Point-of-incidence ink-curing mechanisms for radial printing
AssigneeElesys, Inc.
InventorJan E. Unter
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus for curing or drying of individual ink objects, dynamically during the radial printing process, at the ink object's point of incidence are described. Mechanisms for curing or drying ink objects, dynamically during the radial printing process, at the ink object's point of incidence, reducing ink object migration while the ink is wet, caused from inherent centrifugal forces and secondary air turbulence during the radial printing process, reducing image distortion, resulting in a more clearly printed image, such as on a spinning CD, are disclosed.
Claims24
A printing system for radially printing onto a rotating media, comprising:
- a dispensement mechanism for dispensing an ink object onto a media at a point-of-incidence while the media is rotating under the dispensement mechanism;
- a curing mechanism for drying or curing the dispensed ink object directly at the point-of-incidence of the ink object while the media is rotating under the dispensement mechanism;
- and
- a controller for synchronizing the dispensement mechanism to dispense the ink object at the point-of-incidence with the curing mechanism to dry or cure the dispensed ink directly at the point-of-incidence while the media is rotating, the point-of-incidence having an angular position on the rotating media.
A printing system for radially printing onto a rotating media, comprising:
- a dispensement mechanism having a first nozzle for dispensing an ink object onto a media at a point-of-incidence while the media is rotating under the dispensement mechanism and a second nozzle for dispensing a chemically reactive curing object that mixes and chemically reacts with the ink object at the point-of-incidence to thereby dry or cure the dispensed ink object directly at the point-of-incidence of the ink object while the media is rotating under the dispensement mechanism, wherein the ink object is uncured and chemically reactive to the curing object;
- and
- a controller for causing the dispensement mechanism to synchronously dispense the ink object and the curing object directly at the point-of-incidence of the ink object while the media is rotating, the point-of-incidence having an angular position on the rotating media.
A method for radially printing onto a rotating media, comprising:
- rotating a media;
- and
- synchronizing a dispensing of an ink object onto the media at a point-of-incidence with a drying or curing of the dispensed ink object directly at the point-of-incidence of the ink object while the media is rotating, wherein the point-of-incidence has an angular position on the rotating media.
A method for radially printing onto a rotating media, comprising:
- rotating a media;
- and
- synchronizing a dispensing of an ink object onto the media at a point-of-incidence with a dispensing of a chemically reactive curing object onto the media at the point-of-incidence while the media is rotating such that it mixes and chemically reacts with the ink object to thereby dry or cure the dispensed ink object directly at the point-of-incidence of the ink object, wherein the ink object is uncured and chemically reactive to the curing object, and wherein the point-of-incidence has an angular position on the rotating media.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.