Inkjet Printing Airflow Control During Multi-Pass Pauses
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printing apparatuses experience density unevenness due to pauses during multi-pass printing, which can be exacerbated by air blowing to promote ink fixation, leading to smudging and unevenness in printed regions.
Innovation Solution
A printing apparatus with a control unit that adjusts air blowing speed based on the duration of printing operation pauses, blowing at a faster speed for shorter pauses and a slower speed for longer pauses to minimize density unevenness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If air blowing is used to promote ink fixation during printing, then ink fixation is improved, but density unevenness occurs due to excessive drying during pauses
Solution Approach 1:
The air blowing unit operates dynamically with different wind speeds corresponding to different printing states. During active printing, air blows at a first wind speed to promote ink fixation. During pauses, the wind speed is reduced to a second speed (lower than the first) or stopped, preventing excessive drying and density unevenness. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between maintaining ink fixation and preventing density uniformity issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of air blowing wind speed based on the printing state. By switching between a first wind speed (during printing) and a second wind speed (during pause, which is lower), the system adapts the drying conditions to match the current operational phase, thereby preventing density unevenness while maintaining effective ink fixation during active printing.
2Manufacturing precision
If multi-pass printing is performed to print images, then printing quality is improved, but pause-induced drying causes smudge unevenness between passes
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit predicts the pause time before the pause occurs and proactively adjusts the air blowing unit's operation. By reducing or stopping air blowing during the predicted pause period, the system prevents excessive drying of ink on the printing medium before the next pass, thereby maintaining consistent ink moisture and smudge characteristics across multiple passes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the printing operation status (detecting when pauses occur during multi-pass printing) to adjust air blowing conditions. The control unit monitors the printing state and modifies air blowing accordingly, ensuring that ink drying is controlled appropriately during pauses between passes, thus maintaining ink moisture consistency.
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 solution effectively reduces density unevenness by controlling air blowing speed during pauses, ensuring consistent ink drying and smudging, thereby improving print quality.
Implementation Method 1
a blowing unit, provided upstream of the printing unit in the conveyance direction, configured to blow air onto the printing medium supported by the support unit
Implementation Method 2
an ink printed before the pause dries during the pause
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an inkjet printing apparatus, an inkjet printing method, and a storage medium capable of causing less density unevenness. To this end, in a case where an expected pause time is larger than a predetermined threshold T (s), a platen air blowing unit blows air to the surface of a printing medium on a platen at a wind speed lower than that during printing.