Heating fluid print agent with ultraviolet radiation
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsEhud Eyal, Nadav Shalem
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method is disclosed. The method may comprise applying a coating of electrically charged fluid print agent to a developer surface, the fluid print agent comprising particles of thermoplastic resin in a carrier fluid. The method may further comprise controlling migration of fluid print agent from the developer surface to form an image from fluid print agent on a first surface. The method may further comprise irradiating the print agent on the first surface with ultraviolet radiation to heat the print agent to a temperature of at least 70° C. to melt the thermoplastic resin. A print system and a heating unit are also disclosed.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- applying a coating of electrically charged fluid print agent to a developer surface, the fluid print agent comprising particles of thermoplastic resin in a carrier fluid;
- controlling migration of fluid print agent from the developer surface to form an image from fluid print agent on a first surface;
- and
- irradiating the print agent on the first surface with ultraviolet radiation to heat the print agent to a temperature of at least 70° C. to melt the thermoplastic resin.
A print system comprising:
- an image unit to form an image on a first surface from a fluid thermoplastic print agent, the fluid print agent comprising particles of thermoplastic resin in a carrier fluid;
- the image unit comprising:
- a developer unit to develop a coating of electrically charged fluid print agent on a developer surface;
- and
- a control unit to control migration of the fluid print agent from the developer surface to form the image;
- and
- a heating unit comprising an ultraviolet source to irradiate the print agent on the first surface with ultraviolet radiation to melt the thermoplastic resin to allow the melted thermoplastic resin in continuous areas on the first surface to fuse together.
A printer heating unit comprising:
- an ultraviolet LED array;
- and
- a controller to control the ultraviolet LED array to output ultraviolet radiation to cause heating of a fluid print agent comprising thermoplastic resin in a carrier fluid to evaporate the carrier fluid and melt the thermoplastic resin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.