Shutdown for an ink jet printer
AssigneeScitex Digital Printing, Inc.
InventorRichard T. Enz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method are provided for improving the reliability for shutting down high resolution ink jet printheads for continuous ink jet printers. The shutdown technique fo the present invention solves the problem of ink and/or flush fluid drying in or around orifice holes on higher resolution printheads. This is accomplished with pulse modulation of air pressure used to blow and dry the printhead filters while balancing air flow and negative pressure across the droplet generator and the orifice array.
Claims18
A method for shutting down printheads of a continuous ink jet printing system having a droplet generator with an inlet and an outlet, an associated orifice plate, a jet array, a charge plate, and a catcher, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing means to supply vacuum to the outlet of the droplet generator to remove ink from the droplet generator;
- providing means to supply clean, pressurized air to the inlet of the droplet generator to assist in removal of ink from the droplet generator;
- and
- pulsing at least one of the supply means to supply vacuum or supply pressurized air such that when both supply means are active, resultant high air flow rate through the droplet generator removes fluid from the droplet generator, and when one of the supply means is inactive, a zero pressure region along the orifice array is eliminated.
A system for shutting down printheads of a continuous ink jet printing system having a droplet generator with an inlet and an outlet, an associated orifice plate, a jet array, a charge plate, and a catcher, the system comprising:
- means to supply vacuum to the outlet of the droplet generator to remove ink from the droplet generator;
- means to supply clean, pressurized air to the inlet of the droplet generator to assist in removal of ink from the droplet generator;
- and
- means for pulsing at least one of the supply means to supply vacuum or supply pressurized air such that when both supply means are active, resultant high air flow rate through the droplet generator removes fluid from the droplet generator, and when one of the supply means is inactive, a zero pressure region along the orifice array is eliminated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.