Web Printer Pneumatic Guidance for Crease Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing web printing machines face challenges in gently guiding the web to prevent heat transfer and longitudinal creases during inkjet printing, which can impair print quality.
Innovation Solution
A printing machine with a simply curved shell featuring equidistant suction and blowing openings for pneumatic guidance, along with cooling rollers and a support roller, ensures the web is kept at a defined distance and cooled to prevent creases, using a balanced air flow system to maintain the web suspended without contact during normal operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the web is guided through contact with rollers and trays during printing, then the web can be supported and controlled, but heat transfer occurs causing longitudinal creases that impair print quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies pneumatic guidance using a tray with suction openings and blowing openings to guide the web through the printing machine. The suction openings create a vacuum that holds the web at a defined distance from the tray surface, while blowing openings provide air support. This pneumatic system eliminates contact between the web and mechanical surfaces, preventing heat transfer and longitudinal creases that would otherwise occur with traditional roller and tray contact guidance, thereby maintaining print quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical guidance system (rollers and trays that physically contact the web) with a pneumatic guidance system. Instead of using mechanical contact to support and control the web, the invention uses controlled air flows through suction and blowing openings to achieve the same guidance function without physical contact, thus eliminating heat transfer and crease formation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the web is kept at a defined distance from the tray using pneumatic guidance, then contactless guidance is achieved preventing creases, but the system complexity increases with suction and blowing openings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple pneumatic functions (suction and blowing) into a single integrated tray structure. The tray contains both suction openings connected to a vacuum source and blowing openings connected to an air supply, merging what could be separate devices into one unified guidance system. This integration reduces overall system complexity while maintaining the contactless guidance function that prevents longitudinal creases.
Solution Approach 2:
The tray structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support for the guidance system, contains both suction and blowing openings for pneumatic control, and maintains the web at a defined distance through coordinated air flows. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby managing system complexity while achieving effective contactless guidance.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If cooling rollers are used to cool the web, then longitudinal creases are prevented, but the web may come into contact with the rollers causing heat transfer during non-cooling periods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces contact-based cooling rollers with a pneumatic guidance system that maintains the web at a defined distance from all mechanical surfaces during printing operations. The suction and blowing openings work together to create an air cushion that prevents contact between the web and the tray or support roller, eliminating heat transfer entirely while providing continuous web guidance and support throughout the printing process.
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 solution effectively prevents longitudinal creases and maintains print quality by ensuring the web is cooled and guided gently, allowing for stable loop formation and reduced contact with rollers, thus enhancing the printing process.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum device at the bottom that generates a vacuum in the buffer container acting on the substrate web
Implementation Method 2
suction openings and blow openings for pneumatically and equidistantly guiding the loop
Implementation Method 3
The suction openings and blow openings can be active simultaneously to keep the loop at a defined distance from the tray
Implementation Method 4
The first and/or second roller can be a cooling roller for cooling the web, with a cooling fluid flowing through the cooling roller
Data Source
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AI summary
A printing machine for printing a web (B) comprises a first roller and a second roller, between which the web (B) forms a loop (S). A tray (3) is arranged between the first roller and the second roller for pneumatically guiding the loop (S) equidistantly with respect to the predominant curvature length (L) of the tray (3).