Patent Application
20060290761
All references cited in this specification, and their references, are incorporated by reference herein where appropriate for teachings of additional or alternative details, features, and/or technical background.
Disclosed in the embodiments herein is a system for protecting the face of a printhead, in particular a solid ink jet printhead printing on an image transfer member, from contaminants. Such system comprises a sticky baffle placed in close proximity to the surface of an image transfer surface superior to the printhead.
For printing in a solid-ink printer, the simplest method of producing an output image is to propel droplets of ink onto a piece of paper to directly print the image onto the paper, i.e., a process known as direct printing. However, direct printing has many disadvantages. First, the head to paper gap must be adjusted for different media in order to control drop position. Second, there is the well-known paper hand-off problem between the rollers that guide the paper, because of the large size of the head. Third, there is a concern that head reliability will decrease because the paper is near the head. Also, to maximize print speed, many direct print architectures deposit the image bi-directional, which introduces image artifacts and color shifts. These problems are addressed with an offset, or indirect printing process. In this process, the ink is first applied to a rotating drum or other intermediate support surface and then transfixed off onto the paper wherein the ink goes on hot and then is fused. Therefore, a single drum surface transfers the image, spreads the ink droplets, penetrates the ink into the media, and controls the topography of the ink to increase paper gloss and transparency haze.
The process requires a delicate balance of drum temperature, paper temperature, transfix load, drum and transfix roller materials and properties thereof in order to achieve image quality.
To solve some of the above stated problems, ink jet printing systems have utilized intermediate transfer ink jet recording methods, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,958. The intermediate transfer surface is applied by a wicking pad that is housed within an applicator apparatus. Prior to imaging, the applicator is raised into contact with the rotating drum to apply or replenish the liquid intermediate transfer surface.
Once the liquid intermediate transfer surface has been applied, the applicator is retracted and the print head ejects drops of ink to form the ink image on the liquid intermediate transfer surface. The ink is applied in molten form, having been melted from its solid state form. The ink image solidifies on the liquid intermediate transfer surface by cooling to a malleable solid intermediate state as the drum continues to rotate. When the imaging has been completed, a transfer roller is moved into contact with the drum to form a pressurized transfer nip between the roller and the curved surface of the intermediate transfer surface/drum. A final receiving substrate, such as a sheet of media, is then fed into the transfer nip and the ink image is transferred to the final receiving substrate.
Referring to
For hot melt or solid ink based systems, the ink utilized is preferably initially in solid form and then changed to a molten state by the application of heat energy to raise the temperature from about 85 degrees to about 150 degrees centigrade. In various embodiments, the temperature may be lower or higher, but this range is preferred. Elevated temperatures above this range may cause degradation or chemical breakdown of inks currently in use. The molten ink is then applied in raster fashion from ink jets in the print head 11 to the intermediate transfer surface 12 forming an ink image. The ink image is then cooled to an intermediate temperature and solidifies to a malleable state wherein it is transferred to a receiving substrate 28 such that the pixels are not spread and an initial matte finish is achieved.
The intermediate transfer surface 12 may be provided in the form of a drum, as shown in
The intermediate transfer surface 12 may be heated by an appropriate heater device 19. The heater device 19 may be a radiant resistance heater positioned as shown or positioned internally within the drum 14. In a preferred embodiment incorporating solid ink based ink jet technology, the heater device 19 may increase the temperature of the intermediate transfer surface 12 from ambient temperature to between 25 degrees to about 70 degrees centigrade or higher for receiving the ink from print head 11. This temperature is dependent upon the exact nature of the liquid employed in the intermediate transfer surface 12 and the ink used and can be adjusted by providing an optimal temperature controller 40 in combination with a thermistor 42. Ink is then applied in molten form from, for example, about 85 degrees to about 150 degrees centigrade to the exposed surface of the intermediate transfer surface 12 by the print head 11 forming an ink image 26. The ink image 26 solidifies on the intermediate transfer surface 12 by cooling down to the malleable intermediate state temperature provided by heating device 19.
After the ink image is created on the intermediate transfer surface, the image is then transferred to a receiving substrate 28. A receiving substrate guide apparatus 20 may transport the receiving substrate 28, such as paper or transparency, from a positive feed device (not shown) and guides it through a nip 29 formed between drum 14 and transfer roller 23. Thus, opposing arcuate surfaces of the transfer roller 23 and the drum 14 forms the nip 29. The transfer roller 23 may have a metallic core, preferably steel with an elastomer coating 22. The drum 14 continues to rotate, entering the nip 29 formed by the transfer roller 23 with the curved surface of the intermediate transfer surface 12 containing the ink image 26. The ink image 26 is then deformed to its image conformation and transferred to the receiving substrate 28 such that the pixels formed by the ink image on the receiving substrate are not spread creating an initial matte finish. The elastomer coating 22 on roller 23 engages the receiving substrate 28 on the reverse side to which the ink image 26 is transferred.
In this process, the ink image 26 is first applied to the intermediate transfer surface 12 of the rotating drum 14 and then transfixed off onto the receiving substrate 28 having a pixel image. Stripper fingers 25 (only one of which is shown) may be pivotally mounted to the imaging apparatus 10 to assist in removing any paper or other final receiving substrate 28 from the exposed surface of the intermediate transfer surface 12.
Heater 21 may be used to preheat the receiving substrate 28 prior to the transfer of the ink image 26. The thermal energy of the receiving substrate 28 is preferably kept sufficiently low so as not to melt the ink image upon transfer to the receiving substrate 28. When the ink image 26 enters the nip 29 it is deformed to its image conformation and adheres to the receiving substrate 28 either by the pressure exerted against ink image 26 on the receiving substrate 28 or by the combination of the pressure and heat supplied by heater 21 and/or heater 19. Heater 24 may be employed which heats the transfer roller 23. Heater devices may also be employed in the paper or receiving substrate guide apparatus 20 and/or in the transfer and fixing roller 23, respectively. The pressure exerted on the ink image 26 must be sufficient to have the ink image 26 transfer to the receiving substrate 28.
A general problem in ink jet printers printing on an image transfer member, in particular solid ink jet printers or so-called phase change ink jet printers, is that the paper in its movement through the printer may introduce paper particle contamination into the inner machine environment where such contamination may reach the nozzle faces of the printheads, causing temporary or permanent jet deflections or outages.
Aspects disclosed herein include:
a baffle for use in a printer to protect a printhead printing on an image transfer member which then transfers the printing to a printing medium from particulates associated with the printing medium, the baffle comprising a structure configured to be positioned within the printer below the printing medium and above the printhead, and having a first adhesive surface facing generally toward the printing medium when positioned in the printer;
an ink jet printer comprising a baffle having a first adhesive surface, the baffle being positioned below the printing medium and above the printhead with the first adhesive surface facing generally toward the printing medium; and
a method for protecting an ink jet printhead in a printer utilizing an image transfer member to transfer the image onto substrate feed in a substrate path positioned superior to the ink jet printhead, the method comprising positioning a baffle having a first adhesive surface below the printing medium and above the printhead with the first adhesive surface facing generally toward the printing medium.
Various of the above mentioned and further features and advantages will be better understood from this description of embodiments thereof, including the attached drawing figures wherein:
In embodiments, there is disclosed printing medium baffle for protecting printheads printing on an image transfer member from particulates associated with the printing medium, the baffle comprising a structure configured to be positioned within a printer inferior to (i.e., below) the printing medium and superior (i.e., above) to the printhead, and having a first adhesive surface lying over the printhead when positioned in the printer.
In such embodiment, the structure may further comprise a second adhesive surface in close proximity to the image transfer member. The first and second adhesive surfaces may be different or the same, on the same side, or opposite one another. The structure may contain two surfaces angles with respect to each other. Such baffle embodiment may be used in an inkjet printer that may employ an image drum, or movable image transfer member such as an image web, for example, an image belt. The baffle may be generally positioned to be capable of trapping stray printing substitute particles and/or particles expelled or extending from a moving image transfer member.
In one embodiment, there is provided a stiff baffle placed in proximity to the surface of an intermediate transfer drum. The baffle is positioned so as to have an adhesive surface exposed below the paper or other substrate path running above the intermediate transfer drum. The top adhesive surface is positioned to shield the drum from particles raining down from above by capturing those particles as the paper or other substrate passes above the drum. The baffle may also have an adhesive surface positioned to capture particles traveling in the boundary layer around the drum when the drum is spinning and to capture any long fibers, etc., that may extend from the drum and contact the baffle.
In one embodiment, the baffle comprises a metal or plastic stock having adhesive applied to at least one surface. Adhesives remaining sticky or adherable over prolonged periods of time are usefully employed. For example, as found with double-sided sticky tape from Tel Pella, Inc.
As the abatement effect of such baffle system will decrease over time, in particular as the tacky collection surface becomes saturated with contaminants, it would be useful if the baffle contamination abatement system were renewable, either by incorporation of the system into a customer replacement unit, such as the drum maintenance cassette (which may be replaced every 10,000 to 30,000 prints), or by configuring the adhesive surface(s) of the baffle to be renewable. Incorporation of all or part of the abatement system into an existing “print process” customer replaceable unit ensures regular replacement. With proper replacement intervals, periodic renewal of the abatement system will prevent the decreased effectiveness associated with a particle-saturated collection surface, extending the initial reliability benefit of abatement throughout the printer's life. If the replacement interval of print-related customer replaceable units is less than the printer's life or the print interval during which the abatement system designates, then the combined customer replaceable unit ensures effective abatement and an associated reliability enhancement throughout the printer's life.
Now turning to
The angles of the surface 72 may be selected such that loose fibers from the printing medium or other such items on the surface of the drum 12 may contact the adhesive surface 72. This facilitates removal such items from the drum 12 upstream of the printhead 11.
Like baffle 70, baffle 80 and its surfaces 82 and 84 also preferably extend for the entire width of the printing medium 28.
The baffle 70 may be optionally attached to the lower end portion of a upper exit paper guide of the printer. Such an attachment may be made by screws, a snap-fit connection, or by any other suitable means. It could also be attached by integrally forming it as part of the paper guide. However, any other suitable mounting or attachment may be used.
In either embodiment, a gap between the image transfer member (e.g., drum 12) and the baffle 70, 80 may be narrower than a gap between the image transfer member and the printhead 11. This is desirable to prevent particles that could get between the printhead 11 and transfer member from falling downward to the gap between them, as the narrower gap between the baffle 70, 80 and the image transfer member restricts that from happening.
Also disclosed is a method for protecting an ink jet printer forming an image onto a substrate fed in a substrate path positioned above the ink jet printhead, positioning a baffle configured to have at least one adhesive surface such that an adhesive surface of the baffle is positioned below the substrate path and above the ink jet printhead in a manner to allow such adhesive to trap particles of substrate shed in the feed process.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to particular embodiments, it will be appreciated that variations of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Also that various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.
