Maintenance unit for print head
AssigneeNovartis AG
InventorsGeorg Cramm, Axel Heinrich, Stephan Pirl, Gabriela Cocora
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention generally relates to a printing apparatus including one or more print heads for depositing printing fluid onto a substrate, wherein the apparatus comprises a maintenance unit for the one or more print heads. The present invention further relates to a method for cleaning one or more print heads from adhering printing fluid. The present invention also relates to the use of said apparatus in the automated manufacture of a contact lens, in particular a silicone hydrogel contact lens.
Claims13
A maintenance unit for one or more print heads (101), wherein the maintenance unit comprises:
- a drum with a covering thereon;
- a nozzle supplied by a pipe which is so arranged that the nozzle jets cleaning liquid onto the covering on the drum at a position which is in the lower half of the drum and the nozzle provides a cleaning liquid to the covering;
- a roller which is so arranged that it presses against the covering on the drum to wring excessive cleaning liquid out of the covering;
- wherein the nozzle and the roller are so arranged, that in the direction of movement of the drum, the roller is arranged between the nozzle and the one or more print heads.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.