US 6,308,626 B1Granted

Convertible media dryer for a large format ink jet print engine

AssigneeMacDermid Acumen, Inc.

InventorsKevin R. Crystal, Richard Joseph Bigaouette

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Abstract

The apparatus of the present invention increases the operating envelope for large format thermal ink jet printing via a directed fluid flow from specially-designed orifices which promote fluid flow on a printed surface adjacent a printing zone in a large format ink jet printer where in addition to the optimized fluid flow one or more heating elements are inserted directly into the fluid flow to thereby promote drying of said printed surface. In one embodiment, a single dual-duct plennum spans the width of a roll-fed large format ink jet print engine and a first duct distributes heated air downward (in the direction of media web movement) and a second duct evacuates a printing space so that any potentially harmful ink vapors or other air-borne contaminant is appropriately fluidly coupled to either a remote exhaust vent or vapor capture vessel.

Claims17

Dependent claims

An improved dryer apparatus for drying media printed by a large format ink jet print engine, comprising:

an elongate plenum member having at least one tapered interior space and oriented to span a lateral width of a large format ink jet print engine, said elongate plenum member dimensionally adapted to dispose advantageously proximally a printing zone of said large format ink jet print engine;
a plurality of ports formed through a wall of said elongate plenum member, fluidly coupled to said at least one tapered interior space, and oriented proximate said printing zone;
at least one heating element disposed inside said at least one tapered interior space;
and
at least one fan means fluidly coupled to said at least one tapered interior space for creating an intake airflow over said at least one heating element and through said at least one tapered interior space, and for creating an exhaust flow of heated air though said plurality of ports so that a printing media emerging from said printing zone encounters said exhaust flow of heated air which dries a printing ink composition printed onto said printing media;
wherein said at least one tapered interior space comprises a tapered interior diameter decreasing from an end proximate said fan and said heating element to an opposite end of said interior space, said tapered interior diameter promoting improved air flow out of said ports regardless of the distance each of said ports resides from said fan.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.