Inkjet Recording Head Maintenance with Separated Liquid Collection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet recording apparatuses face challenges in effectively maintaining and cleaning multiple liquid heads, including ink and processing liquid heads, particularly when dealing with fiber or plastic sheets, where pre- and post-processing liquids are required, and nozzle clogging and dirt accumulation are common issues.
Innovation Solution
An integrated maintenance unit with a container unit, wiping unit, and cleaning unit is employed to separately collect and manage ink, pre-processing, and post-processing liquids, utilizing a cap to prevent drying and a wiping mechanism to clean the nozzle array surfaces, ensuring efficient purging, wiping, and cleaning operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple liquid heads (ink head and processing liquid heads) are used in the inkjet recording apparatus, then the functionality and versatility of the device is improved, but the complexity of maintenance and cleaning operations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The maintenance unit is segmented into separate collection containers for ink liquid and processing liquid, with dedicated receiving portions for each liquid type. This segmentation allows independent management and cleaning of each liquid system, reducing the overall maintenance complexity despite having multiple liquid heads.
Solution Approach 2:
The maintenance unit is designed as a multi-functional component that serves all liquid heads (ink head and processing liquid heads) simultaneously. It includes universal cleaning mechanisms and a unified control system that can handle maintenance operations for multiple different liquid types, simplifying the maintenance approach while maintaining versatility.
2Manufacturing precision
If pre-processing liquid and post-processing liquid are applied to improve ink fixability and fastness, then the printing quality is improved, but the risk of liquid aggregation and nozzle clogging increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and separates the collection of different processing liquids into distinct receiving portions within the maintenance unit. The ink liquid receiving portion and processing liquid receiving portion are separated, allowing each liquid type to be collected and managed independently. This prevents mixing of different liquids that could cause aggregation and nozzle clogging, while still enabling the application of multiple processing liquids for high-quality printing.
Solution Approach 2:
The maintenance unit acts as an intermediary system between the multiple liquid heads and the collection containers. It provides a controlled environment for liquid management with separate pathways for ink and processing liquids, preventing direct interaction between different liquid types that could cause aggregation, while still allowing all liquids to be applied for quality enhancement.
3Reliability
If a wiping mechanism is used to clean nozzle array surfaces, then the removal of dirt and maintenance of nozzle integrity is improved, but the complexity of the maintenance unit increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wiping mechanism is merged with the collection container structure, where the wiping unit is integrated into the maintenance unit that already includes collection functions. This combination allows the wiping operation to be performed within the same maintenance cycle as liquid collection, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining nozzle integrity through regular cleaning.
4Productivity
If liquid containers are positioned directly above the collection area, then the collection efficiency is improved, but the risk of liquid mixing between different container types increases
Solution Approach 1:
The collection area is segmented into vertically separated receiving portions: an ink liquid receiving portion and a processing liquid receiving portion. This vertical segmentation allows efficient gravity-based collection of liquids directly from the heads above while maintaining clear separation between different liquid types through dedicated collection zones at different positions.
Data Source
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AI summary
An inkjet recording apparatus includes a processing liquid head ejecting a processing liquid, an ink head ejecting an ink, a processing liquid wiper wiping the processing liquid head, an ink wiper wiping the ink head, and an ink container including a first opening receiving the ink. A movement range of the processing liquid wiper during the wiping is set to a position without a region directly above the first opening.