CN111196091B - Ink circulation supply system and method for ink jet head - Google Patents
Ink circulation supply system and method for ink jet head Download PDFInfo
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- CN111196091B CN111196091B CN201911121111.7A CN201911121111A CN111196091B CN 111196091 B CN111196091 B CN 111196091B CN 201911121111 A CN201911121111 A CN 201911121111A CN 111196091 B CN111196091 B CN 111196091B
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- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims description 24
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 67
- 230000005499 meniscus Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 41
- 238000011084 recovery Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 16
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 11
- 238000007599 discharging Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 5
- 238000007639 printing Methods 0.000 claims description 20
- 238000003756 stirring Methods 0.000 claims description 13
- 238000013019 agitation Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 9
- 230000001276 controlling effect Effects 0.000 description 8
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000007641 inkjet printing Methods 0.000 description 5
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 5
- 239000002096 quantum dot Substances 0.000 description 4
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 description 3
- 239000002923 metal particle Substances 0.000 description 3
- 230000010349 pulsation Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000003405 preventing effect Effects 0.000 description 2
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- 239000006185 dispersion Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000001704 evaporation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008020 evaporation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001939 inductive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000002452 interceptive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000003760 magnetic stirring Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012423 maintenance Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000002360 preparation method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 description 1
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/18—Ink recirculation systems
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
- B41J2/17596—Ink pumps, ink valves
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- Ink Jet (AREA)
Abstract
The present invention relates to an ink circulation supply system for an ink jet head, which supplies and recovers an ink in which particles are dispersed in the ink jet head, wherein the ink jet head is provided with a plurality of nozzles for discharging the ink, the system comprising: an ink storage unit for storing ink to be supplied to the inkjet head; a pressure control device connected to the ink storage unit through a pressure adjustment tube for maintaining a meniscus state of the ink injected into the ink jet head; a supply flow path connected to supply ink from the ink storage unit to the inkjet head; a recovery flow path connected to the ink storage unit so as to return the ink remaining in the inkjet head to the ink storage unit; and a circulating pump section provided in the supply channel or the recovery channel and configured to form a flow of ink, wherein the circulating pump section is configured by a plurality of piezoelectric pumps, one or more piezoelectric pumps are connected in series for one piezoelectric pump, and the remaining one or more piezoelectric pumps are connected in parallel.
Description
Technical Field
The present invention relates to an ink circulation supply system, and more particularly, to an ink circulation supply system for supplying ink to an inkjet head of an inkjet printer used in the industrial field.
Background
In general, an ink jet method of ejecting liquid ink in the form of droplets on a medium surface according to a shape signal is used not only for printing for creating a document or a leaflet but also in a solution process in the field of semiconductors and displays.
Ink jet printing for forming a pattern having a complicated shape on a substrate or accurately discharging ink only at a specific position is used in many applications. A small-sized inkjet printer for producing a document is in a form of storing ink in an inkjet head that ejects ink droplets, but a printer or an industrial inkjet printer for producing a large-sized document uses a large amount of ink, and thus a storage unit for storing ink is separated from the inkjet head.
On the other hand, in order to discharge ink in an accurate amount to be ejected in the ink jet printing process, the ink in a discharge preparation state of the ink jet head should maintain a meniscus (meniscus) state, i.e., a curved surface state that is recessed inward by a capillary phenomenon with reference to the nozzle inlet. For this reason, the meniscus state is maintained by preventing the ink from flowing out of the inkjet head by generating a negative pressure in the ink storage portion by normally making the position of the ink storage portion higher than the position of the inkjet head and maintaining the inside of the ink storage portion in a vacuum state. However, if the ink storage unit is maintained in a vacuum state, evaporation of the solvent constituting the ink is accelerated, and the properties of the ink change, and the viscosity of the ink becomes gradually high with time, which is the most problematic. If the viscosity of the ink becomes high, it becomes difficult to efficiently eject the ink from the inkjet head.
In order to solve such a problem, a technique of circulating ink to the outside through a separate line has been developed (korean patent laid-open No. 10-1191597), but it is difficult to maintain a meniscus state due to pulsation generated during circulation of ink through a separate line, and thus it is not practically used.
Further, as the application range of the ink jet printer becomes various, the use of the ink in which particles are dispersed has recently increased, and for example, the ink in which metal particles are dispersed is used for forming an electrode pattern. In particular, in the field of Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) displays, as the use of quantum dot substances increases, attempts to employ inkjet printing in the process of applying only quantum dot substances in a predetermined pattern or at predetermined positions are continuing. However, in the state of being stored in the ink storage portion, the dispersibility of ink such as ink settling is deteriorated due to the weight of the metal particles or the quantum dot substance itself, and therefore, ink jet printing cannot be practically employed.
Documents of the prior art
Patent document
Patent document 1: korean patent No. 10-1191597
Disclosure of Invention
Problems to be solved by the invention
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ink circulation system capable of stably maintaining a meniscus state while maintaining viscosity of ink or dispersibility of particles dispersed in ink.
Technical scheme of the invention
An ink circulation supply system of an inkjet head according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a circulation supply system for supplying and recovering an ink in which particles are dispersed in an inkjet head, the inkjet head being provided with a plurality of nozzles for discharging the ink, the ink circulation supply system of the inkjet head including: an ink storage unit for storing ink to be supplied to the inkjet head; a pressure control device connected to the ink storage unit through a pressure adjustment tube for maintaining a meniscus state of the ink injected into the ink jet head; a supply flow path connected to supply ink from the ink storage unit to the inkjet head; a recovery flow path connected to the ink storage unit so as to return the ink remaining in the inkjet head to the ink storage unit; and a circulating pump section provided in the supply channel or the recovery channel and configured to form a flow of ink, wherein the circulating pump section is configured by a plurality of piezoelectric pumps, one or more piezoelectric pumps are connected in series for one piezoelectric pump, and the remaining one or more piezoelectric pumps are connected in parallel.
In the present invention, the plurality of piezoelectric pumps are connected in series and in parallel in a mixed manner to a line for flowing the residual ink discharged from the inkjet head into the ink storage portion, so that the ink can be circulated while maintaining the meniscus state to maintain the fluidity and dispersibility of the ink.
A piezoelectric pump (piezo pump) using a piezoelectric device is also called a piezo pump, and although it can precisely pump a minute flow rate, its application is limited because a flow rate at which movement can be generated is very small. In particular, although most of them are used for controlling ink discharged from an inkjet head, they are generally not suitable for circulation of fluid because of a small flow rate. According to the present invention, a piezoelectric pump having a small flow rate is used, and a plurality of piezoelectric pumps are connected in a mixed series and parallel manner, thereby solving the problems of insufficient flow rate and head and operating a required number of piezoelectric pumps among the plurality of piezoelectric pumps to minimize pulsation generated to an ink circulation system, thereby maintaining a meniscus state.
In this case, it is preferable that the piezoelectric pump control unit further includes a circulation pump control unit for controlling an operation of the piezoelectric pump included in the circulation pump unit, and the circulation pump control unit is capable of adjusting the number of operating piezoelectric pumps in the plurality of piezoelectric pumps included in the circulation pump unit. Further, the circulation pump control unit can adjust the plurality of piezoelectric pumps to be operated so as to be in a series relationship or a parallel relationship, and can circulate the ink at a sufficient head and flow rate while maintaining the meniscus state by controlling the flow rate and head of the entire circulation pump unit.
Further, a pump controller for individually controlling the plurality of piezoelectric pumps included in the circulating pump section is provided, whereby the flow of ink can be controlled more precisely. Preferably, the pump controller controls the voltage and frequency applied to the single piezoelectric pump.
Further, the ink jet head may further include a flow sensor for measuring a flow rate of the ink circulating between the ink jet head and the ink storage unit, and the circulation pump control unit may be operated in conjunction with the flow sensor.
Further, an agitation device for agitating the ink may be provided in the ink storage portion, and a magnetic rotation agitation device may be provided.
In order to maintain the fluidity and dispersibility of the ink by merely stirring the ink using the stirring device, it is necessary to excessively stir the ink, but if the fluidity and dispersibility are to be improved only by the stirring device, it is difficult to maintain the meniscus. The present invention adopts a configuration in which the fluidity and dispersibility of the ink are improved by the circulation of the ink by the piezoelectric pump, and therefore, the stirring device can be added as an additional device, and the fluidity and dispersibility of the ink can be improved while maintaining the meniscus state by combining the circulation of the ink by the piezoelectric pump and the fine stirring by the stirring device.
And a buffer storage part connected with the ink storage part and used for storing the ink which is firstly replenished in the process of replenishing the ink in a mode of not interfering the meniscus state of the ink storage part, thereby replenishing the ink in the continuous printing process.
An ink circulation supply method for an inkjet head according to another embodiment of the present invention is a method of circulating and supplying ink in which particles are dispersed by an ink circulation supply system having the above-described configuration, wherein the ink is circulated between the inkjet head and the ink storage unit while maintaining a meniscus state of the inkjet head by a pressure control device connected to the ink storage unit, and the circulation of the ink is performed by a circulation pump unit including a plurality of piezoelectric pumps, one or more piezoelectric pumps being connected in series to one piezoelectric pump, and the remaining one or more piezoelectric pumps being connected in parallel to each other, and the ink is circulated while maintaining the meniscus state of the inkjet head.
In this case, it is preferable that the circulation pump control unit controls the circulation flow rate by adjusting the number of operating piezoelectric pumps among the plurality of piezoelectric pumps included in the circulation pump unit, and the circulation pump control unit controls the head and the flow rate of the circulation pump unit by adjusting the plurality of operating piezoelectric pumps so as to form a series relationship or a parallel relationship.
Further, the pump controller may individually control the plurality of piezoelectric pumps included in the circulating pump section, and may control the voltage and frequency applied to a single piezoelectric pump, thereby more precisely controlling the flow of ink.
Specifically, the circulation pump section circulates the ink between the inkjet head and the ink storage section even when the inkjet head performs printing, and circulates the ink between the inkjet head and the ink storage section even when the inkjet head is not performing printing and is on standby, thereby preventing property separation of the ink and maintaining dispersibility. In this case, it is preferable that the circulation pump control section controls the head or the flow rate of the circulation pump section in a case where the ink is circulated while the inkjet head is not performing printing and is on standby so as to be larger than the head or the flow rate of the circulation pump section in a case where the ink is circulated while the inkjet head is performing printing.
Preferably, the head and the flow rate are controlled by the circulation pump control section in conjunction with the flow rate of the ink measured by the flow rate sensor.
In addition, the ink stored in the ink storage unit while the meniscus of the head is maintained can be rotationally agitated while the ink is circulated by the circulation pump unit.
Technical effects of the invention
According to the present invention as described above, the present invention has an effect that the fluidity and dispersibility of ink can be improved by a method of circulating ink between the ink jet head and the ink storage portion while maintaining a meniscus state by using the circulating pump portion in which a plurality of piezoelectric pumps are connected in series and in parallel in a mixed manner.
The present invention also has an effect of improving the fluidity and dispersibility of ink while maintaining the meniscus by using a conventional pressure control device for maintaining the meniscus.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an ink circulation supply system of an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an ink circulation supply system according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged schematic view showing a configuration of a circulation pump section which is an example of the ink circulation supply system of the ink jet head according to the present invention.
Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a circulation pump section according to another example of the ink circulation supply system of the ink jet head according to the present invention.
Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a circulation pump section as another example employed in an ink circulation supply system of an ink jet head according to the present invention.
Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing a state in which a circulation pump section employed in an ink circulation supply system of an ink jet head according to the present invention is configured in a module assembly form.
Fig. 7 is a graph for comparing control signals transmitted from the pump controller.
Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an ink circulation supply system in which a buffer storage portion is additionally provided.
Detailed Description
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The technical section disclosed is only an embodiment for explaining the structure and the function, and the scope of the technical section disclosed is not limited to the embodiment in the present specification. That is, various modifications can be made to the embodiments and various embodiments can be made, and it is to be understood that the scope of the claims of the disclosed technology includes equivalent technical solutions that can implement the technical ideas.
On the other hand, terms described in the present application should be understood as follows.
The terms "first", "second", and the like are used to distinguish one structural element from another, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these terms. For example, a first structural element may be termed a second structural element, and similarly, a second structural element may be termed a first structural element.
Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an ink circulation supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in the drawing, the ink circulation supply system for supplying ink to the inkjet head 100 includes an ink storage portion 200 and a pressure control device 310. A supply channel 400 for supplying the ink in the ink storage unit 200 to the inkjet head 100 and a recovery channel 500 for returning the ink remaining in the inkjet head 100 to the ink storage unit 200 are connected between the ink storage unit 200 and the inkjet head 100, and a circulation pump unit 600 and a flow sensor 700 are provided in the recovery channel 500.
The inkjet head 100 is a portion provided with a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink, and in the present embodiment, the inkjet printer forms an industrial inkjet printer such that the inkjet head 100 and the ink storage portion 200 are separated. The technical structure of the conventionally used ink jet head can be changed in various ways within a range not affecting the features of the present invention, except for separating the ink jet head 100 and the ink storage portion 200.
The inkjet head 100 is connected to one end of the supply channel 400 and one end of the recovery channel 500, receives ink through the supply channel 400, performs inkjet printing through a nozzle, and discharges the remaining ink through the recovery channel 500. The specific structure in terms of the circulation of ink will be described in detail later.
The ink reservoir 200 is a portion for storing ink to supply the ink to the inkjet head 100, and is connected to the other ends of the supply flow path 400 and the recovery flow path 500 for circulating the ink, and to one end of the pressure regulating tube 310 for maintaining a meniscus state.
The technology of the ink storage portion 200 used in the past can be applied to the storage portion 200 of the present invention in an unlimited manner within a range that does not affect the characteristics of the present invention. For example, by dividing the internal space of the ink storage unit 200 into two or more spaces and storing the ink supplied to the inkjet head 100 through the supply flow path 400 and the ink recovered through the recovery flow path 500 in the different spaces, it is possible to adopt a technique of flowing the ink between the spaces only under specific conditions without restriction.
On the other hand, although not shown, an agitation device for agitating the stored ink may be provided inside the ink storage portion 200 of the present invention. The stirring device may be a representative rotary stirring device, and in particular, a magnetic stirring device that rotates by magnetic force may be used. In order to maintain the dispersibility of ink only by such an agitation device, it is necessary to excessively rotate the fluid (ink), which becomes a factor of hindering the meniscus state of the ink, and thus cannot be used in a conventional inkjet printer. However, the ink circulation system of the present embodiment is configured to improve dispersibility by continuous circulation of ink to be described later, and the stirring device is configured to be added to such an ink circulation system, and therefore, sufficient effects can be obtained even if stirring is performed to a level that does not affect the meniscus state.
The pressure control device 300 is connected to the other end of the pressure adjustment tube 310 to adjust the pressure of the ink storage unit 200, and controls the ink in the inkjet head 100 to maintain a meniscus state.
In an ink circulation structure of an ink jet printer, a structure in which a regulator or a pressure regulator for maintaining a meniscus state is provided between an ink storage part and a circulation flow path of an ink jet head has been developed (korean patent laid-open publication No. 10-1356643, korean patent laid-open publication No. 10-1430934).
These form a circulation flow path between the ink storage portion and the ink jet head, and perform circulation by providing a pump, similarly to the present invention, but differ from the present invention in that the circulation flow path is connected to a regulator and a pressure regulator for maintaining a meniscus.
In korean patent laid-open No. 10-1356643 and korean patent laid-open No. 10-1430934, since the means for maintaining the meniscus is connected to the circulation path, there is a problem in that the structure of the means becomes relatively more complicated, and it is difficult to implement the action for maintaining the meniscus.
Further, these structures operate by dividing the movement of ink to the circulation flow path and the movement of ink not to the circulation flow path, and since the means for maintaining the meniscus is provided in the circulation flow path, the ink cannot be continuously circulated, and the effect of improving the dispersibility by the circulation of the ink cannot be obtained.
In contrast, the present invention can use the pressure control device for maintaining the meniscus in the existing inkjet printer as usual without change by employing the pressure control device 300 separately connected to the ink storage portion 200.
On the other hand, the reason why the ink dispersibility can be improved while the conventional pressure control device for maintaining the meniscus is used as usual in the present invention is that the circulating pump section 600 is particularly manufactured.
The circulation pump unit 600 is provided in the recovery channel 500 for returning the ink remaining in the inkjet head 100 to the ink storage unit 200, and circulates the ink. In the embodiment of fig. 1, the case where the circulation pump unit 600 is provided in the recovery channel 500 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be provided in the supply channel 400 as shown in fig. 2. The present invention is characterized in that the circulating pump section 600 connects a plurality of piezoelectric pumps in mixed series and parallel. That is, in the circulation pump unit of the present invention, one or more piezoelectric pumps are connected in series, and the remaining one or more piezoelectric pumps are connected in parallel.
The inventors of the present invention have obtained an ink circulation state in which the dispersibility of ink can be maintained without affecting the meniscus state by continuously circulating the ink between the ink storage portion 200 and the inkjet head 100 using a piezoelectric pump capable of causing a fluid to flow without generating excessive pulsation (impact).
However, since the pump capacity of the piezoelectric pump is too small, and it is not possible to obtain an ink flow capable of maintaining ink dispersibility by a single pump, in the present invention, a sufficient head and flow rate can be obtained by connecting a plurality of piezoelectric pumps in series and parallel in a mixed manner.
Hereinafter, a specific embodiment of the circulating pump section will be described.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged schematic view showing a configuration of a circulation pump section which is an example of the ink circulation supply system of the ink jet head according to the present invention.
In the present embodiment, 6 piezoelectric pumps having a capacity of 3cc/min were connected in series and parallel in a mixed manner to constitute the circulating pump section 600. The 6 piezoelectric pumps are connected to the tubes partitioned by the recovery flow path 500, respectively, and PP1, PP3, and PP5 are connected in parallel, and PP1 and PP2 are connected in series. Similarly, PP2, PP4 and PP6 are connected in parallel, PP3 and PP4 are connected in series, and PP5 and PP6 are connected in series. When pumps connected in series are operated simultaneously, the lift, which is the entire force of the circulating pump section, is increased, and when pumps connected in parallel are operated simultaneously, the entire flow rate of the circulating pump section is increased. In this case, in the case where the piezoelectric pump is not operated, the flow of ink will be blocked, and therefore the valve V is provided in a separate flow path to selectively perform the series operation and the parallel operation, and to flow ink without operating the pumps forming the series connection relationship. The embodiment in fig. 3 employs a configuration in which, of 6 piezoelectric pumps, 2 piezoelectric pumps are connected in series in three groups, respectively, and 3 piezoelectric pumps are connected in parallel in two groups, respectively, but the number of piezoelectric pumps and the connection configuration in series or parallel, etc., may be changed in accordance with the performance of the pumps and the specifications required in the inkjet printer.
Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a circulation pump section according to another example of the ink circulation supply system of the ink jet head according to the present invention.
In the embodiment shown in fig. 4, PP1 is connected in parallel with PP4, PP2 is connected in parallel with PP5, and PP3 is connected in series with PP6, PP1, PP2, and PP3 are connected in series, and PP4, PP5, and PP6 are also connected in series.
As described above, if the 3 piezoelectric pumps are connected in series in two groups and the 2 piezoelectric pumps are connected in parallel in three groups, the maximum flow rate of the entire circulating pump section is reduced and the maximum head is increased as compared with the previous embodiment shown in fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a circulation pump section as another example employed in an ink circulation supply system of an ink jet head according to the present invention.
Fig. 5 shows the minimum unit of the circulating pump section connected in a hybrid series and parallel connection, PP1 and PP2 forming a parallel connection relationship, and PP2 and PP3 forming a series connection relationship.
Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing a state in which a circulation pump section employed in an ink circulation supply system of an ink jet head according to the present invention is configured in a module assembly form.
In the embodiment shown in fig. 6, a pump module 610 in which 2 piezoelectric devices are connected in series is manufactured, and a circulating pump section 600 shown in fig. 3 is constructed by assembling a plurality of pump modules 610 in a housing 620. The method of forming the piezoelectric pump in a module form is not limited to the above-described form, and the circulating pump section of a desired form may be formed by manufacturing modules in which piezoelectric pumps are combined in various forms and numbers and forms, and then assembling the modules in a housing.
On the other hand, the number and the number (position) of the pumps operated among the plurality of piezoelectric pumps are adjusted by a circulation pump control unit (not shown), and the series operation or the parallel operation is selectively performed according to the numbers (PP1, PP2, PP3, PP4, PP5, PP6) of the pumps operated. As described above, the dispersibility of particles contained in ink can be improved while inducing ink circulation using a piezoelectric pump and circulating the ink at an appropriate head and flow rate that do not hinder the maintenance of a meniscus by adjusting the number and number of operations in the piezoelectric pump.
The reference for controlling the number and number of the operating piezoelectric pumps can be defined in various ways, but the flow rate for circulating the ink can be set as one reference, and in the present invention, the flow rate sensor 700 is provided in the flow path through which the ink passes.
The operation of the circulation pump control unit is exemplified by controlling the number of operation of the piezoelectric pump to be increased so that the head and flow rate for circulating the ink are preferably increased in order to prevent the ink from hardening and smoothly discharge the ink when the viscosity of the ink is high. In addition, in the ink in which particles such as metal particles or quantum dot substances are dispersed, it is preferable to increase the head and flow rate required for circulation in order to maintain the dispersibility, and therefore the circulation pump control unit controls the piezoelectric pump so as to operate more.
In this case, if the head needs to be raised, the control is performed such that the plurality of piezoelectric pumps connected in series are operated simultaneously, and if the flow rate needs to be increased, the control is performed such that the plurality of piezoelectric pumps connected in parallel are operated simultaneously.
Further, the circulation pump control unit may be provided with a pump controller for controlling the individual piezoelectric pumps, respectively, and the pump controller may control the operation of the individual pumps by transmitting a control signal in the form of a pulse wave to the piezoelectric pumps.
Fig. 7 is a graph for comparing control signals transmitted from the pump controller.
As shown in the upper part of fig. 7, when a signal of a low voltage and a low frequency is applied to the piezoelectric pump, the piezoelectric pump circulates the ink at a low flow rate, and as shown in the lower part of fig. 7, when a signal of a high voltage and a high frequency is applied to the piezoelectric pump, the piezoelectric pump circulates the ink at a high flow rate. The pump controller controls the single pump, thereby enabling operations of various strengths to be achieved using a piezoelectric pump having a capacity of 3cc/min, and by combining control of a circulation pump controller that selectively operates a plurality of piezoelectric pumps and control of the pump controller that controls the operation of the single piezoelectric pump, the head and flow rate of the circulation pump section for circulating ink can be adjusted more precisely.
As described above, the ink circulation supply system of the present embodiment circulates the ink in order to prevent the plurality of substances contained in the ink from being separated from each other or to uniformly disperse the particles dispersed in the ink. Therefore, in the ink circulation supply system of the present embodiment, the circulation pump unit is continuously operated to circulate the ink both when the printing operation is executed and when the printing operation is not executed and the standby state is maintained, and the specific operations can be divided as follows.
In the In-position-circulation (In-position-circulation) during the printing operation, the ink is automatically circulated by the ink discharged from the ink head during the printing operation, and the circulation pump unit 600 is gently operated to prevent the property separation and the dispersion of the ink from being degraded while maintaining the meniscus state.
The recirculation (Idle-circulation) during the standby for printing is to operate the circulation pump section 600 so as to circulate the ink in order to prevent properties from separating in the stagnant ink or dispersed particles from settling when printing is not performed. In this case, the ink can be circulated relatively more strongly than the ink is recirculated during the printing operation.
In addition, High-speed recirculation (or forced recirculation) for relatively intensively circulating the ink can be performed, and the High-speed recirculation can be applied to a case where the ink is initially filled, a case where bubbles are removed from the valves of the header and the piping, and a case where the inside of the ink circulation system such as the header and the reservoir is purged.
On the other hand, in order to replenish the ink consumed by the execution of the printing, a new ink should be additionally supplied to the ink storage portion, and in the case where the printing is interrupted for the addition of the ink, a loss occurs, and it is preferable to additionally supply the ink also during the execution of the printing. However, since the meniscus state may be affected by the ink supply to the ink reservoir, a buffer reservoir may be additionally provided.
Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an ink circulation supply system in which a buffer storage portion is additionally provided.
The ink replenished to the buffer storage portion 210 is to be injected into the ink storage portion without disturbing the meniscus state, and when the ink is added to the buffer storage portion, the ink can be easily added without considering the meniscus.
While the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, the above embodiments are merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the present invention without departing from the technical idea of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be construed according to the matters described in the claims of the invention, not the specific embodiments, but all technical ideas within the equivalent scope thereof should be construed as falling within the scope of the claims of the invention.
Description of reference numerals
100: ink jet head
200: ink storage part
210: buffer storage part
300: pressure control device
310: pressure regulating tube
400: supply flow path
500: recovery flow path
600: circulating pump part
610: pump module
620: outer cover
700: flow sensor
Claims (19)
1. An ink circulation supply system of an inkjet head, which is a circulation supply system for supplying and recovering an ink in which particles are dispersed in the inkjet head, wherein the inkjet head is provided with a plurality of nozzles for discharging the ink, the ink circulation supply system of the inkjet head comprising:
an ink storage unit for storing ink to be supplied to the inkjet head;
a pressure control device connected to the ink storage unit through a pressure adjustment tube for maintaining a meniscus state of the ink injected into the ink jet head;
a supply flow path connected to supply ink from the ink storage unit to the inkjet head;
a recovery flow path connected to the ink storage unit so as to return the ink remaining in the inkjet head to the ink storage unit; and
a circulating pump section provided in the supply channel or the recovery channel and configured to cause ink to flow,
the above-mentioned circulating pump section is constituted by a plurality of piezoelectric pumps, wherein one piezoelectric pump is connected in series with at least one piezoelectric pump, and the one piezoelectric pump is connected in parallel with at least one other piezoelectric pump.
2. An ink circulation supply system for an ink jet head according to claim 1, further comprising a circulation pump control unit for controlling an operation of a piezoelectric pump included in the circulation pump unit.
3. An ink circulation supply system for an ink jet head according to claim 2, wherein said circulation pump control section is capable of adjusting the number of piezoelectric pumps which operate among the plurality of piezoelectric pumps included in the circulation pump section.
4. An ink circulation supply system for an ink jet head according to claim 3, wherein said circulation pump control section is capable of adjusting a plurality of piezoelectric pumps to be operated so as to be connected in series or in parallel.
5. An ink circulation supply system for an ink jet head according to claim 3, further comprising a pump controller for individually controlling each of the plurality of piezoelectric pumps included in the circulation pump section.
6. An ink circulation supply system for an ink jet head according to claim 5, wherein said pump controller controls the voltage and frequency applied to the single piezoelectric pump.
7. An ink circulation supply system of an ink jet head according to claim 2,
further comprising a flow sensor for measuring a flow rate of the ink circulating between the ink jet head and the ink storage unit,
the circulation pump control unit operates in conjunction with the flow sensor.
8. An ink circulation supply system for an ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein an agitation device for agitating the ink is provided in the ink storage portion.
9. An ink circulation supply system for an ink jet head according to claim 8, wherein said stirring means is a magnetic rotation stirring means.
10. An ink circulation supply system for an ink jet head according to claim 1, further comprising a buffer storage unit connected to said ink storage unit for storing the ink to be first replenished without disturbing a meniscus state of said ink storage unit in the process of replenishing the ink.
11. An ink circulation supply method of an ink jet head for circulating and supplying an ink in which particles are dispersed by the ink circulation supply system according to claim 1,
circulating the ink between the ink jet head and the ink storage portion by maintaining a state of a meniscus of the ink jet head by a pressure control device connected to the ink storage portion,
the circulation of ink is performed by a circulation pump section composed of a plurality of piezoelectric pumps, in which one piezoelectric pump is connected in series to at least one piezoelectric pump, and the one piezoelectric pump is connected in parallel to at least one other piezoelectric pump to circulate ink while maintaining the state of the meniscus of the inkjet head.
12. An ink circulation supplying method of an ink jet head according to claim 11, wherein the circulation pump controlling section is capable of adjusting the number of operating piezoelectric pumps among the plurality of piezoelectric pumps included in the circulation pump section.
13. An ink circulation supplying method of an ink jet head according to claim 12, wherein the head and the flow rate of the circulation pump section are controlled by adjusting the plurality of piezoelectric pumps operated by the circulation pump control section so as to be in a series relationship or a parallel relationship.
14. An ink circulation supply method for an ink jet head according to claim 12, wherein the pump controller individually controls each of the plurality of piezoelectric pumps included in the circulation pump section.
15. An ink circulation supply method for an ink jet head according to claim 14, wherein the pump controller is capable of controlling the voltage and frequency applied to the single piezoelectric pump.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein the circulation pump unit circulates the ink between the inkjet head and the ink storage unit even when the inkjet head performs printing, and circulates the ink between the inkjet head and the ink storage unit even when the inkjet head is not performing printing and is in a standby state.
17. An ink circulation supplying method of an ink jet head according to claim 16, wherein the circulation pump control section controls the head or the flow rate of the circulation pump section in a case where the ink is circulated when the ink jet head is on standby without performing printing so as to be larger than the head or the flow rate of the circulation pump section in a case where the ink is circulated when the ink jet head performs printing.
18. An ink circulation supply method for an ink jet head according to claim 13, wherein the head and the flow rate are controlled by a circulation pump control section in conjunction with the flow rate of the ink measured by the flow rate sensor.
19. An ink circulation supply method for an ink jet head according to claim 11, wherein the ink stored in the ink storage unit while maintaining the meniscus state of the head is rotationally agitated while the ink is circulated by the circulation pump unit.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| KR1020180142050A KR101989375B1 (en) | 2018-11-16 | 2018-11-16 | Ink circulation supply system and method for ink-jet head |
| KR10-2018-0142050 | 2018-11-16 |
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| Publication Number | Publication Date |
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| CN111196091A CN111196091A (en) | 2020-05-26 |
| CN111196091B true CN111196091B (en) | 2021-09-17 |
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| CN201911121111.7A Active CN111196091B (en) | 2018-11-16 | 2019-11-15 | Ink circulation supply system and method for ink jet head |
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Families Citing this family (7)
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| KR102090552B1 (en) | 2019-12-26 | 2020-03-18 | 주식회사 고산테크 | Manifold and ink circulation supply pump system for ink-jet printer with the same |
| KR102339326B1 (en) | 2020-01-08 | 2021-12-15 | 주식회사 고산테크 | Ink circulation supply system for ink-jet printer |
| KR102194622B1 (en) | 2020-03-13 | 2020-12-24 | 주식회사 고산테크 | Ink circulation supply system and method for ink-jet head |
| KR102434777B1 (en) | 2020-09-21 | 2022-08-23 | 주식회사 고산테크 | Ink storage tank of inkjet printer including agitating device for improving dispersion stability |
| KR102473673B1 (en) | 2020-12-23 | 2022-12-02 | (주)에스티아이 | Nozzle pressure control apparatus and method |
| KR102301582B1 (en) | 2021-02-18 | 2021-09-16 | 주식회사 고산테크 | Ink storage unit capable of stirring ink by ink circulation |
| KR102646222B1 (en) | 2021-12-28 | 2024-03-11 | 주식회사 고산테크 | Mounting apparatus for head module |
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|---|---|
| KR101989375B1 (en) | 2019-06-14 |
| CN111196091A (en) | 2020-05-26 |
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