Inkjet Head Cap Air Communication Channel Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing head caps for inkjet printers fail to maintain a consistent air communication channel resistance, leading to reduced effectiveness in preventing nozzle drying, especially when the inkjet head is enlarged or when pressure distribution is uneven, causing the air communication groove to be poorly formed.
Innovation Solution
A head cap design featuring a bottom plate portion with a projecting side wall and a holder that forms a recessed portion, along with a groove and connecting portions to create a reliable air communication channel with a predetermined resistance, ensuring consistent communication between the cap and the outside environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the air communication groove is formed by simple capping operation, then the device complexity is reduced, but the manufacturing precision of the air communication channel deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The air communication groove is pre-formed on the cap holder before the cap is installed. This preliminary formation ensures that the groove exists in advance with the correct geometry, eliminating the need for complex post-installation adjustments and ensuring consistent channel resistance while maintaining simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap holder serves as an intermediary component that provides the air communication groove structure. By separating the groove formation from the cap itself and embedding it in the holder, the design achieves precise channel geometry without increasing the cap's structural complexity.
2Reliability
If the cap and cap holder are made to contact closely, then the reliability of air communication is improved, but the ease of manufacture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The air communication groove is pre-formed on the cap holder before assembly. This preliminary preparation ensures that when the cap is installed, the groove is already in place to provide reliable air communication, eliminating the need for complex post-assembly adjustments while maintaining good contact between components.
3Reliability
If the channel resistance is increased, then the effectiveness of preventing nozzle drying is improved, but the air communication effectiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The channel resistance is precisely controlled by adjusting the groove dimensions (width, depth, length) and the contact pressure between the cap and cap holder. By optimizing these parameters, the design achieves sufficient resistance to prevent nozzle drying while maintaining adequate air communication to prevent pressure buildup.
Data Source
AI summary
A head cap, including: a cap including (a) a bottom plate portion and (b) a projecting portion which functions as a side wall, which extends from the bottom plate portion so as to define a recessed portion with the bottom plate portion, and whose distal end contacts with a surrounding of a liquid-droplets ejecting area formed in a liquid-droplets ejecting surface of a liquid-droplets ejecting head so as to enclose the liquid-droplets ejecting area; a holder configured to support the cap; a groove formed in at least one of a first surface of the bottom plate portion which is opposed to the holder and a second surface of the holder which is opposed to the bottom plate portion so as to partly constitute an air communicating channel that communicates the recessed portion and an outside with each other; and a channel wall provided between the first surface and the second surface so as to enclose the groove as seen in a direction perpendicular to one of the first surface and the second surface by contacting with at least one of the first surface and the second surface.