Xeikon N.v.

Agfa Gevaert Nv

Lucien A De Schamphelaere

Etienne M De Cock

Freddy M Librecht

Willy F Van Peteghem

Erik Gabriel Van Weverberg

Willy G Verlinden

Ludo Verluyten

Bart J Van Dessel

Peter Alexander Steylaerts

Ronny Jean Aerens

Jan Julien De Bock

Alfons Jakob Grobben

Werner E De Bondt

Rudy D Leroy

Gerard J Boeve

Jean A Van Daele

Johan Denise Elsermans

Koenraad Leontine Van Hulle

Erik Marcel Bollansee

Patrick Billet

Daniel L Van Hoogten

Eric F Soulliaert

Wim M Smet

Lieven Jacob De Clercq

Louis Luyckx

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

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

A non-impact printer is described for forming an image on a medium. The printer having:

Non-impact printer with evenness control

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.

LED recording head including a carrier strip with spaced module carriers

An electrostatographic single-pass multiple station multi-color printer for forming an image onto a web 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. Register control apparatus 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 apparatus comprises an encoder driven by the displacement of the web to produce pulses indicative of web displacement, and a delay 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 with register

An electrostatographic printer is described for forming an image onto a moving web or sheet. The printer includes a number of toner image-producing electrostatographic stations having rotatable drums onto which a toner image can be formed. A development station forms a toner image on the drums. Drive rollers convey the web past the image-producing stations. Corona discharge devices transfer the toner image on the drum surface onto the moving web. The printer also has an air-conditioning device which has filters for removing dust and ozone from air leaving the environment of the image-producing station, a heat exchanger and a humidifier for adjusting the temperature and humidity of air leaving the environment of the image-producing station, and an inlet manifold for introducing a stream of the conditioned clean air into the environment of the image-producing stations.

Air conditioning device for a printer

An electrostatographic single-pass multiple station (e.g. multi-colour) duplex printer is described for forming an image onto a web. The printer has at least three toner image-producing electrostatographic stations. Each station has a rotatable endless surface in the form of a photoconductive drum onto which a toner image can be formed. The printer also includes drive rollers for conveying the web in succession past the stations. Corona discharge devices transfer the toner image on each rotatable surface onto the web. The image-producing stations are arranged in two sub-groups, the drum of one sub-group forming a backing roller for the other sub-group, and vice-versa, thereby to enable simultaneous duplex printing.

Electrostatographic single-pass multiple station printer for forming

An electrostatographic single-pass multiple station multi-color printer for forming an image onto a web, eg of paper, is described. A plurality of toner image-producing electrostatographic printing stations each have a rotatable endless surface such as the photoconductive surface of a cylindrical drum onto which a toner image can be formed. The paper web is conveyed in succession past the printing stations. The speed and tension of the web is controlled while it is running past the printing stations. Guiding rollers which determine for the web wrapping angles of about 15.degree. about the drum surface. A corona device transfers the toner image on each drum onto the web. The corona device, the wrapping angles .omega. and the web tension are such that adherent contact of the web with the drum surface is such that the moving paper web controls the peripheral speed of the drum in synchronism with the movement of the web. Slippage between the drum surface and the paper web is thereby eliminated, enabling accurate registration of superimposed images on the paper web.

Growing community of inventors

Edegem, Belgium

Lucien A De Schamphelaere