Liquid Discharge Device Nozzle Cleaning Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid discharge devices face challenges in efficiently managing ink discharge and maintenance, particularly in preventing ink overflow and ensuring consistent image quality, due to the need for precise movement and alignment of nozzles and ink receiving surfaces.
Innovation Solution
The liquid discharge apparatus incorporates a wiper unit that moves in a horizontal direction to face the nozzle without changing the inclination of the cleaning liquid collector, allowing for efficient ink collection and prevention of overflow, while the carriage moves in multiple axes to discharge ink onto an object, and includes a system for maintaining nozzle cleanliness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the carriage moves to the ink receiving surface for maintenance, then the nozzle can be cleaned, but the image production time is reduced due to movement time
Solution Approach 1:
The ink receiving surface is pre-positioned at the discharge position of the nozzle, allowing maintenance operations to begin immediately without requiring carriage movement. The liquid collector is also preliminarily positioned to receive discharged liquid directly, enabling continuous image production while maintenance is performed.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the liquid collector changes inclination during movement, then it can adapt to different positions, but liquid overflow occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid collector is designed with a movable support structure that allows it to dynamically adjust its position horizontally while maintaining a fixed inclination angle. This enables the collector to follow the movement of the ink receiving surface without changing its orientation, preventing liquid overflow while adapting to different positions.
3Manufacturing precision
If the ink receiving surface is positioned away from the nozzle, then the discharge precision is improved, but the maintenance time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ink receiving surface is pre-positioned at the exact discharge position of the nozzle, allowing maintenance operations to begin immediately without requiring carriage movement. This eliminates the time loss associated with moving the carriage while maintaining precise discharge positioning.
4Productivity
If the moving unit moves the liquid collector, then the collection efficiency is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid collector is integrated with the ink receiving surface assembly, sharing the same support structure and movement mechanism. This merging reduces the number of independent moving units while maintaining efficient liquid collection, as the collector moves together with the receiving surface during both discharge and maintenance operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid discharge device includes a head including a discharge port. The head discharges a liquid from the discharge port toward an object. The liquid discharge device further includes a liquid receiving surface to receive the liquid discharged from the discharge port, a liquid collector to collect the liquid received by the liquid receiving surface, and a moving unit to hold the liquid receiving surface and the liquid collector. The moving unit is movable at a facing position where the liquid receiving surface faces the discharge port without changing an inclination of the liquid collector with respect to a horizontal plane.