UV-Curable Ink Recording Apparatus Pretreatment Head Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing recording apparatuses using ultraviolet light-curable inks face challenges in preventing bleed-through on plain paper, as pretreatment liquids often infiltrate, leading to insufficient bleed prevention and image quality issues.
Innovation Solution
A recording apparatus with multiple pretreatment heads and UV irradiators positioned strategically to control the amount and distribution of pretreatment liquid and ultraviolet light, ensuring effective layer formation on the recording medium to prevent bleed-through, featuring a conveyor system with upstream and downstream pretreatment heads and UV irradiators to manage liquid droplet overlap and intensity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the ejection amount of pretreatment liquid is increased to prevent bleed of recording liquid, then bleed prevention effect is improved, but pretreatment liquid infiltrates into recording medium causing bleed-through
Solution Approach 1:
The single pretreatment head is divided into multiple pretreatment heads (first, second, third pretreatment heads) positioned at different locations upstream of the recording head. Each head ejects pretreatment liquid that overlaps with previous layers, creating multiple sequential layers that collectively prevent recording liquid bleed without requiring excessive liquid amount from any single head.
Solution Approach 2:
Pretreatment liquid is ejected in advance through multiple heads before the recording liquid is applied. The first pretreatment head creates an initial layer, the second head adds an overlapping layer, and the third head adds a final overlapping layer. This sequential preliminary action ensures the recording medium surface is properly prepared to receive recording liquid without bleed, while controlling infiltration through distributed ejection.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the ejection amount of pretreatment liquid is decreased to prevent bleed-through, then infiltration is reduced, but bleed prevention effect becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The total pretreatment liquid requirement is segmented across multiple ejection heads positioned at different upstream locations. Each head contributes a portion of the total coverage, with overlapping ejection patterns ensuring sufficient cumulative coverage for bleed prevention while maintaining individual ejection amounts low enough to prevent infiltration and bleed-through.
Solution Approach 2:
The multiple pretreatment heads merge their ejection outputs to create overlapping layers of pretreatment liquid on the recording medium. This combining effect achieves the cumulative coverage needed for effective bleed prevention while distributing the liquid application across multiple sources, preventing any single location from receiving excessive liquid that would cause infiltration.
3Speed
If UV irradiator is positioned immediately downstream of recording head to prevent bleed, then response time is improved, but bleed prevention is insufficient on plain paper
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple pretreatment heads are positioned upstream of the recording head to apply pretreatment liquid in advance through overlapping ejection patterns. This preliminary action prepares the recording medium surface with sufficient pretreatment liquid coverage before the recording liquid is applied, ensuring effective bleed prevention on plain paper while maintaining rapid curing when the UV irradiator operates downstream.
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
This configuration effectively prevents bleed-through by ensuring adequate pretreatment liquid coverage and rapid curing, maintaining image quality without requiring reduced pretreatment liquid amounts, thus enhancing the bleed prevention effect.
Implementation Method 1
pretreatment liquid curable by irradiation of ultraviolet light
Data Source
AI summary
A recording apparatus including a conveyor which conveys a recording medium in a conveyance direction; a recording head which ejects recording liquid curable by irradiation of ultraviolet light; a plurality of pretreatment heads which ejects pretreatment liquid curable by irradiation of ultraviolet light, the pretreatment heads including a downstream pretreatment head and an upstream pretreatment head which is positioned upstream of the downstream pretreatment head in the conveyance direction; and a controller which controls the conveyor and the pretreatment heads to cause: a total amount of liquid droplets ejected from the downstream pretreatment head to be greater than a total amount of liquid droplets ejected from the upstream pretreatment head; and a liquid droplet ejected from the downstream pretreatment head to overlap, on the recording medium, a liquid droplet which has been ejected from the upstream pretreatment head.