Macdermid Acumen, Inc.

Macdermid, Incorporated

Proto Labs, Inc.

Kevin R Crystal

Aaron Gerald Barclay

Richard Joseph Bigaouette

Christopher Walls-Manning

John Mark Gilbert

Larry William Gonier

A computer program analyzes a CAD file provided by a customer of a custom part to be injection molded. Feedback from the analysis is provided to the customer through a rendering of the part. Rather than merely communicating using color as applied to the rendering file and separate text, the invention applies one or more symbols as 'decals' to the rendering of the part provided to the customer. In one preferred embodiment, the symbols are chevrons or arrows which indicate the direction of additional draft needed on particular faces for the part to be sufficiently manufacturable. The symbols are sized appropriately for the size of the face to which they are applied, and are oriented to match the orientation of the face. The symbols may also indicate other information, such as the magnitude of draft needed, magnitude of thickness required, the surface finish to be applied at that location, or time or location based properties of the injection molding process.

Communicating mold/part manufacturability issues

The apparatus of the present invention thus increases the precision for controlling the movement of a printing media through an improved set of vacuum apertures formed in the platen surface, a discrete set of compartments inside the platen each fluidly coupled to a unique set of improved vacuum apertures, and vapor/dust recovery apertures fluidly coupled to a storage, collection, or other disposal vessel. In a preferred embodiment the present invention comprises at least four exhaust fans each fluidly coupled to a discrete compartment within the platen and at least one said compartment connects to each end of the platen surface adjacent to the printing zone and is adapted to evacuate the entire interior space of a large format printing engine. In each of these embodiments, at least some of the improved vacuum apertures located near the edges of the printing zone extend to a recess, or grooved, segment of the platen surface. Also in each said embodiment of the present invention using a planar, or flat, printing zone, a set of gradually tapering transition platen sections promote the best vacuum seal between the platen (within the printing zone) and the printing media. These gradually tapering transition sections can either be integrated into a monolithic platen member, or may be fabricated separately and suitably attached to the platen. In the embodiments wherein one or more vapor evacuation aperture is ported to a vessel, an appropriate vapor recovery technique may be practiced to capture any potentially harmful vapors or print-artifact producing dust particles. In these embodiments, a suitable recovery technique might include fume incinerator(s), carbon adsorbers, HEPA-quality filter materials, phase change recovery, and the like.

Platen having media suction and vapor recovery ports

The apparatus of the present invention increases the operating envelope for large format thermal ink jet printing via a directed fluid flow from specially-designed orifices which promote fluid flow on a printed surface adjacent a printing zone in a large format ink jet printer where in addition to the optimized fluid flow one or more heating elements are inserted directly into the fluid flow to thereby promote drying of said printed surface. In one embodiment, a single dual-duct plennum spans the width of a roll-fed large format ink jet print engine and a first duct distributes heated air downward (in the direction of media web movement) and a second duct evacuates a printing space so that any potentially harmful ink vapors or other air-borne contaminant is appropriately fluidly coupled to either a remote exhaust vent or vapor capture vessel.

Convertible media dryer for a large format ink jet print engine

The method and apparatus of the present invention increases the precision for controlling diverse printing substrates during printing operation while ink is emitted from an ink jet print head to form patterns upon the printing media substrate. The present invention addresses several long-standing obstacles to high quality printed output upon many nontraditional print media, including media handling for nonbacked, unsupported, fibrous print media. The print media traverses the engine in a complex pathway in the preferred embodiment; including, continually advancing from a powered media supply roll through a cross-web tensioning area, an idler pulley, then over a full-web media advance grit roller, through a unique &ldquo;open web&rdquo; printing zone&mdash;where the media is briefly suspended during application of ink, over an idler pulley, through a forced heating zone (preferably dual-sided), and then over another idler pulley, and finally onto a take-up spool which is biased against the force created by the powered media supply spool. The engine of the present invention utilizes this open-web printing zone, dual forced air heating of both sides of freshly printed media, and a continuously biased tension in the axial web directions and cross-web directions for maximum effect on fibrous media in particular, although the system lends itself to use in ink jet graphics arts applications. The media is preferably loaded in a center-justified orientation and the engine is tolerant of traditionally produced textile media rolls, cores, and fabric varieties. A removeable pad may optionally be disposed on top of a platen frame member and under the print media pathway so that any ink that penetrates a porous media in the open web print zone impinges upon the pad where it can be collected and disposed of properly. If placed proximate to the printing media pathway, the removeable pad furthermore reduces the amplitude of any media wrinkles and thereby reduces drop placement errors which might cause visual artifacts.

Printing zone specially adapted for textile printing media

The disclosure concerns an apparatus that increases the utility of the ink jet printing engines by allowing the engine operator the freedom to select the spacing between the ink emitting nozzles of each inkjet print head and a printing substrate. The preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a reciprocating carriage assembly having twelve individual ink jet pen receptacles and a manual vertical adjustment feature for precise control of the spacing between the printing substrate and the print head(s). In one embodiment, the inventive carriage assembly height adjustment features dual, manually-actuated axial screws that cooperate to evenly raise and lower the carriage assembly. Preferably a third mounting point ensures parallelism when the carriage assembly is raised and lowered. In use, the entire carriage assembly, including circuit boards, ink jet print heads, and electronics all move in unison when the axial shafts are rotated. A simple spacer tool, ground to a preselected thickness is used to confirm that an optimum head height has been reached, although other, more elaborate mechanisms could also be used. The inventive carriage assembly preferably includes a plurality of receptacles for receiving disposable ink jet print heads. Preferred features include a solderless assembly process, a tongue-in-groove coupling, and a first leaf spring to bias the print heads to precision mounting locations. Several elements cooperate to promote electrical contact between a flex circuit having mass terminations of electrical traces on the flex circuit and corresponding electrical features of each print head.

Carriage assembly for a large format ink jet print engine

An apparatus for reliably and efficiently propelling a printing substrate across a printing platen by use of the known roller/nip roller configuration wherein an improved, unitary slider bearing preferably formed of low friction material is coupled to an axial shaft at two points of contact to a upper crown of a slider bearing. The improved bearing is preferably constructed of teflon, or similar low friction material, impregnated resin and formed to create a friction fit in an aperture in a printing platen of a print engine. The improved bearing allows use of a lower cost, less-toleranced axial drive shaft members and eliminates use of typical ball-bearing style bearing assemblies as well as greatly reduces assembly time of the roller, nip roller, axial shaft combination during initial build of the print engine. The improved bearing preferably includes a debris cut-out so that any debris that might collect inside the bearing structure (between the axial shaft/roller and bottom portion of the bearing) can escape without causing any mechanical abrasion to the components of the improved bearing.

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Chanhassan, MN, United States of America

Kevin R Crystal