Ink-jet Wipe Blade Vertical Cleaning Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink-jet recording apparatuses face challenges in effectively removing ink from the wipe blades and transfer surfaces, leading to incomplete ink removal and potential smearing during the recovery process, which can affect printing quality and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus incorporates a wipe unit with a cleaning mechanism and transfer surface moving mechanism, allowing the wipe blade to repeatedly contact and leave a cleaning member's transfer surface vertically, ensuring ink is transferred and removed from the blade's tip end and side surfaces, while the cleaning member, aided by a moisturizing member and cleaning blade, further assists in ink removal and prevention of smearing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the wipe blade reciprocates horizontally to remove ink, then ink removal is performed, but ink remains on the tip end surface and side surface of the wipe blade causing incomplete removal
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the cleaning motion from horizontal reciprocation to vertical contact and separation movements. The wipe blade is made to repeatedly contact and separate from the ink ejecting surface in the vertical direction, allowing ink to be removed from both the tip end surface and side surface through the vertical motion component, thereby solving the incomplete ink removal problem.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a vertical movement component to the wipe blade's motion, transforming it from a simple horizontal reciprocating motion to a combined vertical and horizontal dynamic motion. This dynamic multi-directional movement enables the wipe blade to effectively clean ink from complex surfaces including tip end and side surfaces.
2Ease of operation
If purged ink is wiped by the wipe blade, then the ink ejecting surface is cleaned, but the wipe blade becomes contaminated with ink requiring additional cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a cleaning member as an intermediary between the wipe blade and the final disposal of ink. The cleaning member receives ink transferred from the wipe blade's tip end surface, preventing direct contamination of the wipe blade and facilitating easier maintenance by providing a dedicated intermediate cleaning stage.
3Productivity
If the wipe blade contacts the ink ejecting surface, then ink is removed from the surface, but ink transfers to the tip end surface of the wipe blade
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the ink transfer problem by introducing a dedicated cleaning member that specifically handles the ink transferred to the wipe blade's tip end surface. This separation of functions allows the wipe blade to focus on removing ink from the ejecting surface while the cleaning member deals with the transferred ink, effectively taking out the contamination issue from the main wiping function.
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 solution ensures thorough ink removal from the wipe blades, reducing smearing and maintaining printing quality by effectively transferring ink to the cleaning mechanism, thus preparing the apparatus for the next printing operation.
Implementation Method 1
a cleaning member 82 having a transfer surface 82a to which ink adhering to a tip end surface of the wipe blade is transferred
Implementation Method 2
a moisturizing member 83 for applying liquid to the transfer surface 82a
Data Source
AI summary
An ink-jet recording apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a recording portion, a wipe unit, a cleaning mechanism, a wipe moving-up/down mechanism, a transfer surface moving mechanism, and a control portion. The wipe unit has a wipe blade that wipes purged ink that is forcibly discharged from an ejecting nozzle. The cleaning mechanism has a cleaning member onto which ink adhering to a tip end surface of the wipe blade is transferred. The control portion controls the wipe moving-up/down mechanism to force the wipe blade to repeat contacting and leaving a plurality of times the transfer surface of the cleaning member substantially vertically to remove the ink present on the tip end surface of the wipe blade, and controls the transfer surface moving mechanism in such a manner that the tip end surface of the wipe blade contacts a clean portion of the transfer surface.