Active Energy Radiation Unit Inert Gas Flow Path Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
The curing of film materials by active energy rays is hindered by uneven oxygen concentrations, leading to inconsistent processing results due to varying oxygen levels around the radiation area.
Innovation Solution
An active energy radiation unit that includes a main gas supply mechanism to eject inert gases, creating a region with low oxygen concentrations around the active energy radiation area, and a sub gas supply mechanism to block airflow from the sides, ensuring a consistent and enlarged region for desired processing results.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If oxygen is present around the film material during active energy ray irradiation, then the curing operation is hindered and processing results become inconsistent, but completely eliminating oxygen requires complex vacuum or inert atmosphere systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an inert gas (nitrogen or carbon dioxide) between the active energy ray radiation part and the film material to displace oxygen. The gas supply mechanism delivers inert gas through a flow path that creates a protective atmosphere in the irradiation region, preventing oxygen from interfering with the curing process and ensuring consistent processing results without requiring vacuum systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts or removes oxygen from the irradiation region by introducing inert gas that displaces the oxygen-containing atmosphere. The inert gas flow path is designed to create a localized oxygen-free zone exactly where the active energy rays irradiate the film material, separating the harmful oxygen from the curing process area.
2Area of stationary object
If inert gas is supplied to form an inactive region with low oxygen concentration, then the region for desired processing results is enlarged, but gas supply mechanisms increase device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The inert gas supply mechanism is integrated with the active energy ray radiation device structure, serving both as a structural component and a gas delivery system. The flow path is formed using existing device components, allowing the same structure to provide both radiation containment and inert atmosphere generation, thereby enlarging the low-oxygen region without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the inert gas supply function with the active energy ray radiation device by forming the gas flow path within or as part of the device structure. The gas supply mechanism merges with the radiation housing or support structure, creating a unified system that simultaneously provides structural support and oxygen exclusion, thus expanding the effective processing area efficiently.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the flow path area from receiving part to ejection port is constant, then the flow state of inert gas is maintained for consistent processing, but the receiving part and ejection port occupy more space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the flow path with a constant cross-sectional area to maintain laminar flow conditions and stable gas delivery to the irradiation region. This constant area design ensures consistent inert gas flow rate and pressure distribution, providing stable oxygen exclusion throughout the irradiation process without requiring active flow control mechanisms that would increase device volume.
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
The solution effectively maintains low oxygen concentrations around the active energy radiation area, enhancing the consistency and enlargement of the region achieving desired processing results, thereby improving the uniformity of film curing and optical processing.
Implementation Method 1
The inert gas is ejected from the main gas supply mechanism. The ejected inert gas forms the inactive region having a low oxygen concentration around the active energy radiation region.
Implementation Method 2
The first flow of the inert gas induces an airflow toward the active energy radiation region. That is, the air containing oxygen is supplied toward the active energy radiation region.
Implementation Method 3
The second flow of the inert gas flows vertically downward toward the target object. The vertically downward flow of the inert gas can block an airflow toward the active energy radiation region.
Implementation Method 4
The active energy radiation part radiates active energy rays onto a material applied to the medium. The material applied to the medium is cured by radiating the active energy rays.
Data Source
AI summary
An active energy radiation unit includes a light source which radiates ultraviolet rays onto a target object, and a main gas supply mechanism which is disposed to be adjacent to the light source and ejects an inert gas. The main gas supply mechanism includes a receiving part which receives the inert gas, and a main ejection port which is provided at a position between the receiving part and the light source and closer to the target object than the receiving part. A flow path area from the receiving part to the main ejection port is constant.