Printing System Contact Start Position Inappropriate Area Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional printing systems face issues with print quality deterioration due to unevenness in the coating of processing liquids and creases in the base material, which occur when the coating roller comes into contact with the base material.
Innovation Solution
A printing system that includes a coating device with a movable coating roller and a controller that identifies the contact start position, sets an inappropriate printing area, and stops the printing device from printing on that area to prevent print quality deterioration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the coating roller is brought into contact with the base material to apply processing liquid, then the processing liquid coating function is improved, but vibrations occur causing unevenness in coating and creases in the base material
Solution Approach 1:
The base material transport path is divided into a coating section (where the coating roller contacts the base material) and a non-coating section. By segmenting the process, vibrations are localized to the coating section while the non-coating section remains free from vibration-induced defects, allowing high-quality printing in the non-coating section.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the base material are treated differently: the coating section accepts vibrations during processing, while the non-coating section is specifically protected from vibrations to maintain smooth surface quality suitable for printing. This local differentiation of quality requirements resolves the contradiction.
2Productivity
If printing is performed on the entire surface of the base material, then productivity is improved, but print quality deteriorates on areas with uneven coating or creases
Solution Approach 1:
The base material surface is segmented into a coating section (with vibrations) and a non-coating section (without vibrations). Printing is performed only on the non-coating section, which maintains high print quality. This segmentation allows continuous processing while ensuring quality on the printed portions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system preliminarily identifies the non-coating section (free from vibrations and coating unevenness) before printing occurs. By pre-determining the suitable printing area, the system ensures that printing is always performed on high-quality sections, maintaining print quality while maintaining productivity through continuous operation.
3Productivity
If the coating roller continuously contacts the base material, then coating efficiency is improved, but vibrations cause creases and unevenness that affect subsequent printing
Solution Approach 1:
The coating process is segmented such that the coating roller contacts the base material only in the coating section, generating vibrations locally. The non-coating section follows, free from these vibrations. This spatial segmentation allows efficient coating while protecting the printing area from vibration-induced defects.
Solution Approach 2:
The non-coating section acts as an intermediary buffer between the coating process and the printing process. It absorbs the transition from coated to uncoated state and provides a vibration-free zone that mediates between the high-speed coating operation and the quality-sensitive printing operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A printing system includes a coating device, a printing device, and a controller. The coating device applies a processing liquid to a base material by bringing a coating roller with the processing liquid adhering thereto into contact with the transported base material. The printing device performs printing on a surface of the base material to which the processing liquid has been applied. The controller includes a contact-start-position identifier, an inappropriate-printing-area setter, and a print controller. The contact-start-position identifier identifies a contact start position of the base material in which the coating roller and the base material start to come in contact with each other. The inappropriate-printing-area setter sets, as the inappropriate printing area, an area of the base material that has a predetermined length in a transport direction from the contact start position. The print controller stops the printing device from performing printing on the inappropriate printing area.