EP1310367A1 - Service station for inkjet printing system - Google Patents
Service station for inkjet printing system Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1310367A1 EP1310367A1 EP01000604A EP01000604A EP1310367A1 EP 1310367 A1 EP1310367 A1 EP 1310367A1 EP 01000604 A EP01000604 A EP 01000604A EP 01000604 A EP01000604 A EP 01000604A EP 1310367 A1 EP1310367 A1 EP 1310367A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- service station
- cleaning
- wiper
- enclosure
- scraper
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 238000007641 inkjet printing Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 8
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 55
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 8
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000012535 impurity Substances 0.000 abstract description 18
- 238000007639 printing Methods 0.000 abstract description 14
- 238000011109 contamination Methods 0.000 abstract description 6
- 239000000976 ink Substances 0.000 description 32
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 9
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 6
- 239000000428 dust Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000013519 translation Methods 0.000 description 4
- 239000000356 contaminant Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000012423 maintenance Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000009471 action Effects 0.000 description 2
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- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000007423 decrease Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000001035 drying Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000009977 dual effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000001042 pigment based ink Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000037452 priming Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000007790 scraping Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000002950 deficient Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000013461 design Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000001041 dye based ink Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000013536 elastomeric material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010304 firing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000006872 improvement Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001746 injection moulding Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000009191 jumping Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000123 paper Substances 0.000 description 1
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- 230000001902 propagating effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000011160 research Methods 0.000 description 1
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- 238000004544 sputter deposition Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002699 waste material Substances 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- 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
- B41J2/135—Nozzles
- B41J2/165—Prevention or detection of nozzle clogging, e.g. cleaning, capping or moistening for nozzles
- B41J2/16517—Cleaning of print head nozzles
- B41J2/16535—Cleaning of print head nozzles using wiping constructions
- B41J2/16544—Constructions for the positioning of wipers
- B41J2/16547—Constructions for the positioning of wipers the wipers and caps or spittoons being on the same movable support
-
- 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
- B41J2/135—Nozzles
- B41J2/165—Prevention or detection of nozzle clogging, e.g. cleaning, capping or moistening for nozzles
- B41J2/16517—Cleaning of print head nozzles
- B41J2/16535—Cleaning of print head nozzles using wiping constructions
- B41J2/16541—Means to remove deposits from wipers or scrapers
Definitions
- the present invention relates to inkjet printing mechanisms, such as printers or plotters.
- the present invention relates to a replaceable service station for cleaning an inkjet print head.
- inkjet printing systems are used in a wide array of apparatuses in a wide array of applications such as fax, colour photo printing, industrial applications etc.
- inks possibly of various colours, is ejected out of an array of nozzles located in a print head to the receiving material.
- a long known problem in inkjet printers is that the nozzles through which the ink is projected to the receiving material are blocked by clogging of ink inside the nozzles and on the print head. This renders certain nozzles inoperable and results in a defective print of deteriorated print quality.
- recent research has been focused to improvement of the used inks.
- pigment based inks have been developed. These pigment-based inks have a higher solid content than the earlier dye-based inks. Both types of ink dry quickly, which allows inkjet printing mechanisms to forms high quality images. In some industrial applications, such as making of printing plates using ink-jet processes, inks having special characteristics causing specific problems. E.g. UV curable inks exist to allow rapid hardening of inks after printing. The combination of small nozzles and quick drying ink leaves the print heads susceptible to clogging, not only from dried ink and minute dust particles or paper fibres, but also from the solids within the new ink themselves.
- a known problem using wiping systems is that the wiper itself becomes contaminated with ink residue and dust. This decreases the wiping efficiency and may even cause damage to the print head. For removal of contaminants from the wiper, the wiper blade is dragged into contact with a scraper. Also other methods for cleaning the wiper can be used.
- the scraper is mounted on the plotter chassis, while the service station is located on a movable sled.
- a similar embodiment can be found in US-A-6 155 667.
- ink sputtering will happen when the wiper blade touches the scraper and even so when the wiper blade is jumping back to its vertical position after release.
- Another non-addressed problem is that the impurities which build up on the wiper/scraper system can contaminate the print head, especially when changing to another colour or to another type or ink.
- a residue of the old ink collected on the wiper and scraper from previous printing and cleaning actions can be deposited on the print head causing contamination of the new ink by old residue causing colour deviations of the newly printed image or leading to problems caused by e.g. chemical incompatibility of the old and new inks.
- the internal contamination can result in deteriorated printing quality and extra need for maintenance for cleaning the inside of the inkjet printing mechanism.
- Another problem is that the efficiency of the scraper will decrease in time due to dried ink deposals on the scraper tip. Periodically the scraper has to be cleaned or replaced.
- a method for cleaning a wiper of a service station is set out in claim 12.
- Fig 1 depicts dual service stations 1 according to the present invention. When using a single print head only one station is needed. In a printer using several print heads plural cleaning stations can be provided.
- Each service station 1 comprises an enclosure 2, a capping system 3 for covering the ink jet print head (not shown) during non printing periods.
- On the upper side of the enclosure 2 is provided an aperture 4 shown with a protruding wiper system 5 in the operable position, consisting of two wiper blades 6.
- the wiper system 5 is dragged in contact along the print head whereby ink residue and other impurities are collected by the wiper blades 6.
- the enclosure 2 can be executed in all sorts of material. Preferably use is made of a plastic material so that the enclosure 2 or its parts may be cheaply made by e.g. an injection-moulding technique.
- the enclosure 2 can be completely closed but can also be partially open.
- the enclosure 2 is provided with a system enabling easy mounting and removal of the service station 1 in the printer.
- the service station 1 is provided with a mounting plate 7 with mounting holes 8 enabling easy mounting of the service station 1 using e.g. screws or other means for fastening. Other systems such as clip-on systems, clamps etc. can also be used.
- the wiper blades 6 are preferably made from an elastomeric material in order to ensure good contact with the print head during wiping.
- the hardness of the wiper blades 6 is preferably within the range of 60-80 Shore A.
- the tip op the wiper blades 6 may be asymmetrical or grooved in order to provide good wiping of the print head and efficient collection of the ink residue and impurities.
- the orientation of the wiper blades 6 may be perpendicular to the wiping direction of the wiper system 5. In an alternative configuration at least one of the wiper blades 6 is mounted at an oblique angle to the wiping direction propagating the collection of impurities at the trailing edge of the wiper blade 6.
- Fig. 2A en 2B depicting a section of the servicing station 1.
- the scraper 9 can be integrated at the inside of enclosure 2.
- the scraper 9 is positioned at a lower level inside the service station 1, so that the cleaning operation is completely realised internally in the service station 1.
- the scraper 9 can be constituted in the same material as the enclosure 2 itself and can even be manufactured during the same production process. Other materials can be used, while also various methods for mounting the scraper 9 inside the enclosure 2 are possible.
- the part of the scraper 9 contacting the wiper blades 6 has the shape of a wedge so that impurities are removed from the wiper blades 6 by a sharp edge of the wedge.
- Fig 1 to 3 show a system wherein the cleaning of the wiper blades 6 is done by a retraction movement of the wiper system 5 into the enclosure 2 followed by a translation movement past the scraper 9 for removing an excess of impurities from the wiper blades 6.
- a possible mechanism comprises a slit 10 provided in at least one side of the enclosure 2 and a wiper system 5 coupled to a slider 11 for sliding in the slit 10 of the enclosure Preferably two slits 10 are provided in opposite walls of the enclosure 2 to ensure.
- the slider 11 is also provided for sliding into a second slit 12 which is provided into a lever 13 for actuating the cleaning mechanism and is coupled to a driving force 14, e.g. an electrical motor 14 which is preferably provided externally of the service station 1.
- the coupling of the lever 13 with the driving force 14 can be done by an axis 15.
- a single motor 14 and axis can be provided for all service stations.
- the wiper system 5 can be moved backwards along the scraper 9 cleaning the other side of the wiper blades 6 and moving the wiper system 5 back to the aperture 4 ready to be used again for a next wiping action of the print head
- the movement of the wiper system 5 relative to the scraper 9 is a translation.
- the cleaning of the wiper blades 6 is conducted in another way.
- the wiper system 5 is coupled to a rotation axis 16 provided with a gear 17 which is coupled to a second gear 18, which may be only a segment of a complete gear, coupled to a rotation axis 15 which is coupled to a driving force 14.
- a rotation movement of the gear segments 18 cause rotation of the wiper system 5 to the inside of the service station 1 and at the same time bringing the wiper blades 6 into contact with the scraper 9 mounted inside the enclosure 2 at the opposite side of the wiper system 5.
- the transporting of the wiper system 5 into the enclosure 2 of the service station 1 at the same time also provides the rotational movement for cleaning the wiper blades 6 as can be seen in Fig. 5B.
- Ink residue and other impurities are scraped off by the scraper 9 and are collected in the enclosure 2.
- This cleaning can also be done in two directions, effectively cleaning both sides of the wiper blades 6.
- the service station 1 is provided with means for collecting and removing residue from the service station 1. This enables the removal of impurities during the lifetime of the service station 1.
- a possible embodiment is shown in Fig. 7 wherein at the underside of the enclosure 2 a drawer 19 is provided for regularly removing the collected residue. If possible the scraper 9 or alternative cleaning systems for the wiper blades 6 is mounted on the drawer which enables easy maintenance of the cleaning system.
- the embodiment comprising a drawer 19 is preferable because it is a relative cheap and simple system. Other system for collecting residue can be used, even comprising moving parts such as moving belts, etc...
- a driving source 14 is necessary. This can be provided with e.g. an internal motor inside the service station 1. Also other driving means can be used. E.g. solenoid actuators etc...
- the driving force 14 is preferably located outside the service station 1 as shown in Fig. 1,3,4 and 6 and the a coupling of the external driving force 14 with the internal mechanisms is provided using gears, levers, clutch system, etc... It can be seen that when exchanging a service station 1 in the inkjet printer, the relative expensive external motor need not to be exchanged thus making the exchangeable unit cheaper. As can be seen in Fig. 1,3,4 and 6, it is also relatively simple to provide a single driving force 14 or motor for several cleaning stations serving different print heads. This is considerately cheaper than providing separate motors.
Landscapes
- Ink Jet (AREA)
Abstract
A service station (1) is provided for an inkjet printing system.
The service station (1) comprises an enclosure (2), a wiper
system (5) for wiping the print head and a scraper (9) for cleaning
the wiper blades (6) of the wiper system (5). Cleaning of the wiper
system (5) by passing the scraper (9) is done inside the
enclosure (2).
The service station (1) is easily replaceable allowing easy and total
replacement of all the cleaning elements and removal of ink residue
and other impurities upon replacing the print head or changing the
colour or type of ink.
Contamination of the printing system by ink residue is avoided.
Also an external driving source (14) is provided for actuating the
cleaning system inside the service station (1).
Description
- The present invention relates to inkjet printing mechanisms, such as printers or plotters.
- More particularly the present invention relates to a replaceable service station for cleaning an inkjet print head.
- Nowadays inkjet printing systems are used in a wide array of apparatuses in a wide array of applications such as fax, colour photo printing, industrial applications etc. In these printing systems inks, possibly of various colours, is ejected out of an array of nozzles located in a print head to the receiving material. A long known problem in inkjet printers is that the nozzles through which the ink is projected to the receiving material are blocked by clogging of ink inside the nozzles and on the print head. This renders certain nozzles inoperable and results in a defective print of deteriorated print quality.
To improve the clarity and contrast of the printed image, recent research has been focused to improvement of the used inks. To provide quicker, more waterfast printing with darker blacks and more vivid colours, pigment based inks have been developed. These pigment-based inks have a higher solid content than the earlier dye-based inks. Both types of ink dry quickly, which allows inkjet printing mechanisms to forms high quality images.
In some industrial applications, such as making of printing plates using ink-jet processes, inks having special characteristics causing specific problems. E.g. UV curable inks exist to allow rapid hardening of inks after printing.
The combination of small nozzles and quick drying ink leaves the print heads susceptible to clogging, not only from dried ink and minute dust particles or paper fibres, but also from the solids within the new ink themselves. - It is known to counteract or correct the problem of clogging by protecting and cleaning the print head by various methods.
- Capping : during non-operational periods the print head can sealed off from contaminants and prevents drying of the ink. To enhance priming when printing starts, it is possible to apply a vacuum to the print head through the capping unit for clearing the nozzles.
- Spitting or Priming: by periodically firing a number of drops of ink through each nozzle into a waste ink receiver, commonly called a spittoon, clogs are cleared from the nozzles.
- Wiping : Before an during printing the inkjet print head is wiped clean by using an elastomeric wiper, removing ink residue, paper dust and other impurities.
- These features designed to clean and to protect a print head , are commonly concentrated in a service station which is mounted within the plotter chassis, whereby the print head can be moved over the station for maintenance. An example of such a service station can be found in US-A-6 193 353 combining wiping, capping and spitting functions.
- A known problem using wiping systems is that the wiper itself becomes contaminated with ink residue and dust. This decreases the wiping efficiency and may even cause damage to the print head.
For removal of contaminants from the wiper, the wiper blade is dragged into contact with a scraper.
Also other methods for cleaning the wiper can be used. - Use can be made of a sponge-like member for cleaning the wiper
- To facilitate removal of contaminants of the wiper, e.g. ultrasonic waves can be used.
- In some prior art embodiments the scraper is mounted on the plotter chassis, while the service station is located on a movable sled. A similar embodiment can be found in US-A-6 155 667.
- A problem which is not addressed in the prior art is that during cleaning of the wiper, the impurities, scraped off, will contaminate the surrounding area inside the plotter.
- Also ink sputtering will happen when the wiper blade touches the scraper and even so when the wiper blade is jumping back to its vertical position after release.
- Another non-addressed problem is that the impurities which build up on the wiper/scraper system can contaminate the print head, especially when changing to another colour or to another type or ink. A residue of the old ink collected on the wiper and scraper from previous printing and cleaning actions can be deposited on the print head causing contamination of the new ink by old residue causing colour deviations of the newly printed image or leading to problems caused by e.g. chemical incompatibility of the old and new inks.
- The internal contamination can result in deteriorated printing quality and extra need for maintenance for cleaning the inside of the inkjet printing mechanism. A need exists to enable easy and complete changing of the print head cleaning system.
- Another problem is that the efficiency of the scraper will decrease in time due to dried ink deposals on the scraper tip. Periodically the scraper has to be cleaned or replaced.
- It is an object of the present invention to provide a service station for use in an inkjet printer causing less contamination inside the printing engine.
- It is a further object of the invention to provide a service station which can be easily replaced upon changing the printhead or printing colour.
- It is a further embodiment of the invention to provide efficient removal of accumulated residue form the inkjet printing system
- The objects of the invention are realised by a service station having the specific features of
claim 1. Specific features of preferred embodiments are set out in the dependent claims. - A method for cleaning a wiper of a service station is set out in
claim 12. -
- Fig. 1 shows service stations according to the present invention in a dual head printer.
- Fig. 2A illustrates a service station according to the invention with a retraction mechanism for the wiper system with the wiper system in wiping position.
- Fig. 2B illustrates the service station with the wiper system in retracted position with the wiper blades in a position past the scraper.
- Fig. 3 shows the actuation of the moving mechanism of a possible embodiment according to the invention by an external motor during cleaning of the wiper.
- Fig. 4 shows an embodiment having plural service stations wherein the wipers are mounted on an axis.
- Fig. 5A shows a possible embodiment of a cleaning station wherein a rotational movement is used for cleaning the wiper.
- Fig. 5B shows the the position of the rotatable wiper system after rotation past the scraper.
- Fig. 6 illustrates the rotation of the wiper by the external motor.
- Fig. 7 depicts a service station with means for removing residue from the enclosure.
-
- While the present invention will hereinafter be described in connection with preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to those embodiments.
- Fig 1 depicts
dual service stations 1 according to the present invention. When using a single print head only one station is needed. In a printer using several print heads plural cleaning stations can be provided. Eachservice station 1 comprises anenclosure 2, acapping system 3 for covering the ink jet print head (not shown) during non printing periods. On the upper side of theenclosure 2 is provided anaperture 4 shown with a protrudingwiper system 5 in the operable position, consisting of twowiper blades 6. During wiping of the print head (not shown) thewiper system 5 is dragged in contact along the print head whereby ink residue and other impurities are collected by thewiper blades 6. - The
enclosure 2 can be executed in all sorts of material.
Preferably use is made of a plastic material so that theenclosure 2 or its parts may be cheaply made by e.g. an injection-moulding technique. Theenclosure 2 can be completely closed but can also be partially open. Theenclosure 2 is provided with a system enabling easy mounting and removal of theservice station 1 in the printer. In Fig 1 theservice station 1 is provided with a mountingplate 7 with mountingholes 8 enabling easy mounting of theservice station 1 using e.g. screws or other means for fastening. Other systems such as clip-on systems, clamps etc. can also be used. - The
wiper blades 6 are preferably made from an elastomeric material in order to ensure good contact with the print head during wiping. The hardness of thewiper blades 6 is preferably within the range of 60-80 Shore A. The tip op thewiper blades 6 may be asymmetrical or grooved in order to provide good wiping of the print head and efficient collection of the ink residue and impurities. - The orientation of the
wiper blades 6 may be perpendicular to the wiping direction of thewiper system 5. In an alternative configuration at least one of thewiper blades 6 is mounted at an oblique angle to the wiping direction propagating the collection of impurities at the trailing edge of thewiper blade 6. - In following description reference is made to Fig. 2A en 2B depicting a section of the
servicing station 1.
Inside theenclosure 2 of theservice station 1 is provided ascraper 9 for cleaning thewiper blades 6. Thescraper 9 can be integrated at the inside ofenclosure 2. Thescraper 9 is positioned at a lower level inside theservice station 1, so that the cleaning operation is completely realised internally in theservice station 1. Thescraper 9 can be constituted in the same material as theenclosure 2 itself and can even be manufactured during the same production process. Other materials can be used, while also various methods for mounting thescraper 9 inside theenclosure 2 are possible. Preferably the part of thescraper 9 contacting thewiper blades 6 has the shape of a wedge so that impurities are removed from thewiper blades 6 by a sharp edge of the wedge. - Fig 1 to 3 show a system wherein the cleaning of the
wiper blades 6 is done by a retraction movement of thewiper system 5 into theenclosure 2 followed by a translation movement past thescraper 9 for removing an excess of impurities from thewiper blades 6.
A possible mechanism comprises aslit 10 provided in at least one side of theenclosure 2 and awiper system 5 coupled to aslider 11 for sliding in theslit 10 of the enclosure Preferably twoslits 10 are provided in opposite walls of theenclosure 2 to ensure.
Theslider 11 is also provided for sliding into asecond slit 12 which is provided into alever 13 for actuating the cleaning mechanism and is coupled to a drivingforce 14, e.g. anelectrical motor 14 which is preferably provided externally of theservice station 1.
The coupling of thelever 13 with the drivingforce 14 can be done by anaxis 15. Asingle motor 14 and axis can be provided for all service stations. - By rotation of the
axis 15 induced by the drivingmotor 14slider 11 is forced to follow theslit 10 in theenclosure 2. Thus thewiper system 5 is retracted inside theenclosure 2 of theservice station 1 and translated inside theenclosure 2 whereby thewiper blades 6 are translated past thescraper 9 thus removing accumulated impurities from thewiper blades 6. The translation movement of thewiper system 5 along thescraper 9 has a typical speed of 0.05-0.2 m/sec. By theenclosure 2enclosing scraper 9 enwiper system 5 during the cleaning operation, contamination of the printing engine itself is avoided. Scraped of ink residues and other impurities are collected inside theenclosure 2 of theservice station 1. Even impurities propelled away during recoil of theelastomeric wiper blades 6 when clearing the edge of thescraper 9 can not reach the interior of the printer itself. - During the scraping operation a relative movement between the
scraper 9 and thewiper system 5 is necessary. This means that it possible that instead of thewiper system 5 moving past thescraper 9, it is also possible that thescraper 9 moves along thewiper system 5 or even a combined movement of both relative to each other will perform the cleaning of thewiper blades 6 by thescraper 9. - After the
wiper system 5 has passed thescraper 9, thewiper system 5 can be moved backwards along thescraper 9 cleaning the other side of thewiper blades 6 and moving thewiper system 5 back to theaperture 4 ready to be used again for a next wiping action of the print head - In the described embodiment the movement of the
wiper system 5 relative to thescraper 9 is a translation. - In another possible embodiment depicted in Fig. 4 to 6, the cleaning of the
wiper blades 6 is conducted in another way.
Thewiper system 5 is coupled to arotation axis 16 provided with agear 17 which is coupled to asecond gear 18, which may be only a segment of a complete gear, coupled to arotation axis 15 which is coupled to a drivingforce 14. In order to clean the wiper blades 6 a rotation movement of thegear segments 18 cause rotation of thewiper system 5 to the inside of theservice station 1 and at the same time bringing thewiper blades 6 into contact with thescraper 9 mounted inside theenclosure 2 at the opposite side of thewiper system 5. In this embodiment the transporting of thewiper system 5 into theenclosure 2 of theservice station 1 at the same time also provides the rotational movement for cleaning thewiper blades 6 as can be seen in Fig. 5B. Ink residue and other impurities are scraped off by thescraper 9 and are collected in theenclosure 2. This cleaning can also be done in two directions, effectively cleaning both sides of thewiper blades 6. - It is also possible to design various alternative embodiments providing a relative movement of the
wiper system 5 to thescraper 9 or cleaning system providing translation or rotational movement. Complete separate systems can be used for retracting thewiper unit 5 inside theenclosure 2 and for scraping thewiper blades 6 along thescraper 9. Above mentioned examples are merely possible embodiments of the present invention. Further mechanisms for generating the movement of thewiper blades 6 or thescraper 9 are not described in this document because a lot of already existing concepts are available : gear wheels, levers, motors, etc... - As already mentioned above the system has certain advantages :
- During cleaning of the
wiper blades 6, no ink drops or impurities can contaminate the surrounding area in the plotter. - Particles (dried ink, impurities, paper dust, ...) that are scraped
of, will drop by gravity into the bottom of the inside of the
service station 1. - Ink droplets, generated during unbending of the
elastomeric wiper blades 6 when loosing contact with thescraper 9, will be captured by the side walls of theenclosure 2 of theservice station 1. For this the orientation of thescraper 9 and thewiper system 5 are important and have to be preferably vertical. - As indicated above, the
service station 1 contains all cleaning elements such as thewiper system 5 and scraper. Also the capping system (3) can be integrated into the service station (1). No other cleaning elements are needed outside theservice station 1. By replacing theservice station 1, all the impurities that were scraped off and all involved cleaning elements are removed from the printer or plotter. When simultaneously changing theservice station 1 upon changing a print head or changing the colour or type of ink, no residue is left over capable of contaminating the printer or print head.
These impurities are enclosed in theenclosure 2 of theservice station 1. So no special cleaning of the printer or plotter is required upon changing the print head or type of ink.
Even changing of colour is thus possible without fearing contamination of one colour with another. - Together with the
service station 1wiper system 5,scraper 9 and capping system (3) are replaced simultaneously. Both elements have a limited lifetime and should be replaced periodically. Replacing simultaneously these elements guaranties high efficiency of cleaning. - In another preferred embodiment the
service station 1 is provided with means for collecting and removing residue from theservice station 1. This enables the removal of impurities during the lifetime of theservice station 1. A possible embodiment is shown in Fig. 7 wherein at the underside of the enclosure 2 adrawer 19 is provided for regularly removing the collected residue. If possible thescraper 9 or alternative cleaning systems for thewiper blades 6 is mounted on the drawer which enables easy maintenance of the cleaning system.
The embodiment comprising adrawer 19 is preferable because it is a relative cheap and simple system. Other system for collecting residue can be used, even comprising moving parts such as moving belts, etc... - Because the cleaning of the
wiper blades 6 involves generation of a movement of thewiper system 5, either in the form of a movement and/or rotation, a drivingsource 14 is necessary. This can be provided with e.g. an internal motor inside theservice station 1. Also other driving means can be used. E.g. solenoid actuators etc... When using areplaceable service station 1 the drivingforce 14 is preferably located outside theservice station 1 as shown in Fig. 1,3,4 and 6 and the a coupling of theexternal driving force 14 with the internal mechanisms is provided using gears, levers, clutch system, etc...
It can be seen that when exchanging aservice station 1 in the inkjet printer, the relative expensive external motor need not to be exchanged thus making the exchangeable unit cheaper.
As can be seen in Fig. 1,3,4 and 6, it is also relatively simple to provide asingle driving force 14 or motor for several cleaning stations serving different print heads. This is considerately cheaper than providing separate motors. - More complicated embodiments wherein not only the
wiper system 5 is transported into theenclosure 2, but also the cleaning system (scraper 9) is transported into theenclosure 2 before cleaning thewiper blades 6 can be construed.
Possible embodiments include the enclosing of thewiper system 5 and cleaning system by surrounding them by a moving enclosure. - Having described in detail preferred embodiments of the current invention, it will now be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appending claims.
-
- 1.
- service station
- 2.
- enclosure
- 3.
- capping system
- 4.
- aperture
- 5.
- wiper system
- 6.
- wiper blades
- 7.
- mounting plate
- 8.
- mounting hole
- 9.
- scraper
- 10.
- slit in enclosure
- 11.
- slider
- 12.
- slit in lever
- 13.
- lever
- 14.
- motor
- 15.
- driving axis
- 16.
- rotation axis of wiping unit
- 17.
- gear
- 18.
- gear segment
- 19.
- drawer
Claims (12)
- Service station (1) for an inkjet printing apparatus having an inkjet print head comprising :an enclosure (2);a wiper system (5) for wiping said inkjet print head;a cleaning system for cleaning said wiper system (5); characterised in that said enclosure (2) is for enclosing said wiper system (5) and said cleaning system during said cleaning of said wiper system (5).
- The service station (1) according to claim 1 wherein said wiper system (5) comprises at least one wiper blade (6).
- The service station (1) according to claim 2 wherein said cleaning system comprises a scraper (9) for cleaning said wiper system (5) by a relative movement between said wiper system (5) and said scraper (9) in contact with said wiper blade (6).
- The service station (1) according to claim 3 further comprising means (10, 11, 12, 13, 15) for generating a relative translating movement between said wiper system (5) and said scraper (9).
- The service station (1) according to claim 3 or 4 further comprising means (15, 16, 17, 18) for generating a relative rotational movement between said wiper system (5) and said scraper(9).
- Service station (1) according to any one of the preceding claims further comprising transportation means for transporting said wiper system (5) to the inside of said enclosure (2).
- Service station (1) according to claim 6 when dependent on claim 5 wherein said transporting means is said means for generating a rotational movement.
- The service station (1) according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the cleaning system is inside the enclosure (2).
- Service station (1) according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said service station (1) is for collecting residue generated by cleaning the wiper system (5) and wherein said service station (1) further comprises means (19) for collecting and removing said residue from said enclosure (2).
- Service station (1) according to any one of the claims 4 to 9 wherein said service station (1) is coupled to a external driving means (14) for driving said means (10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18) for generating said movement or said transportation means.
- Service station (1) according to any one of the preceding claims where the service station (1) is replaceable.
- Method for cleaning a wiper system (5) of a service station (1) in an inkjet print head, the service station (1) comprising a cleaning system and an enclosure (2) comprising the steps of:transporting said wiper system (5) to the inside of said enclosure(2),cleaning said wiper system (5) by the cleaning system inside the enclosure (2).
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP01000604A EP1310367A1 (en) | 2001-11-08 | 2001-11-08 | Service station for inkjet printing system |
EP02100559A EP1310369A1 (en) | 2001-11-08 | 2002-05-24 | Method for cleaning an inkjet print head using a slanted wiper. |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP01000604A EP1310367A1 (en) | 2001-11-08 | 2001-11-08 | Service station for inkjet printing system |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1310367A1 true EP1310367A1 (en) | 2003-05-14 |
Family
ID=8176084
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP01000604A Withdrawn EP1310367A1 (en) | 2001-11-08 | 2001-11-08 | Service station for inkjet printing system |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1310367A1 (en) |
Cited By (13)
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DE102010060159A1 (en) | 2010-10-26 | 2012-04-26 | OCé PRINTING SYSTEMS GMBH | Ink printing apparatus has printing unit in which arc-shaped arrangement of pressure bolt is performed, such that cleaning agents in first cleaning position rests against print heads |
DE102011052359A1 (en) | 2011-08-02 | 2013-02-28 | OCé PRINTING SYSTEMS GMBH | Cleaning unit for cleaning print head of ink printing device or color printer provided, has stripping unit, which lies during cleaning process under prestress with effective edge at free ends at print head |
DE102011056647A1 (en) | 2011-12-20 | 2013-06-20 | OCé PRINTING SYSTEMS GMBH | Device for cleaning a component of deposits |
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DE102013102655A1 (en) | 2013-03-15 | 2014-09-18 | Océ Printing Systems GmbH & Co. KG | Detergent for a printhead of an inkjet printer |
CN104191820A (en) * | 2014-09-15 | 2014-12-10 | 郑州新世纪数码打印科技有限公司 | Independent lifting type sprayer cleaning mechanism |
DE102014101993A1 (en) | 2014-02-18 | 2015-08-20 | Océ Printing Systems GmbH & Co. KG | Arrangement for cleaning cleaning agents of a cleaning device in an ink printing device |
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