Perforated Substrate Support for Ink Jet Full Bleed Printing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink jet printing systems face challenges in achieving full bleed printing on substrates while preventing ink overspray contamination, especially when printing on small and irregularly shaped substrates, as existing systems struggle to manage ink droplets outside the substrate edges effectively.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a perforated substrate support with holes to allow ink droplets to pass through and a collector to capture overspray, combined with a conveying mechanism and cleaning station to manage ink fluid, enabling full bleed printing on irregular substrates without pre-alignment and maintaining substrate cleanliness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a continuous stream or drop-on-demand ink jet system is used to achieve full bleed printing on substrates, then printing coverage is improved, but ink overspray contamination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate support is segmented into a perforated structure with multiple holes, allowing the support surface to be divided into functional zones. This segmentation enables ink droplets to pass through specific areas while maintaining support integrity, thus achieving full bleed printing without overspray contamination on the substrate背面.
Solution Approach 2:
The perforated substrate support acts as an intermediary element between the ink jet system and the substrate. It mediates the ink droplet trajectory by providing a physical structure that guides overspray ink through holes to a collection area, preventing direct contamination of the substrate while maintaining printing coverage.
2Adaptability or versatility
If ink is ejected to achieve full bleed printing on irregular substrates, then printing versatility is improved, but ink waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system converts the harmful effect of ink overspray into a beneficial outcome by directing excess ink through the perforated support holes into a collection reservoir. The ink that would otherwise be wasted is captured and can be recirculated or disposed of properly, thus reducing ink waste while maintaining printing versatility on irregular substrates.
Solution Approach 2:
The perforated substrate support system enables discarding of overspray ink into a collection area rather than letting it contaminate the substrate or environment. The collected ink can be recovered and potentially recirculated back into the ink supply system, reducing overall ink consumption and waste.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If a perforated substrate support with collector is used to capture overspray ink, then ink contamination is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The perforated substrate support structure merges multiple functions into a single component: it provides mechanical support for the substrate, acts as a ink trajectory guide, and serves as a interface to the collection reservoir. This consolidation reduces the need for separate overspray management components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The perforated substrate support performs multiple functions simultaneously: substrate support, ink droplet guidance, overspray collection channeling, and potential cleaning interface. This multi-functionality reduces the overall system complexity by eliminating the need for separate components for each function, thus mitigating the increase in device complexity while effectively reducing ink contamination.
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 allows for effective full bleed printing on small and irregularly shaped substrates by capturing and cleaning overspray ink, preventing contamination and enabling automatic image orientation adjustment, thus enhancing printing capabilities on diverse substrate types.
Implementation Method 1
a droplet is ejected from an orifice directly to a position on a recording medium by pressure created by, for example, a piezoelectric device
Implementation Method 2
a droplet is ejected from an orifice directly to a position on a recording medium by pressure created by, for example, a piezoelectric device, an acoustic device, or a thermal device
Implementation Method 3
a droplet is ejected from an orifice directly to a position on a recording medium by pressure created by, for example, a piezoelectric device, an acoustic device, or a thermal device
Implementation Method 4
The ink jet print head and the holes in the perforated substrate support are configured to allow at least a portion of ejected ink drops not received by the substrate to pass through the holes
Data Source
AI summary
An ink jet printing system including an ink jet print head configured to eject ink drops, a perforated substrate support having a plurality of holes, configured to carry a substrate over a first surface of the perforated substrate support, wherein the ink jet print head and the holes in the perforated substrate support are configured to allow at least a portion of ejected ink drops not received by the substrate to pass through the holes, and a collector disposed beneath the perforated substrate support, configured to collect at least a portion of the ejected ink drops not received by the substrate.