Xerox Corporation

Xeorx Corporation

Richard P Ficarra

Christine Ann Steurrys

Robert E Rosdahl, Jr

Robert R Reed

Derek Albert Bryl

Gordon Byron Reid

Thomas C McGraw

Douglas K Herrmann

Victoria Lynn Warner

Bruce D Caryl

Barry Paul Mandel

Carlos Manuel Terrero

Timothy Gordon Shelhart

Richard F Scarlata

Richard J Milillo

Dale T Platteter

Richard A Van Dongen

Douglas Allen Gutberlet

Robert F Rubscha

Piotr Sokolowski

Richard A Kalb

Frederick A Green

Gregory A Ludgate

Bruce J DiRenzo

Timothy M Davis

Don S Walker

Michael J Severn

Terrance Joseph Antinora

Herman Young

Matthew J Ross

Alicia K Schwenk

Bryan C Winkelman

Tina M Burns

A printing system comprises a media transport device which holds print media, such as paper, against a movable support surface, such as a belt, by vacuum suction through holes in a vacuum platen and transports the print media though a deposition region of one or more printheads, which deposit a print fluid, such as ink, on the print media. The printing system comprises an airflow control device comprising dampers that are moveable along a direction perpendicular to the vacuum platen between an undeployed configuration and a deployed configuration, each damper blocking at least one row of the holes in the deployed configuration. The airflow control device also comprises actuators to move the damper(s). The actuator(s) are controlled to selectively move the damper(s) between the undeployed and deployed configuration based on a position of an inter-media zone between adjacent print media held against the movable support surface.

Controlling airflow through vacuum platen of printing system by a movable damper, and related devices, systems, and methods

A printing system comprises a print fluid deposition assembly, a media transport device, and an air flow control system. The print fluid deposition assembly comprises a printhead module comprising a plurality of printheads to eject a print fluid to a deposition region. The media transport device holds a print medium against a movable support surface by vacuum suction and transports the print medium through the deposition region. The air flow control system is arranged to flow air toward the movable support surface at locations upstream and downstream of the printhead module, based on a location of a print medium relative to the printhead module.

Devices, system, and methods for supplying makeup air at printhead modules of a printing system

A printing system comprises an ink deposition assembly, a media transport device, and an airflow control system. The ink deposition assembly comprises printheads to deposit a print fluid, such as ink, on print media, such as paper, transported through a deposition region. The media transport device holds the print media against a moving support surface, such as a belt, by vacuum suction through holes in the media transport device and transports the print media though the deposition region. The airflow control system comprises a damper and an actuator configured to move the damper along a cross-process direction. The damper blocks airflow through a subset of the holes along a side of the media transport device, the subset varying based on a position of the damper. The damper is moved to change the subset of the holes blocked by the damper based on a size of the print medium.

Airflow control through vacuum platen of printing system by a movable damper, and related devices, systems, and methods

An inlet seal, an outlet seal, and a piston are connected to a shaft. The inlet seal seals an ink inlet of an ink reservoir. The outlet seal seals an ink outlet of the ink reservoir. Also, the piston is within a cylinder. The inlet seal, the outlet seal, and the piston all move with the shaft. A biasing member contacts the piston to bias the piston in a first direction. Pressurized air simultaneously provided to the cylinder and to the ink reservoir biases the piston in a second direction, opposite the first direction, and pressurizes ink within the ink reservoir. Moving the shaft in the first direction does not seal the ink inlet but does seal the ink outlet. Moving the shaft in the second direction seals the ink inlet but does not seal the ink outlet, thus allowing the pressurized ink out from the ink reservoir.

Ink reservoir with pneumatically driven integrated piston and shut-off valves

Inkjet printhead cleaning methods and systems control an articulation structure (that is connected to a wiper blade) to move the wiper blade to contact an inkjet printhead to wipe the inkjet printhead. These methods/systems further control the articulation structure to move the wiper blade to contact a blade cleaning structure to clean the wiper blade. The blade cleaning structure comprises a fluid manifold and bundles of fibers mounted in brush openings of the fluid manifold, and cleaning fluid is in the fluid manifold. The mounting ends of the bundles of fibers are mounted in the brush openings of the fluid manifold and the cleaning ends of the bundles of fibers are positioned to contact the wiper blade. The blade cleaning structure is positioned so as to gravity feed the cleaning fluid from the mounting ends of the fibers to the cleaning ends of the fibers.

Inkjet printhead wiper cleaning system having cleaning fluid supplied brush

A three-dimensional object printing system improves the leveling of an object during object printing and removal of waste material during leveling. The printing system includes a material applicator configured to expel material, a member configured to move in a process direction to a position opposite the material applicator to enable the material applicator to expel material onto the member, and a belt assembly. The belt assembly includes a first roller, a second roller, and a continuous belt entrained about the first roller and the second roller. The belt assembly is configured to remove a portion of the material ejected onto the member. The belt assembly is further configured to move the removed portion of the material away from the member.

Belt leveling of layers in a part printed by additive manufacturing

An object printing system facilitates the printing of articles of manufacture. The system includes at least one printhead, a transfer device, an ultraviolet (UV) radiator, a pressurized gas source operatively connected to the transfer device, a plurality of actuators, and a controller. The controller is configured to operate the at least one printhead to form an image on a substrate, move the substrate bearing the image past the UV radiator as the controller operates the UV radiator to cure the ejected marking material partially to prevent ink movement, and operates the pressurized gas source to conform the substrate and partially cured ejected material to a shape corresponding to a surface of an object placed on the substrate to transfer the partially cured marking material onto the surface of the object. The transfer device can be an inflatable bladder or a molded vacuum chamber.

System for printing on three-dimensional (3D) objects

3-D printers include a transfuse station having at least one roller on one side of the ITB supporting the ITB, and a transmission device on the same side of the ITB. A platen is included that moves relative to the ITB. The ITB electrostatically transfers a layer made up of the different color build materials and the support material to the platen each time the platen contacts the other side of the ITB at the transfuse station (the side of the ITB opposite the transfuse station roller and transmission device) using vibration and charge devices; and this successively forms multiple layers of the build materials and the support material on the platen.

Electrostatic 3-D printing system having acoustic transfer and corotron

An apparatus applies release agent to a printhead face to prevent ink from wetting the surface of the printhead face. The release agent is applied by an applicator that is coupled to a release agent supply by a wicking member. The applicator can be integrated into a wiper for the printhead to enable release agent application and printhead facing wiping to occur at approximately the same time.

Fluid applicator for a printhead face

A belt cleaning system to clean a conveyor belt carrier surface includes a first cleaning assembly having a cleaning web sub-assembly. The cleaning web sub-assembly includes a supply roller, a take-up roller, a cleaning web and an applicator. The cleaning web extends from a supply of clean cleaning web wound on the supply roller to the take-up roller. The applicator is disposed intermediate the supply roller and the take-up roller to bias the cleaning web into contact with the conveyor belt carrier surface. The belt cleaning system may also include a second cleaning assembly positioned after the first cleaning assembly in the direction of travel of the conveyor belt. The cleaning webs of the first and second cleaning web sub-assemblies may be dry or wetted with a cleaning liquid.

Belt cleaning system and method for laser cutting device

A belt cleaning system to clean a conveyor belt having a carrier surface includes a dry ice blasting device and a debris recovery subsystem. The dry ice blasting device includes a delivery system having at least one nozzle disposed adjacent the conveyor belt. Dry ice pellets are discharged from the nozzle onto the conveyor belt carrier surface, whereby the dry ice pellets remove the debris from the carrier surface. The debris recovery subsystem includes a collector housing disposed adjacent to the conveyor belt carrier surface. The collector housing contains the debris removed from the conveyor belt carrier surface and directs the debris away from the conveyor belt.

Dry ice belt cleaning system for laser cutting device

A belt cleaning system to clean the carrier surface of a conveyor belt. The system includes a roller assembly and a liquid supply subsystem. The roller assembly includes a cleaning web composed of a hydroscopic material and a roller to bias the cleaning web into rotating contact with the conveyor belt carrier surface. The liquid supply subsystem provides a cleaning liquid to the cleaning web.

Belt cleaning system for laser cutting device

According to aspects of the embodiments, there is provided a printing system the use of an elastomer belt that would flex during media insertion, yet would be positioned and constructed such to prevent the media from escaping the pinch created by the gripper belt. The gripping force, created by the elastomer belt, increases if the sheet attempts to be removed via the orientation and mechanical advantage of the belt construction. This system also incorporates a feature to reduce the gripper belt holding force by means of a mechanical linkage actuated by a counter weighted, cam system or possibly an electromechanical device. The elastomer belt would eliminate any marks or scuffs on the media when it is removed from the disk stacker.

Elastomer gripping belt loop for a disc stacker system

A document finisher is arranged for forming a document stack whose top surface is maintained substantially level. The document finisher includes a document stack leveling container for containing a document stack of one or more documents. Each document has a document thick side that is thicker than the opposite document thin side. The document stack leveling container includes a hollow. The document finisher is arranged for disposing documents in the hollow, thus forming a document stack therein. The hollow includes a bottom shaped such that the document stack top surface is maintained substantially level.

Document stack leveling method, and a document finisher including the same

A system and method of stacking printed sheets with sheet curl stacking problems in an automatically variable configuration stacking system having a spaced array of repositionable initial sheet supporting surfaces providing a generally planar initial stack supporting configuration on which a limited amount of sheets initially stack, and then, in response to stacking additional sheets in said system, the stacking system automatically changes to a different, arcuate, stack supporting configuration by automatically lowering at least some of the spaced array of initial sheet supporting surfaces to arcuately bend the curled sheets in an arcuate direction transverse the sheet curl direction on a fixed stacking surface that is arcuate transversely of the sheet curl direction.

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Williamson, NY, United States of America

Richard P Ficarra