Decurling Tag Webs Using Movable Guide Back Bend
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Solution Overview
Problem
Printable webs, such as tag stock and label stock, often exhibit significant curl due to memory from being wound into supply rolls, which is not adequately decurled as they pass through printers, resulting in unsightly and difficult-to-handle tags.
Innovation Solution
A decurling system that increases tension on the tag webs and modifies their path to increase the back bend, using a motor-driven unwind and a movable guide to resist the feed and adjust the web path, ensuring flatter tags for easier handling and stacking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If tag webs are fed from supply roll through printer, then printing function is achieved, but web curl remains insufficiently decurled resulting in flatness deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The decurling system applies preliminary action by introducing a back bend to the web before it enters the printer. The movable guide positioned upstream of the print head creates a controlled reverse curvature that counteracts the memory curl from the supply roll, preparing the web for flatter tag formation before the actual printing operation occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable guide provides dynamic adjustment capability to modify the web path and back bend magnitude. The guide can be repositioned along the web path to optimize the decurling effect for different web materials and curl characteristics, allowing the system to adapt to varying flatness requirements while maintaining ease of operation.
2Manufacturing precision
If web path is modified to increase back bend, then decurling effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The movable guide serves multiple functions: it acts as a tensioning element, a path modification device, and a decurling mechanism all in one component. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate decurling devices, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while achieving improved tag flatness through adjustable back bend.
3Manufacturing precision
If tension on tag web is increased, then decurling effect is enhanced, but risk of web damage or misfeeding increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tension increase is applied locally at the movable guide position rather than uniformly throughout the entire web path. By concentrating the tensioning and back bend application at a specific location upstream of the print head, the system enhances decurling effectiveness while minimizing the risk of web damage or misfeeding that could occur with uniform tensioning across the entire system.
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 system effectively decurles tag webs, producing flat tags that are easier to handle and stack, with improved appearance and functionality in printers and stackers.
Implementation Method 1
increasing tension on tag webs as they are fed from a supply roll
Implementation Method 2
a motor-driven unwind that can resist the feed of tag webs
Implementation Method 3
modifying the path of the tag web so as to increase the back bend of the tag webs as they are fed from a supply roll
Data Source
AI summary
There are disclosed embodiments of a decurler system for tag webs used for example in printers and stackers to automatically remove curl from tag webs to promote further tag handling and better tag appearance. The decurler system may determine the current diameter of a stock roll and gradually adjust parameters such as resistance and back bend so as to compensate for increased set in tag webs as the diameter of the stock roll decreases. In an embodiment, the decurler system may include different sets of parameters for different stock roll diameters depending on the material used for the tag webs.