Liquid Discharging Apparatus Guide Rail Bending Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid discharging apparatuses face challenges in maintaining positional accuracy and size constraints due to the placement and length of guide rails, which become longer to accommodate maintenance devices, leading to increased size and bending issues, especially when auxiliary units are added.
Innovation Solution
A liquid discharging apparatus with transfer units that position maintainers within the workpiece and carriage maximum scanning ranges, allowing for shorter guide rails and reduced apparatus size, while maintaining positional accuracy by positioning maintainers at standby and maintenance positions without interfering with the scanning table.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If maintainers are positioned outside the maximum scanning range to perform maintenance, then maintenance function is achieved, but the guide rail length increases causing apparatus size increase and bending issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies vertical dimensionality change by moving maintainers between a standby position (outside scanning range) and a maintenance position (inside scanning range) using vertical movement mechanisms. This allows the maintainers to be accessible for maintenance operations without permanently increasing the horizontal guide rail length, thus resolving the contradiction between maintenance accessibility and apparatus compactness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic positioning of maintainers by enabling them to move between different positions (standby and maintenance positions) according to operational needs. This dynamic configuration allows the system to adapt the maintainer location based on whether maintenance operations are required or normal scanning operations are performed, optimizing both maintenance accessibility and apparatus size.
2Adaptability or versatility
If carriage weight is increased by mounting auxiliary units, then functional capability is improved, but guide rail bending increases deteriorating liquid droplet discharge positional accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent relocates auxiliary units from the horizontal carriage path to the vertical dimension by positioning them in the standby position outside the scanning range. This vertical relocation allows auxiliary units to be mounted on the carriage without increasing horizontal guide rail length, thereby maintaining positional accuracy while accommodating additional functional capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts auxiliary units from the active scanning workspace and positions them in the standby position outside the maximum scanning range. This extraction removes the source of weight-induced bending from the critical scanning zone, allowing auxiliary functionality to be added without compromising the precision of liquid droplet discharge during normal operations.
3Ease of operation
If guide rail length is increased to accommodate maintainers outside scanning range, then maintenance accessibility is improved, but apparatus size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes vertical space to position maintainers outside the horizontal scanning range during standby, eliminating the need to extend the horizontal guide rail. This dimensional transition allows maintainers to be accessible for maintenance operations while keeping the apparatus compact in the horizontal plane, thus resolving the contradiction between maintainability and compactness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic repositioning of maintainers between standby and maintenance positions to optimize space utilization. During normal operations, maintainers are positioned in the standby location outside the scanning range, minimizing apparatus footprint. During maintenance operations, maintainers move to the maintenance position inside the scanning range, providing accessibility without permanent space increase.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid discharging apparatus includes a table that transfers a workpiece in a first scan direction; a carriage that has a liquid discharging head for discharging liquid droplets on the workpiece, and moves along a guide member in a second scan direction; one or more maintainers that are used to perform maintenance such as cleaning of the liquid discharging head; and transfer units that the transfers the maintainers to a standby position in which the maintainers does not interfere with the table to be scanned, and a maintenance position in which the maintenance of the liquid discharging head is performed. When the maintainers are positioned at the standby position, at least a part of the maintainers is positioned in a workpiece maximum scanning range, which is a maximum moving range of the workpiece in the first scan direction during the scanning of the workpiece on the table. When the maintainers positioned at the maintenance position, at least a part of the maintainers is positioned in a workpiece maximum scanning range of the carriage in the second scan direction, which is a maximum moving range during the scanning of the carriage.