Method of manufacture of a multi-wire nonimpact printhead
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsWillie Goff, Jr., William M. Jenkins
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of making a plurality of multi-wire nonimpact printheads provides precise inter-wire spacing accuracy and repeatability of manufacturing steps to enable mass production. A plurality of slats are molded, one alongside another on a cylindrical support shell, parallel to the shell axis. A helical thread is engraved on the slats along the axial length of the support shell. A continuous wire is wrapped in the thread and the portions of the wire on the slats are encapsulated. The support shell and wrapped wire is cut between adjacent slats to obtain a plurality of printhead blanks. Each blank is machined to smooth the exposed print wires. The resultant printheads may be used in page- width nonimpact printers.
Claims16
A method of making a plurality of multi-wire printheads comprising the steps of:
- forming a cylindrical support shell,
- assembling a plurality of inboard slats on said cylindrical support shell, parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof,
- engraving a helical thread across said inboard slats,
- wrapping a wire in said helical thread,
- assembling a plurality of outboard slats on the wrapped wire, a respective one of said outboard slats being aligned with a respective one of said inboard slats, and
- cutting the cylindrical support shell and the wrapped wire parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical support shell between adjacent inboard slats to produce a plurality of multi-wire printheads having said cylindrical support shell as an integral part thereof.
A method of making a plurality of multi-wire printheads comprising the steps of:
- assembling a plurality of inboard slats, one alongside another, into a cylindrical structure, with the inboard slats lying parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical structure;
- engraving a helical thread across said inboard slats;
- wrapping a wire in said helical thread;
- assemblying a plurality of outboard slats on the wrapped wire, a respective one of said outboard slats being aligned with a respective one of said inboard slats;
- and
- cutting the wrapped wire parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical structure, between adjacent outboard slats to produce a plurality of multi-wire printheads having said plurality of inboard slats as an integral part thereof.
A method of making a plurality of multi-wire printheads comprising the steps of:
- forming an inboard cylindrical shell,
- engraving a helical thread on said inboard cylindrical shell,
- wrapping a wire in said helical thread,
- forming an outboard cylindrical shell on the wrapped wire, and
- cutting through the inboard cylindrical shell, the wrapped wire and the outboard cylindrical shell, at a plurality of locations parallel to the longitudinal axis of the inboard cylindrical shell to produce a plurality of multi-wire printheads having said inboard cylindrical shell as an integral part thereof.
A method of making a plurality of multi-wire printheads comprising the steps of:
- assembling a plurality of slats, one alongside another, to form a cylindrical structure, with the slats lying parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical structure,
- engraving a helical thread across said slats,
- wrapping a wire in said helical thread,
- forming a cylindrical shell on the wrapped wire, and
- cutting through the cylindrical shell and the wrapped wire parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical shell between adjacent slats, to produce a plurality of multi-wire printheads having said plurality of slats as an integral part thereof.
A method of making a plurality of multi-wire printheads comprising the steps of:
- forming a cylindrical shell,
- engraving a helical thread on said cylindrical shell,
- wrapping a wire in said helical thread,
- assembling a plurality of slats on the wrapped wire, one alongside another, with the slats lying parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical shell, and
- cutting the wrapped wire and the cylindrical shell parallel to the axis of the cylindrical shell, between adjacent slats, to produce a plurality of multi-wire printheads, each of said plurality of multi-wire printheads having a section of said cylindrical shell as an integral part thereof.
A method of making a plurality of multi-wire printheads comprising the steps of:
- assembling a plurality of slats, one alongside another, into a cylindrical structure, with the slats lying parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical structure,
- engraving a helical thread across said slats,
- wrapping a wire in said helical thread,
- encapsulating the wrapped wire on said slats, and
- cutting the wrapped wire parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical structure, between adjacent slats to produce a plurality of multi-wire printheads having said plurality of inboard slats as an integral part thereof.
A method of making a plurality of multi-wire printheads comprising the steps of:
- assembling a plurality of inboard slats, one alongside another, into a cylindrical structure, with the inboard slats lying parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical structure;
- wrapping a wire on said inboard slats, in a helical pattern along the length of the cylindrical structure,
- assembling a plurality of outboard slats on the wrapped wire, a respective one of said outboard slats being aligned with a respective one of said inboard slats;
- and
- cutting the wrapped wire parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical structure, between adjacent outboard slats to produce a plurality of multi-wire printheads having said plurality of inboard slats as an integral part thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.