Plasma-Treating Unit for Inkjet Recording Medium Surface Modification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional inkjet recording apparatuses face challenges in achieving high-speed printing with high-quality output due to ink-droplet interference, which affects image quality.
Innovation Solution
A treated object modifying apparatus using a plasma-treating unit with multiple electrodes and dielectrics to control plasma energy delivery, ensuring different plasma energy doses on both sides of the treated object during duplex and simplex treatments, enhancing ink droplet behavior and image formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If one-pass printing is used to improve printing speed, then productivity increases, but ink-droplet interference occurs reducing image quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary plasma treatment to the recording medium before inkjet printing to modify its surface properties. This pre-treatment creates optimal surface conditions that enable high-speed one-pass printing without ink-droplet interference, resolving the contradiction between printing speed and image quality by preparing the surface in advance to accept rapid ink deposition.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the recording medium surface through plasma treatment, including surface energy, roughness, and chemical composition. These parameter modifications allow the surface to accommodate high-speed inkjet printing by controlling ink droplet absorption and spreading characteristics, thereby maintaining image quality at high printing speeds.
2Manufacturing precision
If plasma treatment is applied to both sides of the recording medium, then surface properties are improved, but treatment time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies plasma treatment selectively to specific regions or surfaces of the recording medium based on the printing requirements. By treating only the necessary surfaces (front or back side) rather than uniformly treating both sides, the system achieves the required surface property uniformity while minimizing treatment time, resolving the contradiction between quality improvement and time efficiency.
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 improves dot circularity, prevents ink coalescence, and ensures high-quality images by acidifying the treated object's surface, reducing beading and breading, and optimizing ink agglomeration, resulting in improved print quality and reduced printing costs.
Implementation Method 1
a plasma-treating unit that comprises a first electrode unit, a second electrode unit, and a dielectric that is interposed between the first electrode unit and the second electrode unit, and that plasma-treats a treated object positioned between the first electrode unit and the dielectric by applying a voltage to one of the first electrode unit and the second electrode unit
Data Source
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AI summary
A treated object modifying apparatus in a printing apparatus (system) (1) includes a plasma-treating unit (10, 100, 100A, 101A, 102A, 103A, 104A, 105A, 106A, 100B, 101B, 102B, 103B, 104B, 105B, 106B, 201, 202) and a controlling unit (160). The plasma-treating unit (10, 100, 100A, 101A, 102A, 103A, 104A, 105A, 106A, 100B, 101B, 102B, 103B, 104B, 105B, 106B, 201, 202) includes a first electrode unit (11, 110, 111, 112, 113, 115, 210, 211, 212, 213), a second electrode unit (14, 140, 141, 142), and a dielectric (12, 120, 121, 122) that is interposed between the first electrode unit (11, 110, 111, 112, 113, 115, 210, 211, 212, 213) and the second electrode unit (14, 140, 141, 142), and that plasma-treats a treated object (20) positioned between the first electrode unit (11, 110, 111, 112, 113, 115, 210, 211, 212, 213) and the dielectric (12, 120, 121, 122). The controlling unit (160) controls the plasma-treating unit (10, 100, 100A, 101A, 102A, 103A, 104A, 105A, 106A, 100B, 101B, 102B, 103B, 104B, 105B, 106B, 201, 202) so that the amount of plasma energy delivered to any one of sides of the treated object (20) in a duplex treatment is different from the amount of plasma energy delivered to any one of the sides of the treated object (20) in a simplex treatment. The duplex treatment is a plasma treatment performed with the one side of the treated object facing the first electrode unit (11, 110, 111, 112, 113, 115, 210, 211, 212, 213), and another plasma treatment performed with the other side of the treated object (20) facing the first electrode unit (11, 110, 111, 112, 113, 115, 210, 211, 212, 213). The simplex treatment is a plasma treatment performed with the one side of the treated object facing the first electrode unit (11, 110, 111, 112, 113, 115, 210, 211, 212, 213).