Inkjet printing device for heavy-weight substrates

An inkjet printing method for printing on a substrate with an inkjet printing device, the method comprising the steps of:

• transporting and/or positioning the substrate on a plurality of ball transports provided in a support surface of a flatbed table;
• inkjet printing on the substrate and/or drying the inkjet printed substrate;
• and
• moving the plurality of ball transports away from the support surface of the flatbed table prior to printing on the substrate and/or prior to drying the inkjet printed substrate;
• wherein
• the step of moving the plurality of ball transports away from the support surface includes pivoting the plurality of ball transports towards the support surface and to below the support surface.

An inkjet printing device comprising:

• a flatbed table including a support surface to support a substrate to be printed on;
• a plurality of ball transports provided in the support surface to transport and/or to position the substrate on the flatbed table;
• and
• a first drive that moves the plurality of ball transports away from the support surface of the flatbed table;
• wherein
• the first drive includes a sink system that moves the plurality of ball transports perpendicular to a plane of the support surface, relative to the flatbed table, and to below the support surface of the flatbed table;
• the flatbed table is a vacuum table including a vacuum chamber and a plurality of air-channels that hold the substrate against the flatbed table by vacuum;
• and
• a set of the plurality of air-channels surrounds a ball transfer unit of the plurality of ball transports when the plurality of ball transports are below the support surface of the flatbed table.