Multi-Pass Inkjet Printing for Decorative Laminates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Decorative laminate manufacturing lines face issues with high downtime due to inkjet printer defects, material waste from printing artefacts, and limited variability in printed products, which are costly and inefficient to address with existing single pass inkjet printers.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system with multiple multi-pass inkjet printers coupled to a single heating press, allowing for adjustable manufacturing speed and high variability in printed images while minimizing downtime and waste, achieved through a combination of inkjet printing on thermosetting resin impregnated paper with ink acceptance layers and strategic use of differently colored substrates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If single pass inkjet printers are used to maintain high production throughput, then manufacturing speed is improved, but printer reliability deteriorates due to nozzle failures and technical dysfunctions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the printing function into multiple independent multi-pass inkjet printers working in parallel. Each printer handles a portion of the production load, so if one printer fails, others can continue operating. This segmentation of the printing system into multiple units resolves the contradiction by maintaining overall system reliability while preserving high throughput capability.
2Productivity
If single pass inkjet printers are used to maintain high production throughput, then manufacturing speed is improved, but manufacturing cost increases due to the large number of print heads required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs multi-pass inkjet printers that can dynamically adjust their printing strategy. Instead of requiring all print heads to fire simultaneously (single-pass), the system uses multiple passes with selective nozzle activation. This dynamic approach allows fewer print heads to achieve the same throughput, reducing device complexity and cost while maintaining productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-pass printing system maintains continuous production by overlapping passes and keeping print heads in constant motion. Multiple passes allow the system to sustain high throughput without requiring a proportionally large number of print heads, as each head contributes to multiple layers of the final image across different passes.
3Productivity
If single pass inkjet printers are used to maintain high production throughput, then manufacturing speed is improved, but production flexibility deteriorates due to data streaming limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds the time dimension to the printing process by using multiple passes instead of a single simultaneous pass. This temporal dimension allows complex variable data to be processed and printed in sequence across multiple passes, resolving the contradiction between throughput and variability. The system can handle high-resolution variable imaging by distributing the data stream across multiple time-based passes.
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 approach significantly reduces downtime, minimizes waste, and achieves high variability in laminate boards with moderate computing power, making the process more economical by reducing the number of print heads required and maintaining throughput.
Implementation Method 1
The ink is jetted by the inkjet print heads in the form of liquid or aerosol
Implementation Method 2
The printed resin impregnated paper is then cut into a decorative layer and combined with a protective layer, a core layer and a balancing layer into a layer assembly which is pressed into a decorative laminate by a heating press
Data Source
Figure 1A~2B
Figure 3A~5
AI summary
Method of manufacturing decorative laminates for wood based colour patterns including the steps of: a) inkjet printing a first decorative layer 7 by a first multi-pass inkjet printer 13 and delivering the inkjet printed first decorative layer 7 to a laminate heating press 11 where it is heat pressed into a decorative laminate; and b) inkjet printing a second decorative layer 7 by a second multi-pass inkjet printer 13 and delivering the inkjet printed second decorative layer 7 to the same laminate heating press 11 where it is heat pressed into a decorative laminate; wherein the inkjet printing of a colour pattern is performed on an ink acceptance layer using pigmented aqueous inkjet inks from a CRYK ink set; wherein a protective layer is applied after printing above the colour pattern; and wherein the protective layer is a thermosetting resin impregnated paper substrate.