Xeikon N.v.

Agfa Gevaert Nv

Etienne M De Cock

Lucien A De Schamphelaere

Jan Julien De Bock

Erik Gabriel Van Weverberg

Freddy M Librecht

Willy F Van Peteghem

Ludo Verluyten

Bart J Van Dessel

Peter Alexander Steylaerts

Daniel Frans Van De Velde

Ronny Jean Aerens

Gerard J Boeve

Rudy D Leroy

Alfons Jakob Grobben

Patrick Billet

Jean A Van Daele

Peter Eelen

Johan Denise Elsermans

Wim Jacques Michielsen

Werner E De Bondt

Lucien A De Schampelaere

Alfons J Buts

Daniel L Van Hoogten

Eric F Soulliaert

Wim M Smet

Louis Luyckx

The invention is an electrostatographic printer and a method of printing with such a printer. The printer includes a transfer member that is driven along a continuous path, and a toner image depositor that deposits a toner image in powder form on the transfer member. A substrate is fed into contact with the transfer member, and the toner image on the transfer member is heated in advance of the transfer; the transfer member is cooled following the image transfer to a temperature below the glass transition temperature T.sub.g of the toner; then further toner images may be deposited on the transfer member. A controlling pressure roller is positioned in opposition to the transfer member to form a transfer nip, through which the substrate passes, the substrate wrapping partially around the pressure roller both in advance of and following the transfer nip. The temperature of the controlling pressure roller can be governed to control the temperature of the substrate as it passes through the nip, thus attaining improved image transfer.

Electrostatographic printer and method

A single-pass, multi-color electrostatographic duplex printer has a transfer member which is driven along a continuous path. Toner images of different colors are simultaneously electrostatically deposited in powder form in register with each other on the transfer member to form a multiple toner image. The substrate is fed into contact with the transfer member for transfer of the multiple toner image to at least one face of the substrate. The printer includes a heater for heating the multiple toner image on the transfer member in advance of the transfer of the image to the substrate.

Single-pass, multi-color electrostatographic duplex printer

A substrate carrying an unfixed toner image is fed through a contact zone which extends continuously from an entrance to an exit (18; 78). The zone is defined by an endless surface such as a first belt and a reaction surface such as a second belt in face-to-face pressure contact therewith. The first belt adjacent the entrance is heated to a temperature sufficient to reduce the viscosity of the toner to less than 50 Pa s. The first belt is forcibly cooled intermediate the entrance and the exit to a temperature below the glass transition point T.sub.g of the toner. Thereby un-fixed toner images can be fixed to the substrate and provided with a desirable level of gloss in one single device, while widening the range of operating conditions without risk of offset occurring.

Device and method fixing and glossing toner images

A single pass, multi-color electrostatographic printer includes a transfer member which is driven along a continuous path. Several toner images of different colors are electrostatically deposited in powder form in registration with each other on the transfer member to form a multiple toner image thereon. A substrate is fed into contact with the transfer member. The multiple toner image is thereby transferred to at least one face of the substrate. The printer includes heaters for heating the multiple toner image on the transfer member in advance of the transfer of the image to the substrate and cooling devices for cooling the transfer member following the transfer of the multiple toner image therefrom to the substrate to a temperature below the glass transition temperature T.sub.g of the toner, prior to the deposition of further toner images on the transfer member.

Single-pass, multi-color electrostatographic printer with continuous

An electrostatographic single-pass multiple station multi-colour printer for forming an image onto a web. The printer has a plurality of toner image-printing electrostatographic stations. Each station has a drum onto the surface of which a toner image can be formed. An exposure station forms an electrostatic toner image line-wise on each drum surface. A corona device transfers the toner image onto the web, which is conveyed in succession past the stations in synchronism with the rotation of the drum surface. A register control device is provided for controlling the operation of each of the stations in timed relationship thereby to obtain correct registering of the distinct toner images on the web. The register control device includes an encoder driven by the displacement of the web to produce pulses indicative of web displacement, and delay system arranged to initiate the operation of subsequent stations after a predetermined web displacement, as measured by the encoder, has occurred. The invention enables accurate registration of the transferred images, irrespective of the speed of the paper web through the printer.

Electrostatographic single-pass multiple station printer and method with

A single-pass, multi-color electrostatographic printer has a transfer member which is driven along a continuous path. Toner images of different colors are simultaneously electrostatically deposited in powder form in register with each other on the transfer member to form a multiple toner image. The substrate is fed into contact with the transfer member for transfer of the multiple toner image to at least one face of the substrate. The printer includes a heater for the multiple toner image on the transfer member in advance of the transfer of the image to the substrate, and cooling capability for the transfer member following the transfer of the multiple toner image to the substrate, to a temperature below the glass transition temperature T.sub.g of the toner, prior to deposition of further toner images on the transfer member.

Single-pass, multi-color electrostatographic printer with intermediate

An electrophotographic printer includes a plurality of recording heads connected in series in a closed cooling circuit. Each of the recording heads includes a linear array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on a common thermally conductive LED carrier bar. The carrier bar carries a series of modules, each module containing N LEDs with their associated drivers. The carrier bar is provided with a U-shaped duct inside a thermally conductive body which is in thermally conductive contact with the carrier bar. The duct extends between a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet and has a cooling fluid such as water flowing therethrough.

Printer including temperature controlled LED recording heads

An electrostatographic printer for forming an image onto a web comprises at least one toner image-producing electrostatographic station having a drum onto which a toner image can be formed, a transport for conveying a web past the image-producing station, apparatus for controlling the speed and tension of the web while it is running past the image-producing station, and transfer apparatus for transferring the toner image on the drum onto the web. The printer is characterized by a control arrangement for switching between a printing mode wherein a printing web moves in synchronism with the peripheral speed of the drum and a refurbishment mode wherein a refurbishment web moves at a faster speed relative to the peripheral speed of the drum and in contact therewith, to cause refurbishment of the drum surface.

Electrostatographic printer for forming an image onto a web and for

A method of forming a drum assembly for use as a rotatable endless surface onto which a toner image is formed. The drum assembly has a hollow drum with an opening at each end and a surface onto which the image is formed. A support flange, having an aperture in the center thereof, is cooled before being inserted into each end opening. The drum assembly also includes a shaft having a collar fixed in the vicinity of each end. After the shaft is positioned inside the drum, the collars are positioned to coincide with the flange apertures. Screws secure each collar to its respective flange. The screws can be adjusted to reduce the eccentricity of the drum.

Method of forming a drum assembly for use in a printer and the drum

Electrostatographic image reproduction apparatus forms images of toner particles on a receptor material moving along a transport path. A rotatable contact roller contacts the receptor material while it has an electrostatically charged toner particle image on at least the adjacent surface thereof. The contact roller is selected from a receptor material transport roller, a guiding roller, and a reversing roller. Electrostatic charging device provide an electrostatic charge, having the same polarity as the charge polarity of the toner particles, on the surface of the contact roller before contact of the receptor material with the surface of the contact roller. Cleaning means remove any toner particles from the surface of the roller after release of the receptor material from the surface of the contact roller. Smudging of the toner image on the receptor material is reduced.

Guiding or reversing roller arrangement for an electrostatographic image

A developing unit including a housing having an opening defining a developing zone, an applicator for applying particulate developer through the opening towards an electrostatographic image to be developed, and a paddle wheel for agitating developer within the housing, for scooping up developer from within the housing and projecting scooped-up developer towards the applicator. A hopper, located outside the width of the development zone supplies toner to the housing, and a primary spiral screw conveys developer from the hopper across the width of the development zone in one direction, while a secondary spiral screw receives developer from the primary spiral screw and conveys developer across the width of the development zone in an opposite direction. A passageway outside the width of the development zone enables the return of developer from the secondary spiral screw to the primary spiral screw.

Developing unit for thoroughly supplying mixed toner in an

An electrostatographic printer for forming a toner image onto a receptor element comprises: (i) at least one toner image-producing electrostatographic station comprising rotatable endless surface means onto which a toner image can be formed, means for forming an electrostatic latent image on the endless surface means and a developing unit for depositing electrostatically charged toner particles onto the electrostatic latent image; (ii) means for conveying a receptor element past the image-producing station; and (iii) transfer means for transferring the toner image on the rotatable surface means onto the receptor element web. The printer is characterized in that the developing unit is selectively moveable between an operative position and a non-operative position while the endless surface means rotates. The printer avoids smudging on the first few prints produced by the printer.

Electrostatographic printer for forming a toner image onto a receptor

A receptor material conditioning apparatus and method for conditioning a moving paper web suitable for use in an electrostatographic printer. A heated drum reduces the moisture content of paper moving along a paper web path. A cooling box positioned downstream of the heated drum cools the moving receptor material. An electrometer determines the electrical condition of the paper before it leaves the apparatus. By conditioning the paper web, a higher yield of toner transfer in the subsequent electrostatographic printer can be obtained.

Paper receptor material conditioning apparatus and method

An electrostatographic printer includes an imaging station for forming a latent electrostatic image on the surface of a drum, a toner development station for developing the latent image to form a toner image, and a toner transfer station for transferring the toner image onto a moving web. An image-fixing station for fixing the toner image on the web includes two pairs of radiant heat sources, the peak energy output wavelength of which lies in the non-visible part of the spectrum. The radiant sources may be located in hingedly mounted pairs of housings in such a manner that the housings may be moved into a closed position to shield the radiant sources from the web when the speed of movement of the web falls below a predetermined value. Thus, damage to the web when movement of the web stops is avoided.

Electrostatographic printer with image-fixing station

A recording head is described having mounted thereon M modules, each module comprising an array of N LEDs and associated drivers. The recording head comprises a carrier bar, and a carrier strip fixedly and electroconductively and thermoconductively secured to a surface of the carrier bar. The carrier strip comprises along one side thereof M spaced individual module carriers connected with the rest of said carrier strip by means of at least one frangible zone. M LED dies and associated driver module dies are fixedly secured to the surface of said M module carriers, each die containing an array of N linearly arranged LEDs. The array of N LEDs of each die overlaps the space between the spaced individual module carriers in order to come in abutting relationship with the end or ends of neighboring N LED arrays. In said LED array a module carrier on which a defective module is present can be replaced without damaging the adjacent modules.

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Edegem, Belgium

Etienne M De Cock