Printer for Histology Consumables with Optical Quality Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Histology laboratory consumables, such as cassettes and microscope slides, often have varying properties from different manufacturers, leading to inconsistent and inadequate printing quality due to differences in materials and production processes, which can result in blurred or non-durable prints, posing challenges in ensuring accurate patient-sample assignment and process safety.
Innovation Solution
A printer equipped with an optical reading device that identifies the manufacturer and product series of consumables, adjusts printing parameters accordingly, and checks the quality of applied prints, allowing for user input to confirm or modify printing settings, ensuring high-quality and durable prints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a fixed printing process is used for all histology consumables, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing precision and reliability of prints deteriorate due to material variations
Solution Approach 1:
The printing process is made dynamic by automatically adjusting printing parameters based on real-time identification of consumable type, manufacturer, and material properties. The system transitions from a static fixed process to a dynamic adaptive process that responds to the specific characteristics of each consumable item being printed on.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes printing parameters (such as ink density, drying time, heating temperature) based on the identified consumable type and material properties. This allows optimization of print quality for different materials without requiring manual intervention to change settings.
2Manufacturing precision
If printing parameters are manually adjusted for each consumable type, then manufacturing precision of prints is improved, but device complexity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-identification and self-adjustment of printing parameters. The identification device automatically detects consumable type and material properties, and the control unit automatically selects appropriate printing parameters without requiring manual intervention from the operator.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the identification device about consumable characteristics to automatically adjust printing parameters. This closed-loop approach ensures optimal print quality while eliminating manual parameter adjustment steps.
3Productivity
If standard printing parameters are used for all consumables, then productivity is maintained and ease of operation is improved, but reliability of patient-sample assignment deteriorates due to print quality issues
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary identification and parameter selection before the actual printing process. By pre-determining the optimal printing parameters based on consumable type and material properties, the system ensures reliable print quality from the start without requiring reprints or manual adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically changes printing parameters based on the identified consumable characteristics, ensuring optimal print quality and durability for each specific material type while maintaining continuous operation and high productivity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a printer for printing on histology-laboratory consumable articles (16). The printer according to the invention is characterized by an optical reading device (13), which reads an image pattern of a histology-laboratory consumable article (16) to be printed on by means of the printing device (4), generates analog or digital image-pattern image signals with regard to the read image pattern and transfers the image-pattern image signals to a control device (8) of the printer, and/or which reads an overprint (18) printed onto a histology-laboratory consumable article (16) by the printing device (4), generates analog or digital overprint image signals with regard to the read overprint (18) and transfers the overprint image signals to a control device (8) of the printer, which control device determines at least one quality parameter with regard to the overprint (18).