Pressing Portion Mechanism for Curl Reduction in Media Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing processing devices face challenges in transporting and stacking media that curl during printing, as curling hinders smooth transport and stacking, and existing solutions do not adequately address this issue.
Innovation Solution
A processing device with a medium supporting portion, an aligning portion, a stacking portion, and a pressing portion that moves between retracted and pressing positions to align and press the media, reducing curl and ensuring smooth transport and stacking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the medium is transported without pressing, then the transport process is simple, but the curling of the medium hinders smooth transport and stacking
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing portion presses the medium in advance during the transport process, before the medium reaches the stacking portion. This preliminary pressing action prevents curl growth that would otherwise hinder smooth transport and stacking, resolving the contradiction by proactively addressing the curling issue rather than reacting to it afterward.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressing portion converts the harmful effect of medium curling into a beneficial outcome by applying pressure that flattens the medium. The curling tendency, which normally hinders transport, is transformed into an opportunity for the pressing mechanism to ensure smooth transport and reliable stacking by eliminating the curl before it causes problems.
2Productivity
If a pressing portion is added to press the medium, then curling is reduced and transport becomes smoother, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing portion is integrated into the existing processing device structure, serving multiple functions: it presses the medium to reduce curling, ensures smooth transport, and prepares the medium for stacking. By making this single component perform multiple functions, the device complexity increase is minimized while achieving significant improvements in transport efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressing portion applies controlled pressure to change the physical state of the medium from curled to flattened. By adjusting the pressing force and duration parameters, the system effectively reduces curling and improves transport efficiency without requiring complex mechanical structures, achieving high productivity with minimal added complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If the pressing portion is positioned close to the support surface, then pressing effectiveness is improved, but the medium may not be properly aligned first
Solution Approach 1:
The aligning portion performs alignment of the medium before the pressing portion applies pressure. This sequential arrangement ensures that the medium is properly aligned first, then pressed with high effectiveness. The preliminary alignment action prevents any potential misalignment issues that could arise from pressing first.
Solution Approach 2:
The processing device is segmented into distinct functional portions: the aligning portion that handles medium alignment and the pressing portion that handles curl reduction. This segmentation allows each portion to perform its specific function optimally - alignment accuracy is maintained by the aligning portion, while pressing effectiveness is achieved by the pressing portion positioned close to the support surface.
Data Source
AI summary
A processing device includes a medium supporting portion having a support surface for supporting at least a front end portion of a transported medium, an aligning portion for aligning the medium supported by the medium supporting portion, a stacking portion provided below the medium supporting portion in a vertical direction, having a stacking surface on which the medium dropped from the medium supporting portion is stacked, and configured to move up and down, and a pressing portion having a pressing surface facing the support surface, the pressing surface being configured to move between a first position and a second position closer to the support surface than the first position, in which the pressing portion is disposed at the first position when the medium is transported to the medium supporting portion, and is disposed at the second position after the aligning portion aligns the medium on the medium supporting portion.