Rotating Member Pneumatic Fluff Removal for Inkjet Printing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink jet printing apparatuses face issues with fluff or dust from printing mediums like cotton and wool adhering to the printing head, leading to ejection malfunctions and potential damage to the medium during removal processes, which can spoil the aesthetic properties.
Innovation Solution
A printing apparatus with a rotating member having a rotating shaft orthogonal to the transport direction and featuring recesses and protrusions that compress and decompress gas to lift fluff off the medium without contact, utilizing a suction unit to collect the fluff, and an adjustable gap and speed to match the head's movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If an adhesive roller is used to remove fluff from the medium surface, then fluff removal effectiveness is improved, but the medium surface may be damaged and aesthetic properties spoiled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical contact system (adhesive roller physically touching and pulling fluff) with a pneumatic system (air blowers generating airflow to lift and remove fluff). This substitution eliminates direct mechanical contact that causes surface damage while maintaining effective fluff removal through aerodynamic forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs air blowers to generate controlled airflow that lifts fluff from the medium surface without physical contact. The pneumatic system uses compressed air to create upward force on fluff particles, separating them from the medium surface through aerodynamic pressure rather than mechanical adhesion.
2Productivity
If a fluff cutter with rotating blade is used, then fluff removal capability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to speed control requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical cutting system (rotating blade requiring precision speed control) with a pneumatic system (air blowers). This eliminates the need for complex rotational speed control mechanisms while maintaining effective fluff removal through simplified airflow generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the complex control system from the fluff removal mechanism. By using air blowers instead of a rotating blade, the system eliminates the need for speed sensors, control circuits, and adjustment mechanisms, thereby reducing device complexity while preserving fluff removal capability.
3Ease of operation
If vertical vortices are produced by relative movement between head and medium, then printing operation is enabled, but fluff or dust is stirred up and adheres to the head causing ejection malfunctions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies fluff removal using air blowers before the printing head contacts the medium. This preliminary action eliminates fluff and dust from the medium surface in advance, preventing them from being stirred up by subsequent printing operations. The sequence is: first remove fluff with air blowers, then perform printing, thereby avoiding head contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies counter-action to prevent the harmful effect of fluff adhesion. By using air blowers to create upward airflow that lifts and removes fluff before printing, the system preemptively counteracts the tendency of fluff to be stirred up and adhere to the printing head during normal operation.
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
Effectively removes fluff from the medium without damaging it, maintaining the medium's aesthetic properties by using gas compression and decompression to lift fluff and a suction system for collection, ensuring efficient operation and preventing fluff from adhering to the printing head.
Implementation Method 1
a gas present in between the rotating member and the printing medium is compressed and decompressed due to the repeating uneven surface in a rotation direction of the rotating member
Implementation Method 2
the gas that has been pressurized by the compression decompresses, producing an airflow moving toward the inside of the recess
Implementation Method 3
a suction unit that suctions the rotating member
Data Source
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AI summary
Fluff on a medium is removed without spoiling the aesthetic properties of the medium. A printing apparatus according to this application example includes a transport belt serving as a medium support unit that transports a medium in a transport direction while supporting the medium, a medium supply unit that supplies the medium to the transport belt, a printing unit including a head unit serving as a head that ejects a liquid onto the medium while moving relative to the medium, and a rotating member provided in a position facing the medium between the medium supply unit and the printing unit. The rotating member has a rotating shaft longer in an intersecting direction that is orthogonal to the transport direction, and recesses and protrusions that form a repeating uneven surface in a rotation direction of the rotating member. The rotating member is rotated in a state where a predetermined gap is maintained between the rotating member and the medium.