US 2021/0197569 A1 · PRINTING APPARATUS WITH MULTI-HEAD CLEANING OF INKJET PRINTFACE AND METHOD OF CLEANING THEREOF

Abstract

An inkjet printing apparatus having a printhead assembly comprises a plurality of printing heads on each of which there is defined a nozzle orifice surface having a row of nozzle orifices through which ink is ejected. The printing apparatus includes a cleaning station comprising a cleaning head array, a plurality of cleaning heads mountable on the cleaning head array and a purge tray. Ambient air is forced under vacuum into a flow channel within each cleaning head such that highly focused fluid flow is generated at the orifice surface when the flow volume impinges the profiled exterior of a vacuum outlet port provided on each cleaning head producing sufficient shear forces to remove accumulated ink and debris from the nozzle orifice surface. The invention also relates to improved cleaning heads, an array of heads in a cleaning station assembly and a method of cleaning nozzle orifice surfaces.

Claims23

Dependent claims

An inkjet printing apparatus having a printhead assembly, movable between a printing position and a maintenance position, comprising a plurality of printing heads each of the type having a nozzle plate on which there is defined a nozzle orifice surface, the orifice surface being formed with a row of nozzle orifices through which ink is ejected under microprocessor control,

in which the printing apparatus includes, at the maintenance position of the printhead assembly, a cleaning station comprising a cleaning head array, a plurality of cleaning heads mountable to the cleaning head array and a purge tray,
in which a vacuum source is in communication with the cleaning head array such that highly focused fluid flow is presented at the orifice surface when the printing heads are juxtaposed thereto,
and in which a vacuum outlet port is provided on each cleaning head and is profiled to direct the flow against the exterior surface of the nozzle plate to scrape accumulated ink and debris from the nozzle orifice surface.

A method of cleaning nozzle orifice surfaces of a plurality of printing heads in a printhead assembly of an inkjet printing apparatus, the method including:

at a predetermined interval in a printing cycle, conveying the printhead assembly to a cleaning station of the type having a plurality of cleaning heads mounted adjacent one another on a cleaning head array and adapted to align with nozzle orifice surfaces of respective printing heads;
enabling a vacuum source to draw ambient air into channels formed in each cleaning head to present highly focused fluid flow at the orifice surface;
directing said flow against a profiled peripheral surface of the vacuum outlet port formed on the cleaning head against the exterior surface of the nozzle plate to scrape accumulated ink and debris from the nozzle orifice surface;
moving the printhead assembly progressively with respect to the cleaning head array;
and
drawing removed ink and debris from the region proximate the nozzle plate into said vacuum port and trapping the removed ink and debris for disposal.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Printing apparatus with multi-head cleaning of inkjet printface and method of cleaning thereof

Life of this patent

Printing apparatus with multi-head cleaning of inkjet printface and method of cleaning thereof

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims23