Porous Air Bar Layout for Low-Air Web Floating Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transport devices for web-shaped substrates with applied ink face challenges in maintaining a non-contact guidance during drying, leading to increased air consumption and reduced floating height due to air pressure loss through gaps between components.
Innovation Solution
The air bar is designed with specific jetting and non-jetting regions on its surface, concentrating air supply to guide surfaces while minimizing air consumption, and incorporating a perforated container to maintain structural integrity and reduce deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If air is supplied uniformly across the entire surface of the air bar, then the substrate can be floated, but air consumption increases and floating height decreases due to pressure loss through non-guiding regions
Solution Approach 1:
The air bar surface is segmented into jetting regions and non-jetting regions, with air supply channels selectively positioned only in the jetting regions. This segmentation prevents air escape through non-guiding areas, reducing air consumption while maintaining effective floating pressure where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the air bar are given different properties: jetting regions have air supply channels to generate floating pressure, while non-jetting regions have no channels to prevent air escape. This local differentiation optimizes both air consumption and floating height by concentrating air supply where it is functional.
2Ease of manufacture
If the air bar structure is simplified without internal support, then manufacturing is easier, but the outer surface deforms under applied force during transport and maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The air bar utilizes a thin-walled cylindrical structure that provides sufficient structural stability to resist deformation during transport and maintenance, while maintaining the simplicity of manufacture. The cylindrical geometry inherently provides strength-to-weight ratio benefits.
3Reliability
If air supply channels are positioned to maximize floating effect, then substrate guidance improves, but air pressure escapes through gaps between the air bar and substrate
Solution Approach 1:
Air supply channels are extracted and positioned only in the jetting regions where they are needed for substrate guidance, removing the problematic feature of having channels across the entire surface that would allow air escape through gaps in non-guiding areas.
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 design effectively suppresses air consumption and enhances the floating height of the substrate, ensuring efficient non-contact guidance and stable transport.
Implementation Method 1
an air supply mechanism part, supplied with air, is disposed inside the body part... the air is jetted only from the first jetting region of the body part
Implementation Method 2
a technique of guiding a web-shaped substrate in a noncontact manner... guide the substrate without contacting an ink-applied surface of the substrate until the applied ink is dried
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided are an air bar, a drying device, and an inkjet printing apparatus that suppress an amount of air consumption and increase a floating height. The air bar includes: a tubular body part consisting of a porous body having a plurality of holes penetrating an outer peripheral surface and an inner peripheral surface; an air supply mechanism part for supplying air to an inside of the body part; and cover parts that prevent outflow of the air from both side ends of the body part, in which the outer peripheral surface of the body part includes a non-jetting region in which the holes are closed and a jetting region other than the non-jetting region, the jetting region is disposed at a position corresponding to a guide surface for guiding a web-shaped workpiece of the air bar in a noncontact manner, and the non-jetting region is disposed at a position corresponding to an outer surface of the air bar other than the guide surface.