EP3616933B1 - Apparatus for heat treatment of sheets - Google Patents
Apparatus for heat treatment of sheets Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP3616933B1 EP3616933B1 EP18191939.0A EP18191939A EP3616933B1 EP 3616933 B1 EP3616933 B1 EP 3616933B1 EP 18191939 A EP18191939 A EP 18191939A EP 3616933 B1 EP3616933 B1 EP 3616933B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- belt
- support structure
- sheets
- segments
- force
- 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.)
- Active
Links
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 title claims description 6
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 claims description 19
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000001035 drying Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005265 energy consumption Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001678 irradiating effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000013021 overheating Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000005855 radiation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007665 sagging Methods 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
- B41J11/00—Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, for supporting or handling copy material in sheet or web form
- B41J11/0015—Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, for supporting or handling copy material in sheet or web form for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing
- B41J11/002—Curing or drying the ink on the copy materials, e.g. by heating or irradiating
- B41J11/0024—Curing or drying the ink on the copy materials, e.g. by heating or irradiating using conduction means, e.g. by using a heated platen
-
- 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
- B41J11/00—Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, for supporting or handling copy material in sheet or web form
- B41J11/007—Conveyor belts or like feeding devices
-
- 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
- B41J11/00—Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, for supporting or handling copy material in sheet or web form
- B41J11/0085—Using suction for maintaining printing material flat
Definitions
- the invention relates to an apparatus for heat treatment of sheets that are supported on a moving belt, wherein the sheets are pressed against a support surface of the belt, and the belt is supported on a heat conductive stationary support structure.
- a radiation heater and/or a hot air blower is installed above the belt for heating the sheet to a temperature high enough for drying the ink that has been deposited on the sheet.
- the belt is perforated, and a suction box is installed underneath the belt, so that air is sucked-in through the perforations of the belt and the sheets are firmly attracted against the belt while moving past the heater.
- Fig. 2 shows an individual segment 18 of the support structure 16.
- the segment is constituted by a profile member 26 that extends over the entire width of the belt 10 and has a cross-sectional shape of an inverted U with a flat top wall 28 and inwardly projecting flanges 30 at the bottom ends of the legs of the U.
- the flat top wall 28 is preferably provided with openings 28A which allow air to pass through the flat top wall 28.
- a biasing mechanism 32 which has only been shown schematically in Fig. 2 biases the profile member 26 upwards so that, as long as no opposing force is exerted on the segment, the flanges 30 are held in engagement with stop members 34 which limit the upward movement of the profile member.
- the stop members 34 for all the segments 18 of the support structure are arranged such that the top walls 28 of the profile members 26 are flush with each other and constitute a horizontal plane on which the belt 10 is supported and which is slightly higher than the plane defined by the top vertices of the rollers 22.
Landscapes
- Delivering By Means Of Belts And Rollers (AREA)
- Ink Jet (AREA)
Description
- The invention relates to an apparatus for heat treatment of sheets that are supported on a moving belt, wherein the sheets are pressed against a support surface of the belt, and the belt is supported on a heat conductive stationary support structure.
- More particularly, the invention relates to a dryer for printed media sheets in an ink jet printer.
- In such a dryer, a radiation heater and/or a hot air blower is installed above the belt for heating the sheet to a temperature high enough for drying the ink that has been deposited on the sheet. The belt is perforated, and a suction box is installed underneath the belt, so that air is sucked-in through the perforations of the belt and the sheets are firmly attracted against the belt while moving past the heater.
- In a high production printer, having a production of 600 sheets per minute, for example, the sheets have to be moved past the heater at a considerable speed, and the heater must be powerful enough to heat the sheets to a sufficiently high temperature in a time period that has a length of only a fraction of a second. Further, in view of the high speed, a high suction pressure is required for safely holding the sheets on the belt.
- In general, the sheets on which an image has been printed with an inkjet print head have certain areas which have received a large amount of ink and are relatively wet, whereas other areas may have received only little or no ink. In view of the high power of the heater, there is a risk that the relatively dry areas on the sheet become overheated. For that reason, the heat conductive stationary support structure which is formed by a perforated top wall of the suction box has not only the function to support the belt but has also the function to equalize the temperature profile of the sheet by absorbing heat from the hotter areas of the sheet and transporting it to the cooler areas.
- The high suction pressure with which the sheets are pressed against the belt has the consequence that the belt tends to sag and is pressed against the support structure with a force that is approximately equal to the force with which the sheet is pressed against the belt. On the one hand, this assures a good thermal contact between the belt and the heat conductive support structure. On the other hand, it leads also to high friction between the moving belt and the stationary support structure and, in view of the high speed of the belt, to increased energy consumption and accelerated wear of the belt.
- It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus of the type indicated above wherein the friction between the belt and the stationary support structure is reduced and the support structure is nevertheless capable of efficiently distributing the heat over the area of the sheet
US-A-2002/067401 discloses the preamble ofclaim 1. - According to the invention, in order to achieve that object, the heat conductive support structure is elastically biased against the belt with a biasing force, and a compliance limiting mechanism is arranged to support the belt against a force with which the sheets are pressed against the belt. The support structure is divided into separate segments which are biased against the belt independently of one another.
- In order to assure a good thermal contact between the sheet and the support structure, via the belt intervening between them, the belt should be held in intimate full-face contact with the support structure. However, since the relation between the heat transfer at the interface between belt and support structure and the force with which the belt is pressed against the support structure is non-linear, it is sufficient that the belt and the support structure are gently biased against one another with a relatively small force. A reduced biasing force would however increase the compliance of the belt, i.e. the tendency of the belt to sag or to be deflected, because the pressing force exerted onto the sheet and the belt cannot be counterbalanced completely. For that reason, an additional compliance limiting mechanism is provided that is capable of supporting the belt with a higher force without causing too much friction. This assures that the elastic means that bias the support structure against the belt will not be compressed excessively, so that the biasing force and consequently also the friction are limited. More specific optional features of the invention are indicated in the dependent claims.
- The stationary support structure may be formed by a plurality of segments that are separated by gaps in which the compliance limiting mechanism, constituted for example by a set of rollers, can engage the belt. Preferably, the heat conductive segments extend in transverse direction of the belt, so that the support structure has a particularly high heat conductivity in the transverse direction. In the longitudinal direction of the belt, a temperature gradient in the heated sheet will be smoothened, anyway, because the sheet moves over the consecutive segments of the support structure.
- The compliance of the belt can also be reduced by increasing the tension of the belt. In certain embodiments, it may even be possible to dispense with support rollers or other low-friction support elements, so that the compliance limiting mechanism will be formed only by a belt tensioning mechanism.
- The segments of the support structure may be biased against the belt by means of coil springs, leaf springs, and the like.
- In order to assure that the segments of the support structure are held in a common plane when the force pressing the belt against the support structure is low or absent, the range of movement of the segments in the direction normal to the plane of the belt may be limited by mechanical stops.
- Embodiment examples will now be described in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:
- Fig. 1
- is a schematic side view of a heat treatment apparatus according to the invention;
- Fig. 2
- is a sectional view of a segment of a support structure in the apparatus shown in
Fig. 1 , - Fig. 3
- is a top plan view of a support structure supporting a conveyer belt; and
- Fig. 4
- is a diagram showing a relation between a heat conductivity of an interface between the belt and the support structure as a function of a force with which the belt is pressed against the support structure.
- As an example of a heat treatment apparatus,
Fig. 1 shows a dryer that forms part of an ink jet printer and serves for drying media sheets S on which an image has just been formed by means of an ink jet print head assembly that has not been shown. The sheets S are conveyed on anendless conveyor belt 10 and move in a direction indicated by an arrow X. Aheater 12 is installed above thebelt 10 and heats the sheets S, e.g. by irradiating them with infrared light, in order to dry the liquid ink that is deposited on the sheets. - A
suction box 14 is installed underneath the upper strand of thebelt 10 and has a top wall formed by an air-permeable support structure 16 that supports thebelt 10 from below. Thesupport structure 16 is constituted by a series ofsegments 18 that extend in transverse direction of thebelt 10 and are elastically biased against thebelt 10 with a force F1. - A suction pressure is applied to the interior of the
suction box 14, so that air is drawn in through the air-permeable top wall and through perforations of thebelt 10. As a consequence, the sheets S are firmly attracted against the top surface of thebelt 10 with a force Fs. The suction force Fs is large enough to safely immobilize the sheets S on thebelt 10 even when the belt moves at high speed. - A
compliance limiting mechanism 20 is comprises by a set ofrollers 22 that are arranged in some of the gaps between thesegments 18 and are evenly distributed over the width and with a length of thebelt 10 so as to rigidly support the belt from below with low friction. In addition, abelt tensioning mechanism 24 is provided for holding thebelt 10 under relatively high tension in order to further reduce the compliance of the belt. Thecompliance limiting mechanism 20 exerts an upwardly directed force F2 on thebelt 10. Together, the upwardly directed forces F1 and F2 counterbalance the suction force Fs, so that thebelt 10 is substantially prevented from sagging. -
Fig. 2 shows anindividual segment 18 of thesupport structure 16. The segment is constituted by aprofile member 26 that extends over the entire width of thebelt 10 and has a cross-sectional shape of an inverted U with aflat top wall 28 and inwardly projectingflanges 30 at the bottom ends of the legs of the U. Theflat top wall 28 is preferably provided withopenings 28A which allow air to pass through theflat top wall 28. Abiasing mechanism 32 which has only been shown schematically inFig. 2 biases theprofile member 26 upwards so that, as long as no opposing force is exerted on the segment, theflanges 30 are held in engagement withstop members 34 which limit the upward movement of the profile member. Thestop members 34 for all thesegments 18 of the support structure are arranged such that thetop walls 28 of theprofile members 26 are flush with each other and constitute a horizontal plane on which thebelt 10 is supported and which is slightly higher than the plane defined by the top vertices of therollers 22. - When the suction pressure Fs acts upon the sheet S and the
belt 10 is pressed downwards, the belt may yield to some extent, until the belt is supported on therollers 22. In that condition, thesegments 18 are pressed downwards and the springs of thebiasing mechanisms 32 are compressed so that they exert the biasing force F1 onto theprofile members 26. The springs of thebiasing mechanisms 32 may be provided at opposite ends of theprofile members 26. Optionally, additional springs may be distributed over the length of each profile member. Due to the rigidity of theprofile members 26, the force F1 will be evenly distributed over the length of each segment. Further, thebiasing mechanisms 32 allow theprofile member 26 to tilt about a longitudinal axis (normal to the plane of the drawing inFig. 2 ) so as to adapt to a possible deflection of thebelt 10. - As is shown in
Fig. 1 , the suction force Fs which the sheet S exerts upon thebelt 10 is counterbalanced mainly by the force F2 of thecompliance limiting mechanism 20, and the force F2 varies in accordance with variations of the force Fs, whereas the biasing force F1 is limited and generally smaller than F2. This limits the friction between the movingbelt 10 and thesegments 18 of thesupport structure 16. -
Fig. 3 shows a portion of thesupport structure 16 and thebelt 10 in a top plan view. In this example, thebiasing mechanism 32 is formed by forked leaf springs mounted onframe members 36 and supporting the opposite ends of eachprofile member 26. Thestop members 34 are formed by pins that project from theframe members 36. Some of therollers 22 have also been shown. - In this example, the sheet S has
dark areas blank areas 42, 44 without ink. When the sheet S is uniformly irradiated by theheater 12, the temperature of the paper in theblank areas 42 and 44 will rise quicker and higher than in thedark areas belt 10 and further to thesupport structure 16. Since thebelt 10 has to be flexible, its thickness and heat capacity are limited, so that a major part of the heat must be transferred onto theprofile members 26 of the support structure in which thetop walls 28 have a large thickness and, accordingly, a high heat capacity. Further, theprofile members 26 are made of a material having a good heat conductivity, e.g. metal, so that heat will rapidly flow away in transverse direction of thebelt 10 from thehot areas 42, 44 to thecooler areas belt 10 and the sheet S move in the direction x, the hot area 42, for example, will move over a segment that has been protected against excessive heat by thedark area 40 and will therefore also help to cool the hot area 42. In this way, heat is also distributed in longitudinal direction of the belt. - The limited force F1 with which the
profile members 26 are biased against thebelt 10 is just large enough to assure a good mechanical contact between thetop walls 28 of the profile members and thebelt 10, so that the heat can readily be transferred from thebelt 10 to theprofile members 26 while the friction between the support structure and the belt remains low. -
Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the non-linear relation between the heat conductivity of the junction between thebelt 10 and thesupport structure 16 and the force F with which theprofile members 26 are biased against the belt. It can be seen that a relatively small force F1 is sufficient for assuring a substantial heat transfer.
Claims (6)
- An apparatus for heat treatment of sheets (S) that are supported on a moving belt (10), wherein the sheets (S) are pressed against a support surface of the belt (10) and the belt is supported on a heat conductive stationary support structure (16), characterized in that the heat conductive support structure (16) is elastically biased against the belt (10) with a biasing force (F1) and a compliance limiting mechanism (20) is arranged to support the belt (10) against a force (Fs) with which the sheets are pressed against the belt, characterized in that the support structure (16) is divided into separate segments (18) which are biased against the belt (10) independently of one another.
- The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the segments (18) extend in transverse direction of the belt (10).
- The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a biasing mechanism (32) for the segments (18) is arranged to allow a rotation of each segment (18) about a longitudinal axis of the segment.
- The apparatus according to any of the claim 1 to 3, wherein the compliance limiting mechanism (20) comprises rollers (22) that are arranged to engage the belt (10) in gaps between the segments (18).
- The apparatus according to any of the claims 1 to 4, wherein a range of movement of the segments (18) in a direction towards the belt (10) is limited by stop members (34).
- The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the compliance limiting mechanism (20) comprises a tensioning mechanism (24) for tensioning the belt (10).
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP18191939.0A EP3616933B1 (en) | 2018-08-31 | 2018-08-31 | Apparatus for heat treatment of sheets |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP18191939.0A EP3616933B1 (en) | 2018-08-31 | 2018-08-31 | Apparatus for heat treatment of sheets |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP3616933A1 EP3616933A1 (en) | 2020-03-04 |
EP3616933B1 true EP3616933B1 (en) | 2021-06-30 |
Family
ID=63452515
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP18191939.0A Active EP3616933B1 (en) | 2018-08-31 | 2018-08-31 | Apparatus for heat treatment of sheets |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP3616933B1 (en) |
Family Cites Families (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6336722B1 (en) * | 1999-10-05 | 2002-01-08 | Hewlett-Packard Company | Conductive heating of print media |
US6460990B2 (en) * | 2000-12-01 | 2002-10-08 | Hewlett-Packard Co. | Non-warping heated platen |
JP3862142B2 (en) * | 2001-01-10 | 2006-12-27 | セイコーエプソン株式会社 | Recording device |
JP4236259B2 (en) * | 2004-03-08 | 2009-03-11 | キヤノン株式会社 | Recording device |
JP5471743B2 (en) * | 2010-04-09 | 2014-04-16 | セイコーエプソン株式会社 | Recording device |
-
2018
- 2018-08-31 EP EP18191939.0A patent/EP3616933B1/en active Active
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP3616933A1 (en) | 2020-03-04 |
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