EP3564038A1 - Führungsstruktur für einen druckkopfschlitten - Google Patents

Führungsstruktur für einen druckkopfschlitten Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3564038A1
EP3564038A1 EP18170744.9A EP18170744A EP3564038A1 EP 3564038 A1 EP3564038 A1 EP 3564038A1 EP 18170744 A EP18170744 A EP 18170744A EP 3564038 A1 EP3564038 A1 EP 3564038A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
panel
guiding structure
array
stiffening member
carrier panel
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Withdrawn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
EP18170744.9A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Fabian T. Rosenboom
Gerardus J.C. Van Soest
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.)
Canon Production Printing Holding BV
Original Assignee
Oce Holding BV
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 Oce Holding BV filed Critical Oce Holding BV
Priority to EP18170744.9A priority Critical patent/EP3564038A1/de
Publication of EP3564038A1 publication Critical patent/EP3564038A1/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Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current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
    • B41J19/00—Character- or line-spacing mechanisms

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a guiding structure for a print head carriage, and to a method for manufacturing such a guiding structure.
  • a scanning-type inkjet printing system comprises an inkjet print head mounted on a carriage arranged to make a scanning motion in a certain direction while guided by a guiding structure, to deposit swaths of ink droplets onto a recording medium moving relative to the guiding structure in a direction normal to the direction of the scanning motion so that multiple swaths of ink droplets can be deposited side by side onto the recording medium in order for the multiple swaths of ink droplets to form a complete printed image.
  • a known guiding structure for guiding a print head carriage making a scanning motion relative to a recording medium comprises an extruded aluminum beam, stiff enough to be supported at two ends while carrying a print head carriage moving along the beam in between the two ends, wherein the beam is dimensioned to minimally deflect under the weight of the carriage.
  • An outer surface of the beam is accurately shaped to provide a reference surface for interacting with a bearing device provided on the carriage, so that the carriage is configured to move along the beam in the axial direction with only little motion in the transverse directions resulting from inaccuracies in the guidance.
  • a guiding structure as described is relatively heavy. Especially for wider printing systems, the mass of the beam is negatively impacted by the transverse dimensions required to keep a center deflection of the beam at a minimum. Especially in a printing system in which the guiding structure is driven to move relative to a recording medium in between the deposition of a first swath of ink droplets and a second swath, the weight of a beam as described will be an issue. Also, especially for wider printing systems, a beam as described is relatively difficult to manufacture in case the outer surface is to be accurately shaped along a substantial part of the beam, or in case the beam is to be sufficiently straight, so that the carriage will follow a straight path.
  • An objective of the present application is to provide a guiding structure for guiding a print head carriage making a scanning motion in a certain direction relative to a recording medium, which guiding structure is relatively light-weight, and which can relatively cheaply and relatively easily be manufactured, while still allowing a carriage to follow an accurately defined path, guided by the guiding structure.
  • a guiding structure for guiding a print head carriage comprises an assembly of panels of sheet material, incorporating a carrier panel provided on one side with at least one array of mounting bodies, the array of mounting bodies oriented to extend in a first dimension of the carrier panel and providing an aggregate of mutually aligned reference faces facing a surface of a guide rail mounted on the mounting bodies, the guiding structure further comprising an array of stiffening members positioned on an opposite side of the carrier panel with respect to the array of mounting bodies, each stiffening member arranged extending in a second dimension of the carrier panel, wherein each mounting body is lockingly held in place relative to the carrier panel by a respective stiffening member.
  • An assembly of panels of sheet material provides a relatively light-weight structure for carrying the array of mounting bodies, while still providing for enough stiffness for the guide rail to remain sufficiently straight under the influence of torsional and bending loads exerted onto the structure by a print head carriage carried by the guide rail.
  • a mounting body being lockingly held in place relative to the carrier panel by a respective stiffening member assures that the mounting body and the stiffening member are each tightly held against the carrier panel.
  • the stiffening member being tightly held opposite the mounting body assures that the stiffening member prevents the panel assembly from locally deflecting under the influence of a load exerted on the carrier panel by the mounting body.
  • the mounting body being tightly held opposite the stiffening member assures that the mounting body is held against a portion of the panel assembly which is kept in a prescribed shape, so that a reference face provided by the mounting body is kept aligned with the reference faces provided by neighboring mounting bodies. This, in turn, assures that the guide rail is kept sufficiently straight.
  • the panel assembly may comprise one or more further panels forming the side walls of a beam together with the carrier panel, wherein a respective stiffening member connects the carrier panel to at least one further panel. This allows for the further panel to act as a support for the stiffening member, enabling the stiffening member to transfer loads acting to deflect the carrier panel away from the carrier panel towards the further panel.
  • a respective stiffening member has one side abutting the carrier panel and another side abutting the further panel.
  • the stiffening member may then keep the carrier panel and the further panel in a certain orientation with respect to each other as a result of its shape.
  • a respective stiffening member comprises a panel of sheet material incorporated in the panel assembly.
  • a stiffening member in the form of a panel of sheet material can be relatively light-weight, while still being able to provide sufficient stiffness to prevent the carrier panel from locally deflecting by transferring a load from the carrier panel to a further panel.
  • the panel assembly may comprise additional panels of sheet material positioned in between neighboring stiffening members. Then, the stiffening members can remain relatively small and light-weight, specifically formed to provide stiffness to the carrier plate, while the additional panels may larger and heavier, specifically formed and positioned to provide bending or torsional stiffness to the panel assembly as a whole.
  • a mounting body may be connected to a respective stiffening member via an associated threaded end extending through a designated aperture in the carrier panel, engaged with a threaded hole associated with the stiffening member. This enables the mounting body to be mounted onto the panel assembly via a screwing operation, wherein the stiffening member at the same time is pulled tight against the carrier panel.
  • a respective stiffening member may comprise an accomodation space accommodating a nut member provided with the threaded hole. This allows for the stiffening member to have a relatively simple form and be relatively light-weight, without the threaded hole needing to be formed in the stiffening member itself.
  • An array of at least two neighboring stiffening members may accommodate a common nut member provided with a plurality of threaded holes. This enables a nut member to remain in position relative to a respective stiffening member when a threaded end is screwed into one of the threaded holes.
  • An outer contour of a respective nut member may have a recess accommodating a portion of a stiffening member, in order for the nut member to be secured at least in a certain direction with respect to the stiffening member.
  • the panel assembly comprises flat panels connected at a face-to-edge joint.
  • This provides for a relatively light-weight structure, which can be manufactured at a tolerance defined by the accuracy at which the flat panels can be cut out of a larger portion of sheet material.
  • one panel of two panels connected at a face-to-edge joint may have an aperture passing a connecting member in a direction normal to a face of the one panel, the other panel having a receiving channel for receiving the connecting member, extending in a direction normal to an edge of the other panel.
  • one of two panels connected at a face-to-edge joint may have at least two further apertures spaced apart in a certain direction, the other panel having at least two ears each accommodated in one of the further apertures. This facilitates a panel having an edge destined for contacting a face of another panel to be properly aligned relative to the other panel before the two panels are connected.
  • a respective stiffening member may have an opening for passing a drive belt for driving a print head carriage to move along the guide rail. Having such an opening, a stiffening member can be relatively stiff by extending on opposite sides of a drive belt passing through the panel assembly, and also be relatively light-weight.
  • the mutually aligned reference faces may comprise collectively machined surfaces, so that the reference surfaces have a relatively high accuracy of mutual alignment.
  • a method for manufacturing a guiding structure for a print head carriage comprises the steps of providing a carrier panel to form part of a panel assembly; providing an array of mother bodies on one side of the carrier panel; providing an array of stiffening members on the opposite side of the carrier panel; mutually locking a respective mother body and a respective stiffening member in place relative to the carrier panel; collectively machining the array of mother bodies to form an array of mounting bodies each providing a machined reference face, and mounting a guide rail on the mounting bodies such that the reference faces face a surface of the guide rail.
  • This method provides a relatively light-weight structure which can be relatively cheaply manufactured, carrying a guide rail which is relatively accurately aligned to define a path to be followed by a print head carriage.
  • a guiding structure 1 for guiding a print head carriage to follow a straight path while performing a scanning motion for depositing a swath of ink droplets onto a recording medium comprises an assembly 100 of panels of sheet material 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160.
  • the panel assembly 100 comprises a front side panel 110, a back side panel 120, a top side panel 130, and a bottom side panel 140.
  • the side panels 110, 120, 130, 140 are arranged to form a hollow beam 101 of rectangular, in particular substantially square cross section, wherein each side panel 110, 120, 130, 140 forms a respective side wall of the beam 101.
  • the beam 101 With the beam 101 oriented to extend in a longitudinal direction Y, the beam 101 has a certain bending stiffness limiting the deflection of the beam 101 in two transverse directions X, Z normal to the longitudinal direction Y, and a certain torsional stiffness limiting torsion of the beam 101 about an axis extending in parallel to the longitudinal direction Y.
  • the panel assembly 100 further comprises additional panels of sheet material 150, 160, oriented to extend in the transverse directions X, Z.
  • additional panels 150, 160 are mutually spaced apart, being positioned at different locations along the beam 101 within the space enclosed by the side panels 110, 120, 130, 140.
  • each additional panel 160 is connected to a respective side panel 110, 120, 130, 140 via each of its edges, at a joint of a respective edge with a respective face.
  • each additional panel 160 of this first type acts as a member reinforcing the structure formed by the side walls 110, 120, 130, 140, so that the beam 101, incorporating the additional panels 160 of this type, is relatively stiff with respect to both bending and torsion.
  • additional panels 150 mutually spaced apart at shorter distances, only have some of their edges positioned abutting a face of one of the side panels 110, 120, 130, 140, wherein an additional panel 150 of this second type is connected to a respective side panel 110, 120, 130, 140 via only those edges, at a joint of a respective edge with a respective face.
  • the additional panels 150, 160 of each type are equidistantly spaced along the beam 101, wherein each additional panel 160 of the first type is positioned in between two neighboring panels 150 of the second type.
  • the front side panel 110 incorporated in the panel assembly 100 serves as a carrier panel for carrying a pair of guide rails.
  • the front side panel 110 is provided with two arrays 10a, 10b of mounting bodies 20a, 20b, each oriented to extend in the longitudinal direction Y.
  • An upper array 10a is located close to a joint of the front side panel 110 with the top side panel 130
  • a lower array 10b is located close to a joint of the front side panel 110 with the bottom side panel 140.
  • the guiding structure 1 comprises an array 40 of stiffening members 150 positioned on an opposite side of the front side panel 110 with respect to the arrays 10a, 10b of mounting bodies 20a, 20b, wherein each mounting body 20a, 20b is lockingly held in place relative to the front side panel 110 by a respective stiffening member 150.
  • each stiffening member 150 is formed by one of the additional panels 150 of the second type.
  • each mounting body 20a, 20b provides one reference face 21 which is horizontally oriented, and one reference face 22 which is vertically oriented.
  • an upper guide rail 30a is mounted on the mounting bodies 20a of the upper array 10a
  • a lower guide rail 30b is mounted on the mounting bodies 20b of the lower array 10b.
  • Each guide rail 30a, 30b serves to carry a respective runner block 210a, 210b of a print head carriage 200, slidable along the respective guide rail 30a, 30b in the longitudinal direction Y.
  • each additional panel 160 forming a reinforcing member 160 has four edges 161, 162, 163, 164, each positioned abutting an inner face 111, 121, 131, 141 of one of the side panels 110, 120, 130, 140. At the joint of an edge 161, 162, 163, 164 with a respective face 111, 121, 131, 141, the reinforcing panel 160 is connected to the respective side panel 110, 120, 130, 140. The reinforcing panel 160 thus interconnects all side panels 110, 120, 130, 140.
  • Each additional panel 150 forming a stiffening member 160 has three edges 151, 153, 154, each positioned abutting an inner face 111, 131, 141 of one of the front side panel 110, the top side panel 130, and the bottom side panel 140. At the joint of an edge 151, 153, 154 with a respective face 111, 131, 141, the stiffening panel 150 is connected to the respective side panel 110, 130, 140. The stiffening panel 150 thus interconnects only the front side panel 110, the top side panel 130, and the bottom side panel 140.
  • a fourth edge 152 of the stiffening panel 150 is positioned at a distance from the inner face 121 of the back side panel 120.
  • respective front side edges 132, 142 of the top side panel 130 and the bottom side panel 140 abut the inner face 111 of the front side panel 110
  • respective back side edges 133, 143 of the top side panel 130 and the bottom side panel 140 abut the inner face 121 of the back side panel 120.
  • each reinforcing panel 160 and each stiffening panel 150 has a respective opening 155, 165 for passing a loop portion of a continuous drive belt for driving the print head carriage 200 to move along the guide rails 30a, 30b.
  • each reference face 21, 22 provided by a respective mounting body 20a serves to face a surface 31, 32 of a respective guide rail 30a mounted on the mounting body 20a.
  • the guide rail 30a may be held fixed on the reference faces 21, 22 by a bolt 33 extending through a designated aperture in the guide rail 30a, engaging with a threaded hole 23 provided in the mounting body 20a.
  • a mechanism 24, 50 for connecting a stiffening panel 150 to a respective mounting body 20a such that the mounting body 20a is held in place relative to the front side panel 110 by the stiffening panel 150 comprises a threaded end 24 associated with the mounting body 20a, protruding through a designated aperture in the front side panel 110, engaging a threaded hole 51 of a nut plate 50 accommodated in a space 156 provided in the stiffening panel 150.
  • the threaded end 24 forms an integral part of a respective mounting body 20a.
  • the nut plate 50 may be provided with a plurality of threaded holes 51, wherein different portions of the nut plate 50 are accommodated in different stiffening panels 150.
  • an outer contour of a nut plate 50 may have one or more recesses 52a, 52b accommodating a portion of a stiffening member 150 for securing the nut plate 50 in the space 156 of the stiffening panel 150.
  • all panels of sheet material 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 incorporated in the panel assembly 100 are flat.
  • any of the panels 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 comprises sheet metal, or another type of sheet material that can be formed relatively thin, such as carbon fiber sheet material.
  • the mounting bodies 20a, 20b preferably comprise solid elements of a millable material, such as aluminum.
  • the panel assembly 100 is configured to be assembled solely by the use of face-to-edge joints.
  • one panel 130 of each pair of panels 130, 150 to be connected at such a joint has an aperture designated for passing a connecting element such as a self-tapping screw 160 in a direction normal to a face 131 of the one panel 130
  • the other panel 150 has a receiving channel 157 for receiving the connecting member 60, extending in a direction normal to an edge 153 of the other panel 150.
  • the receiving channel 157 may be defined by portions of the respective panel 150 being bent away in opposite directions with respect to a main part of the panel 150.
  • the one panel 130 may also have at least two further apertures space apart for accommodating two ears 158 formed on the other panel 150, protruding from the respective edge 153, to aid in aligning the one panel 130 relative to the other panel 150.
  • the guiding structure 1 can be assembled in a relatively simple way, by first mounting the reinforcing panels 160 and the stiffening panels 150 onto the front side panel 110 and then mounting the arrays 10a, 10b of mounting bodies 20a, 20b; next, mounting the top side panel 130 and the bottom side panel 140 onto each of the reinforcing panels 160, the stiffening panels 150 and the front side panel 110, and then mounting the back side panel 120 onto each of the reinforcing panels 160, the stiffening panels 150, the top side panel 130, and the bottom side panel 140. Easy assembly is facilitated by at least each of the reinforcing panels 160 and the stiffening panels 150 having a symmetrical shape.
  • the panel assembly 100 in an assembled state already provides a relatively accurately shaped structure for carrying the mounting bodies 20a, 20b.
  • the mounting bodies 20a, 20b can be collectively milled using a milling member travelling along an accurately defined path, so that the final mounting bodies 20a, 20b are shaped to have reference faces 21, 22 each comprising machined surfaces.
  • a dummy weight corresponding to the weight of a print head carriage 200 may be provided on the assembled structure to preliminary deform the structure, to account for deformations of the structure when the structure is in use in a printing apparatus. This further improves the alignment of the references faces 21, 22.
  • a guiding rail 30a, 30b may first be clamped onto and then screwed fixed onto each of the mounting bodies 20a, 20b.
  • the guiding structure 1 as a final product is a relatively stiff structure, thanks to the relatively large transverse cross section of the beam 101 formed by the panel assembly 100.
  • the guiding structure 1 is relatively light-weight due to the low mass of the individuals panels 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 used for making the beam 101, and as a result of the way that the panels 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 are assembled to obtain a beam 101 of a certain size.
  • One of the aspects aiding to keep the weight of the beam 101 low is that the number of reinforcing panels 160, extending over the full cross section of the beam 101, is smaller than the number of stiffening panels 150.
  • the stiffening panels 150 each only extend over a portion of the cross section of the beam 101, which saves a lot a weight as compared to a situation in which the stiffening panels 150 would also have extended over the full cross section.

Landscapes

  • Character Spaces And Line Spaces In Printers (AREA)
EP18170744.9A 2018-05-04 2018-05-04 Führungsstruktur für einen druckkopfschlitten Withdrawn EP3564038A1 (de)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP18170744.9A EP3564038A1 (de) 2018-05-04 2018-05-04 Führungsstruktur für einen druckkopfschlitten

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP18170744.9A EP3564038A1 (de) 2018-05-04 2018-05-04 Führungsstruktur für einen druckkopfschlitten

Publications (1)

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EP3564038A1 true EP3564038A1 (de) 2019-11-06

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EP18170744.9A Withdrawn EP3564038A1 (de) 2018-05-04 2018-05-04 Führungsstruktur für einen druckkopfschlitten

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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP4197801A1 (de) 2021-12-20 2023-06-21 Canon Production Printing Holding B.V. Drucker und führungsschiene für einen druckkopfwagen

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5195836A (en) * 1991-10-29 1993-03-23 Hewlett-Packard Company Guideway and support structure for a printer/plotter carriage
US20080273910A1 (en) * 2005-05-30 2008-11-06 Agfa Graphics Nv Print Head Shuttle with Active Cooling
US20090001243A1 (en) * 2007-06-04 2009-01-01 Peter Weingartner Method of producing a support and a support
US20170106686A1 (en) * 2015-10-20 2017-04-20 Seiko Epson Corporation Liquid Discharging Apparatus and Method of Adjusting Rail Section in Liquid Discharging Apparatus

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5195836A (en) * 1991-10-29 1993-03-23 Hewlett-Packard Company Guideway and support structure for a printer/plotter carriage
US20080273910A1 (en) * 2005-05-30 2008-11-06 Agfa Graphics Nv Print Head Shuttle with Active Cooling
US20090001243A1 (en) * 2007-06-04 2009-01-01 Peter Weingartner Method of producing a support and a support
US20170106686A1 (en) * 2015-10-20 2017-04-20 Seiko Epson Corporation Liquid Discharging Apparatus and Method of Adjusting Rail Section in Liquid Discharging Apparatus

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP4197801A1 (de) 2021-12-20 2023-06-21 Canon Production Printing Holding B.V. Drucker und führungsschiene für einen druckkopfwagen

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