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US 8,262,192 B2Granted
Ink jet printer for printing electromagnetic wave curing ink
AssigneeFUJIFILM Corporation
InventorNobuo Matsumoto
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A printing device has a gas source, a printhead having a nozzle plate with nozzles in the nozzle plate, the nozzles are fluidly connected to corresponding pumping chamber and a gas outlet positioned adjacent to the nozzle plate. The gas outlet is in fluid communication with the gas source and the gas outlet is configured to provide gas to an exposed surface of the nozzle plate so that the gas flow is substantially parallel to the surface of the nozzle plate. Fluid that is ejected out of the nozzles has a UV curable component. After the fluid has been ejected out of the nozzle and onto a receiver, the fluid is irradiated and cured.
Claims23
A printing device, comprising:
- a gas source;
- a printhead having a nozzle plate with nozzles in the nozzle plate, wherein the nozzles are fluidly connected to corresponding pumping chambers;
- and
- a gas outlet positioned adjacent to the nozzle plate, wherein the gas outlet is in fluid communication with the gas source and the gas outlet is configured to provide gas to an exposed surface of the nozzle plate so that the gas flow is substantially parallel to the surface of the nozzle plate, at least one edge of the nozzle plate along the exposed surface forming a part of the gas outlet, the at least one edge of the nozzle plate being rounded or chamfered to maintain the gas close to the exposed surface of the nozzle plate without turbulently flowing away from the printhead,
- wherein the gas source is configured to supply gas at a rate of less than 2 m/s.
2 more elements
A printing device, comprising:
- a gas source;
- a printhead having a nozzle plate with nozzles in the nozzle plate, wherein the nozzles are fluidly connected to corresponding pumping chambers;
- a gas outlet positioned adjacent to the nozzle plate, wherein the gas outlet is in fluid communication with the gas source and the gas outlet is configured to provide gas to an exposed surface of the nozzle plate so that the gas flow is substantially parallel to the surface of the nozzle plate, at least one edge of the nozzle plate along the exposed surface forming a part of the gas outlet, the at least one edge of the nozzle plate being rounded or chamfered to maintain the gas close to the exposed surface of the nozzle plate without turbulently flowing away from the printhead;
- and
- a UV light source adjacent to the printhead.
2 more elements
A method of printing, comprising:
- ejecting fluid from a nozzle in a printhead of a printing device along a trajectory and onto a receiver, wherein the printing device comprises:
- a gas source;
- the printhead having a nozzle plate with nozzles in the nozzle plate, wherein the nozzles are fluidly connected to corresponding pumping chambers;
- and
- a gas outlet positioned adjacent to the nozzle plate, wherein the gas outlet is in fluid communication with the gas source and the gas outlet is configured to provide gas to an exposed surface of the nozzle plate so that the gas flow is substantially parallel to the surface of the nozzle plate, at least one edge of the nozzle plate along the exposed surface forming a part of the gas outlet, the at least one edge of the nozzle plate being rounded or chamfered to maintain the gas close to the exposed surface of the nozzle plate without turbulently flowing away from the printhead;
- and
- while ejecting fluid from the nozzle, flowing oxygen containing gas across the nozzle plate at a rate sufficiently low to prevent flowing oxygen containing gas from changing the trajectory of the fluid ejected from the nozzle,
- wherein ejecting fluid includes ejecting UV curable ink, the method further comprising irradiating the ink on the receiver that has been ejected from the nozzle.
5 more elements
A method of, comprising:
- ejecting fluid from a nozzle in a printhead of a printing device along a trajectory and onto a receiver, wherein the printing device comprises:
- a gas source;
- the printhead having a nozzle plate with nozzles in the nozzle plate, wherein the nozzles are fluidly connected to corresponding pumping chambers;
- and
- a gas outlet positioned adjacent to the nozzle plate, wherein the gas outlet is in fluid communication with the gas source and the gas outlet is configured to provide gas to an exposed surface of the nozzle plate so that the gas flow is substantially parallel to the surface of the nozzle plate, at least one edge of the nozzle plate along the exposed surface forming a part of the gas outlet, the at least one edge of the nozzle plate being rounded or chamfered to maintain the gas close to the exposed surface of the nozzle plate without turbulently flowing away from the printhead;
- and
- while ejecting fluid from the nozzle, flowing oxygen containing gas across the nozzle plate at a rate sufficiently low to prevent flowing oxygen containing gas from changing the trajectory of the fluid ejected from the nozzle,
- wherein flowing the oxygen containing gas comprises flowing gas that has more than 21% oxygen across the printhead.
5 more elements
A printing device, comprising:
- a gas source;
- a printhead having a nozzle plate with nozzles in a surface, wherein the nozzles are fluidly connected to corresponding pumping chambers and the surface is exposed;
- and
- a gas outlet formed in the nozzle plate and in the same surface as the nozzles, wherein the gas outlet is in fluid communication with the gas source, the gas outlet is separate from the nozzles,
- wherein the gas source is configured to supply gas at a rate of less than 2 m/s.
2 more elements
A printing device, comprising:
- a gas source;
- a printhead having a nozzle plate with nozzles in a surface, wherein the nozzles are fluidly connected to corresponding pumping chambers and the surface is exposed;
- and
- a gas outlet formed in the nozzle plate and in the same surface as the nozzles, wherein the gas outlet is in fluid communication with the gas source, the gas outlet is separate from the nozzles,
- wherein one edge of the nozzle plate forms a part of the gas outlet, and at least one edge of the nozzle plate is rounded.
2 more elements
A printing device, comprising:
- a gas source;
- a printhead having a nozzle plate with nozzles in a surface, wherein the nozzles are fluidly connected to corresponding pumping chambers and the surface is exposed;
- and
- a gas outlet formed in the nozzle plate and in the same surface as the nozzles, wherein the gas outlet is in fluid communication with the gas source, the gas outlet is separate from the nozzles,
- wherein one edge of the nozzle plate forms a part of the gas outlet, and at least one edge of the nozzle plate is chamfered.
2 more elements
A method of printing, comprising:
- ejecting fluid from a nozzle in a printhead of a printing device along a trajectory and onto a receiver, wherein the printing device comprises:
- a gas source;
- the printhead having a nozzle plate with nozzles in a surface, wherein the nozzles are fluidly connected to corresponding pumping chambers and the surface is exposed;
- and
- a gas outlet formed in the nozzle plate and in the same surface as the nozzles, wherein the gas outlet is in fluid communication with the gas source, the gas outlet is separate from the nozzles;
- and
- while ejecting fluid from the nozzle, flowing oxygen containing gas across the nozzle plate at a rate sufficiently low to prevent flowing oxygen containing gas from changing the trajectory of the fluid ejected from the nozzle.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.