Roll Printer Inner Surface Printing Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
In printers that perform printing and cutting on roll paper, the curling of the medium when wound in a roll shape causes a gap between the printing unit and the medium, leading to potential degradation in printing quality due to the nozzle surface of the liquid jetting unit not aligning properly with the leading end of the medium.
Innovation Solution
A printer configuration that includes a transport unit to position the medium's leading end downstream of the most downstream nozzle and a control unit to manage the transport and printing units, ensuring the nozzle surface does not face the medium during transport, allowing for precise positioning and printing on the inner circumferential surface without curl-induced alignment issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the medium is wound up in a roll shape for continuous printing, then productivity is improved, but the leading end of the medium curls toward the printing unit causing nozzle surface contact and printing quality degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The transport unit positions the leading end of the medium at a printing start position that is downstream of the position facing the most downstream nozzle before printing begins. This preliminary positioning prevents the curled leading end from contacting the nozzle surface during the printing process, thereby maintaining printing quality while enabling continuous roll-based printing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary spatial buffer zone between the curled leading end of the medium and the nozzle surface by positioning the printing start position downstream. This buffer prevents direct contact between the medium and nozzle, resolving the conflict between continuous printing and printing quality
Data Source
AI summary
Included are a transport unit, a printing unit, and a control unit. In inner circumferential surface printing for performing printing on an inner circumferential surface of a medium, which is positioned inside in the state of being wound up in a roll shape, the control unit causes the transport unit to position a leading end of the medium at a printing start position being a position downstream of a position facing a most downstream nozzle of a nozzle surface in a transport direction, in a state in which the printing unit is at a position at which the nozzle surface does not face the medium being transported by the transport unit, and causes the printing unit to start formation of a printing region on the medium having the leading end positioned at the printing start position.