Printing Device Head Angle Adjustment for Ink Swelling Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Printing devices face issues with ink landing at incorrect positions due to swelling of the printing medium, leading to blurring, especially when using media that do not easily wet or swell significantly, as existing solutions like changing recording heads do not fully address these problems.
Innovation Solution
A printing device with a head angle adjustment mechanism that changes the inclination angle of the nozzle array between passes to compensate for medium swelling, using a control section to pivot the head holding section relative to a base plate, ensuring different inclination angles for each pass to maintain image quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the inclination angle of the nozzle array is kept constant during multi-pass printing, then the printing process is simple and fast, but ink lands at incorrect positions due to medium swelling causing image blurring
Solution Approach 1:
The head holding section is made pivotable around a pivot axis, allowing the inclination angle to be dynamically adjusted between different passes. The drive section enables this dynamic change in angle, transforming the static head configuration into a dynamic one that can adapt to medium swelling effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The inclination angle parameter of the nozzle array is changed between passes to compensate for medium swelling. By varying this geometric parameter, the system maintains ink landing position accuracy despite changes in medium dimensions.
2Manufacturing precision
If the inclination angle is changed between passes to compensate for medium swelling, then ink landing position accuracy is improved, but the printing process time increases due to additional adjustment operations
Solution Approach 1:
The inclination angle is adjusted in advance before each pass based on predetermined values stored in the storage section. This preliminary adjustment ensures that the correct angle is set before printing begins, minimizing delays during the actual printing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The control section automatically selects and applies the appropriate inclination angle from stored predetermined values based on the specific pass number, creating a feedback loop that optimizes the angle setting for each pass without requiring manual intervention or real-time measurement.
3Reliability
If recording heads are arranged in a staggered manner to suppress banding, then banding is reduced, but blurring still occurs when using printing media that do not easily wet or spread
Solution Approach 1:
Different inclination angles are applied locally to different passes, with each pass using an angle optimized for the specific printing conditions. This local customization of the angle parameter addresses the unique requirements of printing on media that do not easily wet or spread.
Solution Approach 2:
The head inclination angle is dynamically changed between passes to adapt to the specific challenges of difficult printing media. This dynamic adjustment provides an additional degree of freedom beyond the fixed staggered arrangement, enabling better control over ink deposition on challenging surfaces.
Data Source
AI summary
A printing device includes a head having a nozzle array R in which a plurality of nozzles N are arranged in a first direction E, a movement mechanism that relatively moves the head and the printing medium M when ink I is ejected onto the printing medium M, a head angle adjustment section having a base plate, a head holding section that is pivotable, and a drive section, and configured to change an inclination angle θ of the first direction E with respect to a direction orthogonal to a relative movement direction B, wherein the head holding section is pivoted with respect to the base plate, by controlling the drive section, such that, when forming an image in a predetermined area of the printing medium M with a plurality of passes, the inclination angle θ is different between a first pass and a second pass.