Xerox Corporation

Additive Technologies LLC

Palo Alto Research Center Inc.

Chu-Heng Liu

Paul J McConville

Douglas K Herrmann

Seemit Praharaj

Jason Mathew LeFevre

Linn C Hoover

Weizhong Zhao

David A VanKouwenberg

Michael Jon Levy

Jorge Antonio Alvarez

Anthony Salvatore Condello

Beilei Xu

David Allen Mantell

Shen-Ge Wang

Santokh Singh Badesha

Robert Alan Clark

Erwin Ruiz

Michael F Zona

William J Nowak

Palghat Srinivas Ramesh

Mandakini Kanungo

Varun Sambhy

Peter John Knausdorf

Joseph C Sheflin

Jeffrey J Folkins

David Clark Craig

Jason Matthew LeFevre

James A Winters

David Kalman Biegelsen

Timothy D Stowe

Janos Veres

Patrick Jun Howe

Jack Thomas Lestrange

Jing Zhou

Barry Paul Mandel

David Joseph Gervasi

Howard A Mizes

Guiqin Song

Ali Rafic Dergham

Robert P Loce

Timothy J Fuller

Marcel Philippe Breton

Eric Peeters

John F Yanus

Damodar M Pai

Markus Rudolf Silvestri

Peter M Gulvin

William H Wayman

James R Larson

Timothy Patrick Foley

Henry R Till

Christopher G Lynn

Matthew Michael Kelly

Thomas Jay Wyble

Paul Windsor Morehouse, Jr

Daniel James McVeigh

Christopher T Chungbin

Gabriel Iftime

Karen Ann Moffat

Daryl Walter Vanbesien

Stuart Alan Schweid

Eugene Michael Chow

Steven Robert Moore

Paul Michael Fromm

James Daniel Mayo

David H Pan

David Lyell Knierim

Bing R Hsieh

George Amos Gibson

Biby Esther Abraham

Gordon Sisler

Eric Scott Hamby

Jeng Ping Lu

R Enrique Viturro

Bryan James Roof

Mark Anthony Cellura

Jack T LeStrange

Qi Zhang

Enno Eric Agur

Brynn Mary Dooley

Carlos Manuel Terrero

Ying-wei Lin

Suxia Yang

Martin Edward Hoover

Michael Nicholas Soures

Michael D Thompson

Christopher Douglas Atwood

Gary Daniel Redding

Nancy Y Jia

Jeffrey John Bradway

Gregory B Anderson

Wayne A Buchar

Joseph M Ferrara, Jr

David S Derleth

David J Sanders

Armin Rainer Völkel

Alexander J Fioravanti

Timothy R Jaskowiak

Elizabeth Crossen

Bruce H Smith

A three-dimensional (3D) metal object manufacturing apparatus is configured to eject melted metal drops from an ejector head at different velocities to form different portions of metal object layers with different measurable values of a same physical property. The different velocities are achieved by operating the ejector head with two different electrical voltages. The greater voltage that achieves the higher velocity is about 25% greater than the voltage used to achieve the lesser velocity. By operating the ejector head with the two different voltages different portions of the object can be formed with different physical property characteristics.

Metal drop ejecting three-dimensional (3D) object printer and improved method for operating the printer

A method of operating an inkjet printer operates solvent vapor generators that direct two flows of solvent vapor towards media on each side of each printhead in the process direction. The solvent vapor attenuates the evaporation of ink solvent from ink drops on the nozzle plates or from the ink in the nozzles of the printheads. Thus, the ink on the nozzle plates and in the nozzles does not dry out and the operational status of the inkjets is preserved.

Method for preserving ink viscosity in inkjets in an inkjet printer during printing

A three-dimensional object printer includes at least one ejector that is operated to form an uppermost layer of photopolymer material on a substrate. The ejected uppermost photopolymer layer is partially cured and a portion of mesh sheet is positioned on the partially cured layer before the at least one eject continues to eject photopolymer material onto the uppermost layer. The portion of the mesh sheet reinforces the layers of photopolymer material and adds strength and durability to the overall part being formed with the photopolymer material.

Additive manufacturing method for embedding fibers in a three-dimensional structure

Methods and systems for securely rendering a security feature with image data to be printed, can involve providing within the image data, data relating to a group of spots, and within the image data, mixing spots of two or more spot sizes among the group of spots to embed information within a stochastic or frequency modulation halftone image. In an embodiment, operations may be implemented for rendering a part of the image with a first spot among the group of spots and a remaining portion of the image with a second spot among the group of spots, wherein the second spot is smaller in size than the first spot.

Security printing using mixed spot sizes in stochastic or frequency modulated halftone images

A printing system and method of inspecting drop ejection in a printing system is disclosed. The method includes capturing an image of each of a plurality of drops of a print material after ejection from an ejector of a printing system, creating a temporally averaged image from each image of the plurality of drops of print material, and classifying one of the plurality of drops of print material based on the temporally averaged image that was created. The use of a pretrained convolutional neural network for classifying one of the plurality of drops and comparing the temporally averaged image to another temporally averaged image to classify one of the plurality of drops may be employed. The printing system also includes a camera with a high-speed shutter where the shutter is synchronized to an ejector pulse, and a video analytic framework coupled to the ejector and the camera configured to generate a jetting result for each of the one or more drops of liquid print material.

Inspection system for three-dimensional printer and methods thereof

An inkjet printer prints on a first side of a media sheet less than all of the color separations in an image, generates a first set of image data of the printed color separations to identify image features, returns the partially printed media sheet to a position that precedes the print zone in the printer, generates a second set of image data of the partially printed media sheet before it reenters the print zone to identify the image features, compares the positions of the image features in the first set of image data to the positions of the image features in the second set of image data to register one or more color separations remaining to be printed with the color separations printed on the first side of the media sheet, and prints the remaining registered color separations on the first side of the partially printed media sheet.

System and method for improving ink image quality in an inkjet printer

Disclosed is a system and method for cooling paper within a printer assembly that includes at least one misting assembly designed to mist an aqueous solution onto an unprinted surface of paper stock after a first side is printed. At least one convection accelerator assembly is designed to accelerate evaporation of the aqueous solution before the printed paper stock arrives at the at least one printing station for printing on the unprinted surface. At least one or more of a paper temperature, machine temperature, printhead temperature, and humidity sensor are operationally coupled to at least one controller assembly programmed to control at least one or more of misting, humidity, and airflow. The at least one controller assembly is designed to determine the heat to be dissipated into the airflow from the printed paper stock to obtain a targeted paper temperature and, therefore, the amount and placement of aqueous solution misted.

System and method for cooling paper within a printer assembly

A three-dimensional (3D) metal object manufacturing apparatus is configured to increase the oxidation of ejected melted metal drops for the formation of metal support structures during manufacture of a metal object with the apparatus. The oxidation can be increased by either increasing a distance between the ejector head and a platform supporting the metal object or by providing an air flow transverse to the direction of movement of the melted metal drops, or both.

Metal drop ejecting three-dimensional (3D) object printer and method of operation for forming metal support structures

A method for operating a printer can include placing a first print material into a supply reservoir of the printer. The method also includes placing a second print material into the supply reservoir to combine with the first print material to form a diluted print material. The method also includes causing the diluted print material to exit the supply reservoir. Another method for operating a printer includes adding a first print material having a first melting point to a supply reservoir at a first rate. The method also includes adding a second print material having a second melting point to a supply reservoir at a second rate. The method for operating a printer also includes allowing the first print material and the second print material to combine to form a diluted print material. A printing system is also disclosed.

System and method for magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) printhead/nozzle

The nozzles of a MHD liquid metal ejector/printhead can be clogged by contaminants in the liquid metal. Typically, these contaminants are in the form of small particles of aggregates of particles, such as metal oxides, that are insoluble in the liquid metal. Possible cleaning methods include mechanically removing the clogging material, such as by using a physical device to dislodge the clogging material and remove it; chemically removing the clogging material, such as by using selected chemicals/flux to chemically react with the clogging material; using ultrasound to break/remove the clogging material; and providing reversed and/or oscillating flow of material through the nozzle.

Nozzle cleaning in jetting of metal alloys

Devices include first and second frame elements having mounting points connectable to opposite ends (e.g., first end, second end) of the touchscreen. First and second rollers are connected, respectively, to the first and second frame elements. A web of transparent material is supported by and between the first and second rollers. Further, an ultraviolet light device is connected to the second frame element and is positioned to expose the web of transparent material to ultraviolet radiation to disinfect the transparent material between users.

Scrolling protective film system for touchscreen

A method of operating a printer identifies image areas and image features in ink image content data that are likely to produce ink blur within an ink image. The ink image content data for these areas and features is modified to attenuate the appearance of ink blur. The image areas identified as being likely to produce ink blur are the trailing edge and the side edges of the ink image content data. The modification of the ink image content data for the features and predetermined areas improves the quality of the printed ink image.

System and method for varying ejected ink drop volumes to improve ink image quality in an inkjet printer

A method of operating a printer identifies image areas in ink image content data that are likely to affected by airflow disturbances to produce ink blur within an ink image. Inkjets farthest from these areas are selected to eject ink drops into these areas to form portions of an ink image. The image areas identified as being likely to produce ink blur are the leading edge, trailing edge, and side edge of the ink image content data. The ink drops ejected by these selected inkjets and their satellites are less likely to be affected adversely by the airflow disturbances.

System and method for selecting inkjets to improve ink image quality in an inkjet printer

A method for operating a printer can include draining a print material from a printer, placing a sacrificial metal into the printer, ejecting the sacrificial metal from a nozzle of the printer, and cooling to printer to a temperature that is below a melting point of the print material and the sacrificial metal. The print material can be or include aluminum and the sacrificial metal can be or include tin. The print material can be drained from the printer when the print material is in molten form, for example, from about 600° C. to about 2000° C. The sacrificial metal can be ejected from the nozzle at a temperature above the melting point of the sacrificial metal but below the melting point of the print material, for example, below about 300° C. The method can reduce or eliminate cracking of various printer structures such as the nozzle during a shutdown or cooling of the printer.

Method for magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) printhead/nozzle reuse

A three-dimensional (3D) metal object manufacturing apparatus is equipped with a movable directed energy source to melt hardened metal drops and form an oxidation layer. A metal support structure can be formed over the oxidation layer, an object feature can be formed over the oxidation layer, or both a metal support structure and an object feature can be formed over oxidation layers located at opposite sides of a metal support structure. The oxidation layers weakly attach the metal support structure to the object feature supported by the metal support structure so the support structure can be easily removed after manufacture of the object is complete.

Growing community of inventors

Penfield, NY, United States of America

Chu-Heng Liu