EP1516733A1 - Dispositif de recouvrement pour une tête d'impression à jet d'encre - Google Patents

Dispositif de recouvrement pour une tête d'impression à jet d'encre Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1516733A1
EP1516733A1 EP03103458A EP03103458A EP1516733A1 EP 1516733 A1 EP1516733 A1 EP 1516733A1 EP 03103458 A EP03103458 A EP 03103458A EP 03103458 A EP03103458 A EP 03103458A EP 1516733 A1 EP1516733 A1 EP 1516733A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
capping
sealing lip
base structure
capping device
printhead
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.)
Granted
Application number
EP03103458A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP1516733B1 (fr
Inventor
Paul c/o Agfa-Gevaert Wouters
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Agfa NV
Original Assignee
Agfa Gevaert NV
Agfa Gevaert AG
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Agfa Gevaert NV, Agfa Gevaert AG filed Critical Agfa Gevaert NV
Priority to DE2003618055 priority Critical patent/DE60318055T2/de
Priority to EP20030103458 priority patent/EP1516733B1/fr
Publication of EP1516733A1 publication Critical patent/EP1516733A1/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1516733B1 publication Critical patent/EP1516733B1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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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
    • B41J2/16505—Caps, spittoons or covers for cleaning or preventing drying out
    • B41J2/16508—Caps, spittoons or covers for cleaning or preventing drying out connected with the printer frame

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a device for capping of a inkjet printhead during storage and transport. More specifically the invention is related to the design of such a capping.
  • inkjet printing systems are used in a wide array of apparatuses and in a wide array of applications such as fax, colour photo printing, industrial applications etc.
  • inks possibly of various colours, is ejected out of at least one array of nozzles located in a printhead 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 printhead. This renders certain nozzles inoperable and results in a defective print or 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.
  • inks having special characteristics causing specific problems.
  • UV curable inks exist to allow rapid hardening of inks by UV radiation after printing.
  • Different types of ink exist, having different chemical components.
  • the combination of small nozzles and quick drying ink leaves the printheads 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. Problems can be avoided by periodically cleaning the printhead by :
  • the inkjet printhead is capped during non-operational periods.
  • the printhead is thereby be sealed off from contaminants by a sealing enclosure. This also prevents the drying of the ink.
  • the capping unit usually consists of a rubber seal placed around the nozzle array.
  • an industrial inkjet printing apparatus usually has plural inkjet printheads. These inkjet printheads are tested on the manufacturing site and are shipped to the client with the ink or a special transport fluid in them.
  • the openings in the printhead for supplying ink and for enabling reflow of the ink to e.g. a header tank are closed off by plugs, but also the nozzles should be sealed of by a capping device in order to safely transport the printheads without risk of ink leakage and drying out of the ink, possible rendering the printhead defective.
  • a nozzle cap for capping a printhead and for applying a vacuum.
  • the capping arrangement comprises : a nozzle cap, enclosing the nozzle array, cap support, coil spring, cap seat and elastic film.
  • the nozzle cap en elastic film are preferably integrally made of same elastic material. Elasticity is obtained by use of a soft rubber. Cappings comprising soft rubber however tend to be more susceptible to loss of vacuum. Soft rubbers exhibit due to the pressing force against the nozzle plate a creep deformation leading to change in pressing force. Application of vacuum causes horizontal movement of the seal lip contacting the printhead over the printhead, possible causing damage. When soft rubbers are exposed to forces over a long period they tend to further deform.
  • a capping device comprising a deformable base structure determining the sealing pressure of the sealing lip provided on the deformable base structure.
  • the sealing pressure is determined by the geometry of the base structure 3. Due to the geometrical characteristics of the base structure 3, it is easily deformable. Preferably this is caused by bending of the structures of the base layer 3.
  • Fig. 3 shows a detail of the section of a preferred embodiment a capping 1 wherein the deformation of the base structure 3 is enabled by the use of a cavity 4 underneath the sealing lip 2.
  • the rubber of the base structure 3 under the sealing lip 2 is relatively thin and can bend over a considerable distance when the sealing lip 2 is pressed to a printhead. This ensures a relative constant force of the sealing lip 2 on the printhead, independent from the compression distance of the capping 1 on the head.
  • Fig. 5 shows a possible convex structure 6 of the base structure 3 to ensure flexibility.
  • FIG. 6 an embodiment is shown wherein two oblique supporting walls 7 support the sealing lip 2.
  • the walls have preferably an angle of 15-90 degrees with the nozzle plate surface.
  • another important aspect of the geometry of the base structure 3 is that deformation of the base structure 3 does not lead to lateral displacement of the sealing lip 2 over the printhead.
  • the aim of the base structure 3 is to allow only displacement in a direction D transversal to the nozzle plate. Sideways movement is to be counteracted in order to avoid damage of the nozzle plate and to ensure long time good capping of the printhead. This can be ensured by making a capping 1 wherein the geometry of the base structure 3 under the sealing lip exhibits symmetrical behavior, relative to the plane through the sealing lip 2 and perpendicular to the nozzle plate, and the direction of movement of sealing lip 2 during capping is thereby restricted substantially normal to the nozzle plate surface. As illustrated in Fig.
  • the advantage of a capping 1 according to the present invention are:
  • the hardness of the used rubbers preferably is about 40 shore A but may be even 100 shore A. Above this hardness the rubber connections and walls tend to be to thin giving rise to problems of breaking of the hinges and non reproducibility of the design properties. The rubber also exhibits not enough flexibility to be able to seal all surface irregularities of the printhead.
  • a capping 1 used during transport for a printhead is shown having the section as illustrated in Fig 3.
  • the capping 1 was fabricated using a rubber having a hardness of 60 shore A. Due to the geometrical design the forces upon the pressure upon the printhead does not remarkably vary when the capping 1 is pressed upon the printhead. Although the capping 1 is not intended to be used in overpressure or vacuum conditions, test were made to check if sealing was sufficient. A capping was mounted upon a printhead whereby it was compressed about 0.5mm. and pressure or vacuum conditions were applied.

Landscapes

  • Ink Jet (AREA)
EP20030103458 2003-09-19 2003-09-19 Dispositif de recouvrement pour une tête d'impression à jet d'encre Expired - Lifetime EP1516733B1 (fr)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE2003618055 DE60318055T2 (de) 2003-09-19 2003-09-19 Abdeckvorrichtung eines Tintenstrahldruckkopfes
EP20030103458 EP1516733B1 (fr) 2003-09-19 2003-09-19 Dispositif de recouvrement pour une tête d'impression à jet d'encre

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP20030103458 EP1516733B1 (fr) 2003-09-19 2003-09-19 Dispositif de recouvrement pour une tête d'impression à jet d'encre

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1516733A1 true EP1516733A1 (fr) 2005-03-23
EP1516733B1 EP1516733B1 (fr) 2007-12-12

Family

ID=34178591

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP20030103458 Expired - Lifetime EP1516733B1 (fr) 2003-09-19 2003-09-19 Dispositif de recouvrement pour une tête d'impression à jet d'encre

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1516733B1 (fr)
DE (1) DE60318055T2 (fr)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN103029446A (zh) * 2006-12-26 2013-04-10 武藏工业株式会社 喷墨喷头的维修方法以及机构和装置
US8864284B2 (en) 2010-04-30 2014-10-21 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Capping for inkjet printers
JP2018089851A (ja) * 2016-12-02 2018-06-14 京セラドキュメントソリューションズ株式会社 インクジェット記録装置

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0552030A1 (fr) * 1992-01-16 1993-07-21 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Mécanisme de recouvrement pour un appareil d'enregistrement à jet d'encre
US5448270A (en) * 1992-08-26 1995-09-05 Hewlett-Packard Company Ink-jet printhead cap having suspended lip
US5757395A (en) * 1995-09-25 1998-05-26 Hewlett-Packard Company Color capable single-cartridge inkjet service station
US5963228A (en) * 1995-01-31 1999-10-05 Hewlett Packard Company Wet capping system for inkjet printheads
EP0967081A2 (fr) * 1998-06-24 1999-12-29 Hewlett-Packard Company Système de capuchon unitaire pour têtes d'impression à jet d'encre multiples
US20030081048A1 (en) * 2001-10-31 2003-05-01 Davis Jeremy A. Bellows capping system for inkjet printheads

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0552030A1 (fr) * 1992-01-16 1993-07-21 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Mécanisme de recouvrement pour un appareil d'enregistrement à jet d'encre
US5448270A (en) * 1992-08-26 1995-09-05 Hewlett-Packard Company Ink-jet printhead cap having suspended lip
US5963228A (en) * 1995-01-31 1999-10-05 Hewlett Packard Company Wet capping system for inkjet printheads
US5757395A (en) * 1995-09-25 1998-05-26 Hewlett-Packard Company Color capable single-cartridge inkjet service station
EP0967081A2 (fr) * 1998-06-24 1999-12-29 Hewlett-Packard Company Système de capuchon unitaire pour têtes d'impression à jet d'encre multiples
US20030081048A1 (en) * 2001-10-31 2003-05-01 Davis Jeremy A. Bellows capping system for inkjet printheads

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN103029446A (zh) * 2006-12-26 2013-04-10 武藏工业株式会社 喷墨喷头的维修方法以及机构和装置
CN103029446B (zh) * 2006-12-26 2015-06-17 武藏工业株式会社 喷墨喷头的维修方法以及机构和装置
US8864284B2 (en) 2010-04-30 2014-10-21 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Capping for inkjet printers
JP2018089851A (ja) * 2016-12-02 2018-06-14 京セラドキュメントソリューションズ株式会社 インクジェット記録装置

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP1516733B1 (fr) 2007-12-12
DE60318055D1 (de) 2008-01-24
DE60318055T2 (de) 2008-11-27

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