Abstract:
A capping station is configured for storing printheads during printer inactivity to preserve the viscosity of the ink in the nozzles of the printheads. Each capping station has a receptacle, a planar member having a shaft that moves bidirectionally within an opening in a floor of the receptacle, a source of cleaning fluid, and a vacuum source. A controller is operatively connected to actuators to move the receptacle so a seal on an upper wall of the receptacle engages a printhead housing and to move the planar member within the receptacle. The controller also operates a pump to move cleaning fluid through the receptacle and to operate the vacuum source to pull ink from the nozzles of a printhead to the faceplate of the printhead. The planar member is moved proximate the faceplate so the ink forms a film that preserves the viscosity of the ink in the nozzles.
Abstract:
Disclosed herein is a substrate cooling unit for use with a duplex aqueous ink jet image forming device. The substrate cooling unit including a first cooling roll. a first transport belt, a second cooling roll positioned downstream of the first cooling roll in a process direction and a second transport belt. The first and second transports belts include a bottom layer of a fiber mesh impregnated with a polydimethylsiloxane, where the fiber mesh is selected from cotton, polyester, and nylon. The first and second transport belts include an optional intermediate adhesive layer and an optional top layer of silicone having an extractable level of less than 4 percent. The substrate cooling unit includes an invertor.
Abstract:
A slicer in a material drop ejecting three-dimensional (3D) object printer generates machine ready instructions that operate components of a printer, such as actuators and an ejector having at least one nozzle, to form features of an object more precisely than previously known. The instructions generated by the slicer control the actuators to move the ejector and a platform on which the object is formed relative to one another at a constant velocity to form edges of the feature.
Abstract:
In a large-scale ink-jet printer with multiple rows of printheads, an apparatus collects waste material such as paper particles and excess ink. A set of trays is stacked vertically to correspond to the rows of printheads. Each tray includes a drain valve therein. The trays are mounted on a rack that is slidably mounted on a bracket. When the rack is lowered to a drain position on the bracket, a linkage on the rack engages a surface within the printer, such as on the bracket, and the linkage is pushed upward to open the valve associated with each tray. The opened valves cause the trays to drain out their waste material, ultimately to a collection container.
Abstract:
Disclosed herein is a substrate cooling unit for use with a duplex aqueous ink jet image forming device. The substrate cooling unit including a first cooling roll. a first transport belt, a second cooling roll positioned downstream of the first cooling roll in a process direction and a second transport belt. The first and second transports belts include a bottom layer of a fiber mesh impregnated with a polydimethylsiloxane, where the fiber mesh is selected from cotton, polyester, and nylon. The first and second transport belts include an optional intermediate adhesive layer and an optional top layer of silicone having an extractable level of less than 4 percent. The substrate cooling unit includes an invertor.
Abstract:
A material drop ejecting three-dimensional (3D) object printer identifies a time lag error corresponding to a time lag in the response of printer components to component commands. The identified time lag error is provided to a slicer program that uses the identified time lag error to compensate for the time lag in the response of the printer components.
Abstract:
A slicer in a material drop ejecting three-dimensional (3D) object printer generates machine ready instructions that operate components of a printer, such as actuators and an ejector having at least one nozzle, to form features of an object more precisely than previously known. The instructions generated by the slicer use positional data from an encoder to control the actuators to move the ejector and a platform on which the object is formed relative to one another to form edges of the feature.
Abstract:
A slicer in a material drop ejecting three-dimensional (3D) object printer generates machine ready instructions that operate components of a printer, such as actuators and an ejector having at least one nozzle, to form features of an object more precisely than previously known. The instructions generated by the slicer use positional data from an encoder to control the actuators to move the ejector and a platform on which the object is formed relative to one another to form edges of the feature.
Abstract:
Disclosed herein is a substrate cooling unit for use with a duplex aqueous ink jet image forming device. The substrate cooling unit includes a first transport belt that is in contact with a portion of an outer surface of the first cooling roll to substantially sandwich individual sheets of image receiving media between a first cooling roll and the first transport belt. The substrate cooling unit includes a second cooling roll positioned downstream of the first cooling roll in a process direction and a second transport belt that is in contact with a portion of an outer surface of the second cooling roll to substantially sandwich the individual sheets of image receiving media between the second cooling roll and the second transport belt. The second transport belt includes a bottom layer of woven or non-woven fibers and a top rubber layer.
Abstract:
A slicer in a material drop ejecting three-dimensional (3D) object printer generates machine ready instructions that operate components of a printer, such as actuators and an ejector having at least one nozzle, to form features of an object more precisely than previously known. The instructions generated by the slicer control the actuators to move the ejector and a platform on which the object is formed relative to one another at a constant velocity to form edges of the feature.