Printing System Job Segmentation for Post-Processing Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
In high-mix small-lot production for printing and bookbinding, the in-line configuration of digital printers and post-processing machines leads to inefficiencies due to time restrictions on switching between processes, resulting in potential errors and increased costs, as the print speed must be reduced to accommodate jobs with varying page counts, thereby decreasing productivity.
Innovation Solution
A printing system that sorts jobs into groups based on required printing time and minimum processing time, determining 'short jobs' and 'standard jobs,' and adjusts print speeds accordingly, allowing for high-speed printing of standard jobs and low-speed printing of short jobs to prevent errors and optimize productivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the print speed is reduced to accommodate jobs with varying page counts in an in-line configuration, then errors in the post-processing machine are prevented, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments jobs into two categories: short jobs (requiring less printing time than the post-processing machine's minimum processing time) and standard jobs (requiring more printing time). This segmentation allows the system to apply different print speed strategies to different job types, preventing errors while maximizing overall productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts print speed based on job type. For standard jobs, the printer operates at high speed to maximize productivity. For short jobs, the printer reduces speed to synchronize with the post-processing machine's minimum processing time, preventing errors. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between reliability and productivity.
2Reliability
If the print speed is reduced to match the post-processing machine's minimum processing time, then errors are prevented, but total printing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting jobs into short and standard categories, the system avoids unnecessarily reducing print speed for all jobs. Only short jobs require speed reduction, while standard jobs maintain high speed, thereby minimizing total printing time while still preventing errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the print speed parameter dynamically based on job characteristics. For short jobs, print speed is reduced to match the post-processing machine's minimum processing time. For standard jobs, print speed remains high. This parameter change approach prevents errors only when necessary, reducing overall time loss.
3Productivity
If high-speed printing is used for all jobs, then productivity is maximized, but errors occur in the post-processing machine when handling short jobs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the job stream into short jobs and standard jobs, allowing high-speed printing for standard jobs (maintaining productivity) while applying speed reduction only to short jobs (preventing errors). This selective approach resolves the contradiction between productivity and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different print quality/speed characteristics to different portions of the job stream. High print speed is applied locally to standard jobs, while reduced print speed is applied locally to short jobs. This local differentiation allows the system to maximize overall productivity while preventing errors in specific contexts.
Data Source
AI summary
A printing system including a printer that sends a printed print medium to a post-processing machine is provided with: a job sorting unit that sorts a plurality of jobs into a plurality of groups; a required printing time calculation unit that calculates a required printing time per set required for printing for each job; a short job determination unit that determines, as a short job, a job for which the required printing time is shorter than a minimum processing time that is a minimum time required for processing for one set in the post-processing machine; and a job group generation unit that generates, on the basis of a plurality of jobs sorted into the same group, a job group obtained by grouping standard jobs (jobs not determined as short jobs) and a job group obtained by grouping short jobs.