Sheet Humidifier for Static Control in Punching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sheet processing apparatuses face issues with static electricity in cutting wastes, leading to scattering and clustering, which results in contamination and premature detection of full containers, while existing solutions either leave sheets excessively wet or cause paper jams.
Innovation Solution
A sheet processing apparatus with a humidifying unit located upstream of the cutter unit, which selectively humidifies only the cut area of the sheet to neutralize static electricity without making the entire sheet wet, using a pair of rotary members and a supply unit to apply humidifying liquid, controlled by a unit that adjusts operations based on sheet type and atmospheric humidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a humidifying means is provided on the sheet conveying route to humidify the entire sheet surface to remove static electricity, then static electricity is effectively removed, but excessive moisture remains on the sheet making it soft and causing conveyance troubles such as paper jams
Solution Approach 1:
The humidifying means is configured to humidify only the specific area of the sheet that will become cutting waste, rather than the entire sheet surface. This localized humidification removes static electricity from the cut area without making the entire sheet excessively wet, thus preventing paper jams while still achieving the anti-static effect where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The sheet processing is divided into different treatment zones: the area to be cut is humidified to remove static electricity, while the rest of the sheet remains dry to maintain proper conveyance properties. This segmentation allows different parts of the sheet to have different moisture levels appropriate for their respective functions.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the dust box is kept moist to remove static electricity from cutting wastes, then static electricity is reduced, but cutting wastes are scattered and attracted to several surfaces and/or clustered together and locally heaped in the dust box
Solution Approach 1:
Static electricity is removed from the sheet before cutting by humidifying the area to be cut. This preliminary anti-static treatment ensures that when the cutting waste is generated, it already has reduced static electricity, preventing scattering and clustering in the dust box without requiring the dust box itself to be moist.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the entire surface of the sheet is made wet to surely remove static electricity, then static electricity removal is effective, but the sheet becomes soft and conveyance troubles such as paper jams become likely
Solution Approach 1:
The humidifying means applies moisture selectively to only the portion of the sheet that will be cut and discarded, leaving the main body of the sheet dry. This localized approach achieves effective static electricity removal from the cut area while maintaining the mechanical integrity and conveyance smoothness of the entire sheet.
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 static electricity from cutting wastes, preventing scattering and clustering, while maintaining the sheet dry and preventing paper jams, thus maintaining cleanliness and accurate detection of container fullness.
Implementation Method 1
a humidifying unit located on said conveying route in the upstream side of said cutter unit and configured to partially humidify said sheet to selectively humidify said cut area
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet processing apparatus is described which is used to process a sheet transferred from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine. A sheet processing apparatus is provided with a punching unit which cuts off part of a sheet conveyed along a conveying route, and a humidifying unit located on this conveying route in the upstream side of the punching unit and configured to humidify a predetermined area which is selected from the entire area of the sheet and includes punch areas to be cut off from the conveyed sheet by the punching unit. The cutting wastes can thereby be electrostatically discharged without leaving the sheet excessively wet.