Web Guiding Structure with Smooth Recesses for Wrinkle Prevention

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Solution Overview

Problem

Inkjet printing systems face issues with receiver media wrinkling due to non-isotropic expansion and contraction caused by moisture absorption, leading to image quality degradation and permanent creases.

Innovation Solution

A web-guiding system with a pattern of alternating ridges and recesses on its surface, ensuring a continuous and smooth profile with a maximum slope of 0.3 and a minimum radius of curvature of 5 mm, accommodating media expansion and reducing friction-induced wrinkling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If contact surface of rollers is used to guide receiver media, then web guiding function is provided, but friction causes wrinkling due to media expansion

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveweb guiding stabilityVSAvoidwrinkling artifacts

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The roller surface is segmented into alternating ridges and recesses, creating discrete contact and non-contact zones. This segmentation allows the web to expand into recesses without generating friction-induced wrinkles, while ridges provide sufficient contact for guiding stability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of providing continuous contact support, the invention uses non-contact recesses to accommodate web expansion. The recesses (absence of contact) are what enable the web to expand freely, inverting the conventional approach where continuous contact is assumed to be the solution for web support.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Strength

If continuous contact surface is used for web guiding, then web support is provided, but media expansion causes friction and wrinkling

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveweb support capabilityVSAvoidfriction-induced wrinkles

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The continuous contact surface is replaced with segmented ridges separated by recesses. This provides distributed support through multiple ridge contact points while allowing web expansion in the recess zones, eliminating friction-induced wrinkling.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the roller surface have different functions: ridges provide contact support for web guidance, while recesses provide non-contact zones for web expansion accommodation. This local differentiation of surface properties resolves the contradiction between support and wrinkling prevention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Ease of manufacture

If sharp edges are present on web-guiding structure, then manufacturing is simplified, but wrinkles and permanent creases are caused

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructure fabricationVSAvoidpermanent creases

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The roller surface features curved ridges and recesses with continuous profiles and rounded transitions, eliminating sharp edges. This curvature prevents the formation of permanent creases in the web while maintaining manufacturability through standard roller fabrication processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Data Source

PatentUS9108817B1Web guiding structure with continuous smooth recesses

Publication Date: 2015.08.18 EASTMAN KODAK CO

AI summary

A web-guiding system for guiding a web of media travelling from upstream to downstream along a transport path in an in-track direction. A web-guiding structure includes an exterior surface having a pattern of alternating ridges and recesses formed into the exterior surface. The web of media travels past the web-guiding structure with the first side of the web of media contacting at least some of the ridges on the exterior surface of the web-guiding structure. The ridges and recesses are formed into the exterior surface of the web-guiding structure such that the exterior surface has a continuous and smooth surface profile in the cross-track direction having a specified maximum slope magnitude and a specified minimum radius of curvature magnitude.