Method And Apparatus For Melt Cessation To Limit Ink Flow And Ink Stick Deformation
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsDavid P. Platt, Chad D. Freitag, Isaac S. Frazier, Jason Woebkenberg, Brent R. Jones
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Abstract
A system has been developed that controls application of heat with a melt plate to an ink stick in a solid ink imaging device. The system includes a melt plate, a heater configured to heat the melt plate to a temperature sufficient to melt solid ink, a heat transfer unit configured to cool the melt plate to arrest the melting of the solid ink within a predetermined time, and a controller configured to actuate the heat transfer unit to selectively cool the melt plate in response to reaching a heater power off phase.
Claims18
A method for controlling application of heat with a melt plate to an ink stick in a solid ink imaging device comprising:
- monitoring state of electrical power provided to a heater that heats a melt plate positioned at one end of a feed channel in a solid ink printer;
- and
- cooling the melt plate to arrest melting of the leading edge of the ink stick within a predetermined time relative to reaching a heater power off phase.
A system for controlling application of heat with a melt plate to an ink stick in a solid ink imaging device comprising:
- a melt plate;
- a heater configured to heat the melt plate to a temperature sufficient to melt solid ink;
- a heat transfer unit configured to cool the melt plate to arrest the melting of the solid ink within a predetermined time;
- and
- a controller configured to actuate the heat transfer unit to selectively cool the melt plate in response to reaching a heater power off phase.
A system for controlling application of heat with a melt plate to an ink stick in a solid ink imaging device comprising:
- a melt plate;
- a thermoelectric component coupled to the melt plate and configured to heat the melt plate to a temperature sufficient to melt solid ink when an electrical current passes through the thermoelectric component in a forward direction and to cool the melt plate to arrest the melting of the solid ink within a predetermined time when the electrical current passes through the thermoelectric component in a reverse direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.