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US 2019/0240997 A1Published application
A vacuum-belt for an inkjet printing device
AssigneeAgfa NV
InventorLuc DE ROECK
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An inkjet printing device includes a vacuum-belt and vacuum-table including a flat area positioned between a first and second air-groove aligned along a conveying direction. The vacuum belt includes a first column of vacuum-belt-air-channels connected to the first air-groove, a second column of vacuum-belt-air-channels connected to the second air-groove, and a third column of vacuum-belt-air-channels connected to the flat area by a plurality of air channels formed by a rough layer at the back-side of the vacuum-belt and/or a rough layer on the flat area.
Claims16
1-15. (canceled)
16:
- An inkjet printing device comprising:
- a vacuum table;
- and
- a vacuum belt wrapped around the vacuum table in a conveying direction, the vacuum table including a flat area located between a first air groove and a second air groove;
- wherein
- the first air groove is aligned in the conveying direction;
- the second air groove is aligned in the conveying direction;
- and
- the vacuum belt includes:
- a first column of vacuum belt air channels extending in the conveying direction and connected to the first air groove;
- a second column of vacuum belt air channels extending in the conveying direction and connected to the second air groove;
- and
- a third column of vacuum belt air channels extending in the conveying direction and connected to the flat area via a plurality of air channels provided in a rough layer on a back side of the vacuum belt and/or a rough layer in the flat area of the vacuum table.
10 more elements
17:
- The inkjet printing device according to claim 16, wherein the rough layer on the back side of the vacuum belt and/or the rough layer in the flat area of the vacuum table has an average roughness Ra larger than 15 μm.
18:
- The inkjet printing device according to claim 17, wherein a support side of the vacuum belt includes:
- a first vacuum zone connected to the first column of vacuum belt air channels;
- a second vacuum zone connected to the second column of vacuum belt air channels;
- a third vacuum zone connected to the third column of vacuum belt air channels;
- a first non-vacuum zone located between the first vacuum zone and the third vacuum zone;
- and
- a second non-vacuum zone located between the second vacuum zone and the third vacuum zone;
- wherein
- a width of the first non-vacuum zone is larger than half of a width of the first vacuum zone, and larger than half of a width of the first air groove;
- and
- a width of the second non-vacuum zone is larger than half of a width of the second vacuum zone, and larger than half of a width of the second air groove.
8 more elements
19:
- The inkjet printing device according to claim 18, wherein each of the vacuum belt air channels has a minimum cross-sectional area, a size of which defines a minimum profile area of the vacuum belt air channel;
- a total sum of the minimum profile area of the vacuum belt air channels in the third vacuum zone is at minimum 5 times greater than a total sum of the minimum profile area of the vacuum belt air channels in the first vacuum zone;
- and
- the total sum of the minimum profile area of the vacuum belt air channels in the third vacuum zone is at minimum 5 times greater than a total sum of the minimum profile area of the vacuum belt air channels in the second vacuum zone.
1 more element
20:
- The inkjet printing device according to claim 19, wherein the rough layer located at the back side of the vacuum belt is a woven fabric or a knitted fabric.
21:
- The inkjet printing device according to claim 20, wherein the woven fabric is selected from the group consisting of a plain-weave fabric, a twill-weave fabric, and a satin-weave fabric;
- and
- the support side of the vacuum belt includes a thermoplastic polymer resin.
22:
- A method of using the inkjet printing device according to claim 16 comprising the step of:
- printing on genuine leather or hide leather with the inkjet printing device.
23:
- An inkjet printing method comprising the steps of:
- providing the inkjet printing device according to claim 16 with a printhead;
- and
- conveying a print receiver on the vacuum belt underneath the printhead.
1 more element
24:
- The inkjet printing method according to claim 23, where the print receiver is selected from the group consisting of a heat-sensitive print receiver, a rigid multilayered print receiver, an edge curl-sensitive print receiver, genuine leather, hide leather, corrugated fibreboard, a plastic foil, and a printing plate.
25:
- The inkjet printing method according to claim 24, wherein the rough layer on the back side of the vacuum belt and/or the rough layer in the flat area of the vacuum table has an average roughness Ra between 17 μm and 500 μm.
26:
- The inkjet printing method according to claim 25, wherein a support side of the vacuum belt includes:
- a first vacuum zone connected to the first column of vacuum belt air channels;
- a second vacuum zone connected to the second column of vacuum belt air channels;
- a third vacuum zone connected to the third column of vacuum belt air channels;
- a first non-vacuum zone located between the first vacuum zone and the third vacuum zone;
- and
- a second non-vacuum zone located between the second vacuum zone and the third vacuum zone;
- wherein
- a width of the first non-vacuum zone is larger than half of a width of the first vacuum zone, and larger than half of a width of the first air groove;
- and
- a width of the second non-vacuum zone is larger than half of a width of the second vacuum zone, and larger than half of a width of the second air groove.
8 more elements
27:
- The inkjet printing method according to claim 26, wherein each of the vacuum belt air channels has a minimum cross-sectional area, a size of which defines a minimum profile area of the vacuum belt air channel;
- a total sum of the minimum profile area of the vacuum belt air channels in the third vacuum zone is at minimum 5 times greater than a total sum of the minimum profile area of the vacuum belt air channels in the first vacuum zone;
- and
- the total sum of the minimum profile area of the vacuum belt air channels in the third vacuum zone is at minimum 5 times greater than a total sum of the minimum profile area of the vacuum belt air channels in the second vacuum zone.
1 more element
28:
- The inkjet printing method according to claim 27, wherein the rough layer located at the back side of the vacuum belt is a woven fabric or a knitted fabric.
29:
- The inkjet printing method according to claim 28, wherein the woven fabric is selected from the group consisting of a plain-weave fabric, a basked-weave fabric, a twill-weave fabric, and a satin-weave fabric.
30:
- The inkjet printing method according to claim 28, wherein the knitted fabric is a weft-knitted fabric or a warp-knitted fabric.