EP0638427A2 - Apparatus, kit and method for filling a printhead of an ink jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for filling a print head (100) of an inkjet printer consists of a holder (4) with a sealing member (7), into which holder the print head (100) can be inserted with little play. The sealing member (7) is directed towards a nozzle plate (103) arranged on the underside of the housing (101) and is brought into sealing contact by means of a retaining member (5) which acts on an edge of the housing of the print head (100). Furthermore, a needle carrier (18) with a needle (17) is present, which can be fitted onto the print head (100) or the holder (4). The needle (17) penetrates via a bore (106) in the print head (100) into an ink supply compartment located inside the print head (100). A refilling cartridge (200) can be fitted onto the needle (17). With the aid of this device, print heads can be filled in a particularly simple and reliable manner. The filling operation proceeds automatically as soon as a closure cap (210) located on the refilling cartridge (200) is removed. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a device for filling a printhead of an inkjet printer according to claim 1, a kit for filling a printhead of an inkjet printer according to claim 13 and two methods for filling a printhead of an inkjet printer according to claims 17 and 18.

So far, printheads for inkjet printers have generally been supplied as single-use products. After the ink supply was used up, the printheads were discarded and replaced with new ones. This is undesirable from an ecological point of view, since the used print heads are still fully functional and also contain a number of valuable components, such as the nozzle plate through which the ink is ejected, or the contact foil, which generates the electrical signals for controlling the ejection process. have a lifespan that extends significantly beyond the period of single use.

Proposals have already become known, such Refill printheads with suitable measures and thus extend their lifespan.

For example, a refill container is known from WO 92/20577, which is provided with a hollow needle. The hollow needle is inserted through an opening in the housing of the printhead and thereby penetrates into an ink supply space, which consists for example of a sponge-like material. By pressure on the elastically deformable refill container, the ink inside is fed to the ink reservoir via the hollow needle.

Although the refill container described there is fundamentally suitable for refilling a printhead, a number of problems arise in practical handling. For those printheads that only have an opening through which the ink supply space is accessible, it is generally not possible to prevent ink from escaping from the nozzle plate during the refilling process. This is the result of the temporary build-up of excess pressure due to the supply of ink. The pressure equalization with the environment can not be done quickly enough by the hollow needle inserted into the opening, so that ink is squeezed out through the nozzle plate. It is therefore necessary to place the printhead on an absorbent pad, such as a fleece, for the duration of the filling process, so that the emerging ink is caught. It is also expedient to carry out the filling process slowly and, if necessary, with shorter pauses at intervals, in order to enable adequate pressure compensation and to keep the inevitable ink leakage as low as possible.

The refilling process is therefore not unproblematic, since the emerging ink creates the risk of contamination brings with it. Care must be taken to ensure that the necessary pressure equalization can take place. Refilling therefore requires careful consideration of the marginal conditions mentioned, which are not always adhered to in the hectic pace of everyday office life that can sometimes be observed.

Operation is considerably complicated if printheads of a more recent design are to be refilled in this way with an elaborate ventilation system. This type of print head has flexible plastic sacks inside, which are pressurized with air during the printing process via a ventilation opening. A further ventilation opening is required for the printhead to function properly. Such print heads therefore have a first ventilation opening in the area of the cover and a second ventilation opening in the vicinity of the nozzle plate arranged opposite. There is also a filler opening in the housing cover, which enables access to the ink supply room. The filling opening is sealed with a ball at the factory.

Refilling such a printhead is much more complicated due to the sophisticated ventilation system and requires strict adherence to a specific sequence of work steps. The ventilation opening in the area of the nozzle plate must first be sealed. This is done, for example, by masking the opening with a sealing film. Then the ventilation opening on the opposite side of the housing cover must be sealed, for example with a sealing plug. The nozzles must also be closed so that no ink can escape during the filling process. The ball is then out of the filler opening Remove indentation. Now z. B. with the refill container described above, the ink supply. It is also important to ensure that the refilling process is slow enough to allow pressure equalization.

After the filling process has been completed, the filling opening must first be sealed with a sealing plug. Thereafter, the ventilation opening on the housing cover is first released and finally the sealing film is pulled off from the opposite ventilation opening located near the nozzle plate.

With such printheads, the sealing of the two ventilation openings is of immense importance. If this is neglected and the filler opening is only opened for filling, the ink will flow out of the nozzles and the adjacent ventilation opening within a short time.

The present invention was therefore based on the problem of improving the filling, in particular the refilling, of a printhead of an inkjet printer and making it safer, so that incorrect operation is largely excluded and contamination is reliably avoided.

This problem is solved by a device as described by the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the device are given by the subclaims that follow.

The problem is further solved by a kit, which is defined by the features of claim 13. Advantageous further developments of the kit are specified by the subsequent subclaims.

The problem is finally solved by the method set out in claims 17 and 18.

The invention is based on the idea of providing a device in which the printhead to be filled can be inserted. The ventilation openings and the nozzle plate are sealed and special access to the ink supply space is established by means of special additional elements that are matched to the respective print head and which are placed on the print head or on the holder. For this purpose, a holder with sealing elements is provided, in which the print head can be inserted with little lateral play and with the nozzle plate pointing downwards. The nozzle plate is directed against the sealing member and is brought to the sealing system by means of a locking member. A cannula holder can be placed on the printhead used in this way. The cannula holder has a cannula which penetrates into the bore in the lid area of the printhead into the interior of the printhead and thus into the ink supply space. It establishes the communicating connection to a refill cartridge that can be attached to the cannula from above.

This basic version of a device is designed for print heads that only have a single ventilation opening, for example in the lid area. Due to the sealing of the nozzle plate, ink can no longer escape there, soiling of the surface no longer occurs. The supply of ink is also particularly simple since, after the needle has been inserted into the refill cartridge, the ink supply flows automatically into the ink supply space due to atmospheric pressure and capillary action. Additional actuation is not necessary.

After the refill cartridge has run dry, it only needs to be removed from the cannula and the cannula holder removed from the print head. The printhead is thus immediately ready for use.

For printheads that have further ventilation openings, for example in the vicinity of the nozzle plate, according to. In one embodiment, additional sealing elements are provided. Since these printheads also often have a different geometry, an adapter can advantageously be inserted into the holder, so that the device can be used for a large number of different printheads. In this case, the additional sealing members can be attached to the adapter, so that the correct assignment of sealing element and ventilation opening is necessarily achieved.

The required contact pressure between the sealing element and the printhead can be achieved in a simple manner by means of a latch which engages one of the housing edges of the printhead.

For those printheads that have a ventilation opening in the area of the housing cover, a seal carrier is provided, which has a sealing member and can be placed on the printhead. To achieve the required contact pressure, the seal carrier can have latching hooks, which preferably snap into the holder. The seal carrier and the cannula carrier are gem. a preferred embodiment in terms of their geometric design so coordinated that they can only be placed on each other in the intended order and detached from each other after filling. That's the way it is, As described in detail at the beginning, it is necessary to first close all ventilation openings before the cannula can be introduced into the ink supply space. Likewise, after completing the filling, a certain sequence of steps must be observed. For this reason, the cannula carrier is designed so that it can only be placed on the print head when the seal carrier has been attached beforehand. Conversely, the seal carrier can only be removed if the cannula carrier has been lifted off beforehand.

In the specific case, this is simply achieved in that both the seal carrier and the holder are provided with a special circumferential edge profile, which serve as mutual contact surfaces or as a contact surface for the cannula carrier. Graded paragraphs only allow the arrangement in the specified order.

The cannula holder preferably has a recess in the area of the cannula, which is matched to the refill cartridge to be fitted and which has a leading area in its lower area. This allows the refill cartridge to be placed securely on the cannula holder.

Further advantages can be achieved if the cannula carrier and the seal carrier, if any, are made of transparent material. The filling process can thus be monitored to determine whether ink is escaping from the filling opening and therefore the filling process must be ended by pulling off the refill cartridge. Although the volume of the refill cartridge is matched to the capacity of the ink reservoir and therefore overfilling is hardly possible, there can still be an unintentional leakage of ink when the printhead is refilled. before the original ink supply runs out.

The filling of a printhead can be further optimized if the device and the refill cartridges are matched to one another, i. H. are prepared in the manner of a kit. The refill cartridge preferably consists of a cylindrical housing which is closed at one end with a stopper which can be easily pierced by the cannula in order to establish the fluid connection between the cartridge and the ink reservoir of the printhead. To automatically empty the cartridge, it is necessary to provide ventilation. This can be achieved by a detachable closure member attached at the other end, for example in the form of a cork, a stopper, a cap, a screw cap, a glued-on film or a welded-on film.

It is particularly advantageous to manufacture the plug that can be penetrated by the cannula from self-closing material. As a result, the filling process can be interrupted at any time by pulling the refill cartridge off the cannula and continued at a later point in time or with another print head. When the refill cartridge is removed, the stopper closes automatically and prevents ink from escaping unintentionally.

With the help of the devices according to the invention, including the associated refill cartridges, most of the commercially available print heads can be refilled in a simple manner.

With the aid of a first method, it is possible to fill printheads whose ink supply space is accessible from above through a ventilation hole in the lid. For this, a Device used, which consists essentially of the main assemblies bracket and cannula holder. First, the print head is inserted into the holder and the nozzle plate is sealed by locking the housing with the locking element. The cannula is then introduced into the ink supply space by placing the cannula holder on the printhead. The print head is now ready for the actual filling process. The refill cartridge is placed on the cannula holder, the cannula piercing the stopper of the refill cartridge during the fitting process. By loosening or removing the closure member, the refill cartridge is ventilated and the ink automatically flows into the ink reservoir. After the refill cartridge has run dry or when the desired filling state has been reached, the refill cartridge is withdrawn from the cannula so that the filled print head can be removed immediately after the cannula holder has been removed.

A second method can be used to fill those printheads which have the complex ventilation system described above. For this purpose, a device is used which, in addition to the main assemblies of holder and cannula holder, also includes the seal holder.

First the print head is inserted into the holder and the locking element is locked. This seals not only the nozzle plate, but also the ventilation opening arranged adjacent to the nozzle plate. Then the ventilation opening at the top of the housing cover is closed by placing the seal carrier on the print head. In addition, by engaging the latches, the print head is pressed with increased contact pressure onto the sealing elements assigned to the nozzle plate and the adjacent ventilation opening. Eventually the cannula carrier is placed on the seal carrier, whereby the cannula penetrates into the ink reservoir. The print head is now ready for the filling process.

The refill cartridge is placed on the cannula holder, the cannula piercing the stopper. The closure member is then loosened or removed so that the ink can flow off into the ink supply space automatically. After the filling process has been completed, the refill cartridge is removed from the cannula and the cannula holder is lifted off. Now the filler hole must be sealed with a sealing plug. Only then can the seal carrier be lifted off and the filled printhead removed.

Figur 1

Explosionszeichnung der Vorrichtung in einer ersten Ausführungsform einschließlich Nachfüllpatrone,

Figur 2 - 6

verschiedene Verfahrensstadien zur Vorbereitung des Befüllvorgangs unter Verwendung einer Vorrichtung gem. Figur 1,

Figur 7

Explosionszeichnung der Vorrichtung in einer zweiten Ausführungsform einschließlich Nachfüllpatrone,

Figur 8 - 13

verschiedene Verfahrensschritte zur Vorbereitung des Befüllvorgangs unter Verwendung einer Vorrichtung gem. Figur 7.

The invention is explained in more detail below using two exemplary embodiments. In a schematic representation:

Figure 1

Exploded view of the device in a first embodiment including refill cartridge,

Figure 2-6

Different stages of the process for preparing the filling process using a device acc. Figure 1,

Figure 7

Exploded view of the device in a second embodiment including refill cartridge,

Figure 8-13

different process steps for preparing the filling process using a device acc. Figure 7.

The first embodiment of the device which serves to fill a printhead 100 is first explained below.

Gladly. 1, the print head 100 has a housing 101, on the lower end face of which a nozzle plate 103 is attached. Opposite the housing 101 carries a cover 102 which has a bore 106. The bore 106 serves on the one hand as a ventilation bore, on the other hand as a filler bore for the ink supply space located within the housing 101 and not shown here. The ink supply space is largely filled with a very strongly liquid-absorbing material. This can be a sponge-like material or a highly absorbent fleece.

The device has two main assemblies, namely a holder 4 and a cannula holder 18. The holder 4 is constructed from a holder insert 3, a housing 2 and a latch 5. The holder insert 3 carries a sealing member 7, which is intended to seal the nozzle plate 103.

Furthermore, an adapter 6 is provided in the present case to adapt to the geometry of the print head 100, which additionally carries a sealing element 8. In the present case, the sealing member 8 has no sealing function because the print head 100 has no ventilation opening on its underside. However, the sealing element 8 follows the contour of the underside of the housing of the printhead 100 and can serve as additional support.

The cannula holder 18 has latching hooks 14 which are intended to engage on the holder insert 3.

The ink supply is supplemented by a refill cartridge 200, which is closed by a releasable closure cap 210 at its upper end.

The initial state is shown schematically in FIG. The bracket insert 3 is inserted into the housing 2. For this purpose, the holder insert 3 has a cuff-shaped edge profile 50 at the upper end, with an outwardly pointing profile section 51 encompassing the housing 2 in the upper region overlapping and encircling. The profile section 51 merges into an edge web 53 in the form of a shoulder. The heel 52 formed in this way serves as a support surface for the cannula carrier 18, which has an overlap with the edge web 53.

In the holder insert 3, the sealing member 7 is attached.

The adapter 6 is loosely inserted into the holder insert 3. It has an essentially L-shaped cross section. In the upper area of the adapter 6, a stop edge 65 is formed, which comes into contact with the mounting insert 3. Furthermore, a vertically standing rib 64 is present in this area, which serves as a gripping surface for handling the adapter 6.

Gladly in the representation. FIG. 3, the print head 100 is inserted into the holder 4. The housing 101 is completely accommodated by the holder 4, the adapter 6 being held inside by the printhead 100 used. The cover 102 of the print head 100 protrudes from the holder 4.

Not shown here is the latch 5, which on the edge of Housing 101 is brought to bear under pretension and thereby ensures that the nozzle plate 103 is held pressed against the sealing member 7.

In Figure 4, the cannula holder 18 is placed. At its lower end it rests on the shoulder 52 of the edge profile 50 on the mounting insert 3. It also has overlapping contact with the edge web 53 of the edge profile 50. As a result, the cannula carrier 18 is held in place as a result of the friction effect. In addition, locking hooks can be locked on the holder 4, for example in the region of the edge profile 50, in a manner not shown here.

A cannula 17 is attached to the cannula carrier 18. The position of the cannula 17 is selected such that it corresponds to the bore 106 in the lid 102 and penetrates it in the state shown. The length of the cannula 17 is dimensioned downwards so that it protrudes at least halfway into the ink supply space. This ensures that even deeper layers of the ink collecting space can be filled with ink sufficiently quickly.

At the top, the cannula 17 penetrates the cannula carrier 18 in the region of a depression 16. However, the tip of the cannula 17 still ends within the depression 16, so that there is no acute risk of injury from the tip of the cannula 17. In addition, the recess 16 is designed in the shape of a circular cylinder in order to enclose the cylindrical housing 201 of the refill cartridge 200 in the lower region.

In Figure 5, the refill cartridge 200 is placed on the cannula holder 18. The cannula 17 has pierced the plug 205 and there is a connection between the ink reservoir and the inside of the refill cartridge 200. The refill cartridge 200 is still closed with the cap 210 in the situation shown.

In the representation acc. 6, the cap 210 is removed, the interior of the refill cartridge 200 is thus ventilated and the filling process can take place automatically.

FIG. 7 shows a device which is used to fill a printhead 100 '. This has a housing 101 ', on the underside of which a nozzle plate 103' and a ventilation opening 104 'are attached. The housing 101 'is closed at the top by a cover 102' which has a bore 106 'in addition to a further ventilation opening 105'. The bore 106 'is sealed in the factory with a ball, not shown here.

The structure of the holder 4 is in accordance with the design of the device of the first embodiment. In contrast to this, however, the sealing element 8, which is attached to the adapter 6, has the task of sealingly closing the ventilation opening 104 'on the underside of the housing 101' of the printhead 100 '.

The essential difference to the device of the first embodiment, however, is that there is an additional main component, namely a seal carrier 12 '. This has the function described in more detail below to seal the ventilation opening 105 'located on the cover 102'. The seal carrier 12 'can be placed on the mounting insert 3 and fixed by means of locking hooks 14'. A cannula carrier 18 'can be placed on the seal carrier 12'.

The initial situation shown in FIG. 8 is in agreement with that from FIG. 2.

This also applies to the position according to Figure 9, which in accordance with the position acc. Figure 3 is. Functionally, however, the difference is that the sealing member 8 is kept pressed against the underside of the housing 101 'in order to seal the ventilation opening 104' located there.

Figure 10 shows the configuration with the seal carrier 12 'attached. The seal carrier 12 'has the task of holding a sealing member 13' pressed against the ventilation opening 105 'located in the cover 102' and sealing it.

The seal carrier 12 'has at its our end an edge profile 55' with a lower profile section 56 '. The profile section 56 'rests on the edge web 52 of the mounting insert 3. On its inside, the edge profile 56' is in contact with the edge web 53 of the mounting insert 3. The profile section 56 'merges into a further profile section 58' in the form of a shoulder 57 '.

Figure 11 shows the device with attached cannula carrier 18 ', which rests on the shoulder 57 of the seal carrier 12'. The cannula carrier 18 'is also in contact with the profile section 58' and is held in place due to the friction effect. Further fixing members, not shown here, can additionally secure the cannula carrier 18 '.

The cannula holder 18 'has a recess 16' which is matched to the shape of the refill cartridge 200. In the area of the recess 16 'there is the cannula 17' Position is matched to the bore 106 'of the printhead 100. The cannula 17 'only penetrates a short distance into the ink supply space, since it is not, as in the case of the print head 100, filled with a liquid-absorbing material, but is designed as a cavity and is penetrated by the plastic bags described at the beginning.

FIG. 12 finally shows the refill cartridge 200 which is placed on the cannula carrier 18 'and which is still closed with the cap 210.

In Figure 13, the cap 210 is removed, the filling process can now run automatically.

According to the principle described, a large number of printheads on the market can be filled easily and safely. The modular structure of the devices provides the greatest possible flexibility. Depending on the composition of the main assemblies, devices or kits can be put together, which are either adapted to a certain type of print heads, or which are universally suitable for the different types of print heads. In the latter case, it is only necessary to provide, for example in addition to the device with the cannula carrier 18, a further cannula carrier 18 'and a seal carrier 12'.

FIGURE LEGEND

2nd

casing

3rd

Bracket insert

4th

bracket

5

Locking device, latch

6

adapter

7

Sealing member

8th

Sealing member

12 '

Seal carrier

13 '

Sealing member

14, 14 '

Fixing elements, locking hooks

16, 16 '

deepening

17, 17 '

Cannula

18, 18 '

Cannula holder

19th

Grip area

29, 29 '

Grip area

50

Edge profile

51

Profile section

52

paragraph

53

Edge bridge

55 '

Edge profile

56 '

Profile section

57 '

paragraph

58 '

Profile section

64

rib

65

Stop edge

100.100 '

Printhead

101.101 '

casing

102.102 '

cover

103.103 '

Nozzle plate

104.104 '

Ventilation opening

105 '

Ventilation opening

106.106 '

drilling

200

Refill cartridge

201

casing

202

Outlet opening

205

Plug

210

Closing device, cap

Claims (18)

Device for filling a printhead (100, 100 ') having an ink supply space of an inkjet printer outside the inkjet printer, consisting at least of - A holder (4) with a sealing member (7), in which the one nozzle plate (103, 103 ') having print head (100, 100') can be used with little play so that the nozzle plate (103, 103 ') against the Sealing member (7) directed and brought to the sealing system by means of a locking member (5), and - A cannula holder (18, 18 ') which can be placed on the print head (100, 100') and / or on the holder (4) inserted into the holder (4), with a cannula (17, 17 '), which is intended to be inserted at one end via a bore (106, 106 ') into an ink supply space located inside the print head (100, 100') and at the other end to be inserted into the interior of a plug-in refill cartridge (200). Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the holder (4) has a further sealing member (8) which is intended for sealing contact with a ventilation opening (104, 104 ') which is arranged adjacent to the nozzle plate (103, 103'). Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an adapter (6) can be inserted into the holder (4), so that the holder (4) can be adapted to printheads (100, 100 ') of different dimensions. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the sealing member (7) and / or the sealing member (8) is / are attached to the adapter (6). Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking member (5) has the shape of a latch which is intended to snap onto a housing edge of the printhead (100, 100 ') to be inserted and thereby the printhead (100, 100'). under pressure against the sealing element (7) and the sealing element (8) which may be present. Device according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a seal carrier (12 ') which can be placed on the print head (100') inserted in the holder (4) and has a sealing member (13 ') which is intended to have a ventilation opening (105') to close. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the seal carrier (12 ') has fixing elements (14') in the form of latching hooks which are intended to snap into the holder (4) and thereby the sealing member (13 ') is pretensioned against the To keep the ventilation opening (104 ') and the print head (100') pressed against the sealing members (7, 8) with increased pretension. Apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the holder (4), the seal carrier (12 ') and the cannula carrier (18') are matched to one another with regard to their geometric design such that they can only be connected to one another in a predetermined arrangement. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the holder (4) is at least divided into two and consists of a housing (2) and a holder insert (3), the holder insert (3) having a cuff-shaped edge profile (50) at its upper end has outward-pointing profile section (51) which overlaps the housing (2) in the upper region and furthermore the profile section (51) has a circumferential shoulder (52), the inner surface of which rests against the upper edge of the housing (2) and the outer surface serves as a system for the seal carrier (12 '). Apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the seal carrier (12 ') has at its lower end a step-shaped edge profile (55') with a profile section (56 ') which the holder insert (3) in the upper area overlapping and furthermore the edge profile (55 ') has a circumferential shoulder (57'), the outer surface of which serves as an abutment for the cannula holder (18 '). Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cannula carrier (18, 18 ') in the region of the cannula (17, 17') has a recess (16, 16 ') which is intended to guide the refill cartridge (200) to record. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cannula carrier (18, 18 ') and the seal carrier (12') which may be present are made of transparent material. Kit for filling a printhead (100, 100 ') having an ink supply space of an inkjet printer outside the inkjet printer, comprising at least one device according to one of the preceding claims and a refill cartridge (200). Kit according to claim 13, characterized in that the refill cartridge (200) consists of a cylindrical housing (201) which at one end has a plug (205) which can be penetrated by the cannula (17, 17 ') and at the other end with a releasable closure member (210) is tightly closed. Kit according to claim 14, characterized in that the plug (205) consists of a self-sealing material. Kit according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that the closure member (210) is a cork, a stopper, a cap, a screw cap, a glued-on film or a welded-on film. Method for filling a printhead (100) having an ink supply space using a kit according to one of Claims 13 to 16, characterized by the following method steps: a) inserting the printhead (100) into the holder (4), b) sealing the nozzle plate (103) by locking the locking member (5), c) introducing the cannula (17) into the ink supply space located inside the print head (100) by placing the cannula carrier (18) on the print head (100), d) placing the refill cartridge (200) on the cannula holder (18), e) loosening or removing the closure member (210), f) withdrawing the refill cartridge (200) from the cannula (17) after the desired filling state has been reached or after the refill cartridge (200) has run dry, g) lifting the cannula holder (18), h) removing the filled printhead (100). Method for filling a printhead (100 ') having an ink supply space using a kit according to one of Claims 13 to 16, characterized by the following method steps: a) inserting the printhead (100 ') into the holder (4), b) sealing the nozzle plate (103 ') and the ventilation opening (104') by locking the locking member (5), c) closing the ventilation opening (105 ') by placing the seal carrier (12') on the printhead (100 ') and increasing the contact pressure of the printhead (100') on the sealing elements (7, 8) by latching the latching hooks (14), d) introducing the cannula (17 ') into the ink reservoir located inside the print head (100') by placing the cannula carrier (18 ') on the seal carrier (12'), e) placing the refill cartridge (200) on the cannula holder (18 '), f) loosening or removing the closure member (210), g) withdrawing the refill cartridge (200) from the cannula (17 ') after the desired filling state has been reached or after the refill cartridge (200) has run dry, h) lifting the cannula holder (18 '), i) sealing the bore (106 ') with a sealing plug, j) lifting the seal carrier (12 '), k) removing the filled printhead (100 ').

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