Printer Substrate Core Axial Positioning Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Printers experience visible connection errors between sub-images due to overlapping or lack of common borders, which are difficult to mask and can significantly disturb the printed image, especially in color printing.
Innovation Solution
The printer incorporates a supply unit with an element that exerts a force on the core in the axial direction, pressing it against a stop, ensuring the core and substrate maintain a fixed position relative to the print surface, thereby reducing connection faults between sub-images.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the substrate is unwound from the core during printing, then the substrate can be delivered to the print surface, but connection errors between sub-images occur due to position variation
Solution Approach 1:
The core is pressed against the stop in advance before substrate unwinding begins, establishing a fixed reference position. This preliminary positioning action ensures that as the substrate is unwound and delivered to the print surface, the core maintains a substantially fixed position, preventing connection errors between sub-images while enabling continuous substrate delivery
Solution Approach 2:
The stop acts as an intermediary element between the core and the print surface, providing a fixed reference point. By pressing the core against this intermediary stop, the system achieves stable substrate positioning without requiring direct control mechanisms between the core and print surface, thus maintaining both productivity and precision
2Ease of operation
If the core is freely rotatable on support means, then the core can rotate to unwind substrate, but oscillation of the core occurs causing connection faults
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient element applies a counteracting force in the axial direction to balance and stabilize the core position during rotation. This counterforce prevents oscillation and maintains substantial position fixation, allowing the core to rotate freely for substrate unwinding while eliminating position instability that would cause connection faults
3Reliability
If print strategies are used to mask connection faults, then some faults can be hidden, but the possibilities are limited and cannot handle arbitrary variation
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of applying corrective actions after connection faults occur, the invention applies a preliminary stabilizing action by pressing the core against the stop before printing begins. This preventive measure eliminates the root cause of position variation and connection faults, making post-print masking strategies unnecessary and providing universal protection against all types of connection errors
Data Source
AI summary
A printer including a printhead which is displaceable at the level of a print surface in a main scanning direction and in a sub-scanning direction with respect to a substrate situated in the print surface, and a supply unit for storing the substrate which is disposed on a core and delivering the substrate for transport to the print surface, said supply unit including support means for supporting the core at its end portions so that the core, while being supported, can rotate with the unwinding of substrate from the core, said support means containing an element for exerting a force on the core in the axial direction during the rotation thereof, whereby the core is pressed against a stop which occupies a substantially fixed position in the axial direction with respect to the print surface.