Movable Damper Airflow Control for Inkjet Print Media
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printing systems using vacuum suction for media transport often experience unintended blurring of images due to air currents induced by uncovered vacuum suction holes, particularly at the edges of smaller print media, leading to inaccurate droplet placement and image blur.
Innovation Solution
An airflow control system with a movable damper is implemented to selectively block airflow through uncovered holes based on the size of the print medium, using an actuator and controller to adjust the damper's position and prevent crossflows that cause image blur.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If vacuum suction holes extend across the full width of the deposition region to accommodate any print media size, then the system can handle various media sizes, but air currents are induced through uncovered holes causing image blur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the damper movable rather than fixed. The damper can be repositioned along the cross-process direction to match the width of different print media, allowing the system to adapt dynamically to various media sizes while preventing air currents from uncovered holes. This resolves the contradiction by enabling both versatility in media size accommodation and precision in droplet placement through active adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by adjusting the position of the damper to change the effective coverage of vacuum holes. By modifying the damper's position parameter, the system optimizes the balance between media coverage and air current prevention for each specific print media size, thereby maintaining both adaptability and manufacturing precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If a fixed damper position is used to block uncovered holes, then air current-induced blur is reduced, but the system cannot adapt to different print media sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The movable damper mechanism enables the system to dynamically adjust to different print media widths while maintaining image accuracy. The damper's position can be changed based on the specific media being printed, allowing the system to preserve precision across various media sizes rather than being fixed to a single configuration.
3Manufacturing precision
If the damper blocks more holes to prevent air currents, then image blur is reduced, but vacuum suction effectiveness decreases on larger media
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the vacuum hole coverage selective rather than uniform. The movable damper allows only the necessary portion of holes to be blocked (where no print media is present), while leaving other holes open to maintain vacuum suction effectiveness. This localized approach prevents air currents in critical areas without compromising overall vacuum force on larger media.
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 solution effectively reduces or eliminates image blur by ensuring that satellite droplets land closer to their intended locations, maintaining printing accuracy and efficiency even with smaller print media sizes.
Implementation Method 1
The vacuum source creates a vacuum state in the vacuum plenum, causing vacuum suction through holes in the movable support surface that are fluidically coupled to the vacuum plenum. When a print medium is introduced onto the movable support surface, the vacuum suction generates suction forces that hold the print medium against the movable support surface.
Implementation Method 2
Because these holes are uncovered, the vacuum of the vacuum plenum induces air to flow through those uncovered holes. This airflow may deflect ink droplets as they are traveling from a printhead to the substrate, and thus cause blurring of the image.
Data Source
AI summary
A printing system comprises an ink deposition assembly, a media transport device, and an airflow control system. The ink deposition assembly comprises printheads to deposit a print fluid, such as ink, on print media, such as paper, transported through a deposition region. The media transport device holds the print media against a moving support surface, such as a belt, by vacuum suction through holes in the media transport device and transports the print media though the deposition region. The airflow control system comprises a damper and an actuator configured to move the damper along a cross-process direction. The damper blocks airflow through a subset of the holes along a side of the media transport device, the subset varying based on a position of the damper. The damper is moved to change the subset of the holes blocked by the damper based on a size of the print medium.