the ink composition using a rigid-body pendulum characteristics test, the ink composition has a temperature of a first thickening peak of 30° C. to 65° C. and a temperature of a maximum thickening peak of 70° C. or more.