Printhead Shuttle Smoothing Device for Web Substrate Flatness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Printing on continuous materials faces challenges with substrate unevenness due to transport and resting issues, which affect the quality of the printed image.
Innovation Solution
A device and method featuring a printhead shuttle with a smoothing device that strokes over the printing substrate to eliminate wrinkles and bubbles, while a holding device maintains the substrate's position to prevent relative movement, ensuring a smooth printing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If continuous material is transported through the printing device, then productivity is improved, but substrate unevenness occurs due to transport and resting issues
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is smoothed in advance before the printing process begins. The smoothing device contacts the substrate on the printing table and eliminates wrinkles and bubbles prior to printing, ensuring the substrate is properly prepared before the actual printing operation occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
A smoothing device acts as an intermediary between the substrate transport system and the printing process. This device mediates the substrate condition by contacting and smoothing the substrate surface, transferring the benefit of improved flatness from the preparation stage to the printing stage.
2Manufacturing precision
If the substrate is held firmly to prevent relative movement, then printing precision is improved, but substrate deformation may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The holding device applies holding forces at specific locations on the substrate rather than uniformly across the entire substrate. This localized approach provides sufficient stability for printing precision while minimizing the risk of deformation that would result from uniform across-the-board holding pressure.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device and a method for printing on a printing substrate (1). A printhead shuttle (5) with at least one printhead (14a, 14b) applies a printing medium to a printing substrate (1) to produce a printed image. The printing substrate (1) is a web material that can be displaced along a web path in a feed direction (4). The printhead shuttle (5) is arranged on a first side of the printing substrate (1), while a printing table (3) with a support surface (13) is arranged opposite the printhead shuttle (5) on a second side of the printing substrate (1). A holding device (11) is provided to hold the printing substrate (1) in such a way that relative movement between the printing table (3) and the printing substrate (1) is prevented during printing.The printhead shuttle (5) has a smoothing device (16) which comes into contact with the support surface (13) of the print table and is moved over at least part of the support surface (13) in such a way that it passes over a printing substrate (1) arranged on the support surface (13) of the print table (3) in order to smooth it.