Printhead Cleaning Block Suction Layout to Protect Nozzle Meniscus
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The purging operation in inkjet printers causes ink to adhere to the lower surfaces of the heads, and strong suction forces can lead to the collapse of the ink meniscus inside the nozzles, resulting in ejection failures.
Innovation Solution
A printer design with a cleaning block that applies a smaller suction force to the nozzle face than the side face, using vacuum holes with varying densities and configurations to prevent ink from being sucked out of the nozzles, and includes a mechanism to supply cleaning liquid and wipe the surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a strong suction force is applied to the lower surface of the head to remove adhering ink, then the ink removal efficiency is improved, but the ink inside the nozzles may be sucked out causing meniscus collapse and ejection failures
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning block is divided into two regions with different suction force characteristics: a first region facing the nozzle face with smaller suction force to protect the meniscus, and a second region facing the side face with larger suction force for effective ink removal. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by applying appropriate suction force to each area.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper surface of the cleaning block is segmented into multiple vacuum holes with different densities: a first region with lower density vacuum holes and a second region with higher density vacuum holes. This segmentation allows different suction forces to be applied to different areas, enabling effective ink removal while protecting the nozzle meniscus.
2Ease of manufacture
If uniform vacuum holes are distributed across the entire upper surface of the cleaning block, then the manufacturing simplicity is improved, but the selective ink removal capability is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum hole density is varied locally across the cleaning block surface: lower density in the first region facing the nozzle face and higher density in the second region facing the side face. This local quality variation provides selective ink removal capability while maintaining reasonable manufacturing complexity.
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
Effectively removes ink from the lower surfaces of the heads without collapsing the ink meniscus in the nozzles, maintaining print quality and reducing ejection failures.
Implementation Method 1
a suction force acting on the first region is smaller than a suction force acting on the second region
Data Source
AI summary
A technique allows sucking ink adhering to the lower surface of a head and preventing the ink from being sucked out from the inside of nozzles of the head. The printer includes a head that ejects ink and a maintenance unit that performs maintenance of the head. The head has a lower surface that includes a nozzle face provided with a plurality of nozzles and side faces located adjacent to the nozzle face. The maintenance unit includes a cleaning block that sucks the ink from the lower surface of the head. The cleaning block has an upper surface that includes a first region that faces the nozzle face and second regions that face the side faces. The suction force acting on the first region is smaller than the suction force acting on the second regions. This reduces the possibility that the ink is sucked out from the inside of the nozzles of the head.