Maintenance Liquid Moisturizing Agent Concentration for Inkjet Nozzles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink jet recording technologies face challenges in maintaining the moisture balance of nozzles when ejecting multiple types of water-based ink compositions, leading to issues like clogging and viscosity changes due to improper moisture absorption rates, which existing maintenance liquids fail to adequately address.
Innovation Solution
A water-based maintenance liquid with a specific range of moisturizing agent content, optimized to balance moisture absorption rates for multiple ink compositions, is used to moisturize the nozzle surface, ensuring stable ink composition and preventing clogging and viscosity changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a maintenance liquid is used to moisturize the nozzle surface, then the nozzle is prevented from drying and clogging is suppressed, but the composition of water-based ink compositions changes due to improper moisture absorption rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by precisely controlling the concentration of moisturizing agents (alkanediols and/or alkylene glycol monoether derivatives) in the maintenance liquid to specific ranges (1-10 mass% for alkanediols, 1-5 mass% for alkylene glycol monoether derivatives). This parameter optimization ensures the liquid has appropriate moisture absorption characteristics that prevent nozzle drying while minimizing composition changes in the ink, thereby resolving the contradiction between maintaining nozzle functionality and preserving ink composition stability.
2Reliability
If the maintenance liquid contains high concentration of moisturizing agents, then the nozzle is well moisturized, but the ink composition changes more significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction through parameter changes by establishing specific concentration ranges for moisturizing agents. The alkanediol content is controlled at 1-10 mass% and alkylene glycol monoether derivative content at 1-5 mass%, preventing excessive moisture absorption that would cause ink composition changes while maintaining sufficient nozzle moisturization. This balanced parameter setting achieves both nozzle reliability and ink composition stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining multiple moisturizing agents (alkanediols and/or alkylene glycol monoether derivatives) in specific proportions within the maintenance liquid. This composite approach allows the liquid to achieve optimal moisture absorption characteristics that simultaneously protect the nozzle and minimize impact on ink composition, resolving the contradiction between moisturization effectiveness and composition stability.
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
The optimized maintenance liquid effectively suppresses changes in ink composition and enhances clogging recovery properties, maintaining nozzle functionality and ink performance across various ink types.
Implementation Method 1
air in a tightly closed space between the cap and the nozzle surface is moisturized
Implementation Method 2
the maintenance liquid is used to moisturize the nozzle surface... suppressing the changes in composition of the at least two types of inks
Data Source
AI summary
A water-based maintenance liquid is used for a recording apparatus, the recording apparatus is an apparatus to perform recording by ejecting at least two types of water-based ink compositions from an ink jet head, the ink jet head has a nozzle surface in which nozzles to eject the water-based ink compositions are formed, the nozzles are formed in the nozzle surface respectively for the at least two types of water-based ink compositions, the maintenance liquid is used to moisturize the nozzle surface by being supplied to a cap portion which covers the nozzle surface and includes water and a moisturizing agent component which contains at least one type of moisturizing agent, the moisturizing agent component is a water-soluble organic compound, and a content A (percent by mass) of the moisturizing agent component with respect to a total mass of the moisturizing agent component and the water satisfies a predetermined equation.