Winding Member Coating Apparatus for Recording Media Wrinkle Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing process liquid coating apparatuses struggle to prevent wrinkling of recording media due to variations in sheet thickness and properties, especially when applying process liquid to continuous rolls of paper, as conventional methods like tension control and liquid adjustment are insufficient for all types of paper.
Innovation Solution
A coating apparatus with a winding member that forms a bent conveyance path, allowing the recording medium to be wound around a pressure roller, thereby applying tension and reducing waviness and wrinkling, by adjusting the winding angle to maintain optimal tension and prevent sagging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If large tension is applied to suppress paper sagging, then wrinkling is reduced, but thin or light sheets cannot withstand the tension due to lack of paper strength
Solution Approach 1:
The winding unit winds the recording medium around the pressure roller before the coating operation, preliminarily suppressing waviness and sagging. This preliminary action stabilizes the sheet shape so that subsequent coating can proceed without requiring excessive tension, thus protecting thin sheets from damage while still preventing wrinkles.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the winding amount of the recording medium around the pressure roller based on detected waviness. By making the tension application dynamic and adaptive rather than fixed and excessive, the system can suppress wrinkles only when and where needed, avoiding unnecessary stress on thin sheets.
2Stability of the object's composition
If tension is increased to prevent wrinkling, then sheet uniformity improves, but device complexity increases due to tension control limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The winding unit provides preliminary stabilization of the sheet by winding it around the pressure roller before coating. This preliminary action creates a simple mechanical constraint that improves sheet uniformity without requiring complex tension control systems during the coating process.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressure roller acts as an intermediary element that the sheet winds around, providing a fixed geometric reference point. This intermediary structure simplifies tension control by replacing complex active control mechanisms with a passive geometric constraint that naturally promotes sheet uniformity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the sheet is wound around the pressure roller, then waviness is suppressed and wrinkling is reduced, but the coating path becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The function of the winding unit is merged with the pressure roller, combining the sheet stabilization function and the coating pressure function into a single integrated component. This merging eliminates the need for separate complex conveyance paths and stabilization mechanisms, simplifying the overall system while effectively suppressing waviness.
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 reduces wrinkling and waviness in the recording medium by applying controlled tension through the winding mechanism, even when large tension cannot be applied, thus improving the uniformity of the process liquid application and preventing paper sagging.
Implementation Method 1
the winding member is configured to form a bent conveyance path along which the recording medium is bent with respect to a conveyance direction so that the recording medium is wound around a surface of the pressure roller
Implementation Method 2
the process liquid L pumped up by the squeeze roller 92 is scrapped off by a nip of the coating roller 93 and the squeeze roller 92 whose edge portions are covered with elastic body such as gum elastic
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a process liquid coating apparatus comprising: a recording medium conveyance unit configured to convey a recording medium; a coating roller configured to rotate in accordance with the conveyed recording medium to apply process liquid on a surface of the recording medium; a pressure roller configured to cause the coating roller to apply the process liquid on the surface of the recording medium by forming an abutment part for nipping and pressing the recording medium with the coating roller; and a winding member configured to form a bent conveyance path along which the recording medium is bent with respect to a conveyance direction so that the recording medium is wound around the surface of the pressure roller, wherein the winding member is disposed adjacent to the pressure roller.