EP1728642A1 - Tintenstrahldrucker mit Druckkopfmontageeinrichtung - Google Patents

Tintenstrahldrucker mit Druckkopfmontageeinrichtung Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1728642A1
EP1728642A1 EP05405365A EP05405365A EP1728642A1 EP 1728642 A1 EP1728642 A1 EP 1728642A1 EP 05405365 A EP05405365 A EP 05405365A EP 05405365 A EP05405365 A EP 05405365A EP 1728642 A1 EP1728642 A1 EP 1728642A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
print
head
base plate
ink
bearing surfaces
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Withdrawn
Application number
EP05405365A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Peter Frei
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.)
Glaxo Group Ltd
Original Assignee
Glaxo Group Ltd
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 Glaxo Group Ltd filed Critical Glaxo Group Ltd
Priority to EP05405365A priority Critical patent/EP1728642A1/de
Publication of EP1728642A1 publication Critical patent/EP1728642A1/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current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
    • B41J25/00—Actions or mechanisms not otherwise provided for
    • B41J25/34—Bodily-changeable print heads or carriages

Definitions

  • the invention relates to an ink-jet printer with a print-head mounting assembly. It further relates to an adapter element for a print-unit of a print-head and to a print-head.
  • Ink-jet printers are droplet deposition apparatuses having often more than one print-head. More than one print-head can be needed for a wider print surface; then two or more print-heads are mounted one beside the other, wherein the e.g. leftmost printable pixels of one print-head are adjacent to the rightmost printable pixels of said adjacent print-head or the print-heads are so arranged that there is a overlapping printing area. More than one print-head is also needed, if there the printer is a colour printer; then the print-heads for the different colours are usually arranged one behind the other in such a way that the print areas, subsequently addressed by the various print-heads, are identical.
  • a droplet deposition apparatus is known from US 6,796,630 B2 showing an ink-jet printer with a print-head mounting assembly according to the preamble of present claim 1.
  • the printer comprises a printer base plate having a plurality of slots to permit the positioning of the nozzles of the different print-heads within these slots to enable ink ejected by said nozzles to be deposited on a printing surface.
  • Each print-head is adjustably mounted on said base plate by means of two tapered adjustment screws, engaging alignment surfaces of the print-head. Said aligning surfaces are tapered, the taper conforming to that of the respective adjustment screw.
  • the invention is based on the insight that the print-heads genuine positioning datum's are not precise enough for the printing application. Therefore, the print-head (together with a print-head clamping element) is mounted onto an adapter interface. This interface provides precise datum, which are used to position the head on the head mount plate or base plate.
  • the head clamping element holding the clamped head is positioned towards the datum of the adapter element by two conical screws, which move vertical towards tilted planes of the clamping element, thus moving the clamping element towards a spring pin. Only the x-direction and the orientation are mechanically adjusted.
  • the height offset is measured in the production process, stored in the calibration data and used by the controller to adjust the print position.
  • Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of print-head mounting assembly 10 for an ink-jet printer, according to the invention.
  • the assembly 10 comprises a base plate 20 having a plurality of slots 21. Said slots 21 are arranged in two parallel rows comprising an overlapping portion 22. Beside each slot 21 are arranged two-time two, i.e. four bearing surfaces 23. It will be seen in connection with Fig. 3 that each of these bearing surfaces 23 may be constituted by a precisely machined hole 24, especially a blind hole, wherein in each of these holes a ball 25 is inserted in a press fit.
  • the base plate 20 is very accurately machined to provide four datum points for each slot 21, i.e. for each print-head 30.
  • Said base plate 10 is mounted in a printer, e.g. with the help of screws used in connection with four mounting holes 11, one in each corner. There are ten slots 21 in one row, with two rows of parallel slots 21, but every other combination of number or rows and slots within a row can be used. The invention is even applicable for a printer having only one single slot 21.
  • This base plate 10 can be mounted fix within a printer or can be part of a movable printer carriage. Each print-head is in advance adjusted and can be mounted directly on said base plate 10 with two fixation screws 46, engaging the print-head 30 through bores 36 in the head assembly, and ending in threaded bores 26 in the base plate 10. Said threaded bores 26 are directly placed between two adjacent bearing surfaces 23.
  • the print-head 30 comprises the printing unit 80, which can be a conventional printing unit with a nozzle surface 81, some electronics to control the nozzle spray action and an ink reservoir.
  • the printing unit 80 is held with a clamping element 40, comprising on both sides a fixation slot 41 and horizontally oriented fixation screws 42 intended to engage the printing unit 80.
  • the inner backside surface of the clamp comprises two grooves 43, especially in the form of dovetails 43, to accommodate leaf springs 43, bringing the printing unit 80 in a well defined position.
  • Said clamping element 40 attached to the printing unit 80, is mounted together with the adapter element 50. Therefore two bushings 51 having an internal thread and extending through bores 53 in the adapter element 50 are used together with corresponding screws 52 having a conical head, the connection being obtained through corresponding abutment surfaces 54, 55 of the clamping element 40.
  • the abutment surface 55 allows a relative translation between elements 40 and 50 in the longitudinal direction of these elements, whereas abutment surface 54 allows the adjustment of the angle between the elements 40 and 50. In fact they are alignment surfaces of the print unit 80.
  • a corresponding spring pin 58 is inserted in a press fit into a recess 56.
  • Said spring pin 58 comprises a head which is in contact with the arcuate back surface 57 of the clamping element 40, so that a three point adjustment system is created, using the flexible pin 58 for urging against the surfaces opposite to the tapered surfaces 54 and 55 towards the adjustment screws 52.
  • the print unit 80 of the print-head 30 can be and is adjusted in relationship to the adapter element 50. It will be noted below that such an adjustment can be effected without the ink-jet printer and without inserting the print-head assembly 30 on the base plate 20.
  • Fig. 3 shows a schematic detail view from above on the base plate 20 of Fig. 1. Same reference numerals designate same or similar features throughout the drawings.
  • the detail view shows one full slot 21 having a mounting recess 27 extending on both sides of the through going slot bore 21. This enables a pre-arrangement of the print head assembly 30 with the print unit 80 at the intended space.
  • the definitive and precise position is found as follows and can be explained in connection with Fig. 4 showing a schematic view from below on the adapter element 50 of the print-head mounting assembly 10 according to the invention.
  • the adapter element 50 comprises a longitudinal web 61 to accommodate the place for the print unit 80 in the free space between the U-shaped adapter element 50.
  • One bearing surface 71 is a hollow cone, adapted to accommodate a portion of one ball 25. This fixes the x/y position of the print-head 30 and thus the position of the nozzles in relation to the base plate 10 having a well defined position.
  • a second bearing surface 72 is a hollow, preferably semispherical groove, wherein the longitudinal direction is aligned with the centre of the first bearing surface 71 to provide the correct angle orientation of the print-head 30.
  • a third bearing surface 73 is a plane machined in a way to give the third bearing point. It has to be noted that, if said bearing surface 73 would be arranged in the longitudinal web 61, the system would be well defined. Since the third bearing surface 73 is located in a corner of the adapter element 50 to enable a print-head 30 with a small width, it is preferable but not necessary to provide a fourth bearing surface 74 in the fourth corner of the adapter element 50.
  • the planes 73 and 74 are machined to enable to obtain, operational connected with the balls 25, a horizontal nozzle surface 81 when the printer-head 30 is mounted on the base plate 20. In order to fix the obtained position of the print-head 30 in relation to the base plate 20, said screws 46 are entered into the base plate 20.
  • the surfaces 71, 72, 73 and 74 do not need to be machined precisely, since the correct orientation of the print unit 80 within print-head 30 is achieved through the precisely provided balls 25, since any distance surface 71 from the intended position of surface 71 and any misalignment surface 72 from the intended angle of surface 72 will be corrected in advance within the pre-adjustment step, preferably before the print-head is shipped to the production site of the printer.
  • the balls 25 have the advantage that they can easily be entered in a press fit in a precisely machined recess in the base-plate 20.
  • such balls 25 can be replaced, intended to connect with the bearing surfaces 73 and 74, by different bearing surfaces, if they provide a point contact without damaging the corresponding planes.
  • the ball 25, intended to connect with the bearing surface 72 can be replaced by a bearing surface allowing a line contact, e.g. with a cylindrical shaped body for the groove 72.
  • the personnel adjusting the print-heads 30 mounts every print-unit 80 on the corresponding adapter element 50, possibly by using a clamping element 40. Then the adapter element 50 is mounted on the base plate 20 and the trial prints are conducted. It is of course possible to adjust a number of print-heads on one single base plate 20.
  • the base plate 20 is accurately machined as is the base plate 20 of the production printers and comprises the same or at least similar bearing surfaces 25.
  • the fixation of the print-head 30 or the adapter element 50 can be different and adapted to the trial site.
  • the screws 52 with conical heads these screws are adjusted to position the print-unit 80, i.e.
  • the nozzles of said print-unit 80 in a predefined relative position to the conical bearing surface 71 and the groove bearing surface 72.
  • the inclination is usually predefined in a sufficient manner by the machining of the adapter element 50 and the production of the print-unit (planar orientation of the nozzles).
  • Pre-adjusted print-heads according to the invention have shown, that it is possible to obtain a reproducibility of the intended position of far less than 1/100 millimetre.
EP05405365A 2005-06-02 2005-06-02 Tintenstrahldrucker mit Druckkopfmontageeinrichtung Withdrawn EP1728642A1 (de)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP05405365A EP1728642A1 (de) 2005-06-02 2005-06-02 Tintenstrahldrucker mit Druckkopfmontageeinrichtung

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP05405365A EP1728642A1 (de) 2005-06-02 2005-06-02 Tintenstrahldrucker mit Druckkopfmontageeinrichtung

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1728642A1 true EP1728642A1 (de) 2006-12-06

Family

ID=35414924

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP05405365A Withdrawn EP1728642A1 (de) 2005-06-02 2005-06-02 Tintenstrahldrucker mit Druckkopfmontageeinrichtung

Country Status (1)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1728642A1 (de)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2460854A (en) * 2008-06-11 2009-12-16 Ffei Ltd Printhead mounting plate
US10391771B2 (en) 2015-10-30 2019-08-27 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Print bar
CN111716907A (zh) * 2020-07-27 2020-09-29 共享智能铸造产业创新中心有限公司 3d打印头及3d打印机
AT522339A4 (de) * 2019-09-27 2020-10-15 Inkatronic Gmbh Anordnung zur Positionierung von Druckköpfen
CN113696630A (zh) * 2021-09-15 2021-11-26 河南印都数码科技有限公司 可快速调整喷头位置的打印机多喷头小车

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5212502A (en) * 1992-03-04 1993-05-18 Eastman Kodak Company Ink jet print head mounting mechanism
US20030128254A1 (en) * 2000-02-17 2003-07-10 Ison Robert M. Droplet deposition apparatus

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5212502A (en) * 1992-03-04 1993-05-18 Eastman Kodak Company Ink jet print head mounting mechanism
US20030128254A1 (en) * 2000-02-17 2003-07-10 Ison Robert M. Droplet deposition apparatus

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2460854A (en) * 2008-06-11 2009-12-16 Ffei Ltd Printhead mounting plate
GB2460854B (en) * 2008-06-11 2012-05-30 Ffei Ltd Print head mounting plate
US10391771B2 (en) 2015-10-30 2019-08-27 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Print bar
AT522339A4 (de) * 2019-09-27 2020-10-15 Inkatronic Gmbh Anordnung zur Positionierung von Druckköpfen
AT522339B1 (de) * 2019-09-27 2020-10-15 Inkatronic Gmbh Anordnung zur Positionierung von Druckköpfen
CN111716907A (zh) * 2020-07-27 2020-09-29 共享智能铸造产业创新中心有限公司 3d打印头及3d打印机
CN111716907B (zh) * 2020-07-27 2024-03-15 共享智能装备有限公司 3d打印头及3d打印机
CN113696630A (zh) * 2021-09-15 2021-11-26 河南印都数码科技有限公司 可快速调整喷头位置的打印机多喷头小车

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