Page Wide Array Printer Nozzle Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional page-wide array (PWA) printers experience non-uniform nozzle ageing due to uneven usage, leading to reduced image quality and premature nozzle failure, as certain nozzles are used more frequently than others, especially when printing standardized elements like borders and titles, resulting in defects such as coloration issues and the need for early print bar replacement.
Innovation Solution
The PWA printer incorporates a print bar transport mechanism that allows for lateral movement of the print bar between or within print jobs, enabling more uniform nozzle usage by reconfiguring the nozzles and adjusting their alignment relative to the substrate, ensuring even ageing and extending nozzle life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the print bar is fixed and the substrate is moved for printing, then the printing process is simple and fast, but the nozzles experience non-uniform usage leading to uneven ageing and reduced reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by transforming the fixed print bar into a movable one. The print bar is now capable of lateral movement along the substrate width, allowing different nozzle subsets to be positioned over the substrate during different print jobs. This dynamic repositioning ensures uniform nozzle usage across all nozzles, preventing uneven ageing and improving reliability without significantly complicating the overall printer structure.
2Productivity
If certain nozzles are used more frequently due to standardized print elements, then the printing process is efficient, but the frequently used nozzles age prematurely causing image quality degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The movable print bar enables dynamic redistribution of printing tasks across different nozzle subsets. By laterally repositioning the print bar between print jobs, nozzles that would otherwise be overused due to standardized print elements are given rest periods, while previously underutilized nozzles are activated. This dynamic load balancing maintains high printing efficiency while extending the service life of individual nozzles.
3Reliability
If the print bar remains stationary, then the alignment and positioning are simple, but the nozzles at the ends remain idle causing coloration defects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements lateral movement of the print bar to activate end nozzles that would otherwise remain idle. By repositioning the print bar to different lateral positions during operation, all nozzles including those at the ends are utilized for printing. This eliminates the idle time of end nozzles and prevents the coloration defects that arise from non-uniform usage, while keeping the mechanical complexity manageable through a straightforward translation mechanism.
Data Source
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Figure 3
Figure 4A~4C
AI summary
The present disclosure discloses a page wide array (PWA) printer (20) particularly but not exclusively for performing print jobs while maximizing print bar performance uniformity within the printer. The PWA printer includes a print bar which can be moved laterally and a controller which causes the print bar to laterally move from a first to a second position and causes the nozzles within the print bar to print an image while the print bar is in the second position without modifying the lateral alignment of the image.