Inkjet Apparatus Support Members for Thermal Stability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing liquid ejection apparatuses face challenges in maintaining the positional relationship between the guide rails and the feeding roller due to temperature changes, leading to potential reductions in printing quality, as the housing made of resin expands and contracts more than the metallic frame, causing instability in the support structure.
Innovation Solution
The use of two separate support members, one easier to deform in the scanning direction and attached to a projection, and another more rigid, which are fixed to the housing to maintain the positional relationship between the guide rails and the feeding rollers, preventing changes in the printing mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a frame including a bottom plate extending in the scanning direction is used to support guide rails and feeding roller, then the positional relationship between guide rails and feeding roller is stable, but the weight and size of the liquid ejection apparatus increase
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is divided into two separate support members (first and second support members) that are attached to the housing at different locations. This segmentation reduces the overall weight and size while maintaining stability through distributed support points that accommodate thermal expansion differently.
Solution Approach 2:
The first support member is made easier to deform in the scanning direction compared to the second support member. This local quality difference allows the first support member to flex with thermal expansion while the second maintains rigidity, preserving positional relationships without requiring a heavy continuous bottom plate.
2Weight of stationary object
If two separate support members are used instead of a frame with bottom plate, then weight and size are reduced, but the positional relationship between guide rails and feeding roller becomes unstable due to housing expansion
Solution Approach 1:
The first support member is designed with easier deformability in the scanning direction to accommodate housing thermal expansion, while the second support member maintains higher rigidity. This differential local quality allows each support member to respond appropriately to thermal stresses, maintaining overall positional stability without requiring a heavy continuous structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The first support member is made dynamically responsive to thermal expansion by allowing easier deformation in the scanning direction. This dynamic characteristic enables the support structure to adapt to temperature changes while maintaining functional stability, eliminating the need for a rigid continuous bottom plate.
3Ease of manufacture
If the housing is made of resin material with high coefficient of linear expansion, then manufacturing ease and weight are improved, but the positional relationship between support components changes with temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The support members are designed with differential deformability characteristics. The first support member is easier to deform in the scanning direction to match the housing's thermal expansion, while the second support member maintains rigidity. This local quality differentiation compensates for the housing's high expansion coefficient, maintaining component positional relationships despite temperature changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The first support member is specifically designed to be easier to deform in the scanning direction, allowing it to expand and contract with the resin housing during temperature changes. This deliberate thermal expansion design in the first support member compensates for the housing's high coefficient of linear expansion, preventing distortion of the overall support structure and maintaining stable positional relationships between guide rails and feeding roller.
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
This configuration stabilizes the positional relationship between the guide rails, feeding rollers, and the inkjet head, reducing the likelihood of printing quality degradation and minimizing weight and size while allowing for expansion and contraction of the housing with temperature changes.
Implementation Method 1
The housing at the location to which the first support member is attached is easier to deform in the scanning direction than housing at the location to which the second support member is attached
Implementation Method 2
The resin material of the housing has a higher coefficient of linear expansion than the metallic material of the frame. Therefore, the housing readily expands and contracts, for example, with ambient temperature changes
Data Source
AI summary
The liquid ejection apparatus with a liquid jetting head and support members is described. A first support member and a second support member support a guide and feeding roller in a scanning direction and are attached to a housing of the liquid ejection apparatus. The housing at the location to which the first support member is attached is easier to deform in the scanning direction than housing at the location to which the second support member is attached. Further, the housing at the first location may include a projection. The first support member may be attached to the projection.