The present teachings disclose embodiments of an ink stick assembly or ink stick assembly and related apparatuses and devices for use in an industrial printing system that can be used for various printing processes. Various embodiments of an ink stick assembly of the present teachings can include an ink stick assembly, a storage station, and a mounting assembly for mounting an ink stick onto a carriage assembly that is part of a motion system. According to the present teachings, devices, apparatuses, systems and methods disclosed herein can be useful, for example, but not limited by, developing various printing processes, as well as providing for efficient production scale printing.
Various embodiments of an ink stick assembly for use in, for example, but not limited by, the manufacture of an OLED panel substrate, include providing end-user flexibility for the efficient sequential printing of a variety of inks of various formulations on a substrate during a printing process. Ink stick assemblies of the present teachings have self-contained inking systems located within the ink stick assembly that are in fluid communication with one or more plurality of printheads. The ink stick assemblies of the present teachings can be readily shuttled in and out of a printing system, and can be maintained in a storage station proximal a printing system.
A better understanding of the features and advantages of the present disclosure will be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings, which are intended to illustrate, not limit, the present teachings. In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals may describe similar components in different views. Like numerals having different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components.
For various embodiments of a printhead assembly or ink stick assembly of the present teachings, each an ink stick assembly can be a self-contained assembly, of which a plurality of self-contained ink stick assemblies can be readily interchanged into a printing system during a printing process. Various embodiments of a self-contained ink stick assembly can have a fluidic system that can include a local ink reservoir, which can be in fluid communication with a bulk ink reservoir. Filling of a bulk ink reservoir can be done in a manual or automated mode. According to the present teachings, a bulk ink reservoir can have a volume sufficient to provide a continuous supply of ink to a local ink reservoir over the course of a printing process. The replenishment of supply of ink from a bulk ink reservoir to a local ink reservoir can maintain a stable level of ink in a local ink reservoir, which during printing can be fluid communication with a printhead. As such, a stable level of ink in a local ink reservoir can provide for negligible variations in pressure of ink at a plurality of printhead nozzles in a printhead by providing a constant pressure head over a printhead. In that regard, various embodiments of an ink stick assembly can include at least one liquid level indicator for maintaining a defined fill level for the local ink reservoir, so that ink from the bulk ink reservoir continuously replenishes the local ink reservoir to a defined fill level during printing.
Various embodiments of an ink stick assembly can have a manifold assembly that can include an upper manifold assembly, a middle manifold assembly and a lower manifold assembly that have channels with controllable fluid flow fabricated within the manifold assembly. In that regard, a manifold assembly of the present teachings can provide interconnections between the bulk ink reservoir and local ink reservoir in a fluidic subassembly of an ink stick assembly that do not utilize conventional tubing connections. Accordingly, a self-contained ink stick assembly not requiring conventional tubing connections can provide zero dead volume interconnections throughout the fluidic subassembly of an ink stick. Additionally, as the fluidic subassembly is entirely within a self-contained ink stick assembly, the need for cumbersome tubing disconnections and reconnections during exchange of various ink stick assemblies can be eliminated.
In that regard, the efficient interchange of ink stick assemblies is facilitated by a pneumatic interface plate and low-insertion force electrical interface plate that interface with external pneumatic sources and electrical sources required during a printing process. Such external pneumatic sources, such as a nitrogen gas source or a vacuum source, can be readily integrated with the fluidic function of an inks stick. Likewise, external electrical sources can be readily interfaced to the on-board electronic assembly of an ink stick assembly. Various ink stick assemblies of the present teachings have driver boards for each one of more printheads of the ink stick assembly, an I/O and power distribution PCB, as well as a microprocessor board.
In various embodiments of an ink stick assembly, each of a plurality of interchangeable ink stick assemblies can have a unique identification or recognition code. For various embodiments, the identification or recognition code can be indicated physically on an ink stick assembly, as well as electronically associated with each ink stick assembly. For various embodiments of an ink stick assembly, the identification or recognition code can associate each unit with a unique set of operational information for each ink stick assembly. For example, but not limited by, the unique operational information can include a unique location of an ink stick assembly in a maintenance module, the ink formulation contained in the ink stick assembly, and printhead calibration data. Such unique operational information can be stored on a memory device. For various embodiments, the memory device can be an on-board memory device that travels with each ink stick assembly.
Various embodiments of the present teachings include a storage station for storing and maintain a plurality of ink stick assemblies while the ink stick assemblies are not in use. A storage station of the present teachings is located proximal to a motion system of a printing system to provide for efficient exchange of ink sticks during a printing process.
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